Eden Lake Township resident Arlis Sayler, a retired agricultural engineer and project manager, is running to represent House District 13A in the Minnesota House of Representatives. This is an open seat in a district that covers much of Stearns County.

Sayler, a member of the DFL, grew up on a dairy farm, worked in the North Dakota oil fields for two years after high school, then earned a degree in agricultural engineering, according to a release. He spent 35 years with Cargill, as a supervisor, plant manager, operations manager and project team leader. He plans to bring his knowledge of farm and food systems, project management, problem solving and capital planning at a time of massive disruption to our economy and communities after unprecedented federal action in the state to the Minnesota House.

“I spent my career fixing systems that were broken,” Sayler said in a release. “The roving patrols of masked federal agents in Minnesota are continuing and the impact on our economy, our workers, our business owners, our schools, our children and families will require a long recovery. I am seeking the Minnesota House 13A position because I want to be part of that long-term work to help rebuild Minnesota’s economy, and our small town and rural communities.”

If elected, Sayler would like to:

• Serve on the Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee: To build on his life’s work related to farming, rural development, and technology and strengthen Minnesota’s agricultural economy
• Work on rural health care: Attract doctors and nurses to rural areas; address long distances to care; promote policies to sustain rural hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities, which face risks of closure and service reductions; address disparities in health insurance premiums, which often are more expensive in greater Minnesota compared to the Twin Cities metro area; address farmers’ and small business owners’ loss of federal tax credits for purchasing coverage on the health insurance marketplace.
• Restore Public Safety and Local Control: Sayler is calling for an end to federal overreach that bypasses the U.S. Constitution, steps over local law enforcement and threatens legal gun owners and peaceful residents.

The word of the day Sunday in southern Minnesota was “challenging,” with snow conditions making roads difficult to navigate.

In the early morning hours, when the snow was falling the fastest, Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesperson Mike Dougherty said that up to four plows ended up in temporary trouble, requiring help from other trucks to get back on the road.

“There were times there with the snow rate and snow visibility that it was really challenging,” Dougherty said.

By about 3 p.m., MnDOT closed Interstate 35 south of Albert Lea in coordination with the State of Iowa, which shut down its portion of the interstate starting at the Minnesota border.

Beyond that closure, as of Sunday evening, other highways remained open. Dougherty said that this is subject to change based on variables related to strong winds, which could reduce visibility or otherwise complicate highway travel.

In Owatonna, the local roads weren’t much easier to navigate on Sunday after sunrise. WCCO was there to capture total strangers helping each other after a sedan got stuck on the I-35 off-ramp into town. Two truckers who said they were from Ukraine were the first to stop, shoveling snow in front of the car and giving a much-needed push.

When that wasn’t enough, Owatonna neighbor Michael Falvey had just the fix. He arrived with the know-how and equipment to tow the sedan clear of the heavy snow that had accumulated on the ramp.

“That took five minutes,” Falvey said. “I made their day, hopefully.”

It was clear he did, with the drivers telling him they had first gotten stuck at about 5 a.m. The rescuers didn’t arrive until about 9 a.m.

Steele County activated members of the Minnesota National Guard brought in to the Owatonna Armory at about that same time. Guard members hit the road in what’s known as a Small Unit Support Vehicle (SUSV), designed to easily navigate snow and ice. With about a foot on the ground in some spots, that kind of gear was a necessity, launching to at least one rescue mission Sunday morning.

By mid-day, Steele County had tracked at least 10 reports of stalled cars, according to Kristen Sailer, director of the Steele County Emergency Management. According to the county’s highway department, their crews were responsible for the mileage equivalent of a drive from Owatonna to Chicago and back.

“It’s a mess out there,” Sailer said.

In Allendale, about 25 people were already making use of the local shelter.

But on a day of extremes, others found a way to maintain their original plans. That includes bowlers in Owatonna Sunday for the state bowling tournament, which went on as planned.