News

Kandiyohi County continues to wage war against aquatic invasive species

January 3, 2022

Kandiyohi County continues to wage war against aquatic invasive species
WILLMAR— Despite a shortage of trained inspectors, Kandiyohi County was able to stop 230 violations of the state’s aquatic invasive species rules at boat launches of several county lakes this year. Any one of those violations, if the boats had reached the water, could have led to increased spread of aquatic invasive species, which are known to have a negative impact on the ecosystems of the lake. “We did catch a good number of violations this year,” said Russ Hilbert, county

Ridgewater offering no-cost nursing classes to address shortage

January 1, 2022

Ridgewater offering no-cost nursing classes to address shortage
As a means of alleviating nursing home staffing shortages, Ridgewater College announced this week that it will be offering nursing assistant classes—at no cost—to participating students. These classes will be offered on both the Willmar and Hutchinson campuses starting Jan. 3 with the 32 students already enrolled, scheduled to complete their courses by Jan. 31. Once trained, the Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) will become eligible for employment at Minnesota long-term care facilities that

Kandiyohi County gives money for broadband

January 1, 2022

Kandiyohi County gives money for broadband
WILLMAR—Twenty-three homes along 30th Avenue Northwest in Dovre Township of Kandiyohi County might soon have access to high-speed broadband. A proposed Charter project would bring speeds up to 100 megabits download and 20 megabits upload to the area, which is currently considered unserved by the state. “It is kind of isolated,” said Kandiyohi County Administrator Larry Kleindl at the Dec. 21 Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners meeting. “We are trying to get them some broadband

A new class of future Kandiyohi County business leaders graduates from Elevate Business Academy

December 31, 2021

A new class of future Kandiyohi County business leaders graduates from Elevate Business Academy
WILLMAR—Their business dreams include a barbecue restaurant, a fashion line, a shoe store, a family entertainment destination and the continued success of a community coffee house. The seven men and women—Candace Aaker, Nick Aaker, Mohammed Abdi, Daniel Carranza, Fatouma Hachim, Hans Hibma and Victoria Hibma—who participated in the second class of the Elevate Business Academy celebrated those dreams in front of a small crowd of friends, family, business leaders and elected officials from across

Downtown Willmar streetscape project to be redesigned to meet grant fund parameters

December 28, 2021

Downtown Willmar streetscape project to be redesigned to meet grant fund parameters
WILLMAR—The streetscape project being proposed for the intersection of Litchfield Avenue and Fourth Street Southwest in downtown Willmar has hit a rather large snag. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, which administers the Small Cities grant program from which most of the funding is coming, has raised serious concerns about the plan and whether it will fund a major aspect of the project. The city was awarded a $750,000 grant from the program, with $400,000 earmarked

Willmar School Board adopts tax levy and passes, for now, on proposal to develop turf field near Willmar Civic Center

December 14, 2021

Willmar School Board adopts tax levy and passes, for now, on proposal to develop turf field near Willmar Civic Center
WILLMAR—The property tax levy that funds Willmar Public Schools will decrease 1% in the next year. The Willmar School Board voted at its meeting Monday to adopt the levy, following its Truth-in-Taxation public hearing. The board also heard a presentation about possibly developing a full football stadium at the new turf football field between the Willmar Civic Center and Willmar Senior High School. Kathryn Haase, director of business and finance, led the board through a review of the property tax

MinnWest Technology Campus in Willmar requesting tax abatement for three additional buildings to be renovated

December 14, 2021

MinnWest Technology Campus in Willmar requesting tax abatement for three additional buildings to be renovated
WILLMAR—Fifteen years after it was first established, the MinnWest Technology Campus continues to be transformed into one of Kandiyohi County’s economic development stars. Currently, it is home to 27 different companies offering employment to 693 people, with an average salary of $55,000 a year. “It is a real gem for this community,” said James Sieben, president of both the campus and Nova-Tech Engineering, one of the largest employers on the campus located in Willmar. However,

Jennie-O Turkey Store’s Benson Avenue plant in Willmar to close

December 9, 2021

Jennie-O Turkey Store’s Benson Avenue plant in Willmar to close
WILLMAR—The Jennie-O Turkey Store plant located on Benson Avenue just west of downtown Willmar will be closing in the first half of fiscal year 2022, according to a news release from Hormel Foods, which owns Jennie-O. The news comes as Hormel reports double-digit sales growth in every segment of the business in the fourth quarter. The release said that team members at the plant on Benson Avenue will transition to the Willmar Avenue plant, which is both newer and larger than the Benson Avenue location.

MnDOT pauses safety project on Highways 23 and 9 in New London after public concerns

December 8, 2021

MnDOT pauses safety project on Highways 23 and 9 in New London after public concerns
NEW LONDON—A safety improvement project at state Highways 23 and 9 by New London has been paused as the Minnesota Department of Transportation District 8 re-evaluates the plans following ongoing concerns from the New London City Council and others in the public. “We’ve made the decision to step back to have more discussion with the community and other stakeholders to assure all perspectives of the project are considered,” said Jon Huseby, District 8 engineer, in a news release

Arvig moving forward with broadband project in Prinsburg, Minnesota, funded partially by coronavirus relief funds

December 6, 2021

Arvig moving forward with broadband project in Prinsburg, Minnesota, funded partially by coronavirus relief funds
PRINSBURG—Approximately 500 residents of Prinsburg will soon have the option of purchasing high-speed broadband services. Following the construction of an 8.1-mile fiber network, the city will have access to speeds reaching one gigabit for residents and 10 gigabits for businesses. “Arvig is committed to bringing the highest quality broadband services to rural communities like Prinsburg,” said Mark Birkholz, director of customer operations and southern markets at Arvig, in a news release
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