Litchfield Community Theatre will present “Almost Maine” on February 14th and 15th at 7 p.m. and February 16th at 2 p.m. in the Bernie Aaker Auditorium. Tickets are available in advance at litchfieldcommunitytheatre.com.
Matt Hegdahl is directing “Almost Maine” which is a comedic collection of short plays. He says all of the scenes are set in the imaginary town of Almost, Maine on the same evening and love is the main theme so it’s appropriate for the Valentine’s weekend.
Hegdahl says there is a cast of 12 people and about 20 characters, so some of the actors play more than one role. He says he’s attended Litchfield Community Theatre productions in the past, but this is his first time being involved. He has done lots of theater in Willmar both on stage and behind the scenes – directing, doing lighting, building sets, etc. For more information about “Almost Maine,” call Litchfield Community Education at 693-2354.
The Litchfield Downtown Council will present a Wintercade kick-off event with a buffet and entertainment by the 57 Chevy Band on Friday, February 7th at 7 p.m. at the Litchfield Opera House. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $20.
Darlene Kotelnicki says you can get tickets in advance at Again & Again Too, Natural Food Co-op, Larry’s Barber shop, Fieldgate Cheese store and the American Legion, and you can also purchase them at the door the night of the event. She says proceeds from the event will raise money for the summer concert series in Litchfield’s Central Park.
Kotelnicki says the 57 Chevy Band will be performing during the Wintercade Kick-off at the Litchfield Opera House on February 7th, and they will also be the first band to perform in Central Park this summer. She says the Litchfield Downtown Council has also planned the Easter Egg Hunt in Litchfield’s Central Park for April 19th.
Kotelnicki says the Litchfield Downtown Council again has 5 golden tickets for the Wintercade Ice Fishing Contest which will be given away on KLFD – one each day – February 3rd through the 7th. For more information about the Wintercade Kick-off event on Feb. 7, call 320-535-0034.
Representative Scott Van Binsbergen has signed on as an author of two bills in a series of House Republican proposals to curb fraud, waste, and abuse in state programs. Van Binsbergen said the intent of the bills is to increase accountability and protect taxpayers at a time fraud and waste is rampant in Minnesota.
From Feeding our Future to childcare assistance, frontline worker pay, and DHS and the Department of Education, reports of fraud and waste have cost Minnesota taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars – and counting. Scott says taxpayers deserve accountability and responsibility from their elected officials instead of state leaders looking the other way, offering excuses, and not holding program administrators accountable. He says House Republicans are working to crack down on fraud that has been allowed to run rampant in our state and ensure the tax dollars the state collects from hardworking Minnesotans reaches their intended purposes.
The first three bills House Republicans drafted in response to this issue this session include:
House File 1: Establishes a centralized Office of the Inspector General to lead the fight against fraud across state programs. The bill consolidates agency-based inspector general offices into a unified entity, requires agencies to halt payments when fraud is suspected, and mandates the creation of a fraud reporting hotline. Additionally, it provides funding to ensure the new OIG has the resources to be effective.
House File 2 (sponsored by Van Binsbergen): Strengthens fraud prevention by mandating stricter reporting requirements for state agencies and equipping them with additional tools to identify and prevent fraudulent activities. This bill emphasizes transparency and swift action to address fraud concerns.
House File 3 (sponsored by Van Binsbergen): Establishes “fraud notes,” a groundbreaking tool to assess the susceptibility of proposed legislation to fraud. Similar to fiscal notes, fraud notes would provide lawmakers with an evaluation of potential fraud risks before enacting new programs or policies.
Van Binsbergen said House Republicans anticipate each of the three bills will receive their first House committee hearings in the coming weeks.