No Section

State briefs: Veterans Cemetery in Preston set to be dedicated May 29

May 21, 2016 at 9:38PM

The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs will dedicate the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Preston on May 29.

A pre-event concert is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and the event will begin at 2 p.m. at the flag assembly area.

Mark Brunswick

@markabrunswick

ST. CLOUD

Medical marijuana clinic poised for June 6 opening

The first medical marijuana clinic in St. Cloud will open its doors June 6.

The state will see a flurry of cannabis dispensary openings in coming months. The two companies the state selected to grow, process and sell medical marijuana have until July 1 to open five more clinics — a timetable the Legislature set when it legalized medical marijuana last session.

LeafLine Labs will open its St. Cloud clinic, the company's second storefront, in a strip mall at 141 33rd Av. S. Minnesota's tightly regulated program is open to patients with one of nine serious, physician-certified medical conditions, including seizure disorders, muscular dystrophy and certain cancers and terminal illnesses.

Currently, there are three clinics in the entire state. LeafLine, which operates a clinic in Eagan, will also be opening care centers in Hibbing and St. Paul. The state's other medical cannabis company, Minnesota Medical Solutions, has clinics in Minneapolis and Rochester and will be opening two more in Bloomington and Moorhead. For more information: mn.gov/medicalcannabis.

JENNIFER BROOKS

@stribrooks

Stearns County

New county administrator hired from city of St. Cloud

Stearns County will get a new administrator this summer.

Mike Williams, who now holds that job for the city of St. Cloud, will take over at the county on July 11.

County commissioners voted unanimously last week to hire Williams at an annual salary of $160,000.

Williams has 30 years of administration experience including in South Dakota, Iowa and Maine. He is taking the seat after the retirement of 28-year county administrator George Rindelaub, who retired in March.

Pam Louwagie

@pamlouwagie

Willmar

State Patrol names Willmar man top trooper

The State Patrol has named a Willmar officer its 2015 Trooper of the Year.

Sgt. Dennis Koenen, 54, has been "a consistent performer" with the State Patrol since he started in 1986, according to a news release. He has maintained "a positive, respectful attitude toward work and life despite seeing more than his share of death and destruction," the statement said.

Koenen, who is part of the State Patrol's St. Cloud District, is its representative in the Kandiyohi Safe Communities Coalition.

He is set to retire this year.

Jenna Ross @ByJenna