Litchfield Community Theatre’s production of “The Odd Couple” will open tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the Bernie Aaker Auditorium. Audiences should get prepared to laugh.

The play can also be seen Saturday night at 7 p.m., and then March 1st and 2nd at 7 p.m. and on March 3rd at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 and you can get them at the door, or in advance at Litchfield Community Education.

Director Jim Vrchota says he’s in the role of Felix, Mike Martin is Oscar, with Jerry Spencer as Murray, Tyler “Chuck” Peterson as Speed, Steve Schiroo as Vinny, Jane Lind as Rae, and Angela Horwath and Rhonda Joldersma as the Pigeon sisters. He says it’s about a 2 hour show, with a 15 minute intermission between the two acts.

Jane Lind who has been in numerous musicals over the past 35 years of Litchfield Community Theatre says she hasn’t done a comedy like this for 29 years and it’s kind of a nice change not to have to learn songs and choreography. She says her character was originally a male in the Neil Simon play.

“The Odd Couple” can be seen tomorrow night and Saturday night at 7 p.m., March 1st and 2nd at 7 p.m. and on March 3rd at 2 p.m. For ticket information, call Litchfield Community Education at 693-2354.

This week’s winners in the Litchfield Rescue Squad calendar sweepstakes include:

Linda Larson and Gary Holtz – both of Litchfield, Countryside Glass and Sandy Bostrom – both of Darwin, and Jerald Cronen of Hutchinson. Each of them will receive 20-dollars from the Litchfield Rescue Squad.

The Litchfield City Council gave City Engineer Brad DeWolf permission to pursue funding sources for a sewer trunk line project. DeWolf says a sewer, which is currently located directly under the First District Association property, needs to be replaced, and will be rerouted down Swift Avenue.

DeWolf says the sewer line served its useful life, and video footage of the line shows that it is failing in several areas. He says the estimated cost of the project is $750,000, and funding sources could include a public infrastructure grant from the Department of Employment and Economic Development or a capital bonding request.

The Litchfield City Council heard an update from the Finance Committee last night regarding possible expansion of the Liquor Store into the Family Dollar Store building. Council member Barb Altringer says they found out that the Family Dollar Store has a lease that is not expiring for quite some time, so that location was no longer suitable.

City Administrator Bruce Miller says another building was looked at, but was deemed to be too large, and rebuilding on the same lot as the Liquor Store was not feasible because of zoning setbacks. He says an offer just came up for a swap of the Liquor Store property with the former Brock’s Furniture property in which the old furniture store would be demolished and the lot given to the City in exchange for the Liquor Store Building which would be used for a restaurant. The council approved of a resolution to continue looking into the concept.

The Litchfield City Council approved of a slight re-districting boundary change last night. Bruce Miller says the five wards in Litchfield are analyzed every ten years – following the census, and the boundaries are changed to try to keep the population in each ward as close to each other as possible. He says 7 blocks in the southern portion of Ward 1 will be switched to the northern part of Ward 2, making the population in each of those wards exactly the same – 1,382. The population in Wards 3, 4 and 5 are close to or slightly more than 1,300.

Also last night, the Litchfield City Council approved recommendations from the planning commission to deny a conditional use permit for Jason Tibbits for a sign on East Highway 12; to approve a variance request from Litchfield Building Center to put a house at 524 East 1st Street; and to send a variance request denial back to the Planning Commission regarding a garage for Gordon Kruse at 802 South Hubbard Avenue.

Minnesota's new legislative district maps pit 46 incumbents against each other and create 23 open seats. The information regarding the new boundaries was released yesterday, and it shows the area around Meeker County, currently represented by Dean Urdahl, with few changes.

Urdahl says the biggest change to his district is the addition of about half of the City of Hutchinson – west of Highway 15. He says he will have all of Meeker County and a couple of precincts in the Cokato area. State Senator Scott Newman says he’s glad to have the new boundaries drawn, so that lawmakers can get back to their work at the Capitol.

The new House maps released Yesterday pair 30 incumbents against each other and create 15 open seats. New Senate maps pit 16 incumbents against each other and create eight open seats. The House gets six districts with two incumbent Republicans, six with two incumbent Democrats, plus three Democrat-versus-Republican pairings. The Senate gets four districts with two incumbent Republicans, two with two Democratic incumbents, and two Democrat-on-Republican conflicts.

Litchfield Middle School student Jordan Carew won the district spelling championship for the second year in a row. The 8th grader competed last week in the regional spelling bee at St. John’s University.

Jordan says he came in 11th place in the regional competition – missing the word “libretto.” He says he knows how to spell that word now.

Carew says, ironically, he won the district championship last year and this year by spelling the same word – cumulonimbus. He says there are certain words that he knows about that he made sure to prepare for before this year’s rounds of spelling bees.

Carew says there are ways to prepare for a spelling bee – with tips provided on the national spelling bee website, but he says he also looks through the dictionary, and he reads a lot which strengthens his spelling skills. He says his spelling bee days are now done since this is his last year of middle school.

The top two finishers from last week’s regional spelling bee will go on to the state competition. Jordan Carew is the son of Chad and Andrea Olberding Carew.

The Meeker County Board of Commissioners has given Public Health Educator Daren Scheppmann permission to work with the Sheriff’s Office to apply to be a site for a drug take-back program. If it materializes, there would be a safe way for residents to dispose of unused medications.

Scheppmann says neighboring counties have take-back programs, enabling residents to place prescription drugs in a secure drop box rather than in the trash or in the toilet which is bad for the environment or leaving them in a cabinet which is unsafe for children or makes it possible for the drugs to get into the wrong hands. He says the expense for a site at the Law Enforcement Center would be minimal and much of the costs could be covered by grant money.

County Administrator Paul Virnig says April first is a target date to start such a program if the application is approved by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The collected drugs would be transported a couple times a year to an incinerator in Fosston. Sheriff Jeff Norlin says there is going to be a one-day, national drug collection program in April.

The Meeker County Board approved a few requests from Park Superintendent Braden Piram, including the hiring of the Koronis Campground managers and the Koronis Campground host for 2012; the advertising of part-time help for the Litchfield area and Koronis for the summer season; and approval of a bill from Mn/DOT for new park directional signs along Highways 15 and 24 for $3,728. Piram says Koronis was turned down for a grant that would’ve helped to pay for the replacement of the old shelter, but he will pursue future grants.

In hospital matters, Meeker Memorial CEO Kyle Rasmussen says the hospital ended 2011 with a net income of 1-point-6-million dollars. He also told the County Board that the 1951 boiler at the hospital will need to be replaced – after 60 years of service – and the estimated cost of that project is $517,000.

The Meeker County Board also approved a new “Human Resources Specialist” position today and handed out years-of-service awards to Pat Thomas for 25 years at Social Services, and to William Barrington for 10 years with the Sheriff’s Office.

The choirs from both the Hutchinson and Willmar campuses of Ridgewater College will perform together on Thursday evening at 7:30 at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield. Judy Zylstra of Litchfield is the accompanist.

Zylstra says she’s been the accompanist on the Hutchinson Campus for quite some time, and has also been filling in this semester on the Willmar Campus for a colleague who is out because of knee surgery. She says there are several local students in each choir.

Zylstra says Thursday’s concert will begin with John Rutter’s arrangement, “The Sprig of Thyme,” which includes English, Irish and Scottish folk tunes. She says the second half of the concert will feature the “Gospel Mass” by Robert Ray.

Zylstra says the concert is free and everyone is welcome. It’s this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield featuring the choirs of Ridgewater College from Hutchinson and Willmar.

Yesterday morning at 12:55, Meeker County Sheriff's Deputies observed a deck on fire at the address of 101 2nd Street South in Grove City. Deputies had the Grove City Fire Department paged, and responded to the address, and used a fire extinguisher to control the fire until the Grove City Fire Department arrived and sprayed the deck and surrounding area with water.

The fire department also had to remove some of the damaged deck boards to get the fire out. A deputy spoke with the new homeowner, of rural Grove City, who indicated that they have been remodeling the home and are not living there yet. The cause of the fire is believed to have been from a rag or rags that were used in staining the floors of the home that were put outside on the deck. The approximate value of damage to the deck is $1,500.

The St. Philip’s Youth Group has its annual spaghetti and lasagna dinner on Saturday from 5-to-8 p.m. There will be two seatings – at 5 and 6:15 p.m.

Chloe Schacherer says 150 tickets are being sold for each seating. She says you will have a choice of lasagna or spaghetti, but if you buy tickets at the door, you will be served spaghetti.

Hannah Schacherer tickets are available in advance from any youth group member or by calling the church office. She says tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children 3-to-10, and free for children under 3.

Juliana Schacherer says the event helps to raise funds for mission projects. She says the young people are planning to travel to the Red Lake Reservation this summer, and they are hoping to travel to Guatemala some time in the future. For more information, call 693-3313. The St. Philip’s Youth spaghetti and lasagna dinner is Saturday from 5-to-8 p.m. at the St. Philip’s Church social hall in Litchfield.

Yesterday morning at 4:25, the Meeker County Sheriff's Office along with Dassel Fire department, Litchfield Fire department, and Meeker Cooperative responded to a
residence on County-State-Aid-Highway 24 of rural Darwin for a house fire. The fire was reported by a passer-by on U.S. Highway. 12.

At the time of the call, it was unknown if anyone was in the residence. Upon Deputies arrival, flames were coming out of a front window. Deputies broke several windows trying to see inside and yell for anyone that may have been inside.

A short time later, the renter of the property 61-year-old Luverne Kramer arrived. Kramer said that he had been at a friend’s house – out of the area – and had not been home since 9 p.m., and no one else was in the house.

The house was a total loss and is valued at approximately $76,000. The Red Cross was contacted for Kramer. Kramer's belongings inside were a total loss as well. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

On Thursday, the Meeker County Sheriff's Office and agents of the CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force, executed a narcotics search warrant at the address of 600 Maple Lane in Grove City. Two people were arrested at the scene.

29-year-old Katie Mae Holmstrom of Grove City and 31-year-old Richard Lee Albrecht of Raymond were both arrested on 5th-Degree Controlled Substance Crimes, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Child Neglect or Endangerment, Methamphetamine Paraphernalia in the Presence of a Child and Legend Drug charges.

Holmstrom and Albrecht were transported to the Meeker County Jail. The search warrant is the result of numerous suspicious activity complaints that the Sheriff's Office had received in the Grove City area. Sheriff Jeff Norlin reminds residents that if you see suspicious activity in your neighborhoods, contact your local police department.

Concert choirs from both the Hutchinson and Willmar campuses of Ridgewater College will combine for a performance in Litchfield this Thursday evening at Zion Lutheran Church at 7:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and admission is free.

The accompanist for the performance is Judith Zylstra. Several guest instrumentalists from the Litchfield area will also take part. Zylstra says the first half will be a presentation of "The Sprig of Thyme" by John Rutter. She says it’s a collection of 11 English folk songs.

Zylstra says they will have 3 local instrumentalists playing – Ali Danzeisen on the clarinet, Jill Smith on the flute, and Yvonne Rammel – also playing the flute. She says the second half of the program will be Robert Ray's "Gospel Mass."

Zylstra says it’s a mass setting but has a very fun setting, and it was written in 1981. She says area instrumentalists for this piece include: Megan Sherman on the bass guitar, and Christian McArthur playing drums.

The concert is this Thursday, February 23, at 7:30 p.m., at Zion Lutheran Church. The concert should be about an hour long. Between the 2 pieces, Yvonne Rammel and Judy Zylstra will play a few flute/piano pieces. The Willmar choir director is Darcy Lease-Gubrud and the Hutchinson choir director is Gayle Marcus.

On Friday morning at approximately 9:20, the Meeker County Sheriff Office assisted the MN State Patrol in the City of Dassel with apprehending a suspect who fled on foot after a short, several block vehicle chase wherein the vehicle, a stolen 2001 yellow Jeep Wrangler, crashed into a tree at Crop Production Services at 500 Atlantic Avenue East in Dassel.

The vehicle had been reported stolen just hours earlier from Hutchinson. The MN State Trooper observed the suspect exit the vehicle and flee on foot westbound towards the railroad tracks.

While deputies were searching a residence near Willis Street and Parker Avenue, they came upon the suspect in a yard and another foot pursuit ensued. The suspect was caught and arrested without further incident.

The suspect is identified as 26-year-old Benjamin Keith Berry of Lester Prairie. He was transported to the Meeker County Jail and is currently being held on numerous charges related to this incident including theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing in a motor vehicle, and fleeing on foot.