Next week is the annual observance of Winter Hazard Awareness Week. It’s a reminder for people to be prepared for the many types of safety concerns that can arise from the winter weather.
Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze says the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has a theme for each day next week including a weather overview, outdoor winter safety, fire safety, indoor winter safety and driving safety. He says the most important thing for motorists to remember is to slow down and drive according to the conditions because – even if you have 4-wheel or all-wheel drive, it helps you with traction, but it won’t help you stop quickly when it’s slippery.
Sheriff Cruze says it’s a good idea to keep a survival kit in your vehicle with warm clothing, blankets and other supplies such as a cell phone charger, and if you get stalled or go in the ditch, leave a note in the vehicle if you leave it so that law enforcement will know where you are. He says this time of year is a good time to refresh your smoke detector batteries and make sure carbon monoxide detectors are working – and have them installed in your fish house too.
Sheriff Cruze says ice on waterways can be unpredictable so be cautious as the ice forms if you are going to venture out on lakes or rivers for fishing, snowmobiling and other activities. He says house fires seem to be more common in the winter months, so make sure your chimneys are cleaned, candles are not left unattended and that holiday decorations are in good repair.
Sheriff Cruze says the outdoor warning sirens will not be tested in the winter months as they are on the first Wednesday of the warmer months as the snow and cold temperatures are hard on the equipment, but if there is some type of civil emergency, the sirens will still be used. He says it’s important to use common sense, plan ahead, and you can find road information at 511mn.org.
The Litchfield Area Mentorship Program has its Turkey Bingo fundraiser on Friday, November 21st at the Litchfield Eagles Club. The doors will open at 5 p.m. and bingo begins at 6 o’clock.
Judy Hulterstrum says there will be 20 games at $1 each and the winner of each game gets a turkey. She says they also have lots of raffle baskets and you can purchase 35 tickets for $20 for chances to win those, and they are also going to have a 50/50 raffle.
Hulterstrum says they did the 50/50 raffle last spring during Ham Bingo and the winner got a little over $500. She says the Eagles Club will have menu items available so you can eat supper before or during Turkey Bingo.
Hulterstrum says 118 holiday planters were ordered from LAMP and they will be available to pick up on Friday beginning at 11 a.m. at Litchfield United Methodist Church parking lot. She says if you made arrangements to have your planter delivered, it will be brought to you on Friday.
Hulterstrum says they just started Lunch Buddies yesterday with 4 Kindergarten students at ACGC Elementary School in Atwater, and they can use more Lunch Buddy and regular mentors. She says if you are interested, call 320-699-1616 or email info@lampkinship.org. Donations to LAMP are also welcome any time and may be sent to Post Office Box 82 in Litchfield.
A woman is dead after apparently being assaulted by a co-worker in Cokato on Tuesday. The Wright County Sheriff’s Office says at around 6 a.m. Tuesday they responded to a 9-1-1 call from Advanced Process Technologies in Cokato regarding a woman being found at her workstation with significant head trauma.
Deputies arrived on the scene along with Cokato Ambulance and attempted life saving measures, but the woman was pronounced deceased at the scene. The initial investigation indicated that her death was due to an assault by an adult male coworker with a blunt force object. He’s identified as 40-year-old David Bruce Delong of Watkins. He was taken into custody at the scene without incident by deputies. The Wright County Sheriff’s Office continues to actively investigate the incident and Delong remains in custody.