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Flooding, scholarship, court cases also place high in area

Like most years, the year 2024 was filled with many ups and downs.

Though some parts of the year were relatively quiet, the community was rocked by major flooding in late June and an EF1 tornado in the Twin Lakes and Emmons area in August. It also saw some heavy court cases throughout the year.

On a positive end, Albert Lea saw several economic development wins with the continued growth in the downtown and expansions or new construction of other businesses.

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 down.

After reviewing the events from 2024, the following are the top 10 stories of the year, along with some honorable mentions, as voted on by Tribune staff:

1

Downtown continues to see new life; buildings remodeled; businesses move in.

Albert Lea is continuing to see a steady momentum of activity happening downtown with the opening of several new businesses and continued remodeling of historic buildings.

Work by Century Partners LLC is ongoing at the Freeborn National Bank and Jacobson Apartments, with work complete on the main levels. The bank building houses an events center, while the Jacobson building houses Cento Wood-Fired Pizza and Cafe, a new coffee shop and pizzeria that opened with much excitement. It features a cafe in the front and a pizzeria in the back, with everything from specialty cocktails to appetizers, wood-fired pizza, salads, pastas and other dishes.

The upper floors are currently still under construction and are expected to be turned into health and beauty suites.

Other major renovations took place at the former Hobby Shop building, at 132 S. Broadway, which had been in disrepair for several years and was acquired by the city in 2022 through tax forfeiture.

The city spent about $170,000 in repairs on the property, including a new roof, structural repairs and environmental remediations.

In April 2023, the city, the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency, the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce announced a redevelopment challenge to incentivize development at the building, offering grant funding and other incentives for a business owner or developer who could bring a retail store or restaurant to the space.

The owners of Ignite Nutrition were ultimately selected for the challenge and renovated the building, opening their doors to customers in July.

Longtime Albert Lea business Leutholds moved to Clark Street in the fall after more than 30 years at Northbridge Mall, and Creating Sew Much opened on North Broadway. Maricle Martial Arts opened at the former location of Frames-R-Us on South Broadway.

Other businesses are in the works, including one in the space formerly occupied by Crescendo Exquisite Food & Fine Wines.

While happenings downtown were mostly positive, sad news came for many when longtime toy store Whimzy closed its doors in mid-November.

2

Heavy rain leads to flooding of homes, roads; closes Main Street for two weeks.

Multiple heavy rains in June led to flooding throughout Albert Lea, contributing to numerous road closures and water in basements.

Notable flooding initially was reported on Main Street near Morin Park, East Richway, at New Denmark Park and on Lakeview Boulevard near Lakeview Park.

As floodwaters continued to rise, water also affected Main Street near Hanson Tire and McDonald’s, where it covered the roadway for the better part of two weeks. Though the new stormwater ponds on both sides of the road helped for a time, the amount of rain in that short amount of time was too much.

Freeborn County was one of 22 counties in Minnesota approved for a federal disaster declaration, and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials were also in town for a few weeks for residents who qualified for individual assistance.

In total, Albert Lea received just shy of 12 inches of rain during the month of June, surpassing any monthly precipitation total for at least 20 years. The average precipitation during the month of June during the same span was 5.47 inches.

3

Freeborn County Community Promise Scholarship is implemented; area students can begin going to Riverland Community College for free.

After months of planning, students in Albert Lea, Alden-Conger, Glenville-Emmons and NRHEG schools graduating in the class of 2024 became the first students to benefit from the new Freeborn County Community Promise Scholarship.

The scholarship allows graduates in Freeborn County to attend Riverland Community College free of charge.

Intended as a gap scholarship, or “last-dollar” scholarship, it covers tuition not met by other forms of aid for up to 65 credits. To be eligible, students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, scored an 18 or higher on the ACT, scored an 1042 on the MCA reading test, scored an 1132 on the MCA math test or scored 31 on the ASVAB test. Students must live in Freeborn County, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form and then attend Riverland within a year after graduation.

Students can be a part of more than 100 programs of study on any of the college’s three campuses.

The scholarship was made possible through the financial contributions of community partner organizations, businesses, foundations and individuals. It was initiated as a strategy to strengthen the community and workforce, as well as to remain competitive with other communities in the region that are investing in post-secondary education.

4

Navarro sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering 2-year-old boy, injuring 12-week-old.

Austin Michael Navarro, 26, in September pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Ahziyas Dampha on July 6, 2023, at Trailside Apartments. He also pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree assault of a victim under 4 tied to injuries caused to the baby.

During the plea hearing, Navarro admitted to punching and kicking the 2-year-old child multiple times, and acknowledged that the boy’s injuries included rib fractures and lacerations to his liver and pancreas. He also admitted he had submerged the child in the bathtub.

Navarro stated he hit the 12-week-old in the stomach, leading to broken ribs, and acknowledged he had caused the bruises on the infant’s arm and shoulder.

Navarro was left as the caretaker of the children that day by their mother, who he was in a relationship with at the time, and who had gone to work.

In December, Freeborn County District Court Judge Ross Leuning sentenced Navarro to 25 years in prison. The sentence was in line with the plea agreement between the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office and the defense, which was outside of the state sentencing guideline range of 204 to 288 months with Navarro’s criminal history score.

The judge said there was overwhelming evidence supporting aggravating factors for the departure from the standard guidelines, including that Navarro was in a position of authority, that the child was particularly vulnerable and that he treated the boy with particular cruelty.

Leuning encouraged the parents of Ahziyas to seek assistance, counsel and support and asked for family and friends to be strong for them and help them in the days ahead. He also asked that the extended families of both sides have grace and patience with each other.

5

UHD decides not to open clinic in Albert Lea; Mason City Clinic reopens specialty clinic.

The Albert Lea Healthcare Coalition in August announced the United Hospital District of Blue Earth would not open a primary care clinic in Albert Lea as previously announced in February.

Trustee Brad Arends said he and the other trustees on the coalition received an email from UHD CEO Rick Ash about the decision Aug. 8. The letter cited changing business conditions as the reason they withdrew their intent to open in Albert Lea.

The coalition has been busy trying to recruit a health care system for the medical plaza it owns at Northbridge Mall after MercyOne Medical Center closed in 2023.

At the time MercyOne Medical Center pulled out of the coalition’s space, there were over 5,100 unique patients, and there are still several businesses that would like to have a business clinic there. There are other partners in the medical plaza, including the Mason City Clinic, which offers specialty services, including urology, ENT, podiatry, psychiatry and others, and the coalition also owns a X-ray machine it purchased from MercyOne.

The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce in September celebrated the opening of the Mason City Clinic in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The coalition continues to attempt to recruit for the space and also has been working to bring together businesses, as well as employees of Freeborn County and Albert Lea Area Schools, for a shared business clinic.

6

Albert Lea facilities referendum passes 3 to 1.

Albert Lea voters spoke loud and clear in April in favor of the city borrowing up to $9.8 million to improve the City Arena, Marion Ross theater, Aquatic Center and Splash Pad.

According to the results, 75.5% of residents voted “yes,” while 24.4% voted “no.”

The vast majority of the money that the city is bonding for is to maintain the second sheet of ice at the arena, make related repairs, install energy-saving projects and expand the lobby.

The refrigeration system for the practice rink is failing after 26 years of use, and officials would like to install a new system that would serve both sheets of ice, use less energy and be more eco-friendly.

Federal funding of $2.45 million is available for the new refrigeration system, including a new practice rink floor, and the energy-savings projects at the arena, pool and theater.

The theater projects include new front windows and doors, as well as heating, cooling, LED lighting and ventilation systems.

At the city pool, the project includes constructing a 180-square-foot free-standing ticket booth, along with changes to the main building and other elements to improve public access. When people enter they will go in a new entrance and then choose whether to go to a family bathhouse or men’s or women’s bathroom and changing area. The current entrance would be blocked for entry. It will also get new boilers, water heaters, electrical systems and LED lighting.

At the splash pad, the city plans to build public restrooms to serve the downtown and Blue Zones Walkway around Fountain Lake.

Since the voter approval, city staff have been working with Apex Facility Solutions of Coon Rapids to line up bids.

7

Fireworks moved to a new location after many years at City Beach.

To comply with state code, organizers of Albert Lea’s Fourth of July fireworks moved the annual display from City Beach to a new location this year on city property west of the Blazing Star Landing between Fountain and Albert Lea lakes.

Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Laskowske in April said as he researched state requirements, met with the fireworks vendor and prepared to sign off on the permit for the year, he recognized they were not meeting the required blast safety distance of 300 feet on all sides of where the fireworks are detonated.

The decision was met with some question as many people in the community talked of their memories of the former location at City Beach. Some were also concerned with the proximity to the Freeborn County Humane Society.

Organizers tested out the new location later that month, with good visibility reported from many different locations around both Fountain and Albert Lea lakes and downtown. During that test, the sound was reportedly better than expected at the Humane Society and several volunteers were on hand to give out treats and monitor the animals.

On the Fourth of July itself, the fireworks went off as planned with people finding new locations throughout the city to watch them.

8

Moreno found guilty of murdering Juan Vasquez Jr.

After almost 5 1/2 hours of deliberations, a 12-member jury in March found Ben Vidal Moreno guilty of all five of the charges against him tied to the shooting death of Juan Vasquez Jr. and the attempted murder of Marco Posada in August 2022 south of Albert Lea.

District Court Judge Christy Hormann in May sentenced Moreno, 33, to 40 years in prison for the charges, which included two counts of second-degree murder in the death of Vasquez, one count of attempted second-degree murder of Posada and two counts of ineligible possession of a firearm for the two guns used in the crime.

Prosecutors argued Vasquez came to the property at 75463 160th St., south of Albert Lea, twice on Aug. 9, 2022, with Posada — the first time to drop off a trailer with trash to dump at the property.

Moreno was at the property to get help on his vehicle from another man who lived there.

They said when Vasquez saw Moreno’s dog at the property he fired two shots in the air and yelled for Moreno to come out of the house. Moreno and the other man hid inside the house while Vasquez was outside.

Witnesses testified that threats had been ongoing from both Vasquez and Moreno in the weeks leading up to the shooting, and Moreno testified that the argument stemmed from a package of methamphetamine he took that had been mailed to an Albert Lea home and was intended for Vasquez.

Evidence showed after they left the property the first time, Vasquez and Posada then went to Diamond Jo Casino for about 45 minutes before returning property.

The prosecution said once at the property Vasquez got out of the Honda CR-V he and Posada were riding in and got into an argument with his daughter who had come back to the property with another woman while Vasquez and Posada were at the casino.

Vasquez then got back into the vehicle and they started driving away, when Moreno, who was hiding on the back side of the house, began firing with a shotgun at the vehicle when it was near the end of the driveway where it met with the gravel at 160th Street. Vasquez then got out of the vehicle and walked up the driveway, while Moreno grabbed a rifle from the other man and ultimately shot Vasquez in the chest.

Before he was sentenced, Moreno apologized to Vasquez’s family and his own family and said drugs were a big factor at the time of the shooting. He said he wanted to try to help other people get off drugs before they got into a situation like he did.

9

Polley pleads guilty to sexual contact with a student.

A former Albert Lea High School counselor pleaded guilty in October to one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student as part of a plea agreement in his case.

Richard John Polley, 35, was previously charged with one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving sexual penetration with an individual under 18, while in a prohibited occupational relationship. The fourth-degree charge included sexual contact, but not penetration.

The plea, as part of an agreement with the Freeborn County Attorney’s Office, came after District Court Judge Christy Hormann declared a mistrial in the middle of Polley’s trial in September after information emerged about evidence that had not been disclosed to either the prosecution or defense during testimony of a former Albert Lea police detective.

Polley worked as a counselor for one semester at the school before the incident occurred the night of Jan. 8, 2022, going into Jan. 9.

He said he had started talking to the student, who was 16 at the time, on Snapchat in the time approaching the Christmas holiday. Polley acknowledged in court that he knew the student was under 18 and that he was working with her at the school in the role of her guidance counselor.

On the night of Jan. 8, 2022, he said the student came over to his house in Albert Lea two times. The second time, between 11 p.m. and midnight, resulted in him and the teenager kissing. He also admitted to placing his hand on her breast with sexual intent.

As part of the plea agreement in the case, both the prosecution and the defense agreed to Polley serving five years of probation and no further jail time. He would be required to complete a psychosexual evaluation and follow the recommendations, have no contact with the victim and have no contact with minor children unless under supervision. He would also be required to register as a predatory offender. It will be up to the judge to determine whether to impose a stay of execution of 24 months in prison or a stay of imposition.

Sentencing is slated for Jan. 29.

10

All Together Albert Lea Inclusive Playground committee celebrates groundbreaking of new inclusive playground.

After raising over a million dollars to bring an inclusive playground to the community, the committee behind the effort celebrated the groundbreaking for the project in July at Edgewater Bay Pavilion.

The committee had been raising funds for the playground for 2 1/2 years, hosting numerous events and fundraisers. The playground itself was designed by the All Together Inclusive Playground Committee in partnership with Flagship Recreation and will give all children, despite their abilities, the opportunity to play together. The committee hopes it will also bring together multiple generations.

Ground work for the project started later in the summer, and in October, the new equipment began being built.

The project was not able to be completed in time for opening this fall but will be completed in the spring. In addition to the playground itself, with a pour-in-place rubberized flooring, there will be sidewalks, a parking lot and lighting.

It also included a sewer extension for a future restroom structure.

The committee in the future also hopes to raise money for a Miracle Field, which provides a custom-designed, rubberized turf field for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities to play baseball.

 

Honorable mentions

• Albert Lea and the area experienced unseasonably mild winter, leading to a new ice-out record for Fountain Lake and golf courses opening early.

March 3 was recorded as the date the ice completely melted on Fountain Lake, setting a new record for the earliest the ice has ever melted on the lake since records were kept in 1912, according to Mark Malepsy, annual watcher of the lake. The last of the ice melted on the Brookside Channel near St. Theodore Catholic Cemetery.

Wedgewood Cove Golf Club opened in February for golfers, and the Plunge for the Park in early February shifted gears because of warm weather. Participants walked into the icy lake instead of jumping off the ice before quickly walking back out.

• The Freeborn County Government Center was evacuated twice during the summer — once in July and once in August.

In July, authorities arrested a man in a traffic stop and later found that he had a locked gun box containing a pipe bomb. As a result of the pipe bomb, the Freeborn County Government Center was evacuated of all non-essential personnel. St. Paul Police Bomb Squad was called in and took possession of the device.

In August, authorities received a report of a bomb threat on 911. The male caller’s voice was distorted but stated there was a bomb and that he wanted $1 million and would call back with more information. Authorities conducted a protective sweep to make sure all people were out of the building and did not find any suspicious packages. Bomb-detection dogs were called in from Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and the Rochester Police Department to check the entire building.

• The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down Aug. 5 in rural Twin Lakes and Emmons, reaching speeds of 105 mph and traveling 6.6 miles.

The tornado was a part of several reports of tornadoes in south-central Minnesota that night.

• Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea officials in October dedicated the new Naeve Garden at the site of the former Naeve Hospital.

The garden, which sits on the former footprint of the hospital, incorporates the cornerstone of the 1911 Naeve Hospital into a seating area, as well as an African stone sculpture donated on behalf of the Naeve Health Care Foundation in tribute to the nurses of the Naeve Hospital School of Nursing, Naeve Hospital and Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. On the west end of the garden is a plaque honoring 50 years of Fountain Centers with a mounted sobriety coin at the center.

Those in attendance got to see items from a 1911 time capsule that was recovered during the demolition of the former hospital.

• The Faribault County Sheriff’s Office in early November announced a body was found on a property on the 14000 section of 540th Avenue in Walnut Township. The death of Miguel Angel Chavez-Lopez, 54, of Albert Lea, was deemed a homicide.

Little information has been released about the nature of Chavez-Lopez’s death, and the incident remains under investigation.

• Former Freeborn County resident David Bernard Suess Sr. was sentenced to a combined 33 years in prison in November tied to sexual abuse of two boys dating back to 2011 in Freeborn County.

A jury in July found Suess guilty of all six counts of criminal sexual conduct against him tied to the abuse, which reportedly took place between 2011 and 2015.

• Albert Lea Area Schools saw several challenges in 2024, starting with $1.2 million in reductions and continuing with the reconfiguration of Brookside Education Center. Included in the changes were the move of the Area Learning Center back to Brookside from Riverland Community College, as well as the move of Albert Lea Community Education.

Events culminated in December when the school board voted to place Wagner on paid administrative leave until the end of June 2025 and to at that time allow his contract to expire without renewal.

Board Chairwoman Kim Nelson said both the district and Wagner were going a different direction in the future and said she could not provide any other information about why the decision was made because it was private personal data.

Right before Christmas, the board voted to begin searching for both an interim superintendent and to contract with the Minnesota School Board Association for a permanent one.

• More activity is beginning to take place on the Blazing Star Landing, the former Farmland Foods site.

The city has announced Kwik Trip will build a new store on the northeast corner of the property, and the city has been working on plans for apartments.

In December, Minnesota Housing announced funding for a 60-unit building of workforce housing that is slated to be built south of the Kwik Trip.

• Freeborn County is again without a permanent administrator after the resignation of Ryan Rasmusson in September.

In December the board interviewed four candidates for the position and decided to bring two of the candidates back for a second interview in January.

The county is being led in the interim by Darrel Pettis, who recently retired and has experience as a county engineer and administrator.