Local News

The Farm Family Recognition Program honors farm families from throughout Minnesota for their contributions to the agriculture industry and their local communities. The Extension Committees in Meeker, McLeod and Wright Counties are still looking for nominations.

The program exists through the continued support of and coordination by University of Minnesota Extension; the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences; and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Each year, one family from each Wright, McLeod, and Meeker County is recognized as the Farm Families of the Year. To select the families, nominations are sought from key stakeholders and agribusinesses in the community. The nominations are then reviewed by the Wright, McLeod or Meeker County Extension Committee – Farm Family of the Year sub-committee, which is responsible for selecting the new Farm Family of the Year. For more details, call 693-5275.

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On Saturday morning at 11:58 a.m., the Stearns County Emergency Communications Center received a call from a woman saying that her son had shot someone at a residence in 900 block of School Street in Belgrade.  When officers arrived, they discovered a man who had been shot multiple times.

The man was transported to the Paynesville Hospital, then transported by helicopter to the St. Cloud Hospital, and then Hennepin County Medical Center.  His injuries were non-life-threatening.

44-year-old James Basore of Belgrade was taken into custody.  He’s being held pending charges from the Stearns County Attorney’s Office.  The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office and Belgrade/Brooten Police Department were assisted by the Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota DNR, Kandiyohi County Sheriff Office, and the Cold Spring Police Department.    

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The Meeker County Attorney’s Office has been very busy this past year. There were 9 jury trials in 2025, along with 9 court trials.

County Attorney Brandi Schiefelbein says the court trials are those without juries, but with the 9 jury trials, there were 6 felony trials with 12 jurors seated for each (one of those was for attempted murder), 1 gross misdemeanor trial and 2 misdemeanor trials with 6 jurors each. She says more than 1300 citations were issued in 2025 – up 226 from 2024 and there were more DWIs and criminal sexual cases, so when activity rises for the law enforcement department, the work load increases for the County Attorney’s office.

Schiefelbein says there was only one truancy case in 2025 and there were not as many child protection cases. She says she is currently the president of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, and something that is being phased in this year is the Minnesota Rehabilitation Reinvestment Act which is giving individuals sent to prison the opportunity to serve less time than their original sentence.

Schiefelbein says there is an opening for an assistant county attorney in her office as John Fitzgerald was recently appointed as a judge to the bench in Kandiyohi County. She says this is her 12th year as Meeker County Attorney and she will be filing for reelection in May so voters will see her name on the ballot again in November. She says she and her staff have been enjoying their new space on the 4th level in the Justice Center – the former Meeker County Court House – as they used to be housed in one of the lower levels.

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The Minnesota Historical Society has announced the newest recipients of 42 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants of $20,000 and less, totaling $610,846 in 23 counties. The G.A.R. Hall in Litchfield will benefit from one of those grants.

The City of Litchfield will receive $20,000 to hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, which is also the home of the Meeker County Historical Society. Each project will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. All grants are competitive and awarded according to program guidelines and criteria, as well as professional standards.

The small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofits, educational organizations, government units, and federally recognized tribes to preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the Minnesota Historical Society Executive Council on December 11, 2025.
 
Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008. The Legacy Amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water, and legacy, including Minnesota history and cultural heritage.

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