News

At last week’s meeting of the Yellow Medicine East Board of Education, the board unanimously passed a resolution to call for a special election. The resolution comes after the recent facilities survey, which had 802 respondents, a 22 percent response rate that showed a favorable response from the community to the open-ended question of whether or not the district should explore a bond referendum for facility improvements. The estimated bond referendum amount is $74,395.

At last week’s annual Chippewa County Historical Society banquet, Arnold Zempel was named the 2024 Hall of Fame Honoree. Zempel was born in Montevideo and attended country school at District 74 for five years until it closed in 1960. He then attended Sanford School for sixth grade, before attending grades 7-10 at Montevideo High School. Zempel went to the “new” high school for grades 11-12, graduating in 1968.

Last week, the Chippewa County Historical Society’s Annual Banquet included a presentation on the Riverside Sanatorium that housed tuberculosis patients in Granite Falls from around the area. The presentation was given by members of the Dr. Kathleen Jordan Project, including Mary Kelly, Peggy Kvam and Carol Heen, who have been working on the project since January of 2023. The committee has worked to create a public tribute to honor Dr. Kathleen Jordan’s dedication to human rights and humanitarian services including her medical testing of children throughout Minnesota to work towards eradicating Tuberculosis. In 2024, the committee held an event attended by over 930 people to honor Dr. Jordan’s legacy, and worked with area schools to include the work in lesson plans. At the Chippewa County Historical Society banquet, the committee highlighted some events for 2025, including a KFAI Broadcast in April, launch of a YouTube Channel, a display at Chippewa County Heritage Days in May, and Swensson Farm in September.