Leader|feb 28|2007

INTER-COUNTY

‘Follow the Leader’

February 28, 2007 2 sections • Vol. 71 • No. 27 8,000 copies

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DA, sheriff respond to letter

Criticism from former DA leads to impromptu press conference

by Gregg Westigard BALSAM LAKE - District Attorney Dan Steffen called a press conference Thursday, Feb. 22, to respond to a letter written to at least two area newspapers by former Polk County District Attorney Karen Olson.

Polk County Sheriff Tim Moore also took part in the press conference.

Olson’s letter (see page 11) criticized the handling of the response to a missing child which ended with the Feb. 14 murder-suicide in which 7-year-old Zachary Wolfe of Luck lost his life at the hands of his father, Jeffrey Wagner.

Olson took aim at Sheriff Moore but also criticized her suc-

Letter on page 11

Skid steer

See Letter, page 11

Case dropped Minnesota massage therapist, Frederic grad, spent three years fighting charges Page 3

Schiebel’s severance Details of what Polk County paid to longtime county clerk Page 3 Kinship of Burnett County is expanding Page 2

C U R R E N T S F E AT U R E Teacher inspires giving SPORTS March Madness is here!

Page Inside

S E R V I N G

Swinging between her parents, a young girl tries to keep both feet on the ice at the Yellow Lake narrows during the annual Splash from the Past watercross event. More photos in Currents section - Photo by Gary King

Snow!

And more on the way?

by Jackie Thorwick FREDERIC – For those of us who love snow and have felt winters have been extremely stingy with it in recent years, news of the impending storm this past weekend was very welcome. We compulsively watched the Weather Channel last week, reporting to each other with glee the predicted storm totals.

“They're saying 8 to 12 inches!”

“I heard 14!!”

Friday night we opened all the blinds, turned on the outside lights and hunkered down in the living room to watch the beginning of the storm.

The evening wore on with no snow in sight.

TV news said the storm was late in arriving, but it was coming. We closed the vigil, went to bed, excited to see what we'd wake up to.

B U R N E T T

See Snow, page 32

&

P O L K

The kids made better use of the snow than I did when it finally came. Nicole took the puppy sledding. - Photo by Jackie Thorwick

C O U N T I E S

PAGE 2 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

A focus on helping area kids Kinship of Burnett County's director is inspired by volunteers - and the kids the program seeks to help

by Gary King BURNETT COUNTY - Taking over the reins of Burnett County's Kinship program a year ago, Deb Haley saw a change of emphasis in store for the program.

“Our main goal is to shift our efforts from surviving 'hand to mouth' to putting our resources and energies where they belong - to the kids in our program,” she said this week.

Like many nonprofit organizations, Kinship, a mentoring program that aims to improve the quality of a child's life by pairing them with caring adults, relies on the generosity of others.

And fundraising can take up a majority of the staff's time.

Haley says she'd like to put less time into writing grants and raising funds and more time - at least 70 percent of the staff’s time - into working directly with kids.

“These (grants and fundraising) are necessary to the survival of our program, but as we are able to get the community more involved, this facet will come automatically.”

A $20,000 grant from the Bremer Foundation and donations from other local organizations and individuals has helped make Haley's goal a reality. She has been able to double the program's budget and hire Susan Roy of Siren as a new executive assistant. She has also hired a new office assistant, Linda Sells of Webster.

Roy has been with Kinship of Burnett County for three years and Healy describes her as a person “with more heart than anyone I know!”

The need for mentors is ongoing and the need for male mentors is huge, said Haley, who has a background of building relationships through a program she worked with while attending Bemidji State University in northern Minnesota. A graduate of St. Croix Falls High School, she attended Moorhead State University and then Bemidji State where she became the Health for Fitness Coordinator, pairing visually impaired adults with sighted guides.

“We spent one week each year in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, held a Health Week that included tandem biking, massage and health clinics, sailing, kayaking, waterskiing and canoeing in

Making Kinship of Burnett County possible

Deb Haley is the director for Kinship of Burnett County, a program that finds and matches adult mentors for children throughout the county. Besides working with children through the program, Haley has four of her own. - Photo

by Gary King Sells, Haley noted, loves kids and will be in charge of the program's activities. “The kids will love her,” she said.

Both women came to Kinship through the Experience Works Program, the nation's leading provider of training, employment and community service for low-income older citizens - formerly known as Green Thumb.

“The year 2006 was a wonderful year for us at Kinship and we can credit that to you,” Deb Haley, the program’s director, said.

“From the bottom of our heart we want to extend our gratitude to all area businesses, groups and organizations as well as individuals who contributed to the rich success of our program in 2006. Because there are too many of you to name, we can't name you all but you know who you are!

“The children of Kinship, their mentors and all the volunteers and staff of Kinship of Burnett County want you to know we could not have done it without you, you are the Wind beneath our wings!”

Mentors always needed Kinship of Burnett County has doubled the number of mentors and matches it oversees. Without mentors, the program simply doesn't work, Haley said, noting there's always a great need for adults who can offer a commitment of one to two hours a week.

Kinship matches provide a consistent and long-term relationship with a child to help them to grow into a responsible and well-adjusted adult.

Burnett County's program currently has 19 adult mentors and three student mentors with plans for more.

DONATIONS FROM BUSINESSES & ORGANIZATIONS 2006 United Way Committee-Nexen Group Safe & Stable Families Siren Covenant Church Burnett County Association HCE Webster Antiques Polk-Burnett Electric Operation RoundUp Zion Lutheran Church-WELCA Belron Siren Assembly of God Church Siren Dairy Queen Benson & Sons Law Office Fiedler Ford Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home Jim Steen Insurance Agency

Lehman murder hearing postponed Defendant hires new attorney

by Gregg Westigard BALSAM LAKE - The preliminary hearing for Timothy Lehman, 33, of Luck, on the charge that he killed his neighbor, Jason Madsen, 33, of Luck, has been postponed until Tuesday, March 27, at 8:30 a.m. in the courtroom of Circuit Judge Molly GaleWyrick. The

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Serving Northwest Wisconsin A cooperative-owned newspaper, the Inter-County Leader is published every Wednesday by the Inter-County Cooperative Publishing Association, Box 490, Frederic, WI 54837. Second Class postage paid at Frederic, WI 54837.

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change of date for the hearing, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 28, came at the request of Lehman's new attorney, Mitch Robinson.

Lehman is charged with first-degree intentional homicide. The complaint is that he beat Madsen to death on or about the evening of Friday, Feb. 16, and placed his body in a wooded area near Bone Lake. A cash bail of $100,000 has been set for Lehman. He was still in Manager Doug Panek dougpanek@centurytel.net Editor Gary B. King, Editor gbking@centurytel.net Staff writers/contributors Matt Blumkin mblumkin@centurytel.net Marty Seeger mseeger@centurytel.net Tammi Milberg tammi@centurytel.net Nancy Jappe njappe@centurytel.net Sherill Summer the-leader@centurytel.net Mary Stirrat mstirrat@centurytel.net Gregg Westigard greggw@lakeland.ws Julie Holmquist the-leader@centurytel.net Editorial assistant Raelynn Hunter rael@centurytel.net Composition Raelynn Hunter Jackie Thorwick

the local Bemidji area,” she said. “I learned the importance of building relationships with the many valuable people within the community and most importantly learned the value of trust.”

Haley says she feels fortunate for the recent Bremer Grant, “Out of $4.2 million in requests we were lucky to get this grant, and we received the amount we asked for.” She also is grateful for the mentors, volunteers and kids she works with.

The latter of which, is the focal point of Kinship.

“The kids in our program are so awesome,” she says. “I wish everyone could meet them!”

Michael Spafford Agency, Inc. Dave Regel Construction, Inc. Bruce Krogstad Agency Allen Jensen Agency Greg Brusletten Insurance Agency Gary L. Wilson-Team Wilson Bruce & Gwen Smith/DBA Bruce Smith Farms Metro Athletic Supply Inc. Gary & Rhonda Erickson Auctioneers Jeanette Olson - Independent Beauty Consultant Bremer Bank TBO Companies, Inc Loyal Order of the Moose Gerry Potvin Insurance Agency Fourwinds Market Lee's Sport & Saw Jensen-Sundquist Insurance Agency Main Street Café McKenzie Bowling Lanes Bremer Foundation Faith Lutheran Church Polk-Burnett Electric/ Operation Roundup Hutch Schilling-Nexen Danbury Methodist Church Computer Consulting Services Grantsburg IGA Siren Subway Rainbow Ridge Stotz & Co. CPA Voyager Village Arts & Craft Show Otto Bremer Foundation

Driver injured

custody on Monday, Feb. 26, according to court records.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said that the autopsy in the case has been completed, but its contents will not be released until the trial.

Robinson, a Minnesota attorney, replaces Mark Biller, Lehman's original lawyer. He is working with James Bartholomew in Wisconsin.

The Inter-County Leader is a qualified newspaper for the publication of legal notices, meeting the requirements as set forth in Chapter 985.03 of the Wisconsin Statutes. Every government official or board that handles public money should publish at regular intervals an accounting of it, showing where and how each dollar is spent.

We hold this to be a fundamental principle of democratic government.

Publisher reserves right to reject any advertisement or news release or letter of opinion at any time.

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History of the Leader can be (M-W, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thurs. & Fri. 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.) viewed at: www.the-leader.net 715-483-9008 • Fax - 715-483-1420

This car driven by Jennifer C. Lynes, 18, St. Louis Park, Minn., was severely damaged in a two-vehicle collision and the driver taken to the Spooner hospital for head injuries after she was hit by Carl J. Christner, 36, Spooner. Christner was northbound on CTH H in the town of Rusk when he lost control on a curve and slid into oncoming traffic. - Special photo

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POLK COUNTY - Sheriff Tim Moore warned Polk Country residents Monday to be alert to scams that may come in the mail. Some area residents have received letters in the mail stating that they are sweepstakes winners, although the letter is not personally addressed to the socalled winner. One of the letters states that the recipient won $50,000 from some drawing in Australia, but to receive that money, the letter holder must first pay a clearance fee. Another letter claims that the letter holder won $325,000 in a Fortune 500 Prize Pool Contest. Moore warns that these letters are “the usual scams,” and that calling the phone numbers listed on these letters would probably result in questions about people's personal bank accounts. - Julie Holmquist ••• MADISON - The DNR has announced that ice anglers must remove ice-fishing shelters soon from inland and boundary waters. Dates are determined by anticipated ice melting. If not removed, shanties can sink or be carried away, creating a threat to boaters. All ice-fishing shelters must be completely removed by: March 1 - Wisconsin-Minnesota boundary waters; March 5 - Inland waters south of Hwy. 64; March 15 - Inland waters north of Hwy. 64, Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Lake Superior and WisconsinMichigan boundary waters. Failure to remove a shanty by either of those deadlines could result in a forfeiture of $208.40. Additional costs may be incurred if the shanty breaks through the ice and must be recovered. After the date for removing permanent shelters from a frozen lake, an angler may continue to use a portable shelter but must remove it when it is not occupied.- with information from DNR

High-speed Corvette homicide case moves forward

by Julie Holmquist BALSAM LAKE - A second-degree reckless homicide case will move ahead to trial if attorneys cannot come to a settlement agreement in the Polk County case.

Douglas Mueller, 36, Clayton, was in court Monday on charges stemming from an April 2006 high-speed Corvette accident that took the life of Mueller's passenger, Robyn A. Cobb of Turtle Lake.

Polk County Judge Molly GaleWyrick found that enough evidence exists to move the case ahead to trial.

At Mueller's arraignment, the court entered a not-guilty plea. District Attorney Dan Steffen, who is prosecuting the case, and Mueller's attorney, Owen Williams, will meet to attempt a settlement agreement. They are scheduled for a conference with GaleWyrick on April 24. If the attorneys do not come to a settlement agreement, the case will go to trial.

Mueller was driving another man's Corvette - allegedly at 158 miles per hour - when he lost control and crashed headon into a tree, injuring Cobb, a mother of two. She died Dec. 29 from injuries sustained in the accident.

The accident took place April 26, 2006, and Polk County Deputy J. Syllora witnessed the results. He was heading southbound on Hwy. 46 that day when he met a red Corvette travelling northbound at what he estimated was 100 miles per hour.

According to the complaint, Syllora said he then saw a big cloud of dust and some of the impact of the accident in his rearview mirror.

He went to the scene and saw that the Corvette had run off the road, hitting trees and demolishing the car, leaving only the seats and the engine.

Sheriff Tim Moore said that the Corvette's “black box” computer shows that the 405-horsepower sports car had been going 158 miles per hour five seconds before the crash.

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 3

State of Minnesota drops case against masseuse Frederic graduate hopes to change law

by Gary King LINDSTROM, Minn. - Faced with an appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union, the state of Minnesota has decided to end its pursuit to prosecute a massage therapist for violating state law by having a sexual relationship with a former client - someone she eventually married.

LaRae Lundeen Fjellman of Lindstrom, Minn., the daughter of "Sonny" and Margaret Lundeen of rural Frederic and a graduate of Frederic High School, has been under investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health for nearly three years. She was ordered to not have sex with any former client and to pay a civil penalty.

But those orders were rescinded Feb. 9 when the state health department dropped the case, noting the facts "clearly do not constitute the egregious mischief or exploitation that the Legislature sought to protect the public from."

Prior to dropping the case, however, the state appeared to be determined to put Lundeen Fjellman out of business.

“Despite the fact that the psychologist concluded that she's a normal and ethical person, the department continued to pursue disciplinary charges against her, issuing numerous orders and stipulations articulating fines and punishment regarding her ability to practice her craft,” said a statement on the Minnesota ACLU's Web site.

Lundeen Fjellman, who has an office in Balsam Lake, met her husband in the late 1990s. He became a client in October of 2000 and remained a client until April of 2002. The couple began dating approximately four months after that and were married in September of 2003. Minnesota state law prohibits massage therapists from having sex with former clients for two years after the client relationship has ended. Noted as one of the strictest laws in the nation, it's meant to protect consumers from unlicensed alternative

LaRae Lundeen Fjellman (R) and her husband, Kirk. - Special photo care practitioners. Lundeen Fjellman said she didn't know the law existed until the state notified her after Fjellman's former wife filed a complaint. It began an ordeal that made a tremendous emotional impact on the Fjellmans. In addition to living with the fear of retribution, the stress of the legal battle has alienated family, friends, clients, colleagues and community members.

In dropping the complaint, the state health department had no explanation or comment.

Fjellman was relieved to save her 18year business, The Balanced Body, but it has also fueled her desire to see the law changed. ”It becomes about sex and that's what concerns me,” Lundeen Fjellman said this week. “In Minnesota they are looking at a legislative bill that singles out massage therapists and groups them with Internet sexual predators - it would be a felony to have sex with a client. I feel it's unconstitutional for the government to say who massage therapists can or cannot date and have consensual sex with.”

In terms of the constitution, the ACLU believes the state law infringes on the right to intimate association and the right to marry. The group also believes it violates the right to equal protection because it holds alternative health care providers - such as energy workers, yoga instructors, herbalists and others in the “healer industry” to a more rigorous standard than other

health care providers.

In an apparent irony, with the dropping of the case, the state of Minnesota becomes immune to an appeal in this case - one that could have ended up forcing a serious look at the law's validity.

But the ACLU is presently weighing options for challenging the constitutionality of the law, not only to protect other health care providers but to bring some measure of justice to Lundeen Fjellman who spent approximately $13,000 to defend herself against the charges and to relocate her business to Wisconsin. She was once asked to pay the state's costs in pursuing the case - a bill that had reached $22,000 a few months ago.

"While we are glad that the Department of Health now recognizes that discipline was inappropriate, it is deplorable that it took this long," ACLU Minnesota executive director Charles Samuelson said. "They reached this conclusion only after wasting state resources on an outrageous three-year inquisition that has shattered Mr. and Mrs. Fjellman both emotionally and financially." Lundeen Fjellman said she was asked recently by a reporter as to why she fought so hard against the state's attempts to find her guilty - and she immediately thought of her dad who has fought difficult and sometimes lonely battles with local, state and federal bureaucracies as a dairy farmer and landowner.

“I think my dad is very patriotic,” she said. “We grew up with that - my dad taught us to stand up for something you feel passionate and strongly about.

I could have easily flopped over - and who knows how it might have affected my life. I just feel this is the right thing to do.”

And her father, who expressed pride in his daughter’s fighting spirit, ended up with the final words, at least for this story: “They’ve got enough laws to make criminals out of all of us and if you don’t have enough money to buy your justice, you don’t get it.” - with information from the ACLU-Minnesota and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Schiebel reaches settlement with county Former county clerk, interim administrator receives additional pay and benefits

by Gregg Westigard BALSAM LAKE - Sharon Schiebel, the former Polk County interim administrative coordinator/finance director, has agreed to a severance package with the county which includes items on reinstatement, retirement, vacation and sick pay benefits and health insurance.

The release agreement was approved by the county's finance committee in a closed session last Oct. 4. The Leader has obtained a copy of the agreement in an open records request. Schiebel's employment with the county had been terminated in September as part of a reorganization of the Department of Administration. At the time. she was deputy director of administrative services.

Details of the release agreement Schiebel's layoff on Sept. 1, 2006, was rescinded, and she was paid her regular wages from that date through Dec. 16, with the records to show that she was on paid administrative leave. Those wages were treated as earnings for the state retirement system. Schiebel when took voluntary retirement as of Dec. 17, and received three weeks severance

pay. Schiebel started receiving accrued vacation pay on Jan. 7, 2007. After the exhaustion of her vacation pay, she was given the option of receiving a lump sum payment of 50 percent of her accumulated sick leave or of applying 67 percent of that leave toward health insurance premiums to maintain insurance through the county.

The county reinstated Schiebel's health insurance as of Sept. 1 and paid its 90 percent of the premium for the period she was in paid status. She was reimbursed for any payments she had made that would have been the county's share of the premium. The county also agreed not to seek to recoup any unemployment compensation paid to date and not to contest any unemployment compensations requests made after the paid status ended except for re-employment. The county also agreed to provide Schiebel a “truthful but positive” letter of recommendation for future employment.

All wages for the period of reinstatement and for other benefits were based on 40 hours per week at an hourly pay of $29.34. The cost of the settlement was not released.

The Oct. 4 closed session meeting was attended by finance committee members Gerald Newville, Neil Johnson, Larry Jepsen, Mick Larsen and Gary Bergstrom. Also present were county board member Patricia Schmidt, a member of the personnel committee, finance director Tonya Weinert, human relations director

Andrea Jerrick, and legal counsel Mindy Dale.

Schiebel signed the agreement Dec. 11, 2006.

Background Sharon Schiebel was Polk County Clerk from 1987 until 2000 when she resigned the elected post to take the job of deputy finance director in the newly created Department of Administration.

Many of the financial tasks Schiebel had performed as county clerk were transferred to the new department at that time.

When administrative coordinator financial director Frank Pascarella was terminated in the summer of 2004, Schiebel took that position on an interim basis and directed the county's finances until the new finance director Tonya Weinert was hired in the spring of 2006.

A reorganization of the Department of Administration, approved in July 2006, eliminated the deputy director position effective Sept. 1. Schiebel contested the resulting layoff and negotiations led to the newly approved settlement.

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PAGE 4 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

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Driver’s ed school chosen at Luck

by Mary Stirrat LUCK — The Luck School Board Monday night voted to contract with a local driver’s education school, Safe Start Driving School of Milltown, to provide driver’s education for Luck students, starting with the 2007-08 school year.

In the past the school district has offered its own program, at a cost of $100 per student. With continued financial losses due to the program, the school board last month decided to look

into contracting with a private school.

Safe Start, now operated by Dorie and Rick Pederson, charges $295 per pupil.

This cost includes 30 hours of classroom instruction at the school, six hours of behind-the-wheel, and six hours of observation.

Because of the jump in cost, the board also voted Monday night to split the fee for the program for the first two years.

The district will pay 50 percent of the cost for the 2007-08 school year, and 25 percent for 2008-09.

High school Principal Mark Gobler brought two different proposals to the board. Along with Safe Start, the Eau Claire School of Safety and Respect also submitted a proposal.

“Every school district that has employed either one of these companies has been satisfied, if not elated,” said Gobler. “They both have payment plans, and each handles the payments on its own. Each has some unique features.”

The Eau Claire school charges a fee of

$375 per pupil for the program.

Although the price is higher, it is guaranteed for three years unless gas prices exceed $3.50 per gallon. Safe Start’s fee is only guaranteed for one year.

The school districts of Frederic, Siren, and St. Croix Falls all use Safe Start, said Gobler. Classes will most likely be offered in April and August, but Luck students will be able to join Frederic or St. Croix Falls for June classes if they want.

New Web site in the works at Luck

by Mary Stirrat LUCK — In an effort to provide better communication with district residents and parents, as well as save money, Luck schools will be launching a new Internet Web site this summer.

“Our current Web site is not very said district user-friendly,” Administrator Rick Palmer at the Monday night meeting of the school board.

“I think we can get the school news out to the people who need it on a good Web site,” he said. “It would present the school in a better light.”

Palmer said he attended a presentation on SchoolCenter, a Web page design and management program that currently serves 5,000 school districts.

With SchoolCenter, the district can create a Web site that includes a calendar that is time-sensitive, teacher and classroom pages, and student projects and portfolios.

Cost for the program is $2,900. The district currently pays $800 for the license.

However, said Palmer, the program allows an online newsletter, with photos, that could replace the hard-copy newsletter now mailed to district residents 10 times a year. The cost of producing this newsletter is about $500 per month, he said, with many of them ending up in the post office garbage can.

In checking with surrounding school districts, Palmer found that Frederic produces a newsletter three times a year. Unity’s professionally produced newsletter costs about $29,000 per year, he said.

By eliminating all but three hard-copy newsletters, Luck would save about $3,500, which would more than pay for the new program. Residents would still receive via regular mail the summer newsletter, which includes the legal notices and policies, and one each

semester that lists events and community education offerings.

“I think we can easily save money,” Palmer told the board.

Compliment to staff District Administrator Rick Palmer complimented the school staff for their handling of the death of second-grader Zachary Wolfe. The 7-year-old died at the hands of his father two weeks ago.

“The elementary staff is quite a bunch of people,” said Palmer. “They were quite fantastic.

“Zach is going to be dearly missed.

It’s going to be a tough situation for a long time.”

Other business • Administrator Rick Palmer reported that the district received a $21,000 payment in lieu of taxes from the state of Wisconsin for the Straight Lake Park property.

• High school Principal Mark Gobler said that area districts have discussed a collaborative effort to create online classes for credit recovery. Each district would create classes in a specific curriculum area to be shared with the other districts, saving the cost of utilizing an outside vendor.

• Aimie Jorgenson was hired as head softball coach.

• The last day of classes is Tuesday, June 5. Elementary Principal John Nichols got the go-ahead to begin summer school the following Monday, June 11.

• The preliminary 2007-08 budget was presented by district Administrator Rick Palmer, who said, “It’s not a pretty picture, but that’s what state revenue caps do to us. We’ve made it work in the past, we’ll make it work again.”

Projected revenue is down about $2,000, with wage and salary increases estimated at $200,000.

Luck supports decision to close special education school

by Mary Stirrat BALSAM LAKE — Confirming a vote by area school district administrators that essentially closes the Polk County Special Education School, the Luck School Board Monday night voted to remove its method of funding the school and to close it.

Earlier this month, school superintendents around the county voted to

transfer the education of students at the special education school to the school districts in which the students reside.

Luck District Administrator Rick Palmer told the school board Monday that, at its height, the special education school served about 40 pupils. There are now only 12 to 14 students enrolled, with a $442,000 budget.

Luck has one student at the school

that will need special programming for another three years, according to Palmer.

“It just needs to be changed,” he told the board. “It’s going to be missed. But we feel we can offer as good or better a program this way.”

The school districts at Amery, Frederic, and Clear Lake will most likely be offering services for students cur-

rently enrolled at the special education school, said Palmer. The Luck student will be able to take part in Frederic’s programming.

A March 8 meeting has been set to work on developing Frederic’s plan, he said.

Workforce advancement training grants pay dividend to the state MADISON — Workforce Advancement Training Grants are improving employee skills and work environments, according to a survey by the Wisconsin Technical College System Office. A recent survey of grant recipients found the training increased employee skills for 100 percent of respondents and work environments were improved at 89 percent of these companies.

The grants, which enable the technical colleges to offer targeted job training to the current workforce, have served nearly 12,000 individuals at more than 100 companies in less than two years.

This training may occur either on site or on campus and 95 percent of the training is in the manufacturing sector.

“The Workforce Advancement Training Grants are for specific, customized training to make employers more globally competitive,” said Dan Clancy, president of the Wisconsin Technical College System. They enable businesses of all sizes to grow through improved productivity, and they support regional workforce and economic development efforts, Clancy said.

The survey also showed that 97 percent of employers were satisfied with the training, and the same percentage would return to the technical colleges for future training needs.

“Due to the lack of available workers the last several years, our manufacturing company has been in the situation

where we must hire someone with potential and then ‘grow our own’ skilled labor force,” said Jane Dauffenbach, president of Aquarius Systems, an aquatic weed control manufacturer in North Prairie. “While we are able to train them as we go along, we are too small and too busy to teach all the important nuances that will make a good employee a great employee. Training programs like this help provide our company with well-rounded talent that enables us to compete in the global market,” she added.

The state provided $2 million in Workforce Advancement Training Grants in the current biennial budget.

The governor has proposed including $8 million for this training program in his 2007-09 budget.

“We hope the Legislature will follow the governor’s lead and invest more heavily in these training grants,” Clancy said. “It offers a strong payback for our workforce.”

This program is only part of the technical colleges much larger mission of providing customized training and technical assistance to business and industry.

“Each year, more than 100,000 current employees upgrade their knowledge and skills in order to make their companies more productive and efficient,” Clancy said. “Customized training is provided in a number of flexible formats, including onsite training at busi-

nesses, long-distance learning technology or in traditional classrooms at one of the system’s many campuses around the state,” he added.

The Wisconsin Technical College System has 16 technical college districts throughout Wisconsin, which offer more than 300 programs awarding twoyear associate degrees, one- and twoyear technical diplomas and short-term technical diplomas. More than half of

all adults in our state have accessed the technical colleges for education and training. You can learn more about Workforce Advancement Training Grants and other WTCS economic development programs at the system’s economic development Web site, http://www.wtcsystem.edu/initiatives/econ_dev. — from WITC

Local food shelves to benefit from Feinstein Foundation LUCK/FREDERIC - The Feinstein Foundation will be dividing $1 million among hunger-fighting agencies nationwide using it to help them raise funds during March and April.

The more food donated to the Frederic Area Food Shelf and the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Luck from March 1 to April 30, the more money the Feinstein Foundation will provide in matching funds.

The amount of food is judged by weight, according to Frederic Area Food Shelf Director LaVonne Boyer.

Founded in 1991 by Alan Shawn Feinstein, the Feinstein Foundation is dedicated to philanthropic endeavors focusing on the alleviation of hunger, the importance of community service

in education and the values of caring, compassion and brotherhood.

The public is encouraged to remember that the more food donated during March and April, the more the food shelves will receive from the foundation in the way of a monetary donation.

Drop-off locations for the Frederic Area Food Shelf include all area churches, U.S. Bank, Bremer Bank, Affordable Quality Store, Frederic Grocery, Frederic Public LIbrary and at the food shelf itself from 2 to 6 p.m.

Thursdays.

At Luck, food may dropped off at the Luck Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Gary King

B U R N E T T

C O U N T Y

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 5

H E A D L I N E S

Grantsburg school board meeting mostly routine

by Carl Heidel GRANTSBURG - With teacher contract negotiations in a holding pattern, Monday night’s meeting of the Grantsburg Board of Education was mostly routine.

Board members approved the routine issuance of teaching contracts on March 15 for the 2007-2008 school year.

Superintendent Joni Burgin indicated that Wisconsin statutes require a district to offer the teaching contracts by

the 15th unless the district simply wants contracts currently in force to continue for the ensuing school year.

Burgin also indicated that no decisions on staff reduction will be made until budget and scheduling projections for the 2007-2008 school year are developed further. The present master contract gives the district until May 15 to make final decisions on layoffs.

The board also approved a recommendation that high school baseball be

moved from the summer season to the spring season in spring 2008. Other area schools have already made such a change, and Grantsburg joined them in order to provide a full schedule of games for the high school team.

Following the meeting, Burgin reported that the initial results of the open-enrollment process which ended last Friday brought over 600 applications statewide for admission to the Insight School of Wisconsin. Insight is

a school-management firm partnered with the Grantsburg schools to offer online learning in Wisconsin.

She said that projections had anticipated the 600 plus applications. Now Insight will begin the process of evaluating and approving the applications.

In other business the board accepted the resignation of Samantha Vohs, FACE instructor and approved the international Spanish trip scheduled for 2008.

Burnett supervisors hear update on recycling

by Sherill Summer BURNETT COUNTY – Rick Schneider provided an update on recycling programs in Burnett County. This year Burnett County is again entering a recycling cooperative with Polk and Washburn counties.

Last year the cooperative purchased a mobile cardboard bailer that prepares cardboard collected at different sites to be sold on the market. Schneider noted that the price for cardboard on the market went up during the year from $30 per ton to $90 per ton. Another development from last year was that the coop went to single-stream recycle boxes where the different types of recyclable are collected together in the same box.

The new program saves money because up to twice as many recyclable are collected before the dumpster needs to be emptied. With the old system, the plastic bin filled up first, requiring the dumpster to be emptied even though some of the bins were not at all full. The recyclables are taken to the Twin Cities to be sorted.

This year the co-op is attempting to secure grants to begin collecting the thin plastic trays greenhouses and nurseries use. Collection sites will be set up at various nurseries and greenhouses.

People will need to bring back the plastic trays to these sites, not to the sites where most recyclables are collected.

Previously this grade of plastic went to the landfills.

Two resolutions were approved enabling Burnett County to enter the recycling cooperative.

Wayne Burmeister (R) presents a certificate to Kathy Swingle (L) recognizing her 19-1/2 years of service as the county surveyor. Swingle thanked the board for standing behind her ideas so that together they were able to take the creative route instead of the expensive route. Later on, Burmeister introduced the new county surveyor, Jason Towne, to the county board.

Purchase of Development Rights Program Dave Ferris, the county conservationist, explained the developments of the purchase of development rights program on the national and state level.

There are some encouraging signs for proponents of this program. Some tax codes have been changed to encourage participation in the program, and Gov. Jim Doyle has proposed more funding for the Stewardship Fund. Additional funding sources are emerging that

counties can use to match federal money.

Burnett County has positioned itself well to take advantage of the purchase of development rights program as it develops, noted Ferris. However, a stringent application process that includes surveying and appraisal of the property must be completed before any of the national or state funds are sought.

This process is not cheap. It will cost several thousand dollars for each applicant, although Ferris stressed that only properties that are likely to be successful will be encouraged to go through the application process.

At this point there was debate among the board members. Some questions asked were, Should taxpayers pay for a program like this? What can this program do for the majority of the property owners if the application process is so stringent? Fears were also raised that property owners would lose some of their options if surrounding properties participated.

On the other hand was the view that this program is the only way to maintain the quality of life in Burnett County because zoning is not doing a great job.

Zoning is too political. There are businesses that depend on the farmland and forests.

The board was not asked to take any action with the purchase of development rights program at this meeting.

Safe and Stable Family update LeeAnn Mulroy gave a report on the programs Safe and Stable Family are

involved in. The baby-go-round program that passes on used baby items in good shape to needy families is going well, and a support group for juvenile victims of sexual assault is in the planning stages.

Zoning decisions Two zoning requests were approved and three denied by the county board.

A request by Janice Heier to rezone her property in the town of Oakland from A to A-2 and a request by the Satterlunds to rezone their property in the town of Union from A-2 to RR-3 were both approved. Two requests in Anderson and one in Swiss were denied.

Other actions taken by the board The board designated April 2 through April 6 as Work Zone Safety Awareness Week. The board also approved a resolution to reduce youth smoking and to help others to quit smoking.

A turkey stamp fund grant application was approved, a river protection grant application for the Clam River was also approved and the forest administrator got the go-ahead to search for funds to help Burnett County acquire land for outdoor recreation.

Emergency fire wardens for 2007 were also approved.

A resolution to include service in the Armed Forces after Dec. 31, 1973 to eligible for credit in the Wisconsin Retirement System was postponed until next meeting, and the health and human service’s final report from 2005 was presented to the board.

Governor calls for reauthorization of natural resource funds STATEWIDE – Gov. Jim Doyle outlined plans to protect more of Wisconsin’s natural resources by calling for reauthorization of the KnowlesNelson Stewardship Program as part of his 2007-2009 budget. The move is drawing praise from land conservation organizations like the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation.

“Thanks to the Stewardship Program, Ice Age Trail segments through the city of St. Croix Falls and along the Straight River have been permanently protected for current and future generations to enjoy,” said Dean Dversdall, Indianhead Chapter Coordinator for the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation.

“Reauthorization of the Stewardship Program would be a huge step in permanently protecting the rest of the Ice Age Trail.”

The Ice Age Trail will be a 1,000-mile hiking path highlighting Wisconsin’s glacial features and scenic beauty. More than 600 miles are open to the public for hiking, and the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is key to acquiring the lands needed to complete the Ice Age Trail.

Established in 1989 in honor of former Govs. Warren Knowles and Gaylord Nelson, the Stewardship Program has helped protect more than 475,000 acres of high-quality recreation and environmentally sensitive land in Wisconsin

from development – places like Straight Lake State Park and Wildlife Area. These lands are available to the public for hunting, hiking, fishing, camping, wildlife viewing and other outdoor activities.

The Stewardship Program sunsets in 2010, but Doyle’s new budget includes $105 million a year through 2020 for the Stewardship Program, which has enjoyed historically bipartisan support in the state Legislature. The Legislature will debate the governor’s full budget proposal, including the Stewardship Program, in the coming weeks. Ice Age Trail supporters are seeking an earmark within the Stewardship Program of $4 million per year specifically for Ice Age Trail purchases, similar to the earmark in the previous two Stewardship Programs.

Vicki Elkin, stewardship campaign director for Gathering Waters Conservancy, the statewide umbrella organization for land trusts, noted that Republican governors Tommy Thompson and Scott McCallum adjusted the Stewardship Program several times from its original funding level of $25 million annually to reflect soaring land values across the state.

Andrew Hanson, trailway director for the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation, notes that of the 70 miles of the Ice Age Trail that have been permanently pro-

tected since 1990, 57 of those miles received some assistance from the Stewardship Program. “With the cost of Ice Age Trail lands quadrupling over the past 10 years, Gov. Doyle has recognized that it is time, once again, to increase the Stewardship Program so that our conservation efforts can keep pace with escalating land values,” Hanson said.

“Additionally, since 2000, Stewardship Program funding of many Ice Age Trail acquisitions has been matched by federal Ice Age Trail funding,” said Hanson. To date, Congress has appropriated $10.9 million for the

Ice Age Trail to match state, local and private funds and extend the reach of the Stewardship Program.

“This commitment of matching funds demonstrates the broad public support for land conservation and the urgent need for additional lands for outdoor public recreation,” said Elkin. “In many parts of the state, we have a very small window of opportunity to protect the best of what remains of outdoor Wisconsin. Citizens across the state understand that and are united in their support of the Stewardship Program.” from the Ice Age Trail Foundation

One more try at snowshoeing GRANTSBURG - Crex Meadows Wildlife Area is attempting to have one more try at a snowshoeing program for the season. This one might just work out.

Come to Crex Meadows Wildlife Area in Grantsburg and enjoy the snow on Friday, March 2, for a Full Moon Snowshoe Program. The March full moon is known as the Maple Sugar Moon. The program will start at 7 p.m. and end about 8:30 p.m. Before venturing out for a 45-minute snowshoe hike, they will have a brief pro-

gram about maple sugaring and how maple syrup is made.

The program will end with hot chocolate and homemade scones.

Please dress warm and bring a mug.

Bring snowshoes if you have them or you may borrow a pair at the center, available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Donations of $3/person or $5/family is appreciated.

Preregistration is required. Call Carly at 715-463-2739. - from Crex Meadows

PAGE 6 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Balsam Lake woman may face attempted homicide charges after stabbing incident

by Julie Holmquist POLK COUNTY - A Balsam Lake woman may face attempted homicide charges in Polk County for the alleged stabbing of a former boyfriend.

Wilda Brouhard, 52, was arrested in the alleged stabbing incident Feb. 10 by the Polk County Sheriff’s Department and was later released on bail with a restraining order.

But on Friday, Feb. 23, Polk County authorities arrested her again, after responding to a call from her former boyfriend. He told authorities he was missing a $3,200 check and that Brouhard was harassing him.

Charges were filed Monday in Polk

County Court in connection with the Feb. 23 arrest. Brouhard is charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property, as well as violating a restraining order and two counts of bail jumping. A preliminary hearing on those charges has been scheduled for Feb. 28.

On Monday, Polk County Sheriff Tim Moore said the department would also be requesting attempted homicide charges from the district attorney’s office.

According to the sheriff’s department, deputies found a Gerber-brand dagger in Brouhard’s car last Friday, the shipping bag containing the $3,200 check that her ex-boyfriend was miss-

Community notification meeting Thursday SIREN – Local and state law enforcement officials will conduct a community notification meeting this Thursday, March 1, at 7 p.m. in the Siren High School Auditorium to notify the public on the community placement of convicted sex offender Anthony A. Atkins, 33.

Atkins was convicted in 2004 of first-degree sexual assault of a child.

Members of the public attending the meeting will be provided with a card to write down any questions they may have. Those questions will be read aloud and answered.

Among those officials at the meeting will be Sheriff Dean Roland, Siren Police Chief Chris Sybers, Burnett County Sheriff’s Department

Investigator Ron Wilhelm – and two state officials the with Wi s c o n s i n Department o f Corrections.

J o e Fitzpatrick, a Sex Offender Aitkins R e g i s t r y Specialist and Anne Cartman, Field Supervisor for Burnett and Polk counties for the state Department of Corrections, will be available to answer questions.

ing, as well as garbage from his home that he also notice missing.

Brouhard’s restraining order stated that she was to avoid her ex-boyfriend’s home, to not harass or have any indirect or direct contact with him.

Brouhard was arrested Feb. 10 after a deputy was called to a domestic-abuse incident. The officer saw the male victim lying unconscious on the floor of the kitchen and he appeared to have a cut on his chest. The officer aided him until medical help arrived.

According to the sheriff’s report, a verbal argument apparently led to physical violence. After an officer read Brouhard her rights, she told the officer that she “got so mad” and grabbed a kitchen knife and “stabbed him” in the chest. She told authorities that she “just want to kill” this man.

Brouhard also told authorities that she had attempted to kill herself by tak-

ing “52 Vicodin” tablets.

Authorities reported that the exboyfriend did not remember the incident after regaining consciousness. He received treatment and was released from a hospital.

Brouhard was living in Community Referral Agency home in Milltown at the time of her second arrest.

When the ex-boyfriend noticed that his check and some of his garbage was missing from his home, he drove to S & C Bank in Balsam Lake. He told authorities that he saw Brouhard park by Angler’s Inn at that time and watch him as he parked at the bank.

When he drove home, the man told police that Brouhard was parked near his residence. He then attempted to drive to a friend’s home, but Brouhard allegedly tried to block the road with her vehicle for a short time.

Webster water tower develops a leak WEBSTER – The Webster Village Board met one week later than usual, on Feb. 21, so that their meeting would not interfere with Valentines Day. An expansion joint in the village water tower developed a leak last month. Because of the cold weather, a temporary repair was made, but a more permanent repair will wait until the weather warms up in May. The water tower will need to be drained for the repairs, but water will still be available

in the village during the repair.

In other business planning for the maintenance needs of the village buildings was discussed. The office building in particular may need a new roof, but no action was taken by the board.

An ad for part-time maintenance help will be placed in area papers.

Only one building permit for a renovation was brought before the board.

–Sherill Summer

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 7

Siren picks up 16 open enrollment applications Board permanently hires half-time music teacher, increases nurse hours and adds two English courses SIREN – Among the 41 open enrollment applications at Siren Schools for the 2007-08 school year, 16 of them represent new students.

Open enrollment allows Wisconsin residents to enroll their child in a public school in a district in which they do not reside.

At Siren, the district’s current 25 open enrollment students have re-enrolled,

according to superintendent Scott Johnson.

The Siren School Board met Monday evening for its regular monthly meeting during which the board went into closed session to discuss staffing concerns.

Reconvening in open session, the board announced it had permanently hired Cora Sower for the half-time elementary music position. Previously, Sower was on a one-year contract.

The board also recalled two special education aides and increased the inschool nurse’s hours from eight to 12 hours. – Sherill Summer

State prisoner contract with Douglas County nets $1 million in property tax relief MADISON - Speaking in front of a Superior Days group in the State Capitol Building Tuesday, state Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, announced that the state contract with Douglas County to house prisoners has meant $1 million – and growing – in property tax relief to Douglas County residents.

“This partnership has been a benefit to the state, the county and taxpayers,” Jauch said. “Every day this contract has been in place has assisted the state with its responsibilities, and every dollar the state has reimbursed the county has meant a benefit to the local taxpayer.”

In 2004, Jauch responded to a request from Douglas County Sheriff Tom Dalbec and approached Department of Corrections Secretary Matt Frank about the county’s desire to contract with the state in order to assist with the prison population and provide additional revenue to the county at the same time.

The state pays the county $51 a day for each inmate housed in the county facility, and on Jan. 8, 2007, the county recorded the one-millionth dollar from the contract. The county expects to

receive that payment by the second week in March.

At the Tuesday morning Department of Corrections briefing with Superior Days citizen lobbyists, Jauch praised Secretary Matt Frank and Gov. Jim Doyle for their willingness to consider partnering with the county to house as many as 47 inmates a day in the county jail over the last 22 months.

“Although I’d prefer a better way to provide property tax relief, the need for additional correctional beds in the state prison system has resulted in a proverbial win-win for the state corrections department and for Douglas County taxpayers,” Jauch said.

Jauch noted that there is no guarantee that the contract with the state will be permanent, but that with the prison population on the rise, the partnership continues to serve a purpose.

“This is an example of the state working with the north for the benefit of northern citizens and taxpayers alike,” Jauch added. - from the office of Senator Jauch

Purchase of development rights program discussed BURNETT COUNTY - The debate at the county board meeting last Wednesday, Feb. 21, surrounding the purchase of development rights, or PDR, highlighted uncertainties within the county board of the wisdom of pushing the county towards this path.

The housing developments popping up in neighboring counties is a glimpse of what the PDR is attempting to control. Here is an introduction of PDR for all that are unfamiliar with the program.

The PDR program attempts to financially compensate landowners for not developing their land so they will be less tempted to develop their land.

The value of the development rights is similar to the difference between the fair-market value of the land without the easement and its value restricted by the easement. An example is an 80-acre farm that could be worth $10,000 per acre if sold for home sites, but only $2,500 per acre if restricted by the easement for agriculture use. The difference

between the two, or $7,500 per acre would be the cost of development rights.

Although the landowner still owns the land after selling development rights and can use it or sell it, the community obtains permanent legal easement that restricts development of the land. In other words, the land can be sold, but the buyer must keep the land much as it is. The program attempts to ensure that future farmers can purchase large tracts of land at an affordable price and forests will be available for industries that depend on them.

Flexibility and room for growth can be arranged for within each PDR. An example would be a PDR designed to preserve agricultural lands might allow an additional house or two as long as their placement doesn’t affect the longterm agricultural use.

The program is completely voluntary.

No landowner would be forced to participate. - submitted

PAGE 8 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

L e a d e r

F O R U M Editor’s NOTEBOOK

We b Po l l Last week’s question: Do you believe the criteria for issuing an Amber Alert: 1. Should remain the same - issued only in stranger abduction or where known sexual predators are involved - not used for parent custody issues 15 votes (29 percent) 2. Should be left solely at the discretion of the head of the local law enforcement agency 36 votes (71 percent) Total votes: 51 This week’s question: Do you think our lack of heavy snowfalls is a sign of global warming?

1. Yes. 2. No

J o e H e l l e r

Answers may emerge

T

he Luck community - and we believe - people throughout the scattering of small communities up and down Hwy. 35 and beyond that we reach - remain in mourning this week - alongside family members of those who died in senseless murders last week.

And we’re contemplating what lessons can be learned from it all.

The answers aren’t all there yet. And it’s not clear if they ever will be.

The issue of how law enforcement should respond when a child goes missing is spelled out in black in white in manuals and it’s engrained in our senses as caring adults and parents - but the only thing clear is that hindsight is always perfect. It’s foresight - what we can learn from it all - that has to take center stage now.

Perhaps the saddest aspect of the child abduction and murder-suicide is the impact the news has had on the children of our community. How are they reflecting and associating their own situation, particularly if they be from a family struck by divorce. Their fears, for the most part, are unfounded - but their awareness of self-worth and wellness can be positive.

Communication, according to all the experts, is what parents need to nurture with their children these days.

And speculation swirls around the murder of a 33-year-old Luck man in a separate tragedy last week - a natural phenomenon. Some, if not all, theories regarding motive and details are just that - and it’s best to let the facts unfold in the courtroom in the coming weeks. Out of respect to the family and our community.

N

Centralizing animal control

eighboring Barron County is looking hard at a “centralized” system for stray animal control.

It's been “on the table” for about a year now, according to a news report from the Barron News-Shield, but officials may be closer to deciding what direction the county should take in getting a handle on what every municipality and county seems to be struggling with - more so in recent years.

If the county decides to administer the enforcement of licensing and fees, with some financial help from towns and villages, there's some questions that remain unanswered, according to the News-Shield report: - Would each municipality be required to contribute to the program, or would an increase in the general levy fund a new position and service?

- Where would a kennel for strays be located?

- What level of staffing would be necessary to respond to animals-at-large calls and to also care for pets taken into custody?

- How would the county coordinate efforts with local veterinarians and/or the Humane Society of Barron County for care, custody and/or euthanasia?

- How would county and municipal clerks work together for dog license sales and regulations matters?

Animal control in Barron County in recent years has had to be accomplished with "little support, untrained personnel and no clear authority," according to one official. Multiple surveys conducted across the county have shown overwhelming support for the county getting involved, and a county program would allow for specially trained personnel to handle the stray animal work.

Eyes are on Barron County. If they can make their new plan - whatever it may turn out to be - work, it's likely to provide some valuable information for other local counties.

All editorials on this page by editor Gary King

Cooperative:

W h e re t o Wr i t e President George Bush 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20500 president@whitehouse.gov Governor Jim Doyle 115 East, State Capitol Bldg.

Mailing address: P.O. Box 7863 Madison, WI 53707 wisgov@mail.state.wi.us Congressman David Obey 7th Congressional District 2462 Rayburn Office Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20515 or Wisconsin office: Federal Building Wausau, WI 54401 (715) 842-5606 Rep. Ann Hraychuck 28th Assembly District State Capitol, P.O. Box 8942 Madison, WI 53708 Phone: 608-267-2365 Toll free: 888-529-0028 In-District 715-485-3362 rep.hraychuck@legis.state.wi.us

Rep. Frank Boyle 73rd Assembly District Room 221 North State Capitol P.O. Box 8952 Madison 53708 E-mail: Rep.Boyle@legis.state.wi.us

Senator Sheila Harsdorf 10th Senate District State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707 (608) 266-7745 • (715) 232-1390 Toll-free - 1-800-862-1092 sen.harsdorf@legis.state.wi.us

Rep. Mary Hubler 75th Assembly District Room 7 North, State Capitol P.O. Box 8952 Madison, WI 53708 or 1966 21-7/8 St. (Hawthorne Lane), Rice Lake 54868 (715) 234-7421• (608) 266-2519 rep.hubler@legis.state.wi.us

U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold SDB 40, Rm. 1 Washington, D.C. 20510 or 8383 Greenway Blvd.

Middleton, WI 53562 (608) 828-1200 senator@feingold.senate.gov

Senator Robert Jauch 25th Senate District Room 19 South State Capitol P.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707 E-mail: Sen.Jauch@legis.state.wi.us

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

Washington, D.C. 20510 senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov Congressman Ron Kind 3rd Congressional District 1713 Longwirth Office Bdg. Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-5506 888-442-8040 (toll-free) ron.kind@mail.house.gov

an enterprise or organization owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services

A tip of the Hat Barbara Jorgensen of Luck is a second-grade teacher at Osceola who orchestrates the collection of pennies among her students every February for the past 10 years to help in the fight against Leukemia. Her students have raised $18,883 since 1996. Jorgensen said last year alone $2,050 was raised. “We raise between $1,000 and $3,000 every year,” said Jorgensen. “That's a lot for these little kids and their pennies.”

Jorgensen makes a difference not only in collecting pennies but in teaching kids to think of others and the good that can be done by picking up just one penny off the street and giving to Leukemia research. She planned to take all the pennies she and her class has collected to the bank this Thursday. A tip of the hat this week to Barbara Jorgensen.

Editor’s note: Do you know a person or group who deserves recognition and thanks for what they do to make our community the good place it is? Give us a hand. Call us at 715-327-4236 or e-mail the-leader@centurytel.net and tell us who you think we should honor with "A Tip of the Hat.")

The views expressed on these pages do not necessarily represent the views of ICPPA board members or employees

T h e

I n t e r - C o u n t y

L e a d e r

i s

a

L e a d e r Views from across the S t a t e Private-sector bureaucracies fail health care consumers

I

n the debate over universal health care, one problem gets scant attention: private-sector bureaucracies.

The idea of private-sector bureaucracies as a problem will come as a jolt to those who view bureaucracies as only a public-sector phenomenon. However, layers and layers of private-sector administration are increasingly responsible for an American health care system that costs too much and leaves too many people without insurance or basic care.

How bad is it? Eleven months ago, universal health care advocate Dr. Linda Farley told an audience in Black River Falls that administrative costs consume 31 cents of each health care dollar and that Americans pay $487 per capita annually in billing costs alone, compared to $85 in Canada.

Farley blamed a system of “market-driven, investor-owned, for-profit health care” that often displays an appalling indifference to health care consumers.

“The financing of our health care system is really a shell game with all the payers trying to avoid the fixed costs of health care,” Farley said.

Consumers know this firsthand. Those who are lucky enough to have insurance still must wade through a complex maze of paperwork whenever they file a claim. Even the most sophisticated policyholders often can’t comprehend their policies or understand why certain claims are partially reimbursed or denied altogether.

Does that sound like a system designed to guarantee adequate health care for everyone regardless of ability to pay? Yes, public-sector bureaucracies can be insulated and unaccountable, but a public-sector bureaucracy liberated from the profit motive can also put a greater emphasis on patient care. The Veterans Administration system is a government-run bureaucracy from top to bottom, and veterans organizations vehemently oppose privatizing or voucherizing the VA. Why? Because they don’t dare take their chances with privately run health care.

The dominant political narrative weaves a tale of a magnificently efficient private sector versus a public sector that’s hopelessly inept. America’s health care system reveals that narrative as false, and it’s one that must be challenged and defeated before universal health care can be achieved. Tomah Journal

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FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 9

F O R U M

C o m m u n i t y

V O I C E S

a greenhouse. This “panel” isn't bad.

Without it, the earth's average temperature would be zero degrees Fahrenheit! Brr! What is bad is that human activity today is increasing the levels of greenhouse gases in hat happened to winter? the atmosphere. Of course, most of these Winters just aren't what they used gases are naturally there, but with the onset to be, are they? of the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th I remember, as a child, that the snowbanks century, emission of carbon dioxide has were taller than me! Us kids used to really have increased tremendously.

Aimee to bundle up before we went outside. My Increased greenhouse gases means mother used to have me wear old bread bags Juan increased temperatures. Increased temperaover my socks and underneath my boots. No, tures mean less seasonal change (among that's not very chic, but my feet were dry and other disastrous effects). warm I tell you!

So is this what's really happening to winter? Could Granted, the snowbanks could have been that high be. But, lately, I've been leaning toward my own rendibecause 1) a plow had come through and pushed the tion of what's happening to our planet. snow that high or 2) my young eyes made things seem If you look back millions of years into the Earth's taller than they really were. But, still, I remember it history, there is a trend. There are periods when the was hard walking through the snow. And you were average temperature is high and there are periods never able to see the pavement on the roads from when it is low. I think we're just getting into a period November through March. when the average temperature is increasing.

Things are different these days. We're lucky if there's Along with this theory of mine, I also think that pos3 inches of snow on the ground. Just the slightest clip- sibly (possibly, I stress) we humans are on the way out. per storm dropping a measly few inches of snow I mean, think about it - the dinosaurs are gone. Mother sends the snowmobilers into a frenzy - they're every- Nature selects which species dominate the planet at a where! certain time. Maybe our time is up. It is not likely that I can't think of too many days this past winter when humans will survive the long-term effects of global I was unable to walk my dog. The country road I live warming. on was dry most of the time.

Then again, I could be wrong. And like I always say What happened to winter? in my theological papers, “We will know the answers Scientists say that global warming is making winter to all our questions when this life ends.” go away. Just what is global warming, you might ask.

The sun sends all kinds of energy to outer space.

Editor’s note: Aimee Juan is an enrolled member of the St. Earth, in the sun's trajectory, gets some of this energy Croix Chippewa of Wisconsin. She resides on the tribe’s (heat). Usually, all of the energy we get from the sun is Maple Plain Community with her husband, Dezmond radiated back into outer space. (from the Fort Yuma tribe in Arizona), and their dog, There are “greenhouse gases” such as carbon diox- Makoons. Juan is the managing editor of the tribal Vision ide and water vapor in our atmosphere. These gases newspaper and holds a bachelor’s degree from Augsburg absorb some of the energy trying to get back to outer College in Minneapolis. space - creating a sort of glass panel that keeps heat in

What happened to winter?

W

Fo l l o w t h e L e a d e r.

S t a f f Don’t puff, puff, puff that cigarette

C O R N E R

my husband hadn't given me an ultimatum when we were engaged: quit smoking or no marriage.

I seemed to be more addicted to him than to nicotine, so my light smoking habit dispparently the world's love affair with appeared, thank the Lord. cigarettes is going up in smoke.

The smell of cigarette smoke disgusts me From New York City to Paris to the now and I do not want to remain in any Midwest, smoking bans are proliferating, and establishment where I can smell the stuff. now Gov. Doyle is proposing a huge increase And after a couple of decades of seeing the in state cigarette taxes and a statewide smokJulie havoc smoking wreaks in people's lives, the ing ban. death sticks hold no allure.

Holmquist I'm a nonsmoker now, but I once puffed While it goes against my grain to see govFrench cigarettes in a silly effort to lose my ernment telling private businesses that no “farm girl” reputation. one can light up on their property, health statistics There I was, a college student in Europe, trying to from other places with smoking bans do look convincprove to my urbane East Coast cohorts that I was not ing. some Midwestern “hick.”

Smoking-related deaths in New York City fell by Pretty tough to do, seeing as I was raised on a more than 800 a year from 2000 to 2005, a drop of Minnesota hog farm. But I was young, ungrateful for more than 10 percent. my upbringing and actually thought those East Coast City health officials there say Mayor Michael kids knew more than I did. So I stuck a cigarette in my Bloomberg's ban on smoking in restaurants and bars mouth and tried to show them something, although and steep cigarette taxes have saved hundreds of I'm not sure what. lives, according to the New York Times.

Thus, my short, misguided love affair with cigaFor all the addicted smokers who want to quit, rettes began. there's still hope. On the scientific side, scientists have In Europe 20-some years ago, you couldn't travel discovered a new area of the brain linked to addiction. anywhere without someone offering you a cigarette, It seems scientists studying stroke patients have diswhether or not you requested one. It was kind of like covered that an injury to a specific part of the brain offering someone a stick of gum. can permanently break a smoking habit. According to When I returned home, I kept smoking. My father a January report in the journal Science, people with was greatly alarmed with he confused the odor of my the injury found that their bodies “forgot the urge to French cigarettes with marijuana. smoke.”

“No, Dad, it's just a cigarette,” I said, not even conAnd since I'm a Christian, I have to tell you that I've sidering that I was slowly killing myself with the known people who've accepted Jesus Christ into their things. I thought I was being “worldly” when I was hearts and were cured of their smoking addiction in being profoundly stupid. It's amazing how we human an instant. beings can deceive ourselves.

Miracles still occur.

Who knows, I might still be polluting my body if

A

c o o p e r a t i v e - o w n e d

n e w s p a p e r

PAGE 10 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

L e a d e r F O R U M Letters t o t h e e d i t o r Thankful for failure

If memory serves me right, it was Arnold Toynbee in his many astute observations in his monumental history of the world who writes, "Great empires die as result of suicide." Friends, from the pinnacle of power, the United States is in that process today. We are following the same arrogant, ruthless, foolish reach for power as leaders of empires have throughout history.

One of the reasons for the decline of Roman power was that leaders no longer wished to serve in their Legions but rather hired their poorer citizens to do their fighting. (Does anyone see anything like that today?)

Time after time the Ottoman Empire was warned to leave Vienna alone in its attempt to conquer Europe. Sheer stubbornness ruled its plans and brought on its loss of power.

Napoleon insisted on the immediate conquest of Moscow even though it was winter. He came back a defeated emperor.

Hitler's Third Reich also bled to death on the Russian Front.

England's proud boast that "The sun never sets on the British Empire" finally led to the loss of a generation of young men in a foolish struggle of pride against Germany, also seeking an empire. No one has ever found a good reason for World War I. That senseless war left three ambitious nations completely exhausted.

Today a cabal of neo-conservative Americans has written plans for forming an American Empire, proclaiming the right to invade other nations at will, and to topple any foreign leader of whom they do not approve. As a result President Bush's reach for imperial power America has lost its prestige in military and economic power in all areas where it used to be dominant.

Where America has for a hundred years been respected, and indeed loved, President Chevez of Venezuela can now thumb his nose at the U.S. and claim leadership of South and Central America. In the Far East, in spite of all the American bluster and threat, it is China, Japan and South Korea that have negotiated a stop to nuclear exploration by North Korea. It is that trio and India that have now also become the economic powers of the Far East.

It has been the European countries that have taken the leadership in negotiation with Iran. The proud declarations of the neo-conservatives in their Progress for the New American Century are now in rapid disarray. Just seven years into the new 21st century, the same foolish, arrogant, overreaching ambition as doomed empires of the past is rapidly destroying the grandiose plans of Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and the rest of the neo-conservatives. But let us be thankful, thankful for failure, thankful for failure to become an empire. How many Americans would want the constant problems of maintaining military strength so some future adventuresome president can call himself Commander in Chief.

Edwin Pedersen Luck

Simple interpretation?

In last week's letter, Lot of company, the writer asserts the truth of John 1:6. Taken literally and out of context, that verse sounds exclusive, saying only followers of Jesus will live in the house of God; by implication, Muslims and Jews will not.

However, in the context of John 1:1-6, one hears Jesus responding to Thomas, reassuring his disciples that God's house has many rooms, and those who follow his example of a Godly life will join him there. And as I understand the faiths of Christians, Muslims and Jews, the fundamentals of a Godly life are quite similar.

So why not team up with our Muslim and Jewish sisters and brothers who all worship the God of Abraham and go to

war against atheist, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Confucians, Taoists and Shinto?

Even if they live godly lives, they will not live in God's house. Could hell be so accommodating? And not only do they threaten the weak with false beliefs, they are a rapidly rising economic force, competing for resources better spent on the children of the true God. Seriously, I wonder what are these ancient religion wars about? Maybe it's simply interpretation, a style difference between those who impose literal modern meaning on ancient words, and those who struggle to find contemporary Godly meaning in those words. Maybe, it's ancient tribal competition: Like street gangs, we adopt religious jargon and rituals that allow us to identify each other, we're suspicious of difference, we proclaim superiority in our differences, we build meeting houses, we support our team, and in the competition of small differences, we lose track of what matters most, and that is how we live a Godly life.

With a light and respectful heart, Norman Jensen Madison and Siren

It s not us?

In reply to last week's letter It's not us: Reference source - Grantsburg school district annual meeting booklet.

Sources of Grantsburg School District revenue: (see page 18).

State - 67.41 percent; Local - 27.31 percent The state source of $6,299,468 comes from Wis. taxpayers.

The local source of $2,552,082 comes from the school portion of the property tax.

We, the taxpayers, contribute to all the funding.

What factors make up where the district spends money: (see page 21).

Salaries and fringe benefits - compensation = 65.88 percent or $6,313,163 Current information from the district reports that the following salary figures are what teachers are currently being paid, based on the 2004-2005 contract.

Since teachers do not have a settled contract, this is the most accurate information currently.

Avg. Salary - $38,406 Avg. Fringe - $23,483 Total Avg. Comp. - $61,889 for 38 weeks of work per year. 38/52 - .73 FTE The fringe benefit is 38 percent.

Health care is 63 percent of fringe benefits.

Compensation = Salary + Fringe Highest = $50,700 + $30,669 = $81,369 Middle = $38,198 + $28,138 = $66,336 Lowest = $27,987 + $14,651 = $42,638 For non school district workers, what is the average salary, fringe benefit, total compensation for our greater Grantsburg area for comparison? 38/52 = .73 FTE Valuation, Levy rate (mills), tax levy: (see page 16).

Former Rep. Mark Pettis said it this way while in office: The way to control spending suggests that as the percent of valuation increases, the percent of levy rate should decrease.

The property valuation reported has increased over the last 12 years. The lowest was 7.3 percent, the highest was 20.16 percent. 2006-07 it was an 8.31-percent increase.

The levy rate (mills). Does the percent decrease, at the same rate as the percent valuation increases? No. This point is critical and the result is?

Does it have a downward trend? Yes. For 06-07 the mill increased by 44.

The tax levy is the part that all property taxpayers pay as shown on the school line of every tax bill. It is the local 27.31 percent above. Trend down or up? Up. It increased by 14.10 percent for 06-07.

The top two problems in our state and at our local level are: • High property taxes.

• High health care costs.

We are the seventh highest in total taxes and ninth highest in property taxes.

It may be in your best interest to read all the information at www.taxpayerwatchdogs.org especially the last three articles.

The county, town/villages are not the problem. For the last two years, by law, these have been capped at 2 percent plus some increase based on growth. The county sheriff and jail captain teams are costcontrol heroes. Cost consultants to our school district ?

Look at the last three years of your tax bill, by line item, and you will see the problem.

Controlling and lowering costs are very real. The QEO law guarantees you all a 3.8-percent compensation increase each year. Every worker and social security recipient would like that. Why is the union trying to uncap that in Madison?

Quality? Define it please. How is it measured and by whom ?

It's not us? Facts or hype? Truth or fiction?

Rich Hess Trade Lake

Steve Pearson, my funny valentine

I read with wonderment, and a bit of endearment, Steve Pearson's column: My funny Valentine. I'm his funny Valentine?

I know I'm from California, but I feel uncomfortable now.

Also I've never been ambushed on the way to the men's room--even in San Francisco. But there's always a first.

Our jovial "chance" meeting at the Habitat for Humanity Valentine's Day dinner underscores the fact that opposites attract--and can learn from one another.

Liberal and Conservative buddies can even step into the ring and duke it out with ideas, which is what we plan to do.

My Valentine and I agreed to go a few rounds in the Leader on a few hot topics that are before the readers today and the voters in the future. Ideas matter, as they are the stuff policies are made of--and voters decide on.

Now I haven't been in the ring since winning the silver in the Texas Golden Gloves. But I'm happy to lace up leather and debate a few rounds with such a fit and fine-looking man. (His old column picture doesn't do him justice. He's much cuter.)

Seriously, I think the Leader readers will find our debates informative and entertaining, just like watching Ali versus Fraiser. And in Ali-style I predict: "Lights out for Steve in three."

May the best ideas win.

Wayne Anderson West Sweden

GAM

I read, with great interest, the article, county draws on supervisor's strength, in your paper of Feb. 15. Supervisor Patricia Schmidt praised Supervisor Russell Arcand's skills throughout the course of the negotiating process. Perhaps she needs to spend more time in gathering factual information, careful observations and a basic understanding of the processes to better develop her own skills.

It seems the county needs to draw on the strengths of all the supervisors to meet the needs of all the county residents! The residents of the Golden Age Manor are residents of Polk County. They have set the stage for us. A fundamental marker of a culture's positive achievements is demonstrated by its care of the young and older members. The employees of the Golden Age Manor make the institution a home for many of our county's residents. I wonder how much time of a county supervisor's busy year is offered in the Golden Age Manor visiting a constituent, relative, friend, neighbor, volunteering or actually observing the daily activities and interaction between residents and staff.

The employees of the Golden Age Manor are a qualified dedicated staff who make the residents as comfortable as their

individual cases allow and help them feel the Golden Age Manor is their home with all the securities that a home provides us.

Patricia Schmidt refers to the Christmas presents the employees, all 120 receive.

What was the present, Patricia? Was it the seventeen-cent personal planners? (120 x 17 = $20.40) What about the pizza parties?

How often? Costs? Not too long ago there seemed to be a hint of employee turbulance in various departments. Perhaps they needed a pizza party!

I realize the total costs are high, control needs to be monitored and re-evaluated continuously, I hope this can be accomplished with an open mind and compassion for our fellow Polk County residents at Golden Age Manor.

I also feel residents of Polk County need to provide a home for our fellow residents who might be less fortunate than others.

One never knows if/when one might need the services of Golden Age Manor.

A proud, lonetime resident of Polk County, Gordon Weber Clayton

Up in smoke?

Up in smoke…a catchy phrase used, loosely, to say something is gone, all is lost and nothing has been gained, we’ve all probably used it one time or another.

Since l999 the phrase has a much different meaning for me. It now reminds me of what I have lost from cigar & cigarette smoke.

First, the true cost of a pack of cigarettes is not the $4.08 posted on the sign. Did you realize that taxpayers, you and me, actually pay $9.53 for each pack purchased by a smoker. We pay the additional $5.45 even though we ourselves do not smoke; we finance each smoker’s habit, we have no choice. The figure $5.45 comes from a variety of expenses such as prevention programs, but especially the $2 billion dollars of Medicare services spent to treat illnesses caused directly by smoking.

Every taxpayer pays when a pack of cigarettes is sold.

Smoking is not against the law; it is a choice we each can make. I have chosen not to smoke and I no longer want to pay for those who do choose to smoke. I think it is only fair that smokers pay a greater percentage of that tab, if not the entire amount.

Gov. Doyle has announced his plan to budget a $l.25 increase to the current tax which is a good start. Granted, the revenue from each pack of cigarettes sold would still fall well short of the true cost, but we’d be narrowing the gap.

Money is not the most important issue, family and friends are. The lives of my father, Tony Snyder and my sister Leslie Snyder Larsen were taken way too early from the affects of their choice to smoke….lung cancer. I miss them both every day. Both knew the fine art of penny pinching and I know that neither would pay more to smoke, and still be here with us.

This price hike could stop someone in your family from picking up their first cigarette. The price would deter a projected 84,100 Wisconsin youth from ever starting. It’ll save 26,900 of our kids from eventually dying prematurely, as my dad and sister did, from smoking-related causes. My thanks to Gov. Doyle for putting a price on cigarettes rather than on our kids’ lives. A couple of dollars to save tens of thousands of lives is, in my mind, money well spent.

Please take a moment, now to contact you state legislators and tell them that Burnett County citizens want to safeguard our children from the diseases caused by smoking. Let them know that you want the cigarette tax increased, and that you do not want to finance someone else’s smoking habit.

Peggy Ingles Danbury

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 11

L e a d e r Letters t o t h e e d i t o r Angry Sheriff Tim Moore has told the public he had no reason to think Zachary Wolf-Wagner was in danger after being abducted by his father. It isn’t true. He had plenty of reason to fear for Zachary’s safety.

As soon as I heard the news reports I knew who Jeff Wagner was, and I wasn’t surprised in the least. I prosecuted Wagner several years ago and have never forgotten the particulars of the case, because his conduct was so bizarre, and his hate for his ex-wife so extreme. What started out as a charge of stalking resolved with a plea to criminal disorderly conduct. With Wagner living so far away, it was hoped that he would leave his ex-wife alone. That case had everything to do with the tragedy that unfolded two weeks ago.

That first case happened in Polk County , and our sheriff knows that.

And consider this…Wagner’s lawyer on that charge was none other than Dan Steffen – our current district attorney!

He had knowledge of Wagner’s history and has handled enough family dispute cases to know this one was way out of the ordinary.

So – Bob Zank of the Amery Free Press thinks we should be proud of our sheriff’s leadership here? I’m not proud - I am angry.

I am angry that all the officers assigned to this case weren’t assigned until 24 hours after the abduction.

I am angry that even though Tim Moore says he alerted the authorities in Colorado, he never issued an ATL (attempt to locate) in this or surrounding counties. Demand an explanation.

Ask him why other local officers weren’t alerted. Will he still try to tell us that he didn’t know what kind of car Wagner had? Come on! Wagner’s got enough traffic cases in CCAP that Joe Citizen could find out what kind of car he drove. And doesn’t the sheriff have access to DOT records? Did the sheriff bother to have any of his investigators canvas for witnesses to the abduction to see what kind of car it was? Did the sheriff bother to run Wagner’s credit cards to see if he had rented a vehicle?

No. Did he check to see where Wagner’s cell phone was being used?

No. He did nothing until the next day when Wagner failed to appear.

I am angry that a sheriff who should understand the dynamics of domestic violence defends his inaction by saying that while Wagner had made a number of threatening remarks to his ex-wife, authorities and family members had “no indication of a threat to his (Zachary’s) life.” This wasn’t about hurting Zachary – it was about hurting Melissa by taking her son’s life, and Tim Moore should have seen it for what it was. Didn’t the application for the restraining order that Zachary’s mother filled out just days before state that she feared Wagner would hurt Zachary to get to her? Wasn’t the fact that she called law enforcement a statement of her fear? If she’d really believed it was just a spontaneous and harmless visit she would not have called 911.

I am angry that Tim Moore justifies his inaction and lays blame on Zachary’s mother because she didn’t tell Moore her fears. I hear any statements she made about Wagner not hurting Zachary as the understandable rationalizations of a scared and helpless mother who knows that her son is in the hands of an angry and unbalanced man who wants only to hurt her. She naturally reassures herself that her child will be all right, and be returned unharmed. It is unthinkable to give voice to her real fears.

There have been a lot of questions about Amber Alerts. But what about old fashioned police work? Ask Tim Moore why he didn’t do any when it might have made the difference between life and death.

Jeff Wagner’s unusual behavior and hate for his ex-wife were clearly known by the sheriff. If he didn’t know he had only to look in the files his office maintains. All the “red flags” were there.

After my 20 years of criminal defense and prosecution, I think I’ve nearly seen it all. And still, Wagner was a stand out.

I’m not proud of our sheriff’s handling of this tragedy. Neither should you.

Karen R. Olson Former district attorney for Polk County Amery

F O R U M

Policies restrict Amber Alert and sheriff's action

by Gregg Westigard BALSAM LAKE - The role of law enforcement in child custody cases is controlled by special guidelines.

The state has criteria for issuing Amber Alerts and the Polk County Sheriff's Department has a policy limiting involvement in custody violations.

Both policies affected action in the disappearance and death of Zachary Wolfe-Wagner.

Amber Alert criteria In Wisconsin, Amber Alerts, that inform and involve the public in the search for missing children, are issued by a central agency in Madison. Local law enforcement bodies supply information to that agency but do not make the decision on whether an Amber Alert is issued.

This is the criteria for issuing an Amber Alert in Wisconsin.

1) The child is 17 years old or younger.

2) The child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death.

3) There is enough descriptive information about the child, the suspect(s) and/or the suspect vehicle(s) to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help locate the child.

Note: Amber Alert is not to be used for….Family abductions unless the child's life is in immediate danger.

Polk County Sheriff's policy on Family Court Orders The Polk County Sheriff's Department has a policy (600-9-3) relating to family court issues that encourages contact with the District Attorney's office and restricts law enforcement in joint custody cases. The policy was initially stated in 1996 and was reviewed and affirmed by the District Attorney and both branches of the Polk County Circuit Court in 2002.

The policy reads in part: “Law enforcement's duties are restricted to preservation of public peace. However, in the event an officer learns of the demonstrated intent to take a child out of the region to deprive another party of custody…, the officer should take action and effect a custodial arrest. The

primary objective of the officer is to stop any event from occurring which would complicate the courts ability to enforce an order based on statutes.

Deputies are encouraged to contact the District Attorney prior to arresting a person for violation of this section.

“If either legal custodian of a minor child alleges a violation…..and there are no extenuating circumstances beyond inconvenience of the aggrieved custodial parent, the officer should not take action beyond a collection of facts in a cursory investigation.

“The proper forum for dealing with a violation of a family court order is in the family court under an action for contempt.”

Another push for an election day holiday STATEWIDE - A Wisconsin lawmaker says Election Day should be a holiday in the state. State Rep. Josh Zepnick says a day designated for voting could boost voter turnout, get more people to work at the polling stations and, in general, enhance civic participation. He says Election Day should be treated like other holidays, like Presidents Day. He says, “if you’re going to take the day off for a dead president, you might want to take the day off for one that is about to be elected.”

State law now says employees can get three consecutive hours off to vote. Zepnick’s proposal would change that to eight hours off, as long as workers tell their employers in advance. The holiday would fall on the first Tuesday in November after the first Monday during each even year.

Zepnick introduced a similar bill in 2005, but it died in committee. Wisconsin Public Radio (Katie Fischer)

Letter/from page 1 cessor, District Attorney Dan Steffen.

The letter was e-mailed to the sheriff Thursday by the Leader’s editor, with a note asking the sheriff to respond to questions raised in Olson’s letter.

Most area newspapers were invited to the news conference which occurred within a few hours of Olson’s letter being forwarded to the sheriff.

“I never said anything negative about my opponent [Karen Olson] during the election,” Steffen said at Thursday’s news conference. “I have continued with that. When I got a copy of Olson's letter, I was shocked. I have done my best to stay out of the of the Zachary Wolfe case. I represented Wagner.

Steffen said he heard about the abduction Tuesday. “I said 'Please tell me this isn't Wagner.' Guy Ludvigson [an attorney assisting the courts] was here. He got a warrant issued in 15 minutes. I was surprised and impressed with how fast it moved.

“I have intentionally distanced myself from this issue. Ms. Olson has caused my name to be brought up in this. Olson signed her letter as former District Attorney, not as a citizen.”

Steffen then cited a number of Horky/Wagner court appearances where Olson was the prosecutor and he

was Wagner's attorney.

“I won't take offense. These folks battled back and forth for years. This happens a lot. The children are placed in the middle.

“I send my sympathies to Missy. I don't want her to think she was at fault.

Only Wagner was to blame.

“I am bothered by the vindictiveness of Ms. Olson. She was upset when [the sheriff] would not sign her nomination papers [at the start on the election period last June]. She has filed reports and complaints against others in this office.

“The gloves are off,” Steffen said.

“The sheriff's staff did everything they could,” he added. “This did not justify an Amber Alert. There was not threat of great bodily harm.”

Steffen added, “I was hoping we could let Missy and her family grieve.”

Steffen said all the blame should fall on Wagner and that there were never allegations of abuse to Zachary.

Brought out at the press conference by Steffen were court documents regarding the Wagner case that showed Olson dismissed or pled down cases. One document had Olson’s handwritten message “B.F.D! (Don’t even ask)”

Olson responds Olson said in a phone interview with the Leader that not all complaints rise to the level of legal prosecution and that she wondered why that particular complaint was ever forwarded to her by the sheriff’s department in the first place. It dealt with an argument over who was going to pay the medical bills, she said.

Olson also said her letter had nothing to do with politics or vendettas and that, in fact, she’s leaving the field of law for another occupation.

“This shouldn’t be about me, it should be about the issues I bring up in my letter,” she said.

Sheriff’s comments “I am angry at game playing,” Moore said at the press conference. “This is a political issue. Olson is striking back at Steffen and me. County officials are fighting among themselves.”

Moore said he refused to sign Olson’s nomination papers last year and in turn, Olson backed his opponents. He said he and other members of the department were concerned over the lack of prosecution of domestic violence csaes.

Moore also said publishing the letter would “devastate” the family of Zachary Wolfe.

“It will hurt the family more than it will hurt the staff,” he said. “Some things in the letter are not true. I don't believe in getting into a fight with a grieving mother. This does not help her heal.”

Moore said Zachary’s mother called reported this case as a violation of a restraining order. She called the judge's office, not 911. She used a normal voice and did not sound excited.

“The sheriff does not get involved in child custody cases. This is a longstanding county policy,” Moore said. “These are common calls. These are issues for the family court. Wagner said he would return the child. It was not a felony until Tuesday morning.

“Once the warrant was issued [on Tuesday morning] subpoenas were issued for credit card and cell phone records. We had a response from the cell phone company on Wednesday morning that gave us the number of the motel in Minnesota. With that information, the Richfield police helped us and responded immediately.

“I am angry with what [Olson] is doing in this case. This is really about this family. No one wins with this, especially the family.” - Gary King contributed to this story

PAGE 12 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

L e a d e r

F O R U M

Letters t o t h e e d i t o r Community in denial What is it about this northwestern Wisconsin community, this culture and way of life, that makes it so difficult to discipline ourselves and bring some modicum of civility, respect for law and order, and human decency to our existence here? By any reasonable criteria, the level of social dysfunction at the most fundamental level is unacceptable and virtually out of control.

Do we need better examples than the recent murder of a child and suicides, the inexplicable violence and brutal neighbor murder in Luck, the sordid record of the past eight years I’ve witnessed of gross domestic violence, suspicious and uninvestigated fires, the law enforcement debacle at Indian Creek, flagrant drug abuse, trafficking, public drunkenness, physical assault of a police officer, outright official misconduct and concealment of the public process, election manipulation, animal abuse and environmental neglect, vandalism, theft, fraud, unremitting political bickering and clan-good-old-boy manipulation of the people’s affairs?

The toxic social atmosphere here is as bad or worse than one might contend with in a poverty-stricken urban ghetto.

And, for whatever reason, there is no collective outrage. There is no hardnosed investigative reporting; the local newspapers work overtime putting a rosy spin on all the news regardless of its negativity.

Monitoring and control of officialdom, particularly in the northern tier of Polk County townships and villages is virtually absent. Authorities and the native residents make up and live by their own rules, regardless of the impact on others.

I have good reason to believe there are nearly two years of accumulated unprosecuted criminal charge files in the DA’s office left over from the reign of Karen Olson. There is virtually no aggressive human services intervention, law enforcement intelligence collection and proactive interdiction. When predictable, possibly preventable tragedy occurs, there’s the brief wringing of hands, then life goes on as in the past.

I travel to the Cities to participate in

athletic competitions and for appointments at the VA hospital. I visit the Duluth-Superior Twin Ports VA clinic for regular treatment. Whenever my place of residence comes up, I’m asked, “What the h… is going on there.” I’m embarrassed to have to respond that the socio-cultural situation has every indication of being beyond control, and even worse, beyond anyone’s serious concern.

There is no community outcry, even the churches are impotent. The folks there have been living in denial for generations, and nothing, nothing, seems to provoke introspection and willingness to change. The government in Balsam Lake, for the most part, functions as if on an island, isolated from and ignorant of the ugly grassroots realities, caught up with process, always reactive.

For whatever it may be worth, I’ll continue to speak out and pray for some divine inspiration that will move people here to begin to exercise good citizenship, rebel against the blighted status quo and clean up the mess.

Bradley E. Ayers Clam Falls – Frederic

Oppose CEDAW According to Pete Winn, associate editor of Citizenlink, Senate Democrats may be on the verge of resurrecting a treaty – the Convention on the All Forms of Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. It was signed by President Carter, but never ratified by the U.S. Senate. It established a United Nations committee to monitor the participants.

Each country has to appear before a panel of experts at the U.N. to explain how they are implementing the treaty.

According to Winn’s article, they monitor everything from relationships between husband and wives, to educational content in the schools, to employment and hiring practices – even how many women are elected to local, state and national offices. According to Thomas Jacobson, Focus on the Family Action’s liaison to the United Nations, “The first article of the treat says that making any kind of distinction (between men and women) is to be con-

strued as discrimination. That’s crazy.”

He also said, “It would subject every family, school and business, as well as every county sate and local office, to oversight by United Nations experts.”

Ruse called it an out-of-control U.N. committee, the members of which hardly anybody can name. Among the many changes the committee has directed countries to implement is for China to legalize prostitution, even though the treaty condemns it.

Ruse, who heads the Washington D.C. office of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, said that leftleaning groups are pushing the Senate for quick consideration and ratification, and they are under a lot of pressure from radical feminists. The chairman of Relations the Senate Foreign Committee, Sen. Joe Biden, is being pressed for a vote on March 8, International Women’s Day. Jacobson also described CEDAW as “un-American and unconstitutional.”

“We fought the War of Independence to be exactly that, independent to be free to govern ourselves and to not have a foreign power dictating our personal and internal affairs,” he said.

It the Senate ratifies the treaty, President Bush could refuse to send it back to the U.N., or could remove President Carter’s signature.

Maybe I missed seeing it, but what amazes me is that I haven’t seen anything about it in the media, TV or newspapers. Every American should know about it because if it ever got ratified and put into effect, it would change our country and our lives forever. Think of the countries in the U.N. Which of them would you like dictating our laws to us?

Please contact your senators and insist they oppose CEDAW. Also, please ask President Bush to consider removing President Carter’s signature from the treaty.

Sen. Kohl, 1-202-224-5653 Sen. Feingold, 1-202-224-5323 White House Comment Line, 1-202456-1111 MaryEllen Olson Amery

E-mail us @ the-leader@centurytel.net

Deaths just hours apart

CUMBERLAND - The Cumberland area had a morbid coincidence last week: two cases of a vehicle occupant taking his own life via a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suicide cases were just hours apart, but authorities have said there were no apparent ties between the incidents. The Barron County Sheriff’s Department was first alerted Feb. 13 at 2:20 p.m. of a man slumped over in a truck that was parked just west of the city of Cumberland along Hwy. 48.

Responding emergency personnel found Thomas L. Wasilensky, 49, of Dresser, dead inside the vehicle. The medical examiner found that a selfinflicted gunshot wound was the cause of death. Not even 11 hours later, at 1:05 a.m. Wednesday, Cumberland police received a call about a disturbance near The Spot Bar. Instead of a fight, the responding officer came across what

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would be the second suicide case in less than 11 hours for Cumberland. This victim, Anthony M. Ficocello, 22, was also determined to have killed himself in his vehicle. The serial number of the largebore rifle used in the suicide was checked by law enforcement as part of the investigation. Cumberland Police Chief Steven Linton said both men had ties to the Cumberland area. Ficocello was a current city resident and Wasilensky was a former city resident.

Suicides in small towns are “pretty rare” as it is - his office responds to approximately one or two a year - but having two of them within such a short time frame is very unusual, Linton said.

Linton said some miscommunication apparently occurred in the second incident because the caller had indicated there was an altercation at 1327 Second Avenue, so the responding officer was quite surprised to come across the suicide case, instead. - Barron News-Shield

Parents file suit over death

RICE LAKE - The Rice Lake parents of a Minnesota policeman continue to contest a ruling made by officials that his death was a suicide. Terry Hoeft and Mary Hoeft filed the suit in Hennepin County District Court Feb. 13 in relation to the death of Ryan Hoeft, 27. Police officers found Ryan dead from a bullet to the head in his squad car on Nov. 6, 2001. The car was found in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park shortly before midnight. At the time of his death, Ryan was on duty for the St. Louis Park Police Department, which he’d joined three months earlier. The Hoefts, with backup from experts, allege that Ryan did not die from a selfinflicted gunshot wound but that he shot himself accidently. Defendants in the case are the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the county medical examiner and the St. Louis Park Police Department. The Hennepin County

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District Assembly Are you missing out on $500 this tax season?

Could you be missing out on up to $500 in savings this tax season? If Ann you are eligible for the Hraychuck Homestead Credit—but do not apply for it—that could be the case.

The Homestead Credit provides real property tax relief to families that need it the most. However, over half of the people eligible for the credit do not apply.

Not surprising, the long and complicated tax forms are the reason why so few people applied for this credit. To solve this problem, a simplified Homestead-EZ form was created to make it easier for people to apply for and claim the Homestead Credit. The three-page form has been reduced to one page and a simple sheet of directions. Now there is no reason not to apply.

Savings from the Homestead Credit are substantial. In 2006, people across the Wisconsin received an average credit of $546 and renters $478 on their income taxes. Last year, eligible homeowners in Burnett and Polk counties had an average credit of $504 and $511 for those in St. Croix County. This program is especially beneficial to seniors in our state. Of the almost 240,000 people who applied for the credit, nearly half were senior citizens.

The eligibility requirements for this credit are fairly simple and straightforward. Qualifying individuals must earn less than $24,500 and have owned a home or rented an apartment or house for all of 2006. Additionally, those individuals must be over the age of 18, a legal resident of Wisconsin for all of 2006, and were not claimed as a dependant on someone else’s income tax return.

I urge everyone who is eligible for the Homestead Credit to apply. If you have questions or would like to receive a form, please contact my office toll free at 1-888-529-0028 or via e-mail at rep.hraychuck@legis.wi.gov.

medical examiner ruled that Ryan’s death was a suicide. The sheriff’s office handled the investigation of Ryan’s death for the police department to avoid a conflict of interest. Also named in the suit are Hennepin County and the city of St. Louis Park. After the ruling, Terry, a former Rice Lake Police Department investigator, and Mary, a UW-Barron County professor of communications, hired a lawyer to study their son’s death investigation information. The complaint filed in the civil suit states that Ryan was driving a patrol car with a Heckler and Koch .45 caliber pistol in his hand when the car struck a curb forcing the gun to accidentally discharge, and a bullet was fired into Ryan’s head. The Hoefts ask the court to declare that their son’s death was accidental and to change the death certificate accordingly. Ryan graduated from Rice Lake High School in 1993, where he was a standout athlete. - Rice Lake Chronotype

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 13

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City moves on Louisiana Street construction Revenue bonds to be issued for $1.5 million; State Street to be made like Washington Street

by Tammi Milberg ST. CROIX FALLS–The city of St. Croix Falls council voted to begin the bidding process and the revenue bonding process Monday night for the muchneeded construction on Louisiana Street in the city.

Louisiana Street is the street that runs up the hill from the old movie theater on Washington Street, past the elementary school and St. Croix Valley Good Samaritan Center.

The project to redo Louisiana Street has been put off for years because of the agreement with Xcel Energy to install their conduit for a buried powerline.

According to Chris Strom, Cedar Corp., who presented the plans for the construction to the council Monday, Xcel is not ready to underground the powerlines at this time, but agreed to install their duct bank, or conduit, to

house the underground cable now. The cable will not be installed until Xcel gets all their permits for the Chisago Project transmission line, but when they do, Louisiana Street will not have to be torn up because the duct banks will be in place already for the line to run through.

This project will be cost-shared with Xcel, and the city’s portion is about $1 million. For another $400,000 to $500,000 the city can reconstruct State Street to make it look like Washington Street and be used as a new artery to downtown.

As the city must coordinate with Xcel and Good Samaritan to address drainage problems at the home, it was decided to bid the project under one contractor. A portion of Madison Street, about 350 feet (north) will also be part of the construction to fix street concerns in that area. The city council decided that if they were going to do the construction, they should do it all in one package and better the community by doing all the areas necessary.

The addition of State Street was made because it is recognized as a main artery to downtown and it should look like

Washington (Main) Street to provide a nice gateway into the city. St. Croix Regional Medical Center is also doing a $5.1 million project to reconstruct their OR facility and move the front of the hospital to face State Street. The final plans for the hospital expansion were also approved by the council Monday night later on the agenda. It was noted during the State Street discussion that the hospital is a large employer for the city, and the reconstruction of State Street is a good fit for the hospital and community and will also provide about 20 on-street parking spots along State as a bonus to the plans.

The bids will be advertised March 1, 8 and 15 in the newspaper. Bids will be closed on March 22 and the council will review and award a bid on March 26 at the regular council meeting.

The project will be funded through General Obligation Bond refunding.

The city elected to refund $1.5 million GO bonds, which will be bid out and acted upon in April.

Sean Lenz of Ehlers & Associates, explained to the council how the financing will work. He indicated that the city

has a debt capacity set by the state of $10,274,010 based on the 5-percent rule.

The 5-percent rule is the state setting a debt-capacity limit of 5 percent of the total value of the TID which currently holds a value of $205,480,200.

Of that approximate $10 million in debt capacity, the city has borrowed monies for other city projects. The city has a remaining borrowing balance of $5,682,515.

The bonding process that allows the city to borrow the funds for Louisiana Street and State Street specifies that a portion of that will be paid back through TID dollars and the remaining portion will be paid through a levy.

Lenz explained that the levy portion of the debt would be $410,000, and the TID portion would be $1,090,000.

The TID expense period expires in 2015. This is the time available to allow TID-eligible expenses to be made with TID funding. The TID payoff is 2020.

That date will not change and at that time, the TID is expected to cash flow itself out because of taxes collected in the TID and it would be closed out with no debt remaining.

Butterfly House gets nod with provisions Theater, Overlook bids authorized

by Tammi Milberg ST. CROIX FALLS–The Butterfly House was approved for a conditionaluse permit by the planning commission last week. It came before the city council Monday night and was also approved, but after much discussion. Several provisions were added that the operators of the Butterfly House would have to meet prior to getting their conditional permit from the city.

City waits on county to act

by Tammi Milberg ST. CROIX FALLS –The city’s plague with the Weinhardt property continued this past weekend when a flooded basement was found after a report of water running out of the basement windows was received.

The Weinhardt property is located on River Street and was found to have over 400 cats, dead and alive, in the home in Nov. 2005. The home was initially condemned by Polk County after inches of

The Butterfly House is a 12-step recovery house for women ages 18 and up that are recovering from drug and alcohol dependency.

It is located at 336 N. Washington St. on Main Street and will provide a maximum of eight beds for the program. The Butterfly House can obtain their conditional-use permit to operate the house, once they have met the provisions set forth by the council.

In other business, the council authorized bids for the Overlook design project including a trail along the city right of way and ground preparation for the

placement of the River Spirit Sculpture.

There is an unveiling of the sculpture planned for Wannigan Days in July. The bids will be awarded at the March 26 council meeting.

The council also authorized for requests for proposals for an architectural study for the Festival Theatre building. The theater requested a structural assessment by an architect so they can form a master plan to guide the rehabilitation of the building, which include the HVAC system and any suggested recommendations.

The council was also updated on the

Weinhardt woes

feces, as well as dead cats were found to be in the home.

The remaining cats were euthanized and disposed of by the St. Croix Falls Fire Department and Hazmat team. The home had toxic levels of ammonia present.

The city wants to obtain ownership of the Weinhardt property for the expansion and upgrade of the wastewatertreatment facility. However, more pertinent is the inhabitability of the house.

Weinhardt is not prohibited from living in or going into her residence until the county declares the home uninhabitable, and that condemnation was either

not formalized, or removed since the initial finding of the cats in the home.

City Administrator Ed Emerson said he has notified the county that homeowner Dorothy Weinhardt plans on moving back into the house. She had apparently entered the residence during the cold snap several weeks ago and turned on the heat and water. When she left the home she had turned off the heat, but not the water. Reports indicated water was pouring out of a basement window and the fire department pumped the water out of it. The water had reached the main floor of the house and was ankle deep in the yard on

design build proposals received by the city by Administrator Ed Emerson during reports of officials. There have been seven design build proposal responses for the city library option on River Street.

The city also reviewed the draft groundwater well and water well capacity study by Gil Gabanski, hydrologist, with GJG Environmental Consultants. No action was taken on this informational report.

Friday, Feb. 23.

Emerson said there is no fault or action that the city is party to in this matter. He has also informed the county of the flooding issue. The concerns from the council are that in warmer weather, things in the house are thawing out, and the smells that may be emitting from the home because it has not been cleaned up.

Emerson said that until the county takes action, the city has no authority on Weinhardt returning to, or living in the home.

Ring of Kerry to Kick Off 2007 Music Series

ST. CROIX FALLS – Ring of Kerry will open the St. Croix Festival Theatre 2007 Music Series on St. Patrick’s Day, Saturday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. A bursting-with-energy Irish music group, Ring of Kerry captures the hearts of its listeners. The band plays a hearty stew of romping and rollicking jigs, reels and hornpipes punctuated by beautiful and evocative ballads. It also incorporates exotic rhythms brought home by seafaring world travelers. “The Ring of Kerry concert sold out last year,” said Festival Director Danette Olsen. “We all just had such a great time, it seemed the perfect thing to have them back for St. Paddy’s Day this year. The Mezzanine Café will be stocked with Guinness, and I’m certain we’ll all celebrate in style.”

All five members of the group sing and play several instruments. Reserved seats for the Ring of Kerry concert are $25, or $30 at the door. During the season, nine additional concerts round out

the music series including Café Accordion Orchestra on April 21 and Alice Peacock in concert May 5. Pop Tish Hinojosa, Butch Wagner, Thompson, and Monroe Crossing are some of the other musicians who will take the stage at Festival Theatre in 2007.

To receive a 2007 Season Brochure, stop in at Festival Theatre or request on by phone or e-mail. 2007 Flex Pass tickets are on sale now for savings up to 35 percent on plays and concerts. Single tickets for the music series range in price from $20 to $30 with a discount for calling in advance of the concert date.

Festival Theatre is located in downtown St. Croix Falls, at 210 North Washington Street. For more information, to order tickets or join the Festival Theatre mailing list, call 715-483-3387 or 888-8876002. You may also send an e-mail to info@festivaltheatre.org. - from Festival Theatre

Ring of Kerry—Photo submitted

PAGE 14 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Harsdorf and Kessler introduce Sudan Divestment Legislation

MADISON – Flanked by a Sudan refugee with experience about the toll of civil war and genocide in Darfur, Sudan, Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls, and Rep. Fred Kessler, DMilwaukee, introduced legislation to disassociate Wisconsin from the atrocities being committed by the central government of Sudan.

“Wisconsin should divest itself from genocide in Sudan,” said Harsdorf.

“With the genocide ongoing, we have the moral obligation to divest, both as a tool to exert economic pressure, and as importantly, to ensure that the rape, murder, and denial of basic humanitarian aid is not done on Wisconsin’s dime.”

The divestment legislation has 30 sponsors with bipartisan support.

Wisconsin is one of over 20 states actively pursuing Sudan divestment strategies.

“States are deciding that enough is enough,” said Kessler. “We simply cannot sit back watching our investment boards indirectly fund genocide as it is ongoing. Wisconsin must do its part to remove itself from foreign companies that act with complete disregard for human life.”

The Sudan divestment legislation is targeted at foreign companies that supply critical revenue to the Sudan government which is used to carry out the genocide. The bill has mechanisms that significantly ease the burden in identifying companies to divest from, while safeguarding the portfolios of the state of Wisconsin Investment Board by relaxing divestment requirements if values decline by more than 5 percent.

August Mayai, a Sudanese refugee and Wisconsin graduate student, has joined legislators in support of the bill.

In 1987, civil war in Sudan drove an estimated 20,000 young boys from their families and villages in south Sudan.

Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls, joins activists to announce introduction of Sudan Divestment legislation, which would disassociate Wisconsin from financial investments linked to genocide in Darfur. – Photo submitted Mayai, then age 7, was one of the refugees fleeing to Ethiopia to escape death or induction into slavery and the northern army. Separated from his parents and family in the chaos of war, Mayai walked more than 561 miles to escape death and slavery, with little food or water. More than half of his group died before reaching a Kenyan refugee camp years later.

“I am pleased that Wisconsin lawmakers have taken the initiative to do what they can to stop the pain and devastation being wrought in my native country,” said Mayai. “Even as the genocide seems like a world away, I know that if enough people were intimately familiar with the pillaging in Darfur, they would not turn the other

Transportation funds may pay for school busing STATEWIDE - Rural school districts that have to bus their kids long distances would get more money from the state under the budget proposed by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. But the Legislature’s top Republican has a problem with how Doyle would pay for it.

Right now, state funding for school bussing comes largely from income and sales taxes. Doyle would pay for it using about $56 million from the transportation fund, which gets most of its money from the gas tax and vehicle registration fees.

The reason that’s a contentious change is that the transportation fund has troubles of its own, and the governor has dipped into it to pay other bills in the past. Republican Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch views it as a raid, and says it’s created a situation where the state faces a long-term deficit to pay for its roads. Huebsch’s GOP colleagues on the Legislature’s

finance panel blocked a similar move by the governor in the last budget, but this year, that committee is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.

John Ashley is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. He supports the governor’s plan and thinks it has a better chance this time around. He says representatives of some of the rural districts understand the impact of the high transportation costs and what that’s meant for their school districts.

The money for school buses is only one area of the roads budget that’s likely to cause some contention in coming months. Overall, Doyle wants to use about $160 million worth of roads money to pay new expenses. He also wants to tax oil companies to help pay for it. - Wisconsin Public Radio (Shawn Johnson)

way. I am here to tell my story, in the hopes that excuses and apathy are rejected in favor of action to do everything possible to end genocide.”

Joining lawmakers at the press conference were grassroots activists,

including Branton Kunz, director of the Wisconsin Sudan Divestment Campaign and Sachin Chheda, coordinator of the Darfur Action Coalition of Wisconsin. – from the office of Sen. Harsdorf

Halle Custom Homes receives award GREEN BAY - Wausau Homes presented Halle Custom Homes of Rice Lake, St. Croix Falls and New Richmond, with an award for outstanding sales achievement at its annual Builder Conference, Jan. 24, at Lambeau Field.

Halle Custom Homes received the award following a three-day conference that launched the company’s new approach to the design, building and marketing of new homes for 2007. More than 250 guests from throughout the Greater Midwest and Southeast attended the event.

With Wausau Homes complete building system, buyers can move into their

new home sooner. This approach means less waste at the job site, less exposure to the elements and greater control over construction costs.

“We’ve also enlightened the customer’s experience of buying and building a new home with Wausau’s introduction of dozens of new floor plans, allowing home buyers to personalize the design for how they want to live in their home.

Visitors to the Web site wausauhomes.com will have the chance to use an interactive online floor-plan tool.”

Everything has been structured to make the process less stressful and more enjoyable. - submitted

Polk County criminal court John Pankonin, 53, Osceola, possession of meth, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia. Preliminary hearing set for May 15. Bond continues.

Daniel Weides, 46, Osceola, issue of worthless checks. Signature bond set of $10,000, with conditions to not use a checking account or possess checks. Preliminary hearing set for May 21.

Christian Ladwig, 20, Amery, burglary, theft, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia. Bench warrant issued after nonappearance in court.

Jordy Reed, 24, Balsam Lake, pled not guilty to battery. Signature bond set of $1,000. Court review set for May 15.

April Knutson, 18, Centuria, pled not guilty to disorderly conduct. Bond continues.

Teresa Holmdahl, 27, Cushing, pled not guilty to resisting conservation warden. Attorneys will meet March 23 to try to settle.

Kelly Sunday, 20, Clear Lake, pled not guilty to possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia. Signature bond set of $500. Attorneys will meet March 23.

Christine Hatella, 34, Amery, pled not guilty to obtaining prescription drug with fraud. Court review set for May 9.

Blaine Leslie, 24, Clear Lake, pled not guilty to disorderly conduct. Will meet with district attor-

ney’s office May 1.

Chalah Mosay, 22, Siren, pled not guilty to criminal damage to property. Will meet with district attorney’s office April 24.

Bradley Sloper, 20, Milltown, pled not guilty to theft. Attorneys will meet March 30. Bond continues.

Jason Cziok, 33, Frederic, pled not guilty to disorderly conduct. Attorneys will meet March 30.

Harmony Szurgot, 31, Frederic, pled not guilty to disorderly conduct.

Tracy Hughes, 34, Luck, pled not guilty to resisting /obstructing an officer, hit and run.

Attorneys will meet March 30 to try to settle case.

Nathan Dix, 33, Clear Lake, disorderly conduct.

Bench warrant issued.

Michael Keith, 23, operating while revoked.

Bench warrant issued.

Tyrone Hoffbeck, 39, Centuria, OWI, operating with prohibited alcohol content of .08 or more.

Lucas McDermott, 24, Amery, operating while revoked. Bench warrant issued.

Christine Hatella, 34, pled not guilty to OWI, operating while revoked. Cash bond set of $500 with condition of not driving, not to possess alcohol, not to be on premises whose primary purpose is the sale of alcohol. Court review May 8.

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Cardinals cruise to conference title Luck clicks on offense and defense to stomp out Unity Eagles

Extra Points

Luck 71, Unity 44

by Matt Blumkin LUCK – “I think it’s just a feather in the cap for all the hard work they’ve put in all year,” said Cardinals coach Rick Giller.

The Luck Cardinals routed the Unity Eagles 71-44 to win their first conference title in nine years. They did much the same throughout the conference season, posting an 11-1 record and winning each game by 12 or more points.

Their only blemish came at Webster on Jan. 19, when the Tigers slowed down the game and edged the Cards 39-38.

Since then, the Cards have surged toward the playoffs with winning eight of their last nine games except for a nonconference road loss in Cumberland.

“We’ve had a lot good games all year, but I think the guys are playing at their peak right now, and it showed tonight,” said Giller following the Unity game.

“It’s one of our better performances this year.”

In their first meeting, the Eagles hung with the Cards the whole game in a 6452 contest after the Cards bolted out to an 8-0 lead. This time around, the Eagles cut away at an early 9-2 hole as Chad Strilzuk hit a basket and Matt Goulet nailed a pair of free throws to make the score 9-6. The Cards, however, did not let the Eagles hang around this time.

“They’re a quick team,” said Cards guard Adam Wallin.

Cody Richert connected from a three at the top of the key to get a 4-0 run going for the Cards. The Cardinals lead

Luck’s Mike Christensen driving ahead of Unity’s Merrill Leoso for a layup.

The Cardinals routed the Eagles on Friday, Feb. 23, to secure the West Lakeland Conference title. – Photos by Matt Blumkin only continued to grow after that.

“We pretty much shut them down from the inside, so they had to take outside shots,” said Cards center Tyler Petersen. “They weren’t on tonight. If they were, we might have been in trouble.”

Petersen blocked a shot near the end of the first quarter to help keep a 20-11 Cardinals lead. Brennan Olson swatted a shot by Unity’s Chris Bugg during the second quarter as he drove for a layup.

That led to Richert getting down the floor for a shot and a 14-point Cards lead, 28-16.

Olson also had a hot hand for the Cards with 14 points in the game. He followed up Richert’s bucket with a three and then a layup. He next hit a shot to give the Cards a 35-20 lead, and Team Unity Luck Unity Chris Bugg Chad Strilzuk Justin Bader Matt Goulet Ryan Flaherty Merrill Leoso James Coen Lance Peper Totals

Down with the net! Tyler Petersen had the chance to be among the first of the Cardinals in cutting down a net to celebrate their conference title.

1 2 3 4 11 12 11 11 20 20 17 14 Individual Statistics 2s 3s FTM/A 2 1 4/4 1 0/2 4 2 0 0/0 1 1 2/2 1/1 0 2 2 0 0/0 0 1 0/0 0/0 0 0 13 4 7/9

Luck Brennan Olson Mike Christensen Harlan Opitz Travis Pilz Nick Morgan Cody Richert Mitchell Klatt Carson Giller Tyler Peterson Adam Wallin Totals

2s 3 3 2 3 0 4 2 1 4 1 23

3s 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3

FTM/A 5/7 0/0 1/2 5/6 0/2 0/0 3/4 0/0 2/3 0/3 16/27

F 45 71 F 4 2 1 4 3 4 1 3 22

TP 11 11 4 7 5 4 3 0 45

F 1 2 1 2 0 1 3 0 2 0 12

TP 14 6 5 11 0 11 7 2 10 5 71

he attempted a dunk on the next possession and drew a foul. He put in a pair of free throws to put the Cards ahead by 17.

Petersen also helped put the Eagles away with 10 points in the game. Giller liked what he saw from him on offense and on defense.

“Tyler Petersen did a good job specifically on defense,” said Giller. “He got back (on defense), he helped; he got back on his man.”

“He posted it up well tonight, stronger than I’ve seen him post it up,” Giller added.

The Cards flexed their wings overall as Wallin capped the first half with a three, and the Cards held a 40-22 advantage at halftime. Wallin had five points off the bench for the Cards.

Mike Christensen then came on for the Cards offensively in the third with six points. That included a stretch of back-to-back-to-back layups by Christensen and Pilz, which gave the Cards a 50-29 lead.

Other Cards, such as Harlan Opitz, also got in on the act with five secondhalf points, and Carson Giller came in and scored on a layup during the final quarter. Nick Morgan saw some action as well for the Cards.

In addition, they all had the opportunity to cut down a net after the game following their cutting through the Eagles’ defense.

“We wanted this all season,” said Petersen.

••• GRANTSBURG/WEBSTER/SIREN – Area youth between born between Aug. 1, 1987, and July 31, 2002, can participate on an American Youth Soccer team this spring. Registration will be ending soon though. The last chance registration will be March 3 at the Siren School Commons from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration cannot be accepted after March 3. All players are guaranteed to play at least one half per game under AYSO’s “Everyone Plays” philosophy. AYSO is also looking for volunteers to coach and referee during March and April. – information submitted by Don Finch, AYSO region 6B Area Director ••• MINNEAPOLIS – Webster native Emily Brookshaw’s junior season with the Bemidji State women’s hockey came to an end at Ridder Arena on Feb. 24. Brookshaw had 39 saves in the Beavers’ two losses to the Minnesota Gophers in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs. She stopped 20 shots in their 5-1 loss on Feb. 23, and she had a 19 saves performance in their 4-1 loss on Feb. 24 to the No. 9 ranked Gophers. – Matt Blumkin ••• FAYETTE, Iowa/WINONA, Minn. – Against Upper Iowa, former Webster student Nancy McConkey had 14 points, five boards and a block in Bemidji State’s 74-59 win. She played 30 minutes and shot 6-11 from the field in the Feb. 23 game. She cooled off on offense though against Winona State with just couple points in a 71-64 loss to the Warriors. McConkey had four boards and assists in the game.

The Beavers open the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament at Northern State on Feb. 28. – Matt Blumkin ••• MENOMONIE – Char Edwards, a one-time Webster student, has come up big at playoff time for UW-Stout women’s basketball. The Stout sophomore guard scored 14 and 15 points in two Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Conference tournament games.

Edwards hit her career-high of 15 points against UW-Oshkosh in the quarterfinals of the WIAC tournament. She shot 6-12 from the field and had three steals in just 17 minutes of play. Stout won the game 71-54.

Edwards scored 14 in just 15 minutes of play against UW-River Falls in the WIAC semifinals on Feb. 21. She also grabbed three boards in the 51-41 win.

Stout went on to beat UW-Eau Claire, 73-61, and win the WIAC tournament title for the third-consecutive year.

They open the NCAA Division III tournament on Friday, March 2, at home against Simpson College. If Stout advances, they’ll host the winner of St. Benedict-Wheaton on March 3. – Matt Blumkin with information for UW-Stout athletics •••

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 b l u m k i n @ c e n t u r y t e l . n e t o r m s e e g e r @ c e n t u r y t e l . n e t

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Eagles end season on high at state! to try.

McKinney showed a positive future at the state tournament last weekend as he knocked off senior Devon Kansier in the first round by a 9-7 decision. McKinney was the only freshman in his bracket, which says a lot about what lies ahead, according to his coach Mark Ferguson.

“We know what we have to work on,” said Ferguson. He’s a very coachable kid and I expect to see great things out of him for the next three years.”

After winning his first match, McKinney lost by a 10-6 decision in the quarterfinal to Matt Kiel of Roncalli, and lost by 7-1 decision in the concilia-

Senior Devin Hoyt ends career best, while freshmen Dustin McKinneys career starts strong

by Marty Seeger MADISON – He didn’t win a single match at the state tournament during his sophomore year, and won only one at state during his junior year, but this year was different for Unity’s Devin Hoyt (125). In his third trip to the state tournament last weekend in Madison, Hoyt received a second-place finish— and it didn’t come easy either.

“This third year we were hoping that we would get him at least a sixth-place or better,” said coach Mark Ferguson who mentioned the hard work it takes just to move up one place at the state tournament.

In his first battle, Hoyt defeated Stratford’s Brandon Karl by a 7-1 decision, but faced one of his toughest matches in the quarterfinal against Andrew Dahl of Cashton. Dahl came into the match as a two-time reigning state champion and Hoyt won the match by a 6-5 decision.

Hoyt then moved into the semifinal round against Trevor Dyreson of Deerfield, and won in another close decision 5-3. Coach Ferguson said that it wasn’t Hoyt’s best match, but it was enough to get him into the first-place match against Cadott rival Greg Sonnentag (49-1), who lost to Dahl in finals last year.

Sonnentag took second place as a freshmen at 103, and won state as a sophomore at 112. He followed that with a second-place finish at 112 in his junior year.

Hoyt wrestled and lost to Sonnentag

Round three! Unity’s Devon Hoyt battled Cadott’s Greg Sonnentag for the Division 3 119-pound state title. Hoyt came home with second place as Sonnentag won the title with a 7-3 decision – Photos by Terry Kahl in December and again in February, and couldn’t get past him in the finals.

Sonnentag defeated Hoyt by a 7-3 decision, giving Hoyt his first-ever secondplace finish at the state level.

“He’s sure had a positive year this year,” said Ferguson. “Making it to the state finals was tremendous for him.

We’re proud of him and everything he’s

accomplished this year. From where he was to where he got to was just incredible.”

McKinney starts strong career MADISON – Unity’s Dustin McKinney (125) wasn’t able to place in the top six at the state tournament, but the freshmen will have three more years

Unity’s Dustin McKinney won his first match of the state tournament, but he fell in his next match and in the consolation round.

Rikkola takes fourth at state tourney!

SCFs Justin Rikkola wrestles his way back from first-round loss

by Matt Blumkin MADISON –What a difference a division can make.

“It’s tougher,” said Saints 103-pound wrestler Justin Rikkola about the difference between Division 2 and 3. “We were in a tough regional.”

With Luck-Frederic-Grantsburg, a Division 2 program, Rikkola fell short of sectionals at the regional tournament last year. After transferring from Grantsburg to Division 3 St. Croix Falls for this season, Rikkola stood on the podium at Madison with a fourthplace finish at the state individual wrestling tournament on Feb. 22-24.

He went 45-7 for the season after winning 103 at regionals and sectionals this season. He also bounced back from losing his first match to take fourth.

“Justin was right in the mix,” said Saints coach Dan Clark.

Rikkola lost in a 4-2 decision to Nick Wendt of Cedar Grove-Belgium (44-8) in the 103-pound quarterfinals before his run for fourth.

“I was nervous,” said Rikkola. “I had never been there before.”

Rikkola won his first consolation

Justin Rikkola of St. Croix Falls lost his first match at the state tournament, but he wrestled his way into fourth place – Photo by Terry Kahl

round match against Shaw Oestreich of Peshtigo (39-7) in a 10-5 decision. Then, he advanced to beat Ethan Pipping (436) of Laconia in a 4-0 decision.

“I knew I needed to win that one to go for third,” said Rikkola.

Yet, J.J. Froelich (41-3) of Oostburg stood in the way in the third-place match. They wrestled to a 4-4 tie, but Froelich broke ahead at the end with a couple of points to take the match, 6-4.

Clark commented on the parity of the 103 field saying, “they could have wrestled that bracket 10 times and come up with 10 different results.”

Rikkola beat 103 second-place wrestler Bubba Gudis (39-9) of Bruce twice during the season, but they didn’t meet at the tournament.

Rikkola, a junior, will have another shot to go for a state title, and he has the support around him to make another run. The Saints have a full team with successful wrestlers. They had 10 wrestle at sectionals this season in addition to reaching the team sectionals. LFG has struggled with numbers, and Rikkola had to wrestle eighth-graders there being at 103.

“It’s nice being on a bigger team,” said Rikkola. “There’s more guys to wrestle. There’s guys to look up to.”

He has to make the 45-minute trip from Grantsburg to St. Croix Falls each day for school and make new friends while keeping up on old friendships.

Rikkola also ran on the Saints crosscountry team, and he plans to run track in the spring.

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 17

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Raygor slowed by knee, Bruns falls first trip to state on Feb. 22-24.

Bruns lost first round match for 112 to Marshall’s Dustin Schimmel (47-5) in a 5-4 decision. Schimmel went on to take third. Bruns finished with a 32-12 record this season.

“Jake lost a tight 6-4 decision and ends a great year,” said Saints coach Dan Clark. “I believe that getting to the state tournament as a sophomore will help him the next two years, and hopefully he can go down there next year and win it.”

Both Bruns and Justin Rikkola will return for the Saints next year.

“They’re going to be the beef of our team next year,” said Clark.

SCFs Raygor ends great career, Jake Bruns competes at state

by Matt Blumkin MADISON – Dustin Raygor, the Saints’ 152-pounder, won all season, but he found himself slowed down by a knee injury at state.

“He wanted to give it a try at the state tournament being a senior and 45-0,” said Saints coach Dan Clark. “He was unable to perform at the level he was used to performing at and could not put any pressure on that knee.”

Raygor tore two ligaments in his knee when his leg got twisted during a semifinal match at sectionals on Feb. 17.

Raygor got up to finish the match and went on to win the final.

His 45-match unbeaten streak came to an end at state when Sam Brandt (37-7) of Weston downed him in an 11-6 decision. Raygor had to forfeit the consolation round match to Poynette’s Brett Rice (36-6), so his season ended at 45-2.

“It is too bad that injury had to end the season as he was probably the best 152- pound wrestler in any division at the tournament and one of the top wrestlers this school has ever seen,” said Clark. “I sure felt bad for him, but he will bounce back because he is that type of kid, he leaves SCF wrestling with 149 wins and has been a great role model and a great success in my eyes.”

One younger Saint built up his career by competing at state as a sophomore.

Saints 112-pounder Jake Bruns made his

Dustin Raygor of St. Croix Falls (bottom) struggled with a knee injury in losing to Sam Brandt (top) of Weston. – Photos by Terry Kahl

St. Croix Falls 112-pounder Jake Bruns taking on Dustin Schimmel of Marshall at state.

Dragons can’t put out late forest fire al finals at Siren.

Her three from the top of the key pulled the Dragons within a point of the Northwood Evergreens, 43-42. Yet, time ran out on a Dragon rally and their season as the ball sailed through the hoop.

“I think they played better than us down the stretch and that was the difference,” said Ruud. “We had some kind of untimely turnovers there when we had the lead.”

Caitlin Flanigan got the Dragons off to a hot start in the final quarter with a layup and a three to give the Dragons a 36-31 lead. Yet, the Dragons went cold from the field scoring only six more points in addition to turning over the ball several times. Northwood, meanwhile, capitalized with getting inside and drawing fouls. They hit 3-4 free throws down the stretch to secure the win leaving the Dragons down four, 4339, with eight seconds remaining.

Peterson shot the three but no foul came along with it.

“I think we tightened up a little bit, and they fed off their momentum and sealed the deal,” said Ruud.

Siren falls in regional finals to Northwood Northwood 43, Siren 42 Siren 47, Drummond 27

by Matt Blumkin WEBSTER/SIREN – Oftentimes, a buzzer-beating 3-point shot gives cause for jubilation.

The Siren Dragons did not experience such a reaction with Amanda Peterson’s three at the end of the regional finals on a snowy Saturday, Feb. 24.

“This one really just hurts a lot,” Dragons coach Jon Ruud commented about their one-point loss in the region-

Team Northwood Siren

Siren’s Kim Lindberg getting contested by Northwood’s Ashley Albano.

Siren seniors Amanda Peterson (34) and Caitlin Flanigan embrace following their regional finals loss to Northwood on Saturday, Feb. 24. The Dragons will graduate seven seniors. – Photos by Matt Blumkin

1 2 3 4 13 5 14 11 8 11 12 11 Individual Statistics Northwood 2s 3s FTM/A Ashlee Blegen 0 0 0/2 Brenna Balcsik 3 1 0/2 Taylor Fellbaum 2 2 0/0 Ashley Albano 3 1 1/2 Stacie Ruud 4 0 2/6 Alicia Block 1 0 2/2 Totals 12 4 5/16

F 0 1 1 3 4 5 14

TP 0 9 10 10 10 4 43

Siren Caitlin Flanigan Jena Coyour Janey Emery Brittany Jaskolka Amanda Peterson Kim Lindberg Totals

F 4 4 5 2 0 3 18

TP 11 4 16 3 8 0 42

2s 4 1 5 0 1 0 11

3s 1 0 0 0 2 0 3

FTM/A 0/0 2/7 6/6 3/4 0/0 0/2 11/19

F 43 42

Fire cont. page 23

PAGE 18 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

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Tigers and Cards on collision course!

Travis Pilz after getting elbowed in the face during the first half, and Tyler Petersen got in foul trouble. Yet, the Cards used their depth.

“The bench came through in the first half with Tyler Petersen on the bench with foul trouble and Travis Pilz on his way to the doctor to get stitches,” said Cards coach Rick Giller.

The Vikes held an 11-10 lead after the first quarter, but the Cards got going in the second half to pull away. Pilz returned during the second half and had 10 points.

Despite Pilz’s injury and Brennan Olson spraining his ankle, the Cards should be ready to go for Thursday night.

“I think we’re going to be healthy,” said Giller.

They’ll need full forces since the Tigers squeaked by in their last meeting at Webster, 39-38. The Cards beat the Tigers 54-46 at home in their first meeting of the season.

“This is the tie-breaker,” said Giller.

The winner gets Glenwood City or Cumberland at Amery for the regional title game on Saturday, March 3.

Webster and Luck win quarterfinal games, set up rematch in Webster Webster 55, Boyceville 35 Luck 59, Colfax 45

by Matt Blumkin WEBSTER/LUCK – After strong home wins on Tuesday, Feb. 27, Luck and Webster will clash one more time.

“I think it’ll be interesting,” said Tigers coach Randy Hedrick.

“Both teams have improved. We know each other.”

Webster The Tigers ousted the Boyceville Bulldogs from the regional playoffs in a 55-35 win. Brian Gibbs and Brian Thill each scored 16 points for the Tigers.

In Luck, the Colfax Vikings gave the West Lakeland Conference champion Cardinals a competitive game, which the Cards won 59-45. The Cards lost Team Colfax Luck Colfax Berge Phillips Blomberg Wolff Cook Stobb Peterson Totals

1 2 3 4 11 7 8 19 10 12 17 20 Individual Statistics 3s FTM/A 2s 0 0/0 0 1 0 0/0 4 1 4/6 3/4 0 1 2 0 0/0 3 1 0/0 1 1/1 3 14 3 8/11

F 5 1 4 4 5 3 4 26

TP 0 2 15 5 4 9 10 45

FTM/A 3/7 3/4 4/11 2/5 3/4 5/8 0/0 20/39

F 2 1 1 2 2 5 2 15

TP 17 11 10 7 5 7 2 59

Luck Brennan Olson Mike Christensen.

Travis Pilz Cody Richert Mitchell Klatt Tyler Petersen Adam Wallin Totals

2s 7 4 3 1 1 1 1 18

3s 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

Team Boyceville Webster

F 45 59

Travis Pilz of Luck driving against Chad Strilzuk of Unity. The West Lakeland Conference champions and the No. 14 ranked Webster Tigers will tip off for the third time this season in the regional semifinals on Thursday, March 1. – Photo by Matt Blumkin

1 2 3 4 12 4 6 13 16 11 11 17 Individual Statistics Boyceville 2s 3s FTM/A Jeb Jenkins 0 0 0/0 Travis Score 2 1 1/2 Colby Dotseth 0 0 0/0 Andy Hellman 0 0 0/0 Nathan Delong 5 0 4/4 Mike Rud 2 0 0/0 Brian Nusberger 3 0 3/4 Totals 12 1 8/10

F TP 3 0 3 8 3 0 0 0 2 14 3 4 4 9 18 35

Webster Peter Walsh Brian Gibbs A.J. Holmquist Paul Olesen Brian Thill Kevin Ingalls Adam Baum Totals

F 4 0 1 3 0 1 1 10

2s 0 6 1 3 2 3 0 15

3s 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3

FTM/A 0/0 1/1 6/9 3/3 6/10 0/0 0/0 16/23

F 35 55

TP 0 16 8 9 16 6 0 55

Eagles pluck Cards from contention Unity Eagles turn around late-season skid to advance Unity 44, Spring Valley 39

by Marty Seeger BALSAM LAKE – They’re losses have come in droves as of late, but Unity redeemed their losses when it mattered most against Spring Valley on Tuesday in the first round of regional action.

“We were able to get the shooters when we needed to, but it was a backand-forth game, we never really put the game in a position to win it until 20 seconds were left,” said assistant coach Rory Paulsen.

Unity held an early lead in the first quarter, but Spring Valley’s Tyler Bosshart found both sides of the arc, shooting three 3-pointers to keep the game close. In the final minute Chris Bugg hit a nice jumper to put the Eagles up 10-9, but the Cardinals answered back with a layup to give them the 11-10 lead after the first quarter.

The back-and-forth battle ensued in the second quarter when Matt Goulet picked up an early 3-pointer along with a Bugg three. But their lead stretched only to three points in the second while the Cardinals kept it close still.

In the final minute Ryan Flaherty would get a big two on a nice move to the inside but the Cardinals would later steal the ball and take a 23-21 lead. Bugg would hit a short jumper in the finals seconds, and the game remained tied at

Unity's Matt Goulet looking for a spot to post up against the Spring Valley Cardinals. The Eagles advanced with a 44-39 win, and they will travel to Eau Claire to take on Eau Claire Regis next in the regionals. – Photo by Marty Seeger

the end of the first half.

The third quarter was quiet until Bugg, who had at least 20 points hit the first three points in the third with four minutes to go. Unity would hold the Cardinals to only four points, but could only take a 32-30 lead into the fourth.

Goulet would get the Eagles momentum going early in the fourth with two free throws, followed by two points under the basket after a hard foul. He would miss the free throw after, but give the Eagles a four-point lead. It didn’t last long. The Cardinals quickly tied the game on a steal but Chad Strilzuk powered inside to give Unity a 38-36 lead. With a two point lead and just over a minute to go, Strilzuk stripped the ball and quickly passed it on to Bugg who was quickly fouled.

After sinking both, the Cards drained a long 3-pointer, bringing the score to within one, but that’s as close as they would get. Bugg would get two more from the foul line, as well as Goulet, who sealed the win by bringing down a clutch rebound in the final seconds of the game, and draw the foul for the final two of the game.

“I thought we had some key rebounds when we needed to get them, in terms of making stops on defense,” said Paulsen.

The Eagles will play Regis in the regional semifinal game, which will be held Thursday, Mar. 1, at Regis.

“It’s just been good for our kids because we’ve been on kind of a skid losing several games in a row, several games to good teams, but several nevertheless,” said Paulsen.

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FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 19

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Saints, Pirates, Vikings, Dragons are out

The Pirates held on to a 31-31 tie going into the fourth quarter, but the Beavers exploded and outscored the Pirates 25-9 to win.

Myers led Grantsburg in points with 11, and Shawn Pavlik added eight.

Jason Jensen contributed six points, and Brenton Thompson pitched in four. The Pirates end the season with an overall record of 10-10, and a conference record of 7-5.

Tough losses across the board in first round of tournament play Central 55, St. Croix Falls 41

by Marty Seeger ST. CROIX CENTRAL — The Saints lost a tough one in the first round of the playoffs on Tuesday night. According to Saints assistant coach, Jason Loney the Saints played a solid three quarters and had the score to within four points at one point.

That’s when the Saints missed a couple of good looks early in the fourth, and Central went on a 10-0 run.

“We had a difficult time with their press, which led to way too many easy points,” said Loney.

David Lund had a good game 13 points and seven rebounds, and Trygve Chinander hit some big shots according to Loney.

“The seniors played their hearts out in their final game, and I am proud of them and thank them for the effort,” Loney said. “The rest of the boys coming back now know the bitter taste, and hopefully it will spark them to work their tails off to avoid the same outcome next year,” Loney said.

Team Grantsburg Cumberland

1 2 3 4 11 11 9 9 10 8 13 25 Individual Statistics Grantsburg 2s 3s FTM/A Brenton Thompson 1 0 2/4 Ben Larson 1 0 0/0 Shawn Pavlik 1 2 0/0 Tyler Myers 4 0 3/3 Tim Josephson 0 1 0/0 Jason Jensen 3 0 0/0 Trent Bonneville 2 0 0/3 Nate Dahlberg 0 1 0/0 Totals 12 4 5/10 Cumberland Erickson Molls Baker Weltzin Brock Grewe Brady Grewe Broome Totals

R

2s 3 2 0 1 5 6 2 19

3s 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 3

FTM/A 0/1 0/1 1/2 2/2 3/5 4/5 0/0 10/16

F 40 56 F TP 1 4 1 2 3 8 2 11 1 3 1 6 2 4 4 2 15 40 F 2 0 3 2 3 2 1 13

TP 6 7 1 7 13 16 7 56

Drummond 53, Siren 46 DRUMMOND — Siren ended their season with a close game against Drummond on Tuesday night. The Dragons fell behind by only two points in the first quarter, and six going into halftime, but Drummond took control, and left Siren with a 1-11 conference record and a 4-16 overall record.

Adam Daniels led the team with 14 points, and Derek D’Jock, John Anderson, and Jordan Decorah finished the night with five points.

Vikings coach Ben Nelson talking with his team during a timeout in Turtle Lake. The Vikings' season ended at the hands of the Lakers, 71-48. — Photo

by Kris Hackett in the second quarter and carried that momentum into the third period with Cumberland 56, Grantsburg 40 CUMBERLAND — The Pirates ended four points. their season in Cumberland on Tuesday Team 1 2 3 4 F night, but put up a good fight against St. Croix Falls 8 14 11 8 41 St. Croix Central 12 15 10 18 55 the tough Cumberland team.

Individual Statistics Grantsburg took a one point lead after St. Croix Falls 2s 3s FTM/A F TP Jacob Larcom 1 0 0/0 5 2 the first quarter, and a four point lead at Gus Koecher 2 0 1/1 5 5 halftime. Tyler Myers had seven points Trygve Chinander 0 2 0/0 2 6 Team Siren Drummond

1 2 3 4 11 12 12 11 13 16 15 9 Individual Statistics Siren 2s 3s FTM/A John Anderson 1 1 0/0 Bobby Smith 0 0 0/0 Charles Brown 2 0 0/0 Jordan Decorah 1 1 0/0 Ryan Keith 0 0 0/2 Travis Freese 2 2 0/0 Adam Daniels 3 2 2/3 Keith Cremin 1 0 0/0 Derek D’Jock 2 0 1/3 Totals 12 6 3/8

F 46 53 F 0 1 0 3 1 0 5 5 4 19

TP 5 0 4 5 0 10 14 2 5 46

Allastant Knuckles Cory Gebhard Chuck Schmidt Eric Thorstad David Lund Greg Kadrmas Totals

1 1 0 1 6 1 13

0 1 0 0 0 0 3

0/0 3/4 1/2 0/0 1/1 0/0 6/8

0 2 2 8 2 1 0 2 3 13 4 2 23 40

St. Croix Central Dan Z Michael T. Jared F. Brad F. Jeff F. Tyler W. Totals

2s 2 2 2 0 4 3 13

3s 0 0 3 1 2 0 6

FTM/A 0/0 1/1 6/7 1/1 1/4 2/4 11/17

F 2 1 2 3 1 1 10

TP 4 5 19 4 15 8 55

Turtle Lake 71, Frederic 48 TURTLE LAKE — The Vikings had 15 points from Kyle Swenson, but they could not stop Turtle Lake's Kyle Wick.

Wick melted the Vikings' defense with 18 points, and two other Lakers hit double figures as the home team rolled.

Team Frederic Turtle Lake

1 2 3 4 13 3 12 20 16 18 22 15 Individual Statistics Frederic 2s 3s FTM/A Steve Lake 3 0 1/2 Nolan Neumann 0 0 3/4 Ben G. Anderson 0 1 0/0 Zach Anderson 2 0 5/6 Kyle Swenson 1 3 4/4 Jake Schmidt 3 1 0/0 Ariel Chung 0 0 0/0 Josh Nelson 1 0 0/0 Totals 9 5 13/16

F TP 1 7 5 3 3 3 4 9 1 15 2 9 1 0 0 2 17 48

Turtle Lake Kyle Wick Roger Carpenter Dan Gross Nathan Roem Nick Klingelhotes Nick Knight Aaron Lindsley Reed holls Ross Morton Tim Flanagan David Sollman Totals

F 0 2 0 1 2 0 2 0 2 1 3 14

2s 3 2 1 2 1 1 0 0 5 0 4 19

3s 4 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 6

FTM/A 0/0 2/3 1/2 0/0 0/0 1/2 2/2 1/2 0/0 0/0 2/2 9/13

F 48 71

TP 18 6 3 10 2 6 5 1 10 0 10 71

Gymnasts end season at sectionals mark of 6.55. Katty Peterson placed 17th on the uneven bars with a 6.25 and Megan Branstad placed 18th on the floor exercise with a 7.675.

Grantsburg gymnasts record personal and season bests in River Falls on Saturday

by Marty Seeger RIVER FALLS — The Pirates finished their season at the sectional meet in River Falls on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Jamie Lund had her best performance on the floor with an 8.325 to go along with a ninth-place finish. Lund took 12th place on the beam with a 7.925. It was her seventh no-fall routine of the season. She also took a 12th-place finish on the uneven bars with a 7.20, and placed 10th overall.

Alyssa Ryan placed 14th overall with a total of 28.225. She placed eighth in the floor competition with an 8.425 which was a personal best, as well as a season-best performance. Ryan placed in the 15 spot on the vault with an 8.05.

Michelle Lund hit a 31 mark for the first time this season with a 31.075.

Overall she finished in 11th place just behind her sister Jamie who placed 10th. Michelle Lund also finished in 11th place on the floor exercise with a score of 8.225. On the balance beam she finished 17th with a 7.60, 13th on the vault with 8.20, and took the 13 spot on the bars with a 7.05.

Other performances on the day included Jessica Ilgen, who took a 15thplace finish on the uneven bars with a

St. Croix Falls gymnastics results

Grantsburg’s Alyssa Ryan stands tall on the beam in an earlier competition this year. Ryan placed 14th in the all-around at the River Falls sectional meet last Saturday. – File photos by Marty Seeger

Saints gymnast Kayla Cross does a back flip off the balance beam in an earlier competition in Grantsburg.

Cross placed 29th at the balance beam and 28th in the floor exercise at River Falls last Saturday.

RIVER FALLS — St. Croix Falls competed with three girls at the sectional in River Falls last Saturday, Feb. 24.

“The girls had their best meet of the year, landing their beam mounts, pointing their toes, and just having a good time competing,” said Saints coach Dawn Schmidt.

Kelsey Willow placed in the 24th spot in the vault competition with a 6.450, and had a personal best on the vault with a 6.45 with to take 28th place.

Priscilla Castorena placed 28th in the uneven bars with a 2.975, and had a personal best on the floor with a 5.7. Jenna Brousil competed in her second competition of the year after a knee injury on the bars.

Kayla Cross finished 29th on the balance beam with a 4.675, and 28th on the floor exercise with a 5.700. Cross was the highest-placing gymnast on the team in the all-around with a 29th-place finish and a total of 19.050. According to Schmidt, she landed both her superior mount on the beam, and her back walkover which gave he the best score of the year with a 4.675.

“The girls gave it their all for their last competition of the year,” Schmidt said.

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Pirates ousted by Boyceville 73-45 to carry that into next season,” said McKinley.

Other underclassmen getting valuable floor time included sophomore Ingrid Ames, who shot three for six from the line to go along with five points. Pirate junior, Laura Skifstad added two points.

Next year Grantsburg will be without a core of seven seniors, including 1,000point scorer, Mollie Bjelland who had 15 points against Boyceville, while senior Miranda Kammeyer added three points and Stephanie Jensen pitched in four.

Other seniors ending the season against Boyceville include Amanda Huehn, Jade Johnson, Allison McKinley and Lindsey Hedlund.

Grantsburgs road ends in Boyceville Boyceville 73, Grantsburg 45

by Marty Seeger BOYCEVILLE — After taking care of Webster easily in the first round of the playoffs last Tuesday night, the Pirates faced a tougher Bulldogs team on Thursday, Feb. 22.

Grantsburg looked fired up in the first quarter as they jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, but Boyceville bounced back in a hurry, and held a nearly perfect scoring percentage in the first quarter. Their first missed shot came in the final minute of the first quarter.

“They came out playing well in the beginning, and then when they started hitting everything, and we didn’t get our second-chance rebounds, then that’s what hurt us the most,” said coach Lisa McKinley.

Boyceville doubled their lead in the first quarter, and kept their double-digit lead into halftime 44-23, and the Pirates couldn’t get any closer in the second half.

Despite the loss, Grantsburg finished 11-1 in the conference, while sharing a piece of the West-Lakeland conference title with Siren. It has been 11 years since that feat has been done, and in her

Ingrid Ames (L) and Miranda Kammeyer (middle) fight for a rebound in their game against Boyceville last Thursday night. - Photos by Marty Seeger first year as head coach, McKinley is happy with the season as a whole.

“The girls have really come together as a team this year, and each of them is going to leave their mark. It’s going to be hard to replace what leaves, but that’s the circle of the game,” McKinley said.

The Pirates have a lot to look forward to next year. Sophomore Megan Finch led the Pirates in Thursday night’s game with 16, and shot three of four free throws.

“It was huge for Megan in that type of game, to realize where she’s at and her ability, have confidence in that and then

The Grantsburg bench looks on as another successful season comes to an end. Despite losing to Boyceville, the Pirates end with a conference record of 11-1, with a share of the West Lakeland conference championship.

Megan Finch Team Grantsburg Boyceville

1 2 3 4 13 10 14 8 27 15 14 17 Individual Statistics Grantsburg 2s 3s FTM/A 0 0 0/0 Abbey Vaksdal Miranda Kammeyer 1 0 1/2 Mollie Bjelland 5 1 2/4 3 3/4 Megan Finch 2 Ingrid Ames 1 0 3/6 Stephanie Jensen 2 0 0/0 Jade Johnson 0 0 0/0 Vanessa Kleiss 0 0 0/0 Allison McKinley 0 0 0/2 Laura Skifstad 1 0 0/0 Totals 12 4 9/18

F 2 5 3 0 0 3 1 2 0 1 17

TP 0 3 15 16 5 4 0 0 0 2 45

Boyceville Julie Brewer Kaitlin Klaustermeier Stephanie Steinberger Carissa Walsh Katie Zvodny Teralyn Sutliff Nicole Nusberger Kayla Bird Kelsie Klaustermeier Totals

F 1 1 4 2 1 3 2 2 0 16

TP 9 5 4 8 13 10 15 7 2 73

2s 3 2 2 2 2 4 7 2 1 25

3s 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 5

FTM/A 0/0 1/2 0/0 1/2 0/1 2/3 1/2 3/5 0/0 8/15

F 45 73

Dragons stop Saints in overtime 65-55 Last Friday night the Dragons took a 10-point lead at halftime, but were outscored in the third period by seven.

Siren held on to the lead for much of the fourth period, and Anderson said that the team could have won in regulation, but the Dragons outscored the Saints by seven in overtime to take the two-game winning streak into the playoffs.

Along with Daniels 38 points, Derek D’Jock added 14 and Jordan Decorah contributed five. For the Saints it was Cory Gebhard with 15 points, and Greg Kadrmas added the double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Trygve Chinander held strong defensively with four steals.

Siren notches first conference win to end regular season Siren 65, St. Croix Falls 55 Marty Seeger SIREN — After struggling to grasp a conference win all season long, the Dragons finally succeeded in their first conference win against St. Croix Falls last Friday, Feb. 23.

Adam Daniels led the charge with a season high 38 points, which were complimented nicely with seven 3-pointers.

“He was shooting the ball very, very well,” said coach Rick Anderson, who landed his first-ever conference win as Siren’s Adam Daniels head coach.

The Dragons have certainly had their chances this season.

They lost two close ones against rival Frederic and their first meeting with the Saints which could have had better outcomes.

“If we wouldn’t have played so lousy against them (Saints) in the fourth quarter last time, we felt as if we could have won that one too,” said Anderson.

1 2 3 4 10 14 21 12 7 21 11 10 Individual Statistics Frederic 2s 3s FTM/A Steve Lake 3 0 0/1 Nolan Neumann 1 0 0/1 Jake Schmidt 4 0 5/6 Ben G. Anderson 0 1 0/0 Zach Anderson 2 0 0/0 Kyle Swenson 1 8 0/0 Josh Nelson 1 0 0/0 Kanan Hackett 0 0 1/2 Totals 12 9 6/10

F 57 49 F 4 2 3 3 3 4 0 4 23

TP 6 2 13 3 4 26 2 1 57

Weyerhaeuser Marcus Olesiak Chris Ludvik Eric Styczynski Kyle Styczynski Bryan Czekalski Jose Moreno Joseph Wood Justin Hamhohn Lucas Checkalski Totals

F 1 3 2 4 0 0 2 3 0 15

TP 10 6 18 1 0 4 6 2 2 49

Team Frederic Weyerhaeuser

Frederic’s Kyle Swenson had eight 3-pointers, including 26 points in last Friday night’s game against Weyerhaeuser.- Photo by Marty Seeger

2s 2 3 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 12

3s 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2

FTM/A 3/4 0/2 6/6 1/2 0/1 1/3 4/7 2/4 2/2 19/31

Frederic 57, Weyerhaeuser 49 WEYERHAEUSER — The Vikings rolled through Weyerhaeuser last Friday, Feb. 23, with a win to finish off the regular season.

Kyle Swenson had one of his best games of the season with 26 points and eight 3-pointers, and Jake Schmidt added 13 points with 13 assists. The Vikings took a 10-7 lead in the first quarter, but fell 28-24 at the half.

Frederic pulled ahead further in the third quarter with Swenson’s eight points and Schmidt’s six.

1 2 3 12 11 18 15 18 11 Individual Statistics St. Croix Falls 2s 3s Gus Koecher 2 0 Trygve Chinander 1 1 Sam Schmidt 1 0 Allastant Knuckles 0 0 Cory Gebhard 5 1 Charles Schmidt 0 0 Ryan Larson 3 0 Eric Thorstad 0 0 David Lund 2 0 Francis Fossum 0 0 Greg Kadrmas 4 1 Totals 18 3

FTM/A 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 3/6 2/4 1/2 0/2 2/4 0/0 3/4 11/22

F 2 2 1 2 0 1 2 0 5 1 3 19

TP 4 5 2 0 15 2 7 0 6 0 14 55

Siren John Anderson Robert Smith Jordan Decorah Travis Freese Adam Daniels Keith Cremin Derek D’Jock Totals

FTM/A 2/5 1/2 2/2 0/0 9/11 0/0 2/2 16/22

F 2 4 2 1 2 4 2 17

TP 3 3 5 2 38 0 14 65

Team St. Croix Falls Siren

2s 0 1 1 1 4 0 6 13

3s 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 7

4 10 7

O.T F 4 55 14 65

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Fire/continued The Dragons had dug themselves out of an early hole when they fell behind the Evergreens 13-4 in the first quarter.

Their four points only came from free throws. Yet, they turned things around offensively as they went on a 15-5 run to close the half and lead 19-18.

The lead continued to shift back and fourth during the third while the Dragons fed Janey Emery in the post on several occasions. Yet, the Evergreens did about the same with Taylor Fellbaum connecting inside the paint and from long range.

Though the Dragons couldn’t finish off the Evergreens and advance to their t hird - c o n s e c u t i v e regional title game, Ruud thinks highly of his class of seven senior girls that led the way.

“They’ve worked so hard for so many years here during the season and the offseason,” said Ruud. “You cannot replace the loss of those seven girls, and I thank them for everything they’ve given the school and our program and everything that they’ve given me.”

These seniors led the Dragons to over 50 wins in a three-year span along with two trips to the Spooner sectionals, two regional titles, one regional runner-up and a West Lakeland Conference cochampionship. The Dragons had not won the conference title since the early ‘80s.

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The girls also won their final home game against Drummond in the regional semifinals, 47-27 on Feb. 22. Peterson, a senior, had 10 points in the route. Jena Coyour led the way offensively with 21 points.

“We’ve accomplished a lot with these girls,” said Ruud. “They’ve left a lot of great memories for the Siren community.”

Siren center Janey Emery trying to get off a shot against Northwood’s Kim Lindberg. – Photo by Matt Blumkin

A Dragon fan getting the crowd to do the wave. Many fans braved the snow, and Webster High School opened the smaller section of their gym to accomodate a large crowd.

Vikings’ season caves in at Bears’ lair came on the scene. This year, the Vikes had their first season of 10 or more wins since 2002-03.

“So the progress our program made with them here is evident in winning, and for me it was evident with their leadership,” said Wink. “I hope that leadership is transferred over to our younger girls.”

He will have four starters returning to the team for next season. They’ll have Chenal and her 11.9 points per game.

Erin Schmidt, who had 190 boards, will return, and Anderson with her nine points per game and 29 3-pointers can light it up again.

“If the girls coming back work hard in the off-season and play together, we will have a good chance of being as good or better than this year,” said Wink.

He also said that the Clayton came provided a barometer of what they can shoot toward. That Feb. 23 game even provided some signs of heading that direction.

“We must have done enough things right to make Clayton use all of their timeouts,” said Wink. “I think Clayton is a very good team, and they were the better team. They are the measuring stick as to where we want to get to, but I believe we are not that far away from being able to play at their level.”

Frederic falls to topranked Clayton, but building toward a bright future Clayton 71, Frederic 44

by Matt Blumkin CLAYTON – Frederic’s climb in girls’basketball ended with a measuring stick of where the program can go.

They had won just five games in 200506, but they tripled that total this season (15-7, 8-4) and finished third in the West Lakeland Conference. Their season came to an end against the unbeaten Clayton Bears (21-0), ranked No. 1 in Division 4, on Feb. 22. The Bears had controlled the game throughout in a 7144 regional semifinal win.

“We didn’t get the results we were looking for,” said Vikings coach Troy Wink, who earned his first career playoff win on Feb. 19 in Bruce. “We thought we would play better. We did play hard; we never quit.”

The Vikes tangled early with the Bears as they kept within a point with a three

by Becca Anderson and a bucket by Melanie Chenal. Yet, the Bears jumped ahead with a 19-8 first quarter, and they built a 26-point lead in the second, 3610. The Vikes could not stop the Bears’ penetration on offense.

“Our girls just couldn’t help but to play faster than we wanted to play, and that was to Clayton’s advantage,” said Wink.

He also noticed other little things that sealed the Vikings’ fate.

“Rebounding in the fourth quarter off of their free throws they were missing hurt us,” said Wink. “I know of three times they missed their second shot off a free throw but got the rebound. All those little things added up.“

Team Frederic Clayton

Frederic’s Ali Lake getting suffocated by the Clayton Bears. The Vikings struggled offensively, and the No. 1 ranked Clayton Bears controlled the pace in their 71-44 regional quarterfinals win. – Photos by Matt Blumkin Despite the loss, Wink liked how his led by example and in voice.” team did this season He also appreciatThese four seniors have been together ed the group of four seniors he had who since their freshman year, and they have persevered together over the past helped the Vikings become a winning four years. basketball team again. They first played “I am proud of my team, and they a role leading the junior varsity team to were a great bunch to work with,” said a winning record as sophomores.

Wink. “We will miss our seniors; they Last year, they helped the Vikes go 5were all leaders, Anne Nelson, Kathleen 16 overall, which was a far cry from Jerry, Ali Lake and Jenny Murphy, they their 1-20 season in 2003-04 when they

1 2 3 4 8 10 12 14 19 21 18 13 Individual Statistics Frederic 2s 3s FTM/A Kelly Wondra 2 0 2/2 0/0 0 1 Erin Schmidt Anna Tesch 0 0 0/0 Ali Lake 4 0 6/6 4/4 0 0 Kathleen Jerry Becca Anderson 1 1 3/6 Michelle Owens 0 0 0/0 0/0 0 Lisa Chelmo 0 Jenny Murphy 0 0 1/2 Melanie Chenal 3 0 3/4 1 19/24 11 Totals

F TP 4 6 2 2 1 0 4 14 1 4 3 8 1 0 1 0 0 1 5 9 22 44

Clayton Ashley Grossenbacher Missy Trepanier Dani Reindahl Annie Grossenbacher Brittni Hover Becca Paulson Kayla Anderson Tawny Lien Totals

F 1 4 3 1 2 3 3 4 21

2s 1 7 3 0 4 4 3 4 26

3s 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2

FTM/A 0/0 2/2 1/3 0/2 6/7 1/4 0/0 3/6 13/24

F 44 71

TP 2 16 7 0 17 12 6 11 71

PAGE 22 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

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River Valley Midgets play in Canada!

Eagles Midgets Compete in Exciting Tournament in Canada

by Rebecca Stenberg THUNDER BAY, Ontario – The River Valley Eagles Midget hockey team played a thrilling tournament in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada ,on the weekend of Feb. 16, battling tough games against some very competitive opponents.

After a six-hour bus trip to Thunder Bay, the River Valley Eagles were triumphant in their first game on Friday, Feb. 16, beating the Westfort Rangers in a physical game by a score of 4-1. The Eagles had beaten the Rangers earlier in the season at a tournament in Grantsburg and were validated by this second win against a skilled team. Matt Wood scored the first goal of the game, with an assist by Kaitlyn Milner. He scored a second time, the last goal of the game, with assists by Ashley Chapman and Nick Seifert. The second goal was scored by Ryan Tirrel, assisted by Matt Wood. Ryan slammed the door on the Rangers with his second goal, a deadly slap shot from the blue line, and was named the Eagles MVP of the game.

The second game against the Current River Comets ended in a 4-3 loss for the Eagles. An even more physical game than the first, the Eagles and Comets battled closely the entire game. River

Valley lost some well-earned momentum when the referee ruled that Derek O’Brien’s slap shot had hit the post and did not cross the goal line. O’Brien’s rush came while the Eagles were shorthanded and would have tied the game in the second period. Eagles scorers included Ryan Andrie, with assists by Nick Seifert and Matt Wood; Matt Wood with an assist by Nick Seifert; and John Jones, with assists by Ryan Tirrel and Kaitlyn Milner. Milner played a very solid game at defense and rushed the puck very well offensively. Milner was named the Eagles MVP of the game.

The Eagles played their third game against the Elks and it was another agonizing game for the Eagles fans. Ryan Tirrel converted on another slap-shot in the second period on a pass from Racheal Hansen cutting the Elks lead to one. Despite a third-period pass from Tim Lusk that CJ Stenberg finished into the lower corner of the net, the Eagles were unable to tie the game. George Pfaltzgraff, the Eagles goalie, faced more than 40 shots and kept his team in the game until the very end.

The Elks led in the third period 3 to 2, when Eagles coaches pulled Pfaltzgraff to add an additional skater. Pfaltzgraff had to watch from the bench as the Elks cleared their zone and sneaked a final shot into the empty net with just 28 seconds remaining. Pfaltzgraff was named the Eagles MVP of the game.

With one victory on Friday and two close games on Saturday, the Eagles found themselves in second place at the tournament. Early Sunday morning, the

The Grantsburg Mites beat Ashland, Amery and Burnett during the state playdowns to qualify for the state tournament in Antigo on Mar. 3-4.Pictured (L to R) back row: Coach Ben Jensen, coach Randy Bowman, Hunter Jensen, Austin Olson, Kalvin Watt, Austin Bowman, Camilo Guelle, Jaxon Jones and coach Rick Quimby. Front row: Kajsa Luedtke, Joel Derocker, Anna Erickson, Bryce Roufs, Jacob Barnard, Blake Jensen and goalie Jase Quimby. – Submitted by Chris Erickson Eagles again faced the Westfort Rangers. The Rangers, hungry for a victory against the Eagles, were able to defeat them.

Although the Rangers won 4-1, the score doesn’t reflect just how close this last game of the tournament was. The Eagles played well, connecting passes and creating many scoring opportunities. But the Rangers goalie and defense played an outstanding game. The one

Eagles goal was scored by Ryan Tirrel with assists by Racheal Hansen and CJ Stenberg. Ryan Andrie anchored the Eagles defense and turned in another great performance. Andrie was named the Eagles MVP of the game.

The Grantsburg Mini Mite Jamboree was held on Saturday, Feb. 17. Teams participating in the tournament were Amery, Barron/Chetek, Cumberland, New Richmond one and two, River Valley and Grantsburg. Pictured above are the Grantsburg hockey team (R) and the River Valley team (L). – Photos submitted by Chris Erickson

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Next: @ Raptors, Bulls Since Michael Redd’s return on Feb. 21, the Bucks have been in some close contests, but have been unable to succeed in victory.

After losing seven games in a row, the Bucks were able to snap the losing streak with a win over the struggling Sixers, who post a disappointing record of 19-38. Redd and Mo Williams scored 26 points apiece, while Ruben Patterson added 13 points to go along with a season high of 10 assists. The road will not get any easier for Milwaukee in the coming weeks, or in the month of March.

Their next two games come against a tough Toronto team (31-26), and a similar Chicago team 32-27. With the return of Redd, Milwaukee should be able to pull off a couple of more wins in the coming months. The past few games are a reflection of how much Redd has meant to the team this season, not only as a team leader, but as one of the top players in the NBA. – Marty Seeger

Next: vs. Jazz, @ Celtics, vs. Lakers Stumbling since the All-Star Break, the Wolves haven’t found consistency yet.

However, they could still sneak into the playoffs as they only trail the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets for the final spot in the Western Conference by one game as of Feb. 25. The Wolves also snapped their three-game slide since the break in a 98-94 win over the Washington Wizards on Feb. 25. Ricky Davis scored 27 points in the game, and Randy Foye sealed the game with a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter. Foye, who has averaged just 2.7 assists per game, also has been passing the ball more with eight assists in each of their last two games. They had dropped a 116-104 game to the Suns on Friday, Feb. 23, though Kevin Garnett scored 28 and racked up his 48th double-double of the season. They’ve continued to struggle under new coach Randy Wittman. – Matt Blumkin

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NAME: Devin Hoyt SCHOOL: Unity YEAR: Senior COMMENTS: After two state tournament appearances in Madison, Devin Hoyt hadn’t been able to notch a spot on the podium. Last week, Hoyt redeemed himself in his third state Devin Hoyt appearance by taking a second-place finish. “I still think he could have beat the first-place kid, but I’m a little biased,” said coach Mark Ferguson who was extremely happy with how Hoyt finished out his senior year. Hoyt had some tough matches. One of the most crucial ones came in the quarterfinal round against the two-time reigning state champion from Cashton. Hoyt defeated the champion by a 6-5 decision. – Marty Seeger

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NAME: Justin Rikkola SCHOOL: SCF YEAR: Junior COMMENTS: Justin Rikkola transferred to St. Croix Falls from Grantsburg this school year, and he has been a force the Saints wrestling team. He won at 103-pounds in the regionals and sectionJustin Rikkola als. At the state tournament, he lost his first match. Yet, he wrestled his way back to take fourth place. During the season he also beat the 103 state runner-up from Bruce twice. Rikkola will be looked to as one of the key wrestlers for the Saints next season, and he will get a shot at a state title. Rikkola had wrestled for LuckFrederic -Grantsburg before joining the Saints.

– Matt Blumkin

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 23

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More hoops action!

(LEFT) Mitchell Klatt of Luck going up against Unity’s Chad Strilzuk as he drives to the basket.

Strilzuk had 11 points though Unity struggled inside offensively. Klatt had seven points for the Cards. (RIGHT) Unity’s Chris Bugg getting caught in traffic. – Photos by Matt Blumkin

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Monday Afternoon Retired Standings: Eagles 18, Nite Hawks 12, Badgers 9, Swans 9.

Men’s games: Dick Coen (Nite Hawks) 183, Buster Henricks (Swans) 174, Roger Messer (Eagles) 173.

Men’s series: Jack Bueckslar (Swans) 492, Dick Coen (Nite Hawks) 478, Buster Henricks (Swans) 473.

Women’s games: Lucy Hanson (Eagles) 163, Lila Larson (Badgers) 162, Thelma Hendricks (Nite Hawks) 160.

Women’s series: Lila Larson (Badgers) 442, Lucy Hansen (Eagles) 429, Thelma Hendricks (Nite Hawks) 414.

Team games: Swans 642, Nite Hawks 601, Eagles 580.

Team series: Nite Hawks 1769, Swans 1735, Eagles 1661.

Monday Night Ladies Standings: Adventures 41, House of Wood 37, The Bottle Shop 35, Mane Attractions 30, Hacker’s Lanes 27, S&C Bank 25, Radio Shack 17, Miller Chicks 12.

Individual games: Gail Linke (HL) 204, Connie McKenzie (HW) 200, Joyce Johnson (ADV) 191.

Individual series: Gail Linke (HL) 529, connie McKenzie (HW) 524, Jennifer Petersen (ADV) 520.

Team games: Mane Attractions 672, Hacker’s Lanes 639, House of Wood 621.

Team series: Mane Attractions 1914, Hacker’s Lanes 1854, House of Wood 1841.

Tuesday Youth (2 games) Standings: King Pin 14, J.K.A. Bowlers 11, LAM Bowlers 10.5, The Pin Heads 9, Pin Patrol 9, Frederic Bowlers 6.5, Strikes “R” Us 6, Rock Hard Bowlers 6,.

Boys games: Logan Hacker 187, A.J. Walsh Brenizer 181, Austin Bruss 147.

Boys series: Logan Hacker 325, A.J. Walsh Brenizer 282, Andrew Sund 272.

Girls games: Brandi Bahr 141, Avery Steen 117, Avery Steen 109.

Girls series: Brandi Bahr 234, Avery Steen 226, Alicia Sund 144.

Team games: LAM Bowlers 421, LAM Bowlers 405, Pin Patrol 335.

Team series: LAM Bowlers 826, J.K.A. Bowlers 662, The Pin Heads 634.

Tuesday Classic Standings: Hacker’s Lanes 76, Great Northern Outdoors 67.5, Bottle Shop 66, Yellow Lake Lodge 56, Hog Wild 52.5, Oddballs 40, Ward Lake Services 34, Pioneer Bar 25.

Men’s games: Ed Bitler 278, Gene Ackland 258, Shane Nyland 257.

Men’s series: Ed Bitler 703, Gene Ackland 668, Shane Nyland 663.

Team games: Great Northern Outdoors 673, Hacker’s Lanes 640, Yellow Lake Lodge 632.

Team series: Great Northern Outdoors 1931, Yellow Lake Lodge 1889, Hacker’s Lanes 1761.

Wednesday Afternoon Ladies Standings: Pioneer Bar 2-45, Frandsen Dairy 7-42, All Around Gals 2-36, Crazy Ladies 5-32, Hacker’s Lanes 5-25.

Individual games: Myrna Beckman (CL) 190, Nancy Bradwell (FD) 181, Marvel Beckman (CL) 179.

Individual series: Nancy Bradwell

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(FD) 496, Marvel Beckman (CL) 481, Ernie Meyer (CL) 475.

Team games: Crazy Ladies 804, Frandsen Dairy 796, Pioneer Bar 734.

Team series: Crazy Ladies 2217, Frandsen Dairy 2171, Pioneer Bar 1981.

Wednesday Night Early Men Standings: Skol Bar 24, Parker 21, Lewis Silo 19, Cummings Lumber 16, A-1 Machine 15, Jack Pine Trading 15, Pioneer Bar 14, Bye 4.

Individual games: Dale Rowell (P) 327, Don Swanson (CL) 234, Dave Romanowski (PB) 225.

Individual series: Josh Henry (JT) 634, Dale Rowell (P) 631, Duane Doolittle (LS) 630.

Team games: Parker 970, Lewis Silo 959, Pioneer Bar 953.

Team series: Lewis Silo 2794, Parker 2757, Jack Pine Trading 2631.

Thursday Early 3-Man Standings: K-Wood (12) 68, Raisers (10) 53.5, Wikstrom Construction (6) 53, Frontier Trails (1) 53, Full Timers (10) 51, CenturyTel (7) 51, Fab Four (3) 44, Grindell Law Offices (3) 42.5.

Individual games: Don Hughes (WK) 277, Ken Tonsagen (FuT) 266, Don Hughes (KW) 258.

Individual series: Don Hughes (KW) 755, Ed Bitler (KW) 704, Ken Tonsagen (FuT) 696.

Team games: K-Wood 736, 727, 667.

Team series: K-Wood 2130, Full Timers 1765, Grindell Law Offices 1638.

Consecutive strikes (5 or more): Don Hughes (KW) 10X=277 & 5X=258, Ed Bitler (KW) 7X=246 & 7X=244, Blake Douglas (GLO) 7X=244, Ken Tonsagen (FuT) 6X+5X=266, Barry Anderson (HR) 6X=227, Don McKinney (FF) 5X=237, Chad Kraska (KW) 5X&6X=236, Tim Pederson (FF) 5X=216.

Games 50 or more above average: Ken Tonsagen (FuT) 266 (78), Don Hughes (KW) 277 (64), Blake Douglas (GLO) 244 (63).

Series 100 or more above average: Don Hughes (KW) 755 (116).

Triplicates: : Dave Hall (HR).

Splits converted: 5-7: Simon Nelson; 3-10: Barry Anderson (HR)X2; Laryn Larson (HR).

Thursday Late Standings: Wardlake Services 24-8, Stotz & Company 20-12, Hog Wild BBQ & Grill 18-14, Fisk Trucking 1220, Johnson Upholstery 11-21, Hansen Farms Inc. 11-21.

Individual games: Steve Baillargeon 252, Lydell Larson 246, Kenny Baillargeon 236.

Individual series: Dale Frandsen 669, John Ellefson 623, Steve Baillargeon 613.

Team games: Wardlake Services 1111, Hansen Farms Inc. 934, Stotz & Company 932.

Team series: Wardlake Services 2848, Stotz & Company 2772, Hansen Farms Inc. 2717.

Friday Night Ladies Standings: The Leader 42, Meyer’s Plus 40, 4-Season Travel 37, Skol Bar 35, Brad’s Ringneck 34, Tin Cup Promotions 31, Hole in the Wall 27, Bye 6.

Individual games: Cindy Denn 216, Gail Linke 214, Missy Hernandez and Cara Holicky 189.

Individual series: Karen Carlson 542, Gail Linke 527, Cindy Denn 525.

Team games: The Leader 656, Brad’s

Ringneck 650, 4 Season Travel 645.

Team series: The Leader 1910, 4 Season Travel 1859, Brad’s Ringneck 1851.

Games 50 or more above average: Cindy Denn.

Splits converted: 3-7: Karen Carlson; 5-10: Julie Young.

McKenzie Lanes

Monday Madness Standings: Scottay’s Trucking 44, State Farm Ins. 41, Peper Tire & Align.

36, McKenzie Lanes 31, Pepie’s Gals 28, Frederic Larsen Auto 27, Alleycats 25, Osceola Plumbing & Htg. 24.

Individual games: Linette Erickson 203, Heather Donahue 187, Debbie Swanson 183.

Individual series: Linnette Erickson 507, Julia Delougherty 506, Debbie Swanson 491.

Team games: Scottay’s Trucking 624.

Team series: Scottay’s Trucking 1747.

Monday Night Ladies Standings: McKenzie Lanes 37.5, Metal Products 36.5, Milltown Appliance 33.5, Wolf Creek Log Furniture 32, Sam’s Carpentry 30.5, Edina Divas 28.5, Bont Chiropractic 23.5, Jericho Trucking 18.

Individual games: Lois Hermanson 233, Louise Clark 216, Yvonne Snyder 216.

Individual series: Yvonne Snyder 551, Lois Hermanson 534, Erlene Johnson 533.

Team games: McKenzie Lanes 1135, Metal Products 1042.

Team series: McKenzie Lanes 2964, Metal Products 2911.

Tuesday Early Mix Standings: Gutter Gals 26, Lane Crashers 20, Still Standing 20, 2 Stooges & Princess 12, The Gumegu’s 12, Bye 0.

Men’s games: Gene Braund 255, Roy Davis 202, Alex Ambrozik 197.

Men’s series: Gene Braund 620, Alex Ambrozik 524, Roy Davis 513.

Women’s games: Shannon Lewis 187, Lisa Gunderson 171, Becky Eklof 168.

Women’s series: Shannon Lewis 480, Becky Eklof 460, Lisa Gunderson 436.

Team games: Still Standing 534.

Team series: Still Standing 1485.

Tuesday Women’s Day Standings: Gutter Dusters 96.5, Kassel Tap 88.5, Custom Outfitter 86.5, Country Gals 85.5, B&H Builders 79.5, A-1 Machine 76, Hauge Dental 62.5, Bye 37.

Individual games: Annette Norlander 216, Peggy Johnson 185, Ellie Lehman 182.

Individual series: Annette Norlander 516, Toni Sloper 509, Audrey Ruck 471.

Team games: Country Gals 812,

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Team series: B & H Builders 2300, Country Gals 2280.

Tuesday Night Men Standings: McKenzie Lanes 8, Steve’s Appliance 8, Dream Lawn 6, Hack’s Pub 4, The Dugout 4, Greatland Transportation 2, Nel-Lo-Hill Farm 0, Glass Bar 0.

Individual games: Rick Katzmark 280, Darren McKenzie 278, Samuel Leggitt and Jamie Booth 257.

Individual series: Darren McKenzie 753, Rick Fox 714, Rick Katzmark 660.

Team games: Steve’s Appliance 1035, McKenzie Lanes 1026.

Team series: McKenzie Lanes 3037, Dream Lawn 2985.

Wednesday Early Mix Standings: Tri-County Imp. 49, Hendrick’s Motor 47, Lite House 44, Holiday Stationstores 40, Fox Den 31, Fox Den II 30, Larsen Auto Frederic 26, Cutting Edge 21.

Men’s games: Butch Korsan 246, Merlin Fox 242, Darrell Hendricks 223.

Men’s series: Merlin Fox 683, Butch Korsan 601, Darrell Hendricks 600.

Women’s games: Jeanne Kizer 186, Tiffany Anderson 168, Janice Fox 163.

Women’s series: Jeanne Kizer 469, Shannon Cox 452, Janice Fox 444.

Team games: Holiday Stationstores 656, Fox Den 655.

Team series: Henderick’s Motor 1862, Holiday Stationstores 1828.

Wednesday Night Men Standings: Reed’s Marina 8, McKenzie Lanes 6, Davy’s Construction 6, Embroidery Plus 6, Tiger Express 2, Harvest Moon 2, Dalles Electrician 2, Hanjo Farms 0.

Individual games: Carl Hetfeld 266, Rich Swenson 265, Jim McKenzie 255.

Individual series: Brad Hacker 693, Rich Swenson 687, Darren McKenzie 674.

Team games: McKenzie Lanes 1127.

Team series: McKenzie Lanes 3124.

Thursday Women Standings: K.C. Electrical 55.5, Hauge Dental 52, Century 21 50, Balsam Lake Hardware 42, Eagle Valley Bank 40.5, Hack’s Pub 30, RiverBank 27, Deer Lake Block 20.

Individual games: Kathy McKenzie 213, Gay Gee and Denise Donaghue 196.

Individual series: Kathy McKenzie 561, Angela Mazaika 550, Denise Donaghue 537.

Team games: Century 21 1056.

Team series: Century 21 3015.

Black & Orange

Early Birds Standings: 10th Hole 26-14, Black & Orange 19-21, Log Cabin Store 18-22, Gandy Dancer Saloon 17-23.

Individual games: Michelle Lysdahl (10th) 169, Sandy Price (LCS) 164, Sheila Anderson (10th) and Diane Wilson (G) 161.

Individual series: Sheila Anderson (10th) 459, Sandy Price (LC) 448, Michele Lysdahl (10th) 438.

Team games: 10th Hole 878, Log Cabin Store 848, Gandy Dancer Saloon 823.

Team series: 10th Hole 2547, Log Cabin Store 2472, Black & Orange 2395.

Monday Night Men Standings: Bruce’s Auto 22-10, Pope’s Construction 22-10, Parker 19-

13, Larry’s LP 17-15, Glass & Mirror Works 14-18, Vacant 2-30.

Individual games: Vern Notton (P) 210, Dave Greene (P) 204, Jack Witzany (L) and Dean Eytcheson (BA) 189.

Individual series: Parker 931, Bruce’s Auto 903, Pope’s Construction 889.

Team games: Dave Green (P) 531, Jack Witzany (L) 520, Dean Eytchyeson (BA) 505.

Team series: Parker 2678, Bruce’s Auto 2570, Larry’s LP 2537.

TNT Ladies Standings: Larry’s LP 21-15, Flower Power 21-15, Cashco 21-15, Wild Bill’s 9-27.

Individual games: Robin Willard (WB) 202, Jennifer Kern (L) 181, Evelyn Engebretson (FP) 162.

Individual series: Robin Willard (WB) 506, Jennifer Kern (L) 498, Julie Remund (WB) 437.

Team games: Flower Power 732, Larry’s LP 715, Wild Bill’s 664.

Team series: Larry’s LP 1988, Wild Bill’s 1956, Flower Power 1910.

Games 50 or more above average: Robin Wilard 202 (+ 55).

Splits converted: 4-7-10: Jennifer Kern.

Wednesday Night Men Standings: Lions 22-10, T&P Tree Service 20-12, 10th Hole 18.5-13.5, Cashco 16-16, Black & Orange 14.517.5, Lynch Mob 14-18, Northview Drive Inn 12-20, Blasters 11-21.

Individual games: Curt Phelps (C) 215, Ted Nelson (LM) 212, Art Bliven (L) 205.

Individual series: Jack Witzany (L) 545, Jeremy Littlepipe (LM) 537, Kevin Swanson (B&O) 529.

Team games: Lynch Mob 995, 10th Hole 977, Lions 937.

Team series: Lynch Mob 2827, 10th Hole 2690, Lions 2656.

Games 50 or more above average: Jeremy Littlepipe 204 (+54), Ted Nelson 212 (+51).

Thursday Night Ladies Standings: Riske Dick’s 29-7, Pour House 22-14, Black & Orange 20-16, Hole in the Wall 14-22, Ben Ott Construction 12-24, Check Services 11-25.

Individual games: Audrey Pardun (H) 198, Bre Tyler (CS) and Daphne Churchill (RD)173, Traci Hopkins (BOC) 165.

Individual series: Audrey Pardun (H) 498, Angie Olson (CS) 468, Jennifer Kern (B&O) 448.

Team games: Check Services 705, Ben Ott Construction 685, Riske Dick’s 657.

Team series: Ben Ott Construction 1962, Check Services 1936, Hole in the Wall 1909.

Games 50 or more above average: Bre Tyler 173 (+68).

Early Risers Standings: Hole in the Wall 39, 10th Hole 36, Gandy Dancers 28, A+ Sanitation 23.

Individual games: Marion Obszarny (10th) and Donna Koon (10th) 179, Sheila Anderson (10th) 175, Celia Leahy (HITW) 174.

Individual series: Marion Obszarny (10th) 491, Donna Koon (10th) and Angie Paulzine (HIRW) 453, Dot Fauks (GD), 441.

Team games: 10th Hole 639, Hole in the Wall 589, Gandy Dancers 550 Team series: Hole in the Wall 1706, 10th Hole 1699, Gandy Dancers 1550.

PAGE 24 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

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Catch the fever!

Weather permitting, it will be an intense and festive atmosphere at Webster Thursday night as the No. 2 seed Tigers host the West Lakeland champion Luck Cardinals (see details of Tuesday night’s Luck and Webster tourney victories elsewhere on these pages). The Cards and Tigers split during the regular season so Thursday’s rubber match should be a dandy. The WHS gym holds only 900 fans, so fans are advised to arrive early and be prepared to stand in line if they wish to grab a seat (there will be no temporary or loft seating available, according to Webster A.D. Jeff Roberts). The game will be radio broadcast on FM 105.7. The winner will travel to Amery Saturday to face the Cumberland-Glenwood City winner for the regional crown.

All hail the champs Hats off to coach Rick Giller and the Luck Cardinals for laying claim to their first conference basketball title since 1998. In those days, fellow Card legend Ronnie Petersen was at the helm on the Redbird bench and Giller was an assistant. The Cards have a young team and have a shot at repeating for a league title in 2008.

Incidentally, Luck’s JV squad finished with a 16-4 record. The Cardinal junior varsity was mentored by ex-redbird Alan Tomlinson, who is another icon from the golden age of Luck basketball.

Old timers galore Luck spies report that once again it was 60-something Glen Johansen who won the coveted and figurative Fossil Award for being the oldest participant in the annual Luck Winter Carnival alumni basketball tournament. The above mentioned Petersen (a 1969 LHS grad) also participated in the alumni event. A few weeks earlier, the inaugural Frederic alumni tourney took place . The affair was organized by Viking boys coach Ben Nelson and earned over $500 for the Frederic boys basketball program. The winning team was composed of Viking legends Dean Harder, Ben Chenal, John Anderson, Trevor Cogswell, Dolf Schmidt, and Shane Steffen. Schmidt and Steffen played on Frederic’s fine 1991 team and were the greybeards for the champs.

Missing in inaction Fans in attendance at the FHS alumni tourney were mildly disappointed that some ex-Viking icons failed to show up for the gala. “Where in the world are Doug Panek, Bob Haumant, Craig Liljeberg, Gary Gjonnes, Erick “Rick” Anderson, Rod Carlson, Bruce Carlson, Gene Johnson, John Grindell, Dave Grindell, Greg Engelhart, Jim Engelhart, Jeff Holmberg, Harold Erickson, Brock Brunberg, Toby Carley, Rob Vincent and all the rest of the legends who still live nearby?,” asked one disappointed attendee as he glanced around the

J o h n R y a n

THE SPORTS

PAGE

Youth hockey Burnett Youth Hockey Weekly Results February 23-25

PeeWees A Blizzard 11, Superior 0 Goals: Aaron Dietmeier (4), Joe Englehart (2), Jacob Swenson (2), Ashley Dietmeier, Matt Larson, Matt Smith Assists: Tyler Richison (4), Joe Englehart (3), Matt Larson, Jacob Swenson Saves: Jimmy Richson (8 D.C. Everest 4, Blizzard 3 Goals: Joe Engelhart (2), Jacob Swenson Assists: Shay Johnson, Anthony Dietmeier, Tyer Richsion

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gymnasium. “I hope it’s not because they’re hopelessly out of shape.” An optimistic fan replied with an optimistic “Maybe they’ll show up next year.”

Culinary delights The annual wild game sampler was held at a nearby hunting shack last Saturday night despite the foul weather. This year’s mystery meat was muskrat, which was found to be rather tasty. Other offerings were northern pike, brook trout, rock dove (aka pigeon) quail, ruffed grouse, pheasant, duck, squirrel, raccoon, and as a concession to carbohydrate lovers, wild potato soup. Several of the usual suspects were no-shows at the event and were quick to blame the weather. But those who know better surmised that their absences were due to either a) nagging at the home front, or b) depression over the fact that their favorite girls basketball team had been upset in the regional final earlier in the day.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery Venerable title-winning Unity boys coach Dennis Anderson ended the regular season sidelined for several weeks due to an illness. The Eagle reins were ably managed by longtime assistant Rory Paulsen in Anderson’s absence. Anderson has not yet tipped his hand, but some spies in the TriTown area are wondering if he’ll be returning to the bench for the 2007-08 season. The Eagles earned a satisfying sub-regional victory over Spring Valley Tuesday night.

Great start for ex Unity ballplayer Mark Hallberg, who played little league baseball for Unity and high school ball at Barron, is shining as a shortstop at Florida State University.

Hallberg has started all 13 games for the undefeated Seminoles and has compiled a .352 batting average along with 17 runs scored and 15 RBIs. In the field, he’s handled 53 chances with only one error. During his little league career Hallberg honed his skills under the tutelage of Unity mainstays Doug Ramich and Greg Paulsen.

Return of trivia This week’s exercise is “Link to the legend.” To commemorate Luck’s conference title, contestants are to link the current player on the Cards roster with a name from the storied Luck basketball past which he most closely matches.

1) Tyler Petersen a) Paul Petersen b) Roger Petersen c) Harlan Petersen d) Ronnie Petersen 2) Carson Giller a) Rande Giller b) Jim Giller c) Rick Giller d) Jack Giller 3) Nick Morgan a) J.P. Morgan b) Captain Morgan c) Harry Morgan d) Joel Morgan 4) Travis Pilz a) Tyler Pilz b) Bob Pilz c) John Pilz d) Wayne Pilz (careful, this is a tricky one. See above rules) 5) Brennan Olson a) Butch Olson b) Brian Olson c) Dane Olson d) Jimmy Olson Correct answers: 1-d, 2-c, 3-d, 4-a (Bob never played for Luck) 5-b.

Saves: Jimmy Richison (15) Blizzard 4, Somerset 1 Goals: Anthony Dietmeier (2), Shay Johnson, Jacob Swenson Assists: Joe Engelhart (3) Saves: Jimmy Richison (7) Blizzard 6, New Richmond 1 Goals: Anthony Dietmeier 2, Tyler Richison, Jacob Swenson, Ashley Dietmeier, Joe Engelhart Assists: Joe Engelhart (2), Shay Johnson, Gino Lonetti, Alex Hopkins Saves: Jimmy Richison (10) Squirts A Blizzard 5, Amery 3 Goals: Ryan Curtis (3), Jeremy Roy (2) Assists: Brett Ricardson, Jeremy Roy, Vinny Larson Saves: Paige Young (7) Blizzard 3, Amery 2 Goals: Ryan Curtis, Vinny Larson (2) Assists: Ryan Curtis

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LEADER SPORTS BOYS BASKETBALL

West Lakeland Conference Final Standings

Team Luck Webster Unity Grantsburg Frederic St. Croix Falls Siren

Conf.

11-1 10-2 7-5 7-5 3-9 3-9 1-11

Scores

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Overall 17-3 17-2 11-9 10-9 9-11 6-13 5-15

Friday, February 23 Siren 65, St. Croix Falls 55 Webster 53, Grantsburg 34 Luck 71, Unity 45 Frederic 57, Weyerhaeuser 49 Tuesday, February 27 Division 3 Regionals (#4) Cumberland 56, (#5) Grantsburg 40 (#3) Luck 59, (#6) Colfax 45 (#2) Webster 55, (#7) Boyceville 35 (#4) Unity 44, (#5) Spring Valley 39 (#3) St. Croix Central 55, (#6) St. Croix Falls 41 (#2) Prescott 53, (#7) Elk Mound 35 Division 4 Regionals (#4) Turtle Lake 71, (#5) Frederic 48 (#4) Drummond 53, (#5) Siren 46

Coming up

Thursday, March 1 Division 3 Regionals (#3) Luck at (#2) Webster, 7 p.m. (#4) Cumberland at (#1) Glenwood City, 7 p.m. (#4) Unity at (#1) Eau Claire Regis, 7 p.m. (#3) St. Croix Central at (#2) Prescott, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 3 Division 3 Regional Final Luck/Webster vs. Cumberland/Glenwood, 1:30 p.m. (at Amery) Unity/Regis vs. St. Croix Central/Prescott, 7 p.m. (at Ellsworth)

Last week, the Swami crowed about reaching his peak at tournament time, yet he produced only a 93 record.

So instead of crowing, today he’s eating crow. His overall mark stands at 147-28, or 84 percent. “I’m really sticking my neck out this week,” the Swami said.

“I might finish with a flourish, or I could lay a monumental egg.

Time will tell.”

The Swami THE SWAMI

PREDICTS

This week, the Swami let’s his readers take over the column.

West Lakeland Conference Final Standings

Team Siren-x Grantsburg-x Frederic St. Croix Falls Webster Unity Luck x- conference champions

Conf.

11-1 11-1 8-4 6-6 3-9 3-9 0-12

Overall 17-3 14-6 14-6 8-11 6-14 3-17 1-19

Scores

Thursday, February 22 Division 3 Regionals (#2) Boyceville 73, (#3) Grantsburg 45 Division 4 Regionals ((#1) Clayton 71, (#5) Frederic 44 (#1) Siren 47, (#5) Drummond 27 Saturday, February 24 Division 3 Regional Finals Boyceville 54, Colfax 47 (at Amery) Division 4 Regional Finals Clayton 54, Birchwood 31 (at Cumberland) Division 4 Regional Finals Northwood 43, Siren 42 (at Webster) End of season for area teams

Life isn’t a spectator sport. Read Leader Sports! percent. What do you think your success rate would be if you picked only four schools?

The Swami replied: Probably 95 to 98 percent I’d say. That would be almost too easy.

Erasmus B. Dragon from Siren emailed: You jinxed us by predicting our girls’ team would return to the Spooner sectional. Do you think Northwood has much of a chance up there?

The Swami replied: No. Flambeau will destroy the Evergreens by at least 35 points.

Wart from Cushing e-mailed: You did a great job on the Tuesday night boys games. You were right on the money on nearly every game.

The Swami replied: Excuse me while I stifle a yawn. What did you expect?

The Swami Predicts Boys tournament games

Huge Fan from Webster e-mailed: You are perhaps the greatest Northwest Wisconsin prognosticator of all time.

Hopefully your rock-solid prediction propensity carries over into the tournament season.

The Swami replied: I’m an athlete, man. And I’ve found that if I step-up and give 110 percent, 365 days per year, good things will happen.

The Cat Lady from up north e-mailed: Nice job on the Grantsburg-Webster game last week (not). You really blew that one.

The Swami replied: The Tigers threw me a curve when they tanked (twice) against St. Croix Falls. After that, I didn’t know what to expect.

Malcolm Z from Grantsburg e-mailed: I notice that you regularly predict the games of seven different schools, yet your success rate is still well over 80-

Eau Claire Regis 62, Unity 34: Ouch!

Saves: Brett Richardson (7) Blizzard 7, Somerset 5 Goals: Ryan Curtis (3), D.J. Hunter (2), Triston Alden, Jeremy Roy Assists: Jeremy Roy, Brett Richardson, Max Norman Saves: Paige Young (13) Blizzard 8, Somerset 3 Goals: Triston Alden, Brett Richardson, Ryan Curtis (3), Jeremy Roy (2), Vinny Larson Assists: Jeremy Roy, Vinny Larson (2) Saves: Paige Young (16)

Amery 8, River Valley 4 Goals: Matt Schultz, Josh Schultz, Bobby Schake Mites Blizzard 12, River Valley 0 Saves: Josh Skallet (10) Grantsburg 5, River Valley 3 Goals: Brendan Sheehan (2), Palo DeConcini Saves: Cody Whittier (13) Pine City, Minn. 4, River Valley 3 Goals: Sophie Klein, Wyatt Kuenkel, Brendan Sheehan Saves: Cody Whittier (20) U19 Girls River Valley 5, Pine City 1 Goals: Ashley Chapman, Kaitlyn Milner (2), Rachael Hansen (2) Assists: Ashley Chapman, Kaitlyn Milner Saves: Lauryssa Milner (7)

River Valley Youth Hockey Weekly Results February 23-25

Atoms Grantsburg 7, River Valley 2 Goals: Matt Schultz, Nick Courteau

Prescott 50, St. Croix Central 40: ExFrederic coach Corey Morning has his team in the regional final.

Prescott 45, Eau Claire Regis 44: A primarily Division 2 and 3 schedule helps the Cardinals prevail.

Glenwood City 55, Cumberland 53: It’ll be closer than some expect.

Luck 48, Webster 46: The Cards win it at the free-throw line.

Luck 60, Glenwood City 59: A major upset.

The Swami answers all e-mails and can be reached at predictionking@yahoo.com

O UTDOORS

PAGE 25 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

FEB-

INTER- COUNTY LEADER

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

Superior Fishing Trip Hello friends About a month ago I wrote about meeting Hutterli, of Fly Baraboo, at the All Canada Show in Madison. Fly has been reading this column for years in The Mark News Walters Baraboo Republic, and after talking for a while, OUTDOORSMAN’S invited me to go fishing at his brother and JOURNAL sister-in-law’s place on Lake Superior about two hours east of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

Thursday, Feb. 15 High 12 degrees, low –6 degrees This would be one of those trips where I was going in blind on every part of it. I did not know Fly Hutterli or Bernie Statz who is a retired Sauk County deputy. I did not know Fly’s brother Chuck, who has dual citizenship, or his wife Danielle who is a French Canadian. I also had no idea how to fish for the lake trout, whitefish and steelhead (rainbow trout), which we would be targeting.

After the 10-hour straight-through drive to Chuck and Danielle’s, we wasted no time in unloading two fourwheelers from an 18-foot trailer and rigging them with rods, augers and three portable ice shacks.

An hour later, we were exploring the ice in absolutely beautiful country with a wilderness shoreline to our north and St. Ignace Island to our south.

The very first thing I would learn

Mark Walters with a dandy steelhead he caught on Lake Superior. – Photo submitted about my two fishing partners was that they are technologically advanced when it came to ice fishing. Everything they used was top quality and well organized. I also would learn that my new buddy, Mr. Fly, had a burning desire to kick my butt in any and every type of fish contest available (a fantasy Fly was not able to experience).

We were literally dropping our jigging spoons to the bottom of the lake when Fly said he had one on. Within a second, something smacked my spoon hard, and we were working a double.

Fly iced a 3-pound whitefish, seconds later, I had a 7-pound lake trout flopping on the hard water.

That quick start to our fishing adventure on Nipigon Bay had me thinking this was going to be one fish-catching adventure.

Two hours later we had only added three more whitefish to our evening fish fry, when Bernie Statz, who I would learn is an extremely persistent

fisherman, always drilling holes, changing lures and living by the Vexilar, started pulling whitefish up from the deep at a very rapid pace. Fly joined him in the hot action, and I could only wish I could be a part of the team. This would be a trip where it finally stuck in my head that I need to buy a Vexilar if I want to keep up to the pack when fishing deep water.

Just before dark, we returned to Chuck and Danielle’s where we enjoyed our first fish fry of which there would be one every night.

The Hutterlis and Bernie Statz all grew up on farms in the Pine Island area of Columbia County. All three of them were kids back in the ‘50s and ‘60s and have a million stories to tell about life as farm kids back in the good old days.

When Chuck moved to the Nipigon Bay area he started a charter service and had a unique idea. After receiving permission from the Ministry of Natural Resources, he put up five per-

manent campsites on the local islands and chartered fishermen during the day and then took them to their campsites for a night or two on a remote island. As good of an idea as it was, the tourism base in the area just was not solid enough to keep it afloat back in the mid ‘80s.

These days Chuck Hutterli builds roads in remote areas on a one- or twoman crew.

Saturday, Feb. 17 High 9 degrees, low –18 degrees We were kind of hoping to hit some warm weather on this trip, but that just did not happen. The guys had a plan for at least a half-day of this adventure and that was to walk about 300 paces from Chuck and Danielle’s and fish for steelhead. This morning we gave it a try and had fantastic luck on an adventure that usually only yields about one fish per outing for the entire group of three or four fishermen.

Ten minutes after we were fishing, which consists of jigging just below the ice in 25 to 40 feet of water, a 6-pound steelhead smacked Bernie Statz’s spoon. We were plenty happy when Bernie iced that fish and thought we may be onto something when I had a quick hit shortly afterwards. Minutes later a freight train grabbed my spoon and headed for the deep. The fight lasted 10 minutes, and I relished every minute of it. By the end of the morning we had caught six steelhead and were well aware of what a great outing it had been.

That night Chuck Hutterli pan fried steelhead slowly cooked in butter and, like the whitefish, it was incredible.

Another trip under the belt and four new friends added to the long list that has come with this unique way of life.

Think positive!

Brought to you by the following sponsors:

Butch’s Northwest Archery Bowhunting League Week 7 Knoop Construction: 608 Whitetail Lodge: 592 Gronning’s Tree Service: 578 A&H Taxidermy: 573 Century 21 Siren: 554 Dill Weeds: 549 A&H Country Market: 547 White Birch Printing: 543 Bank of the West: 537 Melton Sandblasting: 523 Becky’s: 506 Gluek: 505 Bulldog Taxidermy: 501 B&B Disposal: 484 The Shop: 479 Theoutpostmall.com: 474 Big Mike’s Sport Shop: 435 Snags Sports Bar: 424 Women’s Teams Chicog Pub: 531 Wild Bill’s: 460 Bass Lake Inn: 299 Father son-daughter team Glennco Transmission: 532 Dan King Agency: 514 Weis Guys: 447 Boom Truck Service: 442 Juniors Lipsie Pines: 500 Husband & wife teams Bluegill Bar: 558 Sportsman’s Headquarters: 523 Larsen Chev: 520 Audie’s Barn Board Crafts: 471 Scenic View Campgrounds: 470 Parson’s Auto Body: 371 Traditional Teams Shell Lake Pharmacy: 408 Wishful Thinking: 363 Peterson Construction: 343 C&J Sport Shop: 343

Missed by one!

On track...

The season for inland game fish will be closing on March 4, with the exception of certain rivers that remain open year-round. Be sure to check the regulations to make sure that the system you are fishing is open or closed.

Ice shelters on inland lakes south of Hwy. 64 will have to be removed

by Mar. 5, while lakes in the Leader Land area north of Hwy. 64 can remain on inland lakes until March 15. – Marty Seeger

•••

With the game-fish season rapidly coming to an end, anglers will be forced to concentrate much of their ice-fishing effort on panfish. With ice reaching a thickness of up to two feet, and thick snow on top of that, anglers can expect a slowdown in fish activity.

That reason alone shouldn’t keep you from fishing. Once ice shelters are removed, it leaves a bare spot on the ice, creating sunlight to penetrate the bottom of the lake where depths are shallow enough. The added sunlight sparks weed growth, which attracts various plankton and other small creatures panfish love to feed on. If your lucky enough to find an area where new weed-growth has occurred, that’s a great place to start looking. In some cases the panfish bite can get a little spotty, so be sure to try different lures and colors, and remember to keep moving if the fish aren’t biting. Don’t wait for the fish to come to Jason Warwas of Frederic landed this 17-pound 3-ounce you. Get out there and get after them. – Marty Seeger northern pike on the Clam Falls Flowage just one day ••• before the Clam Falls Fishing Contest. - Photo submitted The recent snowfall has finally made it possible for snowshoers to take to the woods and enjoy the outdoors. For many, cabin fever has already started to settle in and the thought of spring is probably on the minds of many. However, the snowiest month of the year is just around the corner, which means that snow lovers might still have the opportunity to enjoy some snow before the winter season ends. – Marty Seeger

Read Leader Oudoors

PAGE 26 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Polk County sheriff’s report Accidents Feb. 2, 3:48 p.m., Dresser, Hwy. 35, .5 mile south of CTH F, #1—KARI G. ROBERTS, 41, Dresser; #2—MEGHAN L. JOHNSON, 18, St. Croix Falls.

Unit 1 was northbound on Hwy. 35. Witness describes as high rate of speed. Unit 2 pulls off a side street onto Hwy. 35. Unit 2 states unit 1 was not visible but appeared suddenly, rear-ending unit 2. Unit 1 driver cited for operating after suspended.

Feb. 11, 1:20 a.m., Clear Lake Twp., Hwy. 63 at 50th Avenue, #1—RYAN A. PIERSON, 19, Clear Lake; #2—TRACIE E. PAULSON, 33, Clayton.

Unit 1 was eastbound on 50th Avenue. Unit 2 was northbound on Hwy. 63. Unit 1 failed to stop for the stop sign. The right front corner of unit 1 struck the left front corner of unit 2. Both vehicles ended up in the ditch on the northeast corner of the intersection, with unit 1 overturned. Two passengers of unit 1 fled on foot. Driver of unit 1 cited for OMVWI and failure to stop. Both drivers were injured.

Driver of unit 1 was not wearing a seat belt (transported by EMS). Driver of unit 2 was wearing seat belt (transported

by EMS).

Feb. 12, 8:15 p.m., Milltown Twp., 160th Street, .4 mile north of 180th Avenue, SAMUEL S. FLORER, 16, Centuria, was northbound on 160th Street approximately 4/10 mile north of 180th Avenue. That area of the roadway is winding. Unit 1 lost control on the snow-covered road in the series of curves. Unit 1 spun 90 degrees to the left, crossed the lane of traffic and struck a tree, coming to rest.

Feb. 14, 5:01 p.m., Osceola Twp., CTH MM, .1 mile north of 90th Avenue, KYLE A. CHRISTIE, 37, Osceola, was traveling southbound on CTH MM. Unit 1 was negotiating a curve and went off the roadway and collided with the ditch.

Feb. 14, 10 p.m., West Sweden Twp., Clam Falls Drive, .5 mile west of 120th Street, JEFFERY N. HALL, 39, Frederic, was westbound on Clam Falls Drive. Driver lost control, rolling onto the north ditch at the curve. Accident reported by a passerby at 4:40 a.m. Driver called at noon, same day, advising the crash occurred at 10 p.m., the night prior.

Feb. 15, 3:30 a.m., Garfield Twp., 155th Street, .25 mile north of CTH F, LAWRENCE A. ENG, 26, Amery, was northbound on 155th Street, entered east ditch for about 300’, corrected onto the roadway and rolled one time. Unit came to rest, facing west in the west ditch. Driver was injured (wearing seat belt) no EMS. Driver cited for driving too fast for conditions.

Feb. 15, 7:21 a.m., Clear Lake (village) Hwy. 63 at CTH JJ, #1—DONNA G. SWANSON, 70, Clear Lake; #2— JASON P LUTZ, 34, Clayton.

Unit 2 was westbound on Hwy. 63. Unit 1 was southbound on CTH JJ. Unit 1 stopped at the stop sign and pulled out onto Hwy. 63 into the path of unit 2.

Operator of unit 1 said she did not see unit 2. Driver unit 1 cited for failure to yield right of way.

Feb. 16, 1:45 p.m., Apple River Twp., CTH JJ/60th Street at 120th Avenue, #1—RAY-

MOND G. OSTENSON, 74, Clayton; #2—DONAVON A. DARNELL, 17, Clayton. Unit 1 was westbound on CTH D/120th Avenue, stopped at the intersection with CTH JJ/60th Street. Unit 2 northbound on CTH JJ. Unit 1 pulled into the intersection and both units collided. Unit 1 spins 180 degrees and comes to rest northwest corner of intersection. Unit 2 overturns, rolling across lane of traffic, coming to rest upside down approx 200’ north of intersection in west ditch of CTH JJ. Driver of unit 1 cited for fail to yield and driver of unit 2 cited for failure to wear seat belt. Driver of unit 2 received a minor injury (transported by EMS).

Feb. 17, 1:40 a.m., Farmington Twp., Hwy. 35, .10 mile south of Viebrock Drive, RICHARD W. SCHEID, 21, New Richmond, was southbound on Hwy. 35. Driver arguing with passenger about “Iraq war.”

Driver lost control of his vehicle and went into the west ditch and crashed into trees. Driver cited for inattentive driving.

Feb. 17, 2:35 p.m., Apple River Twp., 140th Avenue, .46 mile west of 210th Street, #1— Lawrence J. Engesether, 59, New Richmond; #2—NICOLE S. CHRISTENSEN, 26, Clear Lake. Units 1 and 2 were traveling westbound on 140th Avenue. Unit 1 missed the turn into the driveway at 2146 and stopped in the westbound lane.

Unit 2 stopped directly behind him. There was a noncontact vehicle directly behind unit 2.

Unit 1 did not observe unit 2 and began to back up. Unit 2 could not back up due to noncontact vehicle. Unit 1 collided

with unit 2. Noncontact vehicle fled scene.

Feb. 17, 9:39 a.m., Osceola Twp., Hwy. 35, .5 mile south of CTH S (South junction); #1— AMY E. MAGNUS, 35, Spooner; #2—RYAN L. DYRUD, 46, White Bear Lake, Minn. Unit 1 was stopped, waiting to turn left into parking lot. Unit 2 was northbound on Hwy. 35. Unit 1 made left turn, striking unit 2 in the front driver side of vehicle. Unit 2 continued north before coming to rest on east shoulder of road.

Passenger in unit 1, TRAVIS J. MAGNUS, 12, Spooner, received an injury (wearing seat belt), transported by EMS. Driver of unit 1 received citations for operating while suspended and inattentive driving.

Feb. 19, 5:57 p.m., Lincoln Twp., 85th Avenue at 100th Street, #1—BRAD E. SUCKUT, 20, Amery; #2—NATHAN C. REEVE, 24, Osceola. Unit 1 was eastbound on 85th Avenue.

Unit 2 was westbound on 85th Avenue. Unit 1 began to turn north onto 100th Street, striking unit 2 in front driver side. Unit 1 spun clockwise, entering south ditch before coming to rest.

Unit 2 came to rest on roadway.

Driver of unit 1 cited for inattentive driving and seat belt violation.

Feb. 19, 9:06 p.m., Black Brook Twp., 20th Avenue, .4 mile west of Hwy. 46, SAMANTHA S. SHOOP, 17, Amery, was eastbound on 20th Avenue.

Driver of unit 1 said that she swerved left to avoid hitting a deer. Upon swerving left, unit 1 lost control, crossed over center line and entered the north ditch.

Unit 1 crossed over the field access road and continued off

the road. Unit 1 struck several smaller trees, continued and finally came to rest after striking large trees. Driver of unit 1 was cited for failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle.

Feb. 21, 6:20 a.m., Milltown Twp., Hwy. 46, at 190th Avenue, LISA A. HOUX, 39, Amery, struck a deer on the roadway.

Feb. 22, 11:30 a.m., Farmington Twp., CTH X/40th Avenue, 10’ west of 250th Street, #1—MARJORIE E. GIBSON, 51, Houlton; #2—AGNES E. OLSON, 77, Osceola. Unit 1 was stopped on 250th Street at CTH X. Unit 2 was traveling east on CTH X toward this intersection. Unit 1 began to travel south through the intersection at the same time unit 2 entered.

Unit 1 struck unit 2. Unit 2 pulled to the right and unit 1 had braked. After the impact, unit 2 pulled hard to the left. The vehicle entered the north ditch and struck a cable box. Unit 2 then came up onto 250th Street and traveled some distance before coming to rest. Driver of unit 1 cited for failure to yield.

Feb. 23, 12:30 p.m., Milltown Twp., 150th Street at 230th L. Avenue. #1—NAOMI POTVIN, 70, Balsam Lake; #2— JOHN W. FECHNER, 41, St. Croix Falls. Unit 1 was northbound on 150th Street. Unit 2 was westbound on 230th Avenue. Unit 1 did not stop for stop sign and crashed into the side of unit 2. Unit 2 driver cited for failure to wear seat belt and operate without valid driver’s license; unit 1 driver cited for failure to stop.

Feb. 24, 7:15 a.m., Clear Lake Twp. Hwy. 63, .1 mile south of 45th Avenue, JEN-

NIFER M. WIRTH, 25, Clear Lake, was traveling southbound on Hwy. 63. It was snowing and the roads had scattered slippery spots. The vehicle struck a snowy area and spun into the east ditch. After entering the ditch, the vehicle struck a tree.

The vehicle came to rest facing south.

Feb. 24, 1:13 p.m., Laketown Twp., Hwy. 35, ?_ mile south of 280th Avenue; #1—BRANDON W. GUTZMER, 16, Luck; #2— SHANNON M. SIMPSON, 31, Frederic. Unit 1 driver was slowing to make a left turn into the driveway when unit 1 was hit in the rear by unit 2. Unit 1 driver stated he had his signal on. Unit 2 driver stated she could not stop and unit 1 was fish-tailing in slush.

Feb. 25, 1:00 a.m., St. Croix Falls Twp., Hwy. 8 at 200th Street, RANDY J. HOYT, 33, Osceola, was eastbound on Hwy. 8 when he lost control, entering the south ditch. After entering the ditch, the vehicle struck the bottom of a driveway and struck a culvert. Driver cited for failure to notify police of an accident.

Feb. 25, 11:04 a.m., Johnstown Twp., Short Street, .1 mile east of CTH E, #1— ALVIN J. KANGAS, 27, Spooner; #2- CARMEN L BUGG, 46, Luck. Units 1 and 2 were negotiating a curve on snow/ice and crashed into each other.

$20,194.86.

JPMorgan Chase Bank, San Diego, Calif., plaintiff. David Jerton, Turtle Lake, defendant.

Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure, calling due $140,363.43 plus interest.

Ronald and Janice Glassman, Milltown, plaintiffs.

John and Patricia Blake, Forest Lake, Minn., defendants.

Plaintiffs own various lots adjoining Half Moon Lake, including Outlot 1 of CSM 4703.

Defendants own lots 4 and 5 of

CSM 4703. Defendants hold an easement of ingress and egress over Outlot 1 and intend to run sewer and water lines beneath Outlot 1 from defendants lot 4 to their lot 5. Plaintiffs allege that they were not noticed of the right to run sewer and water beneath Outlot 1 and allege irreparable harm if it is done.

istration and operating while suspended.

Town of Meenon, Feb. 20: Bradley R. Reinhardt, 27, Webster, was arrested on a warrant.

Other incidents Town of Blaine, Feb. 24: William L. Suckow, reported numerous items taken from his shed.

Town of Union Feb. 19: Allan C. Christiansen, 65, Farmington, Minn., reported a idler wheel taken off one of his snowmobiles.

Town of Wood River, Feb. 19: Bud Olson, Grantsburg, reported his ice shack on Big Wood Lake broken into.

Polk County civil court Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., Santa Ana, Calif., plaintiff. Callie and Tracey Geving, Amery, defendants.

Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure, calling due $82,348.70.

U.S. Bank National Assoc., Fort Mill, S.C., plaintiff. Shawn and Nikki Gumbert, Amery, defendants. Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure, calling due payments $187,657.41 plus interest.

Eric and Jenny Kube,

Clayton, plaintiffs. Clarence and Cindy Linder, Clayton, defendants. Plaintiffs allege that defendants are using plaintiffs property, building a shed across the border, installing utility lines and placing junk vehicles and personal property on plaintiffs land. Plaintiffs allege intentional trespass and seek injunctive relief and abatement by the sheriff of any structure or nuisance.

Household Finance Corp.,

Elmhurst, Ill., plaintiff. Charles and Susan Bouthilet, Osceola, defendants. Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure, calling due payments of $24,962.31 plus interest.

River City Financial, LLC, Minneapolis, Minn., plaintiff.

Lisa Arden, Osceola, defendant. Plaintiff alleges default on payments of consumer credit card account and seeks payments of $2,455.62.

Ford Motor Credit Co.,

Tampa, Fla., plaintiff. Valerie Jensen, St. Croix Falls, defendant. Plaintiff alleges that due to default of contract by defendant, Ford Motor Credit Co. is entitled to possession of collateral property.

Bell Industries, Inc., Eagan, Minn., plaintiff. Mike’s Four Seasons Sport and Marine, Inc., Milltown, defendant.

Plaintiff agreed to extend credit to defendant and alleges that defendant failed to pay

Burnett County sheriff’s report Accidents Town of Rusk, Feb. 11: Kathleen J. Knoop, 44, Shell Lake, was taken to the Spooner hospital after falling off a snowmobile driven by Jared R. Denotter, 24, Siren.

Town of Siren, Feb. 23: George J. Dixon, 69, St. Paul, Minn., hit a deer on Herman Johnson Road.

Town of Sand Lake, Feb. 18: Jordan M. Decorah, 17, Hertel, was west on Birch Haven Road when he went into the ditch and hit a tree. He was later taken to the Spooner Hospital for possible head injuries. He was treated and released.

Town of Lincoln, Feb. 22: Amber R. Merrill, 18, Danbury, was eastbound on Black Brook

Road when she failed to make a turn onto Smith Road, slidding into the ditch, overturning and landing on its roof. The driver was transported by ambulance to Grantsburg hospital. The driver was issued two citations for inattentive driving and operating after revocation.

Warrant arrests/other arrests Town of Swiss, Feb. 24:

Keith E. Babin, 34, Woodbury, Minn., was cited and arrested for domestic battery and disorderly conduct.

Town of Trade Lake, Feb. 23: A. Sandahl, Jody 47, Grantsburg, was found with 71.8 grams of Methamphetamine.

She was arrested and also cited for possession of THC, nonreg-

Siren police report

Burnett County warrants Michelle L. Hull, 44, Bemidji, Minn., arrest warrant – complaint, Feb. 23.

Andrea L. Keezer, 26, Bloomington, Minn., arrest warrant – complaint, Feb. 20.

James D. Becklin, 41, Braham, Minn., arrest warrant – complaint, Feb. 20.

Terry L. Goodwin, 55, Mahnomen, Minn., arrest warrant – complain, Feb. 22.

Nicholas A. Sainburg, Fall

River,, commitment, Feb. 19.

Benjamin A. Kotval, 24, Siren, commitment, Feb. 19.

Christopher M. Quick, 34, Menomonie, commitment, Feb. 19.

S. Nutt, Teresa 53, Grantsburg, commitment, Feb. 19.

Scott G. Buskirk, 26, Danbury, warrant – failure to appear, Feb. 19.

Shawn C. Swanson, 26,

Luck, commitment, Feb. 19.

Robert E. Riley, 26, Brooklyn Center, Minn., commitment, Feb. 19.

Jessica L. Clover, 21, Minneapolis, Minn., commitment, Feb. 19.

Raymond A. Reynolds, 26, Cumberland, commitment, Feb. 19.

John R. Hughes, 37, Danbury, commitment, Feb. 19.

Lawrence A. Moloney, 59,

Minneapolis, Minn., commitment, Feb. 19.

Linda M. Blahoski, 48, Mora, Minn., commitment, Feb. 19.

Walter A. Tozier, 46, Danbury, commitment, Feb. 19.

Cornelius, S. Kirk, 33, Siren, commitment, Feb. 19.

Shawna L. Jacobson, Rogers, Minn., warrant – failure to appear, Feb. 19.

Webster municipal court Rhonda M. Benedickt, Siren, speeding, $134.20.

Tony J. Bentley, Webster, BAC over limit, $716.00.

William A. Fish, Webster, speeding, $109.00.

Robert J. Huneke, Hastings, Minn., speeding, $83.80.

Dustin M. Johnson, Chisago City, Minn., speeding, $134.20.

Timothy J. Johnson, Webster, DOC, $203.50.

Debra J. Lewis, Balsam

Lake, hit and run unattended; operating while intoxicated; unsafe backing; crossing double yellow line, not guilty pleas.

Stacey J. Nordin, Danbury, speeding, $83.80.

Joseph Spado, Ashland, speeding, $109.00.

John E. Andresen, Siren, OAS, issued warrant.

Lawrence J. Dutton, Spooner, worthless check, issued warrant.

Justin J. Ford, Webster, speeding; violation of DL res.; issued warrants, two times.

A. Hodgkins, Walter Webster, operating w/o valid DL, issued warrant.

Anthony S. Lowe, Luck, OWI; unlawful use of ID; speeding; unreasonable speed; driving too fast for conditions; issued warrants, 5 times.

Vincent M. Monacelli Jr., Hibbing, Minn., NSF checks,

issued warrant.

Kara R. Tomaszewski, Danbury, speeding, issued warrant.

Jamie L. Berg, Solon Springs, DOC, $203.50.

Crystal L. Benner, St. Paul, Minn., speeding, $134.20.

Percy W. Benjamin, Webster, speeding, $83.80.

Jesse E. Bentley, Webster, spinning tires at stop, $109.00.

Town of Siren, Feb. 24: George W. Nesgoda, was issued a citation and arrested for domestic disorderly conduct.

Village of Siren, Feb. 22: Cristy Cairns, Frederic, was served a copy of amended order to show cause.

Village of Siren, Feb. 22: Donald D. Mutaugh, Frederic, was issued two citations and arrested for disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.

Village of Siren, James D. Carlson, Mounds View, Minn.,

was cited for speeding.

Village of Siren, Feb. 25: Van J. Korhonen, 48, South Range, was cited and arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting/obstructing arrest for behavior at a local establishment.

Village of Siren, Feb. 20: Kathryn M. Kelly, 47, Siren, reported a missing juvenile. The juvenile was later returned to the mother with assistance from the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department.

Burnett Co. marriage licences Travis J. L. Wesssels, Siren, and Kimberly A. LeMier, Siren, Feb. 20.

Thomas W. Biver, Dewey, and Mary L. Mann, Haugen, Feb 23.

Burnett County deaths Elsie Luedtke, 71 Wood River Township, Feb. 4.

Helen H. Nichols, 69, Siren Village, Feb. 8.

Ethel G. Ormston, 89, Grantsburg, Feb. 1.

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 27

Burnett County criminal court Sadie E. Rogers, 19, Luck, bail jumping, sentence withheld, two years’ probation, conditions of probation - 30 days’ jail time, $868.67 restitution, participate in restorative justice if victims are willing, $113.00.

Lynn A. Arneson, 58, Webster, resisting or obstructing an officer, 90 days’ jail time, $300.00.

Duane W. Haaf, 63, Webster, disorderly conduct, $249.00.

Bronson J. Fischer, 25, Frederic, disorderly conduct, sentence withheld, two years’ probation, conditions of probation - psychology evaluation, may not possess firearms, $163.00.

Jack Winslow, 51, Webster, disorderly conduct, $249.00.

Brandon C. Grabow, 24, Siren, disorderly conduct, $249.00.

Philip R. Grabow, 23, Webster, disorderly conduct, $249.00.

Emily A. Sutton, 24,

Webster, disorderly conduct, $249.00.

Peter J. Sander, 25, Apple Valley, Minn., possession of drug paraphernalia, $249.00.

Cory D. Beaufeaux, 23, East Bethel, Minn., possession of marijuana, $249.00.

Lynn M. Sutton, 21, Webster, possession of amphetamine/LSD/psilocin, license suspended six months, sentence withheld, one-year probation, $77.00.

Rana A. LaPointe, 41, Webster, OWR, 15 days’ jail time, $350.00.

Robert D. Olson, 41, Siren, possession of THC, OWI, $1,297.00, license revoked 24 months, sentence withheld, two years’ probation, conditions of probation - 60 days’ jail time, Huber privileges for employment only, alcohol assessment.

Jamie H. Rypkema, 39, Pine

City, Minn., possession of THC, OWI, $1,297.00, license revoked 27 months, sentence withheld, two years’ probation, conditions of probation - 110 days’ jail time, Huber privileges for employment only, after 45 days’ jail time and accepted in

ARC or teen challenge, may be released to attend said programs.

Kolt I. Marlow, 30, Siren, OWI, $1,209.00, license revoked for 36 months, sentence withheld, three years’ probation, six months’ jail time,

alcohol treatment.

Scott A. Casale, 51, Webster, fraud in obtaining a license, $489.00.

John E. Meyer, 67, Siren, speeding, $186.00.

James W. Bennewitz, 51,

Polk County divorces Divorces filed Russell Niles, Frederic, and Sonja Niles, Danbury. Married 2006. One child.

Bart and Karen Traynor, Osceola. Married 1987. Two children.

Jennifer and John Wagner, Amery. Married 1995. One child.

Divorces granted William J. and Dawn M. Johnson. Married 1996. One child.

Michael and Connie Jarvey. Married 2002.

Roger Panek Jr. and Victoria Panek. Married 1988. Two children.

Joshua and Bethany Burch. Married 2000. One child.

Timothy P. Smith and Carrie Classon Smith. Married 1983. No children.

Daniel and Lynette Zielsdorf. Married 1989. Two children.

Burnett County criminal court X

Siren police report X

Burnett County warrants X

Shell Lake, speeding, $211.20.

Denise L. Bjerke, 36, Webster, speeding, $211.20.

Jeffrey F. Washkuhn, 48, Minneapolis, Minn., speeding, $160.80.

PAGE 28 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Notices/Employment

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FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 29

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PAGE 30 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Notices Email us at the-leader@ centurytel.net

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 31

Walkabout – an Australian experience FREDERIC - Frederic Elementary’s Australian Walkabout continues into the final weeks. The students have been very busy with projects in their classrooms as well as with other special presentations.

In the first week, students learned about Australian animals when the Duluth Zoomobile brought some animals down.

The classes have also been heading to the ITV Lab at the high school to visit with different zookeepers from around the country to discuss their Australian animal exhibits.

Australian-born Stuart McWilliam was a guest speaker in each of the classrooms and fun was had by all, listening and asking questions about living in Australia. Another especially fun event last week included pictures with a cockatoo.

Alex Puetz, a Frederic High School student, brought in her cockatoo named Abu for two days of posing for pictures with the students. Abu had a tough act to follow with Boaregard, the 6-foot boa constrictor from last year’s African Safari, but Abu and Alex did a wonderful job!

Then there was the visit from the area’s favorite storyteller, Kevin McMullin. Kevin brought his guitar, violin, and didgeridoo and did a superb job tieing in a study of Australia into his storytelling and singing with the students.

A culmination event is being planned for Monday, March 5, at 1 p.m. at the elementary school. The families of our students and other community members are invited to an Australia Showcasing of the entire school’s projects. Then at 1:30 p.m., there will be a program where you can see for yourself the fun and learning of an all-school thematic unit of study. Please join us! from Frederic Elementary School

Gretta Johnson is introduced to a “Abu,” a cockatoo, during the Walkabout at Frederic Schools this month. At right, teacher Jim Worthington teaches students about life “down under.” - Special photos

Students at Frederic Elementary School listened to storyteller Kevin McMullin (photos above) during the annual Australian Walkabout during which students learn about the culture and animals in Australia. The Duluth Zoomobile took part in the event, bringing in animals native to Austrailia. - Special photos

PAGE 32 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Coon Lake fishing and fun

It appeared to be more fun playing in the snow than icefishing Sunday at the annual FFA-sponsored ice fishing contest on Coon Lake on the east edge of the village of Frederic. Snowmobiles and four-wheelers were out in force and the lake was nearly crowded - ice fishing shacks and vehicles taking their spots early in the day. Photos by Gary King

Lauson photography soon to be on exhibit The stunning nature photographs of awardwinning local photographer John Lauson will soon be on exhibit in the Joel Salter Art Gallery in the Fine Arts Building of the University of Wisconsin-Barron County in Rice Lake. The exhibit will open on premiere night of the UW-BC production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s light opera “The Mikado” on March 8 and run through the month. The public is invited to attend an opening exhibit reception for the artist that will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the art gallery; prior to the 7:30 p.m. play curtain time. All photographs in the display are available for purchase with framing or else without framing at a reduced cost.

The public can also view the exhibit Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout March. - submitted

Snow/from page 1 In the morning, it was as if we'd had five years of no Christmas, been told Santa was finally coming, only to get to another no-show. No snow! What a blow. The powerful but aging snowblower, gassed up and eager to show it still had what it takes, cringed on bare concrete. After many years of many storms that have passed us by, a feeling of bitterness was sneaking in. But the TV said it was still coming. We didn't give up hope entirely, turning with a sigh to our usual projects.

Later Saturday, the snow finally started to arrive, and we watched to see if it would be a real storm or another disappointing dusting. It looked good, but this storm wasn't going to trick us again. We'd believe 12 inches when we saw it.

It kept coming, becoming thicker and heavier. I ran out to take a picture in the dark. I wanted proof that Wisconsin can still produce decent snow. We stayed up too late watching it come down, exclaiming as if we were at fireworks when the big gusts of wind swirled the air so full of white we couldn't see across the driveway.

At six the next morning, we took out the truck with the big new tires, wanting to get out before the plows cleared everything away. Frederic was already plowed, with the big line of snow down the middle of the street. Many side roads weren't yet plowed and we toured them, careful to give the plows we encountered plenty of room. The snow-covered landscape was beautiful, we enjoyed our tour, bur frankly, I was tired. The emotional roller coaster had taken a toll, and though I still looked forward to running the snowblower, part of me felt the job looked daunting and a nap sounded god. Maybe I was just getting old.

We cleared the snow, bickering about who got to do the really deep, fun drifts.

The kids took the puppy out sledding.

But now that the snow had finally come, I was disappointed. To many ups and down while waiting for it, too little sleep, and instead of sledding or getting out the snowmobile, I was, in a word, cranky.

Weather is one of the many things over which we have no control. That may very well be its appeal. A good

storm is magnificent. When we have a tornado warning, to stand on the hill and watch the sky churn, prepared to dash for the basement, is literally awesome. A pouring rain, a stupendous display of lightning, the many voices of thunder - all are a delight, sometimes a fearsome one.

Tuesday, the following Weatherbug alert popped up (emphasis added): “Significant snowfall is possible over west-central Wisconsin from Wednesday night into Friday. The snow will begin Wednesday afternoon and could become heavy across the area by Wednesday night. Six or more inches may accumulate by Thursday morning.

The potential for more heavy snow will develop again on Thursday and last through Friday as strengthening low pressure moves from Missouri into central Wisconsin. Six to 12 inches of snow could occur during this period.”

We'll see.

Three-month-old Maggie-Lu got to experience moving through snow as tall as she was.

‘Follow the Leader’

Feb ruar y 28, 2007 • 2 nd Se c t i on B• I nter-Co unty Le a de r

Currents N O R T H E R N

THE LEADER’S COMMUNITY NEWS

Students inspired by teacher to raise money Over $1,000 collected for cancer research

by Tammi Milberg ST. CROIX FALLS–Each year the seventh-graders at St. Croix Falls Middle School do a fundraiser as a service project. The students pick the cause to raise money for and raise money in about three weeks to donate to that particular cause.

Teacher Jodi Wolff organized the service project last year and said that the class raised $218 for the American Cancer Society.

This year’s seventh-graders, about 92 of them in all, had personal inspiration that helped them to raise $1,061 in three weeks. Their reason for going to bat with this service project is their sixth-grade math teacher Mrs. Sarah Campbell.

Each of these students had Sarah Campbell as a teacher the past school year. Campbell was diagnosed with breast cancer in January after she noticed a lump in July.

“This year, we (the class) decided to give to the National Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of Sarah,” said Wolff.

“For $1, the students purchased a paper heart, put their name on it, and attached it to a snowflake in my room. In about three weeks, we raised $1,061. The students did an awesome job!”

Some of the seventh-grade students commented on the project, “Just the effort of something counts, even if you just donate a dollar or two, it is still thoughtful and kind," said Alicia Gravesen.

"Giving to the National Breast Cancer Foundation made us realize how good it feels to donate to a cause,” added Kara Jacobson.

Campbell has taught at St. Croix Falls middle school for 18 years. She grew up near Balsam Lake and graduated from Unity High School. Her husband is Dan Campbell and they have two children, Marcus, 13, and Kierstyn, 11. The family lives in St. Croix Falls.

Campbell was a long-term sub for a year at Frederic before she was hired at St. Croix Falls. She has taught just about every subject in grades six, seven and eight at St. Croix Falls, before she became the sixth-grade math teacher. She said she is touched by what the students she had last year have done and says that service is a big deal for kids and it is im-

Sarah Campbell is pictured with the winter cheer members for St. Croix Falls winter sports she co-coaches with Sue Jasperson. – Photos submitted portant they get something out of it.

“I felt there was a reason,” Campbell said. “That I was chosen to have cancer and I believe something good will come out of it. These students wouldn’t have chosen the Breast Cancer Foundation and this group of kids really surprised me.”

She gets cards and pictures and letters daily from kids in school. The staff made her a wish bowl of fortunes, which is a fishbowl with slips of paper. On each slip of paper, staff members wrote one message and she is to draw a slip from the bowl each morning (one a day) and read it.

Her brother, Chris Nelson, teaches at St. Croix Falls and he stops by along with other teachers to see Campbell and fill her in on what is happening at school.

These T-shirts were worn by the Winter Cheer squad in support of the coaches, Sarah Campbell and Sue Jasperson, who are currently in treatment for cancer.

“It’s hard to be away from school, but I feel like I’m not out of the loop because of the contact I have with people,” she said.

She also communicates with the substitute for her class regularly and says that helps too because her not returning to school was unexpected.

Campbell left Jan. 4 for tests and has not been back since. She hopes to return in the fall. She says it is hard to not be at school.

“I feel like I abandoned these kids because I told them they would have a sub and I would be back, but I won’t be back,” she said.

She found the lump in July and had a mammogram, which showed nothing.

She said that she decided if the lump was still there by the end of the year, she would get it checked again. The second mammogram showed nothing again, on Jan. 4. She then had an ultrasound done that same day. The ultrasound showed she had breast cancer. She also has two lumps on nodes underneath her arm.

“I cannot stress enough to people that if you have a lump and the mammogram shows nothing to get an ultrasound because that is not a routine procedure they do,” she said. “But it can show if there is cancer.”

Campbell said her doctors were very proactive and she had biopsies that same day also. She said the first couple of weeks were surreal.

“I remember calling Kathy Willow (middle school principal) and saying I need a sub, cause I won’t be back,” she said. “There’s a lot more emotion than people think there is associated with this.”

She is going through chemotherapy to shrink the lump before she has it removed with surgery. She said she is

St. Croix Falls sixth-grade math teacher Sarah Campbell. halfway done with her chemotherapy, which she undergoes every two weeks.

She will have radiation in June or July and surgery sometime over the summer also, and she has no idea on the timeline for recovery after that, but it is her intent to return in the fall if possible.

In addition to teaching, Campbell has been the drama coach for middle school and high school cheerleading co-coach for wrestling and basketball for the past three years with co-coach Sue Jasperson.

Ironically, Jasperson was diagnosed with See Inspired page 2

PAGE 2 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Inspired/from page 1

St. Croix Falls seventh-graders raised over $1,000 for the Breast Cancer Foundation as a class service project in honor of their math teacher from last year, Mrs. Campbell. – Photo by Tammi Milberg a rare form of stomach cancer in the fall, and she is halfway done with her chemo also. While Jasperson is on the road to recovery, then Campbell started her cancer treatments.

“It’s very ironic that we both were picked to have this at the same time with the same disease,” said Campbell. “She has been a huge moral support to me.”

While Campbell was at home last week, Jasperson took the cheerleaders

down to state wrestling. Jasperson and Campbell are in constant contact and the cheerleaders are also very supportive.

She says she is thankful to the staff, administration and students for all their cards, letters, drawings and food they have given to Campbell in support.

We had a competition among blocks to see which one could donate the most.

Totals for the Breast Cancer Foundation raised by the seventh-graders in

honor of Sarah Campbell are: Block 1; $193, Block 2: $290, Block 3: $95, Block 4: $160, and Teachers: $323.

"Raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation is important to me because my grandmother died from breast cancer. It was awesome seeing how much people care about it," said seventh-grader Jace Marek.

"This is a really good thing to do because you could be saving lives or

maybe even yours one day!," student Kayleigh Stultz added.

Campbell has a Web site people can visit and send her messages. She visits the site often reading new, touching messages from people. The Web site is www.caringbridge.org, click on the visit a CaringBridge site link, and in the site name blank type: sarahcampbell.

Ranger Jean teaches teeth WEBSTER – Ranger Jean from Wisconsin Interstate Park visited the Webster kindergarten classes last Wednesday, Feb. 21.

The kindergarten classes have been learning about teeth throughout February during children’s Dental Month. Ranger Jean showed the children skulls and teeth from animals of Wisconsin so that the children could see, touch and learn about different types of teeth. The children learned that some animals need to catch their food and

need canines, but other animals graze for their food and need good grinding teeth.

The kids even noticed that some of the teeth had cavities. – submitted

Ranger Jean from the Wisconsin Interstate Park teaches Webster’s kindergarten classes about animal teeth.

Hunter Schaaf closely examines a skull that Ranger Jean brought to Webster’s kindergarten classes.

Jacob Hall shows off his own teeth. – Photos submitted

We’re on the Web @ www.the-leader.net

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 3

Writers’ Corner Not My Best Night But “Oh” What A Beautiful Morning

by Bob MacKean I’m stirred out of a deep sleep by the shaking of the bed.

Laser, our golden retriever, sleeps on the floor beside me and what I hoped would never happen again is happening now.

A seizure has turned his body rigid and he shakes hard as I stroke his head and tell him that I’m right here with him and I won’t leave.

I’m relieved that it’s happening here at home. The last seizure occurred in a ditch far from home. He was walking with my wife and, as she was soothing him, a Good Samaritan stopped and helped her get him home.

The shaking continues for five minutes as I hold him, recalling all the good times we’ve had together and how much I would miss him. He is such a part of me that we communicate silently. If I were in danger, he would willingly give his life to save mine. The shaking has stopped and his rapid breathing has begun. He seems to know that I’m with him and tries to get up, but it’s too soon. My heart aches. I feel helpless. I wonder why this is happening to him and what triggers it. Suddenly, he’s back, like nothing happened. He heads for his water dish and drinks deeply before heading back to his favorite spot in the bedroom. I return to bed and listen for a long time to the rhythm of his breathing.

Four hours later a cold, wet nose nudges me awake. The light in the eastern sky signals Laser that it’s time for our walk. He seems his old self but, if I don’t get dressed and out the door quickly, he will hyperventilate. For over two years this has been our daily routine.

I watch him as he roams ahead of me. We cross a large field and climb a hill. The sun shines through the leafless trees as I sit on a large piece of traprock and watch the valley below come to life. Laser’s found a bone in the woods and lies next to me to work on it. I laugh as it occurs to me that he’s probably watching me to be sure I don’t overexert myself. Just a couple of friends taking care of each other. He looks up and already knows it’s time to head back. Let’s go home, Big Fella.

Writer’s Corner contest LEADER LAND – Do you have a fish tale to tell? The Writer’s Corner is looking for the best fish story to feature in May 2 issue, just before the fishing opener. If we receive several good stories, we will run a series during May. So sharpen your pencil and send or e-mail your stories to the Leader office. If you e-mail your entry, put Writer’s Corner in the subject box. Stories should be 800 words or less and be submitted by April 2.

Submissions should be typed, double-spaced on one side only of 8 -1/2 x 11 white paper, leaving a minimum of 1-inch margins all around. Handwritten submissions will not be accepted. Submissions should be no more than 800 words.

Submissions may be delivered to The Leader’s offices in Frederic or Siren, mailed to Box 490, Frederic, WI 54837 or e-mailed to theleader@centurytel.net. We prefer e-mailed copy. If hand-delivered or mailed, please write "Writers’ Corner" somewhere on the front of the envelope. If e-mailed, please use "Writers’ Corner" as the subject and include the submission as body text of the e-mail. No attachments, please. Your submission to Writers’ Corner grants The Leader one-time rights to publish the item in the weekly newspaper. The author retains the copyright and all future publication rights. The Leader may edit submissions for grammar and punctuation, clarity and length. If you have any questions about this new feature, please contact us at the-leader@centurytel.net or call 715-327-4236. Editor

Expo will raise funds for Burnett Youth Hockey SIREN - The NewMix 105, WLMX-FM and Classic Hits 105.7, WXCX-FM along with the Burnett Youth Hockey Association will present Expo 2007 Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Siren’s Lodge Center Arena.

Expo 2007 is the primary fundraiser for the Burnett Youth Hockey Association. Burnett Youth Hockey will receive 50 percent of all profits from EXPO 2007.

Expo 2007 will feature free admission for everyone. It will offer everything for your lifestyle, lots of fun stuff and prize giveaways every hour, as well as many kids activities. The

New Mix 105 & Classic Hits 105.7 Radio will broadcast live every hour, both days from the Kinetico Broadcast Center at the Expo.

There will be booth space available for any business, club, organization, group or church at a very affordable fee. Electrical hook-ups will be available both inside and outside the Lodge Center Arena.

To be a part of the Expo contact Mix 105/Classic Hits 105.7 Radio at 1-866-825-4240 or go to www.sirenexpo.com for information and sign-up details. As of this week, Expo 2007 is 50 percent full. – from Mix 105/Classic Hits 105.7

Polk-Burnett joins national rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling program CENTURIA – With its eye on the environment, Polk-Burnett has joined a national program called Call2Recycle™ to recycle used rechargeable batteries and cell phones.

Rechargeable batteries, including Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion) and Small Sealed Lead* (Pb), are commonly found in portable electronics, such as cellular phones, laptop computers, twoway radios, bar-code readers and portable printers.

Rechargeable batteries are also found in household electronics such as cordless telephones, cordless power tools and camcorders. “When batteries are no longer rechargeable, Polk-Burnett can now collect them for recycling,” said Joan O’Fallon, Polk-Burnett communications director.

Rechargeable battery recycling containers are located at Polk-Burnett offices in Siren, 7298 Hwy. 70, and Centuria, 1001 Hwy. 35. Recycling is available for everyone Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is no cost to recycle rechargeable batteries and cell phones.

Polk-Burnett is working in cooperation with the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Cooperation, a nonprofit public service organization that operates the Call2Recycle program. “By

participating in the RBRC Program, Polk-Burnett is helping to conserve natural resources and prevent rechargeable batteries and cell phones from entering landfills,” said O’Fallon.

Some states have disposal bans for Ni-Cd and Pb batteries.

These batteries are prohibited from being thrown in the trash and must be sent for recycling through manufacturer/distributor or other collection programs. Polk-Burnett has taken responsibility for the proper disposal of used rechargeable batteries by their voluntary participation in the national RBRC program.

“Business participation is a crucial part of our program because it puts us in touch with rechargeable power and cell phone users,” said Norm England, RBRC president. “Businesses such as Polk-Burnett are helping to make rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling a reality, and that’s great for the environment.”

To learn more about the Call2Recycle program, call PolkBurnett’s communications department, 800-421-0283, ext. 333, or visit the Web site at www.call2recycle.org or call toll-free 1877-2-RECYCLE. – from Polk-Burnett

Swedish Club meets AMERY - Carolyn Wedin of Frederic will be the featured speaker at the Tuesday, March 6, meeting of the Swedish Club at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Amery.

Dr. Wedin will discuss the differences between Swedish and American universities. She taught at Lund University in Sweden during the 2000-2001 academic year and obtained her doctorate in English literature and language at the UW-

Madison.

She is translating a book written in Swedish by a pioneer in the Trade Lake area of Burnett County. It contains first-person accounts of early Swedish settlement.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m., and refreshments are served.

Further information is available at 715-269-5307. – submitted

ETC.

DRESSER - The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Indianhead Chapter 1581 will hold their first meeting of 2007 at noon on Thursday, March 8, at the Village Pizzeria in Dresser. All federal and retired employees are welcome. - from NARFE •••

Grantsburg music department to present concert GRANTSBURG – On Sunday, March 4, the Grantsburg Music Department will present a concert featuring music that will be performed for Wisconsin State Music Association Contests later in the month.

Band and choir students from grades 7-12 will be performing a wide variety of music from Renaissance madrigals to jazz.

Performing groups include High School Concert Choir, Ladies’ Swing Choir, the High School Vocal Jazz Group, High School Band , seventh- and eighth-grade band, seventh- and eighth-grade choir, High School Handbell Choir, MS Handbells, and Middle School Girls’ Swing Choir. The concert will begin at 2:30 p.m. and is open to the public with no admission charge.

For additional information, contact Linda Benge or Jaime Holmstrom. - submitted

Polk County SafeRide program a success POLK COUNTY - A popular Polk County program that gives rides home to patrons who feel they should not drive after visiting a restaurant or tavern provided 2,046 rides last year, according to a new report released by the Tavern League of Wisconsin.

“Demand for this popular service grew by 10 percent last year,” said Pete Madland, executive director and former president of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, the organization in charge of administering the SafeRide program. “More patrons know about the program and are wisely using the service.”

Last year more than 38,000 rides were given statewide, at a cost of $400,000. In Polk County, the SafeRide program cost $15,000 or $7.30 for the average ride.

“It’s money well spent,” said Kevin Cassellius, owner of the Kassel Tap. “Tavern owners want to keep patrons and streets safe. That’s why local tavern leagues not only participate in SafeRide, they actively promote and raise money for the program.”

To use the program, people who feel they’re impaired can contact the bartender and request a ride. If the tavern participates in the program, a taxicab or “Good Samaritan” driver will be called to provide a ride home.

SafeRide was created by the Legislature in 1999 through a $5 surcharge on operating while intoxicated tickets issued around the state. The state Department of Transportation distributes the funds, and the Tavern League of Wisconsin administers the program for its members. In order to participate, tavern leagues must match or exceed the state’s contribution.

“The SafeRide program saves lives and prevents unnecessary crashes and injuries,” said Madland. “When this started 10 years ago, there were probably two or three SafeRide programs, now there are more than 40. It’s a good program. It’s the right thing to do. And it’s working.” - from the SafeRide program

PAGE 4 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

River Road Ramblings Charley Ziemer comes to Trade Lake Charley Ziemer from St. Bonifacius, Minn., and his bride Rose were living on a 160-acre rented farm near Lyndale, Minn. The year was 1915, and they were hoping to acquire a farm home of their own as soon as they could find a suitable one. The following year, Charley contacted a real estate agent in Maple Plain, Minn., who referred him to a realtor in Frederic, named William France. After being contacted by Mr Ziemer, realtor France sent him two picture postcards of a 62-acre farm for sale on the north shore of Little Trade Lake.

One picture was of a pleasant view of the house from a summer hayfield, and another was a view of a field slantingdown to the lakeshore. When Rose saw the pictures, she liked the place! Now, this is the place they could have their own cows for milk and meat, and chickens producing eggs that could be eaten or traded for groceries. They could have pigs for meat as well as serving as “live garbage disposals,” plus abundant

collected by Russ Hanson

fish from the nearby lake. This was indeed a self-sufficient farm.

A week in March 1917, was set aside to move. The Ziemers shipped everything from Lyndale (west of Lake Minnetonka) including cattle, horses, machinery and household goods by boxcar to Frederic. Charley milked the cows on the train, and treated the train crew to “Jersey Highballs.” The trip to the Frederic depot took a week. The snowdrifts were high, the air was cold, but the sun shown brightly. Charley used his two roan horses, Queeny and Susey, with the bobsled to haul the goods to Trade Lake in many trips.

On one trip, the horses stepped off the snowy road, tipping the bobsled, which threw Rose with little baby Leona and the sewing machine into a large snowdrift. Fortunately, no harm was done.

The move to this Trade Lake progressive community was a success. Today, descendents of three generations assemble at the old farm and share stories of their childhood memories.

Postcard picture of the Trade Lake Lake farm for sale sent to the Ziemers in 1915 by realtor Wm. France of Frederic.

Working on Hwy. 48 near the Ziemer farm in 1936.

Wedding picture of Charley and Rose Ziemer taken August 11, 1915.

Postcard picture of the Trade Lake farm sent to the Ziemers in 1915 with a view toward Little Trade Lake.

Aerial view of Ziemer farm taken in the 1960s.

We’re on the Web: www.the-leader.net

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 5

The Lay Preacher My husband, Ken, was a lay preacher (or lay speaker) in our Methodist church located in northwestern Wisconsin. Speaking was right up his alley, as his primary job was being a speech English teacher in the Twin Cities. He came home weekends to our farm, where I lived with our three sons.

Pastor James Everson served the three-point Methodist charge of Atlas-Lewis-Siren from 1945 – 1963. He was a devout, dedicated minister, and he and his wife, Olga, often favored us with a duet during the Sunday church service.

No matter what the text, he always managed to quote, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you.” It was a verse that meant a great deal to him.

My husband had his B.S. and also his master’s degree, and for a time, seriously considered going into the ministry. He had already started reading the recommended books for such a major career change.

In 1957, there was a shortage of pastors, and one was needed for the three-point Methodist charge of St. Croix Falls-Taylors Falls-Wolf Creek. The district superintendent asked Ken if he’d be willing to fill in until a full-time pastor could be found. Ken agreed to do it, taking three services every Sunday morning. To get there, he bypassed the communities of Frederic, Luck, Milltown and Centuria, a distance of 30 miles.

He spoke first at St. Croix Falls, a typical, big, oldfashioned church in the middle of town. Then he progressed to Taylors Falls, across the state line to Minnesota. The church was a classic white building dating back to the late 1800s, located on Angel Hill. It stood next to the historic Fossum House. The church pews were painted white with the choir loft in the rear. The third church in the circuit was a one-room school building in open country. It was heated by a stove in the middle of the building with a long stovepipe running the length of the room. (In later years, the Wolf Creek church was moved into a more modern school building).

All congregations were friendly, and they welcomed my husband. In a preliminary interview with the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee, one man, a pillar of the church, asked Ken, “Do you preach from the Bible or from the newspapers the way some of these fellows do?” He had the unusual name of Velsey Woollsey. I think he was the same man who later reminded Ken, “You know, young man, there are other books in the Bible besides Proverbs.”

I was unable to accompany my husband on his Sunday rounds, as I took our children to church and Sunday school in the Methodist church in our own little town. I do remember attending Christmas programs in all three churches, however. I remember, too, that Easter morning when we had a heavy snowfall and Ken had to drive through drifts all the way.

Ken’s year was completed, Rev. Bervie Scott was hired to serve the three churches. Meanwhile, Rev. James Everson was growing older and had a heavy schedule, so Ken was hired to serve the church in Lewis for $50 a month. He often endorsed his check and turned it back into the church coffers.

He had charge of Sunday services for almost five years, often basing his sermons on his study books.

He was apt to quote from literature as often as he quoted from scripture. He was not permitted to “marry or bury” or offer communion. That was Rev. Everson’s responsibility. Ken and I had a very good relationship with Jim and Olga.

During this period, Esther Schallenberger was in charge of teaching the confirmation classes as the church or at the home of Ina and Karl Abrahamzon, as the church was not heated during the week in winter.

Ina was church organist and also choir director, and Ken and I both sang in the choir.

I was surprised one day when a rickety, old car

Bernice Abrahamzon

BEHIND THE

SIGNPOST

sputtered up our hill into our yard. A family was on the way to Hayward and almost out of gas and money. I dug in my purse and found some gas money for them so they could reach their destination. Another time a car came into our yard and the driver said they had no food or money. I came into our house and grabbed whatever I could find to help them, fresh fruit, cookies, etc. and some cash so they could purchase groceries. This was an eyeopener, as I had not realized that hungry, desperate people came to the preacher’s door for handouts, even in the days of lay

preachers.

One Sunday afternoon, Ken and I were outside working in our garden, and a car came into our yard.

A man and woman got out. He said they’d been driving around and they noticed that our church needed painting. He wasn’t telling us anything we didn’t know. He also said, “The church lawn needs mowing, too.”

I was a bit taken aback. My husband had a full-time teaching job in the city, and he directed three fulllength plays each year plus emceed the Miss North St. Paul Pageant. He also built the stage sets for all school productions. He wrote and delivered sermons and sang in the choir. Our eldest son, 13 years old, often mowed the church lawn with an old push mower.

In those days, only the front church lawn was mowed. The back was like a meadow with tall grasses and two outhouses under the pine trees. It was what we called “the rough.” Ken’s mom, Ina, had dreams of having shuffleboard courts there some day.

While the couple stood in the yard scolding us, our dog approached, and for some strange reason lifted his hind leg and wet on the man’s leg. I was embarrassed and pretended not to notice. The man was so busy talking he seemed oblivious to what was going on. Ken and I said afterward that what our dog did must have been like an editorial comment. The couple, in effect, shamed us but then turned around and donated money toward painting the church.

That, plus other factors, was enough to convince Ken that the ministry was not for him, that he had all he could do with a teaching job plus a farm to run. So, in 1963-1964, Pastor Richard Pilgrim added Lewis to his Frederic-Lorain charge with a student pastor, Russell Giese, assistant.

Once in a while I think of those early days. Today we are fortunate to have a modern church building, all on one level, with constant heat, inside restrooms, a modern kitchen, small library and pastor’s study.

The entire lawn, front and back is cut by a riding John Deere mower, operated by laypersons.

Few are left who still remember those hard and demanding early days. Still, those days are part of our Methodist history.

(Note: The above essay is reprinted from the book, “Come Read with Me,” published by the Northwest Regional Writers. I have given permission to have it reprinted here. The book is available for sale at the Frederic Library and at the Leader office at Frederic.)

Until next week, Bernice

Wisconsin Interstate Park news

ST. CROIX FALLS – Join Naturalist Julie Fox at 10 a.m. on Thursdays through March 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. For more information, call Julie at 715-483-3747. – from Interstate Park

Washburn, Burnett may see hot wildfire season

NORTHWEST WISCONSIN - Washburn and Burnett counties and other jack pine areas of northwestern WIsconsin may be the most vulnerable to wildfire this spring if drought conditions from last year persist, according to a DNR official.

Last year’s hot, dry summer, mixed with a warm winter might mean a severe wildfire season. Department of Natural Resources spokesman Brad Johnson in Spooner says right now it’s too early to tell, but the concern is the moisture deficit that the winter began with and also a moisture deficit because of the lack of snow.

Snow this past week will help the situation but, depending on how much moisture falls between now and the coming wildfire season, the season could be a bad one.

A wildfire has already been reported in far northern Wisconsin. Johnson says they’re gearing up for the road ahead, training emergency teams and firefighters that work for the DNR as well. They are also working to get additional fire fighting aircraft into the area in case they’re needed. - with information from Wisconsin Public Radio

Do you remember ?

Compiled by Bernice Abrahamzon

50 Years Ago Guy Chivers, of Luck, wanted fresh-cut logs.-The Frederic Farmers Co-op Exchange wanted an unlimited amount of corn and paid prevailing market prices.-Milltown sportsmen constructed fish shelters on Half Moon Lake.-Churches must have a permit to serve food, announced the Wis. Board of Health, as the Wis. Restaurant Association filed a petition in March 1956 protesting the serving of meals to the public by nonrestaurant groups, including churches, fraternal organizations, etc.-The 40th meeting of the Trout Brook Co-op Livestock Shipping Association was held Feb. 23 at the Osceola High School. Speakers included Polk County ag agent, Willis Erickson, Dick Vilstrup, Robert Krogh and Dick Taylor.-Sealy mattresses were on special at $39.96 at Walter Johnson’s, Siren.-At the Frederic Hospital a girl was born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Erickson, Feb. 12; to Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Thor, Feb. 15, to Mr. and Mrs. Dale Chell, Feb. 18.-Specials at Route’s Supermarket, Frederic, include bananas at 2 lbs. for 29¢, Pillsbury Angel Food Cake Mix at 39¢ pkg. and grape jam at 29¢ for a 20-oz. jar.-Jensen Hardware, Cushing, served free pancakes and coffee on Thursday, Feb. 28.-Stokely Van Camp, Frederic, announced string bean acreage (wax or green) for 1957 and where growers could sign up.Feb. 23 was John Deere Day at Wallin Implement, Centuria.

40 Years Ago It was pancake day on Friday, Feb. 10, for International Harvester at Maki Implement, Grantsburg.Members of Grace Lutheran Church, West Sweden, and Pilgrim Lutheran Church met Feb. 6 to discuss the possibility of consolidating, but the idea was not approved. At Grace Lutheran, six voters approved but 49 voted no.-The 20th-Century Club sponsored the annual arthritis breakfast on Saturday, Feb.11, to be held at the home of Mrs. Roy Hansen.-A Tuesday night fire damaged the home of Mrs. Helen Przymus, Luck, possibly caused by an overheated chimney.Ray’s Firestone, Frederic, advertised 300 tires on sale.Specials at the Frederic Co-op store included evaporated milk at 6 cans for $1, 8 cans of frozen orange juice for $1 and 4 pkgs. of frozen strawberries at $1.-Ray Shilling had a Feb. 11 auction northwest of Lewis, and the listing included 45 head of dairy cattle, machinery, etc.-Specials at the Clover Farm store, Frederic, included long spaghetti at 37¢ for 2 lb. pkg., toilet tissue at 12 rolls for $1 and lettuce at 15¢ a head.-Lt. Col. Ernest Melin was the new commander at Beaufort, S.C. He was born in Frederic, attended high school at Grantsburg and then the University of Minnesota.-Harvey Stower, a graduate of Wis. State University at River Falls, was a new English teacher at Clayton.-Vandals broke into Staples Lake Resort in Burnett County.

20 Years Ago A check for $500 was donated by the Siren Lions Club to the Siren Fire Dept. for the purchase toward a new air pack.-Two new members, Charlene Hyslop and Vicky Dubrava, were welcomed by the Siren Lioness.-The Bone Lake Store owner, Maxine Pagel, was assaulted by a robber and she required several stitches in her jaw area after being struck. Sheriff Paul Lindholm helped ambulance attendant, Jim Park, in placing Maxine in an ambulance. Cash was taken in the robbery. Both suspects were on snowmobiles.LifeLink III drew a crowd near the Frederic Hospital when it landed. It was not an emergency or life or death situation unlike 25 previous visits, but to a acquaint the pubic of its capabilities. It was a $1.7 million aircraft and something to see up close.-Kari Pomerleau of Luck, had been crowned Miss Luck at the 1986 winter carnival, and she would crown the 1987 queen at the current winter carnival.-Obituaries included Donald Peterson, Melvin Buskirk and Duane Flogstad.-Social Security numbers were needed for children over 4 years old.-.Forest rangers said outdoor burning is a good idea now with snow on the ground.

PAGE 6 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Burnett Community Library “Natural Born Charmer” by Susan Elizabeth Phillips – two copies. This is a novel about people ready to leave their old lives behind. For anyone who has ever wanted to start a new life and to never have to look back again, one may find after reading the novel there is a place where true love lives.

“The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” by Kim Edwards. A nurse moves to another city to raise an unwanted handicapped child just recently given up by the natural father without the birth mother’s knowledge. The baby’s father told her mother that she died because he didn’t want her to know the truth. The truth does get out and you will have to read this story to find out what happens.

“Family Tree” by Barbara Delinsky.

Family tree is a novel that one will not

forget soon. It is about race, family, disappointments and choices made.

“Sisters” by Danielle Steel – two copies. A new novel by Danielle Steel about young women who experience life together and whatever comes their way whether it is a tragic event, happiness; all of it in the end makes them realize the unconditional love.

“The Alexandria Link” by Steve Berry. A retired U.S. State Department employee knows a secret that others want. He and his family are threatened just when he thought working in a bookstore would be an easier life.

“Wild Fire” by Nelson DeMille. This novel has some real powerful characters in it including business leaders, military men and government officials. A member of the federal anti-terrorist task force

The Leader is a cooperative-owned newspaper

is found dead.

“High Profile” by Robert B. Parker.

Police chief, Jesse Stone, is working on a high-profile case that evolves into a second victim being found.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” by Chris Garnder. This is a true rags-to-riches story of a man who cared for his son while living on the streets. He went from down and out to become the chief executive officer of a multimillion brokerage with offices in three major cities.

Some children’s books that are new in-

clude: “Junie B., First-Grader” by Barbara Park; “Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Passover” by Deborah Heiligman; “Green as a Bean” by Karla Kiskin; “King Puck” by Michael Garland – inspired by an Irish festival; “Last One in is a Rotten Egg!” by Diane deGroat; “I Could Eat You Up!” by Jo Harper; “Nibble, Nibble” by Margaret Wise Brown; “Casey Back at the Bat” by Dan Gutman; “I Will Rejoice” by Karma Wilson – a Zonderkidz book.

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 7

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER St. Croix Valley Senior Center I like this springlike weather. It has been said that March will come in like a lion.

Wisconsin – “The toilet paper capital of the world” is Green Bay, home to the Quilted Northern brand. In 1901, Northern Paper Co. produced its first tissue. Named Northern Tissue in 1902, the product became splinter free in 1930, a two-ply in 1960 and quilted in 1990.

The Tuesday afternoon domino winners were: Deloris Benson in first place, Don Anderson in second place and Martha Lundstrom in third place. 500 card winners were: Don Benson in first place, Ron Flostrand in second place, Vern Lundstrom in third place and Phil Mevissen in fourth

349-2964

place.

I wish you enough sunshine to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun. I wish enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough losses to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final goodbye.

Thursday evening 500 winners were: Linda McCurdy in first place, John Brown in second place, Don Benson in third place and Nina Hooverman in fourth place.

Siren

Old Man Winter must have read my column last week, remarking on all the warm weather we were enjoying, because this past weekend he came in a huffing and puffing. While here, he dropped some of the white stuff he carries in that bag of tricks of his. He definitely let us know winter isn’t over just yet.

The grandmas group met last Monday, Feb. 19, at the home of Hazel Hahr. A delicious potluck lunch was enjoyed by all, and craft and visiting finished off the afternoon.

Those present were Naomi Glover, Dorothy Lahners, Marge Peterson, Erna Lueck and Bev Beckmark.

Congratulations to third-grader Doug Kruger for being chosen Siren schools student of the week.

Dottie Adams

Bev Beckmark

The Siren St. Patrick’s Day parade is set for March 10 at 2 p.m. The St. Paul Winter Carnival Royalty will be in town for the celebration and will be stopping in at Capeside Nursing Home at 10:30 a.m. to visit with their Valentine king, Harry Rudisell, and queen Emma Jenson.

Those of you who are interested in learning how to detect possible dangerous weather conditions, there is a sky warn training session on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Burnett County Government Center in room 165. For more info call 715-349-2171.

A belated happy birthday wish goes out to Daniels Township’s oldest resident, Walter Johnson, who celebrated his 100th birthday on Sat., Feb. 17.

Births Born at St. Croix Regional Medical Center: A girl, Katelyn Marie Kirchberg, born Feb. 16, 2007, to David and Jennifer Kirchberg, St. Croix Falls. Katelyn weighed 8 lbs., 5 oz.

••• A girl, Erika Cheyenne Johnson, born Feb. 19, 2007, to Sarah and Bruce Johnson, Cushing. Erika weighed 8 lbs., 10 oz.

••• Born at Amery Regional Medical Center: A girl, Maggie Malinda Alen, born Feb. 9, 2007, to Amy and Mark Alen, Amery. Maggie weighed 8 lbs., 5 oz.

••• A boy, Kainoa Bjornson-Adams, born Feb. 10, 2007, to Kelea Bjornson and Cameron Adams, Amery. Kainoa weighed 8 lbs., 13 oz.

••• A girl, Lachelle Marie Dahlstrom, born Feb. 11, 2007, to Melissa Dahlstrom, Osceola.

Lachelle weighed 9 lbs., 4 oz.

••• A boy, Tavis Warren Phillips, born Feb. 15, 2007, to Danielle Golden and Chad Phillips, Amery. Tavis weighed 8 lbs., 8 oz.

••• A boy, Andre Ansel Richard Koehler, born Feb. 15, 2007, to Jena and Daniel Koehler, Amery. Andre weighed 9 lbs., 9 oz.

••• A girl, Morgan Jean Cordie, born Feb. 15, 2007, to Amber Leisch and Michael Cordie, Osceola. Morgan weighed 9 lbs., 2 oz., ••• A girl, Emma Rose Schostek, born Feb. 20, 2007, to Sarah and Cody Schostek, St. Croix Falls. Emma weighed 8 lbs., 14.5 oz.

••• A girl, Adeline Lucinda Amans, born Feb. 21, 2007, to Stephanie and Jason Amans, Amery. Adeline weighed 8 lbs., 6.5 oz.

•••

Luck Senior Center

472-8285

Sorry to say that due to the snowstorm Saturday, we had to postpone our monthly potluck. We will have our potluck on Friday, March 2, at noon.

We are trying to keep the center open on Wed. and Thurs., 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., and Fri., 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. We still need people to serve/donate food. If you can help in any way please give me a call, 472-2803.

Remember, you do not need to be a member or a senior citizen to stop in for a

Shirley Lund

cup of coffee and some goodies, for conversation and fellowship.

If you have any ideas on how to keep the center going, give me a call, 472-2803.

Now that the roads and driveways are plowed (and we don’t get snowed in again!) and the freeze has lifted, come on in to the Luck Senior Center and enjoy getting together with your neighbors and friends and getting caught up on the local news.

Have a great day!

Happy Corners Mardel Barnette and Shawn visited at the Gene Doster home on Wednesday afternoon.

Patti Richards went to the doctor on Fri-

day afternoon and she has tonsillitis.

Vern Catlin visited his granddaughter in Spooner on Sunday afternoon.

Happy Tails Await Snookers is a 9-year-old neutered male Poodle-Schnauzer Mix, commonly known as the Schnoodle.

Snookers is one of the dogs Arnell rescued from a home in northern Polk County earlier this month. He is a delightful older chap with plenty of personality and spunk to keep you entertained. He has a nonshedding coat and is neutered already, but he will need dental cleaning at a veterinarian clinic. His eyesight is a little cloudy and his hearing isn't what it once was, but he is a dandy fellow with years of love to give. He gets along well with other dogs and would do well with another dog in the house.

He is looking for a special home.

Three of the shar-pei mix puppies rescued from the same house, are still available for adoption. They are growing taller everyday and learning to walk well on leash under the kind guidance of the Dog Walkers. To add to the fun, Arnell received a second batch of puppies last week.

The new puppies are 10-week-old beagle-retriever mix puppies with red Retriever coats on a beagle frame.

These pups were abandoned in a kennel behind an unsuspecting person’s home. What a surprise to come out to your kennel and find a litter of pups that weren't there yesterday. And so they were brought to Arnell to find new homes.

The sad part is that these pups have not been socialized. When they came in, they were petrified to have any attention. They would cower and crawl into a corner to get as far away from people as they could. They didn't eat, move or look at us. One of them Hello, Fritz here! Woof, it’s the end of February already, only a few weeks left to enjoy the snow and winter before spring arrives. This past week felt like spring here at the shelter with the puppies underfoot and all the new friends that have joined me.

Of course, we still have Honey and her seven pups, they are all doing well. Abigail and her six puppies also joined us this week. Abigail is a medium-sized, short-haired dog that was found in an abandoned trailer with her pups. She was in rough shape and looks like she may have had to defend her puppies, but the angels are taking good care of her and she’s improving a lot. Her puppies are brown and black and very cute, they will be ready for adoption in two or three weeks.

Ziek is a beautiful golden retriever.

He was turned in as a stray and the angels can’t believe no one is looking for him because he is so pretty and well behaved. Barney, another stray who joined us, is a young, male, yellow Lab. He loves to play with his ball and is well socialized. Nawty and Bobo are surrendered, 4-month-old German

Snookers screamed when we petted her, so strong was her fear.

By looking at these pups, most people would guess that they had been physically abused. The reality is that they have been neglected by lack of socialization. We see this scenario often at the shelter. A litter of unwanted pups is born and ignored other than to be fed. Without human contact and attention, the pups become fearful of the unknown; humans. That is why socialization is so important to a growing puppy. It takes more than kibble and bits for a healthy, happy puppy.

Our beagle-retriever pups are in recovery. They are being hand fed and introduced to new things as quickly as they will handle it. After a few days they were up and slowly wagging their tails. We will continue to work with them and bring them out of their shells. When they are ready, they will be placed for adoption. We will keep you posted on their progress.

Arnell Memorial Humane Society, 185 Griffin St. E, Amery (715) 268-7387 (PETS) or visit online: www.amhs.petfinder.com shepard/husky mix pups with lots of energy.

And Travis, Valentine and myself are also still here waiting for good homes! So if you have the winter blues, Fritz come visit the shelter, we have a whole NEWS FROM crew here to brighten your day!

I did send a few of my friends to new homes this week.

Ralph, Sheba, Snoopy and Jackson all went home to their new fur-ever families. Sheba went to a group home where she’ll not only have a warm bed, good food and lots of attention, she’ll also be a big blessing and help to the humans she lives with.

Well, that’s this week’s update and I’m almost out of space. I hope everyone enjoys the last bit of winter. Have a wagging-good week!

With your help HSBC is saving lives, one at a time. www.hsburnettcty.org.

715-866-4096.

YOUR SHELTER

PAGE 8 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER Lewis

653-4281 Ash Wednesday services were held at the Lewis church at 1 p.m. and at the Siren United Methodist church that evening with Pastor Mike in charge.

Only 10 turned out to vote last Tuesday at the primary election at the Clam Falls Town Hall. Mary said they felt illinformed on the candidates and ill-prepared to make a decision. As Wisconsinites, we know more about Minnesota politics as we hear so much on the radio and TV. The newly formed Thursday morning book club met last week at the Frederic library. Five women and one man attended and had a lively discussion on the book, “House of Sand and Fog” by Andre Dubus III. The author created both strong characters and weak ones. The story brings together two very different cultures, American and Persian

(Iranian) and the resultant conflict. The group met at a table in the back room of the library, with coffee and treats provided.

Sometimes, half the pleasure of reading a book is to discuss it afterwards with others. The book selected for March is “Man and Boy” by Tony Parsons. (British Book Awards Book of the Year). Copies of the book are available at the library and participants have a whole month to read the selection. The group will next meet on Thursday, March 22. Yes, there’s more room at the table.

The evening book club is still going at the Frederic library too.

Get-well wishes to Ted Brunberg who recently submitted to surgery at a city hospital. He expects to be home soon.

Bernice Abrahamzon Health concerns are also for Mabel Sutton, Dorothy Glockzin and Mary Ulick at the Frederic Care Center.

Well, we will see how accurate the weather forecasters are this time. This column is being written before the predicted snow. Everyone agrees we need the moisture or spring will find us in another drought year.

Read recently on a lady’s sweatshirt – “Snowmen fall from heaven – unassembled.”

Most kids think a blizzard is a DQ treat. When have we had a real blizzard?

The service for Mary Ulick will be held Sat., 2 p.m. at Lewis Church with lunch following service.

I’m glad to report that Teri Pearson is feeling fine and back to work at her beauty shop.

Webster Senior Center Gladys Beers talked to our friend, Joan Berg in York, Penn., by phone on Friday, Feb. 16, and Joan indicated that she is doing well though still using her walker. She said she misses us and wishes that she could still be here with us. I’m sure that she would appreciate receiving cards or letters from her old friends in the Webster area.

The Webster Fire Department held their annual firemen’s banquet on Sunday evening at Yellow River Saloon & Eatery with 21 firemen and guests attending. Retirees and spouses, and spouses of deceased firemen were also invited. Many award certificates were given out.

After lunch on Monday, we met for our monthly senior meeting. Discussion was held regarding the success of our free lunch and bingo activity on Saturday. We talked about having another sometime in the coming year. Jane Wardean reported on receiving a check for $500 from the Webster Lioness Club to go towards our building exterior restoration project that will cost us in excess of $2,000.

After the meeting, Carol Berglind, Mert Kisselburg, Gladys Beers, Lily Gleason, Jane Wardean, Margel Ruck and I stayed and played several games of golf cards.

Gerry Vogel sub-cooked on Tuesday as Deb was in Superior to be with her sister, Virginia Grimsrud of Poplar, who was in the hospital.

There were 15 dime bingo players after lunch on Wednesday and they all enjoyed sampling the ample variety of goodies too. Jane Wardean and I took turns being caller. Harold Peterson, Gene Johnson, Bob Marsh and Bruce Behrens also enjoyed played several games of pool.

Our Thursday evening Dining at Five diners inhaled the roast beef dinner prepared by Deb, including the home-

468-2520

made cherry pie. Following cleanup, Joyce Smith, Mert Kisselburg, Gladys Beers, Margel Ruck and I enjoyed playing golf cards while Harold Peterson, Bruce Behrens, Dave Wardean, Sam Williamsom, Pat O’Brien and Ken Hayes played pool.

The AARP tax representatives were busy at the center on Friday after helping people with their homestead and income tax returns. The next dates set for this are March 9 and 23, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Our gratitude is extended to Yellow River Pharmacy for donating a box of envelopes that are much needed for our center mailings; Laura Cornelison-sugar free candy; and Gladys Packer-assorted greeting cards. Deb was very appreciative of having Gladys Beers deliver meals in Leon Mansfield’s absence on Wednesday; and Bruce Behrens and Harold Peterson for repairing the nutrition program can opener. Also thanks to Bill Janssen for donating a quart-size plastic bag of aluminum tabs that in turn, we donated to the “Can Man” Mike Smith Memorial collection container at the Methodist Church, Webster.

Our get-well wishes and prayers continue to go out to Patty McLaird, Ann Bradley, Virginia Grimsrud, Jack Witzany, Kathy Beyer, Mary Heier, Jack O’Brien, Ray Hammerschmidt and Norma Martin. Please pray specifically that God will shrink the tumor on Norma’s liver. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the families of Harris Hills, Ed Arndt and Charlie Smith, in their recent passing.

What a delight to wake up Sunday morning and see all the white snow on the ground covering up all the dinginess of the drab winter browns. It made me think of the old hymn “Whiter Than Snow.” What is whiter than snow?

I remember reading about how the settler’s would scrub

Dewey - LaFollette

Sympathy is extended to Maynard and Carol Mangelsen, June Anderson, and Nettie Otis and their families due to the death of their aunt, Nellie Barry. She was Lu Mangelsen’s sister.

Hank and Karen Mangelsen visited Harry Ferris Wednesday morning. That evening they called on Ray and Marge Bestler.

Donna and Gerry Hines and Karen and Hank Man-

Karen Mangelsen

gelsen were supper guests of Lida and Don Nordquist Friday. Afterwards they played some cards. Then Saturday morning, Hank and Karen and Don and Lida were breakfast guests of Gerry and Donna.

Lida and Don Nordquist visited Roy and Dee Nordquist and Dora Sutherland Sunday.

Clam River Tuesday Club will meet March 7, at 1:30 p.m. at the home of Sandra Redding.

A & H Seniors Citizens news via Illinois Groundhog day came and went. I was outside and didn’t see my shadow so that must mean I wasn’t there. Now Valentine’s Day came and went and I did not get a Valentine (got one in January) nor a box of chocolates or a diamond bracelet so therefore Valentine’s Day is a hoax.

Anyway, I bought myself a Milky Way. So much for February.

I found a place to fix my IBM typewriter here in Illinois. I thought Rice Lake was the only place on Earth with someone old enough that could fix my machine so that I don’t have to break down and buy a computer. Saved my life.

Those new-fangled contraptions will be the end of me. I almost said death of me, but you don’t use those words in front of old people.

I hear Don, the new guy, cuts wood by hand. I think one of you should tell him about an axe. Make life a little easier for him…and very neighborly of you.

We had some snow here, but it was 6 inches of fluff. I watched a man across the street plow his driveway. It took him half an hour and it was about 2 degrees out. Being close to Lake Michigan makes it really cold and damp.

Anyway, I had to go out before he finished. Now my driveway was not plowed, but I got into my car, opened the garage door and, neat as you please, backed out over the

snow into the street. He sourly watched me pull away and I didn’t laugh till I was out of sight.

Of course, then we really got dumped on.

There was a dinner at Sacred Hearts for Cathy Vandentillaar - bingo after. Cathy is on the sick list so could use your prayers. She has mine.

Someone at the center is very, very nosey. Seems the art class was painting a still life and since they needed another session instead of packing up the vases and stuff, they decided to leave everything as it was so they wouldn’t have to redo exactly the same. Now the reason this is called a still life is because a vase cannot get up and walk away by itself…thus. The artists, being creative, put a box over the arrangement with “do not disturb” taped on so, of course, someone had to take a look. Maybe because the word disturb was misspelled, that person couldn’t read it.

Thought it was in French maybe.

Marian Woodard celebrated her birthday at what used to be Yellow River Inn. Well, Marian isn’t what she used to be either. She’s riper. Fred Kramer celebrated his 80th and Joan and he spent a week in Florida.

Sorry to hear Wolf Bargel and Madeline Winchester passed away.

Stay warm and take care of each other.

The Leader is a cooperative-owned newspaper

Mary Klar and boil their white clothes, and then lay them over bushes to let the sun help make them white. My mom used to wash the white bed sheets in her old-fashioned wringer washer and then hang them on the clothesline outside in winter to freeze dry as that also seemed to make them whiter. Now all we have to do is put our laundry in an automatic washing machine, put in the proper soap and bleach additives, and our clothes come out white. Who and what do we need in our hearts and lives to make us “whiter than snow?” “Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole, I want thee forever to live in my soul. Break down every idol, cast out every foe, now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.” “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalms 51:7. See you at the center!

Fran Krause

Orange

LaVonne O’Brien

We had the first real snowfall of the season over the weekend. Driveways had to be plowed.

Sharon Proffit, Reeny Neinstadt and Diane Richison were Duluth callers on Wednesday. Friday night guests at the Ron Proffit’s were John and Reeny Neinstadt and Natalie Bray, Brianna and Brendon.

Jack O’Brien is recovering from triple bypass surgery at United Hospital in St. Paul. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Tony and Kim O’Brien and son Nick spent the weekend at their place. They took Pat and Nancy to the Saloon & Eatery restaurant Saturday evening to celebrate their anniversary. On Monday, Pat and Nancy visited Jack O’Brien at the hospital.

Gary, Dennis and Carol Gravesen and Julie Freeborn visited Marvel Merriam over the weekend.

On Monday, Helen and Maxine Stone joined other guests at Doris Schauers. They visited the Budd family at Grantsburg on Tuesday. Guests at the Brad Peterson’s Wednesday were Donna Carlson and Ethel Daniels. Helen Stone left for her home at Borger, Texas, after a threeweek stay with Maxine Stone. Mallory Peterson spent the weekend at home.

Two-year-old Ashley, niece of Mark and Deanna Krause spent the week with them while her parents were on vacation.

The Mark Krause family and Fran Krause celebrated Brad’s 13th birthday Saturday evening.

News from the Service ANTONIO, SAN Texas – Air Force Airman Thomas N. Wilson has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

During the six weeks of training, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization, and military customs and courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches, and received physical training, rifle marksmanship, field training exercises and special training in human relations.

In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through the community college of the Air Force.

He is the son of Mutt Wilson of St. Croix Falls, and Marilyn Wilson of Roberts.

Wilson is a 2006 graduate of Valley Christian High School, St. Croix Falls. – submitted

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 9

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER 320-242-3933 Things were buzzing out here last week in the townships of New Dosey and Arna with people anticipating the predicted snowstorm. Eleanor Elliott and Frank and Mary Schaaf each made trips to the supermarket to stock up on groceries. Eleanor headed into Sandstone and the Schaafs ran up to Sam’s Club in Duluth. While Eleanor was shopping, Melvin stopped and helped Joe Vink work on one of the fire trucks. Mary and Frank enjoyed lunch at the while in Duluth. The Mishlers also shopped in Superior and Duluth and had a good lunch in Superior.

Remember that school bus accident that Tony Royer was involved in seven years ago? Well, she still has problems that resulted in both knee and ankle surgery recently.

The Royer children all came up on weekends this month to help Toni and Dave move into Eleanor Royer’s home.

Those children include Christy and Patrick from St. Francis, Sara and Everett from Duxbury, Debbie and Derrick from New Hope, and Katie, who still lives at home. Dave’s brother Wayne and his wife Derrilyn came up from Ham Lake to help also.

Amidst the busy schedule of moving, Toni and Dave experienced some sadness. Toni’s sister, Sandy, died in St. Paul at age 46. Sandi was a Hurricane Katrina survivor who died of colon cancer. Dave’s cousin Linda, 59, also passed away and Toni’s cousin, Jeff, 42, died in St. Paul.

Our sympathy goes out to Toni, Dave and their entire family at this time.

Bill and Amanda Carlin, Dale Carlin and Jenny Jorgensen, and Ed and Beverly enjoyed a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner at Amy’s Country Café in Sandstone. Dale

Cloverton - Markville came out a few days later to help mom and dad butcher pigs. Ed and Bev went to Zimmerman after that to celebrate grandson Nathan’s seventh birthday.

It was the party of a great-granddaughter, EmmaLynn, that took Peter and Emma Fornengo to the Four Corners area in Wisconsin recently. EmmaLynn is now 4 years old.

A very favorite uncle of Marlene Mishler passed away recently. Russell Prior died in Fridley. He was born in New Dosey Township but his family moved when he was very young. He lived with Marlene’s family when she was a young girl and she has many good memories of those times. Our sympathy to Marlene and Don. Deloris Schirmer spent Bookmobile day doing several errands. After selecting her books, she headed to the Grand Casino for lunch, then made stops at the new Dollar Store in Sandstone, the supermarket, the bank and the recycling center.

As zoning administrator for Arna Township, Bob Brewster had been drafting his comments in response to new septic regulations being proposed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He will present his concerns at a meeting in Canal Park.

Mike Lilly came up from Forest Lake on Saturday to enjoy a good day of visiting with his mom, Clara.

Darlene and Pete Merimonte became great-grandparents when little Tyler was born to Michelle and Ryan Allshouse. Tyler checked in at 8 lbs., 15 oz. Pete’s brother, Tom, and his wife, Fran, came up from Mahtomedi, Minn., for spaghetti dinner recently and brought an exercise machine for Darlene.

Fran Levings Jan Streiff went to the Cities recently to have lunch with her former secretary, Terri Volois, from the U. of M., then she went back a few days later to spend the night with Terri and her husband, Richard, so she could get to an early-morning doctor appointment the next day.

Chinese New Year brought Agnes Sexton and five of her friends to the restaurant in Grantsburg again this year for a wonderful evening of good food and conversation.

Joining Agnes were Jessica McGough, Maria Starowoitow, Barb Jensen from the Cities, Delores Meier, Webb Lake, and Barb Beck, Webster.

Shirley and Jerry Blokzyl had weekend company recently when Jerry’s childhood friend, Howie Parker, and his wife Carol came to stay. On Tuesday, the Blokzyls had lunch with newcomer retirees to Danforth, Dave and Ann Comenga.

Wednesday saw Shirley and Jerry at Miller Dwan Hospital in Duluth visiting Shirley’s cousin, Marie Goerdt, who is recovering from brain surgery.

Allen Wolf goes to the Hay Creek Outpost every Monday morning for breakfast and a chat with the guys.

A big thank-you to Bob Brewster for coming to the New Dosey Town Hall recently and helping Fran Levings, town clerk, and Beverly Carlin, town treasurer, learn how to backup the new accounting system that the township has inaugurated. Also, thanks to Don Mishler for installing, on his own, fluorescent bulbs in the New Dosey Fire Hall.

This is a very good idea in these times of global warming.

Do you bit for Mother Earth, wherever you are.

PAGE 10 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

POLK COUNTY LIBRARY NEWS

Amery Public Library “Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia” by Elizabeth Gilbert Writer Elizabeth Gilbert reveals her yearlong struggle to recover from a divorce and a disastrous love affair by taking a trip to search for a sense of meaning in her life.

In Italy, she learns to speak Italian, swears off sex, makes friends and eats her way through the fabulous cuisine of that country. Twenty-three pounds and four months later, she travels to an ashram in India to study meditation. For hours every day she meditates and meets pilgrims from all over the world who are seeking inner peace and wish to communicate with the divine. Months later in Indonesia, she learns from natural healers, one an old man and one a young woman with children. Unexpectedly she meets someone with whom she is sympathetic, falls in love and finds he loves her wholeheartedly.

“Eat, Pray, Love” is a totally engrossing study of the different parts of a woman. Most women don’t get the chance to explore, with no worries about supporting themselves, the different aspects of a woman’s life, and it is fun to suffer, eat and meditate vicariously with someone who has the chance to do these things in exotic parts of the world. Take an armchair travel with Elizabeth Gilbert and explore your own ideas along with her.

Library notes: The story time on Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. continues with songs and stories for the short set. Enjoy all those early-learning prereading skills with your child and

other parents. Everyone is welcome.

Thanks to the Amery Friends of the Library for all their work on the book sale.

Thanks also to everyone who donated books and other materials for the sale.

The Friends of the Library book group meets on March 19, at 7 p.m. to discuss “King Solomon’s Mines” by H. Rider Haggard. This is the novel that inspired generations of men to go off and seek adventure, the original “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Pick up a book at the circulation desk and join us. The Teens Read book group meets on March 26, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. to discuss “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult. Pick up a book at the circulation desk and join us if you are a teen.

Otaku Club for teens who love manga and anime meets every Tuesday at 5 p.m. Join this group if you are a teen who loves graphic (illustrated) novels.

The Amery Public Library has tax forms. We have federal, state and Minnesota forms.

The History Group will begin meeting in March, so if you are interested in discussing American history by reading three books in three months and discussing them with Prof. Herb Cederberg, call the Amery Public Library or stop in and pick up the books. This year the theme is Western Exploration starting with the Vikings, Jamestown and then Lewis and Clark. Call the library for more information at 268-9340.

Library Hours: Mon. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tues. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wed. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sat. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Osceola Public Library Hours, contact Our hours are Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday

from noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Our phone number is 715-294-2310, and our Web address is www.osceolapubliclibrary.org.

St. Croix Falls Public Library Saturday Talk about the Book Club “Antelope Wife” by Louise Erdrich is the selection for the month of March.

The book club will meet the second Saturday of the month, 9:30 a.m.. at Goochy Noochy’s in downtown St .Croix Falls. See you on March 10.

Did I read this already?

Now you can track what you have read through the MORE system’s My History. Check it out on the Web site.

Story hour Listen to stories, create great art and have fun with other kids and parents every Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. at St. Croix Falls Public Library story hour!

Building project update Members of the library steering committee, which include library board members and folks from the community, have been pursuing the idea of an expanded library in St. Croix Falls for about a year and a half. Currently, architects are exploring the option of

building a new library downtown which would have a River Street entrance and a Washington Street entrance.

When more information regarding the feasibility of the site is available, the steering committee will meet to review this option and compare it to other possible sites downtown.

New nonfiction Get straight on the facts regarding some of the current topics of our time, check out some nonfiction titles. Look for “The Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama or “Palastine: Peace not Apartheid” by Jimmy Carter. Also, the library has current issues of news magazines avaiable for checkout or stop in to read the newspapers.

Hours, contact Our hours are Monday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Milltown Public Library

Centuria Public Library Home Improvement Shopping for your first home, owning your first home, and then moving into your first home brings on a certain excitement that many look forward to. It is a dream of many people to own their own home. The March issue of the This Old House magazine has an excellent article on books that everyone should own if you are a homeowner. The article states, "like a well-used tool, a good book should show signs of wear." There are hundreds of books available on owning a home. The books cover topics from home improvement, repairing, finishing, maintaining, celebrating and surviving a house. The article suggests that homeowners should go to their local bookstore and start creating their own home reference library. The public libraries have a better suggestion - visit your local library and all of the suggested books mentioned in the article plus many more are available through your library. All you need is a library card and you can check it out. The list of the suggested books is: “Renovating Old Houses” by George Nash “The New Color Book” (Chronicle Books) “The Not So Big House” by Sarah Susanka “Period Details” by Martin and Judith Miller “House” by Tracy Kidder “A Field Guide to American Houses”

by Virginia and Lee Mcalester “Home Improvement 1-2-3” (Meredith Books) “Haley’s Hints” by Graham and Rosemary Haley “Interiors by Design” by Ros Byam Show “New Illustrated Guide to Gardening” (Reader’s Digest) Helping your child In this new age of communication, the skill of writing is more and more important. Writing memos, e-mail, proposals, grant applications, and reports are all forms of written communication that people need in all walks of life. Writing is not only just the application of rules, but a tool for thinking, a way to communicate, and a form of creative expression.

In the book, “How is My Second-Grader Doing in School?” it is suggested that parents are the best support a child can have to become a strong writer. Parental support comes in the form of modeling, appreciating, encouraging, and spending time with your child working on writing skills.

Who doesn't like to get a letter from a dear friend or relative? Letter writing is an important skill needed through life and those skills are taught in the third grade. Parents can give their children a lot of writing practice through the use of writing letters. Suggest that your child write a letter to: 1. A favorite TV, movie, or singing star 2. A favorite author 3. The manufacturer of a favorite toy or food 4. The president of the United States 5. A pen pal 6. Classmates who have moved 7. Relatives or seniors who are homebound Books that can be checked out from your local library that reinforces letter writing are: 1. “The Gardener” by Sarah Stewart 2. “The Jolly Postman” by Janet and Allan Ahlberg 3. “Letters from Felix,” “Felix Travels Back in Time,” “Felix Explores Planet Earth” by Annette Langen and Constanza Droop 4. “Love Letters” by Arnold Adoff 5. “The Magic Cornfield” by Nancy Willard.

All of these books are wonderfully clever and tell a story or give knowledge of the subject through letters. They are a great motivator for writing letters as each book is like receiving a whole mailbox full of lovely, personal mail. They will help to teach proper letter-writing form through reading someone else's letter.

Hours The Centuria Public Library is open Monday from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday from noon to 7 p.m., Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m., Thursday from noon to 7 p.m., closed Friday, and open 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Clear Lake Public Library The Clear Lake Public Library is pleased to announce that Ken Anderson, author of "Mayberry Reflections: The Early Years," will be helping us celebrate National Library Week by visiting the library on Monday, April 16, 6:30 p.m. He will read from his book as well as lead a discussion regarding the first four seasons of the popular television series.

On April 14, beginning at 9 a.m., the Polk County Master Gardeners and the library staff will offer a program addressing relevant garden issues. The program will be at the Clear Lake Area Community Center and is open to all. If you are interested in attending, please contact the library at 715-263-2802.

March 2 is Read Across America Day and the 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat." Please join us at the library for games, activities, stories and refreshments.

The library is now open Tuesdays

Amery Public Library

until 6 p.m. and we open at 3 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Story time Story time is every Thursday at 10 and 11 a.m. Come hear stories, play some games and color.

Seed exchange program It’s time to start some seeds for your summer garden. The library has many books on gardening. Also, if you have extra seeds and don’t know what to do with them, the library is accepting seeds for our seed exchange program. Drop some seeds off, pick some up for vegetables and flowers that you don’t have.

Hours Monday: noon - 7 p.m.; Tuesday noon - 6 p.m.; Wednesday: 3 - 9 p.m.; Thursday: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Friday: noon - 5 p.m.; Saturday: 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 11

POLK COUNTY LIBRARY NEWS Balsam Lake Public Library Story time Help us celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday during story time on Wednesday, March 7, with special stories, crafts and snacks.

Story time is at 11 a.m. every Wednesday here at the library. All ages are welcome to join us for stories, crafts, music and snacks. Please join us for this fun-packed hour.

Special event Beginners Rubber Stamping class will be held Saturday, March 24, from 10 a.m.

- noon. All ages welcome. Learn how to start to make your own cards, invitations and book markers. Class instructor has years of experience with rubber stamping.

New books Some new books for March: “At Some Disputed Barricade” by Anne Perry, “When the Light Goes Out” by Larry McMurtry, “2 Alone” by Sandra Brown, “Double Bind” by Chris Bohjalian, “People of the Nightland” by Kathleen Gear.

DVDs “Open Season” and “Invincible.”

Book Lovers group This group gets together monthly to share favorite authors and books. Group will meet again on Wednesday, March 7, at 3 p.m.

Knitting group Join us for an evening of knitting and crocheting. Beginners encouraged and welcome, lessons will be given. Bring a project or start a project here. Good con-

versation and helpful hints are guaranteed. We meet every other week. On Monday, March 5, 6:30 – 8 p.m. we will meet again.

Book club Will meet Wednesday, March 21, at 3 p.m. Our next book is “Shadow Divers - The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II”

by Robert Kurson Kurson's “Shadow Divers,” about the divers exploring a sunken shipwreck off the New Jersey coast, is a gripping account of real-life adventurers and a reallife mystery. In addition to being compellingly readable on every page, the book offers a unique window on the deep, almost reckless nature of the human quest to know." —Scott Turow, author of “Reversible Errors.”

Friends of the Library Friends of the Library book sale last Saturday was a great success. Many books found new homes, and we still have a good start for our July book sale.

We will still take donations.

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. – 2 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m.

– 8 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.

Frederic Public Library Books chosen for March The evening book group will meet March 15 at 7 p.m. to discuss “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy.

Amazon.com describes the novel as part horse opera, part meditation on courage and loyalty, in a coming-of-age tale. John Grady Cole, a 16-year-old Texan, crosses the Rio Grande into Mexico in 1949, accompanied by his pal Lacey Rawlins and a sidekick named Jimmy Blevins. The trio encounter various adventures on the way south and finally arrive at a hacienda where Cole falls into an ill-fated romance. This novel won the National Book Award in 1992.

The Thursday Morning Reading Group will meet Thursday, March 22, at 10:30 a.m., to discuss “Man and Boy” by Tony Parsons. As Harry Silver approaches his 30th birthday, feelings of dissatisfaction nag at him despite his blissful marriage, his adorable son, and his success as a television producer. Library Journal depicts this novel as a story with universal appeal, ranging from poignant and heartbreaking to witty and hilarious.

Copies of the books are available at the library, and new members are always welcome!

Story time Wednesday mornings Story time is open to all young children accompanied by their caregivers.

Please join us Wednesday, March 7, at 10:30 a.m., for 45 minutes of activities and stories all about Colors.

Tax forms are available The basic tax forms are here, including

the Wisconsin homestead credit and rent certificate schedules. We will also be happy to download other tax forms from the Web for you.

Remember the community food shelf Next time you come to the library, be sure to bring some nonperishable items for the local food pantry – we all need to help keep the shelves stocked.

It’s the 50th birthday of “The Cat in the Hat!” Children in schools and libraries are celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday March 2 during Read Across America day, and it’s also the 50th birthday of “The Cat in the Hat!” Preschoolers are invited to a special story hour at 10:30 a.m., March 14, when we will have stories and activities all about “The Cat in the Hat” as well as other beloved Seuss stories. If you and your children know the Dr. Seuss books, be sure to check out the following Web site for lots of cool things to do: http://www.kidsreads.com/features/010221-seuss/seuss-trivia1.asp.

Another great site for the whole family is at http://www.seussville.com/ CITH_50th/.

Library hours at a glance Regular library hours are Mon. 10 a.m.

- 7 p.m.; Wed., Thurs., Fri. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. The library is closed on Tuesdays.

How to contact the library Frederic Public Library, 127 Oak St. West. 715-327-4979. fredericpl@ifls. lib.wi.us.

Milltown Public Library Hours Library hours are Monday and Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday from 11

a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Polk County Library Federation Focus on Youth Services Excited about the opportunity to instill in children and teens a love for the written word, Molly Kessler is happy to be on the job as the new assistant librarian/youth services librarian at the Polk County Library Federation in Balsam Lake.

Kessler, with a degree in elementary education, moved with her husband from St. Paul to St. Croix Falls nearly five years ago. She came on board at the Polk County Library Federation in December, after a two-year period when the position was filled with temporary help.

Working with young people is just one aspect of her job, but with four children of her own it is a topic that is near to her heart.

She has already begun putting together the Library Books By Mail Summer Reading Program, aimed at rural youth that might not otherwise have much contact with a local library. This year's theme, Get a Clue, will give children the chance to solve mysteries through the written word.

Kessler has also already begun visiting local school districts to make connections with parents and educators through the Every Child Ready to Read presentations. Working with library federation director Colleen Gifford, Kessler provides information on reading readi-

ness skills needed by children.

These skills include word recognition, phonics, vocabulary and letter knowledge. Kessler hopes to work more closely with children Molly Kessler, as- in the Head sistant librarian and Start and WIC youth services librar- p r o g r a m s , ian at the Polk County reaching famiLibrary Federation. lies that may not be already connected with the services of a public library, to encourage reading readiness.

Other activities are in the works for teens and young adults, said Kessler.

During the two-year period without a permanent youth services librarian, the PCLF Teen Advisory Board became inactive, and Kessler plans to re-establish this group.

The Teen Advisory Board hosted an annual teen poetry contest, which will be rejuvenated, and gave input to the PCLF on teen interests and issues.

"It will be challenging," said Kessler, "but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm happy to be a part of something that promotes education in such a fun way."

Dresser Public Library Dresser Public Library is located at 117 S. Central Ave., Dresser, WI 54009. The Dresser Public Library Board of Trustees holds its monthly meeting on the last Monday of each month at 6 p.m.

Library hours Monday 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday noon–5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.–noon and 1–7 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Federal income tax forms are available at the library. The Internet is a great source for downloading additional forms you need for only 5 cents per copy!

Three Internet computers: You must

physically present a MORE library card to library staff and library fines must be under $10 to use a computer.

Story time Lapsitter and preschool story times begin at 10:30 a.m. Join us for stories, songs, fingerplays, crafts and more!

Contact the library at 715-755-2944 which is our telephone and FAX number or e-mail us at www.dresserpl@ifls.lib.wi.us. Our Web site, www.dresserpubliclibrary.org. also has information about story times, days closed, reference links, library policy and much more.

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Siren and Danbury RE/MAX owner named top in state BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - RE/MAX North Central Executive Vice President/Regional Director David Linger is pleased to announce that Rita Gjonnes of RE/MAX Northwoods in Siren and Danbury has been named RE/MAX Broker/Owner of the Year in the multiple office category for the state of Wisconsin.

According to Linger, the award is determined primarily by office growth over the past year, community involvement, strong market presence, and strong support of the RE/MAX system.

"Through its commitment to building a strong office and its success in the industry, RE/MAX Northwoods has become one of the finest in the RE/MAX system," said Linger. "We commend Rita and the entire office team."

Gjonnes was honored during the region's 21st-annual awards celebration on Feb. 22 at the Monona Terrace in Madison.

RE/MAX Northwoods is affiliated with RE/MAX

North Central and RE/MAX International. Since its inception in 1985, RE/MAX North Central has grown to over 200 offices with more than 3,000 sales associates throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, providing residential and commercial real estate, as well as relocation and referral services. Their Web address is www.remax.com. - from RE/MAX

The Leader is a cooperative-owned newspaper

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 13

Habitat chapter hosts Valentine’s dinner and dance BURNETT COUNTY - Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity hosted the affiliate’s third-annual Valentine’s Dinner Dance on Feb. 14. Over 170 people attended this event in support of Habitat’s mission to build simple, decent and affordable housing in our area.

The fundraiser was held at The Lodge on Crooked Lake in Siren and catered by Adventures. This year a silent auction was held. Over 40 items were donated by local individuals and businesses. Donated gifts ranged from a week’s stay in Steamboat Springs, Colo., to a signed baseball by Jarrod Washburn. Plans are currently under way to build the organization’s 15th home. If you would like information on how to volunteer or make a donation, please call 715-349-7477. – submitted

Silent auction coordinator Julie Hoel stands by one of the tables displaying the many donated items by local businesses and individuals. — Photos submitted

Eldon and JoAnn Freese dance to the music performed by Debbie Bigelow and Dean Kleven.

March Madness Money Ball at the St. Croix Casino Take a shot at $50,000 in cash prizes TURTLE LAKE - It’s March Madness time at the St. Croix Casino, and if the ball bounces right, you’ll win your share of $50,000 in cash.

Starting March 1, pick up a free entry for the Turtle Lake casino’s March Madness Money Ball Drawings one time during March. Earn an extra entry for every hour you play slots or table games (excluding poker).

No entries will be issued after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 28.

March Madness Money Ball drawings will be held at 9 p.m., Wednesday, March 28. Ten winners will be chosen. If you’re one of the lucky winners, you’ll get a chance to sink a shot in the casino’s March Madness Money Ball game. Sink your shot in one of the five designated prize spaces on the game board, and you win the amount designated for that space. Available prize amounts include $5,000, $4,000, $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000. Even if you miss your shot, you’ll still take home $1,000. All winners must be present.

Make the St. Croix Casino your March Madness headquarters. You could walk away a big cash winner. For more information call the casino at 1-800-U-GO-U-WIN. – from St. Croix Casino

Habitat board member, Nancy Bergman and office manager, Candy Ascher welcome guests at the door.

Longtime Habitat supporters Marge and John Sauerberg socialize with Bonnie Peterson during the silent auction.

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Acorn Pantry holds grand reopening SIREN - Acorn Pantry celebrated its grand reopening last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23-25.

On Saturday there was hourly drawings, cooking demonstrations and knife sharpening that raised money for the food shelf. Patricia Meister from Spooner won the grand prize of a basket filled with items needed to host a party and a

wrought-iron and stoneware dip tray worth $200.

Also on Saturday a special knifesharpening event - hosted by Eric Severson, who represents the German Wusthos line of knives - raised $66 for the local food shelf. A donation of $1 was requested for each knife that was sharpened. – Sherill Summer

Debra Rossi, from Le Cruset of America, had a pot of chili on hand for everyone to sample. Norman Johnson from Falun gives it a try.

Eric Severson sharpened knifes at Acorn Pantry’s reopening for a donation.

All donations went to the local food shelf. To the right of Severson is Kim Jewell, manager of the Acorn Pantry.

Photos by Sherill Summer

Fundraiser for band shell project set

Just when you were getting sick of winter! Banish your winter blues and come out and enjoy an afternoon concert benefiting the Siren/Webster Rotary Band Shell Project. The Siren/Webster Rotary Club is currently fundraising to support the construction of a multipurpose band shell at Crooked Lake Park in Siren. The benefit concert is scheduled for Sunday March 4, at 3 p.m. at the Siren High School auditorium. Local musical talents will be performing including: Daniels 4, Harmonic Balance, Steve Pearson/Doug Crane/Caroyl Long and the Bill Bittner Memorial Dixieland Band. Mark your calendars and come out and enjoy your Sunday afternoon – and support a wonderful community project. A freewill donation will be taken. The Siren/Webster Rotary Club is a service-driven organization that was chartered in March 2003 and gives its members an organized outlet for contributing to their community. – Photo submitted

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 15

And they're off!

by Jeanne Daniels SIREN - Frigid wind and accumulating snow didn't stop the junior racers of the Kids Pro Ice Snowmobile Race Circuit from hitting the ice track on Saturday, Feb. 24 in front of Jed's Laker Lounge located on Clam Lake, Siren. Nearly 40 racers, with little brothers and sisters in tow, fully enjoyed playing in the fresh snow between heats as they competed in their 10th race this season.

Last weekend's race marked the second trip to Burnett County this racing season and the second stop at Jed's Laker Lounge. Jed's owner, Bob Campbell, Siren, invited the crew to use a portion of his car ice-racing track on Saturday because Crooked Lake, the intended location of last weekend's race, didn't have ice smooth enough or suitable enough to hold a successful race.

Thanks to Campbell and Kris' Pheasant Inn, Siren, one of many local spon-

Lead 120 racer, Ethan Beltrand, #48, Princeton, Minn., held his position as Jake Hunter, #2, Webster, and Alex Hallin, #1, Andover, Minn., fought for second place. Duane Wagner, Stillwater, Minn., served as track help and watched as the other two racers trail behind. - Photos by Jeanne Daniels

Miss Mallory Daniels, 9, Webster, reached the checkered flag first in the stock 120-race class last Saturday at the Kids Pro Ice Snowmobile Races held on Clam Lake. Randy Houle, North Branch, Minn., was the flagman.

sors, the racers, as young as age 4 and and as old as 12, who travel from various destinations throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin each weekend from January through March, enjoyed yet another day of fun and friendly competition on their pint-sized snowmobiles. The little racers range in ability from amateur to improved and compete from sunup until sundown in 11 different stock-to-modified kitty cat; 120cc mini-sled; and stock 340cc sled-race classes. At day's end, each racer, regardless of whether or not they placed in a final or consolation round, received a trophy and a goodie bag full of their favorite treats. There are always enough goodie bags for little brothers and sisters, too.

The families of the Kids Pro Ice Race Organization have just two races left this season. They will converge on Forest Lake in Forest Lake, Minn., next weekend and will end their season at the

Lakewoods Resort, Cable, on Saturday, March 10.

For more information regarding World Snowmobile Association Kids Pro Ice Race Organization, please visit their Web-site at www.kidsproice.org or contact Jim Daniels at 715-866-7080.

Jodi Schoon, North Branch, Minn., proves that Kids Pro Ice parents fill more than the roles of chauffeur and mechanic to their little racers. They're also their greatest cheerleaders.

Shown behind Schoon is Greg Bihner, Oakdale, Minn.

These racers did the kitty cat squeeze as they battled it out for the inside position during Saturday's race. Racers shown (L to R) are: Cole Steuernagel, 6, Stacy, Minn.; Ian Johnson, 5, Red Wing, Minn.; Turner Childs, 7, Rochester, Minn.; Karly Bihner, 7, Oakdale, Minn.; and Mallory Daniels, 9, Webster.

A spectator favorite, the champs sleds, which are modified 120cc mini-sleds, reach upwards of 35-40 mph and leave a cloud of snow and ice in their wake.

Kids Pro Ice is a nonprofit organization.

Jeremy Danner, 10, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., stood proudly beside his dad, Doug, with his third-place super-stock class trophy.

PAGE 16 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Splash! from the Past III

More than 200 snowmobile racers attempted to cross over open water in timed trials at the third-annual Splash from the Past event held Saturday at the Yellow Lake narrows.

Late winter blast doesn’t keep the “Splash” from being a blast BURNETT COUNTY - It was fiercly cold. And windy. And slippery.

And to top it off the winter’s most severe storm was forecast to hit the area within hours.

But that didn’t keep hundreds of spectators from enjoying the third-annual Splash from the Past watercross and radar run at the Yellow Lake narrows on Saturday.

The Danbury Fire and Rescue department was out in force, organizing what has become one of the more popular winter events in the Burnett County area over the past few years.

This year’s crowds may have declined a bit due to the weather, but the spirit remained as did the sense of adventure and fun.

The department uses the event to raise funds for rescue equipment and to provide $3,500 in scholarships for students at the Webster High School. The community event involves more than 60 volunteeers and 45 business sponsors.

Danbury Fire and Rescue members were ready Saturday to rescue the racers who didn’t make it across the open water.

Spectators and announcer Steve Wierschem (R) bundled up against the cold as they watched racers compete for the best time while crossing open water. Some of the racers performed jumps and tricks for a full day of entertainment.

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 17

It takes some driving skills to make it to shore after a long run over open water as this competitor shows during Saturday’s Splash from the Past on Yellow Lake. In the radar run event, racers reached speeds of more than 100 miles per hour on a long stretch of open ice.

Photos by Gary King

The season’s first serious snowfall provided some extra fun for youngsters at the Splash from the Past.

Photos submitted

At first glance it could have been Miami Beach and a couple of sunbathers on a jet-ski, but in fact it was two brave young women taking a ride across open water in subzero temperatures on the back of a snowmobile, wearing bikinis and big smiles as the crowd cheered them on following their feat.

PAGE 18 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Ninth-annual Whopper Lions Fishing contest

by Sherill Summer SIREN – The Lions ninth-annual Whopper fishing contest was held at Clam Lake Narrows last Saturday, Feb. 24. Rumors of a big snowstorm didn’t dampen the spirits of those

who ventured out on the ice, although it did dampen the number of participants a bit. Less people meant a better chance at snagging a door prise or winning a raffle. Some nice northerns were caught as well.

Cody Helstern skipped the usual tip-up to handle this small northern….OK, John Paulson had to supply the fish.

Photos by Sherill Summer

Saturday was not just about catching fish for these boys.

This was the first time fishing for Brandon White from Menomonie. He was pretty happy with this almost-2-lb. northern.

Larry Price won first place in the northern category after catching a 13-lb. northern. A 10-lb. and a 9.5-lb were also caught on Saturday.

Looking for a bite just off the river channel.

Winter Games weather could not cancel the fun WAUSAU – The 2007 Special Olympics Wisconsin State Winter Games were held Feb. 10 and 11. While subzero temperatures forced officials to cancel the skiing and snowshoeing competitions, the weather did not freeze the spirit of the 260 athletes who traveled to Wausau to compete and celebrate their athletic achievements. Alpine skiers Ryan Pierce and Travis Hansen spent the day skiing at Granite Peak Ski Area in Wausau, but were unable to compete due to the weather restrictions.

Polk County Special Olympic athletes relax in the hot tub

Ryan Pierce and Travis Hansen at Granite Peak Ski Area in Wausau. – Photos submitted

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 19

EDUCATION VIBRATIONS Local students receive degrees LA CROSSE – The following students were among the candidates to receive degrees at the 41st-annual midyear commencement ceremonies at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse Sunday, Dec. 17.

Eric M. Hammer, Amery Keith G. Branes, Centuria Shannon K. Erickson, Luck Anthony R. Gould, Amery Pamela J. Langham, Clayton Patricia M. Wyss, Clear Lake

Class focuses on Powerful Tools for Caregiving BALSAM LAKE - It is well-known that caring for a family member with a chronic illness, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease or stroke, is stressful and takes an enormous physical and emotional toll on caregivers. The Polk County Department of Aging is offering Powerful Tools for Caregivers to enable caregivers to better care for themselves by improving their own self-confidence and problem solving skills.

Two class leaders, Karen Krupa from Interfaith Caregivers and Joan Litwitz from the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Association, will conduct each session. Interaclessons, discussions and tive Luck School District recently received a donation of $350.57, thanks to the Fuel Your School promotion sponsored by Luck Kum & Go. The store donated a portion of the proceeds for each gallon of Cenex gasoline sold during September, plus $1 for each Cenex gift sold worth $25 or more.

“Cenex convenience stores and Kum & Go are always happy to help,” said Lori Freitag, general manager. “That is why we chose to help Luck School and students with this special donation.” Freitag is shown presenting the check to Luck School District Administrator Rick Palmer, who said the donation will be put into the student activity fund. — Photo by Mary Stirrat

brainstorming will help caregivers choose the tools they need and put them into action in their life.

There is a nominal fee of $15 for the program. Each participant will receive a copy of the book, “The Caregiver Helpbook.”

Classes will be held from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the government center in Conference Room A/B (next to the Aging Program).

Sessions will be held March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3 and 17. For more information or to register, contact Polk County Aging Programs at 485-8599 by March 2. - from Interfaith Caregivers

Luck schools receive donation

Champion speller The School District of Siren is proud to announce Raven Emery as the second-place winner at the CESA 11 Regional Spelling Bee in Turtle Lake.

Emery participated in the local spelling bee on Feb. 13. She was Siren’s top speller. Emery then advanced to the Regional Spelling Bee in Turtle Lake and was a second-place winner.

Emery will advance to the Badger State Spelling Bee. This will take place on Saturday, March 17, at Monona Grove High School beginning at 12:30 p.m.

– Photo submitted

Academic news LUCK – Kelly Johnson of Luck High School was recently presented the school’s highest agricultural honor, the DEKALB Agricultural Accomplishment Award, sponsored by Monsanto Company.

Johnson, the daughter of Lyle and Darlene Johnson, received the award for excellence in academics, leadership and agricultural work experience. Johnson’s significant experiences and accomplishments have included 4-H and FFA president, second place at district speaking contest, showing cattle at local, county and state shows.

Thomas Wesle is Johnson’s agricultural education instructor at Luck High School.

This year the DEKALB Agricultural Accomplishment Award celebrates its 60th anniversary. Over these 60 years, more than 158,900 high school seniors from across the country have received

the award, which has become a symbol for excellence and the school’s highest agricultural honor. In 2006, over 2,050 students from high schools in 49 of the 50 states were recognized with the award.

As the winner of the 2007 award, Johnson’s name will be recorded on a permanent plaque displayed at Luck High School.

Monsanto, a longtime supporter of agricultural education, FFA, 4-H and other farm youth organizations and initiatives, has sponsored the DEKALB Agricultural Accomplishment Award, named for its brand of seed, since 1998.

Monsanto is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. For more information about Monsanto, visit their Web site at www.monsanto.com. – submitted

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FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 21

OBITUARIES Mary Ann Ulick

Harris Hills

Noah C. Bibeau

Mary Ann Ulick, age 77 of Lewis, died on Friday, Feb. 23, at the Frederic Nursing & Rehab Center.

She was born Sept. 3, 1929 on CTH I, in Clam Falls, the daughter of Harry and Alice (Williams) Nelson.

She attended school at Rocky Ridge in Clam Falls. She was married to Adrian Ulick on Jan. 31, 1951, in Pine City, Minn. She spent most of her life around Lewis & Frederic raising her family.

In later years, she lived in Albany, near her daughter Linda Carolan where she was a member of the United Methodist Church of Albany. After that, she lived a short time with her sons, Gerald and Arlen Ulick and their families, in Oregon, and then a short time in California to be near her two brothers, Kenny and Leslie Nelson and their families, and finally she returned to Frederic, to the Frederic Nursing and Rehab Center.

She is survived by her daughter, Linda Carolan, of Albany, Arlen (Jackie) Ulick of Portland, Ore., Gerald (Carol) Ulick of Portland, Ore.; two grandchildren, Jenice (Christopher Hermanson) and Duane Carolan; two great-grandchildren Katelin and Elsie Hermanson; siblings, Emma Jean (Bob) Hinrichs, Darlene (Kenny) Bellefuille, Leslie (Nikki) Nelson, Harold (Retta) Nelson, Dale (Lila) Nelson, and Sharon (Leo) Themmes.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Adrian; parents, Harry and Alice; son-in-law, Roger Carolan; brothers, Pete (Ann) Nelson and Kenny (Billie) Nelson, and sisters, Ina Mae (Donald) Anderson, Betty Lou (Charlie) Magnuson and Geraldine (Mack) McKenzie.

Funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 3, at the Lewis Memorial Church, at 2 p.m., with burial following at Lewis Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Friday, March 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Rowe Funeral Home, Frederic.

Harris Hills died at his home in Danbury on Feb. 22, 2007, at 83 years of age.

Harris was born on July 3, 1923, to Della and Senate Hills in Meenon Township, just north of Siren, where the Burnett County Government Center now stands.

He attended Danbury Schools and Superior Vocational School.

Three years were spent in the United States Army from 1943-1946 in the China, Burma and India area in the trucking company that hauled gas over the Burma Road to fuel airplanes. He was in one major campaign in CBI. Later he earned his pilot’s license to do crop spraying. Harris and Iola Harmon were married Sept.

13, 1947 at Spooner. They have three children; Rusty, Patsy, and Penny.

Harris played hockey with the Webster team and played baseball with the Danbury team that won the Fishbowl league several years ago. During this time, an article appeared in the Minneapolis paper stating he had "Speed to burn" on the field. He loved the outdoors, hunting and trapping.

After his years with the Army, he spent his life working as a crane and cat operator for Ed Baldwin, Lawrence Johnson, Bud Donnan and other contractors in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota.

Later he was in partnership with Bud Ellis (H & E) and Argene Johnson (PA) constructing water and sewer lines. He did demolition of large buildings in the Minneapolis area, one being the Metropolitan Building.

After retiring, he was a part-time helper at the Swedberg Funeral Home, Webster. He was commander of the VFW Post in Siren for two years and an elder for Trinity Lutheran Church, Danbury, for several years, becoming a member Dec. 24, 1961.

Harris was preceded in death by his parents, Della and Senate Hills; and four brothers, Norm, Barney, Chet and Milas.

Harris is survived by his wife of 59-1/2 years, Lillian Iola Hills; one son, Russell (Mary Lu) of Conover; two daughters, Patsy (Doug) Coleman of Port Orange, Fla., and Penny (Dave) McCann of Webster; three grandchildren, Cheryl (Dale) Doriott of Webster, Nick McCann of Webster and Heather Hills of Terrell, Texas. Also survived by two great-grandchildren, Carter and Emma Doriott of Webster; two brothers, Ira (Virginia) of Webster, Melvin (Evie) of North Pole, Alaska; three sisters, Della (Ed) Smythe of Webster, Joyce Staples of Webster and Mary Ann Davis of Grenada, Miss.; brother-in-law, Pete (Carol) Harmon of Crosby, Minn.; other relatives and many friends.

Funeral services were held Monday, Feb. 26, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Danbury, with Pastor John Siedschlag officiating. Music was provided by Margel Ruck. Interment followed at Danbury Cemetery. Casket bearers were David McCann, Nick McCann, Dale Doriott, Doug Coleman, Pete Harmon, Rob Harmon.

Honorary casket bearers were Cap Carpenter, Vance Johnson, Dale Sperling, Argene Johnson, Wayne Staples, Harold Norder, Sid Briggs, Russ Erickson, Eldridge Bemis, also the late Jim Clendening, and Ival Paulus.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

Noah Bibeau, age 92, of Frederic, formerly of Bayport, Minn., died peacefully at St. Croix Regional Medical Center, St. Croix Falls, on Monday, Feb. 26, 2007.

A visitation will be held at the Rowe Funeral Home, Frederic, on Saturday, March 3, from 4-6 p.m.

Memorials should be made to Courage St. Croix, in care of Richard Bibeau, 3034 180th Street, Frederic, WI 54837.

Noah will be deeply missed by his family and all those who knew and loved him.

Wallace Floyd Davison Wallace Floyd Davison, 82, of Grantsburg, died Feb. 19, 2007, in the care of CCC of the Burnett County Medical Center in Grantsburg, where he had lived since mid-December 2006.

Wallace and his twin, Wesley, were born Feb. 14, 1925, to the late Charles “Floyd” and Bertha Davison in Taylors Falls, Minn. He spent his school years in the St. Croix Falls area with his five brothers and seven sisters.

At the age of 17, Wally joined the Merchant Marines and spent most of his four years in the Atlantic Crossing.

While on leave from the Merchant Marines in July of 1945, he met Betty Jane Clover. They were united in marriage on Jan. 31, 1946, after which time Wally returned to active service until April of 1946. They enjoyed the addition of six children, seven grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Wally worked as a machinist at Honeywell Industries, Minneapolis, Minn., McNally Industries, Grantsburg, and Parker Hannifin Corp of Grantsburg until his retirement in 1987. Wally loved spending time with his family, hunting with his sons and traveling. Wally was a gentle and private man, who by example taught his family to be the best each of them could be.

Wallace is survived by his wife, Betty Davison; children, Pauline (George) Swift of Grasston, Minn., Richard (Cindy) Davison of Grantsburg, Carleen (Maynard) Williamson of Grantsburg and Anna Lisa Davison of Grantsburg, Chuck (Kim) Davison of Luck; grand- and great-grandchildren, Shannon (Kevin) Louis, Kyle, Kayla and Austin, Doyle (Kim), Nicole, Tina Davison Berglund, Brittany, Heather and Arikka, Tracy (Kurt) Vail, Melissa and Miranda, Keri Swift, Teddy and Hayley, Courtney Davison; and step-grandchildren, Karrin, Andrew, Krystal and Sierra Zuniga; two brothers and four sisters; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Wallace was preceded in death by his parents; son, Barry Davison; and grandsons, Tyler Jamie Davison and Shawn Williamson; brothers, Wesley (twin), Henry, Kenneth; sisters, Louise, Marie and Joanne.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, Feb. 24, at Central United Methodist in Grantsburg with Pastor Cathy Hamblin officiating. Music was provided by organist Linda Dahl and soloist Heather Jensen. Casket bearers were Cortney Davison, Brittany Davison, Shannon Louis, Doyle Swift, Keri Swift and Tracy Vail. Honorary casket bearers were Arikka Davison, Heather Davison, Melissa Kielty, Miranda Kielty, Hayley Kollar, Teddy Kollar, Austin Louis, Kayla Louis, Kyle Louis and Nicole Swift. Military honors given by Brask-Fossum Janke American Legion Post 185 of Grantsburg.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

Edward Nicholas Arendt Edward Nicholas Arendt, 87, a resident of Dairyland, died on Feb. 19, 2007, at his home.

Edward was born and raised in Dairyland, where he farmed with his parents. He married the former Irma Simonson in Webster on May 15, 1948. The couple have lived in Dairyland their entire married lives. Edward worked as a carpenter and as a truck driver for Kinblom’s and Proffit Lumber, and also worked for Bridge Builders.

Edward was preceded in death by his parents; son, Randy; five sisters and one brother.

Edward is survived by his wife, Irma Arendt of Dairyland; children, Doug Arendt of Dairyland, Kay (John) Stelsel of Dairyland and Bea (Donnie) Erickson of Webster; four grandchildren, Angela (Eric) VanGuilder, Tony (Tiffany) Stelsel, Rindy and Kimberly Erickson; and one great-granddaughter, Olivia.

Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb. 24, at Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, with Pastor Cindy Glocke officiating. Music was provided by organist Fran McBroom and vocalists Arnold Inslin and Barbara Inslin. Interment followed at Hillcrest Cemetery in Blaine Township. Casket bearers were Liddel Nordrum, Jim Nordrum, Norman Nordrum, Barry Wilson, Rod Wilson and Ronnie Proffit. Honorary casket bearers were Donald Slipher, Dave Schnell, Dwayne Proffit, Robert Anderson, Larry Kinblom, Danny Arendt and Roy Carlson.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

Irene Lucille Sokolowski Irene Lucille Sokolowski, Burnsville, Minn., formerly of McKinley, died Feb. 20, 2007, at Fairview Hospice in Burnsville. She was 95 years old.

She was born April 11, 1911, in Cumberland, to Noah and Anna (Anderson) Spores and grew up on the family farm. At age 18, Irene left for St. Paul, Minn., where she worked as a nanny for Judge Pearson for most of the early 1930s until she married Raymond Hibbs. She and Ray farmed in Indian Creek for a time, then moved to Colorado and California, before Ray's illness brought them back to Wisconsin in 1945. Ray died in 1947.

In 1950, Irene married Clarence Nystrom, and the couple farmed in McKinley. Irene also cooked at the school and worked for a time at the Yo-Yo factory in Luck. Clarence died in 1965, and Irene left for Burnsville, Minn., where she was a housekeeper for Father Burns until 1972 when she married Chester Sokolowski. She and Chet summered in Wisconsin and wintered in Texas. Chester preceded her in death in 1997, at which time she moved to Burnsville to live with her daughter, Sally. She was also preceded in death by one granddaughter, Tatia Hibbs in 1985; brothers Loring, Vernon and Raymond; sisters Mabel, Rachel and Rita.

She is survived by sons Walter (Elaine) Hibbs, Cumberland, and Gordon (Sandra) Hibbs, Frederic; daughter Sally (Arthur) Didde, Burnsville, Minn.; grandchildren Richard and Michael Didde, Michelle Neiss, Ray Hibbs, Nathan, Jone' and Jordan Hibbs; great-grandchildren Zachary, Andrew, Tatia, Logan, Jeret, Merlin, Britta, Abigail and Mason; sisters Emily (Louis) St. Hilare, Thatcher, Ariz., and Jean (Mel) Sick, Grantsburg; several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held Feb. 24 at the United Methodist Church, McKinley, with the Rev. Charles Strong officiating. Burial will be in McKinley Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Fairview Hospice or McKinley United Methodist Church.

The Skinner Funeral Home, Cumberland, was entrusted with arrangements.

Charles J. Petersen Charles J. Petersen, 63, of Luck, died on Feb. 26, in his home in Luck.

He is survived by his wife, Karen.

Visitation will be at the Rowe Funeral Home in Luck on Thursday, March 1, from noon to 2 p.m. Interment will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Bone Lake Township Cemetery.

The Rowe Funeral Home, Luck, was entrusted with arrangements.

Charles “Choo Choo” Smith Charles “Choo Choo” Smith, 69, a resident of Webster, died Feb. 22, at Burnett Medical Center.

Visitation will be held Thursday, March 1, from 4 – 8 p.m., at Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster.

Funeral services will be Friday, March 2, at 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church with visitation at the church from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements. A full obituary will follow next week.

Daniel H. Chapman Daniel H. Chapman, 64, of Rice Lake died Feb. 8, at Heritage Manor in Rice Lake. Graveside services are at a later date.

He was born May 27, 1942, in Siren, to Fred and Margaret (Tevlin) Chapman. He farmed in the Frederic and Lewis area and later worked on automobiles and did car detailing for many years in Minneapolis. He returned to Rice Lake in the 1980s. He was a gentle man who loved helping others.

He is survived by six children; three brothers, Freddie of Crystal, Minn., Joseph of Pine City, Minn., and Bill of Lewis; and two sisters, Doris Woodbridge of Minneapolis and Mary Heffner of Shell Lake.

PAGE 22 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

OBITUARIES Jason David Madsen Jason David Madsen, 33, of Luck, was tragically taken from us all too soon on Feb. 16, 2007.

Jason was born Dec. 20, 1973, to Daniel and Luella Madsen. He grew up in Luck and graduated from Luck High School in 1992. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved fishing, hunting and his pets. He was currently employed at Four Seasons Wood Products in Frederic.

Preceding him in death are his grandparents, Elmer Madsen and George and Frances Grover; aunt and uncle, Ted and

Laura Butzler; and cousin, Brian Madsen.

Jason is survived by his parents, Dan and Lu Madsen; grandmother, Wilma Madsen; girlfriend, Bridget Cleary; and numerous other family and friends.

All will miss Jason’s smile and good nature.

Funeral services were held at the Luck Lutheran Church on Friday, Feb. 23. Interment is at the Luck Village Cemetery.

Rowe Funeral Home, Luck, was entrusted with arrangements.

Clifford T. Trudeau Clifford T. Trudeau died on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007 at his home in Luck. Cliff went to be with the Lord after a short and dignified battle with cancer. He was 80 years old.

Cliff was born in Hugo, Minn., on Oct. 19, 1926. He was a longtime St. Paul resident and business owner.

Cliff and his brother, Ed were co-owners of Minnesota Lumber & Wrecking and Disposal Systems. He was married to Lorraine Schmitzer and had six children. They were married for 40 years until her death in 1990. He retired in 1994 and moved to his home on Bone Lake in Georgetown Township.

Cliff married Hilda Jensen on June 12, 1994.

He was an active outdoorsman in golf, snowmobiling, hunting, tinkering around the yard and in his pole barn.

Cliff was always lending a hand (literally) to many neighbors and friends. He gave many hours of his time volunteering as a trustee and building co-chair for Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church in Balsam Lake. He was a golf coach for people with special needs at the Luck

Golf Course. Cliff was a member of the board of directors for the Polk County Snowmobile Council and past president of the Balsam and Bone Lake Snociables Snowmobile Club.

He spent countless hours grooming and maintaining the trails. Cliff was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Cliff is preceded in death by first wife; grandson, Mitchell; sister, Lorraine Herbst; and brother, Lester.

He is survived by wife, Hilda; sons, Tom (Michelle), Don (Debbie), Jim and Bob (Val); daughters, Terri (Ken) Steigauf and Barb (Mike) Miller; 18 grandchildren; brother, Ed; and sister, Audrey Sutherland. Also survived by stepchildren, Linda (Dean) Olson, Jo (Cleo) Hoel, Buck (Peg) Paulsen, Patti (Mike) Rufledt, Kevin Paulsen and Brian (Laura) Paulsen; 10 step-grandchildren and five step-great-grandchildren. The Jensen family, many cousins, nieces, nephews and many, many friends, will also miss him.

Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church in Balsam Lake, was held on Monday, Feb. 19, with Fr. Tom Thompson presiding. Cliff was laid to rest at St. John the Baptist Cemetery in Hugo, Minn.

Pallbearers were Jeremy Trudeau, Marc Trudeau, Tom Steigauf, Scott Steigauf, Stephen Steigauf and Nicholas Miller. Honorary pallbearers were Karl Walstrom, Dick Klatt, Bill Jungbauer, Fred Priesnitz, Jack Wilson, Bill Olinger and Bob Rasmussen.

Memorials preferred to Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church of Balsam Lake Building Fund or Lakeview Hospice, Stillwater, Minn.

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 23

CHURCH NEWS How well do we listen?

Respect demanded

I don't like flying in airplanes because the air pressure causes my ears to pop and crackle and sometimes ache. Driving up and down steep hills will do the same thing, Sally Bair as I'm sure many of you know.

Forcing ourselves to yawn helps release the pressure. So does swal- PERSPECTIVES lowing. I find it interesting that there's a direct correlation between the ears and the mouth.

There's a saying that goes: "You need to take the cotton out of your ears and stuff it into your mouth."

In other words, shut up and listen. How many of us know someone who talks much and listens little?

How many of us are guilty of that, ourselves?

It's hard to hear, sometimes, and it may have nothing to do with our physical ear. It may have much to do with what we want to hear. Tests prove that sometimes we hear only what we want. Line up 10 people and let them pass a story from one to another and, by the time it's finished, it comes out entirely different from its original version.

Another thing that I, myself, am guilty of: listening to part of the story and then opening my mouth to be heard—to relate my own experience about it. Habits die hard, sometimes, and that includes the habit of interrupting just so we can be heard. It all comes down to pride, one of the so-called deadly sins.

The Bible is filled with admonishments about the danger of not listening to God. Jesus rebuked the stubborn of heart because they didn't listen to the truth of God's word. "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand…the people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears…." (Matthew 14:15) When we diligently listen to God's word or to his still, small voice, it becomes easier to truly listen when people speak to us. That translates into love.

As followers of Christ, we need to listen with open ears. Our hearts need to hear, and our minds need to be free of distractions, pride and selfishness.

Lord, reveal to us today when we should speak and when we should listen. Make us willing to hear with an open heart and with love rather than with selfish motives. In Jesus' name, amen.

Mrs. Bair may be reached at sallybair@gmail.com

ETERNAL

Beverly Kimball, PA-C, joins BMC Clinic

received a just recompense (or payment) of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken (Part 8 in a series) by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them For anyone who has received a speeding that heard him; God also bearing them witness, ticket (myself included), it serves as a reminder both with signs and wonders, and with divers of the respect we must give to the laws posted miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according for us in life. Whether we like them or not, to his own will?” (Heb 2:1-4) It is continued in whether we agree with them or not, we must rechapter 12:25-29; “See that ye refuse not him that spect the limits they set for our lives. Similarly speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him there are many examples in the Bible that show that spake on earth, much more shall not we esthe principle of respect that God demands of us for cape, if we turn away from him that speaketh His Word. (Romans 15:4) “For whatsoever from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: THE things were written aforetime were written for but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more our learning…” This must refer to the Old TesI shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And tament, for there are no other scriptures that this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing Paul could be referring to, and notice his use of of those things that are shaken, as of things that “our learning” not “their learning”. There are nuare made, that those things which cannot be merous examples of Christ and the Apostles shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a quoting and referring to the OT, as being applicable to kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, present circumstances, which makes it clear that their ex- whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and istence today is because God feels they are still of value to godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” our learning (2Tim 3:15-16).

There are some who would argue with what these scripWhen we go to the O.T. we find numerous examples of tures say about God. They only wish to read, “God is God’s demand for obedience. Leviticus 10:1-2 tells of the Love” (1 John 4:16) and nothing else about Him. While this consequences to Nadab & Abihu for “offering strange verse is true, we must remember that the love of God is fire”. In Numbers chapter 20 we learn why Moses was not more than just acceptance and forgiveness. For anyone allowed to enter the Promised Land. It was because he with children you know what I mean. Love is not total ac“struck the rock” for water instead of speaking to it, as ceptance of any and all ideas or actions. It means doing God had commanded. In 1Samuel chapter 15 we read of what is best for the one that you love (1Cor 13:7), and no the story of Saul and the Amalekites. When he was told to one knows what we need in our lives better than God. If “utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not”, anyone really thinks that total acceptance is how love is he failed to follow God’s instructions and was punished. supposed to work, just imagine how you would feel if you And no one can forget the story of Uzzah (2 Samuel 6), saw a police officer allow someone to speed through a who failed to follow God’s law and was struck dead for school zone or pass a stopped school bus without stopping touching the Ark of the Covenant. Even though these them. God’s word demands respect and we must give it. men’s intentions might have been sincere, they were still If readers have questions or simply wish to know more sincerely wrong. about the Church of Christ, we invite you to call 715-866This principle is made clear by the author of Hebrews 7157 or stop by the church building at 7425 W. Birch St. in when he said; “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest Webster. Office hours are Tuesdays through Fridays 9 a.m.heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time noon. Sunday Bible class begins at 9:30 a.m., Worship is at we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday evening class is at 7 p.m. was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience

Garret Derouin

PREACHER’S

PEN

Youth Enrichment Partnership to hold community forum POLK COUNTY – The Youth Enrichment Partnership has been working cooperatively on youth issues in Polk County since 1991. YEP was established to be a networking and program-sharing/development opportunity for youth-serving agencies in the county. In an effort to assess current youth issues and needs for program development, an effort was undertaken to conduct eight focus group sessions with middle and high school teens from area schools for their candid input and direction. The data from these focus group conversations has been gathered, and youth stakeholders, community leaders, parents, and anyone who cares about youth in our communities, are being invited to help YEP process it and provide assessment and input.

On Thursday, March 8, from 1 - 3 p.m., in the west conference room of the government center in Balsam Lake, the data and responses youth shared to nine questions ranging from what they do in their free time, to what concerns them in their schools, communities,

and world, will be shared with participants. Some interesting initial findings include the fact that many youth feel schools and communities place too much emphasis on youth athletic achievement and not enough on other areas where youth excel. In addition, youth want healthy activities to participate in during off-school hours and welcome communities to open youth centers and skate parks to give them places to go. These responses and much more data will be shared during this forum.

Helping YEP process the data and perhaps becoming part of the Polk County Youth Enrichment Partnership to assist with program development are additional goals of this forum. We are asking participants to preregister for the forum by calling the Polk County UWExtension Office at 715-485-8600 or e-mailing charles.prissel@ces.uwex.edu. - submitted

Benefit dinner for young missionaries set

BURNETT COUNTY – Physician assistant, Beverly Kimball, joined Burnett Medical Center Clinic on Monday, Feb. 26. She has more than 27 years of experience providing family medicine and women’s health care services. Kimball is certified by the American Academy of Physician Assistants. She most recently worked at Allina Medical Clinic in Forest Lake, Minn.

Kimball has held many key positions in professional organizations and has also received several awards for her work as a physician assistant, including the Minnesota Academy of Physician Assistants Lifetime Achievement Award and the Minnesota Academy of Physician Assistants PA of the Year Award.

To schedule an appointment with Kimball, please call BMC Clinic at 463-5317, or 1-866-4635317. - submitted

by Wayne M. Anderson GRANTSBURG - The Youth Group of Bethany Lutheran Church, Grantsburg, is heading to the mission field in the Twin Cities.

The Youth Group will field 14 youths and three adults, where they will assist urban poverty-stricken children by rebuilding their homes and cleaning the parks where they play. The youth will also work with the Youth Worker’s Network, a national network of youth ministries. The mission work in the Cities will take place this summer.

To help these young missionaries, all are invited to a benefit dinner. The youth will be serving spaghetti,

salad, garlic bread and a beverage. And for dessert, a fountain flowing with rich chocolate will be available to dip into.

The benefit dinner will take place at the church this Saturday, March 3, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

A freewill offering is requested. All funds will be matched by the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a fraternal society of Lutherans promoting investment, education and volunteerism.

Bethany Lutheran Church, is located on Hwy. 87 near Branstad. For more information please call: 715-4635746.

World Day of Prayer at Holy Trinity United Methodist Church BALSAM LAKE – Holy Trinity United Methodisthurch (on CTH I between Balsam Lake and Centuria) will host the 2007 ecumenical World Day of Prayer on Friday, March 2, at 1:30 p.m.

The theme is UnitedUnder God’s Tent and was written by the WDP Women of Paraguay. Several area churches will participate in this prayer service. An of-

fering will be taken to support women’s projects in the United States and internationally.

Please join them and see a ñandutí, which was made by a woman from Paraguay. Refreshments will follow the service. For more information, please call Erlene Johnson, 485-3383. – submitted

PAGE 24 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

CHURCH NEWS

Parents must screen outside influences on their children Q: You have talked about how Barbie dolls place undue emphasis on clothing, possession and appearance. But Barbie isn’t the only example of this adolescent influence in our culture, is it?

DR. DOBSON: No, our children are saturated with commercial stuff that has the same impact. More and more, we see adolescent clothes, attitudes and values being marketed to younger and younger children.

And rock and rap music, with adolescent and adult themes, finds eager listeners among the very young.

I believe it is desirable to postpone the adolescent experience until it is summoned by your child’s happy hormones. Therefore, I strongly recommend that parents screen the influences to which their children are exposed, keeping activities appropriate for each age.

While we can’t isolate our kids from the world as it is, we don’t have to turn our babies into teenyboppers.

••• Q: Talk about a father’s impact on his daughter and what he should hope to accomplish through that relationship.

DR. DOBSON: Fathers have an incalculable impact on their daughters. Most psychologists believe, and I am one of them, that all future romantic relationships that occur in a girl’s life will be influenced positively or negatively by the way she perceives and interacts with her dad.

If he rejects and ignores her, she will spend her life trying to replace him in her heart. If he is warm and nurturing, she will look for a lover to equal him. If he thinks she is beautiful, worthy and feminine, she will be inclined to see herself that way. But if he thinks she is unattractive and uninteresting, she is likely to carry

self-esteem problems into her adult years.

I have also observed that a woman’s respect for her husband is significantly influenced by the way she perceived her father. If he was overbearing, uncaring or capricious during her developmental years, she may disrespect her husband and Dr. James question his judgment. But if Dad Dobson blended love and leadership in a way that conveyed strength, she will be more likely to live harmoniously with her husband.

These tendencies and trends are not absolute, of course. Individual differences can always produce exceptions and contradictions. But this statement will be hard to refute: A good father will leave his imprint on his daughter for the rest of her life.

••• Q: My children are still young and are doing fine now, but I worry a lot about the adolescent years that loom ahead. I’ve seen other parents go through some pretty terrible things when their teenagers began to rebel. How can I help my sons avoid that turmoil 10 years from now?

DR. DOBSON: The apprehension that you describe is wellfounded, and many parents feel something similar today. The most important suggestion I can make is for you to redouble your efforts to build good relationships with your kids while they are young.

That is the key to surviving the adolescent years. If they emerge from childhood with doubts about whether you really love and care for them, anything

FOCUS ON THE

FAMILY

is possible during the turbulent teens. Boundaries, restrictions and threats will be no match for adolescent anger, frustration and resentment.

Author Josh McDowell has said that “rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” He is right. That’s why parents can’t afford to get preoccupied with business and other pursuits that interfere with the task of raising children. Kids are young for such a brief period.

During that short window, they must be given priority.

Once you’ve done what you can to lay the proper foundation, I urge you to approach your parenting duties with confidence. Anxiety about the future is risky in itself. It can make parents tentative and insecure in dealing with their youngsters. They don’t dare cross them or deny their wishes for fear of being hated in the teen years. Teenagers pick up those vibes intuitively, which often generates disrespect in return.

Don’t make that mistake. You have been placed in a position of authority over your young children. Lead them with confidence and care.

Dr. Dobson is founder and chairman of the board of the nonprofit organization Focus on the Family, P.O. Box 444, Colorado Springs, CO. 80903; or www.family.org. Questions and answers are excerpted from “The Complete Marriage and Family Home Reference Guide“ and “Bringing Up Boys,” both published by Tyndale House.

COPYRIGHT 2007 JAMES DOBSON INC. DISTRIBUTED BY UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE 4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; 816-9326600.

Brought to you by:

Faith Fellowship Luck

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 25

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Follow the Leader.

FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 27

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FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 29

Nationwide recall of peanut butter: What Wisconsin residents should know STATEWIDE – On Feb. 14, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to consumers not to consume certain jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter due to possible contamination with a type of Salmonella bacterium. The affected jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter have a product code located on the lid of the jar that begins with the number 2111 and may be contaminated with Salmonella Tennessee. Both the Peter Pan and Great Value brands are manufactured in a single facility in Georgia

by ConAgra Foods.

Symptoms of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In persons with poor underlying health or weakened immune systems, Salmonella can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Individuals who have recently eaten Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 and have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately.

Any such illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities.

To date, over 300 cases of foodborne illness have been linked to this outbreak, with cases of illness noted in 40 states. Links to this outbreak have already been reported in Wisconsin. The FDA shares the following information for consumers about this outbreak.

What size containers, varieties, types of peanut butter are involved in the voluntary recall? The voluntary recall includes all containers, varieties and types of Peter Pan peanut butter products purchased from May 2006 through present. All Peter Pan products are manufactured in a single ConAgra facility located in Sylvester, Ga., that is identified as 2111; the number 2111 is included in the lot codes for all products manufactured at this particular facility. Great Value products are manufactured at several different facilities including the ConAgra facility in Sylvester, Ga. Only Great Value products with lot numbers beginning with 2111, indicating they were manufactured at ConAgra’s Sylvester, Ga., facility, are included in the current peanut butter

recall. The lot numbers beginning with 2111 should be on the lids of product.

What if there is no lot number on my Great Value peanut butter? If there is no lot number on your container of Great Value brand peanut butter it should be discarded.

Where was the implicated peanut butter distributed? The Peter Pan peanut butter was distributed nationwide and internationally. The Great Value brand peanut butter was distributed nationally through WalMart.

Are other brands of peanut butter of concern? No. An epidemiological review of the reported illnesses implicated only Peter Pan peanut butter. Because, some Great Value brand peanut butter is also processed and packaged in the same production plant, it is believed to have a similar risk of being contaminated with Salmonella.

If I have only eaten a small amount of the contaminated peanut butter can I still get sick? Yes. Eating even small amounts of contaminated peanut butter can cause illness. Sometimes it takes several days for symptoms to develop.

I have eaten half a jar of the implicated peanut butter and have not become ill. Is it safe to eat the remaining contents? No. To be safe all potentially contaminated peanut butter should be discarded.

What if I ate the implicated peanut butter a few weeks ago and became ill at that time, should I be tested for Salmonella? Salmonellosis typically lasts from 4-7 days and most individuals recover without treatment. If you are not currently experiencing symptoms there is no reason to be tested. You should however report the incident to your local health department.

Can I use the implicated peanut butter to make peanut butter cookies or peanut butter icing? No. FDA recommends that all potentially contaminated peanut butter be discarded.

If I have been diagnosed with salmonellosis and was eating peanut butter at the time, should I send

my peanut butter somewhere for testing? If you have been diagnosed with salmonellosis and were eating peanut butter at the time of your illness and you still have the open jar, then notify your local health department as they may wish to collect the jar for testing.

Any unopened jars of peanut butter can be discarded.

How do I get a refund? For a full refund, consumers should mail the Peter Pan Peanut Butter or Great Value Peanut Butter product lid along with their name and mailing address to ConAgra Foods, P.O. Box 3768, Omaha, NE 68103. Questions or concerns about the recall are being received by ConAgra’s 24-hour toll-free hotline at 866-344-6970. - Prepared by Dr. B. Ingham, Extension Food Science Specialist

PAGE 30 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

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FEBRUARY 28, 2007 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 31

Students of the Week GRANTSBURG

FREDERIC

Zachary Williamson has been chosen Frederic Elementary School’s student of the week. He is in fourth grade and the son of Sonja and Scott Williamson. Zach is a model student who is never satisfied with less than his best. He is a class leader who takes the time to help his peers. Zach is fun to be around. In his free time he enjoys playing video games, participating in soccer, baseball, basketball and spending time with his family.

Dayton Rivera has been chosen Frederic Middle School’s student of the week. He is in seventh grade and the son on Jesse Rivera and Dori Garske. Dayton is cooperative, does what is expected, is polite and has initiative to succeed. He is a dishwasher and commercial fisherman. Dayton is involved in basketball and enjoys sports. Dayton would like to become a pilot.

Richard Berry has been chosen Grantsburg Middle School’s student of the week. He is in fifth grade and the son of Lloyd and Marcia Berry. Richard was chosen because of his outstanding attitude toward school and life.

He is nice to everyone and looked up to by his peers. He has great penmanship and creative ideas. His favoite subject is social studies. Richard enjoys playing saxophone in the band, and basketball and golf are his favorite sports.

Austin Boykin has been chosen Frederic High School’s student of the week. He is a junior and the son of Cynthia Boykin. Austin takes academically challenging courses. He contributes to class; is an independent and group learner; is a positive school citizen and has a good sense of humor.

He works part time roofing in the summer. Austin is involved in football and track. He enjoys football and playing guitar.

ST. CROIX FALLS

LUCK

Katie Pfaff has been chosen as Luck Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in fourth grade. Katie works hard and takes pride in doing nice work. She is happy and friendly and loves to be with friends. Katie is involved in several extracurricular activities including basketball, Girl Scouts, piano lessons, scrapbooking and skiing.

MyKayla Naughton has been chosen Luck Middle School’s student of the week. She is in eighth grade and the daughter of Nancie Naughton and John Welch.

MyKayla is very outgoing and inquisitive. She participates in many after-school activities including volleyball and basketball.

In her spare time she enjoys fourwheeling, snowmobiling, snowboarding, hanging out by the pool, listening to music and dancing.

Alyssa Mellon has been chosen Luck High School’s student of the week. She is a senior and the daughter of Trudi Mellon. Alyssa has received an academic letter, athletic letter and is on the honor roll. She is very active in her community with volunteerism. Alyssa is involved in NHS, student council and drama. She is a class officer.

Alyssa enjoys being with her family, exercising, swimming, working with animals and being with friends. She plans to major in biological sciences at St. Cloud.

Isaiah Lane has been chosen St. Croix Falls Elementary School’s student of the week. He is in second grade and the son of Travis Lane and Dawn Berger. Isaiah likes just about everything in school: math, reading, phy. ed. and music. In summer Isaiah enjoys riding and jumping his bike, and in the winter he likes snowmobiling with his dad and sledding. He also enjoys movies.

Isaiah is a very friendly, outgoing young man.

SIREN

Emily Howe has been chosen Siren Elementary’s student of the week. She in fourth grade. Emily was chosen for being a good friend to a student in her class.

Emily is also a great helper. She likes school and her favorite subject is gym. She enjoys spending time with her friends. Emily’s favorite outdoor activity is snowmobiling.

Ashley Bjornstad has been chosen Siren Middle School’s student of the week. She is in eighth grade and the daughter of Rebecca Merrill. Ashley is an inquisitive, considerate straight-A student. At school she is involved in track and band.

Family and music are important to Ashley with her mother as the most influential person in her life.

Her hobbies include playing her guitar, drawing cartoons and fishing. In the future Ashley wants to attend college and start a band that will play rock music.

Olivia Finch has been chosen Grantsburg High School’s student of the week. She is a senior.

Olivia has worked at Dale’s Restaurant for the past three years. She loves food. Olivia plans to go to college to become a nurse. The greatest influence in her life has been her mom. The character traits she values the most in herself are that she is very patient and forgiving.

Cody Zelinski has been chosen St. Croix Falls Middle School’s student of the week. He is in seventh grade and his parents are Kym and Kimberley Zelinski.

Cody has a brother and four cats.

His hobbies are football and building models. He is involved in football and basketball. His favorite class is science because he likes to dissect stuff. Cody approaches class in an enthusiastic manner.

Gabrielle Nuckles has been chosen St. Croix Falls High School’s student of the week. She is a freshman. She was on the volleyball team this past fall and the basketball team. Gabrielle was chosen not only because she is an all-around great student, but because she is just genuinely nice to everyone.

WEBSTER

Tim Jewell has been chosen Siren High School’s student of the week. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Daryl Jewell. Tim has an excellent work ethic and the ability to sit down and put in the time to master SolidWorks, a designing program, to better himself.

Darbi Young has been chosen Webster Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in second grade and the daughter of Samantha Olson. Darbi is a sharp student who always comes to school with a smile on her face. She is involved in Girl Scouts and hockey.

Mike Banbery has been chosen Webster Middle School’s student of the week. He is in seventh grade and the son of Kim Banbery. Mike has worked hard in the after-school tutoring program.

Consequentialy he has brought his grades way up. He is involved in football and basketball. Mike’s hobbies include snowmobiling, riding 4-wheeler and playing football.

Jules Zappa has been chosen Webster High School’s student of the week. He is a senior and the son of Barb and Mac McNeely.

Jules is kind, polite, courteous and respectful. He is in the St. Croix Boxing Club and plays football and track. Jules enjoys boxing, lifting weights and playing guitar in the band, The Misses. He plans to attend tech school.

UNITY

VALLEY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY Sammie Jo Nelson has been chosen Valley Christian Academy’s student of the week. She is in first grade and the daughter of Rick and JoEllen Nelson of Dresser. Her favorite subjects are math, art and recess. Other favorites include the color orange, pizza and pickles, sledding and riding scooter. Sammie Jo lives on a dairy farm. She likes to play with dolls, read books and watch SpongeBob.

Allison Colbert has been chosen Unity Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in first grade and the daughter of Thomas Colbert. Allison works hard academically to improve herself. She is always smiling and willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. Allison is a very positive role model.

Cassie Sturgul has been chosen Unity Middle School’s student of the week. She is in seventh grade and the daughter of Todd and Cindy Sturgul. Cassie has worked very hard in her classes, which has paid off with fantastic grades.

She has not only shown great improvement as a student, but has been active in sports, playing the flute in band and even shooting a bear this year.

Nicole Norlund has been chosen Unity High School’s student of the week. She is a senior and the daughter of Fred and Janis Norlund of Balsam Lake. She was nominated for her demeanor and excellent work ethic. Nicole enjoys horses, reading, kayaking, fishing and hunting. She plans to attend Globe College to pursue veterinarian technology.

PAGE 32 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 28, 2007

Coming events

FEBRUARY

WEDNESDAY/28

• Open house at the library, 3-7 p.m., 715-294-2310.

MARCH

THURSDAY/1 Frederic

FRI.-SAT./9 & 10

Luck

• ALPHA Celebration Dinner, Video & discussion, 6:30-8:45 p.m. Faith Fellowship.

For info contact Pastor Maggie at 715-8253559.

Siren

• 9th-annual Home Sweet Home Show, Fri. noon-8 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the high school gym.

FRIDAY/9

St. Croix Falls

• American Legion Post 143, 7 p.m. dinner and 8 p.m. meeting.

Rice Lake

• “Going Green: Bio-energy Opportunities for Northwest Wisconsin at WITC, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Call 715-537-6250 for more info.

Siren

• Sex-offender Notification meeting, 7 p.m. at the high school auditorium.

St. Croix Falls

Taylors Falls, Minn.

• Fish Fry, 5-7:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post 143. Everyone welcome.

• Historical Society new members night program & meeting, 7 p.m. at the community center. Call 651-257-4773 for more info.

Webster

FRIDAY/2

• Benefit for Amy Mangelsen, 6 p.m. at Black and Orange Bar.

Balsam Lake

SATURDAY/10

• 2007 EcumentiCal World Day of Prayer, 1:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity United Methodist ChURch. Call 715-485-3383 for more info.

Comstock

The snow fell thick and beautiful in the lights of Frederic on Saturday night. Photo by Jackie Thorwick

Grantsburg

• Full Moon Snowshoe Program, 7-8:30 p.m. at Crex Meadows. Call 715-463-2739 for more info.

Luck

• Senior Center monthly potluck, noon at the center.

St. Croix Falls

• Bingo & Spaghetti Dinner, Fundraiser for River Valley Hockey Midget team at American Legion Post 143, 5-7 p.m., with bingo until 8 p.m.

SATURDAY/3 Amery

• The Lyme Disease Action Group of Wisconsin meets, 9:30 a.m. downstairs at the Bremer Bank. For more info contact Tanya Carlson 715-268-6228.

Balsam Lake

• 8th-annual Spaghetti Dinner, 4-7 p.m. at the fire hall. Bingo at 4 p.m.-?

Cushing

• Benefit for Jordynn Gittins, 4 p.m. at the community center.

Milltown

• St. Croix River camping plan meeting, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at William O’Brien State Park Call 715-483-2273 for more info.

Shell Lake

• 12th-annual Equine meeting, registration 5:30 p.m., dinner 6:30 p.m., meeting 7:30 p.m.

Topics: Colic & West Nile, RSVP 800-924-0588 or 715-463-2536.

• Lions Club Ice-Fishing Contest, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at South Bay Landing on Shell Lake.

SUNDAY/4 Deer Park

• Lions Club Pancake Breakfast, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.at the community center.

Lewis

• All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Lewis Memorial United Methodist Church.

MONDAY/5 Frederic

• Spades are played, 1:30 p.m., at the senior center. Everyone welcome.

TUESDAY/6 Amery

Danbury Frederic

• Coffee hour, 10 a.m. at the Lutheran church.

Everyone welcome.

• Cozy Corner Trails Inc. Annual Booya & Raffle, noon to 5 p.m.

• 10th-annual Bridal Open House, 1-4 p.m. at the Rose Garden. Call 715-327-4281 for more info.

• Ice-Fishing Contest on Big Butternut Lake, for Bryce Hacker Memorial Scholarship Fund, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Call 715-825-3314 for more info.

Marine on St. Croix, Minn.

• Women’s Retreat, at the Lutheran Church, 8:30 a.m., registration, 9 a.m., retreat begins.

Featuring Pati Kachel, a salt-of-the-earth storyteller.

• Swedish Club meeting, 7 p.m. at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. Call 715-269-5307 for more info.

Luck

Hinckley, Minn.

• 12th-annual Equine meeting, registration 5:30 p.m., dinner 6:30 p.m., meeting 7:30 p.m. Topics: Colic & West Nile, RSVP 800924-0588 or 715-463-2536.

• 500 card night, 6:30 p.m. at the center.

• Eagles Father/Son Wrestling Challenge IV, 7 p.m. at Unity High School.

Coming event items are published as a public service. Items must be submitted by 10 a.m. on Mondays to be assured of publication in that week’s issue.

Clam Falls

Luck

• Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 5-6:30 p.m. at the senior center. Contact Ellen Jepsen, 715472-2877 or use 715-294-3750 as contact for other areas.

Siren

WEDNESDAY/7 Frederic

• Blood pressure screening at Bremer Bank, Frederic, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sponsored by Bremer Bank.

Siren

• Skywarn training, 6:30 p.m. at the gov’t. center, Rm. 165. For more info, call the Emergency Mangement office 715-349-2171.

St. Croix Falls

• Good Samaritan Auxiliary meets, 1:30 p.m. at the Good Samaritan Home. Volunteers are needed for the March activities schedule.

THURSDAY/8 Dresser

• NARFE Indianhead Chapter 1581 meets, noon, at Village Pizzaria. All Federal and retired employees welcome.

Frederic

• American Cancer Society Run/Walk Finish Line committee meeting, 5:30 p.m. in the Upper Fireside Room at Pilgrim Lutheran Church. Anyone interested in helping with the walk is invited.

• Benefit Radar Run, registration 10:30 a.m.-noon, at Nashville North on Staples Lake for Ficocello family. Call 715-205-2376 or 715-458-3763 for more info.

Milltown

• 500 Card party for Cancer Aid & Research Fund, 2 p.m. at VFW Post 6856.

Siren

• St. Patrick’s Day celebration, St. Paul Winter Carnival Royalty at Capeside with Valentine K and Q at about 11:30 a.m. followed by parade at 2 p.m.

TUESDAY/13 Luck

• Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 5-6:30 p.m. at the senior center. Contact Ellen Jepsen, 715472-2877 or use 715-294-3750 as contact for other areas.

Siren

• Burnett County VFW Post 1256 meeting, 7:30 p.m. at the VFW Hall.

WEDNESDAY/14 Siren

• Cholesterol & Diabetes Screening, call for apppointment, 715-349-2140.

THURSDAY/15 Luck

• ALPHA Celebration Dinner and Video & discussion, 6:30-8:45 p.m. Faith Fellowship.

For info contact Pastor Maggie at 715-8253559.

SAT.-SUN./17 & 18 Rice Lake

• Rod & Gun Club Gun Show, at UW gym.

Sat. 8:30-5, Sun. 8:30- 3.

SATURDAY/17 Grantsburg

• All-You-Can-Eat Corn Beef & Cabbage Dinner, 4 p.m. until gone, at the American Legion.

Unity FFA members competed in FFA district speaking contests

Unity FFA members competed in the FFA District Speaking contests recently at Amery High School. Competing were front row: Amy VanDeBrake placing third in job interview, Danielle Martin placing first in extemporaneous advancing to sectionals, Julia Larsen placing fifth in prepared speaking, and Johanna Alling placing fourth in extemporaneous speaking. Back row includes the Middle School FFA Quiz Bowl team who were runners-up: Brandi Larson, Devin Douglas, April Johnson and Jenelle Larsen. submitted