Election Day is just one week from today. Several people have been taking advantage of the early voting option, and the Auditor’s office in the Meeker County Court House has been a busy place.
Auditor Barb Loch says her office is still located at the Meeker County Court House and it will not be moving to the Health & Human Services building until after Thanksgiving and people can only enter the Court House on the Sibley Avenue side. She says there will be more extended hours at the Court House for early voting including Saturday and Sunday from 9-to-3 each day and until 5 p.m. on Monday. The polling locations will be open on November 5th from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Loch says 10 precincts in Meeker County have mail-only ballots and if those residents choose to vote in advance at the Auditor’s office, they need to bring their ballot from the mail to the Court House. She says early ballots and mail-in ballots are checked for any mistakes and efforts are made to contact those voters before Election Day, but ALL ballots are counted AFTER 8 p.m. on November 5th.
Loch says you do not need to vote in every category on your ballot, but if you vote for more than one candidate when it says to vote for only one, your ballot will be rejected; and there are categories where you can vote for more than one candidate such as school board, so it’s important to read the instructions on your ballot, and there is a constitutional amendment on this year’s ballot. If you do not vote in that category, it will be considered a “no” vote.
Loch says if you write-in a candidate, it’s important to fill in the oval next to their name or else it won’t count. She says you can follow the results on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website on election night, and go to mnvotes.gov or the Meeker County website for any election information in advance. The election results are not official until each board or council canvasses those results. Meeker County will canvass its results on November 12th. If you have any election-related questions, call the Meeker County Auditor’s office at 693-5212.
The Litchfield School Board has approved of a person to fill the Associate Director of IT position. Mark Schumann was hired for the new position last night. The Board also hired Darala Loch as the Dragons Kids Club Coordinator.
The Board approved of a resolution accepting a donation of $3,328.77 from the LDC Hockey Boosters for the HUDL for Boy’s Hockey.
The Litchfield School Board also had a discussion about being a Farm Bureau member. Superintendent Susan Burris says membership with Farm Bureau could help with a career development partnership. The Board approved of a 3-year membership for $200.
On Saturday, October 26, 2024, nine students from the 8th grade band at Litchfield middle school attended the annual Honor Band Festival at Benson High School. This festival brought together 75 students from 13 area schools. The event was capped with a public performance at the end of the day.
Middle School Band Director Dr. Kelly Taylor says this festival gives them a chance to highlight the Litchfield students. He says they get a chance to play with some outstanding musicians, learn from a guest conductor and put together an amazing concert in just a few short hours.
This year, representing Litchfield were Dani Krohse – Flute, Aili Fredrichs – Oboe, Mila Bjorkamn – Clarinet, Olive Caron – Alto Saxophone, Shaelyn Blake – French Horn, Claire Beckstrand – Trumpet, Rachel Morkrid – Baritone, Elijah Ostvig – Tuba and Evelyn Culbertson – Percussion.
The Litchfield High School Drama Department presents “Footloose” October 31st, and November 1st and 2nd at 7 p.m. and on November 3rd at 2 p.m. at the Bernie Aaker Auditorium. Tickets are on sale at the Litchfield High School office, online, and will be sold at the door.
William Pennertz says it’s a musical, so people may recognize some of the songs from the Kevin Bacon movie in the 1980s. He says he’s in the lead role of Ren McCormick who moves from Chicago to a small Midwestern town, and he loves to dance.
Pennertz says even though dancing is illegal in the small town where “Footloose” takes place, there is a lot of choreography in the production. Zariah Haynie says her character, Ariel Moore, is the daughter of the town’s preacher and she rebels against him. There are about two dozen cast members in “Footloose” along with several crew members.