News

Last week the 80th annual convention of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting [NAFB] was held in Kansas City. A “Night of Honors” banquet is held each year that includes inducting two members into the NAFB Hall of Fame. This years inductees were Mike Perrine of MP Ag Radio in Troy, Illinois; and Mike Murphy, retired farm broadcaster at KSUM/KFMC, Fairmont.   Murphy became the Farm Director at Woodward Broadcasting in 1983 with the passing of then Farm Director Marv Carlson. Over the years Mike reported daily markets, covered ag events like the Minnesota Pork Congress, World Pork Expo, The National [...]

The FBI on Tuesday arrested a Faribault County man on charges that he participated in the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., charged Paul Orta Jr. of Blue Earth with a felony count of obstructing police during a civil disorder and misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds. According to the criminal complaint, Orta, 34, went to the FBI field office in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on Jan. 25, 2021 and “told the agents that he had seen his picture on the FBI website and that he wanted to do [...]

MADELIA — A 44-year-old Comfrey man was injured Thursday morning when the semi he was driving on Highway 60 rolled between St. James and Madelia. Nathan Alan Lang was driving a 2003 Peterbilt westbound near the Highway 30 ramp in Fieldon Township when the truck rolled into a ditch. Lang was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. Road conditions were dry and alcohol was not a factor in the crash according to the Minnesota State Patrol report.

On Tuesday night, voters in the Martin County West school district went to the polls with the issue of a $63 million bond for a new K-12 school on the ballot. The issue was defeated with 911 no votes and 861 yes votes. A second question which would have provided an additional $9 million for an auditorium and additional gym facilities failed with 722 no votes and 655 yes votes. Turnout was good with 1,772 votes cast amongst 2,741 registered voters in the district.  

Please take notice that The City of Fairmont will be holding a public informational meeting on Monday, December 11, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. in Council Chambers at 100 Downtown Plaza, giving the public an opportunity to give feedback on the adequacy of the City’s Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan as required in our MS4 permit, issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.   This meeting may be attended by members of the Fairmont City Council.

A  Martin County man faces charges including second-degree manslaughter, child endangerment and negligent storage of a loaded firearm in connection with the fatal shooting of a 2-year-old boy by another child earlier this month. 33-year-old Colton Mammenga of Welcome was charged Thursday in Martin County District Court. The charges stem from the death of Matthew Alshaikhnasser. Authorities said he was fatally shot by his 4-year-old brother on Oct. 15 after the older boy found a loaded handgun while the two children were left alone for a few minutes in a pickup truck. Matthew died two days later. The criminal complaint alleges [...]

On Sunday, October 15, at 10:20 a.m., the Martin County Sheriff's Office responded to an emergency report of an accidental shooting. The caller was in the 1300 block of 130th Avenue and headed toward Fairmont for medical assistance. Deputies intercepted the caller's vehicle in the 1800 block of 120th Street. There they assisted an adult in rendering first aid to the victim, a two-year old child. Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service transported the victim to Mayo Clinic Health System Fairmont for further assistance. Later the victim was transported via air ambulance to Mayo Clinic Rochester. Based on information gathered at the scene, [...]

The man accused of fatally shooting Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder charges in a written plea submitted to Kossuth County Court. According to authorities, 43-year-old Kyle Ricke of Algona is charged with the shooting death of Officer Cram, who was attempting to serve an arrest warrant for third degree harassment at approximately 8pm on September 13th. After the incident, Ricke fled the scene and a four hour manhunt ensued, involving law enforcement from both Iowa and Minnesota. Recent court records reveal that a pretrial conference has been set for November 14th, with a [...]

A Spencer man, 29 year-old Challer Wadsley, is facing serious charges after a domestic disturbance led to a tense standoff with police on Sunday afternoon. Officers were called to the scene of an unknown disturbance in Spencer at around 3:45 pm. Upon arrival, officers quickly determined that Wadsley  had physically assaulted a family member and had retrieved a chainsaw, allegedly to further intimidate the victim. As officers attempted to arrest Wadsley, he became uncooperative and resistant. In an effort to gain control and protect the safety of those involved, police were forced to use a taser on Wadsley. After being subdued, [...]

Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan are on a mission to boost the visibility of Minnesota's fall tourism. Today, the pair will be making a special visit to a state park near the southeast metro in order to highlight the opportunities that the state has to offer and to showcase the recent investments made in its state parks. Earlier this year, Governor Walz signed a bill into law that allocated a whopping 150 million dollars into improving and modernizing the state's outdoor recreation system. With this initiative, the governor aims to provide residents with what he calls a "world-class" [...]