The filing period for city council and school board seats ended Tuesday. Several people have filed for 3 of the Litchfield wards and for mayor.
The incumbents for Wards 1, 3 and 5 and Mayor Ron Dingmann did not file for reelection in Litchfield. Three of the current Council members have filed for mayor – Darlene Kotelnicki, Robert Powers and Malinda Larson. Two candidates have filed for the Ward 5 seat currently held by Powers – Duane Hoeschen and Sara Miller.
Two candidates have filed for Ward 3 – Jake Barnes and Martin Allen. Betty Allen did not file for reelection to that seat. Three candidates have filed in Ward 1 – Holly Flemming, Michael Niedzielski and Michael Flaata. Incumbent Eric Mathwig did not file for reelection in Ward 1.
There are three seats open for the Litchfield School Board and 3 people filed – incumbent Greg Mathews along with Jordan Papke and Felicia Reed. Incumbents Darrin Anderson and Marcia Provencher did not file for reelection.
National Night Out will be observed next Tuesday, August 4th, all over the nation, and several local observances will be taking place that evening. The events are meant to help people get to know law enforcement personnel and their neighbors.
Robbie Brown says National Night Out will take place in Litchfield’s Central Park on Tuesday from 5-to-7:30 p.m. with food, music, and fun activities. She says law enforcement, fire department and rescue squad members will be there, along with representatives from Heartland Security, Meeker Area Partners in Prevention, Hicks Bus, and more – and special musical guest – Airborne Attraction – will be performing.
Brown says there are also National Night Out events planned on Tuesday at the City Park in Cosmos, at the Covenant Church in Dassel, at Windmill Park in Grove City and at McCarthy Park in Watkins and all of those will be from 5-to-7 p.m. She says Meeker County Public Health officials will be at the event in Litchfield with a car seat clinic.
Meeker County Public Health nurse Elaina Larson says there will be 4 technicians using the circular driveway at the Litchfield Christian Church to help educate people on car seat safety. She says some common mistakes people make are not having the straps tight enough, having the seat too loose, not following the height and weight requirements and having their child forward-facing too soon.
People should bring their lawn chairs or blankets to the free National Night Out events next Tuesday. For more details, go to litchfieldnno.
Stearns County Sheriff Steve Soyka has announced the release of a custom smartphone application. The app will serve as an innovative way for the Sheriff’s Office to connect with Stearns County residents and visitors, providing information quickly and efficiently to anyone with a smartphone.
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office app was developed by TheSheriffApp.com, a brand of OCV, LLC., which specializes in mobile app development for sheriffs’ offices and public safety organizations across the country. The app offers quick access to items of public interest and is easy to use.
Sheriff Soyka says the introduction of this app is another way for them to use technology to their advantage to better communicate with and assist the citizens of Stearns County. He says there’s almost no one who does not have a cell phone these days and uses it as a primary way of getting information or communicating.
Sheriff Soyka says the app will allow users to submit tips, get alerts, check weather conditions and learn more about the Sheriff’s Office, all in real time. He says the app will also allow users to seek out information related to the highest requests they get, such as jail, inmate, and warrant information, civil process information, and access to gun permit application documents which will start the application process prior to ever coming to the Sheriff’s Office to help save time.
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office app is available to download for free in the App Store and Google Play by searching “Stearns County Sheriff, MN.”
