2010 Year in Review: September

Sept. 2: According to information released by Buffalo Drug Task Force (BRDTF) Commander Troy Appel, more than half of the 42 guns allegedly stolen from a firearms shop in Vail, Iowa, have been recovered. Authorities are asking anyone who may have knowledge of the others to contact law enforcement.

Sept. 4: Advocate Laura Shefte of the Southwest Crisis Center (SWCC) recently left a message for Nobles County Sheriff ’s Office Sgt. Jay Clarke, asking him to call her right away. After several years as an investigator, Clarke did not anticipate good news. As it turns out, he was wrong.

The SWCC advocates asked him to be this year’s “Face of Hope,” an award given to people who provide assistance to both the SWCC and the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Sept. 7: C.K. Blandin Foundation is seeking four project proposals promoting the use of broadband technology in Nobles County, and has $100,000 in federal stimulus money to distribute between four or more eligible endeavors.

Sept. 8: Nobles County commissioners voted Tuesday to release Rock County from the joint powers agreement for public health, but not until Dec. 31, 2011.

The joint powers requires a minimum one-year notice to exit, but the counties could have parted ways had they both decided to merge with Lincoln-Lyon-Murray-Pipestone (LLMP) Public Health at the beginning of 2011. LLMP planned to form a combined Southwest Health and Human Services agency.

Sept. 8: School districts in northwest Iowa are among those receiving a portion of $96.5 million in federal funding distributed to the state through the Education Jobs Act.

Congress recently approved the $10 billion education fund intended to help schools save or create education jobs for the 2010-2011 school year.

Sept. 9: The Worthington City Council set its not-toexceed tax levy increase at 4 percent early Wednesday, but the budgeting process is not yet over.

Four percent, or $100,000, is now the maximum amount by which the city can increase its tax levy. Taxes from new construction mean a 1.4 percent increase in the levy wouldn’t affect existing taxpayers’ property tax bills. The impact of the 4 percent increase would translate to a 2.6 percent increase for taxpayers.

Sept. 10: She’s been in her new role as director of the Pipestone and Nobles county Family Service agencies for just two months, but already Nicole Names is learning that collaboration is the buzz word in southwest Minnesota.

Sept. 11: Construction on Sterling Drug’s new downtown location is set to be completed by March, Sterling parent company Astrup Drug announced Friday.

Sept. 11: Worthington native Lance DeGroot, the son of Greg and Cindy DeGroot of Worthington, learned earlier this week his essay won a WCCO-sponsored state-wide contest that challenged people to write about someone in their life who is making a difference. He wrote about Kate Herzog, a native of Ghana, instructor in St. Thomas’ MBA program and a woman working to make a difference for the people of Ghana cast off as useless because of physical disabilities.

Tags: year in review, news