Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze wants the public to be aware of some new laws and some changes to laws that have taken effect. He is on the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association Legislative Committee.
Sheriff Cruze there are some traffic-related law changes such as the temporary plates which used to be a 21-day piece of paper in your back window which is now a paper license plate that is good for 60-days; and child restraint laws that are based more on a child’s size than their age. He says motorcycles can now do lane-splitting in Minnesota, but it’s only in congested areas, so it probably won’t be seen in Meeker County.
Sheriff Cruze says there’s also a law related to flying cars which would be pretty unusual at this point, but if you’re car is capable of flying, you can’t just take off from the highway – you have to go to an airport to take off, and follow airport laws there, and highway laws when you’re driving. He says it’s now a felony to falsely report an emergency.
Sheriff Cruze says there are a few changes to firearm laws including the banning of binary triggers, and it’s no longer legal to own a firearm with a binary trigger. He says the straw purchase laws have been strengthened as a result of the shooting of officers last winter in Burnsville, so if you purchase a firearm and give it to someone who shouldn’t have it, it’s a felony.
The libraries in Litchfield, Dassel, Grove City, and Cosmos have all kinds of activities scheduled throughout the month of January. There are winter reading programs for both adults and children.
Litchfield has Baby/Toddler story time on Wednesdays from 10:15-to-10:45; preschool story time Fridays from 10-to-11 a.m.; a teen program – collaborative console gaming – Jan. 11th from 1:30-to-3 p.m.; adult book club on Jan. 14th from 12-to-12:45 p.m.; Lego night on Jan. 14th from 6:30-to-7:30 p.m.; Mystery Book Club on Jan. 15th at 7 p.m.; Knitting Club on Jan. 16th from 12:30-to-1:30 p.m.; and kid’s craft club on Jan. 21st from 4-to-5 p.m.
In Dassel, story hour is on Fridays at 10 a.m.; and Adult Book Club on Jan. 28th at 1 p.m.
In Grove City, story time is on Jan. 13th at 11 a.m.; Knitting Club is on Jan. 16th from 4-to-5 p.m.; and the ATGC Book Club will meet on Jan. 21st at 7 p.m.
In Cosmos, Diamond Painting is on Jan. 18th at 10:30 a.m. – advance registration is required; and Cosmos Creation Club is on Jan. 27th from 2-to-3 p.m.
All library programs are free to attend. The Pioneerland libraries will be closed on Monday, Jan. 20th, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
January is National Mentor Month which is a good time for the Litchfield Area Mentorship Program to spread the word about what it does in the community. The organization officially formed back in 2007.
LAMP board member Jo Carlson says it had its beginnings in 2005 with the influence of Kiwanis members like Jim Ellingson and Judge Steve Drange. She says they are always looking for adults who are willing to be mentors and provide a little extra support for some of the children in the county.
Carlson says if anyone would like more information, they may call 320-699-1616 or email info@lampkinship.org. She says there may be some people who are not as comfortable with a one-on-one situation so they are forming a LAMP 4-H club which may be a good way for adults to get involved in the program with group mentoring.
Judy Hulterstrum says the 4-H club will meet on the last Monday of each month, and it will be a way for children who’ve signed up for LAMP, but haven’t been matched yet to be involved in the program. She says she’s heard from several adults who want to help with the 4-H club.
Hulterstrum says the 4-H ambassadors – the older kids in 4-H – will be helping with the new club. She says LAMP is open to children ages 5-to-17, but most of the kids are in the 10-to-15- year age group which will fit in well with the parameters of 4-H membership.
The Peanut Butter & Milk Festival Committee is meeting every Tuesday night in January as plans are coming together for the 53rd annual festival the first week of February. The group met on January 7th, and the next meeting is coming up on January 14th at 7 p.m. in the Litchfield High School ag room.
The schedule for the week of February 1st through the 8th is still in the beginning stages, but it appears that some of the usual days for events may be shuffled a bit with the trip to the State Capitol and Mall of America taking place on Wednesday instead of Tuesday and the ski day at Powder Ridge happening on Friday instead of Thursday.
The public events should be the same – with the snowmobiling event being held as usual the afternoon of February 2nd, the soup and chili supper on February 3rd at a yet-to-be-determined location, and the potluck banquet on February 6th at 6:30 p.m. at St. Philip’s Church social hall. Dairy Day will be on February 3rd. The Alabama guests will tour local businesses and industries on February 4th and attend a hockey game that evening.
This year’s visitors from Hartford, Alabama will include Geneva County High School students Ava Waldo, Kaitlyn Harris and Kyleigh Saunders, and chaperones Charlie & Brenda Skinner and ag teacher Nathan Parker.