that they stopped at an apartment to pick up their juvenile child and were met by male individuals who threatened them with guns The Willmar police and SWAT team responded and were able to negotiate with several occupants of the apartment complex with one adult male and four juvenile parties voluntarily exiting the apartment robots and non-lethal chemical munitions to get the last occupant of the apartment to surrender without incident was arrested and is currently being held at the Kandiyohi County Jail on charges of second-degree assault threats of violence and obstruction of the legal process There were no injuries as a result of the incident non-criminal international students having their visas abruptly revoked — often without any explanation — as they are "encouraged" or forced to self-deport Administration appears to be giving unconditional support to Israel (with continuing significant military aid)  as Israel denies reporters access to the war in Gaza .. and to civilians who are beginning to mass-starve for lack of food, and their young children being shot directly in the head and chest by various Israeli soldiers  (as reported by Doctors without Borders We now have a Trump Administration that champions a cease-fire in Eastern Europe at the expense of Ukraine having to cede territory to Russia all of this calls for us to let our representatives know where we stand on issues that concern us.  The more we connect with our government officials the more we'll get heard concerning our genuine concerns The "silent majority" gets no notice or hearing.                                                            The holiday is both a celebration and a reminder of progress gained by the labor movement of workers in most countries the Labor Day holiday on the first Monday in September is the federally recognized day of observance but many activists and union groups also hold demonstrations on May 1 the original date chosen by unionized workers in 1886 to promote a general strike for an eight-hour work day Indivisible Kandiyohi County organizers spoke briefly about related issues referenced in her speech that tens of thousands of federal workers were suddenly fired within the first few weeks of the second Trump presidency a volunteer at Thursday’s protest in Rice Park outlined all the gains made thanks to the sacrifices of the workers it sparked a global movement that continues to shape the lives of working people everywhere,” he said Alvarado listed the achievements of the labor movement — including better wages benefits for workers and their families and the right to organize “These achievements weren’t easy,” Alvarado said spoke out and stayed strong for generations As demonstrators marched onto First Street the West Central Tribune spoke with attendees about why they felt the need to be at Thursday’s protest came to Thursday’s demonstration and marched down First Street carrying her son in her arms Nelson works as a nurse and expressed grave concern for her clients live in Kandiyohi County and rely on Medicaid programs to get by Nelson said she and her family are also concerned about the threat of looming tariffs “We just tried to cut back and budget out the things we don’t need and we just hope down the pike that we’ll be able to make ends meet,” she said “I think on both sides people feel they’re doing what’s best for their family,” she said stating she believes Trump supporters aren’t closely analyzing the rhetoric from the Trump administration and “just taking what he says at face value to be the truth.” felt compelled enough to grab a bullhorn and speak before the crowd in Rice Park about his dislike of Trump and the administration including his disappointment that other veterans he knew support Trump When speaking with the West Central Tribune Standfuss said he wished his fellow veterans would “straighten up and be able to get on the right side of the law.” Standfuss worked as a corporate accountant for 25 years at the Farm Services Co-op in Willmar Standfuss said he and his wife both retired with pensions but emphasized when speaking with the Tribune “I paid money into that since I was 18 years old.” When asked how he and his wife were preparing for what many economists speculate could be a coming recession Standfuss said he and his wife would have ride out any economic uncertainty “We have pensions and Social Security … We’re not wealthy and we just are riding the waves,” he said who works in retail and lives north of Willmar told the West Central Tribune that he had voted for Republicans in the past but that he doesn't consider MAGA to be part of the party he once voted for He said he couldn't vote for Trump in 2016 because "he reminds me of what people accuse sales people of being," he said "He peddles a bunch of nonsense and people lap it up." he's seen the benefits organized labor can bring "I know how poorly she would be paid if they weren't unionized," he said they've negotiated cost-of-living increases and ways to improve their insurance." Kamstra said he benefits from having a great employer but also emphasize that people need to recognize there are some places and industries where "it's not so nice to work." Kamstra stated what concerns him most is his family and Trump has decided we don't need Head Start referencing cuts to the Department of Education and educational funding Sunday in the 1000 block of Campbell Avenue Northwest of an attempt to break into a truck WILLMAR — A 29-year-old man was arrested for driving while intoxicated at 9:46 p.m Saturday at the intersection of 13th Street and Campbell Avenue Northwest after crashing his motor vehicle into a sign WILLMAR — Two minor consumption tickets were issued and a 20-year-old man and 31-year-old man were arrested at 1:49 a.m Saturday at the intersection of 30th Street and 15th Avenue Northwest The 20-year-old was arrested for driving under the influence and the 31-year-old man was arrested on a warrant both were in custody of the Kandiyohi County Jail awaiting court appearances WILLMAR — A report of an assault was taken at 12:43 a.m Saturday in the 800 block of 17th Street Southwest The complainant said they had been kicked in the head WILLMAR — A report of an assault was taken at 12:11 p.m Saturday in the 2300 block of Transportation Road WILLMAR — A report of an assault was taken at 2:58 p.m Friday in the 2300 block of Transportation Road WILLMAR — A report of someone attempting to break into a building was taken at 12:37 a.m Sunday in the 1700 block of 41st Street Northeast The individuals left in a white Jeep and older dark-colored SUV before law enforcement arrived in the boardroom at Kandiyohi County Health and Human Services Michael Anderson and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Detective Sam Schaefbauer — were interviewed by the Council on April 3 following a public meet and greet Valiant has delayed bringing forth a recommendation for several weeks due to "outstanding issues." The three finalists went through a rigorous interview process that included initial interviews in February as well as participating in a leadership evaluation and a psychological evaluation and was promoted to sergeant in November of 2018 Anderson has worked for the Willmar Police Department for 27 years Schaefbauer was with the Willmar Police Department for nine years before resigning in 2024 to take a new position as a detective with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office MORTON — Willmar sophomore Aden Jacobson finished in the top 12 at the 14-team two-day Dacotah Ridge Invitational on Saturday Jacobson carded 76s on both days for a total of 152 to earn a share of 12th overall at Dacotah Ridge Golf Club The Hornets were in second place after Day 1 Elk River was second at 593 and Alexandria came in third at 613 Jacobson’s leading effort helped Willmar place 10th with 638 The Wildcats’ top golfer was sophomore Luke Hannig who placed in a tie for 21st after he improved from an 87 on Day 1 to a 78 on Day 2 to total 155 Edina’s four scoring golfers all finished in the top 5 Torger Ohe won the invitational after shooting a 75 and a Day 2-low of 67 to record a 142 Chase Larson and David Colby all tied for third place with 149s Elk River’s William Roiland rounded out the top 5 with a second-place finish at 143 NLS competes in the Glencoe-Silver Lake Invitational at 10 a.m Willmar competes in a Central Lakes Conference meet hosted by Rocori at 3 p.m Monday at Rich Spring Golf Club in Cold Spring WILLMAR — A report of fraud was taken at 12:24 a.m Friday in the 1800 block of Fifth Street Southwest The complainant reported giving money to a woman he had only spoken to online and had never met in person told the complainant he was being scammed and to stop sending people money WILLMAR — An assault was reported at 10:55 a.m Thursday in the 100 block of Willmar Avenue Southwest A person had come to the CentraCare Main Clinic for treatment and was advised that they could no longer be treated The person became upset and blocked the door of the room The person who was assaulted was advised of their options This funeral services listing is presented as a public service by the West Central Tribune Harvey Anderson & Johnson Funeral Home May 8 at the Lower Sioux Cansayapi Rec Center Stephens Funeral Service - Redwood Valley Funeral Home May 9 at Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar the city of Willmar lost many elm trees to Dutch elm disease Elms were once the most popular trees in the community we have faced a new challenge: the emerald ash borer We lost a number of ash trees during recent years The city is now cutting down even the healthy trees in an attempt to put an end to this we'll be getting some new trees in the near future Her celebration of life will be at a later date Arrangements are with Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar sunny and mild enough for shorts and t-shirts even included an impromptu flyover from a private plane Sunday at Paynesville Baseball Park “Mike (Kingery) congratulated me for getting the fly-over,” said a grinning Ron Fuchs Paynesville beat Kingery’s Atwater Chuckers 5-1 in the County Line League opener The Pirates did it with some strong pitching and enough timely hits to increase their record to 2-0 including a 10-1 exhibition win over the Willmar Indians last weekend Bennett Evans and Sam Oehrlein combined on a two-hitter including a home run by David Kingery (more on that in a moment) and a double by Josh Kingery a 24-year-old left-hander and former Concordia College in Moorhead player struck out six and walked two in three innings to pick up the save.“Bennett and Sam threw a lot for us last year,” Fuchs said is not expected to throw because of shoulder issues was one of four Pirates with two hits Sunday and Brock Bruntlett all started and all are still in high school Emerson Stern and Eric Paulson are also on the roster and are aged 18 or younger “Atwater is the team to beat in our league the last couple of years,” Ron Fuchs said The game originally was scheduled to be played at Atwater but was moved because of recent construction and improvements made at Kingery Field Some $300,000 in work is close to completion according to Chuckers manager Mike Kingery About another $65,000-70,000 needs to be raised a lot of new concrete and a giant canopy over the grandstand the park will include 180 seats from the old Metrodome in Minneapolis “I can’t wait to see their field,” Fuchs said “It sounds like it’s going to be pretty special.” The community hopes to officially unveil it at a high school doubleheader scheduled to begin at noon Saturday May 10 when Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City plays Royalton their early schedule is exclusively road games until 7:30 p.m when Atwater is host to the New London-Spicer Twins next Sunday at Sunburg against the Norway Lake-Sunburg Lakers “It was a first game,” the former Major Leaguer said “Their pitchers (the Bulldogs’) threw well We struck out 13 times and they struck out seven times Atwater’s run came on a solo shot by David Kingery in the top of the first inning It was the 25-year-old second baseman’s first home run over the fence Josh Kingery also clubbed a double for the Chuckers the Chuckers are still missing some key guys Shortstop Jeff Peterson goes to Florida Gulf Coast University and won’t be back for a couple weeks Logan Straumann is at the University of Minnesota-Morris and Jaxon Behm also wasn’t available Sunday Paynesville is scheduled to host the Starbuck Stars at 1:30 p.m the Pirates play the New London-Spicer Twins at 1:30 p.m May 18 at the Green Lake Diamonds in Spicer Aaron VerSteeg didn’t allow a hit in five innings to get the win at Marthaler Field in Glenwood Colin Richards went the final four innings for the save Starbuck scored four runs in the first inning Brayden Skindelien went 2-for-2 with a stolen base for Regal Roscoe scored five runs in the fifth and six more in the seventh to win at Meire Grove Bryce VanderBreek and Jordan Schleper hit home runs for the Rangers Nicholas Utsch and Austin Pauls all had two hits for Roscoe walked six and allowed four hits and two earned runs Josh Olmscheid went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Grovers Kyle Budde went 4-for-4 with a double and a run and Cole Schmitz homered and drove in four runs to lead Richmond past Lake Henry at Richmond Talen Braegelman went 5-1/3 innings to get the win Luke Jokela went 3-2/3 innings to get the save Isaac Lieser went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Lake Henry Wyatt Steffensen surrendered four hits and struck out nine Greenwald batters in his six-inning win for the Saints at Elrosa The purpose of the tour is to strengthen communities and democracy Braver Angels conducted a Monday morning skills workshop for elected officials to enhance their effectiveness across divides and then hosted a luncheon with an interactive discussion for elected officials and community leaders on building community beyond differences The discussion was led by Minnesota Braver Angels co-chairs Scott Schluter “We’re not out to change their points of view but to hear the points of view on the other side,” Voss said “One of the things that Braver Angels has taken on is polarization," Voss said She said that polarization is toxic and leads people to view those with differing beliefs as crazy or evil “ … This isn't just happening because of one one elected official or one one political party or anything The factors that have given rise to this toxic polarization we're experiencing have been ongoing trends for the last 40 years." She explained that Braver Angels offers an opportunity to express oneself and also to listen — with the goal of finding the stories the reasoning and the thinking behind what is leading someone to think differently and to support different things “As somebody who is on the conservative side of the spectrum ‘We need more voices like yours,’” Wilkinson said of his recruitment “‘We have this kind of imbalance within our organization and we like to bring people in who are not afraid to speak freely He said through his work with Braver Angels he has learned to try to see the humanity in all people understanding that people want the same things — clean air a roof over their head and children to be educated — but just have different ideas of how to get there but with the intention to actually understand what that other person is saying," Wilkinson said about Braver Angels discussion techniques Braver Angels held a second public event Monday night Dozens attended to discuss their hopes and concerns surrounding the administration of President Donald Trump “The people who come are predisposed to have the conversations; they often have very strong views so it’s not like they’re all centrist,” said organizer and Braver Angels co-founder William Doherty in an interview after the event at the Willmar Senior High School “Our theory of change is that those people influence the others who also have strong views but who at this point are not open to the conversation and they go to their friends and they say ‘you know those people are not as crazy as you thought.’” Each group shared their thoughts on the current administration as the moderators helped showcase the agreements between the two groups They almost always find some common ground and feel more hopeful than if you brought them together without the right structure,” Doherty said WILLMAR — The Ridgewater College baseball team came into its four-game series with Alexandria Technical & Community College knowing it already was in the Region 13 tournament Friday’s doubleheader with the Legends was mostly for pride with the possibility of a No The Legends need to win 3 of 4 from the Warriors to advance Friday at sunny and mild Elsie Klemmetson Field Ridgewater scored three in the bottom of the fifth to win Game 2 The teams conclude the series beginning at 1 p.m Saturday at Alexandria’s Knute Nelson Field but we still have a chance to win the conference,” said head coach Tyler Hebrink “But we’d need some help from Central Lakes College (which plays St Cloud Technical & Community College this weekend).” Ridgewater is 14-4 in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference and 17-13 overall Alexandria is 11-7 in the MCAC and 23-13 overall and coached by former Lac qui Parle Valley star Brandon Hill The teams played two entertaining games Friday Dominic Rose got the complete-game victory He’s a freshman right-hander from Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop the Warriors’ Andrew Prieve went 3-for-3 with a triple a walk and a stolen base in Game 2 for the Legends the Alex Tech second baseman was hit by a pitch Hebrink is excited about his team’s prospects in the regional “This is a fantastic group of guys,” Hebrink said MORTON — Elk River holds the lead in the 14-team Dacotah Ridge Invitational after Day 1 The Elks tallied a 295 and are ahead of Edina (303) Alexandria (305) and Lakeville South (313) following Friday’s competition at Dacotah Ridge Golf Club New London-Spicer and Willmar are tied for ninth (319) Elk River’s William Roiland and Jack Johnson are leading the pack Roiland shot a 1-under-par 71 to take first place through Day 1 Johnson is in a tie for second with Hastings’ David Bauer as both golfers shot matching even-par 72s Willmar’s top golfer is sophomore Aden Jacobson sophomore Luke Hannig is tied for 17th place at 77 Day 2 of the Dacotah Ridge Invitational begins at 8:30 a.m Holy Family cruised to victory at the Fairmont Invitational at Rose Lake Golf Club in Fairmont which saw a second-place finish from Ryder Carlson at 72 Minnewaska had one of its golfers appear in the top five Thatcher Sherlin tied the Fire’s Hayden Guggemos for fifth place as both shot 75s Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City’s Brooke Brekke earned medalist honors at a Central Minnesota Conference Invitational at Little Falls Country Club which was ahead of Osakis’ Leah Maddock’s 48 and Kimball’s Paige Kneip’s 49 Paynesville’s Peyton Roeske and Kinley Barten shared fourth at 52 Osakis won the team title at the CMC Invite Lakeview’s boys and girls won a Camden South Invite at Stoney Creek Golf Course in Renville which defeated Canby’s 184 and Yellow Medicine East’s 186 The Lakeview girls notched a 224 and was the only program eligible for a team score RCW’s Ryan Schrupp and YME’s Cooper McCosh shared second place The Lakers’ Carson Boe had medalist honors at 37 YME’s Abbey Bones tied for seventh place in the girls’ competition with a 58 Watertown-Mayer topped Litchfield by one stroke in a Wright County Conference matchup at Litchfield Golf Club Madelyn Sutter earned medalist honors with a 46 for the Royals who got third- and fourth-place finishes from Paige Erickson and Ellyse Tschudi Addyson Zens and Kate Brekke finished in the top 5 for the Dragons Zens carded a 47 to take second place and Brekke placed fifth at 54 Brekke … (T6) Emma Knudsen 55 … (T9) Sophie Brekke 56 … (T11) Carly Twardy 57 … (T11) Ellery Cziok 57 He was listed as in custody Thursday at the Kandiyohi County Jail pending a court appearance on three felony charges WILLMAR — A 20-year-old male was arrested on a warrant at 2:41 p.m Wednesday in the 3000 block of Eagle Ridge Drive West He was listed as in custody Thursday at the Kandiyohi County Jail pending a court appearance on a fifth-degree drug possession charge WILLMAR — A two-vehicle crash was reported at 9:24 a.m Thursday at the intersection of Lakeland Drive and Willmar Avenue Southeast Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad and Willmar First Responders assisted Willmar police at the scene WILLMAR — A crash was reported at 7:53 a.m Thursday in the 2700 block of 30th Street Northeast WILLMAR — A two-vehicle crash was reported at 7:49 a.m Thursday at the intersection of Litchfield Avenue and Ninth Street Southwest WILLMAR — A crash between a bicyclist and a vehicle was reported at 3:53 p.m Wednesday in the 100 block of Trott Avenue Southeast the Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad and Willmar Police Department responded Thursday in the 2100 block of 15th Avenue Northwest that they were issued a check that was cashed by someone else Wednesday in the 600 block of 26th Avenue Southwest reported online harassment the caller was advised to stop speaking with the party and to block them WILLMAR — A male was cited for underage consumption after a caller in the 600 block of Oak Lane Northwest reported a suspicious person at 1:31 a.m WILLMAR — A caller reported a white truck backing up to a garage in the 5500 block of U.S WILLMAR — A caller in the 300 block of 28th Avenue Southeast reported a vehicle in the parking lot squealing tires at 10:26 p.m SAUK RAPIDS — The Litchfield track and field team saw its boys take fourth and its girls fifth at the 32nd Annual Mega Meet on Saturday Sauk Rapids was the winner for the boys’ competition at 196 which beat Sartell’s 120 and Sauk Rapids’ 114 Litchfield’s girls had three event winners Elise Carlson won the 300-meter hurdles in 49.40 seconds Chloe Kowalczyk was victorious in the discus throw at 123 feet The Dragons’ 4x100 relay team also won in 51.41 but saw its highest placing come from Izrael Jimenez in the shot put The Dragons compete in the Glencoe-Silver Lake Invitational at 4 p.m The first proposed proclamation comes in two parts — recognizing May as Mental Health Month and Children's Mental Health Awareness Day on May 7 The second proclamation would recognize May as Foster Care Appreciation Month to encourage citizens to volunteer time and talents to help benefit children in foster care The final proposed proclamation is Child Care Provider Appreciation Day on May 9 The Bridge Replacement Program will also be up for discussion on Tuesday A resolution was put forth to amend the previous program resolution The revisions to the plan come as a result of additional testing done on timber bridges which changes the replacement outlook for the county The board will hold a budget work session at 11:45 a.m Tuesday to go over the county's budgets for several aspects of county management John Schlick, 75, of Willmar, died of a heart attack at the St. Cloud hospital on April 26, 2025. His Mass of Christian Burial will be 1:00 pm, Monday, May 5 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Willmar. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at the Spicer City Cemetery. A video of the service can be found here Arrangements are with Harvey Anderson & Johnson Funeral Home in Willmar After graduating from Paynesville High School he completed automotive technician training at Willmar Vo-Tech He then enlisted in the Navy SeaBeees serving as a heavy equipment repair technician he spent about seven years learning to service and repair motorcycles at Apol's Harley Davidson in Raymond He then "settled down" to a 35-year career as an over the road doing mostly runs to the east coast and Texas He drove K-Whopper Binders and told Freightliner jokes a truck brought it." John retired 10 years ago when electronic log books ruined the freedom of the road for him starting with a Ducati 250 as a high school sophomore and a Sportster XLCH as a senior He has owned and used hard a Vincent Black Shadow he wore out a BMW R69S and an R90S on epic cross-country jaunts they left for Texas on a honeymoon trip in a 1954 Plymouth They moved a house onto a large lot north of Willmar that already had a shop/shed for John's trucks and toys It has been their Ponderosa for the 36 years of their marriage They fed birds and played with old vehicles He was smart with a flawless memory for places and events.  He had an amazing sense of humor that none who knew him will ever forget and maintained innumerable lifelong friendships John was especially cherished by his two grandsons John spent much time with these four boys as they grew up and taught them many skills Loretta; step-daughters: Kathryn McLaren and Janet (Richard) Cleveland; granddaughter grandsons: Jae (Jordanz Smith) McLaren and Chase McLaren He is further survived by his brothers: Jim (Sharon) Schlick and Joe (Mary Jo) Schlick; brothers-in-law John was preceded in death by his parents; step-daughter John will be sorely missed by his family and many friends it is indeed true- there will never be another like him “With construction projects beginning in the coming weeks statewide drivers should use caution as they see more work zones more lane closures and orange cones — and most importantly more workers wearing their high-safety gear along the highway,” said Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger “We’re all safer when we pay close attention remain patient and work together to safely share the limited space in a work zone.” There are nearly 180 road construction projects planned this season to help maintain and improve Minnesota’s roads bridges and transportation infrastructure; improve safety and mobility; and support jobs that will be worked on statewide There are an additional 51 projects that will improve airports railroad crossings and transit infrastructure The benefits of the project will provide a smoother road surface The plan is to resurface the Highway 23 Willmar bypass from Kandiyohi County Road 5 to the southwest junction of Highway 71 and Business 71 as well as resurfacing the southbound lanes of the Highway 71/23 Willmar bypass from the southwest junction of Business Highway 71 to the northeast junction of Business Highway 71 The existing asphalt will be replaced with concrete pavement existing guardrails will be updated and drainage will be improved The first stage of the project is from the western limits to the Highway 71 interchange the second stage is the Highway 71 interchange and the third stage is the Highway 71 interchange to the eastern limits of the project during which the Willmar Avenue ramps will be closed The traffic impacts of the project will include traffic control measures consisting of construction staging temporary ramp accesses and closures and a detour for the section of the project west of the Highway 71 overpass The cost of the project is estimated to be $900,000; it was selected to receive funding from the Transportation Economic Development Program to connect Minnesota Highway 40 to the Willmar Industrial Park due to the construction of the Willmar Rail Park That program specifically targets transportation improvements that will lead to measurable economic benefits it must contribute to job creation or retention or another measurable economic benefit A left- and right-turn lane will be constructed on Highway 40 from 1,300 feet east of County Road 55 to 1,400 feet west of County Road 5 in order to improve traffic movement through the intersection and enhance safety The project will require a detour using County Road 5 Highway 12 and County Road 55 that will be in place for approximately one month The Raymond project was estimated to cost $1.64 million and the Svea project was estimated to cost $2.42 million according to earlier information from MnDOT construction bids came in lower than expected and the total project cost is now estimated to be approximately $2.18 million The projects will enhance safety and provide space for left-turning vehicles at the intersections a detour will be in place for vehicles to take Highway 23 to County Road 5 to County Road 3 to 135th Street and back to Highway 23 A detour for trucks will take them from Highway 23 to County Road 5 to Minnesota Highway 7 and back to Highway 23 a detour will be in place taking traffic from Highway 71 to Highway 23 to County Road 5 to Highway 7 and back to Highway 71 The city of Marshall will be replacing aging utilities as part of the project and a single-lane roundabout will be constructed at the intersection of Highway 19/College Drive Country Club Drive and South Second Street The project also includes the installation of an electric vehicle charging station in the Avera parking lot sidewalk improvements and the striping of a bike lane from Marlene Street to just west of Fairgrounds Road The project is expected to take two years and will be completed in stages to minimize travel disruptions Construction is expected to begin May 12 and the bridges will be resurfaced at the same time Traffic is expected to be detoured for approximately one month The project consists of repairing the concrete and replacing the asphalt shoulders and upgrading sidewalks and pedestrian ramps Highway 12 from Dassel to Cokato will be closed during the project and traffic will be routed to Highway 15 and County Roads 21 and 3 motorists should be prepared to encounter traffic changes slow-moving heavy equipment and slow or stopped traffic move over to give room for construction workers avoid making unnecessary lane changes and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones More than 100 demonstrators gathered at Rice Park to hear volunteers speak rally and welcome other demonstrators to hold the bullhorn if they felt compelled to say a few words and speak their mind “I think we are closer to a dictatorship than we think we are,” said Rolf Standfuss wearing a charcoal grill costume and carrying a sign stating “Grill Musk on DOGE cuts.” He urged demonstrators to keep showing up and showing out “cause we need to tell the President (Trump) and his cult members that November 2026 is coming,” he said “We need to get out there and vote and get all these MAGA worthless congresspeople that have lost something.” a volunteer with Indivisible Kandiyohi County and former Minnesota Senate District 16 candidate gave a speech highlighting the “progress made by labor,” telling the crowd to support policies that help workers a union nurse and spokesperson for Indivisible Kandiyohi County rallied demonstrators by leading a rendition of “America the Beautiful” before people began marching to First Street South where they waved to passers-by and held signs and flags to the intersection of 15th Street and 120th Avenue Southeast a Ford F-250 pickup truck was traveling north on 15th Street when the two vehicles collided at the intersection Initial investigation showed the pickup truck had failed to stop at a stop sign at 120th Avenue ALEXANDRIA — The Minnewaska girls golf team took second and Willmar tied for sixth place Wednesday in an invitational at Alexandria Golf Club Minnewaska carded a 327 to finish five strokes behind team champion Detroit Lakes Willmar and Brainerd each shot 366 in the 13-team tournament Wayzata’s Lauren Chambs placed first with a 74 Minnewaska’s Ava Kollman tied for second with Bri Brandt of Legacy Christian Academy Annika DeBoer placed seventh with an 81 and Arivia DeBoer tied for eighth with an 82 Willmar’s Lucia Martin Rodriguez tied for 14th with an 84 The meet was called late because of gun shots being heard on the course No one was injured and Alexandria police were investigating the incident The Sauk Rapids boys earned a victory by six strokes over Morris/Chokio-Alberta in the Sauk Centre Invitational at Greystone Golf Club Sauk Rapids shot a 317 to beat Morris/CA’s 323 Litchfield finished eighth with a 361 in the 12-team tournament at Greystone Golf Club Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City’s 373 was good for ninth Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa took 10th with a 379 and BOLD finished 11th with a 402 Morris/CA senior Charlie Hanson won medalist honors with a 1-under-par 71 Teammate Landen Gibson placed second with a 76 Litchfield’s Carsten Milender tied for 8th with an 81 complete game in Brainerd’s 9-2 victory against the Willmar softball team Tuesday night struck out 16 batters and allowed zero earned runs in the Warriors’ Central Lakes Conference victory The Cardinals are 2-4 in the CLC and 2-6 overall Brainerd improves to 4-3 in the conference and 8-3 overall Tautges was also key for the Warriors’ offense hitting leadoff and going 3-for-5 with one run She was matched by teammate Joze Taugtes and Jaycee Carlson in hits Joze Tautges went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Carlson was 3-for-3 with four RBIs Willmar’s two hits came from Brynnlee Carroll and Hannah Magnuson Carroll is an eighth-grade catcher who went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Magnuson is a senior third baseman who was 1-for-2 with two stolen bases Willmar plays a Central Lakes game at Sartell at 4:30 p.m A 10-run third inning propelled Lac qui Parle Valley past Tracy-Milroy-Balaton at Tracy 13 walks and seven hit-by-pitches as well as taking advantage of four errors Piper Freeburg and Brianna Duscher all had two hits for TMB LQPV hosts Dawson-Boyd for a Camden doubleheader at 4:30 p.m one-hit shutout to lead Yellow Medicine East past MACCRAY at Granite Falls She also was 2-for-4 at the plate with a run Brianna Nelson was 2-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base and Ella Cherveny was 2-for-4 with a run Annabelle Lorenzen went 1-for-2 for the Wolverines MACCRAY plays a Camden game against Tracy-Milroy-Balaton at 4:30 p.m YME hosts Lakeview for a Camden doubleheader at 5 p.m Kaliyah Walker went 3-for-4 with two doubles to lead Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg to the five-inning victory at Murdock Abby Holtkamp was 2-for-4 for the Fighting Saints Mackenzie Herrick was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI for the Lakers KMS hosts Renville County West for a Camden game at 4:30 p.m walked two and allowed six hits over six innings in a complete-game effort for Minnesota/Canby over Renville County West at Minneota RCW plays a Camden game against Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg at 4:30 p.m two-hit shutout to beat Renville County West at Minneota Mackenna Hinderks was 1-for-2 with a triple and Peyton Elfering was 1-for-1 for RCW five walks and a hit-by-pitch for the victory at Ortonville Natyah Ritter went 4-for-5 with three runs for the Blackjacks Macy Moen was 3-for-5 with three runs and Madalyn Wente was 3-for-4 with a double Elsie Wiebe and Quinn Larson all had two hits apiece for the Blackjacks DB plays a Camden game against Lac qui Parle Valley at 4:30 p.m Alyssa Arndt struck out seven with no walks in the complete-game victory over Dawson-Boyd at Ortonville Arndt scattered 12 hits and allowed one earned run as the Trojans scored six runs in the top of the first inning Bailey Merrit and Emma Eastman each had three hits and Addie Hartman Rylie Berge and Sara Kirkeby all had two hits for Ortonville Natyah Ritter went 4-for-4 with four stolen bases for the Blackjacks an RBI and a walk and Lucy Remer was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI for BOLD in its victory at Montevideo Kaitlyn Flann struck out eight with no walks allowing six hits and one earned run in the complete-game victory Peyton Dack went 2-for-3 with a run for the Thunder Hawks BOLD plays a West Central doubleheader at Sauk Centre at 4 p.m Montevideo hosts Redwood Valley for a non-conference game at 4:30 p.m a stolen base and two runs scored in BOLD’s victory at Montevideo Lucy Remer was 4-for-5 with a run and an RBI for the Warriors who scored seven runs in the seventh inning Kenly Elfering and Kaelyn Elfering all had two hits for BOLD walked one and allowed five hits and one earned run Lily Eisenlohr went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Peyton Dack and Nelly Esparza each had two hits for Montevideo Morris/Chokio-Alberta clubbed five home runs in its four-inning win at Benson Samantha Konz slugged two home runs and Brenna Jergenson Mia Lu Asche and Ryla Koehler also hit homers for the Tigers Jada O’Leary and Dallas Carey were each 1-for-1 for Benson Benson plays a West Central doubleheader against West Central Area at 4 p.m Minnewaska salvaged a split with West Central Area by scoring five times in the fifth inning once in the six and twice in the seventh at Glenwood Avery Lewison went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI Haillie Schulz was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI Emma Poegel was 2-for-4 with two runs and four stolen bases and Eliana Marthaler was 2-for-3 with a double two stolen bases and three RBIs for the Lakers Minnewaska plays a non-conference game at Osakis at 4:30 p.m West Central Area scored six runs in the top of the first inning and then held on for the victory at Glenwood Haillie Schulz and Berlynn Green all had two hits apiece Zaylee Hartmann and Dia Nelson all had two hits for Paynesville in its victory over Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa at Brooten Messer and McNabb combined on a five-hitter for the win in the circle for the Bulldogs BBE plays a Central Minnesota doubleheader against Holdingford at 4 p.m Thursday at River’s Edge Softball Complex in Waite Park Paynesville plays a Central Minnesota doubleheader against Kimball at 11 a.m Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa had four hits and took advantage of eight walks and seven hit-by-pitches to beat Long Prairie--Grey Eagle at Brooten Mya Worms and Taylor Shelton all had hits for the Jaguars Worms and Kamie Fischer combined on a five-inning three-hitter for the win Litchfield put up 15 runs in the first inning to beat Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City in four innings at Litchfield Stella Braaten went 2-for-3 with a home run Paizli Johnson finished 2-for-4 with a home run Kendall Miller went 1-for-2 with a solo home run for the Falcons Litchfield plays a Wright County doubleheader against Glencoe-Silver Lake at 4 p.m ACGC plays a Central Minneota doubleheader against Royalton at 11 a.m We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time e-mail us at askus@willmarradio.com or call us at 320-235-1340 and I want to highlight this because I want everybody to understand the most common complaint we field up here … base fees are too high,” Johnson said she broke down the base fees on utility bills and calculated that 53% of the total is imposed by the city She explained that for a residential customer the monthly base fees charged by Willmar Municipal Utilities for electric and water service are $12.75 and $22.60 which account for 47% of the total base fees listed on a utility bill The monthly base fee charged by the city of Willmar for wastewater service is $39.04 accounting for the remaining 53% of the base fees charged on a utility bill are collected by Willmar Municipal Utilities and transferred to the city Willmar Municipal Utilities also collects a franchise fee for electric service which equates to an annual $2.1 million intergovernmental transfer to the city The franchise fee also reimburses Willmar Municipal Utilities for the operation and maintenance and energy costs for streetlights Johnson noted that the street lighting costs have been reduced by about half with the installation of new LED streetlights The electric and water base fees charged by Willmar Municipal Utilities cover the billing costs capital improvement projects and future planning “Thank you for the breakdown of monthly base fees and that's something we've talked about many and how to clarify that for customers,” said Municipal Utilities Chair Shawn Mueske “We field those complaints often … I think it's kind of working for our customers to know where all their dollars go.” Johnson shared that Willmar Municipal Utilities’ three customer service representatives monitor 10,600 electric connections and 7,000 water service connections and bill approximately 10,500 customers per month The customer service staff also processed nearly 3,500 service orders 2,400 people moving in and out and 825 operation field service orders there were 82 accounts disconnected for nonpayment Johnson said she expects that number to continue to increase in 2025 Willmar Municipal Utilities helped secure nearly $500,000 in financial assistance for customers who need it through the Minnesota Department of Commerce Kandiyohi County Housing & Redevelopment Authority and Kandiyohi County Family Services Minnesota rental assistance programs and the Salvation Army “These entities keep a lot of our customers viable and their power connected and their water flowing through their faucets,” Johnson said Willmar Municipal Utilities collected unpaid utility bills using various techniques in 2024 including recapturing $41,248 from people’s income tax refunds $1,623 using a collection agency and $5,572 through tax liens on property taxes were all readily accessible for the young Strehlow and his friends It’s why the heart of this 1974 graduate of Willmar High School still belongs to Kandiyohi County Although his career led him to call the Twin Cities area his home he regularly returns to his home stomping grounds all year around to hunt Strehlow has been donating tens of thousands of dollars made possible by his financial prowess to support conservation work in the county The donations have served as the seed money to leverage other funds to support many of Kandiyohi County’s most prominent wetland restoration projects An initial $50,000 contribution made possible by Strehlow set the ball rolling and helped leverage the funding for the more than $1 million restoration and enhancement project for the Hubbard Schultz and Wheeler chain of lakes that flow into Diamond Lake water in the three small lakes can be drawn down to kill rough fish and allow aquatic vegetation to re-establish The restored vegetation helps remove nutrients that feed algae blooms in Diamond Lake while providing the habitat and feed benefiting waterfowl and other wildlife His support also leveraged the funding to take advantage of the same tested formula of adding a control structure to restore Henjum Lake near Pennock It’s one of the more celebrated wetland restoration projects in the county Strehlow has now pledged funding to support a wide range of habitat enhancement work on federal Waterfowl Production Areas across Kandiyohi County Those areas play important roles in providing habitat for all types of wildlife while improving water quality and groundwater recharge and helping reduce flooding manager of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited in Minnesota Lindstrom during his 10-year tenure with Ducks Unlimited has had the privilege of working with Strehlow “Ross is in it for a lot of the right reasons,” said Lindstrom He describes Strehlow as a very laid-back guy someone you can have a beer with and talk hunting and have no idea about his financial success “He doesn’t wear it on his sleeve,” said Lindstrom “He just seems like an everyday guy who happens to be a successful businessman.” who is spearheading the Tepetonka golf course project Strehlow was a top-notch golfer for Willmar High School and Haugejorde the same for New London-Spicer High School they were part of a foursome that won the state’s junior golf championship in their senior year of high school Haugejorde has kept his heart in Kandiyohi County despite a career that led him elsewhere “It’s always been home to us,” said Haugejorde of their mutual passion for the county What his friend brings to the table is his “passion for wildlife preservation,” Haugejorde said Strehlow left Willmar after high school for college earning a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State he wrote a paper on Honeywell that led to his landing a stockbroker position with Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis right out of college Their philanthropy has been made possible in large part by what is known as a Donor Advised Fund It works roughly like this: If he buys stock at $2 a share and it eventually grows to $10 a share in value he moves a portion of those shares to his account at the Minneapolis Foundation The Foundation immediately sells those shares The proceeds go directly to a charitable organization of his choosing Strehlow earns a tax deduction and avoids paying capital gains on the proceeds That means his donation is larger than would have been possible had he sold the shares and donated his earnings after having paid capital gains on them Strehlow’s financial success owes to his ability to identify companies that are undervalued and that takes lots of hard work and old-fashioned shoe leather He thoroughly scrutinizes the financials of the companies that he identifies He invests when he is confident that he has a bargain in the works well before other financial advisers ever issue a buy recommendation for a company’s stock While Kandiyohi County is his chosen destination for the outdoors make no mistake: His passion for hunting and fishing (and golfing) leads him far and wide North Dakota has been his favorite waterfowl hunting destination for 50 years now where he loves to ply the waters of Lake Michigan for salmon If his outdoor philanthropy has primarily occurred under the radar Strehlow’s support for youth and golfing in the Willmar area has not escaped notice His contributions directly made possible the Willmar Junior Golf Foundation Golf Academy at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Willmar The new facility that bears his and his wife’s name is complete with an indoor golf simulator It offers opportunities for youth and adults to sharpen their golfing skills during the winter and provides a comfortable setting for family and social get-togethers “I hope that people really enjoy this place and come in and give it a try,” Strehlow said Ditto for all the improved outdoor opportunities he is making possible in Kandiyohi County Strehlow said he is well-aware of how it is more difficult for young people to access the outdoors than was the case when he grew up He’s hoping his support can help make it better for everyone to enjoy the outdoors he wants to make the most of the philanthropy he can do He put it this way: “I’m not one of these gazillionaires I want to give back a lot to where I grew up I figure I can made a difference in Kandiyohi County “If there was a Ross Strehlow in every county in the state that county would be in a much better position than it currently is,” Lindstrom said the Rotary Club committed $250,000 to construct a permanent concert stage which will have a large stage for concerts on one side and a smaller more intimate stage of the other side for things like movies in the park and community band concerts Highway 23 Acoustic Jam is described as a high-energy '80s and '90s rock with some blues and a splash of country in the mix Boogie Wonderland is a six- to 10-piece band that plays ‘70s through contemporaneous dance hits from rock They have performed for audiences all over the United States Janelle Kendall’s Perfect Storm is described as a female-led powerhouse covering iconic rock anthems from musicians including Pat Benatar The band also has added iconic tracks from Styx AC/DC and Led Zeppelin to their show in 2025 Good for Gary is a seven-piece Twin Cities cover band that specializes in playing current and past dance hits from brand new Top 40 hits to throwback classics West Addison Blues is a Blues Brothers tribute band featuring two brothers one wielding a blues harp and the other singing the soul songs They are joined by musicians from west central Minnesota brandishing guitars the slide trombone and the drums playing the rhythm and blues Lead vocalists of the eight-member Fabulous Armadillos Chris Hawkey from KFAN’s Power Trip Morning Show and Heidi Owens from Hitchville have a large following throughout Minnesota and beyond The band is led by Paul “Stretch” Diethelm on lead guitar Jay O’Donnell on drums and Pat Thorn and Mike Kreitzer on horns The Fabulous Armadillos play re-creations of songs from country to Motown The Rockin' Robbins concert series takes place in Robbins Island Regional Park in Willmar from 5 to 9 p.m local craft market and a free shuttle from three convenient park and ride locations Councilor Justin Ask made the motion to approve an amended agenda at the request of City Administrator Leslie Valiant and giving no further explanation When asked after the meeting why the item was removed Valiant said more time was needed for analysis The three finalists for the Willmar Police Chief position — Willmar Police Sgt Michael Anderson and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Detective Sam Schaefbauer — went through a vigorous interview process that included initial interviews in February several of whom were there specifically for the police chief selection When asked by the West Central Tribune after the meeting if they knew that the selection would be delayed but hoped that the Tribune could get an explanation The candidates also had not been informed that the selection would be delayed who were both in attendance at the meeting Monday evening Schaefbauer was with the Willmar Police Department for nine years before resigning in 2024 to take a new position as a detective with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office FERGUS FALLS — The Willmar boys tennis team won its first match of the season convincingly Tuesday Willmar is now 1-4 in the Central Lakes Conference and 1-7 overall The Otters are 0-5 in the CLC and 0-8 overall 1 doubles team of Lucas Riemersma and Camden Lager beat Ben Koch and Gabe Carlson 1-6 Nehemiah Van Horne and Deven Hegreberg beat Cohan Mannie and Isaiah Ibarra 6-4 Willmar’s singles lineup of Ryan Newberg at No 3 doubles team of reston Kath and Mason Munkholm Willmar plays a CLC match at Detroit Lakes at 4:30 p.m Minnewaska captured the dual with New London-Spicer by sweeping the doubles and winning two singles matches at Glenwood All the Lakers’ doubles victories came in straight sets 1 singles and the Wildcats’ Coleman Davis topped Aidric Vold 6-0 Minnewaska competes in a triangular against Hutchinson and St NLS hosts Mora for a non-conference match at 4:15 p.m Lac qui Parle Valley-Dawson-Boyd picked up three singles victories at Worthington Broady Nelson and Hudson Giese picked up a doubles victory at the No beating Moises Segura and Carlos Martinez 6-2 LQPV/DB competes in the West Central Conference Championships hosted by Minnewaska at 9 a.m "The chaos and confusion coming out of Washington really has people concerned What they are doing is they're finding a space and a place where they can come together and talk to one another about what is going on and how to make sense of it," Minnesota DFL Chair Richard Carlbom said in an interview with the West Central Tribune also held in conjunction with one of many Hands Off was described by organizers as a response to U.S Michelle Fischbach not appearing at in-person town halls in the Minnesota 7th District she represents they had personally reached out to Fischbach “She is making decisions in Washington that are incredibly hurtful to the people of Willmar She refuses to show up and explain herself when she chooses to vote to support Medicaid cuts,” Carlbom said in an interview The Republican budget resolution calls for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce The absence of in-person town halls by the congresswoman was not the only grievance discussed at the event Saturday in Willmar Speakers included Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish and Carlbom These three took time to talk about the impact of the current administration they argued that the actions of President Donald Trump have weakened the public services available to citizens Calls for continued action went out to the crowd as attendees were asked to contact their elected representatives to tell them their thoughts on what is happening at both the state and federal level “No matter what side of the aisle you are on A lot of times the stories make a difference in getting legislation changed or adopted That does make a difference," Wertish said in an interview website posts described the events as a protest against "the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies." Decorated signs at the Willmar rally stood out from the crowd alongside American and Ukrainian flags Attendees joined in chants like “hands off,” which called for an end to federal interference in public funding and services “I see a lot of damage being done to some of the programs that have benefited the kinds of farming practices that I want to have and the kind of society that I want to live in and I want my kids to be able to live in,” farmer a retired doctor who said she had done research at the National Institutes of Health in Washington Nelson-Hund called for maintaining funding for medical research “Because of the recent slashing of money and personnel across all institutes Scientists are leaving for other countries graduate programs are being canceled,” Nelson-Hund said in her rally speech NIH is the largest source of funding for medical research in the world Other speakers at Saturday's outdoor rally like Minnesota DFL Senate District 16 Chair Fernando Alvarado and Morris nurse Erik Stoeckeler called out potential cuts to federal programs like Social Security and Medicare “You can’t chase the American dream if your retirement is at risk or the sacrifices of our veterans and women are ignored,” Alvarado said in his speech The Willmar town hall was the third and final event of the day hosted by the 7th District DFL which had gathered earlier in Detroit Lakes and Alexandria more than 1,000 people gathered in protest and to ask questions of people in power All three of the injured drivers were transported to CentraCare — Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar for treatment All involved were wearing their seat belts when the crash occurred Air bags deployed in Malimu and Phillips' vehicles Road conditions were dry when the crash was reported initially reported around 7:53 a.m Editor's note: This story has been updated since initial publication to correct which Willmar City Council member seconded the motion to overrule the Willmar Municipal Utilities Commission's approval of a land purchase agreement Councilor Tom Butterfield seconded the motion made by Councilor Justin Ask The meeting gallery Monday evening was full of people several of whom were friends and family of the three candidates and there specifically for the police chief inspection When some were asked by the West Central Tribune after the meeting if they knew that the selection would be delayed they said they did not but hoped that the Tribune could get an explanation A meet-and-greet of the police chief finalists took place April 3 followed by interviews with the Willmar City Council during a special meeting He has been acting as interim chief of police for the past six months after former chief of police Jim Felt retired from his position with the Police Department in October Councilor Ask also made the motion Monday to pass a resolution overruling the Willmar Municipal Utilities Commission's approval of a purchase agreement for 27 acres of land located outside Willmar city limits east of the Highway 71/23 Bypass and north of Willmar Avenue Southeast The motion was seconded by Councilor Tom Butterfield Voting in favor of the motion were Councilors Ask Casting the sole no vote was Councilor Rick Fagerlie During the public comment portion of the meeting Municipal Utilities Commissioner Bruce DeBlieck encouraged the City Council to vote in favor of allowing Willmar Municipal Utilities to move forward with the purchase agreement for the land on which to construct its new facilities Willmar Municipal Utilities General Manager Jeron Smith also encouraged the members to move forward with approving its purchase agreement that was approved by the Willmar Municipal Utilities Commission in February The item was first presented to the City Council at its March 3 meeting at which time it chose to defer acting on it for 30 days in order to gather more information This is the sixth property that Willmar Municipal Utilities has attempted to purchase since the search for a location for new facilities began in 2023 Five previous properties that were located near Civic Center Drive in northeast Willmar fell through for various reasons on whether or not it would be a good idea for the Utilities Commission and the City Council to have a joint meeting to discuss their differences regarding new facilities for Willmar Municipal Utilities This is a breaking news update from Monday's meeting of the Willmar City Council was incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St Cloud after sentencing April 22 in Kandiyohi County District Court Portillo pleaded guilty to a felony charge of criminal vehicular homicide in November of 2024 prosecutors agreed to a “bottom of the box” sentence of 75 months in prison — referring to the shortest term within the range recommended by state sentencing guidelines He was given credit for 455 days already served in custody A felony charge of failing to stop after a traffic collision and a misdemeanor charge of driving after suspension were dismissed Prosecutors also agreed to dismiss another unrelated criminal case against Portillo convicted offenders must spend at least two-thirds of their sentence in custody before being eligible for supervised release Portillo’s expected release date is March 23 according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections of Cokato — unnamed in court documents but identified at the time by police — was crossing First Street South at Willmar Avenue Southeast when he was struck by a vehicle traveling northbound The accident was initially reported around 8:07 p.m According to an initial news release from the Willmar Police Department officers arrived to find a CentraCare security officer providing aid to a male pedestrian with “extensive injuries.” The CentraCare — Willmar Clinic is located at that intersection The man later identified as Jarvis died from his injuries that night at CentraCare — Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar Officers took statements from multiple witnesses and were able to identify a possible suspect vehicle and driver Portillo turned himself into law enforcement the day after the hit-and-run crash Portillo said that he had hit someone the previous night but did not stop because he had been drinking at a friend’s house earlier He told investigators he believed he was drunk at the time of the crash He said he did not see the man crossing the street and that no one else was in the car The airbags did not deploy after the crash but Portillo stated he believed a cut on his right lower lip and injury to the left side of his face were from the crash law enforcement later located the damaged vehicle in the 600 block of Charlotte Street Southeast A detective noted that the passenger side of the hood was dented and that the windshield was shattered in 2022 moved the triplex at that location from the corner lot to the adjacent lot to the west at 425 Litchfield Avenue Southeast The plan is to pave the corner lot to be used as a parking pad for residents of the triplex Fischer has also been cleaning up the two lots located to the north that are off of Benson Avenue Southeast A new plat combined those two lots so that a shed from 223 Benson Avenue Southeast could be moved there to be used as a contractor shop with multiple bays that smaller contractors can rent for their business Fischer claims that the reason the property has remained in this condition since 2022 was the resignation of former planning and development director Justice Walker in September of 2023 There is a stretch of homes in that location that are triplexes or fourplexes but the zoning in that location is residential two which only allows for single-family homes and duplexes The triplexes and fourplexes are out of compliance with Willmar’s zoning ordinance which was established after those buildings were constructed according to Willmar City Planner Chris Frank Fischer explained that Walker told him that the area was going to be rezoned to residential three to bring those homes into compliance but that did not take place before Walker resigned When Fischer attempted to get a permit to renovate the triplex he said he was told by Willmar Building Inspector Jacen Swagerman the building could only be a duplex due to the city’s zoning ordinance “Justice Walker told me that … was going to be changed to (residential three) way back when so I didn't have to worry about any of this stuff,” Fischer told the Willmar Planning Commission in February you can only have a duplex.’ So that's why it sat empty because it doesn't money out if I only have a duplex When Fischer approached the Planning and Development Department earlier this year to inquire what could be done to allow him to complete the project he said he was told if he waited a few months the area was going to be rezoned to mixed use after the new With Willmar comprehensive plan was approved The solution was to rezone the property to general business three and get a conditional use permit to finish the renovations Although Fischer now has what he needs to complete his project he voiced his concerns during Monday’s Council meeting about how long the process was to get the property rezoned and platted as well as being made to pay $8,000 for a civil engineering permit without even knowing that he would be given permission to complete the project Willmar Planning and Development Director Christopher Corbett was asked by Councilor Justin Ask to explain the process and why it takes so long it takes 45 to 60 days for plats and rezones to be approved The issue first has to come before the planning commission and a public hearing is called Notification of the public hearing has to be published in the official newspaper 10 days prior to the public hearing Once the planning commission holds the public hearing and approves the plat or rezone it then moves on to the city council where the council hears a briefing on the issue and then schedules a public hearing Notification of this public hearing also has to be published in the official newspaper 10 days prior to the hearing