Albert Lea Area Schools said yesterday that high school students would go to distance learning for a week following a report of 14 new cases of COVID-19 in the school district. Twelve of the cases attend the high school, while the other two attend the middle school. According to the district, nine of the 12 … Read more
Thursday evening, the Albert Lea City Council voted to offer the city manager position to Patrick Rigg, currently the city administrator and finance director in Evansville, Wisconsin. Four candidates spent a full day in interviews with the council along with community leaders and city employees. The vote means the council will move forward in negotiations … Read more
Freeborn County Health reported 25 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. This is the highest one-day new case total since the beginning of the pandemic. The additional cases brought the county’s total to 490. There are 58 active cases in the county with one person hospitalized. Waseca County had 11 new cases, eight were reported … Read more
Governor Tim Walz sent a letter to the U.S. Census Bureau this week urging the Bureau to reconsider the decision to end the 2020 Census response period one month early and extend the deadline to October 31, as originally planned. The governor wrote, “As our state works to recover and rebuild in the eventual wake … Read more
Minnesota Highway 251 between highway 218 and Interstate 35 has reopened. Crews there have completed replacing a culvert. However, paving operations in the area are continuing and motororists may still see some delays driving through there. In addition striping and rumble strips still need to be completed there. Flaggers will be in the area to … Read more
Governor Tim Walz was at Albert Lea High School yesterday. The stop was part of his statewide safe learning tour during the coronavirus pandemic. The governor met with an AP English class at the high school along with a physical education class. Both classes were being held outdoors. The governor also took a look at … Read more
Freeborn County Health reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the county’s total to 465. There have been three deaths from the disease in the county. There are 39 active cases with one person hospitalized. Mower County reported four new cases, Waseca County had three, and Steele County had two new cases. There … Read more
In a letter to the presidential campaigns of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, Governor Tim Walz asked that their upcoming campaign events comply with Minnesota’s COVID-19 Safety Guidelines. Both campaigns have visits to Minnesota scheduled this week. Attendees must maintain social distancing of at least six feet at all times, including … Read more
A preliminary 3% tax levy increase for 2021 was approved yesterday by the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners. In December, commissioners will approve the final levy and can choose to lower it, but not increase above the 3% preliminary level. Freeborn County Administrator Tom Jensen said several uncertainties led to the 3% figure, including health … Read more
The Minnesota Department of Health, with support from the CDC, is conducting a voluntary statewide survey between now and September 30 as part of an ongoing effort to better understand the prevalence of COVID-19 in Minnesota. The so-called CASPER survey will include a household questionnaire as well as free virus and antibody testing for the … Read more