St. Joseph Newsleader - Jan. 6, 2017 by The Newsleaders

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Spiritual leader named Catholic of the Year

Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 Volume 29, Issue 1 Est. 1989

Town Crier

by Frank Lee operations@thenewsleaders.com

Car seat events offer free checks

Make sure your children and grandchildren travel safely in your vehicle. Have car seats checked for correct installation from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 18, Feb. 15, March 15 or April 19 within the Gold Cross Ambulance garage, 2800 Seventh St. N., St. Cloud. Call 320-656-7021 to make a free appointment. A car seat check is encouraged for those with children ages 12 and younger, including those in booster seats. For more information, visit thenewsleaders. com and click on Jan. 6 Criers.

Great Northern Theater Company to hold annual meeting Jan. 6

Great Northern Theater Company will hold its annual meeting at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6 at the Great Blue Heron restaurant, 305 Fifth Ave. S., Cold Spring. A social hour will start at 6 p.m. Anyone may attend the meeting. Theater members with voting privileges will vote for new members of the board. Candidates are long-time theater activists Brenda Brown, St. Joseph; and Amy Hunter and Vicki Meyer, both of Richmond. For more information, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on Jan. 6 Criers.

New program to help girls cope with traumas

Project Hope, a therapy group for teen girls who have experienced traumas, is about to form in the greater St. Cloud area. Its first meeting is slated for Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the Village Family Service Center, 4140 Thielman Lane, Suite 303 in St. Cloud. The program for girls ages 12 to 18 will be led by two mental-health clinicians and a counselor. Participants will learn about trauma, how to increase self-esteem and self-empowerment, how to negotiate relationships and how to manage overwhelming feelings and behaviors. For more information, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on Jan. 6 Criers.

Become a ‘Big’ to a ‘Little’

Big Brothers Big Sisters, based locally in St. Cloud, is known for making big differences a “little” at a time. The organization is now seeking volunteers. It pairs “Big Brothers” and “Big Sisters” with “Little Brothers” and “Little Sisters” so good bonds develop that promote kindness, guidance and support for the children. The “Bigs” meet with their “Littles” three to four times per month for community-based and school-based mentoring programs. There are also volunteer tasks for “Big Couples” and “Big Families.” For more information on this and other United Way volunteer opportunities, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on Jan. 6 Criers.

contributed photo

Sister Michaela Hedican greets attendees of Gratitude Day, an annual event on the campus of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph in which the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict show public appreciation for the emotional and financial support they have received from the community. The nun was chosen as the 16th prioress or spiritual leader of the monastic community in 2011.

Sister Michaela Hedican never imagined as a little girl that one day she would be named as one of the “Catholics of the Year 2016” by OSV Newsweekly. Hedican is the prioress – chosen spiritual leader – of the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict, a monastic community in St. Joseph and the largest Benedictine community in the United States. “It’s a community honor . . . but I was humbled,” Hedican said of the year-end recognition by Our Sunday Visitor (OSV), the world’s largest English-language Catholic publisher and provider of services. Hedican shares the honor with St. Cloud Diocesan Bishop Donald J. Kettler because they “modeled compassion and soli-

darity with the Somali community, many of whose predominately Muslim members came to the United States as refugees,” according to OSV Newsweekly. “We need to find ways in which we can listen to each other, hear the concerns and fears, and hear the hopes and the dreams, and that we have to keep doing,” Hedican said. “We cannot live out of stereotypes, we cannot live out of an ‘usand-them’ mentality. We are all one here.” In particular, the publication cited the Sept. 17 stabbing of 10 people by a Somali man at Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud that “worsened tensions between longtime St. Cloud residents and a burgeoning Somali community.” Hedican said of Our SunHedican • page 2

2016 Year in Review:

Growth, exciting developments, fiscal health St. Joseph grew in so many positive ways in 2016, with lots of developments and activities in virtually every aspect of life – commercially, socially, culturally, educationally, residentially and governmentally. But the year was also punctuated with some big shocks, horror and sadness. One sad development last year was the death of legendary rock ‘n’ roller Bobby Vee, who had for many years called the St. Joseph area “home.” Vee, who lived near Cold Spring, had a recording studio in downtown St. Joseph. He and his sons were also instrumental in founding and performing in what became a popular annual tradition, the Joetown Rocks concert as part of the July 4 St. Joseph Parish Festival. Vee announced several years ago he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which took his life. Sadly, his wife, after a long struggle with cancer, died months before Vee did. Vee was one of the biggest hit-makers of pop music in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with songs such as Take Good Care of My Baby and Devil or Angel. The most stunning news, which was an agonizing mixture of tragedy and relief, was

the discovery of the body of Jacob Wetterling, a 27-year-old mystery finally solved when his abductor and killer, Danny Heinrich of Annandale, confessed and led authorities to the remains of Jacob, which he had buried on a farm grove near Paynesville. At the time of the boy’s murder, Heinrich lived in Paynesville. Heinrich is now in prison, convicted of possessing child pornography. He could not be charged with Wetterlings’ murder due to a plea agreement that was signed by Jerry and Patty Wetterling, Jacob’s parents. They signed it so Heinrich would confess and reveal where he buried Jacob, who was 11 when he was abducted in 1989 on the way home from a convenience store with his brother and a friend. People far and wide expressed horror at the unspeakable violence that befell Jacob, but they also expressed relief his body had at last been found and his abductor/killer locked up in prison. The Wetterling family, friends, well-wishers and dignitaries, including Gov. Mark Dayton, gathered on the College of St. Benedict campus for a moving memorial ceremony for Jacob Wetterling, who had long been a worldwide icon for

missing children and whose cruel fate helped sparked many child-protection laws, thanks to efforts made by Jacob’s family and supporters. Residents of the City of St. Joseph expressed pride in the

momentum gathered for so many long-planned projects. Most notably, residents and the city council came to an agreement on a new Government Center, now under construcReview • page 3

Coffee and Christmas

photo by Mindy Peterson

While wearing a festive outfit, Stephanie Cofell hands out free gingerbread cookies to a packed audience that showed up on Dec. 23 for Dave Cofell’s eighth annual Christmas show at The Local Blend, where items for the local food shelf were gladly accepted.

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People

Kathryn Evenson of St. Joseph is the recipient of the McNelly Scholarship in psychology from the University of Minnesota, Morris. After graduating with a major in psychology, Rick McNelly ‘69 continued his education at the University of Michigan where he earned master’s degree in 1971 and a doctorate in 1973. At Michigan, he worked in various positions doing research and assistant teaching. He also worked for the Ann Arbor Public Schools in a follow up study of Head Start students, and he volunteered at the Michigan State Children’s Receiving Center, a group treatment home for children in the state

foster-care system with significant emotional and behavioral disabilities. In 1972, McNelly moved to Rockford, Ill. and began his career at a multidisciplinary, notfor-profit agency serving developmentally disabled children and their families. While there he became a foster and adoptive parent for boys with various developmental issues. In 1986, he opened a private practice which continues today. This scholarship is students majoring in psychology who have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0, intend to go on to graduate studies, and actively participates in campus and community socialservice opportunities.

Heartland Security acquires Tri Comm Security Services Heartland Security of Melrose recently announced its acquisition of Tri Comm Security Services, which has served the St. Cloud area for more than 20 years. “Tri Comm Security Services has built a great reputation for servicing their customers,” said Guy Adams, Heartland Security’s general manager, “and like Heartland Security, selling a variety of security systems including residential, large and small commercial, video surveillance and access control.” Heartland Security has hired local technicians to assist in Heartland Security’s growth and

customer service expectations in the St. Cloud area. Heartland Security is unique to the alarm industry, as the company was created in 1999 by nine local electric cooperatives, including Stearns Electric. Heartland Security is now owned by 14 electric cooperatives and has grown to almost 8,000 customers. A smart security system from Heartland Security lets you view your cameras and control your lights, locks, garage door and thermostat all from one app on your smartphone, giving you anytime, anywhere access to your home or business.

CentraCare Health receives national social media award CentraCare Health received a silver Best Social Networking e-Healthcare Leadership Award at the 20th annual Healthcare Internet Conference held Nov. 7-9 in Las Vegas. The award recognizes health-care systems for excellence in blogs, chats, Facebook, Twit-

ter, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Second Life and other social-networking channels. An independent panel of individuals familiar with health care and digital communications evaluated each entry. A total of 116 individuals participated as judges.

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Friday, Jan. 6, 2017

Hedican from front page day Visitor: “It’s been around forever. I can remember growing up with it and reading its articles. It was usually in the back of the church, and it was very good about keeping you informed about a broad spectrum of Catholicism, which was wonderful.” Our Sunday Visitor was established in 1912 and “serves millions of Catholics and Catholic organizations globally through publishing, offertory and communication services,” according to the publication’s website. In its recognition of the bishop and the prioress, the publication noted Kettler called for prayers for “healing, peace and unity the day after the violence” at the St. Cloud mall that resulted in the fatal shooting of the perpetrator Dahir Adan by a part-time offduty Avon police officer. “Bishop Kettler in his great wisdom and his huge pastoral heart – at least two years ago – had gathered together the faith leaders of St. Cloud – Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics,

Blotter

If any readers have tips concerning crimes, they should call the St. Joseph Police Department at 363-8250 or Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 255-1301 or access its tip site at www.tricountycrimestoppers.org. Crime Stoppers offers rewards up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for crimes. Dec. 18 1:55 p.m. Motor vehicle crash. CR 2/CR 75. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office responded to a motor-vehicle crash with injuries at the intersection of CR 2/CR 75 in St. Joseph Twp. A 2015 black Dodge Ram, driven by Thomas Schrup, 52, St. Joseph was traveling northbound on CR 2. Schrup was unable to stop for the red light at the intersection and struck a blue 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Hermenegildo Olivares, 49, Perham. Schrup and his passenger, Myra Schrup, also of St. Joseph, were not injured. Olivares and his six passengers were transported to the St. Cloud Hospital with non -life-threatening injuries. St. Joseph Police, St. Joseph Fire/Rescue and Gold Cross Ambulance assisted at the scene.

contributed photo

Sister Michaela Hedican (right) receives renewal of monastic promises made before her by her other Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict during the 60th jubilee in St. Joseph in 2015. some of the monks from St. John’s, myself, the Mormons – and we’ve been meeting every month,” she said. “His concern was what do we do to reach out to our Somali brothers and sisters, our Muslim brothers and sisters, some of whom are from Somali and some of whom are from other areas, because we knew that there was a certain degree of ‘concern’ about them being here.” Hedican, who oversees St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, “urged Catholics to ask God for wisdom in speaking and showing support, and to reach out to members of the Somali community,” according to OSV Newsweekly, noting the Gospel mandate of “love thy neighbor.” “When the stabbing took place, we got a call the Somalis were going to be interviewed at a news conference, and I was there just to support them,” Hedican said. “And that got kind of written up, and it was also included in our diocesan newspaper and other publications.” Sister Karen Rose said before the St. Cloud mall incident which led to the death of 20-year-old Adan, who reportedly yelled “Islam, Islam” and “allahu akbar” during the attack, the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict were already active in bridging religious, racial and cultural divides. “It comes from our heritage of being Catholic and being grounded, as St. Benedict calls us to be, in the Gospel,” Hedican said. “My Neighbor Is Muslim” was a series of workshops led by the nuns last year to promote understanding, and they are also members of ISAIAH GRIP, which includes all Christian denominations and people of other faiths. “Even the Old Testament was very concerned about the whole

reality of hospitality to those who were in need,” Hedican said of the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict’s inclusive activities. There was even a social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter as part of the Year of Mercy to promote understanding and acceptance of people from other faiths, refugees, asylum seekers. “My experience growing up in northern Minnesota, where there were a number of immigrants up there, most of my friends’ families – we had a lot of Italians, a lot of Jews, a lot of Finnish people, we had Greeks,” said Hedican, who was born and raised in Virginia, Minn. Hedican is a graduate of the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, and holds two master’s degrees – one in religious education from Seattle University and the other in theology from St. John’s University School of Theology. “It was like a United Nations,” Hedican said of her upbringing on the Iron Range. “And everybody reached out to help take care of everybody. Our ancestors knew what it was like to come to a new place and to struggle to make a go of it.” OSV Newsweekly stated the work by Kettler and Hedican “to foster a community of mercy warrants their inclusion among Our Sunday Visitor’s 2016 Catholics of the Year.” “One of the lines St. Benedict has in his rules – one that just touches my heart – is the one that says, ‘Never turn away when someone needs your love,’” Hedican said of the influx of Somalis. “I can only imagine what it must be to be a refugee, to be forced out of your country.”

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Friday, Jan. 6, 2017

Review from front page

and good works and food programs started and/or supported by local church missions. All in all, despite the shocks and sadnesses, 2017 was a very good year in St. Joseph. The following are just some of the notable news and feature stories published in the St. Joseph Newsleader last year:

January

contributed photo

This photo of Jacob was taken at his 11th birthday party, in 1989, just eight months before his disappearance.

Review from front page

tion by Colts Academy, site of the former Kennedy Elementary School. The nearly $5 million project will connect to what is expected to be a community center created in the school building. The downtown St. Joseph area continued to grow and thrive with its unique mixture of businesses, arts, music, poetry and the spiritual and academic influences of the downtown church and the adjacent college campus. The Millstream Arts Festival on Minnesota Street downtown was again a big hit with crowds, as was the annual Fourth of July celebrations that included a parade, a bazaar on the church grounds and Joetown Rocks, a music extravaganza that attracts thousands of people from a wide area. In 2016, there were many new businesses started and lots of growth in housing, including an announcement to build a Country Manor senior-citizen campus in the city. Also last year, there were many, many achievements by students students at local schools and in the two colleges. Other aspects of life abounded in the city, including sports, recreation, service-club projects,

The city decided to move forward with a parkway design for Field Street, a new street just south of Graceview Estates. Construction would start in the summer or fall of 2017 and be completed by fall of 2018. The Stickwork sculpture at St. John’s University was burned down Jan. 6. Stickwork was built in September of 2012. SJU estimates more than 50,000 people had visited the structure since it was built. What can the general public do to help keep law-enforcement officers safer? Several area police chiefs and sheriffs agreed most of all on two words of advice: Be vigilant! A current trend – vicious attacks from nowhere against officers – is a growing concern, the respondents acknowledged. But, at the same time, there are other sources of danger that happen far more often, such as escalating domestic situations and roadside injuries or deaths. Ten students, two staff and three professors from CSB and SJU attended the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference held outside of Paris from Nov. 30-Dec. 12. The county returned Minnesota Street from CR 2 to College Avenue, and College Avenue from Minnesota Street to Hwy 75 to city control on Jan. 1. The two parties agreed to turn back the two road portions for a $95,000 payment to the city. The county board approved the payment at its Dec. 15 meeting. More than 75 participants bundled up for one of the coldest St. Cloud Ice Bowls in history in St. Joseph. The 25-hole disc-golf tournament at Millstream Park brought together players from all over central Minnesota who raised more than $6,000 for the St. Joseph Food Shelf. The Army Reserve Center in St. Joseph collected numerous

amounts of toys for military families through its Operation Homefront project and when they couldn’t use them all donated the excess to several other children through the St. Joseph Police Department, Catholic Charities St. Cloud, Journey Home (women with children in recovery) and Becky’s Troop Care Packages (adopting military families while soldiers are deployed). A night of remembrance was held to honor St. Joseph police officer Brian Klinefelter who was killed in the line of duty 20 years ago after stopping a suspected getaway vehicle from an armed robbery in Albany containing three individuals. The night of remembrance was held Jan. 29 at La Playette Bar in St. Joseph, and was hosted by the Brian Klinefelter Foundation. Bruce Bechtold, the first police officer on the scene when Jacob Wetterling was abducted in October 1989, took over as lead investigator of the 26-yearold Wetterling investigation. Bechtold took the place of Capt. Pam Jensen, who retired after more than 15 years leading the Wetterling investigation. Dan Pfannenstein, 25, born and raised in St. Joseph, is now a part-time officer for the St. Joseph Police Department. St. John’s Prep senior Marisa Gaetz recently received the Minnesota State High School League District 20 regional Triple A award, which recognizes high-school seniors who have excelled in the classroom, on the athletic field and in fine arts.

February

When Andy Marso was 15, he heard all about the tragic murder of Brian Klinefelter, a young St. Joseph police officer who was murdered at a road stop on a bitterly cold night 20 years ago. Eighteen years later he wrote a book about that night and its long-time consequences, both bad and good. The book, published Jan. 29 – exactly 20 years after Klinefelter was shot to death – is entitled The Klinefelter Legacy: A Story of Faith, Family and Forgiveness. A “diversion” was approved for low-level alcohol offenses Review • page 4

161

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Jaycees member Joe Bye (left) congratulates his son Trevor Bye, 5, in the first Fall Fest 1K Kids Run event.

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Review from page 3 for underage consumption. Police Chief Joel Klein said the program would only affect those between the ages of 1820 who are first-time offenders, and who violate the underage drinking law. Millstream Park was closed immediately and indefinitely after the St. Joseph City Park Board recommendation. The park has had several issues, including the park being used as a homeless shelter, fights, alcohol, drugs, garbage and tent cities. Reopening will depend on what future plans the park board has for Millstream. Ten fifth- and sixth-grade students at Kennedy Community School participated in a Joetown ski camp Jan. 25-29. Camp instructors are trying to get more students interested in cross-country skiing. St. Joseph topped the list of safest cities in Minnesota in a new report released Feb. 8. Safewise, a home-security company, released the top 100 safest cities with a population of at least 5,000. St. Joseph, which ranked fourth in last year’s report, moved up to the top spot with zero violent crimes reported in 2014. A deceased Catholic cleric, Fr. Othmar Hohmann, who was accused of the sexual abuse of a girl more than 50 years ago, is the subject of a lawsuit filed in Stearns County Court. The abuse, according to the lawsuit, occurred multiple times between 1961 and 1966 when Hohmann was a pastor at the Church of St. Joseph. The victim was between the ages of 11-16 when the abuse allegedly happened. Owners of the Artisan Naan Bakery begin selling wholesale to St. Cloud Lunds and Byerlys and other Twin Cities co-ops. They opened their 400-squarefoot bakery business located in the Minnesota Street Market in St. Joseph in November 2014. They make 2,000 to 3,000 loaves

a week of fresh naan, which is a leavened, oven-baked flat bread originally made in southern Asia. St. Joseph resident MaryBeth Munden took her seventh annual polar plunge for Special Olympics Minnesota. Collegeville Cos. has been working on a new development in town for a number of years now. Bayou Alley Flats, a project which was planned to have both residential and business space, has changed its name to 24 North Lofts on College Avenue. All Saints Academy of St. Joseph and St. Cloud, as well as many other Catholic schools in the greater St. Cloud area, will soon be included in what will be known as a combined organization called “Catholic Community Schools.” Organizers hope to have CCS operational starting in the 2017-18 academic year. There was something fishy going on Feb. 20 at Kraemer Lake in St. Joseph. More than 750 people participated in the 23rd annual ice-fishing tournament organized by the St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club. Darlene Bechtold, a foster grandparent at Kennedy Community School, was chosen as the February Volunteer of the Month for the St. Cloud Area School District 742. Fondly called “Grandma Darlene” by many, Bechtold volunteers as a fourth-grade helper in Shelley Fischer’s classroom. A recent Friday afternoon saw some busy foot traffic at the new Vintage Market 101 located in downtown St. Joseph owned by Linda Johnson, who opened the business last November.

March

There is a reward of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person or people who viciously shot a yellow Labrador retriever six times at close range with a pellet gun. News of the cruelty has disgusted people throughout Minnesota and beyond, and offers of help have poured into the Tri-

County Humane Society where the dog, dubbed Remington by the staff, is recovering. Many people who stopped to eat at Kay’s Kitchen March 3 were probably surprised to see Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton sitting in the front dining area. Dayton and Erika Helgen, from the Collegeville Institute, were eating dinner before heading to the College of St. Benedict’s Gorecki Center for an “Ask the Governor” question-and-answer session. “I love to eat at Kay’s,” Helgen said. “I eat here all the time. When Gov. Dayton asked me where the best place to eat in St. Joe was, I told him Kay’s Kitchen.” Kennedy Community School sixth-grade students recently spent a semester studying automation and robotics with teacher John O’Reilly. Students learned to define problems, brainstorm solutions, prototype various mechanisms to solve the problem and present their solutions building and working with robots. St. John’s Prep sixth-grade student Matthew Bolton was named the National Geographic State Bee semifinalist by the National Geographic Society. Boy Scouts in central Minnesota hope to collect up to 25,000 pairs of used, gently-worn shoes, which will be redistributed, via the non-profit Soles4Souls in countries around the world, including the United States. Catholic Charities recently appointed five new board members, two of whom are St. Joseph residents – Tamara Huesers and Darren Heying. Heying is president and CEO of Sentry Bank. Huesers is an on-call social worker and community volunteer. Joel Cherrico of St. Joseph set a Guinness World Record this month by making the most clay pots in an hour. He hopes the publicity stunt will bring worldwide attention to his growing business. A woman was walking her small dog along the shoulder of the Frontage Road in St. Jo-

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Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 seph Township when two adult boxers attacked them both. The boxers jumped the fence and attacked the woman’s dog, resulting in its death. They also attacked her as she attempted to pick her dog up from the road. Lingl suffered severe injuries to her legs and multiple lacerations and puncture wounds to her arms, hands, back, head and face, and was taken to St. Cloud Hospital. Tanya Finken of Kay’s Kitchen in St. Joseph knows what it’s like to be hungry like most people, but she decided to do something about it. The owner and operator of the eating establishment donated three gallons of freshly made beef barley soup to the Empty Bowls fundraiser on March 20 – something she has done before. St. Joseph Meat Market owner Harvey Pfannenstein said he was shocked to have been chosen to receive the “Outstanding Service Award” at the 76th annual convention of the Minnesota Association of Meat Processors.

April

The St. Joseph City Council and the Economic Development Authority established an economic development district in order to create a proposed government center. Sebastian Terres saw a littering problem at St. Joseph area parks and decided to do something about it. The 15-year-old started cleaning up Millstream Park last summer and resumed on March 28 collecting garbage he finds at the park located on the northwestern edge of St. Joseph. Students from the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph made history by volunteering to help out the city of St. Joseph with a day of community service. After 70 years of business, El Paso Sports Bar & Grill is no more. The building was demolished April 4 to make way for a Kwik Trip gas station. A groundbreaking ceremony for a new government center in St. Joseph was held March 31. The government center will

photo by Logan Gruber

The Stickwork sculpture at St. John’s University, which captured imaginations of both young and old, was burned down Jan. 6, 2016. SJU estimates more than 50,000 people had visited the structure since it was built. be located to the west of Colts government center, which will Academy, which was sold by include a public community the St. Cloud School District room, is about $4.8 million; it to the City of St. Joseph in could open as soon as February. The competition was deSeptember for more than $2 scribed later as “fierce,” but million. Thirty-five small businesses the St. John’s Prep School’s Red based in St. Joseph introduced Team withstood the pressure themselves during the annual and did it again – scoring yet Community Showcase, spon- another triumph as champion sored by the St. Joseph Area in the Minnesota Knowledge Chamber of Commerce. There Bowl meet at Cragun’s Resort are currently about 100 cham- near Brainerd. The same four team members were also state ber members. For Mary Cheryl Opatz, tak- champs in the 2014 competiing a stroll through the new tion. St. John’s Preparatory School exhibit, “A Legacy of Learning: Benedictine Sisters in Elemen- officials recently announced the tary Schools,” at the Haehn Collegeville-based institution Museum at St. Benedict’s Mon- has found its next principal afastery in St. Joseph was like ter a nationwide search. Pamela taking a walk back in time. McCarthy was selected and will The exhibit highlights the nuns’ start at SJU April 15. McCarthy involvement in more than 100 is the interim assistant division elementary schools in the St. director and dean of students Cloud diocese with photos, arti- for the Latin School of Chicago. Collegeville Community facts and more. In an appearance before the Credit Union presented a purplanning commission, Coun- chase agreement to buy the try Manor Campus proposed a historical building that houses senior facility campus, which St. Joseph’s city hall and police would be located along CR 121, station with plans to turn the west of Kennedy Community building into the credit union’s new headquarters. The project School. Construction starts on a pro- later falls through after CCCU posed 18,000-square-foot new backs out of its agreement in government center, which will July. provide more space for the police department and city admin- May istration and may someday be Workers from Minnesota Naconnected to Colts Academy, tive Landscapes, a full-service which is slated to be converted ecological restoration company into a community center. The in Otsego, burn the prairie surestimated cost to build the new Review • back page

St. Stephen Optical

Visit Saint John’s Prep for

(formerly Index 53)

Discovery Day

Larry Rudolph, Optician 306 Main St. E. St. Stephen, MN 56375 320-252-9380 Office 320-252-6924 Home

Monday, Jan. 16

Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m.-noon Saturday

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$25 Pedicure

Students in grades 5-11 are invited to visit Prep! Call 320-363-3315 to RSVP and reserve your space.

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Drive Carefully! School is in Session $3,000 Sign-on bonus!

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Please call 952-832-4463 or email Tou at tou.yang@schwans.com with questions about hiring event or position. To apply, please visit www.schwansjobs.com.

St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

Our View Let’s put our wishes to work for good changes The Newsleaders’ staff members wish all of our readers may enjoy a Happy New Year. After all the depressing news developments in 2016, everyone is due for big bundles of good news, glad tidings. This is what we, the staff, wish for our readers and – for that matter – everyone else in the world: • We wish good health for all. For those who may be ailing, we wish for you to improve and that full health can be restored soon. • We wish for safe, happy and well-loved children (and pets, too). • We wish for continued and/or renewed prosperity by which we mean enough income to live contentedly and stress-free, without the anxietyriddled burdens of bills, especially unforeseen ones like catastrophic medical bills. • We wish for success to those struggling to lose weight, to improve health through regular exercise regimens, a more nutritious diet and lifestyle changes that include such good choices as cessation of smoking. • We wish for frequent respites from electronic dependence, whether it be TVs, cell phones, iPads, computers or other devices that prevent us from communicating head to head, heart to heart, in person. (Sadly, there are some people who actually “communicate” with family members in the same household via digital means.) • We wish more people will begin to celebrate what we all have in common and work toward common goals rather than succumb to forces that divide us. With that spirit in mind, we wish the U.S. Congress finally passes a comprehensive immigration-reform bill, that if Obamacare is repealed, there is a plan to replace it so 20 million Americans who finally gained access to insurance, thanks to Obamacare, will be able to remain insured. We also wish an independent committee unravels how Russia meddled in our democratic process and comes up with ways to prevent it from ever happening again. • Last but not least, we wish the forces of evil, such as ISIS, collapse of their own exhausting atrocities or are eliminated. It’s time the people in such slaughterhouse places in the world can have a measure of peace, safety and security. The neverending suffering and death of innocent people, like those trapped in Aleppo, must end. But, of course, wishes are not enough. Wishes must be put into actions. That’s un-doable some may think as they sink into apathy or despair. The best way to promote kindness and peace is to choose a good cause and learn all you can about it, then contribute what money you can afford and do volunteer work to advance that cause. It could be as local as working with the humane society or tutoring students, or it can be broader efforts such as pressuring legislators to be true public servants or donating to organizations that help relieve suffering and save lives. (Doctors Without Borders is an excellent choice.) The only way to make wishes come true is to engage actively with the world around us, to commit money and/or time and then to take positive actions. So many good people do that already; let them be our daily inspirations. Making the world better is not only do-able; it’s infinitely rewarding.

The ideas expressed in the letters to the editor and of the guest columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of the Newsleaders. Letters to the editor may be sent to news@thenewsleaders. com or P.O. Box 324, St. Joseph, MN 56374. Deadline is noon Monday. Please include your full name for publication (and address and phone number for verification only.) Letters must be 350 words or less. We reserve the right to edit for space.

Opinion

Friday, Jan. 6, 2017

Time to kill ObamaCare? Whoa! Like hungry wolves, those who have loathed Obamacare from Day One are circling, howling, eager to attack and kill that law once the new president takes office. If it is repealed, will its die-hard enemies replace it with anything? Anything at all? We’d better pay attention because healthcare access will again be one of the hottest topics in this new year. Ugly fights about it could well cause the nation to become even more divided. To be sure, the Affordable Care Act – even its proponents have long acknowledged – needs some major tweaking to make it more “affordable” in some cases. Detractors like to pounce on premium increases as a sign of doom. They are happily oblivious of all the good outcomes the ACA has brought to millions of people, including the 20 million Americans who were finally able to get health-care insurance for the first time. Those who maintain stubbornly and even gleefully that Obamacare is a total disaster are not telling the truth – far from it. The following are facts pertaining to the ACA’s effects in Minnesota as reported in a major study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: • The uninsured rate in Minnesota declined by 51 percent since the ACA started in 2010. That means 250,000 Minnesotans were able to get health coverage who could not in the pre-ACA years. • Most Minnesotans (3,319,000) have coverage through employers. They, along with people covered under Medicaid or Medicare, have benefited directly and indirectly thanks to the ACA. Those changes include no denial of coverage because of pre-existing conditions. More than 2,318,000 Minnesotans have some kind of pre-existing condition, according to the Department of

Dennis Dalman Editor Health and Human Services. Other good changes that affect all Minnesotans with insurance are the following: • No imposition of annual or lifetime caps on coverage. Before the ACA, 2,043,000 Minnesotans were susceptible to those limits, cutting out coverage in dire crises when it would be most needed. • Children can stay on parents’ health plans until age 26. • Certain types of free preventive care are required, including cancer screenings, that can nip medical problems in the bud. Such screenings not only save lives but help prevent huge costs that can happen when treatable problems grow into exacerbated, complicated (and very costly) medical conditions. • We constantly hear from the chorus of naysayers that Obamacare has caused premiums to skyrocket. That is true in some cases, but in most cases premiums are actually lower than the double-digit increases in the years predating the ACA. The average premiums for Minnesotans with employersponsored coverage increased an average of 4.0 percent annually from the ACA years of 2010-15. Before that time, those rates averaged a 7.2 percent increase per year in the previous decade. • The 80/20 rule requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 cents of each premium dollar received on health care or related improvements (instead of administrative costs like salaries or marketing).

Those who don’t comply must give refunds to customers. • Thanks to the ACA, thousands of Minnesotans suffering from mental-health problems are now getting care. With improved access to treatment, there are an estimated 3,000 fewer Minnesotans suffering from depression. There is much more to be done, but the ACA has helped start such improvements. • Medicare recipients are benefiting in two major ways due to the ACA. One is lower costs for prescription drugs because the ACA is closing the so-called “drug donut hole,” a period in which drug costs can balloon for a Medicare recipient. According to the HHS report, 73,484 Minnesota seniors saved $72 million on drug-spending in 2015. That’s an average of $981 per beneficiary. Another way Medicare seniors benefit is the free preventive services and elimination of cost-sharing for such things as cancer screenings. Many serious health problems were discovered thanks to such screenings, preventing some catastrophic costs and outcomes later on. • Tax credits now help 47,266 Minnesotans with moderate and middleincomes receive tax credits averaging $203 per month to help them afford premiums for plans accessed via HealthCare.gov. There are many more beneficial outcomes of the ACA too numerous to mention here. To learn more, Google U.S. Department of Human Services and then type in “Affordable Care Act” on its website. Those who learn the facts about Obamacare (not just its problems) will be far less inclined to howl for its demise. They will instead insist on keeping it, with changes; or they will insist those who want to kill it will have something at least as good to put in its place.

Letter to the editor:

Reader says city pays enormous sums for ‘studies’

Thomas J. Ellenbecker, St. Joseph So is this the final, final study on how to improve the City of St. Joseph (Dec. 23 Newsleader story: “City council chooses firm to help shape the future”) or just the latest final study? I guess

spending an additional $60,000 after we’ve paid for the study of splash pads and water parks, community centers and building uses, dog parks and economic development is, to the city, no big deal. But let’s ask the people living on a fixed income if this is money well spent. I would love

the mayor, city council and the city administrator to give us an accounting of how much has been spent on this and ALL studies they have approved in the past 10 years. This would be a great investigative article for the Newsleader (if I may suggest).

Great films can bring good to lives

A few weeks ago, I was able to see the newest Star Wars movie, which is entitled Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In addition to being the eighth live-action release of the series, it’s also the first standalone of the group, meaning it is not an episode of the beloved George Lucas-helmed feature films. Rogue One continues the success of the Star Wars franchise, starting in 1977 with the original release of Episode IV-A New Hope, which was just called Star Wars back then. The sleeper-hit success of that film has ensured nearly every subsequent production has been highly anticipated since. Following the conclusion of the original trilogy in 1983 and the prequel trilogy beginning in 1999, the series was brought back for another round of movies in 2015. It is now safe to say Star Wars is a multi-generational phenomenon. I have the personal experience of being between two of these generations. On one hand, I’m old enough to remember when Episode Three seemed like the final major Star Wars release. I’m also young enough to be able to look at the newest additions such as The Force Awakens without having too much of a nostalgic bent. Though each new wave of movies has its own particular style and flair, I think they all still capture the essential spirit of Star Wars. What is that spirit, and why do movies cause such a big impact in our everyday lives? This is a question society has pondered since the beginning of cinema. A great film can influence our words, thoughts and even our actions. This can be clearly seen through the large number of movie references and jokes

Connor Kockler Guest Writer sprinkled throughout our discourse, and many of the parallels we can draw to our own lives. A great number of movies provide a quick dose of action or comedy to entertain and help us get away from it all, at least for a few short hours. But the greatest movies are, in my opinion, the ones that make us think. Just like a painting or book, an excellent film will have us pondering its inherent questions long after we leave the theater. It’s these kinds of movies that really show how powerful a medium motion pictures can be. If you’ve ever seen a behind-the-scenes documentary about movie-making, you can see it’s a very involved process. Thousands of actors, writers, crew and other roles work constantly to make everything just right. That one scene you watch on the screen may have taken dozens of takes to work. This is essential to conveying the message. A great movie does everything for a reason. The cast’s lines and expressions, the scene lighting, the background and the music bring everything together. Like a picture being worth a thousand words, a movie scene can contain many ideas; we just need to figure out what they are. Some may not consider Star Wars to be this

kind of movie. I believe, however, there is a great moral to it. From the very beginning, Star Wars has been a fight between good and evil. It’s a battle where the lines are clearly drawn. We can easily tell who is on either side based on their uniform or their demeanor. Our heroes are fighting against impossible odds but still manage to persevere and fight for good. They could have easily given up. Luke Skywalker could have made the choice not to join the Rebellion. Han Solo could have taken off and left the Rebels to fight for themselves. But they each chose to do the right thing. Perhaps this is evocative of the more complicated decisions of everyday life. Our choices are not as black and white as in the movies. One decision can change a life forever, but it can seem extremely overwhelming. This may be another great benefit of movies. They show us that despite the challenges, despite all the roadblocks that may lay ahead, we must always have the strength to break through. This might be strength we didn’t even know we had. The greatest movies challenge us to think about our actions, to believe in ourselves and to make a difference in the world around us. Entertainment doesn’t always have to remain so. If we can translate the positive messages of our favorite films into real-world action, a huge amount of good can be done.

Connor Kockler is a Sauk Rapids-Rice High School student. He enjoys writing, politics and news, among other interests.Connor Kockler is a Sauk Rapids-Rice High School student. He enjoys writing, politics and news, among other interests.

St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

Friday, Jan. 6, 2017

Community Calendar

Is your event listed? Send your information to: Newsleader Calendar, P.O. Box 324, St. Joseph, MN 56374; fax it to 320-3634195; or, e-mail it to news@thenewsleaders.com.

Friday, Jan. 6 St. Joseph Area Historical Society open, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Old City Hall, 25 First Ave. NW. stjosephhistoricalmn.org. Moonlight Ski, 6-10 p.m., Quarry Park and Nature Preserve, 1802 CR 137, Waite Park. 320255-6172 or parkinfo@co.stearns. mn.us. Saturday, Jan. 7 Sartell Winter Farmers’ Market, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Sartell City Hall, 125 Pinecone Road N, Sartell. www.marketmonday.org. Sunday, Jan 8 Breakfast, sponsored by St. Joseph Knights of Columbus, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Heritage Hall, St. Joseph Catholic Church, 12 W Minnesota St., St. Joseph. Sno-flyers Vintage Run, noon5 p.m., SnoFlyers Clubhouse, south of Holdingford on C.R. 9. Monday, Jan 9 St. Joseph Township Board, 8 p.m., St. Joseph Township Hall, 935 College Ave. S. Tuesday, Jan 10 Sartell Chamber of Com-

merce, 11:30 a.m., Waters Church, 1227 Pinecone Road. 320-258.6061. info@sartellchamber.com. St. Joseph Joint Planning Board, 7 p.m., St. Joseph City Hall, 25 College Ave. N. 320363-7201. cityofstjoseph.com. Holistic Moms Network, 7-8:30 p.m., Good Earth Co-op, 2010 Veterans Drive, St. Cloud. 320-252-2489. National Alliance on Mental Health, 7-8:30 p.m., Calvary Community Church, 1200 Roosevelt Road, St. Cloud. 320259-7101. Wednesday, Jan 11 St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce, 11:30 a.m., St. Joseph Community Fire Hall, 323 Fourth Ave. NE. stjosephchamber.com. Thursday, Jan 12 Coffee and Conversation, a senior discussion group, 9 a.m., Country Manor, 520 First St. NE, Sartell. St. Joseph Senior Citizens, 1:30 p.m., St. Joseph Community Fire Hall, 323 Fourth Ave. NE. 55+ Driving Improvement Program (four-hour refresher course), 5-9 p.m., Gilleland Chevrolet, 3019 Division St., St. Cloud. 1-888-234-1294. mnsafetycenter.org. Jesus Cares Ministries Class, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Petra Lu-

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theran Church and School, 1049 First Ave. N., Sauk Rapids. St. Joseph Action Group, 7 p.m., American Legion, 101 W. Minnesota St., St. Joseph. 320363-7666. St. Cloud Area Mothers of Multiples, 7 p.m., VFW Granite Post 428, 9 18th Ave. N., St. Cloud. Saturday, Jan. 14 Winter Market, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Sartell City Hall, 125 Pinecone Road N. marketmonday. org. 55+ Driving Improvement Program (four-hour refresher course), 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Miller Auto Plaza, 2930 Second St. S., St. Cloud. 1-888-234-1294. mnsafetycenter.org. Central Minnesota Chapter of the Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, 12:30 p.m., American Legion, 17 Second Ave. N., Waite Park. Youth Free-Throw Champion-ship, for boys and girls ages 9-14, sponsored by Knights of Columbus, 1:30 p.m., gymnasium, All Saints Academy, 32 W. Minnesota St., St. Joseph. Sunday, Jan 15 Build-your-own-omelette Breakfast, American Legion Auxiliary, 8 a.m.-noon, American Legion, 17 Second Ave. N., Waite Park. 320-251-5498.

BUSINESS DIRECTORY AUTO BODY REPAIR Auto Body 2000

(behind Coborn’s in the Industrial Park)

St. Joseph • 320-363-1116

BEAUTY Mary Kay Cosmetics Joyce Barnes St. Joseph • 320-251-8989 CHIROPRACTOR Dr. Jerry Wetterling College Ave. • 320-363-4573 jlwchiro.com CHURCHES Gateway Church - St. Joseph Saturday 6 p.m. • Sunday 10 a.m. Northland Plaza Bldg. • 708 Elm St. E. 320-282-2262 • gatewaystjoseph.org Resurrection Lutheran, ELCA

Sunday Worship 8:15 & 10:30 a.m. WoW! (Worship on Wednesday) 6:30 p.m.

610 N. CR 2, St. Joseph 320-363-4232 www.rlcstjoe.org St. Joseph Catholic Church Masses: Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m. Saturday 5 p.m. Sunday 8 & 10 a.m.

St. Joseph • 320-363-7505 www.churchstjoseph.org YOUR INDUSTRY Your Business Address City • Phone • Website

DENTISTRY Drs. Styles, Cotton & Milbert 1514 E. Minnesota St. St. Joseph • 320-363-7729 Laser Dentistry 26 2nd Ave. NW St. Joseph • 320-363-4468 ELECTRICAL HI-TEC Electric • St. Joseph Residential • Commercial Remodeling • General Services 320-363-8808 • 320-980-0514 EYECARE Russell Eyecare & Associates 15 E. Minnesota St., Ste. 107 St. Joseph • 320-433-4326 PUBLISHING Von Meyer Publishing 32 1st Ave. NW St. Joseph • 320-363-7741 TECHNOLOGY Computer Repair Unlimited 24 W. Birch St. St. Joseph • 320-492-2814 www.computerrepairunlimited.com TRUCKING Brenny Transportation, Inc. Global Transportation Service St. Joseph • 320-363-6999 www.brennytransportation.com

Call the St. Joseph Newsleader at 320-363-7741

if you would like your business included. Check out the online Business Directory at thenewsleaders.com which hyperlinks to each business’ website.

Call the Newsleader at 363-7741

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St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

Review from page 5 rounding Kennedy Community School in St. Joseph to maintain the ecosystem as students, teachers and spectators watched from a safe distance. Parents, students and coaches spent an afternoon sprucing up the baseball and softball fields at Kennedy Community School in St. Joseph in order to stay competitive. Principal Laurie Putnam and Mayor Rick Schultz agreed earlier this spring to revitalize the fields. The school district would pay for the materials and the city would maintain the fields in the summer. Jaclyn Dinndorf’s first choice for college wasn’t the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, but she was convinced by her mother, a St. Ben’s professor, to give the private school a second look. Fast forward four years and she’s found herself surrounded by friends and family on campus just before the 101st annual commencement ceremony at CSB. “I chose St. Ben’s because of the community aspect and how we really do feel like a family,” Dinndorf said. The family of Robert Gambrino accepted the Zapp History Award on his behalf at the Stearns History Museum annual gala at the Gorecki Center at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph. Keith Maurer was also a recipient of this year’s Zapp History Award. Both Gambrino and Maurer played key roles in helping rejuvenate the Stearns County Historical Society and supervising the museum’s con-

struction. Central Minnesota Housing Partnership Inc. will make the final exterior renovations to Carlson Crossing Townhomes this spring at the corner of E. Baker Street and Ninth Avenue SE. CMHP first purchased the property, then called Cloverdale Townhomes, in June through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. It spans six buildings and 36 units. Sex trafficking is not just a big-city problem, said St. Joseph Police Chief Joel Klein, but everyone’s problem, including St. Joseph. Klein talked about having the “necessary tools” for attorneys to prosecute such activities and the need for area cities to adopt similar ordinances. “For those who don’t think it’s here, it is here,” Klein said about human trafficking. The ordinance Klein suggested the council adopt is the same ordinance already adopted by Waite Park and includes identifying an area where sexually-oriented businesses would be allowed. The St. Joseph Area Dollars for Scholars chapter recently awarded scholarships of $250 each to 30 local high school students who intend to continue their education at a college or university. All funds for the scholarships, which total $7,500, were raised through contributions by area businesses and industry, individuals and an annual phone-a-thon.

June

It’s 8 a.m. Already the quilting ladies of the St. Joseph Parish Quilt Group have their large-sized quilting frame set up in Heritage Hall and are hard at work. They

Friday, Jan. 6, 2017

photo by Dave DeMars

These are the quilting ladies of St. Joseph Parish. Left to right (clockwise) are Delrose Fischer, Marilyn Brinkman, Betty Schloemer, Josie Meyer, Ellie Studer, Ilene Schmitt, Ione Jacobs, Geri Schwab and Barb Heltemes They donate their time and energy making quilts to auction off at the annual church celebration July 4. In return they get to share their time, their craft, their art and their wonderful sense of humor with one another. have been quilting since 7 a.m. They will continue working until 1:30 p.m. Fischer has been quilting a long time, since 1996, and is the leader of the group by acclamation. A St. Joseph instructor Matt Beck, also known as “Herr Beck (Mr. Beck in German),” has been named Teacher of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German. Beck has taught at St. John’s Preparatory School in Collegeville for four years and leads its German camp and summer program. Terra O’Neil of St. Joseph Township helped herself to one of the fresh caramel rolls at the Lake Wobegon Trail Facility in St. Joseph, which was one of the cities bicyclists could visit June 11 as part of the 17th annual Caramel Roll Ride, sponsored by the Lake Wobegon Trail Association. The St. Joseph Police Department has added a new member to

ALE S ON OWh Nhroug 2 t

.2 Jan

lected because he spent so many years in the area serving others. Since Newton is also planning to retire from CentraCare Health on July 2, many members felt it was an appropriate time to honor him. Anne Buckvold of St. Joseph recently received the endorsement of DFL Central Committee of Minnesota House District 13A in her bid to unseat Rep. Jeff Howe in November. Musical tributes to Neil Diamond and Queen, along with the bands Maiden Dixie and The Graduates will kick off the free two-day Fourth of July bash in St. Joseph. The 11th annual Joetown Rocks concert will feature music to satisfy just about every taste the evening of Sunday, July 3.

its roster of patrol officers. Celeste Walz became a full-time employee in June and is the only female police officer on staff. The St. Joseph Lions Club, organized in 1964, has surpassed $1 million in local service contributions. Tom Stock is leaving his position as St. John’s University athletic director. He has accepted a new position as a senior development officer for St. John’s Office of Institutional Advancement. The local resident will continue as director of athletic marketing, a position he has held for the past 16 years. Bob Alpers, who is the assistant athletic director and head golf coach, will replace Stock as the athletic director. Both will begin their new positions July 1. Dr. Thomas Newton was chosen to be the grand marshal of the July 4 parade organized by the St. Joseph Lions Club. Lions member Joanne Bechtold said he was se-

(The second half of the Year in Review will be featured in the Jan. 13 edition of the St Joseph Newsleader. To read any of the above stories in their entirety, visit thenewsleaders. com then click on the Archives button mid-way down the home page.)

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