Area legislators – Representative Scott Van Binsbergen of Montevideo and Senator Andrew Lang of Olivia – will be co-hosting three town hall meetings next week to preview the 2026 Minnesota Legislative Session, which starts February 17th in St. Paul.
The schedule includes the following meetings: Monday, February 2nd at 9:30 a.m. at the Clara City Community Center, and 1 p.m. at the Bird Island Community Center. They will also be in Litchfield on Tuesday, February 3rd at noon at the Meeker Energy meeting room on East U.S. Highway 12.
No RSVP is required to attend, and the meetings will be conducted in an informal setting. They are free and open to the public. If you have any questions, call Van Binsbergen’s legislative office at (651) 296-4344.
A group of about 50 concerned citizens attended the Litchfield School Board meeting this past Monday evening in the Wagner Education Building. Superintendent Susan Burris says it was energizing to see so many people eager to speak about their concerns and the district values the opinions of the public.
Burris says the two main concerns that surfaced were that communications be shared with all families in the district, and that the bullying that has surfaced due to the ICE enforcement in Minnesota be addressed. She says a letter will be sent out to all families in the district and the administration is meeting to develop a plan to address concerns, and updates will be shared at future school board meetings about how the bullying issue is being addressed.
Burris says the pool project at Litchfield High School is complete and it should be ready for use in February. She says, as the district looks ahead to future needs, a survey will be coming out in the next couple of weeks to gauge the feasibility of pursuing an operating levy and building referendum in November.
Burris says school calendars have been put together for the next two years and the Board will likely approve of those at the February 9th meeting. She says the Student Council is busy organizing Snow Week activities for the week of February 9th and they will be hosting a blood drive at the LARC on February 6th which had to be rescheduled from January 23rd due to bad weather that day.
Burris says two long-time teachers – Jane Meyer (with 39-years of service) and Brenda Schuman (with 34 years) will be retiring at the end of this school year. She says the Litchfield High School Drama Department won the sub-section one act play competition on Monday, and will advance this Saturday to the section competition.
The annual Believe It, Achieve It “Seeds of Faith” fundraiser for the School of St. Philip is coming up this Saturday at the Litchfield Eagles Club. There will be a buffet meal and entertainment by Song Blast Dueling Guitars.
Monica Schreiber says social hour begins at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m. and the show at 7:30 and Glen Everhart and Pat Balder will do 80s music and comedy. She say the cost is $50 and you should get tickets as soon as possible at the School of St. Philip or St. Philip’s Church; and you can get tickets for just the show at the door for $25.
Schreiber says between the dinner and show, there will be live and silent auctions and you can find more details about the auction items on the School of St. Philip website in the Seeds of Faith tab. She says Ashley Huhn from Steffes Auctioneers will auction off several trips during the live auction, and there are numerous items on the silent auction.
Schreiber says they work on coordinating this event all year long and there are a lot of people to thank who help make it possible. She says it’s a great way to cap off Catholic Schools Week – with proceeds going to curriculum updates and the scholarship fund at St. Philip’s School. Money will also be raised for “A Fund in Need” – as the School of St. Philip is raising money at the event which will go toward a new math curriculum.