Local News Headlines – Monday, September 6

TODAY IS THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY.  LABOR DAY RECOGNIZES THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT AND AMERICAN WORKERS.  THE FIRST LABOR DAY PARADE WAS HELD IN NEW YORK CITY ON SEPTEMBER 5TH, 1882.  BY 1894, OVER 30 STATES HAD MADE LABOR DAY A STATE HOLIDAY.  IN 1894, CONGRESS PASSED A BILL TO MAKE THE 1ST MONDAY IN SEPTEMBER A HOLIDAY FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.  ALL 50 STATES HAVE SINCE ADOPTED LABOR DAY AS A STATE HOLIDAY.  LOCALLY, ALL CITY, COUNTY, STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED.  THERE WILL BE NO SENIOR DINING MEAL SERVED AT THE WINDOM COMMUNITY CENTER.  LABOR DAY IS TRADITIONALLY THE FINAL DAY OF THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR.   
 
THE STATE OF MINNESOTA IS PLANNING TO RE-OPEN MORE DRIVERS’ LICENSE EXAMINATION STATIONS.  IN 2020 THE STATE REDUCED THE NUMBER OF EXAM STATIONS FROM 93 DOWN TO 14 LOCATIONS DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.  A FEW STATIONS HAVE RE-OPENED, SO THERE ARE CURRENTLY 26 EXAM STATIONS OPERATING IN MINNESOTA.  THE STATE LEGISLATURE SET ASIDE FUNDING TO REOPEN ALL OF THE STATIONS THAT WERE CLOSED DUE TO COVID.  THE GOAL IS TO HAVE ALL 93 LOCATIONS RE-OPENED BY JANUARY OF 2022.  AT THIS TIME, THE STATE IS RENEWING LEASES OR FINDING NEW LOCATIONS TO LEASE.   NEXT, THEY WILL NEED TO HIRE AND TRAIN STAFF MEMBERS TO HANDLE TESTING DUTIES AT EACH LOCATION.  34 ADDITIONAL DRIVERS’ LICENSE EXAMINERS WILL BE HIRED. 
 
WORK CONTINUES ON A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ON INTERSTATE 90.    MINN-DOT REPORTS THAT THE EXIT RAMP FROM THE WESTBOUND LANES OF I-90 TO HIGHWAY 75 NEAR LUVERNE WILL BE CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION STARTING THIS WEEK, WEATHER PERMITTING.  THIS WILL REQUIRE A DETOUR.  THE ROUTE FOR THE HIGHWAY 75 WESTBOUND OFF-RAMP WILL USE ROCK COUNTY ROAD 3 AND COUNTY ROAD 4 TO REACH HIGHWAY 75.  TRAFFIC ON I-90 BETWEEN LUVERNE AND BEAVER CREEK HAS BEEN RESTRICTED TO A SINGLE LANE OF TRAFFIC IN EACH DIRECTION DUE TO WORK BEING DONE ON THE CENTER MEDIAN AREA.  THAT SECTION OF I-90 IS EXPECTED TO RE-OPEN TO FULL TRAFFIC THIS WEEK.  IN LATE SEPTEMBER, ADDITIONAL WORK WILL BE DONE ON I-90 EAST OF HIGHWAY 75.   
 
THE COTTONWOOD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WILL MEET AT 9:00 TUESDAY MORNING AT THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE IN WINDOM.    THERE WILL BE AN UPDATE ON A GRANT APPLICATION SEEKING STATE FUNDING FOR A WINDOW REPLACEMENT PROJECT AT THE COURTHOUSE.  THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR WILL DISCUSS A JOINT FUNDING AGREEMENT FOR NEW RIVER MONITORING EQUIPMENT.  THE PLANNING AND ZONING TECHNICIAN WILL REVIEW AN APPLICATION FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT.  THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR WILL REVIEW A PROPOSAL FOR A COUNTY “ADOPT A HIGHWAY” POLICY.  THE COUNTY RECORDER WILL PRESENT A NEW PROPOSAL TO RE-ADJUST DUTIES IN THE OFFICE.   
 
THE JACKSON COUNTY BOARD MEETS AT 9:00 TUESDAY MORNING IN THE CAFETERIA AT THE JACKSON COUNTY RESOURCE CENTER.  THE COUNTY AUDITOR-TREASURER WILL DISCUSS AN UPCOMING BOND SALE TO FINANCE DITCH PROJECTS.  THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR WILL DISCUSS A PROPOSAL TO EVALUATE TRAFFIC SAFETY ISSUES AT THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY HIGHWAY 29 AND COUNTY HIGHWAY 34 NEAR ALPHA.  THE INCUMBENT COUNTY RECORDER WILL GIVE NOTICE THAT THEY WILL NOT BE RUNNING FOR ANOTHER TERM.  THE BOARD WILL CONSIDER ISSUING A NOTICE OF INTENT TO MAKE THE POSITION OF COUNTY RECORDER AN APPOINTED POSITION.  THE BOARD WILL APPROVE A JOB DESCRIPTION FOR A BUILDING OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR.   
 
A REGULAR MEETING OF THE MURRAY COUNTY BOARD WILL BE HELD AT 8:30 TUESDAY MORNING AT THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER IN SLAYTON.  THE BOARD WILL HEAR AN UPDATE FROM THE MURRAY COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER.  TWO APPLICATIONS FOR CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS WILL BE REVIEWED.  THE BOARD WILL DISCUSS THE HIRING OF A FULL-TIME DEPUTY SHERIFF.  SOME EMPLOYEE POLICIES WILL BE UPDATED.  A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE COUNTY GOLF-CART ORDINANCE WILL BE CONTINUED. THE BOARD WILL SET BID-OPENING DATES FOR A NUMBER OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.  A FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR ROAD AND BRIDGE PROJECTS WILL BE PRESENTED FOR APPROVAL.  THE SHETEK AREA LAKES ASSOCIATION WILL MAKE A PRESENTATION.