The Chamber Serving the Meeker County Area is hosting a Legislative Lunch tomorrow (June 9) at the Meeker Memorial Hospital Conference Center from 11-to-1:30. The 4 local Legislators from the area will be there to recap the 2026 Legislative Session and answer questions.
Chamber Executive Director Deana Wheeler says Representatives Dawn Gillman and Scott Van Binsbergen and Senators Andrew Lang and Glenn Gruenhagen will be there to mainly address topics of concern for local businesses. She says the Chamber does not attempt to be political, but they want to be an advocate for business interests.
Wheeler says the event is not an open mic forum and they have gathered some questions from local businesses in the areas of health care, energy & technology, the paid family leave act, barriers to rural agricultural funding and manufacturing challenges. She says there was a pre-registration period to get signed up, but they can still make room for more so call the Chamber office at 693-8184 or email litch.com for more details about the June 9th event.
A 65-year-old rural Bird Island man was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash on Saturday afternoon in Renville County. The crash occurred at 2:11 p.m. at the intersection of County Road 3 and 830th Avenue in Melville Township, about two mile northwest of Bird Island.
A preliminary investigation revealed an M.J. Electric water truck, driven by 55-year-old Matthew Tucker of North Branch, was traveling north-bound on County Road 3. A side-by-side, driven by 65-year-old Paul Marxen of rural Bird Island, was traveling west-bound on 830th Avenue when he entered the intersection, and collided with the side of the water truck.
Marxen sustained serious injuries, and was transported to the Olivia Hospital and Clinic via private party. Tucker reported no injuries. The incident remains under investigation by the Renville County Sheriff’s Office.
The G.A.R. Hall and Meeker County Museum in Litchfield will be hosting the monthly Civil War Roundtable meeting on Thursday, June 11th, at 1:30 p.m. Dean Urdahl will be the guest speaker – talking about the Red River Campaign.
Museum Executive Director Danelle Erickson says the museum at 308 North Marshall Avenue will have extended hours on Thursday evenings throughout the summer months – open until 6 p.m. – as there are so many activities taking place in downtown Litchfield on Thursday evenings. She says they tend to get a lot of tourist traffic at the museum in the summer months.
Erickson says the Meeker County Museum will get involved in the 250th celebration of America as there will be a simultaneous reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8th at 5 p.m. She says the document will be read in Central Park that day at 5 p.m., followed by a community potluck dinner.
Erickson says the museum staff will be teaming up with the schoolhouse folks at the Meeker County Fair July 30th to August 2nd to highlight the era of one-room schoolhouses. She says the museum at 308 North Marshall Avenue is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10-to-4 and Saturdays from noon-to-4 and you can find more information at meekercomuseum.org.