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Every community has its share of big stories each year, and Albert Lea is no different.

While the area did not see any natural disasters this year and it was not a major election year, there was plenty in the way of other breaking news events.

The Tribune editor, publisher and staff sat down at the beginning of December to look back through the big stories of the year and narrow that list to the top 10 with several honorable mentions.

After reviewing the events from 2023, the following are the top 10 stories of the year as voted on by Tribune staff:

1

Change after change reported this year in local health care

Each year since 2017 when Mayo Clinic Health System announced its plans to move most inpatient services to the Austin campus, health care changes have been prevalent in the Albert Lea community.

The changes continued this year, not only with the health system itself, but also with other health care entities in the city.

In April, Mayo announced its plans to take down the original Naeve Hospital building and the adjacent building, citing safety concerns.

The Naeve Hospital building, constructed in 1911, had not been used for patient care since 2016 due to concerns with the building’s age, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the building became unoccupied as employees started working from home.

The health system has stated it plans to turn the footprint of the building into a commemorative garden in the spring with a small parking lot to the north of the garden to accommodate more handicapped accessible parking stalls.

In November, after weeks of preparation on the interior, construction crews began demolition of the exterior walls of the former hospital building. The demolition continued through the middle of December and included the original building, along with the additions in 1926, 1936 and 1946.

At the end of December, crews were working to clean up the debris and remove the foundation.

Work is slated to begin on the garden in the spring.

Many in the community lamented the demolition of the hospital and said they wished the building could have been saved for another purpose. They recalled memories they or family members had there.

Mayo at the end of November also announced its plan to move all of the services from its HealthReach campus to the main Albert Lea hospital campus in 2024. This includes dialysis, hospice and therapy services.

The health organization likewise announced it would close its Lake Mills location permanently and transition clinical services to its location in Albert Lea.

As an alternative option, it would have a mobile health clinic in Lake Mills two days per week every other week for face-to-face primary care appointments.

Aside from Mayo, MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in August announced it would close its location at the end of the year.

Mercy had been in Albert Lea about two years in a portion of the former Herberger’s location after being recruited to town by the grass-roots Albert Lea Healthcare Coalition.

The health system cited the global pandemic, challenges in workforce recruitment and differences in regulations crossing into Minnesota as “unsurmountable” barriers.

The Albert Lea clinic was its only location in Minnesota.

Though disappointed, the leaders of the Albert Lea Healthcare Coalition said they would begin reaching out to the other health groups that showed interest in coming to Albert Lea previously and talk to them about the possibility of reconsidering that option.

An announcement about a new partner has not yet been made.

On top of these events, Sheila Calderon, a family nurse practitioner, opened an independent clinic called Patient’s Choice Wellness Clinic in September that has a focus on wellness and preventative health. The clinic is in the same building as the Community Foot Clinic.

Calderon has said her goal is to have a personal relationship with her patients, especially after hearing from patients how hard it could be to see their primary doctors.

2

Man charged in death of 2-year-old boy

Albert Lea man Austin Navarro in July was charged with second-degree murder and child endangerment in the death of 2-year-old Ahziyas Dampha at Trailside Apartments.

An autopsy revealed Ahziyas suffered from multiple bruises, abrasions, broken ribs and internal bleeding resulting from a lacerated liver and pancreas, according to the Freeborn County Attorney’s Office.

The court complaint stated the child was in Navarro’s care while his mother was working, along with a 3-month old baby that the woman and Navarro had in common.

The mother told police she had received the first of several text messages at 10:02 a.m. July 6, stating the 2-year-old had fallen down the stairs. She exchanged text messages asking for photos of the child to evaluate his condition and it wasn’t until more than an hour and a half later that he reportedly sent a photo showing the child with blood on his lips, severe bruising and appearing unresponsive.

After seeing pictures of the injuries, the mother left work, and when she attempted to walk into the house she had to force the door open because a knife had been wedged in the door.

She found Navarro upstairs locked behind a bedroom door with their 3-month-old baby in his arms and her 2-year-old child laying on the bed unresponsive.

When officers were dispatched to the apartments, at 504 James Ave., an officer was informed that Navarro had left the scene.

The officer stopped Navarro in a vehicle about nine blocks away, and Navarro reportedly stated he had left the scene because he was scared. The 3-month-old baby was also in the vehicle. The infant was later also found to have broken ribs.

Prosecutors in August filed a motion stating they will seek aggravated sentencing in the case because Navarro reportedly injured the child while in a position of trust, the victim was particularly vulnerable due to age and because he was reportedly treated with particular cruelty.

Prosecutors also stated they plan to introduce evidence regarding prior domestic conduct, including bruises that reportedly appeared on Ahziyas’ arms, legs, side and face after Navarro and the child’s mother started dating. Some bruises reportedly even appeared to be shaped like handprints.

In addition, prosecutors cited calls made in the jail between Navarro and his mother in which Navarro reportedly admitted to assaulting the child.

Navarro’s lawyer in December motioned to suppress all confessions, admissions or statements made by his client, noting it would be a violation of his constitutional rights to use the statements as evidence. The lawyer also motioned to dismiss the case, stating there was insufficient probable cause for the arrest and insufficient probable cause to believe he committed the offense.

Navarro is next slated to appear in court March 8.

3

County board terminates county administrator; board ultimately promotes county assessor to administrator role, approves other leadership changes

After promoting former Freeborn County Human Resources director Candace Pesch to the role of administrator in October 2022, the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners in April voted to terminate Pesch after an almost 2-1/2-hour closed session.

Chairman John Forman said: “At the meeting, the majority of the board concluded that the administrator had not gained the confidence of a majority of the board members during her initial six-month probationary period and that continuation of her employment at this time was not the most appropriate course of action.”

The action came on a 3-2 vote, with Brad Edwin, Dawn Kaasa and Chris Shoff voting to terminate Pesch, while Forman and 5th District Commissioner Nicole Eckstrom voted against it. With the vote came the opening of the Human Resources director position as well, which was still being handled at the time by Pesch.

In May, the board approved appointing Assessor Ryan Rasmusson as interim county administrator until a new full-time administrator was hired. Rasmusson had been with the county for over 20 years.

They began advertising for a new administrator again with South Central Service Cooperative of North Mankato.

By July, they had received a pool of 12 applicants, with five candidates identified as being well qualified. However, when three of the candidates withdrew from the recruitment process due to various personal reasons, the board voted to suspend the search, and Rasmusson would continue as interim.

In October, discussions started again about steps to fill the permanent position, and in November the board said they planned to go into closed session to review Rasmusson’s performance and consider how to proceed with the position in the future.

After more than six months with Rasmusson as interim administrator, the board voted Nov. 28 to appoint Rasmusson to the permanent role.

The board also voted to appoint Erin Hornberger as the Human Resources manager for the county. She had served as interim since Pesch’s departure.

In addition, County Auditor-Treasurer Pat Martinson retired in 2023, and County Recorder Kelly Hendrickson, who before that worked as chief deputy auditor-treasurer, became interim auditor-treasurer.

Talks have begun on combining the Auditor-Treasurer’s Office and the Recorder’s Office.

On top of the changes, Pesch in the fall filed a lawsuit against the county, alleging she suffered damages when an IT employee reportedly recorded a phone call between herself and two others in March 2022 and then disseminated it to a few other employees.

Pesch, who was working as personnel director at the time of the reported incident, said the “surreptitious recording of Freeborn County employees and third parties was tantamount to a wiretap,” according to court documents.

4

Group of local investors purchases Freeborn National Bank, Jacobson buildings

After more than a year of planning, a group of Albert Lea investors known as Century Partners LLC in September closed on the first portion of the Freeborn National Bank building formerly owned by Mortarr.

In October, the Albert Lea City Council approved the purchase agreement for the city-owned portion of the building and by December, the group opened up the first floor of the bank building for its first event

The investment group is called Century Partners and is made up of a group of five local couples: Mark and Emma Habben, Ron and Brittany Eriksmoen, Jon and Abby Murray, Luke and Kelsey Routh, and Robert and Angie Hoffman.

Their plans, for what they are calling The Broadway, include turning the lower level of the bank building into an event center with health and beauty suites on the second and likely third floors.

The lower level of the Jacobson Building is planned to have a coffee shop in the front and pizzeria and bar in the back. The front three suites in the Jacobson building overlooking Broadway are planned to be offices, and there are also plans for a rooftop patio.

Built in 1922, Freeborn National Bank was originally constructed as a bank on the first floor and medical and professional offices in the upper floors. The Jacobson’s first two floors were constructed in 1888, and the two upper floors were added in 1923. The buildings share a staircase and an elevator. The city purchased the building in 1998 and in 2006 spent about $2 million to restore the exterior of the bank building, including tuckpointing, a new roof, a skylight and new water, sewer and electrical service to the buildings, among other improvements. Mortarr had owned its portion of the bank building since November 2018, and the city had leased out the lower level of the Jacobson building first for Prairie Wind Coffee and then The Interchange Wine & Coffee Bistro.

5
All Together Albert Lea Inclusive Playground moves closer to reality; committee brings in large-scale kites for fundraising event

A group of residents fundraising for a new inclusive playground at Edgewater Park made significant progress toward their goal in 2023 with hopes of breaking ground on the park in late spring or summer 2024.

The $1.25 million project will be a space that allows everyone, regardless of ability, a chance to play. Inclusive playgrounds are designed not only for individuals with physical disabilities, but also those with autism and other sensory disorders.

The group’s crowning fundraiser of the year was its Let Inclusion Fly! Kite Festival, which brought in giant kites through Great American Kites & Events out of Missouri to Edgewater Park in August at the location of where the playground will be built.

Besides the large kites, there was face-painting, a dunk tank, a raffle and food vendors. There were also tables for children to make their own kites and other kites for sale. The area Lions clubs hosted a ring toss.

The event raised about $90,000, including a $52,500 match from a group of area donors.

The committee has about $150,000 left to raise and in December started selling bricks to donors for $250. They are also planning a Plunge for the Park on Feb. 10, where people are forming teams to jump in Fountain Lake during The Big Freeze to raise money for the playground. There will be a chili cookoff and bake sale in the Edgewater Bay Pavilion.

6

Residents mourn death of 11-year-old bicyclist after crash, rally around family of boy

Eleven-year-old Ayden Michael Brackey died Aug. 11 after a collision with a car at the intersection of Bridge Avenue and Marshall Street in Albert Lea.

Police stated Viola Marian Matson, 89, of Albert Lea was driving southbound on Bridge Avenue with a green light when a westbound Brackey on his bicycle crossed in front of her vehicle and was struck.

The boy was taken by Mayo Ambulance to Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, where he died a short while later.

A GoFundMe account was quickly set up for Ayden’s family and to date has raised over $22,000.

“Ayden loved fishing, baseball, biking, swimming and hanging with family and friends,” the GoFundMe page states.

A memorial remained at the intersection for several weeks after the crash with classmates and other community members leaving items in his memory.

7

City refreshes logo, places it on new downtown water

Who would have thought that a logo and a water tower would garner so much discussion, but they were some of the most talked about news on social media this year.

The Albert Lea City Council in February began discussions about what city staff described as a “refreshed” city logo. At that time, the logo — which was created by former Albert Lea Mayor Marv Wangen — had been in place since 1977.

The idea to consider a new logo came up as the council talked about what to paint on the new central water tower off of Newton Avenue in downtown Albert Lea.

City staff worked with a marketing firm to generate concepts for the new logo and convened focus groups to review the concepts. A majority favored a completely new logo, though city councilors and city leaders favored an update or refresh, rather than a whole new design.

The city ultimately hired an artist from a different community to come up with options for a refreshed logo.

The ideas were met with mixed reactions. Some residents were upset and wanted to submit their own ideas, and some wanted to keep the old logo.

The council ultimately voted to approve a design that included a triangle, with the blue representing water and the green representing land, joined with a white curved line, which could represent the interstates or trails. Instead of having “The city of Albert Lea,” the refreshed logo just includes “Albert Lea” with joining Ls like in Wangen’s original design.

City leaders said the logo would be rolled out slowly and would be replaced on vehicles and equipment as those need to be replaced.

The logo was ultimately painted on the new water tower, which was completed during the summer after a more than 2-1/2-year project, which included demolition of the old tower, constructing the new one and painting it, too.

The tower replaces an older water tower near the same location. At 179.5 feet tall — 18 stories — it stands 44 1/2 feet higher than the original tower and stores 1 million gallons of water.

8

Downtown Albert Lea seeing growth, more projects in the works

In addition to the Freeborn National Bank and Jacobson buildings, there were lots of other projects taking place in the downtown this year — and more are to come in 2024.

The Albert Lea Real Estate Fund entered into a purchase agreement in June with the city of Albert Lea for four properties on South Broadway. The fund is made up of a group of local investors and the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency collaborating with a firm called REVocity out of Northfield.

Plans call for mixed use, including retail on the main levels and housing on the upper floors.

The group also bought the Wedge-Jones Building, at the corner of Broadway and Main Street. The goal for that building is to honor the history of the building and renovate it using historic tax credits. It is likely to include a restaurant on the main level and office space on the upper floors.

Across Main Street from the Wedge-Jones Building, two buildings that were transformed into what is now Hope Church, opened in time for Easter.

A new sewing shop opened on North Broadway, along with boutique Gorgeous Sorrels, consignment store Grace & Glory and creative space The Hive. The former Innovision building was sold, though plans have not yet been announced about what will go in its place.

The city of Albert Lea, the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency, the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau and Main Street Program came together in April to launch a redevelopment challenge for the former Hobby Shop at 132 S. Broadway.

More is expected to be announced about a new potential owner in the first quarter of 2024.

Work is also underway on The Hatch, which is intended to be a makerspace on Washington Avenue. The building will aim to provide a collaborative environment for local entrepreneurs, artists, innovators and students to explore and develop their ideas. Owners Nic and Sarah Lang also announced plans for the BRICK + MORTAR Market, which will feature juried artisan, handmade products that are made locally or by other artisans in the state or neighboring states.

The couple is developing plans for a few other buildings on the block, too.

More and more of the upper levels of the downtown buildings are being turned into apartments to provide more opportunities for renters.

9

The city of Albert Lea and Albert Lea Economic Development Agency continue to make housing a priority and work toward new developments.

A variety of new options were in the works this year to bring expanded housing to the community.

The Ramsey School Apartments opened on Fourth Street on the site of the former Ramsey School.

The building was converted into 12 units — six on each floor — including two studio apartments, six one-bedroom apartments and four two-bedroom apartments.

While the apartments themselves are all completely remodeled, the hallways are reminiscent of the former school.

The Albert Lea City Council in June approved a purchase agreement with Albert Lea Real Estate Fund LP, which is a partnership between a team of local investors, a Northfield firm called REVocity and the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency, for the four city-owned properties at 310, 314, 324 and 332 S. Broadway.

The purchase agreement states the city will essentially take the property off the market as it works with the group for a development agreement. Plans call for mixed-use development on the block with commercial space and rental housing units.

The council in August approved a tax-increment finance redevelopment district and plan for the block. The city continues to look at how it can help the project and will be working to get funding from the state for gap financing.

In addition, the city continues working with a company called Tapestry Companies for more than 60 units of low- to moderate-income apartments and more than 60 units of senior housing on the Blazing Star Landing.

The council in July approved a purchase agreement with the company for four acres of property in the middle of the Blazing Star Landing along Garfield Avenue to accommodate the new units.

The company has turned in an application for housing tax credits through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and should get word whether it is awarded the credits at the end of the year or early 2024.

Work is also underway to bring another 96 additional units to the Front Street Apartments. Unique Opportunities LLC has already constructed 48 units and now wishes to build a second larger apartment building east of the existing building, as well as garages.

Crews continue working on Sky Flats at the site of the former Marketplace Foods. These will have 50 non-subsidized market rate one- and two-bedroom apartments.

The council in October approved a second extension for the project, which allows the developers through March 31 to complete the project.

10

Shell Rock River Watershed District awarded remaining money to complete dredging of Fountain Lake

The Minnesota Legislature in its last session approved a bonding bill that included $9 million for the dredging of Fountain Lake.

The money, which has been up in the air for a few years, will allow for the completion of the dredging on the lake and will include the east basin of the main bay up to the Fountain Lake dam, Bancroft Channel and parts of Bancroft Bay. The work is expected to remove an additional 600,000 cubic yards of sediment from the lake.

The Shell Rock River Watershed District Board of Managers in November approved a contract with Geosyntec Consultants Inc. for design and permitting services tied to the project. The contract includes data collection, land assessments, concept drawings, evaluation of the confined disposal facility, engineering design, development of the environmental assessment worksheet, all permitting, construction administration, bid support and project management.

District Administrator Andy Henschel said he hopes to have the permits in hand sometime in mid- to late 2024 so the project can go out for bids at the end of 2024. If permits meet this timeline, the district could potentially hire a contractor in late 2024 or early 2025 with plans to start dredging in early 2025.

Honorable mentions

• Devin Michael Weiland was sentenced in February to a combined 50 years in prison after he was convicted of shooting three people during an eight-hour standoff in November 2020 at Shady Oaks apartments.
  

  Devin Weiland speaks briefly Tuesday before Judge Christy Hormann issues a sentence in his case. Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea Tribune

• Big Lots and Dollar Tree open in the remaining space formerly occupied by Shopko; realty investors under the name of Northbridge Partners LLC purchase a portion of the Northbridge Mall in Albert Lea last week from former owners, The Carrington Co.
• City of Albert Lea, Freeborn County respond to changes with new cannabis laws, pass ordinances restricting use in parks and public areas.
• Albert Lea American Legion Riders raise money for a new Freedom Rock; artist paints boulder on the Freeborn County Courthouse lawn.
  

  Artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen stands next to Freeborn County’s Freedom Rock Sunday afternoon. Provided

• Riverland Community College President Adenuga Atewologun retires; Kathleen “Kat” Linaker named new president
• Teen charged with pulling gun on Walmart employee