News

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

With elective surgeries and most outpatient services shut down for more than two months, Swift County-Benson Health Services saw 80 percent of its sources of revenue go away. Those revenues were earned through elective surgeries and outpatient services.

As it saw a dramatic reduction in its income, SCBHS was doing its best to retain staff rather than laying them off . SCBHS employs 120 people with a 2019 payroll of $5.7 million.

Now financial help has arrived for the local hospital and clinic in the form of federal program financing...

For more on this story, and to keep up on all the latest in area sports, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

After making plans to conduct Benson High School’s graduation ceremony at the football field administrators are having to look for a new venue for the Class of 2020.

Minnesota essentially banned large-scale high school and college graduation ceremonies for the class of 2020 last Friday due out of concern that they would lead to gatherings where the deadly coronavirus could spread.

The Minnesota Department of Education and the Office of Higher Education issued guidance saying indoor graduations and ceremonies held outside in stadiums and on football fields are not permitted. The agencies are encouraging schools to hold online events instead.
Gov. Tim Walz, a former high school teacher, called it a painful decision but said he must rely on what the health experts are telling him.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

While there have been no classes for Minnesota K to 12 school students since the week of March 16, school daycare programs have been required to continue operations to provide services to children of essential workers.

Benson Public Schools has been providing daycare services to those essential workers’ children and to others in the community, but its numbers are still down substantially. Children in the program range in age from six weeks to kids in sixth grade.

There were about 90 children in the program before Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz closed schools and then issued a stay-at-home order March 27. That order was extended to May 18 last week. There are now closer to 50 kids in the program, Supt. Dennis Laumeyer said...

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Minnesota District 17A Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, announced that he is running for a fourth two-year term in the Minnesota House.

District 17A includes all of Swift and Chippewa counties, all but two townships in Renville County, and the four southern Kandiyohi townships of Edwards, Holland, Roseland and Lake Lillian.

This will be the last election year for the current District 17A before Minnesota Legislature districts are redrawn based on the 2020 Census. The 2022 election could see Swift County part of a new district, split between two districts, or still in 17A. It could also shift the home of whoever wins the 17A House seat into a new district...

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Bids for construction of the new gymnastics and multi-purpose sports facility at Benson High School came in about 15 percent over budget, which now has the board of education and school staff looking for ways to cut costs.

“Despite much interest and competitive bids in each bid category, bids for the gymnastics/activity facility came in about $300,000 over budget,” Supt. Dennis Laumeyer told the Swift County Monitor-News. 

“The earthwork bid category came in nearly $100,000 over budget as it was discovered during soil borings that there is both poor soil and some buried foundations in that area,” he said. These issues mean a larger scope for work to prepare the site for construction...

With his parishioners unable to come to services in the church due to social distancing requirements, First Evangelical Free Church Pastor Bjorn Bakke has been improvising. Standing in the back of his pickup truck Sundays, he preaches to congregates with their vehicles serving as the pews.

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

With no elective surgeries allowed and many out-patient services greatly reduced, Swift County-Benson Health Services has seen a drastic reduction in its revenue.

Now another problem is adding to that financial crunch and potentially endangering the health of area residents – many are afraid to go to the clinic or hospital for care.

“People are very nervous to be out and about, and do not want to come into the hospitals or clinics,” Co-CEO and Chief Nursing Officer Melissa McGinty-Thompson said. There are patients who should be spending a night in the hospital who are insisting on going home. They are afraid of being exposed to the coronavirus in a clinic or hospital...

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

As the May 15 property tax deadline approaches, Swift County Administrator Kelsey Baker, Treasurer Ron Vadnais and Auditor Kim Saterbak have been looking at what other counties are doing to address payment alternatives.

They recognize there are small businesses and farmers in the county suffering extreme financial difficulties due to the impacts of the coronavirus. However, they were also clear that while they were looking for ways in which to offer relief that property taxes still have to be paid...

For more on this story, and to keep up on all the latest in area sports, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Monday morning the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for western Minnesota indicating weather conditions were ideal for a wildfire to quickly spread.

It has been extremely dry this month. So far in April, the area has seen just one-tenth of an inch of precipitation. Grasses and other vegetation are getting very dry. The NWS forecast a 60 percent chance of rain Monday late afternoon but only a few drops fell. April averages 2.5 inches of precipitation.

The second ingredient making the area ripe for a wildfire were strong winds that blew throughout the day with some gusts reaching 44 mph. Winds continued to gust to over 30 mph through the evening Monday.

Dry conditions were expected to continue into Thursday when there is a 40 percent chance of rain. There is also a 30 percent chance of rain Friday...

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
Swift County Monitor-News

Swift County-Benson Health Services and Appleton Area Health Services were notified verbally last week that the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton will not be used as a site for COVID-19 patients.

Two local hospitals were working with health care facilities in Montevideo, Dawson and Madison to renovate one pod of PCF specifically for COVID-19 patients. They had made initial renovations to some cells as they waited for state approval from the State Emergency Operations Center for use of the prison.

District 13 state Sen. Andrew Lang, R-Olivia, told the West Central Tribune April 14 that he was told Minnesota wouldn’t need the Prairie Correctional Facility because the state is not seeing the surge in cases it feared in March. The projected number of cases means not as many beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients are likely to be needed in the coming weeks.