Around 7:45 p.m. Kasson fire department was called to a sturcture fire at Eli and Kelly Fjerstad farm on County Hwy. 34 west of Kasson. When Kasson fire department arrived, the structure was fully engulf and small explosions were heard. A near back hoe became fully engulf. There were concerns for a nearby LP tank approximately 20 feet from the fire. 
Mutal aid was requested from the Dodge Center and Mantorville fire departments. 

BREAKING NEWS: Residents of Claremont evacuated due to gas main due to broken gas line
 
More than two dozen people were evacuated from buildings in the 200 block of Front Street in Claremont Friday afternoon after a worker struck a gas main while working in the alley.

The driver killed in an Olmsted County head-on crash on Thanksgiving morning, has been identified as a Byron resident, 24-year-old Casey Beach.
 
According to the state patrol, witnesses reported that a Honda Civic was traveling northbound on Hwy 52 north of Chatfield, when it crossed the centerline several times before colliding with a southbound GMC Acadia.

Beginning with next week’s edition of the Dodge County Independent, the newspaper will have a new print schedule. 
The DCI will now be printed on Wednesdays instead of the previous schedule of Tuesdays. That means subscribers will receive their newspaper one day later than what they have been accustomed to in the past. 

Although budget discussions are still ongoing, Dodge County officials are anticipating a 2016 budget increase in the neighborhood of 5.2 percent, county board members were told last week.