Kelly Paul Peterson, 40, of Kimball, the last of three defendants convicted of distributing the highly addictive and dangerous drug methamphetamine, also known as meth, was sentenced May 5.

Peterson was sentenced in Minneapolis by United States District Court Judge Donovan Frank to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release on one count of aiding and abetting distribution of meth.

Seat belt use among teens appears to dip during the last few months of the school year and the percentage of traffic deaths involving drinking teen drivers jumps during the same period, according to Minnesota Department of Public Safety data.

Although the prom through graduation period isn’t the deadliest period for Minnesota’s 16–19 year olds — 31 were killed 2004–2006 — traffic death data during April–June reveals that potential for tragedy is ripe as a result of seat belt non-use and drinking and driving.

What is the cost of meth addiction?

Delivering his annual report to the McLeod County Board Tuesday (May 6), County Attorney Mike Junge expressed the toll in both dollars and wasted lives.

Meth sells for about $100 per gram, and many users start taking it in quarter-gram doses. As addiction takes hold, it’s not unheard of for a $25-a-day habit to mushroom into a $700-a-day one.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has again proclaimed the month of May as "Hire A Veteran Month" as part of his ongoing efforts to make Minnesota the most veteran-friendly state in America.

Minnesota supports the national "Hire Vets First" campaign, which honors America 's military veterans by helping employers and veterans make the best use of a national network of employment resources.

A 20-year-old man was arrested Monday, April 28, after Hutchinson police stopped him driving a car apparently stolen in Stearns County.

The man, with no permanent address, was arrested in the area of Fifth Avenue Northwest and Glen Street. Officers had checked the license plates of the 1993 Oldsmobile and learned it was reported stolen.

A 20-year-old Hutchinson woman has been charged by the McLeod County Attorney’s Office with allegedly assaulting a police officer.

According to police, they were called to a home in the 600 block of Roberts Road about 6:50 a.m. Saturday, April 26, on a report of a disturbance. Upon arrival, they found an allegedly intoxicated woman acting disorderly. While attempting to arrest her, the woman allegedly kicked one of the officers on his upper leg.

A proposal to reuse a bridge McLeod County is replacing near Lester Prairie to span the Crow River in Hutchinson has been scrapped.

City Engineer Kent Exner told the City Council last week the logistics of moving the 140-ton County Road 84 bridge and the cost “kind of rules it out” as a replacement for the former Dakota Rail trestle near Fifth Avenue Southeast.

Hutchinson property owners who want to appeal their property valuations should attend the local board of equalization meeting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, at the Hutchinson City Center, 111 Hassan St. S.E., Hutchinson.

A countywide Board of Appeal and Equalization will meet 9 a.m. Monday, June 16, at the County Boardroom at the County Courthouse, 830 E. 11th Street, Glencoe.

For more information, call the County Auditor’s office at (320) 864-1255.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)