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Boys basketball page 11& 12
New Look. Same Local Coverage since 1854. Vol. 163, No. 50
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, Benton County, MN 56379
Saturday, March 24, 2018 PHOTO SUBMITTED
Around the world in an armchair Duo shares international travel experiences to locals BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — If James Grabinski and Michael Smith counted the number of countries they have visited on Àngers, they would need a half-dozen friends to help. The St. Cloud residents have set foot in more than 75 countries and all seven continents. “We always have something booked,” Grabinski said. Smith agreed. “You Ànd a lot of people who travel a lot will do that,” said the 54-year-old. “That’s kind of how it works, planning ahead. Not to mention it’s generally cheaper.” The owners of Travel Talkin’ each began touring the world in their early 20s, taking trips to Europe. After meeting and discovering their similar travel interests nearly 30 years ago, Grabinski and Smith continued visiting other places and created employment out of a job they truly love. “When St. Cloud State University invited us (to talk about a particular country), we thought if they want us, there has to be others,” said Grabinski, 75. “It just took off. We have been presenting
to the city of St. Cloud for 14 years on the fourth Friday of every month.” Grabinski, who also manages property in central Minnesota, and Smith, who majored in travel and tourism at SCSU, founded Travel Talkin’ in 2006. The pair presents their worldly excursions to arm-chair audiences at senior living communities – Ridgeview Place, Country Manor and Good Shepherd Community – as well as for area cities, schools and through television and radio spotlights. The two presented on the country of Peru Feb. 23 at the Whitney Senior Center, and most recently shared their journey in Tanzania March 23. The duo’s banter entices their audiences and laughter Àlls the room when Smith tells a light joke. Their slideshow of some 200 photos is mixed with short videos, commentary and factual material that may include history, education, foods, customs and more in their hour-long presentation. Guests are engaged and allowed to ask questions during and after the dialogue. “The students seem to really like it, and I’d like to think we can be an inÁuence for people to travel somewhere or to start traveling,” Smith said. “It doesn’t really matter if it’s international, just so you start traveling and experiencing that. That in itself gives you motivation to travel other places.” In February, Grabinski and Smith opened their session offering Peruvian Inca Kola, a
Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is hidden in the mountains of northwest Peru. The historical sight was one talked about in Travel Talkin’s February presentation.
BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Michael Smith (left) and James Grabinski prepare for a presentation about their journey to Peru Feb. 23 in St. Cloud. The duo has visited more than 75 countries and shares their experiences with area residents at various locations each month.
soft drink, to their guests. They proceeded with information on the size and demographics of the country and talked about the native plants and animal, showing photos of pink dolphins, red-belly piranha, macaws and leaf-cutter ants — all which they saw on their tour. The pair discussed religion and education, and explained the signiÀcance of certain historical places, such as Machu Picchu, as well as lesser-known cultural landmarks, like shanty towns. In each presentation, one message is the most important. “We try to let people know, people are people,” Smith said. “So often people think you are American, Korean, Japanese. Guess what, that’s true, but we are all people. We all do the same things. We all get up and shower, take care of ourselves. Most
everyone has coffee or tea in the morning and read the papers.” Grabinski agreed. “Once you are there, you love these people,” he said. “They all want the same things as us. They just go about it differently.” In the case of Peru, where Grabinski and Smith had visited in December, that message came across as locals prepared to celebrate Christmas. The two pointed out that much like in Minnesota, people had decorated with Nativity scenes. But instead of a donkey and cow in the mangers, there were animals such as llamas, alpacas and goats. Grabinski and Smith usually travel with tour groups and generally try to pick new destinations whenever possible.
Travel Talkin’ page 2
A strong start to education Early childhood programming needs addressed in referendum BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
Editor’s note: This is the Àrst in a series of articles regarding the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District building referendum, which will be put to ballot May 8. SAUK RAPIDS — Education and learning is an important part of a child’s development, particularly at a young age. This is the belief of the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District. Staff and administration are working hard to implement programming to support the earliest of learners. “Our early childhood program has very high standards, and we are a nationally recognized program,” said Megan Rogholt, early childhood program director for the district. “We feel we have a strong success rate and that we are helping our kids prepare for kindergarten socially, emotionally and academically. We hear all the time from the kindergarten teachers in the district that they can tell which students have been through our program.” While the early childhood program is successful, it also has rising needs. “Space, safety and security are all huge concerns,” Rogholt said. “We are overcrowded to the point where we can’t offer some of the things that our families need, like
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Sandra Coyle reads to her morning class of early childhood students March 21 at Hillside School in Sauk Rapids. Coyle’s class, along with others in the building, are experiencing overcrowding due to lack of space.
wrap-around care for before and after class. Security is also a concern and right now we buzz people into the building, but they have to walk past every classroom before they reach the ofÀce and we aren’t OK with that.” Rogholt’s concerns have been addressed in the referendum the district is seeking voter approval of on May 8. The early childhood funding is $8,917,300 of a $93.2 million building bond. If it passes, the early childhood program would gain four additional preschool classrooms, adult restroom facilities, a care space to be used during class transitions and a multiple-use space at Hillside, as well as one additional classroom and remodeled space at Rice Elementary. “Space is a huge need right
now,” Rogholt said. “We constantly have waiting lists during registration. This year, we have 79 resident students on the waiting list and we already have 31 on that list for next year. Our goal with this additional funding would be to provide space to accommodate everyone and eliminate those waiting lists. We have the tools and staff to offer exceptional programming, but we just don’t have the space we need.” According to Rogholt, the Sauk Rapids-Rice District currently serves 240 preschoolers, ages 3-5, across 11 classes in addition to Early Childhood Family Education classes. Minnesota state statute directs all public school districts to accept students on a Àrst come, Àrst serve basis regardless of openenrollment.
Business subsidy policy passes
Rogholt said the district plans to open registration to current families ahead of regular registration this upcoming year and that the program communicates registration dates to families through the district newsletter. Allison Ward, a parent of an early childhood student, credits the program for the success of her children. “My daughter is in the program now and it’s been great for her,” Ward said. “It’s a great opportunity for her to learn independently and it’s great for her development. Knowing what the program has done for my daughter, the improvements they are asking for are deÀnitely needed. Space needs to increase
Referendum page 3
The Rice City Council passed a business subsidy policy for their revolving loan fund following months of consultation March 19. The council has failed the motion at an earlier March meeting due to uncertainty. The council was looking for clarity and professional guidance. Benton Economic Partnership executive director John Uphoff was in attendance to offer his advice. “Both model policies contain all of the obligatory language that you need based on Minnesota Statute governing the business subsidy policy,” Uphoff said. “The signiÀcant difference is that one of them … lays out product review evaluation procedure.” Uphoff recommended the council choose the model without the additional language because he thought the third-party loan underwriters would want to consult with the city to create loan procedures together. “You ultimately will end up with a document that spells out the project review and evaluation procedure, but I don’t think it’s necessary to have it within the business subsidy policy,” Uphoff said. “… You can always adopt that language into an amended business subsidy policy down the road. That’s not hard to do. So, I recommend the same one as your attorney.” After passing the document, the council approved Central Minnesota Development Company as the third-party underwriter for the policy. This will allow businesses to apply for the city’s revolving loan fund without disclosing private Ànancial documents to the public because of the Government Data Practices Act. It will also eliminate any conÁict of interest between business owners and council relationships. In other council news: - Accepted the 2017 audit presentation given by Jon Archer, of Schlenner, Wenner and Company. The city of Rice received an unmodiÀed, clean opinion with no concerns regarding the audit or management team. Both the revenues and expenditures were higher for 2017 than expected due to an increase in building permits and therefore building inspector fees. The police department expenditures also exceeded budgeted amounts because of the purchase of a new squad vehicle. Archer had minimal concerns with the audit. He said in accordance with city policy, he would like to see the city set aside a minimum fund balance of at least 50 percent of the next year’s budgeted expenditures. The city’s balance has grown 31 percent in the last three years but has yet to hit that mark. Still, Archer was pleased with the trend increase.
Rice City Council page 2
PUBLIC NOTICES • Mayhew Lake Township Assessment Notice - pg. 5 • Benton Co. Reg. Meeting Minutes, March 6, 2018 - pg. 5 • Delinquent Tax List - pg. 6 - 8 • Mortgage Foreclosure - Lieser - pg. 8 • Benton Co. Hwy Dept. Requests for Proposals - pg. 9 • Mortgage Foreclosure - Ziwicki - pg. 9 • Mortgage Foreclosure - Kolbo - pg. 9 • Mortgage Foreclosure - pg. 9 • Benton Co. Ordinance No. 462 • Minden Township Assessment Notice - pg. 9 • Benton Co. Sheriff ’s Office Request for Proposals - pg. 9 • Assumed Name - New Age Retro - pg. 9