On Thursday, Granite Falls City Council members Bill Miller and Scott Peterson awoke to find that their tires had been slashed.

Even the toughest of the tough can use a little divine protection from time to time.
On Saturday August 21, members of the Red Knight motorcycle group spent an evening in Granite Falls during a weekend tour that led them through southwest Minnesota. Before rolling out of town, they gathered in the Granite Falls Super Motel parking lot and received a blessing from local Granite Falls Lutheran Pastor, Steve Carmany.

Tom Aus, owner and baker at Carl’s Bakery, arrived to work early Tuesday morning at about 2:45 a.m., at about 3:00 a.m. he walked to the front of the store to find the stores drive-through window on the floor and the day’s start-up cash missing.
“In the past they’ve taken donuts, chips and milk on the way out,” Said Aus of the apparent most recent break-in at the bakery. “But not this time. They were after the cash and that’s exactly where they went.”

The future of the Clarkfield Police Department appears to be in jeopardy after the most recent Clarkfield City Council meeting on August 16.
Council members thoroughly discussed an estimate from the Yellow Medicine County (YMC) Sheriff’s office detailing the cost of bringing Clarkfield solely under the jurisdiction of the county sheriff’s office

“It was damn embarrassing,” said Clarkfield City Councilman Robert Schlenner to Clarkfield Police Chief Ian Hodge as he described an incident last week where minors were being destructive near Clarkfield Consumers Co-op.
According to Schlenner, after Clarkfield residents placed a 911 call at 10:00 p.m. to stop what was described as “some kids raising hell on bikes”, it took over 30 minutes for Clarkfield Police to respond.

Rural Granite Falls farmers, Richard and Joan Rosetter, made national headlines this week after falling victim to an extraordinary alleged extortion plot said to have been devised and carried out by their son, Lt. Cmdr. David Richard Rosetter, his Samoan wife, Laumatafiafia (Fia),  and wife’s sister, Vatauomalao (Tau) Tafaoa.

It’s just gotten to be too much, it seems. At some point the liability begins to outweigh the common good. That’s where it seems North Park is at. Since the recent vandalism that took place in its public restroom, that tipping point between trust and ‘we’ve just had enough’, seems to have just about been reached.
For the third straight Clarkfield City Council meeting in a row, the vandalism at North Park was brought up as the council and the Clarkfield Police Department wrestle with possible remedies to the damage inflicted by the ignorance of just a few.

A recent graduate of Yellow Medicine East High School, Kate Scheffler has always been passionate about the medical field. And while she is still trying to figure out exactly what path to choose in this highly regarded and demanding career choice, her recent training and licensure as an emergency medical technician (EMT) is placing her on the right track.

Late at Monday night’s Clarkfield City Council meeting discussions turned to a string of recent vandalism incidents at North Park.

The most recent incident is reported to have occurred last Thursday night. Public Works Director Jeff Lobdell reported to the council that he had arrived at the North Park campground Friday morning to find, in the bathroom facility, a broken towel rack, shattered glass littering the floor and several bathroom doors which appeared to have been forcibly kicked in.

A 30-year-old former Hanley Falls resident man will serve a 21-month prison sentence after being convicted in Yellow Medicine County on five felony counts for possession of child pornography.

District Judge Bruce Christopherson last week sentenced Scott Russell Brown, who is currently a resident of Milroy, to serve the prison sentence as well as pay a fine of $500. In addition, Brown was ordered to pay $1152.22 in restitution and $82.00 in court fees.
Brown had previously pleaded guilty to five of 10 felony counts of child pornography possession. He was sentenced under guidelines in place at the time of the commission of the crime.

In these times an order for 200 chicken sandwiches would be a godsend for a small town cafe. But you know the adage: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
It may even be a trick.
Friendship Cafe manager, Trevor Suckow nearly fell victim to the serial scam that, had it been successful, would have cost the restaurant well over a thousand dollars in cash and material expense.

Southwest Minnesota was spared from the 17 confirmed tornadoes that hit the state on Thursday, but that doesn’t mean that the damage wasn’t felt by local community members.
The families and friends of locals traverse the state and Granite Falls resident Sue Bergquist’s parents were in the direct path of one of the three tornadoes, including an F4, that touched down in the area.

Granite Falls, Clarkfield, Upper Sioux Community and Yellow Medicine County — During the statewide Click It or Ticket enforcement effort, May 24–June 6, Granite Falls Officers, Clarkfield Officers, Upper Sioux Community Officers and Yellow Medicine County Deputies generated 31 seat belt and 1 child restraint citations.

Granite Falls, Upper Sioux Community, Yellow Medicine County — Drivers, passengers and kids better be buckled up or in the correct child restraint as Granite Falls, Upper Sioux and Yellow Medicine County Officers and Deputies ramp up enhanced Click It or Ticket seat belt patrols May 24–June 6. The campaign marks one year since the state’s primary seat belt law became effective June 9, 2009, allowing law enforcement to stop and ticket motorists solely for belt violations.

Summer is the season of opportunity. And seizing upon that opportunity, as many area residents may have already found, are peddlers, solicitors and transient merchants.

A common report, in Clarkfield, is that go-betweens from insurance companies cold call a particular resident without making it clear who they are or who they represent and lightly veil themselves as a government operator. They insist that an agent must come to a resident’s home to explain changes in medicare and the health care system and are aggressive in setting an appointment for a representative to meet with you. The setting of an appointment allows agents to circumvent Clarkfield’s transient merchant ordinances, because if they have an appointment they can no longer be considered solicitors or transient merchants. And salesman know that the hardest part of making a sale is getting in the door.

The Olivia Police Department is on the lookout for a man in his 50s with a full head of gray hair, no facial hair and wire frame glasses driving a four-door white Chevrolet Malibu with a green pine freshener hanging on its rearview mirrors.
According to the department the man, holding a lit cigarette, rolled down his window and demanded that a female get into his car during the incident that occurred in Olivia at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
An additional report claims that the same man was seen three weeks earlier watching children while they played from a parked car.

    Two drivers, both alone in their cars, were  killed Saturday morning in a collision in St. Cloud, according to St. Cloud police Sgt. Jeff Janssen.
    Donald J. Haase, 64, of St. Cloud, was driving east on 8th Street No., when, according to witnesses, his pickup appeared to accelerate out of control, then crossed the center median and hit a car driven by Jessica Thaemlitz, 26, of Boyd, who had been making a left-hand turn onto 8th Street No., from 54 Avenue.

An unfamiliar terrain and over consumption of alcohol resulted in the destruction of a $12,500 Yellow Medicine East LED sign previously located out in front of the Yellow Medicine East High School where it was positioned at the T-intersection of 9th Ave. and Granite Street.

Each year the Minnesota State Patrol honors citizens, troopers and State Patrol employees who performed life-savings acts, excelled in a crisis or ensured safer Minnesota Roads.
During an award ceremony held Tuesday April 20, Clarkfield resident and State Trooper Ryan Marthaler was recognized for his actions during the rescue of a Yellow Medicine County man attempting suicide.

The Commission on Judicial Selection today announced that applications are now being accepted for a trial court bench vacancy in the Eighth Judicial District.  The vacancy occurred with the retirement of the Honorable Bruce W. Christopherson on December 31, 2009.