News

AT&T recently added a new cell tower near the intersection of 70th Street NW and 150th Avenue NW in Milan to enhance the area’s 4G LTE coverage and help give residents and first responders faster, more reliable wireless service. The enhancements also bring Band 14 spectrum to the area. Band 14 is a nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the government specifically for FirstNet. In an emer-gency, this band – or lane – can be cleared just for FirstNet subscribers.

On Tuesday, April 12th, the Jolly Pops - a group of self-described “happy dads” will be hosting a performance of music and movement at the Sanford Elementary School Gymnasium. The event is free of charge and open to the public and begins at 5:30 p.m. The band’s founder, Willem Hartong, was a former touring rock-androller, who decided to retire from that lifestyle with three young daughters at home. “I started writing songs for them, and working in preschools developing a program,” he says. “I thought it would be fun to create a band of dads, hence the name Jolly Pops. We’re the happy dads.” Hartong functions as the organizer and center of the band, along with two other fulltime band members, and a stable of musical dads ready to join depending on the event or travel times. The group has been performing around Minnesota, Wisconsin, and soon in Iowa for the last five years.

Korthuis Jewelry recently announced in a Facebook post that the Montevideo location will be closing in mid-March with the retirement of John Korthuis from the familyowned and operated business. John will be retiring, however, he will still be working a couple of days a week in the business's Granite Falls location. The announcement came along with another announcement of a store closing sale that began on Tuesday and will go through Mid-March in the Montevideo store, featuring up to 70% off markdowns store-wide.

On March 18th, the Montevideo-American Legion is hosting a night of live music with the band IV Play. The Mankato-area band is not new to playing in Montevideo, as they have previously performed at the Chippewa County Fair on a couple of occasions and have performed at the Legion last Fall. The band started 24 years ago, with Tyler Dylla being the only remaining original member of the band. Originally, they played around the Southern Minnesota area, but now travel nine states in the Upper Midwest. “We went from playing a very small area to a large area over the last 24 years,” says Dylla. “The market has changed a lot in the last ten years for the band.”

Last Wednesday, the Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council, Southwest Minnesota Careers and Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans joined forces to host a Jobs and Resource Fair at the Montevideo Community Center. The goal was to draw those seeking employment from throughout the area to meet with potential employers to learn more about what their companies offer.

WCCO’s John Lauritsen was the guest speaker at the Granite Falls Area Community Foundation Awards Banquet last Wednesday evening. Having grown up on a farm in the Milan Area, Lauritsen shared ruminations of his experiences growing up in the local area and how that has shaped his perspective today.