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OBITUARIES ARLYS J. LARSON JOHN A. WALKER PG. 4 BENTON COUNTY BOARD MEETING PG. 4
Same Local Coverage Since 1854. Saturday, February 8, 2020
A fresh, healthy look
Mike Paulsrud, store director of the Coborn’s in Sauk Rapids, stands in front of the store Feb. 3 in Sauk Rapids. Coborn’s has completed an extensive remodel over the past year and will host a grand re-opening event March 6.
Spohn’s win record a longtime goal for senior wrestler BY EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER
Coborn’s remodel includes new amenities, Gate City Bank
SAUK RAPIDS – Upon entering the Coborn’s in Sauk Rapids, anyone who shops regularly will notice sleeker, more appealing changes throughout the store. Beginning in fall 2018, Coborn’s implemented an extensive remodel. Renovations will be completed by March. The project started with the integration of the natural foods department into the center store grocery
PHOTO BY ANNA HINKEMEYER
Jared Spohn attempts to turn a New Prague competitor onto the mat in the 126 pound weight class Jan. 11 in St. Cloud. Spohn breached the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School wrestling win record Feb. 4 when he recorded his 156th victory.
WORKING his way to the top
PHOTO BY ANNA HINKEMEYER
BY ANNA HINKEMEYER STAFF WRITER
Vol. 165, No. 44
2 Second Ave. S., Suite 135, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
aisles. “If you are not a natural foods customer, you were not going into that department,” said Mike Paulsrud, store director. “We are trying to gain exposure and educate our customers a little more on the benefits of healthy eating. We shouldn’t have to send them to a different department (of the store) to buy something that is healthier for them.” Fall 2019 was when the store began reorganization changes. Décor was updated and amenities were updated and added. Upon nearing the building, the first noticeable difference is the absence of the revolving door that was installed when the location was built in 1994. Two retail entities – HealthPartners and Bremer Bank – exited the space, allowing Gate City Bank to open a fullservice location within the store’s walls. Gate City Bank was founded in 1923 in Fargo, North Dakota. The partnership between the grocery store and
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SAUK RAPIDS – Jared Spohn’s life was forever altered by one unassuming flier. The piece of paper, which the then-kindergartner discovered at his elementary school, was for a youth wrestling program. “I took it home and told my mom that I wanted to do this,” Jared said. “My parents let me and my brother go to the first practice and since that day, it’s snowballed and turned into something amazing.” Amazing is cutting short the extraordinary efforts Jared has undergone as a w r e s t l e r. His latest feat is his greatest yet. The senior captain of the Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm wrestling team collected his 156th win at the Buffalo Tri Feb. 4, surpassing Shane Fesen- maier for the most victories in the school’s decorated history. “We’re incredibly proud of him,” said Jodi Spohn, Jared’s mother. “He’s such a goal-oriented person. If he sets a goal, he works his butt off to make it happen.” The feat of dominance came in a match that demonstrated Jared’s caliber; the experienced athlete
went on the attack against Buffalo’s Joshua Schumacher, picking up points while attentively controlling his positioning on the mat. He left the mat with an 18-6 major decision triumph and the Storm win record, which he was paying close attention to. “It’s something I had my eyes on, and I kept track of where I was,” Jared Spohn said. “It hit me pretty
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Sauk RapidsRice senior wrestling captain Jared Spohn proudly holds a banner honoring his new school record Feb. 4 at Buffalo High School in Buffalo. Spohn has been a varsity wrestler since the seventh grade and set his eyes on accomplishing the feat early in his career.
hard, like ‘I did it.’ It’s a goal I’ve thought about for a while.” Jared has entered varsity wrestling matches since the seventh grade and became a starter in the eighth grade where he earned the chance to battle foes in the Section 8AAA wrestling tournament. He has since gone to individually win the section twice; as a 113 pound competitor in 2017 and a 120 pound champion in 2018. That experience in winner-take-all situations has benefited Jared, who gives playoff-level exertion on a
dual-by-dual basis. “It really taught me you have to put it all out there and you have to give it everything you have,” Jared said. “If you’re not precise on something, it could end your season like that. You have to treat every match like it’s big, because it could be your last.” Jared’s resume on his way to the winningest wrestler in Sauk RapidsRice history is scattered with efficiency. In his freshman year, just his second full season as a Storm varsity wrestler, he logged a 32-5 record and rode two pins and a major decision to section glory. Even with those alarmingly good results in his ninth grade season, his sophomore campaign stands as arguably his finest and certainly his favorite. The then 113 pound Spohn navigated the season nearly unscathed, compiling a 37-3 record. He earned a bye in 2018’s section tournament and became champion for the second straight year, in two different weight classes. Was it improved form
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PUBLIC NOTICES • Mortgage Foreclosure - Schaefer - pg. 10 • Mortgage Foreclosure - Miller - pg. 10 • Benton County Board of Commissioners Reg. Minutes, Jan. 21, 2020 - pg. 9 • City of Rice Assessment Notice - pg. 10 • Benton County Public Works Department Public Announcement - pg. 10 • Benton County Board of Adjustment Public Hearings - pg. 10