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Newsleader St. Joseph
Freedom Flight voyage lands at army reserve
Friday, May 12, 2017 Volume 29, Issue 19 Est. 1989
Town Crier
by Janelle Von Pinnon news@thenewsleaders.com
Market Monday now expands to Thursdays
Sartell Market Monday is now expanding to include Thursday. The same great products available on Monday are now being brought to you two times per week on Monday and Thursday from 3-6:30 p.m. Both markets are located on Seventh Street N. in the Hardware Hank parking lot. You will find meat, eggs, vegetables, baked goods and treats available on both days.
GNTC sets auditions for Hello Dolly
GNTC is gearing up for its summer production of Hello, Dolly! Auditions will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, May 30 and 31 at the Rocori High School Choir Room in Cold Spring. The production will run Aug. 3-6 and 9-11. The theater company is also looking for directors for its fall and winter shows, which are held in November and February, respectively. Choice of show will be determined by the board of directors, but an applicant may also present a show of his/her choice for consideration. Visit their web site for applications. For more information you may email publicist@gntc1. com or call 320 333-6131.
How drugs impact a community set May 22
“Drugs and their impact on the community” will take place Monday, May 22 at Shepherd of the Pines Church at 1950 125th St. NW, Rice. The event is being presented by the Stephen Ministry Team at Shepherd of the Pines and is co-sponsored by CHI St. Gabriel’s Health of Little Falls. A meal will be served at 4:30 p.m. and an informational program will begin at 5:30 p.m. The event is designed to provide up-to-date information about drugs, substance abuse and their impact on the community. There will be information resource tables staffed by the community experts who will be available to answer questions and talk to attendees. The same experts will be making presentations. There will be a Q&A session after the presentations.
Stamp Out Hunger set this Saturday
Help Stamp Out Hunger by donating food to the letter carriers’ national food drive scheduled Saturday, May 13. Put your food out by your mailbox by 9 a.m. and the food will be collected and delivered to your local food shelf, Catholic Charities Emergency Services or the Salvation Army.
See inside for our Salute to Police Officers!
Postal Patron
Anyone who was out on the calm spring evening of May 6, may have spotted a black exclamation point dotting the sky. During that time, the husband-and-wife team of Jim and Diane Tuorila of St. Cloud, neighbors of Newsleader publisher Janelle Von Pinnon, joined a ground crew of approximately 10 to launch the Freedom Flight Prisoners of War/Missing in Action hot-air balloon from Whitney Park. For those who missed it last weekend, it will also fly for photo by Janelle Von Pinnon the Governor’s Fishing Crew members “walk” the balloon across a field Opener this weekend. just south of the Army Reserve building in St. While curious gawking Joseph after a safe landing May 6.
bystanders watched with fascination, the crew unloaded the wicker basket, the burner and the ripstop nylon material, which stretched nearly a third of a football field in length and looked like an overgrown earthworm. Diane walks around the perimeter of the launch site prior to inflating the balloon to warn spectators that when the burner is ignited it’s quite loud and may scare pets and young children. With a bright yellow flame and a thunderous whoosh of air, the ebony material becomes animated as it starts to billow and sway. While the balloon slowly fills with hot air
generated from the propane-gas burner, the three or four ground crew members, who are responsible for tethering the crowning line so the balloon doesn’t fill too quickly, slowly hand-over-hand release the 110-foot rope until the balloon is upright. After approximately a half-hour prep time, pilot Jim, along with three passengers, climb into the gondola for take off and with a few more puffs from the dragon-breathing flamethrower, the party lifts off. From the ground, it looks as though it barely clears the grove of trees nearby. The calm 7-mph northFreedom • page 2
Newman shares lifetime love of baseball
by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com
There’s more than one way to strike out in the game of baseball. It’s a truism known well to for- Newman mer Minnesota Twins’ player Al Newman, who learned never to take any success for granted. Newman, who is now a St. Joseph resident, was the keynote speaker May 5 at a leadership conference sponsored by the Sartell Area Chamber of Commerce at The Waters church. He held the audience
spellbound with fascinating and sometimes hilarious anecdotes from his long career in baseball. As a member of the Twins, Newman was a world champion, not once but twice, when the Twins won the World Series in 1987 and in 1991. And Newman, more than most people, knows how such dizzying heights of greatness should never go to one’s head. “Let failure be part of your success story,” Newman advised. For many years, Newman played in the minor leagues, daring to dream that one day his chance just might come – a call to play in the major league. When the call did come, he didn’t believe it.
He was staying at a hotel at the time. He answered the phone. It was a man saying something about wanting Newman to play for the Montreal Expos. He thought it was a buddy, messing with his mind. “Stop fooling around,” he said and hung up. Later there was a knock on his hotel-room door. “If you don’t want to be in the big leagues, I’ll get somebody else,” the guy told Newman, who turned speechless. The next day, Newman found himself on a flight to Philadelphia for a game. As he entered the ballpark, a certain panic took over. “I was scared to death,” he said.
Life in baseball is fraught with anxieties. “It takes two or three years before you think you’re comfortable,” he said. In the “old” days, baseball was broadcast about once a week on TV, Newman noted. It just wasn’t ever-present and so accessible as today. As a result, if a ball player messed up or didn’t perform well, the failings made the news big-time. It was easy for insecurities to take hold. In Hollywood, they say you’re only as good as your last picture. The same could be said of baseball – only as good as your last season, your last game. Newman recalled how he, a couple other players and Newman • page 8
‘Bookworm’ O’Connell loves to give away books by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com
It’s no wonder Julianne O’Connell of St. Joseph is often called a “bookworm.” Books have always held an enormous importance in her life. And she loves to share books. For the past two years, she has gone out of her way to collect books she gives away free at the Millstream Arts Festival in downtown St. Joseph. She is eagle-eyed about spot-
ting books. She buys them at garage sales, at yard sales, at St. Cloud Library sales. Friends and acquaintances save big stacks of books for her, and she even checks out book sales while traveling. “Oh yes, I was always a bookworm,” she said. Some of O’Connell’s happiest memories are of reading. She recalls becoming totally engrossed in the Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind when she was home with the flu during high school. She remembers reading
aloud from Stephen King’s The Shining on the school bus and scaring some of the kids half to death. Her idea for giving away good books occurred to her when she worked for a time at the St. Cloud Public Library. That library has a book-sale room with hundreds of quality books at rock-bottom sale prices so O’Connell began to amass many of them just to give to people. Currently, O’Connell is the eduBooks • back page
www.thenewsleaders.com
contributed photo
Julianne O’Connell
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St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
Friday, May 12, 2017
photos by Janelle Von Pinnon
Clockwise from above: Members of Freedom Flight start inflating the balloon during a perfect nearly windless evening May 6 in Whitney Park, St. Cloud; Freedom Flight crew members (clockwise from left) Colleen DeGrote (in blue), Steve Daniels, David Hoien, pilot Jim Tuorila, and Jane and Mike Spaude hoist the gondola to load into the support vehicle for storage until the next flight; Freedom Flight crew members (from left to right) Mike Spaude, Steve Daniels (in red), Colleen DeGrote (in blue), Vicki Hoien and Krin Thell pack the balloon up while pilot Jim Tuorila (center in black) supervises. All are from St. Cloud, except Daniels who is from Cold Spring; A secret induction ritual involving champagne, a certificate of flight, a pinning ceremony and the reading of the Ballonists’ Poem is conducted shortly after a safe touchdown. For additional photos, visit thenewsleaders.com. to follow the flight pattern. Being there are no roads to Though the ground crew is in where the balloon alights, the constant contact with the pilot ground crew tramps a quarby radio, the balloon is at the ter mile through the field then from front page mercy of the wind direction and grabs the balloon tether and erly breeze allows the slow no one knows exactly where it “walks” the travelers to a destination point where they can all drift of the balloon over the will land. All along the way, witnesses then disassemble the apparatus trees and power lines. The pilot must keep the contraption un- seem startled but then smile and begin the strenuous task of der 10,000 feet to avoid having and wave as the balloon drifts tearing it down. quietly over them, many not reAnother half hour goes by to use oxygen. The chase crew, including alizing it’s there until they hear while some tend to separating the basket from the balDiane, hop into their vehicles the roar of the burner igniting. After nearly an hour, the bal- loon then dismantle the burner and start wending their way toward the VA and follow the bal- loon has floated along CR 134 from its lodging, the others loon to a park near Westwood and starts to slowly descend slowly letting the air escape school. The balloon touches near St. Joseph. The ground from its trappings as the baldown for a few minutes, then crew has parked outside the loon deflates to its earthworm with another few blasts from Army Reserve fence watching stage again. Once the balloon the furnace continues its jour- the trek unfold. Diane explains is on the ground, a fiberglass the pilot is lowering the balloon gizmo specifically made to help ney southwestward. The crew questions among among some trees to slow it squeeze the air out of the balthemselves where the pilot down and once he “hops” the loon, is physically pulled steadhopes to land, then jumps into trees, he will then land in the ily but unhurriedly from the lower end of the material to their cars again and continues field nearby.
Freedom
the opening at the top of the balloon so as to release the air and allow for the balloon to be “bagged” for transport. Then all parts are hoisted into the support vehicle, which houses the equipment between flights. The entire crew participates in the christening of the passengers with a spray (and then a glass) of champagne, a scattering of grass clippings over their heads to show they’ve safely returned to Earth, a pinning ceremony and a recitation of the Balloonists’ Poem (see below) to commemorate their experience. Jim says a short toast about the main reason the balloon flies: to honor the thousands of men and women who have been and may still be prisoners of war or missing in action. He says of the hundreds of hot-air balloons which rise on occasion all over the nation, only four in the world (those hailing from St. Cloud) honor the POW/MIA soldiers, past and present. With the sun setting in the west, the crew says their goodnights then heads to their respective homes to dream of the next flight.
Balloonists’ Prayer
The Winds have Welcomed you with softness. The Sun has blessed you with its warm hands. You have flown so high and so well that God has joined you in
your laughter and set you gently back again into the loving arms of Mother Earth. Fun facts about hot-air ballooning. • Freedom Flight was Jim Tuorila’s idea; he’s piloted since 1989. The other local pilot is Luke Cesnik, who’s been piloting for 25-plus years. • Jim is the self-proclaimed local expert regarding prisoners of war and missing-in-action veterans. He says he thought a hot-air balloon would be a unique way to honor vets and also would help people remember the experience, whether flying or witnessing. • The first launch of the Freedom Flight balloon was held shortly after Veterans’ Day in 1989; the first passenger was a WWII POW Henry Sha from St. Cloud. • Freedom Flight has four operable hot-air balloons, which travel nationwide and participate in various events to deliver their message. • Average cost of a balloon, which carries a pilot plus four passengers, is roughly $40,000. This price includes the envelope (the balloon), a gondola, fuel tanks and instruments, but does not include any groundsupport equipment or chase vehicle. • The balloons are made by Cameron Balloons out of
St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
Friday, May 12, 2017 Michigan. • The balloons are nine stories high, 60 feet wide and hold 105,000 cubic feet of hot air. • The pilot must have at least 10 hours of flight time in free balloons, which must include six flights under the supervision of an instructor. The private pilot must pass a written test, an oral test and a flight check prior to being issued a private pilot’s license. The second rating is a commercial pilot. • During the flight, the pi-
lot’s only ability to steer the balloon is the ability to climb or descend into winds going different directions. Thus, it’s important for the pilot to determine what direction the wind is blowing at altitudes other than the balloon’s altitude. • It takes roughly 20 gallons of propane for an hour-long flight; $300-$400/flight including the wear and tear on the balloon as well as insurance and maintenance. • The average life expectancy of a balloon is roughly
500 flight hours, which if used approximately 50 hours a year, amounts to a 10-year span. • Freedom Flight has been represented roughly 25 of the 28 years of its existence at the Albuquerque (N.M.) International Balloon Festival held in early October each year. • Freedom Flight is a non -profit 501c3 organization supported solely by private and business donations. To donate, contact Jim or Diane at jd2rala429@charter.net.
People St. Cloud Federal Credit Union recently announced its second annual launch of a community recognition program: ChangeMakers: Giving back to those who make a difference. This partnership with St. Cloud Times Media is intended to highlight people who may get little recognition while doing great things in the community. For six weeks, one person will be selected to receive the recognition which includes a news story and $500. This program was created for people who help to improve the local community on their own initiative, demonstrating they put others before themselves while showing service efforts are ongoing. “Our second year is off to an-
other great start in finding people in our community who don’t even know the difference they make on others,” said Alyce Justin, chief operation officer/executive vice president of SCFCU. “We have the unique opportunity to recognize them and I am proud we sponsor such a meaningful program!” The credit union is funding the program and was proud to award the first winner, Ray Tuholsky of St. Anna. Tuholsky has spent years making and donating various items while befriending the many people he comes into contact with. “The people who work to make changes for the better in our community are sometimes locally famous, but just as often do their
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. This information is submitted by the St. Joseph Police Department.
saved some video from their interaction.
Feb. 19 5:45 a.m. Facebook scam. 425 Seventh Ave. SE. A man called the police department regarding a Facebook scam he fell victim to. He stated a female “friended” him on Facebook and asked to Facetime. One thing led to another and she was topless and he was bottomless and she wanted $3,500 wired to a charity for starving kids. He talked her down to $100 and she gave him instructions and an address to wire money to, or his nude pictures would go out to his family. The officer helping the man advised not to send the money and to block her from his account. He
Feb. 21 6:29 p.m. Shoplifting. 561 10th Ave. S. An officer was dispatched to assist the Waite Park Police Department with a shoplifting at Casey’s. Casey’s said there was a large crowd and the suspect was verbal with staff. The officer arrived on scene and assisted until the Waite Park Police Department arrived to handle the call.
Feb. 20 4:22 p.m. Suicide prevention. 37 College Ave. S. College of St. Benedict security said they had a suicidal female in the health center requesting to go to St. Cloud hospital for an evaluation. An officer had dispatch send a Gold Cross Ambulance as a precaution.
Feb. 22 8:32 p.m. Driving while intoxicated. Minnesota Street E./20th Avenue SE. While on routine patrol, an officer observed a suspect turn onto Minnesota Street from
work humbly in the background,” said Lisa Schwarz, news director for St. Cloud Times Media. “So, it’s an honor to shine a light on the great people who are doing noteworthy work for their neighbors, without widespread notice. It’s even better knowing they’re getting some financial help for their cause from St. Cloud Federal Credit Union.” More information with video of the first winner can be found at: http://www.sctimes.com/story/ news/local/2017/04/22/changemakers-lures-and-crosses-come-stanna-workshop/100420250/. Nomination forms can be obtained at: http://static.sctimes.com/ changemakers/.
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BUSINESS DIRECTORY AUTO BODY REPAIR Auto Body 2000
DENTISTRY Drs. Styles, Cotton & Milbert (behind Coborn’s in the Industrial Park) 1514 E. Minnesota St. St. Joseph • 320-363-1116 St. Joseph • 320-363-7729 BEAUTY Mary Kay Cosmetics Joyce Barnes St. Joseph • 320-251-8989 CHIROPRACTOR Dr. Jerry Wetterling College Ave. • 320-363-4573 jlwchiro.com CHURCHES Resurrection Lutheran, ELCA
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 Sunday Worship 8:15 & 10:30 a.m. Russell Eyecare & Associates WoW! (Worship on Wednesday) 6:30 p.m. 15 E. Minnesota St., Ste. 107 St. Joseph • 320-433-4326 610 N. CR 2, St. Joseph 320-363-4232 www.rlcstjoe.org PUBLISHING St. Joseph Catholic Church Von Meyer Publishing Masses: Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m. 32 1st Ave. NW Saturday 5 p.m. St. Joseph • 320-363-7741 Sunday 8 & 10 a.m. St. Joseph • 320-363-7505 TRUCKING www.churchstjoseph.org Brenny Transportation, Inc. YOUR INDUSTRY Global Transportation Service Your Business St. Joseph • 320-363-6999 Address City • Phone • Website 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.
First Avenue SE without making a complete stop. As the officer was traveling eastbound behind the vehicle, it was pulling away from them. The officer activated their same-direction radar and observed a reading of 45 mph in a 30-mph zone. The driver was stopped. The driver admitted speeding but did not know how fast she was going. Odor of alcohol was detected and she admitted to one drink. A citation for speed was issued. A friend came to pick up the driver and her vehicle. Feb. 23 2:09 p.m. Public disruption. 1360 Elm Street E. While on duty, an officer responded to a call of a disorderly male at CentraCare. The officer arrived and found the male was just leaving in a vehicle. The vehicle was stopped and the officer spoke to the suspect. The male suspect said he was upset the doctors wouldn’t prescribe him medications he claims he needs and became angry. The officer advised the man he needs to keep himself calm.
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Newsleader staff members have the responsibility to report news fairly and accurately and are accountable to the public. Readers who feel we’ve fallen short of these standards are urged to call the Newsleader office at 320-363-7741. If matters cannot be resolved locally, readers are encouraged to take complaints to the Minnesota News Council, an independent agency designed to improve relationships between the public and the media and resolve conflicts. The council office may be reached at 612-341-9357.
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Opinion
Our View
Welcome to our Mighty Mississippi
Friday, May 12, 2017
By plan or serendipity, life is richer with a dog This week marks the seventh anniversary of my mother’s untimely death. And previously at this time of year, while others were planning their Mother’s Day weekends with their families, I would avoid all the sappy TV commercials like the plague, feeling profoundly sad, angry and bitter. Both sets of my grandparents had lived into their 90s so I always thought my mother would follow suit. You see, my mother wasn’t only my mother, she was my best friend, my mentor, my cheerleader – the one who lifted me up. Life is a lot emptier without her in it. Fast forward to four springs ago. My then 11-year-old son asked if we could visit the Tri-County Humane Society to “just look” at the available dogs. Our 12-yearold golden retriever had passed away the previous autumn, and our household was missing the companionship and energy of a pup. My son said he wanted a black lab or another frisky-type of dog to play fetch and run around with him in the yard. We observed several dogs of all shapes and sizes, many of whom needed a larger house or fenced-in yard (neither of which we had), and some of the available dogs had issues with sharing their home with cats (of which we have three). Suddenly, I came upon a rather shaggy mid-sized dog who timidly came up to the front of the kennel and licked my hand through the fencing. He looked like he could use some TLC as his coat was overgrown and badly in need of a wash and haircut. His tail wagged slowly and tentatively as he assessed us from head to toe. His soft big brown eyes looked imploringly into mine and my heart melted. I knew in that moment, though we were supposed to
It’s such a good thing that our Mighty Mississippi River right here in central Minnesota was chosen as the venue for the 2017 Governor’s Fishing Opener. A good time to show off. The fishing opener, which attracts media from far and wide, will shine the spotlight on the wonderful river, and it should remind us all, once again, what a great resource that magnificent river is. For all too many years, the river was taken for granted by those who live near it. Once upon a time, it was a major form of transportation. But in more recent decades, it was for so many people just a thing to cross on a bridge to get to the other side. Thanks to the hard work of visionaries – people like St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis and some of the council members in St. Cloud and Sartell – the options of making the great river a major recreational asset is now underway. The walkways, trails, businesses and shops being developed at or near the river help hugely in our enjoyment of the Mississippi. The River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud is aptly named. Rotary Park in Sartell, with its fishing dock, is another example of opening up the river for recreational potential. Mississippi, which begins at Lake Itasca is 2,350 miles long – the fourth longest river in the world. A major source of drinking water, the river in the past was foul with pollutants of every description. Letters to the editor: Thankfully, in the past few decades provisions in the Clean Water and Air Act have done wonders to clean up the river and its Jon Bruns, St. Joseph wider watershed areas. The river remains a major transportaFellow St. Joseph residents, we appartion “corridor” for the movement of ma- ently missed the memo that one of St. terial goods and food, from Minneapolis Joseph’s busiest streets was going to be all the way down to New Orleans. Last but not least, the river and its floodplain are home to a vast variety of living creatures, including 260 kinds of Anne Buckvold, St. Joseph fish, migrating birds, at least 50 types of Last week I traveled to the state Capimammals and 150 species of reptiles and tol with five leaders from the area. There amphibians. were two college students (now leading Like the Nile River in Egypt, the Mis- the Rally for Rail Minnesota campaign), sissippi River is a great giver of life. It is two leaders with the GRIP/ISAIAH #finalso a mystical enchantress, as that great ishnorthstar campaign and a rail enthusiast prose-poet of the river, Mark Twain, knew whom I met for the first time. He wanted so well. to come to voice his support as a retired “The face of the water,” he wrote, “in grandfather for an efficient and safe way time, became a wonderful book – a book to visit his grandchildren, and go to games that was a dead language to the unedu- in the Twin Cities. We met with Rep. Paul Torkelson cated (steamboat) passenger, but which (R-Hanska), who is the new chair of the told its mind to me without reserve, House Transportation Finance Committee, delivering its most cherished secrets as to discuss the decisions being made at our clearly as if it uttered them with a voice. state legislature about the future of pasAnd it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day.” We, the staff of the Newsleader, would Once in a blue moon a truth slips from the like to extend a warm welcome to Gov. lips of President Trump. Mark Dayton, to Lieutenant Gov. Tina That rare lunar phenomenon happened Smith, to the hundreds of media people one day last week shortly after TrumpCare, and to all others, residents and non so-called, (more like RyanCare) was ap-residents, who will help us celebrate proved by a slim margin in the U.S. House. our Mighty Mississippi during the fish- Trump was crowing about “his” health-care plan to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm ing-opener. Turnbull: Enjoy!
Janelle Von Pinnon Publisher be “window-shopping,” we couldn’t leave without him. My son was ecstatic. He finally had a dog of his own. This was going to be “his” dog. Little did we know, this pooch had other ideas. I’ve always been an animal lover. My husband calls me an animal “magnet” because if there’s a stray within a 50-mile radius, I’m the one it usually gravitates toward. This is how we attained the three cats we have and many more cats (and dogs) I’ve found homes for throughout the years. This also explains the “shop” cat, dubbed Kit-Kat, we keep at the Newsleader office. I’ve been known to hop out of my car to save a turtle crossing the road; I also stop for geese and ducks leading their “broods” to safety; and once, while on vacation, I donned my reflective vest and directed traffic around a dog who was lying in the middle of a very busy roadway who had been hit by a car and needed medical attention. I spent all my holiday “mad” money on vet bills so this dog had a chance to survive. Thankfully, it recovered from a severely broken leg and was adopted by a local family. I digress. The newest addition to our family, Jeffrey (also known lovingly as Mr. J and Mr. Magoo), then a 5-year-old Tibetan terrier (like the one in the 1970s
Benji movies), latched onto me with a vengeance. He exhibited separation anxiety and still to this day will not let me out of his sight. Jeffrey made it very clear, he is “my” dog no matter who else tries to take care of him. If he’s left alone, he curls up in whatever clothing of mine he can find and has been known to chew on some of my unmentionables. I also have the dubious honor of being the only family member he’ll “poo” for. Despite his shortcomings, Jeffrey is now my people “magnet.” Wherever we go, he’s the life of the party, drawing people of all ages, nationalities and walks of life into friendly conversations wherever we go, whether for a walk in the neighborhood, a run in the dog park, a drive around town, or at the football or baseball fields where we watch my son’s teams play. Recently, Jeffrey’s friendliness is what led to our neighbors inviting me to participate in the Freedom Flight hot-air balloon launching at Whitney Park. Who knew the pilot of the balloon lived a few houses from us? This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience with extremely welcoming people whom I probably would have never met had it not been for my lovable pooch. Their hospitality helped raise me up during this personally difficult time of the year. While attending Leadercast this past week, one of the speakers profoundly remarked, “The legacy you leave may not be something you do but someone you raise.” There’s a variety of ways to raise people up – whether you’re a devoted parent, sibling, friend, even co-worker; a pilot of a hot-air balloon; or simply an affectionate stray whom I’ve come to realize I need as much as he needs me.
Resident missed memo about Minnesota Street construction torn up this week. If you have your copy on hand, or some other public notice that we also neglected to read, please feel free to forward it along. It sounds like there were some other residents who missed the
information that was sent out too, so maybe just send it to the Newsleader and it can reach EVERYbody. Thanks in advance for your help! We’ll try to pay better attention next time.
Reader says some elected officials ignore their public senger rail. To our disappointment, Torkelson confirmed the decisions of his caucus to both de-fund the passenger rail office at MnDOT and furthermore to prohibit the use of any state dollars on passenger-rail projects in the future. These decisions eliminate the possibility of the governor’s proposal for a Northstar Demonstration Project to begin this fall (extending passenger rail to St. Cloud for six months to determine possibilities for a future ongoing extension). The decision to de-fund will also eliminate the possibility for any rail connection between the Metro area and St. Cloud in the future. #finishnorthstar was not a small campaign, and it encompassed the support of every demographic from the greater St.
Cloud area. It had support from businesses, churches, veterans, seniors, those with disabilities and much enthusiastic support from students and faculty at area college campuses. It was an engaged and engaging campaign. More than 6,000 signatures of support and numerous visits to the Capitol during the last two years in addition to local activities, meetings, press conferences. Despite this widespread support and repeated advocacy from across the St. Cloud region and in St. Joseph for more than the last two years, our elected officials chose to disregard our public voice. This is the ultimate failure of our public officials, those we elect and pay to serve the public. They fail to listen and to act in our collective best interest.
Trump is right: Australia’s is better
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.
“It’s going to be fantastic health care,” Trump said. “I shouldn’t say this to our great gentleman and my friend from Australia because you have better health care than we do.” Trump’s first statement (fantastic health care) is a lie and/or a delusion. The second statement (Australia’s better health care) is true. Trump has told similar truths before – when he praised the health-care systems of Britain and Canada. All three of those countries have universal, single-payer health care. They spend less money on care than we do, patients pay few or no out-of-pocket costs,
Dennis Dalman Editor every person is covered and health outcomes are generally better than those in the United States. A single-payer system is similar to a Medicare-for-All concept in which taxes cover the costs of health care rather than premiums and in which insurance companies no longer wag the dog. Almost all other civilized countries have single-payer systems, and study after study proves they work – and work very well. Thanks in large part to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ impassioned speeches, the idea of a single-payer system is catching on with more Americans, including with many hospitals and doctors. That’s because Sanders helped
dispel the stupid notion of single-payer as a death-dealing commie bogeyman. For decades, we Americans have been lied to constantly by the powers that be, and most all too eagerly believed the lies. We were told (we’re still being told) that people in “those” countries “over there” are waiting in lines, getting sicker, doing without, dying, committing suicide and that Canadians are flocking en masse to our country for our “superior” care. Why the barrage of lies? Because health-insurance companies, Big Pharma and other greedy interests keep feeding us lies, wanting to scare us so they can retain control of their indulgence in profits-over-people. If Trump and Co. are serious about a good plan, with lower costs, lower premiums and universal coverage, they would do well to start exploring a single-payer system. Anything less will prove to be as impossible as putting Humpty-Dumpty together again. ObamaCare, of course, has its serious problems. But it’s better than nothing –
Australia • page 11
Friday, May 12, 2017
St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
5
contributed photos
Far left: Little Saints Academy student Liam Langley, age 4 of St. Joseph, and Amy Bonfig work on a project together. Bonfig, owner of Little Saints Academy, is opening a Lillian Leonard Primary, a yearround, tuition-based private school that has been developed to provide students with a continuation of the learning style they have become accustomed to at Little Saints Academy during the past seven years. Middle: Little Saints Academy students Tainan Ramos (front), age 5 of Sartell, and John Cunningham, age 4 of Cold Spring, play musical carrots. A Lillian Leonard Primary will begin Aug. 14 and will be held in the current Little Saints location at 124 First Ave SE, St. Joseph. At right: St. Joseph resident Theresa Kotsmith has been named lead teacher of the Lillian Leonard Primary where Alex Berg, age 5 of St. Joseph, is enrolled.
Bonfig to open Lillian Leonard Primary by Cori Hilsgen news@thenewsleaders.com
Amy Bonfig, current owner of Little Saints Academy, is opening a Lillian Leonard Primary. Two classrooms at Little Saints Academy in St. Joseph will have a separate entrance and will be used for Lillian Leonard. Bonfig said Lillian Leonard Primary is a year-round, tuition-based private school that has been developed to provide students with a continuation of the learning style they have become accustomed to at Little Saints Academy during the past seven years. “We have had the desire to continue educating children past preschool for some time,” she said. “In the past few years we have had several students who have missed the age cut-off for public school by a few weeks and in some cases a few days. It’s difficult to hold them back in a preschool classroom when they are ready for kindergarten. At Lillian Leonard Primary, we are grouped by the State of Minnesota with homeschooling, so we are able to accept students prior to age five.” Bonfig said parents are looking for alternative educational settings. “While the public school setting is a great learning environment for many, our school creates an environment where children learn by finding what interests them and using that as a platform,” she said. Bonfig said Lillian Leonard is dedicated to state standards and using science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a unique fashion, adding the arts, music and independent-learner concept. “We have taken valuable elements from many learning methods, such as Montessori and Waldorf but have focused on the Reggio Emilia pedagogy,” she said. “Guiding the learners on a path that includes a growth mindset and placing the student
in a learner-driven setting, we are building a core strength that promotes success in all things.” Bonfig said Lillian Leonard Primary will have a one-room schoolhouse atmosphere. Students will be mixed ages. The school’s environment will be one that celebrates success and welcomes failure, because she said failure provides us with knowledge of what doesn’t work and why. “When we embrace failure as a positive, it gives children the confidence to explore alternative methods, builds resilience and gives them a sense of extreme pride when they find success,” she said. Students at Lillian Leonard Primary are on an individual learning path, excelling at their own pace. Students are paired with a learning partner which staff refer to as their “crony.” Cronies encourage each other to meet goals, push limits and brainstorm alternative processes. They work as a team, problem solve, share in failure and celebrate success. Bonfig said this process helps develop empathy and healthy camaraderie. Some students might complete an entire grade in six months and for others it may take a full year. This is why she believes the year-round learning concept is vital. Students will earn a series of badges rather than grades to determine progress. Parents should imagine their child earning a badge to affirm his/her success rather than a “C” for a grade telling him/her that he/ she is simply average. Bonfig is beginning enrollment at Lillian Leonard Primary with kindergarten and first grade, but said she realizes they may have first graders who quickly move toward second grade and staff are prepared for their advancement. She plans to expand and begin enrolling grades two through six by June 2018 or earlier. “Curiosity is the catalyst that
inspires students to investigate, create and succeed,” Bonfig said. “Our motto is ‘Do it. Learn it. Be it.’ If we do it, we learn it. If we learn it, it becomes a part of who we are. Do it. Learn it. Be it.” The one and only “first day of school” at Lillian Leonard Primary will be Aug. 14. From there, each student who joins the school will celebrate their own first day of school.
Because the school is yearround and its students’ learning path is tailored to the individual, students can join the school at any time throughout the year. In the same regard, if a family is taking extended time off, a student never falls behind the rest of the class because each is following their own individualized plan. Theresa Kotsmith, who has been with Little Saints Acad-
emy for two years, will be the lead teacher at Lillian Leonard Primary. Bonfig said she is calling in local talent to help with projects for the school. She has enlisted help from local artist Mary Bruno (Bruno Press) to help design the logo and badges. For additional information, email Bonfig at lillianleonardblackboard@gmail.com or call her at 320-228-6286.
St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
6
Friday, May 12, 2017 Friday, May 12, 2017
St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
7
NATIONAL POLICE WEEK MAY 14-20
Let’s hear it for all our police officers
They help our kids when they’re lost. They’re on call at all hours of the night to mediate the worst domestic disturban ces. They do all the legwork that drives a successful conviction when the law has been broken. During National Police Week (NPW) this May 14-20, let’s shout a big Woot! Woot! to our local police officers who carry the badge and swear to keep us safe.
The goal is always to raise awareness about the important role these men and women play in keeping our streets as safe as possible every day of the year.
It’s not easy to be a crime-fighter and police officer. On a daily basis, officers witness the heart-wrenching destitution and violence experienced by the home less, the mentally ill and the substanceaddicted. They console the parents of NPW is celebrated across the coun missing children and investigate crimi try in many different ways. Our local nal acts. They see the tough side police departments hold special events of life that wears for families and kids, such as National Night Out and many other gatherings throughout the year.
30+ years experience!
21 years of loyalty to the transportation industry.
Matt Johnson 14 years Officer #7707
Dan Magaard 11 years Officer #7708
During National Police Week, wave and give a friendly smile to a police officer. And remember they are our front-line buffers between safety and chaos.
Richard Etshokin 11 years Officer #7712
Daniel Pfannenstein 8 years Officer #7711 (Former Reserve Officer)
Eric Brutger 4 years Officer #7704 (Former Reserve Officer)
Travis Manderscheid 3 years Officer #7706
Reserve Officers Shirlie Brill, 11 years Dean Schenk, 9 years Nate Honkomp, 2 years Shane Johnson, 2 years Gary Lauer, 2 years David Boese, 10 months Jason Luethmers 1 year Officer #7709
Celeste Walz 1 year Officer #7703
* Brad Meyer - retired after 29 years in July 2016
These Businesses Would Like to Salute the St. Joseph Police Officers! A relaxing atmosphere for your comfort.
3535 W. Division St. 320-529-9585
Styles, Cotton & Milbert FAMILY DENTISTRY
Craig Zahara
611 19th Ave. NE, St Joseph
320-363-1116 www.ab2k.com
Dwight Pfannenstein 14 years Sergeant #7702
people down and that many lucky peo ple in our cities and towns never really have to deal with. But worst of all, they battle negative public perception in the very streets they patrol.
Non-emergency number 320-363-8250 Emergency: Call 911
Joel Klein 15 years Chief #7701
St. Joseph, MN
www.brennytransportation.com
320-363-7729
www.keeprs.com
1514 E. Minnesota St., P.O. Box 607 • St. Joseph
WASTE & RECYCLING SERVICES
Lucky’s Place Animal Shelter
“We have Memorial Day coming up at the end of this month on which we celebrate the memory of those brave soldiers who were struck down on the field of battle in their prime. Whether it was on foreign shores or in our own land, these deaths are to be viewed as heroic and a mark of valor and bravery. However, we have another group of men and women who have made no less of a sacrifice for our country: the police officers who have fallen in the line of duty. These are the men and women who defend us daily on our streets and towns. They stand up for the law, that system of the Social Contract that makes ours a civil society. On this day, May 15, we set aside to honor those officers who so bravely and skillfully served their cities and friends and family. They have made the ultimate sacrifice in their line of duty. They have exhibited the valor that is so valued to a democratic society.” ~ Gerald Boerner
700 40th Ave NE Sauk Rapids
Your no-kill alternative for cats 1550 95th Ave. NE, Sauk Rapids (320) 241-1829
320-252-9608 WWW.REPUBLICSERVICES.COM
Providing Great Family Dental Care We’re here to serve you!
151 19th St. S., Ste. B • Sartell 320-229-2233 www.welchdentalcare.com
St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
8
Newman from front page Twins’ manager Tom Kelly enjoyed playing card games at ball fields in early afternoons. During that time for relaxation, they would sometimes read fan mail. Newman read a letter from a woman who wrote that on Newman’s birthday she bought two tickets to an upcoming game for the pleasure of watching Newman play. “Which game?” Kelly asked Newman. “The one on June 3,” he answered. “But will you still be here June 3?” Kelly rather mischievously asked, yet another reminder that being a member of a baseball team can suddenly end. However, despite the anxieties and occasional insecurities, Newman loved and still loves baseball, which is a part of his very soul. He vividly recalled his first trip to a baseball stadium when he was a boy in Kansas City, Mo. He was eager to watch the Kansas City Athletics play ball. “I walked in and saw the greenest, greenest grass I ever saw in my life,” he recalled with awe still in his voice. Then, across the field he saw what looked like a rabbit’s wicker basket. He saw a player
Friday, May 12, 2017
lean toward the basket and expected him to pull a rabbit out. Instead, the player lifted a baseball out of the basket. “It was so white, the whitest baseball,” he said, recalling the magic moment as if a rabbit had suddenly become a baseball. “And that was it; I was hooked.” Newman loves to share his love of baseball, especially with young people. He is assistant coach for the St. Cloud Rox baseball team, which is a member of the Northwoods League, and he is also an instructor at Acceleration Baseball in St. Cloud. Training players, to Newman, is a “daily joy.” He loves to see young people – boys and girls – develop and strengthen baseball skills – especially the all-important hand-eye coordination. He loves to see their dedication and determination when they hit the ball, field the ball as they eventually acquire “an amazing feeling of accomplishment.” Now, more than ever, baseball is a global sport, Newman noted. “It includes the whole world,” he said.
Life in baseball
Born in Kansas City, Newman, now 56, had the rare honor of helping the Minnesota Twins win two World Series. He was with the team
from 1987 to 1991. Previously he played for the Montreal Expos (1985-1986) and, after his years with the Twins, he played for the Texas Rangers (1992). From 1979-1982, Newman studied accounting at San Diego State University where he played baseball for famed coach Jim Dietz. He was also a football player at the school. Although he had major-league offers, Newman turned them down during his college years for one reason or another. After college, he spent four years playing in the minor leagues. Newman usually was a second baseman, but he also served as a shortstop, third baseman and left fielder at various times in his career. Newman is a switch-hitter who throws with his right hand. The high point came in 1989 when Newman had 113 hits, 19 doubles, 38 runs-batted-in, 62 runs and 25 stolen bases. After his time in the major leagues, in 2008 Newman founded Newmie Rewards LLC, a business to help raise funds for sports teams. That same year, he was host of a radio show in Minneapolis, The Al Newman Show. Throughout his entire career, he has worked tirelessly for development of youth baseball, and it’s a job he is still doing and one he says he still loves.
photos by Carolyn Bertsch
Top: Baseball great Al Newman regales a “Leadercast” conference in Sartell with his wisdom and wit – life’s lessons as learned largely through the game of baseball. At left: An avid fan from the audience steps up to the podium to get an autograph from Al Newman, who was a member of the Minnesota Twins when they won their two World Series in 1987 and 1991.
St. Stephen Optical (formerly Index 53)
Larry Rudolph, Optician 306 Main St. E. St. Stephen, MN 56375 320-252-9380 Office 320-252-6924 Home Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m.-noon Saturday
Central MN Arts Board awards Project Grants to area organizations The Central Minnesota Arts Board recently awarded $131,885 in support of 20 regional arts projects. Four criteria are used in evaluating applications: artistic quality and merit, demonstrated need, outcomes and evaluation, and ability to complete the proposal. Three grants which affect the St. Joseph area include the following: Mississippi Strings Camp, $7,000, Mississippi Strings Camp supports
education through summer orchestra instruction for young string players to develop and add to their musical, technical and ensemble skills to be held June 12 at Technical Senior High School in St. Cloud, which alternates every other year with Apollo High School; Millstream Arts Festival, $7,000, Millstream Arts Festival is an outdoor, juried arts festival presenting visual artists and musicians in a family-friendly
festival environment to be held Sept. 24 in St. Joseph; and $7,000, and The St. John’s Boys’ Choirs’ Boys on Broadway annual musical theatrical performance that engages boys in exploring artistic elements beyond singing, such as choreography, staging and acting under the guidance of theater professionals to be held Oct. 13-15 at St. John’s University, Stephen B. Humphrey Theater in Collegeville.
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w w w. j l wc h i ro. co m
St. Joseph Family Chiropractic Get back into the swing of life
Walk-ins Welcome
Dr. Jerry Wetterling 363-4573 103 n. College Ave St. Joseph
St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
Friday, May 12, 2017 City of St. Joseph Summary Financial Report For the Year Ended 2016
CITY OF ST. JOSEPH Summary Financial Report For the Year Ended 2016
The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of financial information concerning the City of St. Joseph The purpose of this financial report statements is to provide a summary of financial information concerning to interested citizens. The complete maybe examined at the City Offices, 75 Callaway St E. Questionsmay regarding report should be directed Lori Bartlett, Director, be this examined at the City toOffices, 75 Finance Callaway St.320-363-7201. E. Questions regarding this The following summaries are The from the General Purpose Financial are Statements the City of St. Joseph following summaries fromofthe General Purpose for the year ending December 31, 2016.
the City of St. Joseph to interested citizens. The complete financial statements report should be directed to Lori Bartlett, finance director, 320-363-7201.
Financial Statements of the City of St. Joseph for the year ending Dec. 31, 2016. STATEMENT OF NET POSITION - PROPRIETARY FUNDS As of Dec. 31, 2016
Revenues and Expenditures for General Operations (Governmental Funds)
Revenue:
% Increase (Decrease) 4.76 6.50 100.00 2.04 77.96 (16.73) 116.69 95.86 (7.41) 51.42
2016 1,831,949 432,227 8,046 126,817 270,780 425,867 2,732,942 966,698 46,747 260,027
2015 1,748,734 405,859 124,283 152,158 511,446 1,261,195 493,557 50,489 171,721
7,102,100 1,048.74
4,919,442 722.92
44.37 45.07
617,764 1,459,196 353,421 323,966 187,700 5,100,861 1,205,000 416,776
582,258 1,376,624 334,944 271,401 358,143 3,498,687 1,015,000 282,775
6.10 6.00 5.52 19.37 (47.59) 45.79 18.72 47.39
9,664,684 1,427.15
7,719,832 1,134.44
25.19 25.80
(2,562,584)
(2,800,390)
(8.49)
Total Long Term Indebtedness Per Capita
12,879,033 1,901.81
9,049,554 1,329.84
42.32 43.01
General and Special Revenue Funds Unreserved Per Capita
1,402,200 207.06
1,299,631 190.98
7.89 8.42
Taxes Sales Tax Lodging Tax Franchise Fees Licenses and Permits Special Assessments Intergovernmental Revenue Charges for Services Fines and Forfeits Miscellaneous Total Revenues Per Capita
Expenditures: General Government Public Safety Streets and Highways Culture and Recreation Economic Development Capital Outlay Debt Service Interest and Fiscal Charges
Total Expenditures Per Capita Excess of Revenues Under Expenditures
Published May 12, 2017 STATEMENT OF REVENUES, EXPENSES AND CHANGES IN NET POSITION - PROPRIETARY FUNDS For the Year Ended Dec. 31, 2016
OPERATING REVENUES: Charges for Services
Water $
OPERATING EXPENSES: Wages and Salaries Materials and Supplies Repairs and Maintenance Professional Services Insurance Utilities Depreciation Contracted Services Equipment Miscellaneous Total Operating Expenses
883,601
Sanitary Sewer $
997,206
Refuse $
286,603
Noncurrent Assets: Capital Assets: Land Easements Construction in Progress Buildings Plant and Lines Machinery and Equipment Sewer Rights Total Capital Assets Less Accumulated Depreciation Net Capital Assets Total Assets Deferred Outflows of Resources: Deferred Outflows of Resources Related To Pensions Total Assets and Deferred Outflows of Resources LIABILITIES AND NET POSITION: Current Liabilities: Accounts Payable Due to Other Governments Salaries and Benefits Payable Due To Other Funds Interest Payable Long-Term Liabilities Due Within One Year Total Current Liabilities
99,212
Street Light Utility $
60,550
Total $
2,327,172
Total Liabilities, Deferred Inflows of Resources and Net Position
46,916 26 15,323 11,410 102,763 1,751 178,189
13,524 910 45,740 3,153 63,327
376,405 75,600 85,319 73,704 22,812 126,278 974,547 440,042 2,306 15,650 2,192,663
101,544
110,396
4,323
(78,977)
(2,777)
134,509
17,347 1,169 73,407 (141,277) 7,829 52,763 11,238
376 398 (155,427) 4,667 3,461 (146,525)
2,830 183 629 3,642
2,910 39 2,949
244 19 263
23,707 1,808 73,407 (296,704) 12,496 56,853 (128,433)
Income before Capital Contributions and Transfers
112,782
(36,129)
7,965
(76,028)
(2,514)
6,076
Capital Contributions Transfers In Transfers Out
160,567 234,700 (88,715)
133,619 282,500 (43,435)
(715)
62,598 (18,250)
-
356,784 517,200 (151,115)
419,334
336,555
7,250
(31,680)
(2,514)
728,945
7,768,363
7,908,671
265,159
23,420
20,091,741
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS: Beginning of Year
20,820,686
End of Year
NET POSITION: Beginning of Year End of Year
$
COOKGUESTHOUSE Saint John’s Abbey is accepting applications for a full-time; benefiteligible Cook in the Abbey Guesthouse. This position allows creativity with preparing food and hospitality to guests; may assist with organizing space for special events.
Applications accepted online at:
http://employmentosb.csbsju.edu
8,187,697
$
8,245,226
$
272,409
4,126,128 $
$
Net Position: Investment in Capital Assets, Net Related Debt Unrestricted Total Net Position
22,937 2,408 2,151 3,844 503 6,606 243,003 828 282,280
Change in Net Position
$
Noncurrent Liabilities: Compensated Absences Notes Payable, Net Unamortized Premiums Bonds Payable, Net Unamortized Premiums Net Other Post Employment Benefits Obligations Net Pension Liability Less Amounts Due Within One Year Total Noncurrent Liabilities Total Liabilities
129,748 29,503 17,117 32,129 10,886 16,035 452,913 197,039 1,440 886,810
NONOPERATING REVENUES (EXPENSES): Investment Income Special Assessments Property Taxes Interest Expense Amortization of Bond Premium Other Income Total Nonoperating Revenues (Expenses)
$
Deferred Inflows of Resources: Deferred Inflows of Resources Related To Pensions
Storm Water $
Water
ASSETS: Current Assets: Cash and Investments (Including Cash Equivalents) Taxes Receivable - Delinquent: Special Assessments Receivable: Delinquent Deferred Accounts Receivable Interest Receivable Due from Other Governments Total Current Assets
163,280 43,663 49,818 26,321 11,926 64,000 412,265 2,306 8,478 782,057
Operating Loss
9
4,094,448
$
20,906
$
$
5,778 -
Refuse
$
Street Light Utility
Storm Water
247,662 -
$
241,498 -
$
Total
22,772 -
$
578,578 393
605 23,856 143,587 2,704 427 232,440
220,348 59 226,185
53,661 441 301,764
5,612 18,313 453 265,876
11,170 38 33,980
605 29,468 447,079 3,695 427 1,060,245
372,941 210,315 7,502,432 10,120,551 207,183 18,413,422 (4,858,912) 13,554,510 13,786,950
4,941 442,345 1,295,254 8,502,416 532,147 8,569,212 19,346,315 (4,489,070) 14,857,245 15,083,430
45,842 45,842 (26,224) 19,618 321,382
67,915 62,040 5,056,192 2,382 5,188,529 (1,312,145) 3,876,384 4,142,260
33,980
377,882 67,915 714,700 8,797,686 23,679,159 787,554 8,569,212 42,994,108 (10,686,351) 32,307,757 33,368,002
58,675 13,845,625
7,974 1,705 5,145 10,302 496,115 521,241
$
$
47,489 15,130,919
3,099 111,274 4,521 30,000 44,453 565,058 758,405
$
$
8,642 330,024
17,971 4,160,231
$
19,152 2,613 762 778 23,305
$
2,961 36,941
$
2,154 1,285 1,709 5,148
$
4,459 316 311 5,086
$
135,738 33,503,740
$
36,838 115,592 12,029 30,000 54,755 1,063,971 1,313,185
54,096 5,392,633 29,654 141,097 (496,115) 5,121,365 5,642,606
54,096 4,595,049 1,892,393 24,208 114,199 (565,058) 6,114,887 6,873,292
8,419 3,631 20,781 (778) 32,053 55,358
10,804 3,631 43,216 (1,709) 55,942 61,090
3,367 7,120 (311) 10,176 15,262
130,782 4,595,049 7,285,026 61,124 326,413 (1,063,971) 11,334,423 12,647,608
15,322
12,401
2,257
4,693
773
35,446
8,161,877 25,820 8,187,697
8,369,803 (124,577) 8,245,226
19,618 252,791 272,409
3,876,384 218,064 4,094,448
20,906 20,906
20,427,682 393,004 20,820,686
13,845,625
$
15,130,919
$
330,024
$
4,160,231
$
36,941
$
33,503,740
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS - PROPRIETARY FUNDS For the Year Ended Dec. 31, 2016 Water
CASH FLOWS - OPERATING ACTIVITIES: Receipts from Customers and Users Payments to Suppliers Payments to Employees Net Cash Flows - Operating Activities
$
861,789 (238,420) (169,238) 454,131
Sanitary Sewer $
939,005 (331,395) (135,869) 471,741
Refuse $
Storm Water
287,447 $ (249,764) (25,214) 12,469
99,246 (29,096) (46,182) 23,968
Street Light Utility $
60,792 (49,300) (8,744) 2,748
Total $
2,248,279 (897,975) (385,247) 965,057
CASH FLOWS - NONCAPITAL FINANCING ACTIVITIES: Other Miscellaneous Receipts Loan from Other Funds Transfer from Other Funds Transfer to Other Funds Net Cash Flows - Noncapital Financing Activities
126,749 234,700 (88,715) 272,734
3,948 30,000 282,500 (43,435) 273,013
991 (715) 276
2,883 (18,250) (15,367)
36 36
134,607 30,000 517,200 (151,115) 530,692
CASH FLOWS - CAPITAL AND RELATED FINANCING ACTIVITIES: Principal Paid on Debt Interest Paid on Debt Proceeds from Disposal of Capital Assets Acquisition of Capital Assets Net Cash Flows - Capital and Related Financing Activities
(545,000) (142,824) (687,824)
(523,945) (159,426) 226,568 (283,406) (740,209)
-
-
-
(1,068,945) (302,250) 226,568 (283,406) (1,428,033)
CASH FLOWS - INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Interest and Dividends Received
19,473
483
3,011
3,101
246
26,314
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents
58,514
5,028
15,756
11,702
3,030
94,030
2,354
750
231,906
229,796
19,742
484,548
Now Hiring Summer Positions!
Two Rivers Campground & Tubing is looking for hard working and friendly staff for the 2017 season.
• Maintenance/Cleaning • Office/Store
Email resumes to info@tworiverscampground.net or call 320-584-5125 for more information.
$
60,868 393
Sanitary Sewer
5116 145th St. NW Royalton, MN 56373
$
60,868
$
5,778
$
247,662
$
241,498
$
22,772
$
578,578
NOW HIRING TRUCK DRIVERS! Manion’s Wholesale is hiring truck drivers. We deliver building materials to Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. Home daily with an occasional overnight as needed. Hourly pay depending on experience. Call Justin with questions at 320-266-8615 or apply in person at: Manion’s Wholesale 7705 305th St. St. Cloud
St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
10
Friday, May 12, 2017
Community Calendar Make a Cake for Mom, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Cold Spring Bakery, 308 Main St., Cold Spring, or 103 Second St. S., Waite Park. www.coldspringbakery.com. Brat Sale, sponsored by St. Joseph Lions, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., St. Joseph Meat Market, 26 First Ave. NW. Central Minnesota Chapter of the Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, 12:30 p.m., American Legion, 17 Second Ave. N., Waite Park.
Is your event listed? Send your information to: Newsleader Calendar, P.O. Box 324, St. Joseph, MN 56374; fax it to 320-363-4195; or, e-mail it to news@thenewsleaders. com. Friday, May 12 Brat Sale, sponsored by St. Joseph Lions 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., St. Joseph Meat Market, 26 First Ave. NW. St. Joseph Farmers’ Market, 3-6:30 p.m., near the Wobegon Trail Center, C.R. 2. Tae Guk Kwon Do, 3-4 p.m., Independent Lifestyles, 215 N Benton Drive, Sauk Rapids. 320-267-7717.
Monday, May 14 Mothers Day Breakfast, 8:30noon, St. Boniface Church, 501 Main St., Cold Spring.
Saturday, May 13 Sauk Rapids Farmers’ Market, 8 a.m.-noon, First Street and Second Avenue next to Manea’s Meats, downtown Sauk Rapids.
Monday, May 15 Lunch and cards, sponsored by Helping Hands Outreach and The Rusty Nail, noon-2 p.m., The Rusty
Taco is a 1-½-year-old neutered feline that’s feeling fine. This almost 15-pound cutie wants to keep you all to himself meaning he doesn’t want other cats or dogs stealing what should be his attention. Taco will greet you at the door when you arrive home and will check your shoes to see if they have shoe strings. He enjoys supervised time outdoors lounging in the sun and getting some fresh air. “Helping one animal won’t change the world … but it will change the world for that one animal!” Dogs - 13 Rabbit - 1
Cats - 30 Kittens - 10
Guinea Pigs - 5 Rats - 7
Tri-County Humane Society 735 8th St. NE • PO Box 701 St. Cloud, MN 56302
320-252-0896
www.tricountyhumanesociety.org
Hours: Monday-Thursday Noon-6 p.m., Friday Noon-8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. & Sunday Noon-5 p.m.
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Nail, 4 CR 2 S., St. Stephen. St. Joseph Food Shelf, open 1-3 p.m., Old City Hall, 25 First Ave. NW, St. Joseph. Parkinson’s Disease Support Group, 1-2:30 p.m., Ilicil Independent Lifestyles, 215 N Benton Drive, Sauk Rapids. 320-529-9000. Market Monday, 3-6:30 p.m., parking lot of Hardware Hank, Seventh St. N., Sartell. marketmonday. org. St. Joseph City Council, 6 p.m., council chambers, St. Joseph City Hall, 75 Callaway St. E. 363-7201. cityofstjoseph.com. St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club, 7 p.m., American Legion, 101 W Minnesota St., St. Joseph. Tuesday, May 16 Job Fair, hosted by Woodcraft Industries, noon-6 p.m., 525 Lincoln Ave. SE, St. Cloud. 320-656-2338, www.woodcraftind.com. St. Cloud Area Genealogists annual membership meeting, 7 p.m., Stearns History Museum, 235 33rd Ave. S., St. Cloud. stearns-museum.org. Wednesday, May 17 Veteran’s Recognition Program, 9-10 a.m., Hoppe Auditorium, St. Cloud Hospital, 1406 Sixth Ave. N. St. Joseph Economic Development Authority, 5 p.m., St. Joseph City Hall, 75 Callaway St. E. 320363-7201. cityofstjoseph.com. Thursday, May 18 Operation Spring Cleaning, St. Joseph customers enrolled in city program may place additional refuse PAID IN ADVANCE! Make $1000 Weekly Mailing Brochures From Home! No Experience Required. Helping home workers since 2001! Genuine Opportunity. Start Immediately! www.IncomeMailers.net (VOID IN SD, WI) (MCN) HELP WANTED: OTR DRIVERS. Dvorak Trucking seeking Owner/Operators & Company Drivers. Valid Class CDL. Home on weekends if desired. Pulling hopper bottoms across the U.S. Minnesota Based. Call 641-220-4202. (MCN) Over the Road carrier seeking experienced drivers. Midwest and west coast, no east coast. Drivers average 3,000+ miles per week, loaded and empty miles paid. Call recruiting 1-800-645-3748. www.gfltruck. com (MCN) $$$$$$ $1,000’s WEEKLY! Processing Mail! Free Information. Send SASE: Lists/ IA Box 396, Springhouse, PA 19477-0396 (MCN) FARM RELATED Seed Corn $175 a Unit Mycogen seed corn 2K395b – 94 day Mycogen seed corn 2V357a – 93 day Triple Stax round-up ready in Pro-boxes. Financing available if needed. Swenson Partnership 38318 228th Street Wessington Springs, SD 57382 Phone: 605354-2127 or 605-216-7287 (MCN) FINANCIAL Are you in BIG trouble with the IRS? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 888-606-6673 (MCN) STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS got you down? We can help reduce payments and get finances under control, call: 866-871-1626 (MCN) Reduce your total credit card payments by up to 30% to 50%! Call Consolidated Credit NOW! 844-764-1891 (MCN) Buying a home and need a mortgage? Or, have a home and want to lower your monthly fees and refinance? Getting a mortgage is quicker and easier than ever. Call now! 855715-4721 (MCN)
curbside prior to 6 a.m. for collection at no charge. Some exceptions apply. 320-363-7201. Coffee and Conversation, a senior discussion group, 9 a.m., Country Manor, 520 First St. NE, Sartell. St. Joseph Food Shelf, open 1-3 p.m., Old City Hall, 25 First Ave. NW, St. Joseph. Market Monday expands to Thursdays, 3-6:30 p.m., parking lot of Hardware Hank, Seventh St. N., Sartell. marketmonday.org. Three Parks, Two Counties naturalist-led hikes, 6:30 p.m., Warner Lake County Park, 485 Stearns CR 143. parkinfo@co.stearns.mn.us. 320-255-6172. Friday, May 19 St. Cloud Flower and Plant Sale, 8:30-11 a.m., Whitney Senior Center, 1527 Northway Drive, St. Cloud. Burger and brat sale, sponsored by Knights of Columbus, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., St. Joseph Meat Market, 26 First Ave. NW. Art History, 1-2 p.m., Whitney Senior Center, 1527 Northway Drive, St. Cloud. St. Joseph Farmers’ Market, 3-6:30 p.m., near the Wobegon Trail Center, C.R. 2. Tae Guk Kwon Do, 3-4 p.m., Independent Lifestyles, 215 N Benton Drive, Sauk Rapids. 320-267-7717. St. Joseph Area Historical Society, open 4-7 p.m., Old City Hall, 25 First Ave NW. stjosephhistoricalmn. org. St. Cloud Singles Club Dance, 8 p.m.-midnight, American Legion, 17 Second Ave. S., Waite Park. 320339-4533. stcloudsingles.net. FOR SALE Trailer Sale! 6x12 V-nose, ramp, radials & LEDs $2,775.00; 7x16 V-nose ramp, $4,199.00, 11 models of DUMP trailers in -stock, SPECIAL 14K 24’+4’GOOSENECK SKIDLOADER TRAILERS, 4-place snowmobile trailers, 8x20 Cargo 10k w/ hail damage, ST205/75D15 on 5-4.5” mod wheels $65.00: 515-972-4554 www.FortDodgeTrailerWorld.com (MCN) HEALTH & MEDICAL LIVING WITH KNEE OR BACK PAIN? Medicare recipients may qualify to receive a pain relieving brace at little or no cost. Call now! 844-668-4578 (MCN) Stop OVERPAYING for your prescriptions! SAVE! Call our licensed Canadian and International pharmacy, compare prices and get $25.00 OFF your first prescription! CALL 1-800-263-4059 Promo Code CDC201625 (MCN) OXYGEN - Anytime. Anywhere. No tanks to refill. No deliveries. The All-New Inogen One G4 is only 2.8 pounds! FAA approved! FREE info kit: 844-852-7448 (MCN) Got Knee Pain? Back Pain? Shoulder Pain? Get a pain-relieving brace at little or NO cost to you. Medicare Patients Call Health Hotline Now! 1- 800-604-2613 (MCN) OXYGEN - Anytime. Anywhere. No tanks to refill. No deliveries. The All-New Inogen One G4 is only 2.8 pounds! FAA approved! FREE info kit: 855-995-5653 (MCN) CASH PAID for unexpired, sealed DIABETIC TEST STRIPS! 1 DAY PAYMENT & PREPAID shipping. HIGHEST PRICES! Call 1-888-389-0695. www.cash4diabeticsupplies.com (MCN) HOME IMPROVEMENT ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control. FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1-800-640-8195 (MCN) Save money with solar! Custom Designed Systems, Free Maintenance, Free Quote &
Saturday, May 20 Appliance/Electronic collection, 8 a.m.-noon, Government Center parking lot, 75 Callaway St. E., St. Joseph. Limit combination of two appliances/electronics per household. Residents must show ID. All-in-One Event, to benefit the American Cancer Society, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Benton County Fair Sports Arena, 1410 Third Ave. S., Sauk Rapids. Old Glory Run 5K, 10 a.m., Colt’s Academy, 124 First Ave. SE, St. Joseph. www.theoldgloryrun.com Sauk Rapids Farmers’ Market, 8 a.m.-noon, First Street and Second Avenue next to Manea’s Meats, downtown Sauk Rapids. Plant sale, by UMN Extension Master Gardeners of Stearns County, 8:30-11 a.m., Riverside Park Shelter, 1800 Kilian Blvd. SE. St. Cloud. Burger and brat sale, sponsored by Knights of Columbus, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., St. Joseph Meat Market, 26 First Ave. NW. 90th Anniversary Celebration, Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 1620 Lindbergh Drive S., Little Falls. 320-616-5421, lindbergh@mnhs.org. Community meal, 11:30 a.m.12:45 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1107 Pinecone Road S., Sartell. Granite City Renegades Home Opener, 5-7 p.m., Clemens Stadium, St. John’s University. Sunday, May 21 Spring Fling, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Celebration Lutheran Church, 1500 Pinecone Road N., Sartell.
Design. No Out of Pocket Costs. Call now! 855-452-2104 (MCN) Water Damage in your Home? Call now for a free, fast quote. Insurance approved. Help restore your piece of mind! 866-8651875 (MCN) Leaky Faucet? Broken toilet? Call NOW and get the best deals with your local plumbers. No hassle appointment setup. Call NOW! 877-238-2479 (MCN) Got Mold- or think you might have it? Mold can be hazardous to you and your family’s health! Get rid of it now! Call our experts and get a quote today! 855-3987133(MCN) SAVE THOUSANDS ON SURPRISE COSTLY HOME REPAIRS!! With Nations Home Warranty we pay 100% of covered Home repairs! CALL FOR A FREE QUOTE TODAY!! 888-925-8106 (MCN) MISCELLANEOUS A PLACE FOR MOM. The nation’s largest senior living referral service. Contact our trusted, local experts today! Our service is FREE/no obligation. CALL 1-800-442-5148 (MCN) Lower that Cell Phone Bill. Get 2 lines of unlimited data for $100/mo. with AutoPay--taxes & fees included. Video Streaming & Mobile Hotspot included. Limited offer/ Restrictions Apply. Call Today and Save. 855-549-9399 (MCN) Paying too much for car insurance? Not sure? Want better coverage? Call now for a free quote and learn more today! 855-4177382 (MCN) Moving out of state? Best Interstate Moving and Storage offers a FREE Quote and A Price Plus Promise. Call 855-428-6241 Now! (MCN) PERSONALS MEET SINGLES RIGHT NOW! No paid operators, just real people like you. Browse greetings, exchange messages and connect live. Try it free. Call now: 800-357-4970 (MCN)
Friday, May 12, 2017
Australia from page 4 especially for the 24 mil-
lion Americans who now have health insurance, who didn’t before. What’s almost funny is the spectacle of Trump and Congress members patting themselves on the back for repealing ObamaCare and trying to replace it with such a piece of legislative garbage. It’s nothing but more snake oil, just as their last legislative effort was, the one that fell flat on its face. There they stood in the White House Rose Garden – that alternative world with its alternative facts – beaming with beatific smiles as they all pretended to believe their legislative “triumph” will be the greatest thing since cupcakes and just what the doctor ordered. In fact, it’s more like what the ex-
St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com ecutioner ordered. And this (feel free to laugh) comes courtesy of the politicians who excoriated ObamaCare for its “death panels.” What the Rose Garden folks were really grinning about, most likely, is the frosting on the cake – the $620-billion tax break for the wealthy that this wretched excuse for health-care reform contains. Even many conservatives, like Ohio Gov. John Kasich, are blasting TrumpCare. He said as many as 700,000 people in his state would lose coverage. By 2020, he added, people would be knocked off of Medicaid. Most of them, he said, would never be able to afford premiums of $3,000 and $4,000 or more, and thewir deductibles would be off the charts. “They’ll all be living in emergency rooms again,” he said. All three of Minnesota’s Republican representatives,
including Tom Emmer, voted for this mean-spirited piece of crap gussied up, cynically, to sound so kind and caring. Lipstick on a pig. Beware when politicians proclaim “patient-centered, health-care competition, flexibility, access, returning control to the states.” Those are code words for the “good old days,” when at least 24 million Americans couldn’t afford insurance. As some wit said, “We all have access to Cadillacs, but who can afford one?” TrumpCare, at least this version of it, amounts to a crazy-quilt way of letting states erode federally guaranteed rights, the ones enshrined in ObamaCare. We are overdue for a miracle – the miracle of Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate working together either to fix ObamaCare or to come up with a better replacement. Enough snake oil!
11
Three finalists considered for sheriff by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com
There are now three finalists for the interim position of Stearns County sheriff through the year 2018. Thirteen people had filed for the job, but at the last county-board meeting, commissioners unanimously agreed to winnow the list to the final three candidates. They are Bruce Bechtold, a Stearns County chief deputy; David Bentrud, Waite Park police chief; and Don Gudmundson, retired Dakota
Get Your Fishing License, Live Bait & Tackle Your one-stop bait shop!
Ask a Trooper
Gas, Food and Liquor
I have two driver’s licenses and both are valid. What should I do? Q: So I lost my driver’s license. Physically, misplaced it and searched high and low and no luck and couldn’t find it anywhere. I went to the DVS and applied for a new one, after a while it came in the mail. Now, several months later I found my old one. So I now have two driver’s licenses and both are valid and expire on the same date. What should I and can I do here? A: Minnesota law states every person licensed shall have the license in immediate possession at all times when operating a motor vehicle and shall display it when
in Rice, MN
HELP WANTED Rice Subway is looking for a few bright-eyed, smiling faces to join our team! We currently have a couple day-time positions available and we are also starting to hire part-time flexible positions for summer. Get your summer job locked in now! Apply in person at the Rice Subway or call Vaughn at 320-492-7171 to set up an interview. 2378 Pine Road NW, Rice
requested by a peace officer enforcing the laws relating to the operation of motor vehicles on public streets and highways. If a driver’s license (including an instruction permit or provisional license) is lost, destroyed or becomes illegible, a person can obtain a duplicate license if they prove the permit or license has been lost, destroyed or has become illegible, and make payment of the required fee. A person can’t be in possession of more than one driver’s license. To obtain a new license, stop at any Driver and Vehicle Services
Exam Office or Driver’s License Agent and have their old card invalidated. A portion of state statutes was used with permission from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. If you have any questions concerning traffic-related laws or issues in Minnesota, send your questions to Trp. Jesse Grabow – Minnesota State Patrol at 1000 Hwy. 10 W., Detroit Lakes, Minn. 565012205. (You can follow him on Twitter @MSPPIO_NW or reach him at jesse.grabow@ state.mn.us).
County sheriff. Those three will be interviewed by the commissioners Tuesday, May 16, and the appointment is expected to be announced the week following. Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner retired from his position in April, requiring the county board to appoint someone to fill out the remainder of his term. The person appointed will serve through 2018, at which time voters in the November election will elect the next sheriff.
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St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
12
Books from front page cation curator for the Stearns History Museum where she conducts tours and helps program special events there. That is just the latest in a series of interesting jobs in her life. Born in St. Cloud during the raging blizzard of 1965, O’Connell grew up there. She graduated from the College of St. Benedict with an English degree and an exposure to journalism. For a time, she worked as a freelancer, writing articles for magazines. Not long after graduation, she moved to Rome, Italy where she taught English and even worked for a brief time at Vatican Radio. Later, stateside, she taught English at Hill-Murray Middle School in Maplewood, then taught English at St. John’s Prep School for five years where she also served as librarian. She then became a biology technician in Texas and New Mexico after marrying a biologist and
ornithologist. One of her jobs was to catch, for study purposes, Chihuahuan ravens on the New Mexico-Texas border country. Another unusual job was O’Connell’s turn as a ship’s log writer and tour guide, a ship that sailed all the way to Antarctica with stops in the Falkland Islands and the Georgian Islands. It was an exhausting trip. Most of the passengers were professionals of one sort or another: illustrators, naturalists and professional photographers. “I wrote the log book for the passengers, most of whom were elderly,” she noted. O’Connell is glad she majored in English. “Every single job I’ve ever had I was hired because I knew how to write,” she said. Some of O’Connell’s all-time favorite books and ones she often recommends are The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. A more recent book that held her in thrall is Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea, a true account of the
whaling ship Essex, which was attacked by a large whale in the Pacific Ocean in 1820 and which partly inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. O’Connell’s father was the renowned sculptor Joseph O’Connell whose works grace the buildings and campuses of the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. O’Connell was a close friend of the great short-story writer J.F. Powers, who taught at St. John’s University. Powers is the Catholic godfather of Julianne O’Connell. O’Connell’s brother-in-law, with whom she wrote a screenplay titled Wabasha (as yet unproduced) is John Thavis, author of the bestselling The Vatican Diaries. No, it’s not surprising at all O’Connell is a diehard bookworm, surrounded as she was all of her life by book lovers. Anyone with books they want to part with can call O’Connell, and she can arrange to pick them up. Her number is 320-292-9812. The only books that cannot be accepted are Reader’s Digest condensed books or books that are damaged by water or mold.
Commission OKs high-tunnel greenhouse by Dave DeMars news@thenewsleaders.com
with the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict and as part of the Community Supported Agriculture program, which is an educational event to foster gardening activity. CGG proposed locating the greenhouse on property owned by the Order of St. Benedict and located south of Minnesota Street W. near the St. Joseph Apartments. The greenhouse would be about 12-feet high and occupy 2,160 square feet of
The May 8 St. Joseph Planning Commission meeting had only one item on its docket to consider – a request by Common Ground Garden to approve the construction of a high-tunnel greenhouse; the commission approved. Common Ground Garden has sponsored a community garden in St. Joseph in partnership
FREELANCERS SOUGHT
All-in-One Event
THE NEWSLEADERS seeks freelance writers and photographers to cover town-specific events/meetings/personalities. Freelancers are paid per story/photo. If interested, please email a resume and a few writing/photo samples to news@thenewsleaders.com.
Saturday, May 20 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Benton County Fair Sports Arena Crafters • Up-cyclers • Vendors Flea marketers • Garage salers Donations collected at the door for:
Saturday, May 13 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Kids – Decorate a Mother’s Day cake for your Mom. Choose white, chocolate or marble 8” cake and decorate it yourself.
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ground. The greenhouse would not be used for events or sales so no additional parking would be required, nor would it add additional traffic beyond the norm. After brief consideration, the request was approved. The commission also heard from updates on the St. Joseph Comprehensive Plan from Therese Haffner and from Troy Goracke on recent actions taken by the city council.
Friday, May 12, 2017
Fish tales
contributed photo
Smallmouth bass is a popular fish to catch in the Mississippi River. Ralph Schwalboski of St. Joseph lands a smallmouth bass caught on top-water bait. This fish was caught near the bridge in Sartell in August of 2015. The 70th annual Governor’s Fishing Opener will take place May 11-14 on the Mississippi River. The cities of Sartell, Sauk Rapids and St. Cloud will be involved. In Sartell, the designated area for the opener will be between Mississippi River County Park and the Sartell Dam. There is great fishing to be had along the river.