Local News

The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fatal crash on Saturday morning at 10:49 at the intersection of the Tri-County Road and 135^th Avenue Northeast in Harrison Township. 

Deputies learned that a 2022 GMC Sierra, driven by 56-year-old William Strom of Aitkin, was southbound on the Tri-County Road and struck a 2004 Honda Element, driven by 74-year-old Robert Ronald Knutson of Spicer, that was eastbound on 135^th Avenue Northeast.  Both drivers and a passenger were transported to area hospitals with injuries.  The passenger of the Honda, 88-year-old Janice Paulina Hazen of Belgrade, later succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash.

The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Minnesota State Patrol, Atwater Police Dept., Paynesville Police Dept., Atwater Fire Dept., Kandiyohi County Rescue, New London Ambulance and CentraCare Ambulance.

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The Tim Orth Memorial Foundation is a non-profit organization designed to help children who are ill or injured and need assistance in paying for their medical treatment. Applications for the next round of grants are now being accepted through January 20th.
 
The Tim Orth Memorial Foundation (TOMF) has a volunteer board of directors who examine the applications from area families.  The TOMF also has many volunteers who invest countless hours organizing, preparing, soliciting and conducting fund-raisers for these youth and their families.

Persons in the area who know of a child with medical needs can contact Ralph Johnson at 320-587-6733 or complete and submit an application online at www.timorthfoundation.org. The TOMF wishes to thank the many individuals, organizations and businesses from far and near who have donated in the past.  The successful events of the past 27 years have helped many youth in the four county area and have had a positive impact on hundreds of lives.

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The Litchfield Area Writers Group members will read selections from their new book “Let Your Light Shine” on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the G.A.R. Hall in Litchfield. Refreshments will be served after the program and everyone’s welcome.

The authors included in this year’s book include Amy Page Wilde, Carole Wendt, Ed Maas, Cathy Osdoba, Gary Oberg, Mike McNeil, Tim Bergstrom, Joe Paddock, Dave Hickler and Duane Hickler. The group got organized back in 1990 and this is the 30th year in a row that the group has published a book.

Duane Hickler says he’s been in the group for about 12 years. He says the members usually meet once a month and Litchfield author and poet Joe Paddock gives them suggestions about what to write about each month.

Hickler says each group member reads something at their meetings and then Joe and the other members give them ideas about how they could improvise their piece of writing. He says it’s fun to run into people around town who’ve read the books and comment about a story he’s written.

“Let Your Light Shine” is available at KLFD, the Natural Food Co-op, and Meeker Memorial Hospital gift shop – all in Litchfield and at Grove Bank in Grove City.

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The Meeker County Museum’s annual meeting was held last evening in the G.A.R. Hall in Litchfield. The meeting each year is a way to wrap up the year and recap the year’s events.

Museum Executive Director Danelle Erickson says part of their mission is to preserve history, but in order to do that, they need to look to the future. She says donations are much appreciated to assure that the museum can function for years to come.

Erickson says there will not be a Civil War Roundtable this month, but it will continue next month – on January 8th at 1:30 p.m., and the museum will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s. She says the Meeker County Museum is usually open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10-to-4 and Saturdays from noon-to-4 and you can find more details at meekercomuseum.org.

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