PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861
Baseball: page 6 page 8
Track: page 7 New Look. Same Local Coverage since 1854. Vol. 163, No. 8
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, Benton County, MN 56379
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Breaking: Backwards Bread Proposed utility rate increases
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Travis Harjes participated in the Sauk Rapids Market for the Àrst time June 1. Harjes started his business, Backwards Bread Company, in June 2016.
Harjes creates business, sells at Sauk Rapids Market BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
ST. CLOUD – The smell of freshly baked bread wafts for blocks, enticing the noses of people young and old. For Travis Harjes, eating bread was a thing of the past due to his gluten intolerance. Until Backwards Bread Company was born. “I was a sales Áoor manager at the Good Earth Food Co-op, and I noticed the community’s need for a good, crusty artisan bread,” Harjes said. “The long fermentation process really helps people with gluten intolerance issues.
back into bread. “Bread has been really industrialized and our society makes such cheap breads,” Harjes said. “That’s where Backwards Bread came from. I was one of those people, so I use all organic wheat and the I got really excited when I freshest ingredients. I want to discovered this alternative. I put the healthiness back into can eat bread again.” bread.” Backwards Bread began in June 2016 and has been growing ever since. Harjes sells his bread at the Good Earth Food Co-op and the Sauk Rapids and St. Joseph farmers markets, as well as to other vendors. Along with his reduced sensitivities, Harjes feels his product puts the nutrition
Harjes enjoys his breads for the thick crust, chewy crumb and the sweet taste in the wheat. “The starter is constantly going, and I feed that once a day. From there, I take a third of the dough and inoculate it with the sour dough culture to ferment for 12 hours. The next day, I combine that back in with the rest of the dough,” Harjes said. “The fermentation, shaping and prooÀng takes another eight to nine hours. Then I bake them off.” Harjes has two base breads – whole wheat and molasses with rye and caraway. From those, he creates others such as apple-cinnamon and cheddar cheese, garlic and chive. “Other Áavors are quite popular, especially applecinnamon because of its sweetness,” Harjes said. The Sauk Rapids Market takes place Thursdays from 4-6:30 p.m., June 1 through October 5 at Trinity Lutheran Church – 2163 Mayhew Lake Road, Sauk Rapids. Rice also has a farmers market Tuesdays from 4-6 p.m., located at the corner of Main and Division Streets. “Farmers markets are one of my favorite places to sell my bread,” Harjes said. “It gives me a chance to get out into the community more and interact with people.”
to help prepare for future BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
RICE — Rice residents could be expecting a higher sewer and water bill by the end of the year. The city’s water and sewer committee is recommending the council raise the current rates in order to prepare for future utilities expenditures. Utility bills have not seen a rate increase in more than seven years. “We wouldn’t be bringing this forth if we weren’t behind the eight-ball in doing projects already,” said council member Chris Scheel. According to council member Bryan Anderson, the committee is recommending a $6 base fee increase, as well as a 10 percent rate increase. They are also recommending another tier for large water usage over 18,000 gallons. Mayor Dale Rogholt requested the committee work with the utilities department to submit an organized list of items that could justify the increase. Scheel, who also sits on the water and sewer committee, listed off a number of items the money would go to support including repair and restoration for two of the three city wells, replacement for pumps over 30 years old, maintenance for the sewer facility, refurbishing the water treatment plant and possible repairs on the water tower. “With that being said, that’s why we were looking at starting to generate around $40,000-$45,000 to start paying for those projects,” Scheel said. The committee plans to meet and generate a letter which will be included in the upcoming July newsletter, giving residents ample time to understand the city’s need to increase rates in order to repair and maintain utilities. As of the 2016 audit, the water and sewer revenues were not supporting the depreciation of the infrastructure and utilities equipment. In other council news: • Approved the Ànal design for a street improvement plan which would include a block each of Second Avenue Northeast and Third Avenue Northeast past city hall and Rice Elementary School. The city must secure right-of-way acquisition from Church of the Immaculate Conception before further progression of the project. Due to time-lines with the bidding process, as well as the 2017-18 school year, the project may be delayed until next spring; but the council hopes to complete the project this summer if possible. • Accepted a $1,000 donation from Langola Township to be used toward the Rice recreation programs. • Approved a calcium chloride treatment for the road leading to the city compost site in regards to dust control. • Approved a lease agreement with Prairie Farms Potato Company.
Rogers receives arts scholarship
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Harjes is baking bread four days a week to ensure the freshest product for his vendors.
Maine motivation
BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — When Brad Olson shared a math problem with his third-grade students earlier this year, he had no idea its impact would reach across state lines. “Every day I start our math lessons with a problem that’s realistic,” said the Pleasantview Elementary teacher. “I was trying to teach elapsed time, and I thought what better way to teach it than a person running. I like to have real world problems with real connections.” But the problem Olson shared wasn’t a typical marathoner’s tale. Instead, it was the story of Michael Westphal, a marathon runner from Maine who has Parkinson’s disease. Upon Ànishing the mathematics problem, Olson shared a video about Westphal and his struggle. That video set off a chain of events that left the Sauk Rapids-Rice teacher quite emotional last Thursday. “On behalf of [race director] Mr. Gary Allen and Mr. Michael Westphal, I’m pleased to present marathon medals from the Sugarloaf Marathon. Each medal is autographed on the ribbon by Michael Westphal,” said Olson, fighting back tears during an
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Sauk Rapids resident Zoe Rogers is going to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities to study Àne arts. She is one of 11 students who received a Central Minnesota Arts Boards student scholarship. BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
Pleasantview Principal Aby Froiland (top, left) and Mr. Brad Olson stand with his third grade class – (front, from left) Carter Molitor, Kurt Wright, Shawn Anderson, Gaborik Scott, Elijah Rajkowski, Grady O’Shea, Logan Kealy and Carter Beseman; (middle, from left) Breyden Keller, Kira Hanson, Madison Traut, Ashley Pilarski, Kailee Cahill, Keira Oehmen, Vayda Wills, Sonja Counter, Ivy Swoyer, Airianna Eldred and Grace Carlson; (back, from left) Dominic Gully, Chaz Forsberg, Burton Koenig, Braelyn Nord, Addisen Newbanks, Brianna Clark, Caden Zuhlsdorf, Ellie Yozamp, Ryan Engebretson, Cash Anastasio, Sophie Miller and Aiden Jonak – who inspired a Maine marathon runner Michael Westphal during the Sugarloaf Marathon in May.
awards ceremony in the school’s gym June 1. With triumphant music playing in the background, one by one Olson called the names of his students as they came forward and medals were placed around their necks. Then, 31 students joined hands and lifted them in the air as their teacher
pronounced, “Mr. Olson’s Third-Grade Champions.” The students didn’t receive their medals for a job well done in math, however. Instead, their lobster medallions symbolized a larger act — one of kindness, compassion and heart. After watching Westphal fall to his knees and get back up again to Ànish his race during the video, the students were inspired by his determination. “His [Michael’s] brain and his legs were not cooperating and he just kept going,” said Kailee Cahill, one of Olson’s students. “He only had three or four miles left and he got right Medals back up and tried again. When were sent to each one of Mr. Olson’s third- he Ànished he was very proud graders from the Sugarloaf of himself, and I was proud of Marathon. him, too.”
They decided to send the 60-year-old marathoner encouragement for his next race, the Sugarloaf Marathon in May. “One of the kids said we should tell him good luck,” Olson said. So they did. The class made a video slide-show for Westphal with individual and group messages of motivation, as well as lessons they learned from his experience. They sent the video to the runner and the unthinkable happened. Olson heard back from race director Gary Allen, Westphal’s friend. “I couldn’t believe it,” Olson said. “He had Michael sign them all — which is a feat
Pleasantview: page 3
ST. CLOUD — Zoe Rogers is an artist. She is also 18. The daughter of Mike and Michele Rogers, of Sauk Rapids, is one of 11 regional students to receive a Student Arts Scholarship Grant from the Central Minnesota Arts Board. The recipient will use her award to further her career in Àne arts at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. “You don’t have to paint and sell it to people. There are all kinds of careers,” said Rogers of her plans. “I’m excited to see what I can do — possibly illustration — but I’m looking forward to seeing the multiple options.” The newly-graduated Sartell High School alumna began honing her craft seriously during her junior year when Rogers began to realize her skills could be put to use professionally. But she had always been interested in art — even as a small child. “We were looking through my old stuff a while ago and there are a ton of drawings and all kinds of crafts that I forgot I even did,” Rogers said. “I was always the kid who asked my mom if we could get the 50pack of colored pencils for my school supplies. I’ve always loved to draw.” A former member of the
Sabres art and ceramics clubs, Rogers spends close to an hour each day outside of a classroom, working on her artistic abilities. She also frequently attends Arts Underground, a youth program provided by the Paramount Center for the Arts on Thursday evenings. “For me, art is about creating something of expression. But it is also about design and noticing what colors and elements work well together,” Rogers said. Rogers, who recreates people in her work, typically selects colored pencils or oil paints as her medium of choice. “I have a very similar color palette among a lot of my pieces. I really love pinks and reds and really warm colors. And I paint a lot of people. My art teacher told me most of my pieces are girls who look very reÁective, like they are thinking about things.” An attribute which seems to derive from Rogers own personality. “I tend to ruminate on things, whether I try to or not,” she said. “I’m super observant of details, and I naturally look at things more closely than others. I like to think about things a lot.” Rogers prefers drawing people because of the amount of expression their characteristics
Rogers: page 3