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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Memorial Day Special Section
Wykoff audit report
Monday, May 21, 2018
Volume 33 Issue 35
Rushford A message to those 12 fillmore county men who Village projects served in the war of 1812still in school
Hurricane News
daniel knight BaBcock Peter g. Benway page 5 page 14 page nath 9 an Blood inside today’s journal page 10 alvin chrissey isaac farnsworth walton gates • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel henr•yOstrander elias andrew gray david Pickett James riddle tyler walker charles williams william woodward
Safety Day draws a crowd By R ich Wicks
fountain veterans memorial to Be dedicated June 9
rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
By R ich Wicks rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Honoring
Those who gave their all.
At the regular meeting of the Spring Valley City Council on May 14, the council considered bids that had been submitted regarding the removal of the Tourist Information Center (TIC). The bids varied in their price and details about what would be done, but the council chose to accept the bid from Mike and Julane Gehrking. The council also discussed whether to install a new building in the vacated spot, or an electronic sign. Members shared their opinion that in the age of smart phones, an actual building is not as needed as it once was, so the consensus was to save funds until an electronic sign can be installed at that site. Members
estimated such a sign may cost around $50,000, and will have two screens so it will be visible to motorists from both directions. Present at the meeting were Tony Archer, Todd Jones, Mayor Jim Struzyk, Jessy Betts, and city administrator Deb Zimmer. Mike Hadland was absent. The council heard from David Drown regarding the 2018A bond issue for the city’s street and utility project. He highlighted information regarding the proposed General Obligation Bonds, totaling roughly $5.8 million. The city continues to enjoy an “A+ Stable” rating from the S & P Global Ratings, which helps the city get better interest rates. See TOURIST CENTER Page 3
Mabel-Canton prioritizes for next year By R ich Wicks
Students take turns operating an actual fire hose. Photo by Rich Wicks I think, which is higher than our average.” Over the history of the event, the average attendance has been a little under 500. Cruse marvels at the generosity of the community in helping to make the event successful. He pointed out, “The thing that keeps this successful,… it’s three big things. We get a number of donations, we have to raise between $4,000 and $6,000 every year for this.” He explained that monetary and equipment donations have continued to roll in, such as
free usage of porta-potties, and two tents that were donated. Secondly, he said, “Then there’s all the donation of time,” as individuals and groups pitch in to help. And finally, Cruse said, “And the schools buy in. The schools make this a part of their curriculum, and they always show up!” Cruse said the education stations have a wide variety of offerings, explaining, “We do a lot of things that are fun, but some of the things scare See SAFETY DAY Page 2
rich@fillmorecountyjournal.com
A regular meeting of the Mabel-Canton School Board was held on May 15. Members present included Mark Weidemann, Jason Marquardt, Chris Miller, Principal Michelle Weidemann, Board chair Cristal Adkins, Superintendent Gary Kuphal, high school secretary Lynette Donald, Chris Loppnow, Diane Wilder and Liz Hershberger. Much of the agenda covered needs for the summer and/or the upcoming school year. Kuphal shared a list of “high, medium and low” priority items that a committee recently came up with to plan for the most
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important equipment and expenditures needed by MabelCanton. He said all of the high priority items appear to be realistic to have within the 2018-19 budget. Principal Wiedemann shared the names of six students who recently joined the National Honor Society (Drew Wyffels, Maddy Michels, Anna Erickson, Lexi Thorson, Hannah Schneekloth and Hannah Snell). She also shared details of several events coming up before the end of the school year, including Track & Field Day, high school awards, spring athletic awards, and baccalaureate. Principal Wiedemann also See MABEL-CANTON Page 5
Since 1856
Since 1901
The annual Tesmer Farm Safety Day Camp event was held Steam . we salatutetheyouMabel Engine Grounds on May 15. Every year, fourth grade students from throughout Fillmore and Houston counties gather to learn about a wide variety of safety issues, and this year’s attendees enjoyed perfect weather for the outing. Local extension educator Michael Cruse said that although the event has a 25-year history, “This is my third Farm Safety Day. The nice thing for me is I really walked into this. They kind of had the structure in place; my predecessor, Jerry Tesmer, and a number of other community members really brought this thing together and got all the schools to buy in. Now I’m just keeping it going and fine tuning it a little bit.” The event ran from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and included a lunch served by the Fillmore County Cattlemen. As students learned at 13 stations around the grounds (on such safety topics as lawn mowers, ATVs, tractor rollovers, water safety, horse safety, electrical safety), Cruse explained what makes the event so special. He said that every school in Fillmore and Houston counties participates, although, “A couple of the private schools come every other year because they have such small class sizes.” Regarding the number of students, Cruse said, “The funny thing is, we’re down this year, but only because we had 590, which was a record, last year. We’re still at 532,
Spring Valley tourist center to be removed