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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
County employees recognized Page 25
Chatfield recognizes growth opportunity page
Monday, February 18, 2013
Near perfection
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page
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Volume 28 Issue 22
Spring Valley proposal approved page
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Harmony to purchase new ambulance page
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Canton l Chatfield l Fountain l Harmony l Lanesboro l Mabel l Ostrander l Peterson l Preston l Rushford l Rushford Village l Spring Valley l Whalan l Wykoff
Benefit for the Jeche family clavicle, fractured vertebrae and multiple broken ribs on the right barb@fillmorecountyjournal.com side of her body. She has had Several months after a severe several surgeries to reconstruct car accident friends and family her clavicle and her severely broof the Dennis Jeche family are ken ribs. putting together a benefit to help Due to the serious multiple with expenses. Dennis, Brenda, injuries each family member susand Ashley Jeche were involved tained in the car accident, the in a the car accident in Goodhue Jeche family will not be able County on October 20, 2012. to return to work for a long As a result of the car accident period of time. Brenda has all of the Jeche family suffered returned to work at the Mayo from serious injuries. Brenda Clinic in Rochester, Minn., but was admitted to the hospital with on a very limited basis. Dennis, a concussion and also had fluid who works for Griffin Construcon the brain. tion of Chatfield, Minn., will Dennis was hospitalized and be unable to return to work for suffered from multiple fractured several months. Ashley works for ribs, a punctured lung, bruised Shari’s Sport Saloon & Lanes and kidneys, and also a separated will be unable to return to work right shoulder. Dennis has had for many months as well. one surgery on his right shoul- The benefit is being organized der and will be facing a second by Shari Allen, owner of Shari’s surgery on the shoulder in the Sports Saloon & Lanes, as well future. as Cheyanne Baker and Aman Ashley was in the hospital with da Karver among others. The many serious injuries including a money raised from the benefit punctured lung, a fractured right See JECHE Page 13 By Barb Jeffers
Heath Sershen is the new Director of Programs and Operations at the National Trout Center. Photo by Jade Sexton
National Trout Center has new director
on the Human Dimension of Brown Trout Angling. jade@fillmorecountyjournal.com “It’s all about the who, what, When Heath Sershen of when, where and why people Winona was in graduate school, choose to participate in recrehe set a goal that when he ational activities,” said Sershen. graduated, he would like to According to Sershen, trout work at a non-profit organiza- fishing is a mult-trillion dollar tion as a director. He wanted to industry; in this region alone teach people about brown trout $1.1 billion is spent annually and the driftless area. It seems on fishing. “It’s an average of Sershen has found his dream $200 per day for one person job. for local economies,” he said. Currently, Sershen is working That average includes the cost as the Director of the National of fishing equipment, lodging, Trout Center in Preston, and traveling, and dining. at the same time working on Sershen has always loved fishgetting his Master Degree in ing, especially trout fishing in outdoor education. While in the Preston area. He learned college, Sershen wrote a paper from his dad how to build his By Jade Sexton
own rods and how to enjoy fishing. He is now passing that along to his three-year-old son. So far, Sershen is having a great time with his new position as Director of Programs and Operations. What this means is that Sershen is in charge of garnering and implementing funding for the National Trout Center. He is currently the only paid employee, and is paid through the city of Preston. Eventually they would like to be their own entity apart from the city. Targeting organizations and developing partnerships is what See NTC DIRECTOR Page 10
Appellate Court reverses lower court on State Trail - Remands to District Court for further findings By K aren R eisner karen@fillmorecountyjournal.com
This decision may be a signal the case is nearing the end of the road or may just be another sharp curve in the long time effort to build a state trail from Preston to Forestville State Park. The decision of the court of appeals remands the case to the district court because in the appellate court’s opinion the district court failed to explain its
“analysis or interpretation of the statutory language.” The district court had determined that the trail segment was authorized by the state legislature as a segment of the Blufflands Trail system (Minnesota Stat. 85.015, subd. 7(b) and 86A.05, subd. 4). The Minnesota Court of Appeals opinion was handed down by a three-judge panel including Stauber, Halbrooks, See EMINENT DOMAIN Page 14
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