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“Minnesota’s Oldest Weekly Newspaper”
Vol. 161, No. 31
A continuation of the Frontiersman, The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
Dr. Bittman named Minnesota Superintendent of the Year Superintendent of the The Minnesota Association of School Administrators Year nominees are evaluated (MASA) has named Dr. Dan- on how each candidate demiel Bittman, Superintendent onstrates leadership for learnof Sauk Rapids-Rice Public ing, communication skills, Schools, as the 2016 Minne- professionalism and community involvesota Superintenment. dent of the Year. “Since day As the Minone, Dr. Bittnesota honoree, man has had a Dr. Bittman is a positive impact candidate among in his district other state win– I am very ners for National pleased to see Superintendent him become a of the Year, to be great leader at announced durSauk Rapidsing the American Rice Public Association of Schools and School Administrators (AASA) Dr. Daniel Bittman within the surrounding comconvention on munities,” said February 11-13, 2016 in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Bit- MASA Executive Director tman was selected for this Dr. Gary Amoroso. “Dr. Bitthonor by a panel of represen- man is highly respected by his tatives from a variety of MinBittman nesota education organizacontinued on pg. 6 tions.
Going to the light
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Sue Nelson (left) and Kelly Purcell are the owners of Rays of Hope Homecare, Inc. The two invested in the personalized homecare business after Nelson was a caregiver for her family, including her mother who had Alzheimer’s.
Rays of Hope Homecare offers hope to live at home by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
BENTON COUNTY – One of the hardest decisions children may make is whether or not to recommend their parents move to a nursing home community. After years of parents’ never-ending care, children are faced with the decision to care for their parents or let someone else do so. And depending on circumstances, such as Ànancial stability, health of their parents and distance, they might not have a choice. Two women plan to help alleviate the decision with their new business, Rays of
Hope Homecare, Inc. Sue Nelson of Sauk Rapids and Kelly Purcell of Rice are passionate about extending people’s stays, especially those with Alzheimer’s, within their homes as long as they can, even to death in some cases. The idea was spurred after Nelson’s own experiences with her mother who had Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is an ongoing epidemic in elderly. It can neither be slowed, stopped nor prevented. It is the sixth leading cause of death with one in three seniors dying with it or another form of dementia. Every 67 seconds someone in the United States develops the disease. “My mom had it. She passed away eight years ago,” Nelson said. “When my father was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 2004, that’s when
Rays of Hope continued on pg. 2
Sauk Rapids Police assist in St. Cloud drug bust On Nov. 4, the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force conducted a search warrant at the address of 1419 Northway Place, St. Cloud. Investigators with the task force had received information that methamphetamine was being sold out of the residence and had conducted controlled buys from the parties inside the residence. Investigators also had arranged prostitution transactions at the residence in the past. At the time of the search warrant both residents were home along with two other parties. During the course of the search, methamphetamine, heroin, synthetic marijuana and marijuana were located. All parties present were arrested for 5th degree possession of controlled sub-
Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota 56379
stances and were transported to the Stearns County Jail where they were booked and held for court. The following parties were arrested as a result of this warrant: Joshua Nelson, 39, of St. Cloud, Paul Yozamp, 35, of St. Cloud, Kelly Schmidt, 27 and Diana Hobbs-Hafsland, 28. The Central MN Violent Offender Task Force was assisted by the Stearns County Sheriff’s OfÀce patrol division. The Central MN Violent Offender Task Force is comprised of ofÀcers from the St. Cloud, Little Falls and Sauk Rapids Police Department and deputies from Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, Todd and
Drug bust continued on pg. 6
(USPS 482-240)
November 11, 2015
Remembering Jeff
by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
When the communities of Rice and surrounding towns lost 28-year-old Jeffrey Skroch this past week from injuries sustained in a semitruck accident, they lost much more than a neighbor. They lost a good friend. “He was everyone’s best friend,” said John Pyka, Jeff’s best man and life-long friend. “It didn’t matter if they were his age or 80 years old, Jeff was their friend. He talked to anyone. He got along with everyone in the world. Whether it was at church, the creamery or the sale barn, he made friends with everyone.” Jeff and John knew each other since they were kneehigh. They were best friends, each other’s best man in their weddings and grew up living two miles down the road from one another. John told the Sauk Rapids Herald how Jeff was an avid farmer who loved his family and loved his cattle. Growing up outside of Rice with his parents, Leon and Janet, three sisters and two brothers, Jeff had the knack for farming early on. He was involved in the family business, Complete Grain Systems, and partnered with his brothers to create Lone Willow Angus, a beef cattle farm. He was a 2005 graduate of Sauk Rapids-Rice High School who went on to further his education at St. Cloud Technical and Community College with degrees in both business management and Ànance and sales. “He was a real smart man. He had a theory for everything,” said Steve Pyka, John’s older brother. “We talked about farming, and he always had everything penciled out about how much money he was going to make or how he was sitting. He could talk forever.” A man who never quit smiling, Jeff smiled even brighter as he married Nicki Stevens of Pipestone in 2013. Together they shared joy in their 8-month-old daughter, Quinn. “His little daughter and
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Jeff and Nicole were married in June of 2013 and shared their life with their 8-month-old daughter, Quinn.
Jeff had a love for his cattle and talked about them all the time. Here he stands with his wife Nicki.
his family was everything to him,” John said. “He was very caring and family-orientated.” The Pyka family recalled the amount of time Jeff invested with his grandpa, Clem, who passed away a year ago this week.
“When his grandpa was around, he spent a lot of time with him. He’d pick him up and he’d bring him over to the shop when we were welding. He’d load up Clem, let him ride with and Clem would just sit in the shop with us,” Steve said.
Grieving for his bighearted friend, John didn’t have any speciÀc stories he wanted to share, he simply said, “Where do I start, he was my brother. He’s going to be missed for sure.”
LuteÀsk, Uff-da
Living Waters holds annual dinner Nov. 14 by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
With over 860,000 Minnesotans who claim Norwegian heritage as of 2009, it’s no wonder LuteÀsk dinners make their yearly appearances as the weather turns cold each year. Here in Sauk Rapids, it’s no different. Living Waters Lutheran Church will host their fourth annual LuteÀsk and Meatball Extravaganza on Saturday, Nov. 14. “It’s a way of celebrating our heritage, but also a way of celebrating the community within and surrounding Living Waters,” said Patti Goke, a Norwegian-Dutch from St. Cloud. “As a congregation, we always want our building to be warm and welcoming when people come. There is so much silliness and laughter during the event. It comes from being real and having fun.” LuteÀsk, literally translating to lye Àsh, has been a staple amongst Scandinavian countries since the 1500s and comes with a wide variety of
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Terry Sylvester (from left), Carol Lee, Dee Carlson, Jane Martinson and Patti Goke will all help with the LuteÀsk and Meatball Extravaganza at Living Waters Lutheran Church on Nov. 14 from 3-7 p.m.
tall tales about how it was Àrst discovered. No one knows for sure why this meal became such a winter and Christmas tradition. Ultimately, however, it was a way of preserving food resources for an extended period of time as the Àsh is Àrst dried and rehydrated as needed.
It has been the butt of stereotypical Scandinavian jokes and generated a bad rapsheet over the years due to its reputation of putrid smells and gelatinous textures, but the women who coordinate the Living Waters dinner – most who claim Norwegian heritage or to be Norwegian by association – claim the
rehydrated Àsh isn’t as bad as some say. “To me, it’s like white rice. It has texture, but no taste until you put it with something,” Terry Sylvester, Sauk Rapids, said.
Lutefisk continued on pg. 2