The State Patrol’s Eric Roeske says that there will be extra patrols throughout the weekend to ensure people travel safely. He adds that it’s really the responsibility of each driver to wear their seatbelt, don’t speed and don’t drink and drive.

Over the last five years, there have been 28 deaths in Minnesota over the Memorial Day weekend. Of those half were alcohol-related.

If you’re heading out on the road today (Friday), gas at last check in Hutchinson is ranging from $4.09 to $4.16 a gallon. The statewide average is at $4.14. The national average is $3.68. For the most current prices,   click here.

Two questions were on the ballot asking voters to approve two projects for improvement of school facilities at a total cost just over $26.6-million.

Unofficial results show Question 1 failed with 897 voting no and 496 voting yes.

Question 2 failed with 908 voting no and 483 voting yes. Question 1 asked voters to authorize the district to issue about $19.8-million in general obligation bonds for construction of a new middle school and partial demolition and repair to the existing middle school.

Had question 1 been approved, voters were asked if they would authorize the district to issue just over $5.8-million in general obligation bonds for renovation and additions to Humphrey Elementary and Winsted Elementary Schools.

Officials say you can stop by the museum for refreshments before, during, and after the Cokato Legion and Auxiliary parade and program.

Monday is also the final day for the current display, Cokato Is Open For Business. Visitors can also see some of the many changes they’ve been making to the exhibit gallery as they work to update those areas.

For more information, you can contact the museum 320-286-2427 or email, cokatomuseum@embarqmail.com.

The Cokato Museum is a cooperative effort of the City of Cokato and the Cokato Historical Society.

The owner of the Super America gas station had agreed to sell the business to an unidentified group of people for $945,000. The buyers allegedly wrote a check for $203,000 to cover the down-payment and the owner then let them take over the store, before the check cleared. He says he was just following his lawyer’s advice at the time. When the new owners took over, they reportedly starting selling gas for $3.85 a gallon and nearly everything else in the store for half-price. After making around $50,000 the scam artists fled town. They remain at-large. The down-payment check bounced.

The seller has since resumed ownership of the store.

On Monday, Crosslake Community Charter School Director Tami Martin was selected to replace Superintendent Jeff Bertrang who is leaving the district at the end of June to take over as the New Ulm School District Superintendent.

Martin will be paid $105,000 her first year with GFW, and receive 1% salary increases each of the next two years. She will also receive fully-paid family health insurance, life insurance, 20 vacation days annually, and a $2,000 a year pension match.

Martin is scheduled to begin her duties as GFW superintendent on July 1st.

The one-sentence measure – the first of its kind in the country – simply reads: “The existence of parent complaints must not be the sole reason for a board not to renew a coaching contract.”

The provision was included in year’s K-12 education finance bill, which Governor Mark Dayton signed into law Tuesday.

Urdahl says his legislation is not the result of any cases in particular, rather it stems from a broad-based trend where parents have been more directly involved in coaches’ dismissals.

Urdahl says “The main purpose of this bill is to give coaches comfort in knowing their job won’t be on the line over every decision they make,” and goes on to say “Parents are far more involved these days and, with that, we have seen a greater number of complaints. Those complaints will remain an important part of the process, but other factors should be considered when deciding whether a coach should be removed. We just needed to do a better job of insulating coaches from situations that can get out of control.”

Urdahl said parental involvement will remain crucial and his intent is to ensure personnel evaluations and decisions remain in the hands of school boards and administrations. The measure does not shield coaches in cases of illegal activity or broken school policies. Coaches also will remain at-will employees and not receive tenure benefits through this bill.

The Herald Journal reports the questions ask voters to approve two projects for improvement of school facilities at a total cost just over $26.6-million.

Question 1 asks voters to authorize the district to issue about $19.8-million in general obligation bonds for construction of a new middle school and partial demolition and repair to the existing middle school.

If question 1 is approved, voters will be asked to authorize the district to issue just over $5.8-million in general obligation bonds for renovation and additions to Humphrey Elementary and Winsted Elementary Schools.

The combined polling place for all precincts Thursday will be the High School in Howard Lake, with polls open from 7am until 8pm.

66-year-old Keith Hardel died in the crash that happened just before 12:30 Tuesday afternoon in Howard Lake.

The State Patrol says Hardel was traveling eastbound on Highway 12 when he veered into the westbound traffic and hit an SUV at 12th Avenue.

45-year-old Karrie Taylor of Hutchinson was driving the SUV. Taylor was not injured.