FILLMORE COUNTY

As newsroom numbers dwindle, Minn. communities battle to preserve local journalism

Brian Todd — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 11:15:00 GMT

PRESTON, Minn. — Ron Scheevel relies on newspapers.

Printed, delivered and tangible, the Fillmore County resident has been reading newspapers almost continuously since he was in his early teens.

In a given week, as many as three show up at his rural home southwest of Preston. He reads the Fillmore County Journal and the Post Bulletin pretty much cover to cover. He reads a national newspaper for a bigger view.

Newspapers, Scheevel said, are important. Important to our society, important to our communities, important as a government watchdog.

For example, government meetings — school boards, city councils, county boards — "It needs to be covered well, so you have a fair and balanced idea of what is going on," he said.

He reads them all to stay informed, even if it's not his town.

"Everything starts at the local level, and I just think it's vital that folks know what's going on," said Scheevel, who said once a story is in print, he feels like that bit of news is something you can trust.

Bad numbers for newspapers

In April, the Minnesota Center for Rural Policy and Development issued a report titled "The Disappearing Rural Newspaper." The 19-page report shows a decades-long decline in the number of newspaper employees in Minnesota, the decline in circulation of newspapers across the United States, and, in Minnesota, the dwindling number of newspapers.

According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, from 2000 to 2021, the number of newspaper establishments — those that offer print newspapers, not just online editions — fell from 344 to 254, a 26% drop. During that same period, DEED noted, the number of newspaper employees fell from 9,499 to 2,844, a 70% drop, with the average number of employees per newspaper falling from 28 to 11.

None of that, admits Lisa Hills, executive director of the Minnesota Newspaper Association, is good news for the industry.

"If you look at just the pure numbers, it's true there are fewer newspapers," she said. Hills argues the numbers don't tell the whole story. "Many newspapers merged. Many communities had two newspapers, and those communities are still being covered."

One bad example

John Casper just couldn't do it anymore.

After graduating from college, Casper worked in newspapers for 16 years, rising to become editor of the Winona Daily News. But in 2019, he felt burnt out by the demands of the newspaper industry, particularly the company that owned his newspaper and a few others in the region: Lee Enterprises.

The company owns the Daily News, the La Crosse Tribune and the Chippewa Herald in the immediate area.

Casper said media companies often create efficiencies by bundling tasks with newspapers in a region. Advertising departments can be combined. Editorial functions such as page design and copy editing can be brought under one roof. But with the Lee papers in the region, the move toward efficiency went too far.

"They would just put more and more on your plate," Casper said. By 2018, he became the editor of four newspapers and one quarterly business magazine. "As recently as 2014 or '15, each of those would have had their own editor. I was expected to do the jobs of 16-17 people by the time I was leaving."

As the volume of his workload increased, the attention to detail naturally fell. At the end, Casper said, he was "just getting newspapers out" the door each night in a rush to meet deadlines. Further, he was editor of a newspaper for a town with which he had almost no familiarity. That, he said, is the opposite of local journalism.

Today, Casper is the spokesman for the Winona Area Public ��s. But he still lives in Winona, and he still watches the Daily News to see how it's surviving.

In 2014, the Daily News had seven or eight local reporters. Now, there's two or three, and at least one of those is an editor wearing multiple hats for a city of 26,000 people and a county of almost 50,000 people. But the reduction of the newsroom staff at the Daily News has been gradual over the past 15 to 20 years.

Casper said the purchase of the newspaper by a publicly traded corporation, Lee Enterprises, is only part of the problem. When the Shopko in Winona closed, the newspaper chain lost about $100,000 in annual advertising revenue. Other changes in advertising revenue were also felt.

"When Shopko closed, that was a death blow to Lee papers because Lee papers had Shopkos in their communities," he said.

Money plays a part

At least Winona still has a newspaper — two, really, counting the locally owned Winona Post — Casper said.

That's a better fate than what befell the city of St. Cloud.

When the last reporter left the St. Cloud Times — a newspaper that traced its history back to 1861 — on Feb. 1, 2023, the Times, for all intents and purposes, ceased to exist. It became what some newspaper industry experts call a "ghost paper," meaning the newspaper has online content and might even put out a print edition, but there is little or no local content.

"I do believe ownership matters," said Dale Zather, who has served as chairman of the journalism department at St. Cloud State University since 2014 and will until his term ends in 2023. "Without looking at the paper, you determine how good it is based on who owns it."

Like the Daily News, the Times is owned by a publicly traded company, Gannett. Gannett, which owns USA Today and several large daily newspapers across the country, is the largest newspaper publishing company in the country.

Zather said from his experience in the journalism industry, such companies are often motivated more by quarterly profit reports than local news.

"When that happens, it makes it look like the industry is dying," he said.

Publicly traded ownership groups, like Lee and Gannett, are different from local ownership or even private ownership.

"Private companies don’t have to operate at the same profit level," he said. That means more of a focus on journalism than the financial bottom line.

Reporters are important

Zather and Casper both said people who go into journalism do so because they love telling stories, they feel a sense of pride in the public service aspect of the job.

Despite the faltering of the newspaper in his university's own backyard, students are still majoring in journalism and mass communications, still interested in being reporters. Still, seeing the Times reduced to a shell of its former self was disheartening for Zather.

"I don’t even look at it anymore," he said, adding there's a functioning website, but not much if any, local news.

It's been a long time coming, he said. For example, with the 2022 election approaching, he looked to the Times for local election coverage, information on candidates and local issues. He didn't find what he needed. And blaming typical scapegoats such as social media or the internet doesn’t fly with Zather. He points to corporate restructuring.

Now, he said, a metro area of 200,000 people is without a newspaper — a real, local newspaper.

Zather said he's been encouraged by the efforts of Forum Communications Co. to hire reporters in St. Cloud to keep local news alive in the city. Forum Communications, which owns the Post Bulletin, launched St. Cloud Live earlier this year. The online publication covers St. Cloud news, weather, sports and business news.

Being just beyond the Twin Cities metro area, the St. Cloud Times played an "outsized role" for the city, Zather said. With most TV news coming from the Twin Cities, the Times was the source of local news in St. Cloud like local newspapers often are, especially in rural Minnesota.

"No stories means no attachment to the community, no analysis of trends," Zather said. "As a newspaper declines, there is more political corruption. There is no replacement for having somebody there at a (public) meeting, someone who knows the people who come in, knows the issues."

Even before COVID, many cities placed videos of their meetings on city websites or YouTube, and meeting minutes are always available within a month after the meeting occurred, Zather said. But even that attempt at transparency doesn't have the same impact as a reporter being at a meeting, sifting through information and following up with sources afterward.

"We’re losing the ability to make it make sense," Casper said of the dwindling number of reporters covering the news. "We’re losing that storytelling ability. At election time, we’re losing the ability to learn what will happen if we elect these people."

The good news(paper)

Consolidation isn't always a bad thing. For Jason Sethre, owner and publisher of the Fillmore County Journal based in Preston, he saw a group of newspapers all doubling up on the same activities and decided to buy them and streamline the operation.

He bought the Journal in January 2009, and later purchased a group of other, competing newspapers in Fillmore County. Rather than have two reporters, for example, covering a school board meeting in Rushford-Peterson, he bought out the competition and now sends one reporter.

Sethre's staff includes 38 people working for the Journal. There are 13 in the Preston office, one in an office in Caledonia and two sales reps who work from home. And the freelancers, which are the bulk of his reporters, all work from home.

He hires freelancers who live and often work in the communities they cover, which means having people invested in getting the story right. The result, Sethre said, is having quality writers who cover their towns, school boards or topics of interest and do so in a cost-effective way.

"If I hired a bunch of staff, we couldn’t cover all the meetings we’re covering," Sethre said. "And we've been to every city council meeting in Fillmore County since June 22, 2009.”

Like the Winona Post and other weekly newspapers in the region, the Fillmore County Journal is distributed free to residents throughout the county and parts of Houston County. In total, he said, the Journal's weekly circulation is a little over 18,000. And that newspaper that hits those mailboxes is thick: 48-60 pages a week on average.

Smart money

Sethre's newspaper makes its money on ad sales.

Scheevel, who owns an excavating business, has advertised. He said rather than advertise each week, Sethre's staff understands his advertising needs and looks for special sections where his ads might make the most difference, such as Dairy Month or a football issue. Being in the newspaper shows potential customers that he's giving back to the local community by supporting the local newspaper, which in turn supports local teams, local issues.

Sethre shakes his head at what he sees as the corporate ownership problem that has damaged the Daily News in Winona.

"I walked into the La Crescent Kwik Trip and looked at the news rack," Sethre said. "The Winona Daily News and the La Crosse Tribune, on the front page, had the same photo, the same content. They duplicated the content."

Retaining value

To Sethre, in addition to what he called an embarrassment of putting out two separate newspapers with identical content, it showed how little those newspapers are involved in their local communities.

"When you continuously decrease the value of the product, eventually it comes back, and you have nothing," he said.

He hopes when he's done, the Fillmore County Journal still has value. After all, his children are working on it, with his son in sales and his daughter working on the design side.

Marnie Werner, vice president of research for the Minnesota Center for Rural Policy and Development and the author of "The Disappearing Rural Newspaper" report, said when it comes to newspapers, like so many industries, rural communities feel negative changes the worst.

"One issue in rural areas, businesses are being bought by national and international companies, and their advertising goes away," she said. "There are a couple of schools teaching entrepreneurialism with journalism, teaching them to be owners as well as reporters."

Werner said like with farms, restaurants and other small businesses in small towns, newspapers face a crisis of generational transfer. When the old owner wants to retire, who takes over the business? When no succession plan has been made, often there's no one to hand the business to.

She pointed to a newspaper in New Richland, where a young new owner took over for his father. That newspaper is now expanding to Waseca and adding a Spanish-language version for the region's high Hispanic population.

Werner said she hopes his success can become a model for rural newspapers.

As for the reasons behind the dwindling newspaper industry in Minnesota — in fact, across the nation — Werner said it began in the 1980s with people turning to TV as their main source of news. She also points a finger at the internet, which damaged some revenue streams while not offering a suitable replacement.

"Everyone has had to reinvent and reassess the industry," she said.

However, newspapers are not alone. Movies, book publishing and music also faced new sales, revenue and delivery paradigms with the internet, and each has slowly found its new industry standard. Newspapers are in the midst of doing the same thing, she said.

The good news, Werner said, is that while there are some general problems, newspapers big and small, urban and rural each have their own strengths and weaknesses, which means that smart owners can find solutions to fit their problems.

"When you look at one small newspaper, you’ve looked at one small newspaper," Werner said. "You can’t make too big of a generalization."

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Minnesota high school quarterback's suspension will stand, US District Court judge rules

Emily Cutts — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 16:47:28 GMT

CHATFIELD, Minn. -- The suspension of the Chatfield High �� football team's quarterback will stand, a U.S. District Court judge ruled Friday, Nov. 26, when she denied his request for a temporary restraining order that would allow him to play in the state championship game while he appealed the game officials' ruling.

In her 10-page ruling issued Friday morning, Judge Ann D. Montgomery ruled that granting the restraining order and allowing the quarterback to play "would change, rather than preserve, the status quo."

The suit was brought Tuesday, Nov. 23, by Sam Backer and his family, who are only identified by their initials in the filing. Backer was suspended from today's state football championship game because he had two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the team's last game.

"S.B.’s ejection and one-game suspension still allows him to remain on the football team, engage in school activities, and participate in all interscholastic athletics except the next scheduled game in the tournament series," Montgomery wrote in her ruling. "Even if S.B. could show a constitutionally protected property interest, he was afforded adequate process based on the demands of the situation."

A statement from Backer's attorney, Charles K. Maier, said the "family was hoping only for an opportunity to have their son’s suspension reviewed and are disappointed in the outcome."

"They are grateful to the parents who have reached out to share stories of their own children being denied the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of competing in the state tournament with no avenue for appeal. They hope that the MSHSL will reconsider its policy of not reviewing athlete suspensions under any circumstances and develop a fair process," the statement reads. "Today, my client and his family are focused entirely on cheering the Chatfield Gophers on to a victory in the state championship. They are a talented team and have worked hard all season for this chance."

Maier argued in the U.S. District Court filing that Backer was denied his right to an education by the suspension and that his 14th Amendment due process rights were being violated.

The Minnesota State High �� League responded to the challenge, arguing in writing that the court should deny the request for a temporary restraining order as the lawsuit "seeks to have the judiciary rewrite MSHSL bylaws to require the MSHSL to allow students, parents, and/or coaches to challenge, in court, the on-the-field discretionary decisions of contest officials." The MSHSL also argues that there is no “constitutionally protected property or liberty interest in participating” in an extracurricular varsity competition.

In Friday's ruling, Montgomery ruled that "the decision to issue unsportsmanlike conduct penalties is a judgment call best left to the discretion of the contest official or referee on the field."

The judge did find that Backer demonstrated the threat of irreparable harm because of the loss of an opportunity to play in a state championship game, but that did not outweigh the MSHSL’s interests in enforcing its bylaws.

"Although the game is an important one, S.B. remains on the varsity football team and will be eligible to compete in varsity competitions after serving his one-game suspension," the ruling read. "Reinstating S.B. before a trial on the merits would allow him to bypass the MSHSL’s application of its Bylaws and reduce the MSHSL’s ability to enforce its own rules. Requiring the MSHSL to engage in an evidentiary hearing whenever a student-athlete is ejected would impose a significant and unreasonable burden given the volume of competitions and decisions by contest officials each year."

Chatfield High �� and the district administration did not object to the suspension, according to court filings.

Backer, a junior, was ejected in the third quarter of the Class AA state semifinal football game on Thursday, Nov. 18, against Barnesville for accumulating two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the game.

"S.B. disputes the unsportsmanlike conduct calls, arguing that he was not the instigator and that his conduct related to the second call was in reaction to the twisting of his ankle and to protect his own safety," court documents state.

Chatfield is scheduled to compete in the Class AA Prep Bowl, the state championship game, against West Central Area/Ashby at 1 p.m. today, Nov. 26, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Chatfield QB Lawsuit Ruling by inforumdocs on Scribd

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'Native people are still here': Macalester professor addresses 'The Truth About Treaties'

Teresa Nowakowski — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 19:00:00 GMT

PRESTON, Minn. — Minnesota's history of treaties has had an effect on the state and the country, even hundreds of years after they were signed.

Katrina Phillips, an assistant professor of American Indian History at Macalester College, explained the history of treaties during a presentation Saturday, Aug. 14, at in Preston, Minnesota.

As the sun shone outside, Phillips, an enrolled member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, stood in the shade of the Historic Forestville barn, lit by string lights overhead as she delivered her lecture, “The Truth About Treaties.”

“Native nations still want the U.S. government to uphold these treaty promises,” she said. “Because by now, a lot of these treaties are 200 years old, but they have a really important role in our sovereignty and our economies, and in our cultures and in our identities.”

The talk was hosted by the Southeastern Libraries Cooperating and Historic Forestville, which is part of the National Register of Historic Places, and located within Forestville State Park. It was in conjunction with Historic Forestville’s display of the “Why Treaties Matter” panel exhibit, part of efforts to acknowledge the original occupants of the land the museum town now sits upon.

“This is stuff that I didn’t grow up learning,” Phillips said. “Much of what I do, in instances like this, is to educate, so that going forward, these are conversations that we’re having continually.”

“Why Treaties Matter” is a traveling exhibit featuring a video presentation and 20 banners exploring the history and lasting importance of treaties for the Dakota and Ojibwe nations, whose homelands became the state of Minnesota. The exhibit is a collaboration between the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, the Minnesota Humanities Center, and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

Phillips touched upon a variety of topics during her presentation, such as historical treaties that paved the way for the state of Minnesota and the importance of the sovereignty of Native nations.

She began by telling the audience “Native people are still here,” emphasizing that there are more than 5 million Native people and 600 recognized Native nations across the U.S.

Phillips also spoke about her own experiences.

“I’m a historian, but I’m also Ojibwe,” she said. “So for me, this is about showing what our history is, but also what it means for us today. For me to be able to talk a little about my family story and how treaties play a role in my life today is a great part about having the chance to do a program like this.”

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Groundbreaking signals start to new Minnesota veterans home in Preston

Brian Todd — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 20:30:00 GMT

PRESTON, Minn. — Between smiles and tears, state Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston, gave a lot of thanks for the new veterans home that will be built in the city where he once served as mayor.

Mostly, he wanted to thank the veterans.

"I have to say this," Davids said at the Monday, Aug. 9, event. "You have served us, veterans. Now it's our time to serve you."

Davids was one of six dignitaries who gave thanks and gave credit across the political divide as about 200 people gathered atop a hill on the north side of Preston for a ceremonial groundbreaking to kick off construction of the $35 million project. The home is expected to be completed in 18 months, or in spring 2023.

The Preston Veterans Home is one of three being built in the state — the other two are in Bemidji and Montevideo — to increase the number in Minnesota to eight veterans homes. The state's existing veterans homes are in Fergus Falls, Hastings, Luverne, Minneapolis and Silver Bay. The homes develop and deliver a safe, dignified and compassionate health care system in a nurturing and engaging home environment, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The home in Preston will have room for 54 veterans, and would make Preston the only city in Minnesota with both a veterans cemetery and a veterans home, said Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Larry Herke.

Herke said it's fitting that the home will employ about 120 people, helping support the community with jobs and families who live, work, shop and send their kids to school in Preston. After all, he said, the community supported the Preston Veterans Home, raising more than $1 million in donations toward the construction of the home.

Gov. Tim Walz, himself a veteran, who worked on the project both as a member of Congress and as governor, said he is happy for the city that will likely be his final resting place; he said he plans to be buried in Preston's Veterans Cemetery.

"We will care for eternity for those who have left this world," Walz said, "but we're also going to do the same thing to those who are still here."

Groundbreaking signals start to new Minnesota veterans home in Preston

Gov. Tim Walz, gray suit, shakes hands with veteran Ron Scheevel after Scheevel addressed the crowd Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, during the groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Preston Veterans Home in Preston. Brian Todd / Post Bulletin

Gov. Tim Walz, fifth from right, tosses a shovel of dirt Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, to kick off construction of the new Preston Veterans Home in Preston. The $33 million project is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2023. Brian Todd / Post Bulletin

Groundbreaking signals start to new Minnesota veterans home in Preston

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Spring Valley woman killed in two-car crash Tuesday

Forum News Service — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 13:30:53 GMT

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — A 63-year-old woman was killed Tuesday, July 27, after a two-vehicle crash just before 5 p.m. in Rochester.

The woman's 19-year-old daughter was driving a 2015 Subaru Outback, crossing westbound traffic from the north, when they collided with a Mercedes heading westbound on 48th Street Southwest, according to Rochester Police Department Sgt. Jeff Sobczak.

The Subaru spun several feet into a grassy area.

On Wednesday morning, Rochester police Capt. Casey Moilanen identified the 63-year-old woman as Stacey York of Spring Valley, Minnesota.

Citizens who were at the accident scene performed CPR on York for about 15 minutes before law enforcement arrived, Sobczak said.

The 19-year-old driver was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Mary's Campus. Sobczak was unable to confirm her condition.

The driver of the Mercedes, a 31-year-old woman, and her two daughters, ages 5 and 10, were taken to Saint Marys by a private party with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Rochester Police Department, Rochester Fire Department and Mayo Ambulance responded to the scene.

Spring Valley woman killed in two-car crash Tuesday

A crash investigators marks the scene of a fatal crash at 48th Street Southwest and Commercial Drive Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (John Molseed / Post Bulletin)

A member of the Rochester Police Department marks the scene of a fatal crash at 48th Street Southwest and Commercial Drive Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (John Molseed / Post Bulletin)

Spring Valley woman killed in two-car crash Tuesday

A crash investigators marks the scene of a fatal crash at 48th Street Southwest and Commercial Drive Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (John Molseed / Post Bulletin)

A member of the Rochester Police Department marks the scene of a fatal crash at 48th Street Southwest and Commercial Drive Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (John Molseed / Post Bulletin)

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15-year-old buggy driver killed in crash with vehicle in southeast Minnesota

Forum News Service — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 14:30:08 GMT

PRESTON, Minn. — The 15-year-old driver of an Amish buggy was killed Tuesday night, June 29, after the teen's buggy was hit by a vehicle, according to the Fillmore County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies were called about 8:25 p.m. Tuesday to a crash on Fillmore County Road 12, just east of its intersection with U.S. Highway 52. The initial investigation indicates that a pickup driven by a 39-year-old Hastings, Minn., man was westbound on County Road 12 when it struck the rear of an Amish buggy traveling in the same direction.

The 15-year-old buggy driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The teenager was the only occupant of the buggy.

No other details about the crash were released Wednesday morning.

The Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol. Preston and Harmony Ambulance Services and the Lanesboro Fire Department also responded to the crash.

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Religious groups file brief in support of Amish appeal to Supreme Court

Emily Cutts — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Two national religious liberty groups filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of members of the Fillmore County Swartzentruber Amish community's petition to overturn a Minnesota court's decision that would require them to install septic systems against their religious practices.

The Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty and the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom filed a so-called amici curiae brief on March 5. An amici curiae brief allows those who are not directly involved in a case, but would have an interest in the outcome, to submit arguments to the court in support of a party that is directly involved.

Through their attorney Brian Lipford, four members of the Fillmore County Swartzentruber Amish community filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 20, 2021, asking the high court to consider two questions under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act: Does the government have a compelling interest in regulating the disposal of "gray water," which includes laundry, bath and dishwater; and is a septic system the least restrictive method when 20 states allow mulch basin systems?

The petition comes after years of legal battles in Minnesota's courts against the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Fillmore County over concerns that the agency and county were requiring the Amish to install wastewater systems for gray water that go against their religious beliefs.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency filed a waiver of response with the nation's high court stating it did not intend to respond to the petition. Fillmore County did not respond. Neither party is required to respond to the petition.

The petition is scheduled to be discussed at a judicial conference on March 26. At that point, the high court could grant or deny the petition or ask the government to respond before making a decision.

Amicus curiae brief

The 31-page brief argues that the district court's ruling, and the Minnesota Court of Appeal's decision to uphold it, failed to hold the county and MPCA to their burden under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

The act, also known as RLUIPA, was unanimously passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 2000 and subjects any land-use regulation imposing a substantial burden on religious exercise to strict scrutiny, permitting application of the regulation only if the government demonstrates that the imposition is in furtherance of a compelling government interest and that it is the least restrictive means of furthering that interest.

"From before the Founding, the United States has offered succor for adherents of uncommon or disfavored faiths," the petition reads. "In the United States, practitioners of diverse faiths are not merely 'tolerated,' but welcomed as members of the community and fellow citizens. To be sure, we have at times fallen short of our ideals of religious freedom."

The brief argues that the county and the MPCA failed to show "that their generic interests in public health and environmental protection were so compelling in this specific application as to justify trampling Petitioner’s religious beliefs," the brief states.

The brief also notes that the county and the MPCA failed to prove that the mulch basins proposed by the Amish as an alternative, and used in 20 other states, were not an acceptable option.

When strict scrutiny is abandoned or misapplied, the brief states, the results can gravely undermine sincerely held religious beliefs.

"This case presents exactly the scenario Congress anticipated in RLUIPA, and the Court should clarify that RLUIPA strict scrutiny forbids the effective exclusion of the Amish from Fillmore County," the brief reads.

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Fillmore County infant's death ruled accidental drowning

Forum News Service — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 19:21:17 GMT

HARMONY, Minn. — A Fillmore County 1-year-old died Friday, Feb. 5, after falling into a bucket of water, the Fillmore County Sheriff's Office announced Monday morning, Feb. 8.

Harmony Ambulance and Fillmore County deputies were called about 5:25 p.m. Friday to the 11000 block of Journey Road. The caller reported that a 1-year-old child at the residence "drowned after falling into a bucket of water," Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge wrote in a news release.

Lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful. The child's death has been ruled an accidental drowning.

The investigation is being conducted by the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office and Southeastern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Sheriff's Office did not provide any further details about the child nor the circumstances of the event.

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