Harmony
Septic system case goes from criminal to civil
Misdemeanor charges have been dropped against a Fillmore County couple accused of failing to get a building permit before starting on construction of a house and failing to install a "gray water system" for waste water, which they argue doesn't comply with their Amish religious beliefs.
Instead, the Fillmore County attorney has filed a suit against Ammon and Sarah Swartzentruber, seeking to make the couple destroy and remove the dwelling. A judge this week granted the county a temporary restraining order to halt any further construction or occupation of the building.
The Swartzentrubers are accused of building without a permit on an agricultural section of land near the small town of Harmony. The house under construction is the fourth dwelling on a 40-acre parcel, where only two are allowed. It was being built without a wastewater treatment system in compliance with the county's zoning ordinances and state law, the suit alleges.
County Attorney Brett Corson said a civil suit is "probably just a better forum to have a discussion for both of the parties about the building and whether there's any constitutional issues."
A hearing in the suit is scheduled for late January. The Swartzentrubers were listed in court files as representing themselves. They could not be reached for comment.
Pam Louwagie @pamlouwagie
Ash River
Lodge destroyed by fire
A fire wiped out the lodge at the Ash-Ka-Nam Lodge and Resort in northern Minnesota last week.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Department responded to the fire and reported that it appeared to have started in the resort's restaurant. "The restaurant was destroyed by fire," the department said in a news release.
