Gangestad is new postmaster in JasperLaurie Gangestad was sworn in as the new postmaster at Jasper on July 25.Gangestad had been serving Jasper as an interim postmaster since September of last year.Gangestad is a resident of Kenneth, and her first post office job was at the Kenneth Post Office in 1982.Since Kenneth, she served the postal service at Woodstock, Magnolia, Lismore and now Jasper.In neighboring counties…..Both Pipestone and Nobles Counties caught statewide attention this week.In Pipestone County, Ellison Meat Company issued a voluntary recall of approximately 194,700 pounds of frozen ground beef that might be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7bacteria.Early indication suggested the ground beef could be linked to two or more people who were sickened by E. coli in Colorado.The food, which was sold to restaurants and through door-to-door sales, was processed between May 30 and June 11.A spokesperson for Ellison, also known as Howard Meats, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune "They have not yet tied this to our product, but we are taking a proactive stance"Cooking meat to at least 160 degrees can kill E. coli.In Nobles County, State Administration Commissioner Brian Lamb has ruled that Nobles County can charge $250, require a written application and impose other stipulations when anyone wants to review a list of the county’s feedlots.According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Nobles County Board created the policy after an animal rights activist entered a feedlot in Nicollet County in April and took pictures of dead hogs without the feedlot farmer’s permissionAccording to the commissioner, the county can require a written request but can’t require people requesting the list to identify themselves.He also said the county can take up to five days to provide the feedlot list but must provide a copy as soon as reasonably possible.Lodine to perform at Lakes Art CenterLuverne’s Emily Lodine will be performing at the Lakes Art Center in Okoboji at 6 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 10. Lodine will be collaborating with pianist Karen Carr with whom she recently released the CD "Prairie Grass."Their performance of "Bon Appetit is a one-act comic opera based on the PBS series of the same name.According to Lodine, "Bon Appetit" will be preceded by an "appetizer course" of songs.The Lakes Art Center is located at 2201 Hwy 71, Okoboji, Iowa. For more information about the production, phone 712-332-7013PrairieWave announces digital upgradePrairieWave Communications, one of Luverne’s two cable TV options, announced they would begin offering Interactive Digital Cable TV in Luverne this week.The new service will impact subscribers with increased channels as well as other features unique to digital technology according to the company.Some of the other features include:* An interactive program guide that allows the user to search listing by theme, title or channel and up to seven days in advance of program.* An interactive service delivering on-demand news and information directly to the television from the digital set-top box.* On screen games will be available in both basic and fee levels.PrairieWave is a relatively new company, recently spun off from McLeod USA.Prior to being a part of McLeod USA, it started out as DTG.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
