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. 21
Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota 56379
A continuation of the Frontiersman, The Free Press, Sauk Rapids Sentinel and St. Cloud Sentinel.
(USPS 482-240)
September 2, 2015
Left to die, saved to live Good Samaritans rescued Dawn Larson from sure tragedy; now she has a new chance at life by BRYAN ZOLLMAN & ANNA SALDANA
Dawn Larson woke up in a ditch on the side of Highway 10 on the evening of July 24, not knowing what happened, but knowing she needed help. Now, a month later, she is trying to put her life back together. Dawn, 42, was helping out at the Halfway Jam outdoor concert in Royalton. When her shift was over, she wanted to go home instead of stay for the party. The man she came to the event with, her ex-boyfriend of 12 years, Thomas Knott, offered to drop her off at home. So, she climbed on the back of his PHOTO BY BRYAN ZOLLMAN motorcycle. On their way to her home Anthony Bouri visits with Dawn Larson at St. Cloud Hospital. Bouri was with his wife and a in Rice, Knott lost control of friend when he saw Larson on the side of the road near Rice. Larson had been in a motorcycle accident and was left in the ditch with severe injuries. “If they wouldn’t have stopped, I would the motorcycle, launching have died,” said Larson, who is a single mother of two girls. Larson into the ditch. Severe-
Sauk Rapids-Rice graduates score high on ACT exam by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
ACT announced this week that the 2015 Sauk Rapids-Rice graduates scored exceptionally well on the college readiness exam. The graduates surpassed the state average and exceeded the scores in each category: English, Mathematics, Reading and Science. The district had a composite score of 23.3 compared to the state average of 22.7. Minnesota graduates topped the nation’s scores for the tenth year in a row as well, with a national average of 21 out of a possible 36. “The Sauk Rapids-Rice School District continues to measure and evaluate student achievement daily, and recognizes there are many ways and tools to do so,” said Dr. Daniel Bittman, superintendent of the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District. “ACT results of our recent graduates indicate we are on the right track and preparing our children for successful postsecondary careers. As the superintendent and parent of three children in the district, I am very proud of our students, staff, families and Board of Education. Together, we continue to get better every day and to keep
children as our number one priority.” One student who feels strongly about how Sauk Rapids-Rice prepared him for college is Brandon Duray, a 2015 graduate and a current student of Concordia College in Moorhead. “I feel like they were very good in helping me prepare for the ACT through the multiple ACT practice tests they would give us, or throughout the problems in class that specifically focused on the ACT problems,” Duray said. Duray’s praise for Sauk Rapids-Rice goes beyond the ACT preparation and graduation, to his college career at Concordia. “The experiences I got from Sauk Rapids were remarkable, from playing sports to doing group projects in the classroom,” Duray said. “They all have helped me greatly in getting involved and getting to know others better. I will take the hard work ethic and study habits with me to Concordia. The district will improve my college career because they are very similar in that it isn’t a very big area, and the more one-on-one help from professors will be very beneficial since there are smaller class sizes.”
Princeton man flees, Benton County K-9 unit locates
The Benton licopter; however, County Sheriff’s the suspect was not deputies located and located. arrested Jeffrey AlAround 6:35 p.m., len Williams, 36, of a resident on 125th Princeton, at approxiAve NE reported mately 7 p.m. on Aug. they believed the 25. Williams had fled suspect (who was from law enforcement Jeffrey Williams searched for at earlier in the day. the same location Just before 1 p.m., Min- earlier in the day) was now nesota State Patrol located a at their residence. Benton lavender pickup being driven County deputies, Minnesota by Williams, who had out- State Patrol troopers, and standing felony warrants, on Foley Police responded to the US Highway 25 just north of area and began searching for US Highway 95. The trooper Williams again. The Benton attempted to stop the vehicle, County Sheriff’s K-9 unit was and Williams responded by deployed and successfully exiting the vehicle and fleeing tracked the suspect to a woodinto a nearby cornfield. Law ed area where he was found enforcement officers from the hiding in a tree. Williams was Minnesota State Patrol, Ben- arrested without incident and ton County Sheriff’s Office, is currently being held in the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Benton County Jail on outOffice, and the Princeton Po- standing felony warrants, as lice Department formed a pe- well as felony charges of fleerimeter around the field. The ing law enforcement, driving area was searched for several while impaired and refusal to hours by officers, two K-9 submit to chemical urine testunits, and a State Patrol he- ing.
ly injured, she was left alone while Knott had climbed back onto his motorcycle and fled the scene. Anthony Bouri, his wife Linnea and their friend, Jamie Prettner, were also at Halfway Jam that night and were returning to St. Cloud when Anthony thought he saw something move in the ditch. “I thought I saw something or someone on the side of the road,” he said. “I asked the girls if they saw anything and turned around.” The night was dark by now. After making another pass, none of the three saw any movement by the road, but Anthony remained persistent and made two more passes. They still didn’t see anything and were about to make their way home when Jamie called out from the backseat. “I see her,” she said fran-
tically. “She’s in the median!” Anthony rolled down his window, barely able to see the silhouette of the individual in the backdrop of the dark night, because Dawn was wearing black clothing. He asked her if she was okay. “I thought maybe she just needed a ride home,” he said. But Dawn wasn’t okay. And, she didn’t need a ride home. She needed immediate medical attention. Anthony turned around and noticed shoes and broken parts of a vehicle in the road. “I thought to myself, this doesn’t look good,” he said. Anthony exited his vehicle and Dawn began to hobble across the road. Meanwhile, oncoming traffic was heading towards
Larson continued on pg. 2
Sportsmen’s club dedicates land Past members receive honorary monuments by ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
The Rice Area Sportsmen’s Club (RASC) dedicated two pieces of land after receiving generous donations on Sunday, Aug. 29. The first ceremony took place at the Fairbrother’s property on 63rd Street in Royalton. Here, a parking lot was added in honor of Glenn Petron. Petron was a member of the RASC for over 30 years and served on the board of directors for 12 years before he suddenly passed away from a heart attack on April 12, 2003. “Glenn loved to hunt and fish, and he was a big supporter of the club,” said Jerome Kahl, current president of the RASC. A gravel parking lot surrounded by fencing has already been put in place for those who wish to visit the land or hunt. There is also a memorial near the parking lot honoring Petron. The second ceremony took place at the Silver Corners Store outside of Rice,
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Glenn Petron’s children, Debbie Rudnitski (from left), Mark Petron, Peggy Reimer, Mary Kay Plombom, Karen Kotsmith and Amy Gorecki, stand with the monument commemorating their father’s support and donation to the Rice Area Sportsmen’s Club. The donation allowed the club to create a parking lot on the 330-acre piece of land.
commemorating a 76-acre section of land recently purchased by RASC. The purchase was possible through a donation from
the Paradeis family, made in acres from Melvin and Rehonor of Gerald and Virginia nee Strang of Sauk Rapids on Paradeis and their daughter, June 16. Jane. Sportsmen’s club The RASC purchased the
continued on pg. 5
Veteran memorial recognizes civilians, servicemen alike by ANNA SALDANA Completion STAFF WRITER three days prior RICE – While driving to Sept. 11 attacks Main Street, one can view an
American flag ripple in the wind atop a five-sided gleaming structure of granite. The pristine stars and the crisp hues of red and white shine in the light. At the entrance of the Immaculate Conception Parish cemetery in Rice – a
one-of-a-kind veteran’s memorial greets the masses. The memorial recognizes not only America’s veterans, but also members of the community who have contributed in our nation’s defense, such as mothers who wrote to soldiers and those who stayed behind to operate farms, work the railroads and keep America thriving. “We all talked about hav-
Memorial continued on pg. 2