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Tag: Albert Lea

  • Man, 28, accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting Zimmerman girl

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    An International Falls man accused of abducting a 7-year-old girl in central Minnesota on Wednesday now faces charges.

    Joseph Bragg, 28, is charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of criminal sexual conduct, according to court documents. 

    Bragg allegedly took the girl after she got off her school bus in Zimmerman, Minnesota, around 4 p.m. Authorities found the two in Albert Lea, Minnesota, around 1 a.m. Thursday and took the man into custody. 

    According to the complaint, the girl’s mother called police after learning that she was not with her father or her grandmother. A neighbor’s doorbell footage showed the girl walking home from the bus stop, and then turning back, out of view. 

    The mother told police that in December, she had an unusual online interaction with Bragg on Facebook. He had added her, and the two had talked briefly before she blocked him, the complaint states.

    During their interaction, Bragg asked whether she had children, and said he wanted children of his own, documents say. 

    Law enforcement identified Bragg as a suspect, and learned he had access to a rental vehicle. Using cell phone location data, investigators learned that he was traveling south towards Iowa, the criminal complaint says. Shortly thereafter, authorities issued an AMBER alert.

    Around midnight on Thursday, an Albert Lea officer saw a white pickup truck at a gas station that matched the vehicle information. He conducted a traffic stop and found the girl in the back seat, charges say.

    According to the complaint, investigators learned that Bragg had taken the girl to a hotel in Plymouth, Minnesota. The girl told police that she was in the hotel room with Bragg, and he had sexually assaulted her. Bragg did not provide a statement to law enforcement, the complaint says.

    Hundreds of public safety personnel and volunteers aided in searching for the girl. 

    In:

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    WCCO Staff

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  • 1 day after judge orders release of Minneapolis resident Garrison Gibson, agents re-arrest him at immigration check-in

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    A Liberian Minnesotan is back in custody Friday, his lawyer said, a day after a judge ordered him released because federal agents broke down his door in Minneapolis to arrest him without a judicial warrant.

    The dramatic arrest of Garrison Gibson last weekend by armed immigration agents using a battering ram was captured on video. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan ruled the arrest unlawful on Thursday, but Gibson was detained again when he appeared at an immigration office, attorney Marc Prokosch said.

    “We were there for a check-in and the original officer said, ‘This looks good, I’ll be right back,’” Prokosch said. “And then there was a lot of chaos, and about five officers came out and then they said, ‘We’re going to be taking him back into custody.’ I was like, ‘Really, you want to do this again?’”

    The Department of Homeland Security has been ramping up immigration arrests in Minnesota in what the department has called its largest enforcement operation. DHS says its officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since Nov. 29.

    Marc Prokosch, Gibson’s attorney, said Thursday was “thrilled” by the judge’s order. He had filed a habeas corpus petition, used by courts to determine if an imprisonment is legal, and called the arrest a “blatant constitutional violation” since the agents did not have a proper warrant.

    Gibson’s wife was inside their Minneapolis home with the couple’s 9-year-old child during the raid. Prokosch said she was deeply shaken by the arrest.

    Gibson, 37, was being held at an immigration detention center in Albert Lea after being held at a large camp on the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas, according to ICE’s detainee locator.  

    A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers arrest Garrison Gibson on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis.

    John Locher / AP


    DHS did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment on the order and has not responded to a prior email with follow-up questions about Gibson’s case.

    Gibson, who fled the Liberian civil war as a child, had been ordered removed from the U.S., apparently because of a 2008 drug conviction that was later dismissed by the courts. He had remained in the country legally under what’s known as an order of supervision, with the requirement that he meet regularly with immigration authorities.

    Only days before his arrest, Gibson had checked in with immigration authorities at regional immigration offices — the same building where agents have been staging enforcement raids in recent weeks.

    Bryan said in his Thursday order that he agrees with Gibson’s assertions that since he had already been released on an order of supervision, officials “violated applicable regulations” by not giving him enough notice that it had been revoked and the reasoning, as well as not providing him an interview right after he was detained.

    Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department, had said that Gibson has “a lengthy rap sheet (that) includes robbery, drug possession with intent to sell, possession of a deadly weapon, malicious destruction and theft.” She did not indicate if those were arrests, charges or convictions.

    Court records indicate Gibson’s legal history shows only the one felony in 2008, along with a few traffic violations, minor drug arrests and an arrest for riding public transportation without paying the fare.

    The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — has been wracked by fear and anger in the aftermath of the killing of Renee Good, who was shot Jan. 7 during a confrontation with agents. On Wednesday, a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle.

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    CBS Minnesota

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  • New oat-processing operation in Albert Lea now has the city’s tallest building

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    Sep. 18—Facility expected to be operational by August

    More than 200 people attended an event Saturday at Wedgewood Cove Golf Club, where the founders and co-owners of Green Acres Milling provided an update on the construction of their new oat processing operation off of 14th Street in the Jobs Industrial Park in Albert Lea.

    As of last week, the company now has the tallest building in Albert Lea with the construction of the new 120-foot tall mill structure, said Matt Kruger, director of strategy and development for Green Acres Milling.

    Kruger said everyone from farmer-owners-investors and food company partners were in attendance at the event, hearing updates not only about the construction phase but also about when the company will be operational. They also reviewed the end-products, including food-grade groats, kernels and oat flour. There was also discussion on the nutritional health benefits of oats, as well as sustainability stories for growing oats, and the benefits that beef operators can have through planting oats as cover crop.

    Kruger said the mill be a significant contributor in strengthening the region’s food system, expanding market opportunities for local farmers, creating and retaining wealth in rural communities and promoting good soil health and environmental resiliency.

    When operational, Green Acres Milling is expected to produce 57 million pounds of groats annually — or the equivalent of 40,000 acres worth of oats. The product will be allergen-free, domestically sourced and traceable to the origin.

    There are 110 farmer-owner-investors who are part of the project, including from Minnesota, Iowa and other neighboring states.

    Kruger said crews started pouring the foundation in June, and the oat milling facility was erected last week with about 100 crew members, using a slipform pour. The crews poured concrete into a form around the clock, with hydraulic jacks raising the form one inch every almost four minutes until the structure was about 120 feet. It took from Monday until Friday morning for the process, utilizing 220 trucks of concrete.

    Two new warehouses — one for byproduct and one for the actual product — will also be constructed this winter, and work will also be done this fall to to install equipment inside the mill structure. The processing company is expected to be fully operational by August 2026.

    Kruger said the company is expected to create 25 new jobs.

    Company leaders, as well as representatives from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Steward, Albert Lea Mayor Rich Murray and Albert Lea Economic Development Agency Executive Director Phillip Johnson also went out to the site and posed for a photo with shovels with the new structure behind them.

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  • A look inside the United States’ first-ever certified “Blue Zone” located in Minnesota

    A look inside the United States’ first-ever certified “Blue Zone” located in Minnesota

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    Albert Lea residents reflect on Blue Zone certification


    Albert Lea residents reflect on Blue Zone certification

    03:15

    ALBERT LEA, Minn.  — Living to 100 may seem like a major feat, but there are communities around the world where it’s common — they’re called “Blue Zones.”

    Minnesota native Dan Buettner is one of the foremost experts on how they work. Buettner’s new Netflix documentary and New York Times bestsellers reveal the secret recipe to longevity.

    “It’s really what they’re not doing. They’re not doing anything consciously, and there’s where we get it wrong,” Buettner said. “We think we can resolve to get on the right diet, the right exercise program, supplement plan, superfoods, and get healthier. But it never works.”

    Buettner said that the “superagers” are often walking outside, having spontaneous conversations with the people they bump into, having a smaller dinner, and eating mostly a whole food, plant-centric diet.

    Several years ago, a Minnesota community decided it wanted families to follow his guidance. Albert Lea made headlines in 2016 when it became the first community in the country to be a certified Blue Zones community.

    READ MORE: Longevity-prone geographic “Blue Zones” hold clues for how to live longer, healthier lives

    “I came to Albert Lea in 2008 with this crazy idea of doing this pilot project to help us live longer and better,” Cathy Malakowsy said.

    Neighbors like Mary Jo Volkman hopped on the bandwagon, living the Blue Zone life — with more movement, socializing and healthy eating habits.

    “I remember people getting together and walking all the time and going to people’s homes to have meals together,” Volkman said. 

    The community added more events, healthier school lunches and community spaces like dog parks — encouraging people to get together and get moving,

    The Mayo Clinic in Albert Lea hopped on board as the largest employer in town with similar values.

    “Getting people on board was easy. I think our challenge has been keeping it alive over this time. With anything, it’s going to ebb and flow,” Tricia Dahl with the Mayo Clinic said.

    Part of the blue zone build-out was constructing a walkway along the highway in Albert Lea so it allows residents to walk to the local Walmart and do their errands if they want. It’s also safer for pedestrians and cuts down on emissions from cars, moving them closer to their climate action goals.

    “We’ve added almost 13 new miles of sidewalks and user trails in town,” Malakowsy said.

    Employers like Arcadian Bank keep Blue Zones alive with their healthy vending options. They also have break rooms for nursing moms and workout spaces for movement and respite throughout the workday.

    “That’s what we’re trying to do is just make healthy habits available to people,” Jessica Tomschin said.

    According to the results of a self-reported survey, residents’ overall well-being, sense of community and sense of purpose is up.

    “So many people report that they are thriving. Albert Lea has really dropped in the percentages of people with high blood pressure, same with high cholesterol. For some reason we’re lagging with exercise,” Malakowsy said. “Our tobacco use has dropped down.”

    Of course, there are headwinds too.

    “Food continues to be our big challenge  — access to food on our south side of town,” Malakowsy said.

    But community leaders say trying to make life better for everyone brings the “it” factor to Albert Lea.

    “We figured out we’re a Blue Zones community, which is all about being a great place to live,” Malakowsy said.

    Erin Hassanzadeh


    erin-hassanzadeh.png

    Erin is back home in the Twin Cities after stops in South Korea and Omaha. The Jefferson High School grad (Go Jags!) is excited to get back to storytelling in the community that raised her.

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