🌱 Ronald McDonald House $250,000 Donation + 111 Month Sentencing

Hello, hello! It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Rochester-Mason City Patch newsletter — here to explain all the most important things happening locally.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: Pleasant with plenty of sun. High: 74 Low: 49.
• Saturday: Pleasant with plenty of sun. High: 76 Low: 54.

From our sponsor:

Today’s Rochester-Mason City Patch newsletter is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. T-Mobile has invested billions to light up their best network ever, covering 99% of people in America with LTE, which helps to keep communities like ours informed and connected. We thank T-Mobile for their support and for making today’s Rochester-Mason City Patch newsletter possible.

Here are the top three stories today in Rochester-Mason City:

1. The Ronald McDonald House in Rochester received one of its largest donations ever at $250,000. The donation came from Tom Haugen and his family who have supported the house for years. The donation has been given in honor of Tom's late wife Sue who worked for the Mayo Clinic. The funds will be used for the day-to-day activities needed to run the house and will also be used for gardening which was a hobby of Sue's. (KIMT 3)
2. A 27-year-old Rochester man was sentenced to 111 months in prison for two gas station robberies. Adrick Deonte Mims pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery charges, resulting in the dismissal of other charges. He is already serving a separate prison sentence and will have his Olmsted County sentence served concurrently. Additionally, Mims must pay $1,526 in restitution to the robbed convenience stores. (Yahoo!)
3. The Olmsted County Attorney's Office has added a charge of second-degree manslaughter to the criminal complaint against Darius Pitchford, a Rochester man accused of child neglect. Pitchford is accused of removing his three-year-old son from the Emergency Department against medical advice, and the child was later found dead at home. The child's mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Olmsted Medical Center (OMC), alleging negligence in her son's care. The lawsuit was filed prior to the criminal charges against Pitchford, and a judge recently denied OMC's request to dismiss the lawsuit. (KROC News)

Interested in reaching our local readers with targeted messaging that drives traffic to your business? I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Today and tomorrow in Rochester-Mason City:

Friday, May 26

• Guitar Sale At Schmitt Music Rochester (All Day)

Saturday, May 27

• Live Music: Cole Allen At Bleu Duck Kitchen (10:00 AM)
• NA Meetings At First Presbyterian Church (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Volunteers worked on trails in Prairie Crossing Park in Rochester. The volunteers pulled invasive Garlic Mustard from the trails and then mulched the pathways so that the community can go out to the park and enjoy nice trails for the summer season. (City of Rochester, MN Government via Facebook)
• A road will be closed to thru traffic for six months starting next Tuesday, May 20. The closure will be between Illinois Avenue and California Avenue for a bridge replacement. A detour will be put in place until the project is complete. (City of Mason City - Government via Facebook)
• The Police Department in Rochester will be doing its Battle of the Badges blood drive on Jun. 5 -6. Show your support for team police and donate at the May Clinic bloodmobile at the north police station. You can also visit one of Mayo Clinic's other donation locations to give blood. (City of Rochester, MN Police Department via Facebook)

You're officially in the loop for today! I'll see you soon.

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.