Carolyn Lange
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A reporter for more than 30 years, Carolyn Lange covers regional news with the West Central Tribune.
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- Member for
- 4 years 8 months
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ATWATER -- Roger Rueckert will take over as the new part-time, interim superintendent at the Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City School District on July 1. He will replace Dr. Keith Redfield, who served in that interim position for one year. Rueckert was superintendent at the MACCRAY School District, but most recently worked in the Zumbrota-Mazeppa School District before retiring. During a special meeting last week, the School Board approved a one-year contract, with the option of extending the contract for two years. His salary was set at $67,236.
GROVE CITY -- Financial projections indicate the Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City School District could get out of statutory operating debt this summer, even though an operating levy was defeated by voters last year. But the price to get there has been steep, and the financial status will be short-lived. Using rough figures that contain unknown factors, like future student enrollment, state funding and inflationary costs like the price of fuel, it's projected ACGC will get out of statutory operating debt in June. But it would take a good dose of optimism to expect the district to stay out of statu
LITCHFIELD -- Nearly 100 west central Minnesota National Guard members will return Wednesday to a celebration with family and friends at the Litchfield Armory. The reunion is currently scheduled to take place at noon, although the exact time could change. "Obviously, very excited," said 1st Lt.
NEW LONDON -- With a flick of her wrists, Lynsey Bengtson tossed yards of soft, pistachio green fleece across the table to Joey Pierce, who snapped the fabric down to a straight edge. Bengtson then ran a sharp rotary cutter through two thicknesses of fleece, Pierce tossed the 60-by-40-inch piece of fabric to his mother, Sharon, who folded it and handed it to her husband, Howard, who packed it in a large plastic bag. That fine-tuned routine was repeated more than 200 times this week in the Pierce family's farm garage with 450 yards of fabric. The group was completing the first phase of a Min
WILLMAR -- After waiting in line about three hours, David Johnson had nearly reached the entrance to Phillip's Recycling by 10 a.m.
WILLMAR -- A $112,206 contract to build a bus shelter in downtown Willmar was approved on a 1- 4 vote Friday by the Kandiyohi Area Transit joint powers board. Rick Fagerlie, a Willmar city councilman, cast the lone no vote. In comments made after the meeting Fagerlie said he objected to the price of the structure, which he said will end up costing about $408 a square foot. "You can build an elaborate house for $175 a square foot," said Fagerlie. The low bidder for the construction was Gopher State Contractors of Rice. The base bid for the project was $80,181.
SPICER -- When it comes to identifying projects that may need to be done in the next decade, the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners had no trouble Thursday coming up with a long list. Written on yellow pieces of paper and taped on a blue wall with a timeline that stretched into 2018, the list included ideas such as building a new courthouse, a veterans home, a new rescue squad facility, a new Humane Society building, expanding the landfill and the jail and getting the new 800-megahertz public safety radio system online. Naming the potential projects was the easy part in the process that
WILLMAR -- On a 3-2 vote Tuesday, the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners agreed to charge the city of Willmar $40,000 in up-front fees for a drainage-related study. A "redetermination of benefits" study for county ditches 10 and 46 is required as part of a new outlet agreement involving the city's discharge of treated wastewater. The city will be charged for its share of the remaining costs, along with other property owners. After the city's new wastewater treatment facility is completed, treated water will be discharged into County Ditch 10.
GROVE CITY -- Even though a high school senior may have stellar grades and test scores, he may not have a clue what a 26 percent interest rate can do to a college freshman who puts pizza on the credit card every night. Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City High School seniors were given a lesson in practical job and money issues Wednesday. "I learned that it's important to be prepared and manage your budget," said Ben Meyer, an ACGC senior who intends to study carpentry next fall at Ridgewater College.
WILLMAR -- New London Township supervisors are questioning whether a conditional use permit approved in 1981 for a bituminous asphalt and hot-mix plant in New London Township is valid in 2008. Dave Becker, a supervisor for the township, asked the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday to declare the permit invalid and require the operator, Chad Monson, to seek a new permit. The commissioners said they did not have jurisdiction to do that and advised the township to file a grievance with the county's Board of Adjustment against zoning director Gary Geer, according to legal procedu
