DECEMBER
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series concludes today with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of December. The month not only began with lots of snow, but several tragic events.
Word emerged early in December that 30-year-old Jerrod Quade of Paynesville had been seriously injured in a farm accident on November 30th as a tractor ran over him in the 29800 block of Dolphin Drive in Paynesville Township. He was transported by Life Link Air Ambulance to HCMC.
A shooting occurred north of Grove City on December 4th in the 54900 block of County Road 16. A woman was shot through a door, receiving superficial wounds, and 21-year-old Tyler Wagstaff of Willmar was arrested on numerous charges including 2nd degree attempted homicide. A 2-vehicle crash occurred on the Tri-County Road – south of Paynesville – on December 6th and a passenger in one of the vehicles – 88-year-old Janice Hazen of Belgrade – died as a result of her injuries. A train/pedestrian accident occurred on December 8th on the west side of Litchfield near the Highway 1 crossing, claiming the life of 35-year-old Raihna Mathews of Cosmos.
An ATV went through the ice on Lake Francis in Kingston Township on December 13th and the driver – 20-year-old Nicholas Eckhoff of Dassel, and a passenger – 20-year-old Gabrial LaPlante of Litchfield – were in waist-deep water, but made it to shore safely. A house fire occurred in Dassel on December 14th in the 500 block of Simon Avenue West. The owner, Connie Pool, and another occupant were home at the time, but were not injured. The house sustained significant damage.
Two Meeker County Deputies – Sgt. Ryan Schutz and Roger Muffley – were given a life-saving award at the Minnesota Sheriff’s Conference on December 7th for their efforts in rescuing a woman who had fallen off of an inner tube in the Crow River in the Forest City area back on July 29th. Also last month, Dennis Brown was named as the Grove City Area CARE Volunteer of the Year, the Litchfield Area Writers Group released its 30th book in a row – “Let Your Light Shine” and It’s Not Hair/Radiant Glow Spa/Kristi Isaacson Accounting took first place in the Litchfield Visitors Bureau Light Up Litchfield contest.
NOVEMBER
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of November. A 20-year-old woman from Hutchinson was murdered at her workplace in Cokato on November 11th.
Amber Czech had been struck in the head by a sledgehammer at Advanced Process Technologies. The 40-year-old suspect – Czech’s co-worker David Bruce Delong of Watkins –was arrested.
Voters in the ACGC School District defeated a $15.95-million building referendum on November 4th with 726 “no” votes compared to 381 “yes” votes. The referendum was for health and wellness space and other enhancements at the school in Grove City. The Litchfield City Council approved of a 3% increase across-the-board in November in sanitary sewer rates with an estimated $40-to-60-million in improvements expected in the future to the wastewater plant.
The Litchfield High School Hall of Fame ceremony took place on November 7th. The 2025 inductees included Andrew Revering and Donald “Pokey” Schreifels from the class of 1961, the late Mark Wood from the class of 1971, and Debra Freitag Baker from the class of 1981.
Also this past November, five Litchfield High School FFA students and their two chaperones traveled to Hartford, Alabama for the annual sister-city exchange trip from November 1st through the 8th; and a Balsam Fir tree from Turck’s Trees of Litchfield was delivered to the Minnesota State Capitol on November 25th to be displayed for the holiday season in the rotunda. The Turcks had the 2025 Minnesota State Fair grand champion tree.
OCTOBER
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of October. The Minnesota State Band performed at the Litchfield Opera House on October 18th to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the building.
The Meeker County Courthouse remodeling project was completed with the building now being called the Justice Center and an open house was held on October 29th to give the public a chance to see the renovated facility – along with the Law Enforcement Center and improvements that were made there.
Stacy Hatcher from Hartford, Alabama – Litchfield’s Sister City – visited Meeker County as the long-time, retired FFA advisor from Geneva County High School had wanted to witness the corn harvest in Minnesota and spent the middle week of October at the Roger & Janet Huhn farm, south of Darwin. Peanut Butter & Milk Festival Committee members held a potluck dinner in Hatcher’s honor.
Also last October, the Litchfield High School Drama Department presented “Tarzan.”
SEPTEMBER
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of September. An open house on September 7th at the newly-opened Litchfield Area Recreation Center was well-attended.
On September 13th, Scott Gottschalk of Kimball wrapped up his No Boundaries Tour campaign with a celebration at Vikingland Harley-Davidson in Sauk Rapids. Gottschalk’s efforts to break a world record motorcycle ride were cut short in June when he crashed his motorcycle, but his campaign to raise awareness and money to fight human trafficking continued.
Race official – 68-year-old Scott Engfer of Litchfield – was killed on September 10th as he was on an ATV at WISSOTA in Fergus Falls and was struck by a race car. 80-year-old William LeRoy Christensen of Hutchinson was killed on September 13th when his UTV collided with a pick-up near the Highway 7 and 22 intersection – west of Hutchinson.
Also last September, a story about Judy Haag of Eden Valley appeared in the September issue of the “Prairie Catholic” as she had been honored on August 11th with the 2025 People of Life award during the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops conference; and the homecoming royalty crowned at Litchfield High School included King Ty Penk and Queen CeCe Gabrielson.
AUGUST
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of August. Long-time Meeker County Treasurer Sharon Euerle retired on August 1st, and the first annual Pistons and Props Car Show/Business Expo was held at the Litchfield Municipal Airport.
First Evangelical Lutheran Church of rural Cosmos was destroyed by fire on August 14th. 57-year-old David Allen Hofstadter of Burtrum was killed on Highway 55 in Manannah Township on August 15th when his semi crashed into another semi that was waiting to make a left-hand turn. 19-year-old Nolan Henke of Dassel – a passenger in a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Elijah Miller of Cokato – was killed when their vehicle went off the roadway on County-State-Aid-Highway 6 at 746th Avenue – 2 miles west of Cokato on August 24th.
Meeker County Dairy Princess Paige Frenchick of Manannah was one of the ten finalists for Princess Kay of the Milky Way and participated in the 72nd annual pageant at the Minnesota State Fair on August 20th, but the crown went to Wright County Dairy Princess Malorie Thorson of Waverly. On a dairy related note, news came out in early August that Glenn Kaping had been named as the new President and CEO of First District Association at the end of July.
Also last August, a Meeker County jury found Tre Ertl of Litchfield guilty of attempted 2nd degree murder, 1st degree aggravated robbery and assault for a robbery and assault of an Olivia man back in June of 2024 – just south of Litchfield.
JULY
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of July. A new Miss Litchfield – Brooke Caron – was crowned at the conclusion of the 69th annual Watercade celebration.
Raigan Miller and Katelyn Guggemos were crowned as princesses, and Brooks Nelson and Hazel Menken were selected as junior royalty. 2024-2025 Miss Litchfield Addie Lundin was selected as Queen of the Lakes during the Minneapolis Aquatennial later in July.
The Rick & Sarah Ahlgren Family of rural Darwin was selected as Meeker County’s Farm Family of the Year; and the Ed & Tracy Becker Family was selected as McLeod County’s Farm Family of the Year. Litchfield Town Baseball celebrated its 75th anniversary with a special Blues game on July 11th which included the induction of Dean Urdahl and Dr. John Verby into the Litchfield Baseball Association Hall of Fame.
A train derailment occurred about a mile west of Watkins on July 24th. The train was operated by Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the cargo in some of the cars was hazardous, but was not leaking. 25-year-old Elder Gonzalez of Eden Valley died after falling into a tanker trailer in Eden Lake Township in Stearns County on July 29th. A memorial service was held on July 14th for IRD Glass of Litchfield owner Dennis Rutledge who passed away on June 17th. 90-year-old Duane Rafteseth of Hawley, MN passed away on July 12th. He was a long-time administrator in the Grove City School District, serving as superintendent from 1967-to-1981.
Also last July, 36-year-old Bryan Demarais of Dassel was sentenced to more than 30-years in prison for shooting his wife, Kayla, in late December of 2023; and Litchfield Community Theatre presented “Guys and Dolls.”
JUNE
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of June. The whole state of Minnesota was in shock the morning of June 14th when news spread that Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Marc, had been assassinated by a man posing as a police officer in the northwestern Twin Cities suburbs. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot in their home, but survived. Vance Boelter of Green Isle was arrested for the shootings following a massive statewide manhunt.
A police shooting occurred in Paynesville on June 2nd when 80-year-old Larry Dale Alstead barricaded himself in the basement of his home after assaulting his wife. Alstead died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Timothy Cayler of Lake Lillian was killed on his bicycle on June 4th when he was struck by a minivan near Svea. A Spicer man – 29-year-old Philip Iverson – went missing on June 8th. His body was found on June 17th in a wooded area near Highway 10, a mile and a half west of Spicer.
Scott Gottschalk of Kimball was involved in a serious motorcycle accident on June 14th in Illinois, ending his attempt to break a Guinness Book of World Record by traveling 120,000-miles in 120-days on his motorcycle. He had gone 21,000-miles in 21 days, and his fundraising effort – No Boundaries Tour – continued to fight human trafficking. Gottschalk fractured his neck, broke several ribs and severely injured his left leg.
The Parade of Bands took place on June 17th in Litchfield with 12 bands participating. Owatonna received the grand champion award. The Litchfield High School Marching Band participated in numerous parades in June and received awards for first place in their class, grand champion and other awards, such as best color guard, in most of those parades.
Also last June, Rodney Brekke won the first place prize of $2,500 in the Litchfield Lions Club raffle drawing; Dean Grabow won the first place prize of $5,000 at the Round Lake Picnic raffle; Paul White of Litchfield was inducted into the Thrivent Financial hall of fame during a ceremony in San Diego, California, and high-water advisories were issued for many area lakes as massive amounts of rain fell in June.
MAY
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of May. Bob Powers was sworn-in to fill the vacant Ward 5 seat on the Litchfield City Council.
The Ward 5 Council seat was held by Sara Miller who resigned earlier in the spring. Mick Spillane had also filed for the seat and after interviewing both candidates, the Litchfield City Council dead-locked in a 3-to-3 tie – after 7 rounds of voting, and a coin toss determined that Powers would fill the seat.
A small fire occurred in the Meeker County Jail on May 7th – sparked by the construction project taking place there. A house fire occurred on May 9th at the home of Emma Frovarp and Jorge Gomez on 380th Street in Manannah Township. A fire also destroyed a house on Highway 4 in Union Grove Township – owned by Denise Nohner and Brian Nohner.
A high-speed pursuit began in Meeker County and ended in Kandiyohi County on May 2nd with the driver – 19-year-old Maxwell Robnik of Spicer – being arrested after a PIT maneuver was used to stop his vehicle. Scott Gottschalk of Kimball began his No Boundaries Tour motorcycle ride in Miami, Florida on May 25th in an attempt to travel 120,000-miles in 120-days to raise money to stop human trafficking.
Meeker County Dairy Princess Paige Frenchick was chosen in May as one of the ten finalists for Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Long-time Meeker County Auditor Barb Loch retired on May 15th. She joined the Auditor’s office in 1999 and was first elected in 2002. Her title was eventually changed to Property Records, Taxation and Elections Manager and became an appointed position. Holly Nelson was selected to take her place.
Also last May, Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association celebrated its 90th anniversary and announced a name change to Meeker Energy; Julianne Johnson released a new book titled “In a Cloud of Dust;” and Litchfield author and poet and former Litchfield High School English teacher Nancy Paddock passed away on May 4th.
APRIL
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of April. A remodeling project began at Central Counties Cooperative’s Cenex complex on East Highway 12 in Litchfield as the old gas tanks were removed, and new gas pumps and concrete apron were constructed in front of the c-store.
A crime spree was reported in Dassel April 12th through the 14th. According to the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office, vandalism and property damage occurred at several buildings in downtown Dassel – with damage done to doors and windows – during attempted break-ins. A fire was reported at the ACGC School in Grove City on April 24th as someone had started a toilet paper dispenser on fire.
The Litchfield Lions announced the results in early April of a food drive that took place at Family Fare and Walmart in Litchfield on March 29th. 2,506-pounds of food and $8,818 was collected for the Meeker Area Food Shelf.
The Chamber Serving the Meeker County Area handed out awards last April including Small Business of the Year to Pierce Insurance, Large Business of the Year to Meeker Cooperative, and the President’s Award to Judy Hulterstrum.
Also last April, Center National Bank announced the promotion of Tom Zens to Market President, and Litchfield Community Theatre produced “Annie Jr.”
MARCH
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of March. The Litchfield School District announced over half a million dollars in cuts to the next year’s budget.
Also in local government last March, Litchfield Ward-5 Council Member Sara Miller announced that she was resigning; and Meeker County Health & Human Services Director Paul Buchovich announced his retirement. He was replaced by Tina Schenk.
Several fires took place around the area last March including a fire that destroyed a shed full of hay in Greenleaf Township, owned by Kaping Farms on March 22nd. A fire on March 4th destroyed a home on Luella Street in Watkins, owned by Peter & Blanca Lansing. A fire on March 12th damaged a house on 5th Street in Dassel owned by Dylan Walker; and another March 12th fire in Union Grove Township damaged a barn owned by Sheri & Kent Peterson.
48-year-old Joseph Bogatzki of Litchfield was shot in the arm accidentally while working on a vehicle at a business in Darwin Township on March 11th. The firearm was inside the vehicle.
Also last March, 39-year-old John David Linder and two other men were killed in an avalanche while skiing in Alaska on March 4th. Linder was the co-owner of several radio stations in the Mankato and Willmar areas.
FEBRUARY
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series continues today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of February. Several structure fires took place around the area.
A shed fire was reported in Manannah Township on February 1st. A tractor fire was reported in Eden Lake Township on February 3rd. A fire took place in a 2-story house on February 8th in Forest City Township. A shed fire was reported in Maine Prairie Township on February 16th; and a shed fire took place on February 19th in Cedar Mills Township.
A semi driver – 67-year-old Matthew King of Lincoln, Nebraska – was killed on February 10th when he crashed on Highway 15 in the middle of Hutchinson at Echo Drive. Two men were killed in a head-on crash on February 24th on Highway 23 east of Cold Spring as 52-year-old James Arthur Wilton of Fairchild, Wisconsin was driving the wrong way and crashed into 35-year-old Greg John Steil of Richmond.
58-year-old Nicholas Kaufenburg was arrested in Paynesville Township on February 15th after a domestic incident when he fired at officers and the Stearns-Benton SWAT team had to be called.
Litchfield High School senior William Pennertz, who had won first place in the Litchfield American Legion oratorical contest, took second place in the District contest in Willmar in February. Alyson Johnson of Willmar took first place in the District contest. The Eden Valley-Watkins school district selected Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Superintendent and Elementary Principal Joel Baumgartner as its next superintendent in February.
Also last February, Litchfield Community Theatre produced “Almost Maine,” the 53rd annual Peanut Butter & Milk Festival took place in Meeker County as 6 residents of Hartford, Alabama – Litchfield’s sister city – visited, and the Meeker County American Dairy Association held its princess banquet – Paige Frenchick, Claudia Frenchick and Elizabeth Thyen were crowned.
JANUARY
The “12 Days of Christmas News” series begins today on KLFD with a look back at the top local news stories from the month of January. As Donald Trump was sworn-in for his second non-consecutive term as U.S. President, and DFL members of the Minnesota House of Representatives failed to show up for the beginning of the 2025 Legislative session, several tragic events took place around Meeker County and beyond.
67-year-old Terry Allan Vreeman of Spicer was killed when his dump truck box struck the railroad overpass on the Highway 71 bypass near Highway 12 in Willmar on January 7th.
A baggie filled with over 25-grams of methamphetamine was found in the Casey’s store in Olivia on January 15th and was traced to a 59-year-old Willmar woman who was arrested for 2nd degree possession of a controlled substance.
Multiple fire departments, including Litchfield, responded to a huge fire at Forsman Farms by Cokato on January 21st which is believed to have killed about 100,000 hens. A fire on January 26th in the 31000 block of County-State-Aid-Highway 2 in Forest City Township destroyed a home. Three adults and 4 children were able to safely escape the home. On January 17th, a farm accident claimed the life of 61-year-old Kim Thomas Hauer of Hutchinson. He was found dead under a semi truck while loading corn at 53800 County-State-Aid-Highway 16 – north of Grove City.