Pipestone County News

As of Wednesday, May 30, two more candidates and one more incumbent had stepped up to file for local office.

There's still time to file for candidacy for the 2012 election. The filing period closes at 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 5. To file for a Pipestone city office, go to the city offices located at 119 Second Ave.

Pipestone was host to the fifth listening session Friday morning for the 2012 Farm Bill hosted by U.S. Representative Colin Peterson this week.

U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson and U.S. Rep. Tim Walz will be in the Community Room of the Pipestone County Courthouse on Friday, May 25, at 11 a.m. to talk about the 2012 Farm Bill legislation being crafted in Washington, D.C. "It's a farm bill update for farmers and anyone else to hear what's going on with the farm bill process," said Allison Myhre, ... (more)

Pipestone County Medical Center has completed the transition to Electronic Medical Records and so far Brad Burris, PCMC CEO, said the implementation has gone "extremely well." "We went live at midnight on the first of the month," Burris said during the hospital board's May 15 meeting.

Pipestone County Commissioners approved during their May 22 meeting the expansion of the petting zoo building, known as the "critter barn," at the county fairgrounds, pending approval from the Fair Board.

"A person elected to a public office must be permitted time off from regular employment to attend meetings required by reason of the public office.

Almost 1,800 miles separate Pipestone County, Minn., and Tulare County, Calif. But despite the great distance between the two locations, a single cow in California diagnosed with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy , or Mad Cow Disease, had a negative affect on the April 24 slaughter cattle market in Pipestone.

Construction of a new household hazardous waste building for Pipestone County will begin later this summer after the Pipestone County Board accepted the low bid of $288,500 for the project during a special May 10 meeting.

Spring planting efforts were delayed almost a week after continued rain showers forced area farmers from fields throughout Pipestone County.

The United States Postal Service released a new cost cutting strategy May 9 that could keep the Woodstock Post Office open, as well as other small, rural post offices around the country that have been threatened with closure.

The Pipestone County Sheriff's Office released the identity of the man who died in a motorcycle accident Sunday afternoon.

The Pipestone County Museum, in conjunction with Pipestone Civil War Days Committee, will host guided ghost tours through the downtown Pipestone, Minn., area with stories of the paranormal and the ghosts who inhabit local homes and businesses.

An upgrade to the audio video system in the Pipestone County Commissioners' room at the courthouse is in store following approval by the commissioners during their May 8 meeting.

When emergency weather sirens are activated in Pipestone and other communities within the county, the notification is intended to prompt people to seek further information from television or a weather radio.

The Pipestone County Planning Commission recommended no change to the county's setback requirement for agricultural buildings within 100 feet of a property line following a request by a citizen to consider amending the ordinance.

The waters of Pipestone Creek reached a new record Sunday morning, May 6, around 8:30 a.m. The water level reached 20.71 feet, exceeding the previous record of 20.3 feet set back in September 2010, according to the hydrological reports from the National Weather Service.

Plans for the creation of a retention pond along Pipestone County Road 10 in Aetna Township are moving forward following a green light by the county commissioners.

After more than an hour standing outside this Thursday morning, May 3, the students and staff at the Pipestone middle school/high school returned to classes after a smoke alarm was triggered at the Pipestone County Sheriff's Office.

Courthouse renovation projects are expected to begin this month that were delayed after Pipestone County received no bids last year for the work.