Leader|may 7|2008

Leader

W E D N E S D AY, M AY 7 , 2 0 0 8 • V O L U M E 7 5 • N O . 3 7 • 8 , 0 0 0 C O P I E S • S E C T I O N A

WEEKEND WATCH: • Wildflower Walk @ Grantsburg • Variety show @ Unity • College Choir @ SCFalls & Grantsburg • Frederic Fine Arts Festival & Concert • ACS Run/Walk @ Frederic & Luck • Breakfasts/dinners/sales/fundraisers See Coming events and stories

INTER-COUNTY

Serving Northwest Wisconsin

Fishin’ with the Guv

$1 $1

No decision on GAM until July Case at Court of Appeals

PAGE 3

Two-year-old dies in backing accident PAGE 2

A look back and a look ahead

Burnett business leaders study county economy PAGE 7

15 years prison in stabbing death

Clint Mosay, 22, Hertel, sentenced to 15 years incarceration, followed by 15 years extended supervision PAGE 3

Recount appeal ends Larry Main drops challenge of county board voting results Gov. Jim Doyle (center) didn't catch any fish on Saturday, May 3, during the 43rd-annual Governor's Fishing Opener on Lake Wapogasset, but fishing was difficult for everyone involved.

Also pictured are Taylor Horton (L) and the governor's guide George Sigsworth. More photos inside. - Photo by Marty Seeger

Cooler weather, rains keep wildfires in check But we’re not in the clear yet, say forest rangers

by Gary King WEBSTER – So far this year, the DNR fire protection area that includes Washburn, Burnett and the northern part of Polk and Barron counties, has experienced 28 wildfires.

That’s far fewer than normal by this time of year.

DNR forest ranger Renae Paulson credits the cool weather combined with regular rains.

“It’s been great for us,” she commented.

But Paulson also noted that the area is not in the clear just yet.

“The green grass showing itself is promising, but the woods are slower to green up and will be a hazard for another month,” she noted on Friday, May 2. “In the north, our greatest threat is from fire in pine forest. The pine trees have their lowest mois-

See Wildfire season, page 2

PAGE 4

Cancer walks Saturday Both at Frederic and Luck

PAGES 9 & 16 Currents

SPORTS

Pilot Joel Martin of Galveston, Tex., and maintenance engineer Bruce Haukedahl of Detroit Lakes, Minn., are shown with the fire plane stationed at the Burnett County Airport in Siren this spring. Hired by the DNR to suppress any wildfires by air, the two are having a quiet spring with the wet, cool weather this year. Photo by Sherill Summer

Eagles rally stifles Saints chances!

See Sports

The Inter-County Leader is a cooperative-owned newspaper

PAGE 2 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

Leader

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 Tammi Milberg tammi@centurytel.net Marty Seeger mseeger@centurytel.net Brenda Sommerfeld brendals@centurytel.net Sherill Summer the-leader@centurytel.net Gregg Westigard greggw@lakeland.ws Carl Heidel cheidel389@centurytel.net Priscilla Bauer the-leader@centurytel.net EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Raelynn Hunter rael@centurytel.net

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Two-year-old dies in backing accident BURNETT COUNTY - A 2-year-old girl died Wednesday evening, April 30, at her family’s town of Jackson home after she slid out of a truck being driven by her father and was run over.

Lance Schaaf was backing up the truck to unload a picnic table when his daughter, Leah, slid out of a seat belt and managed to open the door, falling out. Her father, focused on the driver’s side outside mirror, was unaware of his daughter’s actions until that time. Leah fell from the truck, and the right front tire

passed over her.

She was taken to the Burnett County Airport to be transported by air ambulance but died before the helicopter arrived.

There are no indications that alcohol Leah Schaaf was a factor in this accident, and although Leah was not in a car seat as

state law requires, the law may not have been violated because the vehicle was not on a public roadway but private property, according to the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department.

The sheriff’s department was notified at 7:42 p.m. Sheriff’s deputies, North Ambulance and First Responders were called to the scene.

An obituary for Leah appears elsewhere in this issue. – Gary King with information from Burnett County Sheriff’s Department

S u b s c r i b e o n l i n e @ w w w. t h e - l e a d e r. n e t

Chilly opener

Wildfire season/from page 1 ture content (in the needles) right about now.”

The last few weeks at the end of April and first of May are usually the most dangerous, she added, but said that’s not to say trees won’t go up like matchsticks other times of the year.

“Hopefully the rain continues,” she said.

Of the 28 fires thus far, 16 occurred in a string of fires on CTH X and Hwy. 70 in Burnett County, caused by logging equipment throwing sparks. The others were smaller varies with a variety of causes but mostly escaped or unextin-

guished debris fires.

Minong Forest Ranger Joe Menkol has cautioned all forest rangers in the region to realize that northern Wisconsin can still experience significant fire potential into late May. “Remember, according to the oldtimers, the peak of spring fire season is when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear. As of now, the oak buds haven’t even swelled,” Menkol noted.

He also included the following statistics of major wildfires occurring in the month of May in this region.

May wildfires May 2, 1988 May 3, 1977 May 4, 1985 May 5, 2005 May 7, 1957 May 8, 1977 May 9, 1976 May 10, 1953 May 11, 1947 May 15, 1945 May 24, 1931 May 30, 1961

Acres 862 414 380 3,410 1,780 1,200 3,177 1,912 3,020 4,970 2,550 3,484

Deer Print Turkey Farm lightning Cottonville Monroe Center Mew Miner No. 3 New Minor No. 1 Huigen Lake Loon Creek campfire debris Fenton Lake

Teenagers Tim Wallace and Emily Pfluger enjoyed their time fishing together. They didn’t seem to mind that the fish weren’t biting on the cool fishing opener Saturday. — Photo by Larry Samson

Two injured in single-car accident

How to subscribe: The Inter-County Leader [ISS No. 87509091] is published weekly. Subscription prices are $32/yr. in Polk and Burnett counties; $36/yr. in Barron, Chisago, Washburn, St. Croix counties; $39/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

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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.

Two people were seriously injured when a vehicle they were in split in two after hitting a tree south of Siren near the Elbow Lake wayside Sunday morning, May 4, at approximately 7:42 a.m. Burnett County police report states that Jennifer L. Williams, 23, St. Croix Falls, was northbound on Hwy. 35 at a high rate of speed when she lost control of her vehicle. The vehicle left 300 feet of skid marks on the highway and traveled 200 feet off the road before hitting the tree.

Both the driver and an occupant of the vehicle, Ryan C. Golden, 25, Grantsburg, received medical transport for serious injury. Siren Fire Department, Webster ambulance, Grantsburg Ambulance, Frederic ambulance, St. Croix Tribal Police and Burnett County Sheriff’s Department responded to the accident. The driver was cited for causing injury while operating under the influence and unreasonable and imprudent speed. – text by Sherill Summer, photos by Rob Harris and Burnett County Sheriff’s Department

Briefly BURNETT/POLK COUNTIES - It was a chilly fishing opener in northern Wisconsin and Gov. Jim Doyle had little luck at the Governor’s Fishing Opener on Lake Wapogasset near Amery. According to legendary sportswriter Ron Schara it was nearly ice fishing on Yellow Lake in Burnett County, with the water temp at 44 degrees, “with anglers who were bold or possibly foolish enough to show up in snowmobile suits to cast into a raw northwest wind.” This was Polk County’s third time to host the Governor’s Fishing Opener in its 43-year history. Burnett has hosted just one - in 1984 - on Yellow Lake.

••• FREDERIC - The Frederic Ameican Legion, Paul G. Johnson Post #249 has a roomful of medical equipment for loan including crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, even a hospital bed. The Legion post is also serving its Sunday morning pancake breakfasts at it’s headquarters on Lake Avenue, across from Coon Lake Park.

••• ST. CROIX FALLS - Shari Steele of St. Croix Falls will join thousands of other men and women at the Twin Cities Breast Cancer 3-day benefitting Susan G. Komen for the Cure and National Philanthropic Trust. After months of training and fundraising, participants will walk 60 miles during three days to raise awareness and funds for critical research and community outreach programs. “I am walking in honor of my great-aunt Marjorie who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 1990 and lost the battle in 1992,” noted Steele. Steele will be walking with four other women from the St. Croix Falls area: Shannon Bryce, Angie Gores, Cindy Lamirande and Gwen Gierke. To help Steele and Team Wildflowers reach their goal make a donation directly to her online or join her team at http://08.the3day.org/goto/sharisteele. with submitted information ••• POLK COUNTY - Bloodmobile dates have been released by the St. Croix Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross: May 17 at Milltown Lutheran Church; May 19 at Grantsburg Community Center and Hope Evangelical Free Church in Osceola; May 20 at siren Covenant Church; May 28 at Fristad Lutheran Church in Centuria; May 29 and 30 at St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Frederic and June 4 at the Ameircan Legion Post #143, St. Croix Falls.

More information will be published in upcoming Leaders. - with information from Red Cross ••• FREDERIC – The annual Fine Arts Festival, showcasing artistic and musical talents of Frederic students in grades nine to 12, will be held this Thursday, May 8 at 7 p.m. in the high school performance center. The concert choir, concert band, high school bell groups and show choir will be performing. The senior state solo and ensemble participants will give a minirecital 30 minutes prior to the concert.

There will also be awards presentations.

Next Monday, May 12, at 7 p.m. in the performance center, the annual seven to eight spring concert will be held. Performing will be the concert choir, concert band and middle school bell group. There is no admission charge to either event and they are open to the general public. - submitted ••• WEBSTER – Each spring the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Burnett County invites all known cancer survivors and their caregivers for a dinner and program to celebrate their lives. They are pleased to be offering this dinner again at no charge on Thursday, May 15, at Grace United Methodist Chuch in Webster at 5:30 p.m. You and your caregiver are invited to share friendship, food and fun. Seating is limited. Please make reservations by calling Karen at 715-463-5725 or Gary at 715259-7112. Relay For Life will take place on June 13 at the Webster High School track.

Come early for cookies and coffee, the celebration begins at 6 p.m. - submitted

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 3

No GAM decision until July Case at Court of Appeals

by Gregg Westigard POLK COUNTY – July is the earliest that a decision on the sale of Golden Age Manor, the Polk County-owned nursing home in Amery, will be announced. A court decision on March 26 allowing the sale of the home was appealed. The issue is now in the hands of the state court of appeals, District 3, based in Wausau.

Appeals follow a strict guideline, according to calls to the court offices in Wausau and Madison. The appellants (the side that feels GAM should not be sold) have until May 28 to file written briefs with the court stating their reasons why the decision should be reversed. The respondents (the Polk County side) then have 20 calendar days to file a written response. After that, the appellants have 10 days to reply in writing. This process will take

the appeal into early July.

The three judges on the court of appeals will study the case for the first time once all the briefs are filled. They will each read the information before they gather in chambers to discuss the case. That process is not open to the public. They have the option of hearing oral argument, but we are told that is rarely done. The appeals court judges will issue a written decision upholding or reversing the March 26 decision after their review.

The appeal was put on an accelerated schedule, but that means that it goes on the “top of the pile” once the briefs are filed, according to a judicial assistant in Wausau. Given all this, it may be sometime in mid-July before the next step in the fate of GAM is known.

Background The Polk County Board, on Jan. 22, voted to sell Golden Age Manor. The vote was 12 to 11. A motion to appeal that board action was filed with the

Polk County Circuit Court the next day. The appeal was filed by GAM governing board member Eugene Sollman, GAM employee Marion Posey and GAM resident Anne Nykreim. The issue came to trial before Circuit Judge Eugene Harrington on March 26, five days before the home was to transfer to the new owner.

Harrington ruled that the county action was correct and the sale could proceed. He then issued a hold on his decision pending an appeal.

Golden Age Manor was still in the county’s hands on April 1. On that day, the first action on the appeal was filed with the court of appeals. Documents were filed over the next few weeks.

The appeal was put on record April 28 and the time table leading to May 28 and beyond started.

The county has said that the buyer is still interested in completing the sale.

Thirty-year sentence in stabbing death Clint Mosay sentenced to 15 years prison followed by 15 years of extended supervision for 2005 stabbing death of Ranell Johnson

by Sherill Summer SIREN – Clint Mosay, 22, Hertel, will serve a 15-year prison sentence followed by 15 years of extended supervision starting Tuesday, May 6, after a Judge Eugene Harrington sentence at the Burnett County Courthouse.

Mosay plead guilty to first-degree reckless homicide, a felony B charge, stemming from the July 17, 2005, stabbing death of Ranell Johnson, who was 41 at the time of her death. On the night of her death, Johnson was driving a van with two passengers in Roosevelt Township.

Mosay and Mosay’s mother, Renee Mosay, were passengers in the van.

Clint Mosay, who had a history of methamphetamine use and was described as being in the midst of a psychotic episode the night of the stabbing, was paranoid that someone was going to hurt him. He asked Johnson and his mother to stop the van, and when they refused, he stabbed both women. Mosay’s mother was stabbed in the neck, but eventually made full recovery. Johnson, however, bled to death at the scene of the stabbing from eight stab wounds.

After the stabbing, Clint Mosay drove off in the van. The van was later recovered near Hayward, and Mosay was apprehended by Hayward police near the recovered van about eight hours after the stabbing incident.

Clint Mosay of Hertel entered the courtroom Tuesday at the Burnett County Government Center to hear the sentence handed down by Judge Eugene Harrington in the stabbing death of Ranelle Johnson. - Photo by Sherill Summer The court took nearly three years to work through this case in part because Mosay plead not guilty due to mental defect. The court then had to rule if Mosay did in fact commit the homicide and rule on if a mental defect relieved Mosay of responsibility of the act.

Mosay plead guilty to the act after the court ruled that he was competent

Frederic pool inspection set Could affect repairs, summer use

by Gregg Westigard FREDERIC – A state inspector will look at the Frederic swimming pool Friday, May 23, and make recommendations on what repairs need to be done before the pool opens this summer. Brian Hobbs, Polk County Environmental Health inspector, requested the help of a state person with pool expertise after Hobbs was asked to look at the pool by the

Frederic School District.

The inspection comes after Tim Gremmer, an engineer hired by the Safe the Pool group, recommended six repairs that should be implemented before the pool opens for the summer.

Those repairs include electrical issues, drain issues, and a change in the gas used to sanitize the pool. The school board has started to look at what needs to be done and the costs for the repairs.

The school board holds its regular monthly meeting Monday, May 19, before the inspection and may look at preliminary options.

to stand trial, and in January of this year, Harrington ruled that Moasy voluntarily used marijuana that caused the paranoia that then lead to the stabbing incident. Since voluntary drug use does not qualify for mental defect, Mosay was not able to use the mental defect plea.

During the sentencing hearing, Harrington described the many failures leading up to this incident. The judge said that Mosay, himself, failed to take personal responsibility for actions leading up to the stabbing incident. Mosay’s mother and family failed Mosay when he was young so that Mosay grew up with drug and alcohol abuse being the norm. The community failed because it needed to be more attentive to the needs of young Mosay. Harrington went further to say that the justice system had also failed since it is now apparent that Moasy has suffered from mental illness for a long time, and despite extensive contacts with the court system, no judge’s ruling has resulted in psychiatric treatment.

Mosay has been in custody since the arrest following the stabbing, and his behavior has improved in the last year.

Harrington commended Moasy for this cooperative behavior and encouraged Mosay to continue with it.

Besides the 15-year prison sentence and the 15-year extended supervision, Mosay is ordered to psychiatric treatment either in prison or in extended supervision.

He must maintain absolute sobriety and follow mental heath treatment recommendations. He is to submit a DNA sample, to pay $786.92 in restitution and $113.00 in court costs.

It is possible that he will be ordered to contribute to the victim’s daughter’s college education. Hearings on that matter will be upcoming.

Correction Incorrect information was used in one of the Encore cutlines in the April 30 issue of the Leader. McKenzie Swenson, a sophomore at Siren High School, used her free-hand skill as an artist to paint a portrait of her neighbor, Joe Hunter, for use as part of the library wall backdrop in the school musical “The Music Man.” The cutline used the word “photo” rather than painting, an inaccurate choice of words, and incorrectly stated that the musical was “West Side Story.”

Inter-County Leader Our 75th year

PAGE 4 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

Increase in financial fraud in Burnett County SIREN – Investigator Ron Wilhelm of the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department is seeing an increase in financial theft in Burnett County.

Sometimes there are four or five new cases a day says Investigator Wilhelm.

Financial thefts are cases such as fraud, stolen checks, credit-card theft or stolen identity, and lately the sheriff’s department is investigating 40 such cases or more at a time. A few years ago, there were usually only 10 to 12 financial theft cases under investigation at one time, so now there are more than three times as many cases.

Because the risk of financial theft has increased, Wilhelm offers these tips to area citizens. Get a P.O. Box instead of a rural mailbox if you can and never mail anything from a rural mailbox.

Do not have driver’s license numbers or phone numbers printed on checks.

Use cash or credit / debit cards whenever possible. Do not carry Social Security cards in purse or wallet, and make a habit of viewing your own credit report for any unauthorized accounts or activity.

Wilhelm feels these safeguards are important since it can take up to three

Main recount appeal ends

by Nancy Jappe SIREN – The Burnett County Clerk of Court received a voluntary dismissal of appeal notice Friday, May 2, from the attorney for former county board supervisor/board chairman Clifford “Larry” Main.

Receipt of this dismissal notice from Main means that Harry Patneaude, the man who defeated Main by two votes for the seat in Burnett County District 21, can be certified and occupy the district’s chair at the Thursday, May 15, county board meeting.

Burnett County District 21 covers the town of Blaine; the town of Webb Lake; and Ward 2, town of Scott. Main has represented the district on the county board for 12 years, the last four as its chairman.

Main filed an appeal of the official election count just before the deadline of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 16. He had no intention of challenging the count at first, but received information

that two people had not been allowed to vote in their proper district. He told the Leader that he was filing an appeal because he wanted people to be aware that those two people weren’t newcomers; they had been around for years and weren’t allowed to vote for the person they wanted to vote for.

Because of the pending appeal, Patneaude was unable to be seated in the District 21 place during the April 15 and April 18 county board meetings.

He did, however, attend both of these meetings as an observer.

During the April 18 meeting the county board, with two absent supervisors, the District 21 supervisor and one other supervisor who was unable to make the meeting, Philip Lindeman from District 17 was elected to replace Main as county board chairman. Edgar Peterson from District 10 was elected as the first vice chair; Jeff Schinzing from District 2, as the second vice chair.

years to clear up a credit record after falling victim to identity theft. – Sherill Summer

Man arrested for DWI, 5th offense POLK COUNTY - A 24-year-old St. Croix Falls man faces charges of OWI, fifth offense - a felony - and operating after revocation, following a traffic stop April 30 on 140th Avenue near 220th Street.

Corey L. Magner was arrested by a Polk County Sheriff’s deputy at approximately 10 p.m. after the deputy noticed the vehicle driven by Magner was swerving on the roadway.

The deputy pulled Magner over to the side of the road and had to tell him to hang up his cell phone. Magner failed a field sobriety test and was taken to a medical center for a blood draw and then to the Polk County Jail. His demeanor was listed as “very cooperative.”

A Texas man was also among DWI arrests by the Polk County Sheriff’s Department this week.

Richard Gordon Mathison of Harlingen was arrested for DWI, fourth offense after someone called the sheriff’s department May 3 at 1:40 a.m. to report an “impaired driver” westbound on Hwy. 8, driving at speeds varying from 15 to 75 miles per hour and crossing the centerline.

Mathison, according to the sheriff’s incident report, handed over the vehicle’s keys to the officer as he approached. Asked why he gave the officer his keys, he replied “I’m drunk.”

- Gary King, with information from Polk

Green cemetery under consideration by committee

by Sherill Summer SIREN – The Burnett County Land Use/Zoning Committee considered a request by Pat and Lucy Basler to rezone 29.2 acres in Scott Township from Residential/Recreational-3 to Agriculture-2 with a minimum lot size of 10 acres on Tuesday, May 6, at the Burnett County Government Center.

The primary reason behind the request is that cemeteries are a permitted use in A-2 zones, and the Baslers hoped to designate one-third acre of their Sacred Grove area on Thompson Road as a green cemetery where burial only allows for biodegradable material (No embalming, no metal, plastics, etc. or cement vaults).

As with all zoning requests, the township had opportunity to weigh in on the request. In this case, Scott Township opposed the request because they did not have enough information. Many adjoining property owners were also opposed to the request. There were, however, many at the committee meeting that supported the green-cemetery proposal and the discussion of the proposal was lengthy.

After the discussion, the committee recommended that the requested zoning change be denied, in large part because they did not want to go against land-use planning already in place.

Land use/zoning administrator Jim Flanigan commented after the meeting that there is a renewed interest in home burial, and it is something the county might have to clarify sometime in the future.

Wal-Mart site approved by transit commission

by Regan Kohler SHELL LAKE — Wal-Mart's engineering firm, Olsson & Associates, presented a plan for the relocation of the railroad crossing at CTH A and CTH H in Spooner, near where the store is to be built.

Olsson & Associates have been working with Wal-Mart since the beginning on the traffic improvements deemed necessary at that site, on CTH H between Hwys. 53 and 63, next to the highway shop. Improvements include closing the median on Hwy. 53 for CTH H, making it a right-turn-only entrance from the highway, and a roundabout on CTH H. The question of the railroad tracks that run parallel to the highways

This map, created by Olsson & Associates, is a tentative description of where CTH H would be relocated — at CTH A — and shows where a roundabout would be located on CTH H. — Photo submitted

on CTH H has also been a concern, and Olsson & Associates told the Washburn County Transit Commission of their options at a meeting Monday, May 5, in

Spotte d in Luck

Amanda Swanson, who lives on Fourth Street in Luck, took this picture Tuesday morning on her way to work. The bear was in the alley behind her neighbor’s house, then came between the houses and through Swanson’s yard. “It was quite exciting to see this just outside my house,” she noted. Photo by Amanda Swanson

the law enforcement center.

Engineer Will Matzek said the firm contacted Great Northern Railroad owner Greg Vreeland about the improvements, which included relocating CTH H down to where CTH A meets Hwy. 63. The improvements are to accommodate the traffic load when Wal-Mart is built. Matzek said aligning the two roads will create more safety, and a signal is proposed to control the traffic at that intersection, on Hwy. 63, with improvements to the turn lane.

John Olsson said the challenge is the railroad tracks being so close to the intersection, along with the ATV and snowmobile trail. Nearby, the tracks go from one to two for a turnout. Either an elimination or relocation of the twotrack turnout was proposed, Olsson said, and Vreeland said he was OK with a relocation. He suggested moving it closer to the depot downtown, with the crossing at Northland Drive.

The second track at the depot isn't useful at the moment, Vreeland said, so this could be used for the turnout when it is relocated, relaying the track’s siding at this area.

The other question, Olsson said, was whether or not to place a gate at that crossing. He suggested hiring an expert subconsultant for an opinion.

Vreeland said there are two or three

trains going per day, with one or two Friday through Sunday in the off season. The trains go about 15 mph, he said. They are spread out from noon to about 7 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 p.m. on weekends.

Olsson said the concern of vehicles stopping on the tracks is always there, and Vreeland said even traveling at 15 mph, it takes a couple hundred feet for the trains to stop. Olsson said, though, that signals could stop traffic on the roads, prohibiting cars on Hwy. 63 from turning right onto CTH H at that time.

There would be additional signage on the roads alerting vehicles, too.

Olsson said the railroad plans will have to go through the Wisconsin railroad commissioner, and it takes about six months. The DOT, city of Spooner and county will all need to approve the plans.

Matzek said he felt all parties agreed on the scope of the plan.

Matzek estimated that the firm would have the final plan within the next few months, and they are taking into account the Wal-Mart store and any possible other development around CTH H. The transit commission approved the firm's plan. The decision between a gate and a signal is still in the air.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 5

P O L K

C O U N T Y

H E A D L I N E S

Village trustees sworn in at Balsam Lake Lakeland Telecom local content; Indianhead bypass getting a go

by Marty Seeger BALSAM LAKE – The Balsam Lake Village Board swore in three trustees on Monday night during the regular monthly board meeting. Jim Broome, Jeff Reed and Chris Sondrol were officially sworn in by village police Chief Sheryl Gehrman for two-year terms.

Balsam Lake’s Freedom Fest, which is scheduled for July 3-6 was one of the first items of discussion Monday. Street closures for the arts and craft show, burnout contest and parade were just a few of the topics, and the board made motions to go ahead with street closures that were proposed by the community club.

During the discussion of Freedom Fest, liability questions were mentioned. Darrel Zaleski of the Bridgeview Insurance Agency, LLC presented an outline of the village insurance policies, as well as coverage in the event of an accident or injury that might take place during an event.

“You have a special events policy, so that’s perfect,” Zaleski said.

If the village of Balsam Lake was named in a lawsuit, Zaleski said that the policy will respond. A coverage and limits summary was given and it was noted that the village has a limit of liability of up to $2 million for most major coverages and general liability. That includes general liability, personal injury liability and law enforcement liability, public officials liability, automotive liability and workers compensation part A benefits and part B employers liability. It was also noted that the board would be covered in the event that the board is listed under multiple claims at the same time.

“You could, in theory have an infinite number of $2 million claims, there’s no policy limit here,” Zaleski explained. He went on to say that the village has unbelievably good coverage, and very competitive.

“The league (Wisconsin Municipalities Mutual Insurance) is

The Balsam Lake Village Board began its first meeting with three trustees sworn in Monday night, including Jeff Reed, Chris Sondrol and Jim Broome.

Clockwise (L to R): Reed, Geno D’Agostino, Sondrol, Guy Williams, Broome, Mike Voltz and Dave Evans. - Photos by Marty Seeger going to make sure this is the broadest coverage available on the market,” Zaleski said.

The board was also presented with a check in the amount of $525 after the declared last dividend for 2007.

Lakeland Telecom local content The village followed suit with four other surrounding communities to go ahead with improving local content or PEG (public access, educational and government programming) with Lakeland Telecom. So far Frederic, Luck, Milltown and Centuria have gone ahead with the franchise agreement.

The intention of the agreement is to put on two more open channels for the purpose of entertainment with local content such as sporting events, church services and different things from the community. Village police Chief Sheryl Gehrman explained one of the benefits of adding the channel for the community.

“It’s a way to advertise your town if you use it,” Gehrman said.

About $3,800 will be needed to fund new equipment, and to pay for the labor to assemble it. A list from 2003-08 was highlighted to show what the village is paid each year to have Lakeland Telecom supply cable to the village. In 2003 the village was paid $2,767.05, in

2007 they were paid $4,439.26 and in 2008 they were paid $4,390.79.

“This is what they’ve been paying the village to have their cable in here, well it looks to me that they’re just getting it back again,” said trustee Mike Voltz.

Village president Guy Williams said that he spoke with Lakeland Telecom President/CEO John Klatt, who explained the purpose and how the money should be used.

“The money we get is supposed to be used for this type of operation,” Williams said.

In a letter from Lakeland Telecom: “Our organization feels that it is imperative to improve the local PEG content.

This will mutually serve the villages and our customer base also. Our board of directors has also allocated funds for this initiative.”

Indianhead bypass engineering service Jeff Nausbaum of the Cedar Corporation was present to discuss the upcoming project involving construction of the Indianhead Shores bypass sanitary sewer. Last month the village board approved Cedar Corporation to proceed with the construction and bidding documents for the project.

The project involves a new sanitary sewer, which would connect to the

Darrel Zaleski of the Bridgeview Insurance Agency, LLC, spoke to the Balsam Lake Village Board Monday night to discuss its municipal mutual insurance partnership. sewer on CTH I, come across at James Court and run down the right of way on the south side of CTH I. It would then head down toward Indianhead Shores behind the Fox Den. The sewer would intercept the flow at James Court in the sewer line and take all the sewer east on CTH I out into the sanitary districts. All of which will be gravity fed.

“Essentially what we’re doing with the design is intercepting that flow, taking it via gravity instead of it coming down several lift stations north of CTH I [and] being pumped back up into a lift station,” Nausbaum said.

One of the main items of discussion was how the process will need to be assessed, what the options are for assessments and how much it will cost to begin assessing the project.

“It’s not a big project so I don’t anticipate its going to take a long time to construct,” Nausbaum said. He added that it would take about a week to answer questions about options, and how the village would proceed with the assessments. Costs will be decided in an upcoming water/sewer committee meeting toward the middle of May.

Marty Niles benefit plans in progress FREDERIC - Benefit plans have begun for Marty Niles, II, that tie in with Frederic Family Days. Niles is a 2004 graduate of Frederic High School and is now a student and athlete at UWSuperior. He recently had surgery to remove a brain tumor.

These plans are still being finalized, but there will be a spaghetti dinner benefit at the Frederic High School on Friday, June 20, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Tickets will be available at the local

Frederic business and friends of the family. It will cost $5 for adults, $3 dollars for children (ages 5-12), and children under 5 will eat free. There will also be silent auction and raffle items and a 50/50 drawing available.

On Saturday, June 21, there will be a dunk tank at the park where you can dunk some of Frederic’s most notable citizens who will be there in support of Niles.

Raffle tickets are being made that will

most likely be priced at $20 each or six for $100 and will be soon at the Frederic area businesses and with friends of the family. The prizes include a five-day guided antelope bow hunt package in Montana for one person, a two-day Salmon fishing trip (for two) on Lake Michigan, a local two-day Canadian goose hunt for two, and a Benelli Nova pump shotgun. More detail posted at the Close Encounters Web site www.closeencountersbowhunts.com.

The drawing date for this event has not been set as of this writing.

If you would like to volunteer, donate, or help in any way please call Kelly Steen at 472-8644 or 327-4221, or Tom and Tammy Close at 472-8253. If you would like to make and contribute desserts to the spaghetti dinner at the high school please call 715-327-4221 for details. - submitted

!" t h S e n a t e D i s t r i c t Supreme Court validates Wisconsin voter ID efforts The United States Supreme Court has upheld an Indiana state law that requires photo identification following a recent constitutional challenge.

Twenty-five states require some form of identification for voting.

In Wisconsin, efforts to establish photo identification for voting have been vetoed by Gov. Doyle and most recently blocked by Senate majority leadership.

Sheila Harsdorf

Past reports from the Milwaukee-area have raised alarms as to the prevalence of voter fraud. I believe Wisconsin should take proactive steps to protect against fraud and not wait for an electoral crisis to make prudent reforms.

When fraudulent votes are cast in any part of the state, it effectively disen-

franchises those that legitimately cast their ballots throughout Wisconsin.

Also, the best way to safeguard Wisconsin’s same-day voter registration is with voter identification.

In the opinion that upheld voter identification, the court’s most liberal justice, John Paul Stevens, wrote that there was not sufficient evidence that such voter identification laws deterred voting. Of course, the arguments pertaining to the constitutionality of voter identification were also addressed.

Under Wisconsin’s proposal, identification cards would be provided to those that cannot afford them and provisions

to exempt frail and homebound citizens for identification requirements have been included.

Following the 2000 presidential election debacle, many states took steps to enact basic reforms that protect voter integrity. Wisconsin has been left behind, as past veto overrides have failed by just a handful of votes.

Do you think voter identification laws are a burden or a prudent step to ensure integrity in our elections?

Please let me know by calling my office at 1-800-862-1092 or sending me an email to Sen.Harsdorf@legis.wi.gov.

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

Affordable housing proposal funding discussed

by Sherill Summer WEBSTER - Jerry Estreen and Sally Schrader from Indianhead Community Action Agency visited the Webster Village Board for the third time this past Wednesday, April 30, to win support for affordable housing units proposed for Webster.

The first two meetings with the village board were to introduce the idea of affordable housing, explain income qualifications, where existing affordable housing units are located and the difference between affordable housing and low-income housing already in Burnett County. This meeting was more businesslike because Indianhead wants to apply for funding and has a grant deadline coming up.

Indianhead has long wanted to place affordable housing in Burnett County and already has units in four other counties It is hoping to place 10 threebedroom units in Webster’s Smith Pines development that would target small families.

Indianhead generally applies for funding from a pool of money called the Home Fund that is only open to community development housing agencies.

Indianhead usually applies once or twice a year for funding. Only once has Indianhead been denied funding since 1991, and Estreen called the chances of securing funding “very good.”

Funding can also pay for infrastructure which could benefit the village.

Photo of typical duplex built and operated by Indianhead Community Action Agency. – Photo submitted The next grant deadline is June 1. If Indianhead secures funding for the Webster units, they hope to start construction this fall. Before any of this can happen, however, the Webster Village board must commit to the building of the affordable units in Webster, and this has not happened yet.

Only a portion of the 40-acre development currently has water, sewer and is on the real-estate market. This portion is zoned RR 1 and permits only singlefamily residences.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the board decided that if they agreed to the proposed affordable-housing units, they would be placed on a portion of Smith Pines that is not yet developed and in an area of Smith Pines that is open for multiple-unit development in the long-range plan. Lot lines have been envisioned on paper, and it needs to be determined if these existing lot lines will work for the project or if they need to be changed. Cost of developing infrastructure also needs to be figured

into the agreement as there is not road, sewer or water to this section of Smith Pines that is now being considered for the units.

Probably more important than these details is if the village board will agree to affordable housing in principle.

Owner of Main Street Apartment, Al Glorvigen, attended the meeting and voiced his concern that having taxpayer subsidized rental units will force rents lower for other rental units in the area.

He also said that 34 years in the property management business has taught him that management presence at the units makes a big difference in the units upkeep. He asked how often the affordable housing units would be inspected and how long the response time would be if there were problems. Estreen said that the properties would be inspected at least weekly.

Also of a concern with board member Bill Rock was if the duplexes would fit in with the rest of the development that was envisioned to be primarily singlefamily housing.

The proposed affordable housing will next be on the agenda at the regular May board meeting on Wednesday, May 14. Because of the deadline for funding, Webster Village will need to decide if they support Indianhead Community Action Agency’s affordable housing or not.

Reading program gets poor marks STATEWIDE - A reading program that’s part of No Child Left Behind is getting poor marks. An interim report shows the voluntary program being used in some Wisconsin schools is not improving reading comprehension among those it’s supposed to help: students at low-income elementary schools.

A program called Reading First offers districts federal money to use what backers say is a scientifically proven method of teaching reading. It strongly

emphasizes sounding out letters, a method called phonics.

Some districts, like Madison, incorporate aspects of phonics while stressing a different approach, called Whole Language, or balanced literacy.

Madison Schools Superintendent Art Rainwater says the federal program was too “scripted” and didn’t accommodate different learning abilities. So, four years ago, the district refused $2 million in grant money. He says the district believes in making decisions that are

best for students, and not the decision that provides the most money. He says the decision was very simple, adding “our kids are not for sale.”

Other Wisconsin schools are using Reading First; it’s taught at two of the 21 elementary schools in Racine. Jeff Weiss is curriculum director for the district.

He says the Reading First program has produced some positive results. He says aspects will be incorporated after the pilot project ends, such as dividing kids into groups: one for fluency and

another for, say, comprehension.

The government’s Reading First program is a key part of No Child Left Behind. It aims to get all children reading at grade level. The interim report on Reading First showed no difference in comprehension among schools using the government’s program and those districts which were not. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Shamane Mills)

B U R N E T T

C O U N T Y

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 7

H E A D L I N E S

A look back and a look ahead Burnett business leaders study county economy

by Carl Heidel SIREN - Business leaders from around Burnett County gathered at The Lodge in Siren Wednesday, April 30, to listen as Jerry Hembd sketched out the county’s economic past and suggested what the economic future might look like.

By the time he was finished, those in attendance had a good understanding of county demographics, employment and income and wealth, heard some suggested strategies for development and had an analysis of the county trade area.

Hembd, an associate professor in the Department of Business and Economics at UW-Superior and a state specialist in community and economic development with the UW-Extension, presented his information as neutral, neither good nor bad news. For him the data show “opportunities for tomorrow” for the county economy.

He first described the county in its geographic context, a sparsely settled area caught between the giant centers of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis-St. Paul, to the south and west, and Chicago-Milwaukee to the southeast. These two economic powerhouses exert considerable influence on the local county economy.

For example, county population growth has been influenced by the Twin City area. The population has increased since the 1970s, but only because an older population has been moving into the area while the younger people have been drawn away into the Cities.

So while the country generally is becoming an increasingly older population, Burnett County has a percentage of older residents that is higher than the national average. Projections show that 25 percent of the nation will be aged 65 or older by 2030, but locally 36.5 percent will be in that category. Some of that “old growth” will come from retirees from the urban giants who view the county as a retirement destination.

In his presentation of county employment informa-

UW associate professor Jerry Hembd appeared before a gathering of Burnett County business leaders Wednesday, April 30, to speak about opportunities for economic growth. - Photo by Carl Heidel tion, Hembd talked about the goods producing sector (manufacturing, agriculture and mining) and the service producing sector (e.g., health and business services). Over the years the goods producing sector has remained relatively flat in terms of job creation, but the service sector has driven the economy with a steady growth of new jobs.

A couple of factors play into this. For one thing, today’s workers now produce more goods more efficiently, and few new workers are needed to meet higher production goals. Second, people generally have more disposable income, and this income is going into the service production sector creating an increase in demand and the need for more new jobs.

Specifically, Hembd pointed to the county’s leisure and hospitality industry as being high as a source for employment, in fact the second highest job source in

the county. Among the five largest employment sectors in the county fabricating and manufacturing ranked only fourth behind general government, leisure and hospitality and education. Another service sector, nursing and residential care came in fifth.

But while the influx of retirees is feeding the demand for services, the out-migration of younger workers is creating a decrease in the workforce.

Hembd suggested that the county will either have to bring new workers into the area or convince those who are already here to re-enter the workforce in order to staff the growing service sector.

County income, according to Hembd, is below the national average as would be expected in a rural setting. Again the urban centers influence these figures since the concentration of wealth is in urban areas, and this concentration raises the income averages.

Hembd said that of all the income components, the one that most influences Burnett County is dividends, interest, rent and personal current transfers which includes Social Security payments. Burnett ranks higher than the state in terms of the impact of that component, again a reflection of an aging population.

At this time 50 percent or more of the county households draw Social Security income.

In a strange twist, however, county per capita wealth exceeds the state average. Hembd said this is due to the high increase in area property values.

Hembd identified several strategies for improving the Burnett economic picture. Among these were strategies to increase the recirculation of dollars within the community (shop locally), increase the amount of resources available (labor and capital), use existing resources more efficiently and engage in political action. On the latter point he said that if the laws stifle local growth, work to change the laws.

In the final portion of his presentation, Hembd quickly sketched a surface analysis of the county trade area. Data on various segments of the local economy such as sales retention and local potential sales can help to identify economic sectors which are strong and growing and sectors that need to improve.

Siren greenhouse moves to new location

by Nancy Jappe SIREN/FALUN – Tim Evenson, owner of Creekside Landscaping, and his friend, Tina Zaborowski, are working hard these days to set up the greenhouse at Timberland Gifts and Goods, Siren; operate it until about mid-July; and then move the greenhouse operation to a new location on the northwest corner of Hwy. 70 and Range Line Road in Falun.

All of this has come about in the past three weeks, making these days hectic ones for both Evenson and Zaborowski. Zaborowski is busy setting up her own business, Grandma’s Attic, in the neighboring former Fahlstrom Hardware building in Falun.

Zaborowski, the daughter of Pat and Ted Zaborowski, moved to the area from Pennsylvania five years ago. Her parents have lived here for the past 20 years. Her new shop will hold collectibles and handmade items such as purses and jewelry. The building she is moving the shop into was run as Fahlstrom Hardware until the mid-1970s. The plan is to open for new business July 1.

The greenhouse at Timberland Gifts and Goods, until now run by Jim Trigg, has been sold to Evenson and will open for spring and summer business Thursday, May 8. Evenson is also taking over Trigg’s

business of supplying potted plants for businesses around town, i.e. the post office, drugstore, meat market, veterinary office and Bremer banks in Siren and Danbury.

The greenhouse will operate as is in Siren until about mid-July, then will be moved to its new location in Falun. As to what will happen with that part of the Timberland property, “It’ll just be mowed,” Judi Trigg commented.

Evenson’s grandparents, Wilbur and Inez Evenson, lived in Falun. His great-grandfather, Oliver, ran a watch and jewelry shop across from the creamery there. Tim has memories of the days when Falun was a prospering place. He remembers the creamery, Miller’s Store, there being a couple restaurants, a barber shop, a grocery store, an implement dealer and two hardware stores.

“We are bringing it back. It’s time for urban renewal,” Evenson commented.

He knows that people are supposed to slow down as they pass through Falun, giving them time for a look over at the new greenhouse and shop.

Evenson has a background in horticulture, and held the position of head gardener at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. His father started a nurs-

The old house on the northwest corner of Hwy. 70 and Range Line Road, Falun, will be taken down and replaced by a greenhouse operation by Tim Evenson, owner of Creekside Landscaping. The building in the back, the former Fahlstrom Hardware, is being turned into Granny’s Attic, a store featuring collectibles and handmade items, to be run by Tina Zaborowski.

Tim Evenson, owner of Creekside Landscaping, Falun, and Tina Zaborowski, who is setting up a new shop, Granny’s Attic, in Falun, put up the opening May 8 sign in front of the greenhouse at Timberland Gifts and Goods, Siren. The greenhouse, which has been sold to Evenson, will operate at the Siren location until mid-July, then will be moved to Falun. – Photos by Nancy Jappe ery in 1973. He and his brother went to the university, then started a business in the Twin Cities that ran from 1984 to 2004. Evenson’s brother moved to Wisconsin first, with Tim following later.

Tim Evenson owns the house across the street from the greenhouse’s Falun location. This house was formerly owned by Esther Fahlstrom. He will continue to operate Creekside Landscaping, a business that does contract work in landscaping, irrigation, lighting and patios. The new greenhouse will operate under the Creekside Landscaping name.

People driving through Falun will be glad to see the old house removed. It has been an eyesore along Hwy. 70 for some time, and now is to be replaced by a landscaped lawn, the beauty associated with a greenhouse and a new shop for passersby to stop and peruse.

PAGE 8 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

L e a d e r

We b Po l l

Last week’s poll results

Total votes: 58

This week’s question:

Do you believe in a firm deadine for removal of troops from Iraq?

45%

26 votes

Yes

55%

32 votes

No

To take part in our Web poll, go to www.the-leader.net and scroll down to the lower left hand corner of the screen

Do you shop more locally now, considering the cost of gas, etc.?

1. Yes 2. No

J o e H e l l e r

F O R U M

Sales tax analysis

consulting an expert (defined in some circles as “a person who Without knows enough about what's really going on to be scared”), the analysis

of county sales tax information on the surface looks to be positive news for Burnett and Polk counties.

Our two counties are among 60 in Wisconsin who have adopted a half-cent sales tax, money generated by business sales that goes to Madison and comes back to our general funds to help offset expenses. Some like to think of it as property tax relief - others as an additional revenue source.

Looking over numbers for the first quarter of 2008 it looks as though Burnett and Polk counties are experiencing higher than normal sales tax numbers.

Although there are factors involved such as when sales receipts get turned in and when they get processed - it’s obvious there have been increased sales in the two counties over last year.

Well, the cost of stuff has gone up, you say, not necessarily the sales of the stuff. True, and again, it’s not clear whether even the experts can break that down to a science.

But totals show this year’s first quarter sales tax is up dramatically over the same period last year, representing a larger hike than in previous years.

And during what many have called a recession.

One theory is that people are simply spending more within their own counties. Are you making fewer trips to Rice Lake or the Twin Ports or Twin Cities or Eau Claire to make your purchases?

One clue in the numbers shows that Eau Claire county is one of only three in the region to show a decline in sales tax revenue.

Here’s where the expert comes in.

Scott Hodek, regional economist for the Department of Workforce Development, said dampened consumer spending would be reflected in Eau Claire County because of its status as a “regional retail hub.”

When people curtail spending, they don’t cut essentials - and they buy those essentials close to home. But discretionary items like new clothes, vehicles and electronics - we tend to go to bigger cities.

Internet shopping was also blamed for Eau Claire County’s dip in sales tax revenues.

Shopping locally - or as UW associate Professor Jerry Hembd stated last week to a gathering of Burnett County business owners - “a recirculation of dollars” is one strategy for improving the local economic picture. (See story “A look back and a look ahead” elsewhere in this issue).

It’s kind of ironic that it’s taken a downturn in the economy to bring that issue to reality, or at least numbers that support it.

Golden age for local libraries

public libraries are having a banner year - perhaps a banner decade.

L ocalBesides building new library buildings at Frederic and now Luck and St.

W h e re t o Wr i t e

President George Bush 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20500 president@whitehouse.gov

Governor Jim Doyle 115 East, State Capitol Bldg.

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

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

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

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

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

U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold SDB 40, Rm. 1 Washington, D.C. 20510 or 1600 Aspen Commons Middleton, WI 53562-4716 (608) 828-1200 senator@feingold.senate.gov

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

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

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

Croix Falls - our libraries are experiencing growing use of their resources.

In the past 10 years visits to local public libraries in Wisconsin have risen by 28 percent.

Part of that is due to the fact that today's libraries offer much more than books - Internet access, DVDs, audiobooks, storytime and programs for children. Through integration of libraries across the state and beyond, your local library's selection becomes rival to the Library of Congress.

Funding of libraries has made some news in recent years, some good news and some bad.

But this week numbers were released that show our state's public libraries contribute more than $4 for every dollar taxpayers invest.

NorthStar Economics, Inc. of Madison maintain that the total economic contribution of Wisconsin public libraries is more than $750 million each year.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction - in an news release - said in part, "Public libraries are centers of their communities and daily make invaluable contributions to local and regional economic development."

Besides creating more than 3,200 jobs directly and 3,000 indirectly through economic activity, perhaps the strongest argument to support the "$4 for every dollar" theory is the value of the books, audio recordings and videos borrowed by library customers as well as reference services and Internet access provided the public.

Libraries are considered a “good value by library users and nonusers alike,” according to the NorthStar study.

It’s obvious to see among the local librarians how important they perceive their job to be and how proud they are of what they do. The two library pages we publish are made possible through the efforts of librarians in Burnett and Polk counties.

Our hats off to them during this golden age of local library growth.

CaringBridge

is the largest charitable nonprofit Web site in the world.

C aringBridge It’s where family and friends go to find out the latest about their loved

ones who are in a hospital facing a serious medical condition, treatment and recovery.

More and more our stories include links to CaringBridge sites - to allow readers to know there is a site out there that will tell them more about the condition of people of their community who they care about.

We’ve published the links to the sites of area residents this week - and we hope to continue to do this in the spirit of CaringBridge.

CaringBridge offers different levels of privacy - they are not searchable by search engines. Over half a billion visits have been made to CaringBridge sites and visitors to those sites have left over 15 million message of hope and encouragement.

That’s an imressive use of the Internet.

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

L e a d e r

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MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 9

To watchdog group This letter is to those who objected to the prayer breakfast.

Over the years I’ve eaten many meals prepared by Christian-affiliated people.

Every time I have been treated kindly, waited on and told thank you for coming, all for a minimum price. Food is always good and everyone is welcome.

The Lord lived and died in the flesh to allow us all the opportunity of eternal salvation. We have a right to accept this free offer or oppose it. There is no room to complain.

P.S. Getting off the negative focus and looking at the positive aspects gives a much better outlook on any circumstance.

Tom Fleming Star Prairie

Unbending One can respect the position held by the Revs. Walter, Emmons and Schoen of their April 30 letter and the position of the religious sects that they represent as that: their position. It would also do well to remember that the position of a group or an organization is another way of saying that that is how they view said subject, thus an opinion.

With that said, it is ironic that Christians continue to bicker among themselves about whom one should or should not reach out to in the spirit of peace. Mike Miles’ letter of a few weeks ago spoke of the spirit of peace that was evident at a gathering among people of different backgrounds; a letter that gave people who have faith in hope and love encouragement; a letter that spoke of the true nature of a loving presence that was evident on that day of sharing.

That spirit expressed in his letter has been reduced by others to a battle of words with proclamations of who’s right and who’s wrong along with dogma and rhetoric. I don’t believe that the Christ’s teachings were about people taking upon themselves to judge damnation onto one another, nor do I feel that he would minister the fear and mistrust that has not only become evident in recent weeks with the exchange of letters in this newspaper, but has been at the center of many religious sects for generations.

So, where is the challenge to our churches and nation? If history has taught

Ticker tape ain’t spaghetti ood riots are erupting around the F world. Protests have occurred in Egypt, Cameroon, the Philippines,

Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mauritania and Senegal. Sarata Guisse, a Senegalese demonstrator, told Reuters: “We are holding this demonstration because we are hungry. We need to eat, we need to work, we are hungry. That’s all. We are hungry.”

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki moon has convened a task force to confront the problem, which threatens, he said, “the specter of widespread hunger, malnutrition and social unrest on an unprecedented scale.” The World Food Program has called the food crisis the worst in 45 years, dubbing it a “silent tsunami” that will plunge 100 million more people into hunger.

Behind the hunger, behind the riots, are so-called free-trade agreements, and the brutal emergency-loan agreements imposed on poor countries by financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund. Food riots in Haiti have killed six, injured hundreds and led to the ousting of Prime Minister JacquesEdouard Alexis. The Rev. Jesse Jackson just returned from Haiti and writes that “hunger is on the march here. Garbage is carefully sifted for whatever food might

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

us anything it’s that the great empires of the past feel from within due to a self righteous and unbending stubbornness, to not accept others as equals.

Thank you for your time, David DeMar Frederic

Islam a challenge I want to thank the Rev. Jody Walter, the Rev. David Emmons, and Mark Schoen for their joint letter. This and articles like this motivate people to read more about Islam. This moves people to learn about the true teachings of Islam and not rely on the picture being painted by media and other resources that lacks even the basic understanding of Islam.

It is no surprise, that Islam is the fastest growing religion, not only the United State, but in the world. As more and more people read and hear about the true message of Islam they find themselves attracted and embracing the religion with open arms.

I would encourage people to read and hear about it from contemporary historians and scholars such as Karen Armstrong and Jerald Dirks. And if you were really moved and want to learn more about Islam, I would encourage you to attend a service at one of the mosques in Minneapolis or visit the Islamic Center of Minnesota in Fridley.

Shahid Mian Luck

Promise I made a promise to my mother on the day we buried her.

I made that promise because on that day, her family had to bury her in a casket instead of being cremated like she wanted. Her family had to bury her without her glasses, that she said she needed all the time, because they were evidence.

Her family had to bury her after an autopsy that she said never to do.

I promised her, that if it took the rest of my life, I would try to find out who the person or persons were, that took her life away from her.

Her birthday is May 8, Mother’s Day is May 11. While you remember your mother, please give a remembrance prayer to mine. It isn’t just Mother’s Day, it’s a fam-

ily day.

Life is too short. Hold your family close and show them that you love them. Your family will be thinking of you, Mom, and wishing you could be with us on your birthday and Mother’s Day. If anyone out there knows who murdered my mother, please contact the police. Thank you.

Vicki Koenen Danbury

Solutions Some people’s problems don’t seem to be problems to others. The north building at the highway department is not good enough for them, but someone else has offered to buy it. Why not sell and save some money?

To save more money, let’s go back to when they had 120 employees and 20 college kids in the summer and it only took the commissioner road superintendent to run the highway department. Two vehicles went home every night, not six fuel guzzling 4x4 pickup trucks. At that time there were eight outside foremen that only drove to and from the job, now about 21 outside employees and five bosses.

If you need a heated place for the trucks, why rent? The new justice center has a large garage. The squad cars sits at the homes of the deputies outside and the other city vehicles at the government center also sit outside.

The trucks have been kept and washed in those buildings for over 40 years and look good summer and winter.

Dennis McKinney Luck

Simple folks have right to a voice I have to admit I liked the attention I received from Mr. Ayers. It can make a country boy, with callous on his hands and dirt under his fingernails, smile when he is noted by someone with Mr. Bradley Ayers resume.

I have always been impressed with his resume, but I believe Mr. Ayers is even more so.

I reserve the right for simple folks to have their voices heard. The elite are not inclined to listen.

be left. Young babies wail in corn and other food plants to be frustration, seeking milk from used solely as food. a mother too anemic to proIn a news conference this duce it.” Jackson is calling for week, President Bush defended debt relief so that Haiti can food-based ethanol production: direct the $70 million per year “The truth of the matter is it’s in it spends on interest to the our national interests that our World Bank and other loans farmers grow energy, as opposed into schools, infrastructure to us purchasing energy from and agriculture. parts of the world that are unstaThe rise in food prices is ble or may not like us.” One part generally attributed to a perof the world that does like Bush fect storm caused by and his policies are the multinaincreased food demand from tional food corporations.

Amy India and China, diminished International nonprofit group Goodman GRAIN has just published food supplies caused by a drought and other climate report called Making a Killing change-related problems, increased fuel from Hunger. In it, GRAIN points out costs to grow and transport the food, and that major multinational corporations are the increased demand for biofuels, which realizing vast, increasing profits amidst has diverted food supplies like corn into the rising misery of world hunger. Profits ethanol production. are up for agribusiness giants Cargill (86 This week, the United Nations’ special percent) and Bunge (77 percent), and rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Archer Daniels Midland (which dubs Ziegler, called for the suspension of bio- itself “the supermarket to the world”) fuels production: “Burning food today so enjoyed a 67-percent increase in profits. as to serve the mobility of the rich counGRAIN writes: “Is this a price blip? No. tries is a crime against humanity.” He’s A food shortage? Not that either. We are asked the U.N. to impose a five-year ban in a structural meltdown, the direct result on food-based biofuels production. The of three decades of neoliberal globalizaConsultative Group on International tion. ... We have allowed food to be transAgricultural Research, a group of 8,000 formed from something that nourishes scientists globally, is also speaking out people and provides them with secure against biofuels. The scientists are push- livelihoods into a commodity for speculaing for a plant called switchgrass to be tion and bargaining.” The report states: used as the source for biofuels, reserving “The amount of speculative money in

For the most part, the information I gave in my last letter is historical.

Opinions may differ.

Bruce Muehlhauser Cushing

Straight River Thanks, Michael Murray for your very good article on Straight River, in the Leader the week of April 30.

I love fishing the flowage in winter and summer. In spring, we canoe down to Big Round Lake, over a beaver dam or two.

There is so much wildlife to see. The wild rice that the ducks and birds feed on.

There are eight to 14 swans that stay all winter on the river. Then nest on the flowage in the summer.

The county or DNR have pulled the dam at CTH I many times and the beaver put it right back. The DNR will have to trap and kill many beaver before Straight River will become a free-flowing river. I’m sorry to say there are many of us that like the river, just the way it is.

The DNR want to pull the dam at CTH 270, so they have more wetland.

Back 40 years, the state asked for more dams to bring the water level up. That’s right! We need them little lakes or ponds so the water don’t all do down the river.

We have more wildlife, birds, frogs and turtles now, then where will they be if the DNR pulls the dam.

Betty Schandorff Luck

More letters, next page

Letters 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 or personal attacks.

commodities futures ... was less than $5 billion in 2000. Last year, it ballooned to roughly $175 billion.”

There was a global food crisis in 1946.

Then, as now, the U.N. convened a working group to deal with it. At its meeting, the head of the U.N. Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, former New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, said, “Ticker tape ain’t spaghetti.” In other words, the stock market doesn’t feed the hungry. His words are true today. We in the U.S. aren’t immune to the crisis. Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Costco have placed limits on bulk rice purchases. Record numbers of people are on food stamps, and food pantries are seeing an increase in needy people.

Current technology exists to feed the planet in an organic, locally based, sustainable manner. The large corporate food and energy interests, and the U.S. government, need to recognize this and change direction, or the food riots in distant lands will soon be coming to their doors. (Dennis Moynihan contributed research for this column.)

••• Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!,” a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on 650 stations in North America. Her column’s appearance in the Leader is sponsored by The Gathering of the Webster area.

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

PAGE 10 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

Freedom from Atheism After reading the articles in the Leader concerning the sheriff’s prayer breakfast, as well as the editorial, I have decided to form a new organization—Freedom from Atheism Foundation. For too long, Christians and members of other faiths have allowed a small minority of citizens to deny religiously inclined citizens their first amendment Constitutional rights.

Separation of Church and State is not a Constitutional right. Freedom to practice religion wherever and whenever is. The First Amendment protects what the Founding Fathers of our nation thought were the most important freedoms our nation needed to establish a successful republic.

The amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assembly, and to petition the Government of a redress of grievances.”

By establishment of religion the Founding Fathers meant a government— sponsored church, such as the Church of England or the Lutheran church in Sweden. They did not mean an informal expression of religion in governmental institutions, such as opening Congress with prayer or sponsoring prayer breakfasts.

It was not until the middle of the last century that the Supreme Court decided that, after nearly 200 years, the prior courts got it wrong and religion was an evil to be restricted not only by Congress but by every level of government in existence in the United States. But those Court decisions were made in defiance of the intent of the First Amendment, as any normal person without a law degree can ascertain just by reading the words that our Founding Fathers wrote and ratified.

Yet the Freedom from Religion Foundation would have you believe that Sheriff Roland gave up his right to free exercise of his religion because he was elected to a public office in Burnett County. Nothing could be further from the truth. By sponsoring a Prayer Breakfast on the day set aside by Congress for prayer, Sheriff Roland actually fulfilled the purpose of the resolution of Congress passed in 1952 establishing a National Day of Prayer. The atheists have 364 days a year, oops 365 this year, to be free from the “tyranny” of an hour-long prayer breakfast. Do they need to have this hour too?

I commend the sheriff for not caving in to the ridiculous harassment of the atheists. I will encourage him to continue to have the sheriff’s prayer breakfast every year he is in office (Sorry, Mr. King. He doesn’t have to rename it.)

Too often people of faith have been intimidated by unreasonable interpretations of the First Amendment. It is time to stop allowing the threats of lawsuits to prevent students from praying in school, writing essays on their faith, and speaking about their faith at graduation ceremonies. It is time to stop removing religious articles from our public halls and religious speech from our public places.

Why are atheists so afraid to allow people of faith to freely express their beliefs?

Could it be that they are afraid that God might just possibly be real? After all they don’t care about Zeus, Hera, Cupid, or the rest of the mythological gods. Have you ever heard them speak out against celebrating the Winter Solstice or Valentine’s Day? Maybe they should take the TV networks to task for allowing the name of God and Jesus to be used so freely and profanely on the air waves. Or is it only unconstitutional to talk about God when you really believe in him?

So I think I will start an organization to stop the Freedom from Religion Foundation from ripping off my right as an American Citizen to speak freely of my Lord as the First Amendment gives me and Sheriff Roland the privilege to do.

Carolyn Marquardt Webster

Letters t o t h e e d i t o r Be not afraid...

In the Leader, April 30, Pastors Emmons, Schoen and Walter signed a letter with dire warnings about Islam. The doctrinal and scriptural proofs suggest that demons of fear and blame are being brought out once again by church leaders.

Change the word Islam to anyone who is different from me and history repeats itself. At one time or another, some have been fearful and blaming, hateful and violent toward Jews or Germans or Irish or Black or Native American, .... the list is endless and growing. Sadly, people calling themselves Christians often led the way. Where is Jesus Christ in words that may lead to hateful actions?

Please prayerfully consider: 1. Select almost any issue and you can find an Old Testament passage to support your cause. A purist who believes we should wear cotton clothing? Quote Leviticus 19:19. Raise beef and want no pork at church suppers? Quote Deut. 14:8.

Attend closely to religions that are noticeably selective in the Bible passages they proclaim. What is the purpose?

2. Religion is not an end in itself.

Absolutists among us may be surprised on judgment day to find out that God is not evangelical Lutheran, Methodist, Muslim, Roman Catholic. These are names of religions. Religion: dogma, doctrines, rituals – intended to direct us toward experiencing the sacred, toward God. 3. God loves all his children. No exceptions. If one cannot accept that, then, perhaps “your God is too small.” The path to God is not narrow, stingy or mean spirited.

4. Who is God? So far beyond our pitiful imaginings that the Father sent the Son and the Holy Spirit to show us that God is love. Good News, indeed! Study Jesus: peaceful, inclusive, respecter of women and children, beloved by men and women, open to people who were different from him. Jesus feeding the hungry, comforting mourners, curing the blind.

Flawed human beings have been given a model for how to live in God’s diverse world and, with gifts of the spirit, strength to live as Jesus lived. Gal. 5:22. New Testament! Resurrection people! Good news!

Are destructive fanatics among the billions of people, in myriad religions in the world? Better to ask: Do human beings breathe? have free will?

We need pastors to call us to a higher way of believing and acting, to lead us to the sacred, to God. At the height of fear and blaming of Communism in the ‘50’s, a holy man challenged: “If following Christ ever becomes a crime, will there be enough evidence to convict you?” A question, indelibly written in minds, that changed some lives forever.

Pastors: please focus on the good news in the life of Jesus. I believe that if we Christians really put on Christ, there would be no challenge of Islam.

Encourage us to study and compare religions, to look for as many similarities as differences. Challenge us to answer that powerful question: What would Jesus do, for God’s sake? The answers are there... blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who do good to those who persecute..... blessed are the merciful. Mt. 5:312. More answers are found in the words about our final judgment.... whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers....Mt. 25:40. There’s a lifetime of teaching in the life of Jesus.

“I did not shrink from telling you what was for your benefit...” Acts 20:20 I’m sure you love me telling you this for your own good. You’ll notice that I, too, selected a Bible quote to support my humble words! Blessings on all God’s children!

Marilyn Brissett-Kruger St. Croix Falls

www.the-leader.net

Dangerous

I spent from Wednesday to Friday of last week in Madison. When I returned, I read with interest the letter of Freedom from Religion Foundation had sent to Sheriff Roland. I thought, “This is dangerous! It is dangerous because organizations like this are destroying America by their deception regarding state/church separation.”

In the Constitution of the United States, these words appear: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The intention of the writers was (1) to limit the power of the federal government by ensuring that it would not establish a state church, then (2) it was not to prohibit the free exercise of religion.

The problem today is that this amendment is deliberately misinterpreted to separate government from God. This is why the Freedom from Religion Foundation was seeking to exert it influence against the sheriff’s prayer breakfast. They feel they are able to do this because Americans have been deceived into believing the myth that religion should have no place in the government. This was not the intention of the Founding Fathers.

America’s founders never believed that the separation of church and state meant that God and government should be separated. All one has to do is to take a trip to Washington, D.C., and view the federal buildings. There a person will witness the testimony that God is the basis for establishing laws and running the nation. In fact, there are government buildings that contain phrases of Scripture. But the dangerous thing today is that there are atheistic groups that want these phrases removed from the buildings. This is what America is facing in the future, and it may very well happen if people sit back and do nothing and let it happen!

Today people talk about the separation of church and state and keeping Christianity and prayer out of schools.

This is not the America of the founding fathers who based their decisions on biblical principles. Public education was based on biblical principles. But they also staked the future of the United States of America on these principles. If a person doesn’t believe this, all one has to do is to go back and read many of the statements given by the founding fathers. They recognized God’s guidance through every aspect of the formation of this great nation.

For instance, when the Constitutional Convention was deadlocked and it looked like it would end, Benjamin Franklin on June 28, 1787, called the delegates to prayer. Rather than rule by the elite (aristocracy) or rule by the many (democracy), many of the first Americans chose to be ruled by Christ. Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, “I have alternately been called an Aristocrat and a Democrat. I am neither. I am a Christocrat.” Jedediah Morse, in an Election sermon in 1799 said, “Whenever the pillars of Christianity should be overthrown, our present forms of government, and all the blessings which flow from them, must fall with them.”

Keep up the good work, Sheriff Roland!

Pastor Merrill Olson Webster

Less burden, the better It seems to be the right time to write once again about the problems with the Polk County Board and their decisions regarding the county highway buildings.

We all know the old buildings are junk, due to the lack of proper maintenance throughout their 70-year history. All my letters to the editor regarding the referendum reflected nothing about keeping those buildings. I just did not want our government spending $10 million. But now I read someone gave the county a bid of $458,000 for a 60 by 100 foot building?

Is everyone out to take Polk County to the cleaners? What is that building made of, titanium? How many companies have been contacted for bids? I would certainly think that to tear down the existing buildings and erect metal pole buildings in their place would be an easy and reasonably priced solution. Just look in the papers and see all the spring specials for metal buildings. I am sure they could apply to larger buildings. Have any of the county board members looked at the Bishop Millwork pole buildings and asked how much they cost? The buildings are huge. Have any of the board members realized that when Wal-Mart builds buildings for their distribution centers, they are metal pole buildings because they are cheap? Drive to Menomonie and you will see what I mean. Other than the area where the trucks are being worked on, I don’t see a reason why all the buildings have to be heated. The equipment will still rust if kept in a warm building and not washed daily. Are our guys ready to wash their trucks daily? My garage at home is not heated for that very reason.

Another solution, albeit a temporary one, would be to immediately move the offices out of the existing building into the one of many vacant offices located in the government center. Yes, it would be inconvenient for the drivers, but at the same time it would solve the air quality issues, and give the county the time to tear down what’s there and rebuild.

The county doesn’t need to by buying any more land. Polk County has plenty of land should they decide to move the shop out of Balsam Lake.

It is time for the county board to get with it and think in a conservative manner in that, yes, we need a new shop; however, the less burden on the taxpayers the better. Just because we have nine new members on the board doesn’t mean they should sit back and still let the veterans run things. They need to speak up and come to a reasonable solution to this problem. That’s why we elected them. Our finance director had also better stand by her words as quoted that, “We are in a situation financially where we should be prudent and careful.” Otherwise, $10 million will be spent and out of control spending will continue.

Bryce Thomson Balsam Lake

Got an opinion?

E-mail it to the-leader@centurytel.net

Foto Flashback Heading out to fish Clam Lake at the Governor’s Fishing Opener in 1984, thenGov. Tony Earl took a brief glance back toward shore as Jim Flanigan served as guide.

The governor arrived at what was then the Narrows Supper Club north of Siren that morning and fished on the lake only a half-hour, consequently catching no fish. It was to date the only Governor’s Fishing Opener to ever be held in Burnett County. - File photo by Gary King

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 11

Area Ne ws at a Glance Business owner files lawsuit

CHETEK - The former owner of Pete’s Landing supper club in Chetek has filed civil litigation claiming that neighbors to the business interfered with its sale.

In her complaint, Sheri Beth Vinopal of Chippewa Falls, alleges that Gerhardt “Butch” Flor, Barb Flor and John Flor meddled in the sale of Pete’s Landing, resulting in her collecting $30,000 less for it in 2007 than her buyer had originally agreed to. Vinopal claims that realtor John Flor asked her in December of 2006 whether the supper club was for sale. She replied that it wasn’t, but a sufficient price could persuade her to sell. Vinopal determined that she would sell for $600,000$650,000, but due to alleged past difficulties she had with her next-door neighbors (Butch and Barb Flor), she was apprehensive about working with their son, John Flor. The realtor presented the names of three prospective buyers, who, in turn, signed confidentiality agreements. That potential deal fell through, however, and weeks later another realtor representing two other prospective buyers contacted Vinopal. After showing the property, these potential buyers made an offer and negotiations began. According to Vinopal’s complaint, John Flor then contacted her again and said that his buyers might still be interested if they could have a showing. She agreed to this, since nothing had been finalized with the other party at that time. Flor’s buyers ultimately lost out on the property. The second realtor and one of his buyers called

Letters Low act I really wonder what kind of person it takes to remove something from a cemetery. Sunday, May 4, three small and one large angel statutes were placed at my husband’s gravesite.

Tuesday, we discovered they were removed. Whoever took them remember every time you see them you removed them from a gravesite of a grieving family. In my opinion, you must be a very low person.

Cindy Carlson Frederic

Vinopal in March, however, and said that Butch and Barb Flor had contacted them and indicated that there was or would be problems with the supper club’s liquor license, among other problems. Chetek City Council reviewed Pete’s Landing’s liquor license April 10, 2007, which was a few days before the deal’s closing. The complaint states that the Flors were present for the meeting. After coming out of closed session, the council approved the license but restricted it to inside of the building. Vinopal maintains that the city council’s action effectively reduced the value of the property, since the supper club’s liquor sales for its outdoor picnic area and horseshoe facilities overlooking the lake had been a selling point previously. Consequently, Vinopal agreed to reduce her asking price by $30,000 in order to address her buyers concerns. A jury trial has been requested to determine whether Vinopal is entitled to recover the $30,000 and other alleged damages. – Barron News-Shield

Police looking for counterfeiter

LADYSMITH - Ladysmith police are hunting for a counterfeiter after reports of fake bills being cashed in the area. An 18year-old rural Bruce woman who police said admitted the money she spent at a Ladysmith gasoline station looked “funny” was arrested April 16 for allegedly passing currency she knew was counterfeit, then released after a Riverside hearing the next day, according to Police Chief Dean C. Meyer. He said her case has been referred to the district attorney for possible charges. Meanwhile, he said, investigation is continuing in an effort to find the source of the bogus bills. Among the reports: Greg Swoverland at Subway called police the afternoon of April 15 and reported he had what he though to be a fake $10 bill. An officer was dispatched and observed the bill did not have a proper watermark or the metal strip that is supposed to be in it. It wasn’t the normal color either. Judith Novak at Citgo called police the evening of April 15 and said two counterfeit $10 bills had been passed.

Brenda Gauthier at Bruce Express Mart reported that Chippewa Valley Bank contacted the store April 15 and said they there had been a counterfeit $20 bill in the Express Mart deposit bag. A poster was issued to businesses in Ladysmith after counterfeit bills were first reported. It offered a $100 cash reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of

those responsible for two counterfeit bills that were circulated in the city on April 15.

Anyone with information was asked to notify police immediately. Meanwhile, the investigation is continuing, Meyer said Monday. – Ladysmith News

Judge accepts no-jail deal

ELLSWORTH - An Ellsworth woman pleaded guilty early last week to stealing more than $70,000 from her Red Wing employer. As part of the deal reached with prosecutors, Lynn Wittman must pay $70,833.64 in restitution to Culligan Water Systems. Her first payment will be $30,000, due by June 1. The 35-year-old will then make $500 monthly payments for two years, and pay the remaining balance in a lump sum by Jan. 1, 2011. The felony theft charge she pleaded guilty to will be erased from her record if she successfully pays the restitution, remains law abiding and meets other court-ordered conditions while on probation for five years. Wittman will serve no jail time.

Minnesota First District Court Judge Kevin Mark accepted Wittman’s plea after another judge said earlier this month the deal lacked criminal consequences. “It’s too lenient, given the circumstances,” Minnesota First District Court Judge Thomas Bibus said in court April 4.

Assistant Goodhue County, Minn., Attorney Carol Lee said the plea agreement ensured Glen Craven, Culligan’s owner, would be paid back. “The payments are the most important part,” Lee said. Wittman started stealing from Culligan in 2005. She altered the company’s books to make them appear balanced while she worked in the accounts payable department. She would then write herself checks for random amounts. Wittman is currently employed, but does not handle money. She said in court she thought the large restitution payments were reasonable and she’d be able to make them on time. – rivertowns.net First court appearance PINE CITY, Minn. - The Brook Park man who hit his girlfriend while driving a snowmobile, resulting in the amputation of her feet, made an initial appearance in court recently. Jeffrey Paul Dale, 47, is charged with two counts of felony criminal vehicular operation resulting in great harm. The family of the victim, Wendy Koffler, asked for a no-contact order. Dale said in Pine County District Court that he talked to Koffler last night, and she asked

that they keep the lines of communication open. A no-contact order was issued for the time being. Dale was taken into custody and held on $5,000 bond. His next court appearance is May 29 at 9 a.m.

Because of his criminal history, including at least one felony attempting to kidnap conviction, he is seen as a flight risk by the court.

Koffler’s sister, Tammy Fredrickson, said Koffler is mentally doing fine, but her left leg is infected and doctors are having difficulty getting it to heal. Koffler was released from the hospital last week and now resides at a nursing home. She has returned to the hospital a few times for surgery. The family is planning a benefit for May 31 at the Pine City American Legion. Details will be released when available. – Pine City Pioneer

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

Caring Bridge CaringBridge is a Web site service that offers free, personalized Web sites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery. If you have a loved one who would like to be part of this list – to let others know about your site – please e-mail us at theleader@centurytel.net. Thank you.

Chuck Pardun, Frederic. www.caringbridge.org/visit/chuckpardun Chuck was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer on Feb. 14.

Sarah Campbell, St. Croix Falls. www.caringbridge.org/visit/sarahcampbell Sarah, a teacher, is undergoing treatment for breast cancer Vicki Peterson, Frederic. www.caringbridge.org/visit/vickipeterson2 Vicki was first diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer 13 years ago and her cancer returned recently.

Pat Killingsworth, St. Croix Falls. www.caringbridge.org/visit/patkillingsw orth Pat was diagnosed with cancer a year ago.

Marty Niles, Frederic. www.caringbridge.org/visit/martyniles A mass was removed from near/on Marty’s brain stem on April 16. He remains hospitalized as doctors monitor his progress.

Think, thank, thunk A video game that’s good for you Editor’s note: Readers may remember Chris Wondra from the columns he wrote for our Community Voices series last year. He and his family live in St. Croix Falls where he teaches language arts to middle school students “A smile is often the most essential thing. One is repaid by a smile. One is rewarded by a smile. One is animated by a smile.”

—Antoine de Saint-Exupry I’m sure everybody, at one time or another, has wondered what would happen if you combined the geeklike qualities of a psychology professor with the computer nerdiness of a video game creator.

Well wonder no more. Introducing MindHabits: Great Games from Serious Science.

You can read all the juicy details about how the games work at their Web site, MindHabits.com, but their basic premise is this: * Find and click on friendly smiling faces as quickly as you can racking up points as you go. * Ignore all the frowning faces. * Reprogram your mind to ignore negativity throughout your day.

The game was developed by psychology professor Mark Baldwin in an effort to determine whether or not a video game can actually change the way you see and even think about the world around you.

“We started with the idea that just as playing the game Chris Tetris over and over Wondra for hours can start to shape the way you look at the world (even in your dreams!), playing a specially designed computer game might also help to improve your thoughts and feelings about yourself.”

And if you think about it, from a brainbased perspective, it makes sense.

Everybody’s brain comes equipped with a filter called the Reticular Activating System, responsible for filtering significant information from the glut of sensory input we are constantly bombarded with.

Without the RAS, every little distraction, noise, tactile stimuli, scent and motion would get through to our conscious awareness and we’d go berserk. Every tick of the clock, every car that passed by, the feeling of every elastic band.

Anyway, my point is that the RAS fil-

ters stuff, and for many of us, it is allowing way too much negative information to get through. We get a short response from our boss and we think, “Is she mad at me? Did I do something wrong?” We notice a colleague with a serious face and we worry, “I wonder what he’s upset about. Hope it wasn’t something I did.”

All this because we first noticed, and considered significant, someone’s body language. Obviously, this is stressful. On the other hand, how much better do you feel when you’re greeted with a friendly smile and hello? Tons! Wouldn’t it be nice if we could simply ignore the negative and sanction only the positive? But alas, for many of us these are habits entrenched and reinforced by unending cycles of fear supported by feedback loops of insecurity.

These are exactly the brain-ruts MindHabits video games claim to break by retraining your mind to ignore scowls and find smiles. But (being science geeks) they didn’t only base their game on theory. They went out and tested it.

“We needed to find a group that was very stressed and, you know, I always hang up on telemarketers frankly, personally, so they’re dealing with a lot of rejection all day long,” said Baldwin in a recent interview.” But after playing the game five minutes a day for a week, something incredible happened. The level of cortisol, or the stress hormone, in their bodies dropped by 17 percent. Even

more remarkable is the employees playing the game were rated as more self-confident, and then moreover, they actually made more sales.”

So, what the heck. If you have a spare minute, go check it out. There are a number of different versions and a few different free games you can play even without downloading anything. I played the “click-the-face” game a bit, and I thought it was fun in a mindless-can-I-beat-thetimer-or-my-best-score sort of way.

But don’t take my word for it.

MindHabits recently beat out 69 other games in the Great Canadian Video Game Competition. Along with more credibility, that also meant an award of (I am not making this up) $1.3 million.

If it boosts your self-esteem, and you were just going to waste that 10 minutes surfing the Web anyway, I say you might as well give it a shot.

The one benefit you’ll have if you get caught playing at work is you can cite actual scientific research to support your claim that playing MindHabits could boost your productivity.

Hey, I wonder how many bosses would actually fall for that. Sounds like a great idea for another scientific study.

Chris Wondra writes and teaches in St. Croix Falls and welcomes your input.

Join in the discussion at 3thinks.com. The more the merrier!

PAGE 12 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

B U R N E T T

C O U N T Y

H E A D L I N E S

Grantsburg School Board approves proposed budget

by Priscilla Bauer GRANTSBURG – Grantsburg School Board members listened intently as Superintendent Joni Burgin outlined the district’s proposed 2008-2009 budget. “Enrollment is down and staff costs are up. Things are going to be getting tighter,” Burgin cautioned the board as she outlined the budget revenues and expenditures.

Burgin told the board that despite the higher costs which will mean the tighter budget, there was good news to report.

“We have a virtual school bringing in revenue and our open enrollment is favorable.”

Higher energy costs were also brought up in the board’s budget discussion. Staffing adjustments and field trip cuts were two of the cost-saving measures considered in the proposed budget.

The board voted to approve the proposed budget even though it will not become final until the district’s annual meeting in October. The budget needed to be presented now due to the May 15 teacher layoff deadline, which requires teachers be notified of possible changes in their contract percentages. The final budget will be adopted after summer staff hiring, and September enrollment (which includes district, open enrollment and Insight School of Wisconsin students) is firm.

Lisa Voisin, of Baird Financial and Co. of Milwaukee, appeared before the board to explain the district’s Wisconsin Retirement Service liability and give a recommendation for refinancing to save the district money. She told the board Grantsburg is one of the 25 school districts with a higher balance to pay off, with a debt of over $900,000.

Voisin began by giving the board a history of the WRS Prior Service Liability. Voisin explained the prior service liability in Wisconsin was created by a 1982 merger of three retirement systems. The liability brought the level of benefits from prior systems on an equal basis. At that time the legislature mandated repayment of the liability structured with a 40-year repayment schedule at 7.8-percent interest.

Voisin said currently about 75 percent of school districts in the state have paid

Cindy Jensen and David Ahlquist were sworn in as new Grantsburg School Board members at the board’s Monday night meeting. Both Jensen and Ahlquist are returning members to the board who were elected for another three-year term. – Photos by Priscilla Bauer off their liability. She told the board each district has a different structure and different financial goals. Voisin said there are different options for every situation and each district has to look at what is available and will be best for them. She recommended Grantsburg use the State Trust Fund on a 20-year note at 6.0 percent, which will allow the district to pay off the debt sooner and save the district $665,000. Voisin said she believes this would be the most cost effective way to take care of the debt and the district will not incur large refinancing fees. Board member Jim Sundquist asked Voisin about looking at local lending institutions for a loan. Voisin said she or Burgin could call local financial institutions and check their rates but that she had found from past experience they were generally higher. Board member David Dahlberg made a motion to investigate lower rates at local banks and if they could not offer a lower rate

Lisa Voisen, of Baird Financial in Milwaukee, explained the Grantsburg School District’s Wisconsin Retirement System unfunded liability, and presented options for refinancing to save the district money.

than the State Trust Fund, Voisin should start the process of borrowing from the state fund.

Insight School of Wisconsin executive director Jeff Bush and Principal Billy Beesley appeared before the board with the virtual school’s quarterly report.

Beesley told the board of the school’s successful and fun prom and talent show which 25 students attended. He noted Insight School student’s parents were excited about prom and the upcoming graduation which will be held June 1 in Stevens Point.

Bush also talked about graduation telling the board Rep. Brett Davis, who was one of the legislators who lead the charge in writing legislation to keep Wisconsin’s virtual schools open, will be the keynote speaker.

Bush said Insight School is waiting final approval in June for Northwest Association Accreditation School accreditation. Currently, the school has provisional accreditation, and that Insight staff is currently in the process of registering new and returning students. “So far the response has been very good on enrollment numbers,” Bush told the board, explaining students have until June 8 to send letters of intent to Insight. Staff is also continuing to be on the school’s improvement and action plans for the coming year. The new virtual school legislation also requires setting up a parent advisory council and requires contact information on all administrative and teaching staff and Insight staff. Bush said while Insight already has a parent advisory council, the staff is working getting more parents involved.

Bush gave a brief summary of the virtual school legislation, known as Act 222, which legalizes virtual schools in

Wisconsin and which Gov. Doyle signed on April 7. Bush said Rep. Raychuck and Sen. Harsdorf should be thanked for their efforts in getting the compromise legislation passed. He also said Sens. Olson and Lehman and Reps.

Davis and LeMahue played big roles in the new legislation. Bush also wanted the board to know the head of the group known as the Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families, Rose Fernandez, worked tirelessly to get the legislation passed. “I don’t think without her group we would have gotten where we did,” Bush told the board.

Bush also said all the virtual school leadership worked together and unified in support of virtual schools.

The personnel committee reached an agreement with the National Union of Educators for the 2007-2009 contract years, so the board approved the 20072009 teacher contracts. When asked for comments from the personnel committee, committee members Cindy Jensen and David Dahlberg said the negotiations went smoothly and they were all pleased with the professional way things were handled by all parties involved.

Cindy Jensen and David Ahlquist, who were both returned to the board by voters, were sworn in by board vice chair David Dahlberg. The board then proceeded to elect Ahlquist as president, Dahlberg as vice president, Jensen as clerk and Chris Erickson as treasurer.

Graduation is set for Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m. in the Grantsburg High School gym, and June 1 at 1 p.m. in Stevens Point for the Insight School of

Insight School of Wisconsin’s Principal Billy Beesley and executive director, Jeff Bush, were present at the Monday night Grantsburg School Board meeting to give the board a quarterly report on the virtual school’s operations. Beesley reported on the school’s first prom and talent show and Bush gave the board information on how the recent virtual school legislation will affect the Insight School. Bush also gave the board projected enrollment numbers for the 2008-2009 school year.

Concerns growing over state budget deficit MADISON - Gov. Jim Doyle called legislative leaders into his office to discuss where they can find common ground on fixing a state budget shortfall.

Doyle’s chat with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker and Republican Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch came on a day when the governor’s administration released a letter warning of dire consequences if law-

makers don’t pass a budget repair bill.

The letter said that by August the state would be running such a large deficit in its general fund that Doyle’s office could no longer patch it up without delaying payments to schools or local governments.

Huebsch referenced the letter in brief comments to reporters on his way out of Doyle’s office. He says those in the meeting came to a very real agreement

that they need to resolve this soon. He says while there are still differences, they are still going to work through those and try to get to an answer very quickly.

Decker said the tone of their discussion was good, but that leaders know the dangers of inaction. He says these are pretty tough situations we’re in right now, and there are serious consequences. He says they need to get some-

thing done and do it where they can get it through the Senate and Assembly and get it on the governor’s desk.

Decker and Huebsch did not discuss particulars, and neither did Doyle.

Without any action, the state stands to run $527 million in the red by the end of the two-year budget because state tax revenues went up less than hoped. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Shawn Johnson)

Subscribe online @ www.the-leader.net

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 13

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Date set for Straight Lake presentation Movement on Woodley Dam, Amery-Dresser Trail

by Gregg Westigard POLK COUNTY – The plans for three outdoor areas will see action in the coming weeks. A date has been set to present options for the new Straight Lake State Park, a hearing date has been set on Woodley Dam removal issues and the Amery-Dresser trail may be close to opening.

The Straight Lake Park and Wildlife Area presentation will be held June 11 at the DBS Hall in Luck. The DNR will present options for the future uses of the 2,775-acre wilderness lane east of Luck. The public will be informed about work that has been done over the past two years and shown ideas on how the park could be used in the future. The DNR will use the public input as it develops a final master plan. That plan may be ready for approval next fall and development may start in 2009.

Meanwhile, the Straight Lake Park is open for public use. Miles of hiking trails branch out from the main entrance at the end of 120th street a mile north of Hwy. 48 (four miles east of Hwy. 35). People are carrying in boats to fish the two lakes. And the first spring flowers are emerging to greet visitors.

The Woodley Dam on the Apple River at Hwy. 8

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month STATEWIDE — As the days get longer and the weather warmer, ABATE of Wisconsin would like to remind all motorists to be aware, motorcycles are everywhere.

ABATE of Wisconsin proudly supports Gov. Jim Doyle’s decision to designate May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. In his proclamation, the governor states, motorcyclists have the right by law to safe enjoyment of their vehicles, including the full and equal use of the roadway without encroachment by other vehicles whether it be on city streets or rural and urban highways. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics conclude that nearly two-thirds of automobile/bike crashes are the fault of the automobile drivers not yielding right of way to motorcyclists. Every year the number of motorcycles on the road increases with almost 250,000 registered motorcycles in Wisconsin. With proper education and awareness, right-of-way violations will be reduced, thus making Wisconsin roads safer for all.

ABATE of Wisconsin has compiled a list of tips for both motorists and motorcyclists to increase safety on Wisconsin roadways. For motorcycle riders: • Ride so you are seen. You and your motorcycle are easily hidden in traffic, in motorists blind spots or against a bright sky. Use lane positioning to be seen.

• Signal your intentions. Signal before changing lanes. Avoid weaving between lanes. Flash your brake light when you are slowing down before stopping.

• Sharpen your riding skills. Know your abilities and ride within your limits. Earn and maintain your motorcycle license. An Experienced Rider Course can upgrade your skills and increase your riding enjoyment.

• Be courteous and respectful. Being courteous, nonaggressive and cooperation can go along way in reducing crashes.

For motorists: • Learn to expect motorcycles in traffic. Watch out at intersections and when making left turns.

Motorcycles are everywhere, look twice and save a life.

• Respect the motorcyclist. Motorcycles are vehicles with the same privileges as any vehicle on the roadway. Give the motorcyclist a full lane of travel.

• Allow plenty of space. Traffic, wind, weather, and road conditions affect the motorcyclist differently. Leave more following distance, allowing room for the motorcyclist to maneuver and enough time for you to react.

• Be courteous and respectful. Being courteous, nonaggressive and cooperative can go a long way in reducing crashes.

ABATE of Wisconsin’s goal is to give the motorcyclists of Wisconsin a strong, united voice, with regard to their future, their way of life, their safety and their legal rights as motorcyclists and citizens. submitted

may move closer to removal. The DNR will hold a hearing Tuesday, June 3, on issues relating to permits it issued to Polk County allowing the dam to be removed. The Apple River Association has expressed concerns about the effects of dredging and riprap of the riverbed and about the proposed 90-foot bridge over the river. The hearing, set for 8:30 a.m. at the Polk County Justice Center, will lead to a decision on when and how work can proceed on removing the failed dam.

The Woodley Dam property, site of the old Country Dam nightclub, became the property of Polk County after a long dispute over unpaid taxes. The county must remove or repair/replace the dam before any further steps can be taken on the site. Future options range from the sale of some or all of the land to the development of a new county park.

Lastly, the Amery-Dresser Trail, the former railroad line in southern Polk County, may be open to hiking soon as plans are developed for additional uses. A court ruling in January states that the 14-mile right of way can be developed only for nonmotorized uses, with one exception for electric personal mobility devices. The DNR has said that hiking can be allowed once the trail is cleared and checked for safety.

Additional uses will be determined as the DNR and Polk County prepare a new master plan for the property.

The property committee of the county board has instructed parks and buildings director Debra Peterson to proceed with negotiations with the DNR. A group of citizens, including a friends of the trail group, has volunteered time and equipment to clear the trail for use this summer and has offered help in obtaining grants for future trail development.

Tickets for Citizen banquet available FREDERIC – Tickets for the Frederic Citizen of the Year banquet, to be held May 16, must be purchased

by May 10, according to organizers.

Tickets are available at U.S. Bank, Bremer Bank and Harlander/Tesch Dental Office. Cost is $12 per ticket.

Dave and Jane Pederson have been named this year’s Frederic Citizens of the Year.

The couple will be honored, along with Volunteers of the Year Delores Duncan and Eleanor Duncan, Business of the Year Bean’s Country Griddle and Founders of the Year, the Reuben and Ruth Wedin Family.

The banquet begins at 6 p.m. with a dinner at Hacker’s Lanes. A program will follow the meal.

Tickets need to be purchased by Saturday, May 10.

– with submitted information

PAGE 14 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

Hopkins Sand and Gravel purchases County Concrete

The concrete landscape materials formally sold by County Concrete Corp. will still be offered by Hopkins. – Photo by Sherill Summer WEBSTER – Hopkins Sand and Gravel – Ready Mix Inc. has purchased the Webster branch of County Concrete Corp. that was located just south of Hopkins’ Webster location.

Julie Hughes from Hopkins says that County’s office building and driveway will be closed, but Hopkins will continue to offer the landscaping products formally sold by County. Hughes said that most of County’s employees were offered employment at Hopkins.

Hopkins Sand and Gravel – Ready Mix Inc. has been in business at the Webster location since 1965. – Sherill Summer

County Concrete Corp. has been purchased by Hopkins Sand and Gravel.

State’s cheesemakers break own record STATEWIDE - Wisconsin’s cheesemakers have broken their own record.

Forty-six percent of the nation’s specialty cheeses are now made in the state.

That’s a 3-percent jump over last year.

Rod Nilsestuen is the state’s Secretary of Agriculture. He says smaller-scale production of cheeses like parmesan and provolone has “exploded” in the last five years. In that time, he says 34 new dairy plants have opened and two more will do so this year. One of them is Woolrich Dairy in Lancaster, which

he says is the largest goat marketer in North America. He says they looked all over the country and decided Wisconsin was the place to make an investment. He also points to Sassy Cow Creamery just north of Sun Prairie.

Nilsestuen says Wisconsin’s milk production rose 9 percent in the last five years, leaving producers more raw material to work with. Also, he says consumers are demanding more unique foods. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Patty Murray)

La Crosse drownings: Accidents or homicides?

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Wisconsin Congressman James Sensenbrenner is asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into new information about a string of student drowning deaths in the Mississippi River along Wisconsin’s western border.

The new leads come from retired New York police detectives who say they’ve found a connection between the

Wisconsin drownings and others in Indiana, Mississippi and New York.

That connection they say, is graffiti depicting a smiling face near the sites of some Midwest and New York drownings.

Despite Sensenbrenner’s call, the La Crosse police chief, who’s investigated several of the drownings, doesn’t buy the detectives’ theory that a serial killer

Teen abstinence speaker at SCF ST. CROIX FALLS-St. Croix Falls High School is bringing in Pam Stenzel, a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of teens and abstinence,

on May 14 at 7 p.m. in the Elementary School gym. The event is free for community members and parents in the area. -submitted

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 15

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From Malawi with love From the high plateau at Livingstonia, you can see across the lake to the mountains of Tanzania, 50 miles or more to the east. Some say that on the clearest of days, you might see all the way to the Indian Ocean. It is not how I imagined it would be in Malawi, this narrow sliver of a country in southeastern Africa. Of course, it’s the rainy season, I remind myself, and without all this greenery, the landscape wouldn’t be as inviting. As it is, we’re easily lost as we gaze off into the mists below us, watching clouds form over the lake and drift lazily to the north.

We’ve been seduced a thousand times over by this beautiful land and the welcoming warmth of the people who live here.

We’re here to dip a toe in the water, on a trial run for a possible longer stint in 2009.

And everything we’ve seen, heard and felt in just over two weeks here tells us we’ll be back. Back to work in the school where 250 primary students and eight teachers greet me on a Thursday morning

even though school isn’t in session, where class sizes range from 64 (eighth grade) to 120 (second grade) per teacher. Back to work in the outreach clinics where hundreds of AIDS orphans (over 1 milSteve lion in the country) Pearson come down out of the hills to receive their weekly rations, where mothers sing together as they sit on the bare concrete floor waiting to have their babies, whom they carry strapped close to their bodies, checked out and immunized by the cadre of medical personnel who have come to the nearest village.

Northern Malawi stands somewhere at the nexus of the 19th and 20th centuries, a place where most people live without cars, electricity, telephones and running water. I feel strangely at home here, blissfully out of touch with the modern world, happy to walk miles on the mountain paths to visit new friends and see the sights. But those who we see on a daily basis yearn for more.

Thomas wants me to send him a cell phone when I return to America; Hanif looks for help with tuition so he can continue his technical school education; the villagers laugh incredulously when I say I’m happy to be in a place with no cars.

And the women, who seem to do the bulk of the heavy lifting, can only dream of turning the handle and watching water pour out of a spigot in their kitchens, dreams that seem a life removed as they carry 5-gallon pails of water on their heads for great distances up and down the mountain paths.

But it is the children who get inside you here, their shining faces smiling, their voices calling out excitedly as we pass on the road. Our bungled attempts at Tumbuka, the local language, are met with puzzlement and then amusement as they realize what we’re trying to communicate. By eighth grade (“standard eight” here), most will be trilingual, speaking

Chichewa, the national language and English, the official language, in addition to Tumbuka. They are eager learners, aware that their choices are limited, their chances few.

I spend a morning in the standard eight classroom where 64 students who are giving up their vacation time listen intently to Rupah Ngambi, their teacher, who is giving up his three-week break between terms to help them prepare for upcoming exams that will determine who goes on to secondary school. Because of space limitations, only a handful of the 64 will be so lucky. And for them, tuition will be a struggle since few have cash in this subsistence economy. But you wouldn’t know any of that this morning as all seem bound and determined to make the grade and move onward and upward.

So it is here in Malawi, a true democracy for just the past 14 years, struggling to find its identity in post-colonial Africa. It is just an accident of birth, the luck of the draw, that separates us from the millions who eke out a day-to-day existence here.

So many have opened their homes to us,

shared what little they have, told us of their dreams and aspirations while saying little of the sorrows they surely have endured in a country where the life expectancy is 39 and funerals are a weekly event.

We will be back soon for a longer stay, and in the interim, we hope to raise funds for orphan care so AIDS orphans can stay with their extended families rather than be placed in orphanages, and to set up a scholarship fund that will make it possible for at least some of the young people on the plateau who otherwise couldn’t afford it to continue their educations beyond eighth grade. A little goes a long way in Malawi where $70 (9800 kwacha) can make or break a child’s future. I hope to make the blog I created for my firstgraders, mrpearson.blogspot.com, the location for further information about how interested people can help.

Editor’s note: This is a reprint of an earlier column - this time we’re including the photos.

Door-to-door sellers are back in Wisconsin STATEWIDE - Be careful of door-todoor sellers.

They are already in Wisconsin neighborhoods hawking: • Home improvements; • Lawn services; • Vacuum cleaners; • Meat; • Even investments That's right, investments are now being sold door-to-door in Wisconsin.

“Consumer Protection urges homeowners not to be pressured into signing any contract on the spot,” says Janet Jenkins, administrator of Trade and

Consumer Protection, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “Check our hotline (800-422-7128) for complaints, and comparison shop before spending a lot of money. Make sure you know the total amount of money you are responsible for, not just the monthly payment.

And remember when someone has a gift for you, a vacuum cleaner salesperson may be delivering it.”

Jenkins says that in recent years, consumers have found themselves in trouble because they weren't aware of disclosures in the fine print of home alarm

contracts. One company's contract said it could raise the monthly fees when it wanted to and demanded payment of monthly fees in full (thousands of dollars) if the consumer cancelled.

Also be wary of home improvement workers who don't offer you a contract or raise the price after you sign a contract.

If you are being pressured or asked to pay more money than the original agreement called for, call local law enforcement to assist you.

Remember that when home improvement and other contractors are away

from their regular place of business, they must provide written contracts containing specific details and costs. In Wisconsin, consumers have a three-day right to cancel after signing a contract and the seller must provide two written copies of their right to cancel.

For more information about hiring contractors, call the toll-free hotline of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: 1-800-422-7128. - from DATCP

PAGE 16 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

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Dresser approves outdoor-use water meter policy

by Tammi Milberg DRESSER-There are three new board members for the village of Dresser. New to the board are Brian Raddatz, elected, Neil Gustafson and Kristy Scheet, appointed.

The board held their monthly meeting May 5. The board discussed the outdoor-use water meter policy and some residents present had some questions.

Resident Gino Torresin said he doesn't opt for the meter right away, but if he decided he wanted one, could he still get one.

The answer was yes, and that anyone who puts in a request for a meter can have one generally within 24 to 36 hours.

The outdoor meter charges are mandated by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and are fixed fees. The basic fee for residential meters is $20 plus a quarterly charge of $6.90. Other types of developments have fee schedules that apply.

Before a meter is installed, inspection by a village crew employee is required, and it was noted that would be done during regular village office business hours.

Residents who spoke in favor indicated they do watering outdoors and want

and it was something the village was advised to do to help that situation correct itself over time.

The board approved the outdoor water meter policy and application with all members voting in favor.

In other business, the board approved a word change on the cable franchise ordinance. The change in the wording was from “months' to “days” to make more sense with how the ordinance is worded. It was noted the change is consistent with other municipalities with the proposed change and, that it was likely a misprint on the original ordinance. The motion to change that wording was approved.

The board also discussed the joint municipal court agreement and approved it through 2010 with the village of Osceola, town of Osceola and town of Farmington.

New members on the village board for Dresser who were appointed following the April 1 election included (L to R) Neil Gustafson, Kristy Scheet and Brian Raddatz, who was elected to a two-year term in the April 1 election. Photo by Tammi Milberg a meter installed. audit report for the village showed The board explained that the reason insufficient fees collected in the water for having a water meter policy was the and sewer areas over the past two years,

Other meetings The zoning board of appeals will meet May 12 at 5 p.m.

The open book assessment is May 19 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Board of review is meeting May 19 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The next regular board meeting is June 2 at 6:30 p.m.

Good Samaritan Endowment Harvest Campaign under way ST. CROIX FALLS - Since early September, a team of volunteers and Good Samaritan Society's St. Croix Valley employees have been building a bridge to the future. The bridge is an endowment fund that will provide scholarships to staff who wish to further their education in the health care fields.

This effort, called the Endowment Harvest Campaign, stems from studies that indicate a growing shortage of health care employees as the baby boomers move closer to needing health services, and the corresponding generation of nurses moves closer to retirement. The need for educated people to replace them will be a reality at all levels of health care, from home health to assisted living to skilled nursing care.

The St. Croix Valley Good Samaritan Society is taking a proactive approach to meeting the needs for the area, working to raise $400,000 in permanent funds.

The interest earned will provide an estimated $20,000 annually for grants and loans once this goal is reached.

An endowment fund is a way to leave

a legacy in the community. Good Sam is offering an opportunity for interested persons to create named scholarships by giving a gift of $10,000 or more to the fund. Every gift, no matter the size, is a step toward a stronger local workforce and a continuous quality of care.

The RiverBank in St. Croix Falls became one of the latest donors to this cause last week. A check was presented on April 30. The RiverBank's donation is a total of $10,000, or $2,000 increments spread out over five years.

On July 1, Good Sam will celebrate their 40 anniversary in St. Croix Falls.

The Endowment Harvest Campaign will allow the center to reach far into the future, positively impacting this community and the surrounding areas for many more years. The campaign committee welcomes all who would like to partner with them in this endeavor.

Gifts can be made now or pledged over a three- to five-year period.

For those who have not visited Good Sam, tours are always available. For more detailed information on the many

Three St. Croix Falls DECA students selected to Attend Business World 2008 Kate Wright, Austin Whittenberger, and Emily Scheuermann were all awarded $600 scholarships to attend Business World 2008 at St. Norbert College in De Pere.

Business World® is a four-day program that brings high school students and business volunteers together on a college campus to learn about the challenges facing our free enterprise system. It is an opportunity that will enable the students to prepare for their future in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

Student participants are divided into teams of 10-12, who function as an

"imaginary" company for the program.

With the task of turning their company into a financial success, they will determine selling prices, marketing costs, budgets for production, research and development and financing. They will create their own product, develop marketing strategies and design a commercial. In essence, they will make all of the decisions that are demanded of real life company executives.

In addition, students interact with guest speakers, tour local companies and compete in an online business simulation. -submitted

Dan Reeves, RiverBank (right), presents a check to Wade Reddy, administrator for St. Croix Valley Good Samaritan Center, and Charles Hiatt, executive director of the Good Samaritan Foundation, to be put toward the endowment harvest campaign. St. Croix Valley Good Samaritan Center celebrate 40 years this July 1. - Photo by Tammi Milberg ways to contribute to an endowment fund, please call Wade Reddy, administrator, at 715-483-2710, or Sandy Berg,

campaign chair, at 651-465-0443. -submitted

St. Croix Falls Chamber's new coordinator ST. CROIX FALLS - Shelley Staeven is the new St. Croix Falls Chamber of Commerce coordinator. Staeven lives in Grantsburg and will be typically working at the chamber office Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon.

“I come to the chamber position with education and several years of experience in business administration, public relations, marketing, graphic design and event coordination. I'm looking forward to helping to promote your organization and to promote tourism by coordinating a variety of exciting events in the beautiful St. Croix Falls area,” said Staeven. -submitted

Follow the Leader

Shelley Staeven

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 17

Harsdorf meets with WITC Student Senate NEW RICHMOND – A group from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College’s Student Senate Association recently met with Wisconsin state Sen. Sheila Harsdorf on the WITC campus. Of particular discussion was funding for the technical colleges.

Harsdorf reminded students that they are a “mouthpiece” in their communities – they need to tell people about the quality of education they’re receiving.

Harsdorf also talked about the strengths of the technical colleges due to the close ties to business and industry through the college’s advisory committees for each program. “One of the great strengths about the technical college is that it stays in touch with local business and learns the needs of the employer. Then the college responds quickly to meet employers’ needs,” Harsdorf says. The senator toured campus and visited with many staff, faculty and students. The meeting with Harsdorf was set up by WITC’s Student Senate Association President Jeff Steen, an Automated Packaging Systems student. The Student Senate Association advisor at WITC-New Richmond is Edna Grotjahn Early, WITC-New Richmond offers more than 35 programs and awards two-year associate degrees, one- and twoyear technical diplomas and a variety of short-term certificates. In addition, WITC offers online and other distance learning opportunities, flex labs and provides customized training and technical assistance to the business and industrial community. The college has four campuses, including Ashland, New Richmond, Rice Lake and Superior, with administrative offices in Shell Lake and branch campuses in Hayward and Ladysmith. The college’s Web site is: witc.edu. - submitted

Sen. Sheila Harsdorf recently met with members of WITC-New Richmond’s Student Senate. The group talked about her role in Madison and about funding technical colleges. About 20 students representing many of the programs available attended the meeting. Seated (L to R) are Michaela Thomas, Valeri Zart, both of New Richmond, Kurt Johnson, Forest Lake, Minn., and Nick Murphy, Turtle Lake. Standing are Sen. Harsdorf, left, and Bob Berning, River Falls.

Wisconsin teachers receive high-rated benefits STATEWIDE - A new analysis of census figures shows Wisconsin’s public teacher benefits are among the best in the nation. The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance report found that Wisconsin’s teacher benefits were 50 percent higher than the national average, or sixth-highest among all states.

However, director Todd Berry says teacher salaries here are slightly lower than the national average. He says he would speculate that the people that are disadvantaged by that most tend to be the new, entry-level teachers, because they’re frankly more interested in competitive salaries. He says the fact that Wisconsin’s benefits are substantially above the average for teachers in other parts of the country is probably not something that interests them at age 25.

Overall, Wisconsin spends roughly $10,000 per public school student. That’s about 8-1/2 percent higher than the national average and 14th highest in the nation. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Shawn Johnson)

www.the-leader.net

Sen. Harsdorf recently toured the WITC-New Richmond campus. Here she stops to visit with Dwayne Nelson, center, Stillwater, and Danny Nicholson, right, River Falls, about their studies in WITC’s Agriculture Power and Equipment program.

PAGE 18 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

Moose Lodge donation to BCHS

Gerry Vogel (L) and Dick Sweet, co-chairs of the Burnett County Moose Lodge #1194 Community Service Committee, presented a check for $829 to Jenny Sheley, Grantsburg, head of the fundraising committee for the Humane Society of Burnett County. The money, raised at a spaghetti dinner at the Moose Lodge Saturday, April 26, in addition to more than $800 that came in that night from a silent auction and supplemental funding from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, will go toward the society’s operational costs. Fourteen dogs and 11 cats are now being cared for at the humane society’s shelter, which sits on 13 acres along Midtown Road in Burnett County. – Photo by Nancy Jappe

Polk County Historical Society plans bus trip POLK COUNTY - The Polk County Historical Society is once again on the road with their 13th-annual bus trip.

On June 13, they will travel Blackhawk Travel Way to Shell Lake to see the Shell Lake famous Museum of Woodcarving and then travel to the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad for

Histroic Dinner Train Ride in Spooner.

The bus seats 47, so those interested should call and make reservations by May 20. Call Carl Johnson of Amery 268-8353, or Rosalie Kittleson, 483-3979 for information about the trip. - with submitted information

WITC barber/costmetology grads show off creative skills

Pictured are WITC-Rice Lake Barber/Cosmetology winners at the recent Skills USA State Competition in Madison: Back row winners of cosmetology competition (L to R): first place, Carrie Becker, Turtle Lake; second place, Samara Suckut, Amery; third place, Sara Jones, Turtle Lake and fifth place, Jamie Kunesh, Cameron. Front row: winners of nail care competition: first place, Teresa Wood, Holcombe; second place, Mandee Stearns, Rice Lake and third place, Jeney Roberts, Rice Lake. – Photo submitted RICE LAKE – The barber/cosmetology graduating students of Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College-Rice Lake, demonstrated their acquired skills at the Decades Hair Show at the WITC-Rice Lake Conference Center on Monday, May 5. Described as a kind of history of hair fashion, the evening included dinner.

Students used their artistic expression and advanced techniques to create hairstyles inspired by time, with models depicting each decade from the 1920s into the future. The models were also styled by graduating students in the esthetician and nail technician programs. - submitted

Luck’s State Solo/Ensemble Results First place Mary Faye Maiden Müller – vocal solo David Franzel – alto saxophone solo Gina Armour and Tanya Holm – flute duet Mary Faye Maiden Müller – flute solo Ashley Valentine, Kassi Ingram and Morgan Denny – piano trio Ashley Valentine – musical theater Second place Christine Franzel – piccolo solo

Jordan Hall, Mitchell Larson, Wally Rich and Tyler Petersen – tuba-euphonium quartet Curtis Donald, Jerod Buck, Derek Letch, James Longhenry, Ben Panek and Roger Steen – men’s vocal double trio Third place Karissa Giller and Morgan Denny – piano duet Kenny Sanford, David Franzel, Grace Jenson and Brent Larson – saxophone quartet

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

Saints and Eagles battle it out

Eagles pull away with seventh inning excitement

A sacrifice hit by Frederic’s Chrissy Chenal brought in Melanie Chenal to score what ended up as the winning run in the top of the sixth.

Chrissy Chenal, Alex Lonetti and Krysta Laqua all batted a runner in for Frederic.

Jamie Kopecky and Meghann Baasch were the only Siren-Webster players to score a hit off of Viking pitcher Chrissy Chenal. - Brenda Sommerfeld

Unity 10, St. Croix Falls 9

by Marty Seeger BALSAM LAKE– The Eagles took a 20 lead over the Saints after the first inning was over on Tuesday, May 6, but the Saints came right back in the third to tie.

Jordyn Christensen and Ashley Hutton both singled in the first inning for the Eagles to help give them a 2-0 edge. But the Saints inched their way back in the third after Kim Culver was hit by a pitch. She eventually scored on a passed ball to tie the game. Then in the top of the fourth the Saints got their bats going after two Saints batters got on base on walks. Racheal Hansen and Megan Yunker singled to load the basses. ISenior Kelsey Douglass-White cleared the bases in the next at bat with a triple to the left center gap. The Saints would get a total of four runs in the fifth. Yunker ended up with a teamleading four hits, including a homer in the sixth inning, but the Eagles rallied.

“It was a great game to watch and a great game to coach, said assistant coach Mark Ferguson. “We dug ourselves into a hole in the fourth, giving up 5 runs. Craig Miles came into the dugout and refused to let the girls get down.”

The Eagles came back in the fourth with an BI single from Katelyn Swiontek. Then in the fifth the team came out with four runs with singles from Brittney Peters, Cailin Turner, Ashley Hutton and Becca Milligan.

“It was an emotional rollercoaster,” Ferguson added. “The girls all got behind each other and kept that rally going, right through to the seventh inning. It was the kind of spark we needed after all of the disappointing weather we’ve had.”

Milligan doubled in the seventh, hacker singled and Crystal Donahue hit Team Total Grantsburg Luck

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5 4 2 4 x x x 15 0 0 0 0 x x x 0 Individual Statistics Grantsburg AB H R BB RBI Tiffany Meyer 2 1 1 0 0 Sarah Wald 2 0 1 1 0 Michelle Lund 1 1 2 1 0 Heather Davison 2 1 1 1 0 Michelle Davidsavor 3 1 3 0 2 Ingrid Ames 1 1 2 0 1 Emily Cole 1 0 1 1 1 Melissa Burton 2 1 2 0 1 Annie Palmquist 0 0 1 2 1 Amanda Durand 2 1 0 0 1 Allison McKinley 1 0 1 0 0 Cody Crawford 2 1 0 0 1 Maddie Graves 1 1 0 1 1 Alyssa Ryan 2 0 0 0 0 Lauren Romanowski 1 0 0 1 0 Sasha Chell 2 0 0 2 0 Totals 25 9 15 10 9 Luck AB H R BB RBI Britta Giller 2 0 0 0 0 Ali Lehmann 2 0 0 0 0 Krystal Stage 2 0 0 0 0 Jessica Antonson 2 0 0 0 0 Taryn Pilz 1 0 0 0 0 Aalyssa Holdt 2 1 0 1 0 Krystal Stage 2 0 0 0 0 Melissa Jenssen 1 0 0 0 0 Jade Schrock 1 0 0 1 0 Totals 15 1 0 2 0 Pitching Statistics Grantsburg W/L INN AB K BB H R Michelle Lund 0-0 1 3 3 0 0 0 Heather Davison 0-0 3 0 6 2 1 0

Extra Points

Unity's Jordyn Christensen slides safely into second place on a close play in the first inning. Saints shortstop Megan Yunker attempts to scoop the ball as Kim Culver offers support. Yunker went 4 for 4 in the game and homered once. - Photo by Marty Seeger to first as the winning run crossed home Siren-Webster. plate.

Chrissy Chenal pitched for the Vikings. She accomplished 13 strikeouts Grantsburg 15, Luck 0 and no walks in this win.

LUCK – The Pirates continued to pile Alex Lonetti brought in two runs for the runs on Luck Tuesday, May 6, with Frederic, and Lisa Chelmo one of the nine hits. Michelle Lund struck out the five. first three batters she faced before Jamie Kopecky helped Siren-Webster Heather Davison stepped in to pitch the by bringing in their only run. - Brenda next three innings. Davison allowed just Sommerfeld one hit and two walks.

Frederic 3, Siren-Webster 2 Frederic 5, Siren-Webster 1 FREDERIC – Siren-Webster put up a FREDERIC – The Vikings softball fight in the second game, losing to team continues winning. Frederic took Frederic, 3-2. two more victories in their doubleheadThe Siren-Webster girls took the lead er against Siren-Webster on Tuesday, with one run in the bottom of the first.

May 6.

Rose Kopecky scored as Frederic threw During the first game, both teams to second as Jamie Kopecky was stealremained scoreless until Lisa Chelmo ing second. was brought in to score Frederic’s first The Vikings answered back with two run in the bottom of the third. runs of their own next time at bat.

The Vikings tallied up three more Vanessa Neumann and Alex Lonetti runs in the fourth and one in the fifth, made it to home plate to take the lead. while only giving up one in the sixth for Siren-Webster’s Meghann Baasch tied the game in the bottom of the fifth by taking advantage of errors by the Viking Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total team.

Siren-Webster Frederic

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 5 Individual Statistics Siren-Webster AB H R BB RBI Rose Kopecky 3 0 0 0 0 Samantha Hogle 3 0 0 0 0 Shannon Steiner 3 1 0 0 0 Jamie Kopecky 3 1 0 0 1 Brittany Burrow 1 0 0 0 0 Sirri Larsen 2 0 0 0 0 Michelle Gibbs 2 0 0 0 0 Ashley Guevara 2 0 0 0 0 Ellie Isaacson 2 0 0 0 0 Meghann Baasch 2 0 1 0 0 Totals 23 2 1 0 1 Frederic AB H Lisa Chelmo 3 2 Alex Lonetti 3 1 Erin Schmidt 3 2 Chrissy Chenal 3 0 Melanie Chenal 2 1 Vanessa Neumann 3 1 Michelle Owens 2 0 Terri McKinney 2 0 Krysta Laqua 2 0 Totals 23 7 Pitching Statistics Siren-Webster W/L INN AB K Michelle Gibbs L 5 23 6 Frederic W/L INN AB K Chrissy Chenal W 6 23 13

R 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 5 BB 1 BB 0

BB RBI 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 H 7 H 2

R 5 R 1

Team Frederic Siren-Webster

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 Individual Statistics Frederic AB H R BB RBI Lisa Chelmo 3 0 0 0 0 Melanie Chenal 3 2 1 0 0 Erin Schmidt 3 0 0 0 0 Chrissy Chenal 2 0 0 0 1 Vanessa Neumann 3 1 1 0 0 Michelle Owens 1 0 0 0 0 Alex Lonetti 2 0 1 0 1 Terri McKinney 2 0 0 0 0 Krysta Laqua 2 1 0 0 1 Totals 21 4 3 0 3

Siren-Webster Rose Kopecky Samantha Hogle Shannon Steiner Jamie Kopecky Ellie Isaacson Michelle Gibbs Ashley Guevara Chelsey Bereiter Meghann Baasch Totals

AB H 3 0 2 0 3 0 2 1 3 0 3 0 2 0 2 0 2 1 22 2 Pitching Statistics Frederic W/L INN AB K Chrissy Chenal W 6 22 6 Siren-Webster W/L INN AB K Michelle Gibbs L 6 21 3

R 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 BB 1 BB 0

BB RBI 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 H 2 H 4

R 2 R 3

••• ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Molly Kalmoe, a 2007 St. Croix Falls graduate, competed in the Big Ten Women's Rowing Championships last weekend for the University of Minnesota Gophers. Kalmoe's boat finished third in its division, which helped with an overall fourth place finish for the team. Kalmoe was the No. 5 seat in the First Novice Eight, and was also nominated by the Gopher coaching staff to attend a summer development camp at Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. ••• LEADER LAND – On May 9 the Amery at Osceola baseball game can be heard on 1260 AM beginning at 4:30 p.m. On May 10, the St. Croix Falls at Amery game can be heard on 1260 AM beginning at 9:30 a.m.

The Unity vs. Cameron game at Amery can be heard at approximately 11:30 a.m. on 1260 AM on May 10.

The May 13 Colfax at Amery game is being broadcast at 5 p.m. on 1260 AM. ••• LEADER LAND – Milwaukee Brewers baseball on WXCE 1260 AM can be heard on the following dates: On May 8 the Brewers at Florida game begins at 6 p.m. The St. Louis Cardinals series at Brewers can be heard on May 9, 10, 11 and 12 beginning at 7 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 1 p.m., and 7 p.m. respectively.

The Dodgers series at Brewers will be broadcast on May 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. both nights. - Marty Seeger ••• LEADER LAND – Minnesota Twins baseball is being broadcast on WLMX 104.9 FM on the following dates: On May 8 the Twins at White Sox game starts at 1 p.m. The Red Sox at Twins games on May 9, 10, 11 and 12 can be heard at 7 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively. The May 13 and 14 games against Toronto can be heard at 7 p.m. both nights. - Marty Seeger ••• LEADER LAND – Local sports tidbits to share? Please contact the Leader 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

S PORTS RE S U LTS DEADLI N E S: WE DN E S DAY - MON DAY: 1 p.m. the following business day. TU E S DAY: 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

PAGE 20 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

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Young St. Croix Falls and Frederic teams battle until end The second game was closer, with Cameron Hughes hitting a three-run homer in the third inning to put SirenWebster in the lead 4-3. In the fourth, Cameron scored nine runs off four errors and three walks.

“Like normal, one bad inning did us in,” Sears said.

Hughes went 3-3 at the plate and had four RBIs. “A bright spot was when freshman Lincoln Spafford came in relief and retired the side for us in the fifth,” Sears explained.

The game was then called in the fifth inning due to darkness.

Siren-Webster struggles against Cameron St. Croix Falls 11, Frederic 4

by Brenda Sommerfeld FREDERIC – St. Croix Falls baseball team beat Frederic baseball team, 11-4, on Tuesday, May 6.

“They are a young team like ourselves and they battled us to the end,” St. Croix Falls coach Randolph said.

“We thought that our starting pitcher gave us an excellent chance to win,” Randolph continued. “The first eight outs were recorded via the strikeout.”

Only one Frederic batter made it to first base in the first three innings and that was from a walk.

St. Croix Falls, on the other hand, scored five runs in the second giving them some cushion. Playing all seven innings, Frederic scored four in the last four innings, while St. Croix Falls added up six more.

“We wanted to come into the game stealing bases and we ended up with 13, highlighted by a suicide squeeze,” said Randolph.

St. Croix Falls Matt Vold, Gus Koecher and Josh Larcom each brought in two runs while at bat. Cory Gebhard went 35 with one RBI. For Frederic Joe Draxler went 1-3, bringing in two RBIs, while Trae Gehl

Update on Marty Niles

St. Croix Falls Josh Larcom steals second base against the Frederic Vikings on Tuesday, May 6. – Photos by Brenda Sommerfeld had one RBI going 1-2.

Cameron 11, Siren-Webster 3 Cameron 12, Siren-Webster 6 CAMERON – Siren-Webster went to Cameron for a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 6. They ended up losing both.

The first game ended with an 11-3

score. Coach Greg Sears said the highlights of the game were when Christian Hall hit a solo home run in the third inning and when Adam Daniels went 24 at the plate.

On defense, Siren-Webster walked nine and had four errors.

“Plain and simple we didn’t give ourselves a chance to win,” Sears said.

Frederic’s shortstop Trae Gehl goes down to scoop up a ball while playing against St. Croix Falls.

Team St. Croix Falls Frederic

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 0 5 0 1 1 1 3 11 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 4 Individual Statistics St. Croix Falls AB H R BB RBI Ben Anderson 5 0 0 0 0 Cory Gebhard 5 3 3 0 1 Matt Vold 3 1 1 2 2 Gus Koecher 4 2 1 0 2 Jake Larcom 3 0 1 1 0 Will Ball 4 2 1 0 0 Josh Larcom 3 2 3 0 2 Trygve Chinander 4 1 0 0 0 Sam Schmidt 2 1 1 1 0 Austin Whittenberger 1 1 0 0 0 Totals 34 13 11 4 7 Frederic Andrew Kurkowski Kanan Hackett Nolan Neumann Ben Ackerley Joe Draxler Trae Gehl Ethan Cook Bryan Meyer Brady McWilliam Totals

AB 4 3 4 4 3 2 3 3 3 29

H 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 6

R 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 4

BB RBI 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 3

Siren-Webster catcher Adam Daniels aims to first base against a runner in a previous game this year.

On Thursday, doctors at Regions Hospital placed a device in Marty’s lungs to protect him from chances of blood clots. He kept his eyes open more, his temp stopped spiking up and down, and the doctors said they thought he is trying to come out of his coma.

Friday was another surgery day for Marty with a tracheotomy tube being put in and his feeding tube moved into his belly, freeing up his mouth and throat. These procedures both went well.

This weekend was big for his family when they received answers and got to see Marty be seated upright for the first time.

The pathology results came back from Mayo confirming results that had come from the University of Minnesota. The mass that was pushing against Marty’s brain stem was a Yolk Sac/Germ cell tumor. This tumor started as Marty developed because some cells didn’t know where to go and they collected together in his brain. The Regions doctors did not believe the first tests because this type of tumor generally only forms in men’s testicles and women’s ovaries.

Many of these tumors are found to be benign, but nothing has been confirmed in Marty’s case.

He continues to respond more by moving his eyes, hands and feet.

Without the tubes in his mouth, his family is also able to see his facial expressions.

His parents say that some responses are better than others.

“Like they have said, we’re in it for the long haul,” his mom Kathy wrote.

The doctors switched the breathing machine for Marty to control and he did so well that he was put on oxygen.

His parents say that this is a very good sign.

Marty was sat up for about five hours on Sunday. The nurses asked him about three hours in if he was tired and needed to lie back down, but he shook his head no. A couple of hours later, he nodded when she asked again.

Monday was the first time that he spent 24 full hours off of the breathing machine. He is now waiting to get another MRI. “It was a great day,” his parents wrote on his Web site.

A benefit is set up for the weekend of the Frederic Family Days, June 2022. More information available in another part of this Leader. – Brenda Sommerfeld with information from CaringBridge Web site.

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Luck golf team leading the green

The Luck varsity golf team has taken first place in every Invitational they have attended except the Scott Miller Invite in Hayward, where they took second. Eau Claire Memorial took them by seven strokes. These athletes also lead all-conference in points. Pictured (L to R): Carson Giller, Kody Erickson, Travis Close, Noah Thatcher and Dylan Fultz. – Photo by Lori Nelson

Luck’s Travis Close watches his shot.

Frederic golfer Ian Anderson is one of the only golfers that wears evidence of which school he is from.

Grantsburg’s Connar Goetz follows through as he begins the Siren course on Monday, May 5. – Photos

by Brenda Sommerfeld

2008 Golf All-Conference Points Standing School Points (As of 5-1-08) Team Points Luck 35 St. Croix Falls 29 Grantsburg 25 Webster 21 Unity 15 Frederic 10 Siren 0 Standing Individual Points Name Points School Kody Erickson 140 Luck Noah Thatcher 134 Luck Travis Close 122 Luck Carson Giller 110 Luck Brad Berner 96 Grantsburg Blake Yunker 96 St. Croix Falls Kyle Christensen 82 St. Croix Falls Tony LaMere 68 Grantsburg Derek Sando 60 Grantsburg John Mikl 58 St. Croix Falls Connar Goetz 56 Grantsburg Josh Yunker 52 St. Croix Falls Christian McCabe 40 Luck Mitchell Elliott 30 Webster Jacob Wilhelm 28 Grantsburg Dylan Fultz 28 Luck Jake Bengston 26 Unity Karl Webster 22 Webster Nate Nelson 16 Luck Sam Bengston 8 Unity Dan Erickson 8 Webster Alec Clemons 4 Webster Dan Roach 2 St. Croix Falls Alex Carlson 2 Unity

James Ellison Invite (5-3-08) Barron (Rolling Oaks Golf Course) Area Team Scores (22 schools) Place Team Score 1st Luck 303 2nd Hayward 330 Luck Individual Scores Name Score Dylan Fultz 73 Kody Erickson 74 Carson Giller 78 Noah Thatcher 79 Scott Miller Invite (5-3-08) Hayward (24 schools) Area Team Scores Place Team Score 2nd Luck 309 16th Grantsburg 362 17th St. Croix Falls 364 22nd Frederic 412 23rd Unity 416 Individual Scores (Top 20 area finishers) Name Score School Kody Erickson 74 Luck Noah Thatcher 76 Luck Carson Giller 77 Luck Travis Close 82 Luck Blake Yunker 86 St. Croix Falls Kyle Christensen 86 St. Croix Falls Tony LaMere 87 Grantsburg Brad Berner 88 Grantsburg Josh Yunker 89 St. Croix Falls Dylan Fultz 91 Luck Jake Bengston 91 Unity Connar Goetz 92 Grantsburg David Harlander 93 Frederic Jacob Wilhelm 95 Grantsburg Sam Bengston 96 Unity Derek Sando 101 Grantsburg Dan Roach 103 St. Croix Falls Ryan Larsen 104 Frederic Lukas Anderson 106 Frederic Tyler Hall 107 Unity

Grantsburg’s Brad Berner is in the top five golfers for the all-conference standings right now.

Siren Golf Invite (5-5-08) Siren National Team Scores Place Team Score 1st Luck 155 2nd Grantsburg 164 3rd St. Croix Falls 173 4th Webster 191 5th Frederic 218 6th Unity 222 7th Siren (2 golfers) 127 Individual Scores (Top 20 finishers) Name Score School Derek Sando 37 Grantsburg Carson Giller 38 Luck Noah Tatcher 39 Luck Kody Erickson 39 Luck Travis Close 39 Luck Kyle Christensen 40 St. Croix Falls Dylan Fultz 41 Luck Tony LeMere 42 Grantsburg Connar Goetz 42 Grantsburg Blake Yunker 42 St. Croix Falls Brad Berner 43 Grantsburg John Mikl 43 St. Croix Falls Alex Clemmons 46 Webster Dan Erickson 47 Webster Jacob Wilhelm 48 Grantsburg Josh Yunker 48 St. Croix Falls Sam Bengston 48 Unity Taylor Sempf 48 St. Croix Falls Mitchell Elliott 48 Webster Tyler Hall 49 Unity

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Walsh and Karl predicted to battle it out

by Brenda Sommerfeld SHELL LAKE – Webster and Frederic boys track teams were the area teams at the Shell Lake Invitational on Monday, May 5. According to their coaches, Peter Walsh and River Karl will battle out the 1600-meter run all the way to La Crosse.

“They are two of the best in the state in our division,” Frederic coach Troy Wink said.

Walsh hit his personal best coming in with a 4:30.40, leaving a Chetek runner in second with 4:31.59 and Karl in third with a 4:31.76. It was Karl’s third fastest time.

“These three are top-notch runners,” Webster coach Jeff Postler said.

Frederic coming in behind Webster was seen throughout events when Webster’s team won it with 175.5 points, bringing Frederic in at 145.5.

Only seven of the 18 events did not have a Webster or Frederic athlete finish first. These events were 300-meter hurdles, pole vault, triple jump, 400-meter dash, long jump 4x200-meter relay and high jump.

Walsh also took first in the 3200-meter race ahead of Karl following for second.

Webster came in one, two and three for the 800-meter run. Brian Gibbs came in first, Asa Olson right behind and Chaz Heinze right after that adding up points for the team. Ben Anderson of Frederic was right on their heels placing fourth.

The Webster and Frederic 4x800meter relay teams came in first and second consecutively.

The Webster team took the 4x400meter relay also.

Jules Zappa, Webster, came in first in the 100-meter dash with an 11.75 time, while Matt Alden, Frederic, followed for his personal best of 11.78 for third.

Frederic’s Zach Anderson led the Clear Lake Invitational (5-1-08) Boys Team Results Place Team Points 1st Webster 180.3 2nd Unity 112.1 3rd Clear Lake 96.0 4th TL-Clayton 82.0 5th St. Croix Falls 75.5 6th Shell Lake 47.0 7th Prairie Farm 32.0 8th Weyerhaeuser 31.0 9th Glenwood City 30.0 Individual Results (Top-three area finishers) 100-Meter dash - 1. Jules Zappa, W, 11.77; 3.

Allastant Nuckles, SCF, 12.02; 4. Chase Walters, SCF, 12.06.

200-Meter dash - 2. Dan Pope, W, 24.64; 4. Tom Colombo, SCF, 25.09; 7. Travis Gauovnik, SCF, 25.29.

400-Meter dash - 1. Chaz Heinz, W, 53.16; 5.

Ben Estell, W, 57.40; 7. AJ Holmquist, W, 58.76.

800-Meter run - 3. Tim Reed, U, 2.18.36; 7.

Shaw Amundson, SCF, 2.24.62.

1600-Meter run - 1. Jack Taylor, W, 4.59.08; 2.

Tim Reed, U, 5.11.57; 5. Steve Olson, U, 5.22.65.

3200-Meter run - 1. Jack Taylor, W, 10.59; 3.

Steve Olson, U, 11.41.2; 4. Devin Greene, W, 12.04.03.

110-Meter hurdles - 1. Lance Peper, U, 17.82; 2.

Cody Turnquist, U, 18.25; 3. Nolan Kriegel, W, 18.50.

300-Meter hurdles - 1. Ryan Brickle, W, 45.89; 2.

Joe Carpenter, SCF, 45.93; 4. Nolan Kriegel, W, 47.66.

4X100-Meter relay - 1. St. Croix Falls, 47.36; 3.

Webster, 48.07; 4. Unity, 50.23.

4X200-Meter relay - 3. Unity, 1.43.6; 4. St. Croix Falls, 1.46.10; 6. Webster, 1.48.8.

4X400-Meter relay - 1. Webster, 3.49.32; 5.

Unity, 4.10.9.

4X800-Meter relay - 1. Webster, 9.25.6; 3. Unity, 9.59.

High jump - 3. Luke Hillesheim, U, 5-6; 4. AJ Holmquist, W, 5-6; 6. Chaz Heinz, W, 5-4.

Pole vault - 2. AJ Holmquist, W, 10-0; 4. Dylan Hendricks, U, 8-6; Luke Hillesheim, U, 8-6.

Long jump - 3. Chad Strilzuk, U, 17-6; 4.

Allastant Nuckles, SCF, 17-5; 5. Rush Hickethier, U, 16-10.

Triple jump - 3. Lance Peper, U, 38-2.5; 5. Ben Estell, W, 35-6.5; 7. Cody Turnquist, U, 35-1.

Shot put - 1. Josh Johnson, W, 47-7.5; 4. Jules Zappa, W, 41-3; 5. David Lund, SCF, 40-4.5.

Discus - 1. Josh Lubich, W, 130-6; 2. Josh Johnson, W, 128-1; 3. David Lund, SCF, 122-5.

Grantsburg’s Shawn Pavlik, Webster’s Peter Walsh and Frederic’s River Karl get ready for one of their many matchups in the 1600-meter run. – Photos

by John Reed Shell Lake Invitational (5-5-08) Boys Team Results Place Team Points 1st Webster 175.5 2nd Frederic 145.5 3rd Chetek 70.0 4th Clear Lake 58.0 5th Cumberland 56.0 6th TL-Clayton 49.0 7th Shell Lake 48.0 8th Cameron 30.0 9th Prairie Farm 25.0 10th Lake Holcombe 24.0 11th Bruce 20.0 Individual Results (Top area finishers) 100-Meter dash - 1. Jules Zappa, W, 11.75; 3.

Matt Alden, F, 11.78; 5. Perry Anderson, F, 12.07.

200-Meter dash - 1. Tyler Calabria, F, 24.10; 4.

Dan Pope, W, 24.84.

400-Meter dash - 3. River Karl, F, 54.28; 4. Brian Thill, W, 55.10; 6. Kyle Godfrey, W, 56.17.

800-Meter run - 1. Brian Gibbs, W, 2.06; 2. Asa Olson, W, 2.06.74; 3. Chaz Heinze, W, 2.08.28; 4.

Ben Anderson, F, 2.08.97; 7. Joel Anderson, F, 2.18.01.

1600-Meter run - 1. Peter Walsh, W, 4.30.40; 3.

River Karl, F, 4.31.76; 4. Jack Taylor, W, 4.48.81; 5. Ben Anderson, F, 4.51.28; 7. Quentine Johnson, W, 5.02.97.

3200-Meter run - 1. Peter Walsh, W, 9.48.51; 2.

Karl River, F, 10.19.34; 3. Nick Krinke, W, 10.27.75; 4. Ben Nelson, F, 11.08.14; 5. Bryan Krause, W, 11.14.11.

110-Meter hurdles - 1. Zach Anderson, F, 16.3; 5. Ryan Brickel, W, 18.03; 6. Nolan Kriegel, W, 18.51.

300-Meter hurdles - 3. Zach Anderson, F, 44.31; 4. Kyle Swenson, F, 44.7; 5. Ryan Brickel, W, 45.31.

4X100-Meter relay - 1. Frederic, 46.86; 5.

Webster, 47.97 4X200-Meter relay - 2. Webster, 1.39.47.

4X400-Meter relay - 1. Webster, 3.34.46; 6.

Frederic, 3.56.10.

4X800-Meter relay -1. Webster, 8.30.12; 2.

Frederic, 8.54.72.

High jump - 2. Zach Anderson, F, 5-10; 6T. Kyle Swenson, F, 5-4; 6T. AJ Holmquist, W, 5-4.

Pole vault - 2. Peter Carlson, F, 12-0; 3. AJ Holmquist, W, 10-0; 6. Matt Alden, F, 9-0; 7.

Mason Kriegel, W, 8-6.

Triple jump - 3. Tyler Calabria, F, 18-5; 4. Kyle Godfrey, W, 18-1; 7. Ben Estell, W, 17-2.

Triple jump - 3. Zach Anderson, F, 38-6.5; 5. Ben Estell, W, 35-8.5; 6. Kyle Swenson, F, 25-7.25.

Shot put - 1. Josh Johnson, W, 46-5.5; 6. Cody Gruel, F, 41-2; 7. Jules Zappa, W, 40-6.5.

Discus - 1. Josh Johnson, W, 141-3; 2. Cody Gruel, F, 139-7; 5. Josh Payson, W, 119-1; 8.

Jordan Lubich, W, 117-4.

Siren Invitational (5-6-08) Boys Team Results Place Team Points 1st Unity 83.0 2nd Grantsburg 53.5 3rd St. Croix Falls 49.5 4th Siren 38.0 5th Hayward 18.0 Individual Results (Top-three area finishers) 100-Meter dash - 1. Damion Hubbell, S, 11.30; 2.

Allastant Nuckles, SCF, 12.00; 3. Chase Walters, SCF, 12.10.

200-Meter dash - 1. Lukas Olson, G, 23.09; 2.

Chase Walters, SCF, 24.09; 3. Jace Carter, S, 26.0.

400-Meter dash - 1. Tom Chosa, S, 59.02; 2. Rush Hickethier, U, 59.03; 3. Coty Reh, S, 1.05.

800-Meter run - 1. Shawn Pavlik, G, 2.14.6; 2.

Jason Jensen, G, 2.16; 3. Tim Reed, U, 2.19.7.

1600-Meter run - 1. Shawn Pavlik, G, 4.50.7; 2.

Tim Reed, U, 5.16.3; 3. Steve Olsen, U, 5.17.1.

3200-Meter run - 1. Steve Olsen, U, 12.06; 2.

Mickey Muller, U, 13.06.9; 3. Nate Larson, S, 14.32.4.

110-Meter hurdles - 1T. Lance Peper, U, 17.07; 1T. Dan Livingston, U, 17.07; 2. Cody Turnquist, U, 18.0.

300-Meter hurdles - 1. Shawn Pavlik, G, 44.02; 2. Joe Carpenter, SCF, 47.01; 3. Dan Livingston, U, 49.07.

4X100-Meter relay - 1. St. Croix Falls, 48.0; 2.

Siren, 49.03; 3. Unity, 49.04.

4X200-Meter relay - 1. Grantsburg, 1.39.0; 2.

Unity, 1.42.1; 3. St. Croix Falls, 1.47.5.

4X400-Meter relay - 1. Siren, 4.12.7; 2.

Grantsburg, 4.15.5.

4X800-Meter relay - 1. Unity, 10.37.4.

High jump - 1. Shawn Pavlik, G, 5-06; 2. Zac Rintoul, SCF, 5-02; 3. Tony Larson, G, 5-02.

Long jump - 1. Chad Strilzuk, U, 18-08.5; 2.

Rush Hickethier, U, 17-10.25; 3. Jace Carter, S, 17-7.

Triple jump - 1. Lance Peper, U, 38-09.5; 2.

Jason Jensen, G, 37-04.5; 3. Chase Walters, SCF, 35-10.

Shot put - 2. David Lund, SCF, 42-09; 3. Elliot St. Amand, U, 42-0; 6. Joe Swason, U, 39-05.5.

Discus - 2. David Lund, SCF, 125-01; 3. Joe Swanson, U, 123-11; 6. Travis Freese, S, 109-09.

pack of hurdlers with a 16.30 in the 110meter high-hurdle event.

Josh Johnson, Webster, threw shot put 46 ft., 5-1/2 in to lead the event, while also leading discus with a 141ft., 3-in. throw. Frederic’s Cody Gruel followed in discus with a 139ft., 7-in. throw.

Tyler Calabria, Frederic, took first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.10.

“Webster is a very good team and will be very tough to overtake at conference,” Wink commented.

“Overall they did a good job,” Postler said of his team’s accomplishments.

Webster’s Nolan Kriegel concentrates hard as he leaps over hurdles during the meet in Amery last week.

St. Croix Falls Joe Carpenter competes in hurdles in a previous meet this season. He placed second at the Shell Lake meet in the 300-meter hurdles.

Colfax Invitational (5-6-08) Luck Boys Team Results (14 schools) Place Team Points 7th Luck 42.0 Individual Results (Top Luck finishers) 100-Meter dash - 2. Nick Morgan, 11.6; 19.

Curtis Donald, 13.10.

200-Meter dash - 2. Nick Morgan, 23.60.

400-Meter dash - 1. Nick Morgan, 53.4.

800-Meter run - 16. James Mellon, 2.47.1; 17.

Ross Petersen, 2.55.

4X100-Meter relay - 7. Luck (Joe Dahlke, Curtis Donald, Wally Rich, Danny Salas), 52.00.

High jump - 9. Adam Anderson, 5-02.

Pole vault - 6. AJ Walsh-Brenizer, 9-00; 8. Wally Rich, 8-06.

Long jump - 19. Curtis Donald, 15-08.5; 25.

Danny Salas, 12-09.

Shot put - 5. James Longhenry, 38-07; 12. Adam Anderson, 34-07.

Discus - 3. James Longhenry, 106-0; 17. Adam Anderson, 88-1.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 23

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Frederic girls overtake Shell Lake

by Brenda Sommerfeld SHELL LAKE – The Frederic girls track team dominated at the Shell Lake Invitational on Monday, May 5. They accomplished 133 points with the next closest team being Clear Lake with 80 total points.

“I am happy with how all the girls performed in a very competitive meet,” coach Bob Pyke said. “The meet also showed us a few places where we need to improve prior to conference and regionals.”

Frederic girl names are listed as the top competitors for each event. Many were even in the first-place spot.

Sage Karl took first in both the 100meter and 200-meter dash for her team.

Calla Karl ran in four seconds faster than anyone else in the 400-meter dash, getting a time of 1:03.82.

Siren Invitational (5-6-08) Girls Team Results Place Team Points 1st Unity 89.0 2nd Grantsburg 42.0 3rd Siren 37.0 4th St. Croix Falls 20.0 5th Hayward 18.0 Individual Results (Top-three area finishers) 100-Meter dash - 1. Megan Finch, G, 14.03; 2.

Gabby Nuckles, SCF, 14.08; 3. Katelynn Meyer, SCF, 15.0.

200-Meter dash - 1. Brianna Schmid, U, 29.03; 2.

Megan Finch, G, 29.06; 3. Bryana Peterson, U, 30.02.

400-Meter dash - 1. Brianna Schmid, U, 1.04.7; 2. April Johnson, U, 1.17.6; 3. Erin Stavne, G, 1.22.

800-Meter run - 1. Sarah Howe, S, 2.38.4; 2. Lisa Muller, U, 2.50.3; 3. Angel Gaffney, G, 3.00.1.

1600-Meter run - 1. Sarah Howe, S, 5.41.8; 2.

Katherine Ebensperger, U, 6.13; 3. Angel Gaffney, G, 6.18.6.

3200-Meter run - 1. Angel Gaffney, G, 13.14.1.

110-Meter hurdles - 1. Beth Rice, U, 19.03; 2.

Brittany Petznik, SCF, 19.96; 3. Steph Kothlow, U, 20.33.

4X100-Meter relay - 1. Unity, 57.07; 2. St. Croix Falls, 57.09; 3. Siren, 1.00.

4X200-Meter relay - 1. Unity, 1.59.5; 2. Siren, 2.13.6.

4X400-Meter relay - 1. Siren, 5.06.

4X800-Meter relay - 1. Unity, 10.37.4.

High jump - 1. Megan Finch, G, 5-0; 2. Kortney Morrin, G, 4-10; 3. Steph Kothlow, U, 4-06.

Long jump - 1. Sam Ince, U, 13-08; 2. Amanda Kuske, U, 13-08; 3. Daphne Hubbell, S, 13-08.

Triple jump - 1. Cady Harper, U, 27-04; 2. Kayla Bader, U, 26-05; 3. Tina Edgell, U, 21-08.

Shot put - 2. Laura Skifstad, G, 29-01; 4. Kendra Jones, S, 28-03; 6. Daphne Hubbell, S, 27-07.

Discus - 1. Kendra Jones, S, 109-07; 4. Amanda Kuske, U, 91-0; 7. Sam Hill, U, 72-10.

And they’re off. The line up takes off at the start of a race. – Photo by Larry Samson

Frederic’s Candace Buck runs with the baton during a relay. – Photo by John Reed

Samantha Nelson took the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:52.03. She was 40 seconds ahead of the next finisher, Aimee Rinnman of Webster.

The Frederic 4x800-meter relay got to the finish first with a time of 11:00.46.

Amanda Blok, and a couple of others, jumped highest in the high jump, all completing 4 ft., 8 in.

Webster was the other local school that competed at the Shell Lake Invite.

The girls came in fourth as a team.

Kathryn Krause made it in first during the 800-meter run. Her time was 2:30.97.

“Kathryn is doing well,” Webster coach Roy Ward said. “She ran a 1:04 split in the 4x400, 2:30 in the 800 and 5:52 in the mile.”

The Webster girls 4x400-meter relay

Unity’s Steph Kothlow sails over the high jump bar during a meet held in Frederic earlier this season. – Photo by Larry Samson

team had the best time with 4:35.67.

“Shaina Pardun pole vaulted her personal best by a foot,” Ward mentioned.

“She made it 8 ft. She was excited, as she should be.”

Shell Lake Invitational (5-5-08) Girls Team Results Place Team Points 1st Frederic 133.0 2nd Clear Lake 80.0 3rd Chetek 71.0 4th Webster 70.5 5th Cumberland 57.0 6th Shell Lake 50.0 7th Bruce 49.5 8th Lake Holcombe 31.0 9th Prairie Farm 31.0 10th TL-Clayton 30.0 11th Cameron 8.0 Individual Results (Top area finishers) 100-Meter dash - 1. Sage Karl, F, 13.34; 6.

Candace Buck, F, 13.95.

200-Meter dash - 1. Sage Karl, F, 28.17.

400-Meter dash - 1. Calla Karl, F, 1.03.82.

800-Meter run - 1. Kathryn Krause, W, 2.30.97; 3. Calla Karl, F, 2.34.53; 5. Megan Anderson, F, 2.44.11; 6. Kayce Rachner, W, 2.45.57.

1600-Meter run - 4. Samantha Nelson, F, 5.47.92; 5. Kathryn Krause, W, 5.52.60; 6. Megan Anderson, F, 6.03.018. Aimee Rinnman, W, 6.22.86.

3200-Meter run - 1. Samantha Nelson, F, 12.52.03; 2. Aimee Rinnman, W, 13.34.27; 5.

Annie Kelby, W, 15.48.47; 6. Sadie Kettula, F, 15.53.16.

300-Meter hurdles - 7. Alex Puetz, F, 55.34.

4X100-Meter relay - 3. Frederic, 54.25; 6.

Webster, 1.00.77.

4X200-Meter relay - 3. Frederic, 1.59.81; 4.

Webster, 2.00.42.

4X400-Meter relay - 1. Webster, 4.35.67; 3.

Frederic, 4.39.43.

High jump - 1. Amanda Blok, F, 4-8; 4T. Beth Baer, W, 4-6.

Pole vault - 2. Shania Pardun, W, 8-0; 4. Emily Masters, W, 8-0; 7. Becca Anderson, F, 6-6; 8.

Samantha Nelson, F, 6-0.

Triple jump - 2. Jade Johnson, F, 30-10.5; 3.

Kelly Wondra, F, 30-8.5; 4. Candace Buck, F, 2910.25.

Shot put - 4. Allison Anderson, F, 29-1.

Discus - 4. Anna Tesch, F, 92-9; 7. Allison Anderson, F, 81-4. Cathryn McConnell, F, 80-0.

Colfax Invitational (5-6-08) Luck Girls Team Results (14 schools) Place Team Points 12th Luck 13.16 Individual Results (Top Luck finishers) 100-Meter dash - 19. Marnie Rozumalski, 15.6.

200-Meter dash - 16. Morgan Denny, 30.6; 25.

Karen Lund, 33.9.

800-Meter run - 8. Erica Wilson, 2.44.9 100-Meter hurdles - 10. Morgan Denny, 19.3 4X200-Meter relay - 5. Luck (Dianna Kufalk, Erica Wilson, Marnie Rozumalski, Morgan Denny), 2.03.3.

High jump - 8. Sarah Petersen, 4-04.

Long jump - 19. Marnie Rozumalski, 12-02; 20.

Karen Lund, 11-08.5.

Triple jump - 3. Sarah Petersen, 29-07.

Shot put - 7. Brittney Danielson, 29-05; 20.

Briana Stage, 23-08.5.

Discus - 13. Briana Stage, 70-01; 14. Chelsea Rasmussen, 69-07.

Clear Lake Invitational (5-1-08) Girls Team Results Place Team Points 1st Clear Lake 184.0 2nd Unity 120.0 3rd Glenwood City 74.0 4th TL-Clayton 68.0 5th Prairie Farm 53.0 6th Webster 39.0 7th Weyerhaeuser 38.0 8th St. Croix Falls 31.0 Individual Results (Top-three area finishers) 100-Meter dash - 4. Haley St. Amand, U, 14.36; 8. Gabby Nuckles, SCF, 14.76.

200-Meter dash - 4. Alyssa Main, W, 29.33; 5.

Bryana Petersin, U, 29.74.

400-Meter dash - 2. Brianna Schmid, U, 1.05; 6.

Alyssa Main, W, 1.11.24.

800-Meter run - 3. Kathryn Ebensperger, U, 2.53.02; 4. Brittany Rudolph, SCF, 2.55.73; 6.

Meghan Smith, SCF, 3.02.58.

1600-Meter run - 2. Kathryn Ebensperger, U, 6.21.81; 5. Brittany Rudolph, SCF, 6.33.18; 6.

Jennifer McMeekin, U, 6.45.76.

3200-Meter run - 3. Jennifer McMeekin, U, 15.32.

110-Meter hurdles - 5. Beth Rice, U, 19.18; 6.

Brittany Petznik, SCF, 19.48.

300-Meter hurdles - 3. Beth Baer, W, 55.10; 4.

Beth Rice, U, 56.29; 6. Steph Kothlow, U, 56.72.

4X100-Meter relay - 2. Unity, 57.8; 3. St. Croix Falls, 58.1; 7. Webster, 1.02.3.

4X200-Meter relay - 1. Unity, 1.59.7.

4X400-Meter relay - 1. Unity, 4.37.7; 4X800-Meter relay - 1. Unity, 12.29.3.

High jump - 3. Steph Kothlow, U, 4-6; 4. Sam Ince, U, 4-6.

Pole vault - 2. Shaina Pardun, W, 7-0; 3. Brittany Brenier, U, 6-6; 4. Paige Marek, SCF, 6-6.

Triple jump - 4. Cadi Harper, U, 29-3.5.

Shot put - 5. Sam Hill, U, 25-2.25; 6. Rodinzel, SCF, 25-0.5; 7. Amanda Kuske, U, 24-5.25.

Discus - 2. Rodinzel, SCF, 6-8.5; 3. Amanda Kuske, U, 86-0.5; 6. Kendra Spurgeon, W, 71-0.

PAGE 24 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

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Schmidt hurls no-hitter against Cards Siren-Webster overcome Turtle Lake-Clayton Frederic 19, Luck 0

by Marty Seeger LUCK – Erin Schmidt only faced 11 batters on Monday, May 5, and got some big help from the rest of the lineup on offense to throw a no-hitter against the Cardinals. Schmidt struck out two batters and allowed just one walk for the game.

In the first inning, the Vikings scored 11 runs on eight hits, with several players getting three hits in the game including Lisa Chelmo, Schmidt and Chrissy Chenal. Chelmo and Melanie Chenal each had four RBIs in the game and Schmidt had three.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 11 3 5 x x x x 19 0 0 0 x x x x 0 Individual Statistics Frederic AB H R BB RBI Lisa Chelmo 3 3 4 1 4 Melanie Chenal 4 2 2 0 4 Erin Schmidt 4 3 2 0 3 Chrissy Chenal 3 3 2 0 0 Vanessa Neumann 2 2 2 1 2 Michelle Owens 3 1 2 0 1 Alex Lonetti 2 0 1 1 0 Terri McKinney 1 0 1 1 1 Haley Kurkowski 1 0 1 0 0 Krysta Laqua 3 2 2 0 1 Totals 26 16 19 4 16

Siren-Webster’s Ashley Guevara heads to first holding the ball securely in her glove. – Photo by Brenda Sommerefeld Team TL-Clayton Siren-Webster

Team Frederic Luck

Luck Krystal Stage Ali Lehmann Jessica Antonson Taryn Pilz Britta Giller Melissa Jenssen Aalyssa Holdt Jade Schrock Hannah Melin Totals

AB H R BB RBI 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 1 0 Pitching Statistics Frederic W/L INN AB K BB H R Erin Schmidt 1-0 3 11 2 1 0 0 Luck W/L INN AB K BB H R Melissa Jenssen 0-1 3 26 5 4 16 19

Frederic’s Erin Schmidt winds up for one of her pitches during their threeinning game against Luck on Monday, May 5. – Photo by Marty Seeger Siren-Webster 5, TL-Clayton 1

by Brenda Sommerfeld WEBSTER – The Siren-Webster softball team took a nonconference win over the Turtle Lake-Clayton team, 5-1, on Monday, May 5.

The first inning for each team went quickly with the first three batters out right in a row.

During the second, Turtle LakeClayton’s first batter got to first base.

She stole the next two, but her team didn’t get her home, with strikeout after strikeout by Siren-Webster’s pitcher Michelle Gibbs.

Siren-Webster managed a run in the

third getting Ashley Guevara home by a sacrifice from Gibbs.

“Our fourth inning was the big inning as we put a few hits together to give us a bit of a cushion,” coach Scott Hoefs said.

They scored four in the fourth, while keeping up the good fieldwork to hold Turtle Lake-Clayton to no more.

“We made some very good defensive plays during the game,” said Hoefs, “or the game could have been much closer.”

Guevara brought in two runs, while Gibbs, Rose Kopecky and Chelsey Bereiter each brought in one to get their team another victory.

TL-Clayton Yeske Anderson LaBlanc Paulson Randolph Nyhus Pederson Hammond Mienkywtz Kye Totals

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 0 x 5 Individual Statistics AB H R BB RBI 4 0 0 0 0 4 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 3 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 27 5 1 2 0

Siren-Webster Michelle Gibbs Samantha Hogle Shannon Steiner Jamie Kopecky Rose Kopecky Brittany Burrow Ashley Guevara Siiri Larsen Chelsey Bereiter Nicole Steiner Totals TL-Clayton Nyhus Paulson Siren-Webster Michelle Gibbs

AB H 3 0 3 0 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 2 2 1 0 3 2 2 0 26 8 Pitching Statistics W/L INN AB K L 4 18 2 2 8 2 W/L INN AB K W 7 27 9

R 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 5 BB 0 0 BB 3

BB RBI 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 H 7 1 H 5

R 5 0 R 1

Grantsburg and Luck only allow one run on Monday Both teams remain undefeated Luck 13, Unity 1

by Marty Seeger LUCK – The Cardinals have been hot lately, and after their win over Unity on Monday night, May 5, Luck has remained undefeated at the top of the West Lakeland Conference alongside Team Unity Luck

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 0 1 0 0 0 x x 1 1 7 1 1 3 x x 13 Individual Statistics Unity AB H R BB RBI Eric Goulet 2 0 0 0 0 Dennis McKinney 2 0 0 0 0 Brady Flaherty 2 0 0 0 0 Aaron Schmidt 1 1 1 1 0 Justin Bader 2 0 0 0 0 Cory Tunheim 2 0 0 0 0 Luke Nelson 2 1 0 0 1 Seth McKenzie 2 1 0 1 0 Ben Hendricks 1 0 0 0 0 Ryan Flaherty 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 17 3 1 2 1 Luck Jamison Gross Cody Richert Jordan Gross

AB H R BB RBI 4 3 3 1 3 3 1 1 0 3 3 2 2 1 0 Harry Severson-Dickinson 4 3 1 0 4 Mitchell Klatt 2 0 0 2 0 Jeff Gackle 2 0 0 1 0 Brett Holdt 1 0 2 0 0 Logan Hacker 1 0 0 0 0 Harlan Opitz 4 2 2 1 2 Casey Hatten 3 2 2 1 1 Totals 27 13 13 7 13 Pitching Statistics Unity W/L INN AB K BB H R Ryan Flaherty L 2 15 3 4 6 9 Aaron Schmidt x 1.1 11 0 2 6 5 DJ Larson x .2 .2 1 0 0 0 Luck W/L INN AB K BB H R Severson-Dickinson 4-0 5 x 5 1 2 1

Luck’s Jamison Gross tosses the ball to first for the double play in Monday’s game. – Photo by Marty Seeger Grantsburg. Luck improved to 6-0 in the conference and 9-0 overall.

“The top of the order scored seven runs, [and] the bottom of the order scored six runs,” said Luck coach Wayne Dickinson. “Great production throughout the entire lineup, very good game by all of the boys.”

Harry Severson-Dickinson led the Cardinals with three hits and four of the teams 13 RBIs. Severson-Dickinson also pitched five innings, allowing just two

hits with five strikeouts.

For Unity, it was Aaron Schmidt and Luke Nelson who recorded the team’s only hits of the game. Both came in the second inning when Nelson drove in Schmidt with a two-out single.

Grantsburg 5, Siren-Webster 1

by Brenda Sommerfeld GRANTSBURG – The Pirates won their baseball matchup, 5-1, against the

Grantsburg outfielder Devin Trantanella throws a ball into his infield.

– Photo by Brenda Sommerefeld Siren-Webster team on Monday, May 5.

“We seem to be making the plays this year and hanging on,” Grantsburg coach Pete Johnson said. “Five or six hits a game seems to be the norm for us.”

“We’re close but still not getting big hits with guys on base,” Siren-Webster coach Greg Sears said. “We’re playing baseball better than in years past, but can’t seem to get a win to help us go in the right direction.”

Johnson said that Trent Bonneville was knocking the ball all over the place for Grantsburg.

Sears mentioned that Adam Daniels is having a nice year for the Siren-Webster team including three hits against the Pirates.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 25

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Thursday conference softball action Siren-Webster 8, Unity 3 (game 1)

by Brenda Sommerfeld SIREN – Unity started off the game with a 3-0 lead but never could score again in the first game of their doubleheader against Siren-Webster. SirenWebster took their second win of the season, 8-3, against the Eagles Thursday, May 1.

Freshman athlete Michelle Gibbs pitched for the Siren-Webster team, striking out four, only giving up three runs with two hits and no walks. Her team took it from there, getting batter after batter out and hitting enough to score their eight runs.

“We got off to a slow start, giving up three runs in the first inning,” Siren-

Siren-Webster team encourage pitcher Michelle Gibbs before starting an inning. Pictured (L to R): Alysha Alden, Shannon Steiner, Michelle Gibbs, Samantha Hogle and Ashley Guevara. – Photo by Brenda Sommerfeld Webster coach Scott Hoefs stated. “We played better defense and our bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth where we ended up scoring five runs.”

Five in the fourth and two in the fifth gave Siren-Webster enough to come out victorious.

Siren-Webster’s Samantha Hogle and Shannon Steiner both went 2-3 and batted in three batters. Jamie Kopecky and Meghann Baasch each contributed an RBI. Unity had Jordyn Christensen, Brittney Peters and Becca Milligan each made it to home plate to score in their first inning.

Unity 8, Siren-Webster 7 (game 2) SIREN – Eight runs was the number to win it again in the second game of the doubleheader, but this time it was, 8-7, in Unity’s favor. This was their second victory this season also, keeping Unity and Siren-Webster right there together in the standings.

“The second game produced many good plays and showed the Eagles ‘never give up attitude’ winning it in the sixth,” said Unity coach Craig Miles.

The second and fifth innings both went runless but in all of the other innings, both teams scored. Unity took

the lead, 4-1, after the bottom of the third and held it until Siren-Webster scored four in the top of the sixth.

The Eagles, Cailin Turner brought in

See Softball/page 27

Unity’s Cailin Turner pitched against the Siren-Webster team on Thursday.– Photo by Brenda Sommerefeld Team Grantsburg Frederic

Jordyn Christensen, Unity, throws the ball back to the pitcher. – Photo

by Brenda Sommerefeld Team Unity Siren-Webster

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 3 0 0 0 0 0 x 3 1 0 0 5 2 x x 8 Individual Statistics Unity AB H R BB RBI Jordyn Christensen 3 2 1 0 0 Brittney Peters 3 0 1 0 0 Cailin Turner 3 0 0 0 0 Ashley Hutton 3 0 0 0 0 Becca Milligan 3 0 1 0 0 Marisa Hacker 3 0 0 0 0 Katelyn Swiontek 3 0 0 0 0 Crystal Donahue 2 0 0 0 0 Krissy Norlund 2 0 0 0 0 Totals 25 2 3 0 0 Siren-Webster Michelle Gibbs Samantha Hogle Shannon Steiner Jamie Kopecky Rose Kopecky Brittany Burrow Ashley Guevara Alysha Alden Meghann Baasch Ellie Isaacson Totals

AB 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 2 1 1 21

H 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 8

R 1 2 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 8

BB RBI 1 0 1 3 0 3 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 8 8

St. Croix Falls Emily Scheuermann nearly collided with a Heather Gilbert while making a catch from center field. – Photo by Marty Seeger 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 1 0 1 1 0 4 x 7 1 0 3 2 0 2 x 8 Individual Statistics Siren-Webster AB H R BB RBI Michelle Gibbs 4 1 1 0 2 Samantha Hogle 3 0 2 0 0 Shannon Steiner 4 2 1 0 1 Jamie Kopecky 3 1 0 0 2 Rose Kopecky 3 1 0 0 0 Brittany Burrow 2 1 2 1 0 Ashley Guevara 2 0 1 1 0 Alysha Alden 2 0 0 1 0 Meghann Baasch 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 23 6 7 3 6

Team St. Croix Falls Luck

Unity Jordyn Christensen Brittney Peters Cailin Turner Ashley Hutton Becca Milligan Marisa Hacker Crystal Donahue Katelyn Swiontek Jessica Katina Totals

Luck Krystal Stage Ali Lehmann Jessica Antonson Taryn Pilz Britta Giller Melissa Jenssen Aalyssa Holdt Jade Schrock Chelsie Anderson Totals

Team Siren-Webster Unity

AB 4 3 2 3 1 3 3 3 0 22

H 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4

R 1 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 8

BB RBI 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 6 3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 5 0 3 0 1 1 0 10 1 0 7 0 0 1 3 12 Individual Statistics St. Croix Falls AB H R BB RBI Kim Culver 4 0 0 1 0 Kelsey Douglass-White 5 1 1 0 0 Abby Swenson 4 1 0 1 0 Amanda Larson 4 1 1 0 1 Melinda Beyer 4 2 2 0 0 Emily Scheuermann 1 1 3 3 0 Jamie Rohm 3 1 2 1 0 Racheal Hansen 3 1 0 1 0 Megan Yunker 4 1 1 0 2 Totals 32 9 10 7 3 AB 4 3 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 36

H 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 9

R 0 1 0 1 2 3 2 0 1 10

BB RBI 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 0 4 4 4 0 0 0 12 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 Individual Statistics Grantsburg AB H R BB RBI Michelle Davidsavor 4 0 0 0 0 Tiffany Meyer 3 2 1 0 0 Heather Davison 1 0 0 0 0 Michelle Lund 2 0 1 1 0 Cody Crawford 1 0 0 0 0 Melissa Burton 2 0 1 0 1 Lauren Romanowski 2 0 0 0 0 Annie Palmquist 2 1 1 1 1 Sarah Wald 1 0 1 0 0 Ingrid Ames 3 2 3 0 0 Amanda Durand 2 2 2 1 1 Sasha Chell 3 0 1 0 0 Alyssa Ryan 3 3 1 0 0 Totals 29 10 12 3 3 Frederic AB H R BB RBI Lisa Chelmo 2 1 1 1 0 Melanie Chenal 2 0 0 0 0 Erin Schmidt 2 1 0 0 1 Chrissy Chenal 2 1 1 0 1 Vanessa Neumann 2 0 0 0 0 Michelle Owens 2 0 0 0 0 Alex Lonetti 2 0 0 0 0 Terri McKinney 2 0 0 0 0 Krysta Laqua 1 0 0 1 0 Totals 17 3 2 2 2 Pitching Statistics Grantsburg W/L INN AB K BB H R Michelle Lund 1-0 5 17 9 2 3 2 Frederic W/L INN AB K BB H R Erin Schmidt 0-1 3 17 2 2 5 8 Chrissy Chenal 0-0 2 12 1 1 5 4

PAGE 26 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

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Take me out to the baseball games Frederic managed to get some hits in the fourth inning with a lead-off double from Nolan Neumann and a single from Andrew Kurkowski. Joe Draxler also doubled in the inning. Then in the fifth inning, Kanan Hackett doubled for a pair of RBIs but, it wouldn’t be enough to catch Luck’s 25 runs.

Grantsburg 5, Unity 4

by Marty Seeger GRANTSBURG – It was a great game by both teams according to Unity coach Humpal Thursday evening, May 1, in Grantsburg. Pirate center fielder Dylan Marohn threw out Dennis McKinney at home plate to end the game. It would have been the tying run.

“It certainly was an ending that I’ll remember for awhile,” said coach Pete Johnson.

While the throw from Marohn from center field will be something to remember, Johnson says it was the catch and tag from catcher Ben Larson that made the difference as well.

“Dylan had a nice throw on that last play, but Benner had an even better play to catch the short hop and tag McKinney out at home.”

Baldwin-Woodville 17, Unity 14 BALDWIN – The Eagles 13 hits and 14 runs against the Blackhawks weren’t enough to get them the nonconference win Saturday, May 3, in Baldwin.

“In the small Baldwin park, the wind was blowing out at what I would say 40 mph,” said Unity coach Matt Humpal.

“A lot of fly balls went out of the park or off the fence. “[It] made for an exciting offense, but a long game.”

Humpal added that the game lasted about three hours. The BaldwinWoodville bats were able to launch a total of five home runs in the game, and Unity’s Cory Tunheim was able to get a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

St. Croix Falls 15, Siren-Webster 4

Grantsburg’s Austin Eskola swings away during a game earlier this season. – Photo by Brenda Sommerfeld Luck 25 Frederic 5 FREDERIC – Luck smashed Frederic with 14 hits Thursday night, May 1,with the help of Brett Holdt, who hit two three-run homers for the Cardinals.

“Brett Holdt was on fire,” said Cards coach Wayne Dickinson. Although Holdt was called out at home for not touching home plate in his first homer in the first inning, it didn’t matter as the team rolled to their still unbeaten record.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 1 5 0 2 2 4 0 14 0 3 5 6 0 0 17 Baldwin-Woodville 3 Individual Statistics AB H R BB RBI Unity Brady Flaherty 5 2 2 0 0 Ryan Flaherty 3 1 0 2 1 3 1 1 1 1 Luke Nelson Eric Goulet 3 2 4 2 1 Justin Bader 5 2 1 0 0 Aaron Schmidt 4 1 2 0 0 Seth McKenzie 2 0 0 1 0 Cory Tunheim 3 2 2 1 2 Ben Hendricks 1 1 1 1 1 Dennis McKinney 4 1 1 0 2 Totals 33 13 14 8 8 Team Unity

DJ Larson pitched for the Unity Eagles.– Photo by Marty Seeger Team Grantsburg Unity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 4 Individual Statistics Grantsburg AB H R BB RBI Ben Larson 3 0 0 1 0 Dylan Marohn 3 0 0 1 0 Kevin Johnson 2 0 2 2 1 Trent Bonneville 2 1 0 2 0 Thane Larson 3 0 0 1 0 Alan Schwartzbauer 4 0 1 0 1 Devin Trantanella 4 0 0 0 0 Austin Eskola 2 1 1 1 0 Jake Ryan 2 1 1 1 0 Totals 25 3 5 9 2 Unity AB H R BB RBI Brady Flaherty 2 1 1 1 0 Ryan Flaherty 4 3 1 0 3 Luke Nelson 3 0 0 0 0 Eric Goulet 3 1 1 0 0 Justin Bader 4 2 0 0 1 Aaron Schmidt 4 0 0 0 0 Seth McKenzie 1 0 0 1 0 Sam Florer 1 0 0 0 0 Cory Tunheim 2 0 0 0 0 Dennis McKinney 1 0 1 0 0 Totals 25 7 4 2 4 Pitching Statistics Unity W/L INN AB K BB H R Aaron Schmidt 0-0 5 17 1 5 0 2 Luke Nelson 0-1 1 5 0 4 0 3 DJ Larson 0-0 1 2 0 0 0 0

Luck’s Casey Hatten comes home after a teammate hit.– Photo by Marty Seeger Team Luck Frederic

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 0 5 2 1 4 8 5 25 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 5 Individual Statistics Luck AB H R BB RBI Jamison Gross 6 2 2 0 3 Cody Richert 3 0 4 3 0 Jordan Gross 4 2 3 2 4 Harry Severson-Dickinson 2 0 0 0 0 Mitch Larson 4 2 1 0 2 Mitchell Klatt 1 0 3 3 1 Jeff Gackle 3 2 3 2 2 Brett Holdt 4 2 2 1 5 Harlan Opitz 2 1 3 3 1 Casey Hatten 5 3 4 0 2 Totals 34 14 25 14 20 Frederic AB H R BB RBI Trae Gehl 4 1 0 1 0 Joe Draxler 3 1 0 0 0 Ben Ackerly 4 0 0 0 0 Ben Anderson 2 0 1 0 0 Nolan Neumann 3 1 2 1 0 Kanan Hackett 3 1 1 0 0 Andrew Kurkowski 2 1 1 1 0 Ethan Cook 2 0 0 0 0 Brian Meyer 2 0 0 1 0 Totals 25 5 5 4 0 Pitching Statistics Luck W/L INN AB K BB H R Derek Letch 3-0 4 x 6 x 3 3 Colin Svoboda 0-0 2 x 4 x 2 2

Baldwin-Woodville AB H R BB RBI Rose 3 1 3 2 1 Lunzer 4 1 1 1 0 Geurkink 4 2 3 0 1 Trickle 4 2 3 1 1 Scritchfield 4 3 2 0 2 Demots 4 1 0 0 0 Scritchfield 4 2 2 1 0 Hedley 4 0 1 0 0 Vinneman 4 2 2 0 0 Totals 35 14 17 5 5 Pitching Statistics Unity W/L INN AB K BB H R Luke Nelson 0-1 3.3 15 6 2 6 8 Eric Goulet 0-0 0.6 6 1 6 3 7 Aaron Schmidt 0-0 2.0 10 4 0 5 2 Team St. Croix Falls Siren-Webster

by Brenda Sommerfeld WEBSTER – After having a broken down bus and 45-minute delay, the St. Croix Falls Saints finally made it to their game in Webster against the SirenWebster team. The Saints won the game, 15-4.

“I didn’t think this would affect our play, and it obviously didn’t,” St. Croix Falls coach Paul Randolph said.

“Without a doubt this was the best we hit all season. We worked pretty hard the pervious day staying down on the ball, and it seemed to make a big difference.”

St. Croix Falls started out strong scor-

See Baseball/page 27 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 0 0 0 0 1 0 x 1 1 4 0 0 0 x x 5 Individual Statistics St. Croix Falls AB H R BB RBI 3 1 0 0 0 Ben Anderson Cory Gebhard 3 1 1 0 0 Matt Vold 3 1 0 0 0 Jake Larcom 3 1 0 0 1 Will Ball 3 1 0 0 0 Josh Larcom 2 1 0 1 0 Sam Schmidt 2 0 0 1 0 Trygve Chinander 3 0 0 0 0 Marcus Campbell 3 0 0 0 0 Totals 25 6 1 2 1 Team St. Croix Falls New Richmond

New Richmond Zimmermar Peterson Levens Sorkelson Johnston Berged Nelson Swyston Revar Kohlrusen Totals

AB H 3 1 2 0 2 1 3 1 3 2 3 0 2 1 2 0 1 0 2 0 23 6 Pitching Statistics St. Croix Falls W/L INN AB K Ben Anderson L 5 23 3 New Richmond W/L INN AB K Swyston W 6 25 7

R 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 BB 4 BB 2

BB RBI 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 H 6 H 6

R 5 R 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 3 6 0 1 1 4 x 15 0 2 0 0 2 0 x 4 Individual Statistics St. Croix Falls AB H R BB RBI Ben Anderson 3 1 4 2 0 Cory Gebhard 4 1 1 1 1 Gus Koecher 4 2 1 0 3 Will Ball 4 2 2 1 4 Trygve Chinander 5 0 0 0 0 Jake Larcom 2 2 3 2 1 Matt Vold 3 3 2 0 5 Josh Larcom 3 1 1 1 0 Sam Schmidt 2 0 1 1 0 Steve Gebhard 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 30 12 15 8 14

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total 0 0 0 0 0 x x 0 1 0 6 0 4 x x 11 Individual Statistics St. Croix Falls AB H R BB RBI Ben Anderson 3 1 0 0 0 Cory Gebhard 2 1 0 0 0 Matt Vold 2 0 0 0 0 Jake Larcom 2 1 0 0 0 Will Ball 2 1 0 0 0 Josh Larcom 2 2 0 0 0 Sam Schmidt 2 0 0 0 0 Trygve Chinander 2 0 0 0 0 Marcus Campbell 2 0 0 0 0 Totals 19 6 0 0 0

Siren-Webster Christian Hall Adam Daniels Cameron Hughes Jordan Potvin Blake Hall Spencer Peterson Shane Rossow Ben Roedl Thad Baasch Totals

River Falls Perkins Hunter Slick Herum Bigielski Witt Frey Bothol Bennett Totals

AB 4 1 3 4 3 2 4 3 2 26

H 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 2 7

R 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 4

BB RBI 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 7 3

Team St. Croix Falls River Falls

AB 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 3 2 24

H 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 0 1 10

R 0 1 3 2 2 2 1 0 0 11

BB RBI 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 27

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Schmidt hurls no-hitter against Cards

Softball/continued two runners to win it in the bottom of the sixth.

Jordyn Christensen was the only other Eagle to add a RBI to her record, while Michelle Gibbs and Jamie Kopecky of Siren-Webster each contributed two.

“For the most part, we have had good pitching and played good defense,” Siren-Webster coach Scott Hoefs said.

“Where we have struggled lately has been the hitting.”

Luck 12, St. Croix Falls 10 LUCK – The Cardinals held their own with a clutch win over the Saints last Thursday night, May 1, but it was the Saints team that opened up a big lead in the first inning with five runs. Kelsey Douglass-White, Amanda Larson, Melinda Beyer, Jamie Rohm and Racheal Hansen all hit singles in the first inning to help the cause.

Then in the third, the Saints piled on another three runs with the help of a double from Beyer. But the Cards came right back with runs of their own in the third.

“I wish we didn’t have to wait until the middle of the game to get going, but I’m sure proud of the girls for fighting back,” said Luck coach Aimie Jorgenson. “Everyone contributed to our win and showed heart when it was tight.”

Luck tied the game in the fifth despite the Saints slim one-run lead. It wasn’t until Taryn Pilz homered in the bottom of the seventh that the Cards were able to escape with the win.

“Taryn Pilz had a huge hit for us in the end,” Jorgenson said. “Ali Lehmann and Jessica Antonsen got on base with

Luck’s Aalyssa Holdt stands ready at first base for a hit. – Photos by Marty Seeger two outs and set Taryn up for the game winner.”

Grantsburg 12, Frederic 2 FREDERIC – The Vikings came out swinging last Thursday night, May 1, against the Pirates with a Lisa Chelmo triple, followed by an Erin Schmidt RBI single in the bottom of the first inning.

But it would be all the Vikings could muster until the fourth inning when Chrissy Chenal knocked a homer. It was all Grantsburg after that.

Despite going three and out in the first inning, the Pirates came through

Frederic’s Chrissy Chenal took over pitching for Erin Schmidt during their game against Grantsburg. with four runs in each of the following three innings for the key conference victory. Alyssa Ryan led with three hits and three RBIs, while Tiffany Meyer, Ingrid Ames and Amanda Durand added two hits apiece. Durand also had three RBIs in the game.

Michelle Lund pitches for the undefeated Grantsburg team.

Grantsburg and Luck only allow one run on Monday Baseball/continued ing nine runs in the first two innings and ended the game strong, scoring six in the last three, to take victory.

“We’re really proud of the way our players responded after playing hard the previous game and not being rewarded,” Randolph said.

St. Croix Falls had lost to Grantsburg and Unity in the previous week, but pulled out their third conference win of the season.

“It’s like we have been telling our players, it is not how you start but how you finish,” Randolph explained. “We look forward to continued improvement and growth.”

The Saints Matt Vold brought in five of the 15 runs going 3-3 including a home run in the second inning. Will Ball went 2-4, bringing in four runs, and Gus Koecher brought home three.

The Siren-Webster team had Thad Baasch with a good night going 2-2 and bringing in three of their four runs. Two were from his home run in the bottom of the second inning.

New Richmond 5, St. Croix Falls 1 River Falls 11, St. Croix Falls 0 RIVER FALLS – St. Croix Falls traveled to River Falls for a tournament on Saturday, May 3. They lost 5-1 to New Richmond, and 11-1 to River Falls.

“For a bit we held our own, but we soon learned that if you are to compete against schools this big you have to minimize your mistakes or else they will jump all over you,” coach Paul Randolph said.

Cory Gebhard scored the only run for St. Croix Falls of the weekend, being

St. Croix Falls Ben Anderson gets to home plate for the Saints. – Photos by Brenda Sommerefeld brought in by a hit from Jake Larcom.

Saint batters made some hits but couldn’t get anyone else around all the bases to score during either game.

“We sincerely believe if we could have had one ball put in play with the bases loaded and no out we could have beaten New Richmond,” said

Randolph.

Randolph and his team felt that despite the enrollment differences between St. Croix Falls and these schools, they could play with New Richmond and River Falls.

It didn’t end as the Saints hoped with errors on the St. Croix Falls side, giving

Frederic’s Kanan Hackett gets to a ball in center field.

River Falls both a five-run and a fourrun inning during their matchup.

“The positive aspect is we found a couple of more pitchers and our young players made some plays in the field we haven’t seen this year,” Randolph explained.

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WIAA names 2008 scholar athletes STEVENS POINT – Thirty-two senior students attending Wisconsin public and nonpublic high schools have been named winners of the 2008 WIAA Scholarship Award, presented by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. That brings to 732 the number of young men and women honored since the program was launched in 1984 to honor scholastic and athletic excellence.

Included on that list are seniors Peter Walsh of Webster, and Grantsburg’s Alyssa Ryan.

Walsh has earned 10 letters in track, cross country and basketball. He was a state champion in the 3200meter run as well as the conference, regional and sectional winPeter Walsh

ner. He was also the conference and regional champ in the 1600-meter run and 3200-meter relay. Walsh also won conference and sectional cross-country titles.

Ryan has 10 letters in volleyball, softball and gymnastics. She was volleyball all-conference setter twice, and participated in the team at the state tourney as a sophomore. Ryan also is an all-conference right fielder in softball and was a part of that championship state team as well. Ryan is an all-around gymnast and ranked first in a class of 84 students.

This year’s 16 boys and 16 girls were recognized at the 25thanniversary award ceremonies on Sunday, May 4, in Wausau.

Featured speaker was Margaret “Peggy” Alyssa Ryan

Mueller, who was a successful coach at Madison West High School for many years. She has been inducted into the Wisconsin High School Track and Field Association and Basketball Coaches Halls of Fame, as well as the Madison Sports Hall of Fame. She is a native of Canada, where she was an Olympic speedskater. She also played basketball and won diving championships while at the University of Saskatchewan. She is a member of the Saskatchewan Athletic Wall of Fame and Sports Hall of Fame.

The WIAA Scholar Athlete Award program has been underwritten since its inception by Wausau Insurance Companies/Liberty Mutual Group, which hosted the awards ceremony at the Westwood Conference Center in Wausau.

Every year, each of the WIAA-member high schools in the state is invited to nominate one boy and one girl for scholar athlete honors. There were 638 nominations, 308 boys and 330 girls, for the 2008 statewide award from 355 schools. – submitted

Monday night ladies league bowling league

Bont Chiropractic won the Monday night ladies bowling championship at McKenzie Lanes. Pictured (L to R) are team members: Anita Bont, Dawn Blanski, Renee Sassor, Rene’ Strayer and Darla Bowers. – Photos submitted Individual winners for the Monday night ladies league are as follows.

Pictured front row (L to R): Kathy McKenzie, actual game, 242; Marie Sogge, Division II actual series, 523, and Helen Leggitt, handicapped series, 709.

Back row: Allison Magner, Division II handicapped series, 665; Dana Amundson, actual series, 635; Anita Bont, handicapped game, 273; Jennifer Lehman, Division II handicapped game, 254; Cindy Castellano, high average, 174, and Joan Wulf, Division II high actual game, 211.

Eagle “D”

St. Croix River Bandits win season opener Bandits 4, Prescott 0

by Brenda Sommerfeld ST. CROIX FALLS – The St. Croix River Bandits opened their season winning, 4-1, against the Prescott Pirates.

This first win was played at the St. Croix Falls High School.

Steve Siqueiros and Scott Lindholm brought in one runner during an at bat.

Troy DeSmet had a good night at bat when he went 3-4, giving him a .750 batting average. He also earned one of the runs for the team.

Jay Gagner pitched for the Bandits, giving out only one hit and striking out eight.

On the defensive end, first baseman Jesse Hartel put out 10 runners.

Siqueiros caught a good game, putting out eight of eight attempts.

Troy DeSmet, third baseman, and John Peterson, shortstop, each had three assists during this shutout game.

The Bandits next game will be at Quamba against the Quamba Cubs on Friday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m.

If you would like to stay posted on the Bandits schedule and results you can visit their Web site http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/?u=saintcroixriverbandits&s=baseball&t=c.

Team Prescott SCR Bandits

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 x 4 Individual Statistics SCR Bandits AB H R BB RBI John Peterson 3 1 1 2 0 Trevor Todd 3 1 0 0 0 Troy DeSmet 4 3 1 0 0 Steve Siqueiros 2 1 1 1 1 Jay Gagner 2 0 0 1 0 Jesse Hartel 4 1 0 0 0 Scott Lindholm 2 1 0 1 1 Kyle Kahl 3 0 0 0 0 Curtis Roebuck 3 0 1 1 0 Brandon Pederson 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 27 8 4 6 2 Pitching Statistics SCR Bandits W/L INN AB K H R Jay Gagner W 8 29 8 1 0

Unity shortstop Brittney Peters fields the ball against St. Croix Falls on Tuesday, May 6. The Eagles played an exciting game and won by a score of 10-9. It was their third win of the season. – Photo by Marty Seeger

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 29

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Hellish morass greets fishermen Wo u l d - b e stream anglers were wary when rain continued through the day and night Friday, knowing that high waters and fast currents generally make for substandard fi s h i n g .

Nevertheless, a few hardy souls were able convince themselves that the deluge was “worse to the south of us” so as day broke Saturday they set-out undaunted for their favorite haunts. They were shocked when they saw that the languid babbling brooks they’ve come to know and love had turned into muddy, turbulent, churning, debrisfilled torrents, overflowing their banks in many spots. Stunned expressions shown on every face of every camouflage-clad fisherman who stood near the bank of his favorite stream.

Some chose to try their luck (against their better judgment) and were resoundingly skunked, losing hooks at an alarming clip in outings that bore no resemblance whatsoever to classic trout fishing. The more astute opted to spend their Saturday in other ways.

“We’ve driven around and its like this all over,” said one despondent veteran angler and a cohort who opted to pack it in before they began. Though frowned upon by most sportsmen and all law enforcement officials, “road hunting” can sometimes be productive. But rarely has an angler had any luck “road fishing,” which is what most would-be stream fisherman wound up doing on Saturday. For one of the few times in fishing history, sportsmen who stayed up too late Friday night and turned off their alarm clocks Saturday morning and went back to sleep were the wisest of the lot.

But fear not–many refer to autumn as their favorite time of year and its only a mere four months or so away.

J o h n R y a n

THE SPORTS

PAGE

Legendary Luck figure gets 30 additional seconds of fame.

1980s Luck Cardinal multisport great Brad Jerrick is one of the fans featured in this year’s Minnesota Viking TV ad campaign. In the ad spot, Jerrick is pictured with Vikings 2007 Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson whom Jerrick reportedly found to be quite cordial during their time spent filming the spot.

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Jerrick–who is wearing a number 28 Peterson jersey in the ad–is a longtime Viking fan and season-ticket holder and the younger brother of 1970s Cardinal sports icon Steve Jerrick.

(Re-read this paragraph; It might be the last time you’ll see Adrian Peterson and the Jerrick boys named in the same news item.)

Saints diamond nine to perform at Cumberland classic The St. Croix Falls Saints will be one of the participating teams in the May 17 Island City baseball tournament. Spearheaded by Cumberland High School coach and baseball promoter extraordinaire Mark Fuller, the tourney is part of Cumberland’s baseball Hall of Fame weekend which culminates with former Cumberland baseball greats being enshrined into that community’s baseball hall of fame at a banquet Saturday night. The Saints will play Prairie Farm at 10 a.m. and Cumberland at 12:15 p.m. in the three team round-robin affair. Weather forecasts call for overcast skies on that day with temperatures in the low 60s.

Local ex-ballplayer earns plum gig Generally I take great care to avoid including family members’ names in this space, but rest assured this item is included mostly because I’m envious, as I would be of any local athlete who has such an opportunity. (See earlier column reference to former Luck Cardinal home run king Nick Hetfeld who landed a job in the Minnesota Twins ticket office) Ex-Webster High School baseball star and one-time collegiate pitcher Mike Ryan has landed a summer job in the front office of the St. Paul Saints minor league baseball team. The former Tiger and Webster Orioles southpaw will be working in the corporate sales division for the Saints. Now a senior at the University of Minnesota, Ryan will be bound for Hamline Law School with an eye on possibly maintaining a long-term association with baseball down the road.

And as long as I’m on a roll, congratulations to Grantsburg’s Alyssa Ryan for being bestowed with the honor of being named as a WIAA scholar-athlete. She is the daughter of 1970s Pirate sports luminary Mitch Ryan.

OF THE

NAME: Erin Schmidt SCHOOL: Frederic YEAR: Senior COMMENTS: Erin Schmidt has carried her consistency over from the basketball season and onto the softball field this season. Schmidt threw a three-inning no-hitter against Luck Monday, Erin Schmidt May 5, and batted 3 for 4 scoring twice with three RBIs. Schmidt only faced 11 batters, striking out two and walking just one – Marty Seeger

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NAME: Trygve Chinander SCHOOL: St. Croix Falls YEAR: Senior COMMENTS: The Saints senior hurler certainly gave his team an edge on Tuesday, May 6, against the Frederic Vikings.

Chinander pitched five innings, faced 19 batters and struck out nine. He allowed just two hits, one Trygve Chinander run and walked two. He also singled in the fourth inning. – Marty Seeger

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LEADER S P O R T S S C O R E B O A R D BASEBALL

West Lakeland Conference Standings Team Luck Grantsburg St. Croix Falls Unity Siren-Webster Frederic

Conf.

6-0 6-0 4-3 2-5 1-8 0-6

Overall 8-0 7-0 5-6 3-5 1-8 0-7

Scores Thursday, May 1 Luck 25, Frederic 5 Grantsburg 5, Unity 4 St. Croix Falls 15, Siren-Webster 7 Saturday, May 3 River Falls 11, St. Croix Falls 0 New Richmond 5, St. Croix Falls 1 Baldwin 17, Unity 14 Monday, May 5 Grantsburg 5, Siren-Webster 1 Luck 13, Unity 1 Tuesday, May 6 St. Croix Falls 11, Frederic 4 Cameron 11, Siren-Webster 3 Cameron 12, Siren-Webster 6

Coming up

Thursday, May 8 Grantsburg at Frederic 4 p.m.

5 p.m.

Unity at Webster St. Croix Falls at Luck Friday, May 9 5 p.m.

Luck at Cumberland Saturday, May 10 9 a.m.

Frederic at Shell Lake Grantsburg Tournament 10 a.m.

2 p.m.

Siren/Webster at Shell Lake Luck at Prairie Farm 5 p.m Unity at Amery TBA St. Croix Falls at Amery Monday, May 12 5 p.m.

Siren/Webster at Frederic Luck at Grantsburg St. Croix Falls at Unity Monday, May 12 Grantsburg at Pine City 5 p.m.

Siren/Webster at Somerset Luck at Birchwood Osceola at Unity

TRACK & FIELD Coming up

Friday, May 9 4:30 p.m. Frederic at Turtle Lake Luck at Turtle Lake Unity at Turtle Lake Siren at Turtle Lake Tuesday, May 13 TBA Conference meet at Unity

SOFTBALL

West Lakeland Conference Standings Team Grantsburg Frederic Luck Siren-Webster Unity St. Croix Falls

Conf.

9-0 7-2 3-5 2-6 3-6 1-6

Scores

Overall 11-0 8-3 3-6 3-7 3-8 1-6

Thursday, May 1 Grantsburg 12, Frederic 2 Siren-Webster 8, Unity 3 Unity 8, Siren-Webster 7 Luck 12, St. Croix Falls 10 Monday, May 5 Frederic 19, Luck 0 Siren-Webster 5, Turtle Lake/Clayton 1 Tuesday, May 5 Frederic 5, Siren-Webster 1 Frederic 3, Siren-Webster 2 Grantsburg 15, Luck 0 Unity 10, St. Croix Falls 9

Coming up

Thursday, May 8 Grantsburg at St. Croix Falls 5 p.m.

Luck at Siren Friday, May 9 Frederic at Unity 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 10 Luck Tournament 9 a.m.

Frederic at Siren Tournament 10 a.m.

Grantsburg Tournament Tuesday, May 13 5 p.m.

Bruce at Frederic Grantsburg at Cumberland Luck at Birchwood St. Croix Falls at Cameron Unity at Turtle Lake

GOLF

Coming up Thursday, May 8 9 a.m.

Frederic at Rice Lake Luck at Rice Lake St. Croix Falls at Rice Lake Unity at Rice Lake Friday, May 9 4 p.m.

St. Croix Falls at Siren Grantsburg at Siren Unity at Siren Monday, May 12 Frederic at Luck 4 p.m.

Grantsburg at Luck Webster at Luck St. Croix Falls at Luck Siren at Luck Unity at Luck Tuesday, May 13 Frederic at Grantsburg 4 p.m.

Luck at Grantsburg Webster at Grantsburg St. Croix Falls at Grantsburg Siren at Grantsburg Unity at Grantsburg

Bjelland; Warriors win NSIC tourFormer Pirate earns All-conference/ All-Tournament team MARSHALL, Minn. – Mollie Bjelland had a busy, but exciting, weekend with the Winona State softball team as the Warriors went undefeated to take the 2008 Northern Sun Intercollegiate C o n f e r e n c e Tournament.

On May 3, the Warriors defeated Minnesota State University Moorhead 6-1 before defeating Wayne State College Mollie Bjelland Neb. 4-2. Bjelland hit one for three in both games with three RBIs against MSUMoorhead. With bases loaded in the first inning, Bjelland cleared them with a double to right center field.

On the second day of the tournament, the Warriors defeated Southwest

Minnesota State University twice with a 3-2 win in the first game. SMSU made it through the loser’s bracket and into the championship game against Winona State but fell again by a score of 4-1.

In the first game Bjelland came through again for the Warriors after hitting a two-out, RBI triple in the top of the third to cut the SMSU lead. Bjelland went one for three in the first game with the triple and recorded no hits in the second, but scored once and walked twice.

To top off the weekend, Bjelland was named to the NSIC All-Conference team with four of her teammates, and was also selected to the all-tournament team along with three other teammates.

Bjelland has been playing outfield and batting in the cleanup position for the Warriors this season.

The tournament win propelled the Warriors into the Division 2 North Central Regional in Emporia, Kan., and that tournament begins Wednesday, May 7. – Marty Seeger with information from the WSU Web site

Read Leader Sports!

PAGE 30 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

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Frederic USBC banquet at Hacker’s Lanes

Seniors Lisa Chelmo, Jessica Owens and Erin Schmidt presenting Sandy and Butch Hacker a graduating class picture. - Photos submitted

Thursday Early 3-Man league champions: Wikstrom Construction, Bruce Wikstrom, Jim Wikstrom and Mike Sullivan. Not pictured: Joel Struck.

FREDERIC – The 2007-2008 bowling season has come to a close at Hacker’s Lanes with the Frederic USBC Bowling Association holding its annual spring banquet Thursday, May 1.

Bowlers were recognized for high games, series, averages and for winning the end of the year tournaments. Several leagues handed out trophies for their league winners as well.

It was another great year of bowling with plenty of USBC awards that bowlers achieved. Most award achievements are based on a bowler’s average.

There were a total of 367 awards this

National awards of 11 strikes in a row this year were given to Don McKinney, Brian McBroom, Reed Stevens, Ed Bitler and Gene Ackland.

Champions of the 600-series and women 500-series tournaments were Don Hughes and Karen Carlson with Reed Stevens being the 700-series tournament champion. The champions of the annual team tournament of champions was Four Seasons Wood Products.

With great support from their adult league members and team sponsors, it was another great year for the youth bowlers receiving scholarships. In all

year.

Merit awards are given each year for the highest game, series and average for men and women for each bowling association from USBC bowling headquarters. For the Frederic USBC high game this year was Don McKinney 299 and Gail Linke 258, high series Don Hughes 804 and Rita Bohn 659 and high averages were Ed Bitler 216 and Rita Bohn 186. Youth high games were Christian Hall 248 and Kelsey Bazey 232, high Series Kelsey Bazey 662 and Josh Bazey 627, and high average Josh Bazey 181 and Kelsey Bazey 175.

there was over $1,300 awarded to youth bowlers. Youth bowlers receiving scholarships were Lisa Chelmo, Josh Bazey, A.J Walsh Brenizer, Kelsey Bazey and Amy Funk. The team-sponsor scholarship which goes to a graduating senior that bowled at Hacker’s Lanes was awarded to Adam Daniels of Siren. – submitted

New ordinances in effect to prevent invasive species BURNETT COUNTY – Actually this article concerns anyone who operates a watercraft that they regularly put into and take out of our county lakes. There is a new ordinance in Burnett County, that makes it illegal to have plant or live invasive critters on your watercraft or trailer, when launching or transporting.

The county board has realized the dire consequences of not protecting our lakes and rivers. If exotic fish or plants get into our lakes, they can destroy the game fish that we enjoy catching, cause massive weed beds that boats and swimmers cannot move through, sterilize lakes so that nothing grows there, and they can create massive stinky, midsummer algae blooms. The end result is the loss of property values near our lakes and a general loss of tourism that the lakes bring to the county. Trying to remove these exotics, once they establish themselves in our waterways, is a very costly endeavor for the state and local property owners, if possible at all.

In 2007, five of our county lakes embarked on a program to stop the transfer of invasive plants to our lakes.

The program installed video cameras at the boat ramps on Yellow, Johnson, Mud Hen, Big Wood, and Lake 26, that recorded watercraft launches and allowed the reviewer to search for plants on the trailer/watercraft. These devices worked very well and last fall, about a dozen violations were recorded.

If you read the Burnett County newspapers, you probably have read about this program. However, when reporting these violations to DNR, we discovered the need to improve the state’s statutory language. This spring the Burnett County Board has enacted ordinance that will make it illegal for people to have plants or aquatic animals (e.g. snails/mussels) attached to their watercraft or trailer when launching or when that unit is on any public road in the county. A violation of the new county ordinance will charge the offender with

a county ordinance citation of $154.50 and increase with multiple violations.

The DNR is currently in the process of implementing a similar statewide rule (NR 40) for probable adoption in 2009.

Sheriff Roland is enthusiastically supporting this enforcement program. The county will use citations to stop the infections of our Burnett County waters this summer. Watercraft owners have been given many opportunities to educate themselves on the problem and the prevention measures. Media notices will continue this summer to educate the population. Radio announcements will address out-of-state watercraft owners, but we encourage you to spread the word to anyone coming to the county with watercraft toys. Advise them we are serious about keeping these aquatic invasive species out of our clean county waters.

Simple steps: clean all mud, plant matter, and animal matter from your watercraft and its trailer. Check every-

Speedway still too wet

by Ed Reichert RICE LAKE — The Rice Lake Speedway attempted to get the 2008 racing season under way Saturday night, but the results were no less satisfying than the three previous attempts to get the racing season going. Rains that started on Thursday night, and continued unabated into Saturday, left track officials with no choice other than to cancel the show due to extremely wet conditions.

A fifth attempt will be made to start the season on Saturday night, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. Scheduled to compete are six classes of cars including WISSOTA sanctioned late models, modifieds, super stocks, Midwest modifieds and street stocks along with the Rice Lake Pure Stocks.

The opening night is sponsored by O’Reilly Auto Parts, Dirt Track Specialties, Kadinger’s II, Maxine’s Family Restaurant, Kitchen Kleen Potatoes/Nuto Farm Supply and Coca-Cola.

The Rice Lake Speedway is located one mile north of Rice Lake between Hwy. 48 and CTH SS. Call the track at 715-236-2002 for more information or visit the speedway Web site at www.rlspeedway.com.

RIGHT: Cassie Sturgul from Milltown shot her first tom turkey from 19 yards. It weighed 22 lbs., with 1 inch spurs and a 10-inch beard. – Photo submitted

thing since a 2-inch piece of milfoil can infect our waters. Drain every bit of water from your bilge, fish tanks, and engine cooling system before leaving the launch site at a lake you were using.

If your watercraft came from a VHS infected water, power wash it with soap, and rinse live wells and bilge with small amounts of bleach in the wash water which will aid in killing some infection strains. Letting your boat a trailer dry for at least five days before using is another method of killing off invasives.

Burnett County will have personnel at many boat launch sites this summer. If you have plants on your watercraft or trailer, you will be given a citation. For further information look at invasive species at the DNR Web site www.dnr.wisconsin.gov. When you get to the invasives site search for key word “aquatic.” – submitted by Fred Kruger, Burnett County Lakes and Rivers Association

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 31

O UTDOORS INTER# COUNTY LEADER

ATVs • BIRDING • BOATING • CAMPING • FISHING • HIKING • HUNTING • RECREATIONAL VEHICLES ring about my rusty-hooked crank bait, (which Tom warned me about the day before) but it was all in good fun. In the end, the largest northern caught during the tournament weighed over 3pounds, the largest stringer of panfish weighed over 15 pounds, and a 4pound walleye was caught. The fishing wasn’t as productive as everyone had hoped, but all involved had a great time. Harsdorf ended up winning in the bass category with the one she caught on Saturday, and plaques were handed out at the end of the tournament Sunday afternoon.

In all, Tom and I hoisted in what we estimated at over 20 pounds of bass.

Not a bad haul for a slow weekend of fishing. If anything, the opener taught me how to catch bass a little more effectively, to use sharper hooks, and to cast a baitcaster more efficiently wearing about 700 pounds of clothing.

Governor's Fishing Opener a success

When invited to participate in the Governors Fishing Opener last weekend alongside an avid bass angler and fretournament quent competitor, instant Marty thoughts of arm-bustSeeger ing largemouth bass action and stringers filled with walleye The and panfish came to mind.

Mother Bottom Line Nature, however, had other plans, and the Governor’s 43rd Fishing Opener got off to a very cold and windy start.

“At least it isn’t raining,” I said to my guide, Tom Moore. The phrase was uttered at least 12 times throughout the day on Saturday as we busted through four-foot swells in his 22-foot bass rig.

Tom explained that just a week and a half earlier he’d been out on Lake Wapogasset ice fishing for crappie. He did well too, but since the ice had receded just a few days prior to the opener, he had a feeling that the fishing would be tough. Couple that with heavy downpours the night before, and you’ve got yourself a mix for some difficult fishing. In the end Tom’s predictions would prove accurate, but with a little extra effort, we managed to put a few fish in the boat.

White bass authority After discussing a plan of attack with Tom at the banquet Friday evening in

Gov. Jim Doyle was on hand to greet those in attendance in Trollhaugen on Friday before the opener.

The governor's guide George Sigsworth (L) and Gov. Jim Doyle fished the northeast side of Lake Wapogasset on Saturday morning. Not pictured are Rep. Ann Hraychuck and Taylor Horton who also accompanied Doyle on the 43rd-annual opener. - Photos by Marty Seeger Trollhaugen, it was difficult to catch any sleep. Tom also had trouble sleeping. The opening day of fishing is similar to that of the opening day of rifle season, where months of waiting finally arrive.

Another reason for the lack of sleep was that neither of us knew exactly what to expect. A governor's Fishing Opener was new to both of us; plus, neither of us had ever met before, so it added a little to the suspense to be sure.

But one thing we equally shared was a love for fishing, so from that point on everything else was quite simple.

Neither of us could really decide on what to fish for. There were categories for the largest walleye, northern, bass and heaviest stringer of panfish, so choosing the right target fish proved difficult, but Tom made sure to prepare for everything we’d need in the event that one species was more active than the other.

We tried for walleye upon my request Saturday morning, but to no avail, so it didn’t take long for Tom to target bass, which is what he knows best. After switching lures to a jig-and-pig-type combo, (which Tom makes himself) it wasn’t more than a few minutes that he hooked his first fish of the day.

“Get the net, this is a good one,” Tom said sharply.

Tom frequents about 15 tournaments each year, and when he’s not fishing, he’s pre-fishing. So it didn’t take long for me to realize he had a nice fish on at the end of his line. With a scoop of the net and a high five, Tom had the biggest fish of the day in the boat. It was just under 3 pounds, and it was the largest fish up until the second half of the day,

when someone else had topped it. Tom also picked up a few smaller bass on crank baits, so as the day moved on I eventually switched to the only decent crank bait I had in the tackle box, and used that for the rest of the tournament.

It proved to be a deciding factor in my only two fish of the day. A pair of chunky white bass that fought hard and kept my hopes up for another couple of hours of fishing. It would be my only two fish of the day, and they didn’t count in the tournament, but it was still a fun day regardless.

Last chance Sunday The weekend was filled with programs, banquets food and good company, but on Sunday we were only allotted time to fish until 11 a.m., so Tom and I skipped breakfast Sunday morning and went straight to the lake at 6 a.m. The day was cool still, but not nearly as windy as the day before.

No more than 100 yards from where Tom landed his keeper the day before, I landed my first bass of the tourney. It wasn’t big enough to beat the largest bass, (a 3-pound 14-ouncer caught by Sen. Sheila Harsdorf) but it was a welcomed start to the day. Just a few casts later, I hooked into another bass; only this one was bigger. Tom quickly grabbed the net, and just as if the bass appeared long enough for both of us to see that the fish was pushing 4 pounds, I lost the fish.

It might have been the difference in the bass category, but I didn’t feel as bad after I found out that Rep. Ann Hraychuck had a similar bout with a possible tournament-winning bass.

Afterwards, I got a little friendly jar-

Governor skunked As for Gov. Jim Doyle, the fishing wasn’t as productive. The governor fished for about an hour Saturday morning with only a few reported nibbles. The last fish he caught during a fishing opener was a small northern in 2003, which ended the 16-year streak of the governor being skunked. Since then the governor has not caught a fish on the opener.

Besides fishing, the governor’s opener is used as a promotional tool for tourism in Polk County and all across the state of Wisconsin. For more information about enjoying the great state of Wisconsin fishing opportunities go to www.dnr.state.wi.us.

Guide Tom Moore holds up a bass that held the top spot for a time on Saturday.

Cougar prowled through Wisconsin en route to Chicago STATEWIDE - Wildlife experts say a cougar killed by Chicago police last month was the same one that roamed south-central Wisconsin earlier this year.

The cougar was the first one confirmed in Wisconsin in several decades.

It apparently spent a few weeks in Rock and Walworth counties after walking in from another state, possibly South

Dakota. But Department of Natural Resources wildlife expert Adrian Wydeven says then the cougar made a mistake heading toward Chicago, where the environment did not afford hunting opportunities for the animal.

Chicago police killed the cougar April 14, shooting it seven times. They contend the 120-pound animal was a threat to people and pets. Wydeven says while

the case is sad, it’s also fascinating to see the animal move long distances over different terrain. He says he hopes the demise of the cougar teaches some lessons. He says the most important thing is that officials be more aware of the possibility that these animals can be in the area and look out for them more carefully. Also, he says officials need to take more care in analyzing possible

cougar sightings.

The remains of the dead cougar are being kept at a Chicago museum for further study. Wildlife officials in Illinois are investigating citizen reports of other cougars in the area. – Wisconsin Public Radio (Chuck Quirmbach)

PAGE 32 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

May is National Electrical Safety Month BARRON — May is National Electrical Safety Month and a good time to review electrical safety practices. Keep the spring season enjoyable and safe by knowing the location of overhead power lines when working or playing outside.

Safety tips to keep in mind include: • Know the location of power lines, particularly when using long tools like ladders.

• Never trim trees near power lines. Call Barron Electric to shut the power off at no charge.

• When using extension cords outside, check them carefully for exposed wires. Make sure they are in good shape, and not frayed or cracked. Use only extension cords that are UL-rated for outdoor use, and are large enough to handle the current needed for the device being used. Check that the prongs on the extension cord plugs are clean, not broken or bent. Use only GFCI protected outlets.

• Never use electric yard tools if it’s raining or the ground is wet. Keep electrical appliances and tools at least 10 feet away from pools, ponds and wet surfaces.

• Stay away from downed power lines and contact your electric utility. Assume that all downed power

lines are energized.

• Fly kites and model airplanes in large open areas like a park or a field, safely away from trees and overhead power lines. Never use metallic flying line.

• Never go into an electric substation for any reason.

Do not climb utility poles or play on or around padmounted electrical equipment.

High voltage demonstrations Barron Electric Cooperative has presented high-voltage safety demonstrations to elementary schools, businesses and organizations since 1986. More than 17,000 people have seen firsthand the effects on Lightning Liz and Neon Leon as they come into contact with electricity. The unit used at safety demonstrations is a small version replica of power lines, designed to demonstrate the potential dangers around electrical equipment. “We do these presentations to hopefully save lives and prevent injuries,” commented Cliff Sundsmo, Barron Electric’s energy specialist. “This is an important topic for children, as well as adults.”

Digging projects Spring is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. Be

Sweetie visits school

Grantsburg third-grader Dakota Schultz and his mom, Gina, brought Dakota’s miniature horse, Sweetie, to the school last week. Judging from Dakota’s classmate’s smiles it was apparent they thought Sweetie was the perfect name for this little sweetie of a horse. – Photo by Priscilla Bauer

Burnett County Criminal Court David B. Hills, 53, Danbury, operate vehicle after suspension of registration, $160.80.

Shawn J. Donahue, 38, Mounds View, Minn., unlawful control of aquatic plants, $186.00.

Zachary R. Nelson, 27, Frederic, harassment in conduct or act, $249.00.

Pamela R. Blahoski, 44, Webster, operate without valid license, $186.00.

Benjamin B. Peterson, 19, Danbury, violation of red-traffic light law, $160.80; underage drinking, alcohol assessment, $249.00.

William P. Harvey, 48, Lake Nebagamon, speeding, $211.20.

Melanie R. Wilson, 25, Hayward, speeding, $186.00.

Earling H. Oleson, 92, Siren, operating left of center lane, $198.60.

Bonnie J. Anderson, 68, Danbury, operating left of centerline, must complete chemical dependency evaluation, $501.00.

Steven M. Gillis, 28, Webster, OWI, $793.00, alcohol assessment, license revoked eight months.

Theresa M. Ek, 63, Danbury, OWI, $793.00, alcohol assessment, license revoked eight

months.

Biaba L. Fowler, 46, Siren, OWI, $667.00, alcohol assessment, license revoked six months.

Cory B. Robinson, 37, Lemont Ill., OWI, $667.00, alcohol assessment, license revoked six months.

Russell W. Lindbom, 40, Danbury, operate with controlled substance, $667.00, license revoked six months.

Patrick S. Fowler, 45, Luck, fail to report to jail, one-year probation, alcohol assessment, $88.00.

Jonathan D. Loiland, 25, Brooklyn Center, Minn., illegal deer hunting, DNR privileges revoked for three years, $2,080.00.

Shane D. Loiland, 18, Harris, Minn., illegal deer hunting, DNR privileges revoked for three years, $2,080.00.

Max C. Gorkiewicz, 33, Grantsburg, operate without valid license, $186.00.

Melanie R. Wilson, 25, Hayward, resisting or obstructing an officer, one-year probation, obtain valid driver’s license within first four months of probation, no contact with Nicole May, $88.00.

Diana M. Martin, 42, Webster, disorderly conduct,

$249.00.

Nathan J. Kersting, 70, Webster, disorderly conduct, $249.00.

David M. Hughes, 33, Danbury, disorderly conduct, $250.00.

Tisha K. Holden, 17, Milltown, retail theft – less than $2,500, one-year probation, restitution to be announced, 40 hours community service, $88.00.

Matthew J. Brown, 37, Webster, theft, $479.00.

Kurt J. Matrious, 38, Danbury, battery, 60-day jail sentence, Huber release granted, $163.00.

Shawn R. Blake, 43, Coon Rapids, Minn., battery, two-year probation, 30-day jail sentence, Huber release granted, alcohol assessment, $163.00.

Lance B. Olson, 33, Webster, battery, two-year probation, restitution to be announced, no contact with Edward Vasas, take all prescribed medication and continue medical treatment, $88.00; criminal trespass to dwelling, twoyear probation, $88.00.

Ida M. Siegford, 56, Sarona, reckless driving – cause bodily harm, two-year probation, license suspended one year, restitution to be announced,

draft letter of apology, alcohol assessment, 60-day jail sentence, $476.00; operating after revocation, two-year probation, $88.00.

Timothy J. Nelson, 42, Hudson, cause injury with PAC with snowmobile, one-year probation, $3,469.45 restitution, 340 hours community service, $1,500.00.

Danielle L. Lemieux, 30, Webster, OWI, $1,020.00, alcohol assessment, 20-day jail sentence, Huber release granted, license revoked 16 months.

Thomas A. Skinaway, 26, Danbury, OWI, $1,020.00, alcohol assessment, 20-day jail sentence, Huber release granted, license revoked 16 months.

Ruben Morales, 52, Stone Lake, OWI, $1,209.00, two-year probation, license revoked 24 months, 110-day jail sentence, Huber release granted, alcohol assessment.

Gerald E. Hubbell, 37, Hayward, OWI, $1,209.00, 18month prison sentence followed by two years’ extended supervision.

Wolfgang Tattenbach, 20, Minneapolis, Minn., possession of THC, one-year probation, license suspended six months, alcohol assessment, $88.00.

sure to look up before planting a tree that could grow into overhead wires. Also, call Diggers Hotline to assure the location of any digging is free from hazards.

This service is provided at no charge. Anyone digging or planning on digging in Wisconsin, no matter how big or small the job, is required by law to contact Diggers Hotline (811 or 800-242-8511) at least three working days before digging. Visit Diggers Hotline at www.diggershotline.com.

Visit www.electrical-safety.org for ways to increase electrical safety awareness at home and work. — from Barron Electric

Online databases available for NWLS libraries and patron NORTHERN WISCONSIN – Northern Waters Library Service has online databases available to all residents of Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Sawyer, Vilas and Washburn counties. These databases provide a wealth of information and library materials in a variety of formats and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some of the databases are subscription services that require a password. You can obtain a password from your local NWLS member library or by contacting NWLS. One database has access limited to in-library use. Links to the online databases can be found on the NWLS Web site at: http://www.nwls.wislib.org/. Information on NWLS member libraries can be found at: http: //www.nwls.wislib.org/about/nwlibraries.htm/.

Ancestry Library Edition is an extensive library genealogy research tool. Access is limited to in-library use at any NWLS library. It includes: records from the United States Census; military records; court, land and probate records; vital and church records; directories; passenger lists and more!

BadgerLink: Users can access over 11,000 periodical titles and over 700 newspapers (including Wisconsin newspapers), business, medical, education sources, and many other specialized resources not available through regular Internet search engines. BadgerLink is available to everyone in Wisconsin without a password, and can be used in the library or at home.

Chilton Library is a vehicle repair database that includes diagnostics designed by instructors, step-bystep repair procedures, maintenance schedules, wiring diagrams, recalls and Technical Service Bulletins for automobiles and light trucks. Use it in any NWLS library without a password or at home with a password that you can obtain from your local public library or from NWLS. NetLibrary provides a collection of electronic books in the Merlin catalog that can be checked out and read on a home computer. A featured list of ebooks is available from the Merlin Online catalog homepage, and NetLibrary titles can be found in the Merlin Catalog.

A free account can be created for patrons at any NWLS library.

OverDrive Audiobooks offers audiobook titles that can be downloaded directly to a computer, an MP3 player or burned to a CD. A featured list of audiobooks is available from the Merlin Online Catalog homepage, and the titles can be found in the Merlin Catalog. A valid Merlin card number is necessary for checkout and placing holds. - submitted

Don at ion f ro m ch ur ch tr ip pr es en te d

Shirley Bloom (L), organizer of a weeklong trip to Nashville, Tenn., taken by a group of 49 area residents, presented a check to Rudy Solomonson for $1,000 Sunday morning, May 4, as Donis Taylor (R), another trip member, looked on. Solomonson is treasurer of Siren United Methodist Church, and the money made as a result of the trip will go into the church’s general fund. – Photo by Nancy Jappe

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A -

Burnett County sheriff’s report Arrests Village of Grantsburg, April 28: Gordon T. Johnson, 31, Balsam Lake, was arrested on two Polk County warrants. He was also cited for obstructing or resisting an officer, disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property during the arrest.

Town of Union, April 28: Pat H. Stuart Jr., 32, Danbury, was arrested on a child-support warrant.

Other Incidents Town of Dewey, April 29: Frank C. Hamer, Shell Lake, knew something was wrong when animals began escaping from electric fencing. He soon found out that the electricity was shut off to the fence so that 60 feet of electrical wire could be taken from the property.

Stainless steel bulk tanks and other items were taken from the

milking parlor as well. The incident is under investigation.

Town of Daniels, April 29: An anonymous tip informed police of garbage dumped on Fish Lake Road. When police investigated, they found a prescription bottle with name on it, leading police to source of garbage.

David J. Pelquin, Siren, admitted dumping the garabage and will clean it up. He was issued a citation for littering.

Town of Swiss, April 30: Paul G. Schee, Danbury, reported the theft of electronic compass and thermometer from property. The

incident is under investigation.

Town of Swiss, May 1: Dennis L. Krenz, Osceola, reported a burglary at a cabin. A TV and bed comforter was reported missing. The incident is under investigation.

Town of Swiss, May 1: Jerry R. Wiltjer, Richfield, Minn., reported burglary to a cabin.

Nothing appeared to be missing.

The incident is under investigation.

Town of Siren, May 1: Eric D. Anderson, Siren, reported his vehicle vandalized. The incident is under investigation.

Town of West Marshland, May 4: Robert J. Williamson, 80, Amery, reported a burglary at the family cabin.

It is unknown if anything is missing.

There was, however, report of vandalism.

The incident is under investigation.

PAGE 34 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

Notices

Burnett Co. deaths Charles Tollander, 81, Webster Village, April 22.

Jeanette Peterson, 90, Grantsburg Village, April 20.

Siren Police report April 24: Eight vehicles received $25 parking tickets during the Siren Elementary K-4 program, either on Fourth Avenue, Johnson Street or blocking access to the Lilac Lane alleyway. Siren Police Chief Chris Sybers issued the tickets after receiving a complaint. “If I have to ticket one, I have to ticket all of them,” the

chief said.

April 24: At 4:30 p.m., Kaun F. Nelson, 56, Luck, was cited for failing to stop at the stop sign on Lake Street and First Avenue.

April 28: Around midnight, the Siren officer on duty assisted the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department in the jailing of 21year-old Gordon Johnson, Siren.

At 8:51 a.m., a gas drive off from Siren Auto Stop was reported. The driver, identified as a woman from Milltown, was noti-

fied and resolved payment with Auto Stop.

April 29: Roger VanProoien, 77, Sheboygan, was cited for speeding on Hwy. 35/70 and South Short Drive.

May 1: Three $25 parking tickets were issued in the area around Siren School around 7:30 p.m. for parking in no-parking zones.

May 3: Catherine Marie Pieck, 48, Mendota Heights, Minn., was cited for speeding at 8:18 p.m. on Hwy. 35/70 and South Shore Drive.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 35

Burnett Co. marriage licenses

Burnett County civil

Voyager Village P.O.A. Inc. Bruce K. Pack, Swiss, and Judith A. Poe, Swiss, April 28. vs. Louise M. Sebesta, Timothy J. Fornengo, Blaine, and Teresa M. Breiwick, Blaine, Rosemount, Minn., $4,320.70.

April 29.

Voyager Village P.O.A. Inc. Jonathan M. Schmitz, Dewey, and Sarah A. Gieschen, Texas, vs.

Randy R. Audet, Wis., May 2.

Bloomington, Minn., $2,711.64.

Voyager Village P.O.A. Inc. vs. The Auleciems Consulting Group, West Lakeland, Minn., $2,311.40.

Voyager Village P.O.A. Inc. vs. Darren B. Viland, Fairbault, Minn., $3,784.76.

PAGE 36 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

Burnett County warrants Randy R. Foster, 26, Ironwood, Mich., warrant – failure to appear, April 28.

Matthew C. Matrious, 19, Danbury, warrant – failure to appear, May 1.

Jonathon C. Oiyotte, 29, Webster, warrant – failure to appear, April 28.

Shane J. Penrose, 22, Minneapolis, Minn., arrest war-

rant – complaint, April 30.

Robert R. Roatch, 46, Spooner, failure to pay fines, May 1.

Marvin L. Staples, 25, Danbury, warrant – failure to appear, April 30.

Randy D. Wickman, 46, Webb Lake, failure to pay fines, May 2.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 37

www.the-leader.net

PAGE 38 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

Notices

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 39

A visit to Straight Lake State Park east of Luck

Viewing Rainbow Lake in the new Straight Lake State Park is like being in the north woods. Spring is a wonderful time to hike the land following the many trails through the woods.

From the ridge at the east end of Rainbow Lake, a person can see Straight Lake in the distance.

Access to the park is at the end of 120th Street a mile north of Hwy. 48, three miles east of Luck.

The Straight River is flowing over the old dam at the end of Straight Lake in the new state park. The river cuts through a deep ravine east of this point. Photos by Gregg Westigard

Floating faces

“When faces called flowers float out of the ground.” - e.e.cummings Spring flowers are arriving. One of the first places to view the new blooms each year is the half-mile walk along the St. Croix River north of the Lions Park on Hwy. 87. The level path is abloom now with Dutchman’s-breeches and trout lilies. - Photo by Gregg Westigard

PAGE 40 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MAY 7, 2008

Eileen Skinaway receives Inspirational Life Story award

by Gary King ST. PAUL - Friday evening, May 2, Eileen Skinaway of Luck was honored as a woman who “makes a difference locally and globally” by Celebrations of Life Services Inc. Skinaway received the first-annual 2008 Celebrations of Life Inspirational Life Story Award, based on her recently published memoir “Miskobinishii: A Memoir of Susan Eileen Bearheart Fowler Skinaway.”

“My children told me I was going to get an award for my book, but they didn’t tell me it was such an outstanding award – and it was for the entire year!”

Skinaway, a member of the St. Croix Tribe of Chippewa, said. “I was surprised and honored.”

Presented at the Neighborhood House, located within the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building, the award honored Skinaway for her efforts to tell her story of growing up as a Native American and member of The Lost Tribe. Her written story – which breaks the oral storytelling tradition – allows her six children, 25 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren to have a written record – as well as others. Her book is on display in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian with other copies cataloged at the Museum of American History and the archives of Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul.

Eileen Skinaway of Luck was honored as a woman who “makes a difference locally and globally” by Celebrations of Life Services Inc. Friday, May 2, at St. Paul. – Photo by Kathy Dittmar

Accompanying Skinaway at the awards ceremony were approximately 20 family members, including St. Croix Tribal chairperson Hazel Hindsley and husband, William, who honored Skinaway with comments during the ceremony – and children Cindy Fowler and Patrick Fowler of Polk County, and Cindy Escota of Barron and Debby Kinaka of Plymouth, Minn.

Until it was time for her to attend a one-room schoolhouse, Skinaway spoke only Ojibwe. She was raised by her grandmother and learned the traditional ways and describes many ceremonies, values, and traditions that were common place in her time while growing up on a reservation. Though she was only able to finish school to the sixth grade, she has completed some college course work at both the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Milwaukee.

Despite contracting tuberculosis at a young age and suffering an almost fatal recurrence in adolescence, she raised six children and continues her dedication to Indian traditions. She continues to teach at three language-immersion summer camps. When she is not working for the St. Croix Casino in Turtle Lake, she is making drums for ceremonies or sewing jingle dresses for powwows.

To assist her in this writing project, she hired Mary O’Brien Tyrrell, vice president of Celebrations of Life, who

has now assisted more than 200 elders in publishing their life stories in hardcover books that are distributed at a family book-signing celebration. Tyrrell works with ordinary elders from all over the United States and even Canada listening to the stories, chronicling, and then publishing them in books - creating priceless heirlooms.

Celebrations of Life helps individuals, families and businesses celebrate the extraordinary uniqueness of their lives.

Specially trained professionals help clients remember, honor, and share their life stories and values; make purposeful life and career transitions; and leave a meaningful legacy for their loved ones and communities. Products include: life story memoirs, pet remembrance stories, ethical wills, next chapter transitions, meaningful family legacies, and business visions, values and histories.

The company also provides flexible, engaging careers for people age 50+ called LifeSAGErssm. Celebrations of Life Services Inc. was founded in St. Paul by Tracie Bluse Ward in 2007.

Their Web site is at www.celebrationsoflife.net. - with information from Celebrations of Life Services

Follow the Leader.

B e n e f i t h e l d f o r C o rt e c e x p l o s i o n v i ct i m s

With this stamp, designed by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Ariz., the postal service honors Frank Sinatra, an Oscar-winning actor and a supreme interpreter of American popular song. – from USPS

Sinatra coming to Webster WEBSTER – Frank Sinatra is coming to Webster on Friday, May 16, at noon.

“Ol’ Blue Eyes” will be at the Webster Post Office to assist with the passport fair from noon until 4:30 p.m.

Meet Sinatra, purchase postal products with his photo and have your photo taken with him.

His appearance is part of a campaign to boost awareness of the Sinatra stamp launch on May 13. Webster Post Office is among 5,000 across America chosen to take part the promotion. A random prize drawing will select prize-winners from those taking part in the promotion across the U.S. with prizes that include a 52-inch Sony Bravia HDTV, a BOSE DVD audio system, a Sinatra Ultimate Collector’s Edition DVD, a baby blue iPod nano with Frank Sinatra Limited Edition CD and a Frank Sinatra matted art print.

More information is available at USPS.com - submitted

A benefit for Aaron Merchant and Corey LaBonte (shown in photo at right), the two employees injured in the Cortec Spray Technology Division explosion in March, and also for the Spooner Fire Department Auxiliary, was held at the Northwest Sports Complex Thursday, May 1. LaBonte, though still visibly recovering from his injuries, was able to attend the benefit that afternoon. He thanked everyone at the benefit for their support. LaBonte was treated for severe burns at the Miller-Dwan Burn Center in Duluth, Minn. Merchant was treated at the Hennepin County Medical Center in the Twin Cities for severe burns and broken bones. Merchant’s sister, Eva Johnston, said though he was unable to attend the benefit, he is doing great; his sister-in-law reported a couple of weeks ago that Merchant should be home in less than a month.Though Aaron Merchant was unable to be at the benefit, a collage of his progress, from the time he went into the hospital until currently, was displayed at the Cortec benefit.- Photos by Regan Kohler

Second-annual Jane Wisse Memorial Scholarship walk set SIREN – In April of 2006, a very dedicated and loved teacher from the Siren School District, Jane Wisse, died of cancer. Her husband and family donated money to establish a scholarship fund in her memory to be awarded to a student who exemplified her values of lifelong fitness and health. This first scholarship was awarded to Wes Wegner.

A group of teachers who were Wisse’s friends and walking companions, along with her husband, Duane, decided to raise money to continue this scholarship fund by organizing the first-annual Jane Wisse Wellness Scholarship Walk. It was a great success. Ninety walkers made the trek around the 2.5-mile route that Wisse and her friends walked in all kinds of weather, and a second scholarship was awarded to Lauren Howe in

2007.

This spring, the tradition will continue with the second-annual Jane Wisse We l l n e s s Scholarship Walk. It will begin in Crooked Lake park on Saturday, June 7, and, again, Jane Wisse participants will walk the 2.5-mile route that Wisse walked with her friends. Registration for the walk will start at 9:30 a.m. with the walk

beginning at 10 a.m. The cost is $20 for adults, $10 for 12- to 17-year-olds and free for those 11 and under who are accompanied by an adult. Registration forms are available at the Siren School District Office or at Crooked Lake Park on June 7. Wisse Wellnes Scholarship Walk T-shirts will be available the morning of the walk while the supply lasts.

Any donations to the Jane Wisse Memorial Scholarship fund will be happily accepted. Please send them to Siren School District, c/o Pam Daniels, 24022 North 4th Ave., Box 29, Siren, WI 54872.

Make checks payable to Siren School. If you have any questions, they may be directed to Pam Daniels at Siren School, 715-349-2278, ext. 235. – submitted

‘Follow the Leader’

Currents N O R T H E R N

May 7, 2 008 2nd Se ct io n B Int e r-C o unty Lead er

News and views from the Northwest Wisconsin community

Celebrating 20 years at the Crossroad

by Nancy Jappe SIREN – A chapter in Siren history ended when the Crossroads Bar, a popular dance and good-times place, closed its doors at the junction of Hwys. 35 and 70 north of Siren. The building and grounds were sold to the nearby Moose Lodge whose members were only interested in acquiring the liquor license for their own bar.

Serenity House, an antique business burned out of their building in Siren, rented the building for what they now called Junktion Antiques. Space was rented out to dealers, but the rent wasn’t enough to pay the bills. The property went back to the Moose Lodge.

One of the dealers, Marian Parrish, knew that John and Joan Tennis from St. Paul Park, Minn., had just sold their home-based garbage business. Parrish got in touch with the Tennises, and John and Joan came up to look the place over.

The windows of the building were boarded up. It wasn’t a sight to behold in its current state. John was sure Joan would put a stop to any thought of buying the place. To his surprise, Joan said yes.

The Moose Lodge governing board approved the sale of the building and acreage around it. John and Joan Tennis took over in May 1988, 20 years ago this month.

John opened the windows to let light in and cut siding off, only to discover a big problem – skunks had been getting in. They hired a guy to skirt the building to keep out the skunks. The rest of that weekend, the urine smell from the skunks was so strong it burned the eyes.

All the skirting had to be taken off, and the building covered with mesh to get the offensive smell out.

It took a month to get the building ready for a new supply of antiques. The old bandstand had to be torn out. One of the rooms was the place where garbage and unneeded items had been thrown.

The room was locked up. John didn’t have a key. When he finally got the room open, he found only garbage, nothing salvageable at all.

John found an old poster advertising that Marvin Rainwater was playing at the Crossroads Bar, something he threw out and regretted later.

The Tennises chose Crossroad Antique Mall as the name for their business, not knowing that the early bar/dance hall on

Crossroad Antique Mall owners Joan and John Tennis advertise their 20percent-off sale in honor of their 20th anniversary in business at the north junction of Hwys. 35 and 70, Siren. On any purchase over $20, customers normally get 10 percent off the price. For this special sale from May 10-18, customers will get 20 percent off on purchases over $20. – Photos by Nancy Jappe the spot was called Crossroads. They had 15 dealers plus space for their own collection of items at the beginning. One of their first customers was a couple who had been married in the building. John had an old Crossroads Bar cash drawer.

He gave it to the couple, to their delight.

John and Joan asked friends who were antique dealers if they would like to rent space in the building. One lady indicated that she was interested in a spot.

John said he would call her. She turned out to be the last dealer to get a place.

Everyone was very happy. Gone was the fear about whether anyone would want to lease dealer space up in this area.

“We had been collecting for years,” said Joan, adding that the first items they brought up sold in just three weeks.

“Good stuff sells,” she stressed.

The building that houses the Cross-

Items in the entry room at Crossroad Antique Mall include a special section for women, and another with items that appeal to children. All the items in this area are owned by John and Joan Tennis, the antique mall owners.

road Antique Mall isn’t the building the Tennises first bought. The original building was sold to the state when Hwy. 35 was rebuilt some years ago.

Crossroad Antique Mall specializes in furniture, items that other malls don’t usually carry. “People say our shop is beautiful, clean and has all the furniture,” Joan commented.

The Tennises were told at first to bring their junk up to Siren to sell because junk would sell here. They listened, but didn’t bite, bringing their good items up to the new shop. “It was the best move we could have made,” they agree.

According to John, repeat business keeps them going. The Tennises are people persons, used to dealing with the public. They get to know the families of their customers, when family members are getting married, having babies,

dying. They often get gifts such as homemade jam from customers.

While e-Bay has cut into their business some, the people with cabins and tourists in the area keep coming in, the people who like to go shopping and don’t have a lot of other things to do.

Weekends are the busiest times around the mall, which is open six days a week, Wednesdays through Mondays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday is the only day the mall is closed. As many as 700 customers have been in and out of the shop over a holiday weekend.

People from all over the country and the world have been in the mall. One man from Russia was looking for Mickey Mouse items. John stresses that items in a shop like theirs have to be specially marked if they are new items in fairness to the customer.

When asked about any unusual items the shop has carried, Joan Tennis said that would have been an old-fashioned telephone booth. For John, it would have been a doctor bleeder used to take blood out of the hand or maybe the covered wagon bought for a parade in Frederic. John also owned a police patrol wagon that he bought for his own collection. John marked it up by 10 percent, and put it in the shop. A dealer bought the wagon from Tennis and made his money on it.

There’s no particular trend in items that are popular sellers right now. Because of the state of the economy, people are looking for bargains. Dealers come in to buy at Crossroad Antique Mall because the prices are very reasonable.

The Tennises started out buying from auctions, but now they have their own buyers, particularly in the Milwaukee area. These people are called pickers, people who are on the lookout for them.

One is an 83-year-old pillar of the community; another is a person noted for going out to breakfast with people who might have items for sale.

The Tennises will buy from people who have items for sale, but are very careful in watching for those who go to garage sales to get items they turn around and sell. Because of the reputation that has built up during the past 20 years, they are very careful who they buy from and what they will buy.

Two years ago actress Sally Struthers

See Croosroad Antiques, page 2

Furniture, including these items for the porch or deck, is a specialty at the Crossroad Antique Mall.

PAGE 2 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

Crossroad Antique/from page 1 was one of their customers. “What are you doing in Wisconsin?” Joan asked.

“Visiting people,” was Struthers’ reply.

A man with a monkey on his shoulder came into the shop one day. John cited the No Pets Allowed policy. The man said it was the monkey in the Taco Belle ads. John wouldn’t budge on the policy, and the man tied the monkey up on the porch, grumbling as he did so. The monkey scared some of the customers who came to the shop that day.

A newscaster from Green Bay is a steady customer. She comes to visit her parents who live somewhere near Voyager Village.

The mall has a lay-by policy where people can take the time they need to get the money to pay for their purchases.

Two women from the Twin Cities were in one day, found what they wanted and headed home, telling the Tennises they would have to figure out a way to pay for what they wanted to buy.

Besides antiques, the mall has cabin and family décor, minnow buckets, fishing lures, cowboy blankets … the list could go on and on. The only way to find out for sure is to come in and see what’s there.

Buying and selling antiques is life for John and Joan Tennis. It’s their hobby and their fun. They enjoy talking to people, something they have done all their lives.

An uncarpeted area at Crossroad Antique Mall holds furniture that needs loving care to bring out previous glories.

“I feel like I am part of the town even though I don’t live here,” Joan commented, adding, “People make me feel that way.” The two support the local businesses, and believe that is the way it should be.

Every spring Joan and every one of their dealers clean the building thor-

The Crossroad Antique Mall is a good indicator of the coming of the spring and winter seasons. Its doors close the first of November each year and open again the first of April, ready for the influx of cabin owners and tourists. oughly, giving it its very clean appearance. “People tell us that it doesn’t smell like you would expect as an antique shop,” Joan said, the tone of pride evident in her voice.

John and Joan Tennis have never regretted their decision to buy the Cross-

roads property from the Burnett County Moose Lodge 20 years ago. In addition to the business and the reputation they have built up during the intervening years, they like the area and the people they have met. “This area has been very good to us,” they said.

Space is available for 20 dealers at Crossroad Antique Mall. A rental fee is charged for each space, and no commission on sales is taken from the individual dealers. - Photos by Nancy Jappe Crossroad Antique Mall sits on at the northeast corner of the junction of Hwys. 35 and 70 north of Siren. The location was well known to the earlier generation of area residents who used to dance at the former Crossroads Bar at this location.

Moms come out to enjoy Muffins and More

by Priscilla Bauer GRANTSBURG – The parking lots at Grantsburg Elementary and Nelson Primary Schools were overflowing last Thursday and Friday as moms, grandmothers, aunts and other family members arrived for the school’s annual Muffins for Moms breakfast. “We have close to 100-percent participation for the Muffins for Moms and also our Donuts for Dads event. They just have of the best turnouts for a parent involvement activity,” said Sally Craven, Grantsburg’s district reading specialist.

Craven, who organized both the Muffins for Moms the Donuts for Dads breakfast (held earlier this month) said while it is always fun for students to have their parents and other family members at school for breakfast, the real goal for this event is to promote literacy.

After breakfast parents were invited to their child’s classroom to sit together and read. “This reading time together is such an important thing. It gives parents a chance to spend time reading with their child and they’re reminded of what a fun, quality activity reading together is.”

Craven went on to say the popular Muffins for Moms and Donuts for Dads events are made possible each year through district funds and grants Craven has been able to garner. Each child also receives a book, matched to their reading level, to take home to read with their family.

Grace Covey listens as her mom, Angie, reads to her after the Muffins for Moms breakfast held each year at Nelson Primary and Grantsburg Elementary Schools to encourage family reading time.

Nelson kindergartener Evie Carter gets a hug from her mom, Angie, at the Muffins for Moms breakfast at Nelson Primary School last week.

RIGHT: Jennifer Zeilor was the mom in the middle of daughters Megan and Katie, as the trio posed for a photo during Grantsburg Elementary’s Muffins for Moms breakfast.

LEFT: Hallie Jensen and her mother, Linnette, couldn’t stop laughing and smiling as they enjoyed having breakfast together at Grantsburg Elementary’s Muffins for Moms event last week.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 3

Idiot

by Olivia Main, Webster High School Student I am an idiot.

Do you want to know why? If you don’t, stop reading because I have no intention to stop writing because someone doesn’t care. If I stopped doing things because some people didn’t care, I wouldn’t be alive to write this masterpiece.

Now to get back on topic. I am an idiot because I can’t find the values of the six trigonometric functions belonging to the triangle poorly drawn on the board, thus poorly drawn in my notes. Everyone else can.

The teacher, my classmates; even the illiterate homeless man that talks to imaginary squirrels can do it. I have taken all the notes and focused all my attention on the problem. I have asked multiple people to help me. I even read the material in my book three times over. This all proved to no avail because, as I mentioned before, I am an idiot. And since I am an idiot, I do not understand the simple subject of trigonometry.

And that frustrates me. So I am a frustrated idiot, which is the dangerous combination that will lead to my downfall.

But it’s not like I have very far to fall. I’m on the first floor in a ten-story building, and the window is only three feet from the ground. I suppose if I jumped from the window, I could add an extra four or five inches to my fall. The only problem is that the part of the window that can actually open is only about six inches tall and a foot long and I don’t feel like getting stuck. I may be an idiot, but I’m not stupid.

What am I doing in a 10-story building, you ask?

Well, you probably didn’t ask, but I’m going to tell you. I am in a ten-story building because I am an idiot.

Why am I an idiot? I can’t find the six trigonometric func…I’m just kidding. I am an idiot because for a brief, idiotic moment I thought I was good at something.

That something was acting. People always told me I was a good actress, but I think that was more out of politeness than honesty. But even though I did not be-

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

Writer’s Corner lieve them, it still didn’t stop me from occasionally drifting into Fantasyland, where I was a great and well-known actress. I often went to Fantasyland when I gave up on trigonometric functions.

I made the mistake of going into Fantasyland after a theatrical performance. The cast was standing in the receiving line, shaking hands and hearing “Good Job” on repeat when a man in a suit walked up to me and gave me a card. I looked at the tiny beige card with over-the-top elegant font, which gave me the address and phone number to the Matten School of the Performing Arts. On the back were the handwritten words “Friday, 6 p.m. Mr. Livingston.” After using my brilliant deduction skills (and the help of my friend Sam), I figured out that this was a meeting I was supposed to attend.

So here I am, sitting on a cushioned chair that has long lost its cushiness. The lobby I am gracing my presence with reminds me of a doctor’s office, minus the old magazines and sickly-sweet scent of cleaning product. A woman wearing much too revealing clothes (obviously not hired because of her typing skills) motions me to follow her. She leads me to an elevator and tells me (in a why-must-I-talk-to-you voice): “10th floor, take a left, last door on the right.”

I walk into the elevator and, because I’m an idiot, I wait for her to come in with me. She gives me an odd look and turns away. I press the 10 button and the doors shut. The ride up was long and lonely. Apparently this elevator has leprosy and all the intelligent people have wisely chosen to stay away from it.

The doors open to my floor. I look out one of the large windows, remembering my fear of heights. I do what the woman told me to do and walk to the last door on the right. I must be nervous, because I knock louder than necessary. A man’s voice calls out “Come in” and I do as told.

Any evidence to show that there was ever a single person to step in this room was gone. The carpeted floor looks brand-new, no indentations from furniture or small stains where coffee might have been spilled.

The windows are spotless to the point where I almost thought there weren’t any. There is no dust, no disorder. The man sitting at the desk in front of me is smiling a fake smile.

“I’m Curtis Livingston,” the man states. “But you can just call me Curtis.” Oh joy! I am now on a first name basis with this man after only three seconds of meeting him. Maybe in ten seconds I can start calling him Curt.

“My scout watched your performance this past Sunday. He informs me that you would be perfect to attend our school.” The man looks at me like I am about to explode with excitement. But really, I’m wondering what the hell he is talking about. The performance his scout watched involved me playing a minor role, only speaking fifteen lines. Of the two hour show, I was on stage for a whole ten minutes. “What do you mean, I’m perfect?” Apparently my tone caught his attention. He gets in the “I’m-going-to-tell-you-somethingimportant” stance and starts talking slowly.

“The truth is that we were sued recently because of a major misunderstanding. You see, we are a very prestigious school. Only the best can go to the best, and we are the best. Well, a young lady applied to our school and, regrettably, was not accepted. She then started accusing us of discrimination because she was, well, not very attractive. Now, these accusations are completely erroneous, but if this gets out, our reputation could be damaged. So we decided to pick a small group of people to attend our school in order to prove we are not judging by appearances. Do you understand?”

Wait a minute. Is he saying that the only reason I am being ask to attend this school is because I’m ugly? I get up and start for the door. “I’m sorry, but I will have to decline.”

“How could you pass up on a deal like this!” the man exclaimed. I turned and smiled at him.

“Because I am an idiot.”

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

Dear Readers....I am late again.

It seems no matter how hard I try, I am always late. So far nothing has worked. It is like losing weight. You want to, but just can’t, and if you do you go backwards and have to start all over. I think that may be a bad analogy.

First order of business. There Barb have been so many questions Blodgett about the Pines Thrift Store. The Pines is privately owned and the owner has been gracious enough to give all of the proceeds (after the bills are paid) to Interfaith Caregivers. All donations that come in are being donated to Interfaith Caregivers and we are able to give you a receipt for tax purposes. Our contribution to the business is volunteers to work at the store. It is a fun, exciting business with new merchandise coming in every day. I love being there, working and talking with the people who come in, but unfortunately real life and my job as director of Interfaith keeps me busy and I can’t spend as much time there as I would like.

Second order of business. Interfaith Caregivers is raffling off a 21-inch, 10-speed, racing bike during the month of May. Tickets are sold at the store.

Third, Interfaith is having a huge rummage sale the end of May (30th and 31st) at the Webster Community Center. This is a freewill offering sale and nothing but baked goods will be marked. You pay what you feel you want or can afford.

Now that I have business out of the way I have a story to tell this month. During the many years I have been involved with Interfaith, I have met and come to love so many people. Sometimes people can be difficult, and they are entitled. Living with pain and strain

Caregiver’s GIFTS

sometimes makes even the best of us a little “owlie” (my grandmother used to use that word). Most of the people I have met are in the senior category and almost all insist I call them by their first name. I am not sure if it is because my mother drilled into me “respect your elders,” or if it is just respect, but I have a really hard time calling Mr. Smith Jim, or Mrs. Jones Ella. My grandchildren are completely different. When they meet someone, they immediately call them Jim or Ella.

I grit my teeth and, not being their mother, do my best to keep my mouth shut. You have no idea how hard that is for me.

I know I have people telling me to call them Jim or Ella and they aren’t much older than my 65 years, but for those of you who ask, please accept my apologies.

I grew up in the era when Mr. and Mrs. was the norm and I have a difficult time changing my habits. Bear with me.

Oh, speaking of bears and going completely off of the subject, which I often do, I was recently talking to my next-door neighbor. We own the land he lives on and have to clear out some of the trees. The other day he was out with the logger and the logger’s black Lab and they were looking at the trees that will come down. Suddenly, here comes a mother bear and her three cubs. The dog was trained well enough not to charge or run after the bear and the men just stood there trying to figure out what to do. Craig, our neighbor, started waving his arms and yelling. The bear ran off with her cubs. Gives me the willies just thinking what would or could have happened. A mother bear always protects her cubs and no one had better get between them and her. I used to think the cubs were so cute, I just wanted to hug them. That was until a mother reared up and I realized that she was not happy that I was there. My grandson said he had never seen me move so fast to get into the house. Not a smart move, but I was not thinking smart right then.

I often don’t think smart. I guess my brain is so full of stuff that the important things are buried and just can‘t get out when I need them. Boy, does that ever get me in trouble. People say it is age. I went to a Caregiving Conference last week and the subject of some of the speakers was Alzheimer’s. I kept thinking, that is me. Yes, they are talking about me. I do that and I do this and I can’t remember , and on and on. Talk about paranoid. I always tell people I have the disease of not remembering, and I forgot the name of it. If I run into you on the street keep in mind that my thoughts are buried under layers of knowledge or imagination and I can’t always pull out the right word or thought.

On to bigger and better things. I see green things poking out of the ground and I honestly have one violet in my violet patch that is trying so hard to open. I don’t know about you, but I am ready for spring. I love all of our seasons, but winter could be shorter.

People often ask if we go south for the winter and I tell them we often get to Siren and maybe as far as Luck.

No time to travel, although the day will come when I can send postcards from exotic places. I just hope I can live long enough to see that day. Sending post cards from heaven is not unheard of, but difficult to do.

Ok, this is it for this month. It is 4:19 a.m. and I just caught my self snoring between sentences. Time to go back to bed before I have to get up to go to work.

Doesn’t that sound ridiculous. Go to bed just to get up. I guess that is better than the alternative though.

Going to bed not to get up is not a pleasant thing to think about.

One thing before I close. I want to say “goodbye” to my good friend Charlie Tollander. I have known him for a long time and my father and uncle knew him before I did. I will miss him, he was a good man.

Until next month, God Bless, Barb

PAGE 4 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

River Road Ramblings

collected by Russ Hanson

The new Trade Lake Baptist Church

by Stanley Selin The Trade Lake Baptist congregation felt they needed a new, larger church after almost 30 years of worship in the small church built in 1878. In December of 1908, special meetings were held with J. Dimmick Taylor, an evangelist and former sailor from Irene, Ill. As a result of these meetings, 40 new members were added. At this time, a decision was made to built a new church. It was built during 1909, and it was dedicated on Sunday, Oct. 31, 1909, with all-day services. The following excerpt was taken from the Oct. 29, 1909, edition of The Journal of Burnett County published in Grantsburg. It describes details of the construction project.

“The Swedish Baptist church congregation at Trade Lake have their beautiful new house of worship completed.

Next Sunday, this fine edifice will be dedicated. The new church is 52x64 feet.

The main auditorium is 36x52, finished with yellow pine. The ceiling is covered with stamped steel of a beautiful design.

The floor is laid with Oregon red fir. The seats in the auditorium are quartersawed oak made to contrast with the rest of the finish. The floor is raised from the front platform to the rear by 14 inches so that it is easy to see everywhere. At the rear of the auditorium there is an 18x36 classroom separated into two parts by roller partitions. The partitions can be raised so as to combine the two rooms into one, thus making one room that seats 500 people. The platform in front of the auditorium is 13x15 with a baptismal fountain in the rear. It is covered with ingrain carpet to match the carpet in front of the stage.

The halls are covered with a high grade of chinchilla colored carpet to match the rest of the finish. The basement floor is concrete, divided into three rooms, with the main room used for Sunday school classes.

“The ceiling is covered with corru-

The first parsonage was built in 1893. The old parsonage was used after the new church was built for about seven years until the new parsonage was built. The Sunday school class is shown by the old parsonage on the day of a picnic. All photos are from the Selin collection

gated iron painted white. The exterior of the church is Gothic in style. The tower is 10 feet square, 45 feet high, containing a 36-inch bell. The building is painted a light drab, with trimmings of a darker color. The lighting plant consists of a Stubbers generator, which supplies a fine brilliant light to the inside fixtures. The cost of the church was between $6,000 and $7,000, in addition to many extras, which were not added into the total cost. The building committee consisted of the following: the Rev H. Bergman, chairman; Mr. Ekdahl, clerk and treasurer; Axel Johnson; P. Faulk; Erick Lundeen; Oscar Fornell; and C. Tornblom.”

The new parsonage was completed in 1916.

The new Baptist church under construction.

The corner stone laying ceremony. F. O. Carlson and Andrew Peterson are sitting on the platform.

The newly completed Trade Lake Baptist Church at Four Corners in 1909.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 5

What am I Bid?

by Charlotte Lanham, Danbury The Indianhead section of Wisconsin was at its best one Saturday in June when soft white clouds billowed high and the day was so clear you could almost see into the next county.

We drove from Danbury to Bernice Frederic for the auction of Mr. Abrahamzon Al Brown’s estate.....”local artist, photographer and beekeeper” said the ad in the local paper. How intriguing! We had heard how Mr. B. once stood on top of the town’s new water tower to have his picture taken. Such an extraordinary character’s possessions should be of interest!

The two-story house in Frederic took up the center half of a city block. Once the edge of town, now it was surrounded by houses, a school and an apartment building for senior citizens. The broken front steps added to the desolate picture of what once had been equal to all else around. Bees swarmed the purple Phlox waving there in the overgrown front yard and dandelion seeds floated high in the air whenever the breeze swept the tall grass. Weeds, close around the house, had been scythed and raked into piles and now lay drying in the sun.

The house was now an empty shell but still held vestiges of the former tenant’s existence. Dirty fingerprints, paint smears and pictures of animals, people and buildings were stuck behind wall switches or taped to the kitchen woodwork. Curtains hung limp and close to filmy windows, their hems resting on sills thick with dust. A modern electric stove remained in the kitchen. Someone had written his name in the grease on the top surface.

People wandered through the house, opening closet doors and neglecting to close them. Orange flowered carpeting remained in the living room and lace curtains hung listlessly at the narrow windows. Though the doors stood wide open, there was a stale odor about the place. Upstairs, two old iron bedsteads with white paint chipped here and there, stood forlornly on bright blue carpeting. All other furniture had been previously sold or was strewn around outside the house for public inspection. A young, very pregnant girl rocked contentedly in one of the chairs on the lawn while an old lady chatted, telling her of the children she bore.

Inspecting boxes outside we took note of the unmatched sets of dishes, worn pots and pans, and the personal items there. A pair of high-top, black kid shoes, size five and a half, together with never worn toe rubbers, lay limp next to balls of crochet cotton and outing flannel gowns in a box. Rumor had it Mama B. ruled the family with a firm hand, but, as one viewer aptly remarked, “stomping her foot wouldn’t have been very effective in one who wore such tiny shoes.”

Thin silk georgette dresses with stripes of embossed velvet (circa the ‘50s) were tossed together with a knitted shawl, lace collars and cuffs and a few inches of knitted socks in bright blue, the long needles still firmly stuck through the ball of yarn. A gift box held an ivory comb, brush and mirror, now aged to cream color while being in storage in the attic.

There was honey … jars and jars of it. Some yet clear, but much of it having gone to sugar. Mr. B., the bank clerk told us, kept bees in the attic of the big barn. Sometimes he took them to the country in a mattress cover where he released them to gather clover nectar to improve the strain of honey with nectar of field flowers. In years past people brought their own jars to be filled for a dollar. Today they sold for four times that!

Once bidding s t a r t ed with the sing-song chant of the auctioneer, competitive fever took hold. We had come to bid on artist brushes. Our forty-five dollar limit passed quickly, soared to sixty, then seventyfive and we abandoned the idea of buying.

“What are YOU doing here?” asked a member of our local art class. Need she ask? We all wanted either the brushes, some of the tubes of paint or, maybe, one or more of the rococo gilt frames stacked beneath a tree at the edge of the lawn. Asking about art supplies prior to the sale, the short, thick-lipped little man who juggled boxes from here to there made it clear anything published in the sale flyer could not be sold before time!

“You gotta wait,” he muttered, “until it is offered in turn.” Waiting so long, we lost interest and became more fascinated watching the people.

After an old ‘68 Chevy car went for a thousand dollars, the auctioneer shouted, “We will move the truck around the house as items are sold. Now what am I bid for this perfectly good step ladder? Who will give

BEHIND THE

SIGNPOST

me a dollar? Fifty cents?” A voice from the back row was heard and the ladder was quickly passed back through the crowd. “Here yah are now!

Two antique cowbells. What am I bid?” An antique dealer picked them up for $7.50 each!

Local villagers made a social affair of the auction, gossiping with neighbors they had not seen for a while, swapping stories about the absent Browns and relating in detail their oddities.

“There’s yet a brother living in a home somewhere, and a couple of nephews,” remarked an old lady with a limp. We talked to a jovial man in the crowd who invited us to come see his place of business “on Main Street next to the liquor store,” he told us. When asked what business he was in, he laughingly told us he made antique tilt-top tables of Cherry which he sold for $140. “Come see my shop anyway,” he said as he departed.

Now the truck moved again, and the crowd with it. One mature lady sat on top of an interesting wood chest. He asked if she knew what was inside.

“No,” she said, “but let’s look.”

We lifted the lid and were both disappointed to find a collection of metal locks instead of quilts or other interesting household items. Having a captive audience now, she went on to tell us about her stroke seven years ago which left her hearing only “out of one ear” now! “Actually I came to look and see old friends and neighbors - not to bid. Mr. B., you know, had no inside plumbing,” she confided.

The sun grew hotter. The auctioneer often removed his big hat to smooth his hair, wiping the hatband, then replacing it on his head. He called to the crowd to keep the truck bed filled with boxes. Several more were obligingly hoisted up by the nearest men. Each time he shouted for bids the huge silver buckle on his wide leather belt moved back and forth over his pot belly. Sweltering there in the truck bed in his fancy Western clothes, he called to people he knew among the buyers asking what they intended doing with their purchases when they got back to Barron, to Lewis, to Danbury or wherever he knew they haled from as he wiped sweat from face and chin with the back of his hand.

A bearded young man with very black hair and uneven front teeth, told us the best way to get bargains at an auction was on a rainy day. “Crowds are smaller when weather is bad, the auctioneer is impatient to be done and go home, merchandise sells for less and people disperse faster,” he advised. Putting his arm around his wife, he whispered in her ear to bid on another just discovered box of honey. “Aside from the ecologist’s angle and how modern food is these days,” she said, “honey is much better for you than sugar.” The auctioneer called for quiet. People obeyed like school children anxious to please teacher.

Now the afternoon sun was making long shadows.

We found our way through the crowd to the car, to go home empty-handed. The day was well spent though I still wanted a clump of the purple Phlox. Driving home we promised ourselves to attend more auctions … on a rainy day, if possible!

(Reprinted from the booklet “May I Say Something?,” published 1992 by the NW Regional Writers.

Author Charlotte Lanham and her husband and daughter, Gail, moved to the Burlingame Lake area, coming from Indiana. They enjoyed their years here but eventually moved back to Indiana. This essay about Al Brown won first place in the club’s contest.

One year I wrote a feature article on Al Brown as a photographer, an artist, a beekeeper and sharpshooter. He was so pleased that after that I could do no wrong. If he wanted to put an ad in the Leader, I had to do it, although that was not my department.

If you have one of his paintings count yourself lucky. He is one of Frederic’s legends.

I hope someday the Frederic museum will feature him. I wish I knew the date of the auction.

The author, Charlotte Lanham, was a very observant writer. She had gone to her heavenly reward, and I have lost a good friend.

Al Brown was devoted to his mother. The lace collars had been hers. And the house? Long gone, replaced by a new, modern dwelling and a multitude of stories.

Until next week, Bernice

Do you remember ?

Compiled by Bernice Abrahamzon

50 Years Ago The motto is “Leader advertising doesn’t cost – it pays.”-The Frederic Golf Club would open Friday, May 30.-Specials at Olsen & Son Drug were snapshot cameras at $5.95, miniature Kodak cameras at $26.75 and Brownie movie cameras, $29.95.-Specials at the Frederic Farmers Co-op were fresh new cabbage at 8¢, white potatoes at 10 lbs. for 65¢, 3-lb. can picnic ham at $2.19 and sliced bacon at 69¢ lb.-A breakfast flight was available from Siren Airport.Joe Engelhart sold his trucking business to Orval Murphy.-The movie “Cinderella” was coming to the Frederic Theatre.-Stoppe Inn, just one mile south of Siren, was now open to the public, serving good southern-fried chicken, etc. They also had cabins for rent.-Ben Duncan had an auction set for June 7.Clayton Gamble Store was going out of business with many specials on paint and wallpaper, auto supplies, hardware, appliances, ladies dresses, dishes, kettles, cookware, used gas stoves and refrigerators, bicycles, etc.-A saddle horse sale was set for June 1 at the Clear Lake Livestock Market.-Ivahmarie Friberg was awarded a scholarship at Whitewater State College.-Clam Falls Lutheran Church set a bake sale for June 7 at the Chevy Garage, Frederic.

40 Years Ago Webster graduates would hear the former school administrator, George Meyers.-Honors were extended to top three students, Webster, including Paula Daniels, Robin Carlson and Connie Pardun.Bob Ryan will address the graduates at the Siren School.-Specials at the Clover Farm Store, Frederic, included Cheerios at 39¢ for a 10-1/2-oz. box, 35¢ for a 10-oz. box of Twinkies and Jewel pure shortening at 3 lbs. for 49¢.-Top 10 senior students at Luck: Beth Anderson, Miriam Peterson, Pam Erickson, Jeanette Hendricks, Randy Kunze, Barbara Jorgensen, Lois Hedlund, Christy Petersen, Sharon Hacker and Connie Anderson.-The Luck Theatre would reopen June 7. It had been vacant the past two years. It had been purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Art Bierman.-Specials at Route’s Super Market, Frederic, were 2 heads of lettuce at 25¢, liver sausage at 39¢ lb., longhorn cheese at 69¢ lb. and wieners at 49¢ lb.-Specials at the Frederic Co-op Super Market were bananas at 2 lbs. for 25¢, oranges at 27 for $1 and pansies at 12 count for 89¢.-A memorial weekend dance was set for May 30 at Yellow Lake Lodge.-Siren residents would hear Major Nordin at Memorial Day Service..

20 Years Ago Hazel Lund observed her 90th birthday in church of her baptism at Bone Lake Lutheran Church.-The Swedish Folk Dance group played to a large group at Frederic.-Patrick Randolph of Danbury was going to Ecuador for study seminar offered by Beloit College.-Optometrists, Salvation Army, offer low-cost eyeglasses.-Wild Bill’s Sports Center was the Business of the Week at Webster.-The Siren School would become smoke-free.-It’s dry and forest rangers, farmers feel the heat and emergency fire rules were in effect.-The Frederic queen pageant would feature 12 candidates including Dawn Lindberg, Maribeth Shearrow, Jennifer Olby, Jennifer Wedin, Linda Sanborn, Barbara Hinrichs, Lisa Houston, Becky Morsching, Shawn Crandell, Patty Carlson, Brenda Zbleski and Eileen Doleh.-Robin Haner kept watch from the fire tower off of CTH W.Business of the Week was the earliest Polk County real estate firm still in existence, Baker Land Title Company, St. Croix Falls. Tom Bonneville and Tom Christensen were involved in the business.-Playhouse 46 announced the menu for dinner shows.-A Fine Arts Festival was set for May 10 at Frederic.

PAGE 6 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER Hello, folks! Blacky here from Humane Society of Burnett County. Well, all is forgiven, and I’m back to feeling like my old self again. Yeah, I might not have gotten a plate of pasta, but my pals at the shelter got a lot of assistance and support from the community.

I forget sometimes I have it pretty easy Blacky and tend to be spoiled. One thing I have to mention, though. Wonderous is our great blue ship that sails around the mighty sun, but a writer YAPpenings can still goof up an acknowledgement. In last week’s story about our fundraiser, Ms. Gardner’s hat’s-off to the providers of food for the dinner should have said, among the others, Marketplace Foods, Grantsburg, and the Moose Lodge, not the Grantsburg Moose Lodge. I bet she’s not feeling so smug about that dumb picture she took of me now.

Ha! You see? If I would have been able to attend, I could have written about it, and it would have been correct!

Rookies...

Anyway, I’m over that now. And, moving on, I’d like to tell you about some new arrivals at the shelter. Spring

SHELTER

has sprung, and so have the springers, it seems. I have three new friends at the shelter, and two of them are springer spaniels.

Woody is a year-old male springer/German shorthair pointer mix. His coat is shorter than a typical springer, and his markings make him resemble a spotted cow. Appelonia is a female springer spaniel and is also a year old. These two came in as strays and will be available for adoption by the time you read this if they are not claimed beforehand. They are a nice-looking pair and nice dogs, to boot. Speaking of boots, that brings me to Kodiak. He is a Brittany spaniel/black Lab mix. He’s black with a white chest and four white boots. He’s got built-in reflectors when he goes for a walk at night! Kodiak was surrendered to us, and he tells me he would prefer to be adopted by someone without any other animals. He says he likes kids, though. I guess he just doesn’t like to share the spotlight.

It’s become a crowded house here at the shelter with all my friends. A couple more of the little ones went home, but there’s still a big variety of furry pals that are waiting for a new home, young and old(er). They are all dreaming about having a yard to play in and going for the occasional swim with someone who thinks they are the

Siren

349-2964

Can you believe Mother Nature this year? I think she must be slipping because Old Man Winter seems to be hanging around, we still have some mighty cold nights and not too warm days. It’s time for her to do her job and bring in some much-needed warm weather. Why, even the trees seem to be baffled. They still look like they are waiting for winter to return. Where are the leaves? Will we miss out on summer all together this year?

Sympathy to the family of Dennis Winslow who passed away April 22.

Sympathy to the family of Elvin Heinz who passed away April 26.

Art and Bev Beckmark and a group of 46 others from Siren, Grantsburg, Webster, Hudson, Milltown and Ellendale, and some from St. Paul, Ostego, New Hope, Pine City and Alborn, Minn., took off on Sunday, April 27, for a seven-day tour to Nashville through the Siren Methodist Church. They toured Nashville, stopped at the Grand Ole Opry, toured the Lorretta Lynn ranch, the Belle Mead’s

Ardyce Knauber

games and refreshments were served.

Saturday Share-A-Lunch and birthday of the month were celebrated with a buffet dinner and birthday cake with afternoon coffee. Bingo and cards were enjoyed. The bingo players were happy to have our special friend Richard Hansen call their bingo numbers. The May birthdays are Irene Chasensky, Lucille Soderberg, Christine Akerlind and Calvin King.

We miss Dellories Potter and wish her a speedy recovery.

A special Mother’s Day wish to all mothers. Have a happy day.

Birth announcements A girl, Lila Rae, born Sunday, May 4, 2008, to Andy and Nicole Tricker of Minneapolis. Lila weighed 6 lbs., 10 oz. and was 20-1/4 inches long. Her grandparents are Al Tricker and Ramona Tretsven of Atlas, Sandy and Gary King of Frederic, Mary Anderson and Steve Soelzer of Rapid City, S.D., and great-grandmother, Lila Mae Joyce Tricker of Luck.

•••

Born at Burnett Medical Center: A girl, Addison Mae Blaiser, born April 30, 2008, to Eric and Chrisina Blaiser, Pine City, Minn. Addison weighed 7 lbs., 3 oz. and was 21 inches long. Siblings are Dakotah, age 9, Evan, age 2, and Nicholas, age 1. Grandparents are Tom and MaryJo Blaiser, Lindstrom, Minn., Sharon Blaiser, West St. Paul, and Don and Dawn Hinrichs, Brook Park, Minn. Great-grandmother is Ruth Kropelnicki, Mendota Heights, Minn.

•••

Born at St. Croix Regional Medical Center: A boy, Blake Norman Lenard Olsen, born Feb. 4, 2008, to Shawn and Jessica Olsen, and sister, Jenique, Grantsburg. Blake weighed 6 lbs.

••• A girl, Lillian Mae Anderson, born April 22, 2008, to Nicole Dargiewicz and Jon Anderson, Centuria. Lillian weighed 7 lbs., 1 oz.

••• A girl, Neela Mae Chadwick, born April 23, 2008, to Jim and Shari Chadwick, Frederic. Neela weighed 8 lbs., 1 oz.

•••

Engagement

plantation, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Wild Horse Saloon for line dancing, the Cedarhurst Arts Center, several theater shows plus lots of shopping time. All in all, a great time was had by all with a lot of new friendships made.

Mark your calendars for May 17 and 18, as Siren will be celebrating their annual Lilac Fest. There will be more info on this coming event next week.

Congratulations to middle schooler Tricia Kopecky and high schooler Emily Muus for being chosen Siren Schools students of the week.

Congratulations to this year’s Siren Prom Royalty. King Tyler Johnson and Queen Janey Emery plus the rest of the prom court.

Don’t forget Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 11. Take time to let your mom know just how special she is for all she does.

Frederic Senior Center Spades was played on Monday, April 28, with the following winners: Jim Bly in first place, Lillian Murphy in second place, Eleanor Bonneville in third place and Lola Hinschberger in fourth place.

Tuesday Whist was enjoyed and other favorite cards games were played.

Wednesday pokeno group as always enjoyed playing together and refreshments and fellowship.

Thursday 500 cards was enjoyed with the following winners: Arvid Pearson in first place, Betty Wilson in second place, Myrna Weik in third place and Nina Vold in fourth place.

Friday was the monthly meeting with 19 members attending. Pokeno was played and other favorite cards

Bev Beckmark

star of the show. Same for the cats, errr...except for the swimming part. It frustrates me that people don’t take more responsbility for their pets by having them spayed or neutered. They don’t think about the little guys and girls that wind up in a shelter and wait and wait for someone to give them a new home. It’s sad.

Stepping down from my box of treats, I want to remind you all we’ve got another event coming up at the end of the month. Yep, it’s the shelter’s wine and cheese event at the Trade Lake Winery in Frederic. Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 31. There will be live music, as well, to listen to as you delight your palate with some vino and a variety of cheese. I chuckle when I imagine a cheese tasting party for dogs. Everything would be swallowed whole, and human fingers would probably be injured in the process of handing out cheese. I suppose that’s why there are no such parties for dogs.

Well, that’s all the news I have this week. Enjoy the nice weather, and get out and walk a dog!

HSBC is saving lives, one at a time. www.hsburnettcty.org 715-866-4096

A girl, Tatiyana Apryl Holm, born April 23, 2008, to Brittney and Michael Holm, Balsam Lake. Tatiyana weighed 7 lbs., 1 oz.

••• A boy, Oliver Ray Slather, born April 24, 2008, to John and Sierra Slather, Frederic. Oliver weighed 7 lbs., 2 oz.

••• A boy, Ayden Thomas Peterson, born April 24, 2008, to Erin and T.J. Peterson, St. Croix Falls. Ayden weighed 6 lbs., 6 oz.

••• A boy, Ethan Bradley Gardner, born April 25, 2008, to Amy Gardner, Pine City, Minn. Ethan weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz.

••• A girl, Amelia Grace Chartrand, born April 25, 2008, to Sarah and Andy Chartrand, Frederic. Amelia weighed 7 lbs., 9 oz.

••• A girl, Alexis Shae Witthoft, born April 26, 2008, to Meekin and Christopher Witthoft, Centuria. Alexis weighed 7 lbs., 1 oz.

••• A girl, Ashley Joy Winn, born April 26, 2008, to Timothy and Heidi Winn, Golden Valley, Minn. Ashley weighed 7 lbs., 9 oz.

•••

Krueger/Lillie Jeff and Mary Jo Krueger, St. Croix Falls, and Sherman and Joann Lillie, Luck proudly announce the engagement of children Bryn and Ryan.

Bryn and Ryan are planning an Aug. 23, wedding in St. Croix Falls. – submitted

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 7

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER 653-4281 The two-day rummage sale held Friday and Saturday at the Lewis Church went fine. One member who collected china Holstein cows and cow collectibles donated her collection and it filled a whole table. Morning customers bought many of them, and later other customers bought a great number. The few remaining ones will be displayed during Charles E. Lewis Days the second weekend in August.

Many Christmas items will be donated to Operation Christmas when the time comes.

Rummage sales are a lot of work, but they are also a lot of fun. We usually have an impromptu style show and a few laughs, too.

Debby Lenz Easton of Hayward, daughter of Mickey and Charles Lenz, operate a religious gift shop in Hayward, and for the last few years have donated wonderful items from the shop, including boxes of new Christmas cards, Biblical figurines, books, cassettes, pictures, etc. All much appreciated.

Every year a talented craftsman makes bluebird houses as well as houses for other kinds of birds.

Many items are given anonymously. This year clothes are especially popular sales items.

We are fortunate to have good and dedicated workers.

It takes two days to move tables and lay everything out and a day to pack things away. As we pack we remember the Good Will, books for the Frederic Library, etc. Nothing is wasted.

The United Methodist women will meet Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Lewis Church. The most recent gift of the group is a gift of money to the CRA. A questionnaire was passed out to the church congregation to fill out to determine church goals and needs, things we would like to see happen within the church. Robin Peterson studied the program and prepared the questions and handed out the forms. Please fill them out and return to church by next Sunday.

A Waiting Child

John John is a bright, energetic and talented 8-year-old African-American boy. He shows a great deal of artistic ability, and he enjoys drawing as one of his favorite pastimes. John is aware of his style sense and is very particular about being dressed in neat, clean, trendy attire. It is with certainty that John has a strong desire to be loved, accepted and acknowledged as an individual with problems rather than an individual who is a problem. John is fun loving, carefree and a delight to be around. He was born on June 10, 1999.

Christopher Christopher is an extremely bright and energetic 4year-old African-American boy. He has an innocent face and a smile that works to his advantage, often helping him minimize consequences for mischief. He is enrolled in Head Start. He is outspoken and fluent most of the time, but can be selectively shy sometimes.

Overall, Christopher is a joy to have around. He has an ability to brighten up even the cloudiest of days.

He was born April 29, 2004.

For more information about John and Christopher, or other children waiting for adoptive homes, call Adoption Resources of Wisconsin, 800-762-8063, or visit the Web sire at www.wiadopt.org.

Lewis

Bernice Abrahamzon

LeRoy Jones has been a patient at the hospital in Grantsburg, being treated for pneumonia. Wishing him well.

Also, Many Jane Johnson is preparing for knee surgery on May 6. Wishing you good healing.

Preliminary plans are being made for the Third-Annual Tent Revival during Charles E. Lewis Day the second week in August.

The NW Regional Writers will meet Friday, May 9, at Sunrise Apts., Frederic at 1 p.m. Assignment: Write a menu topped off with a fancy Over the Rainbow Menu dessert described in flowery language. Welcome!

On Saturday trout fishermen found streams are out of their banks what with all the snow and then rain.

Hunters are looking to turkey season.

Mickey Lenz Glockzin is recuperating at home following surgery at St. Croix Falls. Best wishes to her.

One more comment about our recent church rummage sale: a new collectible is metal spice cans. Someone donated some empty ones, and I almost threw them away and then I coaxed a friend to buy them as a future investment. Who would have thought?

Connor is a 9-month-old springerretriever mix male pup. He has a beautiful black coat with wavy curls and expressive brown eyes. Connor is a happy-go-lucky fellow. He adores attention and wants nothing more than to be included in your day and adventures. He will make an excellent family pet, good with kids of all Arnell ages. In fact, his No. 1 quality is his Humane sweet nature. He is waiting for the perfect adopter to make his dream of Society belonging in a family come true.

It was a busy week at the animal shelter. Adoptions and people looking for the right companion is the kind of busy we like to see, and that’s just what happened. The phone was ringing off the hook for Winston and Buckshot. One lady called from Washington state. Winston found a great home in the county with 160 acres and a family that spends a lot of time outdoors.

Winston said he had hit the jackpot. He was so anxious to see his new domain, he hardly stopped to say goodbye. Actually, we are used to that. As much as we come to love the animals we care for at the shelter, we are glad to see them leave to find a better life. The shelter is a

great place to recover and regroup, but hopefully it is only a short pit stop.

Baxter found a new home with two kids and a single mom. He didn’t care for kennel life so much and had taken up residence in our employee lounge on the sofa. I’m sure he is enjoying the luxury of sleeping on some lucky kid’s bed now.

Three kittens found new homes. Kittens are easy to place. The big story is that adult cat adoptions outpaced the kitten adoptions with four adult cats finding new people to pamper. Ross, Skyler, Carmen and Gizmo all went home. These are happy days at the shelter. Remember that whenever a kennel opens up after an adoption, we are able to help another pet in need of a place to regroup and reinvent themselves with a second chance. Consider a shelter animal whenever you find yourself in need of a lifetime furry companion.

Arnell Memorial Humane Society, Amery, 715 2687387 or visit our adoptable pets online: arnellhumane.org

HAPPY TAILS

AWAIT

Amery Senior Center May sure started off beautiful! Waking up to warm air and blue skies was a welcome change, hopefully spring will stay awhile before summer hits!

As always, there is a lot going on down and Amery Centennial Hall and Senior Center. The Amery Area Scrap N’ Stamper’s group is growing, but there is always room for more! The cost is $12 for the year and FREE for center members! On April 15, the Scrap N’ Stampers did their first community service project. The group got together to do 100 prom invites and tickets for Clayton’s Prom. With a great group and wonderful snacks to fuel us, we were done in no time. Thanks so much to the following volunteers who helped: Andy Friberg, who coordinated the project, Nicci Bussiere from Clayton’s Prom Committee, Justina DeNucci, who is also Nicci’s mom, Sara Goldstein, Danielle Carlson, Lois Lovegren, Ann Richter, Angie Tiry, Tara Petter, Bonnie Keller and Sandy Volrath. Great work!

You will soon be able to see a picture of the event on the senior center Web site at www.ameryasc.org.

On Tuesday, May 13, there will be a trip to the Minnesota Arboretum. This is going to be a wonderful trip and there are still a few seats available. Call today to reserve your spot.

Amery Visually Impaired Persons Group will meet at the center on Thursday, May 22 at 1:30pm. If you or someone you know is visually impaired, please mark your calendar.

There is a lot of information shared at these meetings that is very helpful!

Are you wondering about long-term care for yourself or a loved one? There will be an informational seminar on long-term care on Thursday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. It is never too soon to become informed.

Happy birthday to all who celebrate in May. The monthly birthday party was held on Thursday, May 1. Thank you so much to our wonderful crew of kitchen volunteers – Judith Alles, Lois Lovegren, Lois Lovegren, Jerry Fisher, Mary Leslie, Wendell and Ginny Anderson, Carol Osetrloh and Paul Khuley.

And what would a week be without a great gang of pool and bridge players? The winners for Wednesday Bridge were Shirley Klopotek in first place, Bev Vetter in second, Helen O’Neill in third, Mary Delougherty in fourth and in fifth place was Madeline Michelson.

Monday’s bridge winners were Sydney Lund in first and Sharon Paulson in second. Our pool winners for this week were Carl Johnson in first place, Val Hansen in second and third place went to Jerry Fisher. Congratulations to all our winners this week.

Dewey - LaFollette 468-2940

Karen Mangelsen

Karen Mangelsen visited Marlene and Bruce Swearingen Thursday afternoon.

Hank and Karen Mangelsen went to River Falls Friday afternoon. They attended the spring program of granddaughter Celie Mangelsen.

Don and Lida Nordquist were guests at the home of Jim and Jan Schott in Frederic Saturday. They helped granddaughter Hannah celebrate her seventh birthday.

Mark and Sue Hines were Saturday and Sunday visitors of Donna and Gerry Hines.

Inez and Arvid Pearson visited Lida and Don Nordquist Saturday afternoon.

Visitors of Karen and Hank Mangelsen over the weekend at various times were Randy, Jake, Larry, Grace, Baxter, Hannah and Celie Mangelsen, Mandy Patty, Dave and April Close, Beth Crosby and Ed Meister.

Beverly Brunclik had supper with Judy Albee Saturday.

Gerry and Donna Hines were supper guests of Don and Lida Nordquist Sunday. Later Hank and Karen Mangelsen and Nina and Lawrence Hines came to visit, and they all played cards.

Judy Albee visited Beth Crosby Sunday.

The annual meeting of the Hertel Lakeview Cemetery Association will be held Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m. at the Hertel Lakeview UM Church.

PAGE 8 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

TOWN TALK/COUNTRY CHATTER 866-4334 Gladys Beers, Jane Wardean, Margel Ruck and I set up tables and decorated the center and tree on Monday after lunch, in preparation for Tuesday’s Red Hat luncheon.

Twenty-six ladies from the Ravishing Rubies Red Hat Society enjoyed the delicious meal served by Deb on Tuesday amid much laughter and lots of jokes and stories told. After singing the Red Hat song, birthday greetings were extended to Gladys Beers and Faye Russ for their April birthdays. Each received a birthday gift from Queen Mother Mary Klar. It was nice to have Maxine Peterson back with us again.

I know that after she retires in January she will be with us more often. Eldora Brown gave a reading on “Grandmother’s Old Armchair.” Because April is the 10th anniversary of the Red Hat Society, I splurged a little and had eight door prizes that were won by Margel Ruck, Jane Wardean, Maxine Peterson, Helen Sellman, Donna Doriott, Elva Hughes, Donna Lehman and Millie Hopkins. Mary Lou Peterfeso won the Ms. Cindy Bear that sings “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” that was donated by Vice Queen Mother Jeanette Olson. Dee Trautman and Eldora Brown won plates of cake donated by Deb, and Jane Wardean was the winner of the drawing for the Red Hat Society Cookbook published by founder Queen Mother Sue Ellen Cooper containing more than 1,000 recipes from the world’s “most divine ladies.” Two good quotes from the book were “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for your steak to cook” by Julie Childs, and “My next house will have no kitchen – just vending machines,” by an anonymous donor.

The Red Hat Society is a “disorganization” filled with ladies who lunch and are ready to enjoy leisurely times with like-

Webster Senior Center minded friends. They have done their time in carpool lanes, have completed their duties as personal chefs, domestic engineers and corporate executives, and are ready for silliness as comic relief of life, and they go for the gusto together. All their life they have done for others, and now it is their turn to do it just for themselves.

Each lady also received a frosted red hat sugar cookie and chocolate treats donated

by Gladys Beers. For dessert the ladies enjoyed the chocolate marble cake made

by Deb served with ice cream. The next Ravishing Rubies Red Hat luncheon will be at noon on Tuesday, May 27, at the Woodland Grill located in the new Grantsburg Mall on Hwy. 70. I hear tell that the food there is great.

Three tables of liver lovers enjoyed the meal prepared and served by subcook Nikki Quernemoen on Wednesday and it was so tender you could cut it with your fork. Ray Buggert of Grantsburg ate lunch with his mom, Mildred, and since he was celebrating his 60th birthday, Nikki served him a piece of cake and we all sang and wished him a happy birthday. Good job, Nikki! Eleven ladies played dime bingo in the afternoon and enjoyed eating the refreshments furnished by Mary Klar. Deb took a vacation day and attended a birthday party for great-nieces Tiffany age 4, and Sidney Gronski age 2, at their home in Grantsburg.

Harold Peterson, Pat O’Brien and Chuck Lehman were happy to have Rod Hopkins back from Texas to play pool with them on Thursday evening. Jane Wardean, Theresa Gloege, Gladys Beers, Nancy O’Brien, Margel Ruck and Donna Lehman also had a great time playing cards, and furnished the goodies for everyone to munch on while playing. I was absent as I was visiting my daughter Barbara and Rod-

Cloverton-Markville At the monthly meeting of the East Pine County Wanderers in April, county Commissioner Roger Nelson was our special guest. Nelson did a fine job of fielding questions on fire department jurisdictions, county-based purchasing, new septic rules being mandated by the state and the county coordinator position. We thank him for taking the time to attend our meeting.

Shirley and Jerry Blokzyl brought the birthday cake and door prize for the meeting. The door prize, a cute little jug with “gas money” printed on it, was won by Esther Vink. The Blokzyls had tucked a $5 bill into the jug. April birthdays included Frank Schaaf, Jim Vink and Dave Baker.

Two other special guests to the meeting were Cheryl and Dean Wickham, new residents to Markville. They purchased Sandy and Darrell Vink’s home and moved up from Minn. We welcome them to our community.

When Ruth and Gary Ament, along with Pam and Leon Berg and Shirley and Don Flaa went to the annual Pioneer Power Swap Meet, they were not expecting it to be a winter camping excursion. This big event, held in LeSeur, Minn., each year still proved to be a lot of fun. The group left on a Wednesday and the weather got progressively worse each day, culminating in snow on Saturday. Each couple went to the meet in their camper. Space for setting up is provided in a big field down there.

The Aments, in particular, had several bad experiences. First, the generator ran out of gas, then they ran out of propane, and, finally, out of heat. Gary took care of each of these problems as they came up, while Ruth, who had brought her sewing machine with her, used the time to work on her quilts.

When their son, Mark, turned 50-years old down in Blaine, Minn., recently, Helen and Jim Allen attended the big party that was held for him. Although it was brutally cold, over 50 people came to celebrate and the Allens had a great day.

Sandi and Dave Drake attended the 100th anniversary of her childhood church last weekend. Bethany Lutheran Church

in South Minneapolis is also the church the Drakes were married in. Sandi saw many friends that she had not seen for as many as 45 years and enjoyed the luncheon they attended.

Shirley Blokzyl is still reminiscing about the wonderful time she had with her daughter, Janice, and her family in Madrid, N.Y. The three grandchildren are doing so well and getting so big.

Jerry had his annual physical checkup last week and learned that he is continuing to do well.

When her grandson, Josh, came from Colorado for an afternoon, Deloris Schirmer says they had a wonderful time.

She fixed him his favorite food, cheeseburgers, for lunch, then they went for a walk in the woods, and, in general, just enjoyed a nice long visit.

Josh is an interesting young man. At age 25 and single, he lives and works at a resort in Colorado. During the winter, he drives the shuttle bus for the tourists, then in the summer months, he is the fishing guide.

Vicki Elliott took husband Todd to the buffet at the Grand Casino to celebrate his 43rd birthday last week. Todd had his favorite all-you-can-eat steak.

After the meal, they went up to Sandstone to visit with daughter Candy and granddaughter Raven.

Pam Elliott and daughter Jessie and the two grandchildren went shopping at the Miller Hill Mall last week.

Speaking of birthdays, Peggy Coveau took Pam to the Fish Bowl in Danbury to celebrate Pam’s recent birthday. Pam says she is still 39 years old.

On the home front, the young people from the Cities have wrapped up their second-annual maple syrup session on state forestland located off the minimum maintenance road at the end of Hay Creek Road.

They made more brown sugar than syrup this year. One of the young men hopes to be a potter, so he spent a day at Pearson’s Art Works in Cozy Corner, working with Marty Pearson in his studio.

Fire up your kiln, wherever you are.

Mary Klar

ney Preddy and granddaughter Mary Jane at Menomonie on Thursday and Friday.

Sandy Wohletz took her mother, Dorothy Jones of St. Paul, Minn., to attend the funeral of her cousin, Clifford Anderson, on Friday at Clear Lake.

The American Legion Auxiliary Otis Taylor Post 96 had a successful turnout for their annual rummage and bake sale on Friday and Saturday at the Webster Community Center. They were very appreciative of the donated items.

The next Dining at Five evening meal and combination annual volunteer recognition awards dinner is on Thursday, May 8, at 5 p.m. Please call 866-5300 to make your reservation no later than Wednesday.

Deb is serving chicken kiev, baked potato with sour cream, asparagus cuts with hollandaise sauce, Caeser salad, rolls, and apple pie squares.

Special thanks go to Sandy Wohletz for donating Kleenex tissues for the ladies room; and Mary Klar – 5-qt. pail of ice cream for the nutrition program.

Our get-well wishes and prayers go to John Culver, Sam Williamson, Sue Becker, Thelma Klugow, George (Mick) Sears, Barb Lemire, and Antone and Jeremy Gronski. Our sympathy and prayers also go out to the families of Clifford Anderson,

Fran Krause

John Nagy and Elvin (Al) Hinze in their recent passing. And also to Mercelia Studeman and family in the tragic accidental death of her 2-1/2-year-old great-granddaughter, Liah Schaaf.

When we think of the vastness of the heavens with its billions of stars and galaxies, and the earth and sun and moon, if we could slip away to a spot where the only sound was our own heartbeat and the only sight the canopy of the stars, we could hear a message from those heavens. We could hear with the ears of our innermost being the noiseless testimony of God’s breathtaking creation. Psalm 19:1 states “The heavens declare the glory of God.” How can anyone think that all of God’s creation just happened by chance? The fingerprints of a master designer are on all creation. Time and random chance could never result in such a perfect plan. “The heavens reveal the power of God to everyone living on earth; His handiwork speaks of his splendor and care, and makes us consider his worth.” – Sper. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God!” – Psalm 14:1. “Oh, Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the world thy hands have made…Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee, how great thou art, gow great thou art! See you at the center!

Orange

Sympathy to the family of Albert Doriott whose funeral was on Tuesday, May 6.

Bryan Krause was part of the percussion group in the state contest in Eau Claire on Saturday, May 3. Mark and Dee Krause attended and spent the weekend to celebrate their anniversary.

Sunday Fran Krause, Dee and Kathryn Krause attended the mother-daughter salad supper at Bethany Lutheran Church.

Mallory Peterson spent the weekend at home from college.

Iola Rachner, Darlene Nelson and Maxine Stone spent Thursday and Friday with

LaVonne O’Brien

Doris Schauer.

Tuesday Pat and Nancy O’Brien and Jack and LaVonne O’Brien met Jack’s sister-in-law, Vi O’Brien, and his nephew, George, in St. Cloud, Minn., for lunch.

Sunday Jack and LaVonne attended the piano recital in Frederic in which Tylyn O’Brien participated.

Nancy O’Brien’s son, Matt Lindberg, and grandson, Nolan, from Colorado, spent the fishing weekend with Pat and Nancy O’Brien. Also there was Nancy’s son, Dan Lindberg, and grandson, Noah, from the Cities.

St. Croix Valley Senior Center The Tuesday afternoon domino winners were Jean McIntyre in first place, Don Anderson in second place, Ione Meixner in third place. 500 card winners were: Pete Schlosser In first place, Lonnie Jones in second place, Mildred Lindberg in third place, Ron Flostrand in fourth place and Jeanne Olaon in filth place.

The center is for rent for parties for confirmation, graduation, wedding showers, family get-togethers and birthday parties.

Contact Joyce Nelson at 715-483-3466.

Forgiveness Sometimes we hold grudges because we cannot let go-at-something that upset us. Holding grudges can ruin friendships and make us unhappy. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting how we were wronged.

It means accepting thai everyone makes mistakes. Forgiveness lets us move for-

ward. Let go of a grudge you-have been holding. Talk out the problem and forgive.

Apologize to someone you have hurt. Ask for forgiveness. Quit beating yourself up for a mistake you made. Forgive yourself.

When you make a mistake, apologize and make things right. Remember everyone makes mistakes. Forgiveness can help your relationships grew. Forgiveness is not an occasional act, It is a permanent attitude.

Our garage sale is June 27 and 28. We are accepting items. So if you have items you no longer use or want, would be happy to get them. Just give Joyce a call at 4833466.

Thursday evening 500 card winners were: Lonnie Jones in first place, Nina Hooverman in second place, Lloyd Knutson in third place and JoAnn Gehrman in fourth place.

Luck Senior Center Hello from the Luck Senior Center. Sorry I didn’t have any news for the paper last week, must have had a senior moment, again. I forgot. Oh well, there wasn’t much news anyway.

This last week was about the same. If it’s raining, folks don’t want to come out and get wet, if it’s nice and sunny, people are busy getting work done outside. Well, just remember we are open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Take a break and come on in. If things work out, we might start being open on Fridays, starting in June.

Oh yeah, two more snowbirds have come back to the nest. Welcome home Sylvia and Gayland.

Sunday was a beautiful day, I got home from church, had a snack, took a short nap

and then got busy and spring cleaned by car. Spring has finally sprung.

Friday, May 9, Luck Senior Center is hosting a get-together with other senior centers in the area. I hope we get a good turnout. We will have coffee and goodies served. I think it will be very interesting meeting people from other senior centers and finding out how they are doing and getting some ideas on how to better our center. Mark this date on your calendar, Friday, May 9, at 2 p.m.

That’s all for now, keep smiling.

“If it wasn’t for your father, would your mother be your mother, so remember dad on Mother’s Day” (old song sung by Arthur Godfrey).

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there!

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 9

Siren writers break record Seven Siren students win gold prizes in prestigious writing awards SIREN—The fact that, in past years, up to two of her students have won a Scholastic Writing Award impressed English teacher Jodi McLain Richards.

Siren School District is, after all, very small, and students nationwide enter around 100,000 writing pieces each year.

Scholastic runs the most prestigious writing contest for writers 18 and under.

But this year, seven brought home Gold Key regional prizes. Not only that, students won in three categories, which shows that Siren’s writing education is well-diversified. The students are: Seventh grade: Raven Emery—poetry collection Hunter Wikstrom—memoir Eighth grade: Luke Bollant—poetry collection Will Haines—poetry collection Abigail Mitchell—poetry collection

Evan Oachs—memoir Ninth grade: Jacob Stiemann—journalism One of the biggest complaints society lodges against schools is that students don’t graduate as independent writers.

But Richards is determined to change that, at least in her corner of the world in Siren. Students in her course undergo rigorous writing practice each week.

One of the backbones of Richards’ middle school program has been the writer’s workshop, during which students must create final, perfected drafts of writing in at least four genres: poetry, memoir, literary analysis, and research.

She hopes they feel great accomplishment when a piece is finished, because they don’t get off easily. They generally revise several drafts and then edit the final product until it meets publishable quality.

“I believe education should mirror the real world,” Richards said. “In the real world, people won’t take a writer seriously if her work is illogical or littered with errors. I want my students to be serious about themselves and to prove that they can achieve real-world success.”

These pieces not only fulfill the state

Siren students (L to R) Jake Stiemann, Luke Bollant, Will Haines, Hunter Wikstrom, Abby Mitchell, Evan Oachs, and Raven Emery won prestigious writing prizes based upon pieces crafted in teacher Jodi McLain Richards’ class. – standards but also quench the kinds of creative expression that compel middleschool-aged kids.

Scholastic prizes are awarded to a select few students based upon: 1. Originality, 2. Technique and 3. Emergence of

a personal vision or voice.

The art and writing awards have existed since 1923, and, since that time, the Gold Key has symbolized great artistic achievement.

ACS Luck Area Finish Line run/walk to be held May 10 LUCK – Saturday, May 10, is the Luck Area annual American Society one-, three- or five-mile Finish Line Run/Walk at Luck High School co-sponsored by Amery Regional Medical Center, Larsen Auto Center and St. Croix Valley Hardwoods. Pledge and registration forms are available at Rural American Bank and Wayne’s Foods Plus in Luck. Send preregistration of $5 to Jaime Anderson, 1512 Lake Ave., Luck, WI 54853 or drop off at Rural American Bank. You may also register on the day of the event from

8-9 a.m. for $10.

Prizes for individual top money-raisers include one-night stays and dinner for two at St. Croix Casino, Turtle Lake, $50 gift certificate to Van Meters Meats, Luck and $50 gift certificate to Calderwood Lodge, Bone Lake. A traveling trophy is awarded to the team that raisers the most money. Luck Lutheran Church currently holds this title. T-shirts are given to each participant raising $60 or more.

Team pictures will be taken in the

school gym from 8-9 a.m. Please arrive with all team members in time to have this done. The walk begins at 9:15 a.m. with this years honorary chairpersons, Janise and Dale Skow, and a Luck fire truck leading the way. Refreshments, provided by local businesses, will be available before and after the walk.

Cancer survivors are asked to stop by the survivor table to be specially recognized.

Bob Kreutzin will be available with water and to assist any weary walkers.

He will be driving a red pickup with an

American Cancer Society poster in a window.

If you are unable to participate in this event, consider supporting a walker/runner with a donation, purchasing Tribute Flags (contact Marcia Anderson 715-472-8478), Foot A Bucks at local businesses, raffle tickets for queensize crocheted bedspread made by Janise Skow or fresh cinnamon rolls made by Margie Nelson. Both are available at Rural American Bank for a $10 donation.

- submitted

Woodworking class The Siren pre-K program had a woodworking night Tuesday, April 29.

Dads and grandpas built a woodworking bench for the classroom with the children.

The wood was donated by Johnson Lumber. – Photos submitted

PAGE 10 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

POLK COUNTY LIBRARY NEWS Milltown Public Library Community game day Play at the library Saturday, May 10!

We’ll have games available for all ages and all interests. Try out our new Wii with 10 awesome games, or wow the crowd by trying “Rock Band” on PlayStation. We also have six computers to play our recommended collection of Web-based, family-friendly games. If you prefer unplugged gaming, you can spend the time playing Scrabble, checkers, Connect Four, cards or Jenga.

Free beverages will be available to quench your thirst. Videogames are available on a first-come, first-served basis – players can sign up on site to play the games they want. Never played a Wii – or don’t know what a Wii is?

Don’t worry, Milltown’s Gamer’s Club members will be on hand to provide assistance. All ages are welcome to attend.

The Community Game Day will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In spite of the noise and excitement, the library will be open for business during our regular Saturday hours, which are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Gamers Club The new Gamers Club at the Milltown Public Library is the coolest way to spend Thursdays after school. Take the bus to the library, or get a ride from your parents, and play with the new Wii until 7 p.m. This is only open to high school

and middle school teenagers who have a library card with under $10 in fines.

Find out how you can get community service credit for playing video games!

Find out how reading and writing can get you more access to the Wii! For more information, call Matt at 825-2313 or email milltownpl@ifls.lib.wi.us.

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.

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.

St. Croix Falls Public Library Plan now for summer reading events!

Catch the reading bug – summer reading programming begins Tuesday, July 1, 3 p.m. – next one on Thursday, July 10, 6 p.m. – after that, every Wednesday evening, 6 p.m. through Aug. 13.

Preschool story time will continue every Wednesday morning, 10:30 a.m. throughout the summer.

The Friends of the Library will also be holding book sales this summer – Saturday, June 14 and Wannigan Days, July 18 and 19. We are accepting donations of gently used newer titles for these sales.

Saturday talk about the book club The book club will meet on Saturday, May 17, at 9:30 a.m., at the Buzz. The current selection is “The World Without Us,” by Alan Weisman. A study of what would happen to Earth if the human presence was removed examines our legacy for the planet, from the objects that would vanish without human intervention to those that would become long-lasting remnants of humankind.

Check out the library Web site and explore the links – Go to www.stcroixfallslibrary.org Friends of the Library Wednesday, May 28, noon meeting in the library.

Technology Free wireless is available at the library.

Also, visit the library Web site www.stcroixfallslibrary.org to get information on the building project, programs at the library and much, much more!

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. 715-4831777.

Osceola Public Library American Girl Tea Party The Osceola Public Library is having another tea party on Saturday, May 17, at 1 p.m. Tea, finger sandwiches, crafts and fun will be served up to the first 15 young lades (5 years and up) to register for this event. There is a small fee of $2.50 due at time of registry. Participants are encouraged to dress for tea and to bring along their favorite American Girl or other doll. Hope to see you there.

Friends meeting set Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 21, 5 p.m. The Friends of the Osceola Public Library will be having one of

four yearly meetings in May! Pop in and see what you can do to contribute to this service-based group. The Friends support the library by contributing funds and manpower to collections and programming that the library otherwise would not be able to afford.

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.

Osceola Public Library

Frederic Public Library Community crochet/knit You’ve heard and read about the Knitters Give Big project which debuted in April as knitters and crocheters gathered together to make scarves, caps, and mittens for distribution to favorite charities.

The project was very successful, and as a designated drop-off site, the Frederic Library collected many handmade items.

The group is continuing its efforts throughout the summer as part of the Warm Up America project, and people are invited to come in to knit and crochet anytime the library is open. For more information, pick up a brochure at the library, or contact Frederic Community Education at 327-4868.

It’s raining cats and dogs Preschoolers and their caregivers are invited to story time Wednesday, May 14, at 10:30 a.m., when the theme will be the weather. If you are spring housecleaning, the library has a list of materials that story time can always use, so stop in to see if you might be able to donate some craft items.

Join a book group and share your opinions The Thursday morning reading group meets May 15, at 10 a.m. to discuss “Montana 1948,” by Larry Watson, a novel about a middle-class family torn apart by scandal. The evening book group also meets May 15, at 7 p.m. to talk about “Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression,” by Mildred Armstrong Kalish, a memoir listed as one of the 10 Best Books of 2007 by the New York Times Book Review. Copies

of both books are available at the library, and new members are always welcome.

Catch the Reading Bug The summer reading program begins June 2, at the Frederic Library and the kickoff event will be held Saturday, June 7, at 1 p.m. when Bruce the Bug Guy brings us “The Bug Show,” a unique, hands-on program that includes an assortment of live arthropods, including huge Cecropia moths, mouse-sized hissing cockroaches, footlong giant millipedes, and hand-sized tarantulas and scorpions. This is an experience for the whole family that you’ll be talking about all summer, so mark your calendars and don’t miss the fun!

Share your talents with the library We’re planning summer activities and there are many volunteer opportunities for you. Are you able to help at the Family Days book and bake sale, Friday, June 20? Are you interested in reading for story hours on Wednesday mornings?

How about helping with the summer reading program? The Friends of the Frederic Library are also looking for members who will help support and promote the library. Volunteering at the library is also a good way to earn community service hours for high school students. Let’s talk!

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.

Balsam Lake Public Library “Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest. “ - Lady Bird Johnson 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.

Book review “Murder in the Pines” by Elizabeth Esther If you are looking for big-name authors and skipping some local ones in our area, you are missing the boat.

“Murder in the Pines” is by a local author and set in Balsam Lake. As the title tells us it is about a murder and that happens in the first few pages. It is the story of Alex as she discovers her neighbor and friend murdered. She calls 911 and tells them what she found. She saw yellow roses strewn around the body, but when the police investigate they find red roses. Who changed the roses?

Where is he/she? Does he/she know where Alex lives? Is her life in danger?

Many questions and few answers.

As you read the book and the sites in the story you can picture them in your mind and know this is Balsam Lake. It is a wonderful book set in our own town.

Book club The book club meets Wednesday, May 21, at 3 p.m. “Waiting for White Horses”

by Nathan Jorgenson is our selection.

“Waiting for White Horses,” set in the tall pines of northern Minnesota’s spectacular lake country, is a story of trusted Frederic Public Library

friendship, loss and redemption, love and rediscovery.

New books “Phantom Prey” by John Sandford, “Comfort Food” by Kate Jacobs, who also wrote “Friday Night Knitting Club.” ”Plague of Doves” by Louise Erdich, “Hollywood Crows” by Joseph Wambaugh, “Secrets” by Jude Deveraux, “Skeletons at the Feast” by Christopher Bohjalian, “Front” by Patricia Cornwell, “Twenty Wishes” by Debbie Macomber. “Odd Hours” by Dean Koontz. Nonfiction “Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Meth Addiction” by David Sheff, “Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch and “Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life” by Sophie Uliano.

Love to read Are you looking for other people who share the same obsession? Join a Teen Book Club for sixth grade and up. So far the club has read “Book of a Thousand Days,” “Animal Farm” and the Maximum Ride series. Meet at the Balsam Lake Library (under the water tower).

Ride the activity bus right to our door.

Club will meet again on Tuesday, May 13, at 6 p.m.

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.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 11

POLK COUNTY LIBRARY NEWS Amery Public Library Things are busy at the Amery Public Library with upcoming events. On May 17, we will be having a reading and book signing by Laurie Otis, a former Amery resident who graduated from Amery High School as Loretta Nacey.

Her book, published by a press in Ashland, will be for sale on that day. Called “The Amarantha Stories,” it is a novel set in a small town in Wisconsin, which tells the story of Swedish immigrants and their descendants. The novel is very well-written and would be enjoyed by anyone who grew up in this area. Otis will read from her book, sign books and answer questions from the audience. Refreshments will be served. The event will be happening on Saturday, May 17, at 11 a.m. Stop in and meet the author and pick up a book. Everyone is welcome.

In June, we will be having a book reading and signing by a local resident Matthew Davis whose novel “The Shadow Serpentine” has just been published by iUniverse. Stop in on Monday, June 23, at 7 p.m. to hear the author read and sign books. Books will be available for purchase at both events so mark your calendar.

On Monday, May 19, Friends of the Library Book Group meets to discuss “The Land Remembers,” by Ben Logan. This poetic vision of life on a farm in Wisconsin will touch your heart. Pick up a copy at the circulation desk and join us at 7 p.m. for exciting book talk.

Otaku Club meets every Tuesday at 5

p.m. for teens and older who love manga and anime. Stop in and check it out. If the person at the computer has cat ears, don’t worry, it is just the teen group expressing themselves.

The Nursing Home book groups will be meeting on Thursday, May 8, at Golden Age Manor and Willowridge to discuss “The Saints and Sinner of Okay County,” by Dayna Dunbar.

Story time will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Everyone is welcome for songs and stories. Make the most of our warmer weather and get those kids to the library.

Teens Read Book Group meets on Monday, May 19, note earlier date because of Memorial Day, at 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. to discuss “The Book Thief,” by Marcus Zusak. This Holocaust story has captured both adult and teen readers.

Pick up a copy at the circulation desk and join us if you are a teen.

Teens Read will be continuing through the summer so check us out.

Catch the Reading Bug is the theme of the Summer Reading Program at the Amery Public Library this summer.

Watch for further information as June approaches. Keep your child reading and listening over the summer.

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.

Clear Lake Public Library Thursday, May 8: Discussion of the book “The Tortilla Curtain.” The discussion will be led by Professor Renee Gralewicz in the Clear Lake Area Community Center Dining Room beginning at 7 p.m.

Wednesdays, May 14 and 28: Knitting and crocheting class beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the library meeting room.

Thursday, May 15: Discussion of the book “The Devil’s Highway.” The discussion will be led by Professor Renee Gralewicz in the the Clear Lake Area Commnunity Center Dining Room beginning at 7 p.m.

Monday, May 19: Showing of the movie “I am Legend” (Rated PG-13).

Under 13 are welcome if we have parental permission.

Saturday, May 24: Planting of the Clear Lake Area Community Garden; “Between Fences” closes.

June 27: Annual Friends of the Library

Book and Plant Sale.

June Summer Reading Schedule Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, June 12, 10 a.m. - Discover the Senses.

Wednesday, June 18, 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, June 19, 10 a.m. - Explore the Universe.

Wednesday, June 25, 6:30 p.m. - Underwater Adventure.

Thursday, June 26, 11 a.m. at the Clear Lake Elementary School - In Capable Hands Juggling Duo. 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.

Centuria Public Library Regular library hours Monday: Noon - 5 p.m.; Tuesday: noon - 7 p.m.; Wednesday: noon - 5 p.m.; Thursday: noon - 7 p.m.; Friday: closed;

and Saturday: 10 a.m. - noon.

Luck Public Library Preschool story hour is coming to a close. Wednesday, May 28, will be our last program for the summer. We will resume the program again in the fall.

Beginning in June, the library will begin the Summer Reading Program. The theme this year will be Catch The Reading Bug. Hope to see you there.

Knitting circle at the Luck Library is held every Wednesday at 4 p.m. All skill levels are welcome. Come join in - sit, knit and relax.

Computers For Seniors is held every Tuesday from 11 a.m. – noon. This is a

no-stress opportunity to private time with a computer, a bunch of other seniors and an instructor. Stop by. You may just get hooked.

Luck Book Club meets Monday, May 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Luck School. Go in the north doors. We will be discussing “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte.

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.

Dresser Public Library Dresser Public Library is located at 117 S. Central Ave. 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.

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.

Polk County Library Federation This was the fourth-annual poetry contest sponsored by the Polk County Library Federation in conjunction with the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation. The event was held at the Clear Lake Community Center in celebration of the community “Between Fences” Smithsonian exhibit.

Winners of the poetry contest were: Elementary School: Third – fifth grade First: Kinzie Matz, “The White Fence” Second: Lindsey Gearin, “Magical Me” Third: Nels Potvin, “Oh Spring” Middle School: Sixth - Eighth First: James Inlow, “Complete Something” Second: Kayla Chastek, “Family Fences” Third: Alexandria Long, “Art of Acceptance” Honorable Mention: Haley Jo Dikkers, “Niharika” High School First: Cassie Reed, “Mercy’s Gate” Second: Kayla Maija Wehmas, “Shameless” Third: Ashley Steffen, “Popular” Honorable Mention: Juliana Inlow, “I

Am A Life” Brown bag library lectures at the Polk County Library Federation Please call to reserve your space for either of these lectures. There will be a $5 charge for each gardening program.

May 14, noon – 1 p.m., Mystery Container Gardens. This event will be a make-and-take class. Participants will learn about new mystery annuals available at Pro-Lawn , plant expert Amanda Hol will give tips and tricks for making your container gardens.

May 28, noon – 2 p.m., Ultimate Culinary Herbs. Ultimate Gardens, Valrea Loresch will present this informational lecture on herbs. Did you know that herbs can be sorted into four classifications? Learn what the basic uses of herbs are as we join Loresch in a light lunch made special for the occasion.

For further information, contact the library at 485-8680. The director is Colleen Gifford, assistant director/youth services is Molly Kessler, and the library clerk is Stephanie Fansler.

The Polk County Library Federation is open Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Kayla Chastek and Kenzie Matz of Frederic Elementary School were first-place winners in the Polk County Library Federation poetry contest.

The contest was for children in grades three through 12. It ran in conjunction with the Clear Lake fences display from the Smithsonian, using fences as the theme of their poems. - Photo submitted

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Polk-Burnett awards $20,00 in scholarships CENTURIA – Polk-Burnett is proud to announce that 20 graduating seniors from the class of 2008 will receive $1,000 scholarships to continue their education as part of the electric Ryan Ayer cooperative’s 2008 Cooperative Citizen-Scholar ScholarAwards. ships are awarded to the sons and daughters of co-op members in recognition of cooperative spirit, community service and making a difference in the lives others. Scholarships are Gabrielle Griffith funded by unclaimed capital credits and do not affect electric rates.

Polk-Burnett’s $1,000 Cooperative Citizen-Scholars for 2008 are: Ryan Ayer, Clear Lake High School Briana Bielmeier, Unity High School Courtney Daniels, Siren High School Jacquelyn Danner, Woodbury High School Samuel Dosch, Osceola High School Kelsey Douglass-White, St. Croix Falls High School Jacob Elmquist, Osceola High School Gabrielle Griffith, Spooner High School Kelsey Hendricks, Osceola High

Briana Bielmeier

Courtney Daniels

Jacquelyn Danner

Samuel Dosch

Kelsey DouglassWhite

Jacob Elmquist

Kelsey Hendricks

Kirsten Ilgen

Hans Johnson

Kevin Johnson

Taylor Larson

Corky Lederer

Andrew Miller

Lindsey Novitzke

Alyssa Ryan

Claire Traynor

Caitlin White

Claire Willett

School Kirsten Ilgen, Grantsburg High School Hans Johnson, Osceola High School Kevin Johnson, Grantsburg High School

Taylor Larson, Unity High School Corky Lederer, Osceola High School Andrew Miller, Cretin-Derham Hall Lindsey Novitzke, New Richmond High School

Alyssa Ryan, Grantsburg High School Claire Traynor, Osceola High School Caitlin White, Osceola High School Claire Willett, Osceola High School - from Polk-Burnett

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 13

March of Dimes awards grant to Polk County Health Department BALSAM LAKE – The March of Dimes Wisconsin Chapter has awarded a grant to Polk County Health Department to support outreach for the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program. WIC offers healthy foods, nutrition and breastfeeding information and health referrals for low-income pregnant or post-partum women, infants and children up to age 5. The outreach project will conduct a public awareness campaign for low-income pregnant women and their health-care providers, as well as their families and friends. This three-pronged approach surrounds and supports eligible pregnant women to seek WIC services early in pregnancy. Participation in WIC throughout a woman’s

pregnancy is known to improve the health outcome for the baby.

This grant is one of many that the March of Dimes awards in pursuit of its mission to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

“We will use the March of Dimes grant to encourage pregnant women to seek WIC services early in the pregnancy. Once a woman finds out she is pregnant, we want WIC to be one of her first calls,” said Andrea Seifert, WIC director. “We are grateful to those volunteers who support the March of Dimes by participation in events like WalkAmerica and who donate in other ways. That participation and those donations make this grant possible,” she said.

This grant ties in with Polk County Health Department’s mission of promoting, protecting and preserving health through partnerships with people and communities.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org. – submitted

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Utopia Normally, I wouldn’t expend the energy to focus on such folly, but the last The View From Here made me think–“Am I on another planet?”

“I guess we could plunder the last unspoiled places in our insatiable desire for more oil.”

The proposed footprint for a new oil field in ANWR is 3.13 square miles (2,000 acres out of 19 million!). Are you kidding? You couldn’t find that spot with a GPS and a map in that expanse.

I’m surprised you didn’t mention the token Caribou migration. I understand walking trails are big up there. I sure hope we don’t drill the Bakken reserves in the unspoiled Williston Basin for our own oil. There’s only about 200-417 billion barrels there.

“We could run roughshod over more countries and lay claim to their resources.”

Gosh I can hear them from here, whining about us paying them for their oil and providing technology so they can sell their resources to us.

We could be exploiting our own resources if the pseudo-environmentalists hadn’t stopped oil drilling and construction of nuclear power plants. All we have to do is wait longer to address our immediate energy crisis– that should work.

“No more captains of industry calling the shots.”

Of course not; let Harry Reid, Ted and Nancy take care of it. We need political genius figuring out these complex technologies. We’ll be back to the Ice Age before they come up with a plan.

“Sorry, friend, but nuclear energy has killed and will kill again if the industry gets its way.”

Silly me! I forgot industry includes a “How many can we kill” clause in their business plans. I said there has never been a death attributed to the domestic nuclear power program. I should have said no one has died from irradiation at a domestic nuclear power plant. A study of 753 Navajo underground miners has been conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for 50 years (1950-2000). The Navajo deaths for that time period were 66, 34 due to lung cancer, 20 to pneumoconiosis and silicosis and 12 to TB were allegedly contracted from mining of uranium for weapons in the ‘50s. They are receiving payment from the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. By the way, did you know that 100 percent of people that eat cheese die?

Today’s mining methods are much safer. No industry wants to incur liabilities due to poor practices. Can you say OSHA? What about all those sailors on our nuclear powered fleet? I don’t see any of them glowing in the dark; well I did see a couple with a glow on, at a bar out west.

789 farm workers died from accidents in 2002. There had to have been thousands that died from inhaling dirt, fertilizers and herbicides; what about them? I propose no new farms; the risk is too high. The methane produced by cows has 20 times the global warming potential of CO2. This is terrible! No more subsidies for this!

“Nuclear power –protected from liability by the Price-Anderson Act” Price-Anderson is funded by indus-

Brooke Biedinger

IRREGULAR columnist try (currently $10 billion in reserves) to protect the workers. There is no cost to the individual or government.

Claimants do not have to sue for compensation. To verify this Google PriceAnderson Act. “It’s time we had our reckoning” Yah, we’ve really screwed up the world. The list is just too long to cover here. I suspect it’s the reason people are lining up at the borders to get out.

You should have visited Zimbabwe when you went to Africa; it is the model for your crusade.

They don’t have any nuclear power plants.

There are few gadgets and gizmos.

Zimbabwe was the breadbasket of Africa before the socialist Mugabe fixed that with his Land Redistribution plan which was instituted in 2000. There were approximately 4,300 commercial farms prior to that time that were managed by evil Caucasian farmers. Now there are less than 200 poorly operated commercial farms left.

The store shelves are bare since price controls were instituted last year.

Their current rate of inflation is 164,000 percent; the highest in the world! The people can’t even buy Carbon Credits to offset their deforestation problems. They can’t sue when they contract malaria.

There is 80-percent unemployment.

Almost everyone walks because there are few vehicles.

The average life span is 39.5 years.

It has taken Mugabe 28 years to completely destroy a perfectly prosperous capitalist system.

It appears Mugabe may be voted out soon; maybe you could get him to run an enclave for you and your followers.

Why would anyone create all that CO2 flying to Africa to deliver pencils?

You could have stayed home and mailed them rather than contribute to the demise of Mother Earth.

Hey, Bucks and Buckaroos: What Mr. Pearson did not tell you is that Andrew the ranger carries a big rifle to protect everyone from animals that want to eat you and from armed poachers that kill black rhinos for their horns and elephants for their ivory.

Mr. B: I hope I have not been too harsh.

The next meeting of Kukewatch will be at the Clam Falls bar. We won’t be doing any of that circle stuff, like that other group in Luck does. Since I’m the president of this prestigious group, you can contact me if you want to start your very own chapter.

Annual Unity talent show set for May 11 BALSAM LAKE – “As Seen on TV” will be the theme of this year’s Unity High School Variety Show on Sunday, May 11, at 6 p.m. in the Unity auditorium. The cost for admission is $8 per person with all proceeds to benefit the

Unity Music Department. There will be refreshments for sale and a silent auction featuring goods and services from area businesses. Come on out for some great entertainment and bring your mothers! submitted

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 15

Recycling Control Commission’s new reuse-ashoe and Nike grind program Starting Saturday, May 17, Recycling Control Commission will kick off its new reusea-shoe collection program at Earth Fair 2008 hosted by Forts Folle Avoine Historical Park from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Bring in a pair of athletic shoes to recycle and get a free keychain!

Every year, across the globe, millions of pairs of athletic shoes end up in landfills.

That’s a lot of shoes going to waste that contain valuable materials that could be reused.

So in 1993, with a persistent pursuit of the principles of sustainability, and an awesome recycling cooperation between Nike and the National Recycling Coalition came: Reuse-ashoe!

Reuse-a-shoe collects worn-out athletic shoes of any brand from a variety of sources, including end-of-life shoes collected through various recycling programs (like ours), special events (like Earth Fair 2008), at Nike or other stores, as well as shoes that are re-

turned from retailers due to a material flaw and even counterfeit shoes.

To date, Nike and the NRC recycled more than 20 million pairs of athletic shoes and contributed to more than Jen Barton 250 sport surfaces to provide access to places to play for kids as part of Let Me Play, Nike’s global community investment proReycling gram. The material, Control Nike Grind, is made of Commission recycled athletic shoes sliced and ground into rubber granules, providing a superior, environmentally conscious all-weather track surface. Each state-of-the-art track surface consists of approximately 75,000 recycled athletic shoes. To make this great recycled material includes much of the scrap textiles left over from the manufacturing of Nike

EARTH NOTES

footwear and from the reuse-a-shoe program. These materials are ground up and purified to become a material affectionately called Nike Grind– Nike Grind Rubber, Nike Grind Foam and Nike Grind Upper.

The material is then partnered with industry-leading sports surfacing companies to incorporate Nike Grind into their quality sports surfacing product ranges – basketball and tennis courts, running tracks, soccer fields, fitness flooring and playground safety surfacing. After years of extensive research and development by Nike engineers, they’ve also found uses for the Nike Grind material in other areas of their own business as well as the sports surface industry.

RCC will be putting large black carts at a number of sites throughout the two-county service region to collect athletic shoes, locations are: Grantsburg Recycling Site, A & H Recycling Site, Oakland Recycling Center, Spooner Recycling Site and Minong Transfer Station. Hope to see you on Saturday May 17, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Fort! Questions can be answered by calling Jen at 6352197, or e-mail her at jbarton@nwrpc.com.

St. Croix ArtBarn holds auditions for comedy OSCEOLA – St. Croix ArtBarn will hold auditions for the new Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris witty and off-beat comedy, “The Book of Liz,” Sunday, May 11, from 6:30-8 p.m. The script requires four to eight adult females and males. Audition materials will be provided.

Rehearsals will be held in the evening at ArtBarn with weekend performances mid- to late-July at ArtBarn and The SPACE, New Richmond. Vicki Harmon, New Richmond, will direct, with Chad Leonard, Amery, assisting. ArtBarn is located at 1040 Oak Ridge

Drive, one mile east of Hwy. 35 next to the Osceola middle and high schools. For more information call 715-294-2787 or visit www.stcroixartbarn.com. – submitted

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Run/walk this Saturday, rain or shine FREDERIC - May 2008 marks the 13th anniversary of the American Cancer Society Run/walk in Frederic.

For 13 years the Frederic community has supported the ACS walk which is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.

The Frederic run/walk will take place on Saturday, May 10, regardless of weather conditions. If there should be inclement weather to walk in, that is nothing compared to what a cancer patient endures while fighting the disease. Registration for the Frederic walk will be from 8-8:45 a.m. at the Birch Street Elementary School, arrive early enough to register, receive a T-shirt if $50 is raised, and have team pictures taken. Teams that raise $500 or more will receive a picture. Refreshments will be available before and after the walk. Cancer survivors are urged to register and receive a complimentary corsage from the Rose Garden. Cancer survivors are asked to line up behind the honorary chairs at the ribbon cutting at the beginning of the walk.

Gene and Eunice Early are the honorary chairs of the Frederic run/walk.

Team pictures will be taken before the walk at Frederic, and teams captains are urged to register all team members early to allow times for all team pictures to be taken before 9:15 a.m. walk start.

Sponsors for the Frederic ACS are Larsen Auto Centers and the Amery Regional Medical Center.

Betty Mackean has again donated a beautiful quilt as a prize for the raffle. Tickets for the quilt raffle are available at the U.S. and Bremer Banks, committee members and will also be available for purchase the day of the walk.

This year the ACS run/walk has decided to “go green” so they are asking walkers to bring their own water.

Frederic walkers may choose a 2-, 3- or 5-mile route.

Route signs are posted along the way. The Frederic Area Ambulance will be available if needed. Also posted along Hwy. 35 in Frederic are Signs of Hope that have been purchased by area businesses to support the walk.

The Frederic walk will be selling tribute flags. Forms for the flags are available at the banks in Frederic or may be purchased the day of the walk for minimum of

$5. Tribute flags for the Frederic walk may be sent to Kay Thorsbakken by Friday, May 9, at Box 221, Frederic, WI 54837. The flags will be on display near the registration areas of the walk.

Much of the money raised by the ACS walks stays in Wisconsin. Many methods of detecting cancer such as ultrasound, MRIs, CAT scans, PSA test for prostate cancer, mammography to screen for breast cancer, the PAP test for cervical cancer and more were discovered by researchers who received ACS grants. There are over 47 kinds of cancer, and to find effective treatments and cures for so many kinds of cancer is a big undertaking.

Ongoing cancer research benefits us all.

Join the fight against cancer on Saturday, May 10. If you are unable to walk, sponsor a walker, purchase an athletic shoe or tribute flag in honor or memory of a friend or loved one. The ACS walks are about having fun, coming together as a community and doing something positive to help fight cancer. The ACS offers hope, progress and answers. Together we can make a difference. Persistence is the key to finding a cure for cancer.

For further information on the Frederic ACS Run/ Walk, contact Elvira Schmidt at 653-2684. - submitted

May is National Travern Month Toast our taverns POLK COUNTY – Polk County communities will honor one of Wisconsin’s social and cultural institutions this May as citizens pay tribute to a neighborhood fixture – the local tavern – during National Tavern Month.

“Folks have been gathering in taverns since before Wisconsin became a state in 1848,” said Pete Madland, executive director of the Tavern League of Wisconsin.

“They enjoy the good food, good drinks and good conversation.”

But there’s more to Wisconsin’s 12,000 taverns.

“Taverns are legitimate businesses that contribute significantly to the state’s economy,” said Madland.

“Our taverns pay taxes, they provide jobs and they support the community.”

Statewide, Wisconsin’s taverns employ tens of thousands of workers, generating millions in revenue for the local and state economy.

“We’re business owners who generously lend a helping hand to the community,” Madland said. “If you need to raise money for a fundraiser or want a sponsor for a sports team – we’re there.”

Last year the tavern industry gave more than $6 mil-

lion to over 5,000 local charities and community organizations. In Polk County, the local tavern league contributed almost $14,000 to two charities.

“Taverns are the backbone of our communities,” said Madland. “For years we’ve provided a friendly gathering place. But we’ve also fueled our local economies and given back to our friends and neighbors through charitable donations.”

So this month, let’s toast our taverns and celebrate their unique place in Wisconsin’s history and local communities. - submitted

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 17

Over 70 attend prayer breakfast in Siren

by Nancy Jappe SIREN – Despite early protests by a watchdog group, The Freedom From Religion Foundation, the National Day of Prayer Breakfast held at Adventures Restaurant, Siren, went off with nary a protestor in sight.

More than 70 people were on hand for the event, the eighth time since the breakfast was initiated by the sheriff at

Members of the community and from local churches gathered in Siren Thursday morning, May 1, for the eighth-annual National Day of Prayer Breakfast. Despite previous opposition to the local sheriff hosting the breakfast, the event was peaceful, with nary a protestor in sight.

Burnett County Circuit Court Judge Mike Gableman was the speaker at the National Day of Prayer Breakfast at Adventures Restaurant in Siren May 1.

During his talk, the judge listed American presidents who endorsed the value of a day of prayer, starting with the first day of prayer declared by President George Washington in 1775.

“Seventy people are here, and they’re still coming,” commented Burnett County Sheriff Dean Roland at the start of the eighth-annual National Day of Prayer Breakfast at Adventures Restaurant, Siren, Thursday, May 1. The same number of invitations, paid for out of the sheriff’s own pocket, that usually bring in about 20 people for the breakfast, went out.

The sheriff expressed his gratitude for “whoever is here, whatever your faith, whatever your culture. That is what this is all about.” that time, Tim Curtin.

In an April 18 article in the Chicago Tribune by Associated Press writer Ryan J. Foley, the Freedom From Religion Foundation was quoted as calling the event a “violation of the separation of church and state because it is hosted by the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department.” The Madison-based foundation called for the advertised speaker, Judge Mike Gableman, to boycott the event.

The foundation’s main complaint was the use of county letterhead in sending out invitations. No expense for the Sen. Sheila Harsdorf stopped to talk with Eldon and Joanne Freese, Grantsburg, during the senator’s time at the May 1 National Day of Prayer Breakfast in Siren.

breakfast was actually paid by county taxpayers since Sheriff Dean Roland reimbursed, out of his own pocket, the cost of letterhead, envelopes and stamps.

Roland, in full-dress uniform, stressed that the breakfast was open to people of all faiths, to anyone longing for a supreme being. “It is for whoever is here, whatever your faith, whatever your culture,” the sheriff said, explaining that the National Day of Prayer Breakfast was set up as an annual event by President Harry Truman in 1952.

“That’s what this is all about,” Roland said.

In preparing for the event, the sheriff told attendees that he had studied a lot of world religions, and tried to get as many people from any of them to attend the breakfast as he could.

“People need to worship where and when we want. It is not wrong. It is a guaranteed right. This country was founded on religious freedoms and principles,” Roland said.

The sheriff referred to Patrick Henry and his promise to defend to the death the people’s right to believe. “In my 32plus years in law enforcement, I have been willing to give my life for freedom.

I will continue to do that for this community and who I serve. The Lord is my Lord. I will believe whenever, wherever I choose,” he said.

Judge Gableman, now a Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice-elect, went back in history to trace people who have set the course for religious freedom in our country, starting with John Winthrop in 1630. Winthrop, a wealthy man, left England for the New World, becoming our country’s first governor. His words, set out on his way to the New World, still guide us.

The judge quoted our first president, George Washington, who set up the first day of prayer in 1775, and Washington’s comment that “it is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” He mentioned President Ronald Regan and his call for people of any faith to get together.

“In my own life, I consistently turn to God for guidance and thanksgiving,” Gableman said. He commented that he does so in order that we may continue to express the goals for our country that were set out back in the time of the Pilgrims.

After he finished speaking, the judge called for the audience to join him in

Judge Mike Gableman shared a breakfast booth and conversation with Grantsburg School District Administrator Joni Burgin during the National Day of Prayer Breakfast in Siren. — Photos by Nancy Jappe singing, “God Bless America.”

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Volunteer Recognition Program held at the Siren Senior Center

Burnett County Aging Unit Director Lois Taylor recognized Roy Clark, the Siren home-delivered meals driver who put 10,313 miles on his vehicle and spent 470 hours delivering meals during 2007. Clark, a driver for more than 15 years, was among the five home-delivered meals drivers who were recognized in Siren Thursday, May 1. - Photos by Nancy Jappe

Burnett County Health and Human Services Director Kate Peterson was on hand for the annual Volunteer Recognition Program at the Siren Senior Citizens Center Thursday, May 1. Peterson paid tribute to the “very dedicated individuals who take time to serve the lives of others.� This comment included senior dining site workers, home-delivered meal and transportation drivers.

Barbara Munger (R) was recognized as the Top Siren Volunteer for 2007 for her contribution of 80 hours to the Siren Senior Dining Site. She is shown here with Lois Taylor, Burnett County Aging Unit director. Taylor is recognizing volunteers at each of the four senior dining sites in the county during May, and said that their service in delivering meals and providing elderly and handicapped transportation amounted to an in-kind contribution of $159,000 in 2007.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 19

Blue Ribbon Walk held

Instrumental in the creation of the Blue Ribbon Walk to Stop Child Abuse in Polk County, Ann Krisik ( right) is presented with a plaque of appreciation for her hard work and leadership for the event. Kinship of Polk County Director Nancy Hoppe presented the award.

Blustery wind, cold and sleet didn’t keep these hardy souls from walking to stop child abuse in the Fourth-annual Blue Ribbon Walk on Saturday, April 26, in Milltown. The event was hosted by Kinship of Polk County and Family Preservation and Support and sponsored by Bernick’s Co., Bremer Bank-Amery, MarketPlace – St. Croix Falls, city of Milltown, Quik Trip-New Richmond, St. Croix Casino, Target Stores – Stillwater and Polk-Burnett Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans – Care Abounds in Communities. – Special photos

Judge Molly GaleWyrick, Rep. Ann Hraychuck and Ann Fawver, Frederic Community Ed Director, enjoy a laugh before braving the weather for the 4th-Annual Blue Ribbon Walk to Stop Child Abuse, on Saturday, April 26.

RIGHT - Roberta Carlson (back row center) raised $1,168 for the Blue Ribbon Walk and Jeremiah and MaKayla Stringer (front left to right) along with their mother, Tammy Hahn (not pictured), raised $206. The event collected over $2,400 and will receive another $1,000 in supplethe mental funds through Polk-Burnett Chapter of Thrivent Financial For Lutherans - Care Abounds In Communities initiative. Proceeds will benefit the work of Kinship of Polk County and Polk County Family Preservation and Support Program.

Luck Post-Prom party 2008 CENTURIA - The fourth-annual Luck post prom party was held on April 26 at McKenzie’s Lanes in Centuria. The students enjoyed a fun-filled night of bowling, food, music, games, and chances to win a variety of prizes. The post-prom party provided a safe, alcohol, tobacco and drug-free alternative to motels, field parties and drinking and driving. — submitted

LEFT - A.J. Walsh-Brenizer and Logan Hacker check out the prize Hacker won on the silent auction.

Melissa Jenssen, Marnie Rozumalski and Hannah Melin enjoying the Luck Post Prom held at McKenzie Lanes in Centuria on April 26.

Shown (L to R) enjoying a friendly game of cards is Brian Hacker, Kyle Bottolfson, Devon Nelson, Alex Wilkinson and Jeff Holmes.

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Bandshell’s first use The new band shell at Crooked Lake Park was used for the first time Sunday afternoon, May 4. Pastor Andy Bollant, Siren Assembly of God, welcomed about 130 people to the band-shell area, give or take a few here and there. “It was fantastic, a great atmosphere. Everybody loved it,” Pastor Andy said. “People want to do it again. We will hopefully have (worship service in the park) again soon.” The band shell was put up through the efforts of the Siren/Webster Rotary Club. It will be turned over to the village of Siren during a ceremony between the Freedom Five and the bed race Friday, July 4.

BELOW: People brought their own folding chairs when they came to the Worship Service in the Park at the new band shell in Crooked Lake Park Sunday, May 4. The afternoon and evening service, 3-8 p.m., included a dinner. A number of churches worked together for the service, among them Siren Assembly of God, First Baptist Church of Falun, Trade Lake Baptist Church, Hands to the Plow Ministry and musicians from Lewis United Methodist Church and Grace Baptist Church, Grantsburg.

Photos by Nancy Jappe

We’re online @ www.the-leader.net

Mother Nature visits Webster

On Earth Day, Mother Nature, Teresa Wolfe, visited the kindergartners in Webster. She discussed ways to take care of the Earth.

Mother Nature told a flannel board story about the land and consequences of actions humans may take. The class participated in her story, and offered a lively discussion.

Pictured is Mrs. Swenson’s class. With Mother Nature are Terrance, Ali, Austin and Jenna. – Photo submitted

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 21

Opa! is the word for Greece beekeepers

by Wayne M. Anderson AGRAFI, Greece – Amilios Provadas says the buzz on bees in Greece is good news. “Opa!” (joy).

Here on the island of Kerkyra, home of the famous Corfu port city, Provadas runs a moderate apiary of about 124 colonies.

Flowering plants along the eastern Mediterranean Sea are starting to glisten with nectar, which for bees and beekeepers means the honey flow has begun.

Beekeepers will extract the rich honey come July, a time which brings happiness and business to many on these small Greek islands.

“I sell 2,000 kilos (4,400 pounds) of honey per year,” said Provadas. “Everybody comes here and takes it. It’s very natural.”

He said bees are healthy in Greece. For the last 10 years he’s been tending bees, he’s not seen any serious

disease problem.

This is unlike the situation in the U.S., where bees in some states are being devastated by a mysterious malady called Colony Collapse Disorder.

Researchers are unsure what CCD is or even why it’s happening. To date, however, state officials said there is no report of CCD in Wisconsin.

But Wisconsin beekeepers examining their colonies coming out of winter are reporting heavy losses.

“At the district meeting in Knapp last March, reports were 20-percent survival,” said Dave Webber, northwest district representative for the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association.

He said he suffered about a 75-percent loss of the 400 colonies he operates in Polk County. The reason for his heavy loss is a mystery.

“I don’t know,” he said. There’s not one significant

problem for the occurrence, like mites or disease. “It doesn’t make much sense.”

However, Webber’s counterpart across the Atlantic Ocean is having the opposite problem: too many healthy bees.

The bees in Provadas’ apiary are so strong and populating so quickly they are causing him a problem: overcrowding.

When this population explosion occurs, about half the colony will fly off with the queen to find a new home. The process is called swarming.

He said his problem is not disappearing bees, but accommodating swarming bees looking for a new home.

“I can’t get enough boxes for them all,” Provadas said.

And at $10 euros (about $15.60 USD) for 1 kilo of honey, that is a sweet problem he said he enjoys.

Students enrolled in second-year criminal justice RICE LAKE – These 32 students, having completed their first year in the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College-Rice Lake Criminal Justice – Law Enforcement program, will be the first group to be able to complete their associate degree on the Rice Lake campus.

Previously, students had to go on to another college to complete their training.

The second year of the program will start fall of 2008. At the completion of the degree, these students will have the skills to be a law enforcement officer (state, municipal or county), correctional officer, or positions in industrial, commercial and private investigation agencies.

For more information about the WITC-Rice Lake Criminal Justice program, go to the Web site at www.witc.edu or contact Steve Page, 715-234-7082, ext.5433, or Pat McNally, ext. 5239. - submitted

Back row (L to R): Taylor Bergeron, Fredric; Derek Peterson, Webster; Jake Jennerman, Birchwood; Josh Sommerfeld, Rice Lake; Ryan Elmquist, Rice Lake; Kevin Gray, Spooner; Richard Cerra, Ladysmith; and Dave Oestreich, Chippewa Falls. Middle row: Steve Page, Law Enforcement Teaching Specialist; Dennis Holtegaard, dean of Continuing Education; Chris Hatlestad, Cameron; Brett Sajdera, Radisson; Brad Ingalls, Spooner; Tress Vojtasek, Bloomer; Nate Dunston, Chetek; Cassy Mireau, Rice Lake; Paul Baribeau, Rice Lake; Mike Kronberger, Hayward; Eric Rafko, Spooner; Chad Headley, Hayward; and Pat McNally, associate dean of criminal justice. Front row: Adam Brunclik, Rice Lake; Eddie Janowicz, Rice Lake; Ernest Luera, Balsam Lake; Jamie Veness, Exeland; Amber Dillon, Hayward; Erik Buchman, Hayward; and Wes Peters, Hayward, and Craig Fowler, campus administrator. – Photo submitted

Burnett County relay and research - where the money goes WEBSTER – In 2005-2006 the American Cancer Society Midwest Division (the MW Division is made up of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota) supported the Society’s national activities with $l8.9 million to fund lifesaving research, early detection and prevention initiatives and supporting services. Relay for Life of Burnett County contributed to these life-saving efforts by raising $48,000 in 2005, in 2006 adding $76,000 and in 2007 another $81,000. Every resident of our county should be proud of their Relay and the difference they have made year after year in the lives of so many dealing with this awful disease.

The American Cancer Society funds research facilities nationwide, all working together to eliminate cancer as a major health problem; more than 40 of the researchers using these grants are right here in our division. Residents of Burnett County will benefit from this research by using the new drugs and treatments being developed nationwide, thanks in part to the monies received from Relay for Life.

Research is the key to eliminating cancer. The American Cancer Society has made it a priority to support the best new researchers since the program began in l946. Over the past 6l years, the society has invested nearly $3 billion, and has been a part of most of the groundbreaking cancer advancements of the 20th century. The ACS has funded 42 researchers early in their careers who have gone on to earn the Nobel Prize, one of the highest honors in science.

Countless lives have been saved. Since 1946, the fiveyear survival rate for all cancers combined has nearly doubled. Cancer is more treatable, detectable, and preventable and more is known about the disease than ever before. Death rates for all cancers combined have decreased every year since l99l.

The past decade has seen major advancements, but the future is even more exciting for researchers with more and better drugs and treatments on the horizon.

Burnett Co. Relay and relays in 4,599 communities nationwide will play a crucial role in funding for tomor-

row’s advancement.

Dr. Reding is an oncologist/hematologist with the Marshfield Clinic and also spends time as assistant clinical professor, Department of Medicine at U of W, Medical School, Madison. Reding has had over 20 studies and research projects published in medical journals, with the vast majority relating to cancer and cancer in rural areas. Currently he is involved in six ongoing research support studies.

Back in 1991, after starting a study that focused on cancer and the underserved, he became involved with the American Cancer Society because “I thought it (the study) fit well with the objectives of ACS. I felt we could be good partners working on this issue.”

Working and volunteering with the society continues today; currently he serves as chairperson of the Midwest Division Board and on the national grant review and health promotions committees.

Reding knows the impact of cancer on people’s lives, he is touched everyday by cancer patients he sees and the struggles they encounter with the disease, personal and economic. Cancer has also hit close to home, “My mom has had three different cancers, her twin sister and two brothers died of cancer. I have two cousins and my paternal grandfather that also died of cancer,” he added.

Grants for research are very important and he explained the process to receive one, “Grants are written in response to a research agenda by the funding agency.

Scientists write the grants and they are reviewed by a team of scientists from internal to the granting agency and outside experts in areas related to the scientific field. Grants are rated based on scientific merit and about 7-13 percent of all grants submitted get funded.”

Receiving two grants from the American Cancer Society has enabled Reding to do quality of life studies of patients receiving cancer therapy, and the second grant to recruit participants in a national lung cancer screening trial. Funding from Relay for Life events makes grant such as these possible.

“Currently, my research focuses on screening and early detection. We have recruited 20,000 people from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan to evaluate the benefits of screens for colon, prostrate, lung and ovarian cancer. Additional research focuses on environmental exposure and the genetic predisposition of cancer in rural residents, especially the agricultural population,” he explains. Reding adds, “The results so far are: 1) rural population want cancer services closer to where they work. 2) They want education on the best care and a way to get that information and 3) they want to safely guard their children from cancer.”

Reding stresses the importance of Relay for Life making Burnett County Relay part of the biggest source of funds for all ACS programs, services and research grants.

In closing he adds, “In 2008, 27,000 Wisconsin residents will be diagnosed with cancer and over 5,000 will die. Even a 20-percent reduction in deaths results in l,000 fewer people dying from cancer. Any program on reaching this goal (20– percent reduction) is significant as the person saved could be your spouse or child.”

The more relay teams, the more business sponsors and the more money raised will make more research possible and more lives will be saved. There is still time to form a team, become a sponsor or to help our wonderful relay teams by. supporting their fundraisers. For more information contact schary.shouse@cancer.org.

And to the relayers out on the track on June 13 and 14, as you begin the relay, with every step you take and lap you turn you are making a difference in the lives of cancer patients everywhere and bringing researchers closer to finding that cure we all want so much. Keep up the great work and thank you!

Next week the services and programs of the American Cancer Society and how Burnett County residents can access them will be highlighted. - submitted

E-edition - this complete issue is online now. www.the-leader.net

PAGE 22 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

Unity Athletic banquet held Cailin Turner and Becca Milligan were named this year’s Women’s Sports Advocates at the Unity Athletic Awards program. This honor is given to a junior girl each year.

Unity’s U Club presented the retiring coaches with special designer Tshirts with pictures of the coaches on them in their early years at Unity.

Being honored at the Unity Athletic Banquet and program were: Mike Morris, Bill Alleva and Dennis Anderson. Not pictured: Chuck Holicky.

Morris, Alleva, and Holicky will be retiring from Unity this year. Anderson has retired as athletic director but will still be a staff member at Unity.

Briana Schmid and Chad Strilzuk were named the Outstanding Senior Athletes at Unity’s Athletic Banquet. – Photos submitted

Mike Morris was given his baseball jersey framed in honor of his years as the Unity Baseball coach. Morris will be retiring this year. Morris and his wife, Mary Sue, were both present at the program.

Luck elementary students receive free book LUCK – Luck students in grades kindergarten through fifth grades were excited to select a free book on Wednesday, April 30. The books were purchased with sales profits from previous elementary book fairs. After choosing from a wide selection of books, the 220 youth were measured by parent volunteers

on a wall chart. This is the second year students heights were recorded in conjunction with the spring book giveaway. Each child was eager to compare their change in height and selection of books on the chart.

Encouraged by her s e c o n d grade class, Luck teacher Shirlee Erickson is measured on a wall chart by Sophia Hendricks-Loehr.

– Photos submitted

Delaney Dau’s height is measured with the book she selected by volunteer Dawn Holm. Fellow thirdgraders, Aviana Hulett, Chris Flodin and Courtney Stevens wait their turn to find out how much they’ve grown over the past year.

St. Croix Falls Poppy Days are May 9 - 10 The little red flower…what’s the purpose?

ST. CROIX FALLS – Each year in May, in honor of Memorial Day, the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary

seek donations in exchange for poppies, the memorial flower of The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary. The poppy, a replica of the poppies that bloomed on the battlefields of France, are handmade by disabled veterans at Zablocki Medical Center in Milwaukee. This memorial poppy is not only a personal tribute to those who gave

their lives for our country, but it honors our living veterans.

When you wear this little red flower, it helps keep alive the kind of patriotism so necessary in this great country of ours.

The poppies they are distributing in return for a contribution are made by veterans, to remember veterans and to help veterans.

All funds drived from the distribution of poppies are used exclusively for rehabilitation of veterans and assistance to their families. To continue their support, they need your help. Please wear a poppy proudly in honor of our veterans.

All gave some…some gave all. – submitted

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MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 23

Lumberjack Day held at Frederic FREDERIC – Thursday, May 1, was a special day for the fourth-graders at Frederic Elementary School as they participated in what has become an annual Grade Four Lumberjack Day. The social studies curriculum for the students centers on the study of the community in which they live.

After spending class time studying the lumbering days of Wisconsin, social studies teacher Melinda Sorensen, with help from teaching partner Pat Denn, developed a day to celebrate lumbering. Students, teachers, and parents were invited to dress as lumberjacks with flannel shirts, suspenders and lots of red hankies.

Activities for the day included a tour of the Cumming’s Lumber Mill led by

Geno Cummings and some storytelling about lumbermen shared by his mother, Leona. Back at school, parents were invited to share a lumberjack meal of pancakes (flapjacks), sausages, beans and donuts (sinkers) served on tin plates. Some students who acted as “cookies,” served the meal to their fellow-”lumbermen” who had to eat in silence because lumberjacks were never allowed to talk during a meal except to say things like, “Shoot me the beans” when they wanted a dish passed to them. Gratitude is extended to the Cummings family and to the Frederic Area Historical Society for funding this and all the trips the fourth-grade have been able to take. - submitted

North Country Master Gardeners plant sale to be held May 17 Amery native plunges into work at annual community service MADISON - Marie Clark, a native of Amery, volunteered in the annual Community Plunge event on April 26, along with many other UW-Madison student volunteers.

During the daylong event, volunteers performed service for Madisonbased community groups ranging from cleaning up area parks to spend-

ing time with residents at Oakwood Village Senior Center to helping run the Crazylegs Walk/Run. Clark, a freshman majoring in prenursing, volunteered at Cornucopia, Inc. for the annual event. – submitted

SPOONER – Area gardeners are invited to the annual plant sale by the UW-Extension North Country Master Gardeners Volunteer Association on Saturday, May 17, from 8 a.m. until the plants are sold out.

Sale will be held at the University of Wisconsin Agricultural Research Station on Hwy. 70 east of Spooner.

According to Master Gardener Volunteer Sandy Hoecherl more than 600 perennials will be available including delphiniums, digitalis, euphorbias, geraniums, malvas, penstemons, pysostegia (Obedient plant,) tradescantia and veronicas. Several premium hosta varieties will be offered as well as special varieties of daylilies. Also,

500 heirloom tomatoes and 150 pepper plants will be for sale.

Proceeds of the sale will be used by the North Country Master Gardener Volunteers for educational activities in the community. Master gardeners are trained volunteers who assist the UW-Extension staff by helping people in the community better understand horticulture and the environment. According to Kevin Schoessow, UW-Extension Area Ag Agent, last year 40 active volunteers donated over 2,600 hours of volunteer time to help communities throughout Burnett, Washburn and Sawyer Counties. - submitted

PAGE 24 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

Bloodmobile coming to Siren SIREN - The Red Cross will be at the Siren Covenant Church on Tuesday, May 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the public is encouraged to come to the blood drive and give the gift of life.

With summer just around the corner and school almost done for the year, May marks the beginning of family vacations… leaving many blood donors traveling and unable to give blood. The American Red Cross is reminding donors that when you give blood, you can help save lives. The Red Cross needs all healthy, eligible donors to give blood this May and help patients with serious medical needs.

This time of year it becomes more difficult to maintain a stable blood supply, as donors get busy with the end of the school year, graduations and the Memorial Day holiday. The stability of our nation’s blood supply depends on thoughtful, dedicated volunteer blood

donors who understand that healthy people should give blood for patients in need. By donating blood to the Red Cross, you help us provide more than 38,000 pints of blood for patients in thousands of hospitals across the nation each day. Celebrate summer and give the gift of life.

The hour it takes could mean a lifetime to someone else. When you give blood to the Red Cross, you could change a life, including your own. All blood types are needed for a stable blood supply, but we put a call out especially to type O Donors. A blood donor card or driver’s license, or two other forms of identification are required at check in. Donors must be at least 17 years old, 16 in Wisconsin with a signed consent form, and must weigh at least 110 pounds. - with submitted information

SCRMC receives national award ST. CROIX FALLS - Earlier this year, St. Croix Regional Medical Center’s new electronic medical record system went live using a new program created by the NextGen company. The medical center has now received a national award from NextGen for their input and testing of this new version.

The award was, in NextGen’s words, “given to St. Croix Regional Medical Center in recognition of their participation in the NextGen health care 5.5 Beta program for 2008.”

“Only six medical centers in the U.S. participated in this major release,” explained Duane Laabs, SCRMC’s director

of management information systems, “and thanks to our research and strenuous analyses, we were among the ones who found the most areas needing improvement in the system.” A number of the suggestions brought forward to NextGen by SCRMC’s MIS staff are already included in the product, and as a result, SCRMC has been selected to continue participating in NextGen’s Beta testing program.

Thanks in part to SCRMC’s MIS staff, NextGen is providing a better product for the 2,000 medical centers and clinics across the U.S. who are currently using NextGen. – from SCRMC

Campbell guest speaker at Siren/Webster Rotary

Lauren Campbell from Porirua, New Zealand, a Rotary International exchange student who is spending the year with three Grantsburg families, was guest speaker at the Thursday, May 1, meeting of the Siren/Webster Rotary Club. Campbell, a December 2007 graduate in New Zealand, said her biggest challenge so far was going from 850 students (preschool through high school) at home to the much smaller number attending school in Grantsburg. – Photo

by Nancy Jappe

www.the-leader.net

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 25

Teacher workshops offered at Trees for Tomorrow EAGLE RIVER – Meet many of Wisconsin’s native amphibians and reptiles and learn about their biology, natural history, conservation and survey techniques. Rebecca Christoffel will instruct the Reptiles and Amphibians Teacher Workshop, held at Trees For Tomorrow from June 16-18. Christoffel will also provide information about the proper care and handling of classroom animals. This course will inspire teachers to develop new techniques and ideas to share with their students.

From June 18-20, Christoffel will offer a second workshop to explore the fascinating world of bats. In addition to classroom instruction, Christoffel will

provide field instruction and take the class to local bat roosts. Participants will learn the basics of bat biology, taxonomy, natural history and echolocation.

Trees For Tomorrow is a natural resource specialty school that offers fieldbased programs to place individuals in direct contact with natural resources that support human needs. These programs develop awareness, knowledge, and understanding of natural resources to help participants make informed decisions regarding the management and wise use of those resources. This experience promotes stewardship of natural resources for use by future generations. Located in Eagle River, the serene campus provides

Lund leads project resulting in 2,000 childrens books donated David Lund of St. Croix Falls Boy Scout Troop No. 160 led a project resulting in the donation of over 2,000 children’s books to Community Referral Agency in Lund Milltown. chose this project to help improve children’s literacy in Polk County and to help meet the requirements for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. Pictured are Lund and David Amanda Jensen of Community Referral Agency. – Photo submitted

a wonderful location to relax and learn.

Meals are served in a historic dining hall overlooking the Eagle River chain of lakes. Guests stay onsite at Trees For Tomorrow in lodge-style buildings that have comfortable bedrooms, central lounges with fireplaces and shared bath facilities. Single or double occupancy is available.

Trees For Tomorrow offers a scholarship or grant money to all certified, practicing teachers. Contact Trees For Tomorrow for complete registration information. Participants can earn one credit from Viterbo University for completing this course. Credit criteria and

complete workshop information will be distributed after the registration information and reservation fee are received.

Full payment for these workshops is due Friday, May 16.

To reserve a space for either the Reptiles and Amphibians Teacher Workshop or the Bats Teacher Workshop, please call Trees For Tomorrow locally at 715-4736456 or toll free at 800-838-9472. Additional information and online registration is available at www.TreesForTomorrow.com. - submitted

FCCLA students to state

Three students from St. Croix Falls High School recently competed at the State Leadership Conference in Green Lake Wisconsin for FCCLA. Pictured (L to R): are Alex Daniel, James Hoffman, and Jon Huttner. James Hoffman and Jon Huttner both competed in the Pastries and Baked Goods competition and both received silver medals. Alex Daniel competed in the Culinary Arts and will be traveling to Orlando Florida in July for Nationals. “The Culinary arts competition is very cut throat and the top winners at Nationals often receive full ride scholarships in the Culinary Field, so this is a great accomplishment for Alex. James and Jon also did a fantastic job in their area of expertise,” said teacher Abby Thill. – Photo submitted

PAGE 26 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

Poppy Day held in Siren

Poppy Day, a time for raising money to help our nation’s military veterans, was observed in Siren Saturday, May 3. Members of the Lund-Brown American Legion Post 132 Auxiliary, stationed at various locations around the village, raised a total of $660. In this photo, Tom Terrill donated money to the cause and received a poppy, handmade by a veteran, from Nicole Dalsveen, who was helping auxiliary member Joan Anderson (R) during her shift at Fourwinds Market. – Photo by Nancy Jappe

Luck High School announces letter winners

Academic letter earners — Bottom row (L to R) Alec Mortel, Brady Klatt, Tyler Otlo, Wally Rich, Tyler Petersen and Mason Potvin;. Middle row: Sarah Petersen, Megan Hacker, Shuqing Chen, Kyle James, Gina Armour, Chelsea Rasmussen, Jordyn McGinnity and Tanya Holm. Top row: Lacy Sellent, Sarah Elert, Ashlyn Petersen, Kasey Johnson, Krystal Stage, Kristine Wortman, Megan Moore and Ashley Schebo. Missing: Morgan Denny, Karissa Giller and David Franzel.

First-time Cardinal Intelligence Agency Card earners — Front row (L to R) Lindsey Stapel, Iner Jeppesen and Samantha Wilkinson. Back row: Ivet Arghiani, Jordan Lundmark, Curtis Donald and Derek Holzknecht. Missing: Rebecca Hutton.

Polk County Genealogy Society to meet OSCEOLA – The Polk County Genealogical Society will meet on Monday, May 19, at 7 p.m. at the Rocky Waters Restaurant (formerly Adventures) in Osceola. Please note change in date and location due to Memorial Day and the

presentation. Family History using Ancestry.Com will be presented by Kathy Clark, PCGS member. Restaurant is handicap accessible. For more information contact 294-3447. - submitted

Perfect seniors – Front row (L to R) Laura Byl, Megan Hacker, Sarah Petersen, Chelsea Rasmussen and Casey Hatten. Back row: Gina Armour, Ashley Schebo, Kelly Johnson, Missy Erickson, Cole Wickstrom, Lacy Sellent, Iner Jeppesen and Jordyn McGinnity. – Photos submitted

Balsam Lake will distribute the Memorial Poppy on Friday, May 9 BALSAM LAKE – The Balsam Lake American Legion Auxiliary and Post 278 members will be distributing The Memorial Poppy on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, with rain dates May 16 and 17. Wear a poppy in remembrance of those who have served our country from 1918 to modern times.

The Poppy was adopted as The American Legion memorial flower at the National Convention in 1920. In 1924, The American Legion gave complete charge of the National Poppy Program to the American Legion Auxiliary.

The American Legion Auxiliary pop-

pies are handmade by veterans at the Poppy Shop at Zablocki VAMC in Milwaukee. This activity provides therapy as well as extra spending money for the workers. The American Legion posts and auxiliary units purchase the poppies for distribution to the public on Poppy Day. The money donated by the public for the poppies constitutes a trust and is kept in a separate fund and used only for the needs of veterans and their families.

The public contributions are greatly appreciated by the veterans and their families. – submitted

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 27

Students named All-State Scholars for excellent in academics MADISON—Wisconsin’s 120 All-State Scholars for 2008 share a common foundation: excellence in their academic achievement.

“These students worked hard and devoted themselves to their academic studies,” said state Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster. “While parents, families, and teachers provide invaluable support, it is the personal effort of these students that brought them success and the All-State Scholar award.”

The students were chosen as All-State Scholars by a committee of school administrators based on overall grade-point average and scores for the ACT or SAT college admissions tests. This year’s All-State Scholars were among more than 650 students nominated by their high school principals. Schools with 400 or fewer students were entitled to nominate one graduating senior to the program. Schools with enrollments between 401 and 999 students could nominate two students, and schools with 1,000 or more students could nominate three graduating seniors for the award.

The All-State Scholars program was founded in 1986 as one of the first of its kind to recognize students for their dedication to academic studies. A year later, the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship was added to support students’ future academic studies. Pending full funding at the federal level, Byrd scholarships may provide a scholarship of $1,500 per year, for up to four years. Students may use the scholarship at any postsecondary educational institution in the United States.

“I am very proud to be part of the Wisconsin tradition that recognizes student academic achievement,” Burmaster said. “I encourage these young people to pursue further education and to contribute to the democratic principles and economic prosperity of our state and nation.”

The Association of Wisconsin School Administrators’ Foundation for Educational Administration, Wisconsin State Journal, Wisconsin Education Association Council and Department of Public Instruction sponsor the All-State Scholars program.

This year’s awards ceremony and program to recognize Wisconsin’s All-State Scholars was held May 4 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison. Harold Scheub, professor of African languages and literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was the featured speaker. Burmaster was presented the welcome address, and Scott Milfred, editorial page editor for the Wisconsin State Journal, served as master of ceremonies. Jim Lynch, associate executive director of the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, and Dustin Beilke, media relations officer for the Wisconsin Education Association Council, also participated in the awards program.

2008 All-State Scholars from the local area were: Adam Johnson from Osceola High School Emily Prazak from Grantsburg High School. – submitted

Luck native to be honored in Arizona State University ceremony TEMPE, Ariz. — Former Luck resident Arianne Peterson has been named this year’s recipient of Arizona State University’s Cynthia Lakin Award. This prestigious scholarship recognizes undergraduate achievement in the field of anthropology and is a testament to Peterson’s exceptional work in the areas of sustainability and sociocultural study. The award will be presented later this month in a ceremony held in the university’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change.

Peterson, a recent graduate who works on campus in the Global Institute of Sustainability learned firsthand about global issues during a study-abroad stint in Thailand. Putting her knowledge to work back at Arizona State University, she participated in related research and is especially proud of her role in cutting-edge projects, such as helping plan the Sustainability House, two connected residence halls that include such environ-

mentally responsible features as solar panels, an organic garden, a gray water reuse system and high-tech energy modeling.

As she looks ahead, Peterson is considering pursuing a career in sustainability education and returning to Wisconsin, where she still has family. “It was difficult to move to the desert. I’m used to lots of water and greenery,” she admits, adding that studying sustainability in an arid metropolis allowed her a unique opportunity, including working on water resource issues with the university’s Decision Center for a Desert City. Returning to Wisconsin would provide different but no less valuable opportunities. “I’ve applied to work for AmeriCorps on a local foods program,” Peterson notes.

“I’m very interested in connecting the idea of local foods with other aspects of the community, getting produce into schools, educating on the subject, that type of thing. I‘m passionate about sustainability, society and

education and bringing cultures and communities together…and besides, it would be nice to be back in Wisconsin, close to family and friends.” - submitted

Webster High presents annual pops concert WEBSTER – On Friday, May 9, Webster High School will present their annual pops concert in the school cafetorium at 7 p.m. The concert will feature both high school choir and band plus small ensembles. Music will include various popular selections and promises to be a great concert! Popcorn and punch will be served during intermission. Adults: $3, students: $2.

Please attend to enjoy an evening of entertainment. submitted

Lakeland Communications awards scholarships to local student BALSAM LAKE - Kendra Nelson of Balsam Lake is the recipient of a 2008 Wisconsin State Telecommunications Foundation scholarship, according to John Klatt, president of Lakeland Communications.

Nelson, a graduate of Unity of High School, is one of 27 high school students throughout the state to receive telecommunications scholarships worth $1,500 each.

Her name, which was submitted and sponsored by

Lakeland Communications, was one of 65 applicants for the scholarship funds.

The foundation is part of the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association, which is a trade organization representing 70 telephone companies and cooperatives in Wisconsin. In addition to the 27 scholarships to graduating high school students, the foundation awarded six $750 scholarships to first-year

students enrolled in Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College’s Electronics Communications Program.

Selections are based on financial need, academic achievements and extracurricular activities. Since 1966, the foundation has awarded a total of $1,049,200 to 849 students. - submitted

’ MAY 12 - MAY 16 LOCATION

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

BREAKFAST Combo bar, cereal, juice, milk.

LUNCH BBQ pork sandwich, baked beans, chips OR chicken salad.

BREAKFAST Omelet & sausage, cereal, juice, milk.

LUNCH Chicken fajitas with toppings, corn OR buffalo chicken salad.

BREAKFAST Cinnamon tastry, cereal, juice, milk.

LUNCH Chicken a la king, rice/biscuit, peas and carrots OR ham salad.

BREAKFAST Bagel pizza, cereal, juice, milk.

LUNCH Hamburger, fries OR beef taco salad.

BREAKFAST Breakfast bites, cereal, juice, milk.

LUNCH Italian dunkers with sauce, winter mix OR Oriental chicken salad.

LUNCH Chicken burger, lettuce, oven potatoes, sliced carrots, mandarin oranges.

LUNCH Tater tot hotdish, lettuce salad, whole-kernel corn, juice bar.

LUNCH Senior Class Lunch: Creamed chicken, biscuit, steamed broccoli, cranberries, dessert.

LUNCH Ham/cheese stacker, pasta salad, garden peas, pineapple tidbits.

LUNCH Pizza, green beans, applesauce.

LUCK

BREAKFAST Cereal/omelet.

LUNCH Meatballs and gravy, mashed potatoes, peas, fruit sauce. Alt.: Hot dog, 7-12.

BREAKFAST Cereal/breakfast pizza.

LUNCH Chef’s choice.

BREAKFAST Cereal/egg muffin.

LUNCH Build your own sub, potato chips, corn, fresh fruit. Alt.: Chicken nuggets, 7-12.

BREAKFAST Cereal/French toast.

LUNCH Spaghetti hotdish, hot buns, green beans, fruit sauce. Alt.: Fish patty, 712.

BREAKFAST Cereal/cinnamon roll.

LUNCH Grill Out! Hot dogs/brats, potato chips, baked beans, fresh fruit.

SIREN

BREAKFAST Assorted cereal, toast served with peanut butter, juice and milk.

LUNCH Sub sandwich, soup, crackers, shredded lettuce, beans, applesauce. Alt.: Cook’s choice.

BREAKFAST Pancake and sausage on a stick, juice and milk.

LUNCH Spaghetti & meat sauce, garlic bread, lettuce, peas, peaches. Alt.: Cook’s choice.

BREAKFAST Assorted cereal, toast served with peanut butter, juice and milk.

LUNCH Sloppy joes, Tostitos, shredded lettuce, carrots, pears. Alt.: Cook’s choice.

BREAKFAST French toast sticks, juice and milk.

LUNCH Hot ham & cheese, oven potatoes, baby carrots, veg. beans, kiwi, oranges. Alt.: Cook’s choice.

BREAKFAST Assorted cereal, toast served with peanut butter, juice and milk.

LUNCH Pizza dipper, corn, veggies, rice, pineapple, cookie.

ST. CROIX FALLS

BREAKFAST Omelets and breakfast potatoes.

LUNCH Chicken nuggets, macaroni & cheese, peas and carrots, pears.

Alt.: Veggie beef soup, bread stick & garden salad.

BREAKFAST Belgian waffles w/strawberry toppings.

LUNCH Taco salad, lettuce and toppings, green beans, pineapple. Alt.: Chicken noodle soup, tuna sandwich.

BREAKFAST Breakfast burrito w/toppings.

LUNCH Pizza, corn, lettuce salad, chocolate pudding, peaches. Alt.: Wisconsin cheese soup, bread stick & garden salad.

BREAKFAST Apple/cinnamon bakes w/icing.

LUNCH Hot ham & cheese, seasoned fries, carrots, applesauce. Alt.: Tomato soup and grilled cheese.

BREAKFAST Whole-grain waffles & sausage.

Breakfast pizza.

LUNCH Cheese quesadillas, lettuce baked salad, dogs w/toppings, green chilled fruit cups.

Alt.: chips, beans, cinnamon applesauce baked Broccoli cheese soup, crois beans. Alt.: Veggie beefturkey barley, tursant. key sandwich.

UNITY

BREAKFAST Lumberjacks.

LUNCH Chicken nuggets and rice.

BREAKFAST French toast.

LUNCH Spaghetti, bread sticks & green beans.

BREAKFAST Yogurt parfaits.

LUNCH Bratwurst and baked beans.

BREAKFAST Breakfast pizza, LUNCH Ham or chicken, au gratin potatoes.

WEBSTER

LUNCH Spaghetti, salad, bread stick, pears, banana.

LUNCH Pizza burger, potato, carrots OR mini corn dogs, potatoes, green beans, applesauce, peaches.

LUNCH Cook’s choice OR sloppy joe, bun, tater tots, pineapple, fruit cocktail.

FREDERIC GRANTSBURG Each building will have their own breakfast menu.

Long johns.

BREAKFAST

LUNCH Cook’s choice.

LUNCH LUNCH Taco salad, salsa, mandarin oranges, Pizza, fresh veggies, pears.

Shape-Up.

fresh

fruit,

PAGE 28 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

OBITUARIES James C. Montgomery

Charles J. Bennett

Lauraine A. Backes

James C. Montgomery of Osceola died Thursday, May 1, 2008, at his home at the age of 80 after a yearlong battle with cancer.

Jim was born May 31, 1927, in Ubet, to Horace and Ella Montgomery. He graduated from Osceola High School. On Oct. 12, 1950, he married Betty Thompson at St. Joseph’s in Amery. Jim owned Osceola Oil for 38 years and served on the Osceola Village Board for over 30 years. Jim was active on the Osceola Fire Department, was a trustee and on the financial council at St. Joseph’s in Osceola. He was a Fourth-degree Knight of Columbus, Grand Knight and was active in Cursillo.

He served on the Osceola Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. In his free time, Jim enjoyed making homemade ice cream, sourdough pancakes, waffles and bread, fishing, camping, gardening, blueberry picking, hunting, coffee, shaking dice, playing cards, watching the Packers and socializing with family and friends.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents; son, Timothy; brothers, Horace, Erwin and Darrell.

He is survived by his wife, Betty; sons, Michael (Barb) of Osceola, David (Kim) of Fountain Hills, Ariz., Paul “Slip” of Osceola and Seth (Diane) of Eagan, Minn.; daughters, Teresa (Jim) Myhr of Lindstrom, Minn., Patty (Mark) Watland of China, Angela (Tom) Anderson of Osceola, Lala (Eric) Graf of Osceola, Jennifer (Chris) Lancette of Oakdale, Minn., and Sarah (Jeff) Newman of Oakdale, Minn.; daughter-in-law, Margaret Wilkerson of Ariz.; 33 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; six step-grandchildren and five step-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Saturday, May 3, at St. Joseph Church in Osceola with Fr. Tom Thompson officiating. Music was provided by Peggy and Mike Olson and Cursillo friends. Interment was in the St. Mary Cemetery in Farmington.

The Grandstrand Funeral Home, Osceola, was entrusted with arrangements.

Charles J. Bennett, 70, a resident of Siren, died May 3, 2008, at Frederic Care and Rehab Center.

Funeral services were held May 7, at Swedberg-Taylor Siren Chapel.

A full obituary will follow next week.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

Lauraine A. Backes, Clayton, died April 29, 2008, at her daughter’s home in Vadnais Heights, Minn. She was 81 years old.

She was born Sept. 8, 1926, in Georgetown, Polk County, to Paul and Marie (L’Allier) Chartrand. Lauraine worked in Amery for a few years before she was married in Holy Rosary on Sept. 8, 1955, to Raymond Backes, who preceded her in death on Jan. 12, 1988.

Lauraine and Raymond owned and operated ITCO Farm Supply in Clayton for many years. Over the last seven years, she made her home with her two daughters in the Twin Cities.

Lauraine was preceded in death by brother Emil Chartrand; and sisters, Marie Chartrand, Andree Backes and Rose Waterman.

She is survived by daughters, Laurie Backes and Kathleen Backes, both of Vadnais Heights, Minn., and Suzanne (Patrick) Takasugi, Wilder, Idaho; son, Alan Backes, Spooner; grandchildren, Taylor, Cole and Paige; brothers Oscar (Marian) Chartrand, Balsam Lake, Leo Chartrand, Centuria, Richard (Sandra) Chartrand and Roger (Judy) Chartrand, both of Luck; and sister Jackie (Arnold) Stoeberl, Almena.

Funeral services were held May 5 at St. Ann Catholic Church, Turtle Lake, with Father David Lusson officiating. Burial was in St. Ann Cemetery, Turtle Lake. Pallbearers were Jessica Pickard, Andrea Yeager, Veronica Koehler, Ryan Effertz, Aaron Kasper and John Kasper.

The Skinner Funeral Home, Turtle Lake, was entrusted with arrangements.

Albert L. (Junie) Doriott Albert L. (Junie) Doriott, 73, a resident of Webster, died May 3, 2008, at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. Funeral services were held May 6, 2008, at Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster.

A full obituary will follow next week.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 29

OBITUARIES James (Jim) Kallas

Shirley A. Dirks

Victor O. Anderson

James (Jim) Kallas, age 60, of Luck, formerly of Cottage Grove, Minn., died suddenly of heart failure on April 29, 2008. He died at home in his sleep.

He served his country as a member of the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He used his G.I. bill to further his education and became an accountant. He owned his own successful business for 27 years. Jim was preceded in death by his father, James; and fatherin-law, Emmett Jewell.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Shannon; sons, Jason (Sara) of Savage, Minn., and Nik (Melissa) of Woodbury, Minn.; daughter, Courtney (Jeremy) Kurkowski of Somerset; grandchildren, Bryan and Morgan; mother, Helen; siblings, Bill, Barb, Tom and Nancy Knops; and a vast number of extended family and friends.

Services were held May 5 in St. Paul, Minn.

Shirley A. Dirks nee Erickson, 68, of Town Mosel died on Monday, April 28, 2008, at Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice, surrounded by her family.

She was born in Frederic, on Sept. 25, 1939, daughter of the late Antone and Wava (Sahr) Erickson. Shirley attended the Luck Public School until moving to Mesa, Ariz., in 1956. She graduated from Mesa High School in 1957.

On March 1, 1958, Shirley was united in marriage to Kenneth Dirks at First Lutheran Church in Mesa. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

The couple moved to the Cleveland area in 1959.

For over 30 years, Shirley was a waitress at the Hoffbrau Restaurant in downtown Sheboygan, retiring in 2000. She was an active member of St. Marks United Church of Christ in the town of Mosel, where she had been a Sunday school teacher and member of the Bible study group. She was active with T.O.P.S. and the Wisconsin Truck Rodeo, along with her husband Ken, for over 45 years.

Shirleys pride and joy were her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved to travel, garden and was a voracious reader.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents and a great-nephew, Zachary Wolfe.

She is survived by her husband; daughters, Denise (Larry) Heling of Town Mosel, and Tammy (Peter) Koenig of Fall Creek; four grandchildren, Erick, Crystal Van Eps, Casey (Josh) Velie and Britany Koening; two great-grandchildren; sister, Antoinette (Jerry) Horky; brothers, Peter Erickson and Thomas (Debbie) Erickson, all of Luck; brother-in-law, Dale Dirks of Town Mosel and special friends Wayne and Ann Grunwald, many nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and many friends.

Funeral services were held Friday, May 2, 2008, at St. Marks United Church of Christ in Town Mosel, with the Rev. William Kesting officiating. Interment followed at the church cemetery.

The Zimmer’s Westview Funeral and Cremation Care Center, Sheboygan was entrusted with the arrangements.

Victor O. Anderson of Osceola died Monday, May 5, 2008, at St. Croix Regional Medical Center at the age of 88.

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 8, from 5 – 8 p.m. at the Grandstrand Funeral Home, Osceola. Funeral service will be Friday, May 9, 11 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Farmington. Interment will be at Oak Grove Cemetery.

A full obituary will follow next week.

The Grandstrand Funeral Home, Osceola, was entrusted with arrangements.

Harold L. Babcock Harold L. Babcock, 91, a resident of Danbury, died May 3, 2008, at this home.

Funeral services will be held May 9, at 2 p.m. with visitation prior to service, from 1- 2 p.m. at the Swedberg-Tyalor Funeral Home, Webster.

A full obituary will follow next week.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

John F. Wahl John F. Wahl, Lorain Township, Frederic, died at his home Tuesday, April 29, 2008. He was 84 years old.

He was born May 30, 1923, in Lorain Township at home to Fred and Sadie (Glassel) Wahl. John was raised and lived in Lorain Township his entire life. He attended school at the local one-room schools in the area. He was married in Cumberland on Sept. 30, 1944, to Lucille Dickman. John and his new wife then soon took over his home place. He milked cows, raised crops, as well as chickens, pigs and geese. In the very early years, John used workhorses for logging and some fieldwork. He worked at Stella Cheese/Universal Foods in Cumberland for 15 years.

John loved to garden, especially flowers and in his retirement years, many kinds of flowers were his pride and joy. Roses were his specialty, which he shared with many people, especially his wife, Lucille, and the residents of the Cumberland nursing home. John enjoyed hunting squirrels with his daughter and deer with his son. Fishing was another favorite pastime, which was enjoyed by the whole family and sometimes extended family, occasionally adding a picnic to the excursion.

He loved the wildlife, nature and farm animals. John enjoyed feeding the birds and keeping check on any woodland animals in his pastures and fields. He was an avid reader making use of the Mail-a-Book system of Polk County and very much a self-learned man.

John was a member of the Clam Falls Lutheran Church, serving on the church council for many years and often sharing his knowledge of the workings of the church with younger members. He loved going to church and enjoyed the many functions held by the church. John enjoyed spending time with family, friends and neighbors.

John was preceded in death by his parents; daughter Cynthia; and sisters Alice, Ethel, Mildred, Clarice and Erma.

He is survived by his wife, Lucille, Cumberland; son Gregory (Mary Jane) Wahl, Joliet, Ill., formerly of Rice Lake; daughter Sylvia (Rodney) Chaplin, Frederic; grandchildren Joshua Chaplin and Damian Wahl; and sisters Lucille Bublitz, St. Ansgar, Iowa, and Ruby (Stanley) Knechtel, Frederic.

Funeral services were held Monday, May 5, at Clam Falls Lutheran Church with the Rev. Larry Juergensen officiating. Burial was in McKinley Cemetery. Pallbearers were James Lenz, Anthony Weaver, Allan Knechtel, Lloyd Knechtel, Michael Erickson, Herman Schmidt and David Bublitz.

The Skinner Funeral Home, Cumberland, was entrusted with arrangements.

Leah Autumn Schaaf Leah Autumn Schaaf, 2, died on May 1, 2008.

Leah was born Sept. 14, 2005, in Spooner to parents Lance and Cassi Schaaf. Leah was a little princess who loved pink and liked to have her nails painted. She enjoyed playing, coloring, dancing and being a little girl.

Leah will be sadly missed by her parents, Lance and Cassi of Danbury; brother, Lucas; maternal grandparents, Marvin Studeman of Webster, Roxanne Studeman of Spooner; paternal grandparents, Mike (Ella) Schaaf of Danbury; aunts and uncles, Lindsey (Bob) Holmstrom of Danbury, Chris (Jenny) Studeman of Webster, Cody Studeman of Danbury, Michael (Gwen) Schaaf of Danbury, Sean Schaaf of Danbury and Dylan Schaaf of Danbury, along with “Danny Dog” and other relatives and friends.

Funeral services were held Monday, May 5, at the Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home with Pastor Roger Pittman officiating. Interment followed at Swiss Cemetery in Swiss Township, Burnett County. Casket bearers were her uncles, Sean Schaaf, Michael Schaaf, Chris Studeman and Cody Studeman.

The Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster, was entrusted with arrangements.

Donna M. Thill Donna Marie (Marxen) Swenson Thill, 69, died April 23, 2008, at her home in Dresser, after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer.

She was born in Minneapolis, on March 23, 1939, the oldest of four children born to Henry N. and Fay (Sheaffer) Marxen. The family moved to near St. Croix Falls and in the mid-40s to Ozone, Ark. They returned to the St. Croix Falls area around 1950. At the age of 13, as a freshman in high school, she began attending a private convent boarding school in Superior. At the age of 15, she finally entered the Convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in Superior. Receiving the name in religious life of Sister Mary Philomena. In 1961, she left religious life and two years later on June 15, 1963, she married Wesley James Swenson. To this union three children were born.

Donna earned her bachelor’s degree in education in 1970 and began teaching at the St. Croix Falls School District that year. She earned her master’s degree in education in 1975. Wesley Swenson died in 1992. In 1994, she married Bernard Anthony Thill. In 1996, she retired from teaching at St. Croix Falls School District.

On Feb. 3, 2000, Donna, suffering from liver disease primary scalloping cholangitis, received a liver transplant. On Oct. 23, 2007, she was diagnosed with metestatic pancreatic cancer.

Donna is survived by her husband, Bernie Thill; three children, Mary L. (John) Lococo, Douglas J. (Judy) Swenson, Eric J. (Meagan) Swenson; father, Henry N. Marxen; three stepchildren, six grandchildren; six stepgrandchildren; brothers, Nick (Sandy)Marxen and Jerard (Patsy) Marxen; sister, Dorothy Roder; special sister, Faye (Norm) Syrjala.

Memorial service will be held on Thursday, May 22, 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Osceola, with visitation one hour prior to service. Interment will be at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Milltown.

The Edling Funeral Home, St. Croix Falls, was entrusted with arrangements.

PAGE 30 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

CHURCH NEWS Rocky Mountain College Choir and Orchestra to perform

OBITUARIES Lester Howard Brunette Lester Howard Brunette, 72, of Dresser, died May 3, 2008, at the St. Croix Regional Medical Center in St. Criox Falls.

Lester was born on July 29, 1935, in White Earth, Minn., to parents Dorothy and Raymond Brunette. He completed his schooling in White Earth and Murray High School in St. Paul, Minn. He married Mary Beaulieu in 1972.

Lester had different jobs throughout his working career and retired from Boeing Aircraft as an engineer.

He loved fishing, hunting and spending time with his family.

Lester is survived by his wife, Mary Brunette of Fargo, N.D.; children, Edward (Sharon) Brunette, Maple Grove, James Brunette, Minneapolis, Minn., Ronald Brunette of Fargo, N.D.; daughter, Carol Bloom of Dresser, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at the Kolstad Family Funeral Home on Thursday, May 8, at 11 a.m. with the family greeting visitors one hour prior to the service.

Interment will be at the White Earth Indian Cemetery in White Earth, Minn.

The Kolstad Family Funeral Home of Centuria is entrusted with arrangements.

Jeanette Mildred Peterson The 55-member Rocky Mountain College Choir and Orchestra, under the direction of Andrew Love, will minister in the service at St. Croix Falls Elementary School Auditorium on Saturday, May 10, at 6 p.m. and Grace Baptist Church in Grantsburg on Sunday, May 11, at 9:30 a.m. Their inspirational music incorporates a variety of musical styles, ranging from classical and sacred to spirituals and contemporary Christian works. An offering will be received to support their ministry. – Photo submitted ST. CROIX FALLS – The 55-member Rocky Mountain College Choir and Orchestra from Calgary AB, under the direction of Andrew Love has become a favorite with many audiences in Calgary and beyond. Their ministry has been well-received in churches and concert halls throughout Canada and the United States, and has included performances at the annual Calgary Mayor’s Breakfast, in the Ottawa Parliament Building chambers for MPs and Senators, in New York City at St. Paul’s Chapel, the site of George Washington’s Inauguration Prayer Service and on the nationally televised Canadian TV program “100 Huntley Street.”

The group has recorded six CD projects, including their 2007 SHAI Award-winning CDs (Canada’s Gospel Music People’s Choice Awards) “Bow Down” (in the

choral category) and “Joy!” (in the seasonal category.)

Their upcoming Spring 2008 concert ministry tour will take them through Canada and the U.S. Stephanie Mettler, from St. Croix Falls sings with and plays the piano for the group. Her parents, the Rev. and Mrs. Ken Mettler recently returned from Calgary where they enjoyed Stephanie’s piano recital and the spring choir and orchestra concert that was a tribute to love.

The choir and orchestra will be performing at: St. Croix Falls Elementary School Auditorium, on Saturday, May 10, 6 p.m. The school is located on Louisiana Street in St. Croix Falls. The group will also be performing at Grace Baptist Church, 716 S. Robert Street in Grantsburg on Sunday, May 11, 9:30 a.m. - submitted

News from the Pews at Pilgrim Lutheran Church

The Confirmation Class from Pilgrim journeyed to Luther Point Bible Camp last Wednesday. Their goal was to open up and clean out the cabin that the church sponsors. The students wiped down the walls of cob webs, wiped down the bunk beds, washed the windows inside and out, swept and mopped the floor and now the cabin is ready for the camping season. After all that hard work everyone had treats and a group picture taken. Pictured beginning on the left – Natalie Phernetton, Megan Amundson, Cori Schmidt, Jack Neumann, Jordan Siebenthal, Eric Stoner, Joe Engelhart, Pastor Catherine Burnette, Ray Thompson, Austin Kurkowski, Michael Tesch, Dayton Rivera, Katie Mossey and Ashley Kurkowski.

– Photo submitted

Jeanette Mildred Peterson, 90, of Grantsburg, died April 20, 2008, at the Burnett Medical Center CCC. Jeanette was born Dec. 31, 1917, to Evald and Hilda Peterson of Falun. On Nov. 1, 1936, she married Helmer Larson, who died May 15, 1984. A year later, she married Henry Peterson, who died Jan. 27, 2000.

She is survived by her sister, Edith Sutherland of Superior; stepson, Gary Peterson and family of Grantsburg; stepdaughter, Sylvia Bergeson and family of Saukville and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, April 24, at Bethany Lutheran Church, Grantsburg, with Pastor Jay Ticknor officiating. Music was provided by Linda Dahl and Erin Spohn. Casket bearers were Barry Lehman, Gary Lehman, Roger Lehman, Ben Peterson, Dale Halverson and Doug Sutherland. Interment was in Riverside Cemetery, Grantsburg.

The Edling Funeral Home of Grantsburg was entrusted with the arrangements.

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 31

CHURCH NEWS The message Occasionally, people ask me why I don’t present the Gospel message in every column. My vision is to focus on planting spiritual seeds through the word of God into the minds of my readers. I try to inspire, encourage and exhort. Sally Bair Today, however, I offer you a simplified version of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

PERSPECTIVES In the beginning God made heaven and earth and all that is in them, including man and woman. When Adam and Eve sinned through disobedience in the garden of Eden, they caused a great rift in their relationship with their creator. No longer could they, or their descendents, live forever in perfect harmony with God. Subsequent generations of Israelites continued in a cycle of sin. When things went well, they blessed God and served him. But they grew apathetic and began sinning. God disciplined them, and they became slaves to their enemies. Desperate, the Israelites cried out to God. They repented and God restored them to wholeness and peace. After a time, apathy again arose in them and they turned from God. And so the cycle repeated itself—for centuries.

Because of man’s disobedience, even the law—the Ten Commandments—and sacrificial offerings failed to bring man into a holy state acceptable to God. Could man ever bridge the gap between himself and God? “For the wages which sin pays is death, but the (bountiful) free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 amplified.)

Then, through God’s great love for us, he sent his only son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead. Jesus bridged the gap so we can now approach God without fear of eternal death.

“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.”

(John 3:16 amplified.)

Through belief in Jesus, we can receive salvation and forgiveness, victory over sin and temptation, and the Holy Spirit as our comforter, strength and power.

We will receive Jesus’ righteousness in the sight of God his Father, perfect peace, and joy. If you want this, please pray this prayer.

Lord, I realize that I’m a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and want to turn from my sins. I invite you as my Lord and my Savior into my heart and life. Thank you for your gift of salvation. In Jesus’ name, amen.

(I encourage you to contact me at sallybair@gmail.com.)

ETERNAL

is no God, that there is no purpose to life, that there is no meaning in our existence, and that there is no free will. This same individual stated that if his brain cancer were to ever re(Written by Kevin Cauley, SWSBS) The turn the best thing that he could do is get a movie “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” gun and shoot himself. debuted on Friday, April 18th, in over 1000 The movie then explores the relationship theaters nationwide. This movie starred Ben between Darwinism and German Nazism, Stein, a Jewish man, an actor, and a former drawing a strong relationship between these speechwriter for the Nixon administration. two systems of thought. Ben Stein visits both Garret the The premise of the movie is that scientific acexperimental laboratories and the death ademia has excluded particular ideas from Derouin camps of Nazi Germany, asking provocative both the classroom and from the scientific questions regarding the nature of good and establishment. Moreover, individuals who evil and strongly advocating that in order for THE tout these particular ideas are academically one to condemn that which is evil there must ostracized to the point that they have diffi- PREACHER’S be an ultimate expression of good—namely, culty being employed. What ideas are exGod. cluded? They are the ideas associated with The movie concludes with a poignant conthe concept of “Intelligent Design.” frontation between Ben Stein and prominent “Intelligent Design” is the proposition atheist Richard Dawkins. Ben Stein puts hard that within nature we find complexities so great that questions to Dawkins, which many have not had the it is incomprehensible to account for them by blind opportunity to do, and exposes Dawkins’ philosophchance. As a result, proponents of this thinking con- ical viewpoint as utter foolishness. In essence, the clude that such things must be intelligently designed. movie turns the table on the atheists; instead of their The “Intelligent Design” movement does not specify being the ones to hold theists in mockery and conwhether this designer is God or someone else, only tempt, the movie rightly holds the atheists in mockery that intelligence as manifested by design is a neces- and contempt. sary conclusion to explain these complexities in naThe final question asked in the movie is: Why not ture. Opponents to the idea of “Intelligent Design” allow smart and intelligent people to postulate the have labeled those who adhere to it as being “Cre- concept of intelligent design in scientific academia? ationists.”

The tradition of freedom of thought and speech in our The movie explores the concept of “Intelligent De- country and in all free countries not only ought to persign” and the reaction of the scientific establishment mit such questions to be asked, but demand them to thereto. These elite scientists castigate those who be- be asked. In that regard, modern day “science” has lieve in intelligent design as being “idiots,” “stupid,” become nothing more than the academic equivalent and “having nothing meaningful to say.” The movie to Stalinist Russia. then proceeds to examine whether or not these evalOverall, I thought that the movie was well worth uations are true. It shows, quite to the contrary, that watching. It wasn’t a defense of theistic evolution, those who advocate “Intelligent Design” are anything which some expected it to be. Instead, it was a probbut “idiots” and that such monikers are simply ad ing and provocative look into the philosophical hominem attacks by the opponents of “Intelligent De- worldviews of Neo-Darwinists. Ultimately Neo-Darsign.” winism is about atheism; it’s about their forcing that But the movie goes beyond this point to explore the worldview on those educated in the public school sysphilosophical presuppositions to Neo-Darwinism— tems in the name of “science.” The public has a right namely, atheism and to a larger degree phenomeno- and a responsibility to challenge such a worldview logical nihilism. A number of Darwinists are quoted and its propagation in public education. as saying that they were once “believers” but because If readers have questions or simply wish to know of their study of Neo-Darwinism they became athe- more about the Church of Christ, we would like to inists. They then claim that this is the philosophical vite them to call 715-866-7157 or stop by the church viewpoint that all “scientists” ought to share. building at 7425 W. Birch St. in Webster. Sunday Bible The movie points out that such a philosophical class begins at 9:30 a.m. and worship begins at 10:30 worldview is, in fact, a necessary consequence of Neo- a.m. We also meet Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. OfDarwinism. At one point in the film, one particular fice hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 a.m. philosopher/scientist was quoted as saying that here noon.

A review of "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed"

PEN

Baptisms at Bone Lake Lutheran Church

Bethany renews companion covenant with Malawi Church SIREN – Randy Ellis shared photos and stories from Malawi, Africa, during companion synod Sunday at Bethany Lutheran Church May 4.

Bethany Lutheran in Siren and Mponela Parish in Malawi are companion congregations, walking together side by side as companions in Christ.

According to Ellis, the people of Malawi are very poor financially, but very rich spiritually, and their lives are filled with Randy Ellis singing. Special refreshments after Sunday’s worship services were banana bread and sweat potato cookies; both bananas and sweet potatoes are staples in Malawian homes. The day’s Gospel lesson was taken from John 17:11, “May they be one, as we are one.” The congregation received Holy Communion and enjoyed a performance by Bethany’s youth bell choir. All are welcome at Bethany. Sunday worship services are held at 8 and 10:30 a.m., with Sunday school at 9 a.m. A midweek fellowship is held Wednesday, with supper at 5:45 p.m., and activities and worship for all ages. For more information, call 349-5280. – from Bethany Lutheran Church

Three children received the sacrament of Holy Baptism at Bone Lake Lutheran Church on Sunday, April 20. Pictured are Tiffany Brown with her parents Herschel and Mary Brown; Micaela EliasonKurkowski with her mother, Michelle Eliason; and Mason Carter with his parents Tony and Nikki Carter.

Mary Ann Bowman is the Pastor.

Four youth received their First Communion from Pastor Mary Ann Bowman at Bone Lake Lutheran Church on Sunday, April 20. (L to R); Tiffany Brown, Micaela Eliason-Kurkowski, Markell Ramich and Madeline Ramich. – Photos submitted

PAGE 32 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

CHURCH NEWS A move can be a great experience for families Q: We’re going to move to another state in a few months. I know it’s going to be tough for Chuck and Marcie, who have so many little friends at school.

How can I get them ready for life in a new city?

DR. DOBSON: Moving to a new school or a new town can be an unpleasant experience for children, but there are some ways to make it easier for them.

Preparation and forethought are the keys. Educator Cheri Fuller recommends those who are about to relocate to call a family meeting to talk about what’s going to happen. Begin to lay plans together. It’s sad to say goodbye to good friends and it’s hard to make new ones. Try establishing pen pals for your children in the new school long before the move is to occur. Relationships can blossom through the mail so that the kids are not entirely unknown in the new location.

It’s also helpful to create curiosity about the new city or neighborhood you’re moving to. I’d encourage you to take full advantage of the Internet since every chamber of commerce has a Web site. Representatives of these organizations will welcome your request for additional information. When your children begin to understand the adventure of moving, they may develop a more positive attitude toward leaving. A bit of preparation and a healthy dose of communication can help clear the way for a smoother journey to a new home.

••• Q: Why can’t parents get children to obey just by

explaining what they want them to do? Why is it so often necessary to punish or raise our voices to get them to cooperate? Why can’t they just accept a few reasonable rules and avoid all that conflict? It just doesn’t add up to me.

DR. DOBSON: After working with children for years, I’m convinced Dr. James that their challenging behavior is Dobson motivated in part by the desire for power that lies deep within the human spirit. From a very early age, they just don’t want anyone telling them what to do. They are also great admirers of strength and courage.

Maybe this is why mythical characters like Superman, Robin Hood and Wonder Woman have been so prominent in the folklore of children. Perhaps it is also why kids brag that “My dad can beat up your dad!” (One child said in reply, “That’s nothing, my mom can beat up my dad, too!”)

It is a fact that most boys, and some girls, care about the issue of “who’s toughest.” Whenever a youngster moves into a new neighborhood or a new school district, he often has to fight, either verbally or physically, to establish himself on the hierarchy of strength. There is usually a “top dog” in a group of children who bosses everyone else around. There is also a little defeated pup at the bottom of the heap who takes the brunt of everyone’s abuse. And each child between

FOCUS ON THE

FAMILY

those extremes usually knows where he or she ranks in relation to the others.

I believe this admiration for power also makes children want to know how tough their leaders are. They will occasionally disobey adults for the precise purpose of testing their determination and courage. Thus, whether you are a parent, grandparent, Boy Scout leader, bus driver, Brownie leader or a school teacher, I can guarantee that sooner or later, one of the children under your authority will clench his little fist and challenge your leadership. He will convey this message by his disobedient manner: “I don’t think you are tough enough to make me do what you say.” The way you handle that confrontation is being watched closely by every child in the group. Your reaction will determine how soon another occurs and with what intensity it is driven.

••• 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 2008 JAMES DOBSON INC., DISTRIBUTED BY UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE 4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; 816-9326600.

Brought to you by:

Pilgrim Lutheran Church Frederic

Ladies Morning Retreat at Frederic Evangelical Free Church FREDERIC – On Friday, May 16, Shelia Beecroft will be speaking at the Ladies Morning Retreat. She will be sharing the story of the Lord’s grace and goodness in her and husband Troy’s lives throughout her high-risk

pregnancy and emergency surgery following the birth of their son.

The retreat time is from 9:15 – 11:15 a.m., 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 327-8767 for more information. - submitted

MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 33

PAGE 34 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

TRUCK DRIVERS: CDL training.

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MAY 7, 2008 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - PAGE 35

Students of the Week GRANTSBURG

FREDERIC

Kendra Mossey has been chosen Frederic Middle School’s student of the week. She is in seventh grade and the daughter of Carol and Gary Mossey. Kendra is a good student who is hardworking, conscientious about school affairs, cooperative and respectful. She is involved in piano, bells, band, choir, cross country, basketball and track. Kendra enjoys basketball. She plans to go to college in the future.

Ben Ackerley has been chosen Frederic High School’s student of the week. He is a freshman and the son of Gary and Luann Ackerley. Ben is conscientious and has good work habits. He is a hardworking athlete, personable young man, friendly, cooperative and respectful. Ben is in student council, wrestling, football and baseball. He enjoys hunting and fishing. Ben plans on attending college for construction.

Justin Johnson has been chosen Grantsburg Elementary School’s student of the week. He is in first grade and the son of Melinda Johnson. Justin has made tremendous gains during the school year.

He is very nice and polite to classmates, tries his hardest and has a wonderful attitude about learning.

Justin enjoys playing with his brother, cousins, friends and his dog, Phoenix. He also likes to jump on his trampoline.

Cody Roettger has been chosen Luck Middle School’s student of the week. He is in eighth grade and the son of Patricia and Ken Roettger. Cody has a quiet sense of humor. He enjoys hunting, fishing and being outside.

Cole Wickstrom has been chosen Luck High School’s student of the week. He is a senior and the son of Kevin and Diane Wickstrom. Cole is a friendly and happy student. He gets along with his classmates and teachers. Cole recently built a new counter for the concession stand.

He works part time at Sunrise Dairy and is an active member of FFA. Cole enjoys working on vehicles and riding dirt bike. He plans to attend WITC in Rice Lake to become an automotive technician.

Brandy Eisen has been chosen St. Croix Falls Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in first grade and the daughter of Gene and Wendy Eisen. Recess is her favorite part of school because she has a lot of time to play with her friends. Brandy also really likes music class because she enjoys singing. She enjoys riding her bike and playing with her brothers and sister. Brandy collects stuffed animals.

Elizabeth Brown has been chosen Siren Middle School’s student of the week. She is the daughter of Michelle and Charles Brown.

Elizabeth is a great student who is very active in school. She is in band and choir, plus plays on the volleyball, basketball and track teams. Elizabeth loves animals and in her spare time she likes to hang out with her friends and play basketball.

Jordan Johnson has been chosen St. Croix Falls Middle School’s student of the week. She is in seventh grade and the daughter of Tom and Kim Johnson. Jordan is a very bright girl!

She is always on task, working hard and offers great answers and suggestions during class. Jordan lives on a farm with a horse, two dogs and about 30 cows. She enjoys showing calves, her horse and sewing projects at the fair.

WEBSTER

SIREN

Stefani Wambolt has been chosen Siren Elementary School’s student of the week. She is an active student who loves to play basketball and participate in many other sports. Stefani is popular and has a large group of friends. Her hard work and effort in her studies has grown throughout the school year.

Gretchen Hedlund has been chosen Grantsburg High School’s student of the week. She is a junior and the daughter of Paul and Sue Hedlund. Gretchen values honesty, responsibility and respect. She is involved in NHS, basketball and manages the softball team.

Gretchen enjoys riding horse, hunting, fishing and hanging out with friends. She plans on attending college.

ST. CROIX FALLS

LUCK

Ryley Fosberg has been chosen Luck Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in first grade and the daughter of Kris Zacco and Randy Fosberg.

Her favorite subject is reading.

Ryley is a conscientious student who does well in all subjects.

She is a thoughtful student who puts the desires of others before her own. She enjoys dance class, playing with Littlest Pet Shop and being outside when it is warm.

Tiffany Moyer has been chosen Grantsburg Middle School’s student of the week. She is in seventh grade and the daughter of Paul and Audra Moyer. Tiffany works hard and is always ready to help where ever she is needed.

Tiffany is always pleasant, wellmannered and has a ready smile.

She is active in Girl Scouts, youth group and her hobbies include scrapbooking, baby sitting, horseback riding and being with friends.

Jennifer Mitchell has been chosen Siren High School’s student of the week. She is a senior who is a responsible student maintaining the highest standards for herself in all she does.

Jennifer was a key part of the success of the girls basketball team this season. She is a focused young lady who has welldefined goals and a plan to reach those goals. She will be attending UW-Madison in fall.

Amanda Preston has been chosen Webster Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in kindergarten and the daughter of Melissa Preston and the late Scott Preston. Amanda is a leader in her classroom and his helpful and attentive. She is a problem solver and a peacemaker who gives her best effort. Amanda loves reading, writing notes and going out for recess. She likes to play with her fat cat and ride her bike.

Samantha Perius has been chosen Webster Middle School’s student of the week. She is in seventh grade and the daughter of Lori Pietz and Steve Conrow.

Samantha has excellent attendance and grades. She is in band, Girl Scouts, softball and volleyball. Samantha enjoys playing with her two Labs, bowhunting and fishing. Her favorite subject is math.

Eric Plath has been chosen Webster High School’s student of the week. He is a junior and the son of Doug and Linda Plath. Eric has good attendance and has earned all A’s this year. He is a quiet, steady worker who does quality work. Eric is a very respectful young man. He is involved in student council and works part time at Northern Drive In and Fox Run Golf Course. Eric enjoys snowmobiling, 4-wheeling, hunting, fishing and Chevy trucks.

UNITY

Congratulations students on a job well done!

Olivia Jensen has been chosen Unity Elementary School’s student of the week. She is in fourth grade and the daughter of Janice Williamson and Jim Jensen.

Olivia has a wonderful attitude and always displays exemplary behavior. She is a hard worker who is always willing to lend a helping hand. Olivia enjoys playing with friends and cooking with her grandma.

Alisha Aronson has been chosen Unity Middle School’s student of the week. She is in seventh grade and the daughter of Jeff and Sue Handlos. Alisha is a shining star. She is respectful and kind. Her hard work is really appreciated. Alisha also has an easy-going attitude and a gentle nature.

Jake Bengtson has been chosen Unity High School’s student of the week. He is a freshman and the son of Jeremy and Lisa Bengtson of Balsam Lake. Jake is always pleasant and leads by example.

He enjoys golf, football, basketball and hunting. He plans to become a U.S. Coast Guard aviator after graduation.

PAGE 36 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B- MAY 7, 2008

MAY

THURSDAY/8 Amery

• Polk-Burnett Retired Educators Association meeting at the VFW, noon, 715-483-3547.

Dresser • NARFE chapter 1581 meeting at Village Pizzeria, noon, 715-294-3185.

Coming events

Turtle Lake • Workshop for parents of middle & high school students with special needs at CESA 11 offices, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., 715-986-2020.

SUNDAY/11 Balsam Lake

• “As Seen on TV” variety show at the high school, 6 p.m.

Grantsburg • Rocky Mountain College Choir at the Grace Baptist Church, 9:30 a.m.

Frederic • 500 cards at the senior center, 6:30 p.m.

• 9-12 grade Fine Arts Festival and Concert at the high school, 7 p.m.

• Support group for people with bipolar disorder and depression at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 7:30 p.m. Call 715-327-4436 for more info.

Indian Creek • Old Time Dance at the American Legion, 1-4 p.m.

Osceola • “The Book of Liz” auditions at the ArtBarn, 6:30-8 p.m., 715-294-2787.

St. Croix Falls

MONDAY/12

• Exercise, 10-11 a.m.; Skipbo, 11 a.m.-noon; crafts, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 500 cards, 6:30 p.m., at the senior center.

Amery

• Cribbage, 1:30 p.m., at the senior center.

Siren

Frederic

• Ruby’s Pantry food giveaway at the Ice Arena, 4 p.m.

• Spade cards at the senior center, 1:30 p.m.

• Annual seventh- and eighth-grade spring concert at the high school, 7 p.m.

FRI. & SAT./9 & 10 Balsam Lake

St. Croix Falls

• American Legion Auxiliary and Post 278 Poppy distribution.

• Art group, 9:30 a.m.-noon at the senior center.

Siren

TUESDAY/13 Amery

• Attitudes Dance Academy’s first dance recital at the high school, 7 p.m., 715-3495556.

FRIDAY/9 Amery

• Pool tourney, men & women, 9 a.m., at the senior center.

Exploring a hollow tree trunk, this lamb emerges with an inquisitive look towards the photographer. - Photo by Wally Rich

• Bingo 1 p.m., at the senior center.

Frederic

Centuria

• Pokeno played at the senior center, 1 p.m.

• The NW Regional Writers meet at Sunrise Apts. Community Room, 1 p.m. Write a detailed menu including a fancy, over-the-rainbow dessert.

• Bowl for a Cure Breast Cancer Awareness Night at McKenzie Lanes, 6 p.m., 715-4832610.

Luck • Area senior center get-together at the center, 2 p.m.

St. Croix Falls • Friday fish fry at the American Legion Post 143, serving 5-7:30 p.m.

Webster • Annual high school pops concert, 7 p.m.

SAT. & SUN./10 & 11 Grantsburg

• Crex Meadows Birding Festival: bird tours & programs, 715-463-2739 or visit www.crexmeadows.org.

Osceola • 2nd-Annual Osceola Motorcycle & ATV Dealer Expo at the high school, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with shows at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. & 3 p.m., 715-2944640.

SATURDAY/10 Amery

• Spring vender/craft sale at the golf course, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 715-268-9044.

Clam Falls

• Pancake Breakfast at the Lutheran church, 7:30-10:30 a.m.

Cushing • 100-bird shoot at the rod and gun club, 8 a.m.4 p.m., 715-338-4241.

Dresser • 8th-annual Lions plant sale at Qualle Bear Day Care, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

• Life of Faith book club for girls at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 11:30 a.m.

Frederic • ACS Run/Walk, registration at the Birch Street Elementary School, 8-9 a.m. Walk begins from the school at 9:15 a.m.

• Food, fellowship & games at the senior center, noon.

Grantsburg • Morning Birding Field Trip at Crex Meadows, 8-10 a.m., 715-463-2739 or visit www.crexmeadows.org.

• Wildflower Walk at Crex Meadows, 10 a.m.noon, 715-463-2739 or visit www.crexmeadows.org.

• Bethany Lutheran Youth Group of Grantsburg fundraiser carwash at Burnett Dairy, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

No gray area

• “One Night with Elvis” at Crex Conventions, 6 p.m. social, 7 p.m. dinner, 8 p.m. show, 715431-0336.

Luck

• ACS Run/Walk, registration 8-9 a.m. Walk starts at 9:15 a.m. at the school, 715-472-8478, 715-472-2654.

• Polk-Burnett County Farmers Union meeting at Oakwood Inn, 11 a.m., 715-268-9416.

• 2nd-Annual Mother Daughter Tea Luncheon at Bone Lake Lutheran Church, 1 p.m., reservations required, 715-472-2535 or 715472-8301.

Milltown

• Basement sale to benefit veterans trip to D.C. at VFW Post 6856, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; 500 card pary at 2 p.m., 715-646-2649.

Osceola • 100-bird shoot at the rod & gun club, 10 a.m.5 p.m., 715-684-4490.

St. Croix Falls • Bird walk at Interstate Park, 7-9 a.m., 715483-3747.

• Spring Fever Fun Horse Show at RNR Ranch & Tack, 9 a.m., 715-472-2969.

• Rocky Mountain College Choir at the elementary school, 6 p.m.

• Nat King Cole Tribute at the Festival Theatre, 7:30 p.m., 715-483-3387, 888-887-6002 or www.festivaltheatre.org for more info.

Shell Lake • Evening with the Stars Gala at the arts center, 6:30-11:30 p.m., 715-468-2414.

Frederic • Pray and Walk, gather at Zion Lutheran Church, 8:30 a.m., 715-472-2062.

• Whist played at the senior center, 1 p.m.

St. Croix Falls • Exercise, 10-11 a.m.; Skipbo 11 a.m.-noon, 500 cards & dominos, 12:30 p.m., at the senior center.

WEDNESDAY/14 Amery

• Knitting & crocheting 9-11 a.m., at the senior center.

Dresser • Horse Lake Assoc. organizational meeting at 787 200th Street, 7-8:15 p.m. Bring a lawn chair, 715-417-2524.

Frederic • Pokeno played at the senior center, 1 p.m.

Siren • Baccalaureate service at the high school, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY/15 Amery

• Poker, 1 p.m., at the senior center.

• Adult/Infant/Child CPR Certification at ARMC, 6-8:30 p.m., 715-268-8000.

Dresser • VFW Post #4186 & Auxlilary Spaghetti Dinner at the hall, 4:30-7 p.m.

May is poppy distribution month Poppies, veterans, Memorial Day, graduations

These buddies - one an albino squirrel - the other black - shared breakfast early one morning near Grantsburg. – Photo by Darlene Walkosz

Dresser • Chronic Illness/Disability Suport Group will meet at Peace Lutheran Church, 6:30 p.m., 715755-2515.

FREDERIC – May is the month our thoughts and efforts turn to all the activities we love and look forward to. This also is the time of the year when the Legion and Auxiliary turn their thoughts to our veterans and their needs. Sadly, there are many problems needing our help as we continue to hear about veterans hospitals overwhelmed and understaffed. The poppy program began back in 1918, continuing through the 1920s until the present; with all contributions received used for the sole purpose of veterans and their families. Through the years, the poppy program has grown to meet the needs of American veterans of wars. Today funds from the distribution of the beautiful, bright red flower, continues to assist hospitalized and disabled veterans in need of rehabilitation.

The poppy remains a symbol honoring those whose lives were sacrificed for American’s freedom. Although the veteran earnings are minimal, the veteran poppy maker realizes a sense of worth as

a wage-earner. Each year thousands of veterans and their families benefit through financial assistance that help defray housing, clothing, education, medical and many other daily expenses.

Knowledge and promotion is shared through the Legion Auxiliary in the media, schools and the community at large.

The poppy will always be a tribute to the men and women who gave themselves to protect our “American, Pure Gold!”

During the next couple of weeks, you will have the opportunity to meet members on the street and become a positive part of a group concerned with veterans and their families.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of a donation to a remembrance of lives lost in exchange for your freedom. The poppy tells its story to recreate awareness of the programs original intent, that the poppy is a tribute to our veterans. – submitted through the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Wisconsin.

American Legion Auxiliary #249, LaVonne Anderson, president and poppy chairman and Dorothea Jensen, sec.-treas.