CHRISTMAS:
Brown County Heartland Express will be operating until noon on Christmas Eve and will be closed for Christmas Day. We will resume normal operations on Thursday December 26th. All rides for that day need to be called in by 11am on Tuesday December 24th. Our office can be reached by dialing 507-359-2717 or 800-707-2717.
NEW YEARS:
Brown County Heartland Express will be closed for New Years Day. We will resume normal operations on Thursday January 2nd. All rides for that day need to be called in by 3pm on Tuesday December 31st. Our office can be reached by dialing 507-359-2717 or 800-707-2717.
MANKATO, Minn. – Highway 4 from Sleepy Eye to Brown County Road 24 is expected to open to traffic by the end of the day today, December 9, as replacement of the Cottonwood River bridge is complete, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
The MnDOT contractor is expected to return next spring to complete finishing work on the project.
The Highway 4 project between St. James to Sleepy Eye included roadway, bridge, and drainage improvements. In addition to resurfacing approximately 25 miles of roadway, three bridges were replaced.
Benefits of the project include improved pavement, drainage, and safety. Ulland Brothers, Inc. was awarded the project with a bid of $18,884,550.58.
MnDOT thanks the public for their patience during this project.
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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One person was critically injured and his passenger seriously injured in a motorcycle crash Saturday afternoon near Lake Crystal.
Blue Earth County sheriff’s deputies responded to a crash on County Road 6, near County Road 102, shortly after 3 p.m.
Douglas Pelzel, 75, of Sleepy Eye, was traveling north on County Road 6 on a 1996 Harley Davidson motorcycle with 60-year-old Denise Ann Walter, also of Sleepy Eye, as the passenger.
It appears Douglas Pelzel lost control of the motorcycle and drove off the right side of the roadway, deputies said.
Pelzel was airlifted with critical injuries and Walter was transported from the scene by ambulance with serious injuries. Neither was wearing a helmet.
In a Facebook post, the Sleepy Eye Holiday Lights in Motion board announced they will be taking off the 2024 in order to reorganize and recruit set up assistance. The group has struggled with volunteers during the set up season. There is a special need for aerial and lift truck operators. If you or your group is interest in helping in the future, please contact Mike Suess (mike@sleepyeyeholidaylights.org) or Shari Hittesdorf (shari@sleepyeyeholidaylights.org)
Starting Aug. 1, the Minnesota Child Passenger Safety Law goes into effect, bringing new guidance on child seats, booster seats and seat belts for kiddos.
The new child restraint laws will require:
- A child younger than age 2 is to be properly restrained in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system with an internal harness until the child reaches the weight or height limit of the child passenger restraint system.
- A child who is at least age 2 and exceeds the rear-facing weight or height limit of the child passenger restraint system is to be properly restrained in a forward-facing child passenger restraint system with an internal harness until the child reaches the weight or height limit of the child passenger restraint system.
- A child who is at least age 4 and exceeds the weight or height limit of the forward-facing child passenger restraint system is to be properly restrained in a booster seat and secured with a safety belt.
- A child who is at least age 9 or exceeds the weight or height limit of the child passenger restraint system or the booster seat is to be secured with a safety belt adjusted and fastened around the child’s body to fit correctly.
- If a child falls into more than one category, then the child must be placed in a safer restraint for them. For example, a child who is 2.5 years old and weighs 35 pounds but has a car seat with a rear-facing limit of 40 pounds must stay rear-facing even though they are over 2 years old.
Additionally, the new guidelines said children under 13 years old must sit in the back seat if possible.
The Aug. 1 changes also state that every driver who has children under the age of 18 in a vehicle must have them in a child safety seat or restrained by a seat belt.
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office “NO WAKE ZONE” on Lake Hanska will remain in effect up to and include 07-22-2024.
As of 07-23-2024, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office “NO WAKE ZONE” on Lake Hanska will be lifted.
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office would also like to remind those who are enjoying spending time on the lakes and rivers to always wear your life jackets.
