Local Interest

Residents and motorists may see smoke from prescribed fires of grassland vegetation along central Minnesota roads and state-owned properties through mid-October. Traffic should not be affected and all roads will remain open. If you drive by a prescribed fire in progress, treat the area as a work zone. There will be workers on the roadside, so concentrate on the road and … [Read more...] about Prescribed fires planned along area roads in central Minnesota

October 2, 2020 - The Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force (CMVOTF) announced that four pounds of methamphetamine and more than $15,000 in cash was recovered following a search warrant in Minneapolis on September 30th. The seizure was part of an ongoing investigation into a suspected methamphetamine trafficking organization operating throughout central Minnesota … [Read more...] about Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force

Due to the current surge in positive COVID-19 cases in our communities, CentraCare is once again implementing a no visitor policy at all its facilities. The restrictions will go into effect Wednesday, September 30. Exceptions to the policy will be allowed for patients/visitors experiencing specific situations including: End of life Critically ill Parent/legal guardian … [Read more...] about Increased Visitor Restrictions For All CentraCare and Carris Health Sites

Local and state officials work to control infestations St. Paul, MN: An invasive vine not seen in the United States in six decades has been discovered in Stearns County. Sherry Kutter, a University of Minnesota Extension Master Naturalist, first spotted the vine along the Lake Wobegon Trail in Holdingford. Officials have identified it as rough potato (Metaplexis japonica), a … [Read more...] about Invasive Vine Spotted in Stearns County

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is doing a voluntary, in‐person survey to understand the effect COVID‐19 is having on Minnesota communities. The survey is called a modified Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response, or CASPER survey. A team of MDH workers will be visiting neighborhoods and knocking on doors within the Long Prairie and Staples … [Read more...] about COVID‐19 Public Health Survey Conducted in Long Prairie & Staples Sept 24‐26