Postal Customer
PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861
7 Second Avenue Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
“Minnesota’s Oldest Weekly Newspaper”
Vol. 161, No. 29
Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota 56379
A continuation of the Frontiersman, The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
(USPS 482-240)
October 28, 2015
Heartstring scam hits home
Elderly targeted with fraudulent phone calls by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
Filling holes PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Jack and Terra Peterson adopted Kuerkow and Nya after social workers placed them in the Petersons’ house for preadoptive housing in June 2014.
Four people find each other to complete their need for family by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
ST. CLOUD – Growing up, brother and sister Kuerkow Tongyik and Nyakuoth Miyoang, now students at Sauk Rapids-Rice, probably never thought they’d call themselves adopted children. Likewise Jack and Terra Peterson didn’t imagine they’d find themselves parents of a 17-year-old son and 16-yearold daughter when they themselves are only 34. But the four were brought together to fill the holes in each other’s hearts, and they now call each other family. “This has been a dream come true, and we would do
it all over again,” Jack said. “Sharing our life with the kids has been amazing. It truly feels like we have known them forever.” Four years ago, on July 4, 2011 tragedy struck the kids’ family. Kuerkow and Nya’s mother, Nyalat, passed away from heart complications. She had been having chest pains and feeling unhealthy for a year, but medical treatments and lack thereof resolved nothing. “It was a drastic change,” said Nya, the youngest of the four children in their family. “Mom was the supporter in our family.” The children’s father was unable to take care of the four
after their mother’s passing. Eventually three of the four (the oldest sister had already turned 18 and social services didn’t apply to her) were placed in a temporary foster home in Alexandria. Growing up and attending schools in the St. Cloud area all their lives, this meant long car rides from Alexandria to St. Cloud for school and practices each day. “It didn’t feel like home,” Kuerkow said. Over the next three years, the children were placed in six different homes. This meant five new transitions, three new school districts and numerous new rules and adaptions. The three children were together until, yet another older sister aged out of the system and Kuerkow and Nya were left with each other. The
children felt as if they were taking care of themselves. They stayed with families for almost a year with no new clothes, no snacks, no privacy and strict rules. “I looked out for her,” Kuerkow said. “I knew Nya wasn’t having a great time.” Nya particularly didn’t get along with one of the families. “They were mistreated and definitely emotionally abused and neglected at that house,” Terra said. “While Kuerkow learned to go with the flow in order to receive more freedoms and have less encounters, Nya would always stand up for what she thought was right.”
Filling holes continued on pg. 3
Molitor’s Haunted Acres scares thousands by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – On the outskirts of town, one local attraction is drawing thousands of people each year. The crowd lines up three nights a week during October, and they all have one goal in mind: to get scared. Molitor’s Haunted Acres is located on the same 20-acre property as Molitor’s Quarry Grill and Bar, all owned and operated by Ron and Tammy Molitor and their three grown children, Caden, Cara and Ronnie. “We’ve always loved fall and always wanted to do something around Halloween,” Tammy said. “Ron has never been to a haunted house or a hayride or anything. I was the one that took the kids to those things when they were young, but trick-or-treating we did as a family.” The Molitors started a pumpkin patch in 1997, where families could go on hayrides and pick pumpkins from the four-acre hand-planted patch. While there were many festivities involved with the pumpkin patch, many people were looking for more ageappropriate activities for older children. “They were calling for mazes and haunted houses. Since then, we’ve really been going for the age group that’s too old to trick-or-treat anymore,” Tammy said. “My husband always loves to scare the kids, he’s a jokester that way. It made sense with the 20 acres, so we started talking about it.”
SAUK RAPIDS – Arlis Larson was an unsuspecting senior of Sauk Rapids when she received a phone call, which ultimately left her bank account $2,000 less rich. The phone call wasn’t from an IRS scammer, or someone who said she was eligible for a free trip to the Caribbean. The person on the other end of the line didn’t tell her she had won a new car. They didn’t try to sell her faulty insurance. The voice played on her heart-strings and took advantage of her role as a loving grandma. According to the Consumer Law Center, Inc., Americans lose an estimated $40 billion each year to the fraudulent sales of goods and services over the telephone. The elderly are frequent targets and it is estimated that 56-80 percent of calls are directed at older consumers. When the phone rang that day, Larson answered it as she would any other call. She had no idea she was stepping into a trap. And why should she have thought so? The person knew things about her and her family. The voice on the other end
of the phone that day claimed to be her grandson, Bryce. Bryce works in North Dakota in the oil industry. “Bryce” told grandma he had been in a bad car accident with a woman. He played on Arlis’ heartstrings and thanked her for always being such a wonderful grandmother. Bryce claimed he was placed in jail, because prior to the accident, he had enjoyed a single beer with friends. He was ashamed of the accident and didn’t want his family to know. “Grandma, please don’t tell my parents,” said the voice. “I feel so bad and I’m scared. I thought I would call you because you’ve always been so sweet. Maybe you can help me.” The voice on the other end didn’t sound quite like Arlis’ grandson, so she asked, “Bryce this doesn’t even sound like you?” Bryce had an answer for everything. The accident had been so bad, he had sustained injuries to his nose and jaw, altering his voice for the time being. The voice sounded frightened and cried. He needed help.
Heartstrings continued on pg. 6
Kwik Trip, Playhouse Child Care come to town by NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – Public hearings led to the approval of two potential new commercial sites within the city of Sauk Rapids at the regular city council meeting Oct. 26. A rezoning of property from residential to commercial and a conditional use permit to allow a licensed daycare at 2163 Mayhew Lake Road was granted unanimously by the council Monday evening. Playhouse Child Care was awarded a conditional use permit, without any conditions. Community Development Director Todd Schultz thought the property was well-suited for a commercial day care as it already contains a playground area, commercial kitchen, adequate sewer and plenty of loading access on private property. The site is also at least 400 feet away from the nearest residential homestead so headlights should not be bothersome. The center plans on being open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. After an approval of rezoning, preliminary plat, final
plat, unit development and a site plan, Sauk Rapids moved towards the direction of gaining a Kwik Trip gasoline station on 45th Ave NE across from Holiday near Hwy 15. The city attorney allowed all parts of the development stages to be approved at once, but the preliminary and final plats were approved with conditions. Kwik Trip Company spokesman Wade DuMont was in attendance and assured the city that although there would be a diesel pump, which could fit a semi, the site would not have parking or facilities to become a truck stop. In other council news: • Chief Perry Beise and Mayor Brad Gunderson along with city council members and staff presented Sauk Rapids police officer Tom Roy with a plaque celebrating and congratulating him on his retirement. Roy had a dedicated 28 years of service to the community as an officer and a 34-year career as a law officer. His last day with the city is Oct. 30.
City council continued on pg. 7
Harvest time! Two scare masters prepare for their night by applying makeup.
Tammy started the plans by attending a show in Minneapolis with a friend. While her friend was scared and clinging to Tammy, Tammy was laughing and paying attention.
Molitor’s Haunted Acres was born n 1998, with a hayride and one building. Three years later, they were looking for more. “In 2001, we wanted a haunted house, but we want-
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
ed the look and everything, so we moved an abandoned farmhouse from a nearby PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE property,” Tammy said. Within two years, Moli- Glen Kaschmitter combines corn Oct. 22 near Sauk Rapids. Kaschmitter and his brother, Brian, run a 120-sow, farrow to Molitors finish hog operation and raise several crops. Kaschmitter said the corn was yielding 175-190 bushels per acre. continued on pg. 2