THE SANFORD HEALTH SYSTEM IS EXPANDING ITS COVID-19 VACCINATION EFFORTS. SANFORD HEALTH CLINICS IN SW MN ARE NOW OFFERING APPOINTMENTS TO PATIENTS WHO ARE 16-AND-OLDER. MINNESOTA RESIDENTS MAY VIEW ALL OPEN TIMES AND SCHEDULE THEIR OWN APPOINTMENTS THROUGH THE “MY SANFORD CHART” FEATURE OR BY USING THE WEBSITE AT sanfordhealth.org. IF NO APPOINTMENTS ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE, PEOPLE MAY REQUEST TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN VACCINE IS AVAILABLE. PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT SANFORD PATIENTS MAY COMPLETE THE VACCINE REQUEST FORM ON sanfordhealth.org AND THEY WILL BE CONTACTED WITH AN APPOINTMENT TIME AND DATE.
THE WINDOM AREA MIDDLE-HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS PROGRAM WILL BE REPRESENTED AT THE STATE MEET. IT WAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT WINDOM WILL HAVE TWO HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS AND THREE MIDDLE-SCHOOL TEAMS PARTICIPATING AT THE STATE MEET. THE MEET WILL BE HELD IN ST. CLOUD; MIDDLE-SCHOOL TEAMS WILL COMPETE ON APRIL 16TH AND HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS ON APRIL 17TH. THIS YEAR’S STATE TOURNAMENT WILL HAVE 32 TEAMS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION AND 32 TEAMS IN THE MIDDLE-SCHOOL DIVISION. FOR WINDOM HIGH SCHOOL THE “PINEAPPLE POSSE” TEAM OF DYLAN SERREYN, ETHAN BROCKMAN AND CARTER ALLEN WILL BE AT STATE, AND ANOTHER TEAM WILL HAVE PHILIP ACKERMAN AND KEITH SWENSON.
RIVER BEND LIQUOR IN WINDOM IS PARTICIPATING IN A “HELP OUR LOCAL ANIMALS” SUPPLY DRIVE IN APRIL. THE PROGRAM IS SPONSORED BY RIVER BEND LIQUOR, THE MINNESOTA MUNICIPAL BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION AND MILLER LITE. RIVER BEND LIQUOR WILL BE COLLECTING DONATIONS OF PET SUPPLIES AND CASH TO SUPPORT COTTONWOOD COUNTY ANIMAL RESCUE. THE STORE HAS A LIST OF THE ITEMS THAT ARE NEEDED. ALL OF THE PARTICIPATING LIQUOR STORES WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING WITH ONE STORE WINNING $200 ON BEHALF OF THEIR LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER. PEOPLE WHO ADOPT AN ANIMAL FROM COTTONWOOD COUNTY ANIMAL RESCUE MAY APPLY FOR A $100 REBATE THROUGH THE BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION.
THE WESTBROOK CITY COUNCIL MET THIS WEEK. THE COUNCIL HEARD A PRESENTATION FROM WESTBROOK PUBLIC UTILITIES ON NATURAL GAS SERVICE. THE COUNCIL APPROVED THE PURCHASE OF A PRESSURE WASHER AND A WATER HEATER FOR USE BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND AMBULANCE SQUAD. THREE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS WERE REVIEWED AND APPROVED. THE COUNCIL REVIEWED AND APPROVED APPLICATIONS FOR SIDE-BY-SIDE AND A-T-V PERMITS. THERE WAS AN UPDATE ON THE CITY WIDE CLEANUP PROGRAM. THE BRANCH PICKUP WILL TAKE PLACE ON MAY 3RD. THE CITY-WIDE CLEANUP AND RECYCLING PROGRAM WILL TAKE PLACE ON MAY 10TH. THERE WAS A REPORT FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THE WINDOM VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT IS HOLDING ITS ANNUAL RAFFLE. DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS, THE ANNUAL FIREMEN’S BENEFIT DANCE IS BEING POSTPONED AT THIS TIME. THE RAFFLE IS BEING HELD AND RAFFLE TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW. THE DANCE AND RAFFLE DRAWING ARE THE PRIMARY FUND-RAISING EVENTS FOR THE WINDOM FIRE DEPARTMENT. RAFFLE TICKETS ARE $20 EACH. THE DRAWING WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY, APRIL 24TH. THERE ARE 30 PRIZES BEING AWARDED, INCLUDING A TORO ZERO-TURN LAWN MOWER, TWO FLAT-SCREEN T-V’s, TWO LAPTOP COMPUTERS, AND GIFT CARDS AND GIFT CERTIFICATES FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FROM ANY MEMBER OF THE WINDOM FIRE DEPARTMENT.
HERE IS AN UPDATE ON COVID-19 VACCINATION NUMBERS IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA. THROUGH LAST SATURDAY, IN COTTONWOOD COUNTY, 4,281 PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED A 1ST DOSE OF VACCINE – OR 48% OF ALL COUNTY RESIDENTS AGED 16 OR OLDER. 3,056 PEOPLE IN COTTONWOOD COUNTY HAVE COMPLETED THEIR VACCINATIONS. IN JACKSON COUNTY, 3,303 PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED A 1ST DOSE OF VACCINE – OR 41% OF COUNTY RESIDENTS 16-AND-OLDER. 2,179 PEOPLE HAVE COMPLETED THEIR VACCINATIONS. IN MURRAY COUNTY, 2,903 PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED A 1ST DOSE OF VACCINE – 43% OF RESIDENTS 16-AND-OLDER.2,077 PEOPLE IN MURRAY COUNTY HAVE COMPLETED THEIR VACCINATIONS.
THE DES MOINES VALLEY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY WILL HOLD A BOARD MEETING AT 9:00 THURSDAY MORNING. UNIT SUPERVISORS AND LEADS WILL PRESENT THE 2020 ANNUAL DATA REPORT FOR THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY. THE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICE WILL DISCUSS THE RE-CLASSIFICATION OF AN EMPLOYEE FROM NUTRITION EDUCATOR TO PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE. THERE WILL BE AN UPDATE ON COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS AND VACCINATIONS. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILL DISCUSS A CONTRACT FOR CONSULTING SERVICES. THERE WILL BE AN UPDATE ON A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS SEEKING RESPONSES FROM A BUSINESS ATTORNEY. THE BOARD WILL REVIEW A REVISED JOB DESCRIPTION FOR A PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE.
