🌱 Sex Offender Registers New Address + Missing Rochester Man Found

Hello again, everybody! It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Patch newsletter. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening locally.

But first, your local weather:

• Monday: Partly sunny and windy. High: 42 Low: 28.
• Tuesday: Warmer with plenty of sun. High: 50 Low: 34.

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

1. A level three sex offender has registered a new address with the Rochester Police. The Police have issued a community notification concerning 41-year-old Brian Joseph Miller who has been designated as a level three predatory offender. As of Apr. 12, he is now living in the 600 block of 2nd Street Southwest. Officials say Miller has a history of sexual conduct and contact with known and unknown women, including holding the victim against her will. He has been civilly committed as a sexually dangerous and psychopathic personality. (KROC-AM)
2. The Rochester Water Reclamation Plant needs a $69 million upgrade to replace old equipment and meet federal regulations. City staff says 90 percent of the design documents have been completed after years of the project being in the planning stages. The replacement of equipment is needed to keep up with the stringent limits the federal government has for phosphorus discharge. The city has collected $9M in grant funding so far for the project and looks to pursue state loan financing and other funding sources to minimize the impact on local property taxes. The upgrades would be done in phases so the plant can remain operational. (kroc.com)
3. The family of Thomas McElroy, a Rochester man who went missing last December, has confirmed that the body found near Kutzky Park is his. McElroy, who left St. Marys Hospital in the early hours of Dec. 27, was last seen near 11th Avenue SW and was not dressed for the weather. (KTTC)

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Today and tomorrow in Rochester-Mason City:

Monday, April 17

• Friends Bookstore, At Rochester Library (11:00 AM)

Tuesday, April 18

• The Wildwoods, At Forager Brewery (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• In case you missed it: Mayor Kim Norton and the City of Rochester are encouraging residents to get up and move this spring as part of the Spring Fit City Challenge. The challenge has been created in collaboration with many community partners and is running now through May 31. (City of Rochester, MN Government via Facebook)
• The city of Mason City would like to remind residents of a road construction project for sewer repair. The project will be taking place on the 400 block of North Pennsylvania Avenue. The construction is estimated to last one week and alternate routes will be in place. (City of Mason City - Government via Facebook)
• During last week's national celebration of telecommunicators, the Mason City Fire Department sent out a post thanking the Public Safety Telecommunicators for all the hard work they do. The fire department says "We rely on them to be a calm, helpful voice on the other side of the radio no matter what is going on in the emergency. We could not do our job without them." (Mason City Fire Department via Facebook)

Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! See you all soon for another update.

— 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.