Austin arsonist accepted plea deal

AUSTIN, Minn. – An Austin man accused of setting a string of dumpster fires has accepted a plea deal. Christopher Eric Oleson, 20, was arrested in February and charged with second-degree arson and two counts of third-degree arson. The Austin Police Department says between February 1 and February 10, Oleson started dumpster fires at Huffman … Read more

One person killed in northern Iowa crash

WORTH COUNTY, Iowa – One person was killed Wednesday during a crash on Interstate-35 in northern Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol said Mohamud Mohamud, 26, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was killed during the crash just before 4 a.m. at milemarker 203. Authorities said the vehicle was southbound when it skidded off the roadway. -0-

Mason City man accepts plea deal in 2020 home burglary

MASON CITY, Iowa – A plea deal over some stolen rings means a jail sentence for a North Iowa man. Tylor Christopher Anderson, 31 of Forest City, was arrested in October 2020 after law enforcement said he brought three stolen rings to EZ Pawn in Mason City. The rings, valued at over $1,500, were taken … Read more

Train derailment in Albert Lea under investigation

Officials spent the weekend working to contain and clean up 40,000 galls of hydrochloric acid that spilled alongside protected wetlands during a train derailment. Twenty-eight Union Pacific cars went off the track near Goose Lake and Eastgate Road in Albert Lea Saturday May 15, according to Freeborn County. Three rail tanker cars, all carrying the … Read more

Rochester mom sentenced in death of infant

The death of a young child at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester has resulted in a 7 1/2 year prison sentence for the baby’s mother. 28-year-old Chelsea Olinger was given the 90-month sentence Tuesday during a hearing in Blue Earth County Court, where she previously pleaded guilty to a first-degree manslaughter charge. She was given … Read more

Train Derailment Causes Hazmat Leak

The big story today, the fallout from the massive train derailment in Albert Lea. 50 cars of a Union Pacific train jumped the tracks in the 1300 block of Eastgate Road, and authorities told people to stay away from Hawthorne Street and Ulsted Avenue due to a hazardous materials leak. Residents in the area were … Read more