Property tax payments due May 17

First half 2021 property taxes are due on Monday, May 17. Property tax payments can be made in person, online, by mail, or by using the drop box installed near the parking lot behind the Government Center off South 7th Street.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lyon County encourages taxpayers who do not escrow their taxes to use one of the following payment options:

Drop box: Payments may be placed in the drop box located near the parking lot behind the Government Center off South 7th Street. *Please note on your payment if you would like a receipt mailed to you and include your email address if you want your receipt emailed to you.

To make a payment online: Visit the Lyon County website at www.lyonco.org/taxstmt. Payments are accepted via credit or debit card. You will need your 9-digit parcel identification number for each parcel paid. Credit and debit card payments are also available by calling the Auditor/Treasurer’s office at 507-537-6724, option 1. *There is a 2.49% fee charged by the payment processor for all card payments.

Paying by mail: Check or money order payments are accepted by mail and can be sent to: Lyon County Auditor/Treasurer, 607 W Main St, Marshall, MN 56258. Tax payments sent by mail must be postmarked no later than Monday, May 17 ,to avoid a late penalty. It is important for taxpayers to know that mail often is processed at a location some distance from where it is mailed, and postmarked at least one day later, unless it is hand stamped at a Post Office before mailing. Taxpayers are advised to drop their payment in the mail at least three days prior to the May 17 deadline.

Paying delinquent taxes: Please contact the Auditor/Treasurer’s office at 507-537-6724, option 1, or propertytax@co.lyon.mn.us before making any delinquent tax payments to ensure that you are paying the correct amount and are not subject to additional late penalties and interest.

Direct payment plan: Lyon County also offers a direct payment plan for property taxes where the amount due would be deducted from your bank account on the applicable due date. Sign up now to use of the plan for the second half of 2021 and beyond. You may enroll at any time, but signup must be completed by April 1 for first half and Sept. 1 for second half to allow time for bank account verification. The program continues until you notify us to cancel. Remember to contact the Auditor/Treasurer’s office if you change any bank account information or as you buy or sell property to enroll or remove the parcels from the program. Additional information and a signup form are online at www.lyonco.org/tax-information.

1-year-old girl killed by hit-and-run driver in Cass County

WALKER (AP) — A toddler has been struck and killed outside a residence in Walker by a driver who left the scene, according to Cass County sheriff’s officials.

Sheriff Tom Burch said the 1-year-old girl was struck in the driveway of the home about 5 p.m. Sunday. Authorities say the driver, a 28-year-old Walker man, left the scene before deputies arrived.

Deputies began first aid before paramedics arrived. The girl was taken to a landing zone but died before she was medically transported.

Burch said in a statement that the driver returned to area and was arrested near the scene. He was taken to the Cass County Detention Center. Formal charges are pending.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office will do an autopsy.

Hundreds join Daunte Wright’s family on march for justice

BROOKLYN CENTER (AP) — Hundreds of people joined Daunte Wright’s family and friends on a march through the Minneapolis suburb where he was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop three weeks earlier.

Demonstrators on Sunday called for police reform and more serious charges against the officer who killed Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, on April 11.

The crowd gathered in the neighborhood where Kimberly Potter, who is white, fatally shot Wright as he struggled with police. Potter’s body camera recorded her shouting “Taser! Taser!” before she fired, and the city’s former police chief said he believed she meant to use her stun gun.

The group walked several miles to the Brooklyn Center Police Department where his mother, Katie Wright, called on the crowd to keep saying her son’s name.

“We’re going to continue to be in these streets, on social media, at the police station. … Like I’ve always said, it’s never gonna be justice for us,” she said. “But we want 100% accountability.”

Potter was charged with second-degree manslaughter in Wright’s killing, which Katie Wright said was not enough. He was killed as the Minneapolis area already was on heightened alert during the trial of Derek Chauvin in George Floyd’s death. Chauvin was convicted April 20.

Johnathon McClellan, president of the Minnesota Justice Coalition, told protesters that his group is demanding that additional charges be brought against Potter. He also said the coalition plans to pressure elected officials to support police reform, the Star Tribune reported.

Demonstrators shut down traffic a couple of times before arriving at the police station, which is secured by concrete barriers and fencing.

Wright’s name was spelled out in air fresheners attached to the fencing. Wright’s mother said he told her on the phone that he was pulled over for an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.

Police have said they pulled Wright over for an expired registration, and then discovered that he had a warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons charge. Potter fatally shot Wright seconds after he pulled away from officers as they tried to arrest him.

5 arrested, weapons seized after pursuit through Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities say five people were arrested and several guns were recovered after a chase through several cities in the Twin Cities metro area Monday afternoon.

Minneapolis police said the pursuit began about 2 p.m. when officers tried to stop a vehicle on the city’s north side. One of the people in the vehicle was wanted in connection with at least one shooting, police said.

After tracking the vehicle through several cities it was eventually disabled by an officer with the Crystal Police Department. All five occupants were taken into custody. One of the weapons seized was a semi-automatic rifle.

No injuries were reported.