Pioneer PINE CITY
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019
VOL. 134 NO. 10 www.pinecitymn.com $1.00
COUNCIL PAY: Pine City Council looks into pay, per diem issues. P6
Nelson wins primary BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
Two candidates now remain in the race to represent District 11B in the state house of representatives. Nathan Nelson won the March 5 Republican primary easily, garnering more than 88 percent of the vote in a victory over Ayrlahn Johnson. Nelson will now face DFL candidate Tim Burkhardt in the March 19 special election. Nelson received 2,371 votes to Johnson’s 311 votes. Burkhardt, running unopposed, received 399 votes on March 5.
Minnesota’s District 11B covers Pine County and half of Kanabec County. Breaking it down by county, Nelson received 1,717 votes in Pine County while Johnson received 217. Burkhardt received 328. In Kanabec County, Nelson received 654 votes while Johnson received 94. Burkhardt received 71. The District 11B seat became vacant after Republican Jason Rarick resigned from the position effective Feb. 12 to be sworn in as state senator from District 11. The special election will be held on Tuesday, March 19 to fill the District 11B seat.
Root pleads guilty to murder BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
LANCE FURBER | THE PIONEER
Dragons break through to semis Ellie Hasz took it to the net for 23 of the Dragons’ 66 points in their Feb. 28 win over Spectrum. The girls varsity squad went on to best St. Cloud Cathedral on March 2 to head to the section semifinals. More on Page 11.
Patrick James Root has pled guilty to second degree murder for the death of 22-year-old Timothy Hughes in the Pine Terrace Mobile Home Park in Pine City on Aug. 4, 2017. Root made his plea on Feb. 22 in Pine County Court. Though 17 at the time of the shooting, he was charged as an adult, and has spent the last year and a half in Pine County Jail. His plea agreement with prosecutors means that Root will spend up to 367 months in prison. In a transcript of the Feb. 22 hearing Pine County Attorney Reese Frederick-
son said that his office had reached out to Hughes’ relatives before making the deal. “We did have a long conversation with the victim’s family about this,” Frederickson said. “In the end, the victim’s family agrees with the terms of the plea agreement.” Root’s sentence is for 367 months in prison – just over 30 years. If he serves two-thirds of his sentence and his released for good behavior, he could be released to finish the final third of the sentence on parole. Judge Krista Martin spoke with Root to make sure he was clear about the SEE GUILTY, PAGE 12
When help is needed, Lighthouse shows the way BY CJ GUSTAFSON NEWS@PINECITYMN.COM
For sailors at sea, a lighthouse is often a welcoming sign, representing a safe harbor and a return to familiar places. It also can be a guide to help navigate, stay on course and avoid dangerous situations. The Lighthouse Child & Family Services adult drop-in centers provide all of these things for community members in need. Whether a person just wants
to get out and interact with other people or if they’re having a difficult day and could benefit from the support of a good listener who can help them problem solve and connect with community resources, Annette Crawford of Lighthouse Child & Family Services is ready and willing to assist. Crawford, who has worked in the mental health field for over 20 years, has a BA in Psychology and is finishing her masters in Mental Health Counseling. She describes
herself as someone who is fascinated by how the human mind works, and loves using what she learns to help other people. “Those who have mental health disorders give a new perspective to life and make me assess how I am living my life,” Crawford said. Crawford has worked at Lighthouse Child & Family Services for four years, and this past June was selected to staff the drop-in centers located in the five PICKM (Pine, Isanti,
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Chicago, Kanabec and Mille Lacs) counties, spending one weekday in each county. Pine City’s center is housed in Our Redeemer Church every Friday from 9 a.m - 4 p.m. The centers, which are free to use thanks to grants from the Region 7E adult mental health initiative, opened in response to requests from community members, mental health professionals and people struggling PHOTO PROVIDED
SEE LIGHTHOUSE, PAGE 12
Lighthouse’s Annette Crawford
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