Local News

The G.A.R. Hall and Meeker County Museum will be one of the stops for Friday’s tour schedule of the Hartford, Alabama visitors who are in town this week for the 54th annual Peanut Butter & Milk Festival. They will be at the G.A.R. Hall in Litchfield on Friday from 1:15-to-2:30 p.m. and will then head out to the Forest City Stockade for a tour at 2:45 p.m.

Meeker County Museum Executive Director Danelle Erickson says it’s always fun to host the guests from Alabama and share our local history. She says they usually spend some time looking through the old newspapers to find stories about the people from Hartford who have visited Meeker County in the past.

Erickson says the monthly Civil War Roundtable is coming up next Thursday, February 12th at 1:30 p.m. at the G.A.R. Hall. She says Gary Blessman will be speaking on the topic “Blood, Bandages and Beds: Hospital Ships of the Civil War.”

Erickson says President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is also on February 12th and he was a highly revered individual as his portrait can be seen above the front entrance of the G.A.R. Hall building at 308 North Marshall Avenue. She says the museum is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10-to-4 and Saturdays from noon-to-4 and you can find more information on Facebook and at meekercomuseum.org.

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Governor Tim Walz has announced the appointment of John Fitzgerald as a District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District. Fitzgerald will replace the retiring Judge Jennifer K. Fischer and will be chambered in Willmar in Kandiyohi County.

Walz says John Fitzgerald’s approach to justice centers around humility and kindness, and those skills will not only make him an excellent addition to the Kandiyohi County bench but will help serve his community.

Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District encompasses Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine Counties.

John Fitzgerald is the first assistant county attorney at the Meeker County Attorney’s Office where he supervises and supports staff in the prosecution of criminal matters. He also represents in civil commitment proceedings and guardianship matters. He had previously worked as a law clerk to Judge Kristine DeMay in Minnesota’s 9th Judicial District.

Fitzgerald earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota and earned his advanced degree from the William Mitchell College of Law. The other candidates for the bench post were Kristen Pierce, first assistant county attorney in the Kandiyohi County Attorney’s Office, and Heidi Torvik, an attorney at Anderson Larson.

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The Litchfield City Council had a work session prior to the regular meeting Monday to discuss a couple of items related to the state historic building grant. During the regular meeting, the Council approved of a request-for-proposal to hire a construction manager to oversee the façade improvement project and approved of a selection criteria matrix.

Mayor Ron Dingmann says the matrix bases the amounts awarded for each project based on the square footage of the building façade which seemed to be the fairest way to determine the amounts awarded for each property. He says the Council also approved of an item from the Heritage Preservation Commission on Monday evening which was a second story window replacement project for John Braun’s building at 215 North Sibley Avenue.

Mayor Dingmann says the Council approved of adding 4 hoops at the Litchfield Area Recreation Center, contingent upon getting a donation for that project from the boys and girls basketball clubs. He says the Council approved of job descriptions for the Office Lead who will oversee day-to-day operations at City Hall, and for a new City Planner position.

Mayor Dingmann says the City will be advertising these two positons. He says the Council also approved of the purchase of a pick-up on Monday evening for the wastewater department and for two vehicles for the police department, and approved of the reappointment of Jared Culbertson to the Litchfield Police Commission. The next Litchfield City Council meeting will be on Tuesday, February 17th – due to the President’s Day holiday on February 16th.

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The annual American Legion High School Oratorical Contest for the 7th District was held this past Sunday at the American Legion Post in Willmar. First place honors, and a $1,000 scholarship, went to Eileen Bosch of Willmar.

Eileen is a junior at Willmar High School. She will represent the 7th District at the state contest on February 28th at the Anoka-Osseo American Legion Post. Second place honors, and a $600 scholarship, went to Ayden Hilker – son of Jeremy Hilker and Krystal Chapin of Litchfield. Ayden is a junior attending Litchfield High School.

The Oratorical Contest asks students to prepare an 8-to-10-minute oration which must be on some aspect of the United States Constitution with emphasis on citizen’s duties and obligations to our government. The champions of each contest advance to the next level.

Americanism Chair Reuben Nathe of Litchfield conducted the contest in Willmar. He was assisted by several other volunteers from the 7th District.

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