The lawyer representing the city of Albert Lea said Tuesday that the city is seeking to dismiss civil lawsuits filed by the owner of The Interchange Wine & Coffee Bistro. The owner of the restaurant announced in a news release Monday she is suing after criminal charges were filed against her for repeatedly violating Gov. … Read more
ALBERT LEA, Minn. – An Albert Lea man charged in a 2020 domestic violence case has accepted a plea deal. Ben Vidal Moreno is accused of cutting his then girlfried’s wrists, and threatening to kill her with an ax, at an Albert Lea motel. The 30 year old pleaded guilty Tuesday to threats of violence. … Read more
Aaron Weaver of Lake Mills, pled guilty to “Failure to Comply with Sex Offender Registration Requirements,” an aggravated misdemeanor, stemming from an investigation by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office on January 25, 2020. Weaver was sentenced to serve 365 days in the Winnebago County Jail, -0-
NORTHWOOD – The name of a Northwood woman killed in a single-vehicle accident late Friday night has been released. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened around 9:30 PM north of Northwood on US Highway 65 near the intersection of Olive Avenue. 37-year-old Michelle Runde was traveling northbound when the vehicle she was driving … Read more
The Albert Lea Area school board was introduced to the program FutureForward at its meeting Monday night. The program provides ways for students and educators to better connect with community partners and businesses via a free web-based portal. -0-
ALBERT LEA, Minn. – A local business owner says she’s suing the Albert Lea City Attorney. In the lawsuit, Lisa Hanson, owner of The Interchange Wine & Coffee Bistro, cites City Attorney Kelly Martinez for overstepping her authority for charging Martinez with nine criminal counts after she violated COVID safety mandates by keeping The Interchange … Read more
An Austin man with a history of sex crimes was sentenced to prison in federal court Friday. Phillip Arlan Koontz, 53, will serve 20 years in prison for distributing child pornography. Koontz pleaded guilty to in January to the 2018 crime in which Koontz began chatting online with an undercover federal agent posing as a … Read more
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Albert Lea in effect through Monday afternoon. A band of precipitation was expected to move into southern Minnesota late Sunday night, changing from rain to heavy, wet snow, with over an inch per hour possible, according to the weather agency. -0-
ALBERT LEA, Minn. – A 23 year old Albert Lea man accused in connection to a 2020 kidnapping has accepted a plea deal in the case. Rodolfo Valdez was arrested last October after the Albert Lea Police Department says a man reported in May 2020 that he had been abducted a month earlier after being … Read more
A southern Minnesota man busted in a 2018 undercover child pornography sting was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison. Following a years long investigation, Phillip Arlan Koontz, 53, was arrested for distribution of child porn, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Minnesota. Koontz was caught chatting online with a federal … Read more