Advocate wins five awards
The Annandale Advocate has won five awards in the Minnesota Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest. The awards were given at the association’s annual convention held Thursday and Friday, Jan. 29 and 30, in Bloomington.
Overall, the Advocate won four awards, and Staff Writer Tom Westman won an individual award.
In the circulation class of weeklies between 1,500 and 2,500, the Advocate took first place in Typography and Design and second place in General Excellence, Use of Photography as a Whole and Advertising Excellence.
"The Annandale Advocate deftly balances the responsibility of a newspaper to provide unbiased hard news coverage with a local-first philosophy of promoting all the wonderful things Annandale has to offer," wrote judges from the Iowa Newspaper Association. "The Advocate shows what can be accomplished when a publication has the support of its readers, community leaders and local businesses."
Westman’s in-depth look at concussions in high school sports, including medical research, stories of local athletes and warning signs to watch for took first place in the Sports Story category.
"Everything a reader needs to know about concussions in the world of sports can be found in this story," wrote the judges. "Lots of medical documentation to support the story of local athletes and their experiences – a story with tremendous impact."
Carbon monoxide death reported
A 27-year-old former Annandale man died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning in Meeker County on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
David Harrison of Litchfield, a 2005 graduate of Annandale High School and the son of Dale and Irene Harrison, died at a property on 200th Street in Greenleaf Township. Deputies responding to the scene discovered Harrison deceased and a living 21-year-old female, who was transported to Meeker Memorial Hospital and later transferred to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment.
The deputies observed multiple generators being used in the residence for heat and electricity.
Harrison is survived by his son, Colby, of Annandale, along with his parents, sister Lesa Vegelphol of Brownton, and brothers Phillip, Billy and Charles of Annandale. He worked at Advanced Auto Parts in Buffalo.
For more information, see Harrison’s obituary on page 4B.
Hearings set for solar project
The Annandale City Council was scheduled to meet on Monday, Feb. 2, after this edition of the Advocate went to press. Full details of the meeting will be available in next week’s Advocate. Some items of note on the agenda for the meeting included:
■ Notice that public hearings will be held for the Aurora Solar Project, which is proposing to build a 6-megawatt solar array near Pioneer Park. The closest hearings to Annandale will be held in Montrose at 11 a.m. and in Paynesville at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12.
■ Marketing and engineering proposals for the city’s proposed fiber optic project to improve broadband. However, the city learned on Monday that its grant application for state funding for the project was denied, so action on hiring marketing or engineering consultants is unlikely.
■ Purchase of a used van for the police department to replace a police van that is scheduled for replacement this year and has 160,000 miles on it. The vehicle is used for warrants, special events, training, evidence transport and animal control.
Hearing set for landfill expansion
A public hearing regarding a zoning request that would allow the expansion of the Rolling Hills Landfill on County State Aid Highway 37 is being held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12, in room 140 at the Wright County Government Center in Buffalo.
General Manager Michael Niewind of Advanced Disposal Services is requesting that the county rezone about 323 acres of land from general agriculture to general industry. Anyone with input on the issue will be heard during the meeting, and it will be assumed that anyone who does not attend the meeting or submit written comment has no objections to the proposal.
For more information, contact the Wright Count Planning and Zoning office at 763-682-7338.