W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 1 , 2 0 0 9 • V O L U M E 7 6 • N O . 3 2 • 2 S E C T I O N S
W EEKEN D WA TCH :
INTER-COUNTY
• “Wizard of Oz” @ SCFalls • St. Croix Valley Orchestra @ Amery • Rainbow of Fun Carnival @ Siren • Dog wash fundraiser @ Siren • Sexual Assault Awareness speaker @ Unity • Smelt fry @ Luck • Spring craft at gift sale @ Grantsburg See Coming Events and stories
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Leader
• SECTION A Candidate profiles Part II
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“Don’t cut one tree...”
Judge Rasmussen stops action on Iver’s Mountain for a month PAGE 20
Military family responds
Wrong place, right time? CURRENTS, Page 2
B r e ak i n g u p o n t he M o os e
Concerned by reaction to upsidedown American flag PAGE 40
Layoffs will lower standard of education, says teacher
Duffy talks “Real World” with students Page 13
Decisions are “amputations,” not “cutting fat” PAGE 32
Final five plead guilty
Trial dates to be set in near future for those in Sonnenberg case PAGE 3
Impressions of life in America Page 2
SPORTS
First Polk traffic fatality of 2009 39-year-old Amery man loses life in rollover PAGE 3
Woman sentenced for sexual assault PAGE 2
Surgery doesn’t stop SCF grad from doing what she loves See SPORTS, inside
Siren school referendum returns PAGE 12
While river levels continued to rise in St. Croix Falls this past week, there was nothing to be seen like the dramatic breakup of ice that occurred on one tributary of the upper St. Croix River. This photo captures the scene on the Moose River in Douglas County, just before its confluence with the St. Croix River. - Photo by Al Cambronne
It’s Child Abuse Prevention Month
Blue Ribbon Campaign under way
POLK COUNTY – April is Child Abuse Prevention Month throughout the nation and, especially, throughout Polk County. We ask all county citizens to take time to reflect on what we are doing as a community to support children and families. Children don’t come with an instruction booklet and too many parents face the challenges of raising their children without the knowledge and support they need and deserve. We all have opportunities to reach out to parents in our own families, neighborhoods, place of worship and place of employment. Throughout the month of April, the Polk County Child Advocacy Referral Interagency Network Group will be promoting a countywide Blue Ribbon Campaign through various activities. You may notice blue ribbon yard signs and parenting information throughout the communities; hear information over the radio; see articles in the paper. Pick up a blue ribbon to wear at locations across the county and talk to your kids about what they heard at school. Every week in April there will be a Child Abuse Prevention Blue Ribbon Campaign event that is open to the public: Wednesday, April 1 – Blue Ribbon Yard Sign Kickoff; Tuesday, April 7, - Sexual Assault Awareness Presentation - 6 p.m. at Unity School in Balsam Lake; Wednesday, April 15 – Countywide Blue Ribbon Candlelight Vigil 6:30 p.m. at eight locations throughout the
county; Friday, April 24 - Wear Blue Day; Monday, April 27 - Dedication Service for Zachary Wolfe – 5:30 p.m. at Bering Park in Milltown.
History of Blue Ribbon
The Blue Ribbon Campaign began in Virginia in 1989 when a grandmother, Bonnie W. Finney, tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her van to “make people wonder.” The story she told to inquisitive community members was a tragic story about the abuse of her grandchildren and ultimate brutal death of her grandson. The story of Bonnie Finney demonstrates the effect that just one concerned citizen can have on raising public awareness of child abuse and in promoting prevention. Since
See Blue Ribbon, page 4
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