Photo Credit: Getty Images Chickens were killed in a shed fire in rural New Ulm on Wednesday morning. The New Ulm Fire Department responded to an address on 200th Ave between New Ulm and Essig just before 7 a.m. The small chicken coop where the fire originated was already destroyed when firefighters arrived on the scene, and the blaze had spread to two other sheds, according to a New Ulm Fire Department press release. Officials say one small shed suffered heavy damage, while a larger shed sustained moderate damage. An unknown number of chickens perished in the fire.  There were no injuri ..read more

Police car with emergency siren at night. 3D rendered illustration. A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash near Nicollet Thursday night. Matthew Gulden, 56, of New Ulm, was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center with life threatening injuries following the crash, which happened just after 10 p.m. The Minnesota State Patrol says Gulden’s Harley Davidson was southbound on Highway 111 when his bike “straightened out” at the roundabout over Highway 14. A crash report says Gulden was not wearing a helmet. The patrol says alcohol was detected in his system. The Nicollet Fire Departm ..read more

Buckcherry Rock band Buckcherry is coming to Mankato this summer. The band will perform at the Vetter Stone Amphitheater on Wednesday, August 16 with special guest L.A. Guns. Tickets start at $21 plus fees and go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Buckcherry arrived on the music scene in mid-90s and proudly kept the torch of hard rock sleaze burning. The band styled themselves after 80s Sunset Strip acts such as Motley Crue. Their 1999 debut generated the #1 hit “Lit Up.” The band’s third album, 15, released in 2016 include hits “Crazy Bitch,” and “Sorry.” L.A. Guns got their start on the infamous L.A ..read more

Minnesota State Patrol A motorcyclist was hospitalized Thursday after an early morning crash in Brown County between Searles and Madelia. The Minnesota State Patrol says Steven Zeitz, 40, of New Ulm, was riding his Harley Davidson northbound on Highway 15 when he lost control at Co Rd 20 in Linden Township and the bike came to rest in a ditch.  Zeitz was transported to the New Ulm Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries following the crash, which happened just after 1 a.m. A crash report says alcohol was detected in Zeitz’s system. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the ..read more

Minnesota State Patrol The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating an injury crash on Highway 68 at the Judson turnoff. The crash happened at about 8:30 a.m. when a Kia Soul, eastbound on Highway 68, and a straight truck, southbound on Blue Earth County Road 42, collided in the intersection. The driver of the International straight truck was a 23-year-old Mounds View man.  A 20-year-old Brooklyn Park man was also in the vehicle. The Kia Soul was driven by an 83-year-old New Ulm man. No further information has yet been released ..read more

Eric Gramentz, Waseca County Jail A former New Ulm cop accused of molesting two girls known to him has been sentenced to probation. Eric Gramentz, 43, will serve 25 years on supervised probation on three counts of felony criminal sexual conduct.  He’s also required to register as a sex offender. Judge Allison Krehbiel sentenced the former police officer to one year in jail with credit for 382 days already served. Gramentz pled guilty in November to all three charges against him. The judge stayed a 12-year prison sentence on a charge of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct.  A 12.5-yea ..read more

Highway 14 construction in Courtland, March 2023, LG Construction on Highway 14 from New Ulm to Nicollet is expected to resume next week. The Minnesota Department of Transportation says the second and final year of construction will begin Monday, April 10. MnDOT is expanding 12.5 miles of Highway 14 from two lanes to four lanes between New Ulm and Nicollet to complete a continuous four-lane road between New Ulm and Rochester. Improvements include bypassing Courtland by realigning Highway 14 north of the city, constructing new interchanges in Courtland and at Co Rd 37 in New Ulm, and adding sa ..read more

Brown County Courthouse, New Ulm Jeremy Ibarra, Brown County Jail A New Ulm man is accused of causing a woman to lose consciousness during a domestic assault. Jeremy Lee Ibarra, 32, was charged Tuesday in Brown County Court with felony counts of 3rd-degree assault and domestic assault. Police were dispatched just before 2:30 a.m. April 1 to a medical call on S Jefferson St. A criminal complaint says that Ibarra and his ex-girlfriend began arguing when Ibarra grabbed her by the hair and she fell to the ground as she struggled to escape.  The victim told police she then felt something hit h ..read more

New Ulm Public Schools A report of a gun led to the discovery of a shell casing at New Ulm Middle School on Friday. Superintendent Jeff Bertrang said in an email that middle school administration was informed in the morning that a student may have brought a gun to school. As a precaution, the school was placed in lockdown as law enforcement and school administrators conducted interviews and performed a search. “Upon further interviews, and a search of personal items and lockers, a shell casing was found, not a gun,” reads Bertrang’s email. The lockdown was lifted after the discovery of the sh ..read more

Highway 14 construction in Courtland, March 2023, LG The Minnesota Department of Transportation will host an open house for the public to learn more about the second, and final year of construction on the Highway 14 expansion from Nicollet to New Ulm. The open house will be held on Tuesday, April 4 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Courtland Community Center.  Attendees can arrive anytime.  There will be a brief presentation at 6:30 p.m. to provide an overview of the construction work that occurred last year, and to learn about what’s planned for construction in 2023. MnDOT staff and the ..read more