Vehicle pursuit ends in Lincoln County

The following is a news release from the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office related to a vehicle pursuit that ended in Lincoln County on Tuesday, July 22, 2014.

On July 22, 2014 the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and the Marshall Police Department were involved in a pursuit with a vehicle that had two suspects from the assault that resulted in the shooting of Daniel Scheff south of Granite Falls in Yellow Medicine County on July 18th.  The pursuit started south of Marshall, MN on highway 23 at about 3:15 pm, and continued for several miles lasting over 45 minutes. The pursuit traveled through Lyon and Lincoln Counties.  The pursuit was terminated when a Minnesota State Patrol Trooper used the PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle on county road 137 about a half a mile from the South Dakota line in Lincoln County.  The vehicle rolled onto its top as a result of the PIT maneuver.

The driver and passenger were treated at the Hendricks hospital and released to the custody of the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff.  Other agencies involved in the pursuit were the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Lake Benton Police Department.

The two individuals are identified as Devin Donald Hexum (21) and Derek Michael Hexum (19).  Brothers from the rural Balaton, MN area.  They have been arrested and are being held in the Yellow Medicine County Jail pending formal charges by the Yellow Medicine County Attorney.

No further information is available at this time.

Kjergaard Sports event held

Above: These two demo shooters tested out their chosen weapons as they fired downrange during the tenth annual demo shoot at Kjergaard Sports this past Saturday.
Below: Lines were a common sight both inside and outside at Kjergaard Sports this past Saturday as they held their tenth annual demo shoot.

City to fix damaged sidewalk

The sidewalk outside of the Lake Benton Elementary School has begun to sink in as a result of deterioration of the storm sewer underneath. The city agreed to fix the sidewalk before school begins on Aug. 20, provided the cost is not excessive.

By Steven J. Hurd
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
At its second July meeting, the Lake Benton City Council agreed to fix a damaged sidewalk on the west side of the Lake Benton Elementary School.
The sidewalk has begun to cave in as a result of erosion of the ground and resulting deterioration of the storm sewer. The council authorized City Maintenance Supervisor Todd Draper and Mayor Mike Carpenter to make the decision to fix the sidewalk after quotes are obtained in hopes that the project will be completed prior to school starting on Aug. 20.
Draper brought change order number one regarding the city’s water meters before the council. The change order entailed replacing the water meter in Valley Manor. Initially, the meter was not going to be replaced. Draper suggested replacing the meter and going with a compound meter to increase the accuracy of the meter readings. The council approved the change order, which will result in a $1,250 increase in the total cost of the project, and the council authorized Draper and Carpenter to make any decisions regarding the approval of future change orders, within reason.

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Rochel hired as admin. assistant

By Steven J. Hurd
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
At the regular July meeting, the Lake Benton School Board approved the hiring of Kylie Rochel as the district’s new administrative assistant beginning July 22.
The board accepted the resignation of fifth grade teacher Tamara Kremin effective July 16.
The board approved 2014-2015 membership in the Minnesota School Board Association.
The board approved a resolution relating to the election of school board members and calling the school district general election. The board also approved a resolution calling a special election to fill a board vacancy for a two-year term.
The school’s back-to-school open house will be held on Aug. 19.

 
For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

MnDOT recommends speed increase by Hendricks

By Steven J. Hurd
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
Lincoln County Engineer Dave Halbersma provided the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners with his report at their second regular July meeting, and he explained that a speed limit study has been completed on CSAH 17 near Hendricks.
The official results have not yet been collected, but MnDOT stated that they did receive good data from the study and provided recommendations. They recommend raising the speed limit on the curve that goes west to the north by the Hendricks Golf Club from 30 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour.
MnDOT stated that even though there are golf carts being used on that road, it does not change their recommendation to raise the speed limit. It was also recommended that a 30 mile per hour speed limit on the east end of town be moved back further west into town.
Halbersma mentioned that the County Road 7 project south of Tyler should begin in mid-September, and the completion deadline is Sept. 27.
Halbersma then gave an update on the Trunk Highway 14 project. All of the fill is in place; now the Minnesota Department of Transportation is waiting for the settlement to take place. The settlement is occurring as predicted, but they want to wait 100 days for that road to settle down before it is paved. Everything is on schedule and the road will remain closed until early November.

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Kjergaard to hold 10th demo shoot

The shop at Kjergaard Sports of Lake Benton was packed all day with customers and attendees during last year’s Demo Shoot.

By Steven J. Hurd
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
The 10th annual demo shoot will be held at Kjergaard Sports of Lake Benton this Saturday, July 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kjergaard Sports opened its doors in March 2002, and has since become the largest shooting sports store in the tri-state area with over 4,000 firearms in stock.
The first demo shoot was held in July 2005 as an opportunity for customers to get a chance to test out potential purchases, and the event was a success from the very beginning.
“It started out pretty good, but it has gotten better,” said owner Steve Kjergaard. “When I first started it, I was thinking of it as a demo day for everyone to try out firearms because, a lot of times, people don’t know if they’re going to buy something until they actually handle it and fire it.”
Ten years later, the event is something that gun enthusiasts from all over the region look forward to each year.
“There aren’t too many dealers that do this sort of thing,” said Steve. “Partially, the reason is that they aren’t located out in the country like us where they’re able to hold an event like this. It ends up getting to be a big deal, and it’s our biggest volume day of the year. Normally, we have well over a thousand people  out during the day of the shoot.”

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Opera House to present “The Wizard of Oz”

Cast members of “The Wizard of Oz” are pictured working on choreography at a recent rehearsal. From left to right are Shelly Finzen of Lake Benton, Alexis Christensen of Lake Benton, Emilirose Rasmusson of Ivanhoe, Catlin DeRocher of Beresford, S.D., Samantha Fleet of Lake Benton, Rachael Blake of Tyler, Chesney Panka of Ivanhoe, Zoe Roelfsema-Hummel of Pipestone and choreographer Sonya Karels of Minneota.

The Lake Benton Opera House will present the classic story, “The Wizard of Oz,” for 10 performances opening July 24. The show boasts a cast and crew of over 50 area residents.
The Opera House board decided to present the show in 2014, the 75th anniversary of the movie starring Judy Garland.
Starring in the show will be Samantha Fleet of Lake Benton as Dorothy Gale, Tom Schmitt of Porter as the Cowardly Lion, Taylor Holck of Madison, S.D. as the Tin Man and Emilirose Rasmusson of Ivanhoe as the Scarecrow. Paula Nemes of Marshall will return to the Opera House stage as the Wicked Witch of the  West, with Baily Hintz of Canby appearing as Glinda, the Good Witch.
The show will also feature a variety of Munchkins, Ozians, Poppies and Jitterbugs from non-Kansas towns like Lake Benton, Tyler, Pipestone, Marshall, Ivanhoe, Tracy and Ruthton. Caroline Koska of Marshall, Jeanine Fricke of Lake Benton and Adam Madsen of Brookings, S.D. will provide the accompaniment.

For the full story, read this week’s Lake Benton Valley Journal.

Pribyl resigns from city council

By Steven J. Hurd
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
The Lake Benton City Council held a special meeting on Monday, July 14 to address the resignation of Councilman Guy Pribyl.
According to Pribyl’s resignation letter, he made his decision to resign for peace of mind and health reasons because of conflict within the council and stress caused to him by what he feels as unfairness within the city.
Pribyl’s resignation was unanimously approved by the council members present.
After consulting with legal counsel, City Administrator Eileen Christensen explained that because an election will be taking place later this year, the council has the option to appoint an interim council member, or they can hold off on that appointment for the next six months and be short one council member until elections are held.
This decision will be made at the next meeting of the Lake Benton City Council on Monday, July 21.
The council approved the declaration of a vacancy on the city council, and a spot will be added to the election ballot for a two-year term to finish off the remaining two years of Pribyl’s four-year term.

Sommers resigns as County Emergency Manager

By Steven J. Hurd
lbvjeditor@gmail.com

 
At Tuesday’s regular meeting, the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners accepted the resignation of Lincoln County Emergency Manager Jeanna Sommers effective Aug. 8.
Sommers has accepted a job with the State of Minnesota in Homeland Security Emergency Management as a regional program coordinator for Region 4, which is the west-central area of the state, and she will be moving closer to her family.
She began work for the county in 2011 just prior to the massive storm that came through the county that summer.
“It’s been a great three years,” said Sommers. “I greatly appreciate everything that you guys have done for me to let me grow this position to really work with the community members and work with the responders and build those relationships.”
In turn, each commissioner thanked Sommers for her service to the county.
“I’d like to congratulate Jeanna for all the service she has given and the opportunities that are ahead of her,” said Commissioner Larry Hansen.
“We hate to see you leave,” said Chairman Don Evers. “We wish you the best of luck.”

Honoring Independence Day

The American flags were in full glory at Memorial Hill Cemetery this past Friday as the nation celebrated Independence Day.