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Filing deadline ends with a rush of candidates

MARTIN COUNTY – With filing for city and school board races ending Tuesday, the past two days provided a decent chunk of available candidates in Fairmont and elsewhere. Current Fairmont Mayor Lee Baarts did not file to run for re-election. Instead, six people filed to be his replacement: Peter Bode, Logan Kelly, Krystaline Krumrey, Nathanael Landsteiner, Jerome Niss and Todd Smith. Bode was the city's Planning and Zoning Official from 2019 to his 2025 resignation. Smith is the only one to have ran for city office before, when he received 40.9 percent of the vote against Wayne Hasek ...

Partial council goes through LMC training

FAIRMONT— The Fairmont City Council held a workshop on Monday afternoon that went over roles and responsibilities with members of the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC). Council members present spent a portion of the time talking about communication, best practices and proper procedure. Council Members Britney Kawecki and Randy Lubenow were not present for the workshop. Aimee Gourlay, a collaboration services manager with the league who works on conflict resolution and problem solving with councils, was accompanied by Josie Rosene, a staff attorney with the league. Gourlay said that ...

Local youth dies in farming accident

GRANADA – Leighton Hugoson, 18, died Sunday after a tragic farming accident at the family farm in rural Granada. The accident occurred on Friday, July 24. According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office’s official report, Hugoson was found at around 9:20 a.m. with his neck pinned between a metal cover and edge in the rear of a feed truck, around 15 minutes after he was last seen. Hugoson was in the hospital for two days fighting to recover, but was declared neurologically dead at 4:11 p.m. Sunday. According to a CaringBridge post from his mother, Jamie Hugoson, his organs were ...

Sherburn City Council meets Aug. 3

SHERBURN — Wow, July is almost over. Saturday is Aug. 1. The Sherburn Library will have storytime at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, at the Sherburn Theatre. The Trimont Farmers Market day will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, July 31 (and Fridays), and includes activities for ...

Enough funds raised to start FOH repairs

FAIRMONT— On Saturday, July 25, ahead of the opening matinee performance of the Fairmont Area Community Theater (FACT) production of “Annie,” Fairmont Opera House (FOH) Executive Director Blake Potthoff shared that enough funds have been raised to start making necessary repairs to the ...

Council hears concern over land classification

FAIRMONT—It was standing room only on Monday evening during the Fairmont City Council meeting. At least nine people spoke at the start during the public comment portion and a few more spoke during the public hearing amending an ordinance establishing a rural and urban service ...