Highway 4 from Brown County Road 24 south of Sleepy Eye to Highway 30 is expected to open to traffic by the end of the day on Friday, November 8, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Motorists should expect intermittent lane restrictions and watch for flaggers on Highway 4 between Brown County Road 24 and Watonwan County Road 6 until mid-November as finishing work continues.
Replacement of the Cottonwood River bridge south of Sleepy Eye is expected to be complete in late November. Traffic is detoured to Highway 14 and Brown County Roads 8 and 24. For safety, public carry-in water access near the Cottonwood River on Highway 4 south of Sleepy Eye remains closed during bridge construction. For more information visit the Department of Natural Resources at: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/water_access/index.html
The Highway 4 project between St. James to Sleepy Eye includes roadway, bridge, and drainage improvements. In addition to resurfacing approximately 25 miles of roadway, three bridges will be replaced. Additionally, the improvements made to the road will allow Highway 4 from St. James and Sleepy Eye to become a 10-ton route.
- Visit the Hwy 4 St. James to Sleepy Eye project website for project and detour information, and to sign up for email updates.
- Information will be shared on the MnDOT South Central Facebook group and on X @mndotscentral.
- For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org or get the free smartphone app at Google Play or the App Store.
Results for Selected Contests in 60844 – Sleepy Eye
| Candidate | Totals | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Joann M. Schmidt | 1,382 | 93.25% |
| WRITE-IN | 100 | 6.75% |
By Precinct
| Brown: SLEEPY EYE W-1 | 558 | 30 |
| Brown: SLEEPY EYE W-2 | 824 | 70 |
| Candidate Totals: | 1,382 | 100 |
|---|
| Candidate | Totals | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Krzmarzick | 596 | 99.17% |
| WRITE-IN | 5 | 0.83% |
| Candidate | Totals | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Christina Andres | 850 | 96.92% |
| WRITE-IN | 27 | 3.08% |
| Candidate | Totals | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Marti | 2,072 | 33.64% |
| Darla Remus | 2,113 | 34.31% |
| Joleen Dittbenner | 1,937 | 31.45% |
| WRITE-IN | 37 | 0.60% |
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Noah received the traditional State Tournament Fire Truck ride through Sleepy Eye as part of his send off.
St. Mary’s/ Sleepy Eye/ New Ulm Cathedral cross country racer Noah Christensen placed 136th at the MSHSL State Cross Meet Saturday 11/2. The meet was held at Falcon Heights
Les Bolstad Golf Course. He ran the 5000m race in 18:36.9.
Redwood Valley won the team championship.
Not quite living up to the 1991 Halloween snowstorm in which 2-3 feet of snow feel in parts of the state. Still the 2″ snowfall on October 31st was impressive considering the 80 degree temperature two days prior.
UPDATE AS OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2024 AT 8:00 AM
****Effective Thursday, October 31, 2024 at 8:00 AM, the BURNING RESTRICTIONS for all of Brown County, Minnesota have been lifted.
PREVIOUS POST FROM 10-02-2024:
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office and fire chiefs have issued BURNING RESTRICTIONS for all of Brown County.
- NO OPEN BURNING OF CRP LAND AND/OR DITCHES OR BRUSH PILES IS PERMITTED
Recreational campfires are permitted. Recreational campfires must be contained in a ring of either rock, cement, brick, or metal, must not be closer than 25 feet to any structure and be attended to. Charcoal grills, wood smokers, and propane or natural gas devices are not considered open burning.
Just as a reminder, Brown County does not require residents to obtain a permit for open burning, but you MUST notify the Sheriff’s Office Dispatch at 507-233-6700 prior to open burning to ensure that there is no “burning ban” or “burning restrictions” in place. The caller must provide the items to be burned, the location of the open burn, a contact name and cell phone number to Dispatch. The person starting the open burn shall attend to the fire at all times and have fire suppression equipment available.
by Sleepy Eye Police Chief Matt Andres
I have a few pieces of appreciation at the end of this article but before I get to that we have to have a conversation about CHICKENS. We have received many calls referencing roosters that are running the streets of Sleepy Eye. Now, I don’t believe these chickens belong to anyone currently. I don’t know if they have escaped or were purposely let loose in town. I have heard a couple ideas about where they have come from and I have been able to figure out that they are not correct, or at least I am not able to prove they are correct.
At this point I am less concerned with how they got here than I am with how to get them out of here. A citizen has informed me that some of the FFA students have caught a couple and moved them to a farm. I know there are at least three remaining, with two being roosters. If anyone can catch them or offer up some advice on how to catch them, then I am willing to listen. I am certainly not from a farm family, and I don’t know much about chickens or catching them. I have two spots where I see the chickens regularly and I am willing to speak with the homeowners about setting up live traps if anyone can lend traps for this.
If the chickens are someone’s, then please remove them from town. It is against Sleepy Eye Ordnance to have chickens in town. Anyone keeping chickens in town needs to remove them. This situation is a big reason why chickens are illegal to possess in town.
In September, Officer Peter McGarry and Officer Taylor Bolinger were awarded the Law Enforcement Medal of Valor by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office. They assisted the County with the arrest of the suspect of the murder of Algona, Iowa Police Officer Kevin Cram. Deputy Jason Fairbairn, Deputy Justin Robertson and Trooper Valerie Hauser also received the Medal of Valor. Dispatcher Julie Hellendrung received the Medal of Merit. Their actions during a stressful and potentially dangerous situation brought the situation to a close quickly and peacefully. I am so grateful to the responders involved and the working relationship the Sleepy Eye Police Department shares with the Sheriff’s Office.
I want to thank all the Law Enforcement personnel that assisted with the Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener. I worked with Sheriff Seidl and Chief Deputy Reed in the planning and organizing for this event. The event went smoothly for us although the stress leading up was quite high.
The Sleepy Eye Police Department works with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office on many calls. Both departments share a good relationship with the other and often we don’t even think about who is helping who, we just get the work done. In planning and working together on this it is easier to appreciate the relationship that is often taken for granted. There was no thought of who would be in what position or who would be seen publicly as the more important department. The only thought was accomplishing what needed to be done and doing it safely and effectively. In the movies Police Departments always have issues with jurisdiction and who is taking over what case. I don’t know if that is real or not, but it certainly isn’t with the Sheriff’s Office. I want to thank Sheriff Seidl, Chief Deputy Reed and all the members of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office for the ease in which our departments work together and support each other.
The family of Robert Forster made a $250 donation to the Sleepy Eye Fire Dept. in his memory. Pictures are daughters (left) Kristy Suess and Lisa Hoffmann along with Fire Chief Aaron Schauman.
