Blooming Prairie, MN – Three teenagers were injured in a crash early Wednesday morning near Blooming Prairie. The State Patrol says 19-year-old Thaban Jeffers of Austin apparently lost control of his vehicle on Highway 218 north of Blooming Prairie during morning rush hour, skidded into a ditch, and struck a field driveway, sending the vehicle … Read more
The former Ramsey School in Albert Lea was converted into apartments and recently opened to renters. The long abandoned building, now called the Ramsey School Apartments, features a dozen market rate apartments. Though most of the work is complete, there are a few more finishing touches that still need to be made, developers said, including … Read more
(ABC 6 News) – A Buffalo Center, Iowa man appeared in Freeborn County Court Monday after being arrested for an alleged car chase through the Twin Lakes area. According to court documents, the Albert Lea police department and Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office joined the Friday morning [April 28] pursuit that entered Freeborn County before police … Read more
A 2021 drug bust has resuled in prison time for a Albert Lea man. Ryan Joseph Voelker pleaded guilty last month in Freeborn County District Court, stemming from an undercover investigation in which the 37-year-old sold about 14 grams of meth to a confidential informant in August 2021. Voelker was sentenced to seven years and … Read more
ALBERT LEA, Minn. – A Fairbault County woman arrested last year on drug and weapons charges has accepted a plea deal. Veronica Nicole Garcia, 29, of Wells, pleaded guilty first-degree drug possession, and charges linked to a stolen gun will likely be dismissed as part of the plea agreement when Garcia is sentenced on July … Read more
GENEVA, Minn. – The city of Geneva will not be re-opening their swimming pool this summer due to staff shortages. The town was unable to hire enough lifeguards, swim instructors, and pool managers, according to a Facebook post from the city last week. The pool was known as a summer hotspot for kids. New Richland … Read more
An Austin woman facing felony check forgery and drug sale charges in Mower County from two separate incidents in Austin last year has learned her fate. 41-year old Tonya Jean Turvey was convicted and sentenced Thursday to five years probation on the drug charges, and she also was ordered to serve 120 days in jail … Read more
ALBERT LEA, Minn. – A Freeborn County man is pleading guilty to assaulting his mother’s boyfriend. Rio Santiago Acosta, 25 of Albert Lea, is now scheduled to be sentenced on July 5 for second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, stemming from the 2022 incident in which Albert Lea police say Acosta attacked the victim from … Read more
ALBERT LEA, Minn. – An Albert Lea man arrested in connection to an undercover drug bust in 2021 has been sentenced. A judge ordered Ryan Joseph Voelker Monday to seven years and eight months behind bars, with credit for 388 days already served. Voelker is accused of selling about 14 grams of meth to a … Read more
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — A Northfield community say they were surprised and a little scared to see a black bear in their neighborhood over the weekend. Residents said it was an unusual sight when they spotted the animal twice overnight Friday digging through garbage cans and bird feeders. It’s the latest of several bear sightings in … Read more