Reaching EVERYbody!
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Newsleader Sartell-St. Stephen
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 Volume 21, Issue 3 Est. 1995
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On winning streak, Sabres reach record
Town Crier Horszowski Trio performs Jan. 23
The Chamber Music Society of St. Cloud is pleased to present the Horszowski Trio playing music by Beethoven, Schumann and Joan Tower, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 at First United Methodist Church, 1107 Pinecone Road S., Sartell. There is also a free family concert at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 3226 Maine Prairie Road, St. Cloud. Tickets available at the door for both events. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Central Minnesota Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. This organization is funded in part by United Arts of Central Minnesota. For more information, call 320292 4645, or visit chambermusicstcloud.org.
Elementaries host round-ups
Sartell elementary schools will host a kindergarten roundup this week. Pine Meadow and Oak Ridge elementary schools will host the event together from 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26 at Pine Meadow. For more information, call 320-253-8303 for Pine Meadow; 320-258-3693 for Oak Ridge. Registration forms should be turned in to the school office no later than Jan. 29.
New program advocates minority leadership
The Jugaad Leadership Program seeks to provide Central Minnesota’s minority community with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary to become effective leaders at the grassroots level. The program is accepting nominations for participation in the introductory class and self-nominations are encouraged. “Jugaad” is a Hindi and Punjabi word that means “innovation.” Innovation is found in how the program was developed for minorities by a group of local leaders whose faces reflect the area’s growing diversity. Businesses and organizations may nominate individuals to participate in the program. Those interested in participating in the program must complete an application, which is due Friday, Feb. 12. For a copy of the application and more information, visit thenewsleaders.com and click on Jan. 22 Criers.
For additional criers, visit www.thenewsleaders.com and click on Criers.
contributed photo
The Sartell Sabre Dance Team wows a panel of judges during one of its performances that clinched its Central Lakes Conference championship last week. by Dennis Dalman That’s two perfect perfor- ference meet held at Sartell High year we managed to win first at editor@thenewsleaders.com mances at each meet, a grand School. Their winning streak every single conference meet, all total of six first-place showings, continued as they took tops in three of them, and that means During a phenomenal win- a feat which has never been both the Class AA high-kick and six performances – three of highning streak, the Sartell Sabre achieved by any dance team in jazz/funk categories. kick and three of jazz – were Dance Team succeeded in main- the 30-year history of the Central “It was historic,” said Kelly first-place wins. That’s so hard taining the nearly impossible: a Lakes Conference. McCarney, head coach for the to do because the teams in the perfect winning streak in three The Sabres triumphed at the Sabres. “We’d won the CLC CLC are all so strong. We knew consecutive conference meets. Jan. 15 CLC Championship Con- championship before, but this Dance • page 7
Board to discuss school bond Jan. 25 by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com
Details about a school-building bond referendum will likely emerge during the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board meeting, starting at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25 at the District Office Building. The public is welcome to attend. In an interview with the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader Jan. 19, Sartell-St. Stephen School District Superintendent Dr. Jeff Schwiebert said the amount of the bond issue has been estimated at between $100 million and $105 million.
At its Monday meeting, the school board is expected to set the bond amount, as well as a date for a referendum election – either Tuesday, May 24 or possibly Tuesday, May 31, Schwiebert said. After months of study with the Community Schools Planning Committee, the recommendation to the board is to build a new high school and make space improvements in the other schools, with different grade configurations. The current high school would become a middle school with grades 6-8; the current Sartell Middle School would house grades 3-5,
and the two elementary schools would accommodate children 4 years old through second-graders. The goal, Schwiebert said, is to ensure “21st Century learning” can be achieved in all the buildings, a kind of learning that requires extremely flexible spaces for innovative learning methods, such as teamwork and hands-on projects. In the post-World War II period, American public education focused mainly on preparing young people for the workplace, Schwiebert noted, but in the past few decades, with such sweeping changes in technol-
ogy and world economies, the emphasis now must be on student collaboration, the ability to think on one’s feet and creativity inspired by innovative teaching-learning methods, he noted. That kind of teaching-learning, he noted, is virtually impossible to accomplish with 28-30 students in a classroom of 900 square feet, as in the current situation. “We have a great teaching staff so let’s give them (teachers, students) every tool they can use,” he said. Another reason for the need for building and new uses of Bond • page 3
Year in Review: Part 3
Library issue divides Sartell in 2015 by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com (This is Part 3 of a three-part series. Part 1 was published Jan. 8, Part 2 was published Jan. 15.)
October
contributed photo
This photo of well-wishers was placed on Facebook as a “Thank You” from the Kelly and Icoro Emmanuel family of Sartell. These neighbors visited the Emmanuel home one evening to tell them they are very much appreciated as honored neighbors in the neighborhood after they learned that two young people had put racist, obscene graffiti on two of the Emmanuels’ vehicles.
A branch library of 12,500 square feet is out of the question for Sartell, according to a consensus of the city council. Requirements by the Great River Regional Library system require a facility of that size, in addition to other requirements. The only solution seems to be a compromise on the requirements. Council member David
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Peterson suggests meeting with GRRL as soon as possible because, in his opinion, the council has not been communicating enough with GRRL. “We’re both waiting for each other on the sidelines and nobody’s on the dance floor,” he told his fellow council members. At the same meeting, the three council members who voted for a south site for a community center defend their choice as criticism mounts against the south site by those who favor a more-central site in the city. Too many conspirReview • page 4
Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
2
People
Three Sartell students were recently named to the fall dean’s list at Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall. They and their honors are as follows: Michaela Fassler, high honors; and Carly Spoden and Kendra Voigt, honors. Students earning high honors must maintain a 4.0 grade-point average; students earning honors must maintain a minimum 3.5 grade-point average.
They are the following: Ashton Gregory, Sartell, and Travis Bellinger, St. Stephen. Students earning this honor must maintain a minimum 3.25 gradepoint average to qualify.
Two Sartell students were recently named to the president’s list at Central Lakes College, Brainerd and Staples. They are the following: Garrett Counter and Nicholas Rengel. Students earning this honor must maintain a minimum 3.75 gradepoint average to qualify.
Six Sartell students were recently named to the fall dean’s list at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. They and their majors are as follows: Robert Anderson, a sophomore, pre-business; Laurana Deuel, a freshman, civil engineering; Tucker Isaacson, a senior, criminology and international studies; Allison Payonk, a freshman, music education; Taylor Shaw, a senior, social studies education; and Abigail Whitney, a senior, biology. Students must attain a minimum 3.5 grade-point average to qualify for this honor.
Two area students were recently named to the dean’s list at Central Lakes College, Brainerd and Staples.
Kendra Dale, Sartell, was recently named to the fall dean’s list at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion.
Little Sabres Preschool Open House Monday, Jan. 25 5:30-7 p.m.
• Learn more about Little Sabres Preschool • Meet staff, see the classrooms, gym, library and SMART Course • Check out our wraparound care program, Little Kids Connection
Sartell-St. Stephen School District Service Center 212 3rd Ave. N., Sartell
Operating Engineer The Power Plant at the College of Saint Benedict invites applications for a FT, benefit-eligible position of Operating Engineer. This position operates the high-pressure steam-generating plant and its related equipment, performs scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on all power-plant equipment and systems and performs all power-plant housekeeping functions. This position will test, inspect, troubleshoot and repair portable facility-maintenance equipment as required. Post-secondary vocational training in power-plant operations, mechanical/electrical maintenance or a related field is required. Professional experience and a valid MN 1st Class Grade B or higher Stationary Engineer’s License is required. For more information and to submit an application and resume go to: http://employment.csbsju.edu Women, individuals of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The College of Saint Benedict is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Students must maintain a minimum 3.5 grade-point average to earn this honor. Tim Levandowski, Sartell, son of Belinda Levandowski and Mark Levandowski, was recently named to the dean’s list at McNally Smith College of Music, St. Paul, Minn. Students must maintain a minimum 3.5 grade-point average to earn this honor. Eighteen Sartell students were recently named to the fall dean’s list at North Dakota State University, Fargo. They and their majors are as follows: Ashley Bekkerus, apparel and retail merchandise/design; Amanda Burge, nursing; Jonathan Carlson, art; Ryan Dumont, mechanical engineering; Miranda Etienne, civil engineering; Alyssa Frank, nursing; Cole Gertken, pharmacy; Rachel Johnson, pharmaceutical sciences; Jenna Karsky, medical laboratory science; Rachel Kirby, zoology; Andrew Lindmeier, mechanical engineering; Lauren Martens, pharmaceutical sciences; Kirsten Miller, pharmacy; Jena Sattler, nursing; Kayla Sorenson, nursing; Alec Staiger, mechanical engineering; Noelle Torrance, zoology; and Anna Wenzel, pharmacy. Students must maintain a minimum 3.5 grade-point average to earn this honor. Two Sartell students were recently named to the fall dean’s list at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. They and their majors are as follows: Haley Klundt, economics; and Taylor Pasell, communication studies with an emphasis on organizational and professional communication. Student must maintain a minimum 3.5 grade-point average to earn this honor.
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Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
Blotter
For blotter items from Dec. 9-29, head to our website, www.thenewsleaders.com, click on Jan. 22 Blotter. If you have a tip concerning a crime, call the Sartell Police Department at 320-251-8186 or Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 320255-1301 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. Jan. 5 11:51 a.m. Found property. Seventh Street N.E. An officer was dispatched to a residence to retrieve some found property. The property manager found several hypodermic needles while cleaning a house. The officer took the syringes and placed them in a sharps container. No further action was taken. Jan. 6 8:12 a.m. Public assist. Connecticut Avenue S. A driver locked his keys inside his vehicle. An officer was able to successfully unlock the vehicle. 11:54 p.m. Hit-and-run. Pinecone Road. While on patrol, an officer located a yield sign, which was hit by a vehicle, in the roadway. The sign was removed and no vehicle debris was left behind. Jan. 7 3:45 a.m. Suspicious person. Riverside Avenue S. A report was made regarding an adult male walking away from a gas station with windshield wiper fluid. An officer spoke to an employee, who stated he was filling buckets and no one else was in the area. 5:06 p.m. Welfare check. Evergreen Drive. A report was made regarding an adult male in a wheelchair, slumped over. An officer located the male and found him in good health. He stated he did
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not need medical attention and no assistance was needed. 9:26 p.m. Agency assist. Second Avenue N. Sauk Rapids Police requested assistance with an adult male out of control and making threats. Officers entered the residence and located two adult men. One male was placed under arrest. Jan. 8 5:12 a.m. Theft. Third Street S. A report was made regarding a wallet and keys taken from a residence some time overnight, while the resident was asleep. 3:49 p.m. Suspicious vehicle. 11th Avenue E. A complaint was made regarding an occupied vehicle parked in front of a residence. An officer located the vehicle and found it smelled of marijuana. There was paraphernalia in plain view of the officer. The vehicle was searched and the passenger admitted to the possession. He was issued a citation and all items were confiscated. 11:29 p.m. Domestic. 11th Avenue E. A report was made regarding an adult female and a juvenile female arguing and possibly becoming physical. Officers arrived and were able to de-escalate the situation. The juvenile female agreed to stay with a family member for the remainder of the evening. No further assistance was needed. Jan. 9 4:07 a.m. Domestic. Seventh Street N. A report was made regarding an intoxicated female, out of control and becoming violent. Officers arrived and spoke to the female, who was primarily incoherent and unable to care for herself. She was transported to St. Cloud Hospital.
PIANO LESSONS
Beginning Jan. 4 Experienced piano teacher has openings for students of all ages.
320-253-8211 Kathy Wood The Log Cabin Studio Sartell location
Published each Friday by Von Meyer Publishing Inc. Publisher/Owner Janelle Von Pinnon Editor: Dennis Dalman Admin. Assistant Cady Sehnert
Newsstands Coborn’s - Riverside Country Store & Pharmacy Hardee’s Holiday - Riverside House of Pizza
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Production Manager Tara Wiese Delivery Bruce Probach Greg Hartung
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 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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Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
Bond from front page space is a dramatic increase in student enrollments as Sartell became one of the fastest-growing cities in Minnesota. Currently, student enrollment is verging on 4,000. In just one year, enrollment in just fifth grade increased from 299 to 350. Overall, the enrollment increased by 75 students in the entire district from last year to this,
but the increase in fifth-graders was remarkable, Schwiebert noted. The school board is also expected to select a site for a new high school. Schwiebert said the school district owns 80 acres of property just to the north of Oak Ridge Elementary School. Another possible site is an area near Pinecone Road and Heritage Drive. With the building and athletic fields, the site should ideally be about 100 acres in size, Schwiebert said.
PineCone Vision seeks eyeglasses for trip by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com
Old cast-off eyeglasses can make a world of difference to a man, woman or child in a foreign country who can suddenly see clearly – almost as if a miracle had just happened – thanks to eyeglasses someone didn’t need or want anymore. That is why PineCone Vision
Center in Sartell is encouraging people to gather any old eyeglasses which might be lying around the house and bring them to the center, located at 2180 Troop Drive in south Sartell. Such eyeglasses include prescription glasses, reading glasses and sunglasses. The owners of PineCone Vision Center, the husband-wife Glasses • back page
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Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
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Review from front page acy theories, unfair accusations and misinformation have surfaced, those council members claimed. The three members said they are proud of selecting the south site, with or without a library. A group of library supporters known as Sartell Friends of the Library begin circulating a petition in person and online asking the city council to change its course concerning a library in Sartell. The petition calls for the council and the city administrator to work with library supporters to assure a library will be built with halfcent sales-tax money, with construction to begin in 2016. Sartell High School performs
the play Flowers for Algernon. The “Mill Sculptures” are finally installed in various Sartell parks after months of planning, work, creation and negotiations with the city. The sculptures were made out of metal scraps and other machine parts from the defunct Sartell paper mills. The city council votes unanimously to continue talks about what might someday lead to a library in Sartell. The talks would involve the Great River Regional Library system and Friends of the Library. At the same meeting, Murray Mack of HMA Architects presents a tentative plan for the south-site community center, which will not include a library. It will contain three gymnasiums, a walking track, locker rooms and showers, a senior center, a learning-innovation space and a community meeting area
with kitchen. The city hosts a virtual open house at city hall for the proposed community center so residents can see architectural plans for the facility. Comments range from positive for its recreational-community-senior-center uses to critical responses for the center’s lack of a library. Residents, including many children, have a good time visiting with firefighters and police officers and seeing all the firefighting rigs during the annual open house at the Sartell-LeSauk Fire Department. Kaitlyn Reichel, a firstgrader at Pine Meadow Elementary School, is a finalist in the nationwide Uncle Ben’s Rice Cooking Contest. She was honored for a video showing her and her mother making stuffed poblano peppers.
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
The Sartell Lions Club celebrates its 50th birthday party at a banquet. The city council releases a consensus statement that it is willing to keep meeting and discussing a possible Sartell library with the Great River Regional Library board and the Sartell Friends of the Library. The statement mentions the existing conditions and limitations in regard to a library as required by GRRL, but it adds there is hope the city and GRRL can come to an agreement about some kind of library service in the city once the GRRL finishes its assessment plan sometime early in 2016.
November
Spurred on by fantastic wins, both the boys and girls Sartell Sabre soccer teams enter the state tournament, but both fall in the quarter-finals, the girls’ team to Benilde-St. Margaret’s and the boys’ team to Breck. The girls end the season with a record of 14-5-2, the boys with 11-3-4. About 50 supporters of a branch library in Sartell hold a demonstration in front of city hall a half hour before the Nov. 9 council meeting starts. Later, many of them go into the council chamber to em-
phasize their support for a library, and a few of them speak before the meeting begins. At the same meeting, the council votes 4-1 to possibly allocate sales-tax money for a Sartell library – but only after an assessment is completed by the Great River Regional Library board. Council member David Peterson votes against the motion because he thinks the council should not wait, that it should allocate money as soon as possible for a library. The city council approves an application for a five-megawatt “solar garden” to be constructed in south Sartell. After months of study, the Community Schools Planning Committee recommends to the school board that a new high school for grades 9-12 be built, and the creation of more space and new grade configurations for the other three schools in the city. Four members of a group known as Grand View Poets of Sartell are honored with a slew of awards (more than two dozen of them) from the National Federation of State Poetry Society. The award-winners are Micki Blenkush, Sandy Bott, Dennis Herschbach and Mary Willette Hughes. Nearly 500 people run for
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Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 a Toys for Tots fundraiser in Sartell. Sartell Sabre Girls Swimand-Dive team takes fourth place at the state tournament.
December
On a 4-1 vote, the city council decides not to discuss the issue of a city library until a final assessment is completed by the Great River Regional Library system, which is expected sometime in 2016. Library enthusiasts, who have been urging the council for months to put a library front and center, accuse the council of buying for time to wear out opposition, of delaying any library talk until it’s too late, when all the sales-tax money has been spent on a community center without a library. Greta Perske of Sartell, who received a bone-marrow transplant nearly 10 years ago, makes a guest appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show, along with the man from Arkansas, who donated bone marrow – anonymously at first – to Perske when she was only 15 years old. The city council gets bits and pieces of the communitycenter plans from those whom the city contracted with to get the project rolling. The center will still contain three gyms, locker rooms, a walking track, a senior-citizen area, a learning-innovation center, a com-
Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com munity-meeting area but no library. At its Dec. 14 meeting, the city council gives a go-ahead for a Sartell Community Center in the south side of the city. HMA Architects will begin the final planning and specifications for the center, and bids will be prepared by Strack Construction. The project is expected to get underway in the
spring or summer of 2016. A paid insert in the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader, submitted by “Sartell Friends of the Community,” praises the council for its planning for a south-site community center. At the Dec. 14 council meeting, some praise the new community center while others criticize it for its lack of a library. Library proponents for the past
year have stressed repeatedly that the half-cent sales-tax ballot questions (twice) listed a library as a top priority and the council’s majority has snubbed those voters’ wishes, to the point where, in their opinion, any sort of a library will not be built. Also at the Dec. 14 meeting, Mayor Sarah Jane Nicoll defends her and her council
5 colleagues’ decision for a community center on a south site. Nicoll said she is tired of personal attacks against her and the council and said the idea she is against a library is “ridiculous.” She said she is in favor of some kind of library or library service but she will “probably always be against a 12,500 square-foot library that would cost all kinds of money.”
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Our View Tell legislators to squelch any more DARK Act bills Once again, big money in politics is attempting to keep people in the dark. This time it’s an attempt to keep consumers (people) oblivious as to what is in the foods we eat. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) introduced a bill in Congress which would block any federal or state action to require labeling of foods made with geneticallyengineered ingredients. There are ongoing disagreements about the safety of genetic modifications to foods, but in the meantime, people have a right to know whether or not their foods have been modified in such a manner and it should be stated on food labels. One cause of widespread obesity in this nation is the way food manufacturers try to keep us ignorant of the appalling extent of sugar and other junk added to our foods, making many people virtual sugar addicts. Despite an encouraging, healthy trend by people who want to know exactly what is in the food they buy and eat, Pompeo’s bill completely ignores those people, tying the hands of state governments, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in their efforts to educate people about what is in their foods. Pompeo and other legislators funded by the corporate-food industry love to think the less we know, the better (the better for them, of course). That is why opponents have dubbed Pompeo’s bill the “DARK Act,” the DARK standing for “Denying Americans the Rightto-Know.” As Colin O’Neil, director of government affairs for the Center for Food Safety, put it: “Congressman Pompeo is signing away the rights of Americans to know what they are buying and feeding their families. This bill is an attack on states’ abilities to assure their citizens are informed.” Exactly. Ironically, the pushers behind this bill, including Pompeo, are calling it the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act,” an insulting euphemism worthy of George Orwell’s Big Brother, who insisted that “War” is really “Peace.” Many states have already passed laws requiring products containing genetically-altered ingredients (often called GMOs) say so on product labels. Pompeo’s bill would make it voluntary (rather than mandatory) on the part of food companies. Currently, the FDA already allows companies to voluntarily label their foods which contain GMOs. But do they do it? Of course not. The big guns in the shadows behind the DARK Act are agri-food giants, the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the usual garden variety of superrich political contributors. Pompeo’s bill, this “voluntary” compliance, would be even worse, in effect nullifying state laws to require labeling. Three states (Connecticut, Maine, Vermont) have passed such laws, expected to go into effect in July 2016. Many others are expected to follow suit. Fortunately, a “rider” policy for DARK was stricken from the recent omnibus spending bill passed by Congress. However, it’s important we keep an eye on the machinations of Pompeo and other so-called “leaders” who claim they represent the people. They are likely to try again to get their pro-agribusiness DARK bill passed, by hook or crook sometime in the future. We should tell our legislators to squelch any future “DARK” bills of any sort. What we the people need is more information – not less – on our food labels. And everywhere else.
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.
Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
Opinion Feeling dumb? Put on your thinking cap Did you ever do anything dumb? I mean really dumb. Like when you forget to put on your thinking cap – if you even have one. The other day, next-door-neighbor Marty told her husband, Richard, to go to the store to get some toilet paper. He returned an hour later with a package of paper towels. “These are paper towels, not toilet paper!” said Marty, scolding him. “Ach! How dumb are you?” He got bucky and said, “Oh, so you know everything!” Next day, last Saturday, an arcticcold day, Marty popped over. She happened to mention the papertowel mix-up. “Marty,” I said, “whatever you do, never send Richard to the store to get a pound of bacon. He’ll come home with a dozen eggs.” We burst out laughing. But – whoops! – we shouldn’t have laughed because little did we know it was our turn to be dumb, dumber than Richard. Within the hour she and I had both lost our thinking caps, if not our minds. Since it was such a cold stuck-at-home day, I decided to make noodles with my excellent Atlas pasta-making machine. Marty agreed to help. So, as the dogs and cats watched hungry-eyed, we got to work. However, Marty and I were soon bumping into each other like two stooges because we were trying to change places. We were disoriented because we thought we must be standing on the wrong sides of the pasta machine. I was cranking, she was trying to catch the cranked-out noodles, but we were uncoordinated and awkward because either I clamped the machine
Dennis Dalman Editor backward on the edge of the table or we were just standing in the wrong places. The pets looked puzzled – even concerned – as Marty and I kept bumping into each other, but we finally figured it out. It wasn’t a butt-backwards pasta machine; it was us. Once our thinking caps were back snug on our noodle heads, all was well as the long fettucine noodles, smooth as baby skin, emerged silently while I cranked the machine and Marty gathered them in her hands to lay on the clean white dish towels. As the noodles were drying, Marty decided to call Richard to tell him the Fettucine Alfredo dinner would be ready in an hour and would he please go buy some Texas toast to have with it? I was hoping he wouldn’t come back with Minnesota lefse. At my kitchen telephone, Marty suddenly seemed discombobulated. She kept dialing the phone, then it would ring and she’d answer it. Nobody there. She’d dial again. “Richard must be trying to call here,” she said. She waited, dialed again, phone rang. “Hello? Hello?” Another busy signal. She tried again, then glanced at the caller I.D.
“Dennis Dalman?!” she said, pointing, as if struck dumb by lightning. “It – it – it says Dennis Dalman on there. That’s you!” “What?!” I said. “That can’t be! I didn’t call me. Why would I call me?” “Well, that’s what I’d like to know,” she said. “But you didn’t call because you weren’t even near the phone.” Mmmm . . . We were stumped, until Marty figured she’d been dialing my number, not her home number. Duh! “Oh, I feel so dumb!” she sputtered. “Yes,” I said. “Today you’re even dumber than Richard was yesterday.” “Well, look who’s talking,” she scoffed. A bit later, in popped Richard holding a plastic store bag. I was relieved when, sure enough, like a marvelous magician, he pulled out of the bag a box of Texas toast. At that moment, we felt compelled (fair is fair) to fess up about our noodly confusion and attempted phone calls. “Talk about dumb!,” Richard crowed, with a cocky grin. Yes, I admit we were dumb, but it wasn’t as dumb as the time I poured bleach into a load of colored clothing. My thinking cap must have been in the wash that day. I’ve been wearing psychedelic hippy underwear ever since – groovy tie-dyed undies. I do, however, have a nice white pair left that I keep for special occasions, like visits to the doctor. Hey, quit your snickering. Didn’t you ever do anything dumb? Really dumb? C’mon, dummies, put on those thinking caps and stop and think. Then email me so I can share it with readers. I dare you, double-dare you.
Letters to the editor
Area resident hopes to hear more voices from the community Jill DeLong, St. Cloud I enjoy reading the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader on my lunch breaks at work, especially the Blotter. There’s nothing better than reading between the lines of finding teenagers in a parked car or someone inadvertently helping a guy find his lost dog by calling the police on him. The in-depth coverage of this community’s struggle to get a library is fascinating. But that Jan. 8 opinion piece by Ron Scarbro, a man who moved from Sartell to Georgia, about the First Amendment was the worm in this otherwise deli-
cious homegrown fruit. There are so many better ways to defend the First Amendment than to fall back on racist, demeaning, insensitive and vague commentary like he did. And we certainly don’t need to outsource our racism from Georgia: we have plenty of our own here. Thankfully, we have the great work of UniteCloud to counteract sentiments like Scarbro’s, where Haji and Natalie work hard to raise awareness of the non- and anti-racists in our community (Minneapolis’s own award-winning author Marlon James has a good short video clip on those terms: www.
theguardian.com/commentisfree/ video/2016/jan/13/marlon-james-areyou-racist-video) by getting donations for the needy, speaking out against racism and even meeting with our state senators and representatives this week. I sincerely hope to read more from people in our own community who are still here and are actively working to make it better, like Natalie, Haji and all of the community fighters for the library, than someone who left and has nothing to offer us but his callous, outdated musings.
Resident believes lost GRRL branch looms large Henry Smorynski, Sartell How did we get to the point where the least important part of the community center is a branch of the Great River Regional Library system? This has been the request of Sartell residents for more than 15 years. The Friends of the Library gave the city a roadmap to make it happen. But the city administration and a majority of the city council have ignored that roadmap. It has broken faith with the $1.6 million set aside for the library and community meeting spaces by making the library an afterthought in its planning processes and its personalpreference decisions favoring a southern site for the center. It has jeopardized
library space in favor of sports teams, gyms and pickle courts. While these are some value for the sake of exercise and weight control in an overweight society, they are not all that makes up the promise of Sartell’s slogan: “Alive and Growing.” A truly “Alive” city is one that values ideas, conversations, socialization, reading and learning and works toward increasing human tolerance and acceptance. It’s time for this city to step up to be truly “Alive” and not just a mockery of its slogan. How did we get to this desperate position regarding having any branch library? It has been due to to poor planning and inadequate research by the city on what was needed for a
branch library under GRRL standards and guidelines. It is not rocket science. Albany, Big Lake, Cold Spring, Elk River, Kimball, Waite Park, Monticello, Little Falls and Sauk Centre have made it happen. Sartell can too, if it has the will and intelligence to use taxpayer money and taxpayer commitments to a library branch in their renewal of the half-cent sale tax honestly. It can do so if it honors years of resident input and many previous councils’ commitments to a branch library. Pass a council resolution requiring the city administration and this council to work effectively with the GRRL Board for a branch library in 2016.
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
Dance from front page it was going to be a tough job.” The 37-member dance team is now poised to keep winning at further competitions. Such a winning streak has never happened for the Sabres before, much less any other teams, even though the Sabres have danced exceedingly well throughout the years, earning the statewide high-kick championship last year. At the Jan. 15 CLC championship meet, the Sabres earned 5 ranking points for jazz/funk, out-dancing St. Cloud Tech with 6 points and Brainerd with 12 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, Jan. 22 “Reading and Writing with Anne Frank,” an exhibit from the Anne Frank Center in New York designed for 9- to 15-year-olds, daily Jan. 22-29, Miller Center Library, 720 Fourth Ave. S., St. Cloud State University. 320308-2104. ‘Chicken & Ham’ Dinner, 5-8 p.m., Sal’s Bar & Grill, 109 W. Minnesota St., St. Joseph. Saturday, Jan. 23 Forward Thinking: Tracing the Child of Your Ancestors, 10 a.m., Stearns History Museum, 235 33rd Ave. S., St. Cloud. 320-253-8424. stearns-museum.org. Horszowski Trio, 1:30 p.m., Uni-
Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com points. In high-kick, the Sabres won with 4 ranking points, winning over Brainerd with 9 and Tech with 12. Other teams competing were Sauk Rapids-Rice (fourth with 15 points), Alexandria, Cold Spring Rocori, St. Cloud Apollo and Willmar. Along with Sartell-St. Stephen, Brainerd and Tech, those are the nine teams, along with Fergus Falls (not competing this year), that comprise the CLC dance programs. The CLC was formed in 1975 and officially began in the 1977-78 school year. After their CLC championship win, the very next day the Sabres competed in a varsity invitational meet vs. Totino-Grace in Fridley. The Sabres placed first in high-
kick, second in jazz/funk. “Totino-Grace,”McCarney said, “is one of the top teams in the state. It was a good experience to compete against such a team that is so good and that is not in our (CLC) conference.” The two award-winning Sabres dance routines include a high-kick performance to a song entitled Holla, which is a medley of songs by singer Missy Elliot and a jazz dance to a high-powered emotional song entitled Ricochet, which is an intricate dance with lots of turns, leaps and jumps. “It is the strongest jazz dance team we’ve ever had in Sartell,” McCarney said. “Teamwork is what we stress the most. When
that teamwork comes together, it’s all very powerful. That comes from the practice they do twoand-a-half hours every day. It’s the result of hard work, dedication and determination.” The Sabres, McCarney said, are confident and eager for more competition in the coming weeks. On Saturday, Jan. 23, they will compete at the season’s final invitational meet, this one at Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights. Then, on Saturday, Jan. 30, they will compete in the Section 4AA meet at Cold Spring Rocori High School. There will be 14 teams competing in the sectional meeting, and the top three winners will go on to state championship competition at the
Target Center on Feb. 12-13.
tarian Universalist Fellowship, 3226 Maine Prairie Road, St. Cloud. 320292-4645. chambermusicstcloud.org. Horszowski Trio, 7:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1107 Pinecone Road S., Sartell. 320-292-4645. chambermusicstcloud.org.
Pine Meadow and Oak Ridge elementary schools, 5:30-7 p.m., Pine Meadow Elementary, 1029 Fifth St. N., Sartell. 320-253-8303 for Pine Meadow; 320258-3693 for Oak Ridge. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, 6-8:30 p.m., CentraCare Health Plaza, 1900 Centracare Circle, St. Cloud. 320-290-2155.
Friday, Jan. 29 A Night of Rememberance, fundraiser for Brian Klinefelter Foundation, 9 p.m., La Playette, 19 College Ave. N., St. Joseph.
3163. Open House, 6-7 p.m., after 5 p.m. Mass, Sacred Heart Church, 2875 10th Ave. N.E., Sauk Rapids. 320-251-8115.
Community Calendar
Sunday, Jan. 24 Sons of Norway Barneløpet, a children’s nordic fun ski event, 1 p.m., Riverside Park, 1800 Kilian Blvd S.E., St. Cloud. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. 763-232-4921. stcloud@mysl.org. Monday, Jan. 25 Sartell City Council, 6 p.m., Sartell City Hall, 125 Pinecone Road N. 320-253-2171. Tuesday, Jan. 26 ICAN Prevent Diabetes, 3:15-4:15 p.m., Sacred Heart Church, 2875 10th Ave. N.E., Sauk Rapids. 320-650-3082. Kindergarten Round-ups for both
Wednesday, Jan. 27 Registration deadline for Living in the Avon Hills, 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m., St. John’s University, 2850 Abbey Plaza, Collegeville. 320-363-3163. In Your Own Words: A Reflective Writing Workshop, 1-2:30 p.m., Heartland Hospice, 1257 Second St. N., Sauk Rapids. Thursday, Jan. 28 Coffee and Conversation, a senior discussion group, 9 a.m., Country Manor, 520 First St. NE, Sartell.
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Honors
Nine Sabre dancers were singled out for CLC honors recently. They are: Maiah Cameron, all-conference honors for highkick and jazz; Alyssa Brix, honorable mention for jazz; Katchen Haehn, honorable mention for high-kick; Kira Haglen, all-conference honors for high-kick and jazz; Sydney Lloyd, all-conference honors for high-kick; Taylor Regnier, all-conference honors for high-kick; Macy Senn, honorable mention for high-kick; Hannah Wohletz, all-conference honors for high-kick and jazz; and Hannah Yackley, all-conference honors for high-kick.
Sunday, Jan. 31 Open House, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., after 8 and 10 a.m. Mass, Sacred Heart Church, 2875 10th Ave. N.E., Sauk Rapids. 320-251-8115.
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Glasses from page 3 team of Dr. Nicholas Colatrella and Dr. Stacy Hinkemeyer, will leave Feb. 13 for a 10-day mission in San Felix District, Panama. There, they will match the eyeglasses with people who need them, along with other eyecare work for people living in poverty. Along on the trip will be their two pre-teen children, Alice and Tony, Hinkemeyer’s mother, 12 other optometrists and three ophthalmologists. Their trip is one of many mission projects of VOSH, which stands for Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity International. The team hopes to visit with up to 500 patients each day. VOSH changes lives through
Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com the gift of vision, which means health, income and education. Working toward the goal of freedom to see, VOSH provides the gift of vision and eye health worldwide. With more than 75 regional, state and school chapters worldwide, VOSH increases global impact by supporting sustainable eye clinics, optometry schools and optometric educators in areas lacking sufficient eye care. Preparing for the trip has been a family affair for Nicholas, Stacy and their two children. They spent many hours checking the prescriptions of the lenses on all the eyeglasses donated thus far. Then they note the prescriptions, then put them in individual packages. “Vision and overall systemic health care is scarce in Panama,” said Hinkemeyer, who is clini-
cal director for PineCone Vision Center. “It’s gratifying to be able to make a difference.” People who have no eyeglasses to donate can always do-
nate a check to cover expenses of the trip. They can write a check out to PineCone Vision Center, with Panama Trip written on the memo line, and send
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 it to PineCone Vision Center, 2180 Troop Drive, Sartell, Minn. 56377. For more information, call the center at 320-258-3915.