Houston County Sheriff Doug Ely, at left, presented Minnesota State Trooper Kelley McGraw with a plaque for being voted County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year at the May 12 county board meeting. The award is presented each year to the officer who receives the most votes by his or her fellow law enforcement officers of Houston County. McGraw, who has been a State Trooper for 15 years, recently received two Life Saving Awards from the State Highway Patrol for two separate incidents that occurred last year. 
Photo by Charlie Warner

The second annual Lions Club Mother’s Day Raffle was a huge success, with over 1,500 raffle tickets sold, and over $6,500 donated to the Houston County Food Shelf.
The grand prize was a 98.3 second shopping spree put on by Quillins of Caledonia and KQYB-Hot Country Radio 98.3.
The grand prize winner, Amanda Newgaard of Mabel, decided to donate all of the groceries gathered up during the shopping spree to the food shelf. She did not wish to participate in the shopping spree, so local lawmen Houston County Sheriff Doug Ely and Caledonia Police Chief Randy Shefelbine did the honors.
Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. the Caledonia Quillins Store was a flurry of activity, as the two peace officers rushed about the store gathering up as many food products as possible in 98.3 seconds, while two TV crews and a newspaper photographer documented the event, and KQYB’s Phil Costigan did a live broadcast.
In the top photo Ely and Shefelbine worked over the meat department, while camera crews scurried around, and Costigan (at right) did his live play-by-play.
In the bottom photo Shefelbine gathers food, as he’s closely watched by one of the TV cameras.
The frantic shoppers were able to load up $486.20 worth of groceries in 98.3 seconds.
Photos by Charlie Warner

These young fox kits were two of a family of four that had become a familiar sight, and much entertainment for Harley and Bea Doering of rural Caledonia recently. The kits became quite used to humans, and Harley decided it was time to live trap them last weekend and take them out into the woods. Before he did, however, he called The Argus to get a shot or two of the cute little kits.                                               Photo by Charlie Warner

Caledonia Area High School junior Brian Heim recently placed second in a state composition contest.          Photo by Charlie Warner

In the not too distant future folks living in the Caledonia area just might be saying, “I knew Brian Heim when…” The Caledonia Area High School junior is in the fast lane to becoming an accomplished classical music composer.