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Friday, Sept. 30, 2016
Veteran survives war, Town Crier has stroke stateside Volume 2, Issue 38 Est. 2015
Department of Commerce offers tips for flooding
Recent mega-rain events have caused flood and water damage for many Minnesota homeowners and businesses. As Minnesotans clean up from the mess, the Minnesota Commerce Department is offering information about insurance coverage and tips on replacing water-damaged furnaces, water heaters and other energy-related mechanical equipment. The first thing to find out is whether you have insurance coverage that will help. In general, damage caused by rising surface water or mudflow requires flood insurance that is separate from standard homeowner’s insurance. Check with your insurance company or agent as soon as possible. Most mechanical equipment and associated supply and vent lines damaged by flood water will likely need to be replaced. Many utility companies offer rebates when purchasing high-efficiency equipment and appliances. For more information, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on Sept. 30 Criers.
Recovery night scheduled at St. Cloud VA
The Veterans’ Mental Health Advocacy Council is hosting Recovery Night from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29 at Building 96, St. Cloud Veterans’ Administration Medical Center, located at 4801 Veterans Drive in St. Cloud. Developed and presented by veterans, Recovery Night features several veterans who will share their stories of recovery. For more information, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on Sept. 30 Criers.
by Dave DeMars news@thenewsleaders.com
“Thank you for your service.” Gary Reberg was one of the 2.7 million uniformed military personnel who served in Vietnam. But now Reberg needs more than just a thank you for his service because Reberg suffered a stroke that almost cost him his life. A benefit to help defray medical costs and some home modifications so he can live at home will be held Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Sauk Rapids VFW on Benton Drive. The benefit will include a spaghetti dinner, a meat raffle and a silent auction. Among the items to be auctioned off are a freezer, a metal fire ring, yard ornaments, paintings and other sun-
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This photo of Gary Reberg, at age 17 on Nov. 5, 1970, was taken somewhere in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam at the edge of the jungle. Reberg’s unit was charged with clearing the jungle to make it harder for the enemy to conceal itself and its activities.
SR Council approves preliminary tax levy by Dave DeMars news@thenewsleaders.com
At its Sept. 26 meeting, the Sauk Rapids City Council scrutinized adjustments to the budget laid out in July, then passed the preliminary property tax levy for 2017 and will send it on to Benton County for col-
lection. Under the direction from the council, staffers reviewed revenues and costs, and were able to find $169,000 in savings in the general fund budget, but that will still mean a 4.3-percent increase over the 2016 budget. The general fund budget is slated to cost $5,437,200.
Debt-service levy to pay interest on past bonds was $980,000, and the general levy was $2,572,000. The total 2017 preliminary tax levy is set at $3,552,000, a 3.9-percent levy increase over 2016. That amounts to $133,600. The levy can be reduced in the future but cannot be increased after
Sept. 30. The council also held three public hearings. The first hearing was to consider a vacation request of an easement for travel and roadway, and utility purposes in the Good Shepherd Community Plat. Throughout the years, the roadway easeLevy • page 7
Happy boy remembered with love at memorial by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com
Mental Illness Awareness to be held Oct. 2-8
National Mental Illness Awareness Week is Oct. 2-8. This week is marked by community education efforts in all 50 states to raise awareness that mental illnesses are treatable medical conditions, and that there is help and hope for children and adults with mental illnesses and their families. For more information, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on Sept. 30 Criers.
dry items. According to Reberg’s daughter, Prudy Reberg, her father was 17 when he went into the service. He served two tours in Vietnam in an infantry unit. His first tour was five months in the Mekong Delta where he cleaned up jungles as a member of a land-clearing outfit. Then he was deactivated to Hawaii where he spent nine months because they had to be out of a combat zone for at least six months before they could be sent back into combat. His second tour was for one year, a full tour. That time he started in Laos and headed toward the border in South Vietnam. His unit was charged with cleaning out a 15-mile corridor of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was a main enemyVeteran • page 2
photos courtesy of Wetterling website
Above: Patty Wetterling at the memorial service for her son speaks to the audience right after 11 candles were lit to honor Jacob. At right: Many candles have been lit in memory of Jacob Wetterling during the past 27 years.
The radiant smile of Jacob Wetterling brought sunshine again and again on a gloomy day during a Sept. 25 community memorial service for him at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph. Photos and videos of Jacob, taken so many years ago, were projected onto a huge screen throughout the service in the Clemens Fieldhouse on the CSB campus. All of the images showed an energetic, friendly, happy boy in love with life – a boy with a smile that could light up a room and with a sometimes-impish sense of humor. The service, with many musical interludes, was a joyous
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celebration of Jacob’s 11 years of life and of the hopes he inspired worldwide encapsulated in the slogan of “Jacob’s Hope.” At the service, those happy images of Jacob growing up were underlined by sorrow because the thousands who attended the service were all too well aware the remains of the happy boy of more than 27 years ago were found Sept. 1 in a pastureland near Paynesville. Jacob’s abductor and killer, Danny Heinrich confessed to kidnapping, sexually assaulting and shooting the boy to death on the same night as the abduction, Oct. 22, 1989. A plea agreement led the 52-year-old to reveal what happened on that night, and Happy • page 4
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Veteran from front page
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Pictured is Gary Reberg at rest on the porch of his home. Reberg recently suffered a stroke. A benefit to help him in his recovery will be held Oct. 1 at the Sauk Rapids VFW. Utopia Tours and Cloud Travel Main Office 3015 Hwy. 29 S., Ste. 4038, Alexandria, MN 56308
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supply route. During the last month of his tour, on March 14, 1971, a mortar was dropped on them and killed five guys in his platoon. Gary luckily survived the attack and was able to come home on April 21, 1971. Since then, he has suffered from severe post-traumatic-stress disorder or PTSD, although he tried to find ways to cope with it. In 1975, Gary married his wife, Patricia. They have been married for 41 years and have three children – Scott, Jaimie and Prudy; and nine grandchildren. Like many veterans, Reberg didn’t discuss much about what he had done or seen while serving. But he managed to begin his career with the VA hospital in St. Cloud. He got married, settled down in the area, raised three children and became a part of the community. “My Dad is an amazing man, husband and father,” said daughter Prudy. “We all honor him every day, have the highest respect for him and unconditionally love him more
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than anything in the world.” In 2005, Reberg retired from the VA, and he and Patricia moved north to the quiet town of Cook in 2007. Prudy thinks the move might have been related to his PTSD. “It probably was a factor,” she said. “He doesn’t like traffic, lots of crowds and lots of people. He likes the quiet when there is no one around.” The PTSD was always there and would manifest itself when he awoke from sleep, Prudy said. She recounted one time when her father was napping on the floor in front of the television. Her brother, Scott, stepped across his father’s body to turn the television off, and Reberg awoke with the unease and fog of a soldier on the battlefield, and then he body-slammed his son before he realized what he was doing. It was a frightening event. Even asking him questions about the details of his enlistment and looking for old pictures sets Reberg off. He said after answering a few questions that he probably would have nightmares and probably wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. After serving in the military, and working with other veterans at the VA, Reberg thought he was in his “Golden Years.” But fate plays tricks, and Gary Reberg suffered a stroke. He was airlifted to United Hospital in St. Paul and stayed there for about a month. “He was non-responsive and they didn’t expect him to make it,” Prudy said. “When they brought him out of sedation, he would have major panic attacks. When he didn’t recognize the people around him, his blood pressure would go up and his heart rate would rise, and then they would have to put him under sedation again.” Prudy and her brother tried to explain to the doctors that Reberg suffered from PTSD, but for a time the advice was ignored. Finally, a psychiatrist recognized the panic attacks as PTSD-related. Treatment changed and once the new medicine was administered, he was able to wake up with-
out panicking and without his blood pressure skyrocketing. Treatment was successful, but there is more rehabilitation. Reberg has been able to return to his home in Cook, but that posed a whole set of new challenges. The home has always been heated with wood Reberg cut on the 40 acres of forest. Now he has trouble walking, and there is residual weakness. Cutting his firewood is out of the question. The heating system has to be retrofitted to electric baseboard heat. There may be other modifications, but that is the biggest and most costly one, and the winters get really cold in Cook. It’s a cost the Rebergs would have a hard time meeting. And the bad news just keeps coming. “On Monday, Sept. 26, my dad traveled back to United Hospital in St. Paul to have his artery looked at and to possibly get it cleaned out on Tuesday,” Prudy said. “Both of his carotid arteries were 95 percent blocked which likely caused the stroke in July. During his earlier stay at United Hospital, he had one artery stented, a G-tube inserted and a tracheotomy due to acute respiratory arrest. At Regency Hospital (where Reberg went for rehabilitation after the stroke) he was wean(ed) from the trach to breathe on his own.” “Thank you for your service” is a phrase you hear often whenever a veteran from one of our wars is introduced, but as Reberg’s loved ones know, it’s a nice thought, but right now Reberg needs more than a thank-you so he can go on living in his home. The best way to help Reberg is to go to the benefit for him Oct. 1 at the Sauk Rapids VFW. A GoFundMe link has been set up and can be accessed at gofundme.com/2mghr9ac. If anyone wants to donate items for the silent auction or needs to contact the family, his daughter Prudy Reberg is acting as family spokesperson. Her email address is prudence358@gmail.com.
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Friday, Sept. 30, 2016
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Sauk Rapids couple set for tasty adventure (Editor’s note: Tracy Rittmueller, one of the subjects in the following story, worked as a freelance writer for a time for the Newsleaders newspapers under the name of Tracy Lee Karner.) by Darren Diekmann news@thenewsleader.com
What do you do if you love a good burger but can never find a restaurant that serves one that meets your high standards? For Ken and Tracy Rittmueller of Sauk Rapids, the answer was simple — start your own restaurant. Ken is really the burger lover and after he retired, Ken and Tracy traveled far and wide looking for a burger that would satisfy. “He was reading books about who’s got the best burger,” Tracy said. “He could never find it. Finally he said, ‘I am going to open a restaurant, so I can eat the burger I want and have someone cook it for me.’” Now, after a few years of planning, Ken’s idea of the perfect burger will be served when the couple’s vision for the “World Burger Co.” is realized, and they open their first World Burger restaurant on Monday, Oct. 3 in Sundial Village Mall in Waite Park. Ken is adamant about what makes their burgers special — chuck-steak burgers made exclusively from certified Angus beef. “Certified Angus beef is different than just Angus beef or anything else,” Rittmueller explained. “The difference is like this: do you want to wear a silk shirt or one that is made out of a gunny sack? . . . There’s no possible way, on the face of the earth, to buy better beef than certified Angus beef.” The World Burger website provides information on the characteristics of certified Angus beef. As the name suggests, the menu will consist of a half dozen world-themed burgers, as well as traditional American versions and a build-your-own option. All burgers and sandwiches are served on freshbaked buns. The Rittmuellers became aware of a change in America’s taste profile to include more global spices and ingredients. That change gave them a chance to explore and to experiment with burgers. “Our Italian burger has ricotta cheese, marinara (sauce), a nice hunk of mozzarella melted over the top and sealed right on, almost like a Jucy Lucy, and when you bite into that it’s like biting into Italy,” Ken said.
The menu also includes a number of vegetarian sandwiches. “There are a lot of carnivores who live with vegetarians,” Tracy said. “They want to come in together and eat, so we designed a menu that gives them choices.” Ken’s enthusiasm for a great burger makes a good story, but it’s not the whole story. Tracy has been unable to work outside the home because of a chronic pain disorder that affects her intermittently. “I don’t have the stamina to work at a steady job,” she explained. “Part of this [opening of World Burger] was Ken being concerned that he build something that will support me, without me having to have hands-on involvement,” she said. The restaurant will allow her the flexibility to work when she is able. Before this, in the 1980s, she worked as a director of youth services for three parishes in Faribault. She earned a degree at the University of Minnesota in English literature and creative writing, and taught creative writing, theater and religious education workshops. More recently she has worked as a freelance writer and publisher. The flexibility of freelance work has allowed her to write a half-dozen or so pieces for the Newsleader newspapers from March to July this year. Despite the disorder, Tracy has been working long hours as of late. She has been hiring personnel for the restaurant and just recently finished designing several posters displayed in the restaurant depicting places from around the world: Paris, France; Italy; Germany, among others. In order to do that, she spent the summer teaching herself Adobe Suite, a graphic design program used to make the posters. She has also been busy working at the Rittmuellers’ small publishing company. “She has been busy burning the candle at both ends,” Ken said. Her main role in the business will be to continue with the hiring, essentially being the “personnel department” for the company. One of the reasons companies fail, small or large, is a failure to hire good people. The Rittmuellers are taking this aspect of the business very seriously, Ken explained. He has come to believe this after having opened and operated several restaurants and built the the largest residential-roofing company in New Hampshire, Tasty • page 5
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photo by Darren Diekmann
Tracy and Ken Rittmueller (on ladder) along with Manager Tim Roy hang a poster, designed by Tracy, inside World Burger to get ready for the restaurants opening Oct. 3.
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Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
Friday, Sept. 30, 2016
photo by Mindy Peterson
At left: Motorists drive by a digital billboard along busy westbound CR 75 toward St. Joseph where Jacob Wetterling was abducted on Oct. 22, 1989. It would be almost 27 years before his remains were recovered and a community memorial service for the boy held Sept. 25 at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph. photo courtesy of Wetterling website
Below: Jacob is rarely seen in his photos without a happy smile on his face.
Happy from front page though Heinrich on the terms of the agreement cannot be prosecuted for Wetterling’s murder, he faces up to 20 years in prison for possessing child pornography. Formerly of Paynesville, Heinrich’s last place of residence was in Annandale. The Jacob Wetterling service was at long last a form of closure for the Wetterling family as well as for thousands of people who wondered and worried for 27 years what had become of the boy. An estimated 2,800 people were inside the Clemens Fieldhouse for the 75-minutelong memorial service, and about 3,000 people watched a simulcast of the service at viewing areas in St. Joseph. Many more thousands also watched the service telecast live on some television stations. Jacob’s parents, Jerry and Patty, spoke at the service, as well as his siblings – older sister Amy, younger brother Trevor and younger sister Carmen. Jerry and Patty thanked all the law enforcement personnel at the service who had worked so hard for years to solve Jacob’s abduction and his fate. They
also thanked all of the people who volunteered time to look for Jacob, giving time and effort in a ceaseless determination to bring Jacob home. “We could not have survived for 27 years without the love and support of all of you,” she told those assembled. Then Wetterling focused on the subject of other missing children, a dedicated mission she has kept close to her heart for every day of the past 27 years. “Our hopes and prayers go to all the families who are still searching,” she said, fighting back tears. “We won’t ever give up. Jacob, we will always carry you in our hearts, and our love for you will never die.” The Wetterling family, along with friends, lit 11 candles in honor of the 11 years of Jacob’s life in St. Joseph. One of the candle-lighters was Aaron Larson, a best friend of Jacob’s who was with Jacob, along with Jacob’s brother, Trevor, at the time of the abduction. All three boys were riding bicycles home from a convenience store when the masked gunman appeared on the road out of the darkness. The St. John’s Boys’ Choir sang a sacred song, “Pie Jesu,” during the candle-lighting ceremony.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton also attended the ceremony, along with Minnesota’s two U.S. senators, Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar. Earlier in the week, Dayton declared Saturday, Oct. 22, as “Jacob Wetterling Day” throughout the state. Other dignitaries at the service included St. Joseph Mayor Rick Schultz, St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis, Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall and Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner. The featured speaker was Jacob’s cousin, Allen Overturf, now of Walker, Colo., who told some of his favorite Jacob memories from when he was growing up with his St. Joseph cousin: Jacob “the funny boy with twinkling eyes” who loved to put peanut butter on top of his cereal; Jacob often coming home from school and telling his mother something happened at school that “just wasn’t fair.” “He (Jacob) taught us how to live,” Overturf said. One of the highlights of the event, which brought smiles and laughter from the audience, was a video of Jacob and his siblings, which they made for their father for Father’s Day. In the video, Jacob pretends to be his father, Jerry, reading a
newspaper and listening one by one to the children, until at one point, not liking what he hears, he leaps up and says, “You’re grounded!” Another special moment of the service was when Red Grammer, a singer/songwriter from New Jersey, sang Jacob’s favorite song, “Listen,” which Grammer wrote. As Grammer strummed his guitar and sang his iconic song, the St. John’s Boys Choir backed him with choruses of the song. “Listen, can you hear the sound Of hearts beating all the world ‘round? Down in the valleys, out on the plains. Everywhere around the world a heartbeat sounds the same. Black and white, red or tan It’s the heart of the family of man, Wo-oh, beating away Wo-ho, beating away. Wo-oh-ho, beating away.” Another emotional moment, combining sadness and spiritual uplift, was when author and singer/songwriter Douglas Wood of Sartell sang the song he wrote for Jacob not long after his abduction, a song called “Jacob’s Hope: The Missing
Children’s Song.” “There’s a child all alone in the world tonight He was stolen away and we cry for his plight. But he’s not really gone ‘Cause we won’t let him go. We are Jacob’s Hope.” Other moving musical moments were provided by Robert Robinson, the great Minnesota gospel singer; the St. Benedict Women’s Choir; several songs by the St. John’s Boys’ Choir and a couple of other musical performers. The memorial service was opened and closed by comments from College of St. Benedict President Mary Dana Hinton who talked about the promise of hope and of how grief and courage had lasted so long for the Wetterlings and others – 27 years. At the close of the service, Hinton said how important it is to find comfort in community and how the process of healing and peace must begin. She then invited all present to meet on the commons area outdoors for free ice cream bars, another way to celebrate the life of Jacob Wetterling. There were also speakers representing the Baha’i faith of which the Wetterlings are members and a woman representing the Dakota Nation, who quoted a Dakota poem: “Do not think of me as gone. I am with you still at each dawn.” The memorial service was almost visibly cathartic as participants worked through their sadness and, together, spoke of and sang the praises of the happy little boy from St. Joseph who is finally, at long last, back home.
Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
Friday, Sept. 30, 2016
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Dayton proclaims Oct. 22 ‘Jacob Wetterling Day’ by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com
photos by Mindy Peterson
A Sauk Rapids couple, Nancy Steffen and husband James, move to the live music by the Gregory James Band, with covers of songs like Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” at the Sartell Fire Relief Association-organized fundraising concert for the Sartell Fire Department held Sept. 24 at House of Pizza in Sartell. Their son, Thomas Keehr, is a Sartell firefighter.
Fundraising concert for Sartell firefighters first of its kind James and Nancy of Sauk Rapids enjoy a beer at the inaugural outdoor fundraising concert for the Sartell Fire Department.
Gov. Mark Dayton, who attended the Jacob Wetterling Memorial Service on Sept. 25, stated in an official state Dayton proclamation that Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, will be “Jacob Wetterling Day.” On that day, there will be a “Running Home for Jacob” race at the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center in St. Paul. Oct. 22, 1989, was the date Jacob was kidnapped near his hometown of St. Joseph, and sexually assaulted and fatally shot by Danny Heinrich of An-
Rice approves preliminary budget, levy by Dave DeMars news@thenewsleaders.com
The Rice City Council met Sept. 20 prior to its regularly-scheduled meeting for a “working business meeting” to discuss the city budget. The council then unanimously approved the 2017 budget and adopted the resolution for certification of the 2017 preliminary levy. The proposed budget increase for 2017 was $24,252 more than in 2016. During the
Tasty from page 3 Ken Rittmueller Roofing. The Rittmuellers are looking for team-oriented and hospitality-oriented employees. “We are searching for people who realize they must be supportive of their teammates,” Tracy said. “And we want people who understand the importance of hospitality. We want to build a community of people who gives back to the community that supports them.” The choice of location had a lot to do about returning to family. They have two sons living in Elk River. Before moving to Minnesota in February, the Rittmuellers had lived in the New En-
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gland area for several years and thought about opening a restaurant there. “We couldn’t talk our children into moving out to be with us, so we moved back,” Tracy said. They also said they couldn’t find a business climate as welcoming as the St. Cloud area. “And everything is so well laid out,” Ken said. “The powers that be for the last 30 years have planned this all so well.” With such a good business climate, Ken and Tracy do not plan on stopping with just one World Burger. After they have been in this location for a few months, they will start thinking about where to build the next one. Ken said he wouldn’t be surprised if they expand to nine or more throughout Minnesota.
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nandale. The 52-year-old confessed to killing Wetterling after previously leading investigators to his remains at a Paynesville farm, part of a Sept. 6 guilty plea to a federal child pornography charge. In his proclamation, Dayton mentioned how the Wetterling abduction profoundly affected the lives of Minnesotans and that Jerry and Patty Wetterling, Jacob’s parents, dedicated their lives to the advocacy for children’s safety. They helped create the Jacob Wetterling Act of 1994 and the start of a state registry to help keep children safe. Dayton urged all in Minnesota to commit their lives to fairness, kindness and compassion – all qualities Jacob and his family always held dear.
course of the regular council meeting, Brandon Curtis addressed the council about the letter sent to each resident that attempted to explain the upcoming budget and levy. “About that levy, that wishlist – this money that you guys put out last year – where the fire department is getting $8,000 and whatever else is all on that – but our taxes have went up,” Curtis said. “You guys are still going to get that money in 2017 – correct?” Budget • back page
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Our View Thank you, Wetterlings, for sharing pain, hope
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The Sept. 25 community memorial service hosted by the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph for Jacob Wetterling, who was abducted as a child from St. Joseph and killed in 1989, was a cathartic experience – a long-delayed cathartic experience – 26 years and 11 months delayed, to be exact. The service was, of course, very sad. However, more than the sadness that crept in, the event was a triumphant celebration of Jacob’s short life. And that boy crammed a lot of living into those 11 years: so much fun with his brother and sisters, his parents, his friends; involvement in sports he loved, like hockey; a plethora of school activities; and all kinds of merriment, monkey shines, mischievous pranks and all-around good humor. Those who knew him will never forget his “twinkling eyes” and that wonderfully contagious smile. Jacob was a good boy, a kind and caring, intelligent boy who used to come home from school and tell his mother quite often that something that happened to someone at school was “just not fair.” Even at his young age, he had a keen sense of fairness and justice. We are happy the Wetterling family now has Jacob home at last. They now know where he is and what happened to him. Yes, it’s a horrible outcome filled with unthinkable hideous acts of cruelty against him. But at least there is a semblance of closure for the family and for so many, especially in St. Joseph and Central Minnesota, who loved Jacob even if they didn’t know him personally. And, not to forget, Jacob touched to the core so many people worldwide, and “Jacob’s Hope” became the slogan for so many missing children and grief-stricken parents. Thanks to the Wetterlings, especially the relentless hard work of tireless Patty, Jacob’s mom, there have been huge strides made in helping children stay safe and in finding them quicker when they go missing. At the service, the series of photos of Jacob and his family, projected onto a giant screen, were so effective in “bringing to life” during that service a most incredible, fun-filled, lifeloving boy. Those who were at the event or who watched it live via web streaming or on TV will likely never forget what an excellent service it was. Moving speeches, wonderful memories, heart-warming songs. It became apparent even early on in that ceremony that we are all better off for having known of the Wetterlings, personally or through the media. They are the family who never gave up hope after 27 years of the most unimaginable anxieties, terrors, never-ending anguish, all the while keeping hope alive for Jacob and for all other missing children. Even after the terrible and sad outcome in early September when his confessed abductor and killer led investigators to Jacob’s remains, the Wetterlings refused to cave into despair. They honored Jacob and his memory with such exuberance, and in doing so and sharing it with so many people, they transcended sadness and once again brought hope – “Jacob’s Hope” – to one and all. We say kudos to the Wetterlings; we say thank you, Wetterlings, for sharing your pain and your hopes with all of us. You have literally helped change this world for the better, with an unwavering “hope” being the key.
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.
Friday, Sept. 30, 2016
Opinion
Is anybody anywhere as irritated as I am by pop-up ads? If so, please write me and share your annoyance, your outrage. Maybe, together, we can do something about them. They are reproducing worse than Tribbles in that classic Star Trek episode. Let’s unite, join forces and banish from the universe that dastardly popup practice once and for all. First, I must emphasize I’m not against advertisements. Obviously not. I have worked on newspapers for almost four decades and am well aware ad revenue pays the lion’s share for the production of newspapers. I actually enjoy advertisements, except for the increasingly obnoxious TV ads, which I loathe more than words can express – at least polite words. However, in newspapers, magazines and online, I scan ads often, learning what’s going on, looking for good deals, clipping coupons. Ads – good ones – can be a form of news. Very informative and often cost-saving. What I don’t like, what irritates me to no end, what wants to make me pull out my hair (what’s left of it) are the pop-up ads. They are like rude slaps in the face. You open a newspaper or magazine website, then you click on a story’s headline and – Blam! Pow!
Dennis Dalman Editor Punch! – you are slapped in the face with a pop-up ad. While cursing (well, maybe you don’t, but I do), you have to put your cursor on the little “X” on the upper right of the sickeningly jolly colorful ad pitch and click on the “X” to get rid of the slam-bang intruder. However, sometimes, if you don’t click dead center on the “X,” the ad pitch opens, and you have to try to get out of the ad’s gushy visual-textual promises and return to the news story you wanted to read in the first place. I guess this relentless ad intrusion, these constant slaps in the face, could be rationalized away, excused by newspapers and online magazines because they might claim they so badly need the revenue and that some advertisers insist their ads be pop-up ones. OK, fair enough. But where, oh where, is the courtesy and consideration for subscribers, like you and me, who pay hard-earned bucks to access the news online? For years, I have paid sometimes in excess of $100 per year to several
newspapers and magazines to access their online stories. This year, I have dropped three of them because of their onslaught of pop-up ads, which are the equivalent of blood-sucking mosquitoes on an otherwise pleasant day. You have to keep swatting them to kill them or make them go away. And sometimes swatting, these days, doesn’t even work. Recently, go figure, some newspaper and magazine digital geniuses (I use the term loosely) have figured out that mere swatting won’t kill or even deter the pests (the in-your-face intrusive ads). Now, on some newsy websites, you can put your cursor on the upper-right “X” and nothing happens. The mosquito keeps buzzing, humming, threatening to bite, to suck your blood. So you have to scroll down to the story you wanted to read to begin with. I know, I know – this all sounds to some readers so mundane, trivial, such a petty complaint. But believe me, it’s not petty, and it’s not just my pet peeve. I have talked with scores of people in just the past few months who are just as hopping mad about these pop-up ads as I am. Please write me, share your opinions, and maybe together we can start a Ban Pop-Up Ads Revolution. Our rallying cry will be “Down, down, down with pop-up ads!”
Letter to the editor:
Community memorial service for Jacob was ‘incredible event’ Mayor Rick Schultz, St. Joseph The Jacob Wetterling Memorial Service was simply spectacular from beginning to end. Please
accept my gratitude for everyone who helped pull off this incredible event. I cannot possibly thank everyone in this note. Nevertheless, I will highlight the incredible
work of President Mary Hinton, the College of St. Benedict and the St. Joseph Police Department. The service was a visible sign of what we can do as a community.
‘Could I Have This Dance for the Rest of My Life?’ There it was again, that song. It always happens this time of year, the anniversary of my brother’s untimely demise. It’s inevitable that that song dances through my ears. It was playing on the music machine at a local gin joint. Brother Don was an early genius and late bloomer in his personal life. He joined the Catholic Order of Christian Brothers when he was 14 years old. Understand, the Christian Brothers do more than make booze. They are a teaching body, accepting the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Don excelled in learning and teaching. His doctorate was advanced calculus. After 30 years of rave reviews for his teaching activities, Don was offered a job by a major oil company at a ridiculously high salary. Goodbye poverty, hello outside world. Don left the Christian Brothers. He bought a house overlooking the top ski resort near Buffalo, N.Y. and became an avid skier. One of his skiing ventures took him to Colorado, where he met an attorney from Florida. They hit it off big-time. Goodbye chastity, hello Wendy. It was a delightful wedding and country club reception near Tampa. Throughout the next six years, we kept in touch (perhaps not enough). Then came the call. Don
Paul Ritzenthaler Guest Writer had a form of bone cancer and was given two years to live with no chance of a cure. My other brother and I offered to provide bone marrow, but the doctors said it was too late. Cancer can happen to a non-smoker, non-drinker and physical fitness exemplar. Don defied the two-year sentence and six years later he was still on this earth and determined to grab all the gusto of life he could. He and Wendy were invited and came to one of my daughters’ wedding and reception. It was apparent when he arrived in Minnesota he was much weaker and frailer. He came to the wedding and left immediately afterward to go lie down. He showed up for picture-taking and light lunch and again left for their motel room. Finally, he and Wendy showed up for the reception dinner followed by music provided by a DJ. It was not too far into the reception that he had to, again, withdraw from the activities. Not too long after they left we
got a call at the reception venue (an Eagles Club). They were missing a rather expensive camera. We found it, and I offered to have my son run it out to them. They didn’t want to take anyone away from the gathering, and decided to return and retrieve the camera. It was apparent when they showed up Don was extremely fatigued. But, by happenstance, just as they were heading toward the door, the DJ played Don and Wendy’s wedding song. Camera in hand, they clasped each other and hugged and danced their way down the hallway and out the door to that wedding song. It is (and remains) one of the greatest memories of my brother and what true love is all about. The following day, they headed to the airport, and the next time we met — a short few months later — I delivered his eulogy. Did I mention the name of their wedding song? “Could I Have This Dance for the Rest of My Life?” Paul Ritzenthaler has spent most of his life working in broadcasting before retiring but still keeps himself busy by announcing baseball games at the Municipal Athletic Center in St. Cloud, golfing and trying to keep up with his two dogs Dani, a Sheltie, and Tucker, a ShiTzu, at his home in Sauk Rapids.
Friday, Sept. 30, 2016
Levy from front page ment had been built over by Good Shepherd. With no objections, the council approved the vacation of the easement. The second public hearing was to consider a conditional-use permit that would allow solar panels to be mounted on
Is your event listed? Send your information to: Newsleader Calendar, P.O. Box 324, St. Joseph, MN 56374; fax it to 320363-4195; or, e-mail it to news@ thenewsleaders.com. Friday, Sept. 30 Brat sale, sponsored by St. Joseph Y2K Lions, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., St. Joseph Meat Market, 26 First Ave. NW. Proceeds benefit St. Joseph Food Shelf. Benton County Historical Society, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 218 First St. N., Sauk Rapids. 320-253-9614. mnbentonhistory.org. Saturday, Oct. 1 Sauk Rapids Farmers’ Market, 8 a.m.-noon, First Street and Second Avenue next to Manea’s Meats, downtown Sauk Rapids. Open house, St. John’s Preparatory School, 2280 Water Tower Road, Collegeville. Craft fair, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., St. John’s Catholic Church, 22 First St., Swanville. Brat sale, sponsored by St. Joseph Y2K Lions, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., St. Joseph Meat Market, 26 First Ave. NW. Proceeds benefit St. Joseph Food Shelf. Paul Berglund Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser, 6-8 p.m., AU TO M O B I L E S / M OTO RC Y C L E S WANTED MOTORCYCLES: TOP CASH PAID! For Old Motorcycles! 1900-1979. DEAD OR ALIVE!920-371-0494 (MCN) PETS/PET SUPPLIES AKC LAB PUPS: SILVER, CHARCOAL & CHOCOLATE dews/1st Shots/Worming. Info 715-582-4076 harborlabradors. com (MCN) ADOPTION Are you Pregnant? Considering Adoption? Donna & Harry are seeking to adopt. Will be hands-on parents. Financial security. Expenses PAID. Ask for Adam. 1-800-790-5260(MCN) PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 855-390-6047 (MCN) AUTOMOBILES DONATE YOUR CAR, TRUCK OR BOAT TO HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 1-800-283-0205 (MCN) DONATE YOUR CAR TO CHARITY. Receive maximum value of write off for your taxes. Running or not! All conditions accepted. Free pickup. Call for details. 855-752-6680 (MCN) EMPLOYMENT/HELP WANTED PAID IN ADVANCE! MAKE $1000 Weekly!! Mailing Brochures From
Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com the home of Eugene Star at 1511 Summit Ave. N. The only concern Community Development Director Todd Schultz said he had was the possibility of a reflection that could blind drivers or cause annoyance to neighbors. After consulting with the city attorney, the council approved the permit on the condition the installation of the solar panels not cause problems of glare for drivers
or inconvenience neighbors in any way. The third public hearing had the council considering a preliminary plat for single-family lots in the Scenic Acres addition. The council approved the development of the lots provided five conditions were met to bring the lots into compliance with city code. The council also took action when the city was requested to
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sell back a portion of property to its former owner, Pam Christianson. The city had acquired the property 30 years ago with the intent of creating a road extension. Throughout the years, the lot through which the road would have extended had been developed and a home had been placed on the property. That left the city owning a small piece of property of little use to the city. The original
Community Calendar
Celebration Lutheran Church, 1500 Pinecone Road N, Sartell.
Sunday, Oct. 2 Quilt Bingo, sponsored by Cathoic United Financial, 1 p.m., St. Peter and Paul Church, 10495 Golden Spike Road NE, Gilman. Monday, Oct. 3 Benton County Historical Society, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 218 First St. N., Sauk Rapids. 320-253-9614. mnbentonhistory.org. Market Monday, 3-6:30 p.m., parking lot of Hardware Hank, Seventh St. N., Sartell. marketmonday.org. Rice City Council, 7 p.m., council chambers, Rice City Hall, 205 Main St. E. 320-393-2280. Sauk Rapids Planning Commission, 7 p.m., council chambers, Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. 320258-5300. ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us. Sauk Rapids Riverside Lions Club, 7 p.m., Jimmy’s Pour House, 22 Second Ave. N., Sauk Rapids. e-clubhouse.org/sites/srriverside. Tuesday, Oct. 4 Central Minnesota Market, 3-5:30 p.m., VA Hospital, 4801 Veterans Drive, St. Cloud.
Sauk Rapids HRA Board, 6 p.m., council chambers, Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. 320-258-5300. ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us. Watab Township Board, 7 p.m., 660 75th St. NW, Sauk Rapids. watabtownship.com. Benton Telecommunications channel 3.
Thursday, Oct. 6 Coffee and Conversation, a senior discussion group, 9 a.m., Country Manor, 520 First St. NE, Sartell. Family Farmers’ Market, 2-6 p.m., River East parking lot, CentraCare Health Plaza, 1900 CentraCare Circle, St. Cloud.
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Friday, Oct. 7 Brat Sale, sponsored by the St. Joseph Lions, 9:30-5 p.m., St. Joseph Meat Market, 26 First Ave. NW. Benton County Historical
Society, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 218 First St. N., Sauk Rapids. 320-253-9614. mnbentonhistory.org. Octoberfest Fundraiser, 4-7 p.m., St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 14241 Fruit Farm Road, St. Joseph. Saturday, Oct. 8 Central Minnesota Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 1480 10th Ave. NE, Sauk Rapids. 320-251-2498. Central Minnesota Chapter of the Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, 12:30 p.m., American Legion, 17 Second Ave. N., Waite Park.
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320-252-2422. Great River Regional Coin Club, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Miller Auto Marine Sports Plaza, 2930 Second St. S., St. Cloud. 320252-8452. Sauk Rapids Jaycees, 7 p.m., VFW, 901 N. Benton Drive, Sauk Rapids. srjaycees.weebly.com. Rice Lions Club, 8 p.m., Lions Building, Westside Park, 101 Fourth St. NW.
owner of the property sought to buy back the small piece of land as it abutted the larger lot. The council approved the sale of the property back to Christianson for the price of $1, the price the city originally paid for the lot in 1985. Council issued a reminder the next scheduled meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 11, because Oct. 10 is Columbus Day, a holiday.
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Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
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Budget from page 5 Mayor Dale Rogholt quickly answered no. “Then our taxes are going to go down a hundred dollars?” asked Curtis, to which Rogholt replied no. Rogholt said, “The money is not spent, so it’s going into a reserve account, so we don’t have to – should I say – in the future we won’t have to do it if we want to do it. OK? ... We already got the dollar, not spent, so when we do it, we don’t have to ask for another dollar.” Council member Allen Voigt tried to explain further, saying the money for the fire department rescue rig had not been spent and was still there, and was still to be used for the rescue rig. But Curtis said there was a part-time police officer who had to be paid and wondered where the money was coming from. Council member Paula Kampa added the letter talked about the rescue rig, about getting a new council table, a new computer and shingling for the Lions building and other items. All those things have been done. Voigt explained the money for the council table was used instead to tile the bathroom in the city hall since that was more pressing than replacing the council table. Curtis wondered at the meeting whether it would not be wiser to sell the building in spite of the fact it’s a historic building; Curtis said Kristi O’Brien of O’Brien’s Pub had previously made an offer to buy the building. Throughout the life of the building, the $9,000 for new furnaces will be made up and pay for itself, according to officials. As for the offer, it was pointed out the building cannot be demolished since it’s on the list of historic sites and was built by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. The council moved on to approval of a new payment system of bills, using comput-
er-generated checks and authorizing the clerk/treasurer and the mayor to pay bills that come due during periods of time when the council might not meet, but vendors needed to be paid. Other council actions included: • Approval of a gambling permit to Rice Women of Today for the 2016 calendar raffle • Acceptance of the resignation of Rice Recreation Manager Warren Ellingworth • Approval of posting the position and the hiring of a new part-time Rice recreation manager. (Salary range would be $3,600 to $4,200 per year. Closing date for hiring is Monday, Oct. 3.) • Approval of using Sentence to Serve personnel to paint 150 fire hydrants in the city at a cost of $1,200 or about $8 per hydrant. (Cost of hiring another company to do this work would be about $85 per hydrant.) Street department will flush and grease hydrants later this year. • Approval of maintenance department replacing shop lights with LED (light-emitting diodes) at a cost not to exceed $840, about $8 per bulb. • Approval of the purchase of three Trane furnaces for the Old City Hall at a cost not to exceed $9,100. • Setting a personnel committee meeting to deal with evaluations at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, and a finance committee meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17.
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Strides Against Breast Cancer Fundraiser
Friday, Oct. 7 4-7:30 p.m. Sauk Rapids VFW 901 N. Benton Drive, Sauk Rapids
S Aucilent tion
e ff a R Meat
V E N D O R S
Friday, Sept. 30, 2016
Jaycees 5k attracts runners from Sauk Rapids area
photo by Frank Lee
John Zoffka (left) of Sauk Rapids stretches his back while Chelsea Mueller (center) of St. Joseph talks to an acquaintance and April Christen (right) of St. Joseph rotates her arms behind her back while waiting for the second annual St. Joseph Jaycees Fall Fest 5k (and 1k kids run) to start on Sept. 24.
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