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Driving a plow requires more than pushing snow
By DEB BENTLY
Staff writer
“I enjoy being out here when it’s crappy,” declares Adam Wacholz, snow plow driver with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), based out of Albert Lea. The 37-year-old Hollandale resident has had the job for the past 9 years, and has acquired an interesting collection of experiences and knowledge.
Not all of which he is willing to share.
But given the chance to tell the driving public anything, he knows exactly what he wants to say:
“Give us room!”
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Drivers asked to adjust to conditions
By DEB BENTLY
Staff writer
Mike Dougherty recognizes that it’s frustrating to have to slow down in bad weather conditions. But he points out that it’s even more frustrating to end up in the ditch. “You’ll get there faster driving safely,” he says.
A spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Dougherty’s territory covers the 11-county region in the southeast corner of the state, from the Wisconsin border to Freeborn County, and just north of Minnesota Highway 19 at Northfield.
In a recent conversation dealing with travel safety, and specifically with safety around snow plows, Dougherty observed that plow drivers are human, too. “They get into this because they want to help,” he says. “They take that responsibility personally.
“We put them out in some of the most difficult conditions you can imagine–in the dark, in blowing snow, on ice and in sub-zero conditions.
“It’s disheartening when people express anger at them.
“We don’t have a magic wand that can fix things. It takes good, old-fashioned time and effort.”
Dougherty has three strong recommendations when it comes to safety around working snow plows.
Slow down: Adjust speed to the circumstances.
Leave room: Recommended distance is 10 car lengths.
Stay vigilant: Let phone calls or adjustments to music wait.
Dougherty says that, as one who works with crews across 11 counties, he is always impressed by the dedication and fortitude he sees. “These folks have your best interests at heart,” he says. “You can respond to that by keeping yourself safe.”
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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Snow week royalty gathered together in the NRHEG high school gymnasium Tuesday afternoon, February 7 to find out who among them would be crowned King and Queen.
Dylan Ingvaldson and Grace Wilkenson were crowned 2023 Snow Week King and Queen by the NRHEG 2022 Homecoming King and Queen Makota Misgen and Eva Wayne.
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By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Copy Editor
One year after a tornado tore through Hartland, devastating a number of prominent businesses, Arcadian Bank is well on its way toward rebuilding.
Formerly called Farmers State Bank of Hartland, the bank has existed on 601 North Broadway in Hartland since 1912. In January 2021, the name was changed to Arcadian, and on Dec. 15 of that same year, a tornado took off most of the wall on the southwest corner of the bank, causing the south wall to buckle, and cracking the brickwork on the north side of the building. “The assessment of the insurance company was that, in theory, the basement was still sound, but that everything from the first floor up had to come down,” said Mark Heinemann, president of Arcadian, who has been associated with the bank for the last 18 years.
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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Southern MN residents attending Saturday’s annual New Richland Area Sportsmen's Club ice fishing contest could not have asked for better weather. 40 degrees and sunny.
Hundreds gathered, even more than last year, from all over southern MN Saturday morning from 10:30 a.m. until about 4 p.m. when events wrapped up.
More than 150 kids prizes were handed out according to Lee Mendenhall.
“Everyone got a prize,” Mendenahll smiled.