The Meeker County Attorney’s Office has been very busy this past year. There were 9 jury trials in 2025, along with 9 court trials.
County Attorney Brandi Schiefelbein says the court trials are those without juries, but with the 9 jury trials, there were 6 felony trials with 12 jurors seated for each (one of those was for attempted murder), 1 gross misdemeanor trial and 2 misdemeanor trials with 6 jurors each. She says more than 1300 citations were issued in 2025 – up 226 from 2024 and there were more DWIs and criminal sexual cases, so when activity rises for the law enforcement department, the work load increases for the County Attorney’s office.
Schiefelbein says there was only one truancy case in 2025 and there were not as many child protection cases. She says she is currently the president of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, and something that is being phased in this year is the Minnesota Rehabilitation Reinvestment Act which is giving individuals sent to prison the opportunity to serve less time than their original sentence.
Schiefelbein says there is an opening for an assistant county attorney in her office as John Fitzgerald was recently appointed as a judge to the bench in Kandiyohi County. She says this is her 12th year as Meeker County Attorney and she will be filing for reelection in May so voters will see her name on the ballot again in November. She says she and her staff have been enjoying their new space on the 4th level in the Justice Center – the former Meeker County Court House – as they used to be housed in one of the lower levels.
The Minnesota Historical Society has announced the newest recipients of 42 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants of $20,000 and less, totaling $610,846 in 23 counties. The G.A.R. Hall in Litchfield will benefit from one of those grants.
The City of Litchfield will receive $20,000 to hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, which is also the home of the Meeker County Historical Society. Each project will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. All grants are competitive and awarded according to program guidelines and criteria, as well as professional standards.
The small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofits, educational organizations, government units, and federally recognized tribes to preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the Minnesota Historical Society Executive Council on December 11, 2025.
Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008. The Legacy Amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water, and legacy, including Minnesota history and cultural heritage.
The Minnesota State Patrol responded to a 2-vehicle crash on Thursday evening at 6:25 on Highway 23 and 263rd Avenue in Paynesville Township in Stearns County. A 2004 Ford Taurus, driven by 93-year-old Geraline Jane Heitke of Paynesville, was southbound on 293rd Avenue, and a 2007 Dodge Ram, driven by 36-year-old Zachary Jay Haaf of Paynesville, was traveling westbound on Highway 23, and they collided.
Heitke received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to CentraCare in Paynesville. A passenger in her vehicle, 91-year-old Ruby Clara Elmhorst of Paynesville, also received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to CentraCare in Paynesville. Haaf received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to CentraCare in Paynesville. Also responding to the crash were Mayo Ambulance, Paynesville Police and Fire Departments and CentraCare Ambulance.
No one was injured after a semi and a snowplow collided in Kandiyohi County early this morning. The state patrol says just before 5 a.m. they responded to a head-on crash involving a semi and a MNDOT snow plow on Highway 12 near Atwater. The semi was eastbound on 12 when it crossed into the westbound lane, striking the plow. Emergency medical services were dispatched, but neither driver was transported for medical attention. The 48-year-old man driving the semi is from Blaine and was ticketed for failure to “drive with care.”