News

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher, Monitor-News

After an eight-day court trial in Swift County 8th Judicial District Court Judge Charles Glasrud found decisively in favor of Murdock-based grain cooperative Glacial Plains Cooperative in his Aug. 16 decision.

He also sharply criticized the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company’s (CVEC) past general manager and management for the problems that have led to the persistent legal battles between the two companies.

The court found that CVEC was in breach of its grain handling agreement with Glacial Plains Cooperative (GPC) and ordering that it “shall continue to perform its duties and obligations under the terms of the grain handling agreement.”

With the help of $103,938 in new state funding, Benson Public Schools is offering free preschool for all four-year-olds in the district.

Coming into the 2016-2017 school year, Benson Public Schools had one section of full-day four-year-old classes and one half-day section for four-year-olds. But it could not afford to accommodate all those children whose parents would have like to see their children enrolled in a preschool class.

However, the new state funding has made it possible for all four-year-olds to be enrolled. “It is a great thing for our community,” Supt. Dennis Laumeyer said. “We are excited to offer that to all our four-year-olds.” The school district is also hoping that be being able to offer free pre-school to all four-year-olds, it will capture those children and their families for the whole preschool to graduation journey.

Monday, August 29 was the first day of the 2016-2017 school year in Benson.

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Pictured, top: David Hafvenstein gives his son John a final hug on the first day of school at Northside Elementary.

Bottom: Ayanna Poitra poses in front of lockers for a “first day of school” picture.

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While the mercury has been abated from the floor in the Benson High School auxiliary gym, the headaches it caused for the school district aren’t over.

When the school district constructed its auxiliary gym just north of the main high school gym, it installed a rubber-like floor. What it didn’t know at the time was that up until the mid-1980s during the manufacturing process mercury was added to them. It was later found that the floors would give off a potentially hazardous mercury vapor. Mercury was then removed from the process, but school districts around the country were stuck with the floors until they could afford to replace them.

Just what the impact of the Obama administration’s announced phase out of the federal government’s use of private prisons will mean for the effort to re-open the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton is unknown.

But there is renewed hope that the state will consider buying the privately-owned Appleton prison, which could be for sale at a bargain price from owner Correction Corporation of America (CCA.) The corporation’s stock fell 35 percent last Thursday when the announcement was made. CCA owns 74 prison facilities and manages 11 government-owned facilities.

In a memo Thursday to the Bureau of Prisons, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates told the bureau to start reducing “and ultimately ending” the Justice Department’s use of private prisons. The announcement follows a recent Justice Department audit that found that the private facilities have more safety and security problems than government-run ones.

The Benson Library played host to a 100-year old Letterpress Wednesday, August 17.  The letterpress was located outside and visitors could use the press to make free postcards, which they could bring home with them.

Pictured is the volunteer from Streetcorner Letterpress, who is helping two boys make their postcards.

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Law enforcement officers surrounded the Nevada Square Townhomes in Benson shortly before 10 Thursday morning as they searched for Jerrell Henderson, 26, a potentially dangerous person with three felony warrants outstanding.

One charge involved felony possession of a firearm and two charges of fifth degree controlled substance possession, according to Benson Chief of Police Ian Hodge. The crimes were not committed in the Benson area.

Donyelle Vaneshia Cotten, 23, was arrested at the scene and charged with harboring a fugitive from the law, Hodge said in a news release.

Officers from the federal Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Minneapolis Police Department, the Swift County Sheriff’s Office, the CEE-VI Drug Task Force and the West Central SWAT team were involved in the search and arrest.

Letters have been sent out to 740 property owners in Swift County who own approximately 1,100 parcels of land that will have to comply with Minnesota’s new buffer law.

“The hardest thing at this point is just making sure the landowners are aware of the law, and at that point, trying to get them into the system and explain to them what their options might be for getting compensated,” Swift County SWCD Conservation Technician Andy Albertsen said Monday.

Those options include getting compensation for land taken out of production and entering it into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP.)

Letters were sent out all the landowners who were going to see an impact from the new law. Articles have also been running in the Monitor-News about the program. “We have really tried to emphasize an outreach prior to these deadlines so people can be a little proactive in getting their land compliant.”

It was no surprise that voter turnout was very, very low in last Tuesday’s Minnesota primary election.

Only two races were on the ballot for Swift County voters: a choice between two candidates seeking the Republican slot in the 7th District U.S. House race against Democrat incumbent Rep. Collin Peterson; and, a choice of the two candidates who will face off for a Minnesota Supreme Court seat.

Peterson will face Republican Dave Hughes in November after he won Tuesday’s GOP primary against Amanda Lynn Hinson 8,769 to 6,104. Peterson, who had no primary challenger, received 16,253.

In all, 31,126 votes were cast in the primary in the 7th Congressional District. That compares to 327,267 that were cast in the 2012 7th District general election (a presidential election year) and the 240,492 that were cast in the 2014.

Hughes won in Swift County getting 134 votes to Hinson’s 94. Peterson received 378 votes.

Styron Bell (pictured), a wildlife manager from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, gave a free presentation for children on mammals and birds of the prairie last Tuesday afternoon during a special program at the Benson Public Library.

The presentation included a number of stuffed birds and ducks, which were available to the youth to be passed around for closer viewing and touching.

For more, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!
 

Did you know the Swift County Monitor-News prints photos like this one?