Section B • Friday, December 30, 2011 • Albert Lea Tribune
Child’s tragic death tops the year in news for area By Albert Lea Tribune If 2010 was unusual in how it had so much in terms of major news stories — tornadoes, floods, scandals — compared to most years, then 2011 in the Albert Lea area was unusual in how it had so much less than a normal year. It was the yin to 2010’s yang. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t have news. Here are the top 10 stories of 2011 for the Albert Lea area as voted upon by the Albert Lea Tribune’s news staff.
1.
Pickup kills 7-year-old girl near Kensett
No one gets into journalism to write news like the sentence that appeared on the Albert Lea Tribune website the morning of May 10 and in the print edition the next day: “A 7-yearold girl was struck and killed by a truck Tuesday morning as she walked across the road to board a Northwood-Kensett school bus.” Near 7:45 a.m. that day, Kadyn Jade Halverson began another day by crossing Worth County Road S52 at her babysitter’s house to get on a school bus. The smiley, bubbly, blue-eyed blonde girl loved to go to school. The lights were flashing on the bus. The stop arm was extended. But a driver of a red 2002 Chevy Silverado pickup blew through the stop arm, hit the girl sending her 60 feet into a ditch, then continued on. The suspect, apprehended later, was Aaron Gunderson, a 31-year-old man from Northwood. Her aunt said: “She was always excited to go and she liked doing her homework, too. She was the happiest, most energetic little girl. She was always excited to see everyone. There were lots of hugs and kisses.” In July, dozens of people gathered in Northwood at the high school track for a candlelight vigil. People recalled how the girl liked riding on farm equipment or how she put on puppet shows. A reverend said Kadyn never waited to tell people caring or loving words. In September, Gunderson was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an injury accident resulting in death. The court documents alleged he was driving at 60 mph at the time and said he tested positive for marijuana use. The investigation found he had more than 3,000 feet to notice the bus and witnesses said he reportedly stopped for a moment, then fled. He was headed to a place 1 1/2 miles south and west of the scene. There, he spoke with a friend, investigators said. He told the man he had hit a deer when he passed a school bus and said he “hoped it was not a kid.” He also told the man he had an eye disorder and ought not be driving. Gunderson pleaded not guilty to the charges. In November, he asked for a change of venue to a court outside of Worth
Jake Rajewsky/The Globe Gazette
A 7-year-old Worth County girl was killed May 10 by a hit-and-run driver as she prepared to get on the school bus in rural Kensett.
Submitted photo
Kadyn Halverson with her mother, Kari Halverson, and with Ryan Meyer of Kensett.
Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea Tribune
Spc. Shaun Willaby drives the new MaxxPro Plus MRAP, or Mine Resistant Armor Protected vehicle, in November at Camp Buehring in Kuwait.
Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea Tribune
Soldiers from Delta Company put on their gear after platoon leaders checked over everyone’s equipment in May. The soldiers, many from the Albert Lea area, were heading out to a training at one of the ranges set up at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. County. In the week before Christmas, the judge ordered a hearing for Jan. 6 to discuss a possible plea bargain in the case. Residents dedicated a memorial in September near the Northwood swimming pool.
2.
Guard deploys to Kuwait The Minnesota National Guard announced on Jan. 23 that it would prepare for its secondlargest deployment since World War II. It would send more than 2,400 members to Iraq and
Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea Tribune
Pfc. Aaron Enderson, of Hayward, sits in his room one night in November at Camp Buehring in Kuwait.
Kuwait. They were to provide base and convoy security as the United States begins its drawdown of troops in Iraq. But first, it said, they would go to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin in May for training. And that’s just what happened. Also, the Albert Lea community gathered to prepare to support families. The American Red Cross offered a class on coping with deployments. And the Albert Lea unit of the National Guard — Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division — held a change of command ceremony in April. Capt. Sam Andrews passed command to Capt. Steven Wayne. On May 31, nearly 600 people attended a deployment ceremony at the Albert Lea Armory. Hugs were visible nearly everywhere. The Patriot Guard arrived to escort the colors. Speakers included state Rep. Rich Murray. The soldiers departed for Fort McCoy, and in late June, the Albert Lea Tribune sent reporter Kelli Lageson to Fort McCoy to report on their training. They trained on gunnery skills, rifle
marksmanship, Mideastern cultural awareness, Arabic language and negotiating, among other tasks. Before the soldiers left for Kuwait in mid-July there was a family picnic. The civic organization, Serving Our Troops, served soldiers and family members a free steak dinner. And a new group called the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon of Albert Lea was working to make itself better known. The group focuses on assisting family members while soldiers are away. Finally, in August, the last wave of the 2,400 departed. In October, the Tribune told its readers that it would send Lageson to Kuwait. She would fly from Minneapolis to Kuwait City on Nov. 4 and go to a base away from the city in the desert. There, she would stay for a week and produce stories, photos, videos and blog entries for the Tribune and its sister paper, the Austin Daily Herald. In that week in November, she gave readers insight into where soldiers slept, the work they performed, the risks they
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