Minnesota briefs: Isanti County businesses settle bitter father-son feud

A bitter father-son feud that split a family business and left a trail of confused customers has been settled.

Steve Strandlund and Steve Strandlund Jr. agreed to end a lawsuit over their competing excavation businesses, attorneys said last week.

The pair had worked together for nearly 20 years in Strandlund Sr.'s business, Dirtworks. Last year, after a disagreement over succession plans, the younger Strandlund left and started his own business, Dirtworks 2.

The existence of two excavating businesses named Dirtworks, both owned by Steve Strandlund, led to confusion, with multiple customers thinking they were dealing with one business when they were actually dealing with the other.

As part of the settlement, Strandlund Jr. agreed to change the name of his business to DW Cos. LLC.

John Reinan

A training program for veterinary technicians at Rochester Community and Technical College is cutting ties with a Chatfield chinchilla breeder after receiving investigative reports of mistreated animals.

In the e-mails, a college official said that faculty members had not personally witnessed mistreatment but that the report persuaded them it would be best to discontinue student visits.

John Reinan

Breckenridge's corporate limits got a bit larger, as the city this month annexed about 3 acres of land on its southeastern edge. The land "is about to become urban in character," said the annexation ordinance passed by the City Council, which said "the annexation will be in the best interest of the City of Breckenridge."

The annexed land is in Breckenridge Township, which will lose $10.48 in property taxes with the annexation but agreed to absorb the loss.

The council also voted to devote $1.5 million in new funding to the South Side drainage project. The money is coming from the flood hazard mitigation grant program of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.