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7 Second Avenue Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
“Minnesota’s Oldest Weekly Newspaper” Vol. 161, No. 41
Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota 56379
A continuation of the Frontiersman, The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
(USPS 482-240)
January 21, 2016
Awards Stolen truck recovered from Mayhew Lake night by BRYAN ZOLLMAN STAFF WRITER
MAYHEW LAKE TOWNSHIP – A stolen truck that was discovered at the bottom of Mayhew Lake on Jan. 3 by an ice angler was removed from the lake on Thursday. Authorities are warning lake users that a significant hole had to be cut into the ice and that those venturing onto the lake to be on the lookout for this area, which has been clearly marked with barrier tape. On Jan. 4, Benton County Sheriff’s Office located a truck that had been reported stolen in March of 2000. They were alerted to the truck on Jan. 3 when a caller reported that they had lowered a cam-
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
Sauk Rapids Fire Department Chief Jason Fleming welcomed his department, their family and community members at the annual award night Jan. 15 at Coyote Moon Grille Lounge.
More photos on page 2
Rockwood Estates death determined as suicide by BRYAN ZOLLMAN STAFF WRITER
RICE – The Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Anoka County Medical Examiner’s office have released information surrounding the October 2015 death of a Rockwood Estate’s resident. They have determined 44-year-old Rice resident Tammra Baker’s death was a suicide. On Oct. 14, 2015 at about 1 p.m., the Benton County Sheriff’s Office received a call reporting Baker was the victim of a gunshot wound. Deputies, officers, fire fighters, and paramedics responded to the scene in Rockwood Estates mobile home park. Baker was pronounced dead at the scene and an investigation, which included an autopsy, toxicology testing, interviews, and forensic examinations of evidence found at the crime scene, was initiated. Baker’s husband gave a statement indicating that Baker used a firearm to commit suicide inside their home. “The Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension spent many hours at the death scene
searching for and gathering evidence. The investigation into the cause of a person’s death is the most important undertaking any law enforcement agency is tasked with and must be completed with all due diligence to ensure public safety. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Anoka County Medical Examiner’s Office took all available steps to ensure that the evidence found at the scene was consistent with the eye witness testimony offered by Baker’s husband,” Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck said. According to Heck, the evidence found at the scene was sent for forensic testing and analysis. These tests included gun-shot residue testing of samples taken from both Baker and her husband and DNA analysis of the surfaces on the firearm. The autopsy findings and forensic tests were consistent with the finding that Baker’s death was a suicide. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this investigation by the Rice Police Department, Rice Fire Department, Gold Cross Ambulance, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.
era down through the ice to look for fish and observed what appeared to be a pickup truck submerged in the lake. Deputies responded to the scene and used a camera to look at the submerged pickup truck. The truck was found about 100 yards north of the public access at a point about 25 yards from the west shore of the lake in 12 feet of water. The condition of the pickup truck suggested that it had been submerged for a significant period of time. The next day divers from the Stearns/ Benton Dive Team responded to the scene to search the truck PHOTO SUBMITTED and the area around the truck. The Benton County Sheriff ’s Office removed a submerged The divers found that the Dodge Ram truck from Mayhew Lake on Jan. 4. truck was empty and the area around the truck did not contain any items of evidentiary the license plate on the truck been reported stolen in March value. A registration search on showed that this vehicle had of 2000 from an address in
Engineering the future VEX Storm Robotics advances to state competition by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – When you walk into room SW230 after regular school hours at the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, you might not know what’s going on. The array of students zoned into laptops, remotely controlling objects or tinkering with what might be the largest Erector set you’ve ever seen, seems outright chaotic at first. But that’s only because there’s excitement in the air. This is Storm Robotics. The SRRHS Storm Robotics and alliances VEX Team No. 9210 recently took first place in a four-week tournament at the St. Cloud Technical & Community College. The 24-team tournament qualified STORM to compete against 60 other teams at the State VEX Robotics Competition on Jan. 29 and 30 at the River’s Edge Convention Center. In addition they received the highest VEX honor when they were presented the Excellence Award for their commitment and dedication to hard work and quality. Ideate: what is Storm Robotics? Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are the heart of the robotics program, which was created six years ago at SRRHS. Storm Robotics is a co-curricular program, which means after-school activity correlates with a second trimester
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Students (from left) Brian Kahl, Mason Nash and Marcus Moldaschel work on the team’s VEX robot on Jan. 8.
energy technology and robotics class. “The class focuses on energy and power as well as robotics,” said Storm Robotics advisor and industrial technology teacher Adam Johnson. “Robotics coincides with energy and technology because many of the curricular teachings can be applied.” Storm Robotics focuses on a wide-range of engineering and competition. There are computer programmers, electrical engineers, build-
team, 3-D printers, CAD designers and more. The team has many projects in its room including VEX Robotics, FIRST Robotics and a Humanoid Project. A few SCSU engineering students volunteer their time to help mentor the up-and-coming engineers. In both class and after school, the students learn quick problem solving skills, rapid prototyping and ways to strategize. “Ideate, create and solve. This is what I teach over and
smaller scale. Principal Susan of the evening “One District, Paasch and another faculty One Book” was in the making no longer with the district, and we were already planning attended a presentation at the on what this could look like in our commu2011 Internationnity,” Rogholt al Reading Assosaid. ciation ConferThe proence in Orlando, gram launched Fla. The session less than a was called “One year later with School, One “The Cricket in Book” and was Times Square.” presented by Although the Read to Them, first book was Inc. chosen because “We thought Read to Them, it was such a Inc. already great idea and had materials we were so inMegan Rogholt and established spired. That evening we called Dr. Bittman to curriculum, there hasn’t been discuss the possibility of do- a set criteria for choosing the ing this in one of our schools. book after the initial infancy. “We’ve tried to pick His immediate response was, ‘Think bigger.’ One School, something that’s familiar or One Book wasn’t enough for very interesting to elementary our district — we needed to age kids. Some of the reading push the limits. By the end levels have been a little more
difficult, but they were still good reads for the kids,” Rogholt said. The books are funded solely by the school. This year, 1,660 books will be dispersed throughout the community. “The district has made this a priority,” Rogholt said. “Dr. Bittman and our district firmly believes in equal access and opportunity. By giving every elementary family in our district a book, we are encouraging a love for reading and at the same time promoting the importance of literacy and family engagement. The district has really worked hard to manage the budget so we are able to fund this program. They’ve made this a priority and they know every child deserves the opportunity
over to my students. Define the problem, ideate a potential solution and keep doing so until you find the best solution possible. Sometimes the strategy is going to be completely different from one idea to the next and some ideas are always going to work better than others,” Johnson said. Create: making Storm Robotics “When we first started we
One District, One Book
Sauk Rapids-Rice program promotes literacy, togetherness by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – In one month from now, a Sunday after-church brunch at Jimmy’s could have a slightly different feel. As your servers deliver pancakes and omelets, they will ask you if you need anything else; however, some might have a different question — did you read the chapter last night? This is the ultimate goal of a program the Sauk Rapids-Rice school district began in February 2012. “One District, One Book” is an effort to spread the love of reading community-wide. The idea has hopes that everyone in the community would pick up the chosen book, read a chapter a
night throughout the month of February, and be able to discuss the book not just in their homes and classrooms, but when they are out and about as well. To kick off “I Love to Read Month” the district will announce the chosen book for 2016 on Jan. 29 and disperse a free paperback chapter book to each elementary family in the district. “Each year it’s getting a little bit bigger,” said Megan Rogholt, the district’s elementary literacy coach. “It’s usually about December when I begin getting emails and phone calls wondering if we are continuing the program another year.” “One District, One Book” came to the Sauk Rapids-Rice school district on a much
One book continued on pg. 3
Robotics continued on pg. 4B