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Funding available to buy homes
WORTHINGTON -- USDA Rural Development has funding available for very low and low-income individuals and families seeking to purchase or repair a home in a rural area.
USDA's Direct Home Loan Program offers financing to qualified very low and low-income applicants that are unable to qualify for traditional financing. No down payment is required, and the interest rate could be as low as 1 percent with a subsidy. Applicants must meet income and credit guidelines and demonstrate repayment ability. The program is available in rural communities of 20,000 people or less.
The maximum loan amount for repair is $20,000 at a 1 percent interest rate, repayable for up to 20 years. Grants of up to $7,500 are available to homeowners 62 and older and must be used to remove health or safety hazards, such as fixing a leaking roof, installing indoor plumbing, or replacing a furnace.
Time is limited to receive these funds. Qualified applicants have until the end of September to apply. For more information, contact USDA Rural Development at 1567 N. McMillan St., Suite 2, Worthington, MN 56187 or call (507) 372-7783 (ext. 4). Or visit USDA's website at www.rd.usda.gov/mn
Red Rock to host artists in July
FAIRMONT -- Red Rock Center for the Arts in Fairmont will host a meet-and-greet artist opening from 5-7 p.m. Friday for Alexandra Hurney of Fairmont and Bonnie Wedge of Albert Lea.
Wine and appetizers will be served. The event is open to the public, free of charge.
Hurney works at White Orchid Boutique and The Marina Lodge and spends her free time creating art. She enjoys working in a variety of mediums, with her favorite being acrylic, pen and ink. Outside of the typical paper and canvas, she enjoys using unlikely surfaces -- wood, metal, bones and more.
Wedge has been making art dolls since 2004. Her figures tend to be female, as she grew up with four sisters and she has two daughters, so that is what she knows, and dolls were always a big part of both worlds. She uses recycled materials and found objects for her sculptures.
The exhibit will be on display Friday through July 28. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, and evenings and weekends by appointment.
Poland moves toward extradition
WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Poland's special prosecutors say they have taken steps toward seeking the extradition from the U.S. of a Minnesota man they accuse of participating in a World War II massacre.
The Associated Press had previously identified the man as 98-year-old Michael Karkoc, an ex-commander in an SS-led Nazi unit that burned Polish villages and killed civilians during the war.
The National Remembrance Institute said Tuesday the request was forwarded to Poland's Embassy in Washington last month for handing over to U.S. justice authorities. The motion's status could not be immediately confirmed as the embassy was closed for the July 4 U.S. holiday.
Karkoc's family denies he was involved in any war crimes.