The West Central Tribune earned seven first-place awards, including a full category sweep in the Hard News Coverage of Court/Crime category; plus second place overall in its division for General Excellence and numerous individual awards in the MNA Better Newspaper Contest for 2022-23.
Residents and visitors alike in New London, Granite Falls and Willmar bid farewell to influential leaders who dedicated significant portions of their lives to the benefit of the communities they called home.
From an injury-free train derailment in Raymond, to the loss of well-respected community members to the debate surrounding the Upper Sioux State Agency Park land transfer, communities in west central Minnesota experienced plenty of highs and lows throughout the past year.
Aaron Matthew Vadner, 40, and Rachelle Lynn Hasbrook, 33, each entered Alford guilty pleas on July 6. The charges stem from allegations of sexual abuse against four children that were living with Vadner and Hasbrook in Atwater from 2018 to 2019.