Leader|feb 6|2008

W E D N E S D AY, F E B R U A RY 6 , 2 0 0 8 • V O L U M E 7 5 • N O . 2 4 • 8 , 0 0 0 C O P I E S • S E C T I O N A

WEEKEND WATCH: • Luck Winter Carnival • Booster Club dinner @ Frederic • Ice-fishing contests @ Grantsburg, Poskin, St. Croix Falls & Cumberland • Poker/radar run @ Webb Lake • Lawn mower races @ Webster • Relay for Life fundraiser @ Siren • See Coming events and stories

Selfdefense?

Leader INTER-COUNTY

Serving Northwest Wisconsin

$1

Crowning moment

District attorney ponders charge in fatal shooting, pending more information on content of text messages exchanged by two men; toxicology results for victim released

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Delay in GAM suit Court action to stop sale of county-owned nursing home delayed by request for different judge; closed session minutes opened

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Investigation Polk County Sheriff is investigating pre-recorded messages related to sale of GAM with false caller ID numbers PAGE 15

Man killed in standoff

Washburn, Burnett and Tribal officers respond to situation in Spooner where 72-year-old man was shot

by Spooner officers after allegedly grabbing rifle

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Members of the Luck community involved in the new library and museum project quickly assembled for a photo just as the roof to the new building’s entryway was put in place, Monday, in downtown Luck. Shown (L to R) are Chuck Adelman, Carol Adelman, Bob Nelson, Verle Hacker, Dianne Dueholm, Tam Howie and Marilyn Berg.

Hacker is the local project manager. Others helped oversee the project’s planning and fundraising via a special committee. More photos inside this section. - Photo by Connie Rich

I N S I D E

Highway project referendum

SPORTS INSIDE THIS SECTION

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Our presidential primary is Feb. 19 PAGE 3

FOLLOW THE LEADER.

Luck’s coolest architecture Currents feature

Keepers of the Gold Blizzard boys ice Spooner, 4-3

The Inter-County Leader is a cooperative-owned newspaper

PAGE 2 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Leader

Postcards from the edge of the dam

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.

MANAGER Doug Panek dougpanek@centurytel.net EDITOR Gary B. King, Editor gbking@centurytel.net STAFF Nancy Jappe njappe@centurytel.net Marty Seeger mseeger@centurytel.net Tammi Milberg tammi@centurytel.net Brenda Sommerfeld brendals@centurytel.net Gregg Westigard greggw@lakeland.ws Priscilla Bauer the-leader@centurytel.net Erik Barstow the-leader@centurytel.net Carl Heidel the-leader@centurytel.net Sherill Summer the-leader@centurytel.net EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Raelynn Hunter rael@centurytel.net

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The Inter-County Leader [ISS No. 87509091] is published weekly. Subscription prices are $30/yr. in Polk and Burnett counties; $34/yr. in Barron, Chisago, Washburn, St. Croix counties; $37/yr. anywhere in the United States $22/yr. for servicemen or women; $22/yr. for students or schools (9 months). Payment is needed before we can start the subscription. No refunds on subscriptions. Persons may subscribe online at www.the-leader.net, write us at Inter-County Leader, Box 490, Frederic, WI 54837, or stop by one of our three offices.

Board of directors Vivian Byl, chair Charles Johnson Harvey Stower Merlin Johnson Janet Oachs

An award-winning newspaper Member

• National Newspaper Association • Wisconsin Newspaper Association

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.

The historic hydroelectric dam at St. Croix Falls is shown in different seasons in these photos, including a midsummer lightning storm (upper right). The Overlook Deck at St. Croix Falls offers one of the area’s most dramatic views of the St. Croix River and valley. - Photos by Erik Barstow

A beary nice February day People driving south on Hwy. 87 from Grantsburg Friday afternoon, Feb. 1, didn’t see a groundhog emerging to look for his shadow but instead saw this black bear looking for a midwinter snack. The nice February weather, or his appetite, brought the bear out of hibernation to wander around in a field for about an hour. The bear eventually seemed to have enough of the nice day and people gawking at him and crawled back into his den to finish his winter nap. – Special photo

Briefly

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 3

STATEWIDE - With Super Tuesday primary votes resulting in a close contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Wisconsin’s Feb. 19 presidential primary will prove to be all the more important in deciding a front runner. See story elsewhere on this page.

••• BLOOMINGTON, Minn.

The Minnesota Grape Growers Association is hosting the fourth-annual Cold Climate Grape and Wine Conference on Feb. 1416 in Bloomington, Minn. The conference focuses on all aspects of grape growing and wine making and is for beginners and advanced growers and winemakers. For more information contact Nicole Walsh at 651-264-0466 or nrwalsh1@yahoo.com. submitted ••• SIREN - Representatives of the Clinton and Obama campaigns will be speaking at the Burnett County Democratic Party meeting Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in Room 165 of the government center. The public is invited. - from Burnett Democratic Party ••• DRESSER - A gathering of soldiers who would like to share their stories of military service is being held Feb. 7 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Bethesda Lutheran Church Hall.

Rob Lubben, USAF, Ret., the Community Outreach Liason facilitator for Counseling Associates of St. Croix Falls, says he is offering coffee, confidentiality and respect.

Further information is available by calling 715-483-3544. - with submitted information ••• NEILLSVILLE – Experience Works, the nation’s largest training and employment organization for mature workers, is searching for Wisconsin’s outstanding older worker. Experience Works Prime Time Awards program is part of Experience Works’ national effort to raise awareness of the contributions made by older individuals and to break down barriers associated with the hiring of all older workers. Outstanding older workers from every state will be honored. Nominees or applicants must be 65 years of age or older, a resident of Wisconsin, currently employed, and working at least 20 hours each week for pay. Employers, family, friends or colleagues can send in a nomination, or older workers can self-nominate. Call 1-800-782-7519 for additional information or to request a nomination form. Nominations may also be made at www.experienceworks.org.

- from Experience Works ••• SIREN - John A. Howe, age 80, passed away on Feb. 5 in Geneva, Ill., after a long battle with lung disease. He and his wife, Marion, ran Faraway Farm in Siren for years. A memorial service is planned for a later date. Memorial contributions can be sent in John Howe’s name to Peace Lutheran Church, 8250 Roscoe Road, Gulf Shores, AL 36542. A complete obituary will appear in next week’s Leader. - with submitted information

by Micah Schwizer Wisconsin Public Radio LA CROSSE - Many adults in Wisconsin are struggling to make a living, while children have no means to escape poverty. Poverty impacts elementary school students and La Crosse schools are working to fight it.

Deb Keller knows the impact of poverty on children. She teaches fourth-graders at Franklin Elementary School in La Crosse. Seventy percent of Franklin students benefit from the free or reduced lunch program, the highest number in the district.

Keller says kids situations at home often spill over into the classroom. She says if a student is in a situation where they have to move around a lot for lack of finances and the family is not able to help them, someone has to be there.

She says many of the staff and the school feels the need to fill that role.

Keller says many parents in poverty

County rejects settlement offer

POLK COUNTY—A settlement offer of $250,000, involving a federal lawsuit by a Polk County employee, has been rejected by the county. The offer stems from a suit filed last summer by Diane Taxdahl, a county employee.

In the last election for clerk of the court, Taxdahl ran against her boss Lois Hoff, who was the court clerk.

Taxdahl lost the election and then sued

Hoff and Polk County, claiming “harassment” and “violating her constitutional rights.”

Taxdahl no longer works in the clerk’s office.

According to a letter from Taxdahl’s attorney, Peter Reinhardt, Polk County requested the settlement offer. The letter states Taxdahl asked for a quarter of a million dollars to settle the law suit.

But on Tuesday, Reinhardt said Polk County never responded to the offer.

Polk County has “no comment” on the matter, said county attorney Jeff Fuge.

The federal law suit moves forward with a summary judgment hearing scheduled in Eau Claire in April.

–www.theandersonreport.com (Wayne Anderson)

Our presidential primary is Feb. 19 STATEWIDE – Feb. 19 is Primary Election Day in Wisconsin for 2008, and candidates for president in the Democratic and Republican parties will be on the ballot across the state.

The parties use the results to allocate delegates at their national conventions.

Wisconsin is different from some other states because voters don’t have to state a political party preference when they register to vote. In addition, Wisconsin voters participate in an

Rep. Hraychuck to host health care reform town hall meeting in Luck LUCK - Rep. Ann Hraychuck is hosting a town hall meeting to discuss health care reform on Monday, Feb. 11, at the Luck Elementary School from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Joining her will be Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, who has been hosting similar meetings across the state since this summer.

Prior to being elected represent the 31st Senate district, Vinehout was a dairy farmer and also a college professor, and has studied health care reform for over 10 years. This will be a great opportunity to learn about different health care reform proposals that are being discussed by the Legislature. In addition, Hraychuck and Vinehout will talk about some of the ways that the governor and Legislature have increased access to health care this session, including the recently launched BadgerCare Plus.

Following the presentation, Hraychuck and Vinehout will hear comments and answer questions.

Hraychuck asks that everyone share this information with family, friends and neighbors. Those with questions about the forum, or any other Legislative matter, should contact Hraychuck toll-free at 1-888-5290028 or via e-mail at rep.hraychuck@legis.wi.gov. - from the office of Rep. Hraychuck

open primary during partisan elections, when candidates are identified by party.

Using the open primary system means that on Feb. 19 voters get to decide in private whether they vote in the Republican or Democratic party’s primary right in the voting booth.

While Wisconsin’s system gives voters the most choices up to the moment of voting, it’s very important to remember that more choices will not translate into voting for any particular office more than once!

In the voting booth during the primary election, voters can only vote once for president. They may vote for a candidate on the ballot, write in a different candidate, or for voters who want to allow party delegates to make their own decision at the party convention, the voter may also vote for uninstructed delegation within the party of their choice.

This year, Wisconsin voters can choose from eight Democrats, or eight Republicans, in this presidential preference primary. After voters have chosen which party’s primary they’ll vote in, they must choose only between the candidates of that party. Or they may write in the name of a candidate.

Icy roads Lester E. Anderson, 36, of Wyoming, Minn., was unable to negotiate the icy roads on Thursday, Jan. 28. He was westbound on Hwy. 77 when he lost control on a curve and left the roadway. His vehicle was moderately damaged after it rolled and came to a rest against a tree. No injuries were reported in this accident. – Photo from Burnett Co. Sheriff’s Department

Poverty impacts elementary students W i s c o n s i n ’s Wo r k i n g P o o r face demanding work schedules as they try to make ends meet. She says the school steps in to offer children support. School officials, volunteers and community members joined together to offer an after-school program, which gives kids a place to do homework, play and even provides an extra bite to eat. Keller says the after-school club plays a tremendous role for parents, who are able to work longer in the day.

She says the students are able to have park and recreation activities that the parents wouldn’t be able to afford to get their kids to, or if they did, they’d have to cut resources elsewhere.

Franklin guidance counselor Melanie Fay says the school also receives community donations of food for its pantry and winter clothes for kids. She says the school’s role may spark controversy

Candidates from other parties are not included on this ballot because their candidates for Wisconsin governor did not receive more than 10 percent of the vote in the 2006 gubernatorial election.

It’s important to remember that voters are narrowing down their choices for the general election during the Feb. 19 primary election. It may be helpful to think of this primary as the process of helping a political party decide which presidential candidate it will support in the November election, and the voter can only help one party.

Also on the ballot will be local races for municipal offices such as county supervisor in which there are three or more candidates. Those primary elections are nonpartisan — they do not involve political party designations — but they will also be narrowing down the choices for those offices for the April 1 spring election. Some municipal ballots will also include local referenda questions.

Voters with questions about Wisconsin’s Presidential Preference Primary should contact their municipal clerk, the county clerk, or see the State Elections Division Web site at http://elections.wi.gov. - submitted by Lynn Hoeppner, Washburn County Clerk

at times, but it has to give students the tools to succeed. She says if kids get to school and they haven’t had breakfast, they’re not going to do their best, and they can’t think and concentrate. She says there is now breakfast in every school, which was started in part from the focus on the poverty in the community.

The La Crosse district limits class sizes to 15 students through third grade. Keller says it helps teachers meet students individual learning needs. Yet, Keller says current standardized testing doesn’t measure individual progress, and it’s become a barrier to the success of low-income kids.

Melanie Fay agrees. She says part of the problem is that families in poverty tend to move more often, and so the kids a teacher starts the year with aren’t

necessarily the same kids at the end of the year. As a result, she says a teacher isn’t really testing the same kids they’re teaching.

Fay says the school’s role helps students overcome those challenges. Last year, Franklin Elementary became a Promise School for exceeding testing expectations. Keller says a dedicated staff and strong community support are crucial. She says when people say “it takes a village to raise a child,” they mean it. Keller adds that public schools help keep poverty from following children into adulthood. She says public education is the foundation of democracy. She says it’s important to meet the challenges of kids in poverty or, she says, “as a society, we’re gonna really pay the price.”

The La Crosse School District is continuing to develop ways to address the needs of low-income students.

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CTH I enhancement discussed at BL Village meeting

Water system study raises issues about BL water tower

by Marty Seeger BALSAM LAKE – The Balsam Lake Village Board was presented with a couple of presentations from Short Elliot Hendrickson Inc. on Monday evening.

The first item of discussion involved a presentation about the status of Balsam Lake water system.

Project engineer Jana Nyhagen explained, “The purpose of the study is just to kind of take a look at the entire water system and see where we’re standing right now.” She commended the staff first by saying that they do a great job of operating and maintaining the water system. She also added that they have very few complaints, and told the board that rates are relatively low in comparison to the area and the state of Wisconsin.

Some of the main topics of the water system study included the wells, water supply, water tower and water distribution systems. The purpose of the study was to update the village on the status of the water systems but also to provide a springboard for future planning.

“This study should be used as a planning document,” Nyhagen said.

“There’s a lot of assumptions in the study, and some assumptions may change over the next several years.”

One of the main items of discussion included the status of the red water tower located in the heart of the village.

Jill Zalar of SEH discussed a proposal to try and receive grant monies for an enhancement project on CTH I. If monies are awarded, the village and county will be working together to make plans for the enhancement.

Nyhagen explained to the village that the water tower may need to either be replaced or repainted.

“You may want to consider the historical value and character of the tower and weigh that against the cost to replace or repair the tower, and then decide what fits your community,” Nyhagen said.

The cost to repair and repaint the existing 50,000-gallon tower is estimat-

Professional engineer Jana Nyhagen of SEH presented an in-depth study of the water system in Balsam Lake. One of the main items of discussion was the red water tower near the south end of town. – Photos by Marty Seeger

ed at approximately $250,000. A brandnew 50,000-gallon tower would cost approximately $570,000. And a new tower that holds 100,000 gallons of water would cost approximately $640,000 according to Nyhagen. The timeline to complete such a project is approximately two years.

One of the main reasons for concern about the tower is its age. Darryl Ince, director of public works, estimated that the legs of the tower were constructed in the 1930s, and the 50,000-gallon tank was last added in the 1950s.

Nyhagen highlighted the status of the three wells in the village. Two are located in the park and one is located in the industrial park. She explained that the village water supply is “adequate,” and that the board should consider when another well might go in the future.

CTH I enhancement project Jill Zalar of Short Elliot Hendrickson Inc. presented an outline of the CTH I enhancement project to the village board on Monday night. The project, as presented to the board, served as an outline for what will be proposed in order to receive grant money for the project.

The initial project is essentially a bike trail that will begin near the Unity High School on Hwy. 46 and run through

town to CTH I, but it will not be separate from the road. It would extend through town and end near 130th Street east of town. The proposal is considered a bike trail, but could include enhancements on widening out the road, park improvements such as a new gazebo and bike racks near the beach.

One of the main items of discussion was about the box culvert on CTH I that links the millpond to the main lake. The proposal includes a new bridge that is 22 feet wide by 6 feet tall from the top of the water. Citizens were present at the meeting to discuss their approval of a new bridge to replace the box culvert that is currently in place. One resident felt it was unsafe to pass through the culvert because of debris.

“It really kind of comes down to [if] we’ve actually received the grant monies or not,” said Zalar. It was said that if the grant money was received it could provide up to 80 percent of the cost of the project. The village will also be working directly with the county on the project if the grant money is received.

“All these things with this project right now could change once we actually get the grant, if we were awarded that,” said Zalar.

The proposal for the grant money is due at the end of April, and it will not be known whether the money has been awarded until November of 2008. If the money is awarded, the approximate two-year project could possibly run from 2009-11, but Zalar emphasized that everything is preliminary.

There are lots of DOT requirements for much of the project, yet SEH Inc. is working to make the proposal as inviting as possible.

“We don’t want to propose something they won’t fund,” Zalar said.

Citizen Carl Holmgren expressed his thoughts on the project and talked about how the enhancements could hook up with the Gandy Dancer trail.

He also mentioned that working with the county would be beneficial to the village.

“Trying to tie that bike trail in with the village, (and) redoing some of the beach down there, I think it’s a nice project and something to move forward on,” Holmgren said.

It was also mentioned that the grant monies being proposed for are similar to those used in a downtown project in Osceola.

Nothing out of the ordinary in Dresser

by Tammi Milberg DRESSER–The village board of Dresser held a short regular meeting Feb. 4. The board heard a request from the Dresser Neighborhood Watch for a donation to help with an Easter egg hunt.

The request was for a $50 donation from the village to help with an the

event on March 22. This will be the firstannual Easter egg hunt to be held at Thye Memorial Park, located west of the Dresser Community Hall. The board approved the donation.

Another item on the agenda was the mention of the governor’s fishing opener that is coming up May 2-4 to be held at Lake Wapogasset. The first event is a

Woman faces sex assault charge POLK COUNTY – A 43-year-old Clear Lake woman is facing a felony sexual assault charge stemming from a police report claiming she had sex with a 17-year-old male at her home, Jan. 12.

Kimberly A. Kuhn claimed she had taken medication that was not prescribed and was feeling “spacey and intoxicated.” She told authorities she initiated the sexual contact with the alleged victim, who is reportedly physically handicapped with a fourth-grade mental capacity.

Officers stated they found the defendant and alleged victim lying naked in the house and found the defendant in an “intoxicated” state.

Kuhn also faces charges of exposing genitals or pubic area and exposing a child to harmful material.

Pornography was discovered in the home, including magazines in the alleged victim’s bedroom.

Kuhn claimed they were left behind by a boyfriend of her relation.

A report, based on an interviews by a social worker, indicated there were abuse and sexual abuse issues involved in this case.

Kuhn is scheduled to make her initial court appearance, Feb. 18. – with information from Polk County Sheriff’s Department

dinner at Trollhaugen Friday evening, May 2. The board was advised of the schedule as an informational item.

The board also passed a motion to accept the resignation of Lisa Peterson and Darla Bowers from the Dresser Library Board and approved the appointment of Leigh McDonald and Gino Torresin to the open positions.

It was noted that the spring primary is Tuesday, Feb. 19, and polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The meeting lasted approximately 20 minutes before adjourning. The next regular meeting is Monday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m.

Polk County Republicans perfer Mitt Romney for president DRESSER – Mitt Romney won a straw poll conducted at the Polk County Republican Party Caucus held in Dresser on Sunday, Jan. 27. He received 40 percent of the votes, with John McCain coming in second with 33 percent, Mike Huckabee next at 13 percent and Ron Paul with 10 percent.

Alan Keyes received one vote with former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani in last place with zero votes.

In other business, a resolution was introduced to publicly oppose attempts by the state Legislature to regulate or

restrict smoking on private property including privately owned businesses in the state of Wisconsin. “Private property rights and personal liberty are fundamental conservative principles,” argued the Rev. Jody Walter of Frederic, author of the resolution.

After a lively and often emotional debate, the resolution passed, and it will now be forwarded to the 7th Congressional District Caucus to be held in Stanley on March 8. – submitted

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 5

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Golf course development hinges on town support

Committee approves zoning map for Daniels Township

by Sherill Summer SIREN – Of the 21 townships in Burnett County, all but seven have adopted the Burnett County zoning plan to zone their township.

So when Daniels Township proposed to do the same thing, some felt there would be little contention.

They were wrong.

Bring up the subject of land use or development in the town of Daniels, and it is probable that the conversation will turn to the proposed resort development adjacent to Siren Nation Golf Course.

Owner of the golf course and developer, Bob Schmidt, envisions a resort complex centered around a new clubhouse along Hwy. 70. In March of 2007, a month before the spring election, he proposed creating a Tax Increment Finance District to finance the hookup of his proposed development to the Siren Village sanitary district two miles away. With all three Daniels town supervisor seats up for re-election, views on the proposed TIF district became the No. 1 campaign issue.

When a completely new board of antiTIF supervisors was elected, the proposed TIF district was tabled.

Even with no TIF financing, development continued adjacent to the golf course, but at a slower rate. An environmentally friendly log cabin was constructed. Construction began to expand the golf course. Roads were built. The driving range was expanded.

Schmidt summed up the work at the

(L to R) standing is Bob Schmidt, owner of Siren National Golf Course and developer who has proposed a resort development clustered around a new club house in Daniels Township, next is Tim Tjader, Daniels Town supervisor, against the wall is Dan Peterson, Daniels town chairman. Daniels supervisor was at the Burnett County courthouse to support a new zoning district map that adapt Burnett County land ordinances. Schmidt was present to oppose the new map since it will restrict his development of the golf course without full approval from the Daniels town board. – Photo by Sherill Summer golf course by saying his basic plan has not changed despite the general opposition of the Daniels town supervisors.

He is just not sure what the exact development will look like now that the real estate market has declined and funding for this sort of development has dried up.

Since the township was not previously zoned, neither the county nor the township had much jurisdiction over the proposed development outside of a 300-foot strip of lakeshore. On this lakeshore strip, Schmidt was granted a

planned unit development, from the Burnett County Zoning Committee.

Other than this, there was no approval process for Schmidt to secure permission for his development, and he was able to plan development as he saw fit.

If the proposed zoning map is approved for the Daniels Township, this will all change, and Schmidt will need the support from Daniels Township to complete unfinished plans or change his plans substantially. To complete his unfinished plans, he will need a PUD for the newly zoned land. Obtaining a

PUD is only possible if he has full approval from both the county and the township. In fact, if the township does not approve a PUD, the county cannot lawfully support the PUD either.

As a whole, the Burnett County Zoning Committee was uncomfortable with prospects of weighing the benefits of having another township zoned, which they generally support, against applying zoning restrictions to a development after the fact and possibly hindering the investment already made to the property.

Adding to the guessing game was that the Daniels town supervisors did not present the zoning map as a tool for hindering development at the golf course, but as a required step for county-wide comprehensive planning that is required by the state within a few years.

It was impossible for the zoning committee to determine beforehand if Schmidt would be able to obtain the needed PUD or not, although many on the zoning committee guessed not, considering the continued animosity between the Daniels town supervisors and Schmidt.

In an effort to find some sort of acceptable ground with or without a PUD, the zoning committee added an amendment to their zoning map approval that would change the zone of the golf course from A-2, with a minimum lot size of 20 acres, to RR-3, with a minimum lot size of five acres.

The approved zoning map with an amendment now goes before the full county board of supervisors. The Daniels Township has 30 days to object to the amended change to the zoning of the golf course.

District attorney ponders charge in fatal shooting

Wisconsin’s law on self-defense reviewed

SIREN – Last week, Burnett County District Attorney Ken Kutz felt that charges would be filed within the week against Kyle Huggett who shot and killed John Peach on the night of Sunday, Jan. 20, as he was entering Huggett’s home, apparently enraged over something said in text messages that two were exchanging earlier in the evening.

But formal charges have not been filed as of yet.

Kutz is waiting for a toxicology report to determine if alcohol or other drugs were in Peach’s system, and also a record of the text messages the two men exchanged. Kutz said he still plans to charge Huggett, but the exact charge is still to be determined.

Huggett was release on a $50,000 signature bond on Wednesday, Jan. 23. His next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 27. Formal charges will need to be filed at the very latest by then.

From the moment Huggett was taken into custody after the shooting, Huggett has claimed self-defense.

Reports state Huggett was home with his girlfriend – Peach’s former girlfriend - and her 5-year-old son - when Peach arrived at his house with two other men. The 5-year-old is Peach’s biological child.

From the driveway, Peach attempted to call Huggett out of the house indicating he wanted to fight. When Huggett didn’t respond, Peach went to the door and banged on it until the doorjamb broke and it was forced open. As soon

Kyle L. Huggett (L) shot and killed John Peach (R), Sunday evening, Jan. 20. - Special photos as Peach stepped inside, he was shot twice in the chest by Huggett.

According to authorities, it is possible that at least one of the men who arrived with Peach was at the door with Peach as he forced it open, but did not enter the home and was unharmed.

Huggett’s girlfriend called 911 and at first reported that the shooting victim had left the scene in a vehicle but was mistaken. It was the two men with Peach that fled the scene in the vehicle.

Peach was lying, fatally wounded, in the driveway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Self-defense law Exactly what happened leading up to the shooting will be looked at from every angle to determine if Huggett used the allowed force for self-defense, according to Kutz.

The self-defense law in Wisconsin only allows enough force to protect oneself. The law states that once an attack that prompted self-defense is terminated, self-defense no longer applies to any further violence upon the would-be attacker.

In addition, lethal force is only allowed if a person is threatened with lethal force. For example, a person is

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not allowed to shoot an unarmed robber who has entered the home if the robber is clearly unarmed.

Since Peach was unarmed, this later distinction is a key point. It will depend if Huggett could reasonably determine that Peach was unarmed that night. It will also depend on what additional force should be allowed, since there were two other threatening men with Peach.

Many states have changed their selfdefense law in the last couple of years to allow lethal force no matter what the perceived threat is. In other words, in these states a victim of an attack no longer needs to determine just how much force is necessary to protect oneself and if there was any reasonable way to avoid the attack. In these states, it generally is allowed to shoot an unarmed robber for example.

Wisconsin is not a state that has changed its self-defense law.

However, a Florida State University criminology professor explained in a New York Times article examining the change in the self-defense law in some states, that whatever a state’s selfdefense law, claims of self-defense are often accepted in some states. The courts more or less give the person claiming self-defense the benefit of the doubt.

Extra burden Kutz acknowledged that this extra burden to prosecute a person claiming self-defense might apply to Burnett County. Despite the details of Wisconsin’s self-defense law. Kutz explained that since homicide cases are expensive and time consuming, he is reluctant to spend the time and county’s money if he has already lost the case as

a result of public opinion.

Lesser charges might be considered, he noted, depending on results of further investigation.

This particular case is even more intricate, Kutz noted, because Peach’s own son (with Huggett’s current girlfriend) was in the house with Huggett. The law also allows some leeway for the protection of one’s own children. This is why the record of phone and text messages, along with minute details contained in yet unreleased police statements and interview transcripts are important as charges are determined.

Victim’s BAC was .215 at time of shooting The toxicology analysis for John Peach at the time of his death has been released.

At the time of his death, Peach’s blood alcohol content was .215. He also tested positive for THC. What the blood alcohol content of Kyle Huggett, the man who shot Peach, was at the time of the shooting has not been released to the media.

However, homicide by intoxicated use of a weapon was cited by the district attorney’s office as a possible charge against Huggett, indicating he, too, may have been drinking prior to the shooting.

The shooting took place on Sunday, Jan. 20, following the NFC championship game during which the two men allegedly exchanged insulting text messages.

The records of the phone and text messages between the two men has not been fully documented at this time by the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office. – Sherill Summer

w w w. t h e - l e a d e r. n e t

PAGE 6 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

P O L K

Closed session board minutes opened

by Gregg Westigard BALSAM LAKE – Court action on the lawsuit to stop the sale of Golden Age Manor, the Polk County-owned nursing home in Amery, has been delayed by a request for a different judge to handle the case.

That request was made Monday, Feb. 4, a day that saw nine other items added to the case file, including a motion to dismiss the case and documents submitted to show that the GAM property was donated to the county and cannot be sold.

In addition, an open records request has opened the closed session minutes of the Jan. 22 county board meeting, where the proposal to sell GAM was approved by a vote of 12 to 11.

The request for a substitution of the judge handling the case was made by Polk County, the defendant in the case.

Rusk County Circuit Judge Frederick Henderson had been assigned the case after Polk County Circuit Judge Robert Rasmussen removed himself. The initial injunction hearing, which had been

C O U N T Y

H E A D L I N E S

Delay in GAM lawsuit

scheduled for this Friday, has now been delayed until a new judge is assigned to the case.

The county also filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing a statute requiring that lawsuits against government bodies must first be brought to that body for possible settlement. The county’s motion says that the purpose of the statute is to provide an opportunity to compromise and settle a claim without costly and time-consuming litigation.

The lawsuit, filed in the names of a GAM board member, an employee, and a resident, was filed the morning after the board approved the sale in a latenight vote.

The lawyer for the group attempting to stop the sale has also filed a number of affidavits, including a set of minutes of the Amery Industrial Development Corporation from 1956 and 1957. Those minutes show that the group put up the $5,000 paid to Annie Sullivan for the property where GAM was built. The suit claims that the sum paid was much less than the actual value of the property, thus making the title transfer a donation. The suit claims that the county does not have the authority to sell the land.

Closed session action The county board held a long closed session Jan. 22 to discuss the 40-page purchase agreement for the sale of GAM. Minutes of the closed session, which the Leader was obtained, show that a motion was made to amend the agreement to direct the buyer to hire back at least 50 percent of the current staff. The agreement as accepted states that the buyer has the right, but not the obligation, to employ all current employees.

The motion to renegotiate the agreement, made by supervisor Jeff Peterson, was defeated by a vote of 6 yes to 17 no.

Voting in favor of the closed session motion were Marvin Caspersen, Jay Luke, Diane Stoneking, Brian Beseler

and Peterson.

An additional bit of information has come out since the county board action.

In the agreement, the purchasers are identified as a joint venture between Rice Partnership and Golden Health Care and Rehab Center, LLC. A press release issued Jan. 23 identifies Rice Partnership as a family-owned company operating more than 15 facilities.

The release then identifies Golden Health Care and Rehab Center as “the newest addition to a family of skilled nursing facilities.” It is now known that Golden Health Care and Rehab Center is the name of the company set up to operate GAM and is the new name for Golden Age Manor.

Culinary students competed

Identity theft concerns arise over mailing MADISON - Both the state and the private vendor who put more than a quarter-million Wisconsin residents at risk of identity theft have taken steps to tighten up their security.

Texas-based EDS mailed out a booklet earlier this month to 260,000 people who receive Medicaid, BadgerCare and SeniorCare. The recipients’ Social Security numbers were printed on the mailing label. EDS did the mailing on behalf of the State Department of Health and Family Services.

DHFS Secretary Kevin Hayden told a state Assembly panel that the company told his agency the employee responsi-

ble for the gaffe has been fired. Hayden also said that from now on, an EDS employee will physically check every mailing to make sure this won’t happen again. He says in addition, the department now has one or more state employees review each mailing sent out

by EDS or one of its vendors, so in effect, he says “we have our eyes watching their team.”

Hayden said that nearly 12,000 people had taken advantage of the free credit monitoring and identity theft insurance offered by EDS. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Shawn Johnson)

Three St. Croix Falls Culinary Management students competed in regional culinary competition in Clayton. The three seniors earned their way to state competition in Green Lake in April. This is the first time all who competed at the regional level from St. Croix Falls advanced to state competition, says teacher Abbie Thill. She said the competition was a requirement of their culinary management course to give those students a chance to show what they have learned. The three students are (L to R): Alex Daniel, culinary arts category; James Hoffman, pastries and baked goods category; and John Huttner, pastries and baked goods category. Huttner entered the competition last year and also went to state competition. –Photo by Tammi Milberg

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 7

B U R N E T T

C O U N T Y

H E A D L I N E S

Round two

by Diane Dryden DANBURY – Money is tight, that’s a given. The economy is shaky, another given. People are losing their homes and with gas prices staying high they’re traveling less but still maxing out their credit cards on fuel, food and medicine.

Where does that leave northern Wisconsin that depends heavily on the tourist trade and the summer residents?

Every town, large and small, between here and the Twin Cities and between here and Chicago, has at least one festival a year, some five or six. How can this area possibly capture those summer dollars that are sometimes the only means of staying in business?

According to Destination Marketing, we pool our resources in a collaborative effort.

Mina Carlson from the Yess!

Companies based in Oak Park Heights, Minn., said at a three-hour gathering held at Forts Folle Avoine last Thursday, “Visitors seldom know exactly where they are in terms of counties and sometimes towns.”

Her thought being that if we market the area as an area, everyone involved can get more bang for their buck.

As an example, at the meeting someone mentioned there was going to be a celebration of the Namekagon River’s 40th anniversary of being a protected river, and because Fritz Mondale of Minnesota was one of the authors of the bill, he should be invited to attend a festive weekend in June.

From the back of the room, Chris Waldron, Washburn County Tourism, spoke up and said that Washburn County Tourism was planning a Namekagon River Run the same weekend. Right away there was a connection, especially when the Forts people said it would be that same weekend that they were planning a river activity. Suddenly three towns and activities were linked, demonstrating the basic idea for the second Destination Marketing Meeting, “divided we fall, united we stand.”

The crowd had doubled for this second meeting, going from a dozen in January to well over 25. Representatives came from within a 40-mile radius that spanned Siren, Grantsburg, Spooner, Shell Lake and Danbury. There were restaurant, lodge and campground

owners as well as Mary Ellen Ryall from the butterfly habitat, Greg Vreeland from the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad, a chamber member from several towns and the Burnett County Extension office and also the Siren Village administrator.

Once again, the lunch was picked up by the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Twin Cities.com., and as soon as lunch was over, the fast-pasted meeting began.

Valuable handouts helped keep the information clear, and by the time the meeting was over, each handout was replete with notes, notes on how to get on the Travel Wisconsin.com Web site and who to contact for free advertising through local pictures and PR-related items and how to link, link, link.

Another valid point was made during the meeting, “Is our Web site tracking the people who log on? And if so, what is being done with that information, those e-mail addresses?

Room tax was talked about as well as co-op programs through the Pioneer Press that drastically reduce the cost of Sunday paper ads in the travel section, computer blasts and the Go Guide.

Another item that was stressed all though this meeting and the last one was the importance of having a brand for your town or business and also a motto. Siren has developed a new motto that says, “Siren, Have You Heard?”

So far it’s working for them.

There wasn’t one person who didn’t leave with a head overflowing with information and ideas. Ideas that they were excited about, ideas that will help generate income for the entire area if done right. No more should we cry, “us four, no more.”

Everyone needs to band together to help capture the tourist dollars. Area promotion, holding hands and helping each other is the new clarion cry, and this summer will be a good time to try it out.

If you are interested in attending the next meeting, it will be held at The Lodge in Siren on Thursday, March 27, again at 11:30 a.m. If you would like more information on Destination Marketing or to make a reservation for the March meeting, e-mail Mina Carlson at mins@yesscompanies.com.

Bipartisan bill will keep state’s virtual schools online

by Priscilla Bauer GRANTBURG – A bipartisan compromise bill on Wisconsin’s virtual schools was adopted unanimously by both the Senate and Assembly Education Committees in Madison last week and will be scheduled for full Senate and Assembly vote when the new session begins later in February.

Grantsburg Schools Superintendent Joni Burgin gave Grantsburg School Board members an update on the pending legislation for virtual schools at the board’s regular meeting last week.

Burgin, who testified in Madison at the Legislative hearings on the future of virtual schools, reported the compromise bill from Senate and Assembly Education Committees had been drafted by members after hearing testimony in support of the state’s 12 virtual schools. Burgin expressed confidence the bill could reach Gov. Doyle’s desk

by March for the governor’s signature.

The board also listened to Insight School of Wisconsin’s Quarterly report.

Executive director Jeff Bush, Principal, Billy Beesley and operations manager, John Jacobs presented information on the upcoming open enrollment recruiting efforts happening in February.

Recruitment will include direct mailings

and information sessions in high schools around the state by Insight staff.

The virtual school hopes to enroll 700 to 800 new students through these efforts.

The school board also received the virtual school’s truancy policy draft which they will review before adopting at the board’s Feb. 11 meeting.

In other business: The board heard the report on the second official January student count which was down four students from the September count.

The board voted to approve spending approximately $11,600 on a new Internet filter subscription. Jesse Byers, the district’s technology director, says the new system will have better filters to catch bad Internet sites students may try to access. Byers said the system also has better reporting features. “We will be able to go back in the logs and see if a student really was on an inappropriate site,” said Byers.

Elementary Principal Katie Coppenbarger told the board the district’s summer school dates will be June 11 through July 9.

The board also received the 2006-2007 School Financial Report Audit from Larry Stotz.

PAGE 8 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

L e a d e r We b Po l l

Last week’s poll results 38%

55 votes Pay off bills

18%

26 votes Put it in savings

25%

36 votes Spend some, save some

10%

15 votes Buy food/clothing

8%

Super declaration

he buzz of post-Super Bowl talk is lasting a bit longer this year in wake of the T Giants defeating the undefeated Patriots, thus altering sports destiny for the

Total votes: 143

If I get a government rebate check, I will:

F O R U M

My property tax bill:

1. Was paid in full by the end of January 2. Paid half by Jan. 31 3. I have yet to pay any amount

11 votes I don’t really need it

To take part in the poll go to www.the-leader.net and scroll to the lower left portion of page.

J o e H e l l e r

New England team that before Sunday's game was poised to go 19-0.

"D-nied," read one headline, referring to the Giant defense being the key to the victory. "18 and Uh-Oh," read another. "History Derailed," read the Boston Globe's front page.

The Globe, the biggest newspaper in Patriot territory, faced the defeat with some artful, if not melancholy, words by staff writer Dan Shaughnessy. "In New England, the church bells are broken," he wrote. "It is an alternate universe. It does not compute. It's like hearing Tony Bennet singing, "I Left My Heart in Ashtabula," or seeing a photo of Mitt Romney with his hair messed up."

Great stuff.

Viking and Packer fans know the feeling, minus the enormous weight of being an undefeated team of destiny. Both Purple and Green and Gold fans have been overheard bragging how their team beat the now world-champion Giants during the regular season. A sad attempt at salvaging a season.

But amidst the pure sports and entertainment hype surrounding the 42nd Super Bowl came an impressive commercial spot - apparently put together by the Fox network - featuring the reading of the Declaration of Independence by leaders of the NFL community - past and present - and military personnel stationed around the world.

Among them was the widow of the late Pat Tillman, a former NFL player who joined the Armed Forces and was killed in action - by friendly fire.

Marie Tillman's inclusion in the piece may have been missed in the midst of snack-munching, but to those who noticed her appearance, it registered some impact.

One Internet blogger responded, "On the 200-minute American thing with Independence Hall and the NFL players reciting the constitution of the United States…I realize this is pregame. But sheesh. I am an American...this is not what the Founding Fathers had in mind. This is boring."

Another noted it brought tears to her eyes.

Patriots - not the football players - will support promotion of our country's ideals because it reminds them of how we got here - including exercising our unalienable right to pursue happiness by celebrating a football game sponsored by greed-driven commercials (which were outstanding as usual).

It didn't hurt to be reminded of - and in some cases - taught - the words to the Declaration of Independence.

Productive time for virtual schools

been a stressful few months for students, parents and supporters of 12 virtual schools, including the Insight School of Wisconsin, offered I byt’sWisconsin’s the Grantsburg School District.

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

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 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

Senator Sheila Harsdorf 10th Senate District State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707 (608) 266-7745 • (715) 2321390 Toll-free - 1-800-862-1092 sen.harsdorf@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 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)

In December a court ruled that one of the largest virtual schools in the state based in southeast Wisconsin - was illegally taking in open enrollment money from students beyond its district and using parents as state-licensed teachers. The ruling, which said virtual schools weren't entitled to the same state aid used by public schools - about $5,845 per student - put the future of virtual schools at risk.

More than a thousand online school parents and students responded by marching on the Capitol in Madison.

The state Legislature responded with a couple of proposals and a compromise bill was passed and is now headed for Gov. Doyle's desk, likely to get his signature by the end of this month. One legislator who wanted to cut funding to virtual schools in half - changed his mind, apparently after taking a closer look.

The compromise calls for keeping the present state funding for virtual schools and setting some guidelines. They include requiring the same hours of instruction per year as traditional classrooms, certified and licensed teachers and requiring teachers to respond from inquiries from both parents and students within 24 hours.

These events fall in line with growing pains experienced by some other virtual schools in 17 other states, according to a recent article in the New York Times.

"Somebody says, 'What's going on, does this make sense?'" John Watson, a consultant in Colorado who does an annual survey of education that is based on the Internet, told the Times. “And after some inquiry most states have said, ‘Yes, we like online learning, but these are such new ways of teaching children that we’ll need to change some regulations and get some more oversight.’"

The article pointed out there are still some skeptics who feel virtual schools pose certain risks to both the quality of the students education and to the integrity of the public school system. Teachers unions have been keeping a very close eye on the growing phenomenon. Wisconsin’s largest teachers union - WEAC - has challenged virtual schooling in court.

There have been abuses by some in charge of online schools, according to the Times article. A state auditor in Pennsylvania last year found that some online charters had received reimbursements from students home districts that surpassed actual education costs. Now legislators there are considering a bill that would in part standardize the payments at about $5,900 per child.

And in Kansas, the superintendent of a small district running an online school had allegedly given 130 students - and with them $106,000 in per-pupil payments - to neighboring districts that used the names to pad enrollment counts.

Grantsburg launched its statewide, online charter school several years ago, funded by a grant through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Insight offers an online charter high school "using licensed and highly qualified teachers," the "best practices of distance learning," and a "rigorous curriculum to educate high school students," according to a recent letter written by Grantsburg Superintendent Joni Burgin and Principal Billy Beesley.

Insight School of Wisconsin serves approximately 240 students now and is projected to grow to 1,000 pupils by the fall of 2008. It offers Web-based courses and electronic "virtual" classrooms and - according to Burgin and Beesley - builds a “strong school community through numerous clubs, events and face-to-face activities.” Every student has an I-mentor that helps guide them through their courses.

Virtual learning offers alternatives for parents who home-school their children, students with learning challenges, medical conditions, special needs - and those who just want to take advantage of the flexibility offered by virtual schools.

It’s simply part of today’s educational landscape. The compromise legislation drawn up tells us that scrutiny and foreward thinking can work hand in hand to make for the best of everyone.

It's been a stressful time for virtual school supporters - but very productive.

Views expressed on these pages do not necessarily represent those of the Inter-County Cooperative Publishing Association management or board

T h e

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

All editorials on this page by editor Gary King

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FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 9

L e a d e r F O R U M Letters t o t h e e d i t o r services of the sheriff’s department paid the bill for it.

And just think. If the people who speed, drink and drive, use meth, steal other people’s possessions or beat their spouses stopped doing their illegal deeds, we wouldn’t need a sheriff’s department at all!

Carolyn Marquardt Webster

Full fluoridation User fee “Burnett County Land of 10,000 Tickets” is blazoned across the top of a billboard on Hwy. 35 not far from the Government Center. The sign criticizes Sheriff Roland for wanting more deputies and then states, “Law and Order or Tax Collector?”

That part of the billboard got me thinking. A traffic ticket fine is a tax? Is it a tax like income tax or sales tax? Not really. In my mind it actually is a user fee. The people picked up for speeding, driving drunk, using meth, stealing other people’s possessions or beating their spouses are using the services of the sheriff’s department.

So since they created a need for the official sheriff’s car, complete with lights, sirens and communications equipment, their fine ought to be considered a user fee.

After all, people like me and my friends don’t speed, drink and drive, use meth, steal other people’s possessions or beat our spouses. Why, we don’t need a sher-

iff’s department at all. We can live quite nicely without the sheriff, his deputies or his car. Unless someone else drives drunkenly into our car or robs our house. But that would not be our fault, and I don’t think we should have to pay a user fee for that. The drunk and the thief should have to pay.

Now that I have that all figured out, I need to determine what the user fee should be. So I called the sheriff’s department and learned that the department costs $3,090,000 to operate for a year. So, if there are 10,000 tickets issued in Burnett County like the billboard states, then the user fee for each offense should be $309.

That’s not so bad for driving too fast, driving drunk or breaking into someone’s house. And each property owner would save, on average, $200 a year. At that rate, in a few years I could buy a 46-inch plasma TV, take in Disneyworld or cruise the Caribbean.

I could even put more money in the Salvation Army bucket at Christmas. I could do a lot of good things with an extra $200 a year if the people who used the

February is Children’s Dental Health Month, and I can think of no better way than to urge everyone to support full water fluoridation for every community in Polk County. Children’s Dental Health Month focuses on providing oral health education to all children despite their economic status.

Did you know that Milltown, Dresser, Cumberland, Somerset, Turtle Lake, Webster, Clayton, Clear Lake, Star Prairie and others do not have fluoride in their community water supply?

Please learn the facts about Fluoride at www.ada.org. Find the A-Z Public Topics section and look inside for the Fluoridation Facts PDF file for most all answers to common questions, myths, benefits, etc.

It is easy to see as a dentist that water fluoridation is the single most economical and effective public health measure for fighting dental decay. St. Croix Falls had stopped fluoridating its water when I arrived in 1990. Through lobbying and budgeting, the city council reinstated fluoride in the community water supply.

The results in my own office were dramatic.

Having practiced in Minneapolis, I was shocked at the amount of decay in the children of St. Croix Falls. Yet, after a short time with water fluoridation, the improvement in oral health with children was dramatic. Toothpastes and rinses alone just do not provide the same benefit.

Please do this for the kids and be the one to put this item on your city council’s agenda for discussion. Community water fluoridation is a sure-fire way to reduce health care costs and reduce dental disease. Dental decay is easily reduced 20-40 percent.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated it is one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th Centuury. Over 100 health, service, or professional organizations have proclaimed the benefits of water fluoridation.

Do it for the kids.

Steve McCormack, DDS St. Croix Falls

More letters, next page

Letters to the editor

The Leader welcomes letters to the editor. Diverse and varied opinions are welcomed. Letters are subject to being edited for length, taste and/or clarity, and we urge writers to be brief and limit their letters to 500 words or less. Writers must provide their name and give their complete address and phone number.

Content that will cause letters to be rejected include: Crude language, poor taste, disrespectful comments regarding a group’s or individual’s ethnicity, gender, religion, culture, sexual orientation or race; other incendiary language, poetry or personal attacks.

"# t h S e n a t e D i s t r i c t Death tax: Gone today, here tomorrow?

Perhaps no state and federal tax has seen as much change in the past two decades as the estate tax, commonly referred to as the Death Tax. The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, an independent research group, did a policy analysis on how state and federal tax law changes have greatly affected estate planning over the years.

In 2001, the U.S. Congress enacted

sweeping tax reductions, including a phase-out of the federal estate tax. The phase-out of the federal estate tax would disappear by 2010.

Yet, this tax phaseout had a sunset clause.

In 2011, without congressional action, the full fedSheila eral estate tax would Harsdorf return to pre-2001 tax levels.

Since 1992, Wisconsin was one of effec-

tively 38 states that had a full Death Tax that matched the federal government level. In 2001, while the federal government began a phase-out, Wisconsin continued its estate tax. However, as part of the 2001-03 state budget bill, under thenGov. Scott McCallum, Wisconsin effectively ended its estate tax effective in 2008.

Today’s Democratic U.S. Congress appears uninterested in stopping the rebirth of the Death Tax come 2011.

Likewise, state Death Taxes, which totaled $121 million in 2006 are eliminated for 2008 through 2010. Yet, in 2011, if no action is taken, Wisconsin could again

have a full estate tax.

I have supported efforts to end the Death Tax. However, new state Senate leadership has shown a propensity to want to tax more at every turn, not less.

Should a Death Tax come back in full force in 2011, families may face either losing the family-owned business or having to repurchase it due to taxes on the estate.

What do you think about the Death Tax? E-mail me at Sen.Harsdorf@legis.wisconsin.gov or call me at 800-862-1092.

In te r! Co u n t y L e a d e r TIMELINE The Inter-County Cooperative Publishing Association • 75 years • 1933-2008 1933: Faith unlimited

The first and memorable meeting of the stockholders of the Inter-County Cooperative Publishing Association was held in Centuria on Oct. 9, 1933. There was a limited amount of capital, but faith unlimited. The articles of incorporation were adopted without difficulty, and the committee of seven, who had done the spade work in organizing the paper project, were chosen the first board of directors. They were J.W. Hanson, Luck; president; Herb A. Mittelsdorf, Farmington, vice president; Chas Eckels, Wolf Creek, secretary; Olof A. Blom, Osceola; Carl Linden, Burnett County; Amil Markee, Apple River, P.Th. Peterson, Johnstown.

A small frame building on the south side of Main Street was rented; the printing shop was on the main floor, and Mr. and Mrs. Bennie Bye (editor) and the boys lived upstairs. These were crowded days both in time and space. Thrilling, too. But the Leader was launched, subscription per year $1. The first issue, 16 pages, rolled off the press Thursday, Nov. 2, 1933, Bennie Bye writing, “All right, folks, here is the fist issue of the long-talked-of, long-heraled cooperative newspaper, serving Polk and neighboring counties.”

The editorial page declared: “The Leader owes its birth to the burning conviction that the people need a voice. It aims to provide this expression. It seeks to be a well of common strength in these troublesome times. The Inter-County Leader has one main purpose. This is to publish fully the FACTS and NEWS which concern the welfare of the people of Polk, Burnett, Barron and St. Croix counties. The Leader does not represent any one section or class. It will not further the interests of any one group. It is founded on the principle that the welfare of one is the welfare of all. Its success, if it succeeds, is yours. Likewise, its failure, if it fails, is yours.” - from Polk County Centennial Edition, March 1954

The board of directors of the Inter-County Cooperative Publishing Association has changed its membership many times during its 75-year history. Shown is one of the earliest boards of the cooperative. Seated are Herb Mittelsdorf of Farmington; J.W. Hanson, president, Bone Lake; and Carl Linden, Grantsburg; standing: Harry Hallquist, Paul Bosley, Fred Weis and Arnold Biederman.

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PAGE 10 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Bogus calls This afternoon—Tuesday, Feb. 5, —I have received several phone calls from neighbors who are curious about my views on the sale of Golden Age Manor Nursing Home in Amery.

They have received a phone call with a recorded message asking them to contact their county board representative and encourage him/her to reconsider the vote to sell the county-owned nursing home.

The message leaves my phone number on their caller ID list as the originating number for this recorded message and when they return the call on this message, it rings to my home phone number.

I have not been able to contact the phone company on this matter yet. I don’t know how it is possible for an automated phone message to show my home phone as the originating number for a message without my knowledge or permission. I hope to find out Wednesday morning.

Hopefully those who have received these bogus calls will understand that I am not the person responsible for calling their home, and I have not changed my mind about the sound wisdom of selling GAM to a responsible private sector operator of nursing homes.

Those responsible for this harassment should be ashamed, —but I’m sure they are not.

Robert A. Blake Frederic

Hands over hearts Last night as I watched the lead up to the Super Bowl, I noticed something: As the cameras panned the players during the national anthem, very few were holding their hand over their heart. It reminded me of a few months ago when presidential candidate Barack Obama was criticized for not putting his hand over his heart during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Many people accused him of being unpatriotic. Is he, though, unpatriotic? Or just uneducated?

I recently attended a local high school sporting event, and as I looked around during the national anthem I noticed that fewer than 10 percent of fans, and not a single player or coach, had their hand over their heart! Unpatriotic? Or uneducated?

Maybe Obama, like those players, is just a product of a society that has lost respect for our national symbol. After all, the Supreme Court pre-empted the States’ rights to protect the flag, so what is there to respect?

It’s time we once again teach our children to respect the flag as a symbol of American unity. It’s time to lift the flag above the trenches of political warfare and protect it from desecration.

Otherwise, Obama and those players were right not to show respect.

Jeff Tyberg Wisconsin Rapids

Vote no to $10 million I just mailed the first half of my property taxes to the appropriate clerk/treasurers. If you are like me, this is not a very happy time of year. And now we have to deal with more spending by our county board of supervisors, which means even higher taxes next year.

Feb. 19 marks a very important day for the taxpayers of Polk County. It is a day that the taxpayers can express their opinion directly to the county board by voting against the proposed 10 million highway shop. Surely there is a better alternative than spending $10 million taxpayer dollars.

Response to my previous letter to the editor was outstanding. There hasn’t been a single person who is in favor of spending $10 million for a Taj Mahal to house a bunch of dump trucks. Don’t just tell me; you all need to get out there and vote.

The county board has budgeted $7,500 to “educate the public,” but yet, when the press is “invited” to tour the shop, only

Letters t o t h e e d i t o r one reporter shows up. I get the feeling our press people don’t want their taxes increasing either.

Have any county board members written letters contradicting my statements?

No! They know we cannot afford this; yet they have no problem spending more and more. It is up to you, the taxpayers of Polk County, to stop this unnecessary, wasteful government spending. You must vote no on Feb. 19. This is a bbinding referendum. You can stop the spending! We’re already $49 million in debt. An additional $10 million would put us at $59 million! You can stop this!

Funny thing, government spends $7,500 to educate the public, but I, a selfemployed business person, have only spent $3.28. Surely there is a better alternative than spending $10 million.

Bryce Thomas Balsam Lake

Good to be missed This letter is a reply in regards to a letter in the Jan. 30 issue written by Woody Minar of Dresser. The headline of his letter reads “Writers Strike” and he mentions not seeing any letters from me, Jack Rued, for quite awhile.

Well, I have been sending in letters to the editor about every two weeks to eight different papers both here in Wisconsin and also in Minnesota.

Some of the papers print my letters while other papers do not. I guess it depends on the editor of the paper if my letters are worth printing or if they have the space.

I have been writing letters for the past four years, mostly on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but other subjects as well, such as holiday shopping in the early ‘40s, homeless veterans, missing weapons, etc.

I enjoy writing these letters as it keeps my mind busy and gives me something to do. These letters are typed on a 1938 L.C. Smith & Corona typewriter, so the type on the letters is not the best.

I’m glad to hear that someone does miss my letters when they are not pubilshed in the various papers.

Jack Rued Balsam Lake

Important primary What will Super Tuesday mean to Wisconsin voters?

Our vote in the Feb. 19 presidential primary may be critical in determining our next president. Who will we choose to lead this nation to answer to the great challenges we face?

We need wise, moral world leader that honors diplomacy, international cooperation, rejects preemptive war and torture and does not rob resources that need to be used to solve critical U.S. problems.

We need integrity in financial management; no more immoral decisions to have our grandchildren pay for our actions.

We need a society where access to health care is embraced as our mutual responsibility. We need a fair and equitable society where a living wage and home ownership is more than a dream.

We need our environment protected and global warming slowed.

We need a political system in which big money and special interests do not dictate our economic decisions.

The overwhelming voter turnout in the Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina democratic primaries is of great importance. It shows a turning to Democratic candidates for hope and fundamental change.

If you want to be part of this great conversation, join us at our next meeting, Feb. 12, at the Government Center in Siren at 7 p.m. to hear representatives from the Clinton and Obama campaigns.

Fred Kramer, Chair Burnett County Democratic Party Siren

Addendum

I refer to my recent letter to the editor concerning the Yule season thievery and senseless destruction of an evergreen tree along CTH I as it curves around the north end of Somers Lake in Clam Falls Township.

Your readers may find it of interest, and for the sake of accuracy, a local property owner claims he planted rows of evergreens along the highway right of way, ostensibly on his property, and that over the years, some 19 trees had suffered the same fate as in the latest incident.

He said he’s given up to reporting the loss to law enforcement. He questioned how anyone, in good conscious, might celebrate Christmas around a stolen tree.

Nevertheless, in the spirit of good citizenship and esthetic-environmental commitment, he’ll continue planting.

We need more like him in this community!

Bradley Ayers Clam Falls/Somers Lake

Listen up Monday, Jan. 21, I went to the open house at the existing highway facility with a friend. We looked at the pictures on the problems the building had. Then we took a walking tour and listened to their concerns.

On the way out after the tour, we ran into a county supervisor. I was trying to explain to him that I’m not in favor of spending the money on this project. Then I told him the county needs to pull in their belt on spending. My explanation included the problems Polk County residents were facing with the increased cost of groceries, gasoline, home heating, etc. I also pointed out foreclosure rates were up, property values going down and job losses (Polk County does not have the highest paying jobs to start with).

I tried to tell him double-digit increases in taxes every year would place a burden on taxpayers and would result in people losing their homes and drive down property values. I also commented that the county should look at the way private industry handles issues such as health care and retirements, suggesting the county may find ways to save money.

The expression on his face told me I was annoying him. He told me Polk County was run like a business. When the county has larger projects, they borrow the money. Therein lies the problem, private business pays its debt with money from profits. The county pays its debt with taxpayer’s hard-earned wages. I encourage Polk County residents to vote on Feb. 19, and vote no on the new highway facility.

With the attitudes our county supervisors have, we will see large increases in taxes with no end in sight. Everybody needs to call their county council member and tell them you are in favor of a balanced budget and a freeze on taxes until they get one.

The county representatives are suppose to work for the people that voted for them.

When was the last time one of them asked for your opinion? The Golden Age Manor issue is a good example. This situation is getting out of hand. If you do not know who your county supervisor is, call the county clerk at 715-485-9104. Listen up Mr. Casperson.

Herschel Brown McKinley Township, District 5

Sales tax issue This issue will be one of the items on the April election ballot along with a number of other issues such as the Polk County Highway Building referendum, various political offices, both local and federal, and perhaps other items. It is important that this issue be as well-understood as we can make it in order for it to get a fair evaluation by the residents of the city.

The proposed tax is a 0.5-percent tax on sales by a tourism-related retailer. It is not a one-half-cent tax. It is a one-half-percent tax. This is one half cent on each dollar spent. One penny on each $2 spent. The 5-1/2 percent we pay now will become 6 percent on some items. The $5.50 on each $100 will become $6. This is an increase of

$0.50 on each $100; $5 on each $1,000; $25 on each $5,000. If you spend $10,000 a year on local St. Croix Falls purchases, you would spend an additional $50 per year. Ninety-six cents a week. Revenue generated from the tax would, according to the State Department of Revenue, amount to at least $200,000. This $200,000, if directly used to offset the current property tax, would reduce our taxes by as much as $1 per thousand, or over $150 per household per year.

The tax applies to tourism-related goods and services. Some items not included are: auto sales, new and used; auto parts; auto service; farm equipment; farm supplies; public utilities (sewer, water, snowplowing). Some items that are unclear are: computer sales; computer service; computer software; computer parts; home maintenance and repair products and some I haven’t thought of. The State Department of Revenue would determine those business sales affected by the tourism tax.

When questioned, the city’s largest retailers indicated that a majority of their sales were to non-St. Croix Falls customers. These would be divided between people who live within 25 miles of the city and those beyond that range (presumably mostly tourists). These are the folks who create wear and tear on our streets and roads, trails, sidewalks and increase the usage of our water and sewer facilities.

Doesn’t it seem reasonable to collect a small amount of cash through a small tax to help us maintain those services?

Provided that the tax collected is used only for that purpose and not used to expand or create other activities that are not currently in existence. In other words, it is applied only in a manner that will keep our local property taxes as low as possible. After all, it is our local property tax that provides 100 percent of the budget that runs the city.

It should also be noted that this tax may be repealed at any time by the city council. This Resort Area Sales Tax is one option that we are exploring to reduce local property taxes. It is a sound approach based on local control. If supported by the citizens at referendum, it will allow the city council to secure authority to implement the tax from our state Legislature. To proceed, we’ll need a clear majority of residents to support the initiative.

Arnie Carlson City Council member St. Croix Falls

Letters pertaining to election, referendum While the Leader’s letter policy does not allow letters concerning candidates to be published the week immediately prior to an election, it does allow letters pertaining to referendum votes. However, any letter containing facts or figures in question will be withheld from publication. The Leader’s next issue, Feb. 13, will allow letters pertaining to referendums on the Feb. 19 primary ballot.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 11

Secondhand smoke

This letter is in response to the letter submitted by Mr. Dave Bertuleit in the Jan. 30, edition of the Inter-County Leader, entitled: Freedom of Choice.

I believe it is necessary to educate the readers on the science related to secondhand smoke, as well as the benefits of a statewide smoke-free air law.

According to the 2006 Surgeon General’s Report, secondhand smoke is a killer. Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, 69 of which are known to be cancer-causing agents. Over 20 years of science clearly shows that secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in nonsmoking adults and children. The scientific evidence on the health risks of secondhand smoke is conclusive, and the only way to protect people is to eliminate their exposure.

In Mr. Bertuleit’s letter, he correctly stated that bars and restaurants are privately owned businesses; however, he also stated that the government does not have the right to decide what is best for the business owners or their customers.

Currently, there are many government regulations in place to protect the general public when it comes to health-related issues.

For example, restaurants and bars are regularly inspected for quality and temperature of food, employee hygiene and the sanitation of the facility. These government-imposed regulations are to ensure the health and safety of the customers that patronize these establishments as well as the employees that work there. The Wisconsin smoke-free air law would provide protection for customers and employees in regards to the air they breathe, just as regulations protect them from the food and water they ingest. The Wisconsin Restaurant Association is working to protect the health and safety of its employees and customers, and they have endorsed a statewide smoke-free law without exemptions.

It’s time for the health and safety of the citizens of our great state of Wisconsin to be just as important as that of our neighbors to the west, south and east. Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of Wisconsin voters support a statewide law that protects them from the hazards of secondhand smoke. Also, a January 2008 survey found that 76 percent of all Minnesotans support the statewide smoke-free air law that has been in place in their state since Oct. 1, 2007. It’s time that we all finally have the same basic right to breathe smoke-free air, regardless of which side of the border we are on.

Jennifer Swenson Health Educator/Tobacco Control Specialist Polk County Public Health Department Balsam Lake

A 100-piece puzzle When looking at the issue of GAM it resembles a 100-piece puzzle. The way to get the clearest and most accurate perspective on a puzzle is to assemble it entirely before drawing conclusions.

Current practices of some members of the board, community and media do otherwise. They choose to view one or two isolated pieces and draw premature perspectives and then present them to meet their individual bias or special interest.

Examples: A financial report indicating GAM may break even or do even better, is submitted as rationale for not selling, and all the related pieces of previous year deficits and the huge corner piece of borrowing $1 million to cover finance obligations are being ignored.

GAM discriminates on the very important issue of access of loved ones for visitation and program participation by not being centrally located. There are options to address this issue.

The county could attempt to acquire a facility such as United Pioneer in the north end of the county for balance.

The county could sell GAM and use funds to open a downsized facility, cen-

Letters t o t h e e d i t o r trally located, with modern core features and wing expansion capabilities that would accommodate the population perceived to be at risk.

People are quick to point out the positive impact GAM has on the county economy but very quickly shy away from discussion that further refines the positive impact being focused on the Amery area.

Local business, real estate, and education all benefit from the resources derived from GAM, so fairness would dictate that the village of Amery and adjacent towns absorb 50 percent of cost overruns directly and that the remaining 50 percent be shared by all taxing jurisdictions in the county. This should not be a problem now that sources are advocating GAM is breaking even or making money.

The county board has been dysfunctional in addressing this issue and our finances remain a house of cards. The board has chosen to ignore important lessons learned from the strategic planning process and has let an atmosphere of closed meetings, special interests and distorted dialogue become the norm.

Methods and procedures utilized on the GAM issue mock the mission statement of “serve and represent the public with integrity” and may be more appropriately stated, “ to impose the will of the board without regard for accountability or integrity.”

I have stated before and I will state again, this board has a sound nucleus of personnel and could be a productive and responsible body that the residents of Polk County could be proud of. We have an inherent problem of weak leadership.

Start with the chair of the current county board, and connect the dots of first vice chair, finance committee, and GAM trustees and the behaviors they utilize, and it is clear where our problems lie.

The physician’s annual report stated the problem succinctly, “My current sense of alarm arises from the ‘in-between approach’ wherein the quality of care is clearly being impacted by the inept involvement of the current board.”

Ken Sample Amery

Voter turnout needed On Tuesday, Feb. 19, voters in Polk County will have the opportunity to vote yes or no on a $10 million referendum for a Polk County Highway Department facility.

Although it is not known what the interest rate or term will be to borrow $10 million, it is a fact that taxpayers will have to pay back not only the principal but substantial interest. For example, if the term is 30 years at an interest rate of 5 percent, the total interest owed will be $9.3 million. If the term is 30 years at an interest rate of 4 percent, then the total interest owed will be $7.2 million. Therefore, the property owners of Polk County will need to pay back between $17.2 million and $19.3 million. The monthly payment of principal and interest will likely be between $47,741 per month and $53,682 per month.

The current total outstanding debt of Polk County is $47,250,350. I believe some of this debt should be paid back before borrowing more money. Increasing the property tax burden may cause some homeowners and businesses into foreclosure. Now is not the time to increase property taxes. Please vote no on this referendum.

It is very important that those in favor of controlling property tax increases take time to vote. We need an overwhelming no vote, to discourage the current county board from overriding the wishes of the electorate.

Dennis Radcliff Osceola

Constitutional protection A critical component of Wisconsin’s quality health care system has been compromised. What happens next is up to legislators.

The Injured Patients and Families

Compensation Fund is in financial trouble, the victim of a state budget that takes millions from the fund for other uses. An initial $71.5 million transfer has already caused a $46.2 million shortfall, forcing the fund to borrow money to meet its obligations.

The fund has been a key stabilizer of Wisconsin’s medical liability climate, making it more attractive to physicians and easier to recruit the best. Jeopardizing the fund will lead to increased liability rates, elevated health care costs and physician shortages as demonstrated in other states that have experienced medical liability insurance crises.

This comes as no surprise to those who warned legislators not to raid the fund.

Those same lawmakers now have an opportunity to protect the fund by approving a constitutional amendment prohibiting such raids. The Wisconsin Assembly has approved a proposed amendment, AJR-34, but it languishes outside the Senate. Another $128+ million will likely be taken before passage can happen.

Things may get worse before they get better. A looming economic recession and less-than-expected state revenues may tempt lawmakers to take even more money that does not belong to them. By law, the fund is for the sole use of injured patients and their families. One lawsuit has already been filed to stop the transfers.

It’s sad to think it takes a constitutional amendment to force what lawmakers should be creating in the first place: responsible fiscal management they could brag about to their constituents.

Voters should call, e-mail, or otherwise contact their legislators and urge passage of this necessary and timely amendment.

Lowell H. Keppel, MD, President Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians Thiensville

At it again!

Well, they’re at it again!

You know who I’m talking about when I say they. It’s those people in Madison who are suppose to be representing the people who put them there.

I guess I should get to the point. The point is the smokers penalty tax, and that’s exactly what it is! Don’t believe it, ask the governor. He stated that the tax was to get everybody to stop smoking, but this is the best part. He turns right around and tells us how much money the state is going to make on taxes. Now think about that for just a minute. No matter how you look at it, one of the statements is a lie. My guess is the first.

But now listen to this! Before this tax went into effect, people from bordering states were coming to Wisconsin to buy tobacco products because we were cheaper, thus taking in millions of dollars from taxes.

But now everything has turned around.

People from Wisconsin are crossing other borders and giving millions of dollars to other states in tax revenue. This money should have stayed in Wisconsin.

Then there is the crime rate, but I will leave that for another time.

Thank you, M. R. Marion Webster

Public confessions I’ve got a few public confessions to make: First and foremost, I’m a Christian – I believe the only way to eternal salvation is through Jesus Christ my Lord. The Constitution of the United States gives me the right to express this belief, publicly or privately, in any way I see fit, as long as I don’t interfere with anyone else’s right to do the same.

Second, I believe the best place to raise children is within the traditional family— mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles—values, ethics, morals, traditions handed down from generation to generation, tried and tested, demonstrated and reinforced in daily rou-

tine. Is it a perfect system? Of course not, we’re humans, we make mistakes, we live and learn, we move on.

Third, I believe those in government should be limited in power, accountable in practice, stay out of my life and keep their hands off my wallet! I believe the purpose of government is to guarantee equal opportunity and access to its legitimate citizens (infrastructure, due process), provide security and safety to people and property (fire and police protection, national defense), and ensure the conservation and utilization of our abundant natural resources.

From the sound of it, you might think I’m a Republican. Well, you’d be right— and proud to be one at that! How about you? Where do you stand? What about this talk that the Republican Party has left its base? I submit to you that just the opposite is true—the base has left its party! Who are the Republicans? People, like you and me, constituents, grassroots members. We are the party, and if we don’t like the way things are going, it’s up to us to change its direction. One thing is certain—the Republican Party won’t change if its members turn tail and run, self-absorbed and shamefully apathetic.

The first step is to get involved, and I don’t mean just sending a check to support a distant cause or candidate (though we all know how money talks). We’ve got plenty to do right here—our own house is in disarray and needs serious spring cleaning. Drastic times call for drastic measures. A revolution won’t start in Madison or Washington, but it can start right here, right now, with you and me, concerned citizens and motivated Republicans.

Agree or disagree if you want, that’s your right to free speech! But if you want a change, then I ask you to join me and other like-minded conservatives—together we can make a difference and united in effort we can affect the direction of politics in our community, our state and our country.

Kent D. Muschinske Dresser

Follow the Leader Fish shack burglaries continue BURNETT COUNTY – Ice-fishing shacks continue to be burglarized on area lakes. In this week’s sheriff’s report, four burglaries alone were reported: three on Holmes Lake in Trade Lake Township and one on Big Wood Lake in Grantsburg Township.

The reported items missing are as follows.

Melisa McQuay, Grantsburg, reported missing a camp stove, fishing lures, amp converters, fishing line, bobbers, needle-nose pliers, adjustable wrench, peppermint schnapps, brandy and copper wire ripped out from the shack itself on Friday, Feb. 1.

Chad Kidder, Grantsburg, reported a woodstove taken on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

Ronald Oachs, Grantsburg, reported a gas stove taken on Tuesday, Jan. 29 Beau Danielson, Grantsburg, reported a chair and a chisel taken, also, on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

All of these burglaries remain under investigation. – Sherill Summer with information from the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department

PAGE 12 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Fire closes plant doors

RICE LAKE - Fire ravaged a Rice Lake business early Monday afternoon, Jan. 28, causing the plant to temporarily suspend operations. The Rice Lake Fire Department was called out at approximately 12:21 p.m. Monday to respond to a fire alarm at the American Excelsior plant on Pioneer Avenue in the city of Rice Lake. Firefighters could see smoke emanating from a chip and dust collection chute when they arrived, which lead them to the source of the blaze located in a western storage silo. Flames also spread into an interior machine room in the main plant. While some of the emergency personnel fought the blaze in the main plant, others used a 100-foot ladder platform to get at the fire in the silo.

The fire was placed under control about two hours after the initial call and firefighters cleared the scene just before 5 p.m. No cause has been pinpointed yet for the blaze, but it remains under investigation. Damage estimates are also unknown at this time. The plant was shut down, however, until its vital systems could be brought back online. – Barron News Shield

School referendum set

BRUCE - Bruce School Board members at their Monday, Jan. 28, evening meeting approved having a referendum to exceed the revenue limit at the April 1 election date. Ernest Gerber’s motion calls for seeking voter approval to allow the district to exceed revenue limit by $300,000 each year for five years. The money would specifically be targeted for maintenance, transportation, technology, prior service debt payments and fund balance replenishment. The school district’s long-range planning finance subcommittee met the evening of Monday, Jan. 21, and prepared a recommendation to the board calling for the referendum. The school board, meeting in the Bruce High School library, also

Area Ne ws at a Glance approved considering some consolidated sports programs with Weyerhaeuser School District. These are likely to be high school girls basketball, wrestling, softball and golf and any middle school programs Weyerhaeuser would want to share with Bruce. Administrator Deb Brown noted that since 2002 the district has had to use fund balance money to balance its budget. Brown has pointed out often that declining enrollment, in conjunction with a low revenue limit which regulates expenditures, is causing the district to experience financial difficulties.- Ladysmith News

Andersen announces profit sharing distribution

STILLWATER, Minn. - Andersen Corporation announced Monday, Feb. 4, that profit sharing based on 2007 business performance will be distributed to nearly 6,000 Andersen and Renewal by Andersen employees in February. The amount is equal to 22.5 percent of these employees’ eligible earnings. “2007 was definitely a challenging year given the continuing decline in the housing market, but Andersen employees have proven over and over that they have the will and the spirit to win,” said Jim Humphrey, president and chief executive officer of Andersen Corporation.

Profits have been shared each year since 1914, with the exception of 1929-1936, when there were no profits to share during the Great Depression. It is the thirdoldest profit sharing plan in the U.S. According to the 401(k)/Profit Sharing Council of America, only 13 percent of large, private companies in the U.S. offer profit-sharing plans.

Rivertowns.net

Teacher’s bail set at $50,000

PINE CITY, Minn. - Rush City High School teacher and head wrestling coach Timothy Bowland was officially

Attorney General wants Crime Alert Network MADISON - Wisconsin’s attorney general wants to create a new network that would let his office share crime alerts with businesses across the state.

J.B. Van Hollen says the plan would be voluntary and would be paid for by participants. He says it’s modeled after a program in Minnesota that got 10,000 businesses to sign up.

Van Hollen says the idea is to let these businesses work together to prevent crimes. He says for instance, if somebody has just broken into a phar-

macy in Middleton and robbed them of their oxycontin, he says it’s important to be able to notify other pharmacies in the area of the crime, so that they can be alert as to what’s happened and protect themselves.

Van Hollen already has the authority to run a network like this, but he needs approval of the Legislature and the governor to charge the fee that would pay for it. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Shawn Johnson)

charged with third-degree sexual misconduct on Tuesday, Jan. 22. Bail was set at $50,000. The 39-year-old Rush City resident was ordered to have no contact with the 17-year-old girl he is accused of groping. Bowland has been working for the Rush City School District since September 2004. He has been involved with the wrestling program from the start of his employment. He is currently not allowed on school grounds or to have contact with students. He has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Staff and students have been asked to postpone judgment until more information has been released by investigators.

– Pine City Pioneer

Justice program linked to drop in juvenile cases

BARRON COUNTY - A drop in the juvenile crime rate in Barron County appears to be linked to the county’s Restorative Justice programs. A study conducted by Eric Kasper, an assistant professor of political science at UWBarron County, seems to show a strong correlation in the number of juvenile

crimes and the start-up of the Restorative Justice program. “Juvenile crime rates across the board in Barron County began their decrease right around the time that Barron County Restorative Justice Programs began operations in February of 2000,” said Kasper. “Since that time, Barron’s juvenile crime rates have dropped wellbelow similarly sized counties, and Barron’s rates have decreased at much faster levels than the rest of the state,” he said. Barron County District Attorney Angela Holmstrom said that the program “is clearly working.”

“When we started Restorative Justice in 1999, we had a vision that we could be able to give victims a voice in the process of holding youth directly accountable for their crimes. We knew that victim satisfaction with the system would increase exponentially, which it has.” The juvenile arrest rate (arrests per 1,000 juveniles) in Barron County decreased almost 45 percent from 19992005. The Wisconsin rate in 2005, the most recent year for which full data are available, was 80.1; the Barron County rate was 36.5. – Rice Lake Chronotype

Students head into nal week of adventure FREDERIC - Frederic Elementary celebrates the cold region islands this last week of their three-week adventure.

On Monday, some of the students participated in an Accelerated Reading incentive with sledding and ice-skating.

Then on Feb. 6, a purebred malamute show dog and owner were there in the morning for pictures. In the afternoon, Dr. Slutten and his sled dog team was

there to show the students his team and take a few lucky students on a short ride. Class pictures were taken outside with the team.

On Friday morning, students will be “traveling” to all the islands of study, learning some facts about that island, maybe tasting some food and getting their passport stamped at each island.

At 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, the public is invited to attend a short program at the elementary school presenting the knowledge learned from their three-week island tour. You will hear songs, jokes, learn some facts, see some costumes and be totally wowed with all the information the students have learned about the islands. Please plan to join them! - submitted

Taylor Alseth and Kinze Matz at the beach lunch for tropical week. – Photo submitted

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 13

P O L K

C O U N T Y

Unity Snowball week activities

Unity’s own Ice-Cream Fear Factor was a part of Tuesday’s Snowball Week noon activities. Girls versus the boys all week in noon activities which included: Monday, the Human Foosball, Wednesday, the Human Know, Thursday, Unity Idol karoke style, and Friday, Pie in the Face for students and staff. Participating in the Fear Factor Ice-Cream Sundae eating event were: Lance Peper, Jason Coen, Mason Nelson and Paul Mueller.

Peper was the first one done with his sundae. Participating in the Fear Factor event for the girls were: Reina Cox, Andrea Thompson, Hannah Florer and Kayla Johnson.

Ethan Lehmann was joined by Amanda Lefler and Danielle Martin for the dress-up Tuesday.

Unity’s Snowball activities are being held all week with competition between the girls and the boys. Competition includes dress-up days and noon activities during homeroom.

Dress-up days for Unity’s Snowball this week include: You’ve Outdone Yourself, Safety Day, Farmer Day, Clash Day and Spirit Day. The week concludes with a dance on Friday, Feb. 8, from 9-11:30 p.m., in the Unity School Auditorium. Coronation of the 2008 Snowball Court will take place at 10:30 p.m.

H E A D L I N E S

PAGE 14 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Roof goes on Luck Library and Museum entrance

The roof is now on the entryway of the new Luck Library and Museum. The circular roof, built on the ground, was constructed by Anderson Construction, Frederic. A crane raised the roof into place Monday morning. The library and museum will open in the spring. – Photos by Gregg Westigard

www.the-leader.net

Follow the Leader.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 15

Unity students recycling Unity’s Recycling team first semester consisted of students from the Agriculture Education program’s Conservation class. Once a week paper recycling was picked up from all classrooms. Team members included front row (L to R): Jon Merrill, Jordan Lehman, Ethan Lehmann and Annie Jepsen. Back row: Anthony Larson, Cody Suckow, Tim Lehner, David Hraychuck, Luke Hetfeld, Aaron Schmidt and Brian Mabry.

Recycling the paper out of the regular garbage pickup has helped remove thousands of pounds from going into landfill sites. Second semester the forestry classes continues the program. – Photo submitted

Bill considers 17-year-olds part of the juvenile system STATEWIDE - Advocates of a bill that would return 17-year-old offenders to the juvenile justice system are praising a government audit released last week that documents the downside of putting minors in adult prisons.

The report by the Legislative Audit Bureau found most 17-year-old offenders were convicted of property crimes rather than violent offenses. It also found that almost half of 17-year-olds sentenced to adult prison time were more likely to commit new crimes once they’re released, compared to only 20 percent of adults.

Wendy Henderson of the Wisconsin Council on Children and families says the report provides strong evidence that 17-year-olds who are sentenced as adults don’t get the treatment they need to prevent them from committing new crimes. She says typically, if somebody has drug and alcohol problems, they need treatment. She says it’s a concern that on one hand, 17-year-olds are being treated as adults and on the other hand being told they’re not quite old enough to participate in adult rehab programs.

There are more treatment and education programs in the juvenile system,

Edwards supporters unsure where to turn

STATEWIDE - Now that Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards has bowed out of the race, delegates in Wisconsin are reviewing their remaining options.

State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke backed Edwards, even before the first caucuses and primaries were held. Wineke says Edwards ran a great campaign, and is the first candidate since Bobby Kennedy to make poverty a central theme. He points to where Edwards began and ended his campaign: the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. Wineke says he hopes Edwards’ message has been heard loud

and clear by the other Democratic candidates, and he thinks it has. He says Edwards’ withdrawal from the race is sad for those who supported him, but on the other hand, Wineke says the party still has “two fine candidates” that nearly all of Edwards’ supporters will be able to gravitate towards.

Wineke says he’s unsure if he’ll openly support Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Another delegate who backed Edwards is U.S. Rep. Dave Obey. News organizations have not yet been able to reach Congressman Obey for comment.

– Wisconsin Public Radio (Brian Bull)

Messages investigated Polk County Sheriff is investigating pre-recorded messages related to sale of GAM with false caller ID numbers POLK COUNTY - Polk County Sheriff Tim Moore released the following statement Wednesday morning concerning phone messages relating to the sale of Golden Age Manor: On Tuesday, Feb. 5, Polk County Sheriff’s Department began receiving complaints from citizens about unsolicited phone calls that appear to originate from a Polk County Board of Supervisor’s home phone number.

These phone calls play a prerecorded message specific to the controversy surrounding the sale of the Golden Age Manor nursing home in Amery. Caller identification systems show the calls to be coming from county board supervisors who voted in favor of the sale.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the origin of these calls. It appears at this time that the ability to call someone, block the originating phone number and enter a fictitious phone number is not only possible, but quite common via the Internet.

The action is called I.D. Spoofing and is available through several Web sites for a fee.

Polk County Board Chairman has assured the sheriff’s department that the calls do not originate from county board supervisors, nor has the Polk County Supervisors contracted with any service to make the prerecorded telephone messages to any citizen on any issue.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is determining if this action is illegal under the Wisconsin statutes for unlawful use of a telephone or possibly federal under F.C.C. violations.

In this week’s Letters to the Editor section, supervisor Bob Blake relates his experience regarding this situation. with information from Polk County Sheriff’s Department

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

but providing them to all the 17-yearolds now being held as adults will be costly. The audit estimates it could cost an additional $82 million a year. But Henderson says the benefits to public safety make that a worthwhile expenditure. She says if the result is greater levels of community safety and greater levels of productivity, the cost is going to be significantly offset.

The proposal to move 17-year-olds

back into the juvenile system would be paid for in part by a sales tax on video games. That’s something both the video gaming industry and tax-shy legislators have a problem with.

Meanwhile more data on the social cost of the current juvenile justice system will be released this week in a report from the governor’s task force on racial disparity in the state’s prisons. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Gil Halsted)

Wisconsin Democrats unveil different economic plan MADISON - Majority Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate want the state to invest more money in road building, technical colleges and child care subsides to blunt the effects of a possible recession. Their economic development package looks little like the one put forth by the governor from their own party.

Much of the economic agenda Gov. Jim Doyle outlined in his State of the State message focused on tax incentives to spur investment in Wisconsin businesses. None of those tax breaks overlap with the package Senate Democrats laid out on Wednesday.

Their proposal would boost state tech college funding by $5 million a year, and it would increase funding for road builders by $50 million. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Russ Decker says this translates to new jobs.

He says to jump-start Wisconsin’s economy now, the state has to focus its

resources on programs that are known to “produce a big bang for the buck.”

The package would also open up the state’s child care subsidy to more middle-income parents.

To pay for the programs, senators would change state law to bring in an additional $90 million a year in corporate taxes. Chippewa Falls Sen. Pat Kreitlow says right now, too many corporations use a loophole to get out of paying their fair share of taxes. He says whenever a corporation cheats taxpayers out of a dollar, that’s a dollar that comes from middle-class families already squeezed and already playing by the rules. He says it’s time to end that abuse.

That plan stands little chance in the state Assembly, where Majority Republicans say now is not the time for a tax increase. The governor has also said he won’t raise taxes to deal with a projected $400 million shortfall in the

Critics argue against state smoking ban

MADISON - One of the leading critics of a plan to prohibit smoking in all Wisconsin workplaces says negotiations over the ban are “back to square one.” Eland Democratic Sen. Roger Breske’s remarks came after proponents of a statewide ban rejected a compromise that would have phasedin taverns.

The compromise Sen. Breske wanted would have banned smoking in all restaurants immediately, but it would have given taverns until July 2011 to comply. Taverns would have also been able to add on rooms with separate ventilation systems that would let patrons continue to smoke indoors legally.

Breske says that would have given taverns in his northern Wisconsin district time to adjust, whereas he says an immediate smoking ban would force many of them to close. Breske also questioned why the government needs to tell people what to do when it comes to smoking. He says the notion that this move is going to solve all the health

problems in the country is “hogwash.”

American Cancer Society Lobbyist Allison Prange suggested Breske might talk to the U.S. Surgeon General about the dangers of second-hand smoke.

The Cancer Society was one of the groups who rejected Breske’s compromise. Prange says none of the states that went smoke-free last year had delays or exemptions anything like what Breske wanted. But Prange says she’s still optimistic a deal can be reached. She says they want to continue a dialog and have been offered that.

However, she says her group is not going to do something that’s bad for the health of the public in Wisconsin.

But time may be running out for this session. Lawmakers will wrap up most of their work in mid-March, and while the fight over the smoking ban is currently in the Democratic-controlled Senate, its future is murky in the Republican-controlled Assembly. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Shawn Johnson)

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Highway facility referendum Feb. 19

How the idea started

by Gregg Westigard BALSAM LAKE – The Polk County Recycling Center on Hwy. 8 east of St. Croix Falls got a new neighbor last year. Menards moved in across the road, and the intersection gained a stoplight. The idea arose that the county was sitting on a very valuable piece of land, the sale of which could pay for a new highway shop and modern recycling center. The county board set up a special committee last April to look into selling the property. That committee, the Public Works Campus Steering Committee, hired an engineering firm, SEH, to prepare a feasibility study on the coun-

ty’s facility needs and on the value and marketability of the Hwy. 8 land. Last October, SEH gave its report to the county board. It found that the recycling center land is valuable and will be marketable in the future if the county’s eight acres were combined with the neighboring 19 acres of land. But that potential sale is several years down the road. While the study did not recommend an immediate sale of the recycling center, it did bring forward a long list of issues and concerns about the present highway shop and yard in Balsam Lake. Many of the issues were not new. Some of the highway building concerns have been mentioned in records going back to 1990. But once the concerns, which included worker safety, environmental, and

public access issues, were brought to the board’s attention, some response was needed. The county board was told that a new highway facility could be built for $10 million. Part of that price was based on the present slowness in the building industry, which might result in lower construction costs if the county started work on a new facility in the summer of 2008.?The October board meeting was the middle of the annual budget process with the county unsure of state aids and levy caps. The possible sale of Golden Age Manor was also in the works. The county board voted to put the idea of building a new highway facility to the voters in a referendum during the Feb. 19 presidential primary election.

Issues remain even if referendum fails

Immediate repairs could cost $400,000 in 2008,$3 million over five years

by Gregg Westigard BALSAM LAKE – There are worker safety, environmental, and public access issues at the present highway building and yard that must be addressed even if the Feb. 19 referendum on building a new highway facility is defeated. Darlene Kusmirek, human resources manager for the county, and highway superintendent Steve Warndahl gave the Leader an overview of some issues that must be acted on in 2008 and beyond. The 2008 repairs to the existing facility are estimated to cost $402,500. That money has not been budgeted.

The human resource list “Employee safety is the concern of the Human Resources Department,” Kusmirek said in an interview Monday. “The No. 1 concern is air quality throughout the facility, but there are many more serious concerns as well.”?There are many air quality problems. The 22 trucks in the shed must be run for a period to thaw out lines before they are backed out to start plow runs. The exhaust builds up in the large unheated building with no air circulation system.

There is not proper ventilation in the shop area where torches are used. One building has had a long problem with roof leeks, and there is a concern about mold in that building. The drain pipe for the entire building runs under the floor of the unheated truck shed. If water is not run in a sink all the time, (24/7), the drain freezes over the weekend, and the entire building was a sewer gas buildup on Monday.?There are water issues. The building should have a shower where workers can clean up immediately if they are sprayed with chemicals. The eye wash areas, also for emergencies, do not have warm water. The plumbing issues are not easy to repair because the pipes in the building, constructed in the late 1930s, are corroded.?The trucks must be backed into or out of the long shed. There is a concern about the safety of people during the times when the fleet is moving out, especially at night. The shed floor is also often icy, even though chemicals are spread on the shed floor to melt the ice.?The sign shop is on the second floor of the building, up a long stairway. There are mobility concerns about carrying signs and materials up and down the stairs.?The building is on many levels, all connected by stairs. This creates access issues for the public and a potential barrier for employees.?Human resources director Andrea Jerrick told the county board that these problems will not be ignored and will be fixed.

The highway list

Visit the highway building Open houses at the shop

by Gregg Westigard BALSAM LAKE – The Polk County highway shop is an imposing building. The large, white, concrete building sits at the south end on Balsam Lake. From the outside you see a two-story office on the west and a long, round-roofed structure to the east. The building is raised above the parking lot to the south and is entered by climbing two sets of outside steps.? Inside the office section entryway are many more steps. Up and to the left is the highway department office. To the right and up a very long stairway is the crew area.

Also on the second floor, in a room with a ceiling braced to keep it from falling, is the shop where highway signs are made. Sign materials must be carried

up the stairs and completed signs carried down. ?To the right in the entryway and down more steps is the maintenance area and truck garage. The maintenance area can hold two or three trucks. Its access is through the truck shed. The long shed is an unheated space (the heating system was disconnected in 1990) where 22 trucks are parked in the cold. Since the space is narrow, the trucks can not be parked with their snowplows attached. And since the space is unheated, the trucks can not be parked with their load of salt/sand which would freeze.? The highway department is hosting open houses for the public to see the shop.

There are five dates to visit before the election:?

Friday, Feb. 8, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.;?

Thursday, Feb. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.;?

Saturday, Feb. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Candidate registers for state senate seat Alison Page to challenge Sheila Harsdorf

by Gregg Westigard WESTERN WISCONSIN – Alison Page has filed a campaign register statement with the Wisconsin Election Board, announcing her intention to run as a Democrat for the 10th State Senate District seat held by Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, a Republican. The seat will be on the November ballot.

Page, a River Falls resident, has not yet made a formal announcement of her candidacy. She told the Leader in a phone interview that she is a health care administrator with Fairview Health Services, a Minnesota-based medical care provider. She is currently the chief safety officer for the company.

Page has had public service experience as a member of the River Falls School Board from 1985 to 2002, including 10 years as the board chair. She said she has lived in Wisconsin all her life.?

The 10th Senate District reaches from southern Burnett County to Pierce County and includes most of Polk and all of St. Croix counties, plus parts of Pierce and Dunn Counties. Harsdorf has held the seat since

“All the employees have worked with these problems,” Warndahl told the Leader. “But how long can they put up with it?”?Warndahl says he cares for the workers and their safety. His list of problems mirrors that put out by the Human Resources Department, but he adds some environmental issues and cost items.?Highway is on notice with the DNR on some environmental issues including runoff from the old salt sheds. The yard across the highway from the shop building is near a waterway and is closely monitored.

Two old wooden salt sheds will need expensive repairs if the yard is not moved. [One issue was fixed by the highway department last year. The drains from the truck shed emptied directly into Balsam Lake. That drain was re-directed with the cooperation of the village.]?Warndahl said that parking the trucks in the unheated shed means that all 22 units must be plugged in to electric heaters all the time. That results in an $11,600 a year electric cost, which does not include the cost of heating seven more units parked outside. A heated shed would eliminate that expense.?Warndahl has put together a price list of building repairs the county would need to pay if it does not build a new facility. That cost would be $402,500 for 2008, half of which would be for an air circulation unit for the cold storage truck shed. Staying from one to three years would add another $246,000 in costs, including replacing an unsafe yard scale. If the present facility stays for three to five years, another $1.1 million would need to be spent, including a major repair and repaving of the yard. And after five years, there is a list of items costing $1.5 million, including a new shed. The total list of repairs to the present facility comes to an estimated $3,237,500 in county costs over the next five years. With that expenditure, the county would still have a 1937 building with a list of needs.

Near head-on collision with officer results in charge of OWI, fifth offense POLK COUNTY – A sheriff’s deputy had to drive his squad car onto the shoulder of the road to avoid getting hit head-on by a truck driven by a 31-year-old rural Deer Park man early Saturday morning.

Matthew L. Wilson faces charges of operating while intoxicated, fifth offense and operating after revocation, first offense.

After stopping Wilson, the deputy stated in their report that Wilson’s speech was slow and slurred and his eyes were “glassy in appearance.” A search of the truck turned up a half-empty bottle of beer, an empty can of beer and several empty beer cans behind the driver’s seat of the vehicle and in the box of the truck.

Wilson was arrested and taken to the Amery Hospital, where he refused a blood draw. He was later taken to the Polk County Jail and booked. The deputy discovered Wilson had been convicted of OWI in 1999, 2001 and twice in 2003. – with information from Polk County Sheriff’s Department

Correction The correct web address for the Kolstad Family Funeral Home in last week’s Leader was supposed to read www.kolstadfamilyfuneralhome.com.

Alison Page 2001. Prior to that, she served in the Assembly for four terms.

Subscribe to the Leader today online @ www.the-leader.net

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Blizzard boys keep gold from Spooner Robbie Billings leads state with 30 goals Blizzard 3, Spooner 2

by Brenda Sommerfeld SIREN – The Blizzard had a long five days with four games, and had a winning start, keeping the golden Northern Cup trophy for another year from their rivals, the Spooner/Shell Lake team.

They beat the Spooner Rails, 3-2, on Friday, Feb. 1 to go 3-0 in Northern Cup games.

“A lot of the credit goes to our seniors,” coach Greg Sears.

They have a record of 4-1 against the Rails ever since the split of the old coop, which is listed as a highlight of many of the seniors in their Blizzard Whirlwind book.

This game was no different than any other game against Spooner.

“Always a dog fight in the past,” Sears explained, “why would this one be different. Spooner came to play and I thought we looked a little worn out.”

The Blizzard came out slow, was still able to outshoot the Rails almost two to one, 43-22, but only put in three while Spooner scored two.

Robbie Billings was a big part of the goals, putting in two and assisting on the third one. After scoring his second goal, Billings takes the lead in the state of Wisconsin with 30 goals, while breaking his high school record.

Billings scored the Blizzard’s first goal, unassisted, in the first minute and a half to put them in the lead 1-0 finishing the first period. Ben Anderson was able to put one past Spooner’s goalie, Jarett Sykes, with an assist from Billings, but the Rails answered back to this with a power-play goal ending the second quarter with the Blizzard’s same lead of one, 2-1.

Team 1 2 3 F Spooner/Shell Lake 0 1 1 2 Blizzard 1 1 1 3 Scoring First Period – 1 B Robbie Billings (unassisted) 1:25 Second Period – 2 B Ben Anderson (Robbie Billings) 9:20, 1 S David Roberts (Devan Maki, Donnie Roberts Jr.) 13:06 Third Period – 3 B Robbie Billings (Ben Anderson) 1:06, 2 S Joona Niemi (unassisted) 6:06 Goalies Saves – B Mike Billings (20), S Jarett Sykes (40)

The Cup awaited its winner in the announcer’s booth during the game Friday night.

1 2 3 F Team 0 0 0 0 Cedarburg Blizzard 1 0 1 2 Scoring First Period – 1 B Ben Anderson (Cameron Hughes, Travis Close) 12:17 Second Period – no scoring Third Period – 2 B Dave Harlander (Cameron Hughes, Robbie Billings, 14:52 Goalies Saves – B Mike Billings (19), Jeremiah Desrosier (27)

Extra Points

Robbie Billings takes the puck down the ice. Billings is in the lead for individual goals in the state. - Photos by Brenda Sommerfeld The one-point lead did not change in the third, but it was enough to set the win for the Blizzard, with Billings scoring from an assist by Anderson a minute in and the Rails knocking one in five minutes later to finalize it, 3-2.

Blizzard 2, Cedarburg 0 SIREN – Mike Billings took his fourth shutout for his first year as a high school goalie, when the Blizzard beat Cedarburg, 2-0, on Saturday, Feb. 2, in the Lodge Arena.

“This was a classic,” coach Greg Sears commented. “Up and down, much bet-

ter pace than Friday nights mucker.”

The Blizzard took away the middle of the ice from Cedarburg and only let them get off 19 shots on Billings, while they put in two of their 29 shots.

Ben Anderson scored the first with assists from Cameron Hughes and Travis Close in the first period and Dave Harlander scored the second in the last two minutes on a power play from Hughes and Robbie Billings.

See Hockey/next page

The Blizzard guys take time after their game against Spooner/Shell Lake to let fans and the press take their picture with the Northern Cup.

••• LEADER LAND – The St. Croix Valley League winter baseball meeting was held on Saturday, Jan 26., and the league approved adding the St. Croix River Bandits to the league. Both the Osceola Braves and St. Croix River Bandits are now included in the northern division of the SCVL. - submitted ••• LEADER LAND – On Feb. 7 the high school boys and girls basketball games with Luck at Frederic will be broadcast at 6 p.m. on WXCX 105.7 FM. The Durand at Osceola boys basketball game can be heard on WLMX 104.9 FM at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 7. Also on Feb. 7, the Somerset at Amery boys basketball game is being broadcast on WXCE 1260 AM at 7:30 p.m. On Feb. 8, the boys and girls basketball games between Granstburg and Unity can be heard on WLMX 104.9 FM beginning at 6 p.m. The Feb. 8 Amery at Durand girls basketball game is being broadcast on WXCE 1260 AM at 7:30 p.m. The Feb. 9 wrestling regional at River Falls can be heard on WXCE 1260 AM beginning at 10 a.m. On Feb. 12. The boys and girls basketball games with Luck at St. Croix Falls can be heard on WLMX 104.9 FM starting at 6 p.m. The Ellsworth at Amery boys basketball game is being broadcast Feb. 12 on WXCE AM beginning at 7:30 p.m. - Marty Seeger ••• LEADER LAND – Local sports tidbits to share? Please contact theLeader by 4 p.m. on Tuesdays to go in Extra Points! – Marty Seeger and Brenda Sommerfeld ••• LEADER LAND – Leader Sports strives to follow the college careers of area athletes. If you know of an athlete who will be playing collegiate sports in 2008 and hasn’t been mentioned, send us an e-mail and we’ll take it from there. – Marty Seeger and Brenda Sommerfeld

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

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

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Vikings offense clicks over Saints in rebounds with 11 to go along with six points.

Frederic maintains lead despite SCF outside threat Frederic 51, St. Croix Falls 45

by Marty Seeger FREDERIC – The Viking girls were held to just 26 points in their game against Unity Jan. 25, but the offense rebounded against St. Croix Falls the following Friday, Feb. 1, for another key conference victory.

“Last week I think our offense was out of sync, and this week we kind of found it a little bit,” said coach Troy Wink.

The Vikings maintained the momentum for much of the game, yet the Saints managed to keep the game within arm’s reach the entire time. The Vikings held a six-point lead at the end of the first and led by eigth at the half, but early in the second St. Croix Falls came to within three points off a 3pointer from Jenny Benoy. Frederic guard Becca Anderson answered back with a three of her own on the Vikings following possession. Benoy and Anderson traded threes again later in the quarter, and both traded baskets before halftime. Benoy managed to hit two before the end of the first half to gain a little momentum for the second half.

“They (SCF) had a nice team, they made some good shots and they kept making good adjustments, and I thought we made good adjustments to them and played well,” Wink said.

The Saints came back in the third with a little help from a pair of threes from Marissa Campeau, who drew a foul on one to make it a four-point play. The Saints came to within two points at one point, but Viking forward Erin Schmidt had another nice game inside with seven rebounds and a team-leading 16 points.

Team St. Croix Falls Frederic

1 2 3 4 F 7 12 16 10 45 13 14 12 12 51 Individual Statistics 2s 3s FTM/A F TP St. Croix Falls Alex Confer 1 0 0/0 2 2 3 3 0/0 4 15 Jenny Benoy Annie Confer 0 0 0/0 3 0 Marissa Campeau 4 3 1/1 5 18 Kelsey Douglass-White 0 0 0/0 5 0 Sasha Bryant 3 0 0/0 2 6 Amanda Larson 2 0 0/0 0 4 Totals 13 6 1/1 21 45 Frederic Ana Miller Kelly Wondra Erin Schmidt Melanie Chenal Becca Anderson Michelle Owens Anna Tesch Totals

2s 1 0 5 3 3 1 1 14

3s FTM/A F TP 0 0/0 0 2 0 8/11 1 8 0 6/8 3 16 0 2/6 1 8 2 1/2 2 13 0 0/0 0 2 0 0/0 0 2 2 17/27 7 51

Frederic’s Adrianna Otte shoots above St. Croix Falls Kelsey DouglassWhite. – Photos by Marty Seeger But again the Saints continued to fire back, and Campeau and Benoy combined a pair of threes late in the third to pull within four points.

“There were times when we had people in their face, and they still made them,” said Wink about Benoy and Campeau’s ability to shoot from beyond the arc.

In the fourth quarter both teams continued to battle it out, and the Saints crept to within one point with under three minutes to go. The Vikes pulled through though with the help of a season-low nine turnovers, went to the line more than usual and were able to hit 17 of their 27 attempts at the line.

“We had a nice lead and they cut to one, but we never gave up the lead and

I think that’s really one of the more important things in a game like that,” Wink said.

For the Vikings, Wondra had eight points, seven rebounds and five assists, and shot eight of 11 from the line.

Schmidt shot well from the line making six of eight. Anderson added 13 for the Vikings and Melanie Chenal added eight.

Campeau led the Saints with 18 points and Benoy added 15 points with six rebounds. Sasha Bryant led the team

1 2 3 4 F 12 11 16 18 57 7 10 8 7 32 Individual Statistics 2s 3s FTM/A F TP St. Croix Falls Jacob Larcom 0 0 0/0 2 0 Dan Roach 0 1 1/2 2 4 0 2 2/3 3 8 Trygve Chinander Gus Koecher 1 0 0/3 1 2 11 0 0/0 2 22 Ryan Larson David Lund 3 0 0/0 2 6 Austin Whittenberg 2 0 1/1 2 5 Greg Kadrmas 3 0 1/2 2 7 Sam Schmidt 1 0 1/1 0 3 Totals 21 3 6/12 16 57 Team St. Croix Falls Frederic

Frederic Nolan Neumann Brent Crandell Will Primm Ben G. Anderson Zach Anderson Kyle Swenson Kanan Hackett Ben Nelson Totals

2s 0 1 0 1 2 2 1 0 7

3s FTM/A F TP 0 0/1 1 0 0 0/0 1 2 0 0/0 2 0 0 4/5 4 6 0 1/2 4 5 3 2/4 0 15 0 0/0 1 2 0 2/2 4 2 3 9/14 17 32

Saints Gus Koecher drives the ball around Viking Zach Anderson as Ben Anderson comes to help guard. – Photo by Marty Seeger

Hockey/continued Amery 3, Blizzard 1 SIREN – The Blizzard took their second loss of the season, against Amery on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 3-1.

“Amery came to play and did the job,” coach Greg Sears said.

Out of the 40 shots the Blizzard threw at the Amery goalie, they only put one in. Amery, on the other hand, shot 26 times and put in three in the first two Team 1 2 3 F Amery 1 2 0 3 Webster 0 0 1 1 Scoring First Period – 1 A Cody Olson (Shane Webber, Josh Jungmann) 17:00 Second Period – 2 A Josh Jungmann (B.J. Elkin) 13:32, 3 A B.J. Elkin (Tanner Tryggestad) 14:54 Third Period – 1 B Ben Anderson (Robbie Billings) 2:33 Goalies Saves – A Patrick Bergan (39), B Mike Billings (23)

St. Croix Falls 57, Frederic 32 FREDERIC – The Saints rolled easily past the Vikings last Friday night, utilizing their size and taking advantage of their depth on the bench. Ryan Larson had a big game inside for the Saints with 24 points, with 14 of those coming in the second half.

The Vikings had a good start with the Saints in the first half, trailing by just five in the first and six in the second, but the Saints opened up their offensive tactics in the second half and slowly started pulling away. St. Croix Falls did a nice job of containing the Vikings leading scorer, Kyle Swenson, to 15 points, yet, Swenson hit a couple of big threes in the third to pull the Vikes to within three. But Swenson would only get three more for the rest of the game, and the Saints had good scoring from all sides.

“We struggled all night to get anything going offensively and never really got in sync against their zone,” said Vikes coach Ben Nelson.

The Saints had a scattering of points in the second half with Larson’s 14, while Greg Kadrmas put up five, Sam Schmidt had three, Trygve Chinander and Gus Koecher had two as well as David Lund. The Saints padded a 14point lead after the third quarter and didn’t look back.

Coach Greg Sears chats with his team during a time-out. – Photo by Brenda Sommerfeld periods.

It was a no scoring game until the very last seconds when Amery’s Cody Olson hit one past Mike Billings to score their first.

Two more goals came for Amery during the ending of the second period.

Ben Anderson was the only Blizzard skater to get one in the net, from an

assist by Robbie Billings, two and a half minutes into the third, to keep the Blizzard from being shut out.

The Barron game was postponed for Friday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Grantsburg arena.

Upcoming sectional game NEW RICHMOND – The Blizzard will take to the ice for their sectional game as seed 5, after receiving a first round bye, against seed 4 team New Richmond in the New Richmond Arena on Friday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m.

“I am very happy with our spot and give all the credit to the boys and their hard work,” coach Greg Sears stated.

In the last three years, the Blizzard squad has brought themselves up to just behind the top four schools of Superior, Hudson, River Falls and New Richmond.

“The guys deserve a game like this and look forward to the challenge of playing one of the ‘big four,’“ Sears explained.

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Unity nabs third at Cameron Cameron in a 4-1 decision. Dennis McKinney has also been injured over the past couple of weeks.

Senior Alex Peper (119) took second place with a pin to start off the day over Clear Lake’s Spencer Harshman. In the semifinals Peper beat Kyle Johnson of Bruce in a 6-3 decision and then lost to Justin Rikkola of SCF in a close 4-2 decision.

Others wrestling well for the Eagles were Tim Reed (135) who took third place. Dylan Hendricks (140), Nate Reda (145) and Josh Eaton (215) placed fourth. Luke Nelson (119) came in fifth and Dylan Koethe, (103) and Jared Peper (152) took sixth. Joe Swanson (160) finished in eighth place. The Eagles travel to Shell Lake this Saturday, Feb. 9, for the Divison 3 regional.

Ben Hendricks and Dustin McKinney place first

by Marty Seeger CAMERON – The Eagles wrestling team took a third-place finish at the conference tournament last weekend in Cameron. Unity finished with a total of 262 points behind Shell Lake (287) and Clear Lake (334). Two of its wrestlers, Ben Hendricks (189) and Dustin McKinney (125), ended the tournament as champions.

Hendricks won by pin twice during the tournament over Shell Lake’s Cody Hanson and Bruce wrestler Kyle Wallace. Hendricks defeated Rocky McKittrick of Flambeau in the championship round 8-0.

Dustin McKinney nabbed his first place finish with two byes before entering the semifinal match against Zach Rivard of Cameron in a tech fall 19-4. In Unity's Ben Hendricks tries to escape Kyle Wallace of Bruce last Saturday in Cameron. Hendricks won the match by pin in 1:36. - Photo by Larry Samson

Alex Peper

Dennis McKinney

the championship round, Dustin McKinney defeated Eric Gunderlach of Cornell/Gilman by a tech fall 18-4.

Dustin McKinney moves to a record of 34-5 on the season.

Dennis McKinney (130) also had a

great day of wrestling with a secondplace finish. Dennis McKinney had two pins over Gabe Skluzacek of Shell Lake and Cody Parrott of Flambeau. In the championship round, Dennis McKinney lost to Riley Hargrave of

Dustin McKinney took first place in Cameron on Saturday. - Photo by Lori Nelson

Saints finish sixth in conference Raygor, Rikkola coast through tournament

by Marty Seeger CAMERON – The Saints wrestling team took a sixth-place finish last Saturday with a total of 187 team points.

Eleven teams competed in the tournament, and Justin Rikkola (119) and Joe Raygor (152) ended the tournament with championship medals.

Rikkola received a bye in the first round and pinned Tyler Wenzel of Cameron and Jose McKittrick of Flambeau before winning a tough match against Unity’s Alex Peper in a 4-2 decision.

Raygor continued his successful season with a first-place finish on Saturday.

Raygor received two Justin Rikkola

Joe Raygor defeated Kyle Vanderhoof of Shell Lake in an 11-4 decision. Photo by Lori Nelson byes before facing up against Ryan pionship round over Kyle Vanderhoof Crotteau of Cameron and winning by of Shell Lake in an 11-4 decision. tech fall 23-7. Raygor won in the chamMike Kingery (130) finished in fourth

place with a bye in the first round and lost in his first match to Riley Hargrave of Cameron by pin. Kingery won in round two of the conciliation round by injury default over Cody Parrott and lost the third-place match to Matt Barney of Clear Lake.

Dan Larsen had to go up against rival Tim Reed of Unity twice on Saturday and lost both matches by decision.

Larson received a bye in the first round and won two matches over Nate Scharenbrock of Flambeau and Landen Strilzuk of Luck/Frederic/Grantsburg.

Both matches were won by tech fall.

Other finishers included Nick Campbell (103), Jesse Wilson (140) and Shaw Amundson (125) who each took fifth. Ryan Jarimczuk (171) and Taylor Sempf (119) took seventh place, and Brian Backus (275) and Garrett Radinzel (145) placed eighth.

The Saints will compete in the Division 2 regional on Saturday, Feb. 9, in Osceola.

LFG wrestling place two near the top Russel Harr and Justin Eley each take second

by Marty Seeger CAMERON – The LFG wrestling team finished with a ninth-place conference finish out of the 11 different teams that participated in Cameron last Saturday. The team scored 118 points and sent two of its teammates to the championship round.

Russel Harr (171) placed second and won his first match of Russel Harr

LFG wrestler Justin Eley placed second in Cameron last Saturday. - Photo

by Lori Nelson the day over David Pederson of Turtle Smith of Clear Lake by pin, but finished Lake/Clayton by major decision and the conference season 4-0. then defeated Dave Halverson of Shell Justin Eley (119) also received a bye in Lake by major decisioin (11-1). Harr lost the first round on Saturday and had two in the championship round to John wins by pin over Jimmy Wirkus of

Cameron and Matt Hagen of Shell Lake.

Cornell/Gilman’s Andrew Phelps defeated Eley in the championship round by a narrow 4-3 decision.

Ben Ackerley (125), Jeff Gackle (189) and Devin Douglas (215) placed sixth on Saturday, and Max Musial (275), Austin Eskola (103), Landen Strilzuk (135) and Lakeysha Shallenberger (112) each took seventh place. Schallenberger won two of her matches on Saturday, with one pin over Tyler Wenzel of Cameron, and a major decision victory over Tyler Peters of Cornell/Gilman by a score of 11-1.

The LFG wrestlers will be traveling to Spooner for the Division 2 regional this Saturday, Feb. 9.

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Pirates tie Saints record in conference Saint girls overtake Pirates Grantsburg 52, St. Croix Falls 42

by Brenda Sommerfeld GRANTSBURG – The Pirate boys won their rematch against the St. Croix Falls Saints on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 52-42.

This tied Grantsburg’s conference record to the Saints, 6-4.

St. Croix Falls started with the lead in the first quarter, but Grantsburg pulled it out to tie, 15-15. A Saint hit one under the basket right before the whistle to take the lead 17-15.

Throughout the second period, the two teams stayed neck and neck, ending the half Grantsburg up, 30-29.

The third quarter is when the Pirates took control, scoring 11 points, while holding the Saints to seven. They continued it into the fourth, adding up nine more points, while St. Croix Falls put up six.

St. Croix Falls 50, Grantsburg 44 GRANTSBURG – The Pirates and the Saints kept the game close through most of it, but St. Croix Falls pulled the win out, 50-44, on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Team St. Croix Falls Grantsburg

1 2 3 4 F 12 13 12 13 50 12 12 8 12 44 Individual Statistics 2s 3s FTM/A F TP St. Croix Falls Alex Confer 1 0 0/0 3 2 3 1 0/0 1 9 Jenny Benoy Annie Confer 1 0 0/0 1 2 9 2 5/6 1 29 Marissa Campeau 0 0 1/2 1 1 Kelsey Douglass-White Sasha Bryant 2 0 1/4 3 5 1 0 0/0 1 2 Amanda Larson Totals 17 3 7/12 11 50 Grantsburg Abbey Vaksdal Sarah Wald Kortney Morrin Vanessa Kleiss Megan Finch Alison McKinley Gretchen Hedlund Laura Skifstad Totals

2s 1 0 3 5 1 3 0 2 15

3s FTM/A F 0 2/4 1 1 1/2 1 1 2/2 2 0 0/0 2 0 1/2 1 0 0/0 0 0 0/0 1 0 2/2 4 2 8/12 12

TP 4 4 11 10 3 6 0 6 44

Grantsburg’s Nick Larson goes up from behind the basket for a shot against some Saint defenders.— Photos by Brenda Sommerfeld Grantsburg started with the lead in the first quarter, but St. Croix Falls pulled it together to tie it up 12-12 at the buzzer. The second period was the same story, with the Pirates jumping ahead with Laura Skifstad’s two free throws and Vanessa Kleiss nailing one from the field. It brought Grantsburg up, 16-12, until Marissa Campeau hit a 3-pointer and another under the basket to take the lead, 17-16. By the end, the Saints had pulled off a one-point lead, 25-24.

The second half started and ended in St. Croix Falls favor. Saints Jenny Benoy hit two from the field to put them up by five points and that gave them the

momentum to end the third ahead by five, 37-32.

The fourth quarter started out with St. Croix Falls Amanda Larson putting in a layup behind her back, and her team just kept putting them in after that.

Grantsburg’s team put up a few, had many free-throw attempts and stayed within arm’s length, but couldn’t pull past.

Campeau was the scoring machine for her Saints team with 29 total points.

She nailed nine from the field, two 3pointers and five out of six free throws, while getting many rebounds from the boards. Benoy added nine for St. Croix

Marissa Campeau takes one of her many shots during the game on Tuesday night.

Falls, and Sasha Bryant put up five.

The Pirates had Kortney Morrin hitting her shots for 11 points, Kleiss nailing five shots for 10, and Laura Skifstad and Alison McKinley each contributed six.

Webster boys cruise easily over Siren Dragon and Tiger girls play tough defense

Team Webster Siren

1 2 3 4 F 4 5 5 11 25 4 6 13 17 40 Individual Statistics Webster 2s 3s FTM/A F TP Sam Hogle 2 0 6/6 4 10 Amanda Alberg 0 0 1/2 2 1 Kathryn Krause 0 0 0/0 4 0 Rose Kopecky 0 1 0/0 0 3 Leah Janssen 0 0 0/0 2 0 Chelsey Bereiter 2 0 2/2 1 6 Reba Smallwood 0 0 2/4 0 2 Beth Baer 0 0 2/8 4 2 Michelle Gibbs 0 0 1/3 1 1 Totals 4 1 14/25 18 25

Webster 70, Siren 52

by Marty Seeger SIREN – The Webster boys controlled Siren for much of the game on Tuesday night. While the Dragons were able to keep it to within two points at the end of the first quarter, Webster broke loose in the second with 21 points, and continued that roll into the second half with a total of 49 points.

The Tigers shot nearly perfect from the charity stripe sinking 19 of 20, with Team Webster Siren

1 2 3 4 10 11 25 24 12 9 6 25 Individual Statistics Webster 2s 3s FTM/A Peter Walsh 0 0 0/0 Brian Gibbs 4 1 3/4 A.J. Holmquist 3 0 5/5 Dylan Geske 5 2 2/2 Brian Thill 7 0 6/6 Kyle Godfrey 1 0 0/0 Adam Baum 1 0 3/3 Totals 21 3 19/20 Siren Jesse Hinze Christian Hall Adam Daniels Thad Baasch Jordan Potvin Travis Freese Vince Nasman Charlie Brown Totals

2s 0 4 3 0 1 1 2 5 16

Siren Haily Mulroy Jennifer Mitchell Courtney Daniels Carley Emery Janey Emery Lynette Renberg Ashley Guevara Totals

3s FTM/A F 1 0/0 0 0 0/0 2 4 0/0 3 0 1/2 0 0 0/0 1 0 1/2 3 0 0/0 3 1 0/2 3 6 2/6 15

TP 3 8 18 1 2 3 4 13 52

3s FTM/A F TP 0 0/0 3 0 0 0/0 5 2 0 1/2 2 1 0 0/0 3 6 1 9/10 3 20 0 2/4 0 8 0 1/2 4 3 1 13/18 20 40

Clayton next Monday night, and Siren will play host to Solon Springs on the following Tuesday.

F 70 52 F TP 1 0 1 14 1 11 0 18 0 20 1 2 2 5 6 70

2s 0 1 0 3 4 3 1 12

Webster’s Brian Gibbs goes up for a shot during their earlier game against Unity. — Photo by Carl Heidel all but three coming in the second half.

Brian Thill led the team with 20, and Dylan Geske added 18 to the pile. Brian Gibbs contributed 14 on the night.

Adam Daniels led Siren with 18 points, and Charlie Brown helped with 13 points. Christian Hall added eight points to the board. Webster will host

Siren 40, Webster 25 SIREN – Both the Siren and Webster girls condensed the scoring in the first quarter with just four points. The score was in favor of Siren by one at halftime, but Janey Emery opened up a great night of scoring with 20 points to lead the Dragons to victory.

The Dragons best quarter came in the fourth quarter, with the majority of Siren’s points coming off a good night of free-throw shooting making 13 of 18 from the line. Lynette Renberg had eight points for the team, and Carley

Ashley Guevara bends backward to get a rebound during a earlier game. — File photo by Brenda Sommerfeld Emery added six.

Sam Hogle led Webster with 10 points, and Chelsey Bereiter added six.

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Tiger girls like winning feeling Webster boys eat up another win Webster 51, Unity 35

by Brenda Sommerfeld WEBSTER – The Tiger girls enjoyed their winning celebration so much last week against St. Croix Falls that they continued it into their conference game this week. They won this week, 51-35, against the Unity Eagles on Friday, Feb. 1.

Webster was able to put up 10 points in the first quarter, while holding the Eagles to only seven to take the lead.

Unity scored 12 in the second while the Tigers put up 12 in order to go into halftime with Webster up by one point, 2019.

The second half is when the Tigers stepped it up a notch scoring 31 points, while Unity stayed about the same as their first half with 16 total points.

Webster’s Beth Baer hit shots for her team throughout the game, with six from the field and seven of her 11 free throws to total 19.

Sam Hogle scored 11 points in the second half to help pull her team ahead, while Amanda Alberg hit a couple good 3-pointers and a field goal for eight during three of the four quarters.

Michelle scored six points, Rose Kopecky added four and Chelsey Bereiter had one free throw.

Webster’s Beth Baer goes up with other teammates and a couple Unity players to get at a rebound. – Photos by Carl Heidel Andrea Thompson was the one scoring for the Unity team throughout the night, with four field goals, three 3pointers and one of two free throws.

Thompson racked up 18 points.

Becca Milligan wasn’t too far behind, putting up 11 points for her team.

Briana Bielmeier contributed one 3pointer and Elizabeth Ebensperger nailed one from the field.

Team Unity Webster

1 2 3 4 F 7 12 10 6 35 10 10 18 13 51 Individual Statistics Unity 2s 3s FTM/A F TP 0 0 1/2 4 1 Tina Edgall Cailin Turner 0 0 0/0 2 0 Brianna Schmid 0 0 0/2 4 0 4 1 0/4 3 11 Becca Milligan Briana Bielmeier 0 1 0/0 1 3 1 0 0/0 2 2 Elizabeth Ebensperger Andrea Thompson 4 3 1/2 2 18 9 5 2/10 18 35 Totals

Webster’s Peter Walsh and Unity’s Sam Bengston scramble after a loose ball during their match Friday night.

Webster Samantha Hogle Amanda Alberg Kathryn Krause Chelsey Bereiter Reba Smallwood Beth Baer Rose Kopecky Michelle Gibbs Mary Johnson Totals

2s 5 1 0 0 0 6 0 2 1 15

3s FTM/A F 0 1/3 3 2 0/0 2 0 0/0 3 0 1/2 0 0 0/2 3 0 7/10 3 1 1/2 0 0 2/4 1 0 0/0 0 3 12/23 15

TP 11 8 0 1 0 19 4 6 2 51

Webster 56, Unity 42 WEBSTER – The Tiger boys dominated the game against Unity from the beginning and pulled off their eighth conference win, 56-42, on Friday, Feb. 1.

While Webster’s Brian Gibbs nailed 10 of his 16 points during the first quarter, and Dylan Geske and Adam Baum each hit a field goal to bring the Tigers up to 14. Unity’s Chad Strilzuk, Brady Flaherty and Lance Peper each hit one from the field to end the Eagle’s first with six.

The second quarter scoring was mostly through free throws. Webster made nine of 10 and Unity made six out of six, which helped each team add up points, but the Tigers were able to widen the gap further, 29-16.

Unity stayed close with Webster in scoring in the second half, 27-26, but wasn’t able to put enough to pull ahead and lead.

Brian Thill scored 17 for his Tiger team, making 100 percent of his seven free throws was a big part. Adam Baum added eight points with four free throws and two field goals.

The other points scored were spread out throughout the entire Webster team.

They made 80 percent of their total free throws.

Unity’s points were contributed by many of the athletes on the Eagles team.

Justin Bader put up nine points, and Brady Flaherty scored seven with three field goals and one free throw.

Both Strilzuk and Ryan Flaherty scored six, and Sam Bengtson and Peper added five.

1 2 3 4 F 6 10 11 15 42 14 15 15 12 56 Individual Statistics Unity 2s 3s FTM/A F TP 1 0 3/3 1 5 Sam Bengston Seth McKenzie 1 0 0/0 1 2 3 0 0/1 3 6 Chad Strilzuk Justin Bader 3 0 3/5 5 9 Ryan Flaherty 2 0 2/5 4 6 0 0 2/2 1 2 Eric Goulet Brady Flaherty 3 0 1/3 2 7 0 0 0/2 0 0 Elliot St. Amand Lance Peper 2 0 1/2 2 5 15 0 12/23 19 42 Totals Team Unity Webster

Webster Peter Walsh Brian Gibbs Nick Wolfe AJ Holmquist Quentin Johnson Mitchell Elliott Dylan Geske Brian Thill Alex Main Adam Baum Totals

2s 1 4 1 1 0 0 2 5 1 2 17

3s FTM/A F 0 0/0 0 2 2/3 0 0 0/2 1 0 0/0 4 0 0/0 2 0 2/2 0 0 0/0 4 0 7/7 3 0 1/3 0 0 4/4 4 2 16/21 18

TP 2 16 2 2 0 2 4 17 3 8 56

Pirate boys sail past Clayton Bears Grantsburg girls fall to Clayton Grantsburg 67, Clayton 58

by Brenda Sommerfeld CLAYTON – Seven of Grantsburg’s 11 boy varsity players scored in their 67-58 win against Clayton on Friday, Feb. 1.

Five were in the double digits in the close game.

The Pirates had a one-point lead, 2726, going into halftime, but were able to widen it out in the third, scoring 18 to Clayton’s 11 and 22 in the fourth to the Bear’s 21.

Shawn Pavlik was a big part of why it stayed so close in the first half, with him scoring 11 of his 13 points. Tyler Myers took that place in the second half, scoring all of his 12 points in the last two quarters.

Connar Goetz put up 10 points, all in the fourth quarter. Ben Larson and Jason Jensen both also added 10, spread out over the game, while Kevin Johnson and Trent Bonneville each made six points for their team.

Team Grantsburg Clayton

1 2 3 4 F 12 15 18 22 67 12 14 11 21 58 Individual Statistics Grantsburg 2s 3s FTM/A F TP Kevin Johnson 1 1 1/3 4 6 Connar Goetz 3 1 1/1 1 10 Ben Larson 4 0 2/2 2 10 Shawn Pavlik 5 1 0/2 2 13 Tyler Myers 4 1 1/3 1 12 Jason Jensen 5 0 0/0 3 10 Trent Bonneville 2 0 2/2 4 6 Totals 24 4 7/13 17 67 Clayton Brandon Schaffer Tyler Ketz Derek Stesniak Derek Effertz Ryan Zemke Jordan Anderson Jordan LaBlanc Totals

2s 2 2 1 2 5 2 2 16

3s FTM/A F 0 1/2 0 0 0/0 1 0 4/4 1 4 2/2 2 0 2/2 3 0 5/6 4 0 0/0 1 4 14/16 12

TP 5 4 6 18 12 9 4 58

Clayton 80, Grantsburg 40 CLAYTON – The Clayton Bears girls team scored twice as many points as Grantsburg during the Pirates, 80-40, loss on Friday, Feb. 1.

Clayton took off with a big lead of 247 after the first quarter and put up numbers in the double digits, while holding Grantsburg to a high of 15 in the fourth quarter.

Kortney Morrin was the Pirate’s lead scorer and the only one to get in the double digits for her team with 10 points, while Megan Finch scored eight, Stephanie Jensen helped with seven and Vanessa Kleiss put up six.

Abbey Vaksdal, Sarah Wald and Alison McKinley also each added a few to get the girls score up to 40.

Team Grantsburg Clayton

1 2 3 4 F 7 9 9 15 40 24 19 19 18 80 Individual Statistics Grantsburg 2s 3s FTM/A F TP Abbey Vaksdal 1 0 0/0 1 2 Sarah Wald 0 1 0/0 1 3 Kortney Morrin 1 2 2/2 3 10 Megan Finch 1 1 3/6 3 8 Stephanie Jensen 3 0 1/7 2 7 Vanessa Kleiss 3 0 0/0 2 6 Alison McKinley 2 0 0/2 0 4 Gretchen Hedlund 0 0 0/0 1 0 Laura Skifstad 0 0 0/0 2 0 Totals 11 4 6/17 15 40 Clayton Annie Grossenbacher Shelby Reindahl Missy Trepanier Danielle Reindahl Ashley Grossenbacher Brittni Hover Becca Paulson Kayla Anderson Clarianne Thompson Totals

2s 1 1 3 4 2 3 4 4 4 26

3s FTM/A F 0 0/0 0 0 0/0 1 1 0/0 1 0 1/3 0 1 0/0 4 2 3/3 1 3 3/9 0 0 0/0 5 0 0/0 1 7 7/15 13

TP 2 2 9 9 7 15 20 8 8 80

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Strilzuk signs with UMD football program Will join brother Cole on Bulldog roster

by Marty Seeger BALSAM LAKE – Unity High School senior Chad Strilzuk signed a national letter of intent on Wednesday, Feb. 6, to play football for the Division 2 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in the fall of 2008. Strilzuk will be joining his brother, Cole, who won the starting corner position last season as a sophomore. Cole is a 2005 graduate of Unity High School.

“It’ll be fun,” said Strilzuk about the acceptance. “Finally I get a year with my brother.”

Last season the Bulldogs went 3-5 in the North Central Conference, and posted a 4-6 overall record, but will no longer be a part of NCC. Next season the Bulldogs will join the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and hopes are high for the team to be conference contenders next fall. Stilzuk will be playing under the direction of former UMD athletic director, and now head coach Bob Nielsen, who is a former UW-Eau Claire coach. Nielson coached UMD from 1999-2003 and produced the best winning percentage in school history.

The Eagles made a similar change in conferences as the Bulldogs this past season by moving out of a very tough Heart of the North conference and into the Large Lakeland.

“It was a fun year,” Strilzuk said.

Chad Strilzuk busts out on a kick return during the fall 2007 season against Chetek. - Photo by Marty Seeger Strilzuk had a great season for the Eagles. He posted 1,076 yards rushing, 769 yards passing and 1,924 yards of total offense. Defensively, he added 70 solo tackles, and had 98 assisted tackles.

He led the Large Lakeland in tackles as well as scoring, with 103 total points.

He was the first team all-conference quarterback and made the second team all-conference as a linebacker.

Strilzuk drew interest from several schools including the Badgers, yet playing time was an important factor, his brother Cole and the location of UMD.

Chad Strilzuk (front) is proud to have recently signed onto a football scholarship with the University of Minnesota-Duluth football team. Also pictured are (L to R): Athletic director Dennis Anderson, parents Brenda and Greg Strilzuk, and Unity head football coach Dave Anderson. - Photo submitted “I’ve been up there quite a few times, and I really like that area up there,” Strilzuk added that it’s far enough away from home, yet close enough to come back. He’s met some friends in the area as well.

Strilzuk was a three-year starter at Unity, he currently plays basketball and will run track in the spring to get him ready and in shape for the fall. The UMD scholarship is accepting Strilzuk at the safety position and it is still unde-

cided if he’ll red shirt as a freshman or play right away.

“This year they have two seniors at safety so it’ll be pretty tough to get that,” Strilzuk said. Next season could be different, and Strilzuk is excited for the opportunity. If the safety position doesn’t work this season, Strilzuk could see playing time on special teams. Plus, he’s got a good role model in his brother Cole, who’ll be able coach him into the program.

Wildcat boys/girls clinch conference titles Top six will prepare for section at Giants Ridge

by Marty Seeger TAYLORS FALLS, Minn. – The Chisago Lakes-SCF ski team traveled to Grand Rapids, Minn., last Thursday and were greeted with another blast of cold temperatures. They were scheduled to ski on the Tuesday before, but it was appropriately cancelled. Thursday was no different, yet the team was delayed only an hour at the start of the race as temps dropped to minus 11.

The boys got off to another great start according to coach Dan Raedeke, with Mark Sandgren leading the team in third place. Tim Johnson, Steve Wagner and Allen Nickelson took eighth, 13th and 14th overall to round out the top four boys.

“This was Mark’s best showing to date,” Raedeke said. “He really stepped it up, (and) it was fun to watch him.”

The girls team raced a close one on the same night, and lost to Brainerd by just 2.5 points. Simone Raedeke finished strong once again in first place, and Amanda Angel, Katy Boyer and Melinda Beyer gave the best showings

The Chisago Lakes-St. Croix Falls boys and girls ski teams hoist up their conference trophies earned this season.

The boys won their sixth-straight title, and the girls won their eighth-straight title. - Photos by Dan Raedeke for the Wildcats with eighth, 13th and 14th respectively. Coach Raedeke said Kate Wright had a great day, taking 23rd.

Conference champs once again!

On Friday, Feb. 1, the Wildcats claimed conference titles for both boys and girls teams in the last conference race of the season. It marks the sixthconsecutive conference title for the boys and eighth for the girls.

The eight different conference teams raced in a new format this season.

Racers competed against the top athletes in the conference every week, and

according to coach Raedeke it only helped to make a more competitive season.

“I think it made the athletes better and stronger,” Raedeke said.

The athletes race on two different runs on two different courses and are given 30 minutes to study each one. The two times are added up to determine the winner.

“The athlete must be both physically and mentally prepared,” Raedeke said.

The boys celebrated their undefeated season with help from Sandgren, who led the team in first place out of 80 different racers. All top 10 finishers

received medals.

Johnson and Nickelson finished ninth and 10th.

Other boys near the top included Philip Bottjen, Steve Wagner, Joe Cartier and Corbin Peterson with 11th, 13th, 14th and 15th-place finishes respectively.

The girls took another first-place finish, with Simone Raedeke taking firstplace overall. Katy Garbe, Angel and Melinda Beyer received medals with their second-, fifth-and sixth-place finishes. Wright, Rayer and Boyer took the 11th, 14th and 20th spots.

The Wildcats next race was the section scheduled for Giants Ridge on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

SCF takes LFG in Thursday dual St. Croix Falls 43, LFG 22 ST. CROIX FALLS – The Saints hosted the Luck/Frederic/Grantsburg team for a dual match on Thursday, Jan. 11. There was no shortage of excitement for any wrestling fan as each match proved to be close and all the athletes wrestled hard.

“Even though we lost, it was a fun match to watch,” said Luck coach Chris

Bartlett.

Joe Raygor defeated Chris Aldrich in the first match of the evening. Raygor won by injury default. Luck’s Russel Harr defeated Will Springer in the following match 9-1 and SCF’s Ryan Jaremczuk defeated Jeff Gackle in a close one 7-6. Max Musial received a pin

See Wrestling/ page 24

The Saints team and coaches cheer on a teammate in last Thursday's dual against LFG. - Photo by Marty Seeger

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Luck boys trample Dragons Siren gals get 30 from Carley Emery

1 2 3 4 F 4 1 9 11 25 10 15 21 14 60 Individual Statistics Siren 2s 3s FTM/A F TP Jesse Hinze 0 0 0/0 2 0 2 2 1/2 5 11 Adam Daniels 0 0 0/0 1 0 Jordan Potvin Travis Freese 2 0 0/0 1 4 Vince Nasman 1 0 0/0 2 2 4 0 0/0 3 8 Charlie Brown Totals 9 2 1/2 14 25

Team Siren Luck

Luck 60, Siren 25

by Marty Seeger LUCK – The Cardinal boys basketball team bounced back from their loss against Webster and beat Siren handily last Friday night. Brennan Olson led the team with 16 points, and Mitchell Klatt added 11 points to the total.

Defensively, Luck was sound as they held the Dragons to just one point in the second quarter and five total in the first half.

Adam Daniels scored 11 points for Siren, and Charlie Brown added eight for the Dragons. Siren hosts Solon Springs next Tuesday night, and Luck travels to Frederic in Thursday night action.

Siren 71, Luck 48 LUCK – The Dragon girls took an easy win over the Cardinals last Friday night with the help of Carley Emery, who piled on 30 points to go along with a perfect free-throw performance making eight for eight.

“Siren makes the game look easy,” said Luck coach Marty Messar. “They make plays, and though we play hard, we make mistakes.”

Siren took a 12-point lead after the first quarter and continued to stretch their lead as the game progressed.

Ashley Guevara had 13 points, and Lynette Renberg added 11 points on the night.

Messar said the team tried to hold down the Emery sisters the entire night,

Luck Mitchell Klatt Harlan Opitz Cody Richert

Harry Severson-Dickinson

Cole Mortel Tyler Petersen Brennan Olson Alec Mortel Carson Giller Totals

2s 4 1 5 1 1 3 8 2 0 25

3s FTM/A F TP 0 3/3 0 11 0 0/0 3 2 1 0/0 0 13 0 1/2 0 3 0 0/0 0 2 0 0/0 1 6 0 0/0 2 16 0 0/0 1 4 1 0/0 2 3 2 4/5 9 60

Team Siren Luck

1 2 3 4 F 21 12 18 20 71 12 9 11 16 48 Individual Statistics 2s 3s FTM/A F TP Siren Haily Mulroy 0 0 3/4 1 3 3 0 0/1 5 6 Jennifer Mitchell Courtney Daniels 0 1 1/2 0 4 5 4 8/8 3 30 Carley Emery 1 0 2/2 4 4 Janey Emery 5 0 1/6 5 11 Lynette Renberg 5 1 0/2 2 13 Ashley Guevara Totals 19 6 15/25 20 71

Luck’s Briana Stage gets a look over Siren’s Lynette Renberg. — Photo by Lori Nelson

Luck’s Brennan Olson dunks the ball during their game against Siren.

— Photo by Sue Tolan and while the team held Janey Emery to just four points, sister Carley took advantage.

“She’s the real deal!” Messar said. “As

a freshman, she shows great court awareness and basketball IQ.” Luck had a nice offensive game and coach Messar was pleased with putting up 48 points. Taryn Pilz scored 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Sarah Petersen had 10 points on the night, and Megan Hacker added eight.

“I’m proud of our effort against Siren,” Messar added. Luck now posts a

Luck Erica Wilson Briana Stage Melissa Jenssen Megan Hacker Sarah Petersen Taryn Pilz Krystal Stage Totals

2s 2 1 1 4 3 8 0 19

3s FTM/A F 0 0/0 3 0 2/4 3 0 0/0 1 0 0/2 1 0 4/12 5 0 4/9 2 0 0/0 2 0 10/27 17

TP 4 4 2 8 10 20 0 48

record of 5-10 this season, and Siren sits on top of the conference at 8-1.

Monday nonconference basketball Clayton 58, Unity 51

by Marty Seeger CLAYTON – The Eagles hung tight with the Bears on Monday night despite being down by nearly 10 points in each quarter.

“We had the game within three with a minute to go or so and couldn’t get our shots to fall,” commented Eagles coach Shaun Fisher.

Fisher said Clayton was able to hit four free throws to win by the seven points after Unity was forced to foul to gain back possession of the ball. Justin Bader had another solid game for the Eagles with his 17 points, and Sam Bengston added eight points. Ryan Flaherty added five points toward the team total.

Unity hosts Grantsburg this Friday, Feb. 8.

Luck 45, Clear Lake 38 LUCK – The Cardinals gave the Warriors their third loss the season on Monday night in nonconference action.

Clear Lake still sits undefeated in the Central Lakeland standings over Team Unity Clayton Unity Sam Bengston Seth McKenzie Chad Strilzuk Justin Bader Ryan Flaherty Eric Goulet Brady Flaherty Lance Peper Totals

1 2 3 4 F 8 12 15 16 51 13 16 14 15 58 Individual Statistics 2s 3s FTM/A F TP 1 2 0/0 1 8 2 0 0/0 1 4 5 0 1/2 2 11 8 0 1/2 2 17 2 0 1/2 3 5 0 0 0/0 2 0 2 0 0/2 2 4 1 0 0/2 2 2 21 2 3/10 15 51

Clayton Brandon Schaffer Tyler Ketz Derek Stesniak Derek Effertz Ryan Zemke Jordan Anderson Jordan LaBlanc Totals

2s 1 0 3 2 2 4 1 13

3s FTM/A F TP 0 0/0 0 2 4 0/0 2 12 0 1/1 2 7 2 4/4 0 14 0 0/1 3 4 2 2/4 1 16 0 1/2 1 3 8 8/12 9 58

Clayton who has just two losses in conference. The win was a solid one for the Cards.

“A tough game against a very good Clear Lake team,” said coach Rick Giller.

Giller said Harry Severson-Dickinson was able to hit a pair of threes before the half, and Brennan Olson was cleaning up on the boards. Severson-Dickinson led the team in a balanced scoring game with 11 points, and Cody Richert added nine. Olson ended up with eight points on the night. Luck travels to Frederic for a doubleheader this Thursday night.

Webster 56, Birchwood 30 WEBSTER – The Tiger boys held their opponent, Birchwood, to 30 points during Webster’s, 56-30, win on Monday, Feb. 4.

The Tigers started out strong, taking a 19-6 lead in the first quarter and keept it up to be ahead 19 points going into the halftime break.

Birchwood was held to under 10 points in every quarter, while Webster scored above 10 in three of the four quarters.

Team Clear Lake Luck

1 2 3 4 F 14 4 8 12 38 13 8 10 14 45 Individual Statistics Clear Lake 2s 3s FTM/A F TP Jake Smith 0 0 0/0 3 0 Lance Winegar 4 0 4/5 1 12 Josh Wikboldt 3 0 4/4 4 10 Matt Thayer 0 1 0/0 0 3 Mitch Gorres 0 0 0/0 3 0 Vance Friendshuh 6 0 1/1 3 13 Totals 13 1 9/10 14 38 Luck Mitchell Klatt Cody Richert

2s 2 3 Harry Severson-Dickinson 1 Nick Morgan 0 Tyler Petersen 2 Brennan Olson 4 Carson Giller 2 Totals 14

3s FTM/A F TP 0 2/6 1 6 0 3/3 0 9 3 0/4 1 11 0 0/0 1 0 1 0/0 5 7 0 0/2 2 8 0 0/0 0 4 4 5/15 10 45

Brian Gibbs led the Tiger team with 15 points, while many of his teammates contributed points throughout. A.J. Holmquist added eight to the scoreboard in the first half. Dylan Geske and Brian Thill each scored two field goals and a 3-pointer for seven points each.

Adam Baum made five points and Nolan Kriegle had four during the night. – Brenda Sommerfeld Frederic 59, Rush City 38 RUSH CITY, MINN. – The Vikings girls took another win to give them 13 overall wins in the season, when they traveled across the state line to play Rush City, Minn., in their modified way of play. They won the game, 59-38, during the two 18 minute halves instead of four quarters.

“We struggled first half up,” coach Troy Wink stated. “We missed a lot of close shots and had too many fouls.”

The first half started out with Frederic only being ahead one point, 21-20, but Team Birchwood Webster

1 2 3 4 6 6 9 9 19 12 19 6 Individual Statistics Birchwood 2s 3s FTM/A Phillip Stoeklen 1 1 1/3 Zach Burch 3 0 0/0 Eric Hrdlicka 4 0 0/0 Sam Riedell 0 0 0/2 Tyler Sundby 2 0 0/0 Troy Bemis 3 0 0/0 Dominic Disimone 0 0 0/0 Totals 13 1 1/5 Webster Peter Walsh Brian Gibbs Nick Wolfe AJ Holmquist Quentin Johnson Mitchell Elliott Dylan Geske Brian Thill Kyle Godfrey Alex Main Nolan Kriegle Adam Baum Totals

2s 0 3 1 4 0 1 2 2 0 0 1 2 16

F 30 56 F TP 0 6 2 6 3 8 0 0 1 4 0 6 1 0 7 30

3s FTM/A F TP 0 0/0 1 0 3 0/0 1 15 0 0/0 2 2 0 0/0 0 8 0 0/0 1 0 0 0/0 1 2 1 0/0 0 7 1 0/0 1 7 1 0/0 3 3 1 0/0 0 3 0 2/3 1 4 0 1/1 1 5 7 3/4 12 56

they turned things around in the second to score 38 more while keeping Rush City in the low numbers with just 18.

“We cleared it all up in the second half,” Wink said. “We played one of our better halves of the year. Good overall team effort.”

Becca Anderson contributed the most with 12 points, three field goals and two of her outside-the-arc shots. Erin Schmidt put up most of her 10 points during the first half, while getting 10 rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Ana Miller and Melanie Chenal each scored many of their nine the second part of the game.

Four was the number for four of the girls. Kelly Wondra, Anna Tesch and Chrissy Chenal each scored with two from the field, while Michelle Owens made one field goal and two of her two free-throw attempts. Adrianna Otte scored three for her team with a 3-pointer. – Brenda Sommerfeld Team 1st Half 2nd Half F Frederic 21 38 59 Rush City, Minn.

20 18 38 Individual Statistics Frederic 2s 3s FTM/A F TP Ana Miller 3 1 0/3 0 9 Kelly Wondra 2 0 0/0 0 4 Erin Schmidt 5 0 0/0 3 10 Adrianna Otte 0 1 0/0 0 3 Melanie Chenal 4 0 1/1 4 9 Becca Anderson 3 2 0/0 1 12 Michelle Owens 1 0 2/2 0 4 Anna Tesch 2 0 0/0 0 4 Chrissy Chenal 2 0 0/0 0 4 Totals 22 4 3/6 8 59 Rush City, Minn.

Laura Weber Chelsea Kirchberg Jenna Scheffer Chenoa Fields Brittany Scheffer Andrea Becker April Kjelland Megan Drevecky Amy Carlson Totals

2s 1 1 2 1 4 0 2 0 1 11

3s FTM/A F TP 0 0/0 0 2 0 0/0 1 2 0 0/0 0 4 0 2/2 3 4 0 6/10 1 14 0 0/0 1 0 0 0/0 0 4 1 0/0 0 3 1 0/0 1 5 2 8/12 7 38

PAGE 24 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

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The Burnett County Bulldogs wrestled at the Amery Youth Tournament, Saturday, Jan. 26. The team placed third, just two points shy of taking first place. Pictured Front row (L to R): Carson Knutson Pre-K, Brett Anderson fourth grade, Spencer Louis fourth grade, Austin Louis kindergarten, Jason Peterson Jr. first grade, Kyle Ibarra second grade, Taedon Nichols Pre-K, Andy Gorr kindergarten and Ryan Ibarra kindergarten. Middle row: Luke Anderson first grade, Colin Jeske first grade, Sam Woods third grade, Lane Johnson first grade, Elijah Northquest third grade, Elliot Swenson first grade and Alex Ringler kindergarten. Back row: Cohl Ringler third grade, Dakota Schultz third grade, Austin Swenson sixth grade and Joseph Gaffney sixth grade. The Bulldogs next team tournament will be in Osceola on Feb. 10. – Photo submitted

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The Burnett Blizzard Mite A hockey team took first place in the tournament that Taylor Excavating sponsored in Siren during the weekend of Jan. 26-27.

They defeated Cumberland, 10-1, Ashland, 9-2, and Pine City, Minn., 8-5, during the two days. Jordan Larson was awarded three hat-trick patches, while Andrew Ruiz and Tanner Buck each received one and David Doty and Buck each got a playmaker patch. Pictured Front Row: Heather Struck. Second Row (L to R): Lucas Hunter, Logan Lillehaug, Darbi Young, Jenna Ruiz and Jaden Denotter. Third Row: Gavin Schneider, Jordan Larson, David Doty, Logan Meagher, Brenton Nelson, Andrew Ruiz and Tanner Buck. Back Row: Coaches Al Pomerleau, Mike Taylor and Ruben Ruizm. – Photo submitted

More nonconference bball games Team Unity Clear Lake Unity Sam Bengston Chad Strilzuk Justin Bader Ryan Flaherty Brady Flaherty Lance Peper Totals

1 2 3 4 F 1 11 16 11 39 14 16 19 9 58 Individual Statistics 2s 3s FTM/A F TP 0 2 1/2 0 7 3 0 5/8 0 11 1 0 5/6 1 7 0 1 3/4 4 6 2 0 2/4 3 6 1 0 0/0 3 2 7 3 16/24 11 39

Clear Lake Jake Smith Lance Winegar Josh Wickboldt Matt Thayer Mitch Gorres Vance Friendshuh Jake Violet Kenny Danielson Totals

2s 0 4 9 0 0 4 0 0 17

3s FTM/A F TP 0 1/2 2 1 0 1/3 4 9 0 3/5 4 21 3 0/0 1 9 3 0/0 0 9 0 0/0 3 8 0 1/4 2 1 0 0/0 2 0 6 7/14 18 58

Clear Lake 58, Unity 39

by Marty Seeger CLEAR LAKE – The Unity boys traveled to Clear Lake for a makeup game against Clear Lake last Thursday, Jan. 31. The Warriors currently sit on top of the Central Lakeland conference with a 9-0 conference record, and they proved their toughness by defeating the Eagles with ease.

Unity could only get one point in the first quarter, but managed to score 11 in the second to make it a Clear Lake 27-12 lead at the half. The Eagles had a better third quarter, yet couldn’t contain the Warriors, with 19 points in the third.

Chad Strilzuk led the Eagles with 11 points, with Justin Bader and Sam Bengston adding seven points. Ryan and Brady Flaherty each scored six on the night.

1 2 3 4 F 11 8 15 15 49 18 4 8 17 47 Individual Statistics Frederic 2s 3s FTM/A F TP 1 1 1/2 1 6 Ana Miller Kelly Wondra 1 1 1/3 2 6 3 0 2/6 5 8 Erin Schmidt Melanie Chenal 7 0 6/6 3 20 1 1 3/4 3 8 Becca Anderson 0 0 1/2 0 1 Michelle Owens Totals 13 3 14/23 14 49

Team Frederic Solon Springs

Frederic 49, Solon Springs 47 SOLON SPRINGS – Kelly Wondra sunk a buzzer beater from beyond the arc in Tuesday night’s game at Solon Springs. Coach Troy Wink explained that Solon Springs went up with just seven seconds left in the game and went ahead by one point. The Vikings took a time-out and Becca Anderson dribbled it out to full court, passed the ball to Wondra at the top of the key and she sunk the 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded off.

“We didn’t play great,” Wink admitted. “Struggled at times, but held it together.” Wink said it was a great effort by both teams.

Melanie Chenal led the team in scoring with 20 points. Becca Anderson and Erin Schmidt added eight and Ana Miller and Wondra contributed six. The Viking boys and girls host Luck this Thursday evening.

Cumberland 51, Unity 31 UNITY – The Unity girls fell to Cumberland on Tuesday night, with Andrea Thompson piling on 11 points

1 2 3 4 F 11 13 6 9 39 21 10 14 14 59 Individual Statistics Shell Lake 2s 3s FTM/A F TP 2 1 0/0 0 7 J.M. McQuade B. Schew 1 0 0/0 0 2 0 0 0/0 2 0 J. Forsyth J. Cusick 3 2 0/0 0 12 0 0 0/0 1 0 B. Marshall 0 2 2/4 5 8 E. Fox T. Mikela 1 0 0/0 2 2 2 0 4/4 4 8 L. Gronning Totals 9 5 6/8 14 39

1 2 3 4 F 8 12 20 11 51 3 11 8 9 31 Individual Statistics 2s 3s FTM/A F TP Cumberland 0 2 1/2 4 7 Bridget Ranallo Natalie Gagner 2 1 0/0 0 7 0 0 4/6 3 4 Jamie Lundequam Sarah Mann 2 0 0/0 0 4 7 0 1/4 4 15 Amber Mathison Hillary Zimmer 0 0 0/0 1 0 0 0 3/6 1 3 Carissa Mathison 1 0 3/4 1 5 Krissy Gotch Totals 15 3 12/22 21 51

Team Shell Lake Luck

Unity Tina Edgell Cailin Turner Brianna Schmid Becca Milligan Stephanie Kothlow Elizabeth Ebensperger Briana Bielmeier Andrea Thompson Totals

Luck Mitchell Klatt Cody Richert

Team Cumberland Unity

2s 2 0 1 2 1 0 0 2 8

3s FTM/A F TP 0 5/10 4 9 0 0/0 1 0 0 0/2 0 2 0 3/7 4 7 0 0/0 1 2 0 0/0 2 0 0 0/0 2 0 1 4/5 4 11 1 12/24 18 31

and Tina Edgell adding nine.

Cumberland led by six points at the half and didn’t look back in the second, as the Eagles struggled to get things going in the third.

“Once again we lost the game in the third quarter,” said coach Chuck Holicky “It was a very physical game and we lost our poise. Holicky said that Edgell had a great game and played with great intensity.

Harry Severson-Dickinson

Cole Mortel Nick Morgan Tyler Petersen Brennan Olson Alec Mortel Carson Giller Totals

2s 2 3 0 1 1 5 4 1 0 17

3s FTM/A F TP 0 0/0 0 4 2 2/2 0 14 4 1/2 0 13 0 0/0 1 2 0 0/0 1 2 0 4/6 2 14 0 0/0 0 8 0 0/0 1 2 0 0/0 0 0 6 7/10 5 59

charging,” said Luck coach Rick Giller.

“They (Shell Lake) didn’t play like a team that had only won only two games.”

Harry Severson-Dickinson has been shooting well from the outside lately and had four against Shell Lake. Tyler Petersen and Cody Richert led with 14 points apiece, and Severson-Dickinson added 13.

Luck 59, Shell Lake 39 LUCK – The Cardinals took a win over Shell Lake Tuesday night, and although the Lakers won just two games this season so far, they came at Luck with everything they had.

“We came out flat and they came out

Wrestling/continued over Saints wrestler Brian Backus, and the Saints 103-pounder came back to win over Austin Eskola.

Nick Campbell defeated Lakeysha Schallenberger 8-4 and the Saints took a 21-16 lead. It didn’t take Justin Rikkola long to pin John Schneider, and Taylor Sempf won another close match for the Saints over Ben Ackerley of Frederic.

Justin Eley pinned Mike Kingery to put points on the board for Luck, and in the following match, Shaw Amundson defeated Joe Grovum 3-1. Cardinal Landen Strilzuk was defeated by Dan Larson handily by a score of 14-0 and Tobias Otto was pinned by SCF wrestler Jesse Wilson to end the night.

“Our kids really showed some heart,” said Bartlett. “Hopefully we will start winning the close matches. Every kid gave 100 percent.”

LFGs Ben Ackerley (top) had the upper hand in a close match at one point,, but Taylor Sempf pulled through with a nice victory. – Photos by Marty Seeger

Shaw Amundson flips LFGs Joe Grovum last Thursday night.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 25

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Youth hockey results Burnett Youth Hockey February 1

Saves: Bailey Mangen (12)

Squirt A

U-12 Girls

Chippewa Fall, Burnett 0

Saves: Hope Tucker (19)

Bantam

Princeton 5, Gburg/Burnett 0

February 2

PeeWee A

Blizzard 7, Pine City, Minn., 3

Goals: Aaron Dietmeier (3), Brian Billings (2), Ryan Curtis, Matt Larson Assists: Ryan Curtis, Alex Hopkins, Brian Billings, Matt Larson Saves: Jimmy Richison (17)

PeeWee B

Blizzard 3, Eau Claire 3 Goals: Jenna Curtis, Max Norman, Brett Richison Assists: Vinny Larson

Saves: Bailey Mangen (30)

Blizzard 1, Superior 0

Goals: Kyle Roberts Saves: Brandon Roufs (26)

Tomahawk 4, Blizzard 3

Goals: Joe Engelhart (2), Jordan Sargent Saves: Thomas Labatt (37)

U-12 Girls

M&M Thunder 4, Burnett 3

Goals: Jaylicia Larson (2), Wendy Roberts Assists: Ashley Dietmeier, Kassie Lien, Johanna Lauer Saves: Hope Tucker (15)

A R E A At Hacker’s Lanes

Sunday Afternoon Mixed Standings: D & B’s 33, Gems 32, The Hee Haws 30, Spare-Us 28, Hot Shots 25, Sandbaggers 20.

Women’s games: Jen Renfroe (The Hee Haws) 210, Edla Meyer (Sandbaggers) 198, Gail Linke (The Hee Haws) 197. series: Edla Meyer Women’s (Sanbaggers) 526, Jen Renfroe (The Hee Haws) 519, Gail Linke (The Hee Haws) 518.

Men’s games: Bruce Gravelle (D&B’s) 242, Chuck Moyer (Sandbaggers) 223, Scott Morrison (Gems) 196.

Men’s series: Bruce Gravelle (D&B’s) 702, Scott Morrison (Gems) 569, Chuck Moyer (Sandbaggers) 515.

Team games: The Hee Haws 859, Sandbaggers 845, D & B’s 822.

Team series: Sanbaggers 2488, The Hee Haws 2459, Spare-Us 2388.

Consecutive strikes (5 or more): Bruce Gravelle (5).

Games 50 or more above average: Edla Meyer (+55); Chuck Moyer (+65).

Splits converted: 5-7: Mark Loomis. 2-7: Melinda Linke. 6-7-10: Barb Morgan.

Sunday Night No-Tap Mixed Couples Standings: Long Shots, Knaubers, Jeff’s Team, Packer Backers, Late Comers, Happy Campers, No Names, Chuck’s Team.

Women’s games: Sandy King (CT) 277, Sheila Hansen (JT) 276, Lois Murphy (LS) 253.

Women’s series: Sandy King (CT) 668, Sheila Hansen (JT) 624, Yvonne Snyder (HC) 608.

Men’s games: Jim Murphy (LS) 300 & 290, Chuck Kruse (CT) 287.

Men’s series: Jim Murphy (LS) 833, Chris Rowell (NN) 786, Chuck Kruse (CT) 759.

Team games: Long Shots 892, Jeff’s Team 859, Happy Campers 853.

Team series: Long Shots 2558, Jeff’s Team 2348, Chuck’s Team 2269.

Monday Afternoon Seniors Standings: Swans 12, Nite Hawks 10, Bears 8, Eagles 7, Badgers 4.

Women’s games: Joan Anderson (NH) 167, Lila Larson (Badgers) 151, Nancy Morten (Bears) & Hilda Trudeau (sub) 140.

Women’s series: Joan Anderson (NH) 429, Nancy Morten (Bears) 414, Lila Larson (Badgers) 412.

Men’s games: Chuck Moyer (Eagles) 222, Dennis Bohn (NH) 211, Tom Johnson (NH) 202.

Men’s series: Dennis Bohn (NH) 584, Chuck Moyer (Eagles) 577, Tom Johnson (NH) 556.

Team games: Nite Hawks 736, Swans 615, Bears 610.

Team series: Nite Hawks 2105, Bears 1776, Swans 1733.

Monday Night Ladies Standings: Hacker’s Lanes 27, Miller Chicks 25, Radio Shack 23, House of Wood 20, The Bottle Shop 19, Mane Attractions 12, S&C Bank 12, Bye 2.

Individual games: Sandy Hacker (HL) 204, Kelly Schmidt (MC) 201, Robin Lindvall (BS) 197.

Individual series: Sandy Hacker (HL) 576, Kelly Schmidt (MC) 518, Robin LIndvall (BS) 500.

Team games: The Bottle Shop 638, Miller Chicks 637, Hacker’s Lanes 622.

Team series: Hacker’s Lanes 1803, Radio Shack 1736, Miller Chicks 1723.

Tuesday Youth (2 games) Standings: Double Headers 6, Pin Heads 6, Pin Patrol 0, Pin Destroyers 0.

Girl’s games: None.

Girl’s series: None.

Boy’s games: Jaryd Braden 150, Austin Kurkowski 140, Zach Schmidt 140.

Boy’s series: Jaryd Braden 262, Austin Kurkowski 261, Zach Schmidt 258.

Team games: Pin Heads 349, Double Headers 349, Pin Patrol 330.

Team series: Pin Heads 676, Double

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February 3

Blizzard 5, Barron 4

Goals: Joe Engelhart (2), Tyler Richison, Cody Benedict, Brady McWilliam Assists: Joe Engelhart (2), Jordan Sargent (2), Anthony Dietmeier, Shay Johnson Saves: Brandon Roufs (6), Thomas Labatt (16)

U-12 Girls

Burnett 6, D.C. Diamonds 0

Goals: Ashley Dietmeier (3), Wendy Roberts (2), Paige Johnson Assists: Ashley Dietmeier (2), Paige Johnson (2), Johanna Lauer (2), Wendy Roberts, Brittney Luedtke

Upholstery 2568.

Thursday Late Men’s (1/31/08) Standings: Hog Wild BBQ & Grill 17-3, Fisk Trucking 12-8, Stotz & Company 911, Johnson Upholstery 9-11, Hansen Farms Inc. 7-13.

Individual games: Gene Wynn Jr. 232, Ole Baillargeon 212, Doug Fisk 204.

Individual series: Gene Wynn Jr. 629, Doug Fisk 572, Daryl Bazey 559.

Team games: Stotz & Company 887, Fisk Trucking 846, Hansen Farms Inc. 844.

Team series: Stotz & Company 2569, Hansen Farms Inc. 2508, Fisk Trucking 2456.

Friday Night Ladies Standings: The Leader 26.5, Meyer’s Plus 26, Skol Bar 26, Tin Cup Promotions 19, Hole in the Wall 16.5, Junque Art 12.

Individual games: Karen Carlson 236, Sandy King 204, Kathy Underwood 201.

Individual series: Karen Carlson 608, Missy Hernandez 505, Mary Young 497.

Team games: Skol Bar 697, Junque Art 678, The Leader 645.

Team series: Skol Bar 1938, Junque Art 1909, The Leader 1792.

Games 50 or more above average: Ruth Taylor; Karen Carlson; Sandy King.

Splits converted: 4-8: Val Lindahl. 8-9: Ruth Taylor. 4-9: Val Lindahl.

McKenzie Lanes

Monday Night Madness Standings: State Farm Ins. 28, Pepis’s Gals 26, Osceola Plumbing & Heating 26, Peper Tire & Align. 26, McKenzie Lanes 22, Scottay’s Trucking 22, Alleycats 22, Frederic Larsen Auto 20.

Individual games: Tammy Beckwith 218, Sally Spanel 202, Barbara Benson 192.

Individual series: Linette Erickson 519, Barbara Benson 517, Debbie Swanson 509.

Team games: Peper Tire & Align. 624, Osceola Plumbing & Heating 616, State Farm Ins. 606.

Team series: Peper Tire & Align. 1791, State Farm Ins. 1752, Pepie’s Gals 1717.

Monday Night Ladies Standings: Edina Divas 100.5, Metal Products Co. 100.5, Wolf Creek Log Furniture 96, Sam’s Carpentry 89, Bont Chiropractor 88, Milltown Appliance 84.5, McKenzie Lanes 82, Frederic Truck & Tractor 79.5.

Individual games: Marie Sogge 201, Lois Hermanson 201, Donna Petersen 200.

Individual series: Marsha Guggisberg 520, Dana Amundson 508, Marie Sogge 507.

Team games: (Handicap score) Edina Divas 1000.

Team series: (Handicap score) Wolf Creek Log Furniture 2904.

Tuesday Early Mixed Standings: Still Standing 32, Lane Crashers 28, The Gumegu’s 8, Gutter Gals 8.

Women’s games: Lonnie Curtiss 221, Janice Berg 163, Jan Lehmann 128.

Women’s series: Lonnie Curtiss 561, Janice Berg 403, Jan Lehmann 378.

Men’s games: Erv Lehmann 199, Roy D. Davis 194, Don Ellefson 148.

Men’s series: Erv Lehmann 517, Roy D. Davis 501, Don Ellefson 411.

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NAME: Ben Hendricks SCHOOL: Unity YEAR: Senior COMMENTS: Unity wrestler Ben Hendricks has been having a memorable senior season as the teams 189-pounder. In the conference tournament last weekend in Cameron, Hendricks dominated every match. After a bye in Ben Hendricks the first round, Hendricks pinned the next opponents in 1:26 and 1:36 and went on to win the championship round by an 8-0 decision over Rocky McKittrick of Flambeau. – Marty Seeger

B O W L I N G Headers 664, Pin Patrol 656.

Tuesday Classic Standings: Great Northern Outdoors 46, Bottle Shop 41, Yellow Lake Lodge 33, Hacker’s Lanes 29.5, Pioneer Bar 20, Hog Wild 18.5, Reliables 13, St. Croix Valley Hardwoods 7.

Individual games: Dale Gregory 258, Tom Coen 235, Ron Skow 225.

Individual series: Tom Coen 658, Dale Gregory 632, Ron Skow 618.

Team games: Hacker’s Lanes 669, Great Northern Outdoors 654, Bottle Shop 587.

Team series: Great Northern Outdoors 1887, Hog Wild 1710, Hacker’s Lanes 1709.

Wednesday Afternoon Ladies Standings: Eggs 5-27, Pioneer Bar 4.523.5, Frandsen Dairy 2-17, Hacker’s Lanes 2.5-16.5.

Individual games: Jeanne DesJardins (PB) 224, Laur Fisk (PB) 184, Ruth Sorenson (FD) 172.

Individual series: Jeanne DesJardins (PB) 506, Laur Fisk (PB) 497, JoAnn Tyler (FD) 450.

Team games: Pioneer Bar 692, Frandsen Dairy 601, Pioneer Bar 593.

Team series: Pioneer Bar 1835, Hacker’s Lanes 1700, Frandsen Dairy 1639.

Wednesday Night Early Men’s Standings: Lewis Silo 18, Larsen Auto Center 11, Pioneer Bar 10, Cummings Lumber 10, A-1 Machine 9, Parker 8, Skol Bar 8, Four Seasons Wood Products 6.

Individual games: Norm Hansen (A-1) 278, Dave Romanowski (PB) 255, Shawn Olson (LS) 246.

Individual series: Norm Hansen (A-1) 706, Shawn Olson (LS) 679, Dave Romanowski (PB) 665.

Team games: A-1 Machine 1070 & 1033, Lewis Silo 1005.

Team series: A-2 Machine 2983, Lewis Silo 2926, Cummings Lumber 2792.

Thursday Early 3-Man Standings: Wikstrom Construction (9) 43, Fab Four (10) 36, Full Timers (4) 35, Hell Raisers (11) 34, K-Wood (7) 33, Grindell Law Offices (2) 29, Frontier Trails (6) 28, CenturyTel (3) 22.

Individual games: Mike Sullivan (WC) 279, Don McKinney (FF) & Ed Bitler (KW) 257, John Tinman (HR) 234.

Individual series: Ed Bitler (KW) 698, Mike Sullivan (WC) 672, Don McKinney (FF) 652.

Team games: Fab Four 624, K-Wood 613, Wikstrom Construction 600.

Team series: Wikstrom Construction 1703, Fab Four 1665, K-Wood 1633.

Consecutive strikes (5 or more): Mike Sullivan 9x = 279; Ed Bitler 8x = 251; Don McKinney 6x = 257; Marlin Larson 5x = 215; Dan Carlson 5x = 205; Ed Bitler 5x = 190.

Games 50 or more above average: John Tinman 234 (+94); Mike Sullivan 279 (+79); Marlin Larson 215 (+64); Dan Carlson 205 (+53).

Series 100 or more above average: John Tinman 543 (+123).

Most points: Dave Hall 45.

Splits converted: 4-7-9: Tim Pederson.

3-10: Tim Pederson. 4-5: Jim Wikstrom; Tim Lundmark. 3-6-7-10: Dan Carlson. 27: Tom Vilstrup. 2-10: Brian McBroom. 45-7: Kerry Cook.

Thursday Late Men’s (1//24/08) Standings: Hog Wild BBQ & Grill 13-3, Johnson Upholstery 9-7, Fisk Trucking 88, Hansen Farms Inc. 7-9, Stotz & Company 5-11.

Individual games: Dale Frandsen 227, Doug Johnson & Dennis McKenzie 221, Gene Wynn Jr. & Dave Gabrielson 213.

Individual series: Ole Baillargeon 610, Gene Wynn Jr. 609, Dale Frandsen 599.

Team games: Stotz & Company 921, Johnson Upholstery 892, Hansen Farms Inc. 884.

Team series: Stotz & Company 2645, Hansen Farms Inc. 2577, Johnson

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NAME: Marissa Campeau SCHOOL: St. Croix Falls YEAR: Sophomore COMMENTS: When the Saints leading scorer is having an on night, you can bet that she'll be hard to contain. That was the case in the Saints win over Grantsburg Tuesday night as the sophomore led the team with 29 Marissa Campeau points. While the team has been hitting a few bumps along the road, Campeau has been able to produce good numbers both on offense and on defense. – Marty Seeger

R E S U L T S Team games: Still Standing 548.

Team series: Still Standing 1456.

Tuesday Women’s Day Standings: A-1 Machine 59, Hauge Dental 47, Kassel Tap 47, Custom Outfitter 45, Country Gals 43, Gutter Dusters 39, B&H Builders 39, Bye 21.

Individual games: Kathy Braund 211, Norma Hauge 206, Denise F. Donaghue 202.

Individual series: Jane Smith 548, Kathy Braund 538, Denise F. Donaghue 533.

Team games: (Handicap scores) Hauge Dental 848, Country Gals 833, Kassel Tap 794.

Team series: (Handicap scores) Hauge Dental 2319, Custom Outfitter 2304, Kassel Tap 2297.

Tuesday Night Men’s Standings: McKenzie Lanes 39, Dream Lawn 38, Greatland Trans. 32, Steve’s Appl. 29.5, Nel-Lo-Hill Farm 29, Hack’s Pub 29, The Dugout 23, Glass Bar 20.5.

Individual games: Rick K. Katzmark 279, Bob Rettler 278, Jim McKenzie 259.

Individual series: bob Rettler 715, Rick Fox 684, Darren McKenzie 663.

Team games: (Handicap scores) McKenzie Lanes 1230, Hack’s Pub 1165, Steve’s Appl. 1159.

Team series: (Handicap scores) McKenzie Lanes 3413, Dream Lawn 3346, Hack’s Pub 3316.

Wednesday Early League Standings: Fox Den II 28, Hendrick’s Motor 27, Larsen Auto Frederic 23, Cutting Edge 20, Holiday Stationstores 18, Fox Den 16, Lite House 14, TriCounty Imp. 12.

Women’s games: Debbie Korsan 171, Shirley Ince 165, Janice Fox 161.

Women’s series: Debbie Korsan 491, Jeanne Kizer 441, Patty Walker 438.

Men’s games: Darrell Hendricks 248, Ben Cox 237, Todd Wagner 235.

Men’s series: Darrell Hendricks 668, Todd Wagner 631, Greg Moore 614.

Team games: Fox Den II 712, Lite House 689, Cutting Edge 684.

Team series: Lite House 1948, Fox Den II 1917, Tri-County Imp. 1915.

Wednesday Night Men’s Standings: Harvest Moon 36, McKenzie Lanes 34, Dalles Electric 32, Davy’s Construction 30, Reed’s Marina 22, Hanjo Farms 16, Edina Realty 14, Tiger Express 8.

Individual games: Brandon Winge 269, Rollie Davison 266, Brad Hacker 258.

Individual series: Mike Oryan 677, Brandon Winge 665, Carl Hetfeld 660.

Team games: (Handicap scores) Dalles Electric 1077, Harvest Moon 1068.

Team series: (Handicap scores) Harvet Moon 3036, Davy’s Construction 2909.

Thursday Night Ladies Standings: Hack’s Pub 15, RiverBank 14, Deer Lake Block 13, Balsam Lake Hardware 11, Century 21 9, Hauge Dental 7, K.C. Electrical 6, Eagle Valley Bank 5.

Individual games: Krystal Syring, 198, Dixie Welling 192, Annette Norlander 191.

Individual series: Annette Norlander 556, MarySue Morris 508, Krystal Syring 499.

Team games: (Handicap scores) RiverBank 1004, K.C. Electrical 991, Balsam Lake Hardware 962.

Team series: (Handicap scores) RiverBank 2908, K.C. Electrical 2831, Balsam Lake Hardware 2744.

Black and Orange Lanes

Early Birds Standings: Gandy Dancer Saloon 1810, 10th Hole 15-13, Black & Orange 1315, Log Cabin Store 10-18.

Individual games: Star Christensen (GD) 152, Donna Koon (B&O) 151, Bonnie Fisher (GD) 146.

Individual series: Star Christensen (GD) 411, Dot Fouks (B&O) 382, Jackie

Grimes (B&O) 377.

Team games: Gandy Dancer Saloon 785, Log Cabin Store 782, 10th Hole 778.

Team series: Gandy Dancer Saloon 2357, 10th Hole 2298, Black & Orange 2443.

Monday Night Men’s Standings: Bruce’s Auto 18-2, Larry’s LP 15-5, Pope’s Construction 10-10, Parker 7-13, Glass & Mirror Works 7-13, Vacant 3-17.

Individual games: Arnie Pope (PC) 225, Chris Olson (L) 205, Jack Witzany (L), Dean Eytcheson (BA) & Dave Greene (P) 204.

Individual series: Chris Olson (L) 550, Larry Johnsn (L) 538, Arnie Pope (PC), Curt Phelps (BA) & Dave Greene (P) 526.

Team games: Larry’s LP 989, Parker 967, Pope’s Const. 952.

Team series: Larry’s LP 2800, Parker 2754, Pope’s Const. 2425.

Games 50 or more above average: Dave Greene 204 (+57); Arnie Pope 225 (+59).

TNT Ladies Standings: Wild Bill’s 13-11, Flower Power 13-11, Cashco 11-13, Larry’s LP 11-13.

Individual games: Robin Willard (WB) 230, Jennifer Kern (L) 183, Lylah Nelson (C) 179.

Individual series: Sue Eytcheson (FP) 521, Robin Willard (WB) 480, Jennifer Kern (L) 474.

Team games: Wild Bill’s 894, Larry’s LP & Flower Power 853, Cascho 829.

Team series: Flower Power 2492, Larry’s LP 2445, Wild Bill’s 2424.

Wednesday Night Men’s Standings: Black & Orange 13-7, Lions 12-8, Northview Drive Inn 12-8, Cashco 9-11, T&P Tree Service 8.5-11.5, 10th Hole 5.5-14.5.

Individual games: Myron Mansfield (NDI) 209, Scott Smith (T&P) 204, Roger Tollander (C) 201.

Individual series: Roger Tollander (C) 578, Art Bliven (L) 551, Dave Wardean (C) 547.

Team games: Northview Drive Inn 1028, Cascho 995, 10th Hole 948.

Team series: Cashco 2878, Black & Orange 2711, Northview Drive Inn 2707.

Games 50 or more above average: Myron Mansfield 209 (+79); Scott Smith 204 (+57).

Series 100 or more above average: Dave Wardean 547 (+103).

Early Risers Standings: 10th Hole 18-10, Gandy Dancer 15-13, A+ Sanitation 14-14, Hole in the Wall 9-19.

Individual games: Angel Paulzine (HITW) & Phyllis Myers (A+) 168, Donna Koon (10th) 160, Marion Obszarny (10th) 158.

Individual series: Phyllis Myers (A+) 464, Angel Paulzine (HITW) 460, Marion Obszarny (10th) 449.

Team games: A+ Sanitation 704, 10th Hole 674, Gandy Dancer 668.

Team series: 10th Hole 1975, A+ Sanitation 1962, Gandy Dancer 1930.

Thursday Night Ladies Standings: Black & Orange 17-7, Check Services 14.5-9.5, Lipsy’s 13-11, Ben Ott Const. 11-13, Hole in the Wall 9.5-14.5, Pour House 7-13.

Individual games: Jennifer Kern (B&O) 224, Angie Olson (CS) 208, Jackie Churchil (L) & Nikki Cadotte (CS) 178.

Individual series: Jennifer Kern (B&O) 565, Angie Olson (CS) 543, Jackie Churchill (L) 490.

Team games: Check Services 743, Black & Orange 726, Lipsy’s 697.

Team series: Check Services 2059, Lipsy’s 2022, Black & Orange 2005.

Games 50 or more above average: Jennifer Kern 224 (+69); Angie Olson 208 (+56).

Series 100 or more above average: Jennifer Kern 565 (+100).

PAGE 26 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

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Siren sisters’ stats soar Statisticians from the Siren area say freshman phenom Carley Emery may top the 400 point mark in her rookie season on the Dragon varsity roster. Her older sister, Janey Emery, is a junior who is on pace to tally her 1,000th career point in the first half of the 2008-09 season.

The Emery sisters are the offspring of 1980s Dragon hoop star Jim Emery and the niece of 1970s Siren hardcourt ace Duane Emery.

Emery the Younger tallied 30 points in her team’s convincing win over Luck last Friday. (See game story elsewhere on these pages.)

J o h n R y a n

THE SPORTS

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Local softball legend attends playoff game One of the region’s few five decade athletes was seen in attendance at the Packer-Giants playoff game a few weeks ago. Yes, that was Raymond “Buster” Hinrichs of Grantsburg and his daughter, Mary Hinrichs, sitting among the 70,000 diehards who braved the intense Green Bay cold on Jan. 18. Hinrichs got his start in organized softball in the 1940s and his career culminated in the 1980s in the now-defunct 35-E League of Lewis.

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Old-timers still talk about Hinrichs’ old team, The Grasshoppers, which dominated local fastpitch action in the 1950s thanks in large part to the arm of hurler Harvey Ditlefsen.

By the way–our Packers lost the game in overtime.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Team Webster Luck St. Croix Falls Grantsburg Unity Frederic Siren

Conf.

9-1 8-1 6-4 6-4 3-7 2-8 1-10

Scores

Overall 16-2 15-2 6-9 11-5 5-12 4-14 3-15

Thursday, January 31 Clear Lake 58, Unity 39 Friday, February 1 St. Croix Falls 57, Frederic 32 Luck 60, Siren 25 Webster 56, Unity 42 Grantsburg 67, Clayton 58 Monday, February 4 Luck 45, Clear Lake 38 Clayton 51, Unity 58 Webster 56, Birchwood 30 Tuesday, February 5 Grantsburg 52, St. Croix Falls 42 Webster 70, Siren 52 Luck 59, Shell Lake 39

Coming up

Thursday, February 7 7:30 p.m. Luck at Frederic (DH) Grantsburg at Shell Lake Friday, February 8 7:30 p.m. Grantsburg at Unity (DH) St. Croix Falls at Clear Lake Saturday, February 9 7:30 p.m. Shell Lake at St. Croix Falls Tuesday, February 11 6 p.m.

Luck at St. Croix Falls (DH) 7:30 p.m. Frederic at Webster (DH) Northwood at Unity (DH) Solon Springs at Siren (DH) Somerset at Grantsburg

BOYS HOCKEY Blizzard

Standings 16-2-1

Scores

Baseball hot stove burns in Cumberland As usual, last Saturday’s annual Northwest Wisconsin Baseball Clinic in Cumberland was a “Who’s Who?” of baseball celebrities. Some notables on the scene were ex-Unity Little Leaguer and Arizona Diamondback farmhand Mark Hallberg, Minnesota Twins general manager Bill Smith (who recently inked Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau to long-term contracts), and major league umpire Tim Tschida. Sadly, spies say Leader Land coach representation was sparse.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

West Lakeland Conference Standings

Team Siren Frederic St. Croix Falls Grantsburg Webster Luck Unity

Conf.

9-1 7-2 6-4 4-5 3-6 2-6 1-8

Scores

Coming up

Thursday, February 7 6 p.m.

Luck at Frederic (DH) 7:30 p.m. Grantsburg at Shell Lake Friday, February 8 6 p.m.

Grantsburg at Unity (DH) Monday, February 11 7:30 p.m. Clayton at Webster Tuesday, February 12 6 p.m.

Frederic at Webster (DH) Northwood at Unity (DH) Solon Springs at Siren (DH) 7:30 p.m. Luck at St. Croix Falls (DH)

GIRLS HOCKEY Standings

Lady Blizzard

3-14-2

Coming up

Thursday, February 7 7 p.m.

Menomonie at Grantsburg

GIRLS GYMNASTICS Coming up

Team Greg’s Gals Blacksmith Shop Suzy Q’s JJ’s Wise Guys Glass Bar Hacks Kassel Tap Crystal Shafer’s Harvest Moon

Coming up

Overall 13-2 14-3 7-10 4-11 6-10 5-10 1-14

Friday, February 1 Siren 71, Luck 48 Webster 51, Unity 35 Frederic 51, St. Croix Falls 45 Clayton 80, Grantsburg 40 Monday, February 4 Frederic 59, Rush City 38 Tuesday, February 5 St. Croix Falls 50, Grantsburg 44 Siren 40, Webster 25 Cumberland 51, Unity 31 Frederic 49, Solon Springs 47

Friday, February 8 7 p.m.

Barron at Grantsburg Friday, February 15 7 p.m.

Blizzard at New Richmond

Saturday, February 9 9 a.m.

LFG at Spooner Regional St. Croix Falls at Osceola Regional Unity at Shell Lake Regional Tuesday, February 12 TBA Division 2 Team Sectionals at Amery Division 3 Team Sectionals at Clear Lake

Spooner Sectional champion will most likely come from Regional C. Those in attendance at Monday’s Luck win over Clear Lake (see game story elsewhere on these pages) say the result was inconclusive as far as naming a regional favorite but the LHS win will be enough to garner a number one seed for Rick Giller’s Cardinals. That means a Clear Lake-Luck regional final battle could be in the offing for Feb. 23 at Webster. (Although Turtle Lake or Clayton may have something to say about that.)

Local basketball coaches to miss Sunday’s NFL Pro Bowl game Boys basketball seeding meetings will take place this weekend and this year there shouldn’t be any surprises. The Webster Tigers should be the clear number one in Region A, with Danny Judd’s Grantsburg Pirates snagging the number two slot unless a stealth attack by Glenwood City nudges the Pirates into number three. In either case, its likely that we’ll see a Grantsburg-Webster regional final battle at Amery on Saturday, Feb. 23. This year’s Division 4

Thursday, February 7 6:30 p.m. Grantsburg at Rush City Saturday, February 9 9 a.m.

Grantsburg at Ashland St. Croix Falls at Ashland

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Master tactician Area basketball minds who meet over coffee and in local bistros have been overheard extolling the virtues of Webster head coach Randy Hedrick, with many calling him the region’s best game-time tactician and adjustment maker. “And notice how he and his assistants, Mark Elliott and Jim Sorenson, mesh so well,” said one local bowler just before rolling a strike last Monday night at the Black and Orange alley in Webster.

Friday, February 1 Blizzard 3, Spooner/Shell Lake 2 Saturday, February 2 Blizzard 2, Cedarburg 0 Tuesday, February 5 Amery 3, Blizzard 1

Coming up

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Dragon QB headed to Point Informants working central Wisconsin say Siren’s Adam Daniels will be headed to UW-Stevens Point next fall with the intention of making the Pointer football team. The sharpshooting guard is best known locally for piling up big numbers on the basketball court, but he came into his own on the gridiron last fall as a standout passer and field general on a struggling Dragon squad. Daniels’ pa, Dave Daniels, was a speed merchant running back and return specialist for Siren back in the 1970s who went on to play college football at UW-Superior.

Stevens Point, of course, is the alma mater of Leader sports scribe Marty Seeger.

LEADER S P O R T S S C O R E B O A R D West Lakeland Conference Standings

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WOMEN’S POOL LEAGUE Score 86 79 74 71 69 64 59 54 46 40 34

Speaking of baseball Local sports broadcasting guru Kurt Mayer has announced that FM radio WLMX 104.9 has signed on as an affiliate to carry Minnesota Twins baseball in the 2008 season. This is great news for local

Thank you to all the folks who congratulated me on my 100th correct prediction of the basketball season. Thanks to a tremendous record of 20-2 (counting some of those games The that had been Amazing postponed due to Bynor cold weather) my overall mark now stands at THE AMAZING BYNOR 106-25 and I’m back at an 81percent success rate, which is tops in northwest Wisconsin. Some of my scores weren’t too close, but the point spreads were accurate and I had the right winners. And that’s all that matters, baby! I think my strong finish will give me a little job security here at the Inter-County Leader. You may reach me via e-mail at amazingbynor@yahoo.com.

PREDICTS

Here are predictions for the coming week: Boys games Grantsburg 69, Shell Lake 40–The Pirates barely break a sweat.

Luck 57, Frederic 31–The Cards haven’t been lighting it up lately, but they’re playing good defense.

Clear Lake 60, St. Croix Falls 45–The Saints continue to struggle outside of the West Lakeland.

Grantsburg 60, Unity 43–The Pirates gain steam toward their rematch with Webster.

St. Croix Falls 58, Shell Lake 38–The

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motorists, gardeners, office workers, anglers, cooks, retirees, garage craftspersons, and patio lounge lizards who enjoy listening to a ballgame as they conduct their daily business or pleasure.

Amazing Bynor given notice of termination He won’t talk about it because he refuses to believe its true, but The Amazing Bynor has been given his required 60-day notice of termination. His position will not be renewed at the end of the basketball season and The Swami will return for the 2008 football season. “My shack in northern Polk County has yet to sell anyway, and its hard to be a hippie out in North Dakota,” the Swami said. He added “There’s not enough trees for firewood or to make maple syrup and no self-respecting hippie burns propane or pours Mrs. Butterworth over his pancakes . Not only that, but there’s no wild ricing and the cross country ski trails are constantly drifted over. It’s all but a living hell.”

Trivia returns With WIAA wrestling tournaments on the horizon, this week’s trivia focuses on the sport of grappling. In each grouping, choose the move or hold you are most likely to see at a WIAA rasslin’ match 1–a) Human Torture Rack b) Camel Clutch c) Arm Bar d) Chokeslam 2– a) Atomic Drop b) Half Nelson c) Flying Lariat d) Flying Headbutt 3– a) Single-leg takedown b) Indian Death Lock c) Hangman’s Neck Breaker d) Frog Splash 4–a) Cradle Piledriver b) Cradle c) Mexican Arm Drag d) Flying clothesline 5–a) German Suplex b) Bridge c) Japanese Arm Drag d) Flying Elbow. Correct answers: 1-c, 2- b, 3-a, 4-b, 5-b.

Congratulations! You had them all correct.

Saints break the nonconference hex.

Unity 57, Northwood 47–A tidy home-court win for the Eagles.

Luck 55, St. Croix Falls 45–The Saints give the Cards a bit of a scare.

Grantsburg 70, Somerset 54–A payback to a traditional nonconference nemesis.

Webster 51, Frederic 29–The Tigers look ahead to a showdown with Grantsburg.

Siren 55, Solon Springs 53–I smell an upset. What do you think of that, you naysayers?

Girls games Frederic 40, Luck 30–Let me be the first to congratulate the Vikings and coach Troy Wink on what should be a 17-3 season.

Grantsburg 59, Shell Lake 30–No contest.

Siren 46, Spooner 38–I predicted this a couple of weeks ago, and had Siren winning by a slightly different score.

Grantsburg 48, Unity 30–The Pirates pull away in the second half.

Clayton 74, Webster 31–Can anyone stop the Bears?

Frederic 40, Webster 36–This one won’t be easy. The Tigers have sprinkled in some good performances lately.

Siren 66, Solon Springs 40–Sure, they have two more conference games, but I think the Dragons have already clinched the title.

Northwood 55, Unity 24–An oldfashioned country runaway.

St. Croix Falls 44, Luck 36–The Saints avenge a stunning loss from earlier in the season.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 27

O UTDOORS INTER! COUNTY LEADER

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

Bringing something back For me, nature’s calling usually involves some sort of search activity. I’ve never been one to go outdoors for the sake of just going–there’s always a purpose.

Marty When I venture out, I Seeger always expect to bring something back, and it doesn’t The have to be anything major. A trophy Bottom Line buck, a turkey with a 10-inch beard or a limit fish for the frying pan is a good start–but we all know these aren’t the real reasons, and the opportunities listed above are far from reality most of the time.

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been spending a good portion of my outdoor time searching for the always elusive, and sometimes frustrating shed antler. Right now it seems that bucks are dropping antlers big and small in many areas in Wisconsin. I’ve heard through various conversations that some avid shedders have already claimed a handful of antlers here and there. An informant from Webster recently sent a photo of a set that he found that were dropped by a small 6pointer. It’s always an added bonus anytime you can find both antlers. He snapped a few photos of the set as they were when he found them–slightly buried, yet difficult to miss on a heavily used deer path. It had me wondering how simple, and yet how difficult it can be to find an antler lying out in the woods.

Where I hunt in Barron County, I’m convinced that there isn’t a single buck

in the area this time of year, and if there is, he hasn’t dropped his antlers yet. If he does eventually drop them, they’ll likely be found in the Webster area.

Needless to say, I struggle a bit when it comes to finding antlers cast by deer this time of year. The only real competitions I have against finding them are greedy squirrels and other rodents, ambitious uncles, or a few inches of snowfall.

Perhaps I’m not spending enough time in the woods. So far I’ve logged roughly 10 hours and walked countless miles only to come out with a few decent bird photos and a set of massive cramps in both legs–no doubt proof that I spend far too much time inside, and not enough time running around in the woods.

But there are hundreds of tracks; make that billions of tracks in and around the areas I have permission to walk, and yet I find myself sometimes convinced that the billions of tracks are being made by the same deer. But onward I push until the cramps fade into my other leg, never repeating the same trails I’ve walked before in the same day, and still I find nothing.

The years continue to fly by, and I continue to return to the winter woods again and again in search of simple piece of solid bone. Of course, I’ve found a few straggler rag horns here and there. And sometimes I’ll come home with a Hay River special. One of those spindly things we all probably have collecting dust in the basement.

They’re probably not the type of buck you’d proudly grace on your wall if you happen to harvest one in the fall, but each one has its own unique story, and when you stumble upon one, its a great feeling of accomplishment.

For one thing, you know that buck is still roaming the woods, and he’ll be in the area where you hunt next fall. He may even be slightly, or even significantly larger the following year, which

I've never known the cardinal to be an elusive creature, yet this one barely hung out long enough for a clear shot through prickly ash and oak limbs.

Another fine experience afield in the cool Wisconsin timber! - Photo by Marty Seeger is even more reason to get excited. while looking for treasures in the Those moments of excitement, how- woods–take a gander off of that beaten ever, don’t happen every time you go path through the snow. There’s plenty in the woods. Just like those time you of other wildlife to admire and you’ll go out in search of a trophy buck, a take something to remember from that turkey with a 10-inch beard or a limit experience every time you go. While fish for the frying pan. Sometimes its I’ve forgotten many of the countless just as much fun to creep up on cardi- trips afield, I always feel better to have nal on his perch, feel the stillness of the gone than to have stayed home in front winter woods, or just flee the doldrums of the television. of being cooped up inside all winter.

So in the meantime, if you find yourself somewhat frustrated as I have been

Zebro named DNR’s Northern Region leader SPOONER - Dave Zebro has been named the Northern Region Law Enforcement and Science Media Leader according to John Gozdzialski, director of the Department of Natural Resource’s 18-County Northern Region.

Zebro replaces Mike Bartz who recently retired.

Zebro will be responsible for the overall management of the region’s law enforcement and recreational safety programs. He is a 1986 graduate of Bruce High School and holds a bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.

Zebro joined the Department of Natural Resources in 1993. He has held positions as a field conservation warden in Wausaukee and Spooner and was promoted to the Spooner Warden Team Supervisor in 2003.

Gozdzialski stated Zebro has demonstrated strong leadership and problemsolving abilities throughout his career.

He is known by the public he serves as being responsive to community needs.

The director added that Zebro is wellknown among his peers and other program staff as being hardworking and dependable whose energy, enthusiasm and long-term strategic thinking will help build a viable and responsive warden service in the years to come.

Great Northern Outdoors Archery League Week 1

A League Deadnuts: Ben A. 288, Dustin G. 286, (12 points) Shockers: Chad L. 283, Jason C 270 (10 points) Full Draw: Tony P. 280, Sheri B. 259 (6 points) Free Flight: Jeff B. 281, Sherri P. 256 (6 points) Stabilizers: Mark J. 281, Drew B. 225 (4 points) Spartanz: Brian S. 261 Nick R. 252 (2 points) The Kaws: Kyle J. 272, Andy W. 217 (0 points) B League Gameslayers: Gino L. 269, Bill S. 264 (12 points) Team MJ: Jeremy J. 247, Cory M. 246 (10

Dave Zebro, a former Bruce graduate will be responsible for the overall management of the region's law enforcement and recreatioinal safety programs. - Photo submitted In his off time, Zebro enjoys fishing, hunting and working with the Spooner Youth Hockey Association. He resides in the Spooner area with his wife, Gretchen, son Logan and daughter Chloe. – from the DNR

points) GNO: Ross W. 287, Erika W. 252 (8 points) Redneck Ind.: Brent L. 231, Roy Z. 208 (6 points) Anuke: Luke K. 282, Dan G. 103 (6 points) Razors Edge: Brad S. 261, Zach S. 139 (4 points) S & T: Tam H. 197, Steve K. 155 (2 points) Animal Lovers: Maddie B. 139, laurel G. 40 (0 points) Spot Shooters, 300 game Pat J. 268

Butch’s Northwest Archery Bow Hunting League Week 4

Bowhunter’s League Traditional Peterson Construction: 395 Shell Lake Pharmacy: 380 Wishful Thinking: 329 Timberland Archery: 321 Earth Energy Systems: 303 Butch’s Traditional Archery: 291 Men’s Knoop Construction: 553 A&H Taxidermy: 537 Shell Lake State Bank: 523 White Birch Printing: 511 Northview Drive Inn: 489

Webster Auto Sales: 466 Little Lambs Preschool: 455 Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church: 446 Big Mike’s Sports Shop: 428 Right in the Middle: — Men/Women A&H Taxidermy (2): 403 Women's Chicog: 246 Youth Cloverleaf: 305

PAGE 28 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Webb Lake Area Men’s Club Fishing contest WEBB LAKE – The Webb Lake Area Men’s Club held its 25th-annual icefishing contest on Feb. 2, on lower Webb Lake at Oak Ridge Inn. Trophies were given to the two who tied for the largest northern and for the largest panfish.

Drawings were held for an underwater viewing system and three $100 EE bonds. There were three $50 EE bonds awarded to the winners of the children’s drawing for any child who caught a legal fish. The men’s club uses the proceeds to maintain the Webb Lake crosscountry ski trail and to make donations to local organizations such as Crescent Lake Community Outreach, local fire departments and first responders. - submitted

Winner’s list Underwater viewing system Mason Schaaf $100 EE bond - Cory McKnight $100 EE bond - Brandon Moen $100 EE bond - Dwight Warkentin Largest northern - Adam Munson, 5-lbs., 14 oz.

Largest bass - Ken Mehsikomer, 2lb., 6-oz.

Largest panfish - Dan Carlson, 1-lb., 10-oz.

Kid’s prizes Largest northern - Trent Streut and Jadin Schwartz Largest panfish Madison Cummers $50 EE bond - Brandon Moen $50 EE bond - Ty Sanford $50 EE bond - Megan Dierberger

Paul Sargent and Brandon Moen wait to pull up a tip up on Saturday, Feb. 2, at the fishing contest. - submitted

Man killed in standoff with officers

SPOONER – A Spooner man was killed in a standoff between himself and law enforcement officials early Saturday morning, Feb. 2, outside an apartment complex at Elm Drive, Spooner.

According to a news release issued by the Washburn County Sheriff’s Department, a preliminary investigation found that two Spooner police officers were dispatched to Elm Drive due to suspicious activity. The release said the officers had been told an “older person in a gray mini van, wearing a black hat [and] red jacket was looking into vehicles in the parking lot at the apartment complex.”

When the officers arrived, according to the report, the individual described was found. When one officer approached him, the man got out of the vehicle with a rifle and pointed it at the officer. The report said shots were exchanged before the officers went for cover and called in for backup.

A search warrant affidavit filed Tuesday by DCI Special Agent Ronald Ebben described what the officers did. In the report, the officers told Ebben that

they’d been called for a suspicious person going through vehicles in the lot. When they arrived and found Metzig in the van, the report said, one observed with his flashlight Metzig reaching for a rifle. He shouted to his partner and tried to get out of the line of fire as Metzig exited the driver’s side with the rifle.

The report said that Metzig was pointing the rifle at the officer, who opened fire with his own gun. After several shots, it was said, Metzig fell to the ground and the officer sought cover as Metzig fired his own rifle.

The county’s Special Response Team, St. Croix Tribal Police, Burnett and Washburn sheriff deputies and other Spooner officers responded. Once the area was secured, the SRT found Phillip C. Metzig, 72, deceased outside the van,. The affidavit said Metzig was holding a semi-automatic assault rifle across his chest, with spent casings surrounding him, and another shotgun in the van. The van on the scene was found to belong to Metzig.

Metzig was a resident in the apartment complex.

Sheriff Terry Dryden called the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation in for assistance with the investigation, along with forensic scientists from the Wausau and Madison crime labs.

The Wisconsin State Patrol assisted with mapping the scene.

The affidavit named evidence found for attempted homicide, battery and endangerment to a law enforcement officer and others, and endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon. It mentioned that a witness told Ebben Metzig had said he would be in the news that week, but didn’t specify why.

Ebben requested at the end of the affidavit that a search warrant be issued for the property. The investigation is ongoing at this time.

Both Spooner officers are on administrative leave, as per the department’s policy, according to the news release. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office in St. Paul, Minn., performed the autopsy. – with info. from the Washburn County Sheriff’s Department and Clerk of Courts

Burnett and Washburn counties sustainability study groups

BURNETT/WASHBURN — Washburn and Burnett county residents, members of the St. Croix Tribal Nation, students, municipalities and businesses are invited to attend the Natural Step sustainability discussion groups to be held in both counties.

Residents may go to either group. The first session date is Thursday, Feb. 7, from 7-8:30 p.m., in the lower level of the Washburn County Law Enforcement Center, Shell Lake. Another group will be held at the Siren Village Hall on Thursday, Feb. 14, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Study groups will consist of 8-10 sessions, every other week for each county. The sessions will run from February thru May.

The program intends to begin an education and discussion process dealing with sustainable development practices and how we can best implement these practices into everything we do. Areas that will be looked into include efficient homes, energy efficiency, less polluting transportation ideas, sustainable farming practices, biofuels and renewable energy, recycling, solid and hazardous waste management or any other issues the groups would like to discuss. The framework for this project will be based on The Natural Step philosophy, which has been used worldwide to address sustainable development issues. This is a proven framework that emphasizes that real sustain-

able changes can be accomplished starting at the local level.

The study groups will be a roundtable format, and guest speakers will be invited to elaborate on sustainability success stories from other areas in the state and region. The “Natural Step for Communities” book will be offered at half price to those participating.

Please call Jen Barton or Rick Schneider, 715-635-2197, to participate in this opportunity to make a real difference. — from Northwest Regional Planning Commission

by Sherill Summer SIREN – The Burnett County Zoning Committee made a minor adjustment to the proposed sign ordinance on Tuesday, Feb. 5, before sending it on to the full county board for its consideration later this month at their regular February meeting.

Before the minor adjustment, the sign ordinance would not allow for blinking, flashing or animated lights on any sign, on or off the premises of a business.

The committee decided that they would allow blinking, flashing or animated lights on signs that are located at the premises of a business.

An example of such flashing or blinking lights now allowed would be a blinking temperature reading outside of a bank, or a moving banner displaying special

sales.

The sign ordinance will grandfather in all existing signs, and the ordinance does not apply to any sign located in incorporated villages within the county.

This is the second time the Burnett County has attempted to adopt a sign ordinance. A previous ordinance, enacted in 1999, was deemed unconstitutional in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals because it did not have a provision for variance from the ordinance. This new sign ordinance does have such a variance procedure because the ordinance will be list in the land ordinance. The board of adjustments considers all requests for variances.

In the public hearing before the zoning committee approved the sign ordinance, the business owner who

brought the lawsuit against Burnett County where the old ordinance was ruled unconstitutional, Joe Yourchuck, said he did not like this sign ordinance any better than the old, even if his sign outside his business would now be grandfathered in. He questioned the need for any sign ordinance at all.

Zoning office administrator Jim Flanigan explained that the sign ordinance originated from a survey of Burnett County residents in the late 1990s that rated billboards as being a hindrance to the quality of life in Burnett County.

The sign ordinance still needs to be approved at the county board meeting before it goes into effect.

Proposed sign ordinance goes to full board

Proposal addresses housing limitations on sex offenders

STATEWIDE - A proposal to ban local ordinances that restrict where sex offenders can live is likely to pit state lawmakers against town and city officials.

The bill introduced by Republican Rep. Don Friske is designed to prevent what he calls the domino effect of local residency restrictions. As more and more towns and cities pass ordinances that effectively ban sex offenders from living in their communities, Friske says they will either be driven underground or forced into rural areas where jobs and treatment opportunities are scarce.

At the hearing, lawmakers also heard the latest data on how ineffective residency restriction are at preventing released sex offenders from committing new crimes. Dr. Anna Salter, the state’s leading sex offender researcher, cited a 2007 study from Minnesota. She says the authors found that the offenders typically made contact with their victims

through people they knew. She says the study concluded that not one of the 224 sex offenses would likely have been deterred by a residency restriction law.

But Franklin City Council Member Lyle Sohns says his constituents aren’t convinced by such evidence. Franklin put its restrictions in place after a sex offender released on supervision began spending time in the same neighborhood where he committed one of his many offenses. He asked if these laws are put in place, can the public trust that they’ll actually be appropriately implemented so that they’ll be safe. He says in Franklin, they have no confidence that that’s going to happen.

Similar concerns were raised by lawmakers who are skeptical of barring local governments from passing ordinances that they believe will protect their citizens. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Gil Halsted)

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 29

Money lacking for domestic violence services STATEWIDE - New figures show a large demand for domestic violence services, but not enough money to provide them. The Wisconsin Council Against Domestic Violence took a snapshot of how many people seek shelter or counseling.

The day of the count was last Sept.

25. Patti Seger, the executive director of the Council Against Domestic Violence, says what was reported was just shy of 1,600 adults and children receiving domestic violence services in the state that day including 700 in emergency shelters or transitional housing.

Seger says the figures show 900 people were getting counseling that day and there were 700 crisis phone calls.

Still, she knows the actual numbers are

much higher. Seger says that’s because only 58 percent of the local domestic violence agencies reported. She says one of the challenges of local program participation is that they’re really understaffed. She says to take this extra time to do the counts and send in reports is an extra time commitment on their part.

There was some good news in the state budget. Seger says it included an extra $1.9 million for domestic violence services: the sector’s first raise in 16 years. However, she’s concerned about cuts in the federal budget. Seger says it slashes $35 million from a crime victims compensation fund, and cuts money for legal services. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Patty Murray)

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

Polk County civil court Capitol One Bank, A Foreign Corporation of Glen Allen, Va., plaintiff. Brenda K. Boe, of Deer Park, defendant.

Plaintiff alleges that defendant defaulted on credit card payments of $7,268.55.

GMAC Mortgage LLC of Fort Washington, Pa., plaintiff.

Nancy A. Johnson Frederic, defendant. Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure payments of $149,954.40.

C.U. Mortgage Services, Inc., New Brighton, Minn., plaintiff. Andrew E. and Melissa J.

Buss Frederic, defendants.

Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure payments of $92,686.44.

W.M. Specialty Mortgage LLC, c/o Washington Mutual Bank, Jacksonville, Fla., plaintiff. Amorita J. Cole, St. Croix Falls, defendant. Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure payments of $146,393.73.

SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. of Richmond, Va., plaintiff. David A. and Jane Doe Peterson, Centuria, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. of Vienna, Va., and State of

Burnett County deaths Howard A. Kopecky, 66, Siren Village, Jan. 23.

John H. Peach, 29, Oakland, Jan. 20.

$160.80.

Stein J. Fjalstad, 33, St. Paul, Minn., seat belt violation, $160.80.

Kris A. Peterson, 46, Siren, OWI, $667.00, alcohol assessment, license revoked six months.

Zachary R. Quigley, 17, Webster, negligent operation of vehicle, $501.00.

John C. Donahue, 37, Hinckley, Minn., OWI, $894.00, alcohol assessment, 10-day jail sentence, Huber privileges granted, license revoke 12 months.

Jason L. Brown, 30, Cloquet, Minn., operate with controlled substance, alcohol assessment, license revoked six months, $665.50.

sure payments of $98,821.94.

Citibank, N.A. as trustee for First Franklin Mortgage Loan Trust, Mortgage Loan AssetBacked Certificates, Series 2005-FF12, c/o Home Loan Services, Inc. Pittsburgh, Pa., plaintiff. Tammy L. and John Doe Leyendecker of Centuria, defendants.

Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure payments of $105,816.

Chase Home Finance, LLC of Columbus, Ohio, plaintiff.

Patrick C. and Diane M. Cameron, Dresser, defendants.

Burnett Co. sheriff’s report

Arrests Town of Sand Lake, Jan. 30: Carmen A. Moffett, 51, Tyler N. Thompson, 24, Grantsburg, Jan. 22.

Galen R. Budd, 85, Webster, was arrested on a Burnett County warrant.

Grantsburg Village, Jan. 16.

Town of Sand Lake, Feb. 1: Michael D. Hegge, 44, Webster, was arrested for domestic disorderly conduct and cited for OAR

Burnett County criminal court Rodney A. Opperud, 33, Willow River, Minn., theft of movable property, party to a crime, three-year probation, $14,543.72 joint restitution, reimburse costs for courtappointed counsel, $95.00.

Glen Patrick Taylor Jr., 31, Fargo, N.D., failure to support child, 16-month prison sentence followed by two-year extended supervision, not eligible for Challenge Incarceration Program or earned release program, $97.00.

Dawn R. Sheldon, 53, Siren, fail to notify DMV of address or name change, $186.00.

Theresa L. Wittman, 42, Siren, OWI, $957.00, alcohol assessment, five-day jail sentence, Huber privileges granted, license revoked 14 months.

Steven S. Elofson, 24, Ramsey, Minn., seat belt violation, $160.80.

Linda M. Johnson Morke, 46, Cable, speeding, $280.50.

James M. Farrell, 60, Minnetonka, Minn., speeding,

Wisconsin Bureau of Child Support, Department of Workforce Development c/o Attorney General, defendants.

Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure payments of $66,228.01.

U.S. Bank, National Association successor-ininterest to Wachovia Bank, N.A. as trustee of MAST ALT TRUST 2004-5, c/o PHH Mortgage Corporation of Mt. Laurel, N.J., plaintiff. Bettijo and John Doe Alexander of Balsam Lake, defendants.

Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclo-

and nonregistration.

Other incidents Town of Lincoln, Feb 2: Kevin L. Fossum, Grantsburg, reported a cabin burglary. Bed sheets and comforter, clay pigeon thrower and clay pigeons were reported missing. The incident is under investigation.

Burnett County marriages Mark D. Brown, Siren, and Charity L. Hughes, Siren, Jan. 29.

Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure payments of $131,733.06.

Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, assignee of Bankers’ Bank of Madison, plaintiff. Cynthia S. Quade Turtle Lake, defendant. Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure payments of $88,584.01.

GreenPoint Mortgage Funding of Columbus, Ga., plaintiff. Kathleen and Kevin

Krarup, Amery, defendants.

Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure payments of $139,816.34.

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as trustee for the Structured Assets Securities Corporation Mortgage PassThrough Certificates, Series 2006-OPTI, plaintiff. Yvonne N. and John Doe Lerro, Osceola, defendants.

Plaintiff seeks mortgage foreclosure payments of $121,599.34.

Burnett County civil court Adam C. Benson, attorney, vs. Stephen F. Nelson, Frederic, $499.49.

PAGE 30 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Polk County sheriff’s report Accidents Jan. 21, 11:05 p.m., Alden Township, 180th Street, .1 mile north of 45th Avenue, NICHOLAS D. FOX, 17, Osceola, was traveling southbound on 180th Street. The driver lost control while traveling up a hill. The vehicle overturned in the west ditch and came to rest on its roof, facing northbound.

Jan. 24, 5:47 p.m., Black Brook Township, CTH C at Little Falls Drive, BROOKE M. DAVIS-MARKO, 32, Amery, struck a deer on the roadway.

Jan. 25, 1 a.m., Black Brook Township, Hwy. 46, 100 feet south of CTH CC, MICHAEL A. BRUSLETTEN, 20, Deer Park,

was southbound on Hwy. 46.

Unit 1 went off the roadway to the right, returned to the roadway, skidding across Hwy. 46.

Unit 1 left the roadway to the left, slid in the snow and overturned. Operator left the scene.

Operator called the sheriff’s department on Jan. 25 at 1:11 p.m. Operator told deputy that he swerved to miss a deer and lost control of the vehicle.

Operator also said he walked to his parents’ house, went downstairs and fell asleep. Operator said the accident occurred at 1 a.m. and he just now woke up.

Operator said he did not know that he needed to report the accident. Operator told the deputy that he was injured—a scrape on his shoulder. He was cited for failure to report an accident to police. Operator was wearing a seat belt, received an

injury (no EMS).

Jan. 25, 7:35 p.m., Alden Township, CTH PP at 58th Avenue, ALYSSE M. CARLSON, 20, Osceola, swerved to miss a deer near the intersection of CTH PP and 58th Avenue. The vehicle crossed the road, heading southbound and struck an embankment and then a tree. The vehicle was towed due to the damage. The operator complained of a sore knee (wearing a seat belt/no EMS).

Jan. 27, 12:55 a.m., Milltown Township, 235th Avenue, .25 mile east of 135th Street, ADRIAN R. MATTSON, 20, Luck, was westbound on 235th Avenue, .25 mile east of 135th Street. Unit 1 struck a deer, lost control and entered the south ditch, striking a tree.

Unit 1 then crossed over 235th Avenue, coming to rest on the north side, partially off the road.

The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected through the passenger window and brought to the St. Croix Regional Medical Center by his mother. Driver was cited for failure to wear a seat belt. Driver received serious injuries.

Jan. 28, 7:10 a.m., Apple River Township, CTH H/100th

Street, .2 mile south of 165th Avenue, KARI A. ANDERSON, 31, Luck, struck a deer on the roadway.

Jan. 28, 6 p.m., Eureka Township, 220th Avenue at 200th Street, DANIEL E. BOERBOON, 53, Luck, struck a deer. Driver was operating a motorcycle and was wearing a helmet/eye protection. Driver received a minor injury (no EMS).

Jan. 29, 12:35 p.m., Clam Falls Township, CTH W at 120th Street, WILLIAM T. MILLER, 43, Frederic, was westbound and lost control of his vehicle on the icy roadway. The vehicle rolled several times off CTH W into the north ditch. Driver received a minor injury (wearing seat belt/no EMS).

Jan. 29, 12:56 p.m., West Sweden Township, Hwy. 48, .3 mile west of 315th Avenue, DANIEL M. CUTLER, 40, Grantsburg, was eastbound on Hwy. 48. While negotiating a curve, the vehicle struck a patch of ice. The rear of the vehicle spun in a clockwise fashion.

The vehicle entered the ditch and overturned. Vehicle came to a rest on its passenger side.

Jan. 29, 10:30 a.m., Garfield Township, CTH F, .2 mile west of 143rd Street. NEWTON J. HANDY, 24, Amery, was traveling eastbound on CTH F. As the road began to curve to the left, the road turned from dry to glare ice. As unit 1 began to slow, the truck began to fishtail. The driver attempted to steer but the vehicle entered the ditch, going sideways. Upon entering the ditch, unit 1 tipped and rolled onto its roof, where it came to rest Jan. 29, 1:35 p.m., Lincoln Township, CTH J/70th Avenue, .5 mile east of 75th Street, RYANN C. FRIESE, 21, Clayton, was westbound on CTH J/70th Avenue, hit an icy spot near a driveway. Unit 1 entered into the north ditch and impacted with the snow, causing the vehicle to overturn two to three times. Unit 1 came to rest on its wheels in the north ditch.

Driver felt she was going too fast for conditions.

Jan. 31, 12 a.m., Johnstown Township, 220th Avenue, .1 mile west of CTH G, DANIEL R. PAULSON, 58, Comstock, was traveling eastbound on 220th Avenue. The vehicle crossed the road, entered the ditch, glanced off one tree and struck another tree, causing severe damage. Reportedly, the driver was picked up and driven home.

Driver did not contact law enforcement and was not available to talk with law enforcement. Unknown what time the accident occurred. Road was very icy and driver had a cut to his head. (Unknown if seat belt worn/no EMS.) Other incidents Jan. 28, THEODORE M. HELLERUD, RR Milltown, reported the theft of copper pipe and scrap metal from his property.

Jan. 25, JEFFREY D. ROBINSON, RR Frederic, reported a burglary to his residence.

Numerous firearms were stolen, along with scopes.

Burnett County warrants Randall E. Benjamin, 55, St. Cloud, Minn., warrant – failure to appear, Jan. 30.

Alex M. Bowlin, 17, St. Paul, Minn., arrest warrant - complaint, Jan. 30.

Ryan G. Clover, 20, Stacy,

Minn., arrest warrant – complaint, Feb. 1.

Lonnie R. Fredrickson, 48, Amery, commitment, Jan. 29.

Michael J. Holden, 22, Baldwin, warrant – failure to appear, Feb. 2.

Notices/Real Estate

Tisha K. Holden, 17, Grantsburg, arrest warrant – complaint, Feb. 2.

Frank D. Huber, 54, Danbury, commitment, Jan. 30.

Diana M. Martin, 41, Minneapolis, Minn., commitment, Jan. 29.

Matthew C. Matrious, 18, Danbury, commitment, Jan. 29.

Rose E. Peloquin, 22, Siren, commitment, Jan. 29.

David J. Schuda, 47, Minneapolis, Minn., commitment, Jan. 29.

Angila R. Snyder, 23, Henriett, Minn., commitment, Jan. 30.

Rodney L. Soens, 57, Hinckley, Minn., commitment, Jan. 30.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 31

Notices/Employment

PAGE 32 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Notices / Employment

Notices / Employment

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 33

PAGE 34 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Notices

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 35

Pennies for Patients Campaign begins

by Tammi Milberg OSCEOLA–The elementary students at Osceola are working to raise money for leukemia this month during the annual Pennies for Patients campaign.

For 12 years, the elementary students have collected pennies for patients, headed by second-grade teacher Barbara Jorgensen, who lost her adult brother, Mark, to leukemia. Jorgensen has taken up the effort to raise money for leukemia over the past 12 years to donate to Pennies for Patients each February.

The mission of this fundraising effort is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

“Osceola Elementary has raised $23,703 over the years,” Jorgensen said.

“Pennies for Patients gives young students the opportunity to raise funds for blood cancer research and support for patients.”

Leukemia causes more deaths that any other cancer among children and young adults. An estimated 823,349 Americans have blood cancers, and every five minutes someone new is diagnosed. Since 2000, nearly $1 million has been raised in Wisconsin in pennies and other spare change by thousands of students.

“Although we are closer to a cure, leukemia remains one of the worst killers of children,” Jorgensen pointed out.

She gets donations year-round from folks all over who have read and heard about the Pennies for Patients campaign. She gets checks mailed from

This group of elementary students will be collecting pennies for leukemia patients and research for the month of February. In 12 years, elementary students at Osceola have raised over $23,000. –Photos by Tammi Milberg snowbirds who go south during February, and know Jorgensen and her students are collecting those pennies for a cure.

A speaker from Pennies for Patients, representing the Wisconsin leukemia and lymphoma society, Brooke Sahlstrom, visited Osceola Elementary students on Monday, Feb. 4.

She helped kickoff the event, explain-

Second-graders in Barbara Jorgensen’s class demonstrate for the rest of the elementary students blood cells, cancer cells and how leukemia blocks good blood cells. Captain Chemo, also played by a second-grader, shows students how chemotherapy fights cancer.

ing the diseases and how Pennies for Patients can help. Jorgensen and her second-grade students take the lead in this campaign each year. Some of her second-graders dressed up as blood cells and cancer cells during the kickoff to illustrate to the rest of the elementary students how cancer spreads. One student, dressed as Captain Chemo, showed students how chemotherapy eliminates cancer cells from blood cells, helping people feel better and live.

Students learned that over 12 years, more than $23,000 has been raised by Osceola elementary students alone.

Their principal, Peggy Weber, told the elementary students that if they think kids can’t make a difference, they have proof that kids, no matter how small, can make a big difference.

Pennies for Patients is going on now throughout the end of February. All money collected gets counted at the bank the first week of March for a tally and is sent to Pennies for Patients. For all 12 years, Miss Jorgensen’s secondgraders have been the top classroom of penny collectors, which should be no surprise to anyone who understands

her passion for this cause and the effect it has on her students.

For more information or to donate, contact Jorgensen, Osceola Elementary School, 250 10th Ave., Osceola, WI 54020, 715-294-3457 ext. 298.

Brooke Sahlstrom, Wisconsin Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, spoke to Osceola Elementary students about Pennies for Patients Feb. 4 to kick off the monthlong fund drive.

Northland ambulance trades smelt for monitors

Brian Zieman, of Zoll, instructs the Northland Ambulance crew how to use their new AED and heart monitors on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at the Frederic Fire Hall. – Photos by Brenda Sommerfeld

Everyone watches intently as Zieman shows the functions of the heart monitors. Northland Ambulance was able to purchase these monitors after years of fundraising with smelt and chicken feeds. The total cost after trading in their 10-year-old machines was $39,000. Technology from these new monitors will make the ambulance crew able to take an EKG and download it to the hospital for the doctor to see before they get there. Pictured (clockwise) Kurt Vail, Luke Knauber, Andy Tyler, Leanne Richter, Linda O’Donnell, Sue Ames and Tracy Vail.

PAGE 36 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Masked strangers give kids smiles

by Carl Heidel SIREN - A vision of masked strangers does not usually suggest a gathering of benefactors, but last Friday when they appeared in the dental facilities of Dr. Sheldon Olesen in Siren, they were benefactors indeed. They were volunteers who came to Olesen’s office to offer their time and skills in the Give a Kid a Smile day.

Olesen explained that every year for the past several years, he has gathered a group of volunteers to provide free dental care for underserved children who lack access to such care. Dental associa-

tions throughout Wisconsin support this program, and dental suppliers provide free supplies for these events. Olesen gathers the volunteers, does the scheduling and provides the facility for the service.

The volunteers, who work without pay, appear to get as big a smile from their efforts as do the 20 or more kids they help each year. Pictured here are those kind, masked friends of the children.

Susan Powers (left) works with a young patient while Trudi Mellon (right) waits to assist.

Marie Robinson’s welcoming smile greets youngsters and their parents coming to the Give a Kid a Smile program.

Dental hygienist Christ Ward carefully cleans the teeth of one of his young patients.

Drain pipe art

Cheryl Chelmo (left) and Paula Just (right) wait for results from the diagnostic X-rays before they begin work.

Treasure Alley sale starts Feb. 6

The dripping from a drain pipe at Bass Lake Lumber creates an interesting new ice sculpture every day. – Photo by Wayne Anderson

This weekend is the monthly sale for Treasure Alley in St. Croix Falls. The Main Street shop offers a variety of items from various vendors during their sale. This month’s sale is Wednesday through Sunday, Feb. 6-10. Hours: Feb. 6, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Feb.7, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Feb. 8, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Feb. 9, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Feb. 10, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. –Photo by Tammi Milberg

‘Follow the Leader’

Currents N O R T H E R N

February 6, 2008 2nd Section B Inter-County Leader

News and views from the Northwest Wisconsin community

Luck's ice castle made out of Sand Lake

by Brenda Sommerfeld LUCK – After discussing putting together an ice sculpture for the annual Luck Winter Carnival for the past few years, the Luck Community Club finally got it set up and accomplished the task in just a few, short weeks.

The last time an ice castle was built during the carnival was during the early 1960s and community club member Sharry Swenson of Hog Wild BBQ & Grill was the one who decided it was once again time to make it happen.

“If we don’t do it, we got to quit talking about it,” Swenson said. “We just got to do it.”

Last year, Swenson had spoken with Jon Christensen who works for Jeff’s Small Engines. Christensen had found a client who had used to cut ice for the St. Paul Winter Carnival and had 37-inch chain saw blades to get through the ice, so Christensen got possession of those for last year.

The ice was not thick enough during the carnival in 2007 for the club to really try very hard in getting the castle built, but this year, after having those very cold days, it looked promising.

“When it got so cold, then we knew that there was thick enough ice for them to go out and work,” Swenson explained.

Swenson knew of Luck resident, Paul Marek, who is a stonemason and had built small sculptures in his front yard in previous years and decided to give him a call and set up a meeting. Calling everyone she could think of, Swenson put a meeting together a few weeks ago and put the plan into motion.

After the meeting, Christensen and Marek first went out to test the quality and amount of ice. They cut out a piece from Sand Lake with a chain saw, pulled it out with ice tongs, and found it to be a nice chunk.

On Saturday, Jan. 26, Christensen and Mike Musial brought chain saws, Don Clarke volunteered heavy equipment, and many others volunteered their time in order to harvest the ice from Sand Lake and get it to the parking lot, on the north side of Main Street across from

Teamwork was the key in building the ice castle on the north end of Luck’s Main Street last Saturday, Feb. 2. – Photo by Gary King

An ice castle, created this past weekend by volunteer craftsmen, will be a highlight of this year’s Luck Winter Carnival, to be held this weekend at Luck. – Photo by Marty Seeger Maxwell Heating and Cooling, where Marek designed it.

The first step was to set up the base with very big blocks that each weighed over 200 pounds.

Saturday, Feb. 2, is when they finished the harvesting of 180 blocks, which were smaller than the base blocks but still needed two men to lift each. They were not allowed to let the blocks sit or stack them together because they would never come apart. They started putting the cas-

tle together on Saturday and were able to finish the rest of the project on Sunday.

Neil Peterson, David Swenson, Dave Marek, Andrew Marek, Luke Christensen, Jim Ewer, Corey Wiggins, Ben Cook, Nate King, Ted Fjorden, Harvey Fjorden, Rande Giller and Gary Johnson were the volunteers that spent their weekends, being the muscle of the project, helping out the community with this project, but it still needs its finishing touches.

People are still trying to locate a wheel light to give it the changing colors illusion, and they are going to be putting flags in the towers to make it stand proud in the village of Luck. So, stop by and see it and maybe even let your kids walk through it.

After finishing this castle so quickly, they community club plans on designing and building one every year from now on, especially next year to help celebrate their 50th Luck Winter Carnival.

This castle is only one of the attractions to bring people to Luck during their carnival from Friday, Feb. 8, through Sunday, Feb. 10.

Friday night, the Luck Winter Carnival queen and her royalty will be selected during their competition in the Luck High School acafeteria. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for students.

Saturday, there will be many events available for entertainment from 7 a.m. until after midnight.

The Luck Lions Club starts out the day on Saturday with their annual breakfast of eggs, ham, sausage and pancakes in the school auditorium at 7 until 10 a.m.

The events will continue through the 11th-annual torchlight parade starting at 7 p.m. until everyone goes home after the Winter Carnival Dance at the DBS Hall and live music at the Hog Wild.

More activities will take place on Sunday with an ice-fishing contest on Big Butternut Lake from noon until 5 p.m. followed by a bonfire and fireworks at the boat landing.

More ice castle photos page 2

PAGE 2 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Counselors help students open doors FREDERIC - The week of Feb. 4 through Feb. 8 is National School Counselors Week and they would like to take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about school counseling in the Frederic School District.

National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, will be celebrated from Feb. 4-8, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact that counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

The special week honoring school counselors provides recognition for school counselors who "implement comprehensive school counseling programs, a vital part of the educational process for all students as they meet the challenges of the 21st century".

What do school counselors do? Work with careers and college planning? Work with the “troubled” kids? Scheduling?

These are all true, but they only reveal a small piece of the puzzle. To put it simply, school counselors do two things.

Counselors help students take care of all the extra stuff in their lives so that when the student is at school they are able to focus and learn. Secondly, counselors help students open doors and find opportunities for the future.

School counselors are actively engaged in helping students examine their abilities, strengths, interests and talents; work in a partnership with parents as they encounter the challenges of raising children in today's world; focus on positive ways to enhance students' social/personal, educational and career development; work with teachers and other educators to provide an educational system where students can realize their potential and set healthy, realistic and optimistic aspirations for themselves. Professional school counselors are certified, experienced educators with a master's degree in guidance and counseling. The combination of their training and experience makes them an integral part of the total educational program.

"Every day, school counselors work with school counseling programs that address the personal/social, academic and career needs of all students," said Eric Sparks, ASCA 2008-2009 president.

"Their ultimate goal is to enable all students to achieve success in school and to become responsible and productive members of our society." Within the personal/social, academic and career domains, there are four components: 1) Guidance curriculum follows suggested

standards set up by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction which ensures guidance content to all students in a systematic manner. 2) Individual student planning encompasses assessments, student advising and transition planning. 3) Responsive services consist of preventative activities or interventions to meet the immediate needs and concerns of students. 4) System support encompasses all activities, which establish, maintain and enhance the comprehensive program.

Frederic School District has two school counselors. Heather Schmit is at the elementary school, and Julie Bever is at the middle/high school. School counselors work with students of all ages as well as fellow school faculty and staff, parents, community members, and community organizations to provide support to all students. Schmit and Bever are working to provide a school comprehensive school counseling program that reaches all students by involving students, par-

ents, school staff, school administration, school board and community members.

The Frederic School District’s School counseling program's mission is to provide a comprehensive, developmental counseling program addressing the academic, career and personal/social development of all students by collaborating with staff, parents and the community. If you have questions or would like to know more about school counseling, please contact Schmit, Frederic Elementary School counselor 715-327-4221 or Bever, Frederic 7-12 School counselor 715-327-4223. - submitted

Heather Schmit is the Frederic Elementary School counselor. – Photo submitted

Luck to hold lasagna dinner and quilt raf e

A lasagna dinner and quilt raffle will be held Friday, Feb 15, 5 – 7:30 p.m. in the Luck School cafeteria, before the LuckUnity doubleheader basketball games. These events are sponsored by the Luck Community Education, Larsen Auto Group (which covers food costs) and Bernick’s Companies (which will provide beverages.) The cost of the dinner will be $5 for adults and $3 for children (10 and younger). The proceeds from the dinner will go toward Community Education scholarships. Luck’s class of 2008 will be the 12th class to receive Community Education scholarships. Each graduate will receive $125 for continuing education. The raffle prizes include grand prize – Full-size quilt, hand quilted

by Donna Pedersen; first prize - His and hers Raleigh Mountain Bikes, donated by Herschel and Mary Brown; second prize - One-hour facial at Bella Salon; Plus gift certificates from Hog Wild Restaurant ($25), Fibre Functions and the Luck Holiday Convenience Store. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. Winners will be announced at halftime during the boys game in the Luck High School gym. Winners need not to be present. – submitted

Ice Castle/from page 1

Building an ice castle is a big job, and most of Saturday, Feb. 2, and part of Sunday was spent cutting ice from Sand Lake and hauling it to downtown Luck, where craftsmen put their building skills to work using ice tongs, chain saws and shovels. – Photos by Gary King

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 3

A Thanksgiving Hunt

by Shay Johnson, Siren seventh-grader

Every year around Thanksgiving We attempt to see If we’ll bag a buck with rifles, Like a two-forty three.

We tread around the woods in orange or hunker down up in a tree.

Some years we might see ten or twenty, and some only three.

Over $130!

Don’t spend so much time shopping, And not so much $ either.

Writer’s Corner

My First Three Deer Missed Shot

by Alan Strabel, Siren eighth-grader

Shopping

by Jessica Talbert, Siren seventh-grader When I go shopping And it’s easy To spend a lot of money.

F or example, When Pam and I Went to Rice Lake mall

Poco Penners The PoCo Penners meet the second Friday of the month at 2 p.m. at the county boardroom in the government center in Balsam Lake. Contact Gladys Frokjer at 483-3208 or Iris Holm 284-3174 for more information. - submitted

And the first store we stopped at Was Fashion Bug Pam bought two pairs Of black and brown pants For $30 each.

Then, we went to Claire’s I got a backpack With a picture of Will Turner right on the front.

We spent about $15 to $25 there.

Then at the grocery store: Food for the grillHot dogs, Hamburger meat, Steaks, And brats, 40 to 50 bucks.

When we went home, Pam added the receipts:

I saw one buck and two does around 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Then 30 seconds later, Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Of my 30-30 Winchester rifle.

The buck scurried left 1,000 yards into the woods, And the two does fled 50 yards.

My First Three Deer shot Missed.

Northwest Regional Writers The Northwest Regional Writers meet at 1 p.m. the second Friday of the month either in Frederic or Grantsburg. Each month we have a topic to write about and read to the group. The following writing was read at the last meeting. Call Mary Jacobson at 715-349-2761 for more information about the organization.

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 the-leader@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

DECA students win at Career Development Conference ST. CROIX FALLS – Twelve DECA students from St. Croix Falls High School competed at the District One Career Development Conference on Saturday, Jan. 19, at UW-Stout in Menomonie. There were over 600 students from 17 different high schools located throughout northwestern Wisconsin who competed at the conference.

Students who compete at the conference are required to take a free enterprise exam, a comprehensive marketing exam and perform two role plays from different occupational series. Medals are awarded to the top students in each of the fore mentioned areas, with trophies awarded to students with the highest overall scores in each occupational series.

Nine out of the 12 students from St. Croix Falls received awards for their outstanding efforts at the conference, taking home a total of 32 awards. Alyson Sullivan: Selling Role Play for Retail Merchandising and Free Enterprise Exam; Emily Scheuermann: Promotional Plan Role Play for Hotel and Lodging, Comprehensive Marketing Exam, and placing in the top 10 overall in the Hotel and Lodging event; Jake Yunker: Comprehensive Marketing Exam for Automotive Services and placing fourth overall; Austin Whittenberger: Comprehensive Marketing Exam for Food Marketing, Marketing Information Management Role Play, Business Management Role Play, and placing third overall in the Food Marketing Event; Erinn Bloomer: Free Enterprise Exam, Promotional Plan Role Play, Risk Management Role Play, the Comprehensive Marketing Exam for Business Services/Marketing Management, and placing second overall in the Business Services Event; Kate Wright: Free Enterprise Exam, the Comprehensive Marketing Exam for Apparel and Accessories, Promotions Role Play, Selling Role Play and placing second overall in the Apparel and Accessories Event.

Chase Hamilton: Business Management Role Play, Marketing Information Management Role Play, and placing in the top six overall in the Food Marketing event; Tommy Hanson: Promotions Role Play, Selling Role Play and placing in the top 10 overall in the Apparel and Accessories event; and Carissa Libbenga: Pric-

The students from St. Croix Falls that competed at the conference, taking home a total of 32 awards. – Photo submitted ing Role Play, Promotional Role Play, Free Enterprise Exam, and the Comprehensive Marketing Exam for Full Serve Restaurant. A congratulations also goes out to Kelsey Willow, Katie Standing and Erin O’Brien for their performance at the competition.

Seven of the students will advance to the State Career Development Conference in Lake Geneva, March 11-13.

DECA is a cocurricular, student-centered organization specifically designed to provide activities that will motivate students to learn marketing competen-

cies that will prepare them to become skilled, employable workers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship and marketing related careers. - submitted

OMC hosts 5K run/walk

The start of the 2007 5K run/walk hosted by the Osceola Medical Center. – Photo submitted OSCEOLA – Spring is just around the corner and a great way to kick start your fitness goals is at the Healthy Heart 5K Run/Walk, hosted by Osceola Medical Center. This event is April 19. Participants will take a scenic route through the community of Osceola starting at the high school. Individuals, families and teams are invited to participate.

The run/walk is hosted by OMC, a critical access hospital and clinic along the St. Croix River in Osceola. Registration starts at 7 a.m.; the race starts at 8:30 a.m. Awards will be presented on or around 9:30 a.m. Entry fees are $15 by April 4 and $20 after April 4 and on race day.

Proceeds of the event will go to the

Think Pink Campaign, which is raising money for the region’s first digital mammography unit. The Think Pink Campaign is sponsored by the Osceola Community Health Foundation. More information and registration material for the Healthy Heart Run/Walk is available at www.osceolamedicalcenter.com or by calling 715-294-5736. - submitted

PAGE 4 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

River Road Ramblings

collected by Russ Hanson

Early history of the Cushing Cooperative Creamery

by Russ Hanson Cushing was just a crossroads before 1890 with a log church, small cemetery and a few homes. The Gullickson, Smith, Hansen and Brenholt farms joined at the crossroads. They came here in 1868-1870. For a time, the post office was at the Smith farm. People came to the crossroads to have Old Nils Gullickson make them a pair of shoes or fix their harnesses, to go to church and for the mail. New settlers stopped at the Cushing Land office in St. Croix Falls and were escorted to Cushing to visit the lands being sold by eastern speculator, Caleb Cushing.

Andrew Hennings and Thomas Hansen decided that it would be a good site for a store, and in 1891 built a general store on the Gullickson site (the old building still stands just north of the north bar on Main Street). The local farmers came to the store to trade their farm products for the things they needed to buy.

They traded butter, eggs, maple sugar, wood, woven and knitted clothing for salt, sugar, coffee, tea, tools, farm seeds, shoes, etc. The butter, eggs and other trade goods were sold to customers who needed them.

Nearby at Luck, in 1885, the local farmers decided to have a cooperative creamery. This was a Danish concept. Instead of processing your milk into butter at home, farmers sent their milk to a central factory where a steam engine was hooked up to a centrifugal milk separator and a churn. To make butter, you take whole milk and separate the cream and churn it into butter. On the farm, the farmer’s wife or daughter milked the cows and let the milk sit in pails, pans or cans for many hours. The cream would separate out and rise to the top. Then it was skimmed off leaving behind skim milk for the pigs and calves. The cream was churned (shaken or paddled) until the solid fat, the butter, separated out leaving buttermilk behind.

The butter was worked to squeeze out the last of the buttermilk, salt added and then molded into blocks or small round tabletop 1-pound pieces with a pattern pressed on the top.

The butter coming directly from farmers was of varying quality with some farmers being very clean and others not. Some churned fresh cream butter, and others waited until the milk soured to get sour cream butter. Hansen and Hennings had to sample the butter coming to them and decide if it was good enough to sell. The customer sampled each pound too and chose it based on their taste preference. A lot of butter was very poor quality and taste.

A farm wife came into the store with several pounds of butter. “Can I trade my butter for store butter?” she asked. “A mouse jumped into the milk just as I was bringing it from the barn. I got it out right away—so there is nothing wrong with the butter. I just can’t get over the idea of using it. Somebody who didn’t know wouldn’t mind.” “I can do that for you,” said the storekeeper trying to please a good customer. He took her butter to the back of the store out of sight, unwrapped it and then rewrapped it in store paper, and brought it back to her. “Thank you!” she said happily as she took it back home.

To make a better product, and to allow farmers to keep more than just a few cows, the idea of a centralized, mechanized creamery was appealing. The store owners could get good quality butter if the milk was regularly taken to the creamery where lots of hot water and steam kept everything clean and fresh.

Hansen and Hennings knew that if farmers came to town regularly with their loads of milk and earned money regularly, their store would profit and the town would grow. They floated the idea of a creamery and contacted the Luck Creamery owner, Mr. Hjort, about

The Cushing Creamery is three years old in this 1897 photo. Local farmers pledged the milk from 400 cows to support their creamery. The oxen team belonged to Everett Smith who lived just over the hill to the north from the creamery. – Photo submitted a creamery. Luck Creamery started as a farmers cooperative – where the farmers put up the money to build the creamery, owned it, ran it by their own board, and set the rates and shared any profits. In a short time, the Luck Creamery Co-op was taken over by a private owner, Mr. Hjort. For some reason, the cooperative process must not have worked out for them.

An old newspaper article written by Stephen C. Pomeroy, who lived just south of Cushing (Marshland Farms), tells us details of the Cushing creamery startup. The 1911 creamery building still stands on the site of the 1894 building, the southeast corner at the intersection.

What I can remember about the Building of the Cushing Creamery by S. C. Pomeroy What I remember as the first secretary-treasurer of the Cushing Creamery Company. I think that Thomas Hansen started as he was the first one to mention creamery to me, and said H. J. Hjort had a creamery at Little Butternut Lake. He (Hjort) would build a creamery here if we could raise 400 cows, and I agreed to canvass the territory south and west of Cushing, if they would patronize the creamery, and the number of cows owned by each. Mr. Hansen talked to his customers at his store, and of course Mr. Henning, the other merchant, fell in line at once and did everything he could to make it a success.

Well, we got the 400 cows alright and sent for Mr. Hjort to come over from Luck, and he wanted to know about the location. Of course, there was only one place for the merchants, and that was right in town. Mr. Hjort said there is nothing doing, the only place I can see and that is not very good, would be at the north end of McKeen Lake to build a creamery on the side hill. With no chance for the sewer or a good well you would run into a lot of trouble to start with.

Not long after that, two young men that represented T. B. Fargo of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, building creameries complete to be all ready for the milk at a cost of $3,000 – but the well was not included, and they were to canvass the territory and sell the stock. They could not get 30 at $100 each so they took two at $50 or four at $25; that was in 1894, our first and worst Depression, Cleveland and free trade, everything was cheap but nothing to buy with. Just think of wire nails at $1 per keg and barbed wire $1 per roll, but most of the shares sold were of the $25 class.

I knew I had three partners, if I am not mistaken, they were Ed Skone, Rasmus Jensen, N. P. Peterson – that was Pete. It was not too long after we were all signed before the lumber for the building from Balsam Lake was delivered, and believe me, it was not a very big pile. The building went up in a hurry, but there was a delay of nearly two months to get machinery installed.

Of course, the first thing we had to have was a well.

There was no drilling wells in those days, so John Penny was hired to dig an open well, and at about the depth of 25 feet he ran into quicksand and could go no further, and the supply was very limited.

Our directors hired a young Danish woman as the first butter maker. She could not understand English – not only bad for her, but the patrons could not understand her. Her troubles were great in the first place.

It was only a one-horse outfit and inside of one year we had to replace nearly every bit of machinery. Our boiler was a little upright that burned stove wood, and it was a job for one person to keep up steam, and this woman was in there all alone and knew nothing about machinery and said in the old country they always had a man to attend to that. It was a good thing for all that Frank Peterson had his blacksmith shop just across the street, and when it looked as if something would be going up through the roof, he would run over and get things straight.

It was decided that the stockholders should do the draying, haul the butter and bring bulk freight from the station, so a list of names was posted in the creamery and a person could see when it would be his turn.

At the last minute, some of them would send me word that they could not go, then it was up to me to get someone else or go myself.

The ice house was filled the same way. I think Gust Gudmundson had the first contract at $35. He cut the ice in Horseshoe Lake, and there being no snow, he had to haul it across my plowed field on a wagon. I think Knute Lee had the first contract to haul butter to Luck. I remember his complaint while unloading, a trace chin became unhooked, and he had to get a man with rubber boots to help him out.

This was the first creamery cooperative in the county. New bylaws were adopted, Jan. 9, 1924. J. M. Bruener, president; Peter H.Peterson, secretary; Ole Torkelson, John Swanson and S. C. Pomeroy, Committee on Bylaws.

The first wooden building appears to have burned down about 1911. A new cement block building was built to replace it on the same site.

••• Maple Syrup Makers Meeting: Saturday, Feb. 23, at Anderson Maple Syrup Inc. Open house all day. Program for beginning syrup makers 2 p.m. Video on how to make syrup; information on selling sap and syrup etc. Ask the experts. Sessions on maple woods property taxes relief, pipelines, filtering etc. Door prizes 2-4 p.m. Free! Just south of Hwy. 48 near Cumberland—Look for the Anderson sign. A chance to get your enthusiasm up for this year’s maple season! See you there.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 5

The Reader’s Digest version of the Christian faith The best vitamin for a Christian is B1.

Tithe if you love Jesus! Anyone can honk!

Spoil your lawyer’s day. Makeup with your spouse.

Don’t wait for the hearse to take you to church.

Don’t give up. Moses was once a basket case.

Life has many choices. Eternity has two. What’s yours?

Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due.

Wal-Mart isn’t the only saving place.

Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary. (Attributed to Francis of Assisi) Prevent truth decay. Brush up on your Bible.

It’s hard to stumble when you’re down on your knees.

A clear conscience makes a soft pillow.

What part of “thou shalt not” don’t you understand?

The wages of sin is death. Repent before payday.

Never give the devil a ride. He will always want to drive.

Can’t sleep? Try counting your blessings.

Forbidden fruit creates many jams.

Christians, keep the faith, but not from others.

Satan subtracts and divides. God adds and multiplies.

If you don’t want to reap the fruits of sin stay out of the devil’s orchard.

To belittle is to be little.

Don’t let the littleness in others bring out the littleness in you.

God answers knee-mail.

When we throw mud we’re losing ground.

Seen on churchyard signs and bus benches.

Birds in winter We feed the birds all winter and watching them gives us a great deal of pleasure. Woodpeckers pound away at the suet cakes. Chickadees, all fluffed out against the frigid weather, are very clever. They take a sunflower seed to the roof of another feeder, stick it in the crack of the feeder roof and hammer at it to break it open.

Bernice Abrahamzon

BEHIND THE

The cardinals come almost at dusk so it’s hard to distinguish colors. Bluebirds come in with a flash of blue.

There is a big window over the kitchen table, so we get a good view when we sit there.

Such brave little creatures in the face of cold. They are an inspiration to us.

Most amazing is that they wait their turns. Sometimes there’s a brief squabble, but for the most part, they are polite.

SIGNPOST

Are you concerned about too many carbs in your diet? For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health. It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

The conclusion is you can eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you. the Internet Until next week, Bernice

Interstate State Park News Nature story time at Interstate Park 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).

Candlelight Night at the Park This is an event you won’t want to miss! The Friends of Interstate Park invite you to Candlelight Night at the Park this Saturday night, Feb. 9, from 69 p.m. Experience a winter evening by candlelight as hundreds of candles are lit to guide skiers, snowshoers and hikers on separate trails. Lantern-lit, horse-drawn wagon rides are also featured this year.

Come when you can, ski at your own pace on the Quarry Cross-Country Ski Trail. Snowshoers will dis-

cover the winter solitude of Lake O’ the Dalles (snowshoes are available for use free of charge for ages 6 and up). Hikers can enjoy a candlelit walk beside the St. Croix River. There will be hiking opportunities no matter the snow conditions! Purchase a ticket and hop aboard a wagon pulled by the Amador Clydesdales for a ride past river and lake (tickets $4 per person, children under 5 free). Refreshments and warming fires are available at the trailheads near the Camp Interstate Shelter building.

Interstate Park is located in St. Croix Falls, on Hwy. 35 just one-half mile south of Hwy. 8. Nature story time is free of charge, but a Wisconsin State Park sticker is required to enter the park. Annual passes for 2008 are $25 for Wisconsin residents or $35 for nonresidents. For more information call Julie at 715483-3747.

WITC public forum schedules for college’s presidential nalists SHELL LAKE – Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College’s four presidential finalists will attend a live forum at each WITC Campus location (Ashland, New Richmond, Rice Lake and Superior) and the WITC Administrative Office in Shell Lake Feb. 11-12 and Feb. 18-19. The college community and public are encouraged to attend. Please visit www.witc.edu/presidentsearch/forum.htm or call 800-243-9482 for specific times and locations.

The finalists represent college leaders from within Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kansas. Members of the WITC Board of Trustees will interview the candidates.

The finalists are: Dr. Debra Derr, vice president for Learner Success at Madison Area Technical College; Dr. Roxanne Kelly, director of Academic Services with the Kansas Board of Regents, Kan.; Dr. Robert Meyer, assistant to the Chancellor for State and Federal Relations; Director, Stout Technology Transfer Institute; and Dr. Robert Musgrove, president of Pine Technical College, Minn.

The finalists were selected from a group of candidates interviewed by the WITC Screening Committee and recommended to the board of trustees. The screening committee was headed by Susan Wojtkiewicz, WITC trustee, and included both college and community representatives.

WITC serves the educational and career needs of more than 28,000 residents of northwestern Wisconsin each year. With four campuses, two branch campuses, and numerous outreach centers in the district, WITC offers career-focused associate degree programs, technical diplomas, apprenticeship training, customized training for business and industry, certificate offerings, and a wide array of courses for personal or career enrichment. WITC is a member of Wisconsin Technical College System, and was recently ranked the seventh-best two-year college in the nation by Washington Monthly. For more information, call 800243-WITC (9482) or visit www.witc.edu. - from WITC

Subscribe online @ w w w. t h e - l e a d e r. n e t

Do you remember ?

Compiled by Bernice Abrahamzon

50 Years Ago Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was printed on the first page of the Leader on Feb. 12.-W. Renspe, Osceola, took the lead in the Frederic Bowling Tournament with a 692 score.-Allis Chalmers Day in Falun was set for Saturday, Feb. 15.-Specials at Route’s Super Market included ground beef at 2 lbs. for 73¢, Jergen’s soap at three bars for 19¢ and kidney beans at four cans for 49¢.-Frederic Co-op specials were 20 lbs. Delicious apples for $1.79, sliced bacon at 63¢ lb. and pineapple chunks at 31¢ can.-(Oh! Someone cut an article out of bound volume. That is a real no-no!)

Have someone on Leader staff make a copy of article on copy machine. Scissors are prohibited.-Harold’s Home Furnishings, Siren, was advertising Lane cedar chests.-Sherm Brown, WCCO TV personality, was coming as the speaker at the Frederic Blue and Gold banquet.-A demonstration of Jamesway barn cleaner was set for Feb. 18, at the Roger Sandstrom farm.-Farmers State Bank was closed Feb. 22, on account of George Washington’s birthday. Other businesses also.-Men’s dress slacks were on sale at Hagberg’s Store, Frederic, at $4.99, flannel shirts $1.88, plus specials for ladies in Toni Todd and Vicky Vaughn.

40 Years Ago A Coin Show was held at the Holiday Inn, St. Paul, Minn., Feb. 3-4, with free admission and free parking.-Congratulations were offered to the Frederic Farmers Co-op Exchange on its grand opening Feb. 1-2. The Olson Milling Machinery Sales Co. of Baldwin installed the milling equipment for the new expanded operation.-The Feburary Special at Our Own Hardware, Carlson Hardware, Frederic, was a hand egg beater for $1.19.-The Annual Arthritis Breakfast was held Feb. 10, at the home of Mrs. Tom Fuhne, Frederic, sponsored by the 20th Century Club.-Specials at Route’s Super Market, Frederic, included steaketts at 69¢ lb., tuna fish at five cans for $1 and mushrooms at four cans for $1.-Specials for Washington’s Birthday Sale at the Frederic Co-op Store included grapefruit at eight for 69¢, navel oranges at two dozen for 99¢ and 3 lbs. coffee at $1.89.-“The Outdoorsman” was playing at the Frederic Theatre.Specials at the Clover Farm Store, Frederic, included Red Rome apples at three lbs. for 49¢, 12-oz. bacon at 59¢ and 2 lbs. Folgers coffee at $1.29.-Dair Stewart Sporting Goods, Siren, was selling McCulloch chain saws.-Luck’s 9th-annual Winter Carnaval was held Feb. 15-18.

20 Years Ago Snowmobiling was making a comeback.-The Polk County Board rejected night meetings.-Smoke-free policy was suggested for Siren School buildings.Business of the Week was the Fishbowl Insurance Agency under new owners Rick and Jacky Anderson.-The forecast for Ruffed Grouse looks promising.-Grantsburg won three hockey games; Webster won two.-Miss. Frederic, Paula Zuniga, was among area queens to visit St. Paul Winter Carnival.-A woman was charged with making a Luck bomb threat.-A plaque in appreciation of Bernice Asper’s being a member of the board for six years of the Frederic Municipal Hospital was presented to Bernice.

She was being replaced by Rebecca Harlander. The plaque was presented by Kerry Brendal.-Corner Cupboard Deli, Frederic, was showcased as Business of the week.-Frederic’s newest industry, Strauss Knitting Mills, was progrssing well.-The Lewis church windows were cleaned of soot and repaired from the fire in 1986 and returned to the new church by John Anton of New Richmond.-A special event at Seven Pines was a fictional murder and dinner party.-The Lioness Club plans to purchases waste bins for Frederic.-Obituaries included Ashley Benjamin and Evelyn Amundson.-Specialists were added to the Frederic Hospital staff.-Emerson shut down Siren’s Doerr Electric plant.

PAGE 6 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

They call themselves down and twitchy!

They are also known as depression and anxiety and can be the greatest robbers of our joyfulness, well-being and peace of mind. Symptoms of depression are often described as a sense of feeling blue, unhappy, lethargic, troubled, unmotivated, unworthy, helpless and hopeless. Grief can also share very similar symptoms and be confused with depression.

Anxiety can be a sense of feeling nervous, scared, agitated, dread, easy to startle and on guard. Both depression and anxiety can affect sleeping, eating, memory, cognitive functioning and energy levels. Symptoms can range from mild, moderate to severe.

It is normal to experience some depression and/or anxiety in our lives in response to stressful life situations such as a new job, moving, relationship issues or financial hardships. There can a surge of depression and/or anxiety in some situations because it challenges our current coping mechanisms.

Situations that are ongoing may require a lot of energy on our part, as we react to them and possibly learn better

Sustainability Study – Groups set and new information on plastic recycling Washburn and Burnett county residents, members of the St. Croix Tribal Nation, students, municipalities and businesses are invited to attend the Natural Step sustainability discussion groups in our two counties. The Washburn County group will start on Thursday, Feb. 7, in the lower level of the Washburn County Law Enforcement Building in Shell Lake, and the Burnett County group will start Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Siren Village Hall. Meetings will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and will extend through May. The program intends to begin an education and discussion process dealing with sustainable development practices and how we can best implement these practices into everything we do. Areas that will be looked into include efficient homes, energy efficiency, less polluting transportation ideas, sustainable farming practices, biofuels and renewable energy, recycling, solid and hazardous waste management, or any other issues the groups would like to discuss. The framework for this project will be based on the Natural Step philosophy, which has been used worldwide to address sustainable development issues. This is a proven framework that emphasizes that real sustainable changes can be accomplished starting at the local level.

The study groups will be a roundtable format and guest speakers will be invited to elaborate on sustainability suc-

ways to respond. For example, if there is an unexpected fi n a n c i a l hardship, successfully weathering Jane F. Meinz that situation through to the end may require skills that we’re not accustomed to such as patience, trust, creative thinking, relying on the support of friends or asking for help.

Moving fluidly through a tough time and coming out with your self still intact usually means firming up and/or developing healthier coping mechanisms.

This process allows us to ride the ebb and flow of life with the least amount of depression or anxiety.

Problems arise in our lives however, when we don’t recover from stressful situations because our ineffective responses to them have become a way of life. They can cause trouble for us by

Sky’s the Limit

cess stories from other areas in the state and region.

The “Natural Step for Communities” book will be offered at half price to those particiJen Barton pating (approx. $8). Study groups will consist of eight to 10 sessions, every other week for each county; residents Reycling may go to either Control group. Please call Commission Jen Barton or Rick Schneider, 715-635-2197, to participate in this wonderful opportunity to make a real difference.

New rules on plastic recycling came to our attention at a recent visit to the Allied Waste Services Material Recovery Facility. According to Rich Hirstein, Allied Waste Services manager, municipal and residential sales in Minnesota, “All plastic containers labeled with a No. 1 or a No. 2 inside the chasing arrows symbol on the bottom of the container can be recycled regardless of neck.” Rich goes on to say, “We used to tell people only bottles with necks are accepted because the majority of No. 1 and No. 2’s do have a neck, and in the beginning, it was an easy way for people to identify a recyclable container.”

If you have any questions regarding recycling in Burnett and Washburn counties please call or e-mail Hirstien at 635-2197, or jbarton@nwrpc.com.

many others.

The first step in the process of changing a habit is learning about and understanding what you actually believe in (for real) and how you are specifically responding to situations in life. That way you can find out what is working and what is not. If you don’t know what the problem actually is then you won’t know how to go about repairing it. The next step is to learn more effective ways of perceiving any given situation and learning to respond more effectively.

In other words, if I’m experiencing financial hardship and I have flushed out my belief that, “asking for help means I’m a failure,” I can then pause and decide if that belief is helping or hurting me in my life. If I decide that it’s hurting me, then I can explore other ways of handling this financial crisis like, asking for help.

This new behavior will probably at best, feel very uncomfortable to start, and at worst make my skin crawl! That is the inherent nature of changing a habit. But as habits start to change, it is the benefits that I want to pay attention to. If I decide that asking a friend for help is actually a strength, with practice I will also let myself feel the relief that comes with that friend’s support.

Annual Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity Valentine's dance at new venue

EARTH NOTES

Wisconsin Junior Miss Scholarship Program open FRANKLIN - Wisconsin’s Junior Miss Scholarship Program is now accepting applications from girls who are currently juniors in high school.

There is no entry fee to participate.

America’s Junior Miss is a scholarship program, not a beauty pageant. Categories of judging include: scholastics, interview, talent, fitness and selfexpression. Junior Miss is proud to be the oldest and largest scholarship program for high school girls in the nation. Since 1958, nearly $90 million in cash scholarships have been awarded to Junior Miss participants in programs across the country.

Scholarships exceeding $10,000 are

keeping us stuck. If that person experiencing financial hardship insists on believing, “I have to do it all myself because asking for help means I’m a failure,” then they may be more susceptible to experiencing depression or anxiety.

Their rigid belief will not allow them to explore other more effective ways to respond.

Individuals who have lived with stressful conditions for an extended period of time and have developed a habitual way of responding may mistakenly think, “that’s just who I am, it’s my personality.” Genetics can sometimes play a role in how we innately respond to situations in life however, there can also be other factors such as parental role-modeling, childhood abuse or remarkable life circumstances like divorce, death, or loss that can leave us continuing to respond to life in a negative pattern. These patterns of response can become learned behaviors which then become a habit.

Recovery from chronic depression and anxiety is possible and there are many ways that this can be achieved.

Some methods include nutrition, exercise, medications, talk therapy and numerous holistic practices such as acupuncture, myofacial release and

awarded each year to qualified participants in Wisconsin, and over $150,000 at the national level. In addition, almost 200 colleges and universities offer further scholarships to Junior Miss participants.

2007 Wisconsin’s Junior Miss Kaila Mattson is currently attending the University of South Alabama on a full academic scholarship and is studying biomedical science. The preliminary competition takes place on April 19, in Franklin, with the state competition held in July. For more information and registration go to America’s Junior Miss Web site, www.ajm.org, or contact Sue Herman at 414-525-9283 or e-mail her at wijrmiss@wi.rr.com. - submitted

The dance committee (L to R): Annie Slater, Evelyn Weber and Brenda Christianson with some of the auction items. – Photo submitted SIREN – Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity will be hosting their fourthannual Valentine’s Dinner Dance on Thursday, Feb. 14. With last year’s success, the organization is planning for another fun-filled evening complete with a catered dinner and delightful music. This year’s event will be held at the Lake View Event Center on Hwy. 35/70 in Siren. The dinner will be catered by Adventures restaurant. Back by popular demand will be musicians Debbie Bigelow and Dean Kleven. Upbeat and engaging, performing beloved standards from the ‘20s to the ‘50s, Bigelow and Kleven will touch your heart and add a bounce to your step. A short program of local entertainment will also be included this year.

A silent auction with over 50 items donated by individuals and local businesses will also be held. Items to be auctioned will include jewelry, designer scarves, a baseball signed by Seattle Mariner pitcher, Jarrod Washburn; a 3three-ight stay in a two-bedroom cabin in Sandpoint, Idaho; gift certificates from various area businesses and assorted craft items.

Dinner and dance times are: happy hour (cash bar) and auction begins at 5:30 p.m.; dinner at 6 p.m., dance at 7 – 9:30 p.m., auction ends at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25 per person, with a very limited number of tickets will be available at the door. Call Annie at 715-349-7485 or Evelyn at 715-3498249 to purchase a ticket. - submitted

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 7

Luck Elementary book exchange held Luck Elementary School encouraged students to read through a used-book exchange. in kindergarten Students through fifth grades donated books they already read in exchange for receiving the same number of books in return. Students were excited to bring in their outgrown books and even more excited when it was time to select their new books.

Books came in over four days prior to the event and were claimed in about one hour on Thursday, Jan. 24. The 715 books brought in were almost double the amount from last year. Judging by the happy looks on these faces, the exchange is sure to remain an annual event. - submitted

PAGE 8 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER Hi, everyone. Blacky here from Humane Society of Burnett County.

I said farewell last week to a few of my friends that went to a shelter in the City. The place was jam-packed, I tell you. You know what? We’re jam-packed again, already! My pals Blacky were barely out the door, and in came a bunch more. Strays, mostly, and the theme this week is Jack Russell terrier. We have three, actuYAPpenings ally. Jazzmine came to us last week and has graduated from her sevenday stay in the isolation unit and now is out front and ready to be adopted. Shelby and Miss Mini will be ready to go, too, if they are not claimed by their owners. Another newbie is Tofer. He is a terrier of some kind himself. There’s more: Rapper is a black Lab mix, and then there’s a beagle who’s name escapes me at the moment. Sometimes it’s hard for me to keep track of everyone. I think we need to install a revolving door.

Elli’s pups have all been adopted now. The last one, Bekkah, has learned to sing just like her mom and will be going to her new home this week. They were sure a cute bunch, but we still have the three

SHELTER

bearded collie mixes, don’t forget. They are pretty adorable, too. And Lassie, the last of the four-girl crew, is feeling pretty glum that she is the only one of her sisters that hasn’t been adopted yet. I told her sometimes folks save the best for last.

If you are in the area, we could use some more laundry soap and bleach. We use a lot of it around here because there are always blankets and toys to wash. That is, those that haven’t been turned into confetti by my counterparts that don’t know that a blanket is to sleep on and a toy is to snuggle with. We would appreciate your help, in any case.

Lastly, I just want to acknowledge a wonderful girl that showed up bright and early Sunday morning.

She had some free time and came to help clean, “just because.” Can you imagine what a thoughtful thing that was to do? Cleaning kennels and scooping out litter boxes isn’t most folks’ idea of a rip-roaring good time, so I’d like to say this: “CJ, you are awesome, and I’d lick your whole face if I were that sort of dog, but I’m not.” I’m not much of a kisser, but I could not let such a nice gesture go unheralded. Pretty cool.

Take care, everybody, and I’ll see you next week.

HSBC is saving lives, one at a time. www.hsburnettcty.org 866-4096

The Little Things

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A heart of warmth still lies, in the handshake of a friend; The moon will always be, a source of love’s delight; A walk in the sun can put, The darkest thoughts to flight; What more needs life than those, the little things of living, To make it worth the struggle, the trusting and forgiving, The Thursday evening 500 card winners were: Roger Greenly in first place, Kim Rosen in second place and Olga Young in third place.

Bingo is played every first and third Friday of the month.

Have a great day.

A pot of gold still gleams, at every rainbow’s end;

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Siren

Hard to believe that the first month of 2008 is now a thing of the past, time does seem to fly these days, they say it does as you get older. Have you been receiving all those great seed catalogs in the mail? They give us farmers and those wannabes the yearning to once again be out in the gardens working the soil. I guess gardening is in my blood and always has been.

Coming up this Sunday, Feb. 10, at the Northwoods Crossing Event Center, starting at 1 p.m., doors will be open at noon, there will be the Hope for a Cure Longberger Basket Bingo. For more info, call Sandy at 715327-4431. This event is sponsored by the Burnett County Sentinel and the Pink Ladies. Monies raised by this event will go to the American Cancer Society for the Burnett County Relay for Life.

Sympathy to the families of Kathleena Meissner on Jan. 20, Mildred Severson on Jan. 21, Frances Vold on Jan. 23 and Brownie Sears on Jan. 29.

Daniels residents, don’t forget the annual town board meeting is held on the second Tuesday of the month. That means Tuesday, Feb. 12, is coming up. If you want or need to have things brought up, come to the meeting.

Congratulations to elementary student Frankie Taylor, middle-schooler Brittney Coulter and high schooler Tyrone Moose for being chosen Siren Schools students of the week.

Ryan Lynn Beckmark arrived on Jan. 29 weighing in at 6 lbs., 8 oz. and only 18.5-inches long. Proud parents are Steven and Brittney Beckmark. Grandpa is Arthur Beck-

Bev Beckmark

mark Jr., former Siren graduate, all of Bremerton, Wash.

Proud great-grandparents are Arthur and Bev Beckmark of Siren.

Don’t forget there is a great ice-fishing contest going on this Saturday on Big Wood Lake starting at 10 a.m. and going until 3 p.m. This is put on by the Brask, Fossum, Janke Post 185 of Grantsburg. There’s a lot of great prizes to win so come early and stay late. Good luck.

Web and Lori Macomber left this week for Guatemala to finally pick up son, Nathaniel, and bring him home. Lori is the oldest daughter of Pastor Steve Ward, former Pastor of Siren Methodist Church. This makes three grandchildren for Steve and Gale.

Brian Peterson broke his leg last week when he fell at Diversified Services in Siren, where he works as a bus driver. After finishing his route of 80 miles, he went to the doctor and is now at home recuperating.

Happy Corners

Cory and Katie Schmidt, Superior, are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Grace Kathryn Schmidt, on Jan. 23, 2008. Grace weighed 6 lbs., 6.5 oz. and was 19 inches long.

Grandparents are Herman and Arleen Schmidt of Frederic and Craig and Mary Jo Nelson of Luck. Maternal greatgrandparents are Loren and Beulah Nelson of Cushing.

••• Jacob Anton Grabow was born on Jan. 18, 2008, at St. Johns hospital in Maplewood, Minn., to Jeremy and Deanna Grabow. Jacob was 8 lbs., 9 oz., and 21-1/2 inches long. Big sister is Alyvia Lynn.

Grandparents are Doug and Linda Plath of Webster, Steve and Teresa Grabow of Danbury and Sue Barrett of Siren.

Great grandparents are Bill and Bonnie Plath of Danbury, Jean Swanson of Webster and Ted Grabow of Aurora, Ill. ••• Born at Burnett Medical Center: A girl, Ruby Maysel Rengo, born Feb. 4, 2008, to Billie A. Kengo and Benjamin Rengo, Grantsburg. Ruby weighed 8 lbs., 12 oz.

Grandparents are William and Jessica Simonson, Hayward; and Howard and Charlotte Rengo, Esko, Minn.

•••

Dewey - LaFollette

St. Croix Valley Senior Center We want to wish those with February birthdays a very happy birthday. They are: Marqueitte Chinander, Janice Mevissen, Don La Vassuer, Darlene Toesing, Cliff Qualle, Janice Humphrey and Jerry Brown.

The Tuesday afternoon domino winners were: Don Anderson in first place, George Meixner in second place and Deloris Benson in third place. 500 card winners were: Lonnie Jones in first place, Elaine Edlund in second place, Olga Young in third place, Marion Edler in fourth place and Carol Van Buskirk in fifth place.

Birth announcements

Mardel Barnette

Mardel Barnette, Shawn and Patti Richards were in Rice Lake on Friday afternoon.

Mardel Barnette and Shawn visited at the Gene Doster home on Wednesday evening.

Patti Richards stayed at the Mardel Barnette home for a few days.

Karen Mangelsen

Hank and Karen Mangelsen visited Marlene and Bruce Swearingen Monday afternoon. Tuesday evening they called on Don and Lida Nordquist.

Judy Albee was a Monday evening visitors of Beverly Brunclik.

Bob Fjelstad is home again after spending a number of days at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. He is wished good days ahead.

Karen and Hank Mangelsen visited Donna and Gerry Hines Saturday afternoon. Sunday evening they were supper guests of Holly and Jake Mangelsen and family.

Gerry and Donna Hines were dinner guests of Inez and Arvid Pearson Sunday. Nick and Esther Mangelsen were there also.

Judy Albee was a guest at the home of Tom and Sunshine Crosby Sunday. She, and a number of other friends and family members, helped Isaac Crosby celebrate his first birthday.

Frederic Senior Ardyce Center Knauber Monday spades was played with the following winners: Margaret Ulick in first place, Norma Nelson in second place, Lloyd Nelson in third place and Jim Bly in fourth place.

Things were quiet for a couple of days with the severe cold weather although some seniors got out in spite of the cold. The nutrition center was closed on Wednesday.

On Thursday night, 500 cards was played with the following winners: Jim Bly in first place, Mickey Kilmor in second place, Arnie Borchert in third place and Myrna Weik in fourth place.

Friday’s monthly meeting was attended by 16 members.

Pokeno was played along with cards, refreshments were served.

Share-a-lunch with the birthdays of the month were celebrated Saturday.

The tax aide will be at the center on Thursday. We appreciate this service they provide.

Get-well wishes to Robert Hinschberger.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 9

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER 866-4334 Nineteen hungry diners came together at the center on Monday for another of Deb’s tasty meals. It may have only been Sloppy Joe’s on a bun, but they were very good.

Afterwards, Bruce Behrens, Harold Peterson and Bobby Gleason stayed and played several games of pool.

The Ravishing Rubies Red Hat Society met for lunch on Tuesday at Ike Walton Lodge and enjoyed the meal prepared by Marion Obzarny. Vice Queen Mother Jeanette Olson and Janet Snelson were honored for their birthdays both in song and with a gift from QM Mary Klar. Many hilarious jokes were told by Janet Snelson, Mert Kisselburg, VQM Jeanette Olson, Margel Ruck and QM Mary. One of the jokes was about a cat and a mouse that died and went to heaven. While strolling down the golden street they met God, and he asked them, “How do you like it so far?”

The mouse replied, It’s great, but can I have a pair of in-line skates?” God said, “Sure,” and gave the mouse the skates. The next day God saw the cat and asked him, “How do you like it up here so far?” The cat replied, “Great, but I didn’t know you had meals-onwheels.” How is that for a little nutrition humor? Door-prize winners were Judi Reese, Jane Wardean, Janet Snelson and Jeannie Bickford and Margel Ruck.

Jeanette announced that they will be having their annual First Rummage Sale of the Year at the VFW Hall in Siren on Saturday,

Webster Senior Center Feb. 16, starting at 8 a.m., so all of you garage salers should mark your calendar because I hear that theirs is always a good one to attend. The next RRRH luncheon will be held at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at Yellow River Saloon and Eatery, 27043 Hwy. 35, Webster.

We didn’t have Dime Bingo at the center on Wednesday due to the Webster Schools being closed because of the extremely cold weather and wind chill. The center was also closed for the nutrition meals; and those receiving home-delivered meals need to remember that it is our policy to be closed when the Webster School District closes school because of severe weather conditions.

Twenty-seven people enjoyed the roast turkey dinner at our Dining at Five meal on Thursday evening. We also had strawberry shortcake for dessert. Afterwards, Judy Behrens, Margel Ruck, Jane Wardean, Gladys Beers, Theresa Gloege, Mert Kisselburg and I played Golf cards while Sam Williamson, Gene Johnson, Dave Wardean, Harold Peterson, Ken Hayes and Bruce Behrens played pool.

There was a whole lot of laughing going on!

We had three full tables of diners for lunch on Friday, and after cleanup, Margel and I stayed for quite awhile putting a puzzle together. It has been rather relaxing the last few times I worked on the current puzzle that’s out, and I guess I will have to

Cloverton - Markville 320-242-3933

Fran Levings

The East Pine County Wanderers met at the Arna Town Hall on Wed., Jan. 30. State Rep. Bill Hilty was unable to attend as scheduled because he had to take care of a broken water pipe problem at his home in Finlayson. We hope to reschedule him at a later date.

Ruth and Gary Ament brought the birthday cake and door prize this month. Dave Baker was the big winner of the Birdie Chalet, a wild bird ready-to-hang feeder.

January birthdays for the club were Evelyn Johnson and Leon Berg.

President Fran Levings reported that Lisa Krahn, staff person for Seven County Senior Federation, of which 16 of our group are now members, worked with 190 seniors between Oct. 31, 2007, and Jan. 1, 2008, on Medicare Prescription D concerns.

After shopping in Duluth the other day, Mary and Frank Schaaf had lunch at the new Bistro Restaurant in Spooner with their former pastor. Father Kevin Gordon had been the pastor of St. Jude’s Church for many years. As many of you may know, that church is now located in Wisconsin at the intersection of Hwys. T and 35. He and the Schaafs enjoyed good food and a pleasant conversation.

The Organic Farming Convention held in St. Cloud recently was something that Bob Brewster and Patty Koehler are very glad they attended. This annual event, sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, is right up their alley, as they continue with the splendorous orchards they are growing each season. A highlight of the event was the seminar on organic certification.

Eleanor Elliott’s mom, Mabel Burson,

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has moved from her home in Isanti to the Sandstone Nursing Home. Mabel is 94 years old and Eleanor reports that she is adjusting quite well to her new living arrangements.

Deloris Schirmer says she is waiting for the weather and town roads to get better so she can go into Askov and get her taxes done.

The deer are still coming to eat corn in Boots Raboin’s yard. He had to shoot a coyote out in his field the other day because it was chasing deer. He says he will probably have it mounted.

Dennis Sherman has been back living in his little home down here on Hay Creek Road for a few months now. You may recall that last winter he had some seizurelike spells that caused him to live with his son in Winstad for quite awhile. He says it is good to be back and he is staying on his medications and all is going well. He has the keys to his car back now also and can make his twice-weekly trips into Sandstone for errands and visits with his friends from church. His son, Dennis Jr., and wife Mary, come up every other weekend to see him.

The third-annual Valentine’s party will be held at the Hay Creek Outpost on Thursday, Feb. 14. They would like to have reservations made for the time between 5 and 8 p.m., when you think you and your true love can be there.

Because I have read all of the mysteries of William Kent Krueger, I went into the Sandstone Library on Saturday to listen to him speak. He sets his stories up in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. It was interesting and enjoyable to hear about his writing experiences.

Pick up a good book, wherever you are.

Luck Senior Center

We had a short week at the center last week. We were closed Wednesday due to the cold and wind and school was closed too. I guess it is our policy, if school is closed due to the cold, so are we.

We were pretty busy Thursday. Trudy, the foot lady, was at the center helping out six customers. Trudy will be at the center on Thursdays, Feb. 7 and 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call the center, 715-472-8285, or come in to make an appointment.

Shirley Lund

Luck Winter Carnival is this Friday through Sunday. Be sure to stop into the center on Saturday, Feb. 9, we will be serving roast beef sandwiches, pie and ice cream and coffee. Also, we have raffle tickets – first prize is $50 and second prize is $25. Hope we have nice weather, no more bitter cold. That’s all for now, see you during the Winter Carnival, keep smiling!

Mary Klar

make a point of doing it more often.

Diners this week that haven’t been here for quite some time were Paul and Dolly Peterson, Maxine Peterson, Berenice Quernemoen, and Leonard and Violet Fossum.

Don’t forget that the Webster Lioness Club Annual Valentine’s Day Party will be held on this coming Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Webster Community Center with a buffet meal being served promptly at noon. Free bingo and cards will start immediately after and continue until 3 p.m., with lots of prizes.

We will be having a Valentine’s Day party at the senior center on Thursday, Feb. 14, at 11:30 a.m., and Deb will be serving roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, rolls, milk, and cookies for dessert. We are also having a decorated Valentine hat contest with prizes awarded for the best hat and attire, and maybe the worst. Of course, this is not mandatory, as you can come without a hat too. Call Deb and make your reservation to join us.

Remember to mark you calendar for the buffet luncheon and free bingo/card party our senior center is having on Saturday, March 8, with lunch to be served promptly at noon with bingo and cards to follow immediately after. We are having a lot of good prizes.

Special thanks go to Gladys Packer for the caramel coffee cake she brought for the morning coffee drinkers and nutrition diners; and the anonymous donor of a large bag of aluminum cans.

Our get-well wishes and prayers continue to go out to Mary Garbe, Arlene Fink, Jan Golden, Fran Arnold, Iola Rachner, Belva Olliken, Antone and Jeremy Gronski,

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Albert Doriott and Loren (Harold) Babcock.

Our sympathy and prayers also go out to the families of Ruth (Brownie) Sears, Tom Paul and Edith Sage in their recent passing.

There is not much of anything in this world anymore that can be called perfect.

There is hunger throughout the world even though there is enough food grown and produced annually to feed the entire world.

Neighboring countries are fighting and killing each other; natural and manmade catastrophes are happening throughout the world; men are raping and killing women and children; women are killing husbands and babies; and the list goes on.

But God promises to keep us in perfect peace if we keep our minds focused on him and continue trusting him. But we still find it difficult to trust him, and it’s because we’re afraid that things won’t go as we want them to unless we control them ourselves. The less we are in control, the more anxious and worried we become. If we trust the management of the universe and all of creation to the Lord, how can it be so much more difficult that we need to be anxious and troubled about his management of us? Nothing is too difficult for God. Believing in God is a personal response that grows out of our Christian faith and is expressed by our trust in him and his promises. “If God’s creation helps us see what wonders he can do, then we can trust his promises for they are always true. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

– Isaiah 26:3. “There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”-Epictetus. See you at the cen-

Lewis

It was Communion Sunday on Feb. 3 at the Lewis Church with Communion stewards, Joanne Gibbs and Carl Warndahl, assisting Pastor Tom Cook. Ushers were Carol and Dennis Bohn, readers, Sylvia Schaetzel, Kara Alden and LaVonne Boyer.

Gloria Chell and Starr Warndahl provided a musical prelude together. The choir sang a special number.

Lunch after the service was served by LaVonne Smith and Carl Warndahl.

Ash Wednesday services will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. a the Lewis Church and 7 p.m. at Siren United Methodist Church.

The Good Cheer Club will meet Wednesday, Feb. 13, at the home of Cathy Alden.

Meet Amelia at the Arnell Memorial Humane Society. She is a dog after your heart. You see, Amelia is a “people dog.” She puts on her very best wiggle for each new person she meets, and if that doesn’t win them over, she might throw in a respectful lick to the hand.

Amelia came to the shelter as a stray.

She spent the late fall and winter, making friends with anyone and everyone on Church Pine Lake. Residents of the lake enjoyed her friendly personality and felt sorry for the homeless stray. As kind people will, a number of them started feeding her when she made the rounds. She became a fixture; the happy rottweiler-shepherd mix that greeted them while fishing on the lake or shoveling the walk.

As the winter progressed and temperatures dropped, the residents of Church Pine Lake became concerned about their Rottie without a home.

None of them needed another dog, and so luckily, two Good Samaritans brought Amelia to the Arnell shelter.

At the shelter, Amelia has received her initial vaccinations, a healthy diet, daily walks, a blanket and treats to curl up with at the end of the day. It is a far

Bernice Abrahamzon

Remember to bring a red gift for the dice game and also bring a Valentine to put in a pile, taking the place of the Secret Pal exchange.

Everyone in this area was encouraged by the nice weekend weather. The gun show sponsored by South Fork Sporting Club was held in Siren and was very successful.

The Lewis UMW will meet next week Tuesday, Feb. 12, (not Wednesday on account of Lenten Service) at 6:30 p.m. at the Lewis Church.

The NW Regional Writers will meet Friday, Feb. 8, at Big Gust Apts., Grantsburg, at 1 p.m.

HAPPY TAILS

AWAIT Arnell Humane Society

Amelia

cry from curling up in a snowbank or under a deck, but a home with her own people is what she longs for. Amelia has maintained her happy outlook and is hoping that before long the right people will visit and take her home. She comes equipped with a medium length black and tan coat on a sturdy frame, a short tail and a smile. She wants only to please and learns quickly. Her greatest desire is to be loved; and for that she will offer her undying devotion. Meet Amelia at the Arnell Memorial Humane Society in Amery. 715 268-7387 or online: www.arnellhumane.org.

PAGE 10 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

POLK COUNTY LIBRARY NEWS Amery Public Library “The Race,” by Richard North Patterson Corey Grace, war hero and senator, is thrown into the presidential race when he responds heroically to an act of terrorism. Unfortunately all of the problems which we see in our present day race plague him as well. The charismatic Christian leader the Rev. Bob Christy is sewing up the evangelical vote, conservative Rob Marota is in league with powerful media owners with deep pockets, and Corey Grace’s lady friend Lexie Hart, an African-American actress, forces the race card in the American South.

“The Race” is a thought-provoking look at the machinations behind the scenes when people are running for the highest office in the United States. How will they bury their differences when the time comes for them to work together for a common cause?

Richard North Patterson has taken a break from his courtroom dramas to give us a hypothetical presidential race which shines a spotlight on what it takes to become president of this country in this day and age. “The Race” is a good read in this political year.

Library notes Story time will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Everyone is welcome for songs and stories.

The Friends of the Library will meet on Monday, Feb. 11, a week early, because the library will be closed for Presidents Day on Feb. 18. They will meet at 4 p.m.

The Friends of the Library Book Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11, to discuss “Falling Through the Earth,” by Danielle Trussoni. This affecting memoir by a Wisconsin woman was on the 10 best books of the year list for the New York Times in 2006. Pick up a copy at the circulation desk and join us.

Teens read book group will meet on Monday, Feb. 25, to discuss “Speak,” by Laurie Anderson. Pick up a copy at the desk if you are a teen and join us for snacks and exciting book talk.

Great stories book group will meet to discuss “Born Blue,” by Han Nolan at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11. Otaku Club will meet every Tuesday at 5 p.m. for teens who love manga and anime. If you are picking up your teen, remember that the library closes at 6 p.m., and we don’t want anyone waiting outside in this cold weather.

The history group is getting ready to meet in March, April and May with Prof.

Herb Cederberg. They will be reading three books about the American Colonial Period. If you are interested in being a part of this group come and sign up and pick up the books.

The tax forms have arrived. We have state, federal and Minnesota forms. If we do not have the form, we will print it for you off the Internet if possible.

Library hours Monday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Luck Public Library Luck Library is now accepting books and other materials for the Winter Carnival Book Sale on Feb. 9. We are getting a great assortment of hardcovers, paperbacks, games, puzzles and audios.

If these items are taking up space in your house, now is the time to bring them in.

Computers for Seniors is held Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to noon.

Preschool story hour is held Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. We focus on developing emergent reading skills and language.

Tax forms are in. Come and get them while they last.

DVD donations are needed. If you

have a new or slightly used DVD that you are willing to donate to the library, it would be much appreciated. DVDs are getting to be a greater and greater part of our circulation, and most library’s budgets are not increasing. This would be a wonderful thank-you gift to your library.

Bricks are still available to purchase for our new library. Contact the village or the library for a copy of the Buy a Brick form. The building is really taking shape.

Hours: Monday 1 – 5 p.m., Tuesday 1 – 8 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thursday 1 – 8 p.m., Friday 1 – 5 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to noon.

Clear Lake Public Library Food for Fines Month Bring in a nonperishable food item and the Clear Lake Public Library will take $1 off of your fines. The items will be given to the Lifeline Food Pantry located in the Clear Lake Area Community Center. The pantry needs flour, sugar, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, tea and white rice.

Master Gardeners present The Polk County Master Gardeners are going to be at the library on Feb. 23, from 9-11 a.m. Topics include: The dirt about dirt; common mistakes gardeners make; starting plants from seed; and how to grow disease-free tomatoes.

There is a $10 fee that will go towards future Master Gardener outreach efforts.

Call the library at 715-263-2802 to re-

Osceola Public Library Cold nights, hot reads is in full swing!

Third-annual adult winter reading program began Monday, Jan. 7, and runs through Monday, March 31. Stop in to the Osceola Public Library to register for the program. The 10 steps to winter bliss are as follows: 1. Register 2. Read 3. Report back to the Library 4. Receive a gift 5. Read 6. Report back to the Library 7. Receive a gift 8. Read 9. Report back to the Library 10.Receive a gift Pretty easy! Participants must be 17 years of age or older. Only one entry per person. And, audiobooks count!

Natural Step for Communities Study Circle Schedule A: Starting Feb. 7, this circle will meet every other Thursday at 7 p.m. for a total of 10 sessions. Schedule B: Starting Feb. 13, this circle will meet every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. for a total of 10 sessions. Schedule C: Starting Feb. 16, this circle will meet every other Saturday at 1 p.m. for a total of 10 sessions. The study circles of the book are lead by Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti.

If you would like to be involved contact the library at 715-294-2310 or osceolapa@ifls.lib.wi.us.

Family story time May I Have This Dance is the theme for Saturday, Feb. 9. Children, preschool through the second grade, and an accompanying adult are encouraged to come out or a themed half hour of stories, songs and fun every Saturday at 11 a.m.

Family story time Dinosaurs is the theme for Saturday, Feb. 16. Children, preschool through the second grade, and an accompanying adult are encouraged to come out or a themed half hour of stories, songs and fun every Saturday at 11 a.m.

Build-A-Book Party To kick off our Scholastic Book Fair, which is being held Wednesday, Feb. 20, through Saturday, Feb. 23, we are hosting a Build-A-Book Party from 6 - 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Together you and your child will build your own book using lots of fun craft materials.

We will provide everything you’ll need

to create a fantastic keepsake with your child.

The event is limited to 40 kits, so you must preregister. Each child needs to be accompanied by an adult to help with the process and share in the fun. There is a small fee of $3 per kit that is due at the time of registration. Stop in the Osceola Public Library or contact the library at 715-294-2310 or osceolapa@ifls.lib.wi.us to register.

Scholastic Book Fair The book fair runs from Wednesday, Feb. 20, to Saturday, Feb. 23. Stop in and check out our Scholastic Book Fair at the library anytime during regular business hours. Browse all the great new titles.

There is bound to be something for your child’s personal library collection. Also, be sure to check you the family events scheduled through out the fair. http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/publish/osceolapubliclibrary.

Family story time Meow and Squeak is the theme for Saturday, Feb. 23. Children, preschool through the second grade, and an accompanying adult are encouraged to come out or a themed half hour of stories, songs and fun every Saturday at 11 a.m.

Book discussion The library will be holding a book discussioin Tuesday, Feb. 26, 6 p.m. on “The Absolutely True Diary of a PartTime Indian,” by Sherman Alexie. Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farmtown school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Join in the discussion. New participants are always welcome. You can pick up a copy of the novel at the circulation desk.

Preschool story time Preschoolers and an accompanying adult are invited to join in a half hour of stories, songs, and fun every Thursday morning at 10:30 am.

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.

serve your spot.

Knitting and crocheting classes Knitting and crocheting classes will be held Feb. 13 and Feb. 27, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Tax forms Some Wisconsin tax forms have arrived. Forms we don’t have, we can copy for you for 10 cents a page.

Regular library 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.; and Saturday: 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

We can be reached by phone at 715-2632802 or by e-mail at clearlakepl@ifls.lib.wi.us.

Clear Lake Public Library

Centuria Public Library Reading to your children An often-quoted report, Becoming a Nation of Readers: Report of the Commission on Reading, stresses the importance of parents in developing the foundations for children learning to read. The report says, “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.” The Centuria Public Library is a wonderful resource for parents to get reading materials that can assist them in developing the skills for learning how to

Dresser Public Library

read. Come into the library and browse at all the children’s books available for reading aloud to your children. The library staff will be most happy to assist any parent in helping to find fun and exciting reading material.

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 Saturday.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 11

POLK COUNTY LIBRARY NEWS Balsam Lake Public Library Book sale Our second-annual I Love Used Book Sale, will be held Saturday, Feb. 16, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the library, sponsored by the Balsam Lake Library Friends Group.

Stock up on great books.

Book review “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak.

Narrated by Death, this story starts in 1939 Nazi Germany. Liesel Meminger is 9 years old when she steals her first book from a graveyard at her brother’s funeral. She is illiterate but with the help of her foster father she learns to read.

This is a story of courage, friendship, love, survival, death and grief. A book you will remember. Submitted by Sheryl Holmgren.

Story time 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.

New books for February “Stranger in Paradise” by Robert Parker, “Irish Country Village” by Patrick Taylor, “Strangers in Death” by JD Robb, “Killing Ground” by Jack Higgins, “7th Heaven” by James Patterson and “Honor Thyself” by Danielle Steel.

Book club The book club meets Feb. 20, 3 p.m. and all ages are welcome. In “Wish You Well,” David Baldacci has written a tale laced with touching passages of rural Virginia, imbued with graceful humor, and laden with unforgettable characters.

The novel is a heart-wrenching yet triumphant story about family and adversity from times past that resounds forcefully today. “Wish You Well” is a breathtakingly beautiful achievement from an author who has the power to make us feel, to make us care, and to make us believe in the great and little miracles that can change lives - or save them.

Love to read and hang out with friends Join a teen book club for sixth grade and up. Meet at the Balsam Lake Library (under the water tower) on Monday, Feb. 18, from 5 to 6 p.m. for more information.

Balsam Lake Public 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.

St. Croix Falls Public Library Alive at the library!

Frogs and Toads free family event Saturday, Feb. 9, 10:30 a.m. Meet live representatives of all of Wisconsin’s frog and toad species. Discover which frogs make what sounds, where they hang out, what they feel like, and reasons why they are declining in numbers. Presenter: Randy Korb conservationist/wildlife educator.

Join us for a St. Croix Falls Library FUNdraiser Family snow-tubing party at Wild Mountain in Taylors Falls, Minn., Sunday, Feb. 17, 5-8 p.m. Cost is $20 per person and includes: three hours unlimited tubing, dinner of brat or hot dog, chips, dessert and beverage. Advanced tickets available at the SCF Library through Feb. 9, for $18. For every ticket sold, $10 goes directly to the library building fund.

Ongoing fundraising events Announcing the Friends of the Library/St. Croix Falls 20-Month Giving Campaign! Now through 2009, the Friends of the St. Croix Falls Library invite everyone to make a 20-month pledge to help build the new library!.Each person decides how much that he/she can give each month for 20 months and completes the pledge form.

Then, once a month, the person gives the amount. Any monthly amount is wel-

come. No amount is too small nor too big. Just imagine the new library! In 2007, the library averaged 3,500 patrons/month. If 2,000 patrons give $10/month for 20 months, we would raise $400,000 by September 2009. Let’s do it! How to participate?

1. Stop in the St. Croix Falls Library 2. Fill out a pledge form 3. Take home and use the 20-month giving campaign monthly coupons. This is a giving opportunity for everyone!

Friends of the Library Next meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 13 and new members are always welcome.

Saturday talk about the book club The book club will meet the third Saturday of February, the 16th, at Sit-ASpell in Les Amis Shops, 9:30 a.m. The current selection is “The Ride of Our Lives: Roadside Lessons of an American Family,” by Mike Leonard.

Story hour Listen to stories, create great art and have fun with other kids and parents every Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.

Hours, contact The library is open from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. every day except Saturday 10 a.m.

– 1 p.m. Closed on Sundays.

Dresser Public Library Dresser Public Library is located at 117 S. Central Ave., Dresser, WI 54009.

The Dresser Public Library Board of Trustees will hold its monthly meeting Jan. 28, at 6 p.m., at the library.

Library hours Monday 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday noon5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.–noon and 1–7 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Coming up Lapsitter and preschool story times meet each Thursday from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Join us then for winter stories, songs, fingerplays, crafts and more.

Book club Our adult book club will meet Feb. 12, from 10 – 11 a.m. to discuss Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and also view the movie “A Farewell to Arms,” which was the club’s December book.

New members are always welcome!

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 has information about story times, days closed, reference links, library policy and community information.

Milltown Public Library Candy-making Make something special for your someone special during our candy- and card-making workshop on Feb. 12, at the library. There will be two sessions of this popular program. Preschoolers are invited to the 10 a.m. workshop, and children of all ages are invited to the 6 p.m. workshop. All children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

Please register in advance by calling 8252313 or visiting our Web site at www.milltownpubliclibrary.org. Preregistration is required.

We are wireless Bring your laptops to the Milltown Public Library and enjoy our free, fast, wireless Internet access. No more waiting for an open computer! Surf the Net from a comfortable chair! No time limits!

Story hour Milltown Public Library offers story time every Tuesday at 10 a.m. yearround. Story times are free and are designed for children under 6 and their caregivers. Each story time lasts 30 to 45 minutes and includes time to browse and check out books. Please note that there will be no story time on Feb. 12; please make plans to visit our special event instead!

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.

Frederic Public Library Don’t forget the February bake and book sale Be sure to drop by our bigger-and-better-than-ever bake and book sale – thousands of books, movies, music CDs, and audio books at out-the-door prices! It’s at the library Thursday and Friday, Feb. 14-15, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 16, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

There’s still time to clean out your closets and bookshelves and bring in donations of gently used books, movies, music CDs, and audio books for the sale.

Whether you’re a country cook or gourmet chef, we also appreciate homemade food donations for the bake sale. Questions? Give us a call.

The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round Frederic Library story time is open to all young children accompanied by their caregivers. Please join us for an hour of stories and activities all about transportation on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 10:30 a.m.

Federal and state tax forms are available The basic tax forms are finally 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.

Join a book group for some stimulating conversation The Thursday Morning Reading Group meets Feb. 21, at 10 a.m. to discuss “Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival,”

by Velma Wallis, a tale of two old Native

American women abandoned by their tribe to perish in the Yukon during a brutal winter famine. The evening Book Group also meets Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. to talk about “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” by Gregory Maguire, “a fantastical tale of good and evil, of choice and responsibility,” according to Publishers Weekly.

Copies of both books are available at the library, and new members are always welcome. If you’re interested in reading ahead, the morning reading group will be discussing “Pope Joan,” by Donna Woolfolk Cross on Thursday, Mar. 20.

The evening book group will meet that same day to talk about “The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million,” by Daniel Mendelsohn.

The library is a drop-off site for the community food shelf Please bring an item or two for the local food shelf when you visit the library – your donations will make you feel good and will help those in need.

Free wireless access available The library offers free wireless Internet access for patrons who bring in their laptops installed with wireless cards - no more waiting to use the public access computers.

Hours and information Frederic Public Library, 127 Oak Street West.

715-327-4979, e-mail fredericpl@ifls.lib.wi.us. Regular open hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Saturday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Polk County Library Federation Reading to children Did you know … Children get ready to read long before they start school?

Children who are read to often have a larger vocabulary and better language skills when they enter kindergarten.

Children who enter kindergarten knowing letter names and sounds are more likely to achieve at higher reading levels. Children who like to be read to are more likely to become good readers.

Do your children have a library card? What are you waiting for?

There are 10 wonderful libraries in Polk County all offering wonderful children’s books. Start a habit, read to your child. It is never to late to start.

Check it out @ your library Polk county libraries.

The Polk County Library Federation is open Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

PAGE 12 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

New OB specialists join Osceola Medical Center

Thomas Weber, MD OSCEOLA – Thomas Weber, MD, and Zis Weisberg, MD, have joined OMC’s team of specialists in obstetrics and gynecology.

Board certified in OB/GYN, Weber and Weisberg bring more than 30 years’ experience in obstetrics and women’s health to OMC. “We are excited to welcome Drs. Weber and Weisberg from the Stillwater Medical Group,” said Rob Dybvig, MD, OMC’s chief medical officer. “We are confident that this partnership will help us continue our tradition of access to high quality health care for our patients right here at home.”

Weber, a graduate of St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., earned his medical degree from the University of

Zis Weisberg, MD Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis.

He spent his residency at the U of M Hospitals and Clinics, Minneapolis.

Weber is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Ramsey Medical Society.

Weisberg earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch. He served his residency at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

Weisberg is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

They both join OMC’s family medicine providers Rob Dybvig, MD; Kevin Klein, MD; Kari Smith, MD; Greg Mattson, MD; Arnold Potek, MD; Bonnie Rohr, MD; Paul Sletten, MD; and Nicole Johnson, PA-C. - submitted

Subscribe online today @ www.the-leader.net

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 13

T h e

V i e w f ro m H e re

On the wings of winter Sometimes you get lucky. We’re riding that white ribbon down wilderness way, gliding 20, 30, 40 feet at a time. It’s a sunny, 25-degree day, the snow is hardpacked and fast, and it really couldn’t be better. We’re on the wild river heading west and south from Riverside, searching for State Line Rapids and the island campsite that overlooks it.

We are four here, Steve Cluck who arrived by bicycle with an ingenious ski carrier on board and a trailer behind; Martin Dearsdorf, taking time out from his daily grind, leaving the wife with the chores because “you just can’t miss this;” Matt Kramden, fleeing the love nest in south Minneapolis for this once-in-adecade perfection and me. I’ve been watching and waiting, and on Friday morning when the cold snap broke, the calls went out and the group was assembled in short order for a Saturday-morning departure.

Dearsdorf is right - you really can’t let this slip by. Just the right mix of freeze and thaw has left the surface of this river blazing fast for skate-skiing, almost like flying. But being the traditionalist in the group, Dearsdorf chooses his old wooden skis, barrel staves really, for the journey. We pull an odd assortment of sleds, toboggans, and pulks with enough gear between us for a monthlong journey.

It’s a wild, winter wonderland here, and the hand-sized wolf tracks near our campsite remind us that we’re not alone.

There are fox, bobcat, coyote and turkey tracks along the way as well, and Kramden is convinced that there are fish in the open, swirling water just above a line of large boulSteve ders where he Pearson spends much of the afternoon tossing out a line and retrieving lures in the icy waters.

Day fades into night, and we scramble to do what needs to be done before total darkness descends. There is plenty of dry black ash to be scavenged, and soon we have a roaring fire to ward off the chill. We eat and drink and talk well into the night and then set out on foot for a brisk half-hour hike back up and back on the river to warm our bodies before we climb into our sleeping bags. The moon rises like some magnificent deformed orange as we return to the campsite, bathing everything in its soft glow.

We bring water and the next day’s clothing into the tent, stuffing both along with our boot liners into the space between our inner and outer sleeping bags.

Sleep comes easily, and with the miracle of polypropelene and our heads covered with balaclavas, we’re warm and dry through the night. Dearsdorf’s snoring,

In no particular order, Steve Cluck, Martin Dearsdorf and Matt Kramden at Stone Bridge.

It’s a wild, winter wonderland here, and the hand-sized wolf tracks near our campsite remind us that we’re not alone.

Steve Cluck, who arrived by bicycle with an ingenious ski carrier on board. a low rumble punctuated by something like a small dog barking, is the only obstacle to a good night’s sleep, but by 3 a.m. we’re all too tired to care.

It’s always colder in the upper St. Croix Valley, and by morning it’s 6 below though the forecasted low was 12 above. Cluck is up blowing on the embers left from last night’s fire, and once we can see flames, the rest of us venture from the warmth of the double bags.

The sun rises over an island to the west and the temperature rises fast, headed to the low 30s. In contrast to the bright light of summer, the river bottom this morning is all pastels, easy on the eye,

while a thin veil of fog hangs over the hillside across the river.

Breakfast is a leisurely all-morning affair with hot drinks, oatmeal and dried fruit along with last night’s leftovers.

The sun shining in makes gloves unnecessary, an unexpected luxury. By late morning, we’re on the river headed south for Danbury, skis gliding effortlessly over the hardpack, rejoicing in the beauty of the day and our good fortune.

Perfect winter weather, good company, fast skis on a wild river and no mosquitoes. Who could ask for more?

PAGE 14 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Grantsburg fourth-graders Native American Projects GRANTSBURG – Grantsburg Middle School students recently took part in a research project on Wisconsin Native Americans. The students from all three fourth-grade classrooms worked in small groups gathering information about the tribe they chose. Learning how to collect data using various kinds of technology was an important part of the project. The students also had an opportunity to blog with students from Shell Lake and Rice Lake about their projects. During the several weeks of blogging, students from the three schools shared valuable information.

Each student also needed to make an item representative of their tribe at home with family members. Students chose to

Cody Glonek answered questions about the Native American dream catcher he brought to show classmates during his group’s presentation on Native American tribes.

create Native American clothing, crafts, games and dioramas. The items were shown as part of the final portion of the project when each group presented all the information collected in their research. – Priscilla Bauer

Violet Ohnstad presented a diorama of how a Native American tribe lived as part of her group’s research project on Wisconsin Native American tribes.

Grantsburg Middle School fourth-graders made group presentations to their classmates last week as the final part of their projects. – Photos by Priscilla Bauer

Cassidy Quimby modeled the Native American dress she made during her group’s presentation on Native American culture.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 15

Siren is spotlighted as wedding-planning destination

by Nancy Jappe SIREN – Attention brides, mothers of brides/grooms and anyone involved in an upcoming wedding: Sunday, Feb. 10, from 1-4 p.m. is the time for you to find out what is available for that special occasion right in your own backyard.

On that day, Peggy’s Fashion Rack & Gifts and Saratoga Weddings will be presenting a Wedding Essentials open house in the wedding shop upstairs of Peggy’s store on Main Street, Siren. The main store will not be open that day. The entrance to the upstairs wedding shop is through a specially marked door on Main Street.

“I wanted to do a follow-up of the bridal show (held in Siren in January),” explained Peggy Strabel, owner of Peggy’s Fashion Rack & Gifts. “I invited everybody who signed up (at the bridal show), 25 brides, mothers

Peggy Strabel has found her niche in the wedding market in supplying a wide variety of dresses for the mother of the bride/groom. The dresses are only one part of the wedding essentials that are available in the wedding shop on the upper floor of Peggy’s Fashion Rack & Gifts in Siren.

Mary Charmoli (L), owner of Saratoga Weddings, and Peggy Strabel, owner of Peggy’s Fashion Rack & Gifts, have arranged a Wedding Essentials afternoon in Siren Sunday, Feb. 10. The afternoon will highlight dresses for the mother of the bride/groom, tuxedo rental and availability of all types of wedding essentials that can be found in the local area. and grandmothers. I want them to bring their friends and let people know about us and what is in their own backyard.”

Peggy’s has been offering tuxedo rental since 2000.

People from the Twin Cities and all over have come there to rent tuxedos for weddings and other formal occasions.

“They offer better service,” commented Mary Charmoli, owner of Saratoga Weddings, another Siren area business that specializes in wedding planning, all aspects of it, through the actual ceremony and the honeymoon afterward.

“If there is a problem, you can come right here,” Charmoli continued. “There’s somebody who is expe-

rienced and knows how to measure. It’s not somebody who is just doing it (as part of) their job.”

In light of damage to the building housing her business following the June 2001 tornado, Strabel came up with the idea of turning the upstairs apartments into a wedding wonderland. By May 2002, the first section of remodeling was completed, with the second section to follow in 2004.

Strabel had been looking for her own niche in the wedding field. She found it when she started offering dresses and other finery for the mother or grandmother of the bride/groom. Customers at her store are mothers and grandmothers. Why not provide a place where wedding finery for them is available?

The word “wonderland” describes the beauty, peace and serenity Strabel created in the upstairs space.

Everything a person could want in the way of wedding accessories is available, with the exception of the dress for the bride herself.

Clothing lines that are carried in the wedding store include: Alex, Karen Miller, Scala, IC Collections, Stanley Scott and Leslie Bell. There’s a price range for everybody, and the dresses sell right off the rack.

Services offered by Saratoga Weddings will be on display in the wedding shop in the future. Charmoli will be on hand Sunday, Feb. 10, to show the rental items and table linens she handles, including wedding-invitation books that can be used for ordering, and hair ornaments (i.e. tiaras and head bands).

Like Strabel, Charmoli is dedicated to making Siren a wedding destination. “I want to tell people that we have all the features here as they do in the Twin Cites,” she said. “You can make Siren a wedding-destination

In addition to her expertise in arranging weddings, from engagement through honeymoon, Mary Charmoli of Saratoga Weddings can provide a wide variety of rental items, wedding invitations and hair accessories. A display of items Charmoli can supply will be shown in the wedding shop above Peggy’s Fashion Rack & Gifts, Siren. weekend, staying in the lodges or bed and breakfast, and not have to worry about driving issues. You can have the ceremony and reception in the same area, plus getting tuxedos, props and registry. Anything you need, we can get it for you.”

Strabel has been in the clothing business for 23 years.

She wants people to come in on Feb. 10 to see all the dresses and other wedding-related items her shop has to offer. If anyone finds a dress they like, they can try it on and make the purchase on Sunday. The dresses are suited for not only weddings but other special events and cruises as well.

Descriptions of honeymoon possibilities through a company called Sandals (offering honeymoons in Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia and the Bahamas) are available. Accommodations for families through a firm known as Beaches are also available.

Tuxedo rental specials will be offered that day and will go on to the end of February. Books and samples will be available. Door prizes will be given away.

“You can come here and get away from some of the hustle and bustle of a wedding shop,” Strabel commented. “You can get things personalized, meaning gifts for attendants and for grandma. The quality and prices are fabulous.”

“We have different levels of wedding planning from the initial planning sessions to the wedding to orchestrating honeymoons,” Charmoli added. “This is the day people can come and see what we have. This is an extension of the wedding fair. Football season is over.

Now you can come and see us.”

Charmoli has had 15 years’ experience in wedding planning. “This is the day (when) you can get your questions answered,” she said. Both she and Strabel stress the importance of knowing all that’s available in your own backyard.

Thrift shop opens Saturday in Siren

by Nancy Jappe SIREN – The Pines Thrift Store opens Saturday, Feb. 9, at the east end of the Outpost Mall on Hwy. 35/70 north of Siren. The proceeds from the store will support Interfaith Caregivers of Burnett County, an organization dedicated to “helping anyone they can and, if they can’t help, trying to find someone who can.”

Nancy Bergman is a member of the Interfaith board of directors. Her daughter, Gina Marrs, came up with the idea for the thrift shop. Marrs asked Bergman for suggestions of groups Bergman is involved with that could use extra funding. Bergman settled on Interfaith Caregivers based on what they provide to those in the most need in Burnett County.

“Everything here will be new or like new,” commented store manager Lisa McCoy. “It won’t be rummage- or garage-sale things. There will be no ripped or stained clothes. Everything will be neat and clean.

The idea is for everything to be of good quality. We even have a steamer coming.”

McCoy will be the only hired employee at the store.

She lives in Siren, but was originally from Woodbury, Minn. She and her boyfriend helped Outpost Mall owner Lance Ramsdell by painting the inside of the store that used to be the location of the North Wind Art Center and, before that, the first location for the Siren Senior Center thrift shop.

A wide variety of items will be accepted as donations in the shop. On the other hand, there is also a list of items that The Pines Thrift Store cannot accept. “Your donation of gently used, good condition items is greatly appreciated,” the explanation flyer states. That flyer lists the acceptable and nonacceptable items for easy

Lisa McCoy, Siren, the manager of The Pines Thrift Store, holds a pair of jeans that is for sale at the store. A wide variety of new and nearly new items will be accepted as donations to the store. The proceeds will support Interfaith Caregivers of Burnett County. reference.

The upper level of the store has been set aside as a showplace for donated prom and other special-occasion formal dresses. Girls looking for that special something to wear for prom are encouraged to come and see what is available. An area for trying on dresses will be provided.

New inventory will be arriving daily. Inexpensive prices are the name of the game. For example, a namebrand pair of slacks selling originally for $90 can be purchased for $5.

Donations are welcome. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sundays.

The number to call with questions is 715-349-7171.

The Pines Thrift Store will open Saturday, Feb. 9, at the east end of the Outpost Mall on Hwy. 35/70 north of Siren. —Photos by Nancy Jappe A donation box will be provided on the east side of the building and, later on, hopefully in locations around the county. Tax-deduction forms for donations are available. Anyone with a few hours to spare for volunteering is encouraged to offer those hours to the new thrift store. See McCoy for information on the times volunteers are needed.

“The thrift shop would be just a dream without Barb (the Interfaith Caregivers director) and Denny Blodgett and their support of Interfaith Caregivers,” Bergman and McCoy stressed.

PAGE 16 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Political correctness on the warpath PC attack Political correctness is after us again. This time it’s attacking Native Americans.

The issue back in the headlines is the usage of Indian images in our public schools.

In an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, Elizabeth Burmaster, our state superintendent of public education, said she is “pleased with the progress” of eliminating stereotypical Native American mascots in Wisconsin schools.

She used the power of her office to write a letter in 2005 to cajole schools to follow her charge.

I thought this whole issue was debated and put to rest long ago. I guess not.

I called the superintendent to ask some questions about her campaign. But she’s not talking to us.

“Unfortunately, the state superintendent is unavailable for an interview,” her office e-mailed.

The school doors in Madison are slammed shut— so much for an open-door policy.

APA resolution In her public-radio interview, she offers opinions by the American Psychological Association on using Indian imagery. So I picked up the phone to chat with the APA. They took my call.

The APA has issued a resolution asking for the “immediate retirement of American Indian mascots, symbols, images, and personalities by schools, colleges, universities, athletic teams and organizations.”

The resolution is troubling and problematic.

It sweepingly asks for the elimination of images across the board. The resolution rightly addresses racism and negative images. Yes, bigotry must be thrown out of school.

But it fails to consider any positive side of using Indian images. Everything for them is racist. The resolution is single-minded and lopsided.

Schools use cultural images like braves and warriors, eagles and hawks. These are images of power and pride. The APA resolution never considers this— so much for psychological balance.

These psychology warriors want to kick out Indian sports imagery, empowering and otherwise. Throw the baby out with the bath water! What a great lesson to teach our kids.

This prideful award plaque uses sports and Indian imagery and could be deemed inappropriate.

Wayne M. Anderson

The Anderson Report Guess who’s next?

Today, this cultural war is attacking This lovely painting hanging at Siren High School, of three maiden Indians, American Indians. could be objected to as stereotypical.

Guess who’s next?

I suspect they’ve got a resolution to pillage the Scandinavian Vikings Indian views and conquer the Hispanic Conquistadors and brawl “I think some of those things need to be wiped off with the fighting Irish. the map,” ruled Gloria Merrill, 61, chief judge of the And when they get religion, they’ll go marching St. Croix Tribal Court. “Not all of them, but some.” after the Saints.

Exhibit one: The Amery High School Warriors.

And soon the secular PC crowd will ride on a cru“It’s a great school,” said Judge Merrill. “I know a sade against Indian religious symbols, just like they lot of people who live there–decent people.” But now do with Christian symbols, in public buildings. “they are not warriors. They are students.”

Recently it was the Christmas tree in the capital.

Not all agree with the good judge’s ruling.

Next, a dream catcher.

“I think for some people it’s offensive,” said This sounds silly. But it’s no joke. In fact it soon Lawrence Johnson, 31. “But for myself, I don’t think may be a crime. it’s offensive. I like sports. I like the Braves.”

The superintendent and state want to criminalize My local survey showed views vary. But one young all this. mother, who asked not to be identified, summed it They support a bill that says if just one person gets up nicely. a wild hair in your school district and complains Using imagery in schools “doesn’t personally about Indian imagery for sports teams, the drama bother me,” she said. “I’m sure awhile back it was club, the school newspaper, etc., then the school dis- meant as, maybe a lack of respect, or maybe ignotrict has to immediately hold and pay for public hear- rance. But I’m from a different generation. I didn’t go ings on the matter. through a lot of the hardships and racism that the eldMore millions down the drain. ers did. I grew up in the inner city where there were mixed races, and it was common for me.”

Make it law And to make matters worse, Senate Bill 132 says Image power schools are guilty until proven innocent. Hello! ReImagery is powerful. It is used to empower or humember the Constitution? It’s the other way around: miliate. innocent until proven guilty.

As a Swedish activist I join Indian activists and say Schools can be fined “$1,000 for each day that it throw all bigotry out of our schools. But school imuses the ethnic name, nickname, logo or mascot.” ages of honor are not bigotry. They are images of Even Indians are subject to criminal action for pride. using their own imagery if someone objects to the Surely, even educated people can see that. usage and the superintendent agrees. It’s crazy!

••• Beyond an ill-worded resolution, and nutty legislaYou can talk about images of political correctness tors, what do Native peoples think of using historical with Wayne at wayneanderson@centurytel.net or images in schools? Has anyone bothered to ask them? visit his Web site: www.theandersonreport.com.

The touted APA resolution did not.

“I’m not aware of any such surveys,” said Kim Mills, APA spokesperson. Polling is a “snapshot of a moment in time...I don’t think it would be the kind of research upon which the APA would base a decision.”

Sports Illustrated Indian imagery is used in schools and pro sports.

So Sports Illustrated magazine had the bright idea to ask Native Americans what they thought.

“Asked if high school and college teams should stop using Indian nicknames, 81 percent of Native American respondents said no. As for pro sports, 83 percent of Native American respondents said teams should not stop using Indian nicknames, mascots, characters and symbols,” said the SI survey.

The story said, Indian “activists are virtually united in opposition” to using imagery. But regular Native folk “sees the issue far differently.”

Being a reporter, I had the bright idea to ask some questions too at the tribal center at the St. Croix Reservation in Hertel. I talked to several thoughtful, articulate Chippewa-Ojibwa people about using Indian imagery in schools.

Crystal Peterson wears a playful paper Indian headband and heart symbol supporting healthyheart awareness. This use of imagery could be ruled offensive.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 17

40 and 8 group history of giving

by Priscilla Bauer GRANTSBURG – Wearing the numbers 40 and 8 on their American Legion attire proudly, several of the group’s members gathered Saturday morning at the Brask-Fossum-Janke American Legion post in Grantsburg to present a scholarship check to recipient Renee Sandwick, a young nursing student.

Shortly before the presentation Jim Chapin, Wisconsin State Finance Officer for the 40 and 8 group, was only too happy to tell to those attending the presentation exactly what the numbers 40 and 8 stand for and some of the history and purpose behind the organization.

“The 40 stands for 40 men and the 8 stands for eight horses,” said Chapin, explaining you then have to go all the way back to 1920s France for the rest of the story.

The 40 and 8 was started in France in 1920 as an independent fraternal organization of U.S. veterans. The official name of the organization, La Societe des Quarante Hommes at Huit Chevaux, translates to The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses, and stems from the transportation of American Servicemen

to battle on the French narrow gauge railroads called Chemin de Fer. Each of the French cars was stenciled with the numbers 40/8 which meant the cars could hold only 40 men and eight horses.

Needless to say, since the boxcars (called Voitures) were half the sizes of American train cars, the train trips were uncomfortable and remembered well by all those traveling to the trenches via the French railways. Later, American soldiers took the lighthearted term 40/8 and made it their own, a symbol of their dedicated service and sacrifices in a time of war, whose shared experiences created an everlasting bond between all who fought together.

Today membership in the 40/8 honor society is by invitation for American Legion members who have shown exemplary service, veterans of congressionally recognized wartime periods through their Legion membership.

The group’s two main programs are helping individuals interested in pursuing nursing careers with financial assistance through scholarships and assisting families and individuals in times of local disasters. In the case of a local disaster,

Grazyna “Grace” Thomas, PA-C joins BMC GRANTSBURG – Certified physician assistant Grazyna Thomas will join the medical staff at Burnett Medical Center Clinic in mid-February. Thomas comes to BMC with many years of health care experience, including 12 years as a physician in Poland. She attended PA school in Chicago, Ill., and also recently completed a one-year emergency medicine residency program at the University of Texas. - submitted

Don Anderson, financial officer of the Burnett-Polk 40 and 8 Legion group, presents a $250 scholarship check to nursing student, Renee Sandwick, along with Jim Chapin, state finance 40 and 8 officer, Grantsburg Legion member Arvid Fossum, and Bob Blomgren, local 40 and 8 group nursing program chair.

Sandwick is the daughter of Brenda and Mike Sandwick and the granddaughter of Arvid and Violet Fossum. Sandwick resides in Ham Lake and is enrolled in the Anoka Ramsey College two-year RN nursing program. – Photo by Priscilla Bauer Chapin was quick to point out the group’s ability to step in with immediate financial assistance to victims.

Locally, the Burnett-Polk chapter of the 40 and 8 helped 43 children in 2007. The children, victims of fire, each received $150 towards the purchase new clothing and other needed items.

According the Chapin, the 40 and 8 will soon be adding a third program, which will provide scholarships to families of POWs and MIAs. Chapin, says he wishes more young people interested in nursing programs would apply for the scholarships offered

from the 40 and 8 organization. “There is a lot of financial help available through our group,” said Chapin who added all high school students thinking of a nursing career can check with their school guidance counselors for information on applications for 40 and 8 scholarships.

Along with providing financial assistance to nursing students and disaster victims, the local Burnett-Polk chapter of the 40 and 8 group also goes back to its historic train symbols with more lightheartness, appearing in local parades with their miniature train.

PAGE 18 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

Local American families hosting for the academic year '07-'08 TURTLE LAKE — Families across the nation expanded their horizons this year by opening up their hearts and homes to teenage students from foreign countries. Teenagers from more than 20 different countries arrived in the United States last August and this January to live with families for nine or five months, and attend local high schools.

By opening up their homes, host families have given the communities an opportunity to discover and interact with other cultures from around the world. It has also given the communities that were involved a glimpse at a more global perspective. By opening our eyes to what others in the world believe, it just may be possible to find some answers to the question of what it will take to make this planet safe for all.

The following Wisconsin host families are to be congratulated for opening up their homes and taking on

the responsibility of an exchange student for the 20072008 academic school year: Will and Carolyn Mowchan, Spooner, hosting Simon Beaujor (Germany), Brent and Lori Hostrup, Luck, hosting Chen Shuqing (China), Lori and Dean Springer, Barron, hosting Jacquiline Stamm (Germany), Nick and Deb Leal, Luck, hosting Daniel Sala (Mexico), Jerry and Sue Paulson, Cumberland, hosting Sarah Zink, (Germany), Leanne and Eugene Richter, Frederic, hosting Haris Ghazi (India), Wayne and Stacy Czyscon, Cameron, hosting Tanja Werkmeister (Germany), Charlie and Doreen Marsh, Birchwood, hosting Marelo Metti (Brazil) and Harry Schiener (Germany), Kim and Deb Odden, Cameron, and Tom and Dory Smith, Rice Lake, hosting Jana Holtrup (Germany), Brenda and Chuck Ofelt, Turtle Lake, hosting Katharina Warkentin (Germany), Jeff and Dexie Dunham, Shell Lake, hosting Esther Weissnicht

(Germany), Larry Dammen/Carmella Crandell, Spooner, hosting Paul Nazarov (Germany), Jim and Sue Pearson, Spooner, hosting Damla Koese (Germany) and Gwen and Ross Anderson, Luck, hosting Ivet Arghiani (Germany).

Gratitude is extended to these families for their efforts to make this world a much smaller place to live and broaden our understanding of other cultures. If you are interested in taking part in this program, or perhaps hosting a student for either one or two semesters for the upcoming (2008-2009) year, you may contact Steve Eichman at 88 South Horseshoe Lake Drive Turtle Lake, WI 54889 or call 715-986-4533 or e-mail at: seichman@turtlelake.kl2.wi.us Note: 2008-2009 profiles have started to arrive. — from AYA

National Children's Dental Health Month BURNETT COUNTY – February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. Cavities used to be a fact of life. But over the past few decades, tooth decay has been reduced dramatically. The key reason: fluoride.

Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in all water sources, including oceans, lakes and in underground water. Extensive research has shown that optimal levels of fluoride not only reduce cavities in children and adults, it also helps repair the early stages of tooth decay even before the decay is visible. According to the Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, “Fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure to pre-

vent tooth decay and improve oral health over a lifetime, for both children and adults.”

In Burnett County, the Grantsburg and Siren community (village) water systems are fluoridated. There are small pockets of naturally occurring fluoride in some well water, but the levels are rarely adequate. In areas with less than optimal amounts of fluoride occurring naturally in the drinking water, dietary fluoride supplements can be substituted.

Dental health is essential to total body health throughout life. No one can be truly healthy unless he or she is free from the burden of dental disease/decay.

Oral health is a top health care priority for Burnett County. The county is pleased to offer the community a fluoride supplement program for children ages 6 months to 16 years. This is free of charge! If you are interested in getting the fluoride supplement for your child or for more information, please call Burnett County Department of Health and Human Services Department at 715-349-7600, ext. 1251 or contact your local health care provider. - submitted

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 19

Frederic Honor Roll Grade 7 Charles Lindberg, Natalie Phernetton, Emily Wells, McKenna Rognrud, McKenna Cook, Kendra Mossey, Ian Lexen, Vince Nelson, Sierra Sorensen and Paige Burton.

Grade 8 Christopher Hopp, Seneca Lundeen Brooks, Erik Stoner, April Halverson, Leah Engebretson, Megan Amundson, Nicholas Rognrud, Jordyn Siebenthal, Lauren Domagala, Corissa Schmidt, Joseph Engelhart, Sara Underwood, Michelle Jensen, Alexandra Lundblade, Autumn Schmidt, Bradley Knauber, Alexander Miller, Allison Martin, Waylon Buck, Michael Tesch, Bryce Williamson, Christopher Maslowski,

Nicole Coulter, Ray Kurkowski, Dayton Rivera, Adina Stackhouse and Danielle Swanson.

Grade 9 Allison Anderson, Isabel Lexen, Samantha Nelson, Tanesha Carlson, Sarah Knauber, Daniel Halverson, Anthony Peterson, Kayla Nelson, Josiah Lund, Jade Johnson, Vanessa Neumann, Ashley Bergeron, Karry Simpson, Sage Karl, Brady McWilliam, Calla Karl, Amanda Blok, Allison Gustafson, Jesse Chouinard, Joseph Draxler, Carl White, Ryan Phernetton, Abby Lindahl and Jimmy Richter.

Grade 10 Kendra Wells, Alexsandra Lonetti,

William Primm, Christine Chenal, Amanda Runnels, Haley Kurkowski, Bradley Thomas, Adam Hardenbergh, Joel Knauber, Marissa Nelson, Joel Anderson, Nicole Root, Terri McKinney, Danielle Pearce, Cody Hallanger, Baylee Heimstra, Ethan Cook, Sadie Kettula, Cathryn McConnell, Gregory Puetz and Daneille Peterson.

Grade 11 Megan Anderson, Rebecca Anderson, Adrianna Otte, Sarah Lexen, Orianna Tesch, Bobbi Jo O’Brien, Stephanie Tido, Zachary Anderson, Amy Jones, Brett Williamson, May Tilokruangchai, Kelly Daeffler, Brittany Mortensen, Amanda Robinson, Peter Draxler, Candace Buck, Corrie Pearce, Benjamin Knauber,

Chelsey Chute, David Harlander, Brent Crandell, Ana Miller and Rhaya Larson.

Grade 12 Megan Neumann, Michelle Owens, Alexandria Delosier, Alexandra Puetz, Amy Soppeland, Haris Ghazi, Holly Stoner, Kyle Swenson, Lisa Chelmo, Ashley Heine, Christi Jensen, River Karl, Melanie Chenal, Samuel Halverson, Connie Yim, Erin Schmidt, Jessica Owens, Ben G. Anderson, Dustin Gabrielson, Perry Anderson, Alyssa Fuller, Kelly Wondra, Juan Polanco, Kanan Hackett, Jeremy Olson, Aftin Purcell, Savanna Pearson, Danielle Gadbois, Kenneth Fowler, Austin Boykin, Peter Carlson, Heidi Gudmundsdottir, Nolan Neumann and Latasha Campbell.

Siren Elementary perfect attendance Kindergarten Mitchell Daniels, North Hinze, Sage Ortez, Zackary Raska, Zachariah Richter, Chad Songetay and Jordan Webter.

First grade Derek Highstrom, Brennan Koball, Hannah Mangelsen, Cassandra Maslow, Paetyn McKnight, Triston Ortez, Daniels Rognrud and Madison St. Germain.

Second grade Amanda Close, Dillon Smith and Grace Tolzman.

Third grade Patricia Close, Brittany Dohm, Natasha Dugger, Logan Grey, Brady Mangen, Paige Maslow, Keaton St. John, Bayzhia Taylor and Victoria Zirngibl.

Fourth grade Justin Buck, Laurel Kannenberg, Dakota Raska, Keisha Roy, Aaron Ruud, Emily Stiemann, Kaci Tolzman, Kaylee Tolzman and Alexandra Webster.

Fifth grade Truman Ader, Nathan Bachman, Kali Berg, Jeffrey Carroll, Anthony DeCoteau, Zoe Emery, Bryce Highstrom,

Hannah Horwath, Travis Krenzke, Nathan Martin, Tyler Molamphy, Alexis Piepho, Austin Piepho, Stefani Wambolt and Aaron Zirngibl.

Sixth grade Courtney Fischer, Amber Moore, Devan Pavlicek, Mackenzie Smith and Lucas Stiemann.

Academic news GREEN BAY – UW-Green Bay held commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 15, honoring approximately 350 graduates. Anthony McCoy, Milltown, received a bachelor’s degree in business administration; Nathan Peterson, Balsam Lake received a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy and planning and Andrea Didlo, Frederic, received a bach-

elor’s degree in theatre. – from UW-Green Bay ••• PLATTEVILLE – UW-Platteville has announced the chancellor’s list for the 2007 fall semester. Students on the chancellor’s list must have grade-point averages of 4.0 and have a minimum of 12 credits for the semester. Joanna J. Haas

and Jacob A. Friberg, both of Frederic, have been named to this list. – submitted ••• Tim Wiltshire recently completed graduate studies at West Virginia University, receiving a doctorate of cancer cell biology. His area of expertise is in cancer research. Dr. Wiltshire has accepted a post-doctorate fellowship at

Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Wiltshire did his undergraduate studies at Evangel University in Springfield, Mo. He is the son of the Rev. Don and Corinne Wiltshire, pastor of Centuria Assembly of God Church. – submitted •••

PAGE 20 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

North Valley Lutheran Church gathered for Andy Grif th time CENTURIA – For four weekly sessions, members of North Valley Lutheran Church of rural Centuria have gathered for Andy Griffith Time. They have participated in a Bible Study Series based on “The Andy Griffith Show.” Each time, they have viewed an episode from the show and looked at Biblical principles revealed in the show such as judging others and the nature of deception.

The members of the group have enjoyed watching the shows and observing the principles played out. The fourth and final session was held at the Taylor Inn at Clear Lake Saturday, Feb. 2, which was like going back in time. The Taylors built their home in recent years to model the TV set of the show. Their living room and kitchen replicate the show, down to details such as the right doily for the head and arms of the big upholstered chair and a cabinet TV of that era. Mrs. Taylor was a gracious host and gave a tour of the Inn, which has an Opie bedroom, Andy bedroom and Aunt Bee bedroom.

Pastor Maggie is planning to run another four-session series based on “The Andy Griffith Show,” perhaps in the spring after Easter. Watch for further details. - submitted

The Leader is a cooperative-owned newspaper

Members of North Valley Lutheran Church gathered at Taylor Inn in Clear Lake, (L to R) front row: Gene Krull, Mary Krull and Pastor Maggie Issacson. Middle row: Mary Ann Sloper, Donna Berg and Bonnie Schultz. Back row: Myrna Anderson, Stanley Berg and Gerald Schultz. – Photo submitted

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 21

OBITUARIES Helen L. Hoag

Floyd L. Blanchette

Marilyn Nielsen Stower

Helen L. Hoag, 88, a resident of St. Croix Falls, died on Feb. 2, 2008, at the St. Croix Valley Good Samaritan Center, where she had been a resident for the last five years.

Helen was born April 11, 1919, in Eureka Center, to Nels and Martine Christensen. On Sept. 23, 1944, Helen married Norris Hoag. Into this union five children were born.

As a young child, Helen attended Trap Rock School in rural Eureka. As a young woman, she worked as a waitress at Irene’s Eat Shop in downtown St. Croix Falls. In later years, she was the manager of the St. Croix Falls Surplus Store. Helen enjoyed many activities such as gardening, flowers, knitting, reading, sewing and quilting. She was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Taylors Falls, Minn. Her family was very important to her, she was always there when needed and loved spending time with them.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents; six sisters and seven brothers.

She is survived by her husband of 63 years; daughters, Patsy (Jerry) Marxen and Linda (Rick) Anderson; sons, Donald (Melanie), Dennis (Diane) and Larry (Sandi) Hoag; 16 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m., at the Taylors Falls Baptist Church. Visitation will be held at the Edling Funeral Home the evening before, on Wednesday, Feb. 6, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The Edling Funeral Home of St. Croix Falls, was entrusted with the arrangements.

Floyd Louis Blanchette, 76, a resident of Danbury, died Jan. 22, 2008, at his home.

Floyd was born March 6, 1931, in West Sweden, to Roy and Irene Blanchette. Floyd married Eleanor on Dec. 14, 1954, at the Little Brown Church, Nashua, Chickasaw County, Iowa.

He loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing, walking or just sitting on the porch. He and Elenaor enjoyed playing bingo on Saturday night.

Floyd was preceded in death by his parents; a sister; and son-in-law, Rich Felipe.

Floyd is survived by his wife of 53 years, Eleanor; children, Steven Blanchette of Webb Lake, Pam (Steve) Clemens of Spooner, Peggy (Guy Amy) Felipe of Hudson, Lindell (Sandy) Blanchette of St. Paul, Minn.; stepson, John (Candace) Bettendorf of River Falls; 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Thursday, Jan. 31, at the Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home in Webster, with Father Paul Feela and Joan Gecik officiating.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

Marilyn Nielsen Stower, 61, died on Jan. 29, 2008, at her home in Amery, after an 11-year battle with ovarian cancer.

Marilyn was born in Madison on July 14, 1946, to Clarence and Rhoda Nielsen. She graduated from Madison West High School, and from the UW-River Falls with a B.A. degree in social work. In 1973, she graduated as a registered nurse from MATC in Milwaukee. Her entire career was spent in nursing, for the past 19 years at Golden Age Manor in Amery.

She married Harvey Stower in 1967. They have two daughters, Kathryn and Elizabeth.

All of her life, Marilyn was involved in service to her community and her church. She volunteered at an inner-city free clinic and founded a food cooperative in Washington, D.C., facilitated a church project to help feed the poor in Milwaukee, organized a nurses union, housed the Community Referral Agency in her Amery home, took in abused women and children who needed care, served as vice president of the Amery Housing Authority, taught midweek church school to kids, raised funds for the Amery Band Boosters and other school programs, sewed costumes for the Amery Community Theater, was a member of the Democratic Party, served as a Girl Scout Leader, was state president of the Wisconsin In-service Coordinators at Nursing Homes and participated on numerous other state and local committees. Many people have been the recipients of her gifts of food and support during times of personal hardship.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her mother, Rhoda Nielsen.

She is survived by her husband, Harvey; daughters, Kate (Joe Schlosser) and Elizabeth; father, Clarence Nielsen; sisters, Nancy (David) Nedveck, Marie Nielsen, Carla Nielsen; brother, Allen (Cindy) Nielsen; along with aunts, nieces and nephews, in-laws, Pat (Jim) Anderson and Susan (Gary) Bohn; and a wide circle of friends and family.

The memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 9, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Amery, with visitation at the Amery Congregational Church on Friday, Feb. 8, from 3 – 7 p.m. A memorial service also will be held at Kenwood United Methodist Church in Milwaukee on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. No flowers please. Memorials in Marilyn’s honor may be made to the new Amery Public Library, the Amery Congregational Church Missions Fund, the American Cancer Society or the Stower Community Scholarship Fund.

The Williamson-White Funeral Home in Amery was entrusted with arrangements.

Thomas J. Sablak Thomas J. Sablak, 54, of Centuria, died Jan. 29, 2008.

Thomas was born Sept. 6, 1953.

Thomas will be deeply missed by his wife, Julie of Centuria; daughter, Amber (Tomas) Magnison and their children, Destymona and Audilayna of Luck; brother, Jospeh Sablak of Cottage Grove, Minn.; sister, Lori (Wayde) Howard of Inver Grove Heights, Minn.; niece, Lynsey; nephew, Tyler; and other relatives and friends.

Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Alliance of the Valley Church in St. Croix Falls. Pastor Bob Morton officiated the service. Interment was at St. Johns Cemetery in Centuria.

The Kolstad Family Funeral Home, Centuria, was entrusted with arrangements.

PAGE 22 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

OBITUARIES Carol J. Proffitt

Ruth (Brownie) Sears

Kathleen Finstad

Carol J. Proffitt, 75, of Luck, formerly of Woodstrock and Hampshire, Ill., died Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008, at St. Mary Hospital in Rochester, Minn.

She was born in Woodstock, on April 18, 1932, to Edmund and Hazel (Hudson) Harvey. She married David D. Proffitt on April 19, 1952, in Woodstock.

She grew up in Woodstock, lived in Hampshire, then moved to Wisconsin. For 20 years, she worked at Play School in Hampshire. After they closed, she worked at the Grey Line Factory in Elgin, Ill. When she moved to Wisconsin, she worked at Pioneer Nursing Home in Luck.

She enjoyed gardening and feeding the birds in her yard.

She is survived by her mother, Hazel Harvey of Woodstock; three sons, Michael Proffitt of Nielsville, Steven Proffitt of Luck and James (Kathy) Proffitt of Lake Mills; a daughter, Jean Larsen of Salt Lake City, Utah; 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, David D. Proffitt; her father, Edmund Harvey; a brother, Ted Harvey; son, Kenneth D. Proffitt; a son-in-law, Ron Larsen; a infant son, David D. Proffitt Jr. Visitation was held Thursday, Jan. 31, at the Schneider, Leucht, Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, Woodstock. The funeral service was held Friday, Feb. 1, at the funeral home. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery in Woodstock.

Brownie Sears, age 83, a resident of Webster, died at home on Jan. 29, 2008.

Brownie was born March 4, 1924, in the Orange community to Homer and Mary Crosby. She was the youngest of four children.

Brownie married Harold (John) Sears on March 8, 1944.

Together they had six children. Brownie was involved in many community activities. She was an avid bowler for more than 40 years.

She served many terms as president of the women’s bowling association. She was an active member of the Central Burnett County Fair Board for most of her life and ran the beer garden for quite a few years during the weekend of the fair. Brownie was involved with the Little League baseball for many years. She was a member of the cemetery board, Women’s Auxiliary and helped on the election board. Through the years, Brownie donated nine gallons of blood when the bloodmobile was in town. For some years, she had her own softball team that she pitched for. She was 69 years old when she quit playing ball, but you could always find her watching the games at the fair. She also liked to play horseshoes and pool. She was involved with the Children’s Fundraiser, Relay for Life and her church’s kitchen. Brownie loved to watch birds, work out in her yard, dance and the grandchildren.

Brownie was preceded in death by her parents, Homer and Mary Crosby; sister, Shirley McNeal; two brothers, Orris and Maurice Crosby; brother-in-law, Wilfred McNeal; sister-in-law, Amelia Crosby; sisterin-law, Orma Crosby; two nieces and great-grandson, Mark Johnson.

Brownie is survived by her husband, Harold (John) Sears of Martinsdale, Mont.; six children, Ruth A. Johnson of Siren, Bill (Linda) Sears of Webster, Diane Gomulak of Montana, Connie (Vern) Bushey of Webster, Johnny Sears (Michelle Holmgren) of St. Paul, Minn. and Randy (Marilyn) Sears of Webster; 19 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren, numerous family members, other relatives, friends and her cat.

Funeral services were held Monday, Feb. 4, at Grace United Methodist in Webster, with Pastor Cindy Glocke officiating. Music was provided by granddaughter, Lori McCann and friend, Rose Bauman. Casket bearers were Larry Sears, Blake Sears, Jake Sandgren, Jake Widmyer, Jess Hinze and Elijah Hinze.

Honorary casket bearers were all other grand- and great-grandchildren.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with the arrangements.

Kathleen Finstad, 64, of Hayward, died at Hayward Nursing Home on Jan. 31, 2008.

Kathleen was born on May 31, 1943, in Minneapolis, to Carl (Ted) and Lorraine (Freeman) Jacobson.

Kathleen worked as a interior home painter and raised her two children, Jeff and Scott, in Hayward.

Kathleen enjoyed fishing, gardening, bird-watching and her pets. She was a big fan of many sports and especially hockey and football. She loved her Minnesota Vikings. She was also a longtime member of the Red Hat Society.

Kathleen is survived by her sons, Jeff (Dana) Finstad of Waupun and Scott (Jennifer) Finstad of Osceola; grandchildren, Amanda, Alexa, Hailey and Gavin Finstad; brother, Dean Jacobson; and sister, Susan Searles.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ted and Lorraine Jacobson.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, Feb. 6, at First Lutheran Church in Hayward. The Rev. Scott Ludford officiated the service. Interment was at the Greenwood Cemetery in Hayward.

Kolstad Family Funeral Home of Centuria, was entrusted with the funeral arrangements.

Janet R. Kurkowski Jan (Ski) Kurkowski, 63, of Danbury died Wednesday, Jan. 30, at her home surrounded by her family.

She was born Oct. 18, 1944, to Leonard and Esther (Sederlund) Dahlberg. She graduated from Webster High School in 1962. She was married to Bernard Kurkowski in 1964, they divorced after 18 years.

Jan worked as an aide at the Frederic Elementary School from 1976 until she opened and co-owned the Sport Shack (later Sports Depot) from 1980 to 1987. Jan then moved to Webb Lake and worked for the Main Store. She became a mail carrier, out of the Danbury office, a job she maintained from 1991 to present. She also recently co-owned a flower shop, Dragonfly Floral, with her daughter in Chatfield, Minn.

Jan was very active in sports and volunteered many years to area youth athletics including the Frederic Saturday morning basketball program and to the Frederic Little League T-ball and girls softball. Jan was also actively involved in the growth and development of the Moline Field in Lewis and the Lewis Women’s Softball League. Jan competitively played softball until knee injuries forced her to retire at age 59. Golf and cheering for the Packers then became her main athletic activities.

Jan is survived by her children, Lisa Kohlmeyer of Chatfield, Minn., and Tony (Tracy) Kurkowski of Hudson; siblings, Patricia (Ike) Peterson of Webster, Timothy (Marie) Dahlberg of Grantsburg, Darrel (Belinda) Dahlberg of Texas and Jerry Dahlberg of Wyoming, Minn.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Duane Dahlberg.

A celebration of Jan’s life will be held Wednesday, Feb. 6, at The Lodge at Crooked Lake, 24271 Hwy. 35 North, Siren, with a gathering of friends from 5 – 6 p.m. and a time of remembrance from 6 to 9 p.m. Appetizers will be provided.

Memorials to Regional Hospice Services, 2101 Beaser Ave., Ashland, WI 54803 or to www.caringbridge.org are preferred.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

Frances A. Vold Frances A. Vold, 95, a resident of Siren, died Jan. 23, 2008, at Burnett Medical Center.

Frances was born March 20, 1912, in Isanti, Minn., to Hans and Anna Norlund. Frances was a cook at the Range School House for over 18 years. She loved to cook for family and friends and enjoyed playing cards.

Frances was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Grant; sons, Marvin and Gary; nine brothers and sisters; grandchildren, Dori and Marty; great-grandchildren, Douglas and Travis.

Frances is survived by her children, Arlyce (William) Jewell of Webster, Caroline Hammel of Rice Lake and Linda Sells of Siren; 18 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; and 13 great-great-grandchildren.

A celebration of her life was held Monday, Jan. 28, at Kingdom Hall in Milltown, with Tony Tuynman officiating.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

Robert J. Clark Robert Joseph Clark, 52, died peacefully at home Jan. 25, 2008.

He was born May 5, 1955, in Evanston, Ill., the son of Herbert and Rita (Wesol) Clark.

He grew up in Wilmette, Ill., and later moved to Dayton, Ohio. He attended the University of Ohio in Dayton and went on to a career in radio broadcasting. He later went into radio station management and sales. He moved to Spooner and ran his own business, Spooner Window and Door, while still doing some radio broadcasting on the side. He was an active member of the Spooner Youth Hockey Association.

Robert was a member of the band Duck for the Oyster.

He moved to Amery in 2006 and was in school to become a registered nurse and while doing so work at the Amery Regional Medical Center.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Teresa Lindstrom. He is survived by son Michael; soul mate Mary Doll; sisters Trisha Clark and Ann Brose; other relatives and friends.

Funeral services were held at the Congregational UCC in Amery on Jan. 29 with Pastor Barry Schaefer officiating. Music was provided by Duck of the Oyster.

Organist was Chris Lindee.

The Williamson-White Funeral Home, Amery, was entrusted with arrangements.

Gayle McQuay CUSHING- A memorial service has been set for Gayle McQuay, who died Thursday, Jan. 24, in Portland, Ore. The service will be held Saturday, Feb. 16, at 11 a.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Cushing.

A complete obituary will appear at a later date.

Stanley Manfred Johansen Stanley M. Johansen, 84, of Watertown, died Jan. 21, 2008.

Stan was born Aug. 29, 1923, on a dairy farm in Luck, the fifth child of Nels and Helga Johansen. He graduated from Frederic High School in 1941. He worked the family farm with his dad until 1953.

He moved to Watertown to work at the first Wisconsin branch office of Production Credit Association. He married Helen Anderson in 1960. In 1972, he started his career as the first Agricultural Loan Officer for M & I Bank in Watertown, until his retirement in 1987.

Stan served the community as president of the Jaycees, P.T.A. and Jefferson County Bankers Association. He was involved in Lions, Toastmasters, Cub Scouts, United Fund and a charter member of the Watertown Agri Business Club and Wisconsin Agricultural Bankers Association. As a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, he served on the council and the stewardship committee.

He enjoyed spending time hunting, fishing, boating, camping and laughing.

Stanley is survived by his wife, Helen; his children, Ridge of Green Bay, Jon of Madison, Sue (Matt) Green of Middleton; his grandchildren, Nicole Cooper and Colin; a sister, Edna Lawson of Luck; sister-in-law, Evelyn Johansen; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers.

Funeral services were officiated by the Rev. Terry Larson. The organist was Rebecca Whelpley.

Irene Holloway Irene Holloway, 84, Taylors Falls, Minn., died on Monday, Jan. 28, at the St. Croix Regional Medical Center in St. Croix Falls.

Irene Theresa Schefus was born on Oct. 12, 1923, in Camp Township, Renville County, Minn., to Ernest and Theresa (Tauer) Schefus. She was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Fairfax, Minn., and grew up on the family farm in Camp Township.

She attended country school in Camp Township, St. John’s School in Fairfax, and Fairfax High School.

On Oct. 29, 1942, she was united in marriage to Kenneth B. Holloway at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Fairfax. They farmed in Renville County for a number of years and then worked as caretakers at Interstate Park in Taylors Falls, Minn. Irene then worked as a waitress at the Dallas House Restaurant in Taylors Falls for over 40 years. She was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in St. Croix Falls.

Irene is survived by one sister-in-law, Elda Schefus of Fairfax; five nephews and six nieces; 19 greatnephews and nieces; 27 great-great-nephews and nieces; and several cousins, including her close friends, Roger and Joelene Bakeberg of Wyoming, Minn.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her three brothers, George, Mike and Elmer Schefus; one nephew and one niece; and husband, Kenneth Holloway.

Services will be held Thursday, Feb. 7, at Redeemer Lutheran Church in St. Croix Falls, with visitation at the church prior to the service from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Interment will be at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Fairfax, Minn., at a later date.

The Edling Funeral Home, St. Croix Falls, was entrusted with arrangements.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 23

CHURCH NEWS The Math of Anxiety The deer that visit our yard differ widely in personality. Some seem to have a peaceful, relaxed demeanor, unafraid of us as we move about. Others, no matter how hard we try to be quiet and slow in our actions, will run at the Sally Bair slightest move. They eat hurriedly, raise their heads often, and perk their ears constantly. We call one PERSPECTIVES “Nervous Nellie.”

We humans act skittish sometimes, too, and it’s usually from things we can’t see or haven’t experienced—just like the deer. Such skittish behavior spells A-N-X-I-E-T-Y. Worry. Fear. And that’s something the Bible counsels against.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 4:6-7) The Greek meaning of the word anxious is “choking” or “strangling.” We could say that worry chokes us off from God’s blessings. Worry is a faith strangler.

A pastor recently explained it in mathematical terms. Worry and anxiety come when we add an unnecessary task to our full lives. We need to learn how to say no. We can’t be effective unless we take care of ourselves. Ask any multitasking mother. Worry and anxiety come when we subtract God’s presence from our crisis. Worry and anxiety come when we multiply our problems by inserting our solutions prematurely. Worry and anxiety come when we divide life into the secular and the sacred, trusting God only in those things, which we consider religious.

A better way is to add God to our lives, subtracting worry, and multiplying our dependence on his solutions, thereby avoiding the divison between secular and sacred. We must decide which formula to use. We can either focus on the past, worrying about the what-ifs and whys, or we can focus on God, trusting that he will see us through our problems.

Lord, free us from our worries and cares of the things we can’t see or haven’t experienced. Increase our faith in you, through your son, Jesus. Amen.

(Mrs. Bair may be reached at sallybair@gmail.com)

ETERNAL

Ladies morning retreat set FREDERIC - The women of Frederic Evangelical Free church welcome you to our ladies morning retreat, Friday, Feb. 15, from 9:15-11:15 a.m. Please come and hear Sarah Kelby speak this month. Refreshments are served, and child care is provided. Frederic Evangelical Free Church is located on Old CTH W and Churchwood Lane, in Frederic. Please call 715-327-8767 for more information. - submitted

Karges welcomed home by Wood River Christian Fellowship

Pastor Dan Slaikeu (L) welcomes home Kim and Kevin Karge, of Falun. The Karges went to India on a two-week mission trip in January to participate in Vision India, a ministry to help Christian pastors spread the Gospel of Christ. They hope to receive a fellow missionary from India here in the spring. For more information call Wood River Christian Fellowship at 715-463-2792. – Photo by Wayne Anderson

the wedding feast. So serious was their neglect that the bridegroom confessed, “Verity I say unto you, I know you not.”

An incident from the American RevoluCan you imagine the regret that will be tion illustrates what tragedy can result from should we find ourselves on that last day ours procrastination. It is reported that Col. Rahl, being turned away from that eternal home, commander of the British troops in Trenton, not because of some immoral character, or beN.J., was playing cards when a courier cause we were vile or horrible; rather because brought an urgent message stating that Gen. we simply neglected the opportunities that George Washington was crossing the came our way?

Delaware River. Rahl put the letter in his Garret The Holy Spirit reminds us in the Sacred pocket and didn’t bother to read it until the that “Today” is the day of salvation.

Record Derouin game was finished. Then, realizing the seri“Tomorrow” is not on heaven’s calendar, and ousness of the situation, he hurriedly tried “yesterday” is a page in every man’s spiritual to rally his men to meet the coming attack, THE logbook that reflects how he treated “today.” but his procrastination was his undoing. He In Meredith Wilson’s “Music Man,” Robert PREACHER’S and many of his men were killed and the plays the part of a con-artist who Preston rest of the regiment were captured. Nolbert comes to River City, Iowa to form a “boys Quayle said, “Only a few minutes’ delay band” for his own financial gain.

As the story cost him his life, his honor, and the liberty develops Harold Hill (played by Preston) unof his soldiers. Earth’s history is strewn with expectedly falls in love with the local librarian Marian the wrecks of half-finished plans and unexecuted resolutions. ‘Tomorrow’ is the excuse of the lazy and Paroo (played by Shirley Jones) and asks her to go out with him. He invites her to meet him at the footbridge refuge of the incompetent.” that crosses the stream running through the park. She Unfortunately the above scenario could be repeated responds, “Please, some other time. Maybe tomordozens, if not hundreds of times throughout the hisrow.”

He continues to press her to meet with him; she tory of mankind. Battles have been lost, business opto refuse.

Finally, in exasperation Professor continues portunities squandered, and personal relationships Hill says, “Pile up enough tomorrows and you’ll find neglected for the simple reason that someone thought that you’ve collected nothing but a lot of empty yesthey had plenty of time. The most tragic consequence terdays.” (by Tom Wacaster) of procrastination, however, is the loss of one’s soul.

If readers have questions or simply wish to know Perhaps the one parable that so illustrates the tragedy about the Church of Christ, we would like to inmore of procrastination is that of the foolish virgins as set vite them to call 715-866-7157 or stop by the church forth in Matthew 25:1-13. In contrast to the five wise building at 7425 W. Birch St. in Webster. Sunday Bible virgins who kept their wicks trimmed and their flasks class begins at 9:30 a.m. and worship begins at 10:30 filled with oil, the five foolish virgins evidently a.m.

We also meet Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. Ofthought they could, at the last moment, borrow from hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 a.m. fice others in preparation for the coming of the bridenoon. groom. Their negligence forever barred them from

A lot of empty yesterdays

PEN

News from the Pews at Pilgrim Lutheran FREDERIC - This past Sunday, the congregation celebrated Transfiguration Sunday, with Holy Communion. The choir, under the direction of Joshua Rau, sang “Fly Away Medley.” One of Webster’s dictionary definitions of medley is “a piece of music combining airs or passages from various sources.” The song went from an old-fashioned gospel song to a more traditional one.

They were accompanied by Mary Lou Daeffler on the piano and Larry Petersen on the guitar.

During worship service, children’s time centered on how we can see God through Jesus with all the little children participating. Sunday school followed with singing and then the children going to their classrooms for story time. During this time, there was an adult Bible study led by Pastor Catherine which is held every Sunday.

Wednesday, Feb. 6, is Ash Wednesday with services to beginning at 6:30 p.m., with the traditional imposition of ashes.

Preparations are being made for the third-annual

Valentine’s dinner to be held on Sunday, Feb. 10. There will be a social time beginning at 5 p.m. with dinner being served at 5:30 p.m. The youth and confirmation students will be doing the serving. A variety show will begin at 6:30 p.m., with various celebrities from the area. The funds raised from this event will go towards the Camp Scholarship Fund which has been established so all children will have the opportunity to get help in attending the camp of their choice. Matching funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has been applied for. Purchase tickets at Affordable Quality Appliances in downtown Frederic or call the church to make your reservation. The public is invited, but there won’t be any tickets sold at the door.

Pilgrim invites everyone to attend Sunday morning worship. Call the church office 715-327-8012 for more information or go to the church Web site www.pilgrimlutheran.org which is currently under construction, but parts of it are functioning just fine. - submitted

Bethany fifth-graders receive first Communion Fifth-graders received first Communion at Bethany Lutheran Church in Siren Sunday, Feb. 3. Pictured (L to R) are Sophie Vasatka, Pastor John Clasen and Nathan Fox Martin from second service. Not pictured are John Dalsveen, Daniel Formanek and Bryce Highstrom, who received their first Communion during first service. All completed a Communion instruction course this year, taught by Pastor Diane Blahauvietz. The young people also baked special bread for Sunday services. Pastor John’s sermon for the day was taken from Matthew 17:1-9, where Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John. From verse 2, the congregation learned that “his face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white.” From verse 5, a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, Feb. 6; Lenten midweek services and soup suppers begin at Bethany Feb. 13, 5:30 p.m. Sunday worship services are held at 8 and 10:30 a.m., with Sunday school at 9 a.m. For more information, call 349-5280. – from Bethany Lutheran Church, Siren

PAGE 24 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

CHURCH NEWS Father influences daughter’s feelings toward boys, men Q: Is there a way I, as a father, can influence my daughter’s attitude towards boys? If she chooses to marry, she will need to understand men and know how to relate to them. Is that something I should be thinking about?

DR. DOBSON: You bet it is. Long before a girl finds her first real boyfriends or falls in love, her attitude toward men has been shaped quietly by her father.

Why? Because the father-daughter relationship sets the stage for all future romantic involvements.

If a young woman’s father rejects her, she’ll spend her life trying to find a man who can meet the needs he never fulfilled in her heart. If he’s warm and nurturing, she’ll look for a lover to equal him. If he thinks she’s beautiful and feminine, she’ll be inclined to see herself that way. But, if he rejects her as unattractive and uninteresting, she’s likely to carry self-image problems into her adult years.

It’s also true that a woman’s relationship with her husband is significantly influenced by the way she perceived her father’s authority. If he was overbearing or capricious during her earlier years, she may precipitate power struggles with her husband throughout married life. But, if Dad blended love and discipline in a way that conveyed strength, she may be more comfortable with a give-and-take marriage characterized by mutual respect.

So much of what goes into marriage starts with the bride’s father. That’s why it behooves those of us with daughters to give our best effort to raising them prop-

erly. You are right to be thinking about that vital relationship.

••• Q: The children in our neighborhood are bratty with one another and disrespectful with adults. This upsets me, but I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t have a right to discipline the children of my neigh- Dr. James bors, so they get away with murder.

Dobson How can I deal with this?

DR. DOBSON: Parents in a neighborhood need to learn to talk to each other about their kids – although that is difficult to do! There is no quicker way to anger one mother than for another woman to criticize her precious cub. It is a delicate subject, indeed.

That’s why the typical neighborhood is like yours, providing little feedback to parents in regard to the behavior of their children. The kids know there are no lines of communication between adults, and they take advantage of the barrier. What each block needs is a mother who has the courage to say to her neighbors, “I want to be told what my child does when she is beyond her own yard. If she is a brat with other children, I would like to know it. If she is disrespectful with adults, please mention it to me. I will not consider it tattling, and I won’t resent your coming to me. I hope I can share my insights regarding your children, too.

None of our kids is perfect, and we’ll know better how to teach them if we can talk openly to each other as adults.”

FOCUS ON THE

FAMILY

Until this openness exists between parents living nearby, the children will create and live by their own rules in the neighborhood.

••• Q: After reading several excellent books on parenting, I see now that I’ve been doing many things wrong with my children. Can I undo the harm?

DR. DOBSON: I doubt if it is too late to do things right, although your ability to influence your children lessens with the passage of time. Fortunately, we are permitted to make many mistakes with our kids. They are resilient, and they usually survive most of our errors in judgment. It’s a good thing they do, because none of us can be a perfect parent. Besides, it’s not the occasional mistakes that hurt a child – it is the consistent influence of destructive conditions throughout childhood that does the damage.

••• Dr. Dobson is founder and chairman of the board of the nonprofit organization Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995 (www.family.org). Questions and answers are excerpted from “Solid Answers” 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; 816932-6600.

Brought to you by:

Luck and St. Peter’s Lutheran Churches Luck

Webster After 5 February meeting set WEBSTER – The Webster Area Christian Women’s Club After 5 invites all women to attend a dinner meeting on Monday, Feb. 18, at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will be held at the Pour House Restaurant in Siren.

The special feature on quilting will be presented by

Vicki Tollander of Webster. Music will be performed by Brittany Flatten, also from Webster. Kay Frederik, Shawano, will be the special speaker, with her talk entitled “An Honest Look at Loneliness – Its Cause and Its Cure.” Frederik is co-manager of a retreat center,

with her husband, as well as a substitute teacher. She tells about being married to her opposite.

Tickets will be sold at the door for $9, but reservations are needed - please call Jan at 715-866-8106 or Carol at 715-349-7006. - submitted

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 25

PAGE 26 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

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PUBLIC AUCTION FEB. 11: Siren Mini Storage, 2:30 p.m.

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FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 27

Students of the Week GRANTSBURG

FREDERIC

Cade Engen has been chosen Frederic Elementary School’s student of the week. He is in kindergarten and the son of Troy and Pam Engen. Cade is a team player who is always positive and polite. He shines in thoughtfulness and consideration as he works and plays with others. Cade likes making projects and studying prehistoric animals as he would like to become a paleontologist. He enjoys playing with and training his dog, Bullet.

Kendra Mossey has been chosen Frederic Middle School’s student of the week. She is in seventh grade and the daughter of Gary and Carol Mossey. Kendra is very conscientious about work. She is accurate and precise when doing assignments and polite and respectful in class. Kendra is involved in piano, band, bell choir, choir, basketball, skating, cross country and track. She enjoys playing with her dogs. She would like to become a vet or teacher.

Allison Anderson has been chosen Frederic High School’s student of the week. She is a freshman and the daughter of Dave and Pat Anderson. Allison is a hard worker, respectful, works well in groups and independently and is conscientious.

She is involved in handbells, band, piano, volleyball and track.

Allison enjoys riding horses, music and art. She would like to become an interior designer.

Elijah Northquest has been choGrantsburg Elementary sen School’s student of the week. He is in third grade and the son of John and Nina Northquest. Elijah is a very hard worker and kind to others. He sets a good example for other students. Elijah is always willing to help and made our new student feel welcome. His enjoys reading and making friends. His hobbies include reading, playing football and other sports and playing video games.

ST. CROIX FALLS

LUCK

Julie Haasnoot has been chosen Luck Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in kindergarten and the daughter of Heather Haasnoot and Cory Haasnoot. Her favorite color is purple. Julie loves coming to kindergarten to do projects and to play with her friends.

Camille Marsten has been chosen Luck Middle School’s student of the week. She is in sixth grade and the daughter of Greg and Lisa Marsten. Camille is an outstanding student who always has her work done and is very helpful. She has a great sense of humor, is organized and always tries her best. Camille is involved in basketball, volleyball, softball and soccer. She enjoys playing guitar and drums, being outside and four-wheeling.

David Franzel has been chosen Luck High School’s student of the week. He is a freshman and the son of Carol and Jim Franzel.

David is an outstanding alto sax player. He is intelligent, talented and detail oriented. David is a high achiever and not afraid to ask questions and work hard to achieve success. He is involved in soccer. David enjoys skiing, snowmobiling, skating, playing tennis and hunting. His future plans are to become a general surgeon.

Josh Hinckley has been chosen St. Croix Falls Elementary School’s student of the week. He is in third grade and lives with Larry and Kay Basham-Bower.

Josh’s favorite subject is phy. ed and art. He likes playing with a relative’s two big dogs. He also enjoys reading, listening to music and watching TV. Josh has a large collection of Pokemon cards.

There is always a smile and a friendly hello from Josh.

James Keller has been chosen Siren Middle School’s student of the week. He is in seventh grade and has worked very hard to bring his grades up this year. James has developed a good attitude towards his schoolwork. He is in band and has also participated in sports. James works very hard to stay on top of all his work. He is a pleasure to have in class.

JoVonna Leske has been chosen St. Croix Falls Middle School’s student of the week. She is in seventh grade and the daughter of Kristal Leske. Her hobbies are to draw or scrapbook. She is involved in volleyball and her favorite subject is language arts because she loves to write.

JoVonna is a very bright student.

She works hard and can be counted on to get her work done on time. She is kind and helpful.

Bailey Bernitt has been chosen St. Croix Falls High School’s student of the week. She is a senior.

Bailey enjoys drawing, writing, watching movies and going to concerts. She has interest in business, marketing, art and music.

Bailey is just an all-around great student.

WEBSTER

SIREN

Patty Close has been chosen Siren Elementary School’s student of the week. She is a kind and caring girl that seems to always be in a good mood. Her fellow students know they can count on her for a smile or a story about horses. Patty is hardworking in and out of the classroom. Her hard work always pays off when it comes to her academic success. She is consistently a high achiever in all of her classes.

Patty is a wonderful girl and the kind of person that is a friend to everyone she meets.

Michelle Lund has been chosen Grantsburg High School’s student of the week. She is a sophomore and the daughter of Brian and Kathy Lund. Michelle works hard, gets along well with others and is fun to have in class. She is involved in cross country, gymnastics and fast pitch. Michelle enjoys sports, hanging out with friends and movies. Her future plans include going to college.

Breanna Barr has been chosen Siren High School’s student of the week. She is a sophomore and the daughter of Vanessa Morrison-Barr. Breanna is hardworking, conscientious and subtlety confident. She likes to watch TV and spend quality time with her family. Breanna’s favorite class is geometry. She plans to go to college, but is undecided.

Congratulations students on a job well done!

Kyle Matrious has been chosen Webster Elementary School’s student of the week. He is in fourth grade and the son of Karl Matrious and Christina Bearhart.

Kyle is working hard to have good attendance, get good grades and be a positive role model. He is looking forward to going to Madison. Kyle likes sports and being outside. He hopes to be a sergeant in the military when he grows up.

Ellora Schaaf has been chosen Webster Middle School’s student of the week. She is in fifth grade and the daughter of Mike and Gwen Schaaf. Ellora works hard on assignments and has great study habits. She is always considerate of those around her and is also very friendly to those she doesn't know. Two of Ellora’s interests are horses and playing the flute.

Nicole Steiner has been chosen Webster High School’s student of the week. She is a sophomore and the daughter of Allen and Julie Steiner. Nicole is an excellent student with good work habits. She has a great sense of humor and a lot of personality. Nicole is involved in business club, volleyball, hockey and softball. She works part time at Northview Drive Inn. Nicole enjoys reading and flying hot-air balloons.

UNITY

Samuel Butler has been chosen Unity Elementary School’s student of the week. He is in second grade and the son of David and Kimberly Butler. Sam is an excellent student who always gives 100 percent. He is a very good problem solver and a deep thinker.

Kayla Johnson has been chosen Unity Middle School’s student of the week. Kayla is an awesome young lady with a constant positive attitude. She is creative and kind and has a smile all the time. Kayla is a hard worker and respectful.

Marissa Mulvehill has been chosen Unity High School’s student of the week. She is a senior and the daughter of Todd Mulvehill and Teri Hanson of Centuria.

Marissa has an outgoing personality, great interpersonal skills and high academic performance. She is always willing to help others and has a kind, caring manner.

Marissa plans to attend Century College after graduation to pursue nursing.

PAGE 28 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- FEBRUARY 6, 2008

FEBRUARY THURSDAY/7 Amery

• Birthday party at the senior center, 11:45 a.m., must sign up at least one day in advance.

Balsam Lake • Job seekers workshop at the Polk County Job Center, 9-11 a.m., 715-485-3115.

Coming events

Luck

• Open Art Studio at the village hall, 9 a.m.noon. Contact Vivian, 715-472-8439 or Ann, 715-472-8319 for more info.

Frederic

St. Croix Falls • Art Group, 9:30 a.m.-noon, at the senior center.

TUESDAY/12

Rice Lake • 17th-annual Rice Lake Farm Show at Cedar Mall, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., 715-289-4632.

Amery

• 500 card party, 6:45 p.m., at the senior center.

Cumberland

St. Croix Falls

• Love poems reading for Valentine’s Day at Peter & Annie’s World Market Cafe, 4 p.m., 715822-9959.

• Exercise by YMCA, 10-11 a.m.; Skipbo, 11 a.m.-noon; 500 cards and dominos, 12:30-4 p.m.; 500 cards, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at the senior center.

• American Legion Post 143, 6-7 social hour, 7 p.m. dinner, meeting to follow.

St. Croix Falls

• Exercise by YMCA, 10-11 a.m.; Skipbo, 11 a.m.-noon; 500 cards and dominos, 12:30-4 p.m., at the senior center.

Shell Lake

Spooner

• Natural Step sustainability discussion group meets at Washburn County Law Enforcement Center, 7-8:30 p.m., 715-635-2197.

FRIDAY/8

A young woman skated on a shoveled portion of Balsam Lake near one of the public landings, Saturday, Feb. 2. – Photo by Gary King

Grantsburg

Siren

• 15th-annual American Legion Ice-Fishing contest on Big Wood Lake, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Mixed Sampler Quilt Guild meeting at the senior center, 9 a.m. Call Betty at 715-472-4117 for more info.

Milltown

Balsam Lake

• Valentine Dinner - a night of fellowship at Milltown Lutheran, social hour 5:30 p.m., dinner 6 p.m., 715-825-3114 for tickets.

• Informational tour of the highway facilities, 2-4 p.m. & 5-7 p.m., 715-485-8700.

Osceola

Grantsburg • Northwest Regional Writers meet at Big Gust Apts., 1 p.m. Do assignment or perhaps a Valentine story or poem.

Milltown • Benefit for Gloria Richter at the community center, 5:30 p.m., 715-825-2258.

Spooner • Northern Wisconsin Agriculture Safari Program (second of three programs) at the Ag Research Station, 10:30 a.m.-noon, 715-635-3506 or 800-528-1914.

SATURDAY/9 Amery

• “The Eloquence of E.B. White,” 7:30 p.m., at The Northern Lakes Center for the Arts.

Frederic • Food & fellowship, bingo, card games, noon at the senior center.

• Master Gardner Volunteer Training 12-sesson program begins at the Ag Research Station, 5:30-8:45 p.m., 715-635-3506, 800-528-1914.

WEDNESDAY/13 Amery

• Pilates, 6 p.m., at the senior center.

Amery

• Bingo at the senior center, 1 p.m.

Amery

• Spake cards played, 1:30 p.m., at the senior center.

• Booster Club Taco Dinner before the doubleheader basketball game with Luck, 4:30-7:30 p.m., at the high school.

• 500 card night, 6:30 p.m. at the senior center.

• Luck Winter Carnival. Queen pageant Friday 7 p.m.; Sat. Lions Club breakfast, volleyball and basketball, radar runs, grand marshal reception and parade; Sun. ice-fishing contest, bonfire and fireworks.

MONDAY/11 Frederic

Dresser

Luck

Siren • Hope for a Cure Longaberger Basket Bingo, fundraiser for Relay for Life, at Northwoods Crossing Event Center, 1 p.m., 715-3274431.

• Cribbage, 1:30 p.m., at the senior center.

• A gathering of veterans to share their stories at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 7-9 p.m., 715-483-3544.

FRI.-SUN./8-10

show at 6:30 p.m. Call the church at 715-3278012 or 715-327-4271 for tickets or info.

Webb Lake • Annual Vintage Snowmobile Poker/Rader Run, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 715-2593329.

Webster

• Rod and Guns Club’s Coyote Hunt, 715755-2640.

• Earth Arts monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Go to www.earthartswi.org or 715-488-2957 for more info.

• Lioness Club Annual Buffet Luncheon/ Card Party at the community center, noon to 3 p.m.

• Winter National N.A.M.A. Lawn Mower Races at Devils Lake Park Resort, noon, 651343-9241.

• 44th-annual Poskin Lake Ice-Fishing Contest, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 715-357-3231.

SUNDAY/10

Rice Lake

• Polk County Sportsmen’s 47th-annual Booya at the Legion, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Poskin

• 14th-annual Shepherd’s Clinic & Trade Show at WITC, 8 a.m., 715-268-6286, 715-3394223.

St. Croix Falls

• Third-annual Ice Castle Deer Lake Classic Ice-Fishing Tournament on Deer Lake, noon3 p.m., www.deerlakeclassic.com, 715-2945789.

• Candlelight night at Interstate Park, 6-9 p.m., 715-483-3747.

• Greg Brown in Concert, 7:30 p.m. at the Festival Theatre. For more info contact 715-4833387, 888-887-6002 or www.festivaltheatre.org.

Balsam Lake

Frederic • Pokeno cards, 1 p.m., at the senior center.

Cumberland • Conservation Tillage College 2008 at Das Lach Haus, 10:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m., 715-4858600.

THURSDAY/14 Amery

• Hand & Foot cards, 12:30 p.m., at the senior center.

Balsam Lake

• Informational tour of the highway facilities, 2-4 p.m. & 5-7 p.m., 715-485-8700.

• Informational presentation and meeting for WWII veterans interested in visiting the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., 7 p.m., at the VFW United Post 6856. Call Gina after 6 p.m. at 715-857-5833 for more info.

Frederic

Centuria • Practices for the third-annual Easter Cantata will start, 6:45 p.m., at Fristad Lutheran Church. Call Brenda Mayer at 715-485-3571 for more info.

Cumberland • 25th-annual Wisconsin State Ice-Fishing Tournament, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Frederic • Valentine Dinner at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 5 p.m. social hour, dinner at 5:30 p.m., variety

• 500 card night, 6:30 p.m. at the senior center.

• District Music Festival at the middle school.

St. Croix Falls • Exercise by YMCA, 10-11 a.m.; Skipbo, 11 a.m.-noon; 500 cards and dominos, 12:30-4 p.m.; 500 cards, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at the senior center.

Siren

• Fourth-annual Valentine dinner dance sponsored by Wild Rivers Habitat for Humanity, 6 p.m., at the Lakeview Event Center. For tickets call 715-349-7477.

Festival Theatre announces 2008 music series ST. CROIX FALLS – Festival Theatre’s 2008 season brochure is available now and it showcases the largest music series to date, with 13 concerts by 10 acts.

“We have assembled a fantastic mix of solo, duo and ensemble musicians that cover the range of traditional Irish music to bluegrass,” said Danette Olsen, director of Festival Theatre. “Our venue is superb for listening to acoustic music and the intimacy of the space makes concert-going feel like the musicians are visiting your own home!”

2008 Festival Theatre Music Series March 15 and 16 – Ring of Kerry, St. Paddy’s Day concert April 19 – Big Top Chautauqua (two shows) May 10 – Nat King Cole Tribute (Mother’s Day Weekend) July 18– Phil Heywood and Dakota Dave Hull Sept. 6 – Jared and Noni Mason, The Lovers Show Sept. 27 – Tim Sparks and Michael Young Oct. 18 – Robert Robinson Nov. 8 – Claudia Schmidt Dec. 6 – Ann Reed and Dan Chouinard Dec. 20 – Monroe Crossing (two shows) In addition to the 10 concerts, this year Festival continues the Family Concert program geared toward young children and their families. Some of the Family

Claudia Schmidt

Michael Young

Concerts on the horizon include Bill Staines on March 2 and Pop Wagner on June 14, for Father’s Day. The Festival Theatre Web site contains additional information on all performers with tickets available for purchase online at www.festivaltheatre.org.

To receive a 2008 season brochure, stop in at Festival Theatre or request on by phone or e-mail. 2008 Flex Pass tickets are on sale now for savings up to 35 per-

Robert Robinson

cent 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 715-4833387 or 888-887-6002. You may also send an e-mail to boxoffice@festivaltheatre.org. - submitted