A Paynesville man was killed when the semi he was driving rolled on Sunday afternoon on Highway 40 near Kerkhoven. The Minnesota State Patrol responded to the crash at 4:30 p.m. in Chippewa County. 61-year-old Kevin Blonigan was driving east when his vehicle left the road and rolled. He died at the scene.
The Minnesota State Patrol responded to a couple of motorcycle crashes in the area on Saturday.
The first occurred Saturday morning at 9:56 at the entrance to Casey’s gas station in Paynesville. A 1994 Honda motorcycle – driven by 28-year-old Stephen Winfred Brunson of Henning, MN, and a 2001 Honda Motorcycle – driven by 33-year-old Nicholas Charles Warborg of Parkers Prairie were both northbound and collided. Warborg received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the Paynesville Hospital. Brunson was not injured.
Three motorcycles were traveling southbound on Highway 15 at a high rate of speed at 2:14 Saturday afternoon. The motorcycles were observed by an officer from the St. Cloud Police Department. The officer was attempting to stop the motorcycles but not able to catch up to them due to their high rate of speed. The motorcycles exited on 33rd Street South. One motorcycle lost control on the ramp and went off the road to the right. The driver struck a guardrail. The driver of motorcycle – 25-year-old Jacob Charles Olson of St. Cloud – was transported to St. Cloud Hospital and was later pronounced deceased. The crash is under investigation by the Minnesota State Patrol.
The Litchfield Visitor’s Bureau is hosting the annual Parade of Bands tomorrow evening. The event brings thousands of people to Litchfield.
Parade Treasurer Karen Langmo says 11 bands will participate in the Parade of Bands, along with the Litchfield High School Marching Band, and they give a stipend to each of the bands and hand out several awards. She says they have a goal of raising $14,000 each year to put on the event, and if anyone would like to donate, they may drop off a donation at the Chamber office.
Brian Cruze says they’d like to thank the residents who live along the parade route of North Armstrong Avenue, 5th Street and North Gilman Avenue. He says there are 3 main areas where each band performs, and the judges will be posted at the softball field. Concessions will be available at the Parade of Bands Tuesday evening. The parade begins at 6 p.m. June 13th.
Ecumen of Litchfield Home Care and Hospice is gearing up for a busy summer with Watercade coming in Litchfield in July and the Meeker County Fair in August. The organization will be out and about getting the word out about the services it provides.
Trina Driver says if anyone needs end-of-life care, they should get enrolled as soon as possible. She says Hospice can be a scary word, but it doesn’t have to be.
Driver says they really need volunteers as their numbers dwindled during the pandemic, and the training is fast-tracked and self-paced, and you can do as little or as much as you want from spending time with clients or working in the office. She says they can always use donations too.
Driver says they have decided to make their Dinner & Auction fundraiser an every other year event so they will not have one this fall, and the Lights of Love event which is always held in Darwin right after Thanksgiving, will also be held in Litchfield this year. For more information about Ecumen of Litchfield Home Care and Hospice, call 693-7367.
The ACGC School Board has scheduled a special meeting on Monday, June 12th, at 6 p.m. at the elementary school in Atwater. An interim superintendent contract with Kip Lynk is on the agenda for approval.
Lynk was one of the two finalists chosen by the Board during a May 22nd meeting to replace John Regan who is resigning after one year on the job. Five people applied for the interim supt. position and the Board narrowed it to 2 finalists – Bradley Johnson and Kristopher “Kip” Lynk.
