Benning Printing & Publishing

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on July 14. Capital Projects County Administrator Colleen Winter discussed upcoming county building projects over the next five years. Some of the items on the agenda included: approved ADA ramps at the courthouse, modernizing the courthouse elevator to meet state code by around 2028, upgrading the long-delayed courthouse bathrooms, especially the downstairs ones that don’t

Stoplight to be removed at Hwy. 71 and Bryant Ave. On Wednesday, June 22, crews will take down the signal at the intersection of Hwy. 71 (Jefferson St.) and Bryant Ave. Stop signs will be placed on Bryant Ave. to allow for right turns only onto Hwy. 71 until work is completed. Bicyclists to be in town Expect lots of bicyclists in town July 28-29. Just a heads-up that Wadena will be an overnight stop for the MS TRAM ride on July 28-29. That means there will be a lot of bicyc

Astera Health of Wadena announced that Mike Schramm joined the organization as Interim Chief Executive Officer as of July 6. Schramm brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience in rural healthcare organizations across Minnesota. Throughout his career, he has led hospitals and health systems through strategic growth, physician recruitment, facility expansion, financial improvement, and organizational transformation while maintaining a strong commitment to pro

United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that five defendants were collectively sentenced to over 500 months of imprisonment for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking case out of Wadena County. The following individuals were sentenced: Robert Joseph Anderson, 40, of Wadena, 132 months for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine; Aaron Thomas Heifort, 30, of Clitherall, 122 months for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine; Bill J

I hurt my back while switching out a five-gallon water jug over the weekend. I’ve done this many times before, but this time I felt something pull in my back. By the evening, I was in horrible pain. That night, I wasn’t home and wasn’t paying attention when I took a steroid, which kept me awake, resulting in a horrible night’s sleep. I took another one in the morning. Between that and the Tylenol, I was able to make it home for muscle relaxers, hoping Monday would be better.

News from Verndale's Past 40 Years Ago, July 23, 1986 • Minnesota became the 20th state in the nation to pass a mandatory seat belt use law earlier this year. The legislation takes effect Friday, August 1. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Minnesota Occupant Restraint Program and the Seatbelt Coalition are continuing educational campaigns pursuant to the law taking effect. At least four seat belt surveys will measure the public’ response. • Dale and Avis Paulsen re

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale School Board held their regular meeting on July 6. Playground Construction Update School Board Member Chris Youngbauer gave an update on the new playground. The old playground equipment and mulch have been removed, leaving only the anchor points for the previous basketball hoops, which will be removed using an excavator. Clean sand has been brought in to form the subgrade, with plans to place fabric over it and then add

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com Nineteen-year-old Carter White of Verndale is already making a name for himself on some of the best golf courses in the region, even though he just finished his first year of college golf. The former standout from Staples-Motley High School is now playing for North Dakota State University (NDSU) and has been golfing since he was just five years old. “I’ve been golfing since I was like five,” Carter said. His early start has paid of

Recent detections of the North Central skunk variant of the rabies virus in cattle from Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, have prompted this notification. Rabies cases in livestock are relatively infrequent. However, they serve as indicators of active rabies virus transmission between skunk reservoirs and livestock within agricultural communities. This indicates ongoing circulation of the North Central skunk variant across the Upper Midwest. While rabid cattle have been de

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 7. Commissioner Murlyn Kreklau was absent. ADA Entrance Project The county board approved a modified design for an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)–compliant entrance on the north side of the courthouse, choosing to keep an existing pine tree and drop a previously discussed connection to the annex. The project will add the new entrance ramp on the north