PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861
Postal Customer
7 Second Avenue Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
“Minnesota’s Oldest Weekly Newspaper” Vol. 161, No. 47
Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota 56379
(USPS 482-240)
A continuation of the Frontiersman, The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
Rice snocross racer leads class at ERX PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
Nine-year-old Mason Sabraski races the 120 Pro-Lite class at ERX. Sabraski is currently leading his class in points.
by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
RICE — The name Sabraski isn’t new to racing. With Grandfather Tommy and the legendary Shane “The Ironman” as his dad, nineyear-old Mason Sabraski was bound to have speed in his soul. “I like being able to make small modiÀcations to my sled, so I can go faster than I would when I’m at home, said No. 107X Sabraski. Sabraski is completing his second season as a snocross racer at ERX and making a name for himself. Even after missing two races this season, he leads his class in points, something he took Àrst for last year as well. “Being a racing family, we all enjoy riding. Riding is fun, but when you can compete at something it makes it more exciting,” said Mason’s mom Katie. It didn’t take Shane and Katie long to introduce their son to a sled. When he was only eleven months old, Sabraski was gifted his orange Artic Cat 120—the same sled he races today—and a year later he was riding on his own.
ERX is an all-season motorsport facility located in Elk River. Sabraski competes as a 120 Pro-Lite (ages 8-12) in the ERX Grass-Roots Snocross Series. According to ERX, riders in this class have little or no experience in racing and ride 120cc stock sleds with no engine modiÀcations. At this level during competition, Sabraski races two heats, each with different point amounts. The scores from each race are accumulated for an average score which determines Ànal placement.
“The second race is worth more points than the Àrst, so if you do really good in the Àrst heat but then don’t place well in the second you might not place,” Sabraski said. When Sabraski is on the track the only thing he thinks about is the lead. If he’s behind, he focuses on passing his competitors and if he’s in Àrst, he’s all about the throttle. The fundamentals of snocross
racing are the same across the board—lean through the corners, gage speed for oncoming jumps and Ànd the fastest line. “The last time I was here, another racer passed me sending me into third. We were side by side, trailing the leader around a turn, when his machine went off the track. Then on the last corner before the Ànish line, I passed the
leader and won,” Sabraski said of a recent Àrst-place win. Sabraski doesn’t always pull off a “W” but when he places less than Àrst, he doesn’t take it lightly. “He’s pretty competitive,” said Katie. “When others beat him, he heads straight to the practice track and turns laps. He doesn’t even come back to the trailer before taking a few
rounds.” Practicing for snocross racing can be difÀcult when there is no snow on the ground. With the warm weathers and lack of snow accumulation, Sabraski hasn’t been able to put extra time on the sled this winter. In his free-time Sabraski spends time doing
Sabraski continued on pg. 5
Street improvements move forward by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
OfÀcers go above and beyond to serve by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER BENTON COUNTY – When someone calls for help, ofÀcers are there to respond, often going the extra mile to help those in need. That is deÀnitely the case for Sauk Rapids and Rice police ofÀcers. “It’s become a way of life for us,” said Sergeant Brent Bukowski of the Sauk Rapids Police Department. Each day, when the ofÀcers put on their uniforms to come to work, they work hard at putting in the extra effort. It’s a regular occurrence for ofÀcers to buy food for the homeless or make kids more comfortable with a pizza party at the police station. “When I see kids around town, I often ask if they’d like a cookie or a snack, just as a way of saying hi and getting them comfortable with us ofÀcers,” said Suzanne DiMaggio-Boom, an ofÀcer in Rice. “If I go out on a call or a trafÀc stop, I think about what I can do to make a positive impact for the future. I’m always
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Suzie DiMaggio-Boom and Chief Ross Hamann serve as the two ofÀcers for the City of Rice. With their dedication, they too are working toward a better, safer community. thinking about how to make the community a better place.” In a growing town like Sauk Rapids or Rice, the ofÀcers continue to work at strengthening the department. Even if it means spending their own money or loaning their own vehicles like OfÀcer Eric Norsten did. An elderly couple from Walker was passing through town
on their way to the Twin Cities when their car broke down on Highway 10. Norsten and Sergeant Jeremy Welsh were helping them when Norsten gave the couple a ride back to the police station and gave the couple his truck keys for them to borrow. “Eric has a big heart,” said Merle Gales, the father of Sauk Rapids OfÀcer Sean Gales. “He’d
give you his soul if he Àgured you needed it. But it’s not just Eric, it’s all the ofÀcers. They really care about the community and have such a high degree of dedication for protecting and serving the community.” The ofÀcers go out of their way to do things for the community every day. “I just can’t say enough. I just want the ofÀcers to have the recognition they deserve for everything they do,” said Gales. While Bukowski serves as a part of the police force, he is also an on-call ÀreÀghter for the Sauk Rapids Fire Department. “I wear both hats for the emergency services in the city. Sometimes, even though I’m wearing one hat, I might have to wear the other hat to help out, like going out on a Àre call and putting water on the Àre before the Àre truck arrives. I may go on a Àre call on my day off, but if there’s only one ofÀcer on scene, I’ll get in the squad car and see what I can do to help out with police matters,” Bukowski said. All of the ofÀcers have an obvious dedication to the job, and both Sauk Rapids Police Chief Perry Beise and Rice Police Chief Ross Hamann see that in their of-
Officers continued on pg. 5
For local caucus results see saukrapidsherald.com
SAUK RAPIDS — With warmer weather on the horizon and road restrictions recently reinstated in Minnesota, it won’t be long before Sauk Rapids and many other areas of the state enter into the second season of the year — road construction. Two projects will cause extra maneuvering through town this upcoming year. Consent was issued by both the city and county this February to begin bids for the Second Street North (from Third Avenue to Highway 10) project and Sauk Rapids plans on improvements to Eighth Street North from Benton Drive to Sixth Avenue as well. Second Street N will likely remain under construction through mid-summer 2017, with timelines subject to change. Development details are likely to be completed in March with project bids opening this April. Construction is scheduled to begin in May and continue through mid-November, halting intermittently during winter. Final construction and landscaping would then be resumed in the spring and likely completed by July 2017. The preferred plan model includes an additional east and westbound lane with roundabouts placed at the intersections of Sixth Avenue N and Summit Avenue. A concrete median will extend from Third
Avenue to Sixth where it will then switch to a landscaped median similar to those found in the downtown area. A center turn lane will exist from Summit Avenue to Stearns Drive where a trafÀc light will be placed. The new construction will feature a walking path on the south side and a biking trail to its north. The total estimated cost of the project is $13.24 million. According to information given by WSB and Associates Vice President of Transportation Ron Bray during a February council meeting, two lanes of trafÀc will be able to travel on Second Street North for the majority of the reconstruction period. There will be instances where closures are needed to complete parts of the project, but the plan is to run existing trafÀc on the old roadway while constructing the additional two lanes. Then trafÀc will switch to the new roadway while reconstructing the current deteriorated lanes. In December, the city approved a plan for Eighth Street North from Benton Drive to Sixth Avenue N. The project will replace water and sewer lines which have surpassed their lifespan and reconstruct trafÀc lanes in the current roadway footprint. The approved plan adds a Àve foot sidewalk on the north side of the street to create a link between already existing
Improvements continued on pg. 5