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Index
Auctions........................................... C2-3 Business............................................... A3 Courts / Crime............................... A9-10
Education............................................. B1 Faith & Values...................................... B2 Obituaries............................................ B3
Sunday, August 2, 2026 Volume 58 • No. 23 $ 2
Royal Loven remembered as heart of Swanville
Former mayor, businessman leaves legacy of service, generosity and laughter
SHEILA MCCOY Morrison County Record
The Swanville community is mourning one of its most beloved residents— Royal Loven, who died Sunday, July 26. Besides leaving behind countless relationships with family and friends he treasured deeply, he also leaves behind several legacies that continue to bless people today.
In many hearts, Royal, in all his kindness, intelligence, service-oriented and joyful spirit simply was Swanville.
“ He was so caring and generous,” said Alexis Loven of Swanville, who is his first grandchild.
Royal’ s journey in life began on April 25, 1945 in Seattle, Washington. Born to the late Raymond and Delila( Johnson) Loven, he grew up in Swanville, where he attended school and graduated from Swanville High School in 1963. He later met Sandee Tabatt at a dance in Little Falls and before long, they were courting and married on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 1966. She was the love of his life and it was evident for all to see. As written in his obituary,
SOAKED IN SMILES
“ together they built a life centered on family, hard work and service to their community.”
Reflecting on their father’ s life, Kyle Loven of Ft. Myers, Florida, and Jay Loven of Swanville said he was like no other dad. Many of their most treasured memories are of Royal playing ball with them in the front yard after supper just about every night during summer and fall. If they ever needed help, someone to talk to or a loan, he was there. That is how Royal is remembered by many. He was there for people in good and bad times, always ready to be a friend, a dad, a grandfather and later, a great-grandfather.
“ He’ d go out and throw us passes in the yard. One of us would play defense, one of us would run out and be the receiver and I have very good memories of that. We would do that for an hour or two, just running patterns and playing catch. He’ d instruct us, too. Of course, if we dropped too many balls, he was never happy about that, but it kind of helped sharpen our skills. That is a very fond memory I can recall,”
SHEILA MCCOY / MORRISON COUNTY RECORD
See ROYAL | PAGE 2
Children and staff with Kidspace at Pierz Public Schools squeals with delight as a bucket cascades water over them at the Little Falls Splash Pad on Thursday, July 30.
Swift Current details proposed 400 – 500 megawatt wind project in eastern Morrison County
JEFFREY HAGE Morrison County Record
LITTLE FALLS— What could become one of Minnesota’ s largest wind farms is being proposed for eastern Morrison County.
Swift Current Energy, a Texas-based renewable energy company, is considering a 25,000-acre area for the Northwoods Wind Project. The 400- to 500-megawatt development could include 80 to 100 turbines.
Joey Shannon, senior director of development for Swift Current Energy, presented the proposal Tuesday to the Morrison County Board. Commissioners were not asked to take action.
“ We really are viewing ourselves as a potential long-term corporate citizen, where our employees of the project would potentially live and be a part of this community for the next 30 to 50 years,” Shannon said.
The project is still in its early stages. Swift Current hopes to have it ready to build by 2029, with construction possibly beginning in 2030 or 2031.
“ We really are viewing ourselves as a potential long-term corporate citizen, where our employees of the project would potentially live and be a part of this community for the next 30 to 50 years.”
Joey Shannon, Swift Current Energy
Could be among state’ s largest
The wind farm would be built along an upgraded 230-kilovolt transmission line running from the Lastrup and Pierz area south toward Buckman and the Benton County line. Hillman and Bradbury are on the northeastern side of the proposed project area.
Swift Current has secured more than 100 land leases within the area being studied.
“ This project in particular is a
potentially 400- to 500-megawatt project,” Shannon said.“ You’ re talking about 80 to 100 potential turbines as part of this project.”
Each turbine could generate between 3 and 6 megawatts. The turbines would have rotor diameters of 400 to 450 feet and stand between 500 and 700 feet tall when measured to the tip of a raised blade.
They would be placed about 1,500 to 2,500 feet apart. Final locations would depend on topography, environmental studies and other siting requirements.
County Board Chair Greg Blaine said a wind farm of that size would be significant, even when compared with the large wind developments in southwestern Minnesota.
“ A 400-megawatt project in Minnesota is big,” Blaine said.“ If you talk about a single project, this would be one of the largest ever in Minnesota.”
Swift Current was founded in 2016 and has grown from about a dozen employees in 2021 to more than 100.
School board exploring nearly $ 17.3 million high school project
See WIND | PAGE 6
JEFFREY HAGE
Royal Loven
Morrison County Record
A $ 9.6 million air-handling system is the centerpiece of a proposed $ 17.27 million indoor air quality and mechanical improvement project at Little Falls Community High School.
The remaining approximately $ 7.7 million is not a cost increase but represents the electrical, ceiling, sprinkler and related work needed to install the equipment and complete improvements across about 110,000 square feet of the high school.
Mark Diehl, the district’ s executive director of operations, said the largest share of the project involves installing new air-handling equipment above the school auditorium. Completing that work will require adjustments to several interconnected building systems.
“ There’ s a lot of different things that have to happen,” Diehl said.“ All said and done, you get to a total of $ 17,272,000.”
The Little Falls School Board took the first steps toward financing the project by including it in the district’ s updated 10-year long-term facilities maintenance plan.
Superintendent Greg Johnson said the project is necessary and too extensive to finance through the district’ s regular annual maintenance allocation.
The district must submit documentation to the Minnesota Department of Education explaining why the work is needed and demonstrating that it meets state requirements. Steve Pumper of PMA Financial Advisors said state law allows school boards to issue bonds for qualifying indoor air quality projects without first seeking voter approval.
Pumper said the district expects the project to receive state approval based on the information available.
The board’ s action does not authorize an immediate bond sale. It states the district’ s intent to issue the bonds and allows officials to begin the state approval and financing process.
“ We are not taking action on issuing LTFM bonds tonight,” Pumper said.“ We’ ll come back in the fall for that once we have approval from the Minnesota Department
Platte River Day................................. A8 Public Notices................................. B4-5 Public Safety.............................. A11-13
See PROJECT | PAGE 6
Puzzle Page....................................... A11 Sports.......................................... A14-16 Viewpoint........................................ A4-5
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2026 Little Falls Arts and Crafts Fair / 43