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Velde remembered for volunteering, advocacy

GRANITE FALLS — People who knew Connie Velde said she had a focus on helping others, in many different ways – she was active with her church, Granite Falls schools, farm advocacy groups and more. “She was always willing to help somebody,” Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish said. “It was definitely a strong suit of hers.” Wertish and other friends of Velde’s said her personality and engagement made an impact on others. Velde died Saturday at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center in Marshall. She was 66. Velde grew up in Yellow Medicine County, and graduated ...

Three charged after search finds meth, deceased woman in Ruthton

RUTHTON — Three people are facing criminal charges, after a search at a Ruthton residence last week found a deceased woman and more than 50 grams of liquid methamphetamine, Pipestone County court records said. Dwayne Timothy Janssen, Peggy Sue Leeson and David Allen Johnson, all of Ruthton, appeared at hearings in Pipestone County District Court on Friday. Janssen, 64, appeared on charges of first degree controlled substance crime. Leeson, 49, appeared in court on charges of fifth degree controlled substance crime. Johnson, 48, also appeared on fifth degree controlled substance ...

Area legislators hope for productive session

MARSHALL — The Minnesota state Legislature’s spring session starts today, and legislators from southern and southwest Minnesota said they’ll be working to get a lot done in 12 weeks. “I think there’s enough stuff out there to be worked on, if we roll our sleeves up and get some movement, we can get a lot of things done,” said Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls. Dahms said legislative committees would be getting rolling pretty soon after the start of the session. The first day of the 2026 session will be dedicated to memorializing former speaker of the Minnesota House of ...

Using a herd mentality to clearing weeds, brush

It’s a practice that’s been around for a long time, but it’s pretty rare in southwest Minnesota. What is it? Using goats to clean up overgrown areas of weeds and brush — goat grazing. That’s where Grant Moorse comes in. He lives with his family between Minneota and Ivanhoe and ...

Where the ‘flowers grow freely’

Imagine, if you will, a wildflower farm where families come with their picnic baskets and coolers, watch their children gallop around the grounds, pick wild flowers that grow on-site, listen to an acoustic guitar player sitting on the porch of the shop, and enjoy the slow evening pace and the ...

Kristi’s leaves ‘great memories’ for family

MARSHALL — It’s a family business that’s spanned two generations. But after more than 50 years on Marshall’s Main Street, Kristi’s For Women will be officially closing shop. Kristi Miller, and her parents Lu and Sandy Miller, said this week that it was time for them to ...