Notice is hereby given to the Citizens of West Concord, Dodge County, who are qualified to vote at the General Election, that anyone wishing to place their name on the ballot for City Office must file their name with the City Administrator (MS 205.13, subd. 2), at the City Office, 180 Main St., West Concord, Minnesota 55985, between the dates of August 2nd to August 16th, 2016 by 5:00 p.m. (MS 205.13 subd.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the period for filing affidavits of candidacy for the office of school board member of Independent School District No. 204 shall begin on August 2, 2016, and shall close at 5:00 o’clock p.m. on August 16, 2016.
The general election shall be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. At that election, four (4) members will be elected to the School Board for terms of four (4) years each.  

Vivian Marie (Dresen) Thorn, born July 3, 1920 to Charles Dresen and Mary (Beacom), passed away on July 15 at Fairview Care Center in Dodge Center where she had resided since 2008. Thanks to Fairview Care Center for the care given to our mother.

A West Concord teenager has been charged in connection with the death of another teen in a car crash in Dodge County last December.
The Dodge County Attorney’s Office has charged Candace Marie Utech, 17, with one felony count of criminal vehicular homicide and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving. 

If one were to have a conversation with Chris Abts, it wouldn’t take long to realize that he has a life-long passion for racing. Ever since he was a kid, Abts has spent a majority of his life around a racetrack, particularly the Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wisconsin.

Farmers rarely get to show off their old tractors.
“If we didn’t have the tractor parade, they might just sit in the weeds,” said Bob Senjem, one of the two founding fathers of the Dodge County tractor parade. He, Frank Ness and Frank’s nephew, Tom, spearhead the event each year. The three men thought the parade had been held for eight years or so. It’s only been completely rained out once, said Ness.

Al-Corn in Claremont is continuing to do preliminary work in preparation for its upcoming expansion as the company awaits issuance of an air permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
The plan, said CEO Randall Doyle, remains that construction will start as soon as the permit is issued.
“As soon as the permit is issued,” he said, “we’ll begin. I’ll have the permit in one hand and a shovel in the other.”

Summer often brings changes to schools and this summer is no exception as a new principal has taken the helm at Triton Middle School.
Principal Mark Raymond left the district at the end of June, returning to the Austin school system to assume his new duties as HR director.
His replacement at Triton Middle School is Luke Lutterman, a 2000 graduate of Triton High School, said Triton Superintendent Brett Joyce.

harm this week as Dodge Center City Administrator Lee Mattson informed the council that Jared Oscarson has accepted the city’s offer of employment and plans to start his new position as ambulance director on August 8.
Oscarson was chosen after the city reopened the job search after Brett Rima and the city could not reach an agreement on compensation.