Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader - July 28, 2017

Reaching EVERYbody!

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Newsleader Sartell-St. Stephen

Friday, July 28, 2017 Volume 22, Issue 29 Est. 1995

Pearl Harbor hero back home to rest

by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com

Town Crier HHW set Aug. 5

Household Hazardous Waste collection, sponsored by Stearns County, will be held from 8-11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 at St. Stephen City Hall, 2 Sixth Ave. SE (corners of CR 5 and Sixth Avenue SE – NOT accessible via CR 2 due to construction). Visit cityofststephen.com for list of accepted items.

Rise Above Seizures walk set Aug. 3

The Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota will host its annual Rise Above Seizures Walk starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3 at Lake George Municipal Complex. Funds raised will help to raise awareness of epilepsy and support people with seizures as well as offer supportive services for the 225,000 people the EFMN serves annually. Visit efmn.org/ walk for more information and to sign-up for the event.

‘Sound the Alarm’ volunteers needed

The American Red Cross is promoting a “Sound the Alarm” program from Sept. 23-Oct. 15 and now needs volunteers to install 100,000 free smoke alarms in homes throughout the nation.

Needed are about 35,000 volunteers in 100 major cities.

Each day seven people die in fires, mostly in homes without smoke alarms.

To find out more about Sound the Alarm and how to help, see www.redcross.org/ soundthealarm.

Sexual-assault advocates sought

Volunteering at Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center is both a rewarding and challenging way to get experience helping individuals overcome a crisis in their life. The main role of an advocate is to provide services for sexual-assault victims at medical facilities, law enforcement centers, and during court and legal proceedings. Volunteer advocates also answer phone calls on a 24-hour crisis line and provide crisis intervention, information, referrals and guidance to victims of sexual assault in the evenings and on weekends. Advocates use their cell phones to take calls on the crisis line, so volunteer work can be done from one’s home unless called in to provide in-person advocacy at a law enforcement, medical or similar setting. This particular volunteer opportunity requires you to be 18 or older.

For more information on this and other United Way volunteer opportunities, visit thenewsleaders. com and click on July 28 Criers.

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Kid’s Country

Postal Patron

contributed photo

Elmer Tom Kerestes died when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941.

After his remains were positively identified, they will be buried with full military honors in Holdingford July 29.

After 76 years, Elmer Tom Kerestes is finally coming home a hero, to be buried July 29 with full military honors near his parents in a cemetery on land where he used to play as a boy – land that once belonged to his grandfather.

Kerestes was among the first Americans to be killed on the eve of America’s entry into World War II. It happened when U.S. Navy Fireman First Class Kerestes was serving duty on board the USS Oklahoma, a battleship docked in Pearl Harbor at Honolulu, Hawaii. On the morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, a vicious sneak attack by Japanese war planes and torpedoes decimated the fleet of American ships in the harbor, killing more than 2,300 Americans, including 429 sailors and U.S. Marines on the capsized USS Oklahoma, including Kerestes.

In a radio address, President Franklin Roosevelt called Dec. 7 a “Day of Infamy.” The assault propelled the United States into declaring war on Japan, thus plunging America into the thick of World

War II in the Pacific and in Europe.

After the attack, bodies were painstakingly recovered from the harbor, but it was impossible to identify most of them.

Later, Kerestes’s presumed remains, along with others, were buried in a cemetery in Honolulu. His family back home was of course devastated. Kerestes received a posthumous Purple Heart.

Many decades passed. Then, in 2015, the U.S. Navy decided to exhume the remains at Honolulu to determine if new technological methods could identify at least some of them. Kerestes’ remains were positively identified in March 2017, primarily via DNA analysis.

Kerestes, who was only 22 at the time of his death, was born Dec. 1, 1919 in Holdingford Township, the son of Thomas and Anna (Hrabosky) Kerestes.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy Aug. 22, 1939.

The VFW Post 5160 is named in honor of Kerestes and Joseph Troxil, a U.S. Navy man who died at sea during World War II. Kerestes is also honored as part of a Hero • page 2

Meyer reflects on years of service in district

by Dave DeMars news@thenewsleaders.com

“The most rewarding thing about being on the school board is when you get to hand out diplomas to all those kids on graduation night,” said Michelle Meyer, outgoing chair of the Sartell-St. Stephen School District. “That’s what it’s all

about, isn’t it?”

M e y e r has spent 13 years on the board (two stints), making policy, serving on Meyer committees and generally trying to make Sartell-St. Stephen

Brand-new kiln awaits ceramics students

by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com

Last school season, in the middle of a ceramics art class, Sartell High School teacher Deb Rollings had to call local artist Melissa Gohman to report the class’s kiln had broken down again. Gohman was kind enough, again, to come to the school to fix the kiln, free.

A kiln, sometimes pronounced “kill,” is a very high-temperature oven of sorts that “bakes” (fires) wet clay into a very hard substance (ceramic).

At the time of the repair, Gohman suggested Rollings should apply for a Central Minnesota Arts Board grant for a new and larger kiln.

So Gohman spent an afternoon with Rollings to prepare

the grant proposal, which is a 50-percent matching grant.

Later, Rollings received the good news – her grant request for $2,258 had been accepted, and she and her students will receive a new kiln. Rollings is excited for the new school year when a brand-new kiln will be in operation.

It is a Skutt-brand production kiln with a capacity of 30 percent more for each load than the previous one. Since it’s a very high-quality kiln, it will need less repair, which means less down time. And since it’s large and will require less firings, it will save energy costs.

“I am thrilled to be a recipient of this grant to help purchase a larger, more productive kiln,” Rollings told the Newsleader.

Kiln • page 2

schools a good place to learn and grow. One can hardly have a conversation with her without hearing that passion to improve and make better come through in animated bursts of conversation.

Part of that passion derives from her background. She was a teacher for several years.

That was one of the sparks

that fueled the passion. And then she took a few years off to raise a family. Both of those things helped to make her want to be involved and to serve. She reminisced about how she came to be involved.

“I was a stay-at-home mom – we had four kids,” she said.

“I was at home, and I helped Meyer • page 11

Butterflies, memories take wing

photo by Carolyn Bertsch

Sarell resident Sara Nelson and daughter Lindsey Nelson, 11, add the names of their loved ones to a large chalkboard during the Quiet Oaks Hospice Butterfly Release event July 23 at Munsinger and Clemens gardens, St. Cloud. See page 7 for an additional photo.

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Hero

The full-military-honor burial for Elmer Tom Kerestes will take

place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 29 at Highland Cemetery near Holdingford.

Kerestes’ remains were driven from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on Interstate-94 to the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Melrose, a motorized procession involving law-enforcement personnel, the Legion Riders, the Patriot Guard and relatives.

On burial day, the procession will leave the Melrose funeral home at 9:45 a.m., proceed east on CRs 65 and 157 through Freeport to Albany, then east on CR 54 to Avon and finally north on CR 9 to Holdingford.

At Holdingford, the procession will turn west and proceed along Cedar Street to Main

levels. And since each piece is fired twice, the number pieces fired is more like 1,200.

The first firing removes all water from the clay and strengthens it. The second firing is to bake in the glaze application with an astonishing temperature of 2,300 degrees. The two other schools that received CMAB grants are Paynesville Area High School, $3,500, for updated staging sections to elevate student performers to better see the conductor; and Talahi Community School in St. Cloud, $442, for a clay cart to better handle clay-art projects up to the final kiln firings.

Unlike some states in America, art is a required subject in Minnesota. All Minnesota students, in order to graduate, must complete the art requirement, which can be accomplished through a variety of disciplines, such as visual arts, musical arts, dance or theater.

“The arts teach many skills,

including important transferable skills,” Rollings said. “Students who embrace the arts begin to express their diversity, reflect upon their creation, participate in cooperative groups and learn to work through mistakes. Students who excel in the arts are taught to see another viewpoint, envision solutions, self-evaluate and have an original opinion.

These are skills that are not easily measurable, but you will find them in creative students.”

There are four art teachers, including Rollings, in the Sartell High School Art Department.

They are currently planning an art-related trip to Beijing, China to see the Great Wall and to participate in many cultural activities in that ancient city. The ancient Chinese, incidentally, were innovative geniuses in ceramics and the art of kiln firing. The trip is planned for June 2019, with art teacher Angie Heckman as its lead coordinator.

from front page

contributed photo

The Soldier’s Shrine by St. Hedwig’s Church in Holdingford specifically honors four Holdingford men who lost their lives in World War II and, by interence, all the men and woman who have served their country in the military.

Kiln from front page “This will last for many years.”

A good durable kiln is vital for Rollings and her many students.

She teaches four to five ceramics classes each year in addition to three to five independentstudy ceramics students. What’s more, the kiln is also used for Rollings design-elements classes

(about 11 of them yearly), sculpture class (one or two per year) and mixed-media classes (two to three a year).

The Art Club and Ceramics Club members also use the kiln, and in the past two years community-education classes have sometimes involved ceramics and also used the kiln.

The number of students per year who have their ceramics pieces fired in the kiln is 600 or more from all high-school grade

Soldier’s Memorial in Holdingford next to St. Hedwig’s Church.

The memorial, which includes flags, flowers and statuary is a tribute to four Holingford men who lost their lives in World War II: Kerestes; Troxil; Walter R. Mattson, who was killed in the battle to retake St. Lo, France from the Nazis; and Walter Krystosek, who died during the invasion of Anzio Beach, Italy.

Funeral, burial

Friday, July 28, 2017 Street, then north to CR 17, where it will turn left and then again north on CR 9 a mile north to Highland Cemetery.

Traffic northbound on CR 9 closer to the cemetery will be restricted for the funeral service, but southbound traffic will stay open.

Parking is available at Holdingford High School and at the Holdingford Township Shop site on CR 9. There will be shuttles operating from the high school and the shop site to and from the cemetery.

After the funeral service, the relatives of Kerestes will have food and refreshments available at the American Legion in Holdingford.

contributed photo

This Skutt-brand ceramics kiln will become a well-used fixture in the ceramics art classes at Sartell High School this school year. Made possible by a grant from the Central Minnesota Arts Board, it will replace an older, smaller kiln that had gone on the “fritz” far too many times.

Friday, July 28, 2017

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Blotter

People

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 a crime. This information is submitted by the Sartell Police Department.

contributed photo

The Sartell-St. Stephen Trap Shooting team are the following (front row, left to right): Jay Thayer, Riley Herian, Jon Thayer, Dylan Krenz-Bertran, Devon Carozzi, Peyton Herges, Abby Starz, Maliah Nemeth and Kristina Omerski; (second row) Sydney Thieschafer, Brian Avery, Riley Dow, Colton Kovas, Ethan Gohman, Isaac Udovich, Ken Avery, Ian Houle, Kylie Stonestrom, Breanna Sattler, Sage Penny and Carsyn Peterson; (third row) Grant Sipp, Scott Lambrecht, David Anderson, Will Lenneman, Caleb Nietzke, Kaleb Myhrwood, Alex Moritz, Amber Pietroski, Cooper Peterson, Jack Vollbrecht, Josh Legatt, Parker Stonestrom, Nick Kulus and Mitchel Grahek; and (back row) Zach Ittel, Austin Legatt, Jeremy Warzecka, Averu Starz, Austin Pietrowski, Corey Mehrwerth, Austin Haus, Rickey Emslander, Quincy Pierskalla, Jaxon Hewitt, Kale Nelson and Garrit Van Surksum.

Sartell-St. Stephen team competes in state trap-shooting championship Fifty-one members from the Sartell-St. Stephen Trap Shooting team competed June 20 in the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League Trap Shooting Championship held in Alexandria June 12-20. During the course of nine days, more than 300 school districts were represented with student athletes ranging from grades 7-12.

Students competed in one of three categories -- novice, junior varsity and varsity, with each student shooting four rounds of 25 for a total of 100 targets. Sartell’s top finisher in novice was Brett Thayer, placing 30th overall along with Kylie Stonestrom and Kristina Umerski, placing 12th and 13th, respectively, in the novice female category. Top Sartell junior

contributed photo

Congratulations to the Swarm 12U Tournament Team for taking home the Championship at the Northern State Tournament held July 15 at Whitney Park, St. Cloud. Team members include the following: (front row, left to right) Lexi Noble, Kora Akervik and Jocelyn Simones; (middle row) Ellie Pallansch, Avery Templin, Rylie DeMaine, Morgan Gefre, Jenna Walther, Alissa Ahrndt and Kaia Gack; and (back row) Coach Mike Arneson, Emma Arneson, Megan Driste, Coach Dave Driste and Coach Tony Ahrndt.

varsity student was Zachary Ittel, shooting a 95 and earning him first place overall in this category.

The top varsity student was senior co-captain Austin Pietrowski, shooting a 99, placing him fourth out of 980 total shooters for the day and in the top 12 out of the 7,500 total students competing in the overall tournament. In addition, many students scored sea-

son-best rounds bringing to a close a very successful third season. The Minnesota State Trap Shooting Championship is now the largest trap shooting event in the world.

A complete list of results can be found on its website. The Sartell-St. Stephen team is coached

by Ben Hoffman and Paul Moe, along with many parent volunteers.

Sunny Hesse recently joined Metro Bus as its director of human resources. Hesse earned a master’s degree in human resources and employment relations from Penn State University, holds a certification in human resources from the HR Certification Institute and was most recently employed as the human resources director with Wright County, Minn.

bachelor’s degree in biology; and Madison Martin, daughter of Cris Martin, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology.

Three Sartell students recently graduated from Bethel University, St. Paul.

They and their degrees are as follows: Alexis Eickhoff, daughter of Amy and Bill Eickhoff, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance; Isaac Eickhoff, son of Amy and Bill Eickhoff, earned a

Erin Deters, a Sartell senior majoring in applied engineering at Bemidji (Minn.) State University recently earned the following scholarships: Dr. Elwood Largis Family Scholarship, Kraus Anderson Scholarship and the Marvin Anderson Family Scholarship. The award is among the more than 900 scholarships valued at nearly $1.4 million to be distributed

by BSU Alumni and Foundation for the 2017-18 academic year.

Zachary Heim, Sartell, recenty graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.

June 28 12:19 a.m. Medical. 990 19th St. S. An officer was dispatched to Chateau Waters for a report of an elderly female patient who had fallen, hit her head and was bleeding. The officer arrived on scene and found the female lying on the bathroom floor alert. She had large lacerations on her left arm and leg. The officer wrapped the lacerations with gauze and assisted Gold Cross Ambulance in loading the patient for transport to the St. Cloud Hospital.

June 29 12:52 a.m. Traffic stop. CR 1/CR 120. While on routine patrol, an officer observed a vehicle leave Walmart that had no rear license-plate light. The officer ran the vehicle plate and discovered the registered owner had a revoked license and a warrant out for his arrest. The officer stopped the vehicle as it pulled onto CR 1 and it came to a stop at CR 120 in the turn lane.

The driver was identified as the registered owner and advised of his driving status along with the warrant. The driver was placed under arrest and transported to the Stearns County Jail without incident.

6:15 a.m. Traffic stop. Pinecone Road S/Roberts Road. While on routine patrol and monitoring traffic at Pinecone Road and 15th Street S., an officer observed a vehicle, southbound that appeared to be traveling faster than the posted 45-mph speed limit. The officer activated his forward-facing radar and received a reading of 66 mph.

The officer initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. Upon speaking with the driver, the officer advised the reason for the stop. The driver stated he didn’t know how fast he was going but knew the speed limit was only 45 mph. The officer issued the driver a citation for the speed violation and released him.

June 30 2 p.m. Lift assist. 520 First Street NE. Officers were dispatched to Country Manor Health Care Center for a report of an elderly female who had fallen and was unable Blotter • page 9

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Our View

Myths still abound about homelessness One of the most stubbornly persistent myths is that homeless people are lazy and do not want to work.

According to the Minnesota Statewide Homeless Survey, which is conducted every three years by Wilder Research, 30 percent of homeless adults and 42 percent of homeless youth were working at least in part-time jobs at the time the survey was conducted.

On Oct. 22, 2015, the Wilder Research study used 1,100 volunteers and program staff to explore 370 locations throughout the state. There were 3,672 face-to-face interviews with homeless people in emergency shelters, domestic-violence shelters, service centers, encampments and other places not intended for housing.

On that day, the researchers counted a total of 9,312 homeless people, although that does not include the many homeless people who were likely living in cars, sleeping on the streets and elsewhere – places where they couldn’t be known or counted.

The actual total is more like 14,000 homeless people on any given night in Minnesota.

The good news – well, relatively good news – is the 2015 survey showed a decrease in homelessness in 2015 from 2012, a drop of 9 percent compared to a 32-percent increase from 2006 to 2012.

Sadly, the hardest hit are children and youth under 24, African-Americans and American Indians. Children account for onethird of the overall homeless population, which includes those with homeless parents and those who have run away from home.

About 8 percent of homeless people have served in the military.

The top reasons causing homelessness are lack of affordable housing, lack of employment, chronic health conditions, mental-illness dysfunctions, substance-abuse issues, history of abuse and violence, physical disabilities, ripple effects caused by discrimination in housing and other systemic inequalities.

About 40 percent of homeless people lost their housing because they could no longer afford increasing rents or mortgages and they lost their jobs or had their work hours cut.

Almost 80 percent of homeless people have at least a high-school diploma or GED. Wilder Research recommends fighting the battle on two fronts: increasing the availability of affordable housing and providing individuals and families with support they need to remain in a stable housing situation. Good strides toward those goals are being made, but there is much more work to be done.

As the detailed Wilder Research report shows, homelessness is an exceedingly complicated issue with its myriad causes. But we should all realize that and not be so quick to judge when we see someone in the streets holding up a “Will Work For Food” sign.

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, July 28, 2017

Opinion We cannot afford to lose Sen. McCain We cannot afford to lose Sen. John McCain. His remarkable mother is 105 years old. I hope he beats the brain cancer and lives that long, too.

Many of McCain’s decisions I and many others have disagreed with, but I have never questioned his motives or his methods. As a Democrat, I have always respected McCain because he is not in it for himself. He is a dedicated public servant, as all politicians should be, but as we know all too well, so many are not, serving themselves or big-money interests rather than serving “We the People.”

McCain has long been fiercely independent, a man of principles, at times gruff-talking, a bit stubborn, willing at times to disagree vociferously with his Republican colleagues. McCain doesn’t mince words, he doesn’t waver and dissemble like most willy-nilly politicians tend to do. He says what he means; he doesn’t offer pie-in-the-sky promises; he works hard at the no-fun nitty-gritty of legislative drafting and policy work; he says what he’s going to do (or how he’s going to vote) and then he does it.

McCain has fought against pork-barrel spending; he succeeded in pushing through a major campaign-finance reform bill; he co-sponsored the Climate Stewardship Act to reduce greenhouse gases (a bill that didn’t pass, unfortunately); he helped draft comprehensive immigration reform (it didn’t pass the entire Congress because of obstructionist Tea Party nay-sayers); he convinced others to approve an anti-torture amendment.

McCain is not afraid of the Big Money men, those arm-twisting corporate barons. He pushes back, refusing to be bought and sold. In his bluntly

Dennis Dalman Editor outspoken manner, McCain excoriated the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which opened the floodgates to unlimited and unaccountable corporate campaign funding. He predicted it would become known as the “worst (Supreme Court) decision in the 21st Century.” I happen to believe he’s right.

The senator from Arizona also supported measures that proved later, arguably, to be unwise, like the war in Iraq and other foreign interventions, but he certainly wasn’t alone in those decisions. I think many of his anti-Obama, anti-Hillary jibes were unjustified and unfair. Ah, well . . . nobody’s perfect.

McCain’s fearless independence and true grit were the result of growing up in a proud military family and also forged, no doubt, by the ordeals he barely survived in Vietnam. Torture breaks most people; it seems to have made McCain stronger. As a prisoner in a North Vietnamese prison camp (grimly dubbed the “Hanoi Hilton”), McCain suffered terribly for five-and-ahalf years, including sessions of brutal torture and two years in solitary confinement. He refused an offer of early release, insisting every man captured before him must also be released or no deal.

One of McCain’s sterling qualities is his long-time willingness to work with

Democrats, something that drives Tea Party crazies even crazier. And that is why we need McCain, why we should hope he beats back the bleak braintumor diagnosis. It’s because McCain has everything a good senator should have – courage, conviction, a willingness to work with opponents and to compromise when necessary for the good of the nation. He’s an example of what I call an SRR (sane, rational, reasonable) Republican – the opposite of Tea Party extremists like Ted Cruz, to name just one.

Other examples of SRR Republicans were or are Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr.; Mitt Romney, Robert Dole, Jack Kemp, Susan Collins, Jon Huntsman, John Kasich and Olympia Snowe.

A two-party or multi-party system is a pre-condition of American democracy. Passionate disagreements lead to a virtual tug-of-war, and – ideally – lead to civil compromises for decisions, policies, laws that are – hopefully – good for most, if not all, Americans. A oneparty rule for too long could become a very dangerous condition.

Since the rise of the Tea Party in 2010, the Republicans in the U.S. Congress have courted those extremists to such an extent their party unity has been seriously jeopardized. That is glaringly evident because, despite their current congressional majorities, the Republicans cannot come to a consensus and cannot accomplish much of anything. The ideological extremists have poisoned the well.

And that is why we need sane, rational, reasonable Republicans like John McCain and sane, rational, reasonable Democrats like – to name but one – Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Balance of powers critical for democracy On July 19, an important legal case I have been following came to its first decision. A Ramsey County judge found Gov. Mark Dayton’s attempt to veto the state legislature’s funding as violating the state constitution. Vowing to appeal, the governor is now taking his case to the Minnesota Supreme Court. While President Trump may get all of the media attention with his actions good or bad, I think this case right here in Minnesota is much more dangerous and not getting the attention it deserves.

Here’s the background. On May 30, after heated budget negotiations between Democratic Gov. Dayton and the Republican-controlled state legislature, Dayton signed the last budget bill presented to him. However, he used his line-item veto power to cut several measures out of the proposal.

Most controversially though, that included the legislature’s funding, effectively cutting off its ability to operate after July 1.

This is not an action befitting a democracy. Most disheartening, Dayton’s action was explicitly made to try to force the legislature to some sort of deal. Since our state senators and representatives can only meet so many times a year, it requires the governor to bring them back for a special session. If this action manages to win in the Minnesota Supreme Court, it would essentially allow the governor of Minnesota to hold the legislature

Connor Kockler Guest Writer at his mercy until they pass a budget or any bill that satisfies the governor.

While this case is headed for the Minnesota Supreme Court, I hope the justices can see what kind of precedent this would be setting. Allowing the governor to nix the state legislature’s funding would turn this state into a one-man show, with the governor as king. Our Founding Fathers designed the Constitution, which Minnesota and the other states largely imitated, with the goal of balancing powers so one branch of government could not dominate the others. Allowing the governor to essentially dissolve the legislature would be an obvious violation of that principle.

To be clear, this is not a partisan issue for me. If the governor was a Republican, Independent or any other affiliation, I would still be against this veto action. I do not want the governor of Minnesota to be able to subvert the state legislature for any reason.

Both the governor and the state legislature are elected by the people of this state to carry out their respective

functions. The balance of powers between them is supposed to ensure business is carried on smoothly and the people’s wishes are respected.

It is often said the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and I would agree 100 percent that’s true in this situation.

Even in the midst of what could be a historical constitutional case here in Minnesota, much media attention is focused thousands of miles away in Washington, D.C. President Trump, though quick in some of his decisions and to lash out at those he dislikes, has not attempted to destroy the powers of another branch of government.

He has attacked the courts for overturning some of his actions but didn’t attempt to dissolve them.

It discourages me something like this could be a partisan issue. We should all have an interest in maintaining a balance of powers, if not for the principle but for the truth that those powers we trust to a governor we like would also be in the hands of one we don’t. I hope we can see past our party affiliations and see the threat to democracy Dayton’s action constitutes. Many dictatorships and failed states started out by sidelining their legislature’s powers. Let’s not join them.

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

Friday, July 28, 2017

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Owning a restaurant a life goal for Gary’s Pizza entrepreneur

by Mollie Rushmeyer news@thenewsleaders.com

For many high-school graduates, the first order of business is deciding what they’d like to do with the rest of their lives.

But for Roger Steichen of St. Joseph, owner of Gary’s Pizza, it was an easy choice.

In 1988 at the age of 19, Steichen bought Gary’s Pizza in St. Joseph from Gary Schyma, the original owner. With the help of a small loan – extremely small by today’s standards, Steichen said – he purchased the downtown St. Joseph location, which shared the front half of the building with a boutique shop.

Steichen said there was just something he liked about working in the restaurant industry. At age 16 he worked for Bo Diddley’s, and also worked part-time for Gary’s Pizza by the end of high school. After graduating, he knew Schyma wanted to sell the company, and Steichen saw his chance to do what he dreamed of doing – owning a restaurant.

“Actually, it was always a vision I had for my life,” Steichen said. “Before I even bought the restaurant, I bought restaurant equipment at an auction.”

Schyma opened the initial location on the corner of Minnesota Street and College Avenue in 1982. Now, as Steichen and the staff celebrate Gary’s Pizza’s 35-year anniversary, it may look different and certainly has grown throughout the years, but Steichen said he’s proud of the small-town feel and freshness in the food they continue to offer.

“We have a value,” Steichen said. “We have a pizza with a lot of ingredients. We don’t skimp. And we have the best ingredients we can get.”

The dough is made fresh every day, he said, and the sauce is an original recipe only for their restaurants. And Steichen said he attributes much of the expansion he’s been able to do

over time to loyal customers and the quality of their pizza.

For example, in 1992 the St. Joseph location moved about 20 feet out the back door to where it is today, on N. College Avenue. The building became owned, not rented, as it was previously, and it gave them 1,500 square feet of space.

In 1996, Steichen went to the Mankato area to visit his sister and noticed a similar population to St. Joseph/St. Cloud – a mix of residential and college students. He saw the potential for expansion and opened the Mankato location shortly afterward.

Wanting to branch out near his home base, the greater St. Cloud area, he then opened a Sartell and a central St. Cloud location in 2000 and 2002.

“It was a time where I was feeling like the other locations (St. Joseph and Mankato) were doing well enough, and I wanted to expand into another area,” Steichen said.

It was important, he said, to be able to deliver to a wider area, thereby serving more customers.

With so much to juggle, Steichen keeps the day-to-day operations going smoothly with the help of his two longtime employees. His office marketing manager of 27 years, Scott Bunkers of Sartell, knows the whole operation backward and forward and could run things if he needed to, Steichen said.

Tina Haley of Sauk Rapids has been with the company for 20 years and manages the St. Cloud and Sartell restaurants and their daily activities.

Even with all the restaurant expansion, Steichen said they still want to be thought of as the small-town pizza place, and said he enjoys the loyal, multi-generational customers they have.

“We have customers who have been coming in for 20 years,” Steichen said. “We have college kids whose parents used

to eat here when they were in school.”

The unpredictable nature of the business and talking with the long-time customers when he’s working in a location is what he said he loves about owning the restaurants and keeps him at it year after year.

“There’s always this myth that we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the college (in St. Joseph) specifically,” Steichen said. “And there’s just no truth to that. While the college is great to us, don’t get me wrong, it’s not why we’re in town.”

He said the reliability of the residential customers is there no matter what, and he said he appreciates it and feels they’ll have a place in the heart of Minnesota for many more years to come because of it. contributed photo

After 35 years in business, Gary’s Pizza owner Roger Steichen of St. Joseph (background) is proud to say the quality of their pizza and loyal customers keep them going. Here, Allison Bunkers (left), 16, and Nicholas Bunkers (right), 10, both of Sartell, enjoy some pizza at the St. Joseph Gary’s Pizza location.

News Tips?

Call the Newsleader at 363-7741

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Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

Friday, July 28, 2017

News story sparks bond: meditation, yoga

by Dennis Dalman editor@thenewsleaders.com

contributed photo

Christie Hamak teaches yoga and Pilates in Sartell. After reading a story about a young College of St. Benedict student who teaches meditation, Hamak contacted the woman, who agreed to set up a meditation session for Hamak’s yoga and Pilates students. The session was a huge success for all involved.

contributed photo

Kateri Heyman’s entire life and outlook was changed, for much the better, after she learned a form of meditation.

She now teaches others how to do the technique.

One day this past spring, Christie Hamak of Sartell picked up an issue of the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader from a stack of papers she’d been meaning to read.

Instantly, her attention was grabbed by a story about a young woman who has been teaching meditation. Hamak read the feature story, as all kinds of bells and whistles went off in her head. Everything just seemed to click, so much so that Hamak decided to email the woman, Kateri Heymans, a student at the College of St. Benedict.

Hamak is a teacher of yoga at Stay Fit in Sartell. She also teaches Pilates at her home.

Hamak grew up loving to teach dance, even as a high-school student in Becker. While earning an education degree at CSB, she pursued her love of dance.

Later, while living in Rice, she continued teaching dance and Pilates in her studio in Big Lake.

“That story in the Newsleader was exactly what I needed to read at that moment,” she recalled. “When doing yoga, we do some meditation, but I just felt this woman could enhance yoga with her meditation insights.”

Hamak teaches an hourlong yoga class, and during its first five minutes participants use a form of meditation to try to calm their minds.

However, Hamak has always

thought meditation techniques could be extended throughout yoga instruction, which is why the news story about Heymans piqued her curiosity so much.

Hamak and Heymans hit it off from the get-go. After further emails and phone conversations, Hamak asked Heymans if she’d be willing to do a meditation seminar if Hamak could roust up some willing students.

Heymans was gung-ho about the chance.

So later that same month, Heymans visited Stay Fit to give her meditation seminar to the 10 students gathered. Some of those students had told Hamak they weren’t sure they could afford the three-hour class. When Hamak conveyed that information to Heymans, she was quick to say, not to worry, they can take the seminar for free.

On the day of the seminar, nine participants attended.

There were seven females and two males, ranging in age from 13 to close to 60, including a woman in her 50s battling stage-4 colon cancer.

That woman later said she was amazed by Heymans and by all of the wisdom she communicated for being such a young woman.

Just before the seminar started, a series of glitches began to happen – technical things. Heymans, however, dealt with the setbacks coolly, calmly without once getting frazzled.

“That in itself was a lesson – how she handled that,” Hamak said. “It was as if she were doing her technique in practice right before our eyes. She was (indirectly) showing how to let go of craziness, to come back to the present and start over.”

In her teaching, Heymans showed participants how to use key phrases repeated over and over (sometimes known as “mantras”) to trigger the meditative quiet and to get one’s focus from the mind to the heart.

“It really works,” Hamak

said. “I now even use meditation phrases while I’m busy, and they help me to be grounded. I’ve also taught one of my boys – a fifth-grader – how to use them, and they help him, too. The phrases are short, simple statements but with profound meanings.”

Heymans, who studied a form of meditation known as ISHA in Mexico and in Uruguay, always does follow-ups with her clients. She has also taught her methods via Skype with others throughout the world, creating a network of meditation.

Heymans described the meditation technique this way: There are two requirements to successful ISHA meditation. One is to learn to become comfortable. The other, once the state of comfort has been achieved, is to let go and not try to control one’s mind.

Certain repeated phrases bring about feelings of gratitude and appreciation for the present moment. With the mind free of barbs and clutter, feelings of unity and joy and unconditional love seep into mind and body. Uglier thoughts and feelings are expelled.

“It’s really a form of cleansing, of cleaning,” Heymans said. “In meditation, you focus, then let the mind wander, then focus and let the mind wander.

The phrases you repeat during meditation actually have a way of rewiring the brain.”

Hamak struggled with words with how best to express how pleased everyone was after Heymans’ three-hour class.

“It’s kind of like going to a movie and when you come out of the movie you feel so good you want to see it again and again, to get even more out of it,” Hamak said. “And it’s a really good movie. A heartfelt, inspirational movie.”

And like that really good movie, Hamak is eager to have Heymans back again as a guest instructor for her students.

Great Northern Theatre Company Proudly Presents

Thursday, Friday & Saturday Aug. 3, 4 & 5 (evening) Sunday, Aug. 6 (matinee) Wednesday, Thursday & Friday Aug. 9-11 (evening) Show times: 7:30 p.m.

Sunday Matinee: 2 p.m.

Held at Glanville Smith Auditorium, Rocori High School Now playing on Broadway.

Save the money and come see it in Cold Spring!

A colorful, feel-good musical.

Ticket Price $17 (general) $10 (students) $13 (senior)

To order tickets: www.gntc1.com or call 320-241-GNTC(4682).

Friday, July 28, 2017

Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

7

Cody’s memory rides on Classic cars roll into St. Stephen

photos by Carolyn Bertsch

photos by Carolyn Bertsch

Al Martin of Avon and Lorraine Hipp of St. Joseph ride into St. Stephen with 100 other bikers July 22 for the third annual “We Ride for Cody Bike Run.” Cody Nuckolls, son of Lorraine Hipp and Ryan Nuckolls, was killed in a hit-andrun accident in St. Joseph at the age of 5 April 13, 2015.

Funds from the event will go to support Silas Kalkbrenner, son of Kyle and Janice Kalkbrenner, who was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor this year in January.

A toast to the successful third annual “We Ride for Cody Bike Run” is made by Cody’s parents and their friends. From left to right are Lorraine Hipp (Cody’s mother), St. Joseph; Ben Christen, Avon; Ryan Nuckolls (Cody’s father), St. Joseph; and Michelle Sauer of Waite Park.

Got a comment?

Post it on our website at www.thenewsleaders.com.

Left: Norb and Joan Schramel of Sartell hold hands as they drift through rows of cars while periodically pausing to admire some of the models and reminisce at the St. Stephen Car Show July 21. Right: Ashley Raymond, 17, of Sartell, polishes her 66’ Ford Mustang at the show.

Butterflies, memories take wing

photo by Carolyn Bertsch

The Bown family of Sartell releases a butterfly in remembrance of a family friend July 23 at the Quiet Oaks Hospice Butterfly Release in Munsinger and Clemens gardens, St. Cloud. From left to right are Kenzie, 2, Linda Johnson (grandmother) of Grand Rapids; Meghan (mother), Casey, 8, Calvin, 5, and Andy (father).

8

Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

Friday, July 28, 2017

Sartell school nurse leads effort to bring dresses to Haiti

by Cori Hilsgen news@thenewsleaders.com

Ginny Anderson, a nurse at Oak Ridge Elementary School in Sartell, made her first trip to Haiti in April 2016 and more recently returned again in February.

When she returned, she brought along more than 200 dresses sewn by women in the area, including her mother Joyce Stock.

Joyce and her sister, Janice Stock, St. Cloud, have sewn more than 200 dresses and 30 skirts this year.

Joyce said it began when her daughter and son-in-law, Ginny and Dale Anderson, and their son and Joyce's grandson, Eli, visited Haiti in 2016.

Ginny came back with the idea of making cotton dresses for children in Haiti.

The idea came from the Women of Peace who belong to Peace Lutheran Church, Cold Spring. These women had sewn more than 100 dresses from pillowcases, which were delivered by the 2016 mission team to Haiti.

Ginny asked Joyce if she would be interested in making some of the dresses.

"Mom is an excellent seamstress and she said, 'I can make some dresses, but do I have to use pillowcases?’” Ginny said.

"Anytime you can do some mission work, it's just really wonderful,” Joyce said.

Joyce mentioned the idea to some friends and other quilters throughout the area who also sew.

It didn't take long before fabric, bias tape, lace and other supplies were donated. Joyce, who also sews prayer blankets for the Church of St. Joseph Catholic church, asked her sister, Janice Stock, if she would like to help sew dresses.

Janice agreed to help with the sewing. Joyce cut all of

the fabric and the two women sewed and sewed some more.

They had totes packed full with the dresses and skirts, which were transferred to bags and taken to Haiti in February.

Joyce said they changed the pattern of the dresses, which are sewn in sizes 2-4, 6-8, 10-12 and 14, so they now have elastic instead of drawstrings and also have shoulder ties. The skirts have elastic waists and are midcalf length.

"What is so impressive, is so many people are so generous and happy to know the things they donated can be used to help someone in need,” Joyce said. “This might be the only new dress a little girl has ever had the chance to wear."

The Anderson family, whose members live in Cold Spring, and others brought the dresses with them and distributed them in Haiti.

"It's a wonderful way to contribute something people need and to keep things out of our landfills," Joyce said.

Joyce and Janice, who are married to brothers, also helped sell donated items at a craft sale at Rocori High School.

Items sold included handmade wooden bowls, card holders, banks and more made by Janice's husband, Chuck. Also donated were hand-sewn baby pajamas, bibs, tote bags, jewelry and more.

Money earned from the sale will be used by the next group from the area going on a mission to Haiti to help fund a school water-well project.

Ginny said the first mission trip to Haiti came about because her son's friend, Chase Smetana, whose mother led the April trip, came to school and said he was going to Haiti.

Ginny's son, Eli, 16, came home and mentioned the trip.

After discussing it, the family decided they should go and traveled on their first mission

trip in April 2016.

"We felt it was something we needed to do," Ginny said.

"Why wouldn't we do it?"

She said four 15-year-old boys went with their parents on the April trip.

Ginny, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, said as a cancer survivor the trip was on her bucket list. She said the trips are organized for the people who are going on the trip and accommodations are made for age and abilities.

"I didn't know if I could do it, but I did it," she said. "It was the hardest and coolest thing I've ever done in my life."

Many of the people who went on the 2016 trip also went on the February trip. This time the Andersons' other son, Erik, 22, also traveled to Haiti.

Ginny said after the last hurricane hit Haiti, Eli said they had to go back to help.

"The experience was like nothing I had before," Eli said.

"It made me appreciate what I have compared to what they have. I'll never look in the refrigerator again and say there's nothing to eat, because in reality things could be a lot worse."

Cold Spring residents Karla and Shane Smetana own Flexible Pipe Tool Co. located on Pearl Drive in St. Joseph. Karla was the 2016 Haiti trip team leader and with the backing of Peace Lutheran Church also led the February trip.

Karla made her first mission trip in 2014 and she said it truly changed her life. The group worked with a Minnesota-based mission organization called World Wide Village. The non-profit organization is based out of St. Paul and has been sponsoring trips to Haiti for more than 15 years.

Karla said the organization allows Americans a chance to donate their time and resources and work alongside the Haitian people toward improving their lives. WWV also allows people to sponsor students for a Christian education.

She said the goal of the first mission trip was to work on a sustainable egg-production facility, a chicken coop, because

contributed photos

Above: A young girl from Haiti holds one of many dresses sewn locally and delivered on a mission trip in April 2016. Another mission team delivered more than 200 locally sewn dresses to Haiti again this past February. Right: Janice Stock (left) and Joyce Stock hold two of the more than 200 dresses the two women have sewn for girls living in Haiti. Joyce’s daughter, Ginny Anderson, and others from a mission team delivered the dresses to Haiti this past February.

Haiti imports more than 4.5-million eggs a day from the Dominican Republic. Wanting to tap into an existing market for eggs, the facility was to provide employment for a few of the local people, keep Haitian currency in their own country and provide an on-going source of income. The chicken coop was a success, but not in egg production. They now are raising fryers instead.

When she led the trip in 2016, Karla said 16 people, including her son Chase, traveled with her to Haiti.

The team included five nurses who offered health clinics to the women of Haiti, as well as a mental-health practitioner who was able to help counsel a woman whose husband had recently died in an accident.

The teenage boys of the team dug holes into a rocky hillside

with pick axes for a fence that will protect future crops.

Others from the team built a water shed which now allows the water director (Feto) to manage the use of a newly constructed area well. Feto can now sit in the shade and control the flow of the water for the area, which ensures the sustainability of the well.

Others on the mission helped out at one of the local churches painting the benches. They also spent time building relationships with the people of Williamson. Members of the team now choose to sponsor 10 children who were previously not attending school because their families could not afford to send them. They are all enrolled in school with uniforms and books and are receiving at least one healthy meal each school day.

Dresses • back page

BUSINESS DIRECTORY AUTO BODY REPAIR Auto Body 2000

(behind Coborn’s in the Industrial Park)

St. Joseph • 320-363-1116

PUBLISHING Von Meyer Publishing 32 1st Ave. NW St. Joseph • 320-363-7741 www.thenewsleaders.com

TRUCKING Brenny Transportation, Inc. Global Transportation Service St. Joseph • 320-363-6999 www.brennytransportation.com

Call the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader at 320-363-7741 if you would like to be in the Business Directory.

Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

Friday, July 28, 2017

Blotter from page 3 to get up. Upon arrival, officers located the female on the floor between her bed and dresser. The female stated she was uninjured but had hit her head during the fall.

Officers assisted the female to her bed. Due to the report the female party had hit her head, officers requested Gold Cross Ambulance to come and check her out. Paramedics arrived on scene and assessed the patient; she was cleared of any injury.

8:34 p.m. Traffic stop. City of St. Cloud. While on routine patrol and stopped at a red light at CR 120 and Hwy. 15, an officer observed a vehicle stopped behind him at the same intersection. The officer observed the vehicle had a Kia of St. Cloud license-plate display in the front. The vehicle then made a left turn to go south onto Hwy. 15 at a high rate of speed. In doing so, the officer observed the vehicles rear plate was not obstructed and was displaying a 2016 tab. The vehicle was also not displaying a 21-day permit. The officer was able to catch up to the vehicle at 44th Avenue and Eighth Street N. in St. Cloud. The officer ran the plate and confirmed the registration tabs were expired as of July 2016. The officer stopped the vehicle, identified the driver and advised him of the reason for the stop. The driver admitted to knowing the tabs were expired, but didn’t realize the front plate was obstructed by the dealer display. The driver was issued a citation for expired vehicle registration and released.

July 1 6:58 a.m. Intoxicated person.

1700 Amber Ave. S. Officers were dispatched to an apartment complex for a report of a domestic in progress. As an officer pulled into the parking lot, she observed a female matching the description of an

involved party sitting on the ground and a male attempting to talk with her. The officer approached the pair and the male party stated they were fine. The officer observed the female had skinned up knees, chin and toes. The female also appeared to be heavily intoxicated. The officer attempted to talk with the woman but she became belligerent and attempted to walk away. The female’s behavior was very erratic and she began spitting at officers and attempting to hit them. Officers detained the woman by placing her in handcuffs. The female was transported to the St. Cloud Hospital due to her intoxication level.

7:29 p.m. Shoplifting in progress. 21 CR 120. An officer was in the area of Walmart when he was advised of a shoplifter leaving at a high rate of speed from Walmart.

The officer observed the suspect vehicle leave northbound on Hwy. 15 from CR 1. The officer stopped the vehicle at Hwy. 15, north of CR 29. The shoplifting suspect was a blonde female in a gray shirt. The officer made contact with the driver who matched the description. The driver was advised of the reason for the stop. The officer searched the vehicle and located items matching those taken during the shoplifting.

The female was placed under arrest for the offense and transported to the Stearns County Jail without incident.

July 2 3:46 a.m. Assist agency. Hwy. 10/Hwy. 15. Officers were dispatched to assist State Patrol with a possible rollover crash, north of town involving injuries. Officers arrived on scene and observed the vehicle partially blocking southbound lanes. Officers ensured scene safety by providing traffic control while Gold Cross Ambulance assessed the injuries and State Patrol investigated the accident.

1:36 p.m. Warrant. River Oaks Lane. While working an unrelated call, an officer recognized a male

LEGAL NOTICE SARTELL-ST. STEPHEN SCHOOL DISTRICT 748 SECTION 00 11 13 - CALL FOR BIDS The Administration recommends the Board of Education authorize a Call for Bids for Sartell-St. Stephen New High School Bid Package 3.

Sartell-St. Stephen School District will receive sealed bids at the district office at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Plans will be available on or after July 21, 2017. Contact the offices of Winkelman Building Co. LLC for access, 320-253-2411.

A non-mandatory advanced-bid meeting will be held for the Sartell-St. Stephen New High School BP-3 at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 27, 2017. The advanced-bid meeting will be held at Sartell-St. Stephen School District Offices, located at 212 Third Ave. N., Sartell, Minn.

56377. Attendees WILL BE REQUIRED to park on the east side of the building and check in at Door 10. Please respond to Matt at Winkelman Building Co. LLC by email to mattk@winkbuild.com if you have plans to attend the advanced-bid meeting.

Floor Slabs/Toppings, Concrete Floor Finishes, Misc. Metals, Rough Carpentry, Finish Carpentry, Architectural Woodwork, Counter Tops, Weather Barriers, Metal Wall Panels, Membrane Roofing, Fireproofing, Caulking and Sealants, Access Doors, Overhead Doors, Folding Fire Doors, Aluminum Windows and Storefronts, Translucent Wall Systems, Glazing, Gypsum Wall Systems, Tiling, Suspended Ceilings, Wood Flooring, Resilient Flooring, Athletic Flooring, Carpet Flooring, Wall Coverings, Painting, Accessories, Signage, Operable Partitions, Lockers, Residential Appliances, Food Service Equipment, Lab Equipment, Theatrical Equipment, Gym Equipment, Scoreboards, Window Covering, Theater Seating, Site Furnishings, Swimming Pools, Fire Suppression Systems, Plumbing Systems, HVAC Systems, Electrical Systems, Concessions Building, Athletic Field Dugouts, Storage Shed.

Types of bidding may include but are not limited to: Cast in Place

Publish: July 21, 28 and Aug. 4, 2017

party who had a gross misdemeanor warrant out for his arrest. The officer confirmed the warrant through dispatch and placed the male under arrest. The male was transported to the Stearns County Jail without incident.

July 3 2:03 p.m. Medical. 990 19th St. S. Officers were dispatched to Chateau Waters for a report of a female patient having tightness in her chest. Upon arrival officers located the female party who stated she was having chest and jaw pain.

Officers also learned she had had previous heart history and had heart bypass surgery on June 12.

Officers administered oxygen and monitored her condition until Gold Cross Ambulance arrived on scene; upon their arrival officers assisted as necessary.

1:03 p.m. Vehicle accident. CR 120. While on routine patrol, an

officer came across a motor-vehicle accident that had just occurred.

Two vehicles were pulled over on CR 120 just east of the roundabout.

The officer spoke with both drivers, both of which stated they were uninjured and described the same incident. Both vehicles were eastbound in the roundabout. Vehicle one attempted to merge over and struck vehicle two in the process.

Vehicle two had damage to the right middle to rear side and vehicle one had damage to the left front side although both vehicles were drivable.

The officer completed an accident exchange form and issued it to both drivers.

July 4 1:11 p.m. Medical. Fourth Avenue N. Officers were dispatched for a report of a 5-year-old female seizing. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the child and her mother. The mother stated the

9 pair had been rollerblading; when they got home the child stated she was hot and began seizing. The mother stated she used a fan to cool her down and gave the child an anti-seizure medication; after several minutes and observing no effect she gave her another dose of the medication. After the second dose, the child began talking and the seizing decreased, but she was having slow response in her left side. The child was able to answer officer’s questions, but had difficulty squeezing an officer’s finger with her left hand. Paramedics arrived on scene and took over the assessment. All vitals appeared normal, paramedics stated the slowness to her left side was possibly due to the medication and would wear off after some time.

The child was not transported to the hospital and the mother was advised to call if further assistance was needed.

Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

10

Friday, July 28, 2017

Community Calendar Is your event listed? Send your information to: Newsleader Calendar, P.O. Box 324, St. Joseph, MN 56374; fax it to 320-363-4195; or, e-mail it to news@thenewsleaders.com.

Friday, July 28 Stearns County Fair, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Free admission. 1105 Ash St. S., Sauk Centre. 320-352-2482. http:// stearnscountyfair.com.

Brat sale, sponsored by the St. Joseph Y2K Lions, 9-5 p.m., St. Joseph Meat Market, 26 First Ave. NW. Proceeds to benefit the Minnesota Vision Foundation.

Benton County Museum, 10 a.m.4 p.m., 218 First St. N., Sauk Rapids.

320-253-9614. mnbentonhistory.org.

Lindbergh’s Complex Legacy presentation and discussion, 2:30 p.m.-3 p.m., Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site, 1620 Lindbergh Drive S., Little Falls.

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.

“Granite City Rocks” showcases the work of the St. Cloud Heritage Quilters now through Sept. 30, Stearns History Museum, 235 33rd Ave. S., St. Cloud. 320-253-8424. stearns-museum.org.

Saturday, July 29 Local Authors’ Book Signing, Readings and Henna: Hudda Ibrahim of From Snow to Somalia: How Central Minnesota Became Home to Somalis and Tammy Wilson of Through My Eyes, noon, Barnes and Noble, 3940 Division St., St. Cloud.

Stearns County Fair, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Free admission. 1105 Ash St. S., Sauk Centre. 320-352-2482. http://

YARD SALE ST. JOSEPH: Multi-family Yard Sale. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday July 27-29. 809 Elm St. N. (Winston’s Doggy Motel). Credit cards accepted.

stearnscountyfair.com.

Brat sale, sponsored by the St. Joseph Y2K Lions, 9-4 p.m., St. Joseph Meat Market, 26 First Ave. NW. Proceeds to benefit the Minnesota Vision Foundation.

Sunday, July 30 Stearns County Fair, 8:30 a.m.8:30 p.m. Free admission. 1105 Ash St. S., Sauk Centre. 320-352-2482. http://stearnscountyfair.com.

Rock climbing for adults, 1-3 p.m., Quarry Park, 1802 CR 137, Waite Park. Advanced registration required. Register with Stearns County Park, 320-255-6172 or co.stearns. mn.us/Recreation.

Monday, July 31 Benton County Museum, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 218 First St. N., Sauk Rapids. 320-253-9614. mnbentonhistory.org.

Lunch and cards, sponsored by Helping Hands Outreach and The Rusty Nail, noon-2 p.m., Trobec’s Bar & Grill, 1 Central Ave S, St. Stephen.

Blood drive, noon-6 p.m., American Legion, 17 Second Ave. N., Waite Park. Walk-ins welcome. 320-363-

Saturday, Aug. 5 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

25 College Ave N.

The City of St. Joseph is selling surplus property including: folding tables, chairs, soft chairs, sofa, analog camera equipment, desks, file cabinets and more!

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Zoey is a 12-year-old spayed cat that is frontdeclawed, but that doesn’t stop her from being a great mouser! She did well with dogs and young children in her previous home and tolerated the other cats. Zoey enjoys exploring, being held and petted, and being brushed. She’s a chatty-catty and will let you know when she’s hungry—she’ll even walk you to her bowl!

Her adoption fee would be waived for a senior citizen or veteran.

“Helping one animal won’t change the world … but it will change the world for that one animal!”

Dogs - 12 Puppy - 1 Birds - 2

Cats - 25 Kittens - 33 Lizards - 2

Guinea Pigs - 3 Rabbits - 6

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.

includes FREE Genie HD/DVR # 3 months HBO, SHOWTIME, CINEMAX, STARZ. Get a $50 Gift Card. Call 877-894-5275 (MCN) Change the way you watch TV- Get rid of cable and get DIRECTV! You may also qualify to receive $100 VISA gift card when you sign up today - Limited time Only. CALL NOW! 844-359-1203 (MCN) Stop paying too much for cable,and get DISH today. Call 855-589-1962 to learn more about our special offers! (MCN) DISH TV. 190 channels. $49.99/mo. for 24 mos. Ask About Exclusive Dish Features like Sling® and the Hopper®. PLUS HighSpeed Internet, $14.95/mo. (Availability and Restrictions apply.) TV for Less, Not Less TV! 1-855-434-0020 (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.

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Market Monday, 3-6:30 p.m., parking lot of Hardware Hank, Seventh St. N., Sartell. marketmonday. org.

Tuesday, Aug. 1 Central Minnesota Market, 3-5:30 p.m., VA Hospital, 4801 Veterans Drive, St. Cloud. 320-251-2498.

Sartell National Night Out, 6-9 p.m., many local neighborhoods which will host a variety of special events including block parties, cookouts, contests, youth activities and anti-crime rallies. Sartell Police Department at 320-258-7347 or Sartell Police Facebook page.

St. Stephen National Night Out, 6-8 p.m., City Hall, 2 Sixth Ave. SE. There will be two Hemker Zoo presentations at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Enjoy the night with a root beer float.

Watab Township Board, 7 p.m., 660 75th St. NW, Sauk Rapids. watabtownship.com. Benton Telecommunications channel 3.

Wednesday, Aug. 2 Free Trolley Night, 5-9:25 p.m., Metro Bus Transit Center, 510 First St. S., St. Cloud, and Lake George, St. Cloud. ridemetrobus.com and summertimebygeorge.com.

St. Stephen City Council, 6:30 p.m., St. Stephen City Hall, 2 Sixth Ave SE. Thursday, Aug. 3 Urban Hope Farmers’ Market, sponsored by Place of Hope Ministries, 2-6 p.m., 511 Ninth Ave. N., St. Cloud. http://placeofhopeministries. org/events/urban-hope-farmers-market-2017/.

Family Farmers’ Market, 2-6 p.m., River East parking lot, CentraCare Health Plaza, 1900 CentraCare Circle, St. Cloud. 320-252-2422.

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Sauk Rapids Farmers’ Market, 4-6:30 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church, 2163 Mayhew Lake Road NE, Sauk Rapids.

Rise Above Seizures Walk, sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota, starts at 6:30 p.m., Lake George Municipal Complex, 1101 Seventh St. S., St. Cloud. 320-2039722. efmn.org/walk.

Great River Regional Coin Club, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Miller Auto Marine Sports Plaza, 2930 Second St. S., St. Cloud. 320-241-9229.

Friday, Aug. 4 Benton County Museum, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 218 First St. N., Sauk Rapids. 320-253-9614. mnbentonhistory.org.

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Tae Guk Kwon Do, 3-4 p.m., Independent Lifestyles, 215 N Benton Drive, Sauk Rapids. 320-267-7717.

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Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

Friday, July 28, 2017

Meyer from front page with Pine Meadow – the bonding to build that building – and I got to know (former superintendent) Kay Worner pretty well. She asked me if I had ever thought about running for the board.”

That was the impetus. Of course Meyer makes it all seem rather matter-of-fact as though everyone serves on a bonding committee, volunteers at school, serves on the Sartell-St. Stephen Education Foundation for 12 years and then decides to run for school board.

“It was a way for me to be connected – it was a way for me to get back and involved,” she said. “I didn’t really have a reason, I just loved education, and I just care.”

She served two terms and then decided to take a break.

She continued to serve on committees, volunteer when help was needed, but she was somewhat content watching her kids grow and being part of their lives. Things were going OK, she said, so she felt like she could take that break.

There would always be time later on, she told herself.

But fate has a way of intervening. The board changed.

People resigned. Superintendents changed. The board and the district seemed to lose its moorings – its focus. Some unpopular decisions were made and when the district made the six o’clock news, she was shocked.

“I mean I was just a mom – I hadn’t been to a board meeting in three years,” Meyer said. “It was so different. And within a year, two board members resigned. It was chaotic.”

Various people in the district came to her and asked if she would consider running for the board again. She convinced a few other people to run, and together, they won. They have refashioned the board to reflect some different ideas and values.

“Our goal was to restore transparency, which we did, and get board members who were more engaged,” she said.

With all of her experience, one might guess she has some insight into what it might take to be a successful board member. Her answer might surprise some because of its simplicity.

“You have to care about students and your community and want to make it better,” Meyer said.

She said it’s not about any personal benefit that might accrue to a person, it’s about how it will affect the students and their growth and educational experience. She explained the first time she ran for the board it was simply because she cared and wanted to make a difference. The second time she said she had a more focused view. She felt leadership had been lacking and that she could make a difference – could make it better.

Making things better doesn’t mean just doing what is popular. Often, the board has to make unpopular decisions.

“We closed a school out in St. Stephen during my first term, and that wasn’t a very poplar decision with the people in St. Stephen,” she said.

“But for the district as a whole, it was the right thing to do.”

Decisions have to be made based on what is the right thing to do for the students and the district, not just a small group of partisan people.

“That was really hard,” she said. “It was one of the hardest things to do.”

While decisions that are hard have to be made, one can do other things that one hopes will lessen the sting of some hard decisions. In the case of St. Stephen, the district made a concerted effort to place schools more in the center of the district closer to St. Stephen in order to be more inclusive and create a sense of a unified school system.

Throughout the years, she has picked up more leadership skills. It’s not the kind of thing they teach in college, but more the kind of thing you pick up just because you are on the job and you want to do a good job. They are skills such as communicating with people, getting people the information so they can buy in on what is proposed.

REMINDER:

SAYFA

Sartell Youth Football Pre-register online at

www.sartellareayouthfootball.com Grades 3 – 6

Early Registration closes Monday, July 31!

Throughout the years there have been several things Meyer said she would number among the successes of the board. Key among them is the building of the new high school. But there are a number of others.

“The technology initiative we brought to the district.

Now it’s embedded into the curriculum,” she said. “It’s just amazing to watch the way kids use technology – it’s more than a device.”

Technology started at the high school and now it’s almost to the primary grades.

The goal was to make the technology accessible and usable by everyone, she explained, not just some grade levels or some special group of students. It levels the playing field for everyone.

She acknowledges despite best efforts, there are and always will be some drawbacks to technology, but she said she feels the benefits of the technology far outweigh the drawbacks.

“I haven’t seen it, but you could ask the director of tech-

nology,” she said. “I just see kids using the technology in all kinds of ways, even for extra-curricular activities. And I know they miss them when they turn them in for the summer.”

One other thing Meyer said she feels is especially important is the hiring of the superintendent. She was involved in hiring at least three, and she said it’s especially important to hire people of good character and leadership skills.

“They don’t stick around,” Meyer said. “And that really is the only person the board hires. If you hire a solid superintendent, that’s a big deal.

Really good leaders are hard to come by.”

After 13 years, Meyer muses over things accomplished and things to do and the way things will change and progress.

“I hope they invite me back for the opening of the new high school,” she said. “That would be nice.”

She said she is curious about how programming will

11 change in the new high school.

With technology and building changes, there should be other changes as well. With new spaces, one should probably expect different ways of using the spaces, she mused.

What kind of a leader does she think she has been?

“I’ve tried to be authentic with people. I’ve tried to give the board the information they needed to make decisions and to be transparent,” Meyer said. “I’ve tried to be a consensus builder, but most of all, be honest.”

What the future holds has yet to be determined. She and her husband are moving to the south side of St. Cloud in part to be nearer her parents. There may be other moves. Will she get involved in schools and the city politics of St. Cloud?

At first, she said no.

“No, I think I’m going to wait and see where we land in getting a lake home next summer – but you never know,” Meyer said.

Truer words were never spoken: “You never know.”

School-board applications due Aug. 14

by Dave DeMars news@thenewsleaders.com

Dates and times regarding selection of a new Sartell-St. Stephen School Board member to replace outgoing board member Michelle Meyer will be posted to the district website when finalized. Meantime, applications for consideration for the seat can be submitted until 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14.

Those who want to apply

for the school-board position may obtain an application form on the Sartell-St. Stephen School District website. At top of home page, pull down menu under “About Us,” then click on “School Board,” and the form will be found there. People can also pick up an application at the superintendent’s office in the District Services Center. Its number is 320-6563715.

Once an application is filled

in, it can be brought to the superintendent’s office, or it can be emailed to jason.nies@ sartell.k12.mn.us.

At the July 17 meeting, retiring chairperson Meyer made some closing remarks thanking everyone for their service and the help they have given her during her time on the board.

She said she felt much had been accomplished during her time of service and wished everyone well.

12

Dresses from page 8 The 2017 mission trip group distributed the dresses that were made by Joyce Stock, Janice Stock, Women of Peace and others.

"When we distribute the dresses, we are very strategic in our plan," Karla said. "We do try to get a photo op of the dresses being given to a few little girls by members of our team. We as Americans feel a sense of accomplishment and joy in seeing the girls excited about their gift."

However, she said the main concern of WWV is not to have Americans come to Haiti and "fix" things. The goal is to work alongside the Haitians and help them achieve the goals they have for themselves to become sustainable on their own.

Most of the dresses were left with WWV and some of the leaders of the local areas they work with in Williamson and Luly. The dresses are then distributed by other Haitians.

Karla said this fosters Haitians helping Haitians instead of a dependence on gifts from Americans.

The main goal of the February mission trip was to bring more than 350 school children in Williamson clean drinking

Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com water. Currently, there is an old hand-dug well that usually is dry and when there is water, it's not clean.

The plan was to dig a new well near the school yard that allows the children to drink clean water freely during the school day. The well is esti-

mated to cost $8,000.

The “Peace2Haiti 2017” mission team hoped to raise $20,000. The new well costs $8,000, and $12,000 will be used to continue work on a clinic building and a trade school that were started last year. Karla said any donations

are appreciated.

She also asked for supportive prayers for the team.

If you are willing and able to support this project, visit www.worldwidevillage.org/ teams. Just put the dollar amount you are able to commit to and in the “Team Mem-

Friday, July 28, 2017 ber Name” box, enter “Well 4 Williamson” so they know which project to apply the money to.

You can also send your donation to: World Wide Village, 616 Sims Ave., St. Paul, Minn.

55130 with “Well 4 Williamson” on the “memo” line.

Yoga in the park photo by Carolyn Bertsch

Friends turn out for essential-oil aromatherapy and to practice yoga July 23 in Sartell’s Lions Park. They are (left to right) Naomi Knafla of Sauk Rapids; Hannah Lalim, 14, St. Stephen; Mady Bertsch, 11, Sartell; Theresa Lalim, St. Stephen; and Amy Bridges, Sartell. Theresa Lalim organized the gathering with plans for another to take place at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13.