Local News

Two people are hospitalized and police officers suffered smoke inhalation in a fire that is believed to have been intentionally set in Sauk Centre.   Police say they were called to the house on Ash Street at 7:39 a.m. Thursday on the report of a disturbance.   When officers got there they saw smoke coming from the home and learned it was still occupied.  They were told the fire was intentionally set by a woman who was still inside, and she may have a weapon.   Police entered the burning house and found the woman, incapacitated, in the basement, suffering from burns from the nearby fire.   She was removed from the house and  later airlifted to a burn unit.   Police also learned a man had been in the house but was taken to the hospital by private party, and he had a serious head injury from an assault.   The Sauk Centre Fire Department put out the fire, and some police officers were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.   Search warrants were executed at the house, and the case is still under investigation.  

The Litchfield Kiwanis Club is coordinating a program for Litchfield 8th grade students called “Who Gets the Job.” It will help the students with interview skills as they seek future employment.

Kiwanis Club member Judy Hulterstrum says the program started back in 2019, but then got interrupted during the pandemic years and the idea started when she was at the Chamber office and her daughter needed an idea for her FACS class on career exploration. She says 8th graders are actually not too far away from seeking their first jobs so the program is helpful for them.

Hulterstrum says they focus more on interview skills, but also address wardrobe to some degree as you want to appear neat, but you also want to wear clothing that fits the job you’re seeking. She says Central Minnesota Jobs & Training had an online assessment that they had the 8th graders fill out last fall and Kiwanis members have spoken to the students in their classrooms.

Hulterstrum says group interviews will be conducted on April 23rd, with two students in each group getting “call backs” and then one ultimately being chosen for a job-shadowing experience at a business of their choice. She says she and Leland Fredman applied for a grant and received $2,300 from Kiwanis International for the “Who Gets the Job” program and they received additional funding from Anderson Chemical and Custom Products. The Kiwanis Club meets on Wednesdays at noon at the Captain’s Club in downtown Litchfield and new members are welcome to join.