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A 21-year-old Hewitt man has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide in a fatal crash on Highway 71 in Bertha Township in April. Johnathan Andrew Freyholtz was charged on September 2 in Todd County District Court with one count of criminal vehicular homicide for allegedly operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of careless driving. The charges were issued by summons. According to the criminal complaint, the crash occ

On Tuesday, August 25, at approximately 11:10 a.m., the Minnesota State Patrol responded to a crash on Highway 71 and County Road 89. A 2003 Chevrolet Suburban was northbound on Highway 71 when it collided with another vehicle that entered the highway from County Road 89. After the collision, the Chevrolet rolled into the west ditch and the other vehicle immediately left the scene. The driver of the Chevrolet, Kevin Lorentz, 57, from Hastings, was wearing a seat belt and was

Highway 71 Crews are wrapping up work on Hwy. 29. This week, they’ll shift gears to Hwy. 71 between Aldrich Ave. and Franklin Ave. Work in this area will run into early September, at which time both Hwy. 29 and Hwy. 71 will be resurfaced and finished. Improvements include: storm sewer upgrades, new sidewalks and pedestrian ramps, replacing the signal at Hwy. 29 and adding pedestrian signals at Aldrich Ave. and Bryant Ave. What to expect: one lane of traffic open in each di

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

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a crash occurred at approximately 3:13 p.m. on July 5 at the intersection of U.S. Highway 71 and Abbott Street West. Authorities reported that a 2023 Chevrolet Blazer was traveling north on Highway 71 and attempting to turn west onto Abbott Street when it collided with a northbound 2008 Chrysler Town & Country. The driver of the Chrysler, Giselle Vanise Longtine, 56, of Detroit Lakes, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was tr

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Crews completed the temporary lanes on Hwy. 10 so the detour between Wadena and Verndale could be lifted. The road was reopened for travelers late Thursday afternoon, July 2. After the holiday weekend, construction along Hwy. 10 on both the east and west ends of the project continued, along with improvements on Hwy. 29. Hwy. 10 east of Hwy. 71 Drivers will be on the newly-paved existing roadway while crews construct the future westbound lanes. Expect head-to-head traffic w

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Bryan Rodriguez, 18, of Long Prairie, was tragically killed in a single-vehicle rollover just before 9 p.m. on May 14 when he lost control of his vehicle, crossing Highway 71 from Riverside Drive. The incident was confirmed by the Minnesota State Patrol, which reported that Rodriguez was not wearing a seatbelt... Subscribe to get the rest of the story...