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Local/state briefs

Coats for kids collected through Oct. 4

It’s still warm enough to wear shorts, but the chill is in the air as kids wait at the bus stop, it is a daily reminder of what’s to come. The Coats for Kids Committee has started collecting donations of new and gently used coats for the annual Coats for Kids drive.

Coats for Kids collections bins are out around Marshall and ready to be filled with all the winter survival essentials. ”

As people pull out their winter stuff, we hope they will think of our collection bins instead of just getting rid of jackets that don’t fit,” said Kelli Kurth of Marshall.

Donations of new or lightly used jackets, boots, snow pants, mittens, hats and scarves will be accepted in the bins through Oct. 4. Monetary donations are also appreciated and can be sent to United Community Action Partnership, Attn: Coats for Kids, 1400 S Saratoga St. Marshall, MN 56258.

The focus of this year’s Coats for Kids drive is children preschool through eighth grade. Items will be provided to older youth and adults if they are available. Coat distribution will be the week of Oct. 8 at the Market Street Mall in Marshall.

The Coats for Kids planning committee is working with area schools to make sure families are aware of the service. Anyone interested in more information on the Coats for Kids collection or distribution can contact Shelly Rykhus at 507- 537-1416.

Free classes offered for people new to Medicare

There are important decisions that need to be made when you become eligible for Medicare. Making the wrong decision can lead to not having any or enough health care coverage and financial penalties. The Senior LinkAge Line through the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging is sponsoring two classes for people who will soon be eligible for Medicare. Participants will learn the basics of Medicare and their coverage options in Minnesota during the first class. They will also learn how to research these options using non-biased tools, such as the Medicare website and the Medicare Plan Finder Tool during the second class.

Classes take place in Slayton on the second and third Monday of the month. Call the Senior LinkAge Line at 1-800-333-2433 to register.

The Senior LinkAge Line is a free statewide service of the Minnesota Board on Aging and Area Agencies on Aging. The Senior LinkAge Line is the federally-designated State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for Minnesota and is the place to call for Medicare and health insurance issues. Call 1-800-333-2433 for assistance or go to www.MinnesotaHelp.info to chat live with a Senior LinkAge Line specialist.

Ex-Minnesota mayor suing officers who arrested him in 2017

CROSBY (AP) — A feud that began when the mayor of a Minnesota Iron Range town criticized police during his 2016 campaign and was later arrested is not over yet.

Former Crosby mayor Jim Hunter, who claims he is the victim of a small-town vendetta, is suing the town’s former police chief and lieutenant for defamation, the Star Tribune reported. He says they used their official positions to spread lies, damage his reputation and accuse him of crimes. Hunter is also suing the city of Crosby, which 125 miles northwest of the Twin Cities.

“I don’t give up,” Hunter said Friday. “I think abuse of power is a terrible, terrible thing. When this incident started, it was bad, bad, bad. Now I think there’s an opportunity to express the truth and straighten out some of the things that have happened.”

A civil complaint accuses former Crosby Police Chief Kim Coughlin, who retired this month, and former Lt. Kevin Randolph, who now works as an investigator for a Minnesota community college, of plotting to prevent Hunter from being elected because they feared for their jobs. Hunter says the defamatory statements included lies about criminal behavior.

Randolph declined to comment on the lawsuit Friday, saying, “Some people can’t quit when they’re ahead.” Coughlin did not return a phone message from the newspaper.

Pat Collins, an attorney representing Coughlin, Randolph and the city of Crosby, said he believes the claims lack merit and they are working on a response.

Hunter was arrested in 2017 and charged with theft by swindle, assault, fraud and receiving stolen property. Police charged that he had swindled a local resident in the sale of a convenience store Hunter owned. He also was accused of financial improprieties connected with a used-car lot he owned.

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