March 23

Leader

Broadway West Sweden

Denim designer

Currents feature

Not a fort?

Currents

Currents section

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INTER-COUNTY

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WED., MARCH 23, 2011 VOL. 78 • NO. 31 • 2 SECTIONS •

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An award-winning newspaper serving Northwest Wisconsin

Supervisors not intimidated by bad news budget

Icy mistake

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Your opinion?

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Tribal members begin meetings Referendum started PAGE 27

Man killed in Puerto Rico

One of several deadly crimes PAGE 3

Supreme Court candidate makes his case PAGE 12

This photo offers chilling evidence that the local lake ice may no longer be safe for vehicles. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s office, this late model Chevrolet Tahoe went through thin ice on the narrows of Balsam Lake at about 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. Luckily, no was injured in the incident, which Sheriff Pete Johnson said served as a reminder that lake ice is thinning fast with the recent warm temperatures.

Rick Davidsavor of Aqua-Trek Divers is seen gingerly crawling across the ice as they attempt to retrieve the sunken truck. - Photo from Polk County Sheriff’s Dept.

X

• Eva Grindell • Nellie I. Hanson Hammond • Jerry L. Wilson • Leone E. Wellbrock • LeRoy Jones • William A. Horstmann Jr. • Crystal G. Regelin • Rosceil “Rose” Germain Obituaries on page 18-19B

E-mails favored Walker 2-1

One-third of positive e-mails from out of state

SPORTS

by Kate Golden Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism MADISON - Gov. Scott Walker was right: The angry crowds in Madison didn’t tell the whole story of how Wisconsinites felt.

In the week after Walker announced his plan to dramatically curtail public employees collective bargaining rights in the state Budget Repair Bill, a wide majority of the emails to him expressed support, an analysis of those e-mails indicates.

But that support was significantly boosted by e-mails from pro-Walker senders from outside Wisconsin.

The Japanese nuclear plant incident: 1. Confirmed my worst fears.

2. Made me think twice about nuclear power 3. Shows we need to do some better work.

4., Was just a terrible coincidence.

Go to our online poll at www.the-leader.net (Weekly results on page 8)

Deaths

A word cloud, created on Wordle.net, of the random sample of e-mails analyzed by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. “Governor,” “Scott,” “Walker,” “February,” “Sent,” and other very common words were ignored for this graphic. - Graphic by Kate Golden/WCIJ

Despite silver trophy, Pirates state run is golden

Watch our e-edition each week for stories and photos that don’t make our print edition. Go to www.the-leader.net to subscribe

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Town chairman charged with open meetings violation

Public meeting airs questions on Budget Repair Bill PAGE 5

The electronic edge!

MORE STATE WIAA COVERAGE IN E-EDITION

“We’ll play the hand we’re dealt,” says Burnett County board chairman

See

$1

The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism analyzed a computer-generated random sample of 1,910 e-mails from the more than 50,000 that flooded Walker’s office in the week after he unveiled his plan on Feb. 11. Nearly all were related to the bill.

The e-mails were released Friday as the result of an open records lawsuit brought in Dane County Circuit Court by Isthmus newspaper and the Wisconsin Associated Press. A settlement reached earlier in the week required the governor to produce the e-mails and pay the plaintiffs legal fees, which totaled just over $7,000.

At the request of Isthmus, the cen-

See E-mails, back page

INSIDE

Briefly 3A Letters to the editor 8-11A Sports 13-19A Outdoors 20-21A Town Talk 6-8B Coming Events Back of B Currents feature 1B Behind the Signpost 5B Letters from Home 3B Cold Turkey 3B Just for Laughs 3B River Road Ramblings 4B Obituaries 18-19B Students of the Week 23B Focus on the Family 20B Church directory 21B Copyright © 2011 Inter-County Cooperative Publishing Association Frederic, Wisconsin

The Leader is a cooperative-owned newspaper • Since 1933

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Ice breakup

Author Ellen Baker to speak at library

GRANTSBURG - Author Ellen Baker will be the featured speaker at the Grantsburg Public Library Spring Gala on Saturday, April 2, at the Crex Convention Center, 429 East Hwy 70. Baker will discuss her best-selling first novel, “Keeping the House,” which won the 2008 Great Lakes Book Award and was named one of the Chicago Tribune's 2007 "best books of the year." She will also give a sneak preview of her forthcoming novel, “I Gave My Heart to Know This,” about a group of women whose work as shipyard welders during World War II changes the course of their lives, which will be published by RanEllen Baker dom House in August. Baker was born in Grand Rapids, Minn., and grew up in Wisconsin, Illinois and South Dakota. Before becoming a full-time novelist, she worked as a costumed living history interpreter, a museum curator and a bookseller and event coordinator at an independent bookstore. - Submitted

Moose unveiling this Friday

LINDSTROM, Minn. - St. Croix Falls artist David N. DeMattia will be débuting his newest work, a 7-foot-tall moose sculpture, Friday, March 25, 5 to 7 p.m. at Northwoods Roasterie, a coffee shop located at 12710 Lake Blvd. on the Main Street of Lindstrom, Minn. DeMattia will be present for this event to talk about the process of making the moose and to answer everyone’s curious questions. Coffee and pie will be available for purchase. The moose is a three-dimensional character which combines elements of DeMattia’s expertise in sculpture, theater and engineering. “I see no distinction between the arts and science and instead see them as a complement to each other,” said DeMattia. This new work, which took approximately six months to build, combines his skills as an artist, engineer and designer. For 11 years he worked as an engineer for Ecolab until 2002 when he decided to take the leap and opened his own studio. He has created many things including a 9-foot-tall talking Christmas tree for a Texas shopping mall and the “man-eating” animatronic plant for the 2004 production of “Little Shop of Horrors” at the St. Croix Falls Festival Theatre. He also designed the animatronics for the children’s television show called “J.J. the Jet Plane.” “I do a little bit of everything,” said the 50-year-old who recently moved his Sleeping Dragon Studios to St. Croix Falls. His studio advertises “Strange Sculpture and Other Odd Things.” He is currently using his CNC machine to produce work for businesses needing precision metal-work, as well as, creating unique garden art. - with submitted information

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Local aviator Woody Minar took these aerial photos of the ice above the hydroelectric dam in St. Croix Falls and an ice jam just south of the Hwy. 8 bridge at a bend in the river. The photo below shows a closer view of the ice jam.

Last spring, large chunks of breaking ice did some damage to the shoreline and trees along the shoreline at Lions Park just north of the hydroelectric dam, which has a span of 675 feet across the river. - Photos by Woody Minar

Board of directors Vivian Byl, chair Charles Johnson Merlin Johnson Janet Oachs Carolyn Wedin

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• Briefly •

LEADERLAND – Tired of the snowstorm headlines? We’ll spare you another, only to note that the paper may not reach you on time this week due to the March blizzard that struck much of the area Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, dumping approximately 6 inches of snow on what had become a landscape nearly bare of the white stuff. School closings, countless vehicles sliding into the ditch and businesses staying closed or opening late. Just another day in our Wisconsin paradise.

••• GRANTSBURG —On Earth Day, Friday, April 22, at 6, 7 and 8 p.m., Crex Meadows Wildlife Education and Visitor Center will host a free screening of a new film called “Green Fire,” the first full-length, high-definition documentary film ever made about legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold. The film explores Leopold’s life in the early part of the 20th century and the many ways his land ethic idea continues to be applied all over the world today. The film shares highlights from Leopold’s life and extraordinary career, explaining how he shaped conservation.

Although probably best known as the author of the conservation classic, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold is also renowned for his work as an educator, philosopher, forester, ecologist, and wilderness advocate. Watch for more information about the event in a future issue of the Leader. - with submitted information ••• MADISON - Veterans and veterans advocates will be holding a Veterans Capitol Rally in support of their top issues at the state Capitol in Madison on Wednesday, April 13. Veterans, their families and their survivors are encouraged to attend the daylong event. “This will be a great opportunity for all veterans advocates to network with friends and colleagues, meet with members of the Wisconsin State Legislature, and rally in support of the Veterans Trust Fund and other veterans issues,” said Polk County Veterans Service Officer Rick Gates. All attendees should register before April 1 either online at www.WisVets.com/Rally or by calling 800-WISVETS (947-8387). For more information, visit www.wisvets.com or contact Gates at 715-4859243. - submitted ••• DRESSER - Peace Lutheran Church will host a free clothing event on Monday, April 11, from 2 to 6 p.m. Free clothing, suitable for spring and summer wear, will be available to the general public. All items are clean and in good condition, having been donated by members and friends of the Peace Lutheran congregation. The public is asked to please comply with the hours of the clothing share and not arrive before 2 p.m. out of respect to the church staff and their working schedule. The event is sponsored by the church’s Social Ministries program. For more information call 715-755-2515. - submitted ••• CORRECTION: A story in last week’s Leader reporting on a write-in candidate in Luck incorrectly stated that Kent Petersen is one of four candidates seeking a position as trustee on the village board. Petersen declined the nomination for the seat.

Town chair charged with open meetings violation

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 3

ST. CROIX FALLS —District Attorney Daniel P. Steffen has filed charges against Town of Eureka Board Chairperson Gene Krull. The charges are based on an open meetings law complaint filed by Phil Staley, a citizen of Eureka. Upon review of the complaint, Steffen found enough evidence to file charges.

The charges were precipitated by an incident in which Krull allegedly failed to provide proper notice that an ordinance permitting ATVs on Eureka town roads was to be considered. The meeting notice only stated “ATVs on Town

Roads,” it did not state the word “Ordinance.”

Supervisor Jose Trejo stated, “I was totally surprised when during the meeting Krull made a motion to pass the ATV ordinance. I was under the impression that the agenda called for a discussion on the merits of ATVs on town roads and not to vote on an ordinance.”

According to Staley, Krull manipulated the meeting notice and meeting agenda so that all the citizens would not know that an ordinance was being considered. As a result, only propo-

Judge candidate forum set

DRESSER - The St. Croix Valley Bar Association is hosting a forum for the public to meet and hear from the two candidates running for Polk County judge, Dan Steffen and Jeff Anderson.

The forum will take place on Monday, March 28, at 6 p.m. at Trollhaugen Ski Area and Convention Center in rural Dresser.

Each candidate will make an opening statement followed by a ques-

tion-and-answer session. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this unique opportunity to meet and hear from the candidates. Refreshments will be served.

For additional information, please contact Christine Rasmussen, Doar, Drill & Skow, S.C., 103 N. Knowles Ave., New Richmond, WI 54017, 715246-2211, crasmussen@doardrill.com.

- submitted

Sex offender to reside near Amery

POLK COUNTY - In accordance with Wisconsin law, local authorities released information this week that a sex offender would be released from custody to an address in Polk County.

Henry F. Novy, whose convictions include third-degree sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault/mentally-ill victim (three counts) and fourth-degree sexual assault (misdemeanor), will be residing at the Apple River Motor Inn at 977 Hwy. 8 in rural Amery.

Novy has served out his time and has reached his absolute discharge date.

Although he is not on court-ordered supervision, he is required to be on lifetime GPS monitoring and is required to be a lifetime sex offender registrant.

Novy had been committed to the Sand Ridge Treatment Center as a sexually violent offender after his sexual assault convictions in Barron County.

Polk County authorities were notified Friday, March 18, by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that Novy

would be released to a Polk County address.

Novy is not currently on any supervision and neither the Polk County Sheriff’s Department nor the Department of Henry F. Novy Corrections have – Photo from the any input on Polk Co. Sheriff’s Dept. where he may reside.

Persons with questions may contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 715485-8300. Questions about the sex offender registry may be directed to Amy Jain, registry specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections at 715-635-5587 or by going to their Web site at offender.doc.state.wi.us/public /home.jsp. - with submitted information

ReStore grand opening Saturday

FREDERIC - The Frederic Area Chamber of Commerce is now taking nominations for the 2011 Citizen and Volunteer of the Year.

Nominations may be submitted by calling Carol Thompson at 715-327-4271 or going to Affordable Quality Appliances during the day to fill out a brief nomination form.

All forms need to be received by Wednesday, March 30, for consideration. - with submitted information

An award-winning weekly newspaper TOWN OF LAKETOWN - There will be a voters forum at the Laketown Community Center on Tuesday, March 29, at 7:30. This is a chance for the voters to come and hear what the candidates for Laketown town board have to say about issues that involve residents of Laketown before the election on April 5. - Submitted

Man victim of shooting in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The son of a Taylors Falls, Minn., couple was among several victims of deadly violence this past weekend in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what authorities say was the third such instance of mass violence of 2011.

Aaron J. Dahlberg, 32, son of Larry and Marilyn Dahlberg and grandson of Bud and Dorothy Dahlberg of Grantsburg, was shot by an intruder to a home where he was staying on vacation near San Juan as he stood outside on a deck, Saturday evening, March 19.

According to police, an intruder shot Dahlberg in the upper part of the back and below his left armpit and then fled the scene. The weapon used was a .45caliber pistol.

Dahlberg, who lives in Phoenix, Ariz., was on the phone with his father, telling him how beautiful the largerthan-normal moon was and how he had just photographed it, when the attack occurred, according to Aaron’s uncle, Tim Dahlberg.

“His father heard a scream and a gunshot and that was it,” Tim said.

“He immediately called a friend who lives in Puerto Rico, and the friend went over to the house and found Aaron lying on the deck, dead.”

Aaron had gone to Puerto Rico for a four-day visit, Tim noted.

Aaron attended school at Grantsburg until his family moved to Brainerd, Minn., in 1986. His father is a worldrenowned fisherman who currently stars on the “Hunt for Big Fish” show on the Versus Network.

Newspapers in San Juan reported the shooting of Aaron and the other separate incidents of violent deaths that occurred over the weekend, including the murder of two 18-yearolds, is continuing.

A San Juan police official was quoted as saying a “law of the silence” reigns in the wake of the violent weekend because “nobody heard nothing, nobody saw nothing.” - Gary King with information from The National newspaper, San Juan

Man arrested for eighth DUI

Citizen volunteer of year nominations sought

Laketown voter’s forum

nents of ATVs on town roads, who, it appears, had been alerted beforehand, were present at the meeting. A trial before the Polk County Circuit Court on this alleged violation is pending. - with submitted information

Dave Sandmann, right, receives a donation for the ReStore. The store has been receiving donations for several months and will finally begin selling during the grand opening on Saturday, March 26. Donations to the ReStore are tax deductible, and proceeds from the sales help build homes for people who need them in Polk and Burnett counties. Inset: Amy Matthews, host of the DIY Network’s “Sweat Equity” show, will be at the ReStore grand opening Saturday, March 26, starting at 9 a.m. There also will be free lunch, lots of door prizes and a coloring contest for the kids. - Special photos

by Greg Marsten Leader staff writer COMSTOCK – A driver’s report of man driving a truck for short distances and then stopping in the middle of the road and in random driveways led to authorities checking on his welfare, and finding a mostly empty bottle of vodka as the likely culprit.

According to a report by a Polk County Sheriff's deputy, James P. Graff, 42, Comstock, was tracked down in his truck, with the hazard lights on, in his own driveway off CTH G. When approached, he did not comply with instructions to leave the vehicle, and had to be escorted to the squad car. He was taken to the hospital for a blood draw, and was later arrested for DUI, which would be his eighth such conviction.

Graff has DUI convictions going all the way back to 1990, and has an open felony case, as well, referencing possession of a switchblade knife, as well as bond violations.

He made a court appearance on March 21, and was bound over for trial at a subsequent preliminary hearing.

He is currently free on a $1,500 cash bond, with a trial on the knife charges set for June 29 before Judge Molly GaleWyrick, and final pretrial on the latest DUI charge - which is his fourth in the last five years - set for July 15.

Fitzgerald details possible effects of state budget proposal

PAGE 4 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

by Carl Heidel Leader staff writer SIREN - Burnett County Administrator Candace Fitzgerald gave the county board of supervisors a detailed report of anticipated effects of the proposed Wisconsin State budget on the county, its employees and various agencies when they met Thursday, March 17. Below is a summary of Fitzgerald’s report.

Effects on bargaining rights of public sector employees The bargaining rights issue was originally part of Gov. Walker’s Budget Repair Bill, but was stripped out of that bill and acted upon separately when Democratic state senators blocked action on the bill by leaving the state. That bargaining-rights proposal was approved by Republican state senators, but was subsequently prevented from taking effect when a Wisconsin judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the law.

The law is temporarily on hold while the legalities are sorted out, but if it is eventually put in effect, these are some of the effects that Fitzgerald anticipates for Burnett County employees.

agreements.

frozen for two years. This means that the county levy will remain unchanged for a total of four years, and this “could prove to be devastating and very hard to recover from,” according to Fitzgerald.

- Changes in employee contributions to retirement funds could save the county more than $300,000.

- Elimination of the library maintenance of effort (in which county libraries have to pay when residents use other libraries) would save the county another $60,750.

- The budget plan would eliminate the financial assistance for local recycling programs, a loss of $153,801 for Burnett County.

- A broad variety of social safety nets will be changed. Some will be removed to state control and others will face reduced funding.

- Total fiscal reduction for health and human services programs is estimated at $269,153.

- Circuit court funding will be cut by as much as $8,000.

- Victim-witness services in the district attorney’s office will lose $2,600.

- Highway department funding will be cut as much as $84,625.

- There are many other changes anticipated, but cost figures are not available at this time.

Fitzgerald concluded her reports by saying, “These are challenging times.”

In general: The legislation will make sweeping changes to the bargaining rights of publicsector employees, and it will entail significant work for public employers as they create policies to address issues previously contained in collective bargaining

Specifically: - Employees–except police officers, firefighters and deputy sheriffs–will make mandatory contributions to the Wisconsin Retirement System.

- Employees whose employers are enrolled in the Wisconsin Public Employers’ Group Health Insurance Plan will pay 12 percent of their health insurance premiums.

- Police and firefighters will experience no changes under this law.

- Employee bargaining rights will change. Only wage issues can be bargained. Wage changes will be limited by the changes in the consumer price index.

If the index declines, employers could cut wages.

- All other items currently included in the collective bargaining agreements will no longer be subjects for bargaining.

- Several changes will occur with regard to union representation, all of which will reduce union power and influence.

- Grievance procedures will change.

For Burnett County this means that - payroll practices will change, - policies and practices will need to be reviewed and changed, - wage-related issues must be reviewed and changed as needed, -and grievance procedures will need to be revised.

“It is important to remember one sim-

by Carl Heidel Leader staff writer SIREN - When Burnett County Administrator Candace Fitzgerald delivered her much-anticipated, and dreaded, report on the possible effects of Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposals on Burnett County, it was not a pretty picture. But the county supervisors, gathered in their regular meeting Thursday, March 17, refused to be intimidated by the bad news.

As the report moved on, and as questions and discussion flowed, both Fitzgerald and board chairman Don Taylor made a point of stating that the budget proposal

has not been approved at this time. What is in Fitzgerald’s analysis is what “may” happen, not what “will” happen.

Taylor said, “This forces us to be creative.” Some board members followed his comment with suggestions of ways to be creative, and others asked, “What can we really afford?”

Creative thinkers said that perhaps the county could privatize some of its operations. Maybe the county could consolidate some structures and functions, perhaps meld county and township operations.

And what about forming cooperative

operations with other counties and government bodies?

As the creative ideas flowed, supervisors expressed the opinion that Burnett County has always been a leader in Wisconsin in many ways. This is just one more challenge to that leadership.

Particular programs and groups came in for special expressions of concern from the supervisors. Marty Miller said he was concerned about what will happen to the county’s school systems.

Several of the supervisors made a special effort to express their appreciation for the county employees and their sacrifices

and high-quality job performance over many years, and during difficult financial times. Taylor said, “We will work with them the best we can.” Others backed his comments by expressing the desire to maintain a high-quality work force.

By the end of the meeting, the supervisors settled in to wait and see how the budget is finally shaped and approved.

But they did not appear intimidated by the worst-case scenarios the proposal offered. They simply agreed with Taylor’s statement, “We won’t panic. We’ll play the hand we’re dealt.”

Anderson, Steffen have similar backgrounds, different approaches

want no perception that I am beholden to anyone. I want everyone to feel they will have a fair unbiased hearing before me. I will be a neutral, unbiased, fair, but tough judge if elected. I believe this fits my view of what a judicial temperament should be, patient and fair, so those who come before me won’t have to worry. That is my philosophy and that is a view I have held to throughout the campaign.

I want to project an image of neutrality. That is my sign of integrity.

overcharged individuals. There are lots of reasons for settlements. But the judge also must be willing to reverse an agreement, override a deal.

I understand our court system very well. I know the prosecutors, the defense counsels, the judges. I will take that understanding to the bench. I know the dynamics of our entire system very well.

I believe I can bring common sense to the bench. I know the law and can be innovative.

My philosophy is not legislating from the bench. I will enforce the laws we have. I will be ready to make decisions. I will be prepared and move things along.

I have had eight years of preparation for the job. I know the players. I have a broad base of experience as a starting point and can start prepared.

Statement (February) I am the best qualified of the candidates. I have experience within the county and overall as an attorney. Experience is not just measured in years or age but in practicing well what you do.

As a district attorney I make daily charging decisions. This is a very essential part of the process, equal to the sentencing decision.

I now make decisions on what to do with individuals who come into the judicial system.

I am also a department head and have overseen an office of 12 persons for five years.

I have shown leadership. Ask the people who have dealt with the court system what they think of me. I am proud of the endorsements and encouragement of other county department heads and workers. They were not obligated to support me. But I am not beholden to them.

I am proud of the things we have done to improve the quality of the judicial process in the county. There are new programs that protect the victims and the public and reduce recidivism. People are treated fairly and are heard. The public is protected and is more confident of the process. The voters should look at this.

I am a prosecutor. I believe in law and order. I believe in responsibility.

People should look at my experience, my temperament, my work ethic. I can get up and running if elected and get going at a quick pace. It is essential to know the people in the system and how the system works. The judge must be able to be efficient.

Sentencing is a powerful decision. You hold that person in your hands. No two individuals are alike. A judge has discretion in sentencing. That is a most powerful act.

Candace Fitzgerald, Burnett County administrator, explained the impact of state budget proposals on the county government.

- Photo by Carl Heidel ple fact,” said Fitzgerald. “We will treat our employees fairly and respectfully. We are grateful for the work that they perform.”

Effects on general county government - The proposed budget will reduce shared revenues to counties. For Burnett County this means a loss of $48,366 in 2012 and $64,220 in 2013.

- Burnett County will have its tax levy

Burnett supervisors not intimidated by bad news budget

Polk County elects new judge April 5

by Gregg Westigard Leader staff writer POLK COUNTY – The contest to elect a new Polk County Circuit Court judge to replace the recently retired Robert Rasmussen comes to an end April 5. On that date, voters will chose between Jeff Anderson and Daniel Steffen to be their new judge. The two were winners of the February primary.

Electing a new judge is a once in a decade experience in Polk County. James Erickson was elected in 1984, Rasmussen in 1991 and Molly GaleWyrick in 2002. The new judge will start a six-year term in August.

There are many similarities between Anderson and Steffen. Both come from longtime Polk County families and both were raised in the county. They are close in age. Steffen graduated from Osceola in 1989, Anderson from St. Croix Falls in 1990. Steffen obtained his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law, Anderson from Oklahoma City University. Each has practiced law in the county for over 10 years. Each ran for Polk County district attorney as a Democrat. Anderson ran in 2002, while Steffen was elected district attorney in 2006. Steffen lives in Farmington, Anderson in the town of Osceola. Each has a young family.

Steffen and Anderson each say they have wanted to be a judge for many years. Each has taken a different approach to reaching that goal.

Anderson and Steffen were each interviewed by the Leader in February before the primary. Each provided a closing statement last week.

Jeff Anderson’s closing statement I have worked hard to make this a nonpartisan election. I have not sought or accepted any public endorsements. I believe there can be a perception of bias with endorsements. I

Statement (February) I have been preparing for being judge for eight years. I knew I wanted to run in the future. I asked the judges, what do I need to be prepared? I have worked on gaining a diversity of background over the years. I have built a background to be a judge. This is not a lastminute idea.

My character is important. I am a patient individual. I let people present their case, let people feel they have been heard. But in court, we need to allow time but control time also.

I am ready for the job. I have the temperament and the patience. I have no agenda. I am willing to listen. I went into law to get the ability to help individuals. I try to educate my clients, to say this is why you are where you are, this is why we have to do what we do. As judge there is less time to educate, but I would use the town hall meeting to listen to the community. That would educate the public and the judge.

Being a judge starts with being prepared to do the job on the bench. A judge needs to keep up with cases, to remain educated on changes in the law, to keep abreast and ahead. I want to be an educated jurist and not be surprised by new changes. A judge must understand the law. A judge must be an educated, informed jurist. A judge must be held to a high standard. The public should expect no less.

Each individual needs a fair hearing, not just a tough hearing. We have had cases of

Daniel Steffen’s closing statement Campaigning is tough. You can’t please all of the people all of the time. I’ve received criticism from individuals when I’ve been out of the office trying to campaign, and my supporters have constantly encouraged me to take off more time to devote to this process. I take my current job very seriously and have been careful not to allow this campaign to interfere with the day-to-day operations of the district attorney’s office. In the end, I hope the voters make an informed and educated choice on election day. This election should not be about who has the biggest signs, hands out the most literature or spends the most money. I believe if you compare our backgrounds, I’m more experienced and more qualified for this important position. I will work hard and treat all of the individuals who appear in court with the dignity and respect they deserve. I will continue the use of programs that we have developed in this county and look for additional creative ways to improve the process. Finally, I will make the tough call, holding individuals accountable for their actions. Polk County deserves nothing less.

Web sites More information about Jeff Anderson and Daniel Steffen can be found on their Web sites: steffenforjudge.com and jeff4judge.com

Public meeting answers questions on Budget Repair Bill

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 5

by Tammi Milberg Leader staff writer ST. CROIX FALLS – On Monday, March 14, a public meeting was held at St. Croix Falls Middle/High School media center to allow for questions and answers to the state Budget Repair Bill, budget bill and collective bargaining.

Superintendent Glenn Martin led the presentation regarding the issues and fielded questions from the public in attendance.

Information was shown on a projector to inform the public of the recent changes happening at the state level with the Governor’s Budget Repair Bill and the collective bargaining and health and retirement for state employees that underwent change last week.

WRS contribution Martin went over the issues point by point. The first topic addressed was the employee required contribution to the Wisconsin Retirement System. Martin explained that the current bill prohibits school districts from paying the employee required contribution to the WRS. For a teacher with a salary of $50,000, this would be approximately $2,900 per year or $110 per paycheck.

Health insurance The issue of health insurance was addressed next. Districts that have health insurance through the state group health insurance plan may not pay more than 88 percent of the average premium cost. This means district employees will pay 12 percent of their health insurance premiums where contracts in the past allowed for 6to 10-percent employee contribution depending on the year of hire.

Duty to bargain The duty to bargain is currently prohibited when it comes to negotiating with a labor organization on behalf of collective bargaining with respect to any subject, fringe benefit or condition of employment other than base wages. Items previously negotiated such as calendar, dental insurance, health insurance, prep time, early re-

tirement, etc., are not negotiated, but have the possibility of being dealt with through school board policies.

Another issue, the fair share and dues deduction, was explained by Martin. The current bill bars fair share agreements between school districts and labor organizations and prohibits school districts from collecting union dues through a wage deduction. The fair share agreements in the past required a school district to withhold union dues from employee salaries whether or not the employees are union members. The fair share nonunion employees were required to pay a fee to cover collective bargaining cost, but not to pay dues toward any political action initiative.

The change enacted last week makes Wisconsin a Right to Work state, prohibiting agreements between labor unions and employers from requiring payment of union dues or fees as a condition of employment before or after hiring.

Annual union certification It was also explained that annual union certification elections are required. An annual election will be conducted to certify that a majority support, at least 51 percent of staff, votes for having a union. If this does not pass for one year, it may be voted on in the following year and be reinstated.

This depends on the vote from year to year.

Grievance procedure The governor’s bill requires each school district to establish a civil service system or grievance procedure to address employee terminations, employee discipline and workplace safety. The procedural language must specify the process a grievant and the school or district must follow, and provide a hearing before an impartial officer and the opportunity to appeal the decision to the school board.

Layoff notices The change in layoff notices has mostly to do with the deadline to issue the notices. Districts were allowed to wait until May 1 in the past. Now, all final layoff no-

tices must be given by March 15. Martin said the layoff notices finalized at the board meeting last week are based on a worst-case scenario because they are happening earlier. “It is hard to project at this time, and districts are being cautious and lay off more than they need to in hopes they will be able to hire most of them back. That is the case here also,” stated Martin.

Budget ramifications Martin stated that St. Croix Falls receives 45 cents on the dollar per student in state aid. The state average is 62 cents, so they are below the state average. The 2011-2013 state budget has a reduction in state aid of approximately $500 per student. “To put this in perspective, for each of the last two years, the pupil increase was about $200 per student and prior to that, it was about $275 per student,” Martin said. “Now we have to reduce the number of dollars spent per pupil by $500.

We have 1,100 students in the district.”

The reduction in state aid should be made up by the reduction in the school district’s costs in WRS contribution (savings of money paid by the district) by 5.8 percent. “I don’t think it’s (WRS reduction) going to totally cover this. The budget will drop $550,000 to $600,000 next year. That’s a lot of money. We think that by the WRS reduction, we may end up about $150,000 to $200,000 short, but again there is a lot we don’t know when we predict the numbers. We set a budget at the annual meeting in September and don’t get the final numbers from the state until October.”

Public comments Following the presentation of the information by Martin, the floor was opened up for comments. Many of the 80 to 100 persons in attendance were questioning teacher morale and what cuts could be made if the budget requires them. Martin stated that he has not noticed a change in the teacher morale or the professionalism of the staff. He added, “When someone’s taking away a certain amount of your salary it can affect a person’s morale. I

haven’t seen any indicators of this affecting our teachers yet.”

Martin said that ramifications to education as far as reducing the budget could come in the form of athletics and extracurricular programs being cut, however, they only account for approximately 1 percent of the district budget each, so there is not much of a savings. He said other cuts could come in the way of larger class sizes and less staff. Martin stated an increase in class size is the best way to reduce money, but he could not forecast the impact as far as what class sizes would be if staff were reduced. He indicated it depends on where in the building the classes are increased.

Martin did say that the programs that are not having funding cut are SAGE, which requires a lower teacher-to-student ratio in the elementary grades; the 4K program, and Title I. Martin addressed rumors as well during the public comment time. He said that there are no recall petitions circulating the district and indicated if staff were so inclined to sign those petitions, it should be done outside of the school on personal time. He also stated some students attempted to have a walkout last Friday.

The students were convinced to stay in school and no walkout took place.

In closing to the other comments and concerns regarding cuts, budget, and teacher morale, Martin reminded the public of the invitation to join the district strategic planning committee. He said the committee does not have enough persons right now to start planning and if the community is concerned about what happens in the school, they should become involved. Information and an application can be found on the district Web page.

Martin also requested the public to be supportive of teachers. “This is going to be a difficult time and teachers are going to need your support. We have teachers that coach, volunteer, and plan curriculum way into the hours after school ends. They don’t just show up at 7:30 and leave at 3:30.” Martin thanked people for coming.

Members of the public thanked the district for holding the meeting to keep parents and community members informed.

Sen. Jauch in Spooner to address Budget Repair Bill

by Jessica Beecroft Register staff writer SPOONER – Sen. Bob Jauch spoke to citizens on Thursday, March 17, at the Spooner Agriculture Station.

He was there to speak and answer questions from concerned citizens regarding the Budget Repair Bill. Jauch said he was “trying to make the rounds to as many places as possible to correct the myths of the bill, to talk about the issues, this bill’s consequences and the impact the bill has.”

The senator discussed how Sen. Robert “Bob” the Budget ReJauch speaks to the pair Bill would community about the give Gov. Walker Budget Repair Bill the right to sell Thursday, March 17. off nuclear plants without going through a public/legislative review. “Imagine one person having the right to sell off a major resource of our state to his best friend if he wanted to,” Jauch said.

A large crowd gathered at the Spooner Agricultural Station to hear Sen. Jauch speak. — Photos by Jessica Beecroft

When faced with the medical assistance issues, Jauch stated, “Poor will suffer, sick people get sicker and that isn’t the Wisconsin way!”

Also, the issues about unions not having collective bargaining rights were raised. Gene Rick, a recently retired teacher from Barron, questioned Jauch about how Wisconsin’s teachers used to be encouraged to get master’s degrees, and now with the union collective bargaining being taken away, he was concerned that older, more educated teachers would be replaced with teachers fresh out of college who would not be paid as much. Jauch responded with “that is an

issue that is very possible.” Under the Budget Repair Bill, collective bargaining is taken away, and it will be up to the school districts to decide. “We just hope the school districts use good judgment when faced with that,” Jauch said.

Republicans, Democrats and Independent citizens all came together to discuss the issues facing the state. Jauch encouraged participation with the crowd of concerned citizens and asked people not to “boo” when people expressed their concerns and beliefs. One citizen said “How do you feel about people who say the election is over; deal with it?” Jauch said he believed that several people that voted for

his party.

Sean Duffy of Ashland was one of seven Republicans who voted with Democrats against ending federal funding for NPR. “My conservative base will not be happy with this vote, I’ve already heard from them,” says Duffy. “There are others who are happy with my vote. But I

can’t make everyone happy all the time. I want to do what’s right for the district, and the vote I made was the right vote.”

Duffy says a recent sting-video with an NPR executive criticizing the Tea Party didn’t help.

“There’s a reputation that NPR has of being pretty far to the left, and then the

Walker knew he was planning on repairing the budget, as he ran on that platform; however, they did not know he was going to take away the rights of Wisconsin workers and make all these drastic cuts.

The senator also explained why the 14 Democrats left the state to try to keep the bill from passing. Jauch stated, “the people needed to have time to voice their opinion and this bought time for that. It was our constitutional right to leave quorum.” Jauch told about how it was hard for the family to be separated for 23 days, but if he had to do it all over again, he would. He was staying with family in Clinton, Ill. He did make a few trips to meet with Republican leaders in hopes to compromise to get the bill negotiated before it was passed.

Jauch explained that he believes the rights of the Wisconsin people will be restored, because the citizens are speaking up against the bill.

“For the time being, we are going to see a lot of changes, but these rights will be restored,” Jauch assured the audience.

Jauch promised to “stand with them (Wisconsin citizens) in restoring rights.”

He also quoted Abe Lincoln, “You stand by the man that is right when he’s right, for as long as he’s right.”

Duffy votes against NPR defunding bill

by Mike Simonson Wisconsin Public Radio WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House of Representatives voted Thursday, March 17, to ban federal money for National Public Radio.

But the mostly partisan vote had one Wisconsin Republican break ranks with

video was confirmation of what many people assumed.”

Duffy says even though he was on the losing side, he made the right move as many mostly rural districts depend on public broadcasting.

Burnett Family Planning services now include health services for men

PAGE 6 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

More than 12 percent of births in the county in 2008 were in 15-19 age group

BURNETT COUNTY - The state of Wisconsin has recently changed the guidelines regarding family planning services to include coverage for reproductive health services for men. Condoms, vasectomies and sexually transmitted disease testing are some examples of the covered services for men. The primary purpose of this plan is to prevent unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

A person having an unintended pregnancy is less likely to seek early prenatal care and is more likely to expose the fetus to harmful substances such as tobacco or alcohol. The infant born after an unin-

tended conception is at greater risk of being born at low birth weight, dying during its first year, being abused and not receiving sufficient resources for healthy development.

In 2008, 12.2 percent of births reported in Burnett County were for the age group 15-19. Teen pregnancy accounts for $9 billion per year in costs to U.S. taxpayers for increased health care and foster care, increased incarceration rates among children of teen parents and lost tax revenue because of lower education attainment and income among teen mothers. Pregnancy and birth are significant contributors to high school dropout rates among girls. Only about 50 percent of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by age 22, versus nearly 90 percent of women who had not given birth during adolescence.

STDs may cause serious, life-threatening complications including cancer, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriages, stillbirth, neurologic damage and death.

In 2009, 81.3 percent of STD cases reported in Burnett County were for the age group 15-24 years. Chlamydia is the most commonly reported disease in the United States. In 2010, 18 cases of chlamydia were reported in Burnett County. Chlamydia infections in women can result in PID, which is a major cause of infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain.

As with other STDs, infection with chlamydia can facilitate the transmission of HIV infection. In addition, pregnant women infected with chlamydia can pass the infection to their infants during delivery. Because of the large burden of disease and risks associated with infection, CDC recommends that all sexually active

women younger than 26 years receive an annual chlamydia screening.

Burnett County Reproductive Health Services assists clients in obtaining access to free or low-cost birth control including birth control pills, patch, ring, IUD, implants, emergency contraception, condoms, natural family planning, tubal ligation and vasectomies along with sexually transmitted disease testing. They ensure complete confidentiality and a supportive approach.

If you would like more information regarding this program, or to enroll, go online to access.wi.gov and click on Apply for Benefits or call 800-291-2002 to apply over the phone.

You can also contact Burnett County Reproductive Health Services at 715-3497600. – from Burnett County Health and Human Services

mately $50,000 a year under the new budget guidelines and would lose $10,500 in transportation aid. Overall, the village would lose 10 to 15 percent of its current $360,000 in shared revenue money from the state.

And its ability to make up for lost revenue by raising taxes would also be gone.

Currently the state levy cap allows a levy increase up to 3 percent a year. The new bill would enact a zero-percent levy increase.

In the ongoing debate over the budget bill, Gov. Scott Walker has said local municipalities would be given tools to control their own budget, specifically the levy cap and having employees pay more toward their health and retirement.

But Wondra said it falls short.

“He gave us a hammer without the handle,” Wondra said.

The village won’t realize savings in health insurance because its employees already pay more than the 12 percent contribution the state is proposing.

Analyzing the budget In order to offset lost revenue Wondra said members of the village’s finance committee will begin going over every line item in the budget it just passed in December in preparation for the next two-year budget cycle.

“We’re going to see where we can minimize spending and build some cushions,” Wondra noted. “We’re likely to be in for a tough time over the next 24 months.”

Wondra said the village has been very vigilant in controlling expenditures, cutting the budget from $720,000 to 580,000 over the past seven years, much of that from cutting health insurance costs by shopping around - cutting monthly premium costs from $12,000 a month to $6,800 a month - although that cost has crept back up to $8,000.

There were also cuts made in administration costs over the years but other budgets, including the police department, have mostly been left untouched.

Meanwhile there are village streets to maintain and repair and the cost of utilities, health insurance and fuel for village equipment and vehicles continues to go up, making the likely loss in revenue loom even larger.

“We just want to make sure we continue to provide the services to the community that we provide now,” Wondra said.

Village begins to look for more places to cut back

State budget bill

by Gary King Leader editor FREDERIC - After trimming its annual budget by nearly $150,000 over the last seven years, the village of Frederic is now faced with finding even more budget cuts in the face of the proposed state budget for 2012-13, which would freeze taxation and lower state shared revenue, including transportation aid.

Administrator Dave Wondra told trustees at a regular monthly meeting of the village board Monday, March 14, that should the Budget Repair Bill be finalized (it was put on hold this week as a judge reviews whether or not there was an open meetings law violation), the village would realize a savings of $18,500 a year as village employees begin contributing 5.8 percent of their salary toward their retirement fund.

But the village would lose approxi-

Other business The village completed the refinancing process for its general obligation debt of $1,280,754. With a lower interest rate and shorter term, the village will save approximately $220,000 in interest.

Trustee Wm. Johnson IV reported on behalf of the park board that the village will be receiving grant money for some refurbishing of fishing piers on Coon Lake.

Reports fill Burnett supervisors agenda

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 7

by Carl Heidel Leader staff writer SIREN - There were a few minor action items on the agenda for the Burnett County Board of Supervisors when it met last Thursday, March 17, but the bulk of the first half of the meeting was a series of reports.

Hunger Task Force Steve Briggs, secretary of the county’s Hunger Task Force, told the supervisors that the HTF will be changing its focus in 2011. The task force began with a mission of preventing hunger in Burnett County, but the change in focus will broaden that mission to include addressing the issue of poverty in the county.

After giving a brief summary of the history of the HTF, Briggs listed some of the group’s accomplishments during its first three years. Among those, he noted expansion of the Grantsburg Area Food Shelf and emergency food distribution during the Webster fair last year.

Briggs said the group will continue to raise funds for food distribution and assist the Salvation Army with food services for kids on weekends. At the same time, the new focus on poverty will begin activities with resources available from the UW-Extension office.

Natural Resources Committee While other segments of county government anticipate funding cuts under the proposed Wisconsin state budget, the NRC does not. In fact, the report noted that Gov. Walker’s proposals that focus on expansion of tourism could create more than a quarter of a million new jobs statewide.

Included in the discussion of tourism, the report noted that the county’s historical site at Forts Folle Avoine is a primary

Steve Briggs reported on the activities of the Burnett County Hunger Task Force to the county supervisors and he announced that the annual meeting of the task force would be Friday, April 15, at 1 p.m.

tourist attraction. The suggestion was made that this attraction could be strengthened by having a series of changing, ongoing activities at the Fort.

Infrastructure Committee The report noted an increase in traffic at the county airport and a 30-percent increase in material costs in the highway department. It also noted that county road weight restrictions will come off on April 6.

Clayton Jorgensen gave the Burnett supervisors another history lesson as he presented a painting of the Pansy Ferry to the county. – Photos by Carl Heidel

Burnett County rejects contracts, considers land sale

by Carl Heidel Leader staff writer SIREN - With uncertainties generated by the proposed Wisconsin state budget, the administrative committee of the Burnett County Supervisors have taken steps to bolster county finances. In its regular meeting Monday, March 21, the committee voted to reject all contracts at this time, and began consideration of a land sale.

The contract decision came after discussion in a closed session at the end of the regular meeting. Committee members Richard Anderson and Emmett Byrne proposed that the county reject all contracts at this time due to the uncertainty in Gov. Walker’s proposed budget, and the committee approved the proposal.

County clerk Wanda Hinrichs presented information on land the county has taken back because of unpaid taxes, and she suggested that these parcels be put up for sale. Committee members responded positively to her suggestion, and asked her to initiate plans for such a sale to be

held either late summer or early fall this year.

Hinrichs mentioned in particular parcels the county holds in Trade Lake Township on Trade Lake and in Oakland Township near Yellow Lake. These are lands that the county has held for some time with the intention of doing something special with them, but nothing special has ever materialized.

A report from the information technology department indicated that the county will be installing 24 new computers.

Present computers will be relocated, and some will be offered for sale.

In other business • the committee approved creation of a capital improvement plan; • and announced coming retirements: Allen Benson, highway department, April 28; Donna Bennett, deputy register of deeds, May 15; Marlene Seul, UW-Extension, May 31.

PAGE 8 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

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• Letters to the editor •

• Joe Heller •

Kloppenberg is ethical choice

On April 5, I will vote for JoAnne Kloppenberg for Wisconsin State Supreme Court justice. She will be an independent and ethical justice.

I have serious doubts about David Prosser.

According to Daniel Goldman, Cap Times, March 18, 2011. “Last summer, a few months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional for a West Virginia Supreme Court justice to sit on a case, where he has received $3 million from one of the parties, Prosser did the unthinkable, he joined with the other three corporate-sponsored justices to approve a rule that would have allowed a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice to remain on a case no matter how much he or she had received from one of the parties.”

Apparently money talks and Prosser listens!

Gail Lando Grantsburg

We must not be distracted

• Web poll results •

Last week’s question

To take part in our poll, go to the-leader.net and scroll down to the lower left part of the screen • See front page for this week’s question

• Where to write • President Barack Obama 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20500 www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ Gov. Scott Walker Wisconsin State Capitol Madison, WI 53707 transition@wisconsin.gov

Congressman Sean Duffy (7th District) 1208 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 202-225-3365

U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl 330 Hart Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20510 715-832-8492 senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov

Rep. Erik Severson (28th District) Room 6 North State Capitol Madison, WI 53708 608-267-2365 • 888-529-0028 FAX: 608-282-3628 rep.Severson@legis.state.wi.us Rep. Roger RIvard (75th District) State Capitol Room 307 North P.O. Box 8952, Madison, WI 608-266-2519 • 888-534-0075 rep.rivard@legis.wi.gov U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson 2 Russell Courtyard Washington, D.C. 20510 202-224-5323

Sen. Robert Jauch (25th District) Room 415 South, State Capitol P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707 Sen.Jauch@legis.state.wi.us Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (10th District) State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707 608-266-7745 • 715-232-1390 Toll-free - 800-862-1092 sen.harsdorf@legis.state.wi.us

Rep. Nick Milroy (73rd District) Room 8 North, State Capitol P.O. Box 8953, Madison 53708 rep.milroy@legis.state.wi.us

Wow! Notice the headlines? They just seem to be getting worse and worse.

You’ve seen them from at home to abroad: “Judge issues restraining order to block collective bargaining bill; Expert: Japan crises ‘far worse’ than Three Mile Island; Egypt deeply divided on constitutional referendum; Obama to Gaddafi: Stop or face military action; War with Libya looms; Palestinian terrorists murder family in Israel – Including 3-monthold infant.”

Without faith headlines like these strike fear to the bravest hearts! However, lest we be disheartened and distracted by these weighty matters, I want to draw our attention to one of the most famous and often quoted passages in our history, and then remind us what is at stake with the upcoming state Supreme Court elections.

Here’s our United States of America’s Preamble: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Anything that takes our attention away from the values, the Constitution, and the inception of our nation become distractions. We have not only the privilege, but also the responsibility to vote into office people who will uphold our constitutional rights and values.

I will quote here from a March 14, Wisconsin Right To Life e-mail, which is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. “Justice David Prosser is running for re-election to the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, April 5. Some are publicly promoting the idea that a vote against Prosser is a vote against Gov. Walker. Justice Prosser is a fine jurist who deserves 10 more years on the bench. As a legislator, he maintained a strong right-tolife voting record. You can do more than cast your vote … please urge everyone you know to vote to re-elect Justice David Prosser!”

You’ve heard me say this before, and I dare say it again, “the protection of human life and especially that of the unborn, along with marriage between one man and one woman, as God has commanded, should be our foremost concerns!” If we do not uphold these basic family values the whole of our government will be disabled and decay under the corruption of ungodliness. This is the time to pray, speak out for righteousness and vote for a man in our state Supreme

Court who will uphold our God-given constitution and values.

Lydia Chorpening Shell Lake

ficce the Don't sacrifi democratic process

I offer this disclaimer up front—I am a teacher, and I am personally affected by the Budget Repair Bill. I am also a Republican. I am not opposed to paying into my retirement and health insurance, and while I am saddened by the loss of collective bargaining rights, I know that God will take care of me and my family. I may not like it, but I can accept it.

What I cannot accept is the shameful trampling of democracy that I have witnessed in the past three weeks: an improper vote in the Assembly on Feb. 18 that later had to be rescinded, another questionable 18-second vote in the Assembly on Feb. 25 during which 25 Democrats and two Republicans didn’t get a chance to vote, a conference committee meeting on March 9 that arguably violates the state’s Open Meeting Laws and that passed a “budget” repair bill that was stripped of all financial provisions. All of these events can be seen on www.wiseye.org or YouTube. Please view them and ask yourself, “Did this really happen in the United States of America?”

Were you aware of these events? If not, then shame on our mainstream media for not showing us what really happened. If you were aware, were you outraged? If not, then shame on you. Have we become so determined to get what we want that we will sacrifice the democratic process?

The Republicans had enough votes to do this the right way—why choose this path?

Why silence the minority through such questionable actions? Our 14 Democratic senators are no better—although their actions gave the public a chance to get informed, they, too, have made a mockery of the process.

It all makes me sick to my stomach. My husband wore the uniform of the United States Army for six years. He sacrificed years with his precious daughter, spent nine months of hell in Bosnia amidst a sniper war and the aftermath of a genocide, and has spent the past decade dealing with physical and psychological wounds so devastating that they have brought him to the brink of suicide several times. And for what, I now ask?! To protect what?

To preserve what?

Anyone—Republican or Democrat—who watches these events unfold in Madison and says nothing about these abuses of power may as well spit in the face of my husband and every other service member who has sacrificed so greatly to preserve democratic liberties.

Even if you supported this bill, remember this—It is no “victory” to win and sacrifice your soul in the process. I voted for Erik Severson and Sheila Harsdorf (I now support her recall), I believe in fiscal responsibility, and I am willing to “tighten my belt” just like everyone else, but I am not willing to give up the principles of democracy in the process. Samuel Adams said this about those principles, “We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence.” We must continue to care for them with diligence. It is a slippery slope when we turn our eyes away and ignore violations of those liberties so we can further our own agendas. If that is how we now choose to do business, then God help us all.

Sharlene Prinsen St. Croix Falls

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• Letters to the editor • Steffen most qualifi fie ed

Next month the voters of Polk County will be electing a successor for retired Circuit Judge Robert H. Rasmussen. I believe the most qualified candidate for that position would be your current district attorney, Dan Steffen.

I first met Dan over 10 years ago when I was still the district attorney for Burnett County and Dan was in private practice.

Dan represented clients as a defense attorney in criminal matters, and I found him to be a worthy adversary in the cases we had together. Several years later Dan opted to pursue a career in criminal prosecution by successfully running for district attorney of Polk County, and he and I would often speak together over the phone and at conferences to discuss cases and issues we had in common. Dan handled several matters for me in Burnett County where I had a conflict of interest as DA, and I returned the favor for him in Polk County when the need arose.

My assessment of Dan is that he is a very hardworking, analytical individual who also brings a great deal of common sense to the table, a quality which I believe is extremely important in being a judge.

Dan’s employment history as both a prosecutor and private practice attorney also add to his qualifications, because it gives him a depth of experience in a variety of areas of the law not often found in this age of specialization. It is for these reasons that I endorse Dan Steffen for circuit judge, and I strongly encourage the voters of Polk County to vote for him when the time comes to cast their ballots.

Kenneth L. Kutz Circuit Judge, Burnett County Siren

Let's calm down

I would like to make a comment about all the protests that took place in Madison the past three weeks. First, I understand the taxpayers of Wisconsin are going to have to pay a lot of money in cleanup cost, damages and the security expenses caused by the protesters.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, it is over and it is time to move on.

Look what just happened to the people in Japan! A national disaster which killed thousands of innocent people, and we are worked up about union rights? We are blessed to live in this wonderful country and state, and have wonderful people who are our friends and neighbors. We are Americans first, not Democrats or Republicans.

It has been a painful situation in Madison for all of us either for, or against the new law. When our elected representatives are threatened with death because people did not care for the way they voted, it is a very dangerous path to go down. Often if the passion of the moment outweighs the fear of the consequences passion will almost always win out.

I read in a recent Leader article that Sen. Sheila Harsdorf gave a talk at the Hudson House regarding the budget bill. Then as she left going down a hallway to her car, she was pursued after spending time answering teachers questions inside. Once outside she was again surrounded by a small group demanding answers to their questions, then her car was surrounded by protesters as she was departing. Again this is scary and dangerous.

I believe elected representatives need to be held accountable, but isn’t that what we have elections for? We the people have the power to fire those we do not feel represent us at the ballot box.

Now we hear there is a recall on Harsdorf, who has represented us as a state senator in the best interest of the people of Wisconsin whom she represents. Some want to punish her for standing up and voting for what she believes is best for Wisconsin. Harsdorf did not run to another state to avoid the legislative process.

She stayed, took the heat and voted. Others, it seemed, did not want to stick around to be heard or participate in the democratic process.

If anyone should be recalled, it is those senators who fled the state instead of letting their voices be heard in the debate on unions and public employees. They effec-

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 9

tively shut down the legislative process of Wisconsin for over three weeks.

We all need to calm down and get on with our lives. The vote is over, and now the issue is state law.

Just think about the recent disaster in Japan! We are blessed to live in Wisconsin and to be citizens of this great nation. God bless the United States of America and the state of Wisconsin.

Carl Pentland Balsam Lake

You be the judge

In two weeks, you will get to be judge for a day.

You will be able to choose between two very different people to sit on Wisconsin’s highest court for the next 10 years.

Your first choice is Justice David Prosser, a man who has 12 years of experience as a Supreme Court justice with a reputation for fairness and impartiality.

He has participated in more than 900 published Supreme Court decisions and has written opinions in almost every area of law. He describes his judicial philosophy this way, “My job is to find the law and apply it properly, not to make it up to advance some ideological objective.”

Prosser’s varied career has given him great depth of experience.

Before his years on the bench, he served 18 years in the state Legislature, two years as Outagamie County district attorney and over two years in the U.S. Department of Justice. These roles have given him experience in not only interpreting but creating and applying law as well.

By contrast, Prosser’s opponent does not have one shred of judicial experience.

She has no legislative experience. She has never been elected to public office. She has never even run for public office before now. She did apply to be a judge various times but is so far out of the mainstream that even Doyle and Obama would not appoint her to the bench.

Instead, she has made a career of out of hassling businesses, municipalities and individuals. She never met a DNR regulation she didn’t like. Hers is hardly the ideal background to serve on the state’s highest court.

If you enjoy hunting, fishing, boating, snowmobiling, etc., you will not find an ally in this candidate. These activities are part of what makes life in this area so appealing. If Prosser’s opponent has her way, however, we would soon see many more restrictions on our way of life.

You have a clear choice on April 5. You can choose Prosser, with his depth and variety of experience, well-known for his impartiality and scholarship; or you can choose his opponent, a radical ideologue lacking in experience for the job who has made it her business to increase government intrusion in people’s lives. On Tuesday, April 5, you be the judge. Vote to re-elect Justice David Prosser.

Paul Riemer Siren

Judge supports Steffen

When I first heard that Judge Rasmussen was retiring from his Polk County judgeship, I thought of likely candidates to succeed him. As I considered eligible Polk County attorneys, one name immediately came to mind: Dan Steffen During my 22 years on the bench in St. Croix County, I’ve been able to observe nearly all of the Polk County attorneys either here in St. Croix County or when I get assigned cases in Polk County. Steffen clearly stood out as the one attorney who I felt would be an excellent judge if an opening would ever arise in Polk County.

Right after I heard that Rasmussen was retiring at the end of November 2010, I contacted Steffen and suggested that he think about running for the open judgeship. I talked to him for probably an hour about why I thought he’d be the best candidate.

I suggested that he talk to others and get back to me. After considerable reflection,, Steffen called me and told me that he would be a candidate for the open judgeship.

Steffen has all of the necessary qualities which I believe will make him an excellent

judge. He is highly intelligent, but is not condescending. He is well spoken, but does not preach. He is compassionate, but yet can be firm when necessary. He is very level-headed and is one of the fairest persons that I know. His personality is ideally suited for the position of circuit judge for Polk County.

Occasionally, I am called upon to preside over criminal cases in Polk County.

On each of those occasions, I have been very impressed with the Polk County District Attorney’s Office and the job that they do in managing a sizeable criminal caseload. I attribute these case management skills to Steffen and his leadership a b i l i t i e s .

As a former district attorney myself, I can tell you that these skills that Steffen possesses translate very well to the bench.

I rarely endorse anybody for any elected position. But, when Steffen told me that he was running for the Polk County judgeship, I told him that I wanted to help get him elected. I urge voters in Polk County to vote for Dan Steffen for Polk County Circuit Judge on April 5. You will be very happy with Steffen as your next Polk County Circuit judge.

Eric J. Lundell St. Croix County Circuit judge

Personal qualities

Dear Polk County voters, Many of you have met my husband, Jeff Anderson, either through his profession as an attorney or as a candidate for circuit court judge in Polk County. I believe it is also important for voters in Polk County to know him as a husband, a father and an individual. I believe that a judge should have more than just an education and work experience, these are qualifications earned through study and legal practice.

I believe a judge should also have a great level of personal qualities - such as honesty, integrity, commitment to his or her spouse and family, and strong family values. I know Jeff has all of these qualities.

As a husband, Jeff is a faithful gentleman, loving and caring, listens, compliments and respects me.

As a father, Jeff takes great joy in parenthood. Jeff loves to show our children the fun of play, the importance of learning and building the foundations for future success.

As a son, Jeff respects his parents, still spending long hours on the family farm making sure that his aging parents have help whenever needed.

As a person, Jeff is honest and a man of his word, can be trusted and treats everybody with respect and as equals.

I was told that judges are married to their job. I cannot think of a better candidate for this union.

Dessy Anderson Proud wife of Jeff Anderson Dresser

Steffen responds to Anderson's response

I feel the need to address Jeff Anderson’s response to my comparison ad for Polk County Circuit judge.

First of all, Anderson indicates that he “has refrained from belittling, degrading or criticizing my opponent.” I meant nothing of the sort. If that is the way that Anderson views my ads, I apologize. I ran a comparison ad in an attempt to educate the public on the differences between the two candidates.

Why the need to compare? Experience matters. In all of Anderson’s campaign literature, he has repeated that he has “successfully handled thousands of court cases ...” When the term “successfully” is used, it gives the appearance that these cases were won at trial, not just the result of a plea bargain. The information I used in regard to Anderson’s trial experience came from his own mouth one day months ago in court. Noting that he had a jury trial in Barron County, Anderson asked to continue a case in front of Judge GaleWyrick. When questioned by the judge about how many jury trials he’s actually tried in Polk County, Anderson replied “None, but I’ve done some in Bar-

C O O P E R A T I V E - O W N E D

ron County.” If the question was misunderstood, I am sorry. I confirmed with GaleWyrick that she had heard the same thing. Clearly, Anderson has provided proof of a jury trial in 2005.

As for management experience, I believe that my five years handling a 12-person office is different than an attorney managing his day-to-day affairs. Dealing with personalities, conflicts and listening to feedback of your employees is exactly the type of things that judges deal with on a daily basis. The judicial branch chairs almost all of the extra programs that we have in Polk County, including the drug court, Criminal Justice Collaborating Council, OWI reduction committee, warrant committee, etc. Management experience is vital. Every department in the county has a need for judicial input from time to time. Is this degrading Anderson?

No. It’s a factual difference in our backgrounds. In addition, I felt it absolutely necessary to educate the public on the true extent of Anderson’s court commissioner experience. Is that a criticism? No. It’s the truth.

As for the mentors that we have had, for the first eight years of my career I worked side by side with some terrific attorneys on a daily basis. Attorneys like Molly GaleWyrick, Guy Ludvigson, Tim O’Brien and Gary Bakke helped me not only learn the law, but to grow as an attorney. If Anderson wants to equate his contact with opposing attorneys and judges as the equivalent to my daily interaction with attorneys vested in my improvement and development, so be it. It’s another difference in our background. I did not mean it to be degrading.

Finally, I need to address Anderson’s take on endorsements. This is probably where we have the biggest disagreement.

Anderson indicates he “specifically and intentionally stated that I will not seek or accept public endorsements.” This makes no sense. Anderson’s own Web site has a page entitled “testimonials” where individual supporters post letters of support.

Is this not an endorsement? I call my list of supporters “endorsements” and Anderson chooses to call them “testimonials.”

Anderson states, “I never want anyone to think that I owe some debt, obligation or favor to those who may have endorsed me.” In fact, Anderson’s own Web site and Facebook page contain a copy of a letter published in local papers by Lois Hoff, clerk of court, attacking me personally and professionally. I don’t know the reason for this attack other than my office prosecuted her son. This letter is “belittling, degrading and critical” to me – three things that Anderson has stated he would not do. Does Anderson now “owe some debt, obligation or favor” to the clerk of court? In my opinion, endorsements are nothing more than a public show of support, just the same as a cast vote. I continue to be proud of the endorsements that I have received. I think it is important for the voting public to know the broad cross-section of Polk County citizens who are supporting me.

In conclusion, I meant no harm by my ad. If I was wrong about Anderson’s jury experience, I am sorry. As for the rest of the ad, I believe that there is a difference in all of the categories that are addressed.

The comparisons were not meant to be mean. They were meant as talking points for the voting public. Personally, I like Jeff Anderson. I believe he likes me. It’s unfortunate that this election has turned negative, and I will do my best to prevent that from continuing.

Dan Steffen Osceola

Final week for letters

This is the last issue prior to the Tuesday, April 5, election that the Leader will publish letters to the editor pertaining to candidates. Our Wednesday, March 30, issue is reserved for letters from the candidates themselves who wish to clarify their stands on issues or give a rebuttal to any letter pertaining to them which has been published over the last several weeks.

N E W S P A P E R

PAGE 10 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

• Letters to the editor •

Supreme Court election is important

In the forthcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 5, present Justice David T. Prosser Jr. is opposed by Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has been bipartisan in the past ... but unfortunately, that is no longer true. The present Supreme Court is, without doubt, a conservative court, which means that we can expect that it will endeavor to support Gov. Walker and his allies. Thus, one can expect that they will sustain the appealed controversial actions of the governor and his Legislature.

Prosser is by no means bipartisan. He has been endorsed by 57 Republican representatives and 17 Republican senators.

Moreover, Prosser has proudly stated that he intends to be a good complement to the Legislature and governor.

Consequently, the re-election of Prosser would preserve the certain proclivity of the court to sanction the efforts of the governor and his allies in their unprecedented plan to reduce state school aid, and to require concessions and elimination of longestablished rights of workers, etc.

Kloppenburg is a person of great integrity, who would be fair and impartial as a supreme court justice. Her legal experience is broad and deep. She has been an intern for Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and a clerk for Chief Judge Barbara Crabb of the United States District Court.

She has taught at the UW Law School since 1990. Furthermore, she has been active in numerous charitable causes, including having been a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana, 1976-1979. She has volunteered with various nonprofit groups.

The election of Kloppenburg is necessary for the good of the state of Wisconsin and essential for preserving fundamental government assistance. The impending budget crisis needs to be addressed, but it should not be at the expense of those who can ill afford it. It is imperative that the wealthy, including those who support Prosser, be required to pay the taxes they can afford to pay. Wisconsin must again become a progressive state. Government is for the people and not for big corporations.

Ron Ylitalo Grantsburg

Jeff Anderson for judge

On Tuesday, April 5, Polk County residents will go to the polls to cast their ballots. Our community will decide the next Polk County Circuit Court judge. Both candidates are respected individuals in our community. This will be a difficult decision for most of us, because many of us have never had to experience a court of law.

I have had the opportunity to work with Anderson over the past few years.

He has a wide range of legal experiences giving him the ability to adjudicate in a knowledgeable manner. I have grown to admire his work ethic. He is committed to be fair and unbiased; his decisions will be made on the merits of each case. Judges need to be unbiased. Anderson has committed to remain nonpolitical to ensure fairness. He has always asserted himself in a professional manner in or out of the courtroom.

Please join us as we vote for Jeff Anderson on April 5. A vote for him is a vote for honesty and fairness. He will be a judge that Polk County can be proud of.

Tom and Duana Bremer Amery

Hijacking of Supreme Court

It may come as a surprise to some that we have a self-admitted felon serving on the Supreme Court in the person of David Prosser. In 2006, as Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen was being prosecuted and convicted of felony misconduct for using taxpayer money to fund Republican campaigns, Supreme Court Justice Prosser admitted he had done the same thing while he was speaker of the Assembly.

His confession came too late for prosecution because it was given after the statute of limitations had run out. His tardy admission of the crime and lack of prosecution does not negate the facts. Coupled with this history is the fact that Prosser’s campaign is being funded in large part by Club for Growth, a Koch funded PAC. The citizens of Wisconsin just witnessed the shameful influence of corporate Koch money within the Walker administration. Will we let the Brothers Koch buy our courts too?

As if this isn’t enough to scare the thinking public, Prosser recently said that if elected, he will serve as a “complement” to Scott Walker and his legislative agenda. Isn’t it enough that Wisconsin’s two houses are being held hostage by the Walker/Koch connection? Must we bear the hijacking of our Supreme Court also?

The Supreme Court must be impartial and nonpartisan. This third branch of our state government must be protected from the influence of big money or personal ideology. Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg is the clear and superior choice for Supreme Court justice.

Voting for Kloppenburg will ensure a free and impartial court for Wisconsin’s citizenry. Having agreed to the public funding of her campaign is proof that she rejects any outside interest or influence in her future judgeship. She will make legal decisions based on law not ideology or favoritism, or buyout. Furthermore, during her years of working in the Department of Justice, she has served under both Democratic and Republican attorneys general, showing the greatest bipartisanship.

Kloppenburg has only one agenda and that is upholding the law for everyone regardless of who they are.

Preserve the integrity of our Supreme Court by voting Kloppenburg for Supreme Court justice this April 5.

Roxanne Moore Balsam Lake

Vote Prosser for Supreme Court

I urge everyone to vote for David Prosser for justice of the Supreme Court.

He has an established record of ruling for what the Constitution and the law states, not for what the liberal judicial activists on the court would like them to say.

Chief Justice Abrahamzon and Justice Bradley would like to change the existing balance of the court to become more liberal and have engaged in unethical acts to undermine sitting Prosser. For example, Bradley wrote an “internal” e-mail and gave it wide distribution among court staff that accused Prosser of being excessively passionate in his remarks when provoked by Bradley and Abrahamzon.

When the papers got a whiff of the issue and requested a copy, she was more than happy to release it and to give interviews on the subject, which may have been her intent all along.

Abrahamzon and Bradley attempted to have Justice Gableman recused from all criminal cases on the grounds that he is too antagonistic toward criminals. They miss their old buddy, Loophole Louie.

Prosser voted against the measure and it was dropped in a 3 – 3 tie.

Electing Kloppenburg would remove a conservative justice from the court and give the liberals a strong majority. The liberals on the court have done everything they can since Gableman was elected to undermine him. Don’t allow them to take over the last court of appeal in Wisconsin.

Vote Prosser on April 5.

Boyd Sutton Siren

Why recall Sen. Harsdorf?

Long ago I taught high school civics. I have spent 40 years in the League of Women Voters. I believe that only fair, open and honest government will allow our democracy to survive. What we witnessed in Madison this last month was not fair, or open or honest. It was a serious abuse of power by elected officials.

A major change was made to a 50-yearold state policy affecting all levels of government and thousands of people. The ability of government workers to bargain

collectively was wiped out in a shortsighted power play. The current majority party did not campaign on reducing the rights of unions. Yet the governor called a special session and quickly introduced the Budget Repair Bill which, among other things, removed union rights. The majority party planned to pass this bill in five business days. Under pressure, they held one public hearing. The usual procedure on issues of this importance, which affects so many citizens, is for each house of the Legislature to hold separate hearings sometimes even in different parts of the state. Normally, a great deal of time is allowed for citizen input and reasoned debate.

When the majority pushed this bill forward to a vote, the 14 minority senators used the only procedure available to them to slow down the vote. They left the state.

Both sides said that they negotiated, but suddenly the majority took the part of the bill dealing with unions out of the main bill and passed the union restrictions in less than an hour. The legality of that session is now being challenged in the courts.

What can citizens do in the face of such abuse of power by elected officials? Our constitution says that they can “peacefully assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Thousands did just that with phone calls, letters and with their signs and voices, as they came to Madison and held meetings all over the state.

The other action left to citizens is to recall the elected officials involved. In the 10th Senatorial District, Sheila Harsdorf is eligible for recall because she has served more than one year of her term in the Legislature. Harsdorf is a member of the majority party and voted with them in every action they took. She has recently defended the majority’s position in the local newspapers. Petitions are now circulating to recall Harsdorf. If you live in her district and you want to restore fair, open and honest government, sign a petition.

Jean McLaughlin Webster

Former district attorney endorses Steffen

I write concerning the upcoming judicial election. What is needed is a candidate with a proven track record of handling governmental power fairly and well. Someone who has possessed such power without giving over to arrogance and self service. Someone who has already been charged with the responsibility of upholding citizens rights and proven up to the task. Someone who has presented difficult cases to the jury repeatedly - and won.

In my opinion, based on 14 years as district attorney and the opportunity to observe many judges, the only candidate who fits this criterion is District Attorney Daniel Steffen.

Mark D. Biller Former Polk County district attorney Balsam Lake

Feet of clay

I have a memory of the Wannigan Day parade last July, watching Sen. Harsdorf charm the crowds along the street, people stepping out to have their pictures taken with her. In mid-July, she seemed Polk’s true blue favorite daughter.

Her recent letter in area newspapers lays bare her feet of clay. This usually classy lady stepped down into the muck of GOP fear-mongering. This is something her party has used on the trusting populace with huge success. I hate to see her succumbing to that desperate measure.

Instead of explaining how any of the items proposed by Walker are good for western Wisconsin, she wrote about the “outsiders” she met at the Capitol, flown in by the unions (gasp!) to support public workers in Wisconsin. She expressed fear at the death threats that all Republican senators were said to have received. Well, senator, with sadness and disbelief, many heard the “gotcha” interview in which Gov. Walker told the person he supposed was a generous benefactor that some of

his advisors had come up with the idea of hiring provocateurs to upset the peaceful demonstrations in Madison. Imagine.

Could a staff person suggest this and still be employed? Apparently, it was turned down, but now some of us wonder if any “threats” actually came from within the GOP. Her party is not exactly pure as the driven snow since the governor admits similar actions were discussed in his presence.

In the lead-up to the recent signing, I tried to reach Harsdorf. Her e-mail box was full. Her voice mail was full. Constituents who reported trying to speak in person to her say they were rebuffed.

She colluded with other Republicans to slip through, in the dark of the night, a massive, harmful bill That choice demeans her, and I am genuinely sorry to know that. I no more believe that Walker wrote that proposed bill nor that our Legislature really studied the ramifications than I believe that elephants can fly. Harsdorf knows she is caught in a web and way too many who supported her are extremely disappointed, to say the least.

Many are signing the petition for her recall.

Marilyn Brissett-Kruger St. Croix Falls

School spirit

In the chaos around us, I want to salute all the students, staff and community of Unity High School. It warmed my heart first at home against Somerset in the second playoff round, to have a gym full of fans supporting our varsity basketball team. On to New Richmond against Osceola and we owned that gym. The enthusiam was wonderful as we came back to win the regional title.

The school spirit grew and community pride continued as we went to Spooner as the underdog and faced a tough Northwestern team. The determination of the team and fans to own that gym also was amazing. Then to face a strong La Crosse Aquinus team, they may have dominated the basketball floor, but not the spirit in the gym. The student fans were again amazing!

The community support outstanding!

As the game came to an end, it was our school song that could be heard throughout the complex. That is only possible with the spirit we brought to the game.

Our boys played hard and stood proud as the sectional trophy was handed to La Crosse. Our school pride and spirit showed.

Angie Nelson Balsam Lake

Do not compromise

Gov. Walker and Sen. Harsdorf, please do not compromise your beliefs and commitment to the voters who elected you.

What is happening in Madison and locally is not, or should not, be a partisan issue, but pragmatic.

Most public employees, and certainly teachers, I respect and admire. Some are close personal friends. These friends are not out flashing yellow signs saying “recall.” They are competent and love their jobs. They also receive a check and benefits every month and serve their students and community without fail or complaint.

As for the rest of us who try to make it on our own, we pay for our own business insurance, life insurance, health insurance and hopefully have enough left over to contribute to our retirement. In our current economic crisis this can be difficult, but we are not standing on the side of the road saying life is unfair.

In Wisconsin we need to solve our deficit and fiscal problems first and foremost and provide incentives to keep and attract business here, therefore creating more jobs.

Frankly, those standing on the side of the road disgust me.

As for me, I’ve never belonged to a union and never needed one.

Rick Dahlstrom Frederic

• Letters to the editor • What have we learned?

What have we learned in 2,066 years?

“The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.” - Cicero 55 BC Mark Pettis Hertel

Know your enemy

This will soon be the time of year that

Making the hard decisions today

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 11

we must all be vigilant when going outdoors, for the deer, birds, mice and other wild critters have been providing nice warm bedding for last year’s tick population during this long winter. The offspring of these ticks are called nymphs and are no larger than a poppy seed. These nymphs are very difficult to locate when they do attach themselves to you, and you (sad to say) are to be their first meal.

At this time it introduces a bacteria called a spirochete, which then travels through your bloodstream and reproduces itself. The host, which is you and I, then comes down with Lyme disease and perhaps even one of several co-infections.

So how are we to protect ourselves? What do we do next? If we can’t locate it, and then show symptoms of Lyme disease, how do we and our doctors know what is happening to us? Are there any tests for

Scott

Imagine the outrage if government workers did not have collective bargaining for ages and benefits. Consider the massive protests that would be staged by labor leaders all across the country.

Think I’m talking about Wisconsin? No, I’m talking about the federal government.

Contrary to what the Obama administration would lead you to believe, most employees of the federal government do not have collective bargaining for wages and benefits. That means the budget reform plan we signed in Wisconsin a week ago is more generous that what President Obama offers federal employees.

Our reform plan calls for a 5.8-percent pension contribution from government workers, including myself, and a 12.6percent health insurance premium payment.

Both are well below what middle-class, private-sector workers pay.

Federal workers, however, pay an average of 28 percent of health insurance costs.

Walker Governor

It’s enough to make you wonder why there are no protesters circling the White House.

My brother is a banquet manager and occasional bartender at a hotel. He pays nearly $800 a month for his family’s health insurance and can put away only a little bit toward his 401(k). He would love the plan I’m offering to public employees.

As my brother recognizes, our plan is a good deal for government workers when compared with what other middle-class workers are paying for benefits. It would be a great deal for federal workers.

Nearly every state in the country is facing a large budget deficit, just like the federal government. Many states are cutting billions of dollars in funding for schools and local governments, resulting in massive layoffs or massive property tax increases - or both.

In Wisconsin, we are choosing a differ-

this? Are the test reliable? What can the outcome be if we are not treated properly?

These and many other questions may be answered for you on Thursday evening, March 31, at the Amery High School Auditorium, located at 555 Minneapolis Ave. If going south on Keller Avenue in Amery, you would turn to your left (east) at the second stoplight. Proceed two blocks until you reach Minneapolis Avenue and then turn to your right (south ). You will go past the elementary school before reaching the high school.

Our guest speaker for the evening will be Thomas Grier, a biology and chemistry graduate from the University of Minnesota, who will be speaking on the topic of “Lyme on the Brain.” This is to be a special slide show presentation on the ability of the lyme bacterium to enter the brain and the long-term consequences of ent way. The Wisconsin way allows local governments to balance the budget through reasonable benefit contributions.

These reasonable contributions will save local governments almost $1.5 billion.

The financial savings in our budget reforms will protect 1,500 jobs this fiscal year and 10,000 jobs over the next two years. The savings come from giving state and local governments the tools to manage benefit costs through collective bargaining reform.

Some have questioned the need to reform collective bargaining. After all, they say, the union bosses in Washington said publicly that their workers were ready to pay a little bit more for their benefits. But the truth is that as the original union bosses were saying one thing, their locals were doing something entirely different.

Over the past several weeks, local unions across Wisconsin have pursued contracts without new pension or health insurance contributions. Some have even pushed through pay increases.

Their actions leave one wondering how tone-deaf and out of touch union bosses are with what’s happening in the private sector. Even the president instituted a pay freeze on government workers this

chronic neurological lyme disease.

There will be refreshments/coffee, free handouts and information available to everyone beginning at 5:30 p.m. Those of us who belong to the Western Wisconsin Lyme Education and Support Group will be hosting this event, and we look forward to seeing as many of you there that evening as is possible. To know your enemy is to be prepared. Together we can work to help one another be safe and to stay well.

If you have any questions, you may contact myself, Ann Krisik at 715-2682856, Bonnie Fox, 715-268-9557, or Paula Warner, 715-268-2035.

Ann Krisik Amery

year, something he was able to do only because federal employees enjoy fewer collective bargaining rights than do Wisconsin workers - even with our recent reforms.

Beyond balancing budgets, our reforms give schools, as well as state and local governments, the tools to improve their operations. We allow them to reward merit and performance instead of facing the barriers of collective bargaining that all too often block innovation and reform.

Because of our reforms, government will become more efficient and effective for the people.

Ultimately, our Budget Repair Bill is about the next generation. We are making the difficult decisions now so that our children don’t have to make even more difficult choices to balance the budget we left them.

A lot of people have made their voices heard during this debate, including the president and the union bosses. But middle-class taxpayers who want a government that works for them also deserve a voice. Now they have one. - Republican Gov. Walker wrote this column for the Washington Post

E-edition • Every page in color. • Go to www.the-leader.net Governor’s bill may lead to large loss in funds

by Gregg Westigard Leader staff writer FREDERIC – “We are facing major financial problems,” Jerry Tischer, Frederic school administrator, told the school board Monday night, March 21. “We have a potential for a 2011-12 loss of between $300,000 to as much as $600,000 because of the governor’s Budget and Repair Bill.

The governor’s tools are not going to work. For the first time in years, we are talking about not paying bills.”

Tischer said the district has kept its fund balance at about $900,000 for several years. He warns that the balance could drop to under $500,000 by July 2012, the start of the 2012-13 school year. He said

Enough signed up for task force

Frederic looks at financial woes

the school board needs to start making decisions about budget cuts soon. Tischer said the district is fortunate that things have started to slow down in Madison, and the budget items may take a while to pass. That is especially true if the governor takes the issue to court, he said. If that happens, the district would gain time to make changes.

Class size is high on the list of possible changes to be considered. The board will need to make a decision on whether to have 33 students in one fourth-grade classroom. The option would be spending $70,000 for an additional teacher.

In grades 7-12, the decision may be whether to set a class minimum of 10 students for elective classes and a minimum of 20 for English, physical education and social studies. Those minimums could result in some lay-offs. High school Princi-

pal Ray Draxler said it is getting hard to schedule classes for seniors when only one session of some classes are offered.

Students may have no options on setting schedules. Draxler said he remembers the time when three sessions of some classes were offered. He said that eliminating small classes leads to elimination of jobs.

Shari Matz said that the district will start losing students if it eliminates class options. Chuck Holicky said the district should send out annual letters to parents promoting the district and saying, “We would love to have you in our system.”

That might reduce some of the district loss of students through open enrollment.

Open enrollment is a cost to the district.

For the current year, Frederic lost 64 students through open enrollment and gained 15. The district sends its state school aid to the districts that gain those

students. Tischer said that for the coming school year, the district may have to pay out $485,000 to other districts for open enrollment and take in $100,000 for a cost of $385,000 to the district.

Frederic also has a high loss of students because of home-schooling. Figures from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance show that Frederic had 539 students in 2008-09, while an additional 54 students in the district were home-schooled. The next highest numbers of home-schooled students in the conference were St. Croix Falls (51), Grantsburg (50) and Unity (43), but each of those districts had many more enrolled students, 1181 for St. Croix Falls, 962 for Grantsburg and 1,169 for Unity. Frederic’s home-school number for 2008-2009 was 10 percent of the enrollment.

Tischer told the board that decisions on the budget will need to be made soon.

gic Planning for the district has enough persons signed up to participate to begin the process. At a special meeting held Monday, March 14, Martin invited the public to become involved in the strategic planning committee which did not have enough members signed up at that time to begin the process. Martin stated Tuesday that there were 25 persons signed up for the committee and the board discussed four areas to divide the committee into so those areas can be focused on in the planning. The four areas suggested were external, internal, communication and technology, curriculum and instruction as a combined last category. The members signed up will receive an e-mail and will be asked to indicate which of the four areas they would like to work on. The board will randomly assign members who do not list a preference and will make sure the groups are evenly divided with equal

representation. The first meeting will be Tuesday, March 29, at 6 p.m. in the elementary gym. Subsequent meetings are scheduled for April 26, May 17 and May 31.

In other business, the board heard a report from high school Spanish teacher Sharlene Prinsen who showed an iMovie about how the Spanish students developed a plan involving design, technology and fundraising to transform the classroom over the past two years.

The board approved the retirement of Linda Nelson, speech, and Mary Johnson, third grade, with thanks for many years of service. The board also approved the resignation of Sarah Campbell as the wrestling cheerleading coach.

High school Principal Pete Nusbaum reported that this year the students have sustained silent reading time added to the study hall at the end of the day and that

the WKCE tests for reading this year were up. Nusbaum credited SSR as part of the reason tests scores improved over last year.

Nusbaum praised the choir for their ratings at large-group contest in Rice Lake last week. He also indicated that the Spirit of Excellence Award was presented at halftime at a Milwaukee Bucks game to teacher Suzanne Imhoff and high school students who submitted the Spirit of Excellence information.

Willow stated that the WKCE tests for reading and math were up in the middle school and the district met its adequate yearly progress, as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act. She stated that students will be attending the Shrine Circus in April, and there will be an all-school talent show Friday, April 1, at 1 p.m.

Middle school principal interviews next week

by Tammi Milberg Leader staff writer ST. CROIX FALLS – The St. Croix Falls school board met Tuesday, March 22, and was updated on the middle school principal position by Superintendent Glenn Martin. Current Principal Kathleeen Willow is retiring at the end of the school year. Martin said that there were 52 applicants for the position. He narrowed it down to 15 and then called the 15 persons and narrowed the pool to eight. The eight candidates will be interviewed next Wednesday and Thursday. The district is closer to determining who the new principal will be for the 2011-2012 school year.

Another update by Martin indicated that the Task Force Committee for Strate-

A range of choices for voters

PAGE 12 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

April 5 election contests in Burnett and Polk counties

by Gregg Westigard Leader staff writer BURNETT AND POLK COUNTIES – Area voters will have many choices at the polls on Tuesday, April 5. All voters get a chance to choose who will serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the next 10 years. Polk County voters get the rare chance to elect a new judge. But there is more. There are four school board races in Burnett County and two in Polk. There are four village board races in Polk County and two in Burnett. This is the year town boards are chosen. There are contests in 10 Burnett towns and 13 Polk towns. There are of choices for everyone.

Contested elections

(I) = incumbent

Burnett school boards Webster: (two seats) – Terry Larsen (I), Bob Carlson, Mathew Pawlak and Jim Kopecky.

Cumberland: (one seat) –Jonelle Gideo (I) and Scott Warwick.

Shell Lake: (two seats) – Tim Mikula (I) and Wendy Muska (I running as write-in) Spooner: (three seats) – Bev Bohac (I), Paul Goellner (I), Kurtiss Krueger, Christina Martin, Timothy Reedy and

Incumbent Supreme Court candidate outlines financing, his background, judicial activism and controversial comments

by Greg Marsten Leader staff writer BALSAM LAKE – Incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David T. Prosser Jr. has the unique quality of being involved in all three branches of government and, after 12-1/2 years on the state’s highest court, believes he brings a “unique perspective to the court’s role in government.” He outlined those views over two parts while taking breaks between public appearances as he strives for a second, 10-year term against his challenger, Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg.

“I love the work,” Prosser said. “I think I’ve proven I can do the job, and think I make a valuable contribution to the court, not only by my broad background but by hard work, good scholarship in the opinions, clear writing and sound, independent judgment.”

Background Prosser is 68 years old and has a well-established pedigree. He grew up in Appleton, eventually attending DePauw University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965. He earned his law degree from the UW-Law School in 1968, and went into practice a short time later, serving as an attorney in Washington, D.C., as an advisor to the Justice Department. He later served as the Outagamie County district attorney for two years, prior to serving in the Wisconsin Assembly as a Republican from the Appleton area for approximately 17 years. He has also served on the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission on tax disputes, and has been on the state’s highest court since first being appointed by Gov. Tommy Thompson in 1998, and won a 10-year term in 2001, which is where he is hoping to stay after the April 5 election.

“I do bring a perspective to the court that nobody else brings,” he stated, noting his extensive background and resume. “I’ve worked at all three levels of government, I’ve worked with all three branches of government, and I understand the roles of other branches. I want to make sure the Supreme Court sticks to its role; that is to interpret the law, not to make the law.”

The conservative complement and other controversies Prosser has been called to task in recent months - and not just by Kloppenburg - for comments attributed to him that appeared on his campaign Web site until last month stating that he was needed to “...protect the conservative judicial majority and acting as a commonsense complement to both the

Robert Hoellen.

Burnett villages Webster: President – Tom Stusek (I) and Jeff Roberts.

Siren: Trustees – no contest but Peggy Moore running as write-in

Burnett towns Daniels: Chair – Christopher Sower (I) and Bruce Chell. Supervisors: Timothy Tjader (I), Lonny Pearson and Denis Simonsen.

LaFollette: Supervisors – Robert Stage (I), Douglas Coyour (I) and John Larson Jr. Lincoln: Chair – Christ Olson (I) and Steve Washkuhn.

Oakland: Chair – Harm Weber (I) and Wayne Larrabee.

Rusk: Chair – Richard Harder and David Olson. Supervisors – Robert Brede (I), Karl Plesums, Scott Fell and Kent Bassett.

Scott: Chair – Doug McCreadie (I) and Mick Peterson. Supervisors – Gary Lundberg (I), Shirley Muller and Marlene Kufalk. Clerk – Kim Simon (I) and Karen Wiggins.

Swiss: Supervisors – George Costello (I), Gerald Pardun (I), and Delores Staples.

Union: Chair – Tom Nielsen (I) and Michael Kornmann.

Webb Lake: Chair – Clifford (Larry) Main and Steve Austin. Supervisors – Greg Main (I), John Kielkucki (I), Patricia Pock-

randt and Jill Schaaf. Clerk – Gail Keup (I) and Dagny Johnson.

Wood River: Supervisor No. 1 – Dale Halverson (I) and Jason Johnson.

Polk school boards Amery: (one seat) – Keith Anderson (I) and Fritz Coulter.

Cumberland: (one seat) – Jonelle Gideo (I) and Scott Warwick.

Osceola: (two seats) – Craig Brunclik (I), John Gearin (I) and Roseanne Anderson.

Polk villages and cities Balsam Lake: President – Guy Williams (I) and Carl Holmgren. Trustees – Michael Voltz (I), Eugene D’Agostino (I), Duane Gurtner and Josh Hallberg.

Milltown: President – Lu Ann White (I) and Les Sloper. Trustees – Jason McKenzie (I), Bob Jones, Erling Voss, Joe Costellano and Janet Otto.

Osceola: President – Kathy Demulling (I) and Gary Beckmann. Trustees – Purnal Tracy (I), Ken Janes (I), Wally Piszczek (I), Stephen Bjork, Carol Otto and Scott Wing.

St. Croix Falls: Alderperson – Ward II and III – Lori Erickson and Randy Korb.

Polk towns Alden: Supervisors – Keith Karpenski (I), Helen Johnson (I) and Dave Pettis.

Balsam Lake: Supervisors – John Ruck (I), Dave Dumke (I) and Wallace Trudeau.

Prosser makes his case

Incumbent Supreme Court Justice David Prosser recently appeared at an event honoring retiring Polk County Circuit Court Judge Robert Rasmussen. Prosser was the official high court spokesperson, and presented Rasmussen with a commendation plaque from the court. Prosser squares off with Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg in the April 5 general election. - Photo by Greg Marsten

new (Walker) administration and (Republican-controlled) Legislature.”

That comment first surfaced in what Prosser called a nonauthorized press release and said the staffer basically announced his appointment as campaign manager, “and then he added some commentary” that was later posted on the campaign Web site.

Prosser has denied the comments, stating he is “not a rubber stamp for any cause,” and last week that campaign staffer, Brian Nemoir, admitted as much to the Leader that he was behind the release.

Prosser admitted he did not review the release or the statements prior, but said “I have, multiple times, disavowed the sentiments in that news release ... and JoAnne Kloppenburg knows that.”

He has also been at the heart of other admitted high-court controversies, and was most recently called out for comments he reportedly made behind the scenes regarding Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, whom he has had several noted disagreements with since the re-election process began.

“Well, a lot of that disagreement was designed to disadvantage me. Understand, after the chief justice was re-elected in 2009, the Legislature changed the law to institute a public financing system. Candidates could go outside that system, but they would have had a very, very difficult time. The law is designed to really disadvantage me, and the Legislature never consulted with me,” he said.

Prosser thinks the financing issue was inherently political, and dealt with aspects of legislative reapportionment. Although later he stated he might be in support of adjustments to the public financing system, but continued to say it was “meant to leave me at a disadvantage.”

Prosser vs. Abrahamson or Kloppenburg?

While he backpedaled on the noted campaign comments, Prosser pulled no punches in his sparring with Abrahamson, admitting that “she would prefer someone else to sit on the court,” later stating “she likes people (on the bench) who are completely, totally loyal to her and vote with her ... and she thinks that I’m too independent.”

Prosser said the primaries included political ideologues who were pushed by Abrahamson and others to try and unseat him, but were not successful.

The only time in either interview that he ever referenced Kloppenburg was for her noting the conservative complement comments during recent public debates, which he said he “continues to point out the correction ... Brian has even gone up to her after these events and said again that he was the one who made the comments,” Prosser said.

“And she knows that.“ However, he did not address more recent, highly charged comments and attacks he reportedly made about Abrahamson, but said he thinks the turbulence will blow over once the election is over.

“Then there’s all the controversy over Justice (Michael) Gableman’s election, which included a desire to not only discipline him, but to remove him from individual cases whenever four members of the court decided he couldn’t be impartial,” Prosser stated. “But once those rules were adopted, four members of the court could remove other justices from cases, whenever they thought there was some conflict of interest.

“This was something that all the conservative members of the court felt was terrible policy, because it was undermining the will of the electorate, and it was doing it in a way that denied the individual justices due process ... so there’s lots of controversy going on here.”

Prosser is convinced that if he is re-elected “a lot of the disagreements will go away, because the people have spoken.”

He said if Kloppenburg were to win, it would lead to “rewarding the politicalization of the court ... and make for a hard time for the conservatives (on the bench).”

Judicial definitions While speaking out against judicial activism several times during his campaign, Prosser also gave his own definition of the terms that have been so often thrown around.

“I would say that a judicial conservative, which is how I describe myself, is the exact opposite of a judicial activist,” he said, calling an activist someone who “doesn’t have much respect for the other branches of government ... particularly the legislature. So there is a willingness to substitute what a judge or a group of judges believe is good policy for the policy passed by the Legislature.”

He said the term, at its heart, is essentially

Black Brook: Supervisor seat No. 2 – Dave Paulson (I) and David Gehrman.

Bone Lake: Chair – Marsha Karpinen and Doug Route. Supervisors – Bill Schilling (I), Roger Neumann (I) and Earl Ericksen.

Clayton: Chair – Scott Grosskruetz and Craig Moriak.

Eureka: Chair – Gene Krull (I) and Kyle Swanson. Supervisors – Tom Bloomquist, James Johnson, Roger Johnson and Steve Jacobs.

Farmington: Chair – James LaRue (I) and Dennis Cotter.

Johnstown: Chair – Arnold Peer (I) and Mike Anderson. Supervisors – Richard Sellent (I), Douglas Rouzer (I), Paul Danniger and Joe Zaspel.

Laketown: Chair – Daniel King (I) and Ted Zindars. Supervisors – Monte Tretsven (I), Bruce Paulsen (I), Matt Larson and Stanley Engstrand.

Luck: Chair – Dean Johansen (I) and Gregory Marsten. Supervisors – Larry Wright (I), Gregory Marsten (I) and Don Langel.

Milltown: Supervisors – Clifford Gustafson (I), Christopher Nelson (I) and Russell Carlson.

Osceola: Chair – Robert Wright and Douglas Schmidt.

St. Croix Falls: Chair – Bill Hughes (I) and Steve Palmer. Supervisors – Norval Valleen, Mary Hughes, Michael Dorsey and Christopher Chelberg.

substituting judicial views for legislative views.

He also admitted that on occasion, “the Supreme Court does make policy ... such as on the common law, or tort law, where it is governed by statutes ... and it is purely an accumulation of judge-made decisions.”

Prosser thinks the difference comes down to when you follow precedent, “and not to keep changing law to suit new facts, unless it is absolutely necessary to do so.”

He also cited the practice of new federalism, where a court interpretation adds new rights with their interpretation of the state’s version of the federal constitution, which have often striking similarities. While he did not cite a particular instance or case, he said the issue comes down to four judges making law that has not undergone legislative or congressional review.

“I am very much opposed to that,” he stated several times.

He also cites the so-called Constitutional “Right to a Remedy,” in Article 1, Section 9, where the court has a constitutional right to find a remedy, but he thinks the right has been abused by some, “whenever the justices want to take that and say we’ve got a constitutional right to remedy everything we think is wrong.” He called it a very expansive and nonhistorical reading of the clause.

Prosser also said that some people want to broadly expand the Supreme Court’s powers, and said he is just opposed to all of it.

The recusal issue Prosser is used to outlining what he called the regular, orderly process for how the high court accepts cases, starting with the circuit courts, then advancing to the appellate court and the process of how the court reviews cases. He noted the importance of court commissioners, in their advice on whether petitioned cases should be accepted, and said there have only been a handful of times he has recused himself from litigation or pending cases and said that they are almost all because of action he was involved with while he served in the Assembly.

“It’s not always clear, there is statute that gives specific grounds for recusal,” he said, “anytime you participate in a court or tribunal below, you can’t sit on the case.”

Prosser has only recused himself a few times but has several instances , such as if a case involved a former, past or present member of the legislature he served with, or in early cases involving medical malpractice, where he was involved in the legislation, and also in cases involving Chapter 980 of the sexual predator law, which he helped pass.

“I’m simply not going to take these cases because someone might say I was not impartial,” he said.

See Prosser, page 22

WINTER SPORTS

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 13

INTER COUNTY LEADER • INTER COUNTY LEADER • INTER COUNTY LEADER

F R E D E R I C • G R A N T S B U R G • L U C K • S T. C R O I X F A L L S • S I R E N • U N I T Y • W E B S T E R BASKETBALL • GYMNASTICS • HOCKEY • WRESTLING

State title eludes Pirate boys in final minutes

Oh, so close!

Extra Points

Marathon 52, Grantsburg 43

by Greg Marsten Leader staff writer MADISON – It was close, close, close.

But not this time.

In spite of a noted, incredible comeback in the semifinal game against Blair-Taylor on Thursday, March 17, the Grantsburg boys fell a few buckets short of the Division 4 state title on Saturday, March 19, in Madison at the Kohl Center. The Pirates fell to Marathon, 52-43, in a close contest that had the Pirates within a basket for all but the last few minutes, and even then, within striking distance in all but the final moments, when Red Raider free throws dominated.

The Pirates were without the services of inside big man Seth Coy, a 6-foot-4-inch tall junior who went down with a concussion in the Blair-Taylor semifinal game on Thursday. His presence inside would have helped the Pirates match up against the much bigger Marathon Raiders, who had half a dozen players 6-foot-1-inch or taller, compared to just Coy and junior David Ohnstad for Grantsburg who topped that height.

“It turned out to be a bigger loss than it already was when we got into foul trouble early in the game,” Pirate head coach Nick Hallberg said. “All throughout the playoffs we had the luxury of having two big guys, with 10 fouls to give. Once David and Derek started to pick up fouls, it changed how we defended their big guy.”

But in spite of the size disadvantage, Hallberg’s crew played with aplomb, and challenged the Raiders at every corner, outrebounding them on the defensive end and matching them on the offensive boards. They fought off the much larger

Grantsburg senior Derek Bertelsen launches one from beyond the arc against Marathon.

Brent Myers takes one of his signature jump shots over Marathon during the state championship game on Saturday, March 19. Despite a close game, the Marathon Red Raiders pulled away with the win in the final three minutes. – Photos by John Reed Raiders with excellent cross-court passing, and good outside shooting from Trevor Thompson and Brent Myers, who combined for 37 points in the finale and became a much-praised state tourney power duo.

“It was a great game. I don’t think anyone gave us a chance going into the game, especially with Seth out,” Hallberg said.

“When we got into foul trouble, we had to be a little more passive than we’d like to be on the defensive end.”

While the Pirates were ruthless on the boards and follow-ups in the first half, Marathon was equally solid at the freethrow line, going 11-11 in the first two quarters, single-handedly keeping them in the contest, with the Pirates using 16 Myers points and 11 more from Thompson to keep the Raiders running.

“Brent and Trevor kept us in the game offensively all night,” Hallberg said.

“Those two guys are the best guards in the area and they showed it down in Madison both nights. Our team defense gave us a chance to win again.”

Senior Trevor Thompson awaits a high five See State/ next page from teammate David Ohnstad during the team introduction against Marathon in the state championship game.

••• STEVENS POINT – Luck’s Britta Petersen finished her UW-Stevens Point women’s basketball career with WIAC Player of the Year honors, and Central Player of the Year honors, but recently received All-American status after becoming one out of only 10 players in the nation to be nominated to the State Farm Coaches All-American Team. Petersen had an outstanding season, averaging 14.2 points per game and Britta Petersen shot 58 percent from the field. She scored the second-most points in UWSP history, with 1,511 points and helped the Pointers to four WIAC Tournament Championships, and played in three Sweet 16 NCAA Tournaments. The Pointers finished 27-3 this year, and 160 in the WIAC conference. – With information from athletics.uwsp.edu ••• STEVENS POINT – Brian Thill of Webster closed out indoor track and field season last weekend with the UWSP men’s track and field after earning a trip to the NCAA Division 3 Championships at Capital University in Ohio. Thill placed Brian Thill fifth overall in the pentathlon at the championships with 3,633 points and earned All-American status.

••• ST. LEO, Fla. – Former St. Croix Falls athlete, Brenna Martens led the Lenoir-Rhyne University women’s golf team to ninth place during the Snowbird Intercollegiate hosted by Northern Illinois University at the Pebble Creek Golf Club. Martens shot a 153 (9 over), and tied Brenna Martens for eighth overall as an individual. Martens is a senior this season.

••• OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – St. Croix Falls graduate Molly Kalmoe is once again competing with the University of Minnesota rowing team. The Gophers competed in scrimmages against Notre Dame and Alabama, before competing against No. 16 Tennessee last weekend.

Kalmoe is part of the first varsity eight team, which lost against Tennessee 6:09.50 to 6:12.10.

••• LEADER LAND – Local sports tidbits to share? Please contact the Leader by 4:30 p.m. on Mondays to go in Extra Points. – Marty Seeger ••• LEADER LAND – Leader Sports strives to follow the college careers of area athletes. If you know of an athlete who will be playing collegiate sports in 2011 and hasn’t been mentioned, send us an e-mail or call and we’ll take it from there. – Marty Seeger

SPORTS RESULTS DEADLINES: WEDNESDAY - MONDAY: 1 p.m. the following business day. TUESDAY: 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Missed deadlines mean no coverage that week!

S P O R T S N E W S O R S C O R E S T O R E P O R T ? • P H O N E : 7 1 5 - 3 2 7 - 4 2 3 6 • FA X : 7 1 5 - 3 2 7 - 4 1 1 7 • E - M A I L : m s e e g e r @ c e n t u r y t e l . n e t

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Pirates state run golden despite getting silver

Win over Blair-Taylor shows Grantsburg belonged at state

in the paint and the perimeter. Their first basket of the game came on a jumper by David Ohnstad with 3:28 to go in the first quarter, and Derek Bertelsen scored two points less than a minute later, but the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run before the firstquarter break to lead 12-4.

“We didn’t hit a lot of shots in the first half, and that probably had something to do with the environment and the magnitude of the game and whatever else, but defense and rebounding definitely kept us in the game.”

The Pirates had a total of seven turnovers in the first quarter, but perhaps even more damaging was Seth Coy going out on injury after falling to the court on his back and hitting his head while going up for a rebound. He watched the rest of

Grantsburg 54, Blair-Taylor 49

by Marty Seeger Leader staff writer MADISON – Overcoming an 11-point deficit in the game of basketball isn’t an insurmountable task, but given the circumstances the Pirate boys basketball team faced during the state semifinal game against Blair-Taylor, one might have been tempted to throw in the towel.

Instead, the Pirates kept at it, and eventually pulled out one of the most exciting come-from-behind victories in boys state basketball history last Thursday, March 17, at the Kohl Center in Madison. The comeback came with the Pirates down by as much as 11 points with just over two minutes to go.

“That was the biggest surprise. It was not the coming back from the points … there wasn’t that much time left,” said Pirates coach Nick Hallberg. “All they (Blair-Taylor) had to do was take care of the ball and hit their free throws, but they didn’t do that.”

Pirates sophomore Connor Myers tries to avoid Blair-Taylor’s Isaiah Paulson.

See Pirates/ page 15

Grantsburg used stingy defense and outrebounded Blair-Taylor during a thrilling victory late in the fourth quarter. Pirates David Ohnstad, (far left) Brent Myers (center) and Seth Coy grapple for a rebound early in the game. – Photos by John Reed Blair-Taylor was in the driver’s seat onds of regulation, but had to settle for nearly all four quarters until Daniel Biorn overtime. It was in overtime that senior made the play of his life, stealing an in- Trevor Thompson was able to help ice the bound pass and banking home a layup game, shooting 8 of 10 from the free-throw that tied the game at 44, with 26 seconds line in overtime. remaining in the game. Shortly after tying Prior to the exciting comeback and overthe game, Hank Kujak, who led Blair-Tay- time victory, however, things weren’t lor with 24 points, was fouled, but missed going well for either team. It took awhile a pair of free throws. The Pirates had a for Grantsburg to get things going in the chance to win the game in the final sec- first quarter as they struggled to get points

David Ohnstad did double duty at the state tournament after teammate Seth Coy went out with an injury early in the game against BlairTaylor.

The 2010-11 Grantsburg boys basketball season will be one the school and community won’t soon forget. The team paused for a team photo after recieving medals and their state runnerup trophy. – Photos by John Reed “These opportunities don’t come rebounds to the effort.

The top-seeded Grantsburg squad fin- around every year; some people never get ished the season with a 22-6 overall the opportunity to be down there and our record, and 8-4 in conference. While the program has been there twice in the last Pirates lose a talented, hard-charging six years,” Hallberg said. “As I look corps of talented seniors in Thompson, ahead, though, there’s no question that we Myers and Bertelsen, coach Hallberg has a need to find ways to score. We’ve got the solid supporting cast of underclassmen kids, so we’ll see how things play out over for several years. The Pirates have some the off-season. I feel good about where we very big shoes of leadership to fill with are at though at this point.” those graduates, but should fare much better than most West Lakeland foes.

Pirates coach Nick Hallberg hoists up the state runner-up trophy to fans after a loss to Marathon.

State continued

But both squads were colder than a July popsicle for the third quarter, with backand-forth lead changes that left them tied, 38-38, as the final frame began.

But as the Pirates again tied the Raiders at 41 each - the ninth lead change of the contest - the Marathon crew got hot. The Raiders went on an 11-0 run that left the Pirates scrambling for ball control using a combination of defensive trapping, 3point shooting and, eventually, forced fouls to get back within striking distance.

“We played pretty well, but didn’t make the last run,” Hallberg said.

For the Pirates, that sudden deficit combined with 24 points from Raider senior Cody Hanke - was just too big a puddle to leap. Grantsburg just couldn’t overcome that Marathon hot streak, and the contest did not end the way visiting Pirate fans had hoped, with a final score of 52-43 in favor of Marathon.

“Their big kid (Hanke) is a good player, pretty much all they had,” Hallberg said.

“We can’t feel ashamed of our effort or our performance; we played well enough to win. We were three minutes away from being state champs, but couldn’t respond to the momentum that Marathon had those last few minutes.”

Notables for the Pirates included 19 points, six rebounds and three assists for Brent Myers; 18 points and five rebounds for Thompson; three points and three boards for Derek Bertelsen; three points, six rebounds and two steals for David Ohnstad. Junior Daniel Biorn added five

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Pirate boys get warm welcome home

Parents, family and fans greeted the Grantsburg boys basketball team for a welcome home Dan Bertelsen, Derek Bertelsen’s dad, congratulatory celebration at the high school upon the team’s return from the state tournament. congratulated his son’s teammate, Brent – Photos by Priscilla Bauer Myers.

Kim Hallberg, wife of Grantsburg boys basketball coach Nick Hallberg, held on to their daughter, Lauren, who was sporting a T-shirt saying, “My daddy rocks!” as the 6-month-old reached out to touch the team’s shiny silver trophy.

Members of the Grantsburg High School boys basketball team were honored at the welcome home celebration in the high school gym Sunday, March 20. Their coach, Nick Hallberg, had this to say of his team, “There’s a chemistry with this team. They’ve played together a long time.

They know each other’s strengths and feed off each other.”

Pirates continued

the game from the bench after suffering a concussion and was eventually sidelined for the state final game against Marathon two days later.

“The biggest thing is his rebounding.

He had 16 rebounds against Colfax, and we still outrebounded Blair-Taylor even without Seth. That was huge,” said Hallberg, who added that his athletes still kept moving forward despite losing one of their top players, which was another key to the win.

Blair-Taylor stretched their lead to 10 points in the second quarter and kept it that way until Trevor Thompson hit his first two points of the game on free throws with 3:48 to go in the first half. Thompson heated up after that, hitting two 3-pointers that helped Grantsburg get to within four points, but Blair-Taylor surged back to take a 24-16 lead at halftime.

The Pirates shot just 26 percent from the

Pirates senior Trevor Thompson helped seal the Pirates win with stellar free throw shooting in the fourth quarter

Members of the Grantsburg boys basketball team celebrate a huge come-from-behind victory over Blair-Taylor in the state semifinal. Pictured (L to R): David Ohnstad, Connor Myers, Zack Arnold, Nolan Hanson, Daniel Biorn and Joe Gaffney. – Photos by John Reed floor in the first half to go along with 11 the Pirates hands perfectly. But despite every free throw had to be what it was to turnovers, and the second half didn’t start hitting three more 3-pointers in the next make the whole comeback complete, but I out much better, as the Pirates turned the four minutes, including two from Brent think it was Connor’s three for more reaball over on their first three possessions. Myers and one from Bertelsen, the Pirates sons than one,” Hallberg said of the turnGrantsburg scored just three points in the still trailed by eight with 2:11 remaining in ing point in the comeback win.

Although the conference season didn’t third quarter, but managed to keep the regulation. A Thompson 3-pointer Wildcats to just four points. It seemed like brought the Pirates within five with 1:28 turn out the way the Pirates had hoped, a comfortable nine-point lead heading to go, and with a key steal by Connor their journey to state seems to have into the fourth quarter, but momentum Myers leading to two free throws from washed that memory away.

Scoring for the Pirates showed seniors slowly started to shift in favor of the Pi- Brent Myers, and the eventual steal on an inbound pass by Biorn, the Pirates were Thompson with 21 points, Brent Myers, 15 rates. and Bertelsen with nine. David Ohnstad Grantsburg was down by as much as 12 able to ride the game into overtime.

“Everything fell in place absolutely per- had four, Connor Myers, three and Biorn, points until Connor Myers hit a 3-pointer fectly. Every steal, every made basket, two. with 6:10 to go in regulation.

It was Myers’ first long ball of the season in 23 attempts, but it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

“He hit that three and then we’re down by nine. Had he not made that, obviously you don’t get the three points, you don’t get the time-out. Who knows what happens after that,” Hallberg said.

After the time-out the Pirates switched to a new look with their full-court press, which the team hadn’t used since the season before, and Hallberg considered a desperation move.

“Nothing bad could come from it. We had tried everything that we knew. This was our last resort, and it worked,” Hallberg said.

Because of foul troubles, Bertelsen and Biorn played near the top of a 1-2-2 type of defense, which is something they hadn’t Grantsburg’s bench locks arms in anticipation of a possible come-from-behind victory been in position to do before, but they made it work, and it managed to play into against Blair-Taylor, which eventually happened in overtime.

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Pirates fans show support at state

Grantsburg High School drummers keep a steady beat at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Cool hats are just a small part of the fun at state high school sporting events.

Pirate fans of all ages traveled to Madison last week to watch their Pirates during the state finals at the Kohl Center.

A Grantsburg Pirates fan wears a nifty looking pair of shades to show her support for the Grantsburg boys basketball team. – Photos by John Reed

There was plenty of loud music by the Grantsburg High School band during the state basketball tournament in Madison last weekend.

There’s no shortage of fun when you’re at the Kohl Center in Madison during the state basketball tournament.

Grantsburg Pirates fans cheer on the home team in Madison.

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“Resident Grandfather” honored

Bennie Johnson receives recognition from Grantsburg Hockey Association

by Priscilla Bauer Leader staff writer GRANTSBURG – Bennie Johnson stood next to the Zamboni driver armchair and sign recognizing his years of volunteer service with his characteristic humility.

The Grantsburg Hockey Association presented Johnson with the gifts and honored him at the start of the organization’s Friday, March 18, ice-bowling event.

Though he couldn’t keep the pride of the moment from showing on his face, Johnson isn’t a man who would ever seek recognition or thanks for the time he has given to the GHA. No, Johnson’s joy comes not from being honored or praised, but rather from seeing the joy on the faces of kids having fun playing hockey. Hockey Association President Rick Quimby opened the event by giving his own recollections of Johnson’s many years of involvement with the GHA. “We have here at Grantsburg Hockey Association a sort of resident grandfather who has been around for so long that his name and Grantsburg hockey are rarely used in separate sentences! This person is at the rink so early in the morning that I think farmers contact him for a wake-up call,” Quimby told the group.

Quimby then went on to describe Johnson’s tireless efforts. “Before many of us are out of bed or even thinking of getting out of bed, he has already done the ice.

Twice sometimes!

“Over the past few years, he has been my go-to guy for anything I need. He has and continues to be a cornerstone of GHA and we hope he is around for many more years,” commented Quimby.

“Bennie Johnson tonight you are our guest of honor,” said Quimby. “For me, Bennie has been my late night partner in crime and my early morning wake-up call,” recalled Quimby. “I think at one time Bennie’s wife, Pat, thought the two of us should just bring cots up to the rink!

He has been there to help every time I called and sometimes even before I could call. From myself, all of GHA and the countless kids that have been on the receiving end of your kindness for many, many, many years, thank you.

“I know that each of Bennie’s extended

Bennie Johnson was honored for his volunteer service to the Grantsburg Youth Hockey Association. Johnson was presented with his own Zamboni Driver armchair and parking sign recognizing his 38 years of service to the organization. – Photo by Priscilla Bauer

hockey family could probably get up here and tell a story about Bennie and what he means to them but we don’t have all night,” Quimby told the crowd. “So, I though it would be nice to have Bennie’s immediate family share some thoughts.”

Quimby then read the following two letters from Bennie’s sons.

Letter from Craig: To the best of my knowledge, Bennie started with the hockey when I was 4 years old, which was 1973. Hector Lien and Dick Michels were the persuaders behind Bennie’s involvement. Hector, Dick, Roger Marek and Bennie spent many hours flooding the rink, shoveling snow off the rink and hot flooding with the village tractor that was equipped with two 55-gallon drums and rugs that drug behind to lay the hot water down and smooth the ice. This was all to keep the Grantsburg Raiders ready to play hockey.

The rink that we had was a plank builtrink that had hexagon-shaped corners.

Sometime in the mid to late ‘70s the hockey board decided to build a new rink.

With the help of many, they tore down the old rink and started on the new rink which actually had rounded corners. With the help of expert carpenter Butch Lee who was also very involved in the hockey program the rink was built. As the rink was being built, high school players down to us little players painted it. With the old planks we also built actual players benches and penalty boxes. We were big time now, rounded corners and no more standing in the snowbanks! It was also at this time we got a new International tractor with a real Zamboni for the ice. Now with our new rink and new Zamboni and the help of many volunteers, we had the best ice around! To this day largely due to Bennie’s efforts we still get compliments that our ice sheet is the best around!

Bennie didn’t start coaching until his youngest son Chris started. I think Bennie coached that group of players up until Bantam level? It was so long ago even I can’t remember.

Throughout the years Bennie was on the hockey board of directors. Starting as a board member, to running the show as the president. Bennie also spent countless hours as a scheduler for the games. Back then, when one team went to a town to play everybody did. From mites to high school were all in the same town or towns on the scheduled day. Bennie also attained a great relationship with our friends in Pine City, Lee’s Pro Shop, as he had to run over there weekly to pick up cases of sticks and tape and the supplies we needed to play the great game. All the while Bennie and the other guys were keeping the rink ready to play and keeping up the public rink for everyone else.

Bennie would always be there to tie skates for the younger players. I remember his fingers were so callused from tightening skates. Well worth it, Bennie would say! Bennie made a bunch of little hook things for the kids to carry with them to try to tighten their own skates. It worked till he got to the rink, then the players wanted him to tighten them. He also spent many hours sharpening skates. Countless blades he has put an edge on so the kids could play.

Through the years of traveling, a player would break a stick and Bennie would run and get the player a new stick and have it

taped up ready to go for them. And when we stopped to eat, he would many times get food for all the kids with him. About those broken sticks, Bennie would throw every broken stick into the back of his truck. All winter long he would collect them, they would be piled in like cordwood. Sometime in the early to mid ‘80s he got a nice camera. One that still required film! He would take it to games and take pictures of the seniors. Bennie would give each senior an 8x10 hockeystick-framed picture at the end of the year at the banquet.

Bennie was not only popular with the hockey players but also the girls and boys that just liked to skate on the public rink.

Bennie always spent time with the children and loved all of them. He was then and is to this day a surrogate father, and grandfather to many young skaters!

Through the years I played, until Chris graduated, Bennie was 100 percent involved. Once Chris graduated Bennie took a much-needed break for a couple of years. In that time the new rink was built where it is today but still outdoors. Bennie was bored with winter so again he became a resident of GHA. Before you know it we were building an indoor rink and he started spending more time there. Now he has a granddaughter, Paige, who has played since 1999 for GHA and Bennie spends just as much time there now as he did when his own kids were growing up.

He also has a grandson, Caleb, playing in Princeton, Minn. He goes over there very often to watch him as well.

Since Bennie, totally retired from McNally’s he has recruited a few helpers. He now has Dave Johnson and Lee Roberts to keep him company doing the stuff that needs to get done up there. All in all the reason that Bennie and the others have done all the work they do is ultimately for the kids. So they have a rink to play hockey. And although a thank-you is appreciated, to Bennie the thanks is seeing all the kids on the ice and the grins from ear to ear.

From Chris: I remember going up to the rink with Dad on weeknights as well as weekends and flooding the hockey rink and public rink when the temperature was hovering in the minus 20 degrees. We would be covered with ice from the spray of the fire hose by the time we were done for the evening. There were nights when it was so cold that by the time we had one side of the rink flooded the other side was frozen so we would go back and forth all night long and into the mornings. To some this may seem strange, but to Dad this was the best. He loved those nights because he

See Bennie/ page 18

LEADER SPORTS SCOREBOARD BOYS BASKETBALL

West Lakeland Standings Team Conf. Overall Luck Cardinals 11-1 20-5 Grantsburg Pirates 8-4 22-6 Unity Eagles 8-4 19-7 Webster Tigers 8-4 16-8 Siren Dragons 5-7 16-9 Frederic Vikings 2-10 8-16 St. Croix Falls Saints 0-12 2-18 Scores Thursday, March 17 (State Semifinals) Grantsburg 54, Blair-Taylor 49 Saturday, March 19 (State Finals) Marathon 52, Grantsburg 43

Visit

www.wissports.net

for local scores and stats

GIRLS BASKETBALL

West Lakeland Standings Team Conf. Overall Siren Dragons 11-1 23-3 Grantsburg Pirates 8-4 15-8 St. Croix Falls Saints 6-6 13-8 Frederic Vikings 6-6 14-9 Unity Eagles 4-8 11-12 Webster Tigers 4-8 10-14 Luck Cardinals 3-9 11-13 Scores Thursday, March 17 (Sectional Semifinals) Siren 66, Mellen 25 Saturday, March 19 (Sectional Finals) Prentice 55, Siren 43

READ LEADER SPORTS

PAGE 18 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

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Lady Dragons fall to Prentice in sectional final Seniors end dominant careers Prentice 55, Siren 43

by Marty Seeger Leader staff writer SPOONER – It wasn’t a start the Siren girls basketball team was hoping for last Saturday, March 19, during the sectional final against Prentice, but the legacy left behind by the athletes who got them there will not soon be forgotten.

“Our basketball banquet is going to be a hard one for me this year. I think a few tears will be shed. All I can do is say thank you seniors for the many, many great memories on and off the court,” said coach Ryan Karsten, who was speaking of his five core seniors, Ashley Guevara, Carley Emery, Daphne Hubbell, Danielle Keller and Rhiannon Honeysett, who have been part of some of the most successful girls basketball teams in Siren school history.

“They have set the bar very high for any other class here at Siren in regards to girls basketball,” said Karsten, listing several of the teams accomplishments over the four years that included a record of 89-12, four conference titles, two regional crowns, one sectional title, three WBCA All-State win-

Senior Daphne Hubbell goes in for a layup against Mellen. – Photo by Amber Hall

Bennie from page 19

could add many inches of ice in one evening.

I always enjoyed going up to the rink with Dad because he would let me run equipment. When we would get a snowstorm I would run the bobcat while Dad ran the Zamboni to clear the hockey rink as well the public rink. Dad was so popular around the rink that whenever we got any snow or something needed to be fixed at the rink either the phone would be ringing off the hook at home or when I would show up to skate everyone would be asking, “Where is your dad, or, “Is he coming up to the rink soon?”

Bennie coached many of my teams even though he couldn’t skate. I remember one practice we had, everyone knew my dad couldn’t skate but all of a sudden out on the ice here comes Dad and Dick Michels on skates! Oh what a sight, my dad looked like a first-year skater, he went up and down the ice a few times and he took the skates off. I think he wanted to make a point in saying that you don’t need to know how to skate to be a good coach.

From that point on no one gave Bennie any slack about not being able to skate.

I remember my dad being a very patient coach, he wouldn’t yell and everyone played. When I was a squirt we had a game in Somerset and we knew we were

The Siren girls basketball team had yet another memorable season in the playoffs. Here they pose after a big win over Mellen. – Photo by Mackenzie Erickson

Carley Emery floats toward the basket under aggressive pressure by a Prentice defender. – Photo by Amber Hall ners, seven first-team All-Conference member and one All-Conference honorable mention.

“Not a bad resume for a graduating class of quality players but more importantly quality people,” Karsten said.

As for the Dragons sectional championship game against Prentice, the first quarter proved to be too much to overcome. Siren scored just one point in the first quarter on a free throw by Liz Brown, as Prentice scored 14. The Buccaneers stretched their lead to 27-11 by halftime, and the Dragons couldn’t seem to get any of their open shots to fall.

“The ball wouldn’t go in the hoop in the first quarter and a half. They are a great team that deserves to be in the state tournament with their play Saturday and throughout the entire year. They have a couple of outstanding players in Anderson and Hallstrand, and some other very strong role players,” Karsten said.

While the first half might have been the ultimate dagger for the Dragons they didn’t give in, outscoring Prentice by seven points in the third quarter and came as

clearly outmatched. I think the final score was 21–2, the whole team was down but Dad being the coach, he kept things positive. Our goalie, Brent Luedtke, had 80 saves for the game and we scored two goals against a team that up to this point no other team had scored against. His words of encouragement made the whole team feel better about the day. My dad coached me until I became a Bantam then he let other coaches take over. It was different not having Dad on the bench shifting lines and making adjustments throughout the game, but I always knew he was up in the stands supporting and encouraging me to do my best on the ice.

When I think about Grantsburg hockey I think about my dad up at the rink making sure the ice is ready for another practice or making sure that if anyone needed their skates sharpened he would be there to help.

Now that I am involved with my sons hockey program in Princeton and people find out that I’m from Grantsburg they always ask if I know a Bennie Johnson. I reply with a proud smile, “That is my dad.

“Without a doubt they start telling a story about how they were in Grantsburg and a player forgot a stick or skate or whatever and Bennie would search high and low and find just what they needed. Just the fact that they remembered Dad shows what kind of a man he truly is.

Quimby then presented Johnson with

close as six points in the fourth. Karsten noted that it was a physical game that had Siren committing 26 fouls, and only 13 fouls for Prentice, who also had 34 freethrow opportunities.

“It was a top-level game and we were not used to the contact the refs let go. That is my fault, but that had nothing to do with us missing our first 15-plus shots in the game. We had to hit the open shots we got and didn’t,” Karsten noted.

Emery knocked down three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter for a total of five 3pointers in the game. She ended with 21 points, while Guevara had nine, Brittany Coulter, six, Hubbell, four and Brown, three.

Without their five returning seniors next year will likely be a much different team, but don’t count Siren out, as they’ll have at least nine players looking to carry on the legacy of quality Siren basketball.

“I have nine of the girls that suited up for the playoffs back, so losing these seniors will take big toll on us and make us change what type of basketball team we will be next year. That makes it exciting for me and is the reason I love coaching high school sports so much!” Karsten said.

Siren 66, Mellen 25 HAYWARD – Perhaps the biggest story of Siren’s sectional semifinal win over Mellen last Thursday, March 17, wasn’t their 66-25 rout but the fact that they weren’t playing the girls of South Shore.

In a nearly unprecedented twist in the WIAA playoffs, the regional champion South Shore Cardinals were forced to forfeit their game despite beating Mellen 6553. The reason for the forfeit was due to a scheduling conflict that had nearly the en-

his gifts.

“Bennie on behalf of GHA please accept this refurbished ‘zamboni chair’ which we hope to see your butt print in it for years to come. We would also like to present to you this ‘reserved seating’ sign so that you always have a place to park your butt when you actually get a break from resurfacing!”

Quimby also recognized Johnson’s wife, saying, “We didn’t forget you, Pat. We know that Bennie’s commitment to GHA over the years has taken him away from you for hours upon hours, now this may be why you are still happily married, but we thought maybe you would like to get away and make up some of that time.”

Quimby then presented her with a gift certificate to a bed and breakfast in Duluth, Minn.

“Taking Bennie with you is optional,” joked Quimby. “I’m sure I can find something for him to do here if you need him to be busy for that weekend. But seriously Pat, for all your years of service, please accept this as a small token of our appreciation.”

Quimby ended the ceremony with a humorous invitation to Johnson. “Now Bennie, with everyone watching, will you please throw the first ball of the fourth-annual GHA ice-bowling event!” – Priscilla Bauer with submitted information

Ashley Guevara looks to pass against Prentice – Photo by Mackenzie Erickson

tire South Shore basketball team heading to a school band trip in Seattle when they were supposed to be playing Siren during the sectional semifinal.

The decision to defer the game, and allow Mellen the chance to move onto the sectional semifinal game, didn’t seem to affect the play of the Lady Dragons, as they held Mellen to nine points in the first half, and led by 30 points at the break.

Nearly all of the Siren girls got into the scoring mix with Carley Emery producing 15 points, Ashley Guevara, 13, Daphne Hubbell, 11, Carly Good, six, Liz Brown, five, Brittany Coulter, four, Raven Emery and Kyaisha Kettula each had three, Amber Moore and Jessica Strabel each had two, and Abigail Mitchell and Danielle Keller added one apiece.

Wrestlers off to state

Four St. Croix Falls youth wrestlers qualified for the state tournament in Madison, which will be held Friday and Saturday, March 25-26. Qualifiers include Luke Clark, Joe Mackenburg, Devon Dowd and Spencer Langer. – Photo submitted

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City of Trails races set for June 4

ST. CROIX FALLS – The seventh-annual City of Trails 5K Run/Walk and Rock ‘N River 10K Trail Run/Hike will take place on Saturday, June 4, in St. Croix Falls. Celebrating National Trails Day with communities nationwide, the unique city-limit trails of St. Croix Falls have something for everyone for healthy outdoor activity.

People of all ages are encouraged to join in some good-natured trail competition with one of the City of Trail racing events.

Featuring St. Croix Falls city-limits Ice Age Trail segments, the City of Trails 5K road race and spectacular Rock n’ River 10K Trail Run/Hike start simultaneously at 9 a.m. from St. Croix Falls Middle School. All races follow wooded and very scenic courses, finishing via Gaylord Nelson Riverwalk at the 1905 hydroelectic dam and the Overlook Deck in downtown St. Croix Falls. Show up early with young trailsters for the Baby Mammoth 1K Kids Trail Run. Kids ages 5-12 lineup at St. Croix Falls Middle School and hit the trail at 8:30 a.m. with an exclusive awards ceremony immediately following the race.

The short, sweet and free of charge Lil’ Hiker Hustle for 2- to 4-year-olds will get set at the Overlook Deck after the conclusion of the 5K and 10K runs.

“We love these trails and so do our participants. In the last six years, this day has become a summer kickoff tradition,” says race director Amy Klein. “There’s something for every age and ability. It feels great to get out and participate in some-

A R E A Hacker’s Lanes

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Sunday Youth (3 Games) End of season final standings Standings: Infinite (League Champions) 66, Brothers & Arms 43, The Bowlers 46, The Three Amigos 41.5, Shooting Stars 40, Boss 39.5, JDZ 39, Team Hambone 24.

Girls games: Corissa Schmidt (SS) 222, Lauren Domagala (SS) 206, Avery Steen (SS) 191.

Girls series: Corissa Schmidt (SS) 568, Lauren Domagala (S) 524, Avery Steen (SS) 499.

Boys games: Logan Hacker (TH) 276, Kyle Hunter (TB) 245, Austin Bruss (B) 243.

Boys series: Logan Hacker (TH) 684, A. J. Walsh Brenizer 604, Austin Bruss (B) 598.

Team games: Team Hambone 638, Shooting Stars 587, The Bowlers 536.

Team series: Team Hambone 1731, Shooting Stars 1535, The Bowlers 1424.

Sunday Night 1 No-Tap Mixed Standings: Happy Campers 39.5, Knaubers 33, Packer Backers 32.5, Chuck’s Team 29, Jeff’s Team 26.5, Long Shots 25, Late Comers 21.5, No Names 17.

Women’s games: Jan Kruse (CT) 232, Sheila Hanson (JT) 226, Sheila Hanson (JT), Gwen Larsen (HC) & Jobie Bainbridge (LC) 203.

Women’s series: Sheila Hanson (JT) 563, Jan Kruse (CT) & Gwen Larsen (HC) 551, Lois Murphy (LS) 523.

Men’s games: Don Swanson (PB) 277, Chris Rowell (NN) 276, Don Swanson (PB) 266.

Men’s series: Don Swanson (PB) 753, Chris Rowell (NN) 744, Jeff Cummings (JT) 704.

Team games: Jeff’s Team 895, Chuck’s Team 874, Long Shots 820.

Team series: Chuck’s Team 2335, Jeff’s Team 2290, Packer Backers 2259.

Monday Afternoon Senior Mixed Standings: Vultures 33, Eagles 31, The Bears 29, Swans 21.5, Badgers 21, Cardinals 20, Nite Hawks 18.5, Zebras 18.

Women’s games: Marge Traun (TB) 251, Sandy Bannie (Z) 246, Thelma Hendricks (C) 236.

Women’s series: Marge Traun (TB) 647, Thelma Hendricks (C) 617, Sandy Bannie (Z) 602.

Men’s games: Dave Bannie (Z) 266, Bob Eischens (V) 239, Duane Doolittle (V) 238.

Men’s series: Duane Doolittle (V) 681, Bob Eischens (V) & Dave Bannie (Z) 666, Tim Tyler (E) 637.

Team games: Vultures 907, Zebras 882, The Bears 840.

Team series: Vultures 2449, Eagles 2404, Zebras 2401.

Monday Night Ladies Standings: Mane Attractions 65, Hog Wild Gals 54.5, House of Wood 47.5, The Bottle Shop 44, Hacker’s Lanes 30, Bye 11.

Dan Sutton, Baraboo, wins the 2010 City of Trails 5K with a record-setting time of 15:04.3.

– Photo submitted thing active.”

The annual Team Challenge spotlights participants of local businesses, organizations, families and friends. Teams step forward for a chance to win the Golden Boot, awarded in two categories: the fastest team (top three combined times) and the largest team (most participants).

Individual prizes are awarded for overall male and female winners and age divisions up to age 60-plus.

Online registration and detailed City of Trails racing event information is available at www.cityoftrails5k.com. Registration forms can be downloaded at this Web site or picked up at the St. Croix Falls City Hall. Race day registration opens at 7 a.m.

New this year: Prep for the race by attending a free run/walk clinic on Tuesday, April 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. Croix Regional Medical Center. Speakers are Dr. Pat McDonough, sports medicine, and Dr. Daniel Redburn, podiatry, plus many information displays, light refreshments and giveaways. See www.scrmc.org for more details.

Racing events are designed and organized by the City of Trails 5K Committee in partnership with the Indianhead Ice Age Trail Chapter, St. Croix Regional Medical Center and the city of St. Croix Falls. For

B O W L I N G

Individual games: Susie Houston (MA) 179, Robin Lindvall (BS) 178, Karen Olson (HWG) 177.

Individual series: Susie Houston (MA) 500, Rhonda Bazey (HW) 471, Robin Lindvall (BS) 470.

Team games: Hog Wild Gals 625, Mane Attractions 597, Hacker’s Lanes 575.

Team series: Hog Wild Gals 1714, Mane Attractions 1711, The Bottle Shop 1668.

Tuesday Classic Standings: Yellow Lake Lodge 96, Great Northern Outdoors 82.5, Bottle Shop 79.5, SHWHORAW Co. 61, Pioneer Bar 58.5, Rural American Bank 51.5.

Individual games: Mike Sullivan 258, Ron Skow 253, Gene Ackland 245.

Individual series: Ron Skow 662, Gene Ackland 629, Mike Sullivan 628.

Team games: Great Northern Outdoors 658, Yellow Lake Lodge 639, Pioneer Bar 583.

Team series: Great Northern Outdoors 1875, Yellow Lake Lodge 1831, Pioneer Bar 1627.

Consecutive strikes (5 or more): Ron Skow 6x – 253; Rick Bradway 6x – 221.

Games 50 pins or more above average: Mike Sullivan 258 (+78); Ron Skow 253 (+53); Gene Ackland 245 (+50).

Splits converted: 3-6-7-10: Tom Coen.

2-4-10: Dale Frandsen. 4-7-10: Josh Henry. 3-10 (X2): Jake Anderson. 4-10: Brad Schmidt.

Wednesday Night Early Men’s Standings: Larsen Auto Center 32, Cummings Lumber 25, Skol Bar 23, Pioneer Bar 20.5, Lewis Silo 17.5, A-1 Machine 14.

Individual games: Jim Murphy (CL) 257, Don Swanosn (CL) 256, Curtis Renfroe (SB) 241.

Individual series: Curtis Renfroe (SB) 657, Don Swanson (CL) 648, Jim Murphy (CL) 646.

Team games: Pioneer Bar & A-1 Machine 989, Skol Bar 949.

Team series: Skol Bar 2751, Pioneer Bar 2714, Cummings Lumber 2667.

Thursday Early Standings: Fab Four 24.5, Wikstrom Construction 26, Grindell Law Offices 23, Red Iron Studios 21, Hell Raisers 20, American Family Siren 14, Daeffler’s Quality Meats 13.5, Frontier Trails 11.

Individual games: Mark Bohn (FF) 262, Jim Wikstrom (WC) 261, Don McKinney (FF) 254.

Individual series: Jim Wikstrom (SC) 735, Mark Bohn (FF) 729, Blake Douglas (GLO) 723.

Team games: Wikstrom Construction 713, Fab Four 702, Grindell Law Offices 690.

Team series: Wikstrom Construction 2058, Grindell Law Offices 2012, Fab Four 2002.

Consecutive strikes (5 or more): Dave Hall 212 (+50).

Games 50 or more above average: Randy Antonich 179 (+50); Mark Bohn 249 (+54); Jim Wikstrom 212 (+57).

Splits converted: 3-10: Mike Route.

Thursday Late Standings: Stotz & Company 24, Fisk Trucking 21.5, Hog Wild BBQ & Grill 20.5, Hansen Farms Inc. 19, Johnson Upholstery 17.

Women’s games: Kelsey Bazey 209, Rhonda Bazey 193, Heather Wynn 140.

Women’s series: Kelsey Bazey 567, Rhonda Bazey 471, Heather Wynn 390.

Men’s games: Eugene Wynn Jr. 214, Eugene Wynn Sr. 210, Alvin Tyler 204.

Men’s series: Eugene Wynn Jr. 582, Kenneth Hackett 564, Eugene Wynn Sr. 549.

Team games: Hansen Farms Inc. 860, Stotz & Company 836, Fisk Trucking 780.

Team series: Hansen Farms Inc. 2489, Stotz & Company 2405, Hog Wild BBQ & Grill 2280.

Friday Night Ladies Standings: The Leader 59, Frederic Design 47, The Dozers 45, The Pin Heads 44, Junque Art 38, Pioneer Bar 32, Meyer’s Plus 31.

Individual games: Karen Carlson 196, Lori Linke 195, Paula Maslow 182.

Individual series: Gail Linke 513, Karen Carlson 502, Pat Traun 501.

Team games: The Leader 615, Junque Art 610, Meyer’s Plus 609.

Team series: Junque Art 1768, The Pin Heads 1717, The Leader 1706.

Games 50 or more above average: Mindy Linke; Lori Linke.

Splits converted: 5-10: Jen Ellefson, Terri Pearson. 5-7: Linda O’Donnell, Lori Linke.

5-6: Linda O’Donnell. 5-6-10: Paula Maslow. 4-6-9: Sylvia Schaetzel. 4-5: Austin Otis.

McKenzie Lanes

Monday Night Madness – End of Season Standings: Pepie’s Gals 62, Triple Threat 52, Scottay’s Trucking 52, McKenzie Lanes 47, Alleycats 46, Mishaps 46, Eagle Lounge 44, Radio Shack 35.

Individual games: Debbie Swanson 204, Lois Murphy 197, Amanda Hol 192.

Individual series: Debbie Swanson 572, Cathy Albrecht 498, Heather Donahue 490.

Team games (Handicap): Triple Threat 679, Scottay’s Trucking 648.

Team series (Handicap): Scottay’s Trucking 1839, Mishaps 1822.

more information, contact Amy Klein, 715-557-0197.

The Indianhead Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance aims to make a whole weekend of National Trails Day. You, your neighbors, and men and women from across Wisconsin are invited to help finish building the Straight Lake Park segment of the Ice Age Trail, one of 11 National Scenic Trails in the U.S. You are also welcome to join a christening hike Sunday, June 5.

Find out more at the Ice Age Trail Alliance Web site, www.iceagetrail.org. – submitted

R E S U LT S

Monday Night Ladies Standings: Milltown Appliance 49.5, Bogus Pumpkins 49.5, McKenzie Lanes 49, Sam’s Carpentry 41, Frederic Truck & Tractor 40.5, Edina Divas 38.5, Wolf Creek Log Furniture 36, Metal Products 36.

Individual games: Cindy Castellano 232, Danielle Brenholt 215, Shirley Wilson 200.

Individual series: Cindy Castellano 623, Jane Smith 533, Shirley Wilson 523.

Team games (Handicap): Frederic Truck & Tractor 855.

Team series (Handicap): Milltown Appliance 2466.

Tuesday Early Mixed Standings: The New Comers 96, What the Ek 92, Lamar Stars 85, Mom’s Boys 83.5, Lemon Heads 82, Lane Crashers 79.5, Jim’s Flooring 62, Bye 0.

Women’s games: Sharyl Swagger 197, Jeri Sanderson 175, Linda Larson 156.

Women’s series: Sharyl Swagger 560, Jeri Sanderson 478, Barb Palmier 421.

Men’s games: Glen Minnick 211, Mike Costello 200, Jeff Bringgold 195.

Men’s series: Glen Minnick 578, Jeff Bringgold 528, Cory Crowell 519.

Team games: Lamar Stars 529.

Team series: Lamar Stars 1566.

Tuesday Women’s – End of Season Standings: Tomlinson Insurance 139, Kassel Tap 131, LC’s Gals 128, Hauge Dental 127, Gutter Dusters 118.5, Country Gals 105, Custom Outfitter 103, Cutting Edge Pro 100.5.

Individual games: Pattie Katzmark 213, Cindy Castellano 201, Helen Leggitt, Ellie Lehman & Denise Donaghue 194.

Individual series: Cindy Castellano 561, Ellie Lehman 522, Jane Smith 515.

Team games (Handicap): Gutter Dusters 806, LC’s Gals 804, Tomlinson Insurance 795.

Team series (Handicap): Gutter Dusters 2344, Tomlinson Insurance 2314, Kassel Tap 2306.

Tuesday Night Men’s Standings: The Dugout 46, Steve’s Appliance 36, Dream Lawn 32, Nel-Lo-Hill Farm 30, The Cobbler Shop 28, McKenzie Lanes 26, Hack’s Pub 22, Centurview Park 20.

Individual games: Craig Willert & Darren McKenzie 259, Ryan Wiemer 258, Zach Gurtner 256.

Individual series: Darren McKenzie 739, Criag Willert 670, Jeff Lehmann 667.

Team games (Handicap): Hack’s Pub 1342.

Team series (Handicap): Hack’s Pub 3507.

Wednesday Night Men’s Standings: Davy’s Construction 20, Hanjo Farms 16, Tiger Express 14, Dalles Electrical 14, McKenzie Lanes 12, Harvest Moon 12, Edina Realty 6, Reed’s Marina 2.

Individual games: Gene Braund & Mike Oryan 279, Todd Hansen 247, Craig Willert 245.

Individual series: Mike Oryan 692, Gene Braund 669, Craig Willert 662.

Team games (Handicap): Davy’s Construction 1055, Tiger Express 1011.

Team series (Handicap): Davy’s Construction 3087, McKenzie Lanes 2971.

Thursday Night Ladies (3/10/11) Standings: Hauge Dental 70, Eagle Valley Bank 68, Bont Chiropractic 66, Cutting Edge Pro 63, Hack’s Pub 62.5, Truhlsen Chiropractic 58, KJ’s 47, RiverBank 45.5.

Individual games: Brenda Lehmann 235, Dawn Larson 221, Rene Strayer 216.

Individual series: Dawn Larson 578, Brenda Lehmann 551, Annette Norlander & Kathy McKenzie 529.

Team games: Truhlsen Chiropractic 875, Eagle Valley Bank 842, RiverBank 823.

Team series: Hauge Dental 2374, Truhlsen Chiropractic 2354, RiverBank 2263.

Thursday Night Ladies (3/17/11) Standings: Hauge Dental 82, Eagle Valley Bank 80.5, Bont Chiropractic 72, Truhlsen Chiropractic 72, Hack’s Pub 70, Cutting Edge Pro 66, RiverBank 62.5, KJ’s 55.

Individual games: Holly Gutzmer 211, Penny Kammerud 210, Debbie Korsan 207.

Individual series: Debbie Korsan 567, Kathy McKenzie 553, Michelle Roettger 548.

Team games: RiverBank 856, Eagle Valley Bank 795, Hauge Dental 794.

Team series: RiverBank 2373, Eagle Valley Bank 2294, Truhlsen Chiropractic 2291.

Black & Orange

TNT Standings: Cashco 24-20, Black & Orange 24-20, Flower Power 20.5-23.5, Larry’s LP 19.5-24.5.

Individual games: Audrey Pardun (B&O) 204, Patty Bjorklund (L) 171, Vicki Tollander (C) 166.

Individual series: Audrey Pardun (B&O) 563, Vicki Tollander (C) 473, Patty Bjorklund (L) 449.

Team games: Black & Orange 901, Flower Power 860, Larry’s LP 850.

Team series: Black & Orange 2541, Cashco 2426, Flower Power 2364.

Games 50 or more above average: Audrey Pardun 204 (+53).

Series 100 or more above average: Audrey Pardun 563 (+110).

Thursday Night Ladies Congratulations to Lip’s on being league champions!

Standings: Lip’s 54.5-41.5, Webster Motel 52.5-43.5, Pour House 46-50, Vacant 39-57.

Individual games: Daphne Churchill (L) 178, Jackie Churchill (L)175, Amanda Grabow (WM) 162.

Individual series: Daphne Churchill (L) 454, Jackie Churchill (L) 453, Barb Rivard (PH) 403.

Team games: Lip’s 757, Webster Motel 679, Pour House 676.

Team series: Lip’s 1996, Pour House 1928, Webster Motel 1851.

O UTDOOR S

PAGE 20 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

I N T E R C O U N T Y L E A D E R

ATVs • BIRDING • BOATING • CAMPING • FISHING • HIKING • HUNTING • RECREATIONAL VEHICLES

Ever dreamed of going turkey hunting?

Area’s Learn to Hunt program offers great way to get you started

by Marty Seeger Leader staff writer FREDERIC – Despite a strong hunting heritage in the area there are still a large number of people, especially youth, who would love the opportunity to go hunting.

Unfortunately, some either lack the knowledge of how to get started, or simply don’t have any friends or family members interested enough to introduce them to the great outdoors.

Many sportsmen and women and the Wisconsin DNR, are committed to seeing the sport of hunting continued for generations to come. The many DNR-sponsored youth hunts, the mentored hunting program and Learn to Hunt program are a testament to those efforts.

With help from local sportsmen Al Briese, of Luck, and Dave Hraychuck, of Balsam Lake, a Learn to Hunt wild turkey mentoring program was brought to Polk County last season and was it was a great success. More than a dozen hunters age 10 and older participated in the hunt last year, and Great Northern Outdoors in Frederic, the DNR and area sportsmen and women will be hosting the second-annual Learn to Hunt turkey mentoring program starting Thursday, March 31, with

by Larry Samson Washburn County Register SPOONER — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources held their annual spring meeting on the status of the deer herds in the state. The meeting for Washburn and Burnett counties was held Tuesday, March 15, at the Spooner Elementary School and was attended by area hunters.

Wildlife biologist Nancy Christel, herself a hunter, stated that the herds in the area were in good condition. The projected deer numbers were high enough to put DMUs 11, 12 and 15 into the Deer Control Unit, which would mean that more $2 antlerless tags would be issued.

In DMU 17 a limited number of antlerless tags would be available for $12.

an actual hunt taking place on Saturday, April 2, from dawn to 11:30 a.m.

At the time of this publication, at least six hunters have signed up for the program, but they are willing to host up to 15 hunters. Anyone age 10 and older with less than two years of hunting experience is eligible to participate, but you must be preregistered to attend.

“I’m trying to be a little more selective on the kids that we take that don’t have a chance to hunt,” Hraychuck said.

Hunters who have preregistered for the LTH turkey-mentoring program will be meeting at Great Northern Outdoors in Frederic at 6 p.m., on Thursday, March 31, where they’ll hear about gun safety from area conservation wardens, as well as hear a presentation on turkeys and turkey hunting. Each hunter will be paired up with his/her own mentor/guide and area to hunt.

Through the LTH programs, hunters are not required to purchase a license beforehand, and any basic hunting equipment needs – such as a gun, camouflage clothing, or other turkey hunting gear – can be borrowed from the mentors. After the hunt on April 2, hunters and mentors will meet back at Great Northern Outdoors for lunch and photos.

With over a dozen members participating in last year’s hunt, two were successful in shooting their first wild turkey. Two other hunters had opportunities to shoot birds, but missed, while the other members experienced some level of success in either seeing or hearing birds.

For anyone out there who is a hunter, and happens to know a person age 10 or older that might not otherwise have an opportunity to hunt, this is the perfect way to get them involved. The program is safe, fun, and a great opportunity for them to get a taste of the turkey hunting experience.

In order to preregister you must first contact Hraychuck at 715-485-3362, or Great Northern Outdoors in Frederic at 715-327-4417.

Jett Kobs of Balsam Lake shot his first gobbler during the first-annual Learn to Hunt turkey mentoring program last year. Another hunt is being planned for the end of March. A limited number of spots are available for those age 10 and older with less than two years of hunting experience. – File photo by Marty Seeger

Deer herd numbers are up

Some of the hunters in the meeting questioned that assumption that the numbers were up. “Where are the deer?” That was the question of the night. Christel answered that question by saying that the disruption in deer patterns has caused changes in selected areas, such as increased deer sanctuaries with private land as more people move out into the country.

The changes in hunting techniques have resulted in less deer movement. The use of baiting and feeding has caused the deer to be less active during the day and be-

Nancy Christel, wildlife biologist with the WDNR, conducted a deer herd status meeting providing information on the deer herds in deer management units 11, 12, 15 and 17. — Photo by Larry Samson

Youth hunt April 9-10 Youth hunters age 10 to 15, who have purchased the proper turkey-hunting licenses and stamp, will have the opportunity to participate in the upcoming statewide youth hunt that takes place Saturday and Sunday, April 9-10. Youths may hunt this two-day period regardless of the time period their permit is issued for.

They may only hunt in the zone that is shown on the permit.

The special youth hunt takes place annually during the weekend before the general turkey-hunting season to give them an opportunity to experience a quality hunt without having to compete with other adult hunters. Youth hunters who are unsuccessful in filling their tag during the two-day youth hunt on April 9-10, may use that unfilled tag during the time period that they were drawn for. All turkey-hunting regulations apply. Be sure to check the turkey regulation handbook or visit the DNR Web site at dnr.wi.gov for more information

come more nocturnal. This has been a hot topic in many years that has split the hunters into two groups. One believes that it is a useful tool for harvesting deer, and others believing that it is disruptive and is not sporting.

Christel briefly touched on the timber wolf controversy stating that we have a healthy wolf population and a healthy deer population. Wisconsin has a wolf management plan and is able to remove trouble animals. It has a fund to pay out for damages. The state at this time is unable to move ahead because of the lawsuits. The wolves are a federally protected species; restrictions and requirements are in place under the Endangered Species Act.

DNR announces updates to Voight decision

MADISON – The Department of Natural Resources and Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission has announced a number of updates to the court-approved rules that govern Chippewa Indian hunting, fishing and trapping off-reservation rights in Wisconsin’s Ceded Territory.

The 1991 court judgment in Lac Courte Oreilles Indians v. State of Wis., most commonly known as the Voigt decision, required the six Wisconsin Chippewa bands to establish a conservation code by which their off-reservation treaty rights would be exercised. They did so by creating the Off-Reservation Model Code.

“Changes in hunting, fishing and trapping opportunities since the original agreement support these modifications both to maintain the original intent of the agreement and to streamline implementation,” said DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp “These changes will not endanger our wildlife, fish and forest resources but will

make things simpler and more efficient.”

GLIFWC and DNR representatives worked closely over the past year and a half to address the areas where changes were needed to the Off-Reservation Model Code and succeeded in producing modifications without the need for litigation. Both the tribes and the state view the result as a step forward in the way these issues are handled for all parties. “It is really significant that we were able to institutionalize the communication and dialogue between the parties,” said James Zorn, GLIFWC executive administrator.

Many of the modifications mirror changes in state hunting, fishing and trapping codes, and other changes represent an increase in the level of shared knowledge and cooperation between the department and GLIFWC staff.

Updates include changes in walleye spearing harvest monitoring for smallquota lakes, streamlining of tribal wildlife quota declarations for antlerless deer,

bear, fisher, otter and bobcat and a pilot project that allows tribal offices to issue gathering permits for certain forest products.

The changes in walleye harvest reporting procedures apply only to lakes with a harvestable walleye quota of 75 or fewer fish. All fish speared in these lakes must still be reported. In the past, walleye harvest could only be reported at the landing of the lake just speared. Fish speared in these small-quota lakes can now be reported at a location other than the landing of the speared lake. Quotas are not increased, only the reporting procedure has been modified.

DNR can now also move ahead with season structure setting ahead of receiving tribal harvest declarations for antlerless deer, bear, fisher, otter and bobcat if tribal harvests remain below 15 percent of the tribal share of these species, thereby simplifying the season setting process.

The changes were filed with the court as

an amendment to the final judgment entered in 1991.

A summary of the changes: Meetings of the Agency Leadership. Allows for a regularized process to coordinate communication by agency leaders in DNR and GLIFWC, and agrees that both parties will make good-faith efforts to coordinate regarding their respective management and regulatory authorities.

Biennial Stipulation Review. Allows both parties to coordinate discussion of proposed management and regulatory issues and to provide a regular schedule for stipulation review and possible amendment in that the parties agree to make good-faith efforts to undertake a review of, and propose changes to, the stipulations no less than biennially.

Technical Updates and Amendments.

Establishes a mechanism that allows for

See Voight/ next page

Four empty management spots at Polk County Human Services

Ken Sample resigns from county board

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 21

Irregularities found in economic support

nation involve many of the state economic support programs administered by the county. He says these irregularities appear to be limited to cases handled by one particular individual and that that person has been placed on administrative leave. The problems may involve energy assistance, child care, medical assistance, transportation and indigent burial. Frey said that officials from the state will be in the county next week to start reviewing the programs.

Frey thanked the human services staff for its support in doing a large amount of extra work to help with identifying the newly discovered problems. He thanked Brown for offering to stay through the end of the month to help with the transition.

Human services board members had offered their own thanks to Frey, corporation counsel Jeff Fuge, Brown and the staff for their work with the issues. Several of those members had their own definition of the recent period. Bill Alleva called it turmoil, Kristine Kramer-Hartung used the term chaos and David Markert called it a difficult period.

“I am happy with the way things are being handled through these tough times,” human services board Chair Diane Stoneking said. “We were not on the right page. We thought things were great.”

The process of hiring a new human services director will start immediately, Frey said. He added that the applicants for the position will be reviewed by three panels. The first panel will include the county administrator, the county board chair, the chair of the human services board and others. The second panel will be a peer review involving department heads.

The third will be broader, involving employees and other interested persons. Frey said he hopes to have a new human services director in place by late May. Gjonnes became interim human services director when Richard Kammerud retired in August 2009 and was hired as human services director in October 2009.

She had been the mental health/chemical dependency supervisor.

There was some good financial news for the human dervices in 2010. The department is expected to finish the year $190,000 under budget. That unaudited figure is a combination of lowered expenses and additional income in some of the many human services departments.

The human service department has an annual budget of over $10 million. About 39 percent of that total is from property taxes.

CLEAR LAKE - Robert Hillstead, 49, Clayton, was charged on Thursday, March 17, with hit and run as well as OWI, third offense, after another party called the police reporting a hit-and-run accident on 75th Street. The caller had been traveling south on Hwy. 63 and was struck by a vehicle that ran the stop sign as it traveled west on South Avenue at the intersection of South and Hwy. 63. The other vehicle kept driving after the accident, continuing west on 25th Avenue, then north on 75th Street. The caller followed the vehicle until it parked at an address on 75th Street.

When the police arrived, Hillstead’s vehicle, with damage on the front end, was parked with its headlights off. Hillstead was standing in the road about 20 yards behind it. The officer asked what he was doing, and he said he was going to the bathroom. He denied being in an accident and said he lived just up the road. The officer asked Hillstead if he knew where he was, that he was west of Clear Lake, and Hillstead seemed to not believe him. Field sobriety tests were administered, and he was arrested. His PBT registered .19.

Eugene Kieffer, 53, Clear Lake, was charged with OWI, third offense, operating with a prohibited blood alcohol content, third offense, and operating while revoked on Saturday, March 19. Police were called to a one-vehicle crash on CTH F at 75th Street. Kieffer’s 1979 Ford pickup was stuck in the ditch. His eyes were

glassy, his speech slurred, and he smelled of intoxicants. Field sobriety tests were given and he was arrested. His PBT registered .15. He said he’d been drinking brandy and was going home from a construction project when he went into the ditch. He was also cited for failing to maintain control and for operating after revocation.

Erik Bobzin, 31, Luck, was charged with OWI, third offense, after crashing his vehicle on Hwy. 87 near 160th Avenue. Bobzin was in the back of an ambulance when police arrived, being checked for injuries.

He said he wasn’t hurt and that he knew he “messed up and was in trouble.”

He was given field sobriety tests. Bobzin said he thought he’d fail, and he did. His PBT registered .19. He was also charged with having a prohibited blood alcohol level and operating after revocation.

Noah Brittan, 28, Balsam Lake, was charged with OWI, second offense, on Suday, March 20. At about 3 a.m., patrolling policeman saw him go through a stop sign at Hwy. 8 as he drove south on Hwy. 87. The report indicated Brittan made no attempt to stop and seemed to accelerate as he approached the intersection. The officer stopped Brittan, who identified himself and said he was the “sober cab” for the night. The officer could smell intoxicants coming from him and gave field sobriety tests. His PBT registered .12.

Jobie Meinke, 32, White Bear Lake, Minn., was charged with OWI, first offense, and operating with a prohibited alcohol content on Sunday, March 20. An Osceola police officer was flagged down early that morning by a party reporting they had seen a blue Dodge Durango heading north on Hwy. 35 north of Osceola, driving in the wrong lane of traffic with its headlights out at first. The officer who took the call watched for the Durango and spotted it as it approached St. Croix Falls. He followed it for a bit and saw it drive somewhat erratically. It pulled into the MarketPlace parking lot, and the officer pulled up and approached Meinke. The officer noted signs of intoxication and gave field sobriety tests. A Breathalyzer registered .247, and he was arrested.

Ashley Lowe, 26, Turtle Lake, was arrested and charged with OWI, first offense, also on March 20. Lowe was stopped because she was driving quite slowly, about 30 mph in a 45-mph range.

She didn’t speed up when entering the 55mph zone, and she was weaving and going over the centerline by several feet.

The officer saw her almost go in a ditch.

He pulled her over. Seeing signs of intoxication, he administered field sobriety tests, which she failed. Her Breathalyzer registered .305 and she was arrested. — with information from the Polk County Sheriff’s Dept.

Voight continued

days allowed for harvest.

Additional Designated River and Stream Segments – Long-Term Six-Year Joint Study. Establishes a long-term six-year joint study for spearing in eight designated stream segments that the tribes have had annual recurring access for ongoing study.

Calculation of Safety Factors. Establishes defined time line for the parties to review data, methodology and calculations for the appropriate safety factors used in setting walleye and muskellunge safe harvest levels every 10 years, unless both parties agree to meet earlier, or if such review is unnecessary.

Gillnet Mesh Size – Six-Year Joint Study.

Establishes a six-year joint study that makes permanent existing ongoing annual studies which may be amended upon agreement of the parties, that continues to allow for the use of additional gillnet mesh sizes on lakes 1,000 acres or larger.

Alternative Monitoring of Tribal Walleye Harvest on Certain Lakes. Creates an administrative mechanism that sets forth the list of certain low quota harvest lakes (maximum quota of 75 walleye) where on-site monitoring is not required, upon agreement of the parties. Registration of the harvest is still required.

Wildlife Quotas/Bag Limits – Thresholds. Establishes a stipulation change identical to what is currently in place for turkey to implement the threshold harvest system

in Wisconsin for the following species: antlerless deer, black bears, fishers, otters and bobcats. The shift from a declared quota prior to harvest to a system limiting harvest in the following year is designed to mirror the state’s management system for the species listed and is based on the fact that the tribes rarely approach the 50-percent harvest limitation for those species.

Tribal members would be regulated by a daily bag limit, registration would still be required (within three working days of harvest), and carcass tags are still required.

Tribal Gathering on State Lands – TwoYear Joint Assessment. Establishes management and regulatory principles pertaining to tribal gathering on select DNR properties for a two-year trial study period. This stipulation change will provide a means for tribal self-regulation while establishing the necessary assurance that the tribes will ensure that their members gathering activities are consistent with the state’s management objectives.

Tribal Mentored Hunting Regulations.

Codifies the regulatory change established via state law for mentored state youth less than 12 years in age and GLIFWC Commission Order No. 2009-01, that established culturally appropriate regulations to provide tribal members more treaty harvest opportunities in line with state harvesters by expanding hunting opportunities for tribal hunters less than 12

by Gregg Westigard Leader staff writer BALSAM LAKE – The management side of the table had a number of empty seats at the meeting of the Polk County human Services Board Tuesday, March 22.

Human services Director Sherry Gjonnes retired suddenly on Friday, March 11. Economic support Supervisor Sheila Falb is on administrative leave.

Mental health/chemical dependency Supervisor Paula Rudeen has requested a 30-day medical leave. And before these changes started, longtime assistant to the administrator, Phyl Brown, has announced that she was resigning to take another job.

When Brown leaves at the end of the month, four of the seven management positions in human services will be at least temporarily vacant.

Irregularities have been discovered in the economic support division which relate to at least one of the vacancies. In letters sent to various state officials who oversee some of the county programs, county Administrator Dana Frey says that these irregularities in eligibility determi-

OWI third offense and hit-and-run charged

automatic implementation of provisions of a GLIFWC Commission Order, after consultation with the state and agreement of the parties, for issues that substantially mirror existing and future state law changes to the management of resources within the ceded territory. A tribe may choose to adopt more restrictive measures thereby reserving each tribe’s authority.

This amendment makes the implementation of a commission order less cumbersome by eliminating the need for continuous ratification of the tribal codes that previously had to be amended after the issuance of each commission order.

Adjacent Spawning Stream Segments.

Establishes designated adjacent spawning stream segments as one unit for spearing purposes where the walleye declaration for a particular lake applies to both to the lake and designated river segment.

Designated River and Stream Segment Regulation – Long-Term Six-Year Joint Study. Establishes a six-year joint study of existing stream segments which may be amended upon agreement of the parties, that allows for the harvest of 60 walleye per segment per day without restrictions on the number of boats or spearers, and without the five-fish-daily bag limit, while maintaining the 120-fish total annual harvest per segment with a maximum of two

by Gregg Westigard Leader staff writer BALSAM LAKE – Polk County Supervisor Ken Sample resigned from the county board Wednesday, March 16, the day after the county board meeting. In his letter of resignation, (attached), he expressed alarm when rules are used to avoid debate and says he is dispirited when the will of the majority can be circumvented by a minority or by persons with power.

Sample was halfway into his second term on the board as District 11 supervisor. The district includes all of Apple River and Beaver and the part of Turtle Lake in Polk County. County board Chair William Johnson IV will be making an appointment to fill the remaining 13 months of the term.

Johnson told the Leader he has contacted the towns of Apple River and Beaver and the village of Turtle Lake asking for recommendations on possible replacements.

Johnson says he hopes to make an appointment by Wednesday, April 6, allowing time to place the name on the agenda for the Tuesday, April 19 county board meeting.

Background of the seat Ken Sample was the fourth person to fill the District 11 seat since 2000. Tom Sykes was elected to an open seat in 2000 when three-term Supervisor Yvonne Frederick retired. Sykes did not seek a second term, and Rick Scoglio was elected in 2002. Scoglio was defeated by Rodney Littlefield in 2004.

Littlefield was re-elected in 2006 and defeated by Sample in 2008. Sample was reelected in April 2010 and served until his resignation.

Ken Sample’s letter “Debate is the fundamental strength of the democratic process, even though at times it can be tiresome. When we as a body use Robert’s Rules of Order inappropriately to avoid debate, I am alarmed.

“When the will of the majority can be circumvented or compromised by a minority or persons with positional power, I am dispirited.

“My efforts, even when wrong, have been made with the intent of being helpful.

Self-familiarity tells me the above-cited examples will redirect energies from being helpful to trying to prove I am right. This would be counterproductive to county board efforts and position me to be not part of the solution but more likely a part of the problem.

“Leaving at this time is easier because the board size of 23 results in no consequences.

It is also made easier knowing that having a county administrator type of governance with a person that has excellent management and leadership skills, combined with strong moral principles will ensure the future of the county is on a steady and positive course.

“My resignation as Supervisor of District 11 Polk County is effective as of 3-16-2011.” years of age and for tribal hunters that have not been issued a certificate of accomplishment from a tribal hunter education and firearm safety course.

Deer Unit Goal Review. Allows the Department the flexibility to re-evaluate the three-year time frame for deer unit goal review by establishing a deer unit goal review every five years.

Committee Updates. Updates the list and mechanism for ongoing updates to the current DNR committees that routinely address treaty reserved resources covered by the Voigt decision while continuing to deepen and further the ongoing GLIFWC/DNR relationships established to date and provides for a framework for continued dialogue.

Tribal State Park Hunting Document Established. Establishes an administrative mechanism that sets forth the regulations and state parks available to tribal harvest entitled.

CITES Export Program. Establishes a stipulation change pertaining to GLIFWC’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Export Program. CITES tags issued under this program would be provided to GLIFWC, which would be responsible for distributing them to the tribes, and which would report to the U.S. Management Authority as required by the program delegation. – from the DNR

PAGE 22 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

Dale P. Anderson, Centuria, operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance, $200.50.

Eva Apelquist-Jarvis, Spooner, speeding, $200.50.

Jill M. Armstrong, Amery, speeding, $175.30; operating motor vehicle w/o proof of insurance, $10.00.

Adam W. Bailey, Woodbury, Minn., speeding, $175.30.

Richard L. Barker, Cumberland, speeding, $200.50.

Ryan B. Benbo, Burnsville, Minn., speeding, $175.30.

James M. Beyer, Rosemount, Minn., speeding, $175.30.

William J. Carfano, Frederic, trespass, enters or remains after notice to leave, $263.50.

Shawn L. Castorena, Centuria, operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance, $200.50.

Fernando A. Charon-Martinez, Brooklyn Center, Minn., operate w/o valid license, $200.50.

Dale E. Coen, Frederic, speeding, not guilty plea.

Dennis L. Crawford, Rice Lake, speeding, $175.30.

Thaddeus R. Cuturia, Amery, speeding, $175.30.

Cheryl A. Dixon, Clear Lake, operating while revoked, $200.50; operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance, $200.50.

Matthew R. Dorsey, Deer Park, hit and run, unattended vehicle, $263.50; duty/report accident, $200.50.

Darrell B. Drummer, Frederic, nonregistration of auto, etc., $175.30.

Janelle L. Farah, Milltown, speeding, $175.30; operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance, not guilty plea.

Brian P. Fitzgerald, Centuria, shoplifting, $269.50.

Richard J. Flandrena, Dresser, speeding, $175.30.

Jason J. Franz, Green Bay, operating motor vehicle w/o proof of insurance, $10.00.

Frederick N. Freitag, Luck, operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance, not guilty plea.

Kyle A. Galle, Cushing, seat belt violation, $10.00; operate w/o valid license, $200.50.

Amanda J. Harris, Amery, speeding, $200.50; operating motor vehicle w/o proof of insurance, $10.00.

Jon C. Hartman, New Richmond, speeding, $200.50; operating motor vehicle w/o proof of insurance, $10.00.

Chelsea K. Hartwib, Minneapolis, Minn., speeding, $175.30.

Aaron S. Holmstrom, Danbury, operate w/o valid license,

Polk County circuit court

$200.50.

Brenda J. Klein, Clear Lake, operating while revoked, $200.50; operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance, $200.50.

Dean Kourtjian, Minneapolis, Minn., speeding, not guilty plea.

Shawn M. Laursen, Clear Lake, nonregistration of vehicle <=10,000 lbs., $175.30.

Gregory R. Lindstedt, Columbia Heights, Minn., speeding, $225.70.

John D. Litzel, Amery, speeding, $200.50.

Tyler W. Marko, Clear Lake, operate w/o valid license, twice, $200.50, twice; nonregistration

of vehicle <=10,000 lbs., $175.30.

Sherri L. Martin, Dresser, seat belt violation, $10.00.

Virginia L. Morris, Oceanside, Calif., operating while suspended, $200.50.

Kari L. Notch, St. Cloud, Minn., speeding, $175.30.

Timothy F. Novak, Amery, speeding, $175.30.

Moises P. Ochoa, Clear Lake, violation of child safety restraint requirements, child 4 yrs. but less than 8 yrs. age, $150.10.

Ericka J. Olson, Webster, seat belt violation, $10.00.

Cody J. Ploszay, Amery, speeding, $175.30.

Dwight F. Regelman, Bay City, disorderly conduct with a motor vehicle, $175.30.

Carol S. Reichstadt, Grantsburg, operating motor vehicle w/o proof of insurance, $10.00.

Miriam C. Rischmiller, Amery, speeding, $225.70.

Iva J. Rogers, Luck, operating while suspended, $200.50.

Richard A. Roos, Amery, seat belt violation, $10.00.

Robin R. Roy, Cushing, operate w/o valid license, $200.50; fail/display vehicle license plates, $150.10.

Mark C. Schadt, Osceola, inattentive driving, $187.90.

David R. Sloan, Clear Lake, speeding, $200.50.

Drew W. Smith, Montrose, Minn., disorderly conduct, $262.50.

Jamie L. Summer, St. Croix Falls, fail/stop at stop sign, $175.30.

Brice A. Wallace, Clayton, operating while revoked, $200.50; operating a motor vehicle w/o insurance, $200.50.

Polk personnel says no to contract changes,

Public says “take you time”

by Gregg Westigard Leader staff writer BALSAM LAKE – The Polk County Personnel Committee has decided not to reopen any contracts at this time. The announcement came after a closed session that was part of a special meeting of the committee Thursday, March 17. The committee announced that three unions had offered to reopen the present contracts which expire at the end of the year. The offers came from AFSCME local 774, the union that represents the most county employees and two of the three unions representing law enforcement employees, the communications workers and the jailers.

The meeting, which was called on short notice, drew seven members of the public and four county board members. Three of those citizens made comments at the opening of the meeting.

Richard Hartung, town of Osceola, said it would be foolish to extend contracts at this time when the public is just starting to get acquainted with the governor’s budget proposals. He said there is a need to know the ramifications of those proposals.

Sharon Kelly, town of St. Croix Falls, suggested that the committee wait a week before taking any action. She said the committee must make fiscally sound decisions. Kelly added that not anyone in the public sector is getting raises now.

Tom Magnafici, Garfield, said it doesn’t make sense to start extending contracts now. He said the committee could do something down the road.

The committee spent an hour in closed session discussing the unions requests before making it decision.

Committee members Russ Arcand, James Edgell, Patricia Schmidt and Warren Nelson were present. The committee was short one member following the resignation of county board member Ken Sample the previous day.

Milltown man charged with OWI, felony fleeing

MILLTOWN - Christopher Larson, 27, Milltown, was arrested, charged with OWI, first offense and fleeing an officer, a felony charge, on Thursday, March 17. A Polk County deputy was investigating a domestic disturbance early that morning, in which Larson was involved.

He had left the scene which was on the street near the intersection of Parkins and Delores streets in Milltown.

Leaving the scene, Larson was driving a black Saturn with firefighter plates and was intoxicated, according to a witness. The officer saw the vehicle drive by as he was getting back into his squad car, and he followed it. As the officer turned his vehicle around, he saw Larson accelerate quickly, turning south onto Dairyland Avenue. The officer pursued the vehicle which was going about 50 mph in a 25-mph zone. The officer turned on the emergency lights and siren, and Larson continued to accelerate. It slowed slightly for the intersection of Dairyland and Hwy. 35 before crossing Hwy. 35 and accelerating southbound. He then turned east onto Bearing Street, then south onto Milltown Avenue, then turned right onto

Main Street. Then Larson extinguished his headlights and turned into a parking lot between a bank and Hack’s Pub. He accelerated west down an alley with no headlights on and pulled into a driveway.

The officer pulled in behind him. Larson got out of his vehicle, apologized and said he had gotten scared. The officer could smell intoxicants and noted Larson’s eyes were very bloodshot.

Field sobriety tests were given, including a Breathalyzer, which registered .15, and Larson was arrested. — with information from the Polk County Sheriff’s Dept.

Prosser/from page 12

In conclusion With such a broad history of experience, Prosser said his position on the court is indeed the culmination of his professional piece of expertise.

“I’m incredibly honored to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” he said. “I’m asking for another 10-year term. My health is good, I like the work, and I certainly expect this to be the culmination of my career.”

Editor’s note: Prosser’s opponent was profiled in our March 9 edition

Notices/Employment Opportunities www.the-leader.net

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 23

Notices/Employment Opportunities

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www.the-leader.net

Notices/Employment Opportunities

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 25

March 18: Jeffrey R. Iverson, 38, New Richmond, was cited for speeding on Hwy. 35 and Clear Lake Street at 4:39 p.m.

Jason W. Friel, 19, Siren, was cited for failing to yield while makeing a left turn at the south junction of Hwys. 35 and 70 at 6:51 p.m.

Siren police report

March 19: Sarah K. Radke, 22, Webster, and Jeanna R. Steele, 45, Grantsburg, were both picked up on warrants during the day in the village.

Brad R. Schmidt, 46, Frederic, was cited for nonregistration

of an auto during at stop on Hwy. 35 and Anderson Street at 3:47 p.m.

Bradley J. Maslow, 18, Siren, was cited for a seat belt violation during a stop on Park Street at 4:42 p.m.

March 20: Don R. Mleziva, 67, Golden Valley, Minn., was

cited for speeding on Hwy. 35/70 and Elizabeth Street at 1:45 p.m.

PAGE 26 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

Notices

Burnett County marriage liceses

Taylor A. Bergeron, Frederic, and Faith M. Deering, Siren, issued March 18, 2011.

Burnett County deaths

Leonard Erickson, 91, town Jerry A. Hokanson, Grants- of Daniels, died Feb. 25, 2011.

Theresa Doskey, 78, Grantsburg, and Terry L. Estlund, Grantsburg, issued March 21, burg, died March 5, 2011.

2011.

Tribal members seek petition to address misuse of power

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 27

Spring election:

Do you know where you live?

by Gregg Westigard Leader staff reporter NORTHWEST WISCONSIN– There will be election contests on the April 5 ballot for all residents of Burnett, Polk and Washburn counties. There is a contested seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. School board and village board seats come up every year but in the odd-numbered years town boards are also on the ballot.

Most residents in the three counties live in towns, not villages and cities. And where they live is not the same as their post office address. In Wisconsin, towns (not townships) are the government for the rural areas. Villages and cities are the governments for most builtup areas. Most, because there are those odd “unincorporated” places like Danbury and Cushing that have everything but a government.

There are 66 towns in the three counties and all the towns elect their boards this year.

The spring 2011 ballot The April 5 ballot has the Supreme Court race statewide, a Polk County judge contest, at least one seat on every school board, and municipal races in every town, village and city, except Amery.

The municipal titles can be confusing. Towns have a town chair and two supervisors on the threemember town board. (Some towns have five member boards.) All are elected for two-year terms. Villages have a village president and six trustees (Birchwood has four) on a seven-member village council. All are elected for two-year terms.

Cities have a mayor and a varied number of alderpersons. Terms are two or four years.

Learning about sled dogs

Former St. Croix Chippewa Tribal Council members and leaders opened the doors to the press at a meeting Thursday, March 17, at the Round Lake Community Center. The meeting was attended by over 50 tribe members and was meant to outline concerns and allegations of alleged malfeasance, power abuses, blacklisting and possible civil rights violations against current council members. The group will be holding a series of meetings in the coming weeks at other Chippewa communities to discuss a petition to force a referendum limiting tribal council powers through constitutional changes. Shown (L to R) are Gloria Benjamin, Steve Fowler, Jerry Lowe, Mike Decorah, Mary Jane Frogg, George Reynolds and Al Oustigoff. The group meets again this Friday evening at 6 p.m. at Danbury.

See www.the-leader.net and next week’s Leader for full story.- Photo by Greg Marsten

Sixth-grade students at St. Croix Falls Middle School held a human Iditarod Friday, March 18, in which teams of students (as sled dogs) pulled a makeshift sled and musher.

Maggie Heilmann (photo above), a musher from Somerset who competes in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, visited students with her dogs and talked with them about sled dogs and racing. The students have been studying the Iditarod.

- Photos by Tammi Milberg

First the melt ... and then ...

Judge will take time deciding legality of collective bargaining law

by Shawn Johnson Wisconsin Public Radio MADISON - The judge in a case challenging Wisconsin's new collective bargaining law says she won't issue a quick decision in the case.

While Gov. Scott Walker signed the collective bargaining plan last week, Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette says he won't publish the law until Friday, March 25. That's the maximum 10 business days he's allowed to wait under the law.

While La Follette has said that will give legal challenges time to proceed, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi says she won't have a decision by then.

“If either side wants a quick thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the constitutional issues or statutory issues, this is not your court."

Sumi says she'll be out of state next week on a previously planned vacation and won't be back until Monday, March 28.

A spokesman for Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, one of the plaintiffs in the case, says lawyers won't ask to replace Sumi. The lawsuit claims the bill unconstitutionally bypassed a quorum requirement since it includes significant fiscal proposals and that legislators broke the open meetings law when they passed it.

One of the nastiest snowstorms of the winter descended on Northwest Wisconsin Tuesday evening and Wednesday, March 23. The storm closed schools and postponed events throughout the region. A huge milk truck was seen stuck in the snow on Hwy. 35 in downtown Frederic. Many people tried unsuccessfully to get to work Wednesday morning, opting to either stay home and wait for the snowplows or grab a shovel and start digging. Many were looking forward to spring as rain and warmer temperatures did away with most of the snow cover this past week and this storm reminded us all how unpredictable Wisconsin weather is. - Photo at left by Gary King; photo at right by Marty Seeger

E-mails/from page 1

PAGE 28 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

ter analyzed the e-mails. A team of reporters logged each of the e-mails in the sample as for or against the bill, unclear or unrelated. They also noted the location of the sender when possible.

Of the e-mails related to the bill, 62 percent supported it, while 32 percent opposed it. The margin of error for the center’s sample size is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

Those percentages align with Walker’s characterization of the e-mails on Feb. 17, when he told reporters that “the majority are telling us to stay firm, to stay strong, to stand with the taxpayers.”

The percentages are muddied by the fact that some people wrote more than one e-mail, sometimes many more. The center ran a computer script on the full set of e-mails and found at least 47,752 unique e-mail addresses. The most prolific person sent at least 252 messages against the bill.

The bill, introduced Feb. 11, called for eliminating most collective bargaining rights for 175,000 state and local public employees in the state and led to massive pro-labor protests. For nearly four weeks, tens of thousands of protesters filled the Capitol Square.

Walker remained unmoved by the opposition.

“We’re not going to allow for one minute the protesters to feel like they can drown out the voices of the millions of taxpayers across the state of Wisconsin,” Walker said Feb. 18.

In a Feb. 22 phone call with a blogger posing as billionaire David Koch, one of Walker’s biggest campaign donors, Walker said that aside from Wisconsin teachers, the protesters were “largely from out of state, and I keep dismissing it in all my press conferences saying, ‘Eh, they’re mostly from out of state.’ ” In fact, the overwhelming majority of those who wrote in opposition to his bill

you,” one message said. “We in Texas understand your grit.”

Gov. Scott Walker said on Feb. 17 that a majority of the e-mails he’d received that week supported him, unlike the throngs that surrounded the Capitol for weeks (seen here March 12). The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism found that he was right, but that a third of the supportive e-mails came from out of state. - Photo by Kate Golden/WCIJ

were from Wisconsin, while a significant proportion of Walker’s e-mail supporters were from out of state, praising Walker for taking on “union thugs” and controlling spending.

The supportive e-mails came from at least 45 states, the District of Columbia and four countries.

“Real Americans are standing with

Among the center’s findings • Of the 1,493 e-mails on the bill where the sender’s location was apparent, the center found that a third of Walker’s support came from outside the state.

• Eighty-nine percent of the e-mails against Walker came from Wisconsinites.

• Out-of-state e-mailers overwhelmingly supported Walker, 85 percent to 15 percent, or a margin of nearly 6 to 1.

• When the center looked only at emails from Wisconsin, the margin was much slimmer, with 55 percent favoring his bill and 42 percent opposed.

“So, actually, this is close to what he was saying,” said Charles Franklin, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Franklin noted that the margin is “coincidentally, the inverse of what we saw in the opinion polls” from both conservative and liberal outfits that showed most voters disapproved of Walker’s plan. That’s because far from being a random sample of citizenry, these e-mails came from people who were motivated to write to Walker.

“It’s not wrong to say that the balance of them supports his position,” Franklin said. “It’s just that there’s no reason to extrapolate that to the state as a whole.”

Dhavan Shah, a UW-Madison professor who runs the Mass Communication Research Center, said the public became more aware of the bill’s contents after Feb. 18. And some of the most controversial events, such as the now-contested vote on the bill with less than two hours’ notice, happened after then.

“Here is the analysis I would love to see: whether the numbers shift away from Walker in the weeks that follow, which I strongly suspect they do,” he wrote in an e-mail.

There was evidence of organized campaigns on both sides.

One pro-Walker form letter sent at least 174 times said, “The measures put forward in this bill are not easy or painless, but they are necessary if the state is to honestly address its $3.6 billion budget deficit and create a fiscal climate conducive to economic growth and job creation.”

And an anti-Walker e-mail sent at least 674 times read, “The Capitol is the property of the people of Wisconsin and is supposed to function for the good and welfare of the people.”

The e-mails are the result of a Feb. 18 open-records request from Isthmus and the AP for e-mails received by the governor’s office in response to the Budget Repair Bill. The office did not reply, prompting Isthmus and AP to send follow up e-mails.

The requests went unanswered until Friday, March 4, two hours after a lawsuit was filed. The office said responses had been written but were never sent due to a “clerical oversight.”

Contributing to this report were Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism reporters Lauren Hasler, Julie Strupp and Amy Karon; UW-Madison journalism students Cailly Morris and Andrew Averill; and UW-Madison statistics graduate student Wesley Brooks.

Kate Golden is at kgolden@wisconsinwatch.org.

The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Television, Wisconsin Public Radio and the UW-Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication and other news media. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

The strangest car chase gets even stranger

Minneapolis man’s behavior is unusually bizarre during car chase

by Greg Marsten Leader staff writer BALSAM LAKE – A simple speeding issue turned into a strange traffic stop that then turned into an even more bizarre Hwy. 8 slow-speed car chase on Wednesday, March 16, involving 26-year-old student Matthew P. Wright of Minneapolis.

The incident began at about 1:30 p.m. on March 16, near Range on Hwy. 8, when a Wisconsin State Patrol officer in an unmarked cruiser clocked a westbound Ford Ranger speeding at 74 mph. After the trooper turned around and pursued the truck, the driver seemed to acknowledge the officer, and waved him around, as though

he meant him to pass. The trooper used an air horn and signals to have him stop, which he finally did by pulling over only slightly on the roadway, and immediately jumping from the truck and standing in the middle of the lane of traffic.

“I was concerned for our safety and told the driver to stay in the vehicle,” the trooper states in the narrative.

However, the driver reportedly got back in and spun his tires as he pulled away from the officer, who stated that he had not told the driver he could leave.

That is when Wright’s behavior became quite bizarre, as the trooper caught up with the truck again a short time later, and said the driver continued to acknowledge him by looking back at him, and then Wright is alleged to have started throwing things out the truck window: The

ashtray contents, coins and loose change, cigarettes and more trash. All the while, the driver was going less than 40 mph, with the trooper’s squad car with full lights and siren, and traffic backed up behind.

The trooper said they met a Polk County sheriff’s deputy in a fully marked truck near 110th Street, going the other direction. The trooper requested the officer to take over the pursuit, due to that vehicle’s markings. The Ranger came back registered to Wright, who reportedly had numerous drug offenses on his criminal history.

It was a short time later, near the north junction of Hwy. 46, that deputies used a tire deflation device to stop the truck, eventually leaving the truck with smoking, flat tires. It finally came to a stop just east of the Balsam branch on Hwy. 8.

Numerous deputies were on the scene by then, and when Wright reached toward the center console of the truck, they responded by seeking cover and ordering him out at gunpoint, using a PA system on a squad car. Instead, Wright is alleged to have thrown a water bottle out of the cab, and began yelling and laughing hysterically, while locking the doors and closing the windows.

Officers used a rifle to break open the windows of the truck and forcibly remove Wright from the vehicle. He was reportedly angry, upset and did not seem to know where he was. He denied drinking, but officers believed he was under the influence of some other substance, and found an envelope under the floor mat containing $130 in cash, labeled “Joe G.” He was transported to a local hospital, where he was quite loud, smiling and obnoxious, according to the officer.

“He just kept smiling and grinning, state Polk County Sheriff Pete Johnson.

Wright was later taken into custody and charged with several traffic crimes, including speeding, fleeing officers, littering and more. He made an initial court appearance and was freed on the condition that he maintain absolute sobriety.

However, as Johnson noted later, Wright was arrested

Currents

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Deconstructing denim to make a dreamy design

by Priscilla Bauer Leader staff writer GRANTSBURG – What do you get when you take apart an old pair of denim jeans and jacket and put them back together as something completely different?

A dreamy cocktail dress, of course, was UW-Stout junior Megan Branstad’s answer to her class assignment to “deconstruct” denim clothing and redesign the material to make a new garment.

Branstad’s design for her course project was so dreamy, in fact, it will soon be hitting the fashion runway at the Dallas Career Day Style Symposium on April 1.

Dallas Career Day is an educational outreach program for young people looking to build their careers in the lifestyle industries: fashion, beauty, home and retailing.

Fashion Group International, sponsor of the Dallas Career Day, is a global nonprofit association of over 6,000 professionals of achievement and influence representing all areas of the fashion, apparel, accessories, beauty and home industries.

One of the goals of FGI is to administer the activities of The Fashion Group Foundation of Dallas, Inc., which promotes educational programs devoted to critical fashion and lifestyle industry business issues.

The foundation has created and awarded scholarships and offered access to internship programs and entry-level job opportunities to students through its annual Career Day, now celebrating its 41st year.

UW-Stout junior Megan Branstad a 2008 Grantsburg HIgh School graduate, showed a photo of her dress design on her laptop screen. Branstad will travel to the Dallas Career Day on April 1 to see a model wearing her dreamy cocktail dress on the catwalk. Megan is the daughter of Peter and Kayleen Branstad of Grantsburg. - Photo by Priscilla Bauer

Branstad won her fashion design’s place at the Dallas show after making a cocktail dress in her advanced patterns class.

“We had to take denim articles of clothing and take them apart then put them back together as something new, “ said Branstad matter-of-factly, as if the project was a piece of cake to complete.

Megan Branstad took an old pair of white denim jeans and jacket apart and put them back together to create a dreamy cocktail dress (See photo at right). - Special photos

“I started with a denim jacket and a white pair of denim jeans. Then I created a paper pattern for a dress,” she explained. “I really like making dresses.”

The result was a summer cocktail dress, which was automatically entered in the local repurpose denim competi-

Megan Branstad said she wanted to put a lot of angles in her dress so it would hug the body. Branstad also used paints and dyes to get the different colors in her design.

Composed of 55 individual pieces, the cocktail dress took Branstad only two weeks to complete. - Special photo

tion as part of Branstad’s class requirement and then selected for the Dallas show.

In describing her design, Branstad said she wanted to do a lot of angles on her dress so it would hug the body. Composed of 55 individual pieces, it surprisingly took her only two weeks to complete.

Branstad said the material could be dyed or painted, and beads could also be used to add to the design, just as long as denim fabric was used.

“I wanted to get some different colors,” said Branstad of the purple accents on her cocktail dress.

After finishing the dress, Branstad showed it to her roommates who took one look at it and said, “You are so going to Dallas with that dress.”’

“I didn’t want to get my hopes up for going to the competition this time,” said Branstad, who as a freshman finished just out of the top in the Dallas competition. “Stout has actually had several winners. We’ve done really well.”

Branstad will be headed to Dallas on Thursday, March 31, but her dress, is already there. Branstad said along with her dress she had to send before and after photos of her project. The judges will also examine the designs to see how well they are made.

While Branstad is looking forward to the Dallas Career Day to hear all the speakers and attend the workshops, her eyes sparkle at the mention of seeing a model wearing her design on the catwalk.

“It’s nice to be recognized. I put a lot of work into this program,” she said of her UW-Stout coursework.

Branstad’s design will also make another fashion show appearance at Stout’s Silhouettes Spring Fashion Show on April 16 and 17.

“I’m also doing an evening gown for the Stout show which has been a lot of work.”

Fashion industry professionals will judge the show and present certificates of recognition to students with the winning designs.

Branstad credits her mother for her interest in fashion at an early age. “My mom taught me to sew when I was really little, and then I started drawing designs.”

“I toured Stout when I was in high school and saw the sewing lab and professors and decided to attend Stout to study apparel design development,” said Branstad, who hopes someday to work as a designer of women’s evening gowns or cocktail dresses.

So is “Project Runway” in Branstad’s future? Branstad admits she’s a fan of the popular television show. “I’ve thought about being on the show, but now that would really be a lot of work.”

Still, when you can deconstruct denim and turn it into a dreamy design like Branstad did, who knows, “Project Runway” just could be next.

Kyle Koshiol wins statewide career contest During the eighth-grade career counseling class at St. Croix Falls, students were given the challenge on the WisCareers Web site to find Captain Career. Using the three clues given, Kyle Koshiol was able to find Captain Career within the vast Web site designed to help students in their future career planning. Koshiol was awarded a $10 gift card to Subway for this honor. Photo submitted

Broadway comes back to Siren

SIREN - Broadway is scheduled to make a comeback in Siren Saturday, April 2, starting at 7 p.m. at Siren United Methodist Church. Talented local musicians will present a program of music from musicals like “Carousel,” “Camelot,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Wizard of Oz,” “Sound of Music” and more. Two hours of Broadway tunes, climaxed by an amazing chorus medley from “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” This will be an evening music lovers won’t want to miss.

A freewill offering will be taken, and refreshments will be available during intermission. Those coming to the show are asked to bring an item to donate to the local food shelf.

The first presentation of this particular show took place before a packed house Saturday, March 19, at Grace Lutheran Church of West Sweden. Other appearances include on North Valley Lutheran Church, Milltown, on May 14 and Balsam Lutheran, Amery, on Aug. 20. The group will also be performing at the Crooked Lake Park band shell Thursday, Aug. 11. - submitted

Just for

Jesus and the devil were arguing over which one of them was the better computer programmer.

Joe Roberts “I am!” Jesus shouted.

“No, I am!” the devil countered.

“I am!”

“I am!”

“Me!” “No, me!”

“EEEEEEENOUGH!” God bellowed, and the whole universe disappeared into darkness. When the lights came back on, two computers were sitting in front of them.

God said, “Now, whoever makes the best computer program in 20 minutes wins.”

Jesus and the devil both sat down, typing and clicking furiously. This went on for about 15 minutes, but then there was a power failure and everything went dark.

When everything came back up again the computer screens were both blank. The devil tried in vain to get back everything he had lost. He came up empty-handed.

Jesus pressed one key and it all came back. The devil looked at him in astonishment. “No way! How did you do that?”

Jesus turned to him and smiled and said, “Everybody knows Jesus saves.”

Laughs

w w w. t h e - l e a d e r. n e t

We had just gotten off the converted school bus and Daniel was working his way through his second Belikin (the official beer of Belize), still recovering from his first experience on a Carrie Classon third-class bus.

We were enjoying curry and people-watching in the small mountainous town of San Ignacio, a stone’s throw from many of the country’s most impressive ruins, when the friendly owner of the Sri Lankan restaurant inquired, “Where are you going next?”

We still had five days left and no plan whatsoever as to how we were going to spend them. The restaurant owner was a spunky Mayan woman. She had married a British soldier when he came to rescue Belize from the avaricious Guatemalans in 1977. She suggested we go to Tobacco Caye. We had never heard of it, which was not surprising.

Tobacco Caye is less than five acres in size and situated directly on the coral reef. There are no roads, no cars, no international hotels. The only restaurants are the dining rooms operated by the five or six small Belizean-owned resorts.

“It’s very quiet,” her Cockney husband said. “I sit on the end of the dock and fish for black snappers after dark. There is no sound and the stars are so bright...” He drifted off, and I am fairly sure it was at that moment that Daniel and I both decided we would go, although neither of us said so at the time.

“Unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God,” Kurt Vonnegut said. The ancient Mayan ruins were suitably impressive, but I was delighted when Daniel confessed that he would like to hop on another converted school bus and head to Tobacco Caye.

There was standing room only on the bumpy bus.

The radio blasted a strangely comforting drum corps

Letters from

Home

recital played by a high school band. We went first to the capital (which is small and sleepy), then down the “Hummingbird Highway,” an aptly named and wonderful road which traverses through odd pointy mountains covered with vine-covered jungle and orange orchards.

We landed in Dangriga, a dusty little fishing town on the coast, and waited for “Captain Buck” to have a beer and acquire a few more passengers before taking his little fiberglass boat across the water to the reef and Tobacco Caye. Six of us landed on the dock in the midafternoon—right in the middle of paradise.

The island takes less than five minutes to walk around. There are no roads of any kind. The coral reef butts directly up against the palm tree covered island. There is no police station, no television, no Internet. There is a lot of golden coral sand and piles of conch shells everywhere. There are two dogs (that I saw) and one cat.

We had no reservations, but Belize is rich in little cabanas. We stayed for $35 per person, which included three meals a day eaten with budget travelers from all over the world. We snorkeled right off the dock and saw amazing and majestic coral and sea creatures. There were fluorescent blue fish and a rather frightening bright green moray eel with a head as big around as a dinner plate.

Now I am home from my travels. It is cold and white, but I am still filled with colors.

I see the pink of conch shells, the neon green of the giant eel, the glowing aquamarine of the Caribbean, the brilliant yellow of flowering trees. Now, when I look up, the March sky seems bluer than ever before.

Till next time, —Carrie

Pi champion

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693 99375105820974944592307... these are the first 67 digits of the number pi that Matthew Lamirande memorized, to become the champion of the annual Pi day celebration in the sixth grade at St. Croix Falls Middle School. He was rewarded with a certificate, and of course a cherry pie, his favorite. - Photo submitted

Facebook used to name scholarship at Grantsburg

GRANTSBURG - Would you like to make an impact in the life of a Grantsburg scholar without spending a dime?

This spring, Grantsburg Dollars for Scholars will give one deserving student a $250 scholarship – and it could have your name or the name of your loved one on it.

For a chance to have the scholarship named after you or a loved one, first become a fan of Grantsburg Dollars for Scholars on their Facebook page.

Visit www.facebook.com/grantsburgdfs and click on the “Like” button with the thumbs-up symbol at the top of the page, if you aren’t already a fan.

Then, post a comment on their wall with the name you would like the scholarship to be given in. For example, “I would give a scholarship in honor (or memory) of my parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Doe.” The DFS board of direc-

Highway to Heaven

Traveling in a foreign country

Cold Turkey

can be a challenging. Mentally there is the stress of misunderstanding the language or directions and get- John W. Ingalls ting completely lost. Buses and trains arrive and depart quickly, flashing their route or destination in foreign languages allowing only a moment’s notice and a quick decision to jump aboard or wait for the next ride. Physically there is the risk of sudden death at the hands of a crazed taxi driver speeding through red traffic lights and busy intersections in an attempt to get a better tip from his American passengers. In my personal experience, foreign travel has the emotional impact of extreme sports and risky behavior that brings you to the edge of your chair wondering if you will ever have a second chance at anything. Thankfully I have never been in a serious accident overseas, although on one occasion I thought I had a brief but memorable view of the afterlife.

Mexico is a country with a wide range of beauty. Majestic mountains and beautiful sun-baked beaches are rivaled only by the wonderful people that you meet. As a family we had traveled to Puerto Vallarta on the west coast of Mexico. It was April of the year that Hale-Bop the comet was making its appearance in the western sky. The winter had been relatively long and cold and a brief respite from the ice and snow was a welcome retreat.

After arriving in the coastal city, we adjusted to a

tors will enter all names posted by March 31 into a drawing and announce the winning name of the scholarship on their Facebook page on April 1.

The $250 scholarship will be awarded to a Grantsburg graduating senior in May along with the many other scholarships given.

Grantsburg Dollars for Scholars raises money each year to give as scholarship funds to every graduating senior in the Grantsburg School District who pursues higher education, with a mission of Every Dollar for Every Scholar.

Last year over $30,000 was awarded to Grantsburg graduates through the organization. Visit their Web site to learn more or to donate online: www.grantsburgdollarsforscholars.com - submitted

slower pace of life. Mornings we lingered on the beach drinking strong black coffee and eating warm fresh-baked muffins from the food vendors. Afternoons we swam, read books and played MD games in the pool or played happy hour Bingo at the beachside palapa. After a few days, we decided to stretch our horizons, and we boarded a city bus heading to a nearby water park.

City buses in most Mexican towns aren’t known for comfort and luxury. Sometimes windows are cracked or stuck open so that diesel exhaust fumes can find their way back outside. Most of the time buses are crowded with locals coming and going from work or returning home with groceries from the local open markets. We enjoy riding the city buses and have never felt intimidated or concerned for our own well-being. After a wonderful afternoon at the water park, we took the city bus back to our condo. We hopped off of the bus along the main highway and walked two or three blocks to our apartment.

“Where is our key?”

“It was in the red bag.”

“Do you have the bag?” “No, I thought you had it.”

“Who has the red bag?” “Dad, I think you left it on the bus!” My heart stopped. My new Nikon camera, some money and some reasonably valuable personal belongings along with towels and swimsuits were in the bag in the back of a city bus in Mexico. A boy from Washington state who had accompanied us offered his advice.

“The bus we were on had a broken back window!” Oh boy, I thought, that narrows it down to about 50 or 60 buses.

With the help of an interpreter, we explained the dilemma to a motivated taxi driver, and the boy from Washington and I sped off through narrow one-way streets chasing down bus after bus throughout the entire city of Puerto Vallarta. We overtook dozens of buses only to discover that they didn’t have a broken back window. We recklessly drove through the city streets, down to the bus station, back around the outside of the city and then to the airport all without finding our bus.

After nearly two hours of desperate travel and no success, we hung our heads in defeat. I realized that by this time our bag would have been opened and emptied anyway, so there was little point in continuing. With a feeble attempt at speaking Spanish, I indicated to the driver to return home. I had given up.

As he turned the taxi around and headed home, the boy from Washington suddenly spoke up. “There it is, that’s the bus!” The taxi driver screeched to a halt in front of the bus forcing it to stop. The driver jumped out and forced open the passenger door of the bus to speak to the bus driver. All of the passengers became quiet as I entered through the front door and looked toward the seat with the broken window. There sitting in the back of the bus was a man in a white suit with a full-sized harp in the aisle. He smiled and held up my red bag with everything accounted for.

Guardian angel? Entertainer? Concert harpist on a city bus in Mexico? I will never know. He disappeared in a cloud of diesel exhaust.

PAGE 32 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 23, 2011

River Road

Big Wolf Lake

The sap started running at the cabin last week. We began cooking and continued to put out more buckets and taps during the week. The snow melted quickly leaving a lot of mud. Many neighbors have buckets, bags, pipelines and taps out this year as the price for sap and syrup is still good. Some folks are renting whole woods, putting in pipelines and selling the sap to large producers. Most of the maple woods of Wisconsin are primarily an untapped resource.

A pileated woodpecker has almost pecked the top out of another huge maple. Under a dead branch, he spent the winter chiseling a hole 6 inches in diameter. The ground nearby is littered with wood chips. A tree he attacked last year was ruined when the weakened top broke off in a storm. These huge woodpeckers are enjoyable to watch, but at one maple per year, the nuisance factor is growing. I checked with the Audubon Society Web site and found this tidbit: “There was a time when survival of the Pileated was of concern. This was about 1880-1920. Eastern forests had been logged heavily, and the Pileated was being hunted for food. According to one report, the bird had a sweet and sour flavor to it. It was speculated that the sour taste of the meat came from formic acid in ants, the woodpeckers primary food item. After 1920, as that generation of Pileated hunters died off and as cutover forests began to regrow, the Pileated made a comeback.” I wonder if Sweet and Sour Pileated is as good as it sounds—let you know later.

Margo made a trip to our Rochester place near Pine Island, Minn., and as of last Friday, there were at least 20 robins in the yard there. I haven’t seen any here at Cushing yet (I send this on Sunday). A pair of swans landed on the ice and honked around, checking things out and finally settled in the tiny spring opening for a few hours before moving on. I heard the call of a sandhill crane most days last week. A pair usually nests somewhere in the cattails, brush and deep grass along the lake. The bald eagles are out scavenging dead deer and fish thawing out from the snow and ice.

Our hoot owls are likely raising young already. They sure kept last week’s bright moonlit nights raucous.

I drove the River Road to St. Croix Falls Friday. The river was open from Nevers (the most northward I could see it) to where the road joins Hwy. 87. It looks like the ice should go out at the dam early this week. The river is the color of old cobalt glass milk of magnesia bottles this time of year. The water-soaked ice gives a wonderful contrast.

The deer have been bunching up and scouring the cornfields for kernels left from last fall. A dozen or more pass the cabin on their way from the woods into the fields in the evening. I have been out on the deer trails trying to find shed antlers, but no luck so far. Last year a father and son found three on my five acres of woods at Pine Island—hunting in early February. This year with chronic wasting disease found in a deer last fall, a thousand local deer are being shot and tested for the disease. As of last week, the first 600 were disease free.

The deer horns are for carvers in the Indianhead Gem and Mineral Society (meetings start in Luck this April on the first Monday night of each month, 7 p.m. at the Luck Senior Center, continung through the fall). One of the members, Dan Beal, makes knife handles and buttons out of them. Carved and fitted to knife blade blanks they look quite spectacular. Some members knap stone knife blades and use antlers for the handle, in the style of Native Americans. If you

Ramblings Collected by Russ Hanson

In the lower left corner of the map is the proposed new 50-foot-high dam on Wolf Creek.

The location is a mile north of Evergreen Avenue, up the creek. With government approvals unlikely, the dam will be built by giant beavers cloned from ice-age bones found across the border in Minnesota. Above is the 30-foot dam flowage, the 50-foot would likely be used only in spring to hold back floodwaters from the St. Croix. Map courtesy of Beaver Bros Construction Co. – Photo submitted

have old deer horns you don’t want, bring them to the rock club and trade or sell them.

After missing several months of the Northwest Regional Writers group, I made the March meeting. We listen to each other read stories written on an assigned topic, visit, talk about writing, brag about successes, and have a good time. If you don’t write a story you pay 25 cents to the treasury, managed by Bernice Abrahamzon, the last of the founding mothers. Last time we wrote based on “The check is in the mail.” My version was “The Czech is in the mail,” a poem about mail ordering a foreign bride. It was well received, but it is not clear that it was very good. We follow the rule our mothers told us—if you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.

Some of our members take Carolyn Wedin’s community ed writing classes, and we notice their improvement as they learn how to make their stories more interesting. I thought about taking a class, but as I don’t write as good as I can now, I would feel even more guilty learning more. We picked a topic from one of her writing class assignments for next month; write about something involving two colors, but try to use alternate words for the colors. I think that means if I pick blue, I would use words like azure, cobalt, indigo, cerulean, Navy, depressed, sad, dejected, etc. I might also use objects that were blue; sky, water, Norwegian eyes, robin eggs, blue jay, wet ice, black and blue, hospital signs, unclicked Internet links, bluebirds, indigo buntings, Karner blue butterflies, blue jeans, lupins, uniforms, U. S. flag, bachelor buttons, milk of magnesia bottle, blueberry, blue whale, cop car lights, plums, songs (“Blue Velvet,” “Blue Hawaii”), ballpoint ink, blue blood, boy baby clothes, carbon copy, and of course a blue ribbon for first place and Pabst beer. I will certainly feel blue if I blew my chances for originality by letting others see my blue list!

Often neighbors stop by the cabin to see how the maple process is going.

Right now, we have to block the driveway for fear of getting stuck in the big mud hole. “We better order a couple of

loads of gravel. It is worse than last year,” Margo repeats each year. By the time I find out who hauls gravel, where I can get it, and what it costs, spring is over, the mud and my motivation are gone for another year. This year will be different—although I wonder if the mud hole might just swallow up all the gravel I can afford.

The creek that comes out of Orr Lake, where we live, separates the sand barrens and the desperadoes who live out there, and the refined folks living on our side.

Orr Creek joins one that comes out of Wolf Lake over on Hwy. 87 (Wolf Creek) and the combined stream heads southwest to the city of Wolf Creek and into the St. Croix a little above the Nevers Dam site. All the way along it separates sand from clay loam. This boundary, the creek banks often are gravel hills. One area is gravel pits just north of CTH G near downtown Wolf Creek.

Two miles south of me, Wolf Creek makes a very deep cut through some hills on my brother Marvin’s land. The banks must be 75 or more feet high, dropping sharply down to the narrow channel cut by the creek in the 10,000 years since the glacier recombobulated everything around here. In the past, beavers have dammed the creek making a nice flowage to the north. Lately they have been trapped or moved out and the water is back to tiny creek. We miss the long flowage where you could take a boat trip for a mile and fish along the way.

It would be nice to have Marv’s narrows dammed 50 feet high. It would flood hundreds if not thousands of acres of low lands to the north, mostly swamps now. At one time before Wolf Creek cut the big notch this was all under water with lots of islands where the hills are now. I thought of importing beavers to rebuild their old washed-out dam, but they rarely build more than 3-5 feet tall, not enough for a real lake flowage.

I think there is no chance of getting government agencies to approve a manmade dam on a trout stream anymore— even the deregulation-minded folks now at Madison. They would probably quibble about things like washing out St.

Croix Falls, Taylors Falls and Stillwater if the dam failed or having to build a few two-mile-long dams along Hwy. 87.

I haven’t given up hope. I found this beaver information online at the Science Museum of Minnesota Web site: “Rodents were bigger in the Ice Age, especially beavers. The largest rodent in North America was the giant beaver. It measured 8 feet long and weighed 480 pounds—around the size of a today’s black bear! Compare that to the modern beaver, which weighs around 65 pounds.

The giant beaver had cutting teeth up to 6 inches long, which may have been used for cutting wood. Its tail was not as wide as a modern beaver’s, but it probably helped the giant beaver to be a good swimmer. In 1938 construction workers found the skeleton of a giant Pleistocene beaver in St. Paul. Today, you can see it at the Science Museum of Minnesota.”

The ice ages were not so long ago— ended 10,000 – 12,000 years back around here. It is quite likely that giant beaver bones have marrow inside with DNA that is still intact. This means we could, just as dairy farmers can clone a wonderful cow nowadays, clone a giant beaver.

If the giant beaver grew to be 10 times the size of a normal beaver, he and his family would build dams as high as 30-50 feet.

Beavers are not required to get permits, nor meet DNR safety standards for their houses or dams. It is true that they might end up clearcutting the area they work in, but that is exactly what humans do before flooding areas with dams—cut all the timber out of what will be the new lake. I think we will name the new giant lake Big Wolf Lake.

Nature, when manipulated by enlightened humans, can wreak wonderful change. My cabin will be nestled in with a few thousand new lakeshore homes on the new flowage. I expect a Lake of the Ozarks-like development with St. Croix Falls becoming the Branson of the North as folks flock to the giant recreation lake with cloned giant walleyes and maybe a few blue whales genetically modified for fresh water. Ongoing expenses will just be keeping the beavers happy. If you would like to invest in this project, please send a signed check with the amount left blank to me in the next two weeks— hurry, offer limited.

••• There will be an update meeting for maple syrupers, from beginners to experts, at the Luck Museum (on Main Street adjacent to the new library) tonight (Thursday, March 24, 7 p.m., free). We will compare notes on how the season is going, assist those who are starting and learn what is new from the experts.

Come and tell us how your sap season is going and share what you are doing. You can learn how to tap as well as learn the advantages of high tech!

I got a call from my cousin Albert Hanson on Hwy. 48 on the way to Cumberland that his mother, my cousin, Nellie Hanson Hammond, passed away Saturday night at 103 years old. We visited earlier in the week and she was pretty weak. Her first 103 years were mostly healthy and then the last few months she began to decline rapidly. We will miss her as the source of vast amounts of family history; always serving us coffee, doughnuts and ice cream when we visited, and a woman with true pioneer roots from the days she herded cattle as a girl on the Dakota prairies, coming to Wisconsin in 1918 and living here since.

The death of a neighbor

For over 50 years LeRoy and Arleen Jones have

been our neighbors on the farm next to ours. Early last week, LeRoy was transported to a city hospital where he passed away. For us it has been like losing a member of the family.

Even more than a family member as the woods are full of cousins, nieces and nephews with the same last name as ours spelled “zon” at the end.

When the Abrahamssons came to America from Sweden, they thought double “ss” changed to “z” in English and it has been confusing everyone since then. No, we are not related to the Abrahamson nursery.

When we arrived in Lewis we rented a little house in downtown Lewis, and then we bought a farm. We thought we were in paradise with a big five-bedroom house, woods where we could walk and pick berries in summer, both wild raspberries and wild blackberries. I picked and made wild strawberry jam. I thought it was real gourmet eating.

Then we bought a good family cow as we all liked to drink milk. Well, you know the story. One cow leads to another.

Not that we were trying to keep up with the Joneses because LeRoy farmed with a Holstein herd and we had mostly Jersey cows. We asked LeRoy lots of questions about farming. My husband had worked on a farm as a young boy and that left a lot to be desired. We also had a small flock of sheep.

We asked LeRoy many questions and other farmers, too. It’s called “learning as you go.”

One time I was worried about a small Holstein who was having trouble calving, so I telephone LeRoy’s and he came to help me. I had never pulled a calf before.

We often called for help. One day we bought a deep freeze and LeRoy helped move it down the stairs into our basement. He volunteered to take the heavy end, too.

We borrowed from each other. My husband, Ken, built LeRoy a little A-frame for small storage. It turned out fine, although Ken laughed and called it an A-shame.

At that time LeRoy worked at the mink ranch on the Kenneth Nelson place.

He was also very adept at butchering. As he cut up meat and I labeled each package, I asked, “What is this?” expecting the word steak or chop, etc., but LeRoy usually answered, “fry meat.” It became like an often-told family joke. At least I could recognize liver when he brought us some.

Yes, I was a country girl but not a really experienced farm woman.

The years rolled by, Arleen Jones was employed at the telephone company in Frederic and I went to work at the Leader. My husband taught school in North St. Paul, Park Falls, Grantsburg and Ashland.

Our three boys grew up with Kevin Jones and they attended the Lewis School together.

Meanwhile, LeRoy decided to change occupations and no longer had a dairy herd. He had been thinking abut raising exotic birds. Before we knew it, he had those big birds, emus and rheas, and peacocks.

The peacocks tried to balance on the clotheslines and when they uttered their distinctive cry, it sounded like a woman in distress, calling “Help, help, help.”

The golden pheasants were beautiful.

LeRoy had the golden touch. Whatever he did, turned out just fine. He even sold rare birds to someone in England and it seemed they came to visit here in Polk County as I recall meeting them.

As Arleen faced retirement, LeRoy was thinking ahead and purchased the former Sears catalog office

Behind the

MARCH 23, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 33

Signpost

Bernice Abrahamzon to turn it into a flower shop. He phased out the exotic birds (those big birds can really kick) and built several greenhouses and planted and transplanted and everything grew. Sometimes, when he stoked up the stoves in the cold spring night, he stayed up and transplanted seedlings.

Myrtle Ketal gave me her hibiscus plant, and it grew like crazy until it reached the dining room ceiling in our house. We took it down to LeRoy’s greenhouse to winter over until I could put it outside for the summer. He made many cuttings off it for customers and when I wanted to pick it up come summer, I found he had sold the plant, which had actually turned into a tree. That was OK with me as it was too big for me to handle.

We were all busy working, and when we visited we usually stood around outside looking at one thing or another. I don’t think we even had a picnic together through the years, but they kept early hours and we kept crazy, late hours, on the road a lot between here and UW-River Falls.

One summer night we had a terrible rainstorm and a big clap of thunder woke us up. Ken phoned LeRoy and said to him, “All right, you can drop the other shoe now.”

We had a lot of laughs together. Then, out of the blue and on a beautiful October day in 1986, Ken died. It went without saying that LeRoy was one of the pallbearers. With his funeral flowers still in the Lewis church, the furnace malfunctioned and fire, smoke and water ruined the 1915-1916 historic People’s Church donated to the village bearing his name,

by Charles E. Lewis.

Life can change in the blink of an eye. LeRoy had been through many health issues in the last few years. He went through surgery on both hips and both knees, cataract surgery on both eyes, a pacemaker plus other health issues.

He never backed away from hard work and worked hard all his life, experienced a great deal of pain in recent days. He was a good neighbor and we will miss him.

My three sons and I have been reminiscing about the last few years and all the changes. Our youngest son and LeRoy shared the same birth date in November.

The other day I came across an old letter mailed to us from Europe. The address on the envelope said, The Kenneth Abrahamzon Family, Lewis, Wisconsin, U.S.A. And to think it was delivered. The world was smaller then and today with LeRoy gone, it will be smaller yet.

Our love to Arleen and we’re here to help you or Kevin when you need us.

With sympathy, Bernice and sons Your neighbors

Frederic Lioness Club news

FREDERIC – The Frederic Lioness Club hosted a St. Patrick’s Day Bingo party for the residents of Sunrise Apartments on Thursday evening, March 17, and the action got started at 6 p.m. First on the agenda was a special guest appearance by the famous singing duo ”Sonny and Cher” who sang their ever-popular song “I Got You Babe.” After the entertainment the group got down to business with playing several games of Bingo and the winners walked away with cash money in their hands. Club members served sandwiches along with some homemade cherry bars and it was all washed down with a cup of coffee.

The Frederic Lioness Club hosted a St. Patrick’s Day Bingo party for the residents The club’s monthly meeting of Sunrise Apartments on Thursday evening, March 17. – Photo submitted began at 7 p.m. with the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Along They discussed sponsoring the blood bank drive on with their usual business, these were some of the other May 26 and 27. topics covered. Discussion held about attending the The club’s next meeting will be Thursday, April 21, district convention on Saturday, April 9, in St. Croix with meeting at 7 p.m. in the community room at SunFalls. Discussion was held on the upcoming Cancer rise Apartments. If you would like more information Walk on Saturday, May 7. Everyone, including the pub- about the Frederic Lioness Club, please call president, lic, is invited to attend the Cancer Walk kickoff break- Roxanne White, at 715-327-4892. - submitted fast at Hacker’s Lanes on Friday, March 25, at 7 a.m.

Do you remember?

Compiled by Bernice Abrahamzon

50 Years Ago

For Firestone Farmer Days at Ray’s Firestone Store in Frederic were two full days of sales tires, lightbulbs at 16¢ each, etc.-News came in from Pine Grove Home.-Obituaries included Frank Griffiths, Joseph LeVoy and Christian Borup.- News also came in from Fair Haven Rest Home.-The March specials at Carlson Hardware, Frederic, included two ironing board covers for 69¢ for both of them.-Dr. Robert Bailey, River Falls professor, spoke at Frederic on March 14.-Frederic forensic group won 11 A’s in league meet.-March belted the area with the heaviest snowstorm of the winter.-Driving on ice is very dangerous this time of year.-Construction cost of new Unity School was $708,776 so far.-Bethel College choir sang at Trade Lake Church.-Big Jo Flour offered Galaxy cups and saucers.-Specials at Route’s Super Market, Frederic, included grapefruit at 10 for 45¢, cabbage at 10¢ lb., kidney beans at 9¢ a tin, tuna fish at 3 for 79¢ and pork roast at 39¢ lb.-Specials at the Co-op Super Market included sugar at 10 lbs. for 98¢, onions at 3 lbs. for 17¢, Washington apples at 4 lbs. for 49¢ and round steak at 55¢ lb.-Balsam Marine at Balsam Lake had a sale as a complete closeout on all current stock.-The first Mass at the Webster Catholic Church was on Palm Sunday.

40 Years Ago

Open house was set for April 6 -7 at Maki’s, Grantsburg, featuring new tractors, parts, specials hydrostatic drive, new implements and service specials.-Wilson’s Bone Lake Resort advertised live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with food served Wednesday through Sunday.-All letters to the editor were limited to 150 words in this newspaper.Remember Buck’s Resort in nearby Frederic lake country?-Frederic Home Furnishings would reopen April 12.-A bake sale was set for April 10 at the Frederic Senior Center building from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.Danbury citizens met to plan and organize a community center.-Specials at Routes’s, Frederic, included hams at 49¢ lb., cake mix at 29¢ pkg., marshmallows at 2 bags for 49¢.-Different pastors were giving Easter messages each week in this newspaper.-A long list of Easter services was printed in this newspaper.-The Rev. James Know served the Methodist churches.- A little boy, Paul Lindquist, was saved from drowning in Trade River by LeRoy Lundeen. His wife had noticed four children on the bridge over the swollen river and then there were only three with one child in the water being swept away. All ended well.-Chris Dueholm won at the Georgetown polls.

20 Years Ago

A social worker, Deb Wald, addressed the Parkinson’s group which met at the Simenstad Nursing Care Unit.-Kerry Brendel will manage Frederic First American Bank.-Buttons were going fast for Veterans Memorial.-A favorite school bus driver was being sought.-First American Bank urged readers to see them for 15- and 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and home equity lines of credit along with other types of real estate loans.-A tobacco ban was approved by WITC board.-Modest spending was seen for outdoor programs.-The poem “I Am Your Flag” was printed in this newspaper.-Scouts raced handcrafted cars in Pinewood Derby.-Wisconsin banks were sound and continued to surpass national averages.-Circle C in Frederic was burglarized and Polk County Sheriff Craig Benware said that they had definite clues who was responsible.-Frederic Furniture had a home show sale with bargains of $100 off on listed pieces of furniture.-Obey introduced a budget fairness for dairy farmer bill.-A Spooner Farm Show would feature five eagles.-News came in from Little Burnett 4-H.-Obituaries included Margaret Johnson, Carl Swanson, Patrick Costello, Russell Swenson, Ruby Dutilly, Stella Seelings, Esther Yourchuck Glover and LeAnn Johnson.-World Day of Prayer emphasized “On the Journey Together.”County workers received modest pay increases.

Brought to you by

OLSEN & SON DRUG

Serving the community since 1882

24106 St., Hwy. 35 • Siren, WI Phone 715-349-2221 • Fax 715-349-7350

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TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER Lewis

Happy Tails

Await

Arnell Humane Society of Polk County

Erin

Erin is a 4-year-old shorthair calico. She has large round golden-green eyes with heavy eyeliner and a classic calico coat. Erin came to our shelter in December as a stray with a litter of kittens. The kittens are long gone, adopted to happy families.

Erin is waiting her turn. She is a quiet, gentle cat.

Erin loves the hunt. She chases flies in the adoption room, up and down the cat trees, over the chair and on top of the kennels. You would never guess this wild side of her personality by the unassuming demeanor she displays to the public. She feels comfortable putting it all out there for the staff because she knows us so well. Erin is a special girl and we are hoping she will go to a loving home soon. As a 4-year-old, she is eligible for the senior discount rate. Her adoption fee to a senior citizen would be the price of her spay surgery.

It was a busy week for the animals.

The potential adopters must have been waiting for warm weather because they came in droves, multiple meet-n-greets that turned into happy adoptions. I am happy happy happy to report that Earl, our longest resident cat, found a lovely young woman to share his life with. Earl came to the shelter in November as a chubby neutered male stray.

Gomez, Tilford and KiKi also worked their magic and found caregivers in need of furry companionship.

From the dog kennel, Jack, Sport, Nikki, Magic and Liz all made the ultimate adoption connection.

Each one went to a great home looking for exactly what they had to give. Jack, the black poodle, went to become a playmate and friend for an apricot schnoodle. Of course he intends to play with and entertain the humans as well. Sport the Beagle got a young couple just starting out. Ms. Nikki, the 12year-old bichon, went home shortly after news of her availability hit the newsstands. She too will be

a playmate for another small dog. Magic, the St. Bernard mix, won a place in the heart of a young mother when he lavished her daughter with gentle kisses. Magic is a lucky boy who will be enjoying round-the-clock companionship and canine fun at Doggie Daycare. We couldn’t have asked for a better placement for Magic.

After appearing in this column last week, Liz, the Lab-mastiff mix, had multiple suitors. She was Ms. Popular! It is amazing what a black-and-white photo and a personal profile in our local paper can o . d All of our available animals appear on the Internet through our Web site and Petfinder.com but it is the newspaper that has been making it all happen lately. Liz had been in the shelter for a month and on the Internet for three weeks. I had written of her in the column, but after her picture appeared, nearly every phone call to the shelter was for Liz. On Saturday, there were four families lined up at the door when we opened. All wanted to meet Liz and take her home. In the end, she left with a large-dog-loving couple from Siren. They promised to send us pictures and updates on her progress. Thank you to everyone who inquired about our available pets.

It was quite a week.

Membership with Arnell Memorial Humane Society is a great way to show your support for the shelter. Besides our annual newsletter, you will receive updates for shelter events and a membership card that entitles you to discounts at local businesses. In Amery: Dragonfly Gardens, Amery Country Store-Countryside Co-op, Village Pizzeria, Garibaldi’s Restaurant, Tac Two, Ellie’s Ice Cream Parlor and Northwest Wisconsin Veterinary Clinic.

In St. Croix Falls: Jerry’s East Coast Flavors, Doggie Van Gogh Grooming Salon and Valley View Vet Clinic. Also offering membership incentives are: Star Prairie Vet Clinic, Interstate Veterinary Hospital in Centuria and Cafe Wren in Luck. If you would like to support AMHS with a membership and take part in these discounted services, send a note and check for $25 or more to: AMHS, 185 Griffin St. East, Amery, WI 54001. We will sign you up and send off a membership card in the mail.

Arnell Memorial Humane Society, 185 Griffin St. East, Amery, 715-268-7387 or online:

Borderline news

Community residents mourn the passing of Jessica McGough of Cloverton. Jessica died at age 68 after a long battle with cancer. She worked at the St. Croix Casino and was treasurer of the joint powers board of the Tri-Township Disposal District. Her funeral reception was held at the Cloverton Town Hall last Saturday. She was a hardworking friendly woman who we will miss.

Nine people from Cloverton and Markville took the Arrowhead Bus to Sandstone,Minn., last Tuesday for lunch at Amy’s Cafe, followed by several stops around town for errands. Cynthis Martz and Harry Dodge of Superior had lunch at the Baker home on Saturday. Fran cooked chicken piccata with steamed veggies, coleslaw and blueberry pie.

Fran’s daughter Elizabeth was part of the crew. On Sunday, they journeyed to Ashland to visit with son Chuck Levings and his family. Marlene and Don Mishler took their dog in for a haircut and did some shopping at Chris’s. They saw three robins and a red-winged blackbird at their home before St. Pat’s Day. Deloris Schirmer is waiting for robins, as all she has seen are big old coons. She was surprised while waiting when Rebbeca and Joel Aus showed her, instead, new baby Kara Renee on the first day of spring. Deloris was so overjoyed on becoming great-grandmother times five that she traded her ice cleats for mud boots and rode her wheeler to put the trash out for pickup.

On Tuesday, ladies of the Woodland Wesleyan Church attended Lady’s Day Out at the Nuthouse Deli in Siren. Rick Gustafson was in Madison to attend classes for his ministry training from Monday to Thursday. He said that gas prices were 12 cents cheaper than here. Casandra Baer spent her spring break from the University of Wisconsin-Stout at home in Dairyland. Holly Gustafson and Casandra went shopping on Wednesday in Duluth at the Miller Hill Mall. Josh Baer went with Joey Erickson and parents to Madison to the boys basketball state championship games. They left on Thursday and

Bob Brewster

returned on Saturday, and said they saw some interesting games.

The Zion Lutheran Church in Markville is celebrating Lenten season every Tuesday night. It starts with soup and sandwich at 6 p.m. and is followed by the worship at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome! We would like to congratulate Arna’s new town board supervisors: Steve Nelson and Jon Carlson. They will be joining current Supervisor Mel Elliott. Pam Ellwein was re-elected treasurer, and Cheryl Wickham was elected town clerk.

There will be a public hearing regarding changes to Arna Township’s zoning ordinance on April 6, at the Markville Town Hall at 7 p.m.

White swans returned to the Hay Creek Flowage last week. On the way home from a zoning meeting on Wednesday night, I saw the world’s smallest owl.

At first I though he was a woodcock.

Another harbinger of spring was the LP deliveryman, who went rogue over the borderline as he viciously rutted the private driveway of any person who merely sought to stay warm. Right on his heels, the trash collection truck was seen following smackdab in his tracks, with a motto painted on the door that said, “Once you get ‘em down, kick ‘em twice.”

On a more serious note, an unnamed Borderline reporter made it into Libya this week, and filed this report: First, since France led the invasion, are we still restricted to Freedom Fries with our cheeseburgers?

Secondly, as the initial wave of forces entered Libyan airspace, Gaddafi gathered the children of Tripoli around himself and started reading “Green Eggs & Ham.” When the first missile flew overhead, someone in the crowd yelled, “Get down!” When he heard this, Gaddafi immediately jumped up and began to dance. As more missiles came over, the entire crowd started shouting in unison, “Get down, Gaddafi, get down.”

Apparently, he took this as encouragement, for he picked up the pace again and again, dancing ever more furiously with each new chant of “Get down!”

www.the-leader.net Stay connected to your community.

Bernice Abrahamzon

Pastor Tom is entertaining a bad cold and was assisted with Sunday’s service by Marlene Nelson (filling in for Sylvia Schaetzel who was ill), Robin Peterson, reading Scripture and Allen McKinley who spoke on the work of the American Gideon Society.

A special collection was accepted for the work of the Gideons (buying Bibles for distribution).

Sympathy is extended to Arleen Jones in the passing away of her husband, LeRoy, and to son, Kevin and extended family. LeRoy was taken by ambulance to a city hospital where he died early last week. In compliance with his wishes, he indicated cremation and no funeral service. He was well known in this area. He and the Abrahamzons were neighbors for over 50 years.

This Wednesday’s Lenten service will be held at Lewis with a fellowship supper at 6 p.m., followed by the service. Visitors are welcome.

According to glowing reports, the production Saturday night at the West Sweden church was well at-

tended and much applauded. Reports are that it will go on the road and repeat the performance at several other area churches.

Bernice Abrahamzon had a Yarn of Yesteryear in the Country Today, published in Eau Claire several weeks ago. It was about shopping locally, at home, literally in a house as we all have too much stuff.

Fish are biting! A local family entertained Sunday at a fish fry to share the good results, deep-fried and savored.

News is short this week, as a death in the neighborhood has overshadowed any other news items.

Pussy willows were displayed on the altar at the Lewis church on Sunday, courtesy of John and LaVonne Boyer, but mostly by John who waded in swamp water over his knee boots. They were just beginning to show signs of life, but a vase and water forced the pussy willows to emerge. This is definitely a sign of spring.

There is a nasty bug going around and it took a bite out of several from the center including yours truly. Get well wishes go out to all who are suffering from this malady.

The monthly senior meeting was held on Tuesday, March 15, with 12 in attendance. The executive committee appointed Bob Gleason as president, Pat Niklason as secretary and Bob Staples as vice president. They will hold these offices until June when the annual election will take place. Nick Milroy, state representative, came after the meeting to explain what was going on in the Legislature and take some questions. We do appreciate him taking the time to drive down here and spend some time with us.

Wii bowling once again proved to be exciting and competitive. The All Girls Team took top honors, with Pat having 215 for high game and they had a team high of 736. However, the real excitement came when a “practice” game was held after the main event. They had a team high of 803. Abby had high game with 246 and Don was right behind her with a 222. Pat and Al also had good games. They are taking this bowling thing very serious.

Another great group came to play Dime Bingo, 22

in all, and not one split pot. I can’t remember when that happened last. We all enjoyed the combination of healthy and sweet treats furnished by Judy Weiss.

A large group, all decked out with lots of green, enjoyed the St. Patrick’s Day lunch of corned beef and cabbage. While Nikki was taking a couple of well-earned days off, Laurie did a super job of filling in for her and we do appreciate it.

Once again there were nine players for Euchre on Thursday and they plan to play again next week.

They would like to have three more players to fill out three tables. If interested just come in Thursday at 1 p.m.

Be sure to come and join in the fun of our noon potluck on Saturday, March 26. No hotdishes or salads, only hors d’eourves. It will be fun. We will eat at noon and games and socializing after.

The center is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For questions about dining call Nikki at 715-866-5300.

Remember the center belongs to all seniors 55 and older. Come and take advantage of all it has to offer.

See you at the center.

Webster Senior Center

715-349-2964

Siren

Bernie Boelter

Bev Beckmark

What a great week, the warmer temps have all but made the snow disappear. Just a few patches left here and there. Even the deer seem to be glad that spring is in the air. Last year’s fawns have been playing around the tree rat hollow like little lambs bouncing here and there on stiff legs. They remind me of our spring lambs we used to raise back on the farm.

The deer don’t come to the feeders much now, as they would rather eat the few blades of green grass popping up here and there. It doesn’t take many sunny days and the ditches come alive with spring green. The tree rats however still come in the early mornings expecting to find their corn. The tom turkeys have all but stopped coming in; I think they have set their sights on the neighborhood gals instead.

Still no bears sighted in bear country, but you can bet the feeders are brought in each night. One tree rat feeder my son made back in the ‘70s has been taken in and set on a shelf in the garage until fall when the snow comes and bears have gone back to their dens.

Get-well wishes to Joanne Peloquin who fell and broke her collarbone and Dick Blaker who fell and broke his hip. These accidents both happened last week. Let’s hope they both have a speedy recovery.

Also, a quick get-well for Pastor Tom Cook, he has a terrible cold.

Sympathy to the family of Jerry Wilson who passed away March 14.

The 27th-annual Whistling Wings Annual Membership Banquet is coming up on Monday, March 28, at the Siren Lodge on Crooked Lake and starts at 5:30 p.m. If you plan on attending, you must purchase your ticket before the 28th, as they will not be sold at the door. For more info or to purchase tickets, call Janice at 715-327-8049 or Terry at 715-349-

2817.

Mark you calendars, the 21st-annual Rainbow of Fun Carnival is coming up on Monday, April 4, at the Siren School from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lots of fun for the whole family – games, prizes and a chance to win an iPod. The Moms for Kids sponsor this event.

All monies go to the community, Prairie Fire Theatre, Northwoods Christmas and crafts show and the Moms for Kids scholarship. Tickets are available at all Siren banks at 50 tickets for $10. They will be sold four for $1 at the door.

To those of you who remember longtime resident of Siren, Johanna Quint, she will be celebrating her 100th birthday on April 1. If you remember her and no longer have her address, and wish to send her a card for her special day, please give me a call at 715349-2964 and I will gladly give it to you. I’m sure she would love cards from Siren.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 2. If you want to enjoy a great evening, why not come to the Siren Methodist Church on that date as Broadway is coming to Siren. The show starts at 7 p.m. Come early if you want a seat.

Congratulations to elementary student Cody Gerhardson and high schooler Michael Conrow for being chosen Siren Schools students of the week. What a great job.

Congratulations to Siren’s valedictorian Stephanie Taylor and salutatorian Tadd Oachs. Best wishes for your future.

Congratulations also to Carley Emery for being the state’s 12th girl in basketball to reach 2,000 points. What an awesome basketball player.

The Siren Methodist Church Sunday school kids had a fun day last Sunday at the Best Western Motel with swimming and a lunch of pizza.

Here we are again to say hello to all our members who are under the weather and unable to join us at our center for cards, Pokeno, coffee or just visiting.

I will try to keep you posted on our members who are under the weather, at least those I hear about.

Judy Gustafson is still at Regions Hospital but is now able to move her arms and legs when asked to lift either right or left side. Fran Kurkowski is also still at Regions but hopefully will be moving to a nursing home to recuperate. Shirley Sandquist is now back at the Amery nursing home after her latest fall. We all

wish you a speedy recovery. Also, get-well wishes to any and all members under the weather.

Spade winners last week were: first place, Norma Nelson; second place, Liz Ruhn; third place, Lillian Murphy; fourth place, Arvid Pearson.

500 winners were: first place, Dave Peterson; second place, Nellie Ihrig; third place, Rich Hustad; fourth place, Marlyce Borchert.

So, until we meet again, stay happy, healthy and active. Have a great week everyone!

Frederic Senior Center

Hazel Hoffman

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER

Grantsburg Public Library

What fun we had this week with children from the Nelson Primary School! Thank you so much for coming out and learning about the library ... you will all become great readers someday! We hope to see you and your parents in the library very soon.

Weekly events:

Preschool story hour shakes things up every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Join us each week for books, activities and fun. Thank you to Kathy Josephson for her fun stories and music this week.

Youth Chess Club joins for play every Wednesday from 3:45-5:15 p.m., games and learning. All youth ages 10 and up are welcome to stop by and join us for a game. This week we learned a bit more about “en passant” as well as castling.

Reading program meets after school Tuesdays and Thursdays to give children additional reading help as part of the after-school program. For more information contact your child’s teacher.

Upcoming events:

AARP continues to offer tax help to qualified senior citizens or low-income families, who may call the library to set up an appointment for tax help. The next dates available will begin March 31.

Read with Me bags will soon be available. Because of a grant supporting family literacy from WalMart, we will soon be offering these great bags.

Each bag will contain books, activities, games and more fun that children and adults can share at the library. The bags are intended for in-library use only, and are to encourage reading and learning between child and adult. We will have bags with fun from Japan, Mexico, Russia, Germany, and Africa.

Thanks to Wal-Mart for the generous funding!

New books are listed on our Web page, http://grantsburg.wislib.org.

Our phone number is 715-463-2244. Hours are Monday and Tuesday noon-6 p.m., Wednesday 10:30 a.m.-6, p.m. Thursday noon-6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m.-noon.

Births

Jenny Ryan and Ben Johnson of Seattle, Wash., are proud to announce the birth of their son, Marten Robert Johnson-Ryan, on March 7, 2011. Marten weighed 7 pounds, 14.9 ounces and was 20-3/4 inches long. Maternal grandparents are Tim and Norma Ryan of Frederic. Paternal grandparents are Terry Johnson and Pete Garcia of Cottage Grove, and the late Robert C. Johnson of Pine City, Minn.

•••

Born at Luther Midelfort:

A son, Bradley Dean, was born March 16, 2011, to Dean and Jennifer Harder of Rice Lake.

•••

Born at Burnett Medical Center:

A girl, Katelynn Leann Aronson, born March 15, 2011, to Katie Clifford and Jeff Aronson, Grantsburg.

Katelynn weighed 6 lbs., 4 oz. and was 20 inches long. Katelynn’s siblings are Jason and Dale. Grandparents are Marti Clifford, North Branch, Minn.; Deb Hess (Vern), Grantsburg; and Scott and Vonnie Clifford, Harris, Minn. Katelynn’s great-grandmother is Eleanore Aronson, Grantsburg.

•••

Born at Spooner Health System:

A boy, Jasper Allen Fingerson, born March 14, 2011, to Brandon and Jessie Fingerson. Jasper weighed 7 lbs., 1 oz. and was 18.5 inches long.

Jasper’s siblings are Jaiden and Parker. Grandparents are Duane Hare and Betty Winter of Webster; Al and Mary Ann Fingerson of Burnsville, Minn.; and Darla Lawrence of Rochester, Minn.

•••

St. Croix Senior Center

Marian Edler

Tuesday was our busy day again. We did our exercises at 10 a.m. In the afternoon, games were played. Dottie Adams and Charlie Zeigler won in Hand and Foot. Don Anderson, Delores Benson and Martha Lundstrom won in Dominos. The winners in 500 cards were Elaine Edlund, Laurice Lambert, Dick Westerman, Artis Brown and Marian Edler.

Wednesday morning, AARP representatives were at the center to help with income taxes. There were 28 people that came.

Thursday morning started with exercise followed

by Skip-Bo. In the evening, corned beef and cabbage was served, cooked by our chefs Ron and Elaine Edlund, to a large crowd. Dick Durand entertained us with his accordion music. It was followed by games being played. Being such a large crowd, prizes for 500 cards were given to the men and

women. The women winners were Marian Edler, Elaine Edlund, Mary Lou Lund, Arliss Rosen and Joan Arnold. The men winners were Ray Nelson, LeRoy Booth, Chuck Magnison, Ron Flostad and Bob Norlander. Winners in Dominos were Olga Young, Ione White and Don Anderson. There were two tables of Hand and Foot. Winners were Janice Mevissen, Dottie Adams, Charlie Ziegler and Irene Campbell. This St. Patrick’s Day party was a great success and very enjoyable.

Friday morning Bridge was played. In the afternoon, Bingo was played.

Stop in for coffee and a cookie and look over our center. Diane changed all our decorations for Easter now. Our monthly meeting will be Thursday, March 24, 12:30 p.m., with potluck lunch.

Lawrence Hines came home Monday after having knee surgery in the Twin Cities and spending a few days in the hospital there. Visitors of his and Nina’s during the week were Maynard, John, Diana, Hank and Karen Mangelsen, Lida and Don Nordquist, Jim and Verlene Pearson and Donna and Gerry Hines. Lawrence and Nina’s son-in-law, Colin Harrison, drove them home and is spending a few days there.

Jan, Caleb and Hannah Schott were overnight guests of Don and Lida Nordquist Friday. Hank and Karen Mangelsen visited Bob and Pam Bentz Friday

evening.

Sue Ackerman was a weekend guest at the home of her parents, Jack and Kay Krentz.

Dixie and Chuck Andrea, Kris Fjelstad, Lida Nordquist, Pam Bentz, Karen Mangelsen, Sue Ackerman and Jack, Kay and Joel Krentz were among a number of people who attended the open house for Marian Brincken Saturday at the UM Church in Shell Lake. The party was in honor of Marian’s 80th birthday and it was sponsored by her children.

MILWAUKEE – The following individuals have been named to the dean’s list at UW-Milwaukee for the fall 2010 semester. UWM is the second largest university in the state of Wisconsin, with more than 30,500 undergraduate and graduate students.

Osceola Jacob J. Elmquist, Eng. and comp. science, undergraduate;

Siren John E. Schneider Jr., architecture, undergraduate; Unity Kendra L. Kramas, school of the arts, undergraduate. – submitted

Dewey - LaFollette

Karen Mangelsen

Academic news

Fran Krause

Orange

Fran Krause attended the HCE executive board meeting on Tuesday.

Several Orange 4-H members took part in the cultural arts contest at the Siren School on Saturday.

Kathryn Krause was home for the weekend from school in River Falls. Saturday evening Mark, Deanna, Brad and Kathryn Krause brought dinner

LaVonne O'Brien

over to Fran’s house and after they watched the Badger basketball game.

Fran attended the Dollars for Scholars meeting Monday evening.

Amy Childers and her friend Laura spent Friday evening with grandparents Jack and LaVonne O’Brien.

Wow, wasn’t Saturday a beautiful day? Hope you all got outside to enjoy the sunshine and warmth. Mom took Eli and me out for a nice long walk which was fun. Eli scared up a couple of pheasants, but the first one he didn’t know was there. I’m not sure who jumped more, Eli or the pheasant, but it was good for a chuckle or three. I think that Eli likes to chase just about anything, but then he is still a teenager and I’m sure you know what that can be like.

Did anyone see the big full moon on Saturday night? You know what they say about full moons, and I’m thinking it must be true as all our cats were acting strange here at home. Not that I don’t think they’re strange anyway, more of a pain really but I guess I’ll share my home with them – like I have a choice.

Busy, busy week at the shelter, lots of things happening, animals coming and going and it’s just been steady but that’s a good thing. We always appreciate people coming to visit and spend time with my friends and who knows, if we’re lucky they will adopt one to become part of their family.

New to the adoption floor, we have four purebred Pyrenees puppies of about 3 months of age.

You should see them, they are big already and when grown will be extra-large. The brothers names are Jared, Teddy, Trevor and Socrates, the only way we can tell them apart is by the color of their collars. You should check them out on our Web site, or better yet, stop by and see them and all my other friends.

Unfortunately, Kari is back with us; much like Sparky she really doesn’t appreciate sharing her home with other four-footed creatures. She would make a wonderful companion in an only pet home. The beautiful Snowden went to her new home and we can’t wait to find out how she’s doing. The Staffordshire puppies are sure getting big so time for Mom to get out there and get new pictures. From those puppies, Felix went to his new home on Friday; Hiram goes home on Tuesday and Benjamin on Saturday. Some of those puppies are still waiting for someone to take them to a loving home.

Goldie the kitty has been adopted and we’re keeping our fingers crossed on a couple of others as people were

Shelter

YAPpenings Sadie

in visiting them. One nice couple really liked Scrappy and Hutch, so we’re hoping they will fill out an adoption application. Scrappy and Hutch have been in the office greeting everyone that comes to visit and Hutch really likes helping out on the computer. Hutch is really silly, he sits in the sink and drinks water from the tap although maybe he’s not so silly as the water is fresh.

Have had a number of stray dogs come in to the shelter and some have been picked up by their owners and some are still waiting. Please remember to look after your animals and don’t let them wander as they could get seriously hurt or worse.

Thank you to those people that care enough to pick up a stray animal and bring it to the shelter for safekeeping.

On our wish list this week is bleach, we go through a lot of it keeping things clean, sparkly and hygienic.

Guess that’s it for today, don’t forget to get your raffle tickets and watch for our newsletter coming out soon.

Licks and tailwags!

The Humane Society of Burnett County is saving lives, one at a time. www.hsburnettcty.org.

715-866-4096. We’re on Facebook too.

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER

PAGE 36 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - MARCH 23, 2011

Engagement

Bonneville/Paustenbach

Rochelle (Shelly) Bonneville, formerly of St. Croix Falls, and Thomas Paustenbach, Minneapolis, Minn., are announcing their engagement to be married.

Rochelle is the daughter of Tom and Salene Bonneville of Grantsburg. She is employed at North St. Paul Animal Hospital in St. Paul, Minn.

Thomas is the son of David and Karen Paustenbach of Mount Dora, Fla. He is employed at Nilfisk-Advance in Plymouth, Minn.

A Sept. 17 wedding is planned in Minneapolis.

Siren Senior Center

Barb Munger

The center’s monthly meeting was held on Tuesday, March 15, with 26 people attending. Chuck Allstedt again attended the meeting to see what the seniors had decided about having turtle races in the summer months in our parking lot. It was decided that we did not have the manpower to handle this but it would be a project for some younger organization, such as the Boy Scouts.

A committee was selected to handle our Good Friday breakfast on April 22 and a volunteer sheet is out at the center for anyone who can assist us in this venture. So if you have a few hours to spare on that morning your help will be greatly appreciated.

Another fundraiser the group decided on was to have an indoor garage sale on Sept. 24 in conjunction with the Siren Harvestfest. It’s a little early but put that thought in the back of your mind when you are cleaning closets next fall that we would appreciate all donations.

The Wii game that was donated a while back was brought out and Abby Brand and Gerry Vogel assisted some of the seniors on how to bowl on it. We have now set the game up permanently so if you would like to stop in any morning and have a go at it, you are welcome to do so.

It is a little early to start advertising, but the 500card committee is having their fundraiser on April 30

this year. This card party was very successful last year with many of the businesses donating door prizes and items for the silent auction and we are hoping to do as well this year.

Gratitude to all the people who donated items to the craft room and books for the library. Shirley Peterson for puzzles, books from Barb Fosno and Linda Baxter, silverware from Lee Schafer, miscellaneous items from Margaret Westlund and Clara Palomaki and three nice stationary boxes from Doris and Tom Knopik.

Winners at 500 this week were Tom Knopik, Dwaine Bentley, Darleen Groves, Inez Pearson and Doris Knopik. Spades winners were Marlyce Borchert, Roger Greely, Barb Munger, Ron Yourchuck and Clara Palomaki. Shari Kult, Sylvia Peterson and Ron Yourchuck furnished treats for the players.

The activities at the center, Dime Bingo, 500 and Spades, are played on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday beginning at 1 p.m. We are open daily, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome. For any other information please call the center at 715-349-7810 or for reservations for dining call 715-349-2845.

ST. CROIX FALLS – Join naturalist Julie Fox at 10 a.m. on Thursdays through March 31 at the Ice Age Center at Wisconsin Interstate Park for a story and activity chosen especially for preschoolers and their parents. Please bring clothing for outdoor play (weather permitting).

Interstate Park is located in St. Croix Falls on Hwy. 35 just one-half mile south

of Hwy. 8. Nature Story Time is free of charge, but a Wisconsin state park sticker is required to enter the park. Annual passes for 2011 are $25 for Wisconsin residents or $35 for nonresidents. For more information call Fox at 715-483-3747. - submitted

Nature Story Time at Interstate Park

OCHF winter raffl fle e a winner

OSCEOLA - Osceola Community Health Foundation’s third-annual winter raffle raised more than $9,000 to support OCHF’s work in the community.

“OCHF will use these funds to support the health-related needs in our community through grant awards,” said Sue Gerlach, OCHF director.

St. Croix Outdoors sold tickets and hosted the drawing on Feb. 25. Prizes were awarded as follows: • Grand-prize winner: Ice Castle fish house (valued at $7,500), Carlton Busby, St. Croix Falls; • First-prize winner: $1,000, Jamie Brock, Baldwin; • Second-prize winner: Browning X-bolt rifle, Jeff Lindeman, Shafer, Minn.; • Third-prize winner: Eskimo ice auger, Ken Krtnick, Blaine, Minn.; • Fourth-prize winner: Minnesota Wild tickets, Todd Wolf, Hudson.

The success of the raffle was due to the generous support of Ice Castle Fish Houses, which has donated a fish house to OCHF for six consecutive years, according to Gerlach. Other sponsors include Johnson Motors of St. Croix Falls and The RiverBank Insurance Center of Osceola.

For more information go to www.winterraffle.com. - submitted

Tools of

Development Bob Kazmierski

Kick the tires: Business feasibility workshop offered

The popularity of the idea of owning a business has resulted in a multitude of books, magazines, video tapes and Web sites on how to start a small business. Technical colleges, universities and other organizations offer a wide variety of courses designed for the small-business owner. But the immediate problem faced by the prospective entrepreneur is not how to start a business or how to manage a business. The immediate problem is determining whether or not the business idea will work.

The word associated with this problem is “feasibility.” Is the business idea feasible? Will it work? Will a health club be profitable in this community?

Would a restaurant be a good investment for your life savings? Is it a good idea to open a landscaping business? Is it likely that your business will be successful?

Kick the Tires: A Business Feasibility Analysis is a new workshop offering by the UW-River Falls Small Business Development Center and UW-Extension-Polk County. It’s your chance to “kick the tires,” so to speak, on business-plan development to satisfy your entrepreneurial urge.

This short, two-hour, one-evening workshop will be presented at Osceola Intermediate School Media Room on Thursday, April 7, 2011, 6-8 p.m. When you have completed the workshop and its short manual, you will have a clear indication whether your business idea will work. Is it feasible? Is it a good investment for your life savings? Should you take the next step?

The seminar will be presented by Steve DeWald, director of UW-RF Small Business Development Center and Bob Kazmierski of Polk County UW-Extension. The course is free. To register simply call Kazmierski at 715485-8608 or e-mail: bob.kazmierski@ces.uwex.edu.

Engagement Hathaway/Sventek

Carl Busby of St. Croix Falls receives the keys to the grand prize, an Ice Castle fish house, in Osceola Community Health Foundation’s Winter Raffle from Todd Angel of St. Croix Outdoors in St. Croix Falls. OCHF raised more than $9,000 through the raffle, which will be used to support health-related needs in the community. - Photo submitted

Nichole Hathaway, formerly of Luck, and Nathanael Sventek, formerly of Frederic, are pleased to announce their upcoming marriage Sept. 10, 2011, 3 p.m., at Grace Baptist Church in Grantsburg.

Nichole is the daughter of Ted and Kris Ball, of Luck, and Nathanael is the son of Jeff and Robin Sventek of Frederic.

Try our e-edition. Every page in color. www.the-leader.net

Uh-oh ... Forts Folle Avoine is not a fort? gion – there was no WisconRiddle: When is a fort not a fort? Answer: sin or Burnett County yet; it When it’s a fur trade fort. Uh-oh ... Forts was still Ojibwe territory. aren’t forts? Well, I’m not so sure I want to Oops—back to our disknow this, but … cussion of the term “forts.”

Welcome to the real world of history, Back in fur trade times where a term like forts can raise more ques(1600s to mid-1800s), fort or tions than answers. Historical themes are forts was used to designate often presented as a humdrum series of not only military, but also Woodswhimsy facts, yet often research reveals new inforcivilian commercial outthe gnome mation which undoes one’s preconceptions. posts. While fur trading And the way history is usually presented, posts sometimes resembled either as a lofty scholarly pursuit or as a military structures, their blockbuster TV epic, hardly helps matters. walls served a variety of Which still doesn’t answer our question purposes. They could cut about forts and all. Go to visit someplace down on the wind blowing called a fort and what, based on your previous experi- against a cabin, provide a secure area for the trade ence with the term, do you expect to find? Probably sol- goods, and control the comings and goings of trade perdiers, cannons, tales of battles, etc. Which has often been sonnel and hunting parties. Then again, they could be the expectation of folks visiting the place we know as used defensively, especially in areas of conflict, such as Forts Folle Avoine here in Burnett County. But, as hinted the Folle Avoine region where members of the neighborat, the site really wasn’t a fort in the usual military sense ing Sioux or Dakota tribes sought to disrupt the trade whatsoever. Then again, you’re perhaps now wonder- patterns of their rivals the Ojibwe Indians. This haping, what’s a folle avoine? pened at the Yellow River posts, for instance, during The term folle avoine derives from a French-Canadian February-March of 1804. After fears arose that Sioux expression referring to the wild rice which grew warriors were in the vicinity, the unfortified XY crew throughout the lakes and rivers south of Lake Superior. was allowed to take up residence within the walls of the The traders, even the British and Americans who fol- North West’s palisade. lowed the French, referred to this entire region by the Actually, the trading posts in this region rarely had designation of folle avoine. Pronounced similarly to fall formal names. Over the years, there were many Forts of wan, the term literally means foolish crazy oats. Per- Folle Avoine. Traders in this region rarely stayed in one haps the early French thought wild rice resembled oats location for many years in succession, as the furs would and oats growing in water seemed pretty foolish or diminish in an area, causing the Indian hunter/trappers crazy to them. To the resident Ojibwe Indians, wild rice, to shift their main location, and the traders followed which they termed manomin, meaning food that grows their tribal allies. Thus there could be a place known as on water, was a food staple; it also was an item traded a Forts Folle Avoine on any of the rivers in the region— to the fur trading crews. The purchase of wild rice was Namekagon, Kettle, Snake, Clam or Yellow—in various critical, as it saved them the necessity of bringing exten- years. Designations were also usually quite informal; for sive food supplies on their canoe trips into the area. instance, the XY men often referred to their own tradEach fall, on their arrival, they would trade for bags of ing site as their “house,” as opposed to the North West it from the Ojibwe harvesters. At any rate, the term compound as “the fort” or as “Mr. Sayer’s [chief NW “folle avoine” was chosen by the fur traders for this re- trader] fort.” But, as pointed out, to be designated a fur

Folle Avoine Chronicles

Clay oven and baking classes at the Fort

DANBURY - Forts Folle Avoine Historical Park will be offering three classes on the clay oven this coming season. After learning to manage the large Quebec-style oven, Al Johnson is ready to expand the cooking site area and invites you to come and learn.

The clay oven has been the “poor man’s oven” since Roman times. They are still used in many parts of the world as part of the community life and in many private homes. Known as a “black oven,” you build the fire right on the oven floor. Once the clay reaches the desired temperature, the fire is raked out and you bake right where the fire was! The resulting foods have a flavor that is impossible to duplicate. Ovens can be made from any claybased soil, hence, the “poor man’s oven.”

On Saturday, May 14, (rain day May 15) at 8 a.m., 12 lucky people will get to help build a 32-inch beehive clay oven next to the old oven at the Fort. Starting with laying the brick floor, they will make a 32inch sand form and build a clay oven over it. The class will include how to design an oven, how to make the sand form, and how to build the oven itself. Participants will mix the clay (there is a mechanical mixer for the hard part), work it with straw to form cob and then put it together on the sand form. By the time you leave you should be able to design and build your own oven on your own site. Building an oven is hard work so come dressed accordingly. Bring a pair of sturdy rubber gloves as clay really dries your hands.

Plenty of water will be available but bring

your own if you want anything else (no alcohol, please). Participants will make their own pizzas for lunch in the big oven. Makings will be provided. Cost for all this will be $30 (compare this to classes elsewhere costing many times more). For more information or to sign up, call The Fort at 715866-8890 On Saturday, June 11, Johnson will share his breadmaking skills and teach how to make three-grain sourdough bread, Norwegian brown bread and Irish soda bread.

These will be baked in the clay ovens and everyone will get to share the taste of clayoven-baked breads. Class will start at 8 a.m. and last most of the day. Lunch will be provided. Cost of the class is $25 including materials. (Once again, compare to others classes at many times that.) Sign up early. Class size limited to 10 persons. Call 715-866-8890 to sign up or for more information.

Saturday, July 9, will be a similar class but with an emphasis on managing an oven so you can do a number of different foods on one heating. Since the oven starts out very hot, 700 degrees, and then cools, you have to know what you can bake and when to put it in. The class will make several types of bread, pizzas (lunch), and pastries. Johnson says, “If you have a favorite and would like to try it in a clay oven, bring it along and we will fit it in.”

Join the fun, and learn at the same time!

Class limited to 10 persons. Cost $25. Call 715-866-8890 for more information or to sign up. - from Forts Folle Avoine

www.the-leader.net

While some fur posts, such as this one at what is now Sandy Lake, Minn., were surrounded by a palisade wall, some were just single cabins like the XY Company post now rebuilt at Forts Folle Avoine Historical Park. – Photo submitted trade fort was not quite the same as a military operation. Plus, the fur traders were not out to claim land, only to peacefully co-exist and trade with the Indian tribes. When the site was reconstructed in the 1980s, it opened under the designation Forts Folle Avoine even though, as we’ve learned, the term “fort” had a slightly different twist at that time.

Meanwhile, the modern “forts” will be hosting a series of special classes, starting in mid-May. Class descriptions can be found in a separate article in this paper.

Keep your eyes on this space for updates on these in the coming weeks.

Signed, Woodswhimsy

Follow the Leader

LIBRARY NEWS

Frederic Public Library

Do you have what it takes to participate in the Marshmallow Olympics?

The Frederic Library is hosting the firstannual Marshmallow Olympics for students in sixth through eighth grades. The event will take place Friday, March 25, from 7 – 9 p.m. at the library, and preregistration with a signed permission slip is required. To learn more or to pick up a permission slip, contact the library.

Snacks, music, and gold, silver and bronze medals will be provided.

Are you a Friend of the library?

The Frederic Friends of the Library will hold a business meeting Thursday, March 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the library. If you are interested in donating some of your time and talents to the library, please attend the meeting. The Friends help the library with willing hands and fundraising to support the materials and program budgets. To find the latest Friends brochure and newsletter, click on the Friends of the Library tab on the library Web site at www.fredericlibrary.org.

Book groups will be talking in April The Thursday morning book group will meet at the library April 21, at 10 a.m., to discuss “Until They Bring the Streetcars Back,” by Stanley Gordon West. This is historical fiction with a dark side set in St. Paul in 1949. The evening book group will meet April 14 (note date) at 6:30 p.m., to talk about the nonfiction book “The Other Wes Moore,” by author Wes Moore.

Two boys with the same name were born blocks apart in the same decaying city within a few years of each other. One grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar and business leader, and the other is serving a life sentence in prison. Copies are available at the library and new members are always welcome at the book discussions.

Diabetes information available To commemorate Diabetes Alert Day on March 22, the Frederic Lioness Club has put up a display in the library with brochures about diabetes and its effects on

daily life. Some of the brochures are from the American Diabetes Association as well as the National Kidney Foundation.

The display is designed to give people within the community more information about the care and treatment of diabetes.

In addition, the library has several books on diabetes and cooking for diabetics, as well as the magazine "Diabetes Self-Management" available for loan. Stop in to see the display and browse our shelves.

Keep our local food shelf stocked Please bring an item or two for the local food shelf when you visit the library – your donations will make you feel good and will help those in need.

Be sure to get a front row seat Mark your calendars and join us for some exciting programs sponsored by the Frederic Library. Tuesday, June 7, at 7 p.m. Author William Kent Krueger and the Minnesota Crime Wave, authors Ellen Hart and Carl Brookins, will read from their works and entertain us. Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m., author Chad Lewis will talk about Wisconsin’s most haunted locations.

Keep up with library events Find what’s happening at the Frederic Library on two Internet sites. Our new Web site has a new look and you can find us at www.fredericlibrary.org. You can also look us up on Facebook at www.facebook.com and search for Frederic Public Library. Keep in touch for news and events.

How to find us Frederic Public Library, 127 Oak St. West.

715-327-4979, e-mail fredericpl@ifls.lib.wi.us. Regular open hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; and Saturday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Story time for preschoolers is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Web site: www.fredericlibrary.org.

Facebook: Frederic Public Library.

Balsam Lake Public Library

Board games and subs Everyone invited to play board games and eat subs Thursday afternoon March 24, 1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m., here at the library.

Early release day at Unity School.

Upcoming events hosted by the Friends of Balsam Lake Library Balsam Lake Library Friends group is celebrating National Library Week with these great events - mark your calendars now.

Author Dr. Michael Martin from Amery and a descendant of a Civil War soldier will be talking about his book “A History of the 4th Wisconsin Infantry and Cavalry in the Civil War” at the library Tuesday, April 12, at 3 p.m.

Giant book sale, Saturday, April 16, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Spring clean your house and bring the used books for resale –everyone wins.

Raffle to win a homemade afghan and handmade oak and walnut box and books. Raffle tickets for sale at the library.

Drawing will be held at the book sale, need not to be present to win.

Computer classes Open lab from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., instructor available to answer questions and give one-to-one instructions. Next class will be Tuesday, March 29, at 2 p.m.

Story time Wednesday at 11 a.m. – Stories, crafts and snacks, all ages welcome to join our lively group.

New books for April “Miles to Go” by Richard Evans, “Night Road” by Kristin Hannah, “Chasing Fire”

by Nora Roberts, “Sixth Man” by David Baldacci, “44 Charles Street“ by Danielle

Steel “Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party”

by Alexander McCall Smith, ”Live Wire”

by Harlan Coben, ”Papercutting Tips and Techniques” by Claudia Hopf.

Friends of the Library Friends group meets Wednesday, April 20, at 1:30 p.m., at the library. Friends group is an organization for all who value the public library as a vital community resource and a welcoming place.

Book club “The Last Lecture,” by Randy Pausch.

Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Pausch had come to believe. It was about living.

Book club meets Wednesday, April 20, at 3 p.m. Everyone welcome.

Hours Balsam Lake Library, (under the water tower) at 404 Main St., Balsam Lake.

Hours are Monday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Tuesday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. E-mail: balsamlakepl@ifls.lib.wi.us.

Web site www.balsamlakepubliclibrary. org.

St. Croix Falls Public Library

“An Adventure with David Grayson” on Saturday, April 9, 11 a.m.

Presented by Michael Czarnecki, poet and memoirist. “Muckraker” journalist and native son of St. Croix Falls, Ray Stannard Baker authored nine books under the name David Grayson. Grayson’s work was popular and influential in the lives of his contemporaries and is still relevant today.

down to the library. Students in grades two through four are welcome to attend with a parent or guardian present at all times. For more information or to volunteer to be a tutor, contact Cole, the youth services librarian, at czrostlik@stcroixfallslibrary.org or at 715-4831777.

Food for Fines Now through April 23, one food item equals $1 in fines. All donations will go to the St. Croix Falls Food Shelf. This applies to overdue fines and can’t be applied to replacement fines for lost items.

Check out our Web site It has up-to-date information on what’s happening at the library and other useful library tools you can use at home. www.stcroixfallslibrary.org. Look for us on Facebook.

Friends of the Library book sale this Saturday, March 26, at the library.

Community meeting room is available for your organization Reserve the meeting room with our online form. www.stcroixfallslibrary.org.

School’s out at SCFPL Homework help and cool programs for youth. For kids in grades five through eight – Wednesdays 3:30-5 p.m. Homework help, quiet study, snacks, old-school games, eco arts, computer access and a chance to help build more and better youth programs at SCFPL. Students need a note from a parent to catch bus No. 9

Story hour with Cole Listen to stories, create art and have fun with other kids and parents every Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.

Technology Free wireless and eight public computers are available at the library. Plus seven laptops available for use in the library – must have a valid MORE library card in good standing.

Hours The library is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 715-483-1777. E-mail: scflibrary@ifls.lib.wi.us.

Online: www.stcroixfallslibrary.org.

The Inter-County Leader Connect to your community

13th-annual Curves Food Drive kicks off in April

Local-area Curves locations offer incentives to members and the community to donate food and cash

the perfect opportunity for each of them to give back to their own communities.

“The past few years have been difficult for many families,” said Heavin.

“We encourage everyone, not just our members or those who are thinking about joining one of our gyms, to make a cash donation or drop off a bag of nonperishable food items in April.”

For more information about Curves women’s gyms in the local area and the 2011 Curves Food Drive, please contact one of the following Curves locations: Curves of Webster located at 26456 Lakeland Ave. S., at 715-866-8018.

Curves of Cumberland located at 1316 2nd Avenue, at 715-822-5610. For more information about Curves, please visit www.curves.com. - submitted

NORTHWEST WISCONSIN – During the month of April, Curves gyms in the local area will participate in the 13th-annual Curves Food Drive to collect nonperishable food and cash donations to benefit area food banks. Current members who make a $30 donation or an equivalent donation of food are eligible to receive a Curves reusable food drive grocery bag. And, from April 4-17, Curves will waive the membership fee for new members who donate a bag of nonperishable food or make a minimum donation of $30.

“Our goal is to top the donation that we made last year,” said Curves founder Diane Heavin. “Everything that our members donate at their local clubs will benefit local families in need.”

In addition to the food and monetary donations that each gym collects, Curves International is offering gyms the opportunity to win cash prizes for their local food banks. Prizes will be awarded to clubs with the most food collected, clubs who beat their 2010 donation level by the largest amount and to two randomly selected clubs drawn from all the clubs who enter the contest.

Curves clubs have donated more than 61 million pounds of food in the U.S. and Canada since 2004.

This year’s food drive will get off to a strong start when Curves International founders Gary and Diane Heavin are featured on ABC Television’s new show, "Secret Millionaire," airing Sunday, Curves is offering this reusable food drive April 3. The Curves founders’ moving bag to current members who contribute $30 episode will help Curves members unin cash or nonperishable food to the 13thderstand how the Curves Food Drive is annual Curves Food Drive. - Photo submitted

Hockey Association Ice Bowling

by Priscilla Bauer Leader staff writer GRANTSBURG – They came in wild and crazy costumes to do some wild and crazy bowling at the Grantsburg hockey rink turned icy bowling alley for the fourth-annual ice bowling event held on Friday, March 18.

This year’s really cool event, a fundraiser for the Grantsburg Hockey Association, raised between $1,200 to $1,500 which will be used to purchase equipment and general operating expenses.

“We are going to need new boards by next year, and even used ones cost over $50,000,” said GHA President Rick Quimby.

Twenty-six teams spent Friday evening slipping and sliding down the lanes all for a good cause and on Sunday, families enjoyed an afternoon of ice-bowling fun.

Tony Samuelson gave the thumbs-up sign after getting a strike for his Lee’s Pro Shop team during the ice-bowling event.

Grantsburg

There was no shortage of smiles during the fourth-annual ice bowling event and fundraiser for the Grantsburg Hockey Association.

Photos by Priscilla Bauer

The Village Floral owners and staff hit the lanes as the Village People at Friday night’s team ice bowling. L to R: Judy Olsen, Donna Chell and Kerri Nordlander.

There were plenty of thrills and spills on the ice as bowlers sometimes literally hit the frozen lanes for some cool bowling fun.

Evie Carter couldn’t help smiling as she headed down the slippery bowling lane during family ice-bowling time at the Grantsburg Hockey rink.

Five-year-old Trenton Johnson held on tightly to his bowling ball as he waited for his turn at ice bowling last Sunday at the Grantsburg Hockey arena.

Kelsey Kidder laughed as she tried to hang on to her bowling ball and her balance while ice bowling on Sunday, March 20, at the Grantsburg Hockey arena.

Ten-year-old Thorne Carter gave the “yes” sign Donna Chell gave out a shout after missing a after getting a strike. Carter and his family had fun strike during the team ice-bowling competition Sunday afternoon bowling on the ice at the Grants- held on March 18 at the Grantsburg Hockey Arena. burg Hockey Arena.

Carter Johnson showed his form as he sent a bowling ball down the lane at the annual Grantsburg Hockey ice-bowling event last weekend

Ice-bowler Tanya Johnson watched with anticipation to see how many pins she’d knocked down, hoping holding her hands up high might help in getting a strike.

Mad Money

Senior Gavin Meyer came to clothing closet merchant Dick Erickson, who tried to convince them to purchase more clothing than they needed.

Grantsburg

Grantsburg seniors learn money management in Mad City Money simulation

by Priscilla Bauer Leader staff writer GRANTSBURG - Grantsburg High School seniors got a practical lesson on how to manage their finances during a money management exercise called Mad City Money held at the Crex Convention Center in Grantsburg on Wednesday, March 16.

The seniors personal finance skills were put to the test in the simulation sponsored by the Indianhead Credit Union in conjunction with the students personal finance course.

Students were first each given a life scenario, then told they would need to budget and plan their finances according to their fictitious situation.

After the students read their “about me” sheets, listing their future occupation and salary, they were then sent out with their checkbooks into Mad City to make and keep a one-month budget.

During the simulation, students experienced the consequences of making poor financial decisions and quickly learned they needed to develop good judgment in their spending choices.

Over 30 volunteers from the business community “acted” as Mad City merchants, real estate agents, salespeople, financial services representatives, and entertainment venue operators students needed to visit and make deals with to keep within their budgets.

Volunteers participating in the simulation found helping young adults learn about handling finances responsibly to be both a rewarding and fun experience.

The goal of the exercise was for the students to come away with a better understanding of how to budget, a necessary step in good money management.

LEFT: Students Cristine Peterson and Tabitha Wanless talked to Mad City real estate agent Len Chute about purchasing a house.

Photos by Priscilla Bauer RIGHT: Diana Rohlik from Indianhead Credit Union’s Spooner branch helped Alexa Jo Maslow fill check amounts in her checkbook.

Several of the seniors commented they had never used a checkbook before being given one during the Mad City Money simulation.

Broadway Comes to West Sweden

Grace Lutheran Church of West Sweden presented its third-annual “Broadway Comes to West Sweden” show on Saturday, March 19, with local talent performing show tunes from “Fiddler on the Roof,” “A Chorus Line” and more. Above, left, Lori Lundquist, as Mary Poppins, leads a children’s chorus in “Just a Spoonful of Sugar.”

Above, right, Sandy Lundquist performs "Doing What Comes Naturally" from “Annie Get Your Gun.” At right, Hanna Daeffler sings her heart out in "I Can Hear the Bells" from “Hairspray.”

Below, right, the men ham it up with "There's Nothing Like a Dame" from “South Pacific.”

Below, left, the chorus closes the show with a medley from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” - Photos submitted

Frederic

Area ACS Walk/Run kickoff breafkast

LUCK - The 16th-annual Luck Area American Cancer Society Walk/Run kickoff breakfast was held Friday, March 18, at Oakwood Inn. Local businesses, churches and organizations received team packets and other materials for this year’s event to be held Saturday, May 7, at Luck High School.

Patti Mattson announced this year’s corporate sponsors: Amery Regional Medical Center, St. Croix Valley Hardwoods, Inc., Luck Country Inn, Frandsen Bank & Trust and Wayne’s Foods Plus.

Michelle Gullickson Moore, ACS representative, told what the American Cancer Society does: saves lives and creates more birthdays by helping people stay well, helping them get well, by finding cures and by fighting back. One of the most recent breakthroughs is mapping DNA of tumors to find which treatment can shut tumors down.

The top fundraisers in recent years spoke on how they accomplished this task. Margie Nelson brought some of her baking tools and told how she has been using her rolling pin to “roll out cancer” by making caramel rolls. Orders, for a

One reason that Luck’s American Cancer Society walk/run has been so successful is because many individuals do their own part to raise funds and awareness. Each year Marlys Hedberg sends a handwritten letter to friends, family and acquaintances asking for a donation. Last year she sent out more than 200 letters, with a 50-percent return rate.

Hedberg then sends an individual thank-you to each donor, along with the results of the walk/run.

The Luck Medical Clinic’s annual Rags to Riches sale will be April 23, said organizer Sandy Lundquist. This year it will be at the former Lucky Dollar Store on Hwy. 35. Lundquist is also helping to put together the “party for a lifetime” fundraiser at Sundown Saloon on Hwy. 35 in Lewis, Saturday, April 30, from 2 to 10 p.m. There will be food, including hot dogs, shredded pork and brats from Daeffler’s, with Bingo from 2 to 6 p.m. and DJ Wilson spinning discs from 6 to 10 p.m. Don’t miss the exclusive appearance by Elvis during the evening.

minimum $10 donation, can be placed at Frandsen Bank & Trust. They are delivered fresh daily. She has made over $10,000 for ACS in the past five years.

Marlys Hedberg likes to write and last year wrote 200 letters to friends and family asking for donations for the walk/run.

She then sends thank-you letters, with a copy of the newspaper article about the event. Last year she brought in over $2,000. Sandy Lundquist, from Luck Medical Clinic, has organized a thrift sale for the past six years. This year’s Rags to Riches, Trash to Treasures, Cash for Cancer sale is Saturday, April 23, 9 a.m. to noon at the Lucky Dollar Store, Hwy. 35 Strip Mall (location donated by Ed and Jody Seck). There is no set price for items purchased, a donation to ACS is asked.

Anyone wishing to donate items can bring them to the clinic during clinic hours.

Also again this year, Lundquist is planning a fundraising event at Sundown Saloon, Hwy. 35, Lewis, Saturday, April 30.

There will be Bingo from 2-6 p.m., theme baskets to bid on and a DJ will provide rockin’ music 6-10 p.m. with a special appearance from Elvis. Sheila Berklund

bakes “cookies for cancer.” Orders can be placed to her at 715-472-8356.

Tribute Flags, in honor of or in memory of those who have battled cancer, can be purchased for a minimum $10 donation from Marcia Anderson, 1512 Lake Ave., Luck, WI 54853.

“Circles for Cancer” will be available to purchase for $1 at local businesses. These have replaced the “Foot A Buck” footprints used in the past – although some are still available in some locations.

A silent auction for an oak wooden chest, donated by House of Wood, will be at Frandsen Bank & Trust. The highest bidder will be announced the day of the walk/run.

The goal for this year is $27,000. With an extra $5 from those donating, this can be reached. Donations can also be made online at www.cancermw.org/ getinvolved. If anyone needs help in organizing a team, or has questions, call Patti Mattson at 715-472-2654. Registration forms are available at Wayne’s Foods Plus, Holiday Stationstore, Hwy. 35 and Frandsen Bank & Trust. - submitted

Luck

For the past five years Margie Nelson has been selling her homemade caramel rolls as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society’s walk/run. In those five years, she said, she has raised $10,130 for the cause. Nelson demonstrated some of the tools she uses to make the caramel rolls, which she will deliver or have ready for pickup. Sign-up is at Frandsen Bank and Trust, formerly Rural American Bank. – Photos by Mary Stirrat

The kickoff for the American Cancer Society Luck Area Walk/Run was held at Oakwood Inn Friday morning, March 18. Now in its 16th year, said organizer Patti Mattson, the annual walk/run in Luck has raised more than $345,000. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, May 7.

Speakers advance to district forensics competition

ST. CROIX FALLS – The subdistrict forensics contest was held recently at St. Croix Falls High School. High school speakers from area schools presented individual or group selections. Each entry was judged on a variety of criteria, including the extent to which: • The presentation reflects effective language skills, including the use of smooth transitions with clear, compelling, vivid and appropriate word choices and effective stylistic devices.

• The reader indicates an intellectual, emotional and sensory understanding of the material presented.

• The presentation achieves effective organization and the individual’s or ensemble’s interpretation constitutes a well-paced and unified literary presentation.

• The chosen material demonstrates quality and the content reflects a worthwhile topic, provides quality modes of support materials including analysis, reasoning and factual information and ideas of the speech are worthy of being heard.

• The ideas are analyzed and organized – into the introduction, body and conclusion – to be a clear, effective, and well-defined response to a provided question or topic.

• The material chosen provides insights into human values, motivations, relationships, problems and understandings.

• The story, as told, constitutes a coherent, spontaneous and unified narrative appropriate to the topic area and the suggestion of character and character relationship is appropriate to the material.

• The main ideas are supported with worthwhile evidence and effective language skills are demonstrated. This in-

Luck forensics squad are shown front row (L to R): Neal Mellon, Alec Mortel, Maia Lehmann, Morgyn McGinnity, Michael Jenssen, Cole Mortel, Hannah Karl, Kyle James, Ashlyn Petersen and Morgan Denny. Middle row: Lena Ueke-Foster, Logan Potvin, Darien Ogilvie, Nick Leal, Jillian Klatt, Evan Armour, Sarah Elert, Karissa Giller and Coach Karl Wicklund. Back row: Taylor Joy, Jan Rozumalski, Matt Thompson, Whitney Petersen, Matt Pennington, Karie Bartlett, Danielle Nelson and Katelyn Dinnies. Missing: Alex Wilkinson. – Photo submitted cludes the use of transitions and clear, vivid and appropriate word choices. In addition, all research material must be verbally credited as to its source.

• The introduction and transitions provide the listener with appropriate unifying information and the performance constitutes a well-paced and unified segment of dramatic action.

• The vocal presentation is clear and appropriate to the subject, including articulation, pronunciation, volume, rate, pitch and voice quality.

• The vocal interpretation establishes and projects the motivations, emotions and interrelationships of the characters through the use of voice and the imagery of the material, including such items as rhythm, cadence, diction and phrasing, as well as the use of effective pauses.

• The presenter’s physical presence contributes to the clarity and effectiveness of the individual selections and the overall presentation, including facial expression, eye contact, gestures and bodily movement.

• The interpretation establishes and projects the motivations, emotions, interrelationships of the characters through bodily movement and has consistency among such factors as blocking, tempo and climax.

Twenty-seven students from Luck School performed in a total of 11 entries at the subdistrict contest. All 11 entries earned scores which advanced them to the district competition. The district contest will be held at Menomonie High School on Saturday, March 26. – submitted

Grantsburg Scouts Blue and Gold Banquet

by Priscilla Bauer Leader staff writer, with submitted information GRANTSBURG – Grantsburg Boy Scout and Cub Scout Troop 560 held their annual Blue and Gold Banquet at the Crex Convention Center on March 15.

Following the banquet the Blue and Gold Ceremony was held recognizing all the Scouts for the many achievements they have been working on this year.

Webelos II Scouts who were advancing to the Boy Scout level stood on wooden steps, symbolizing the crossing over from Cub Scout to Boy Scout.

Five boys became Boy Scouts and will be joining the newly established Boy Scout Troop in Grantsburg.

Three Scouts earned the Arrow of Light award, the highest honor for Cub Scouts, with each candle on the arrow symbolizing Scout values of wisdom, courage, self-control, justice, faith, hope and love.

The Arrow of Light Award was presented to the Scouts by their parents and leaders. The boys then presented Arrow of Light pins to their mothers, along with a hug.

Grantsburg Five boys became Boy Scouts and will be joining the newly Boy established Scout Troop 560 in Grantsburg. (L to R): New Boy Scouts Trevor Vollendorf, Brandon Peterson, Chris Hermann, Teddy Vitale and Richard Clark with Scout leaders Jeff Hermann and Blaise Vitale.

Photos by Priscilla Bauer

Three Scouts earned the Arrow of Light award, the highest honor for Cub Scouts with each candle on the arrow symbolizing the Scout values of wisdom, courage, self-control, justice, faith, hope and love. From L to R: Webelos II leader Jeff Hermann, Scouts Brandon Peterson, Teddy Vitale, Chris Hermann and assistant Webelos II leader and new troop master for the Boy Scouts, Blaise Vitale.

Webelos II Scouts Brandon Peterson, Teddy Vitale, Trevor Vollendorf, Richard Clark and Chris Hermann, who advanced to the Boy Scout level, stood with Scout leaders Jeff Hermann and Blaise Vitale on wooden steps, symbolizing the crossing over from Cub Scout to Boy Scout.

Frederic High School play this weekend

The Frederic High School Drama Club will be presenting “Surviving Reality,” this Friday, March 25, at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 26, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 27, at 2 p.m. The play, written by Daniel O’Donnell and directed by Kathy Lexen and assistant Amy Tinman, is a two-act comedy which will “allow students to show off their talents and their hillbilly accents,” according to Lexen. Shown above, during a dress rehearsal this week, are (L to R) Leah Engebretson (Wanda Mae Hatter), Ben Kurkowski (Lawrence Tuttleton), Adina Stackhouse (Sydney Tuttleton), April Halverson (Millicent Tuttleton), and Isabel Lexen (Nadine Hatter). The plot: Harold Fastbuck (Ian Lexen) the devious owner of a small television station, and his co-producers, Brenda Byrd (Natalie Phernetton) and Neville Nerdstrom (Zach Williamson), decide to stage their own reality show,

Shares knowledge of trapping history Lynn Gregorash shared his knowledge of fur trapping, trading, explorers, animals and history with the Luck fourth-graders on Tuesday, March 1. The students have been studying Wisconsin explorers, fur trading and trapping. They enjoyed seeing and feeling the animal furs and seeing the traps and trade goods. - Photos submitted

Luck Community Education

Are you weary of winter? Think spring with these Luck Community Education classes.

Check out the school Web site for a complete listing at www.lucksd.k12.wi.us. Preregistration is required for the classes listed below.

There’s a minimum number of participants needed to run each class and also a maximum number allowed. Don’t delay to put your name on the roster. Call Amy Aquado at 715472-2152, Ext. 103, or e-mail

amya@lucksd.k12.wi.us to register.

Water aerobics. Mondays and Wednesdays, Feb. 28 – April 6, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 1 – April 7, 9 – 10 a.m. or 10 – 11 a.m. Instructor: Stephanie Robinson. Course fee: $49/$26.50 ages 62-plus.

Improvisational comedy. Tuesdays, began March 15 and continues through April 19, 6 – 8 p.m. Course fee: $35. Instructor:

Dan Mielke.

Painted treasures. Thursday, March 24, 6 – 8:30 p.m. Course fee: $25 (includes paint supplies). Instructor: Linda Glenn.

Watercolor: Add light and drama to your watercolors. Monday, March 28 and Thursday, March 31, register by Monday, March 21, 6 – 9 p.m. Course fee: $26.50/$15.25 ages 62-plus. Instructor: Lydia Rennicke.

Quilting: Tattered Garden. Saturday, April

30, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Course fee: $26.50/$15.25 ages 62-plus. Instructor: Lee Spanner.

Water aerobics. Mondays and Wednesdays, April 11 – May 18, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. and 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 12 – May 19, 9 – 10 a.m. or 10 – 11 a.m.

Instructor: Stephanie Robinson. Course fee: $49/$26.50 ages 62-plus.

St. Croix Falls Middle School Saints.

Bigger Faster – Stronger: Technique and form are stressed. To teach young athletes how to move properly before they start lifting/training with heavier weight. There will be a minimum of one coach/supervisor working with students at all times. If you have any questions, please contact Grant Belisle at 715-483-2507, Ext. 1327. All middle school students, boys and girls, grades five through eight. Free. Held Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. in the weight room.

Open weight room: Monday through Friday from 6:30-7:30 a.m. and 3:30- 4:30 p.m. on school days.St. Croix Falls High School weight room A Step In the Right Direction: The middle/high school complex is open for indoor walking.

The building is open from 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. You must sign in at one of the offices and wear a visitor’s badge during the regular school day.

Open basketball gym: Fifth-graders through adult, 6:30-8 p.m. Sundays in the St. Croix Falls High School gym. Enter through high school gym west door. If you are 18 years old and older you will be required to sign a waiver each week. If you are under 18 you will need to bring a note from your parent/guardian to play. Your note will be kept on file for the duration of the program. Families are also welcome. Free.

Aromatherapy classes: Bring plenty of water to drink. St. Croix Falls High School. All classes start from 6:30- 8 p.m. Instructor, Nicole, certified NETA yoga instructor.

I love gymnastics: Classes held in the elementary gymnatorium. Tumble tots (ages 34) Saturdays, April 2 to May 22 (no class April 9 and 23 and May 21), 9 – 9:40 a.m. Fee: $28. Level 1 (5-plus) Saturdays, April 2 to May 22 (no class April 9 and 23 and May 21), 9:45 – 10:45 a.m. Fee: $35. Level 2 (ages 5K-plus) Wednesdays, March 30 to May 22

(no class April 13 and 20, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Fee: $40. Also Saturdays, April 2 to May 22 (no class April 9 and 23 and May 21, 10:45 – 11:45 a.m. Fee: $35. Level 3, Mondays and Thursdays, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m., 14 classes running March 28 to May 22, no class April 7, 14 and 18. Fee: $62. Level 4 (plus noncompetitive), Mondays and Thursdays 4:30 – 6 p.m., 14 classes running March 28 to May 22, no class April 7, 14 and 18. Fee: $78.

American Red Cross baby-sitter’s training: Saturday, April 2, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Red Cross office in Balsam Lake. Fee: $45 to be prepaid and includes a handbook and certificate after completion.

Third-Annual Princess Camp: Saturday, April 9, 2 – 5 p.m. at Osceola Intermediate School. Fee: $15 and registration due by April 4. Call 715-417-1183 with questions.

Lil’ Dribbles Basketball: Wednesdays, April 13, 20 and 27, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.; May 4, 11, 18, 25, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. and June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Open to boys

and girls in grades K-8. Located at the St. Croix Falls Middle School. Fee: $20 per month.

How to organize your kitchen without losing your cookies: Thursday, April 14, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., at the St. Croix Falls High School. Fee: $20. Register by e-mailing: anderke@scf.k12.wi.us.

5-minute-a-day bread and homemade butter: Sunday, April 17, 5 – 6:30 p.m., at the St. Croix Falls High School FACE cooking room. Fee: $22 per individual, $39 per family, payable to SCF Community Ed. Little Saints Wednesday Softball: Beginning Wednesday, April 20 through Wednesday May 4, at the high school softball field.

Open to first- through fourth-graders, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Fee: $20.

Creative solutions to closet clutter: Tuesday, April 26, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., at the St. Croix Falls High School. Fee: $20. Register by e-mailing: anderke@scf.k12.wi.us.

St. Croix Falls Community Education

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH???

Menu LOCATION

FREDERIC GRANTSBURG Each building will have their own breakfast menu.

LUCK

MONDAY

TUESDAY

BREAKFAST Pancake on a stick.

LUNCH Tacos, assorted toppings, corn OR turkey salad.

BREAKFAST

UNITY WEBSTER

Combo bar.

WEDNESDAY Long john.

BREAKFAST

THURSDAY Hot pocket.

FRIDAY

BREAKFAST

LUNCH Ham stacker with cheese, Sun Chips, raw veggies, dip OR chicken-taco salad.

LUNCH Pizza quesadilla, seasoned fry stick, fresh fruit OR ham salad.

LUNCH Cheeseburger, baked fries, raw veggies, dip OR beef-taco salad.

LUNCH Cheeseburger with fixings, curly fries, baked beans, apple & orange slices, bread basket.

LUNCH Tater tot hotdish, lettuce salad, mixed vegetables, sliced peaches, apples, oranges, bread basket.

LUNCH Chicken burger with fixings, chicken noodle soup, mini carrots, celery sticks with dip, fresh pear, apples, oranges, bread basket.

LUNCH HS-MS: Chicken chow mein, baked rice, chow mein noodles. ELEM.-NEL.: Ravioli, steamed broccoli, pineapple tidbits, apples, oranges, bread basket.

LUNCH Brunch: Egg wrap, hash browns, cinnamon roll, sliced pears, orange juice.

BREAKFAST Cereal/waffles.

LUNCH Turkey roll-up or ham stacker, Ricea-Roni, green beans, fruit sauce.

Alt.: Chicken patty, 7-12.

BREAKFAST Cereal/egg muffin.

LUNCH Spaghetti hotdish, hot buns, peas, fruit sauce. Alt.: Chicken nuggets, 712.

BREAKFAST Cereal/donut.

LUNCH Barbecues, french fries, corn, fruit sauce. Alt.: Hot dog, 7-12.

BREAKFAST Cereal/muffin.

LUNCH Mini corn dogs, corn bread, baked beans, fruit sauce. Alt.: Hamburger, 7-12.

BREAKFAST Cereal/cinnamon roll.

LUNCH Pizza fries, rice, winter mix, fresh fruit. Alt.: Mini corn dogs, 7-12.

BREAKFAST Breakfast pizza, juice and milk.

LUNCH Chicken nuggets, noodles, carrots and celery, applesauce. Alt.: Soup and sandwich.

BREAKFAST Assorted cereal and toast, juice and milk.

NO MENU AVAILABLE LUNCH Pizza dippers, rice, corn, carrots, celery, pineapple tidbits, banana.

Alt.: Cook’s choice.

BREAKFAST Yogurt parfait w/1 slice of toast.

LUNCH Turkey gravy, mashed potatoes, biscuits, mixed vegetables, pineapples.

Alt.: Hot ham and cheese.

BREAKFAST French toast sticks.

LUNCH Pizza dipper, marinara sauce, peas, strawberries. Alt.: Chicken patty.

SIREN ST. CROIX FALLS

MARCH 28 - APRIL 1

NO SCHOOL

NO SCHOOL

NO SCHOOL

BREAKFAST Cheese omelet, potatoes and toast.

LUNCH Sloppy joe, french fries, baked beans, mixed fruit. Alt.: Hot dog and fries.

BREAKFAST Pancakes and sausage.

LUNCH Chicken nuggets, macaroni & cheese, green beans, peaches. Alt.: Turkey and cheese.

BREAKFAST Assorted muffins, fruit cup.

LUNCH Cheeseburger, spicy fries, corn, pears. Alt.: Chili and corn bread muffins.

BREAKFAST Yogurt parfait.

LUNCH Pizza, corn and tuna salad.

BREAKFAST Cook’s choice.

LUNCH Hot dogs, baked beans and chips.

LUNCH BBQ riblet, bun, potato wedges, carrots OR hamburger gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, fruit cocktail.

LUNCH Polish sausage, bun, sauerkraut, baked beans OR ham, scalloped potatoes, carrots, pineapple.

Pancakes.

BREAKFAST

LUNCH Chicken nuggets and rice.

LUNCH Beef stew, bread stick, salad, pears.

NO SCHOOL

LUNCH Mini corn dogs and parsley potatoes.

BREAKFAST French toast.

LUNCH Cheese quesadilla, mixed tables and tuna salad.

LUNCH Beef barbecue, potatoes, California blend veggies, peaches.

LUNCH Tuna salad sub, Sun Chips, lettuce, tomato, fresh fruit.

Muffins.

BREAKFAST

vege-

Unity sending two jazz groups on to state contest in May

OSCEOLA – On Tuesday, March 1, show choir, vocal jazz and instrumental jazz groups gathered at the high school auditorium in Osceola to compete for a place in the WSMA state contest to be held at the University of Wisconsin in

Eau Claire in May. Unity Class A instrumental jazz groups (jazz band 1 and jazz combo) will continue on to state. All the jazz groups are under the direction of Adam Bever.

Jazz band 1 members include: Brittany Bublitz, Beau Davison, Nathan Dorrance, Anna Ebensperger, Katherine Jazz combo members are: Brittany Bublitz, Beau Davison, Nathan Dorrance, Ebensperger, Kasey Heimstead, Dylan Hendricks, Kayla Johnson, Josh Kreft, Mitchell Krueger, Steven Krueger, Katherine Ebensperger, Dylan Hendricks, Ethan St. Amand and Sam Tonnar. Connor MacKinnon, Dawn Michaelson, Mickey Muller, Morgan Peterson, Ethan St. Amand, Sam Tonnar and Ben Zahler. – Photos submitted

Luck band students perform

University of Minnesota Honor Band David Franzel was selected to participate in the University of Minnesota Honor Band in January. He was selected through audition into this elite group. The conductors were Craig Kirchhoff, Jerry Luckhardt, Alicia Neal and Laura Sindberg. “The University of Minnesota Honor Band was a fantastic experience that I will never forget,” said Franzel. Franzel is a senior alto saxophone player in the Luck High School band.

Dorian Festival Band Geoffrey MaidenMueller, bassoonist in the Luck High School band, participated in Luther College’s Dorian Band Festival in February. Approximately 625 musicians were chosen to participate in the Dorian Band Festival. Students are placed in one of three festival bands: two Festival Massed Bands and the select Festival Symphonic Band. The symphonic band consists of the 70-80 students who audition for chair placement upon their arrival for the festival. MaidenMueller was a member of the symphonic band. – Photos submitted

Jazz band 2 members include: Scott Bever, Nathan Dorrance, Anna Ebensberger, Jessica Goltz, Kasey Heimstead, Reese Johnston, Matt Kahl, Eric Kuskee, Josh Kreft, Lily Lenk, Connor MacKinnon, Justin Moore, Morgan Peterson, Ethan St. Amand, Megan Volgren, Naomi Williamson and Ben Zahler. Not available for photos: Anna Ebensberger and Dylan Hendricks.

Discover UW-BC to be held April 5

RICE LAKE — Discover UW-BC, the spring open house for high school students and their parents, will be held on Tuesday, April 5, in the fine arts theater at the University of Wisconsin-Barron County in Rice Lake.

Discover UW-BC will begin with optional campus tours at 6:15 p.m. The tour will give parents and future students the opportunity to see firsthand the $6.4 million expansion/renovation. The project created state-of-the-art science laboratories and greenhouse, high-tech classrooms, well-de-

signed student activity spaces and a comfortable student commons. The program will start at 7 p.m.

Discover UW-BC is designed to introduce high school students and their parents to the UW-BC experience. Campus guests will learn about admissions, financial aid and the lowest tuition in the UW-System; meet faculty and staff; find out about transferring to four-year universities; visit with current students; and discover opportunities for student life and activities.

The goal of the evening is to make sure that future students and their parents leave Discover UW-BC with all questions answered.

According to Dale Fenton, UW-BC assistant campus dean for student services, “Whether you have applied for admission or are just starting to plan for college, this is your chance to see what UW-BC is all about.”

To make a reservation to attend Discover UWBC contact the student services office at 715-2348024, e-mail uwbcinfo@uwc.edu or register online at barron.uwc.edu and follow the Action Links on the home page. — from UW-BC

Great jazz

Members of the Unity jazz combo.

OSCEOLA – Area high school and junior high jazz bands and jazz choirs performed Tuesday, March 15, at Osceola High School during the district jazz festival. The festival was part of the Wisconsin School Music Association, which includes over 200,000 students across the

state. Selected groups will perform at the state level, which will be held at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire on May 7. - submitted

Members of the Grantsburg jazz band, Ben Dorff and Rachel Diffee.

Members of the Unity jazz band II, from top to bottom: Anna Ebensperger, Ethan St. Amand and Morgan Peterson.

- Photos submitted

CLIP & SAVE

EVERY MON. Amery Senior Center

EVERY TUES.

• Wii golf, 9 a.m.

Frederic Senior Center • Spades, 1 p.m.

Luck Senior Center Siren Senior Center

• 500, 6:30 p.m.

• Open 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Open 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Open 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Dime Bingo, 1 p.m.

• Cribbage, a.m.

• 500 Cards, 1 p.m.,

• Dining at 5, Every 1st Thursday

• Spades, 1 p.m.,

• Exercise, 10-11 a.m.

• Skip-Bo, 11 a.m.-Noon • 500, 6:30-10 p.m.

• Bridge, 10 a.m.-Noon • Bingo, 1st & 3rd Friday, 1-3 p.m.

• AA Meeting, 7 p.m.

• Senior Monthly Meeting, 3rd Tues.

• Men’s Wii Bowling, 9:30 a.m.

• Dime Bingo, 12:30 p.m.

• Cards & Pool, 7-9 p.m.

• Mixed Wii Bowling, 9:30 a.m.

• Dining at Five Every 2nd Wednesday, 5 p.m.

• Ruby’s, Siren, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• SCF, 1-4 p.m., 715-483-2920

• Frederic, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 715-327-4425 • SCF, 9 a.m.-Noon

• SCF, Noon-6 p.m.

• Ruby’s, Siren, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Frederic, 2-6 p.m.

• SCF, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Siren VFW Aux., 2nd Wed., the hall, 7:30 p.m.

• Frederic Legion Aux. 249 Every 3rd Thurs., Golden Oaks, 7 p.m.

715-866-5300

Food Shelf VFW Aux./Legion Aux.

EVERY MON. TOPS

• Good Sam, St. Croix Falls, 5:45 p.m., 715-483-3666

Meat Raffles

• Webster Lioness At Last Call, 6 p.m.

EVERY TUES. EVERY WED. • Webster Chamber At The Tap, 5:30 p.m.

EVERY FRI.

• Pokeno, 1 p.m.

• Exercise, 10-11 a.m.

• Skip-Bo, 11 a.m.-Noon • 500 Cards & Dominoes, 12:30-4 p.m.

St. Croix Falls Senior Center

EVERY THURS.

EVERY SAT.

Overeaters Anonymous, 6:30 p.m., 715-268-6605

715-349-7810

Webster Senior Center

EVERY WED.

EVERY MON. • First Baptist Church, Webster, 9:30 a.m., 715-349-2332

EVERY THURS. • Cushing Legion At Suzy Q’s, 6:30 p.m.

• Siren Lions At Midtown Tavern, 5 p.m.

• Danbury Fire & Lions Club, Yellow River Saloon, 5:30 p.m.

EVERY TUES. • Luck Senior Center, 5:30 p.m., 715-472-2341 • Balsam Lake Municipal Building, 3:45 p.m., 715-485-3002

EVERY TUES. • Trinity Lutheran Church, Osceola, 8:30 a.m., 715-755-3123

• Pokeno, 1 p.m.

• Ruby’s, Siren, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

EVERY WED. • Comforts of Home, Frederic, 5:30 p.m.

EVERY FRI.

EVERY FRI.

EVERY SAT.

• Fishbowl Sportsmen’s Club At Smitty’s Saloon, 5-7 p.m.

• Snowciables At Thirsty Otter, 6 p.m.

• Grantsburg Legion, 6:30 p.m.

• Sportsmen’s Club, Yellow River Saloon, 5 p.m.

• Hockey Assoc. At Dreamers, 6:30 p.m.

• Siren Lions At Jed’s Laker Lounge, 5 p.m.

• Lake Country Riders At The Pour House, 5:30 p.m.

• Webster Lions At Gandy Dancer Saloon, 4:30 p.m.

• S.N.O.W.S., West Sweden Skol Haus, 7 p.m.

• YLRA At Yellow Lake Lodge, Webster, 3-5 p.m.

• Siren Lions At Howl’n At The Moon Saloon, 4 p.m.

• Wild About Education At Wild Waters, Danbury, 3:30 p.m.

CLIP & SAVE

• Frederic, 9 a.m.-Noon

EVERY THURS. • Overeaters Anonymous, Amery Senior Center, 6:30 p.m., 715-268-6605

EVERY SUN. • Wonderland At Yellow Lake Golf Course, 4 p.m.

Eternal

Perspectives Sally Bair

CHURCH NEWS

Expiration dates

I checked the few prescription drugs in my medicine cabinet and discovered some as old as Methuselah.

Out they went, because they’re ineffective and possibly dangerous.

My kitchen also holds outdated stuff—cans and boxes of food stamped with “best used by …” some past date. Yikes! It’s hard to throw out food I’ve paid for but haven’t used or eaten—especially the stale potato chips.

I find the same situation when perusing the clothes in my closet. Some I’m hanging onto in hopes of fitting into them in the future. Others are out of style or I’m just plain tired of them. Still others, like last year’s tennis shoes, are so ratty—but comfortable—that I’m ashamed to keep them in sight next to my newer ones.

They clearly should be labeled with “best used by …”

When I think about today’s mindset about old age— the mindset of some to put an invisible expiration date on senior citizens and handicapped people—I’m appalled. Since when should an old man in a wheelchair, who’s unable to speak, be written off as useless and unable to keep contributing something positive to his family or society?

The value of a person does not—or should not— come from age, ability or intelligence. There’s a lot to be said about the joy and emotional well-being that a handicapped person brings. We all have something to contribute. There’s a lot to be said, also, about the wisdom and experience that comes from age. It behooves us to respectfully listen to our elders.

The Bible tells us we are all of value. Jesus said, “The very hairs of your head are all numbered … you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31-32) Psalm 139 speaks of God’s incredible care for us.

“For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made … My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” (verses 13-16) Unlike the food we eat or the medications we take, our bodies are not stamped with an expiration date.

Only God knows the day we will expire. And even then, those of us who know him personally and serve him will live on in eternity with him.

Lord, show us how to value every living thing, even as you value us and all of creation. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mrs. Bair may be reached at sallybair@gmail.com

Local Lenten services

West Denmark Lutheran Church Lent services started Wednesday, March 9 and will continue until April 13. Each Wednesday evening supper will be served at 6 p.m., with worship beginning at 7 p.m.

••• Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Webster, invites the community to a soup and sandwich supper at 6 p.m., followed by Lenten worship service at 7 p.m.

A supper and service will be held each Wednesday during Lent, which began March 9 and ends April 13.

••• Grace Lutheran Church of West Sweden and Zion Lutheran Church of Trade Lake have announced The Seven Wonders of the Word as the theme for this year’s Lenten season. Lenten services will alternate between Grace and Zion, with the Ash Wednesday service held at Zion. Services begin at 7 p.m. Beginning March 16, a soup supper will be served at 6 p.m. followed by worship.

••• During the Lenten season Bethany Lutheran Church of Grantsburg will be holding Wednesday evening services beginning at 6 p.m. with a soup supper, followed by worship at 7 p.m.

••• St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, north of Luck, is holding Lenten services that began Wednesday, March 9, and continues each Wednesday through April 20. There will be a gathering at 6 p.m. for soup and bread. A devotional service will begin at 7 p.m.

This service includes hymns, meditation and evening prayer.

••• Peace Lutheran Church, Dresser, began Lent services on Wednesday, March 9, at 7 p.m. Services will continue on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. throughout Lent.

••• St. Joseph Catholic Church, Taylors Falls, Minn., will be observing Lent with the following schedule: Daily Masses on Tuesdays through Fridays, 7:30 a.m.; confessions on Tuesdays through Fridays, 7 to 7:20 a.m.; Adoration on Tuesdays through Thursdays, 6:30 to 7:20 a.m.; 24-hour on Fridays, 8 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. Saturday. Fridays there will be Stations of the Cross at 5 p.m., Mass at 5:30 p.m. and confession at 6 p.m.

•••

OBITUARIES Eva (nee Trimble) Grindell

Eva Grindell, 92, died on March 16, 2011, at Queen of Angels in Radisson.

Eva Trimble was born May 21, 1918, in Houston, Texas, to Gertrude and Donald Trimble.

She had two sisters, Mary and Esther, and a brother, Donald. She graduated from Jefferson Davis High School in Houston.

Eva met Bob Grindell in the early 1940s when he was stationed in Houston, as a special agent with the FBI during World War II. They married on Nov. 1, 1941, and moved to Detroit where Marcia was born in 1944.

Following the war, Bob, Eva and Marcia moved to Frederic where Lonnie was born in 1946. The family lived above Alma Friberg’s restaurant where Bob also had a law office. They moved to a Drummond house on the west side of town. Robert was born in 1948 and John in 1952. In 1953, Bob and Eva built the house overlooking Coon Lake. While the house was under construction, the family lived in their cabin on North Sand Lake. David was born in 1956.

A loving mother, Eva encouraged her children to use their talents and to be just and kind. The Grindell house was a gathering spot for neighborhood children.

Having grown up in a large city, Eva took some time adjusting to small-town life. Her faith was strong, and she was involved in the women’s groups at church, taught Sunday school and helped with the Methodist Youth Fellowship when she had teenagers.

Eva was an artist whose oil paintings hung on the walls throughout her house. Elegant and beautiful, she had a finely honed fashion sense.

In later years, she was a devoted and loving grandmother. Her grandchildren were the light of her life. They especially loved her dill pickles, raspberry jam and coffee cans full of monster cookies.

Eva was preceded in death by her parents; beloved husband, Robert; granddaughter, Kelly; sisters, Esther and Mary; and brother, Donald.

She is survived by her children, Marcia (James) Kivi, Lonnie (Rick) Bell, Robert P. Grindell, John (Joan) Grindell, David (Donna) Grindell; grandchildren, Steven (Anne) Kivi, Sara (Andy) Erselius, Margot (Matt) Bell Sfeir, Peter (Holly) Bell, Kelly Domagala (Scott), Meghan Grindell, Emily (Joe) Connor, Robert (Shannon) Grindell, Katie (Kraig) Kahl, Will (Missi) Grindell, Norah (John) Anderson, Ethan and Eli Hayes; and 21 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Frederic on Tuesday, March 22, with Pastor Freddie Kirk officiating. Music was provided by organist Liz Ruhn and soloist Kordi Kurkowski. Interment took place at Maple Grove Cemetery following the service with pallbearers Steve Kivi, Peter Bell, Will Grindell, Rob Grindell, Eli Hayes and Ethan Hayes assisting.

Rowe Funeral Home of Frederic was entrusted with funeral arrangements.

Nellie I. Hanson Hammond

Nellie I. Hanson Hammond, 103, Cumberland, died Saturday, March 19, 2011, at her home.

She was born Sept. 7, 1907, in Des Moines, Iowa, to John and Ethel (Hoover) Choate. The family moved to Carthage, S.D., when Nellie was 1 month old and lived there for two years before moving to Missouri and then back to South Dakota.

They moved to Cumberland in 1918. Nellie graduated from Cumberland High School in 1926 and attended Barron County Normal School. She taught school for 11 years starting at Section 10 and taught in several of the rural schools.

She was married in Center City, Minn., on June 6, 1938, to Gustav A. Hanson. They lived in Carter until 1945 and then returned to rural Cumberland, where Nellie farmed with her husband and raised her four children. She was an avid gardener and loved wildlife.

Nellie was preceded in death by her husband, Gustav, on March 7, 1972. She was married to Earl Hammond in 1974 and he preceded her in death in 1977. She was also preceded in death by one son, Arthur and one sister, Norma Dupree.

She is survived by three sons, John (Karen) Hanson of Brooklyn Center, Minn., Fred (Karen) Hanson of Cumberland and Albert Hanson of Cumberland; one daughterin-law, Liz Hanson of Cumberland; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 22, 2011, at Trinity Lutheran Church, McKinley, with the Rev. Neil Weltzin officiating. Burial was at McKinley Cemetery.

Pallbearers were her six grandsons, Jeff Hanson, Mark Hanson, Travis Hanson, Mike Hanson, Scott Hanson and David Hanson.

The Skinner Funeral Home, Cumberland, was entrusted with arrangements.

Jerry L. Wilson

Jerry L. Wilson, 69, a resident of Siren, died March 14, 2011, at his home.

Jerry was born on July 26, 1941, in Charles City, Iowa, to Glenn and Arlene (Barrett) Wilson. He was a 1960 graduate from Charles City High School. He worked at White Farm Equipment for many years before retiring in 1973 due to an automobile accident. On July 19, 1969, he married Elaine Koehler of Charles City, Iowa, at the West St. Charles United Methodist Church in rural Charles City.

Jerry was a previous member of the West St. Charles United Methodist Church and an active member of Grace United Methodist Church in Webster. He filled many duties at church including trustee and helped when the funeral committees served. He was also a member of the Webster Lions.

Jerry was a caring person who loved being with his family and enjoyed his visits from all four of his granddaughters. He enjoyed the 13 years he lived in Siren at his lake home. Jerry enjoyed feeding the birds, fishing, and thoroughly enjoyed his deer hunting experience.

Jerry was a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Green Bay Packers and enjoyed cruise-ship trips.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Betty.

He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Elaine of Siren; daughter, Wendy (Matt) Ross of Charles City; granddaughters, Erica (Andrew) Lydolph of Stockport, Iowa, Danielle (Josh Hillegas, fiance) Ross of Charles City, Iowa, Sam Ross and Sydney Ross of Charles City; three greatgrandchildren; brother, Robert (Frances) Wilson; and brother-in-law Arvin Tibbitts.

A visitation was held on Friday, March 18, at SwedbergTaylor Family Funeral Home, Webster.

Funeral services were held Saturday, March 19, 2011, at the Hauser Funeral Home in Charles City with Pastor Gary Van Wert officiating. Music was provided by Karen Thomas and Jeannine Mills. Interment followed at Riverside Cemetery in Charles City. Casket bearers were Bill Koehler, Andrew Lydolph, Josh Hillegas, Eric Koehler, Troy Koehler and Jamey Koehler.

The Swedberg-Taylor Family Funeral Home of Webster and Hauser Funeral Home of Charles City, Iowa, were entrusted with arrangements.

Leone E. Wellbrock

Leone E. Wellbrock, 70, Frederic, died Monday, March 14, 2011, at Golden Age Manor in Amery.

She is survived by her children, Clark (Brenda) Wehking, Calvin (Kathy) Wehking, Will (Sue) Wellbrock and her grandchildren.

Leone’s family will be holding private services. Please refer to our Web sites for updated information.

Rowe Funeral Home of Luck, www.rowefh.com and the Northwest Wisconsin Cremation Center in Milltown, www.wicremationcenter.com assisted the family with arrangements - 715-472-2444.

OBITUARIES

Rosceil “Rose” A. Germain

Rosceil “Rose” A. Germain, 75, died peacefully, surrounded by her family on March 15, 2011, at the Gathering in Oak Park Heights.

Rose was born March 29, 1935, in Farmington Township to Edward and Anna Demulling.

She graduated from New Richmond High School in 1953. She graduated from UW-River Falls with a degree in elementary education and a minor in art. On June 16, 1956, she married James Germain at Assumption Catholic Church in Farmington. After Jim’s death in 1992, she married Larry Hatella on Nov. 9, 1996, also at Assumption Catholic Church. She taught for a time at Cedar Lake School and then at St. Anne’s School, a job she truly loved.

In her free time she enjoyed gardening, fishing, needlepoint, traveling with Larry and especially her family and friends.

Rose was preceded in death by her parents, Ed and Anna Demulling and her first husband, Jim Germain.

She is survived by her husband, Larry Hatella; son, Mike (Jo) Germain of New Richmond; daughter, Denise (Marcel) Plourde of Somerset; six grandchildren; three and one much-anticipated great-grandchildren; brother, Jim (Connie) Demulling of Osceola; sisters, Sr. Dee Demulling of Antigo, Sr. Adele Demulling of Antigo, Sr. Denise Demulling of Wauwatosa, Sharon (Steve) Rochel of Danbury; stepchildren Carol (Pat) Jones of Turtle Lake; Greg (Lynn) Hatella of New Richmond, Curt (Mickey) Hatella of New Richmond, Scott (Laurie) Hatella of New Richmond.

Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, March 18, at Assumption Catholic Church in Farmington

by Fr. James Brinkman and Deacon Mike Germain. Interment was in St. Mary Cemetery.

The Grandstrand Funeral Home of Osceola was entrusted with arrangements.

LeRoy Jones

LeRoy Jones, 81, Lewis, died March 15, 2011, at North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis. He was born in West Sweden Township to Edward and Ella (McClay) Jones on Nov. 8, 1929. He married Arleen Sterling of Siren on June 7,1949. He was preceded in death by his sister-in-law, Edna Jones, and survived by his wife, Arleen, son, Kevin Jones, grandson, Kevin Jr., brother, Samuel Jones and nieces, Joyanne Meadows and Jackalynn Elliott.

LeRoy’s early experience working on a mink farm lead him to establish his first mink farm. They purchased a small farm near Lewis where he and his wife lived the rest of his life, continuing to raise mink as well as establish a game farm where he raised rare birds and animals that he sold to people in many countries throughout the world.

Having an interest in birds, animals and growing plants, he also started a new nursery, one greenhouse at a time, where he raised flowers and sold shrubbery. He also expanded his business doing landscape work and opened a new flower shop in Frederic, picking up fresh flowers in the city early in the morning so he could sell them at reduced price. He closed the flower shop after his wife had health problems and closed the nursery when he developed hepatitis which he never fully recovered from.

Although he did enjoy hunting and fishing, nothing was more important to him than meeting and talking to people which was the thing he enjoyed most about his work.

Minnesota Cremation Society is in charge of formal arrangements. According to his wishes, there will not be a formal memorial service, but close friends and family will get together to celebrate his life.

Follow the Leader

William A. Horstmann Jr.

William A. Horstmann Jr., 76, Oakland Township, died March 17, 2011, at his home.

William was born Feb. 10, 1935, to William and Elsie (Feld) Horstmann Sr., in East St. Louis, Ill. William grew up in Chicago and enjoyed many games at Wrigley Field. After graduating from high school, he attended Valparaiso University. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served two years in Germany. He married Loretta, and together they raised three sons in Elk Grove Village, Ill. Loretta passed away in 1984, and then William moved to Webster. He owned and operated the Webster Motel for many years.

He met Shirley, and they were married on Oct. 16, 1993, in Webster. William enjoyed the luxuries in life, outdoors, golf, bowling, his wife’s gardening and retirement.

William was preceded in death by his parents and first wife, Loretta.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley; sons, David (Heidi) Horstmann, Daniel (Julie) Horstmann and Jonathan Horstmann; grandchildren, Eric, Anastasia, Daniel Jordan and Jennie Emily-Claire; stepchildren, Jeffrey (Joan), Kevin (Linda) and Lori (Leonard); sister, Marlene Frenske and many other relatives and friends.

A memorial service was held March 21 at SwedbergTaylor Funeral Home in Webster. Pastor Steve Ward officiated. Interment followed at Lutheran Chelmo Cemetery. Online condolences may be offered at www.swedberg-taylor.com.

The Swedberg-Taylor Family Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

Crystal G. Regelin

Crystal G. Regelin, 88, Hudson, formerly of Clear Lake, died Wednesday, March 16, 2011, at the Hudson Hospital in Hudson.

Crystal Grace Regelin was born on May 5, 1922, in Vance Creek Township, the daughter of Joseph and Mildred (Anderson) Pittman. She was baptized at the Lutheran church parsonage in Prairie Farm, grew up in the Reeve area and attended Clear Lake High School. As a young women, Crystal worked as a cook at various restaurants along Hwy. 12 near Baldwin, where she met Ervin Regelin. They were married on March 12, 1955, in Hustler, and operated a dairy farm in Mauston until 1963.

At that time, they moved to Hudson and together they raised four children, Judith, James, Mildred and Ervin.

While in Hudson, she worked at various clothing stores in the area and in her spare time enjoyed gardening and sewing.

She is preceded in death by husband, Ervin Regelin; son, James Regelin; parents, Joseph and Mildred Pittman; brothers, John and Chuck Pittman; and sister, Lorraine Sheppard.

She is survived by her children, Judith Evenson of Roberts, Mildred “Darlene” Regelin of Hudson and Ervin A. Regelin of Hudson; grandchildren, Jessica, Jeffrey, John, Jodine, Jason, Shilo and James; eight great-grandchildren; sister and brother, Shirley Balog of Turtle Lake and Maynard (Betty) Pittman of Boyceville; and other relatives and friends.

Funeral service was held Saturday, March 19, at the Scheuermann – Hammer Funeral Home, Clear Lake, with the Rev. Todd Groat officiating. Casket bearers were Randy Balog, Gary Brauer, James Dopkins, Bob Pittman, Ron Pittman and Dwight Stuart. Interment was at Reeve Cemetery in Vance Creek Township.

Scheuermann - Hammer Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Clear Lake, was entrusted with arrangements.

CHURCH NEWS

Financial secrets can dissolve couples trust

QUESTION: I keep a separate bank account for personal use – nothing nefarious or illegal, just the occasional impulse purchase. Here’s the thing, though –my wife doesn’t know about the account. Should I ‘fess up?

JIM: Absolutely, positively, you should tell your wife. The concern is not so much that you’re spending money outside the family budget, although that’s certainly a consideration, but the damage that this sort of secrecy can do to your marriage.

Others have fallen into the same trap.

In an online survey by Forbes and the National Endowment for Financial Education, about one in three Americans admitted lying to their spouse about money, and another third said they were the ones who’d been deceived.

This “financial infidelity” took on many forms. The leading offenders either hid cash from their spouses or covered up minor purchases and bills. But a significant number also said they hid major purchases, lied about their debt or earnings, and, yes, kept secret bank accounts.

Among those affected, 67 percent said the deception led to an argument, and 42 percent said it caused less trust in the relationship. More than a quarter said lies

Jim Daly

Focus on the Family

Juli Slattery

about money led to either a divorce or a separation.

Don’t let this happen to you. Your wife will likely be hurt when you tell her, but your honest confession might make the revelation less painful than if she were to catch you in the act, which would inevitably happen at some point. I implore you to see a pastor or marriage counselor and work through this issue together. It’s better to get things out in the open now rather than let the deception continue.

Honesty and trust are the foundation of a healthy marriage.

••• QUESTION: How much should I tell my fiance about my past? I realize that honesty and transparency are important in any relationship, but there are times when it can be harmful to “let it all hang out.” I don’t want to keep secrets, but neither do I want to cause hurt or damage. Where do I draw the line?

JULI: You’re absolutely right that there is danger in erring by both keeping secrets and telling too much detail. I’m glad

you’re asking this question while you’re engaged, before making a lifetime commitment to each other. While dating, people naturally present the best of themselves. They talk about their victories and put their best foot forward. In the intimacy of marriage, however, everything will be revealed. All of your weaknesses and insecurities will be uncovered. Even if you never speak of them, wounds and choices from your past will impact your marriage. This unhindered intimacy is what makes marriage so great and so threatening at the same time. Your engagement is the “inbetween” period. It’s the time to reveal significant things from your past and aspects of your personality that you may not let most people see.

Your fiance should know about things like your financial situation, any sexual relationships from your past, abusive relationships and addictions you may struggle with. These can present some very scary conversations, wondering how he will respond. It may feel like you’re taking a step backward, but it’s actually a giant step toward true intimacy.

Your fiance’s response will show you a lot about his character and willingness to embrace all of you within the intimacy of marriage.

There’s a limit, however, to how much you share. The goal of sharing is to build

trust. It takes discernment to know which details will build a foundation of trust and which will erode it. Your fiance may even ask for details that would be hurtful for him to know in the future. As you wade through these difficult waters, I highly recommend premarital counseling to help you develop that solid foundation of authenticity and love.

••• Jim Daly is president of Focus on the Family, host of the Focus on the Family radio program, and a husband and father of two. Dr. Juli Slattery is a licensed psychologist, cohost of Focus on the Family, author of several books, and a wife and mother of three. Submit your questions to: FocusOnTheFamily.com.

Copyright 2010 Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995. International copyright secured. All rights reserved. Distributed by Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St. Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500.

This feature may not by reproduced or distributed electronically, in print or otherwise, without written permission of Focus on the Family.

Brought to you by:

Luck and St. Peter’s Lutheran Churches

St. Peter's Lutheran Church spring sale is April 16

LUCK – St. Peter’s Lutheran Church is holding their annual spring sale on Saturday, April 16, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 1:30 p.m. A lunch will be

served and the sale will include craft items and white elephant treasures.

Raffle tickets will be available for purchase, to win one of four prizes. There will

also be many interesting and fun theme baskets allowing everyone a chance to win. Theme baskets are a real attraction to all ages.

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church is located at the corner of Hwy. 35 and CTH B, north of Luck. Watch for the signs. – submitted

CHURCH DIRECTORY

WANT ADS

AUTOMOBILE DONATION

DONATE VEHICLE Receive $1000 GROCERY COUPON. NOAH’S ARC Support NO KILL Shelters, Research To Advance Veterinary Treatments. Free Towing, TAX DEDUCTIBLE, Non-Runners Accepted 1-866-912-GIVE.

FOR SALEHEATERS, FIREPLACES, FURNACES

Central Boiler Outdoor Wood Furnace. Twin Waters Energy Wisconsin’s premier stocking Dealer. In stock Classic, E-Classic and Maxim. Cash and carry, call for sale prices. 715-542-3432

FOR SALE – MISCELLANEOUS

DISH Network’s LOWEST ALL-DIGITAL PRICE! As low as $24.99/mo plus FREE HD FOR LIFE! Call for limited time BONUS! Call Now. 1800-403-3840 (CNOW)

HELP WANTED – MISCELLANEOUS

RN or LPN. Summer camp in Northern Wisconsin needs Camp Nurse. Great pay, great location, the best kids!

Call (800) 480-1188, 9AM – 6PM (CNOW)

MISCELLANEOUS

Place a 25 word classified ad in over 180 newspapers in Wisconsin for only $300.

Find out more by calling 800227-7636 or this newspaper. www.cnaads.com (CNOW)

HELP WANTED – TRUCK DRIVER

Calling Owner Operators Rethink Midwest!! Two Pay options! Weekly Direct Deposit. Repeat Lanes. Weekend Home Time. Dry van/no touch. Base Plate Program.

Paid Orientation. Paid fuel tax. *** many owner extras *** Realistic - Successful Lease Program *** For all details call or email ANYTIME!!!

1-800-606-9837 (ext: 2).

(CNOW) Driver- New Trucks *Local Orientation *Service Centers w/Showers *Laundry *Fuel and Truck Maintenance. Dry Van *Refrigerated. CDL-A, 3 months current OTR experience.

800-414-9569. w w w. d r i v e k n i g h t . c o m (CNOW) Class A CDL Drive: Late model equipment, NO East coast, Insurance avaiable, paid vacations and plenty of miles. Call Chuck to get qualified (800) 645-3748.

WE HAVE PARTS for tractors, combines, machinery, hay equipment and more.

Used, new, rebuilt, aftermarket. Downing Tractor Parts, Downing, Wis., www. asapagparts.com 877-5301010. 32Ltfc

SUPPORT SUPPORT GROUPS AND GROUPS AND RESOURCES RESOURCES

• Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley, 715-684-4440, www.frcscv.org.

• Farm Crisis, information, 800-9422472.

• Gam-Anon, 715-268-6829, Joan.

• Gamblers Anonymous, Amery - 715268-6829, Mark; Cameron - 715-2343301.

• MOPS for moms and their preschoolers, www.mops.org, 715-5541220, • Multiple Sclerosis support group, Amery area, 715-268-9126 or 715-282361.

• Parent-to-Parent Coalition, parents of children with disabilities or special needs, 715-472-2002.

• Pregnant? Free help. Osceola Life Care Center, 715-755-2229.

• Student Assistance Program, Amery School District, personal or family problems, 715-268-0303, 715-268-0214.

WANTED TO BUY • TEENCARE help line, 800-491-8336 OR TRADE or 715-235-8882.

Up To $250,000 Paid Vin- • Basic Education for Adults, job centage Guitars/Amps CASH ter, Balsam Lake, 715-485-3115.

TODAY FOR your guitars, banjos, mandolins, amplifiers.

No one pays more than we do. No one makes it easier for you! One piece or whole collection. Will travel anywhere in US. BBB accredited. Call Joe G. 414-241-7225 Creamcitymusic.com (CNOW)

E-edition Every page in color.

Go to www. the-leader.net

Connect to your community

Students of the Week GRANTSBURG

FREDERIC

Richard Bugella has been choFrederic Elementary sen School’s student of the week. He is in third grade and the son of Craig and Sharon Bugella.

Richard is a great worker and gets along with everyone. His favorite class is math. His likes are pizza, the Little Rascals movie, bowling, playing with Dominoes, his dog, Mickey and watching "Wipe Out" on TV. Richard would like to be a scientist when he grows up.

Mitchell Paquette has been chosen Frederic Middle School’s student of the week. He is in seventh grade and the son of Dan and Tina Kuesel. Mitchell is quiet and unassuming, but very conscientious. He is a good citizen who is respectful and polite. Mitchell is involved in football. He enjoys eating, listening to music, watch movies and playing video games.

Mitchell plans to go to college.

The greatest influence in his life is his grandpa.

McKenna den Hoed has been chosen Frederic High School’s student of the week. She is a freshman and the daughter of Walt and Denise den Hoed. McKenna is an excellent student, citizen and individual. She is pleasant, extremely cooperative and very conscientious. McKenna is involved in 4-H and church youth group. She enjoys walking, scrapbooking, making cards and talking with friends.

McKenna plans to go to college for teaching or business.

Anna Lehne has been chosen Grantsburg Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in second grade and the daughter of Keith and Kate Lehne. Anna is always helpful, considerate, respectful and conscientious.

Reading mysteries is one of Anna’s favorite things to do. She also enjoys art class, especially drawing. Anna’s family enjoys playing games together, especialy Scattegories and Scrabble.

LUCK

Crystal Whitebird has been chosen Luck Elementary School’s student of the week.

She is in first grade. Crystal loves to read books, write stories and illustrate them with beautiful artwork. She is a great math student and loves to write and read big numbers. Crystal loves to play outside with her friends. She is helpful to her classmates.

Victoria Wood has been chosen Luck Middle School’s student of the week. She is in eighth grade and the daughter of Christy Hovey and Mark Jensen. Victoria is very energetic and demonstrates that hard works pays off. She volunteers for after-school activities like working in the concession stand and nursing home. Victoria enjoys baby-sitting, spending time with her family, shopping, fishing and hunting. The greatest influence in her life is her mom.

Gustav Johnson has been chosen Grantsburg High School’s student of the week. He is a freshman and the son of Pete and Deb Johnson. Gus is a talented and gifted student who is kind and considerate. He is involved in football, basketball, baseball, choir and playing music at church. He enjoys singing and playing guitar and piano, sports, hunting, golfing and making movies. Gus wants to go to school for cinematography and hopes to get into video production.

ST. CROIX FALLS

Haley Dikkers has been chosen Luck High School’s student of the week. She is a freshman and the daughter of Martin and Kathryn Dikkers. Haley is a great student who is always willing to participate, is an excellent leader, has a nice sense of humor, is self motivated and respectful. She is involved in solo and ensemble, visual arts classic, youth group and writing for the spring variety show. Haley enjoys writing songs, singing, dancing, writing and drawing.

Morgan Harrison has been chosen St. Croix Falls Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in first grade and has a twin sister, Marley, and a 4-year-old sister. Morgan and her sisters love to play rockpaper-scissors, listen to music and read together. She loves phy ed and art. Morgan is really good at math. When she grows up she would like to be a teacher because school is fun.

Skyler Swenson Reed has been chosen St. Croix Falls Middle School’s student of the week.

She is in fifth grade and the daughter of Dawn Swenson.

Skyler is involved in band, student council and drama. She enjoys singing, dancing and hanging out with friends. Skyler’s favorite subject is art because she gets to express her feelings and she loves to draw.

Samantha Jorgensen has been chosen St. Croix Falls High School’s student of the week.

She is a sophomore and the daughter of Steve and Barb Jorgensen. Samantha is on the track team, student council, PRIDE committee, Kinship and SPARK tutoring. She enjoys skiing, snowboarding, swimming, tubing, traveling and camping.

WEBSTER

SIREN

Karlee Sybers has been chosen Siren Elementary School’s student of the week. She is a kind and caring girl who seems to always be looking for a reason to smile. Karlee is hardworking in the classroom, but she also likes to have fun. Her hand work always pays off when it comes to academic success. Karlee is a wonderful girl and the kind of person that is a friend to everyone she meets.

McKenzie Johnson has been Grantsburg Middle chosen School’s student of the week.

She is in fifth grade and the daughter of Dan and April Johnson. McKenzie is helpful, kind, thoughtful and encouraging to others. She displays a maturity that is beyond her years. McKenzie is a joy to have in class. Her favorite class is math and she is active in band.

Tori Moose has been chosen Siren High School’s student of the week. She has taken every art class and now is working on independent art classes. Drawing, painting, pottery, sculpture, etc., Tori excels in all mediums.

She makes great use of her time and always is creative in her approach to new assignments. Tori sets a good example to others through hard work and a desire to make things with her hands.

She’s a pleasure to have as a student.

Owen Washburn has been chosen Webster Elementary School’s student of the week. He is in second grade and the son of Jarrod and Kerrie Washburn. Owen is a very hard worker and can always be counted on to do his best and be a good leader. Owen likes to play sports, especially baseball.

His favorite school activity is phy ed. When asked what he would do if he could do anything in his life, he said he would want to go to Mars.

Allison Mulroy has been chosen Webster Middle School’s student of the week. She is in sixth grade and the daughter of John and Brenda Mulroy. Allison is an enjoyable student to have in class.

She is very interested in learning and doing her best in all areas. Allison is polite and respectful toward her classmates and is willing to help others. She has excellent cursive handwriting and takes pride in completing her work. Allison is a great student.

Derrick Coston has been chosen Webster High School’s student of the week. He is a junior and the son of Langley Hess and Tracey Erickson. Derrick has made a cognitive effort to do well in his classes and his attendance has been excellent. Derrick takes pride in his schoolwork and his grades have greatly improved.

He is involved in golf and enjoys playing basketball, football and video games.

UNITY

Emily Huelsman has been chosen Unity Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in first grade and the daughter of Julie Huelsman. Emily brightens the day when she enters the classroom. She always has a smile on her face and is eager to start each day with 100-percent effort.

Allison Gross has been chosen Unity Middle School’s student of the week. She is in seventh grade and the daughter of Stacey Wilson. Allison promotes school spirit and she has a friendly attitude. She is kind to everyone and is sincere. Allison has a good sense of humor and a great deal of respect for her classmates.

She makes her teachers smile.

Jenelle Larson has been chosen Unity High School’s student of the week. She is a senior and the daughter of Evelyn Larson.

Jenelle is involved in FFA, Leos, drama, track, golf, 4-H, Girl Scouts and horseshoes. Her favorite classes are music, both band and choir. Next year she plans to attend UW-Barron County and then transfer to UW-River Falls to major in psychology and become a counselor.

Coming events

Happenings in the Upper St. Croix Valley communities

TUESDAY/29

MARCH

Amery

• Tax aides at the senior center, 9 a.m.-noon, 715-2687884.

THURSDAY/24

Balsam Lake

Amery

• Polk County Alzheimer’s support group at social services building, 715-483-3133.

• Lyme disease education and support at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 7 p.m., 715-268-2856, 715-268-2035.

Laketown

Balsam Lake

• Voters forum at the community center, 7:30 p.m.

• Powerful Tools for Caregivers 6-week classes begin at the government center. Register by March 18, 1-3:30 p.m., 715-485-8599.

St. Croix Falls

• Alzheimer’s support group at the medical center, 1-3 p.m., 715-483-0431.

• Diabetes education: Insulin pumps, at the medical center, 6-7:30 p.m., 715-483-0431.

Center City, Minn.

• Women’s Health Conference at Hazelden CORK Center, 5:30-8 p.m.

Webster

Frederic

• Food and Friends at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Dinner 5-6 p.m.

• Ravishing Ruby Red Hat luncheon at The Shop, noon.

• Friends of the Library meeting at the library, 6:30 p.m.

Luck

WED. & THURS./30 & 31

• Tax aides at the senior center, 9 a.m.-noon, 715-2687884.

• Maple syrup meeting at the Luck Museum, 7 p.m.

Siren

Siren

• Ruby’s Pantry at 24534 Hwy. 35/70. Open 1:30 p.m. Distribution 2 p.m.

FRI.-SUN./25-27 Frederic

• Drama club play at the high school, “Surviving Reality.”

Fri. & Sat. 7 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m.

Webster

• “A Little Princess: The Musical” at Webster High School Cafetorium. Fri. & Sat. 7 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m.

FRIDAY/25

• Infant/child CPR class at the Family Resource Center.

RSVP 715-349-2922, www.bcfrc.com.

It’s maple syrup time again. With warm days and cool nights, it looks like another busy season tapping the area maple trees for our area’s liquid gold. – Photo by Gregg Westigard

Frederic

• Freewill offering luncheon presentation on crisis pregnancies at St. Dominic Catholic Church, 715-3275119.

Grantsburg

Frederic

• Burnett County Sportsmen’s Bash at American Legion Hall. Social hour 5 p.m., dinner 6:30 p.m. Deadline for tickets March 19, www.whitetailsunlimited.com, 715-689-2233.

Siren

• Community Homestead’s Spring Craft Fair and Bake Sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., www.communityhomestead.org, 715294-3038.

• American Cancer Society Walk/Run Kickoff meeting at Hacker’s Lanes, 7 a.m., 715-653-2684.

• Marshmallow Olympics at the library, 7-9 p.m.

• Fish fry at Burnett County Moose Lodge, 5:30-7 p.m., 715-349-5923.

SATURDAY/26 Clear Lake

• Polk County Council of the American Legion will meet at the American Legion Post, 10 a.m.

Cumberland

• Women’s Expo 2011 at Das Lach Haus, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

by Jack Neely

Special to the Leader SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Have you ever done something that you thought you would never do because you thought it was inherently dangerous or because you lacked courage? Something that was totally unknown to your experience?

Something that would expand your senses — maybe even your whole outlook on life?

Something so foreign to your imagination that you could not focus your senses or force them into a recognizable image in your mind’s eye? Something that you have virtually no control over?

No, I am not talking about getting married! Oh, maybe skydiving is a bit like getting married. You’ve never done it before.

You do not know what to expect. Beforehand you may be scared, anxious, ambivalent, giddy or joyful. Afterward you may think, “what did I just do!” or “I can’t believe I did that … I must be crazy!” You may enjoy it, but you may never do it again even if you survive your partner. Or you may become addicted to it and try it six or seven times, looking for a different experience each time. But if lucky, it may be the best decision you ever made, even if on the spur of the moment!

I am talking about skydiving. I had seen it in movies, on TV, in an air show and the video of a friend’s jump many years ago.

The closest approximation to skydiving that I have had was a dream in which I flew, no falling, on my back. It felt very real and was wonderful.

I recently saw the video of two friends, both in their 70s, who jumped on South Padre Island, Texas. Their joy and enthusiasm was contagious. I soon found myself hooked in tandem to Brad; a veteran of over 10,000 jumps. After a 10-minute walk-through on the ground, we had a checklist videoed once we were in the plane. You are hooked up while on your knees with your back to the front of your savior. After a 15-minute flight, you are

Osceola

St. Croix Falls

• Riverway Speaker Series: Wildness in the Soul, Sigurd Olson and the Canoe at the river visitor center, 10 a.m., 715-483-2274, www.nps.gov/sacn.

• Fred Eaglesmith at Festival Theatre, 7:30 p.m., 715485-3387, www.festivaltheatre.org.

• Grand opening of Habitat ReStore, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 715483-2700.

• Friends of the Library book sale at the library.

Webster

• Potluck at the senior center, hors d’oeuvres and sweets, noon.

SUNDAY/27 Clam Falls

• ATV meeting at Clam Falls Bar, 4 p.m.

MONDAY/28 Balsam Lake

• Adoption support group, Unity High School band room, 7:15 p.m.

• Unity Area Lions Club meeting at VFW. Supper 5:30 p.m., meeting 6 p.m.

Dresser

• Polk County judge forum at Trollhaugen, 6 p.m., 715246-2211.

Siren

• Whistling Wings Ladies membership banquet. Prebuy tickets: 715-327-8049 or 715-349-2817.

Would you?

Jack Neely and Brad free-falling. — Photos submitted

over the jump zone, and you and your partner, along the three other silly persons now joined navel to butt, all waddle forward on their knees to the open door — like eight wounded brown pelicans looking for salvation. Then with Brad’s admonition of, “Let’s go have some fun!” we were at the plane’s open door at 13,500 feet.

All the banter has faded as you are the fourth and last couple to move toward Mother Earth at her finest. You struggle a bit to keep your balance as you hear two final instructions: Keep your thumbs hooked under your shoulder straps, so that you are unable to grab the door jamb as fear strikes at the last moment. After all you just signed a six-page waiver and payment has been electronically sent via credit card, and keep your head back so the video person jumping beside you can get your smile as you hurtle out into space. That of course is impossible, because once out the door and free-falling at 150 mph for one minute, the wind stretches the corners of your mouth so that they touch your ear lobes, not unlike Daffy Duck or Squidward of SpongeBob fame.

Now at the door, the wind has the sound one hears under a train trestle as a train thunders overhead. Thumbs appropriately hooked in place, we lean forward like a baby falling into the deep end of the pool for the first time, and down, down we go.

Soon the video man, also free-falling, is in front of us and we join hands so that he can spin us around. At this point it is difficult to appreciate the magnificent view due to your other senses being in high gear.

Within a minute, Brad guides my right hand to his hip and I pull the rip cord.

Hopefully not named after the first skydiver to meet his maker when something “tore” apart. Why not call it a pull-cord?

The chute opens with a noticeable jerk.

Then, relief, silence, the wonderful sensation of floating, and a fantastic view of the island, the multicolored waters of the bay and Gulf of Mexico and the 2-1/2-mile connecting bridge. Brad places my hands in the guide loops at the bottom of the chute, with his on top, so I can guide the ride for a bit. At some point, Brad says something to the effect of, “Let me know if this ‘red pull’ is too much.” With that he pulls down

ONGOING

Every Day, AA &/or AlAnon, Polk & Burnett counties, 715-931-8262 for time/location. Amery, 715-268-8431.

Every Monday

Indianhead Barbershop Chorus meets at the Balsam Lake Government Center, 7:30 p.m., 715-483-9202.

Divorce care support group at Apple River Community Church, 7 p.m., 715-268-8360, 715-268-2176.

Baby and Me class - Amery Medical Center, 1-2 p.m.

Grief Share support group at Centennial Hall, Amery, 715-268-2176 or 715-268-8360.

Every Tuesday

Bingo - Burnett County Moose Lodge, Siren, 6 p.m.

Survivors of domestic violence & sexual assault support group, Polk Co., 800-261-7233, 6-7:30 p.m.

Anger management group at Amery Regional Medical Center, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 715-268-4094.

Every Thursday

Breastfeeding support group at the St. Croix Regional Medical Center, 2-3:30 p.m., 715-483-0431.

Narcotics Anonymous meets at the Serenity House (old jail), Balsam Lake, 7 p.m., 612-205-2321.

Every Friday, Moms In Touch International, First Baptist, Amery, 8:15 a.m., 715-268-5408.

hard with his right hand and we swing out fast in a circle, parallel to the ground. My only concern other than all my blood collecting in my feet was that the harness vigorously pulling upward would render me a soprano for life.

People have asked me if I was scared and if I would do it again. I have to say that I never thought of the chute not opening or of not landing safely. However, falling though space is much different than floating down while enjoying the view and talking with your tandem partner. The fear I felt in going out the door and “falling” came from not having ever experiencing a situation where I had no control. That dissipated as soon as Brad put my hand on the pull cord. Then I felt relief, the exhilaration of freedom and the sensation of suspension never before experienced. So yes, there was some apprehension at the exit door and some fear in the start of the fall. And all came from the unknown. And yes, I hope to do it again.

It took me a day or two before I could say that I would skydive again. It took that long to process the event; mainly in leaving the plane and the first seconds of the fall. But maybe it will take more courage or maybe less once in the plane next time, for I now know what to expect. I only know that I’ve had no experience so different. One that I have no words to describe.

I can tell you afterward the feelings, i.e. ambivalence, a rush, exhilaration, anxiety, fright, joy, trust, beauty, relief, courage and accomplishment. I experienced all of that and more in various combinations along the way. I am told that we all respond differently. I cannot accurately describe it, only experience it. You will just have to do it yourself. I guarantee that you will not regret it!

And, you will do it again! Remember the line in Baz Luhrmann’s song, “Everybody’s Free, ‘Do one thing every day that scares you!’” But, don’t wait till age 75 like I did!

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Community and school support Pirates at state

Grantsburg Pirates head coach Nick Hallberg shakes hands with students prior to leaving for the state tournament in Madison on Wednesday, March 16.

Ashlin Olson got her photo with Grantsburg basketball player David Ohnstad before he headed off with the rest of the Pirates boys basketball team to Madison.

Junior varsity coach John Dickinsen and head coach Nick Hallberg posed with Grantsburg seniors Derek Bertelsen, Brent Myers and Trevor Thompson, who held their team’s sectional, regional and state tournament trophies proudly during the congratulatory celebration held for the basketball team Sunday in the high school gym.

Whitney Myers gave her big brother, Brent, a hug at the celebration for the Grantsburg boys basketball team on their return from the state tournament.

– Photos by Priscilla Bauer

Proud parents, Barb and Rick Thompson, posed with their sons, Trevor and Brady, at the welcome home celebration for the Grantsburg Boys basketball team last Sunday in the school’s gym.

Members of the Grantsburg Pirates boys basketball team shake hands with fans before leaving for Madison last Wednesday, March 16, for the state tournament.

The Grantsburg boys basketball team was given the traditional escort from Burnett Dairy to the high school by the Grantsburg Fire Department on their return from the state tournament. A long caravan of parents, family and fans followed the team bus slowing down Sunday traffic on Hwy. 70.

Brothers and teammates, Connor and Brent Myers proudly held their team’s sectional, regional and state tournament trophies after the congratulatory celebration held for the basketball team Sunday in the high school gym.

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More scenes from Pirates state journey

Pirate seniors Brent Myers and Trevor Thompson, along with coach Nick Hallberg answer questions during a press conference after their big win over Blair-Taylor during the state semifinal game in Madison on Thursday, March 17.

– Photos by John Reed The Grantsburg High School band was busy throughout the state tournament in support of the Pirate boys basketball team.

Blair-Taylor’s considerable height advantage over Grantsburg didn’t seem to matter as the Pirates won a thrilling victory in overtime.

Daniel Biorn defends against Marathon during the state final game.

“I like the shiny ball!” Coach Nick Hallberg’s daughter, Lauren, seemed fascinated with the silver ball trophy the Grantsburg boys basketball team brought home from the state tournament in Madison. The 6-month-old was one of the many fans, young and old, who came to congratulate her dad and the team at a celebration in the high school gym Sunday afternoon March 20. Nick’s wife Kim is pictured holding Lauren. – Photo by Priscilla Bauer

Trevor Thompson drives the lane against Blair-Taylor.

Derek Bertelsen gets an open look at the basket against Blair-Taylor during the state semifinal game.