PINE P INE CITY
THURSDAY, MAY 23 , 2019 VOL. 134 NO. 21 www.pinecitymn.com $1.00
COMING UP ACES: Dragon boys named Section 6A Tennis Champs. P11
County struggles in state health rankings BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
The cheese curds at the Pine County Fair sure are delicious, but maybe we should all get the small bag this year. In 2019 Pine County ranked 79th out of the 87 Minnesota counties in health factors and outcomes measured each year by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
The survey was first taken in 2010, and Pine County was ranked 78th. It improved to 63rd in 2011 and 57th in 2012. In 2013 it dropped to 71st, fell again in 2014 to 76th, to 80th in 2015 and to 82nd in 2016. It rose to 82nd in 2016, 78th in 2017 and 73rd in 2018. In good news, Pine County was 7% lower than the Minnesota average for excessive drinking and had lower air pollution than the state average. SEE HEALTH, PAGE 14
Art in the Park brings music, food, fun to summer 2019 BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
Summer in Pine City gets its start this Friday as families gather for music, food and fun with a season of Art in the Park. The Pine City Arts Council presents the latest edition of the annual concert series in Robinson Park. Food will be served by a different local fundraising organization starting at 5:30 p.m., and music at 6:30 p.m. and running until 8:30 p.m. Bus rides to and from Art in the Park will continue to be free. There will be no pick-up spots this year, but free rides can be arranged to and from
LANCE FURBER | THE PIONEER
High flying fun at Field Day
Pine City Elementary students had their heads in the clouds on a warm, mild May 17 as they headed out to the track for a day of exercise and fun. More Field Day photos on Page 2.
MIKE GAINOR | THE PIONEER
Church of Cash will return to Pine City on June 14 for Art in the Park.
SEE ART, PAGE 14
Help celebrate 15 years of Pride in Pine City EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA PRIDE
East Central Minnesota Pride will present the 15th ‘Pride in the Park’, Sunday, June 2, 2019, from noon to 4 p.m. in Robinson Park, downtown Pine City. The event is a celebration of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning) community of Pine, Isanti, Chisago, Kanabec and Mille Lacs counties. East Central Minnesota Pride is proud to bring musician Venus
DeMars to the event stage for the first time, as well as welcome back Mark Joseph and the American Soul. DeMars is a musician and multidisciplinary artist. As the founding member of the band “All the Pretty Horses,” her one-person show often provides the audience with a mix of contemporary music, performance and spoken word. She has been awarded Minnesota State Arts Board, Jerome, and McKnight fellowships for her individual and collaborative work
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with Intermedia Arts. Because of their popularity and variety of music genres, Mark Joseph and the American Soul will be performing at their third Pride. This year, Mark and the band will perform the entire album, “Graceland”, Paul Simon’s Grammy award-winning album of the year in 1987. Though now over 30 years old, “Graceland” is often cited as one of the best albums
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SEE PRIDE, PAGE 14
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