Local News

The Renville County Attorney’s Office has filed criminal charges against 26-year-old Alejandro Vela II of Olivia in connection with a violent incident that occurred on May 14th. Vela is charged with assault in the second degree, threats of violence, and assault in the fourth degree – all of which are felonies; and assault in the fifth degree, which is a misdemeanor. The Court set bail at $200,000 without conditions and $100,000 with conditions.

The complaint states that the Olivia Police and Renville County Deputies responded to a report of an assault at Vela’s residence on Maple Avenue on May 14th. The victim reported being punched multiple times and chased down the street by Vela, who was allegedly armed with a large kitchen knife.

The victim also reported that Vela threatened to retrieve a firearm and shoot him. Due to concerns that Vela may have had access to a firearm and his refusal to exit the residence, the Brown Lyon Redwood Renville Emergency Response Unit (BLRR ERU) was deployed. Officers made forcible entry into the residence and arrested Vela. 

During transport, Vela allegedly resisted arrest and kicked an officer, causing a contusion to the officer’s finger that required medical evaluation. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 23rd at 1 p.m. for a settlement conference at the Renville County Courthouse.

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The Litchfield City Council approved of hiring Owen Boerma as the Litchfield Area Recreation Center Director on Monday evening. Twenty-five people had applied for the position.

Mayor Ron Dingmann says there were lots of great candidates. He says Boerma is a Litchfield High School graduate and presented his ideas for the future of the recreation center during his interview. On a related item of business, the City Council approved of residing the Civic Arena so that it will blend in with the new LARC facility. RAM Buildings, Inc. will do the project for $168,474.

Mayor Dingmann says there was also an opportunity to add 8 basketball hoops to the center for a cost of $82,510 and $20,000 has already been donated toward that project, so that was approved. He says the Council also approved of proceeding with a land purchase with First District Association at the Wastewater Treatment Plant for their pre-treatment project.

Mayor Dingmann says a public hearing will be held on June 16th at 5:30 p.m. to consider this sale of public property. He says the city staff will be meeting with members of the Golden Fleece Lodge to consider their idea of building a log picnic shelter at South Park.

Mayor Dingmann says the Council approved of the T-hangar project at the Airport with a bid approved from Everstrong Construction of $1,149,547, but the bid won’t be awarded until August to make sure federal funds come through for 95% of the project. The City of Litchfield and the State of Minnesota would each pay about $28,000 for the hangar project. The Litchfield City Council will be having a work session on June 2nd to meet with LARC consultant Holly Johnson.

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After nearly nine decades of service to Central Minnesota, Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Association is stepping into the future with a fresh name and brand – Meeker Energy. The announcement of the name change this week comes as the cooperative celebrates today with its customer appreciation event.

The new identity officially launches today with the cooperative’s annual meeting. The rebrand marks an era of growth, innovation and expanded services that now include high-speed broadband and value-added offerings alongside traditional electricity.

CEO Luke Johnson says their commitment to members remains unchanged, but the brand no longer fully reflects who the cooperative is today or where it’s going. He says the name Meeker Energy better represents the expanding role and evolving approach while staying true to the cooperative principles.

Members can expect to see updates roll out over the coming weeks, including new signage, fleet graphics, and employee uniforms. Existing materials like envelopes and checks will be used until depleted to minimize waste and cost. The cooperative remains committed to delivering reliable, affordable electricity and broadband while investing in relationships, trust and community impact.

Johnson says whether they’re installing fiber in rural neighborhoods or responding to storm outages, their focus is the same – providing exceptional service and keeping their members connected. Founded in 1935, Meeker Energy continues to serve members in Meeker, Kandiyohi, McLeod, Renville, Stearns and Wright Counties.

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The Meeker County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation by Public Health staff regarding suicide prevention billboards. Lamar Advertising would put up three billboards with suicide prevention messages by Grove City, Litchfield and Darwin along Highway 12. The cost of the project is $15,800 which would be funded by a suicide prevention grant. The Board approved of the project.

The Board approved of a quote from Pro-Tec Design for the purchase, installation and configuration of 5 Exacqvision security camera servers for $45,407.31. A reclassification of the pay scale for the finance director was approved in the range of $43.94-to-$59.05 per hour. County Administrator Andrew Letson says this would typically be considered on January 1st, but since they are in the process of recruiting a Finance Director, the item came up now. Scott Klatt was reappointed to a 3-year term to the Sauk River Watershed District board of managers.

The Commissioners approved of a conditional use permit for Vern Becker for NexGen Dairy at 39566 592nd Avenue of Eden Valley in Manannah Township for an increase in animal units and building additions. A preliminary plat was approved for the Ashwill Shores Sixth Addition 3-lot plat in Section 12 of Collinwood Township. A final plat was also approved for Bayside Estate – a 2-lot plat – in Section 11 of Kingston Township by Lake Francis for John & Jackie Bolvin of South Haven.

The Meeker County Board of Commissioners also heard a report regarding the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office Community Paramedic program from Chief Deputy Bill Hudson and Community Paramedic Mike Molitor. Mike described his duties and the more than 1600 calls that he’s responded to since starting in 2022. He says the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office was recently granted a LUCAS device from the Minnesota AED project through the University of Minnesota. The device is used for delivering chest compressions.

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