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POSTAL PATRON
March 12
“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Mandt, Tekautz, and Thomas Grapple to State page
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Spring Valley wall repairs slowed page
Monday, March 6, 2017
R-P modifies trapshooting
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page
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Volume 32 Issue 24
County approves rezoning requests
Horses, Horses, Horses Section page
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Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Local Mixed Martial Arts fighter finds success
Who will you nominate as the Teacher of the Year for 2017? By Jason Sethre jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com
“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions,” someone once said. That’s profound, if you stop and think about it. Who was your favorite teacher and why? Even as an adult, nearly everyone can name off the list of teachers they had for each grade. Undoubtedly, today’s children are our future leaders. Teachers play an important role in the development of
our children, and that’s why the Fillmore County Journal has partnered with area businesses such as Drury’s Furniture, Harmony Foods, Preston Foods, Rushford Foods, and Ody’s Country Meats & Catering to present an opportunity to recognize the best of the best in our local education systems. Collectively, these local businesses have put together something pretty special for one very deserving teacher. See TOP TEACHER Page 19
Local liquor retailers reluctantly accept move toward Sunday sales By Tim Little tim@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Chatfield native Chad Curry is quickly making his way up the ranks of Mixed Marital Arts fighters. Photos by Jesse Kelley and RFA By K irsten Zoellner kirsten@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Chatfield native Chad Curry spent his high school wrestling career earning win after win, ending his career with a second place finish in the Minnesota State High School wrestling tournament in 2008. But, finding athletic success in a professional arena is hardly the usual outcome, despite being the dreams of many. Curry has found a way to not only do it, but with impressive resolve as a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter. Mixed Martial Arts is a fastgrowing, full-contact sport evolving from various disciplines including wrestling, boxing, kick-boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, and
several other forms of martial arts. Fighters use a variety of strategies through striking or grappling techniques to overpower their opponents or earn a win through point decision. The cage arena is carefully regulated, but fighters must have quick reflexes, effective control, and the fortitude to take the hits and keep on going. “My father-in-law, Troy Swancutt, introduced me to the sport,” says Curry. “He was a big fan of it before I even knew what it was.” Curry was instantly intrigued by the sport. “I kept saying how that I thought I could do it, when watching on television, but I was too scared to pull the trigger. I worried it would interfere with family life.” His
biggest supporter though, his wife, Amanda, was the catalyst that started his surprise career. “One day when I came home, she said, ‘Get a gym bag ready and grab a buddy. I signed you up for one of the best gyms in the state.’” Curry began training in December 2010. He trains with Mario Roberto Jui-Jitsu Academy in Rochester. For Curry, it’s typically daily discipline in Jui-Jitsu, Thai boxing, wrestling, weight training, and conditioning. Finding time to train, alongside the rigors of full-time work and family life, is difficult. “Typically two workouts a day, one before going to work from 4:30 a.m. until 6:30 a.m., then work all See CURRY Page 2
The state Senate voted last Monday (February 27) to repeal the ban on off-sale Sunday liquor sales and allow Minnesota liquor stores to open on Sundays. Since the House has already passed a companion bill, passage of a final bill to end the 159-year-old ban on Sunday sales in Minnesota is a virtual certainty. According to an article in the Pioneer Press, State Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, chief sponsor of the Senate bill, said it will be hard to stop the momentum of repealing the Sunday sales ban, which he said consumers want. “During my time in the Senate, I have not seen a stronger grass-roots effort by the people to get something done,” Miller said. “The people have spoken loud and clear on this issue.” The Senate version of the bill differs from the House bill in that the Senate bill opens Sunday sales from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Prices Effective March 6th - March 12th, 2017
while the House version sets a 10 a.m. start time. The bill will now go to a conference committee and then back to both chambers for a re-vote before reaching the governor’s desk. Governor Mark Dayton has promised to sign the law if the bill comes to his desk. Minnesota is one of just 12 states that still ban Sunday liquor sales. Surrounded by states that open their liquor stores seven days a week, proponents of removing the ban say cross-border beer runs into Wisconsin, North and South Dakota and Iowa on Sundays cost the state precious tax collections. Opponents from liquor industry organizations like the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association argue that allowing Sunday sales wouldn’t net stores more profit, but would increase costs, hurting small-town liquor stores the most. Tim Lanning, owner of TJ’s Liquor in Spring Valley, expressed mixed feelings about repeal of the See LIQUOR Page 20