Sauk Rapids Herald - October 31 edition

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Saturday, October 31, 2020

2 Second Ave. S., Suite 135, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379

Vol. 166, No. 30

Parishioners represent beads in

SRRMS moves to full-time distance learning

Living Rosary

Two-week closure due to COVID-19related absences

In glow of candlelight, people pray for end to COVID-19

BY ELLARRY PRENTICE AND EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER

SAUK RAPIDS – Due to COVID-19-related absences, Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School has temporarily closed to in-person learning, and students have moved into a distance learning model through Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The Sauk RapidsRice School Board, in collaboration with Superintendent Bradley Bergstrom, made the decision to change the learning model at an emergency meeting Oct. 28, according to a release from ISD 47. “ U n f o r t u n a t e l y, the district is unable to adequately staff and provide appropriate supervision necessary for in-person learning at the middle school,” the release states. “The learning model change is being implemented for this two-week period to keep the middle school learning community healthy, as well as to clean and sanitize the building.”

Distance learning page 4

Same Local Coverage Since 1854.

BY ELLARRY PRENTICE | STAFF WRITER

SAUK RAPIDS – Little lights flickered with hope and beads of the rosary came to life Sunday evening inside Sacred Heart Parish in Sauk Rapids.

In the glow of candlelight, 66 socially-distanced people from the One in Christ Area Catho-

lic Community prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic Oct. 25 as part of a Living Rosary. The prayer service included parishioners from Annunciation and Sacred Heart parishes in Sauk Rapids, St. Francis Xavier Parish in Sartell and St. Stephen Parish.

PHOTO BY ELLARRY PRENTICE

In the glow of candlelight, Allie (right) and daughter Susie Schiff participate in the Living Rosary Oct. 25 at Sacred Heart Parish in Sauk Rapids Sunday evening. Parishioners from multiple parishes prayed for an end to COVID-19.

Sixth state COVID-19 testing site arrives in St. Cloud

No charge for saliva-based test, open to all Minnesotans

The Rev. Tom Knoblach and the Rev. Terry Jancik and parishioners gathered around the perimeter of the sanctuary, assembling into the physical form of a rosary.

Each person, representing a bead of the Rosary, led one prayer.

It was the first Living Rosary at this Sacred Heart Parish location.

“It’s quite an undertaking, and I’m very excited to see everyone here,” Jancik said. “For me, it’s something very beautiful and very spiritual.”

Rosary page 3

VOTE Find your polling location.

Read about candidates and more on pages 14-19.

BY JAKOB KOUNKEL | STAFF WRITER

ST. CLOUD – The state of Minnesota opened a saliva-based COVID-19 testing site in St. Cloud at the River’s Edge Convention Center, available to all Minnesotans free of charge Oct. 28. The testing site is intended to be barrier-free, meaning any Minnesotan who believes they need testing can do so regardless of insurance status, ability to pay or if they are showing symptoms.

“This is a great addition to our central region,” said Benton County Public Health Supervisor Nicole Ruhoff to Anne O’Connor, who works for the state emergency operations center, before walking into the site for a tour.

Testing page 3 PHOTO BY JAKOB KOUNKEL

Benton County Public Health Supervisor Nicole Ruhoff utilizes one of the many hand sanitizer stations inside the COVID-19 testing facility at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud Oct. 28. Ruhoff said the location is a useful spot for central Minnesota residents.

PUBLIC NOTICES • Benton County Planning Commission Public Hearings - pg. 9 • Benton County Request for Proposals - pg. 9 • Benton County Ord. No. 479 - pg. 9 • Sauk Rapids-Rice School Advertisement for Bids - pg. 8 • Notice of Mechanic’s Lien Sale - pg. 9

OBITUARIES • Michele A. Brown • La June A. Dibb • Diane L. Kaeter

• William “Bill” S. Lovitz • Shirley M. Maurer • Myron F. Thomas

ST R

Publications The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.

NEWS

Page 2 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

A happiest

Halloween

Church brings chocolate, camaraderie at annual trunk or treat

BY NATASHA BARBER | STAFF WRITER

PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER

A group gathers near a campfire at the Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church trunk or treat event Oct. 24 in Rice. The event featured a hayride, campfire with s’mores, photo booth, and a place to warm and receive refreshments inside Fellowship Hall.

RICE – Despite which promotes safety Old Man Winter playing and inclusion for individtricks earlier in the week uals with food allergies. and bringing recordbreaking snow to central Minnesota, community members in Rice gathered Oct. 24 for treats at Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church.

The congregation hosted its annual trunk or treat which included a hayride, campfire with s’mores, photo booth, and a place to warm and receive refreshments inside Fellowship Hall.

Each decorated vehicle that participated in the event had two choices of treats for the costumed participants: traditional Rice resident Brenda Hackett, a congregation member at Shepherd of the Pines Halloween candy and Lutheran Church, dons a jack-o-lantern sweatshirt while handing out candy and nonnon-food prizes as the food treats Oct. 24 in Rice. The free family event participated in the Teal Pumpkin church participated in the Project, which promotes safety and inclusion for individuals with food allergies.

Teal Pumpkin Project,

Hava Edge, 8, is dressed as Uma of “Descendents 2,” a Disney television film, while handing out candy from a “The Lion King”-themed hatchback Oct. 24 at Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church in Rice.

Hava is the daughter of the Rev. David Edge, pastor at the church.

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Holden Plowman (front, from left), 7, and Rowan Plowman, 4; (middle, from left) Amara Wiese, 14, Cayson Plowman, 9, and Morgan Wiese, 9; (back, from left) Andrew Plowman and Amber Wiese are dressed as the characters of “Alice in Wonderland” Oct. 24 in Rice. The Wiese family is from St. Joseph and the Plowmans are from Willmar.

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NEWS

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | Page 3

Winter restrictions effective Nov. 1 No parking on city roadways from 2-7 a.m.

PHOTO BY JAKOB KOUNKEL

Members of the media, site workers, elected officials and public health officials engaged in discussion at the newly opened COVID-19 testing facility at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud Oct. 28 before it officially opened. Attendees had the opportunity to go through the testing process themselves.

As confirmed cases uptick in the area, state health officials herald additional barrier-free testing sites as a key component in protecting Minnesotans from contracting the novel coronavirus.

Shawn Baxley – vice president of field operations for Vault Health, a company the state partnered with to set up and organize testing sites – stressed the importance of a barrier-free testing facility that can accommodate as many people as possible.

“It’s all saliva,” Baxley said. “Nobody is sticking you with a needle or anything up your nose.”

He said when a Minnesota resident feels the need for a test, they drive to the site, park and walk-in, whether having scheduled an appointment or not.

ance information, which remains anonymous.

Baxley said accommodations would be made for those without insurance, and that even if a test-taker enters their insurance information, they will not be billed. Instead, if a person is uninsured or if insurance does not cover the entire cost, the state will cover the difference so testing remains free to everyone.

Baxley said those getting tested spit into a tube up to a black line, which indicates that there is enough saliva for a reliable sample. They then latch the cap onto the saliva tube and shake it for five seconds to mix the saliva sample with a blue testing solution. Lastly, participants drop their samples into a biohazardmarked bag at the testing site.

Results are emailed within 24-48 hours of submitting the test. For those who do not have access to email or a portable device

capable of internet connection, accommodations would be made for them. It might mean a person who took the test goes back to find out results in person or are contacted by phone.

Baxley said they are hoping to administer as many tests as possible every day.

He said other sites in areas more rural than St. Cloud average anywhere from 300-400 tests per day, but it is not uncommon for a metro area to receive 1,300 per day.

“As numbers increase and we transition from summer to fall, the need for additional testing increases,” said Dave Kleis, mayor of St. Cloud. “It’s not only a benefit to the public; it’s a benefit to the city.”

The saliva test, a PCR test, is no less accurate than the traditional nasal swab, Ruhoff said, but it is much more comfortable and less invasive. She said nasopharyngeal swabs are better for people who are not able to administer tests themselves or have motor skill disorders that prevent sufficient saliva collection.

The River’s Edge Convention Center testing site is located at 10 S. Fourth Ave. in St. Cloud.

It is open from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. Baxley encourages those receiving tests to set up an appointment through the Vault health registration site (https://mncovidtestingappt.as.me/schedule. php), but he also said anybody who walks in without an appointment will not be turned away.

SAUK RAPIDS — Winter parking restrictions take effect Nov. 1. The Sauk Rapids Police Department advises residents to become familiar with the ordinance.

According to city code, no vehicles or trailers are to be stopped, left unattended or parked on any street, avenue or thoroughfare within the city limits between the hours of 2-7 a.m. Winter parking restrictions are effective from Nov. 1 through March 31 each calendar year.

The Sauk Rapids Police Department reserves the right to issue citations, impose fines and remove vehicles from roadways. Such vehicles will not be released to the owner until fees for towing and storage are paid in addition to any fines.

A similar ordinance with the same parameters is on file in the city of Rice.

The Sauk Rapids Public Works Director has the authority to declare a snow emergency should there be a presence of or prediction of snow in excess of 4 inches, freezing rain, sleet or other weather that could impede the duties of emergency personnel or vehicular traffic.

Snow emergencies will be announced via radio stations.

During snow emergencies, it is unlawful to park along roadways until the roadway has been cleaned curb to curb.

Homeowners in both Sauk Rapids and Rice should also be aware of other winter season ordinances.

Snow and ice on public sidewalks are considered a public nuisance and abutting property owners are responsible for the removal within 24 hours after the snow or ice is deposited. Failure to do so can result in a special assessment against the adjacent property owner.

It is also unlawful to deposit snow from private property onto public streets and grounds.

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from front

Signs denote two separate lines – one for scheduled visits and one for walk-ins.

He said the line typically moves faster than expected because there are more than 40 tables set up for people to self-administer the test, with enough space at each table for two at a time.

At the front of the socially distanced line, a worker hands out a sealed test kit that contains the saliva tube, a cap for the tube that has a blue solution in it and instructions.

Those looking to get tested then make their way to one of the tables, which are supplied with sanitizer and cleaning supplies that workers use to clean the table after each test.

Also at each table is a QR code that anybody with a smart phone can scan to set up their test. Once the QR code is scanned, instructions will appear on the phone screen so the person with the test can enter personal and insur-

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Testing

PHOTO BY ELLARRY PRENTICE

Julie Lutz (from left), Anita Stoering, Karen Kierzek and Kay Brown join fellow parishioners in reciting the rosary in the sanctuary of Sacred Heart Parish Oct. 25 in Sauk Rapids.

Rosary from front

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Before reciting their prayer on the chain, each person who took the place of a bead lit a candle from the candle of the person before them. Eventually, the whole church was illuminated by candlelight.

In addition to the pandemic, parishioners prayed for the gift of reverence, for God’s guidance on the nation in the wake of the election and for the many needs of the parish.

Sacred Heart Parish hopes to have more Living Rosary services in the future.

October is the month of the rosary. The Living Rosary is an old devotion that appears to have begun in France in 1826, when Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot formed the Living Rosary Association, according to the Catholic Exchange. In all its variations, the Living Rosary bears in common the practice of a group of people, representing the prayers of the rosary and sharing in praying the rosary together.

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NEWS

Page 4 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

Distance learning from front

The release said the decision to move to fulltime distance learning was made after reviewing data provided by Benton County Public Health and Minnesota Department of Health as well as current data relating to the middle school learning community.

According to COVID-19 information from the district’s website, COVID-19 cases that exceed 8% of enrollment in a facility signal closure. If the number of licensed staff absent due to COVID19-related absences reaches 10% or more in one building, closure will be reviewed. The entire facility and activities will close for a minimum of 14 days, and all building students and staff will move to a distance learning model. Those in close contact of the confirmed COVID-19 positive persons will be asked to quarantine according to guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health, which says a person who was in close contact with someone who has or is suspected to have COVID-19 is required to stay away from others for 14 days.

Before the transition Oct. 30, middle school students had been learning via a hybrid model in which they attended classes in the school buildings two days a week and took online classes the other three days.

The school board will review the middle school learning model at the Nov. 9 board meeting for Nov. 12 and beyond.

From Oct. 16-22, the district had six active COVID-19 cases among its population of 4,051 students, and five active COVID-19 cases among its 675 employees, according to data on the district’s website. COVID-19-related absences totaled 219 for students and 29 for staff.

October has seen a COVID-19 positive case spike unlike anything Benton County has experienced so far. Concurrent data taken by the county shows an alarming discrepancy from previous months. Entering October, the largest daily case count in Benton County was 16, recorded Aug. 27.

Since then, the county’s COVID-19 dashboard has recorded 11 days that have reached or exceeded that number, along with daily active case numbers eclipsing 100.

“In the late summer and early fall, we had about 30 active cases (per day),” said Nicole Ruhoff, public health supervisor for Benton County. “Today, we’re at 112. Throughout October, we really saw that creeping up. I think we hit 80, and we’ve been hovering about 100, 100-plus.”

Another critical data point being examined by Benton County is the latter’s 14-day COVID-19 positive case rate per 10,000 people, which was 54.30 for the period of Oct. 4-17.

According to the learning model parameters set in Gov. Tim Walz’s Safe Learning Plan, the recommendation for a district in a county with this rate would be to hold a hybrid learning format for elementary students and distance learning for secondary students.

Currently, elementary students are in-person learning at the school in Rice and two schools in Sauk Rapids. High school students are hybrid learning. Some 600 students across the district are distance learning by choice.

2 Second Ave. S., Suite 135 Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 (320) 251-1971 Sauk Rapids Herald (USPS 21690) is published weekly, 52 times a year, by Star Publications, 2 2nd Ave S., Suite 135, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379-1651. Second-class Postage paid at Sauk Rapids, MN 56379. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sauk Rapids Herald, 2 2nd Ave S, Suite 135, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379-1651.

Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Official newspaper of Benton County, the cities of Sauk Rapids and Rice and Independent School District No. 47

PHOTOS BY ELLARRY PRENTICE

Confetti shoots out of a party popper held by Maya Zaske (center) Oct. 26 in Sauk Rapids as Sauk Rapids-Rice homecoming queen candidates Sarah Anderson (from left), Ava Klug, Justus Floren and Ashley Konietzko look on.

The confetti revealed that Zaske, the daughter of Kelly Cane and Tom Zaske, was chosen as queen.

Zaske, Knettel crowned homecoming royalty

Sauk Rapids-Rice celebrates with limited events due to COVID-19

BY ELLARRY PRENTICE STAFF WRITER

Cheers erupted from Sauk Rapids-Rice High School commons Oct. 26 as Kobe Knettel and Maya Zaske were crowned the 2020 homecoming king and queen.

Kobe is the son of Rachael Ferry and Jason Knettel.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” he said of being crowned this year’s king.

Maya is the daughter of Kelly Cane and Tom Zaske.

“I’m surprised, but I’m happy,” she said.

Both students were looking forward to festivities leading up to Friday’s football game, including dress-up days and pepfest games.

King and queen candidates, selected by their peers, were each given a party popper. All the pyrotechnic devices emitted a loud, popping noise when twisted, but only one of the girls’ and one of the boys’ poppers blew out confetti,

Kobe Knettel and Maya Zaske were crowned the 2020 Sauk Rapids-Rice High School homecoming king and queen Oct. 26 in Sauk Rapids. SRRHS celebrated homecoming with a coronation, dress-up days, scavenger hunt, decorating contest, livestreamed pep fest and football game.

identifying who was selected king and queen.

This year’s homecoming candidates were Sarah Anderson, Jared Bentrud, Justus Floren, Tucker Hendrickson, Austin Jansky, Ava Klug, Ashley Konietzko, Knettel, Adan Lachmansingh and Zaske.

Junior class attendants were Kieryn Hirdler and William Nielsen.

Sophomore class attendants were Saige Moliga and Josh Tapio.

Freshmen class attendants were Kirsten Arnold

and Nikolas Berger.

Coronation looked different this year as precautions were taken to keep students, staff and visitors safe from contracting and transmitting COVID-19. Only family members attended, and albeit one game played by the senior candidates, the event featured no entertainment. Despite the modifications, coronation emcees Bella Kohout and Taylor Sidla said they are thankful for the opportunity to celebrate with the

school and community.

Other Storm homecoming events included a spirit stick scavenger hunt and a first-ever door decorating contest.

Each day, a new photo of the spirit stick, hidden somewhere in Sauk Rapids, was shared. Students filled out a form with their guess of where the photo was taken. For every correct guess, per grade, spirit points were awarded. The grade with the most points – accumulated through points earned from the scavenger hunt and from participation in five dressup days – received the 2020 spirit stick.

As part of the doordecorating contest, each first-hour class decorated the door of their classroom using a Halloween theme for a chance to win candy prizes. Bonus points were awarded to classes who incorporated a Storm Spirit into their design.

Dress-up days were: Morning Monday, Tye Dye Tuesday, Class Color Day Wednesday, Tropical Thursday and Storm Strong Friday.

Students also attended a virtual pepfest, livestreamed from the main gym, Friday afternoon and hosted a Not-SoScary Storm Halloween Drive-Thru Oct. 30 at the high school.

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OBITUARIES/NEWS William “Bill” S. Lovitz

Funeral services were 11 a.m. Oct. 28 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sauk Rapids for William “Bill” S. Lovitz, age 83 who passed away at the St. Cloud Hospital Oct. 24, 2020. The Rev. David Hinz and the Rev. John Beck officiated and burial was at the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery. Masks and social distancing were strongly encouraged.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home, Sauk Rapids.

Bill was born Dec. 17, 1936, in Sauk Rapids to Carl and Lena (Athen) Lovitz. He married his wife Geri Keske Aug. 5, 1958, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dicksville. Together, they raised three children on their hobby farm in Sauk Rapids. Bill worked as a foreman for the paper mill in Sartell for 37 years.

William “Bill” S. Lovitz

He had strong faith and was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sauk Rapids and Sauk Rapids and Rice Sportsman’s Clubs. Bill liked to keep busy and was very outgoing and positive. He enjoyed fishing, gardening, hunting, playing cards, and dancing to his favorite old-time music.

Bill was a loving husband, father, grandfather, greatgrandfather, brother and friend and will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Myron F. Thomas

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in St. Cloud for Myron F. Thomas, 87 of St. Cloud who passed away at his home Oct. 27, 2020. The Rev. Leroy Scheierl will officiate and entombment will be at Hilltop Mausoleum in Sauk Rapids. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids and also one hour prior to services at the church in St. Cloud Wednesday.

Parish prayers will be at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday evening at the funeral home in Sauk Rapids.

Myron was born Aug. 19, 1933, in Millerville to Frank and Ethel (Koeplin) Thomas. He served our country in the U.S. Army in Stuttgart, Germany for two years. Myron married Dolores Reginek May 26, 1955 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in

Myron F. Thomas

Sauk Rapids. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business administration from St. Cloud State University and a master’s in social work from University of Minnesota-Duluth. Myron was a social worker at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center, retiring in 1989.

He was a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Waite Park American Legion Post 428, and St. Cloud Fraternal Order of

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | Page 5

What’s Happening

Bill is survived by his wife of 62 years, Geri of Sauk Rapids; children, Cindy (Kevin) Molitor of Little Falls, Rick (Donna) Lovitz of Lake George, and Wendy (Tim) Gilbert of Sauk Rapids; sisters, Elaine Dollar of Sauk Rapids, and Ruth Reber of Sauk Rapids; grandchildren Barry (Amy) Molitor, Kristi (Nahum) Moreno Olivera, Kelly Molitor (Caroline Domenech), Katie (Brad) Schlomann, Erin Schlichting, Alex Schlichting, and Jake Gilbert; great grandchildren, Matthew and Lucas Molitor, and Allie and Emily Moreno Olivera. Bill was preceded in death by his parents; grandson, Kevin Lovitz; great granddaughter, Abigail Molitor; and siblings, Ray Lovitz, and Irene Zwick.

Obituary, guest book and video tribute available online at www. williamsdingmann.com.

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Eagles Aerie 622. Myron enjoyed trips to the casino, going to the cabin and visiting with others.

He also loved to play cards, especially 500 and cribbage. He lived each day with a bright smile on his face and gratitude in his heart. He shared his good-natured jokes with all who were lucky enough to meet him. He is greatly missed.

Myron is survived by his son and daughter, Bill Thomas of St. Joseph and Kelly (Kevin) Malquist of St. Cloud; grandchildren, Anne Malquist, John (Steph) Malquist, Ben Thomas, Abbie Thomas, and Katie Thomas; and too many dear friends to list. He was preceded in death by his parents; and wife, Dolores in 1993.

Obituary and guest book available online at www.williamsdingmann. com.

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“Our Country is in Mourning, A Soldier Died Today.”

La June A. Dibb

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2020, at Faith Lutheran Church in St. Cloud for La June A. Dibb, age 91, who passed away Oct. 29, 2020, at her granddaughter’s residence. The Rev. Joshua Reber will officiate and burial will be at Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Sauk Rapids. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services Tuesday at the church. Arrangements have been entrusted to Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids.

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CHECK US OUT ONLINE WWW.SAUKRAPIDSHERALD.COM

Diane L. Kaeter

Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sauk Rapids for Diane L. Kaeter, age 58, who passed away Oct. 27, 2020, at her home.

The Rev. David Hinz will officiate and burial will be in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be 1-4 p.m. Saturday at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids and one hour prior to the services Monday at the church.

Diane was born Oct. 26, 1962, in St. Cloud to Robert and Marie (Neubeck) Mendel. She married Paul Kaeter May 21, 1988. Diane was an accounting manager for Rural Aids Action Network and

Diane L. Kaeter

she specialized in nonprofits for over 25 years.

She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church.

Diane was strong-willed, determined, dependable, and was always there for everyone. She enjoyed spending time at the lake and taking boat rides.

Diane loved animals, especially dogs. She loved

Michele A. Brown

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m.

Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, at Annunciation Catholic Church in Mayhew Lake for Michele A. Brown, age 58, who passed away Oct. 27, 2020, at her home. The Rev. Thomas Knoblach will officiate and burial will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation was from 5-9 p.m. Friday at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids and one hour prior to the services Saturday at the church.

Michele Angela Brown was born Sept.

2, 1962, in St. Cloud to Eugene “Bob” and Delores (Brown) Brown.

She lived in Rice most of her life and was a member of Annunciation Catholic Church and

Michele A. Brown

Rice American Legion Post 473. Michele worked at Fingerhut prior to working in maintenance at Mississippi Heights School in Sauk Rapids.

She enjoyed fishing, snowmobiling, playing softball, and anything outdoors. Michele had a good sense of humor and loved all the kids at school.

Her nieces and nephews

Shirley M. Maurer

Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids for Shirley M. Maurer, age 85, who passed away Oct. 26, 2020, at Country Manor Health Care Center in Sartell. The Rev. Maggie Berndt-Dreyer will officiate and burial will be at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery near Little Falls. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Sunday and one hour prior to the services Monday at the funeral home.

Shirley was born Nov. 14, 1934, in Brainerd to John and Agnes (Roff) Husman. She married Cyril Maurer April 27, 1956, in Fort Ripley.

Shirley graduated from Pillager High School in 1952. She then completed one year of teacher training in Staples and later obtained a bachelor’s degree in education

Shirley M. Maurer

from St. Cloud State University in 1974. Shirley was a teacher at Rice Elementary in Rice and Hillside Middle School in Sauk Rapids for 34 years, retiring in 1990. She was a member of Celebration Lutheran Church in Sartell and the Minnesota Education Association.

Shirley enjoyed arts and crafts, painting, sewing, baking pies, traveling, family reunion picnics, and spending time at their lake home. She was very detail oriented, organized,

her family and was most proud of her boys.

Diane is survived by her husband, Paul of Sauk Rapids; sons, Cole of Monticello and Josh (Kelli) of Rock Hill, South Carolina; mother, Marie Mendel of Sauk Rapids; brother and sisters, David (Joanne) Mendel of St. Cloud, Gail (Paul) Hanson of Hackensack, and Robin (Steve) Kraemer of St. Cloud; and many nieces, nephews, relative, and friends. Diane was preceded in death by her father, Robert Mendel.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.

Obituary, guest book and video tribute available online at www. williamsdingmann.com.

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were very special to her.

Michele is survived by her mother, Delores Brown of Rice; brothers and sisters, Eugene “Geno” (Donna) Brown of Rice, Gwen (Doug) Gravelle of Sartell, Barb (Don) Gravelle of Rice, John (Judy) Brown of Bowlus, Tim (Dolly) Brown of St. Cloud, Scott (Tammy Eveslage) Brown of Rice, and Jackie (Matt) Fountain of Royalton; her dog, Buster; and many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews.

Michele was preceded in death by her father, Eugene “Bob” on April 5, 1984; and her dog, Maggie.

Obituary, guest book and video tribute available online at www. williamsdingmann.com.

R-44-1B

and extremely generous.

Shirley was head of the Sauk Rapids Teachers Union, Teacher of the Year in 1989, and was very proud of her teaching career.

Shirley is survived by her son and daughters, Mike (Jil) Maurer of Rice, Julie (Peter) Trousil of Rice, and Kate Maurer of Stanchfield; brother, Marvin Husman of Texas; grandchildren, Marie (Chad) Eggert of Rice and Jacob Trousil of St. Cloud; and great grandchildren, Morgan, Teagan, and Bria Eggert. Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Cyril in 2015; brothers, Harold, John, and Tom Husman; and sisters, Margaret Lewis, Caroline Harper, and Emma Jean Iverson.

Obituary, guest book and video tribute available online at www. williamsdingmann.com.

R-44-1B

Page 6 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

EDITORIAL

Tall indoor plants Have you ever had a houseplant grow bigger than you expected it to? Researching the plant’s characteristics is a good idea before starting a new plant indoors.

Combined with a height that may reach the ceiling, the pots that contain these GREEN AND plants will be heavy GROWING IN BENTON and difficult to move.

COUNTY Sturdy platforms with BY LINDA G. TENNESON castors are useful if the plant will be moved outdoors during the summer months. Use care with watering, fertilizing and light conditions.

Some, like the Norfolk Island pine, a native of Norfolk Island, next door to Australia can grow to 12 feet tall indoors if allowed to do so. However, the plant may be pruned to keep it at a manageable height.

Schefflera is a foliage houseplant that can grow to 6 feet tall. Also known as the umbrella plant, the dwarf version may reach 15 feet tall in its native climate. As a houseplant, 5-6 feet is more usual. It may flower but seldom does so in indoors. The schefflera has large leaves that grow in seven to nine leaflets in a circle at the end of the stem. Bright indirect lighting is best.

The fiddle-leaf fig, or ficus, can grow up to 10 feet tall and needs a lot of bright light. It dislikes sudden changes in light or temperature and may drop its leaves in protest to changes in these conditions. Rubber plants are easy to grow and can reach 10 feet in height. They grow faster in bright light but will grow in lower light as well. Its long, glossy leaves are large and usually oval. There are many varieties of ficus with different leaf shapes.

The rubber plant belongs to the ficus family which also includes the weeping fig. It likes moist but not soggy soil and bright light and may be pruned to keep it a manageable size. The Bird of Paradise is slightly shorter with a predicted height of 7 feet. It has leaves that may reach 3 feet in length, and this plant has the distinctive orange and blue flowers.

It needs bright light for at least five hours a day.

The money tree, which is different from the Chinese money plant, is sometimes grown with three stems braided together in the nursery. It may be grown in a bathroom if there is bright light as well as humidity. Monstera deliciosa, or Swiss cheese plant, has very large leaves that may be heart shaped or consist of long finger-like shapes.

This plant grows wide as well as tall and can adapt to lower-light conditions but prefers bright indirect light. The parlor palm is another tree-like plant that likes higher humidity and can adapt to lower light conditions. The African milk tree is a succulent but looks like a cactus with spikes and small leaves. It may grow to 8 feet and can become top heavy unless it is cut back to keep the height manageable. The milky sap can cause skin irritation. The corn plant is interesting because it looks a like field corn plant with long woody stalks and can grow to 12 feet tall. As with all plants, check to see if they are toxic to children or pets.

Linda. G. Tenneson is a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener and Tree Care Advisor.

Traditional letters to the editor policy Letters to the editor and other opinion articles are welcome. Letters must be signed with a first and last name and include an address and phone number. Letters should be under 400 words and to the point, and be submitted by 10 a.m.

Friday. Anything over 400 words will be charged accordingly.

E-mail to

natasha@saukherald.com

Pause, then reconsider Have you ever questioned your believe in the infallible word of God, own process involved in forming your what is the next right thing that will save personal beliefs and therefore your the most lives? Trump’s character is so actions? I just did. I read an article by the blatantly flawed. But there is hope. Just Rev. John Piper that shook me to the core. like those who have chosen abortion can The moment was brief but necessary to repent and be saved by believing in the determine what I believed as truth. son of God, Trump has time to repent and In an article on desiringgod.org, Piper submit his arrogance under the authority came out to the public Oct. 22 with his of God. He has proven in his term in office stance on the election and how he was that he will do what he says by enacting LIFE BY FAITH going to cast his vote – only to say he was pro-life policies. He has appointed two not going to vote for either candidate. BY MERCY NYGAARD Supreme Court justices and nearly 200 What Piper pointed out was the moral federal judges – all of which have made dilemma afflicting so many Christians. He made an impact for the protection of human dignity in the it clear he believes the moral character of Donald United States.

Trump, who represents Republicans, is as sinful as Historical theologian Albert Mohler impresses the “baby-killing, sex-switching, freedom-limiting about these actions from Trump, “The candidate and socialistic overreach,” that will come if we vote who was pro-abortion became pro-life. He actually for Joe Biden, who represents Democrats. Piper’s did what he said he’d do. … It’s the oddest thing.” intent was to make Christians pause.

If we protect human dignity starting at the right “Worse, worse, worse,” that is what kept to life at birth, then we have our launching point echoing in my mind after reading his article. “Is to respect the rest of human dignity and human Trump’s character worse than?” I asked. After all, welfare. Baby-killing, sex-switching, freedomI had wrote a column that said despite his awful limiting and socialistic overreach, as Piper describes character, Trump supports the unborn life and the as democratically-endorsed actions, directly attack health of family units and that is the most important the family structure as God designed it. And, what element in society. about our religious freedoms? Mohler points out I dissected Piper’s entire article and concluded that Trump has corrected many of the infringements that instead of worse, he conveyed the president’s on religious liberty caused by the policy mandates character as sinful and deadly. of previous administrations. He has made religious “So was I wrong, God?” liberty an American priority at home and abroad.

Piper eloquently painted a picture of our time Under his administration, the Department of Justice here on earth as sojourners. He said pastors should and the attorney general have defended religious teach in a way that we are prepared for the end of liberty. Trump even extended conscience protection democracy. Did you know that America is no where to those whose world views are not explicitly listed in Bible prophecy? It might not even exist religious. when the time comes. So, Piper asks pastors, “Have If my calling is to continue to encourage and you been cultivating real Christians? Or have you equip others to live for God’s glory at all cost in our inadvertently created the mindset that the greatest short time left, then the right to life and the protection issue in life is saving America and its earthly of religious freedom is of the utmost importance. It benefits? Or have you shown your people that the helps us to turn more eyes to Jesus in the short time greatest issue is exalting Christ with or without we have left by protecting the family unit and being America? Have you shown them the people who do able to model it to others. The democratic party the most good for the greatest number for the longest continues to support full term, unlimited abortions time (including America) are people who have the and the enforced submission to transgender claims aroma of another world with another king?” throughout society, as young as 8- and 10-yearHere is what I know based on history: All the old children transitioning between sexes. This is hallmarks of sinful corruption are in place that damaging to psyches and family structures. have desolated empires and nations before us.

Voting for the Republican party may help us On average, empires, civilizations and nations make it past the average life span for empires and have lasted 250 years, according to British author nations. To what avail? We pray for God’s grace and lecturer Sir John Glubb. The United States is each day for more people to know him and his roughly 240 years old. If we are nearing the end as a kingdom that is to come. America will not always result of our consistent progression of moral decay be here, and I am thankful for godly men like John and disregard for the sanctity of human life, along Piper and Albert Mohler who form their thoughts in with strengthening our spiritual resolve for what is articles that cause us to pause and reconsider if what to come, we must continue to do the next right thing. we truly believe is the truth.

Based on our short time left, for those who

EDITORIAL/ NEWS

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | Page 7

The candy drawer lives on

The holidays – generally speaking, him asking, “Did you guys grab pop?” or Thanksgiving and Christmas – can be left without him saying, “Grab some candy extremely painful after you’ve lost a for the road.” loved one. For me, Halloween is when I Positioned next to his recliner, where miss my dad the most. he read newspapers and ag sections cover Candy was a staple in our home – the to cover every day, the squeaky drawer was aisle of sweets an essential stop every part of an ugly old end table, but it remains, grocery shopping trip – so, naturally, to this day, a mainstay in the house that Dad bought a hundred dollars’ worth built me. every October. And he did this knowing Dad died in that recliner, next to the there’d probably be less than a handful of EXPRESSIONS BY EL candy drawer, which I kept full in his final kids knocking on our farm house in the BY ELLARRY PRENTICE weeks, even when he could no longer eat boonies. his beloved black licorice and chocolateHomes in the country don’t get many trick-or- covered cherries. treaters, but the neighbor kids always knocked. Then, Last fall, a few months after his death, my siblings they grew up, and Dad’s trick-or-treating attendance and I went through the house, taking what we wanted records dropped to about three or four grandkids. and donating the rest. We thought the task would only Still, he’d drop a Benjamin or more on bags of fun- take a few hours, as Dad was a neat freak, but, closet by sized chocolate bars, Milk Duds, Skittles, Starburst, closet, we discovered he’d still amassed a lot of stuff in Tootsie Rolls and everything else under the sun. Then, the 47 years he lived there. he’d make about two dozen popcorn balls and a pan of My nephew, who is taking over the farm, had one Special K bars. condition: “The candy drawer stays.”

Somehow, he never tipped the scale over 145 I hope heaven has Dr. Pepper and rivers of pounds and, besides a few cavities, had teeth. chocolate.

The rest of the year, Dad’s infamous candy drawer, Happy Halloween. and pop fridge, remained full. You never arrived without

BREAK CROSSWORD

High school teacher in running to be ‘Greatest Baker’

BY ELLARRY PRENTICE STAFF WRITER

SAUK RAPIDS – Mary Levinski is taking her baking skills to the next level. The Sauk Rapids-Rice High School culinary teacher is in the running to be The Greatest Baker of 2020.

Every year, bakers from everywhere compete in the world’s largest online competition for bakers, according to the website greatestbaker. com.

The competition is hosted by Jen Barney, twotime Food Network baking champion and owner of Meringue Bakery & Café in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The winner will receive worldwide recognition as The Greatest Baker of 2020, $10,000 in cash, a year’s supply of milk chocolatefilled marshmallows and will be featured in Bake from Scratch Magazine.

The winner will be determined by votes. To

vote for Levinski, visit greatestbaker.com/2020/ mary-levinski. A link is also on the school district’s Facebook page. Anyone with a Facebook login can vote daily for free or purchase votes benefiting the No Kid Hungry Foundation.

The voting is split into multiple categories, reducing the number of competitors each time.

As of Thursday morning, Levinski was in first place in her voting group.

Voting for the top 10 group ends at 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.

Top 5 voting for each group is Nov. 5-12; group winners voting is Nov. 1219; quarterfinals voting is Nov. 20-26; semifinal voting is Nov. 27 to Dec. 3; and finals voting is Dec. 4-10.

“I love making people happy through sharing my baking skills,” Levinski said on her online voting page.

Levinski has been baking all her life. Her

signature baked goods are cookies, scones and breads.

Her best baking secret: “Use the freshest ingredients and don’t skimp on the good chocolate. Don’t be afraid

to try new recipes and techniques.”

If she wins, and is featured in the magazine, Levinski said she is going to talk about her students at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School.

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NEWS

Page 10 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

Golembeski retires from fire department

Recognized by council for 34 years of service to Sauk Rapids

BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER

SAUK RAPIDS – Members of the Sauk Rapids Fire Department traded in their turnout gear for dress blues Oct. 26 as they answered the call to recognize one of their own at Monday’s Sauk Rapids City Council meeting.

A crowd of volunteer firefighters gathered inside council chambers as Mike Golembeski was recognized for his retirement after serving 34 years on the city’s fire department.

Sauk Rapids Fire Chief Jason Fleming thanked Golembeski, his wife, Marianne, and their daughter, Laura, for the family’s commitment, sacrificing their family time when calls arose.

Fleming shared information

on Golembeski’s service including that Golembeski has worked under five chiefs, he started the firefighter’s dance which has been an annual event for over a decade, and he has been named the firefighter of the year more than once for making the most calls from the department over a 12-month period.

After being presented a firefighter statute from Mayor Kurt Hunstiger, Golembeski had his turn at the microphone.

He thanked his family, his sisters and brothers on the fire department for watching his back for 34 years, the Sauk Rapids Police Department, the Sauk Rapids City Council and the community.

In other council news: – The city also recognized Jeff Moon for serving six years on the housing and

PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER

Mike Golembeski speaks inside the Sauk Rapids Government Center council chambers Oct. 26 in Sauk Rapids. Golembeski was recognized for serving the city for 34 years as he retires from being a volunteer firefighter.

redevelopment authority. and approved authorizing the – Hosted a public hearing plans and specifications for the 2021 Pleasantwood Addition Improvement Project.

The nearly $3 million project consists of complete road and curb and gutter reconstruction in the Pleasantwood Addition neighborhood which includes portions of Seventh Avenue North, Eighth Avenue North, Oak Court, 13th Street North, 12th Street North and 11 1/2 Street North. Storm sewer throughout the development will also be improved.

During the public hearing, three residents, all whom live on Seventh Avenue North, voiced concerns. A letter received by the city from David Laliberte expressed the need for sidewalks in the improvement area. Joe Henke asked the council to consider the choice of curbing as he said a steeper curb would not Jeff Moon (center) accepts a plaque on behalf of the city from Mark Campbell (left), former mayor and allow people with recreational Sauk Rapids Housing and Redevelopment Authority chair, and Sauk Rapids Mayor Kurt Hunstiger Oct. 26 vehicles to park into their yards, in Sauk Rapids. Moon has served six years on the city’s HRA. thus reducing sight lights and constraining the traffic path.

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Emma Leuthardt voiced a concern for the timing of the project, given the financial strains of residents because of the coronavirus pandemic.

She was also concerned of the area’s shallow lawns and disruption to landscaping investments.

The council will take the comments under consideration as it moves forward and gave consensus that the project be discussed further by the public works committee.

The project includes street, curb and gutter, and storm sewer assessments – an estimated $751,500 – that will be added to property taxes of benefitting homeowners.

An assessment hearing will take place toward the end of construction where property owners will find out their final assessment cost. The first payment for homeowners would be in May 2022 – The city compost site is scheduled to be open through Nov. 14.

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Page 12 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

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VOTER GUIDE

Page 14 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

VOTE City of Rice Rice City Hall, 205 E. Main St., Rice.

City of Sartell, Benton County Precinct 2 – Solid Rock Family Church, 301 First Ave. NE, Sartell.

City of Sauk Rapids Precinct 1 – Community Room at Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. Sauk Rapids.

Use main entrance.

Precinct 2 – Council chambers at Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. Sauk Rapids.

Use main entrance. Voters had previously been assigned to Mississippi Heights Elementary School and Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School.

Precinct 3 – Discovery Church, 700 18th St. NW, Sauk Rapids.

Use Door No. 2. Voters were previously assigned to Pleasantview Elementary School.

Precinct 4 – Riverside Church, 1702 W. Highview Drive, Sauk Rapids.

Precinct 5 – Community room at Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N., Sauk Rapids Use the police department entrance.

Precinct 6 – Mail ballot or Benton County AuditorTreasurer’s Office, 531 Dewey St., Foley.

City of St. Cloud, Benton County Ward 2 Precinct 1 – Eastside Boys and Girls Club, 320 Raymond Ave. NE, St. Cloud.

Ward 2 Precinct 3 – Eastside Boys and Girls Club, 320 Raymond Ave. NE, St. Cloud.

Ward 2 Precinct 4 – MTC Building, 665 Franklin Ave. NE, St. Cloud.

Graham Township Graham Town Hall, 14255 45th Ave. NE, Rice.

Langola Township Mail ballot or Benton County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office, 531 Dewey St., Foley.

Mayhew Lake Township Mayhew Lake Town Hall, 9511 55th Ave. NE, Foley.

Minden Township – Precinct 1 – Minden Town Hall, 2989 Golden Spike Road NE, Sauk Rapids.

Precinct 2 – Minden Town Hall, 2989 Golden Spike Road NE, Sauk Rapids.

Sauk Rapids Township Sauk Rapids Town Hall, 4651 Mayhew Lake Road NE, Sauk Rapids.

Watab Township Watab Town Hall, 660 75th St. NW, Sauk Rapids.

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Voters urged to hand deliver, vote in person

Court rules absentee ballots arriving after 8 p.m. Election Day must be set aside

BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER

Editor’s note: This story was developing as the Sauk Rapids Herald went to press.

RICE – “Voters should no longer place their absentee ballots in the mail.”

Those were the words of Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon Oct. 29 after the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a decision that allowed absentee ballots to be counted up to seven days following Election Day. The 2-1 decision said the extended period put in place by Simon prior to the Aug. 11 primary was unconstitutional because it was not determined by the Legislature. The court ruled ballots arriving after 8 p.m.

Nov. 3 must be separated in the event a future ruling deems them invalid.

In an evening teleconference with the media, Simon steered focus away from his disappointment and disagreement and toward the task at hand.

“We have to make sure that every legally cast ballot is counted; period,” he said. “That is the mission from here through Tuesday.”

Prior to the ruling, voters were informed that

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absentee ballots would be valid as long as they were postmarked by Election Day. Now, voters must ensure ballots are returned to the county seat by 3 p.m.

Election Day if delivering by hand, vote in-person absentee Oct. 31 or Nov. 2, or vote at their polling location Nov. 3. Simon said those in line when polls close at 8 p.m. will not be turned away.

“The absolute, accepted, iron-clad rule in Minnesota is that if you are in line at 8 p.m., you are good to go,” Simon said. “You will be given the opportunity to vote, no matter what and no matter how long it takes.”

Simon said nearly 400,000 absentee ballots are outstanding in Minnesota, whether in transit or in voters’ possession.

According to Benton County Auditor Treasurer Nadean Inman, Benton County has approximately 24,000 registered voters and 8,054 absentee ballots had been requested as of Oct. 29. Just over 6,250 absentee ballots had been received at the county as of Thursday, leaving roughly 1,800 ballots in transit or yet to be returned.

“Minnesota is No. 1, regularly, in voter turnout for a reason and that is that Minnesotans will always find a way to vote,” Simon said. “We’re going to do that again this year, and I don’t think anything can stop us. In fact, I think we’ll overcome all challenges. That includes a once in a century pandemic and that includes a lastminute judicial ruling; I’m confident in that.”

The ruling adds more

confusion as to whether or not voters will have answers to political races in a timely manner after precincts close. The answer remains that official results may take days after Election Day. Originally, Simon said official totals could take as long as Nov. 10. Regardless of the ruling, state statute allows up to two days past Election Day for officials to count cast ballots.

Simon said the language of the ruling calls officials to separate ballots but does not detail whether or not the ballots should be counted, leaving open possibilities.

“One of which is that we keep counting them; we segregate them, but we keep counting them,” Simon said. “So, whatever the number is that are in by 8 p.m., we count those and then there is a separate tally for those that come in afterward.”

Simon said his offices could count the votes and report dual results; whether the votes will be validated and added to the official results will be left up to the court.

The ruling may only apply to the presidential election but Simon said that has yet to be clarified.

What voters can do: – Voters should no longer place absentee ballots in the mail.

– If a ballot has been mailed, voters can check the status of the ballot online at mnvotes.org/track.

If the ballot has not been received, Benton County residents can vote by inperson absentee from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, or 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at the Benton County Auditor-Treasurer’s office, 531 Dewey St., Foley. People may also vote at their designated polling place on Election Day. To find your precinct and polling location, visit pollfinder.sos. state.mn.us.

– Voters can hand deliver their absentee ballot by 3 p.m. Nov. 3 to the Benton County AuditorTreasurer’s office, 531 Dewey St., Foley. People can return the ballots directly to office personnel or place the ballot in the secure dropbox to the right of the front door of the building. Voters may have someone they trust deliver the ballot in most instances, according to the Secretary of State. Absentee ballots cannot be returned to polling locations.

– Any voter can always cast a ballot on Election Day. – Those with questions can call the voter hotline at 877-600-8683.

Langola Township and Gilman residents – Mail in ballots must be returned to the Benton County Auditor Treasurer’s Office by Nov. 3.

– Those wishing to vote in person can do so at the Benton County Auditor Treasurer’s Office, 531 Dewey St., Foley, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31; from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, or from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Contact Benton County Elections at 320-9685006 with questions.

Election Day closings

Public buildings open only to voter traffic Nov. 3 Sauk Rapids Government Center Sauk Rapids City Hall will be closed to all non-voter traffic Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Compost permits, building permits and water payments can be paid online by visiting the city’s website at www. ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us.

The Sauk Rapids Government Center will be open and serving as a polling place for voters in Sauk Rapids Precincts 1, 2 and 5. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. To find out where you vote, visit https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us.

Sauk Rapids City Hall will resume regular hours of operation Wednesday, Nov. 4.

St. Cloud Public Library The St. Cloud Public Library, branch of the Great River Regional Library sys-

tem, will be closed Election Day, Nov. 3.

Library services, such as curbside pickup and GRRL Hotline, will still be available. However, because the St. Cloud Public Library building is also a polling location, the building will only be opened to voters to eliminate congestion.

The library is one of 28 polling locations in the city of St. Cloud. Know where your polling place is located by visiting https://pollfinder.sos.state. mn.us/.

The library will reopen Nov. 4 for its regular hours, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., for grab-and-go service.

To learn more about additional services in your community, call 1-833438-4775 or visit griver.org.

VOTER GUIDE

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | Page 15

Meet the candidates: MN HOUSE DISTRICT 13B Benjamin Carollo, a Democratic candidate, is challenging incumbent Rep. Tim O’Driscoll, a Republican candidate, for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 13B.

Tim O’Driscoll, Age: 56 Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I am the current state representative for Minnesota House District 13B. Away from the Capitol, I am employed as a corporate trainer and hold a bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University. I am a former mayor and city council member in the city of Sartell, and I’m also a co-founder of Sartell’s SummerFest. I’m also very actively involved in volunteering for our community.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary? If so, what? Gov. Walz’s executive orders were designed to give our hospitals time to prepare for COVID-19 patients. He then allowed big box stores to re-open and forced Main Street business to stay closed. He also made the decision to take elderly and vulnerable COVID-19 positive patients out of the hospital and put them into nursing homes, which was a horrible choice that has resulted in far too many deaths. We are no longer in the emergency phase of this pandemic; we are in the management phase and that means the legislature should have a say as to how our state moves forward. To me, the best way to mitigate economic damage is to continue pressing for the further opening of Minnesota’s economy by Gov. Walz. The executive orders have severely crippled the way many small businesses can serve their customers. These goals can be accomplished in a safe manner.

Why are you running for office? I love finding solutions for the people of central Minnesota and helping residents solve problems. Whether it’s prioritizing law enforcement, helping Minnesotans recover from the ongoing pandemic, finding ways to improve the costs of prescription drugs or lower healthcare costs, or listening to a resident with a personal issue, I’ve always enjoyed making a positive differ- The Legislature will be tasked with adopting a twoence in the lives of others and helping whenever I can. year budget in 2021 with a looming shortfall due to the financial impact of COVID-19. What will be your Why do you think you are the best candidate to repre- approach to balancing the budget in terms of reducsent the constituents of District 13B? I have lived in this ing spending and/or raising taxes and fees? We are area most of my life and have a thorough understanding of still awaiting Gov. Walz’s recommendations as to reducthe unique challenges our district faces. Giving back to the tions in state spending, but we cannot meet to take action community is important to me, and I enjoy making a posi- until the governor calls the Legislature into session. That tive difference as your state representative. My goals next said, we need to recognize that working families have session are to protect you from unnecessary tax increases, faced significant economic struggles over the past sevgrow jobs by creating a business-friendly environment, eral months, and government is going to need to follow continue improving our road and bridge infrastructure, suit. We need to analyze state government programs to fight for equitable K-12 education funding, lower your determine if they are serving the taxpayers effectively, healthcare costs and support veterans issues. and crack down on any fraud or waste that’s found within these agencies. We should not be looking to increase taxes.

Meet the candidates:

MN SENATE DISTRICT 13

Michael Willemsen, a Democratic candidate, is challenging incumbent Sen. Jeff Howe, a Republican candidate, for a seat in the Minnesota Senate, representing District 13. Willemsen could not be reached by phone or email to confirm receipt of the Sauk Rapids Herald questionnaire.

Jeff Howe, Age: 61 Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I grew up on a farm in western Minnesota prior to joining the Navy. I graduated from St. Cloud State University where I met my wife. We have raised a family and lived in the district for over 35 years giving me an understanding of the struggles families face. I have served for 27 years on three local fire departments, have 38 years of military service, served on the Rockville City Council, served in the Minnesota House for six years and in the Senate for two years. I own a small code consulting business.

Why are you running for office? When I returned from Iraq, I was concerned about how my soldiers were struggling with reintegration, finding jobs and taking care of their families. That was the motivation to run for office.

I knew Minnesota could do better as our state was ranked near the bottom for being friendly for veterans. We have changed that due to the legislation that has been passed, and Minnesota is now near the top. But, there is more to do. I believe if Minnesota is a good place for veterans to live, work and retire, it will be a good place for all families.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to represent the constituents of District 13? I believe I represent District 13 well due to my understanding of the district and its unique mix of agriculture, manufacturing, retail and tourism. I believe I can better represent all of the residents of District 13 with my background, experience and relationships that I have built with the people, community leaders and area legislators.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary?

If so, what? I, like most people, supported the first two weeks of shut down as there was limited information about the virus. This is a serious health concern that people must educate themselves on and be proactive in their response. We now understand how it spreads, who is most at risk and the threats associated with the virus.

The state should provide the information to the people about the risks, probability of outcomes and let the people decide. Currently, one man makes the decisions for all of Minnesota without including the legislature, who are the people’s elected voices. Our seniors should not be dying alone in care facilities, children need to be back in schools, and school sporting activities need to resume.

The Legislature will be tasked with adopting a twoyear budget in 2021 with a looming shortfall due to the financial impact of COVID-19. What will be your approach to balancing the budget in terms of reducing spending and/or raising taxes and fees? The sooner state agencies begin to respond to the deficit, the easier it will be to balance the budget. The Senate has asked state agencies to prepare for a 10% reduction in the planned increases. The agencies have not responded, so, to my knowledge, have not even begun to prepare to respond to the deficit. That to me is very short sighted. Gov. Walz should be ensuring his commissioners are doing due diligence and preparing for the shortfall.

The sooner we begin to allow our economy to open, the smaller our deficit will be and the easier the deficit will be to respond to. Everyone has been impacted by the virus and raising taxes will jeopardize any hopes of a recovery. The families and businesses cannot afford a tax increase that will reduce their incomes and spending.

Less income and spending results in less revenue for local and state government.

Benjamin Carollo, Age: 26 Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. With my experience in the military as a geospatial intelligence analyst for four years, my undergraduate degree in social sciences and nearing my completion of my master’s in biosecurity this fall, I have a wide range of experience that combines real-world experience with the broad understanding that is necessary for good governance.

Why are you running for office? I am running because I believe there are few in office today who truly represent the voices of working-class people, and I want to improve the conditions of working people in our state.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to represent the constituents of District 13B? I’m not afraid to bring new ideas into the fold, and I prioritize the needs of working people at all times. That means fighting to lower income, property and sales taxes while increasing taxes on large corporations to keep our public services operational.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary? If so, what? While we did better than many states, we did far worse than nearly every country. At this point, we need to invest aggressively in contract tracing and ensure that any vaccine is made available to the public completely free of cost.

The Legislature will be tasked with adopting a two-year budget in 2021 with a looming shortfall due to the financial impact of COVID-19. What will be your approach to balancing the budget in terms of reducing spending and/ or raising taxes and fees? We can avoid raising taxes and making cuts if we put in place a state bank that would allow us to manage a temporary deficit while we recover. As soon as government services like road repairs and social safety net programs are cut then jobs are lost and a downward economic spiral begins. We need investment in affordable housing, and low-interest financing for working people so we can get back on our feet and a state bank could do that.

Avoiding delays on Election Day Sauk Rapids staff offers voter tips SAUK RAPIDS – The city of Sauk Rapids wants to ensure its residents and area community members are informed as the country moves toward the general election Nov. 3. They offer these tips to voters.

Note, face coverings will be required at polling places in accordance with Minnesota Emergency Executive Order 20-81.

Know where your polling place is located. Voters are only allowed to vote at the polling location for the precinct in which they reside. Sauk Rapids has five precincts. Note, voters previously assigned to Pleasantview Elementary School as a polling place are now assigned to Discovery Church, 700 18th St. N.W. Also, voters previously assigned to Mississippi Heights Elementary and Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School are now assigned to the council chambers at the Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. With there now being three polling places at the Sauk Rapids Government Center, it is important to know your specific precinct number. To find your specific polling place and precinct number, go to pollfinder.sos.state. mn.us or contact city hall at 320-258-5303.

See the “Where to Vote” graphic on page 14 for a list of Sauk Rapids precinct locations.

Plan to vote in the late morning or early afternoon to avoid longer lines. Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Due to social distancing guidelines and extra sanitizing efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, allow extra time for voting. City staff and our dedicated election judges appreciate your patience and understanding.

Bring proper documentation. If you fail to preregister to vote, you will need to register to vote at your polling place on Election Day. Visit the Secretary of State’s website for a complete listing of authorized proof of residence.

VOTER GUIDE

Page 16 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

Meet the candidates:

MN HOUSE DISTRICT 15B RonThiessen, a Democratic candidate, and Myron Wilson, a Veterans Party candidate, are challenging incumbent Rep. Shane Mekeland, a Republican candidate, for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 15B.

Shane Mekeland, Age: 51 Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. Life-long Minnesotan.

I am currently a licensed residential building contractor. I have served one term (2019-20) as Minnesota State Representative for House District 15B. Why are you running for office? After many years of working in the real world, I decided to run for the Minnesota House in District 15B. Now, two years later, I am running for a second term to continue providing our area with a conservative voice in the House. I am committed to making our state more competitive with neighboring states, so we can increase opportunities for workers to find well-paying jobs that will help to grow central Minnesota. I am heavily invested in helping this area become an even better place to live, work, go to school and raise a family.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to represent the constituents of District 15B? As a small-business owner and lifelong Minnesotan, it remains my pleasure to serve the residents of District 15B. I am fiercely pro-life, pro-family and proSecond Amendment. I also strongly believe in state sovereignty against unconstitutional infringements by the federal government.

And I support an all-of-the-above approach to energy. Community involvement is vital to my family and me, including attending our local church. I am honored to volunteer with local charitable organizations (especially Foley Area CARE) and am proud of the collaboration I led to spare the waste of hundreds of hogs amid the shutdown of meat processing plants last spring.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary? If so, what? We could have saved many lives by prevent-

ing the governor from moving people with COVID-19 into long-term care facilities.

The governor’s repeated use – or abuse – of unilateral powers that has revealed serious imbalance in our government. House Republicans advocate for re-establishing the Legislature as the co-equal branch of government that it is. Unfortunately, the House majority has been unwilling to check the governor’s powers and participate in the decision-making process. While we all share the common goal of protecting the health and safety of Minnesotans, we also need to move Minnesota’s economy forward by allowing people to work and earn a living.

Businesses and families are suffering major financial damage, and we need to start working on solutions, so people can get back to work instead of being hindered by inconsistent and arbitrary guidelines.

The Legislature will be tasked with adopting a two-year budget in 2021 with a looming shortfall due to the financial impact of COVID-19. What will be your approach to balancing the budget in terms of reducing spending and/or raising taxes and fees? My top priority for the 2021 session is to balance the budget by re-opening our economy, providing tax relief and reducing state regulations that are crushing our cities, towns and businesses in Minnesota. The best thing we can do to improve our bottom line is to get government off the backs of workers so people can make a living instead of being stifled by the state. We have a strong business community in Minnesota. I want to partner with employers to find solutions, and I also will fight to cut and reform taxes, reduce regulations that prevent job growth. Our government also needs to right-size itself because it is simply too large for taxpayers to support. We need to take a serious look at shrinking state bureaucracy and eliminating redundancies to make better use of existing tax dollars instead of going back for more tax increases. We can re-open our economy and still make safety a priority, so let’s start moving our state into the recovery phase.

Myron Wilson, Age: 67 Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I have experience as a law enforcement officer, school board member, business owner, farmer, have served on air and ground ambulances crews, have taught DNR youth safety classes and aviation at the university. I have mentored 4-H kids on their animal projects. I have been a negotiator for management and unions; I see both sides of issues. I am a father, grandfather and husband. I am the fifth-generation Orrock farmer, living on the farm I grew up.

I took an oath to the constitution over 40 years ago. I still honor it, oaths have no expiration date.

Why are you running for office? I care and want to make a difference for future generations. My loyalty is not divided between a political party, large corporate donors. My loyalty lies 100% to the residents of District 15B. We need better representation from someone with the values of our rural community. We need term limits and to put an end to career politicians. We need to have someone who is not beholden to anyone or anything other than the residents of the district.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to represent the constituents of District 15? We need to be able to believe our government, again. A representative should have integrity, be honest and trustworthy with good ethics. We need a person who will not lie to get or keep an elected office. I have those traits needed. We need term limits and to eliminate lobbyist money from influencing our laws. We need someone to represent us and not the rich, famous and ruling class. We need to eliminate the ruling class. Neither of the major parties will ever do this. I am only person running that will fight to put the citizens first.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary? If so, what? The governor closed approximately 30% of the work force, while shutting down 60% of

the mass transportation. Forcing 70% of the workers into 40% of the train cars and busses. It was apparent early on the virus was spreading through mass transportation. All mass transportation should have shut down. The governor played politics with the essential status. A union floor layer asked me, “Why was it essential he laid floor now, instead of two months from now?” Good question. Closing small business while allowing the superstores to remain open was more political than for our safety. How can 500 people in Sam’s Club be safer than a handful of people in a small store? There should have been more education and less heavy handedness and political gamesmanship. Why was attending church not allowed, but rioting, looting and burning allowed? Final grade: D. The Legislature will be tasked with adopting a two-year budget in 2021 with a looming shortfall due to the financial impact of COVID-19. What will be your approach to balancing the budget in terms of reducing spending and/or raising taxes and fees? We need to do what we should have been doing all along. Eliminating duplication of services. Cutting back government services. Allowing local governments more autonomy so they can make the smart choices needed for their communities. Let the community leaders decide what they need. Stop the mandates. Funding for pet projects should be on hiatus, while we provide local government with what it needs to operate and provide the essentials. Help reduce costs across the board. We may have to delay some capital improvements. End the welfare to large corporations and concentrate on keeping our small business and farmers. We should be looking at government user fees, making sure the fees cover what they should without generating extra revenue. We need to look closely at every program, with an eye toward eliminating pork. It will be a balancing act but needs to be done. I was once elected to a publicschool board that was in statutory operating debt. We need to do on a state level what we did on the school level. Examine everything and cut wherever we can. Short-term pain means long-term gains. I would not be raising taxes at a time like this.

Ron Thiessen, Age: 70 Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications.

I am a retired neurosurgery clinic administrator. I also worked as a registered nurse in adult and pediatric critical care for 17 years and was a building and remodeling contractor for eight years. I am married with six children, ages 7-47, and 15 grandchildren. Our 7-year-old is in distance learning, and I would like to give a shout out to her teachers in District 742. They are doing amazing work under extremely difficult circumstances. Thank you all so much.

Why are you running for office? The truth is I am running because no one else would. Our current representative is a follower, not a leader. He follows Trump like a puppy.

He opposes masks and social distancing because Trump opposes them. His party loyalty is more important to him than the physical wellbeing of his constituents. I did not want to see him running unopposed by another major party candidate.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to represent the constituents of District 15? At 70 years old, I will not run again. There is no need to worry about term limits.

We need younger people willing to do this important work.

I see myself as a safe, stable transition figure during this period of massive realignment within both parties. People are waking up to the dangers of complacency. A new crop of leaders will emerge from this. I would like to be instrumental in identifying and mentoring new progressive leaders in this area who better reflect its changing demographics.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary? If so, what? I would give the state a grade A on this. Unfortunately, Trump and his followers have decided to impose herd immunity on the U.S. in the worst possible way by broadly ignoring simple and effective public health mandates and letting the disease run wild. Without a vaccine, it will only get worse until people start complying with the recommendations of our health experts. We have no way to stop it yet, we can only slow the spread. The herd immunity approach will needlessly put additional lives in jeopardy and will completely overwhelm our healthcare system if left unchecked.

The Legislature will be tasked with adopting a two-year budget in 2021 with a looming shortfall due to the financial impact of COVID-19. What will be your approach to balancing the budget in terms of reducing spending and/or raising taxes and fees? Of course, targeting wasteful spending is always important. We will not be able to balance the budget, however, until this pandemic is under control. We will also not be able to impose new taxes and fees on the middle class, small businesses or farmers, many of whom are facing bankruptcy or severe financial pressure already. For decades now, we have been re-distributing our wealth to a tiny fraction of the population through deregulation and tax policy that favors the wealthy. I believe our current debt and deficit issues are largely due to this decades-old policy. Since the wealth never trickled back down, as we were promised, we will be forced to use tax policy to take it back. That money, along with some deficit spending, will need to be targeted to directly benefit the people of Minnesota through investments in such things as universal healthcare insurance, statewide broadband access and transportation infrastructure to boost the statewide economy and prepare us for a prosperous post-pandemic future. Now that we have re-discovered who the actual essential businesses and workers are in society, we need to re-invest in them.

VOTER GUIDE

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | Page 17

Meet the candidates:

MN SENATE DISTRICT 15 Brent Krist, a Democratic candidate, is challenging incumbent Sen. Andrew Mathews, a Republican candidate, for a seat in the Minnesota Senate, representing District 15.

Brent Krist, Age: 41 Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I was raised in Bogus Brook township just east of Milaca and still live on the family farm after over 38 years. I attended Milaca Public Schools and earned my Associate of Science degree from Anoka Ramsey Community College in Cambridge. I met my wife, Sherri, in Milaca, and we have been married for 13 years. I have been employed

by BNSF Railway for 16 years and counting and have been a union officer for Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation for the last 12 years. My life experience and common sense will serve our district well.

farms like the one I grew up and still live on. I’ll work to strengthen local communities by investing in infrastructure and future growth. And I’ll work for excellent public education for all students no matter their zip code.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary? If so, what? Gov. Walz has a difficult job, made even more so by a total lack of engagement from one side of our Legislature. It is unfortunate that a pandemic has become a political issue when a deadly virus should unite us in a common fight. I trust science and will listen to the guidance of health experts. It is obvious that wearing masks indoors is effective at limiting the spread of COVID-19 and is essential to keep businesses open. Instead of endless show votes to pretend there is no Why are you running for office? I am emergency, I will face reality and work torunning for people like my mother, who has gether on a path forward.

Stage 2 kidney cancer. She has employerbased health care and is four years away The Legislature will be tasked with from retirement. She has been fighting her adopting a two-year budget in 2021 with cancer during this pandemic and has over a looming shortfall due to the financial $8,000 in medical bills and will be on a impact of COVID-19. What will be your payment plan for years. This is not unique, approach to balancing the budget in and many in our district have crippling terms of reducing spending and/or raismedical bills. This needs to end, and I will ing taxes and fees? The projected deficit work hard to pass the Minnesota Health is the result of lower economic activity Plan, eliminate co-pays, deductibles, sur- caused by COVID-19; with transmission prise billing and price gouging from the contained, I am hopeful the deficit will be pharmaceutical companies. short-lived. In managing the situation, I will seek to hold harmless the most vulnerable Why do you think you are the best candi- in our state by protecting essential public date to represent the constituents of Dis- services and avoiding deep cuts to the civil trict 15? I will work hard for my neighbors service. I will pursue new revenue by leand the challenges they face because I have galizing and taxing recreational marijuana, lived with them. I’ll work for healthcare for which could raise upward of $1 billion. I all because I’ve seen firsthand how com- will also grow the tax base by lessening regplicated the system is. I’ll work for good- ulations on hemp production, so our farmpaying jobs because I know our neighbors ers can benefit from the booming demand are struggling. I’ll work for strong family for CBD and other products.

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Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I live with my wife, Elsa, and our young son, Daniel, in Princeton. I was first elected to the state Senate in Senate District 15 in 2016, and it has been a privilege to serve my constituents. Before that I was a veterans caseworker, helping them get the care and benefits they needed in the VA system. I also used to serve as a pastor of a small church for several years. I have been very involved in our community for many years.

Why are you running for office? I’m running because our constitutional freedoms and liberties are worth fighting for. I’m running because I want to keep more of your hard-earned dollars in your pocket, and not in government coffers, because government needs to live within its means. Minnesota is in the top five highest taxed states in the country. I’m running because I’m pro-Life, pro-Second Amendment, and I believe you can run your own life better than the government can.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to represent the constituents of District 15? I am the best candidate to represent this district because I’ve delivered results for my district during my first term in office. I just helped the city of Foley get $8 million to help with an urgently needed wastewater infrastructure upgrade. I’ve fought to keep and grow jobs in our district. And, I listen to everyone who comes to my office to share their perspective, even when we don’t agree. We have far more that unites us than what divides us.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary? If so,

what? At the beginning of the pandemic, both sides in our state government worked very well together to make sure we had the equipment, personal protective equipment, testing and hospital capacity we needed in case the worst happened. Thankfully, the dire predictions and models were far from accurate. Since then, while we still have a pandemic and still need to be careful, government overreach has run amok with the governor’s emergency powers. He has held on to this power for far too long, and is arbitrarily making decisions in a onesize-fits-all method with no regard for the impact on the rest of our state, especially rural Minnesota. The Constitution never intended for one branch of government to cut out the others and rule everything unilaterally. Walz has controlled when people can leave their homes, their businesses, churches and schools. It’s time to end governing by executive order.

The Legislature will be tasked with adopting a two-year budget in 2021 with a looming shortfall due to the financial impact of COVID-19. What will be your approach to balancing the budget in terms of reducing spending and/or raising taxes and fees? The budget in 2021 will have to reduce spending, there’s simply no way around it. Some reports are predicting a budget deficit anywhere from $4 to $8 billion, as a result of COVID-19, and the resulting government-imposed shutdown. In order to recover, we’re going to have to reduce spending without raising taxes. In 2017, as a new senator, I was very surprised when I learned there is a state agency whose sole purpose is to coordinate the work of other state agencies. There are too many redundancies in our state agencies, and we need to make reductions while preserving essential services, particularly in health and human services. State agencies will also need to make a list of some services that we can temporarily live without. A lot of Minnesotans are struggling financially from COVID-19, so it would be a mistake to tax them more in these conditions.

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Page 18 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

VOTER GUIDE

Meet the candidates: MN HOUSE DISTRICT 14B

Paul Brandmire, a Republican candidate, is challenging incumbent Rep. Dan Wolgamott, a Democratic candidate, for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 13B.

Dan Wolgamott, Age: 30

teacher.

Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications.

Two years as state representative. Father, football coach, realtor and volunteer Sunday school

Why are you running for office? I believe in serving my community, and I want to build a better future for all Minnesotans, no exceptions. Over the last several years, we have all seen an alarming increase in the coarseness of people’s words and actions.

While there have always been those who seek to divide us or intentionally use inflammatory rhetoric, our national discourse has taken a troubling turn for the worse. I want to bring people together to find solutions.

We can disagree on issues and policies, but we are all Minnesotans and Americans, and we should be working together to improve people’s lives.

Why do you think you are the best candidate to represent the constituents of District 14B? I have brought people together to get things done for St. Cloud. I worked to respond to COVID-19, including chief authoring legislation to ensure first responders receive workers’ compensation if they get sick on the job. I’m proud to have the support and endorsement of our police, firefighters, nurses and hospitals. I secured an assessment to establish options for expanding Northstar to St. Cloud — the biggest step forward for Northstar in years. I worked to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable, including passage of strong insulin affordability legislation. Together, we can continue to build a better future for St. Cloud.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary? If so, what? COVID-19 has brought incredible challenges that no one anticipated. While no response is perfect and there are things that some might have done differently, we’re in better shape than our neighboring states and many other states around the country. I have worked with Gov. Walz and my colleagues to follow the science and data in responding to COVID-19. We worked to expand testing, provided help to small businesses, and provided resources to address child care, homelessness and hunger. I fought for assistance for renters and homeowners. And I was the chief author of our state law that ensures our first responders, health care workers and child care providers can get workers’ compensation if they get COVID-19 on the job. Helping Minnesotans and small businesses get back on their feet is critical.

We have to support our workers, businesses and families through this crisis and build a better future for all.

The Legislature will be tasked with adopting a two-year budget in 2021 with a looming shortfall due to the financial impact of COVID-19. What will be your approach to balancing the budget in terms of reducing spending and/or raising taxes and fees? Minnesotans need investments in the things that will help them make it through this crisis and thrive after it, including quality health care, economic security, a good education, and safe and healthy communities. A balanced approach is what’s necessary and what Minnesotans expect. We won’t be a stronger or more successful state by gutting health care, education, and jobs for middle- and workingclass families. Getting the virus under control will help us rebuild our economy and close the deficit.

Paul Brandmire, Age: 61 Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifications. I served as a K-9 handler (Korea and San Antonio), in investigations (Germany and North Dakota), as a nuclear missile officer for three years (England), then as a logistics officer (Norway). Following, I was a command post duty officer in Washington, Turkey, Utah, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Iceland, where I was also in charge of the Air Defense Center and Search and Rescue Coordination Center. I retired as a technical training school commandant in Mississippi. I was an assistant manager with Home Depot, taught drivers’ education, was an adjunct professor with several colleges. I’m currently a St. Cloud city councilman.

risk of my life.

How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional measures necessary? If so, what?

I think initially Gov. Walz did a good job.

I believe the “emergency” of his emergency power grab is over, though. He hasn’t needed to execute a COVID-19-related emergency order since August. It’s time for the legislature to regain its power as a coequal branch of government. I believe we need to continue to reopen our economy; too many businesses are closing for good and many others are struggling to survive.

Measures which are supposed to be working to curtail COVID-19 are not working, as even those living in near-complete quarantine in assisted living centers are still contracting the virus. Meanwhile, they are deteriorating due to lack of social contact.

Our schools need to reopen. Chances of children catching it are statistically zero.

Distance learning is not working. They are Why are you running for office? I be- losing educational growth. They need to relieved while I was doing my part serving turn to in-person instruction. our country and community, those elected were working on my behalf back home. Af- The Legislature will be tasked with ter I retired, I learned otherwise. Our coun- adopting a two-year budget in 2021 with try’s move to the left over the last 30 years a looming shortfall due to the financial is not what our brilliant founding fathers impact of COVID-19. What will be your envisioned. The USA is not changing for approach to balancing the budget in the better. All we have to do is look at the terms of reducing spending and/or raisstate of politics, disfunction in government ing taxes and fees? First, I would maxiand violence in our streets to see current mize receipt of federal dollars. Every aspolicies are not working. I’m not a politi- pect of the budget will need to be examined cian: I’m a citizen ticked-off enough to get for any opportunity to trim, and it needs to be trimmed to the greatest extent posoff the sidelines and into the arena. sible. There should be a hiring freeze and Why do you think you are the best can- a pay freeze, allowing for cuts in persondidate to represent the constituents of nel expenses. No new programs or projects District 14B? I have decades of experi- should be initiated. Every government ofence in leadership, followership and man- fice and every employee should be encouragement. I have worked with, for and over aged to be creative in cutting expenses and people from all walks of life, nationalities, maximizing efficiencies, looking at differraces, genders and education levels. I have ent and creative new ways of doing things. experience working toward compromise, of Perhaps a suggestion reward could be ofstanding my ground and of knowing how fered to encourage participation. User fees to distinguish when to do which. I’ve dug should be increased where feasible. Neither muddy foxholes in forests and attended em- citizens nor businesses can afford any adbassy dinners in formal attire. I’ve lived, ditional expenses, so taxes should be held worked and traveled around the world. I’ve to the current level to allow for, and encourseen how other societies live. I believe in age, consumer spending, spurring producAmerican exceptionalism and pledged an tion and business, thereby generating tax oath to serve and protect her, even at the revenue.

Meet the candidates: MN SENATE DISTRICT 14 Aric Putnam, a Democratic candidate, and Jaden Partlow, a Legal Marijuana Now candidate, are challenging Sen. Jerry Relph, a Republican candidate, for a seat in the Minnesota Senate, representing District 14. Putnam did not submit responses Briefly summarize your personal background and qualifica- to the Sauk Rapids Herald. Partlow could not be reached by phone or email. tions. I am a former Marine and Vietnam veteran, worked in corporate America then practiced law for 30 years, taught at ten confusing guidance to business, education and the population in general. His use of St. Cloud State University as an adjunct professor and was co- the federal guidelines to determine what businesses are “essential” missed the mark. We owner of a small business, LakeMaster Lake Maps, before being should have concentrated on what businesses can operate safely. This was brought home elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2016. I am vice chair of the by the fact that essential businesses operated without COVID-19 safety plans in place, family care and aging committee, and sit on the judiciary, human causing large outbreaks of the virus before finally putting plans in place. Many businesses services reform, capital investment and local government com- that could operate safely were shut down or severely restricted unnecessarily, badly dammittees. aging their economic wellbeing and our economy. The confusion and delay over guidance for school openings created a very difficult environment for school districts to operate and Why are you running for office? While working in the private sector, I was always make good decisions about learning plans. involved in putting back into the community. I served in many community organizations including United Way, Anna Marie’s Alliance and United Arts. I looked upon the oppor- The Legislature will be tasked with adopting a two-year budget in 2021 with a loomtunity to serve in the Senate as another way I could put back into the community for being ing shortfall due to the financial impact of COVID-19. What will be your approach the wonderful place it is to work and raise a family. I am proud to serve my constituents to balancing the budget in terms of reducing spending and/or raising taxes and fees? and help people through the Legislature.

Government should live within its means. We should be focused on how much revenue we have and then budget from that number, not the other way around. In our finance comWhy do you think you are the best candidate to represent the constituents of Dis- mittees, we try to do that by assigning targets based on revenue and then examining the trict 14? My breadth of experience and knowledge makes me uniquely qualified to find budget requests from the various government agencies. If we have a revenue shortfall, my creative ways to address the issues we face today in Minnesota. I have worked to build proposals would include continuing the hiring freeze to contain costs, forcing agencies to relationships across the aisle. This has given me the opportunity to bring people together look at their budgets to remove allocations for line items they have not used during the to get meaningful legislation passed that has and is improving the quality of life for all my prior years and look further at the fraud and abuse that is still taking place in the various constituents together with the people of Minnesota as a whole. I have brought my private services provided by these agencies. I would avoid tax increases to replace revenue. Rathsector experience and my strong leadership skills to bear in successfully performing my er, I would continue to find ways to leverage dollars to stimulate the state’s economy. The job as a state senator. recently passed bonding bill is an example of this. Many of the projects will immediately How do you grade the state government’s response to the pandemic? Are additional return revenues to the state because of the increased construction and business activities. measures necessary? If so, what? I have mixed feelings about the state’s response to This will reduce the potential budget shortfall to make a balanced budget easier to attain. the COVID-19 crisis. While I agree we needed to formulate a response to the pandemic, Fees should only be increased where there is a specific, identified cost to be recovered, not I believe the governor overstepped his statutory powers and provided disjointed and of- to generally increase revenue.

Jerry Relph, Age: 76

VOTER GUIDE

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | Page 19

Information on this page provided by the Minnesota Newspaper Association.

Read the congressional candidates’ responses to questions about economy, police reform, foreign affairs, health care, education, energy, transportation, immigration, foreign trade, aff personal background and more at www.saukrapidsherald.com.

Meet the candidates: U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 6 Tawnja Zahradka, a Democratic candidate, is challenging Rep. Tom Emmer, a Republican candidate, for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Minnesota Congressional District 6.

Tom Emmer If elected, what is your top priority for the 2021 Congress? Why are you running for office? My priorities for the 2021 Congress will remain focused on helping every Minnesotan access the opportunities they need to be in the best position to succeed. This includes working to rebuild our economy and create jobs, continue to push Congress and the administration to reduce the federal debt and deficit, and ensure the safety and security of the American people. It is an honor to represent the citizens of Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District and is a responsibility I do not take lightly. I will continue to push for policies that will benefit my constituents in Minnesota and continue to bring their ideas for change to Washington.

Tawnja Zahradka If elected, what is your top priority for the 2021 Congress?

Why are you running for office? I look at it this way, if we don’t have our health, we don’t have anything.

The physical and financial health of the country, planet and individuals are intertwined and create the platform for all other issues to be resolved. Without a healthy population and planet, we are severely weakened, and without financial stability, we have few tools to deal with these or any other problems which beset us. My top priority would therefore be the stabilization of this country through efficient management of our resources, both physical and financial, which cannot be accomplished without a comprehensive plan to harness and rein in this

pandemic. We need a cohesive, “one for all, all for one” approach which unites rather than divides, facilitates the return to caring for rather than attacking one another. We further need to streamline our approach and seal up loopholes which allow billionaires to apply for programs meant to help small business and individuals in need, absconding with our tax dollars for their own greed. They should also be made to return any money they inappropriately procured in this manner. I am running for Congress because I am sick and tired of the imbalance and inequality in all facets of today’s society. Women should not continue to make .21 cents less on the dollar, the blue-collar worker who puts in a full day of work should be able to enjoy the basics of life, healthcare, food security and an affordable, safe place to live. People of all races, creeds and religions should enjoy the same freedoms and protections that our Constitution mandates.

Meet the candidates: U.S. SENATOR Jason Lewis, a Republican candidate, Kevin O’Connor, a Legal Marijuana Now candidate, and Oliver Steinberg, a Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis candidate, are challenging incumbent Sen. Tina Smith, a Democratic candidate, for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Residents will be asked to choose one candidate. The Minnesota Newspaper Association did not list responses from Kevin O’Connor or Oliver Steinberg.

Tina Smith If elected, what is your top priority for the 2021 Congress? Why are you running for office? I am running for re-election to continue to fight for all Minnesotans.

The rising cost of health care, especially prescription drugs, is the No. 1 issue I hear about from Minnesotans, which is why the first thing I did when I arrived in the Senate was take on the big pharmaceutical companies.

And it’s why I passed into law my bipartisan bill to help lower the cost of insulin. But this year has been especially challenging. Between the coronavirus pandemic that has shaken the foundation of many Minnesota families and businesses, and the murder of George Floyd right here in Minnesota, we have so much more work to do to build back better and to address the systemic racism in our society.

Jason Lewis If elected, what is your top priority for the 2021 Congress? Why are you running for office? Every year, politicians of both parties come to you and say, “This is the most important election of our lifetime.” I’m running for the United States Senate because 2020 truly is the most important. This election has become a referendum on our American values and way of life. When a mainstream political party and its standard bearers are pushing to defund the police, it’s safe to say something is dangerously wrong and Minnesotans need a voice who will stand up and fight for them and protect them. Not only will I fund the police and punish those who don’t, I stand in favor of putting Minnesota and American jobs first, at the expense of globalist policies of the past (like NAFTA) that shipped jobs overseas and hurt our farmers. We must hold China accountable for exporting the coronavirus and ensure American corporations stop outsourcing jobs there. I will also protect the tax cuts I helped enact in the 115th Congress. We must also protect our Constitution and appoint and confirm jurists to our federal courts who will protect the freedom of speech and assembly, the Second Amendment, and protect against radicals who support late-term and even post-birth abortion.

Attention Hunters & Trappers Get featured in the Benton County News or Sauk Rapids Herald

Submit a photo of yourself afield with the answers to these questions by email to natasha@saukherald.com or by mail at Sauk Rapids Herald, 2 Second St. S. Suite 135, Sauk Rapids.

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Field notes 1. Name: 2. Town: 3. Animals you hunt or trap: 4. Which animal is your favorite to pursue?

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6. Describe your personal best harvest.

7. Besides hunting essentials, what are some must-have items during the hunt?

8. Who is the first person you call after you bag the big one?

9. What do you do with your game after its harvested?

Page 20 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

SPORTS

PHOTOS BY MARK KLAPHAKE

Junior Jayce Walrath forces and then recovers a fumble during the fourth quarter of the Sauk Rapids-Rice game against Elk River Oct. 23 in St. Cloud. Walrath also had eight tackles.

Another stinging loss for Storm Elks score late touchdown to edge SRR 44-38

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The reality for the Sauk Rapids-Rice football team is they have a very competitive, tough squad; unfortunately, their record does not show it.

For the second straight week, the Storm lost a nail biter on the gridiron, falling to Elk River 44-38 Oct. 23 at Tech High School in St. Cloud.

The deciding sequence of the game came in the final two minutes with the Storm clinging to a 38-34 lead. SRR was deep into Elks territory but were denied on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line with just under five minutes left.

Elk River picked up a couple first downs, and then with under two minutes left in the game, they connected on a 74yard touchdown pass to running back Carter Otto to come from behind and get the win.

“We were winning and then we were losing with a minute left in the game,” said Philip Klaphake, head coach. “It was tough.”

SRR is winless, 0-3, but could easily have been 2-1 after last week’s one-point loss to Willmar and Friday’s ending.

“We’ve felt like we were a pretty good football team every week,”

Junior Carter Loesch brings down an Elk River ball carrier during the second half of the game Oct. 23 in St. Cloud. Loesch had five tackles for Sauk Rapids-Rice High School.

Klaphake said. “We have to get some things fixed.”

The Storm were held scoreless in the second half. They moved the ball but an interception, fumble and high snaps derailed drives.

“We just have to find ways to avoid them in critical spots,” Klaphake said. “When things go well, we are really, really good, but like in any sport when you have big issues in critical spots, it drastically sways the game. In this and the Willmar game, you eliminate one of those errors and the script flips, and we are 2-1.”

The Storm led 38-24 at halftime, but the Elks scored on their first two positions of the second half to cut the deficit to 38-36.

After the teams traded turnovers, the Storm defense rose to the oc-

casion when Elk River went for it on fourthand-two from their own 21-yard line. Jayce Walrath tackled the Elks ball carrier for no gain, giving the Storm great field position. They marched down to the 3-yard line before their drive was halted with just under five minutes left in the game.

The Storm defense minimized the Elks running attack for three minutes before Elk River snuck Otto out of the backfield for a pass reception and long run for a touchdown.

The Storm did get the ball back but had a turnover to seal the game.

The second half was completely different from the first for SRR. In the first half, the Storm offense was putting up points at will. They scored touchdowns on

five of their seven positions.

Mathies hit Ethan Opsahl for an 8-yard touchdown pass and then connected with Alex Harren from 24 yards out, and the game was tied at 16-16 after the first quarter. Both two-point conversions for the Storm came on receptions from Jayce Walrath.

The second quarter saw even more fireworks from the Storm offense.

Opsahl hauled in a 24yard touchdown pass, Alex Harren had a 33yard touchdown run followed by a 3-yard touchdown run for Mathies, and SRR went into halftime enjoying a 38-24 lead. Walrath and Opsahl both converted on twopoint conversions for the Storm in the quarter.

“It was fun,” Kla-

Football page 21

Page 22 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

SPORTS

Strong start not enough for Storm in loss to Sabres

Sartell-St. Stephen wins three straight sets to seize victory

BY EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER

It seemed not much could go wrong for the Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm volleyball team in their Section 8AAA slugfest with the Sartell-St. Stephen Sabres.

The hitters were capitalizing on every opportunity, and the Sabres appeared to be thrown by the Storm’s precise and aggressive serves. These

factors culminated in an astounding 25-14 first-set win for the hosts.

Unfortunately, the reigning section finalist Sabres rediscovered their groove, as Elizabeth Dille collected 20 kills in a 3-1 Sartell-St. Stephen victory Oct. 27 at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Sauk Rapids.

“I was very pleased with our gameplay,” said Karen Beckmann, head coach. “The fun part

PHOTO BY EVAN MICHEALSON

Grace Urbowicz makes a spectacular dig on a falling kill attempt Oct. 27 at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Sauk Rapids. Urbowicz compiled a team-high 17 digs in a 3-1 loss to Sartell-St. Stephen.

was we served aggressively and got them out of system. We were able to execute our free balls, and we were able to score on those. Overall, I’m very pleased with how it went.”

Defensive specialist Hailee Cullen was effective on this night, registering a team-high in both kills and assists with 12 and 34, respectively. Also proudly representing the SRR hitting game was middle hitter Lexi Helmin, who punished the open floor to the tune of nine kills and a team-best .389 hitting percentage.

“I think it was a great experience to know they can play with a great team,” Beckmann said.

“We held them at that first set. The girls have the ability. We have to work on staying consistent from the beginning to the end of the match.”

Sartell-St. Stephen was not fazed by the suddenness of SRR’s energetic start. They maintained a strong lead through most of the second set, completing a dominant 25-11 win to even the match once

PHOTO BY EVAN MICHEALSON

The Sauk Rapids-Rice volleyball team celebrates a kill Oct. 27 at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Sauk Rapids. Despite a high-octane first set, the Storm could not control the Sartell-St. Stephen Sabres in a 3-1 loss.

more.

“That second set we got a little comfortable,” Beckmann said. “We felt more comfortable in our play so they were more laidback. At the same point, the girls knew it and tried to get back into it. We just struggled with little mental errors and couldn’t get back.”

Set three was more of the same, with Dille man-

ufacturing a hard-to-stop offensive flurry relying on finding the open spot and capitalizing.

The teams seemed more evenly-paced when they retook the floor for the fourth set. Both the Storm and Sabres traded points until the latter reestablished control and finished the day with a win.

“I’m proud we came

back and played at a high level,” Beckmann said.

“We finished strong at the end.”

The match marked the first home appearance for the Storm this season after being postponed for the first two weeks due to COVID-19.

Volleyball page 23

Storm swimmers earn 14 top-eight finishes at sections 200 freestyle relay reaches state qualifying time

BY KAYLA ALBERS | STAFF WRITER

The Sauk Rapids girls swim and dive team wrapped up its season Oct. 24 in Sauk Rapids at the Section 5A championships with a third-place finish behind Cathedral-St. John’s Prep and Monticello, topping Foley by one point with 322.5 points.

The Storm had 14 top-eight finishes at the meet with three swimmers placing top-eight in all four of their events: Valeria Flores-Bonilla, Hayley Davis and Madeline Ziegler. SRR had 16 personal best swims on the day.

“After being in quarantine just over a month ago, the girls did phenomenal,” said co-head coach Whitney Jendro. “We are really proud of them.”

Flores-Bonilla earned a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay with teammates Kaytlin Bittman, Lydia Zabinski and Abigail Tangen in a time of 1 minute, 58.19 seconds. She also placed fourth in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:02.27, fifth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02.62 and teamed up with Davis, Ziegler and Zabinski for a fourth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay in a time of 3:56.86.

Davis and Ziegler teamed up with Zabinski and Tangen to take home the top finish of the day for the Storm in the 200 freestyle relay. The relay team took home a second-place finish in a time of 1:43.80 and would have qualified for state had there been a state

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER

Samantha Haaf takes a breath during the 100 butterfly race at the Section 5A championships Oct. 24 in Sauk Rapids.

Haaf finished the race in 13th with a time of 1:06.78.

meet this year.

Davis also took home a sixth-place finish in the 50 freestyle in 26.10 and a seventh-place finish in the 100 freestyle in 57.89. Ziegler took home a seventhplace finish in the 50 freestyle in 26.39 and a fifthplace finish in the 100 freestyle in 57.46.

Other top-eight finishes for SRR were Tangen with a sixth-place finish in the 200 freestyle, Zabinski with a sixth-place finish in the 200 individual medley and Mia Lambrecht, Arica Moriak and Ally Lucas

with fourth-, seventh- and eighth-place finishes in the 500 freestyle respectively.

“The energy at the meet was electric,” Jendro said. “The resilience shown from the seniors was not only apparent on our team but all of the other teams in the section as well.”

Swimming page 23

SPORTS

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | Page 23

Lumberjacks show strong response in first road win

BY EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER

For just the second time all season, the Granite City Lumberjacks allowed the first goal of the game.

Not even five minutes into the West Division battle, the Alexandria Blizzard whistled the puck past Lumberjacks goaltender Bailey Huber, quickly cementing an advantage over their rivals.

With both teams entering the matchup with three wins, the result of this game would be a strong indicator as to which playoff contender seems stronger in the early stages of the season.

Granite City responded to Alexandria’s early aggression, rattling off two goals to end the period on their way to a dominant 4-1 victory Oct. 23 at Runestone Community Center in Alexandria.

“It helps when the guys who get scored on stay on the ice, go down and get a score right back,” said D.J. Vold, associate head coach. “It makes it easier for everybody. From there, everyone buckled down and did what they were supposed to do.”

The game-tying notch

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came from Monticello native Troy Dahlheimer, who scored just 31 seconds after Alexandria’s initial tally. Then, as the visitors continued to establish a zone presence, leading goal scorer Carson Simon registered his fifth of the campaign to put the Lumberjacks up by one.

Huber recovered from his early goal allowance, firing back with 27 saves to earn his team a muchneeded divisional win.

“He gave up the first one and from there, it was lockdown,” Vold said.

“He saw the puck really well and made a couple of really big saves for us. It was business as usual for Bailey.”

While the first period certainly ended on a promising note for the Lumberjacks, the second period was where they thrived. Charlie Erickson fired home his second goal of the season just 47 seconds in as Granite City outshot Alexandria 11-5 in those 20 minutes.

“When we can sustain a lot of offensive zone pressure, it makes it difficult for the other team to get off the ice,” Vold said.

“When we have fresh guys and they have tired guys, it usually results in a goal for us.”

Cody Dias concluded the scoring with the fourth consecutive Granite City goal, a power-play shot set up by Jonah Jangula and Dahlheimer. The assistant captain recorded

Jared

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two points on the night.

“Cody is basically everything we want in a Lumberjack,” Vold said.

“He’s an easy kid to coach because he comes out and does what he’s supposed to.”

It was not all smooth sailing despite what the score might have indicated. The Blizzard received nine man-advantage opportunities, and with an offense that had scored at least five goals in four of their first five games, it seemed almost inevitable they would sound the goal horn against Huber and the Lumberjacks defensive composition.

No way, said Granite City’s penalty kill, who denied all nine opportunities.

“I thought the PK was really good,” Vold said.

“We made it difficult for them to get set up in our end. When we got opportunities to clear the puck,

Tal Halliday

Age: 19 • Jersey: No. 34 Position: Defense Hometown: Roseau, MN How long have you been playing hockey? 16 years.

Who has had the most impact on your hockey career? Dad. What is one skill you hope to improve on this season? Defensive zone awareness.

Tell us one thing about yourself most people do not know. I enjoy the outdoors.

What is your typical pregame meal? A good breakfast, something small for lunch like a granola bar.

What is the best advice you have ever received? Always eat dessert first, you never know if you’re gonna make it through the meal.

If you could skate or have conversation with any hockey player in the world (living or dead), who would it be? Why? Nikolas Lindstrom, one of the best shutdown defense ever with good offensive ability.

What advice do you have for younger skaters in the community?

Never give up.

PHOTOS BY EVAN MICHEALSON

Kieryn Hirdler attempts to block a Sartell-St. Stephen spike Oct. 27 at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Sauk Rapids. The starting setter, Hirdler recorded 31 assists.

Volleyball from page 22 The Storm will host the St. Cloud Apollo Eagles at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Sauk RapidsRice High School in Sauk Rapids.

SRR 3, Fergus Falls 1 After two inverted sets, the Storm turned their first match of the season into a triumph.

Cullen put up 12 kills as SRR used timely passing and play structure to secure a 3-1 win over the Fergus Falls Otters Oct. 24 at Kennedy Secondary School in Fergus Falls.

Darci Peterson contributed eight kills for the Storm, who valiantly gained an edge on their opponents after clutching a two-point victory in set three, 25-23. Peterson also led the team in service aces and blocked shots with four and two, respectively.

Ava Athman and Helmin threw in five and six kills each, respectively, as SRR put together a strong fourth-set effort to close the door on an Otters comeback attempt.

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we did just that, making them come the full length of the ice.”

It was a positive step forward for every single Lumberjack, including rookie forward Hanson O’Leary, who pitched in two assists. The Roseau native has seen tons of action in his first three games, accumulating five points.

The game marks the first of four straight contests between the wellmatched foes; three in Alexandria and one in Sauk Rapids. The second of these vaunted matchups will begin at 7:10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Runestone Community Center in Alexandria.

“If we establish a forecheck early, it will result in more mistakes from them and more opportunities for us,” Vold said. “As long as we stay out of the penalty box, we’ll be fine.”

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• Sat., Oct. 31 Granite City Lumberjacks - Alexandria Blizzard 7:10 pm - Runestone Community Center

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• Fri., Nov. 6 7:10 pm • Fri., Nov. 13 7:30 pm

Granite City Lumberjacks - Alexandria Blizzard - Runestone Community Center Alexandria Blizzard - Granite City Lumberjacks - Armadillo Deck Sports Arena

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Granite City defeats Alexandria with authority

Justus Floren taps a ball skyward Oct. 27 at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Sauk Rapids. On the night of the Storm’s home opener and Pink Out Night, the energy and motivation was high, even in a 3-1 defeat.

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Page 24 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER

Kaytlin Bittman swims the breaststroke leg of the 200yard individual medley at the Section 5A championships Oct. 24 in Sauk Rapids. Bittman took 10th in the event in Sophia Henkel swims the backstroke leg of the 200 individual medley at the Section 5A championships Oct. 24 in a time of 2:30.39, followed by a ninth-place finish in the Sauk Rapids. Henkel finished the event in 14th with a time of 2:34.80.

100 breaststroke in a time of 1:16.36.

Swimming from page 22 200 MR: 4. Valeria Flores-Bonilla, Kaytlin Bittman, Lydia Zabinski and Abigail Tangen 1:58.19.

200 FS: 6. Tangen 2:06.77,

9. Ava Hitzler 2:12.07 and 12. Maya Zaske 2:13.53.

200 IM: 6. Zabinski 2:24.77, 10. Bittman 2:30.39, 11.

Kendal Stucke and 14. So-

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phia Henkel 2:34.80. 50 FS: 6. Hayley Davis 26.10, 7. Madeline Ziegler 26.39 and 10. Jadeyn Stover 26.81. 1M Diving: 13. Liberty Kosloski 286.80 points.

100 FLY: 4. Flores-Bonilla 1:02.41, 12. Tangen 1:06.68 and 13. Samantha Haaf 1:06.78. 100 FS: 5. Ziegler 57.46, 7. Davis 57.89 and 11. Hitzler 1:00.66. 500 FS: 4. Mia Lambrecht 5:50.28,

7. Arica Moriak 5:55.70, 8.

Ally Lucas 5:55.94 and 10.

Zaske 5:59.92. 200 FSR: 2.

Davis, Ziegler, Zabinski and Tangen 1:43.80. 100 BK: 5.

Flores-Bonilla 1:02.62, 10.

Lucas 1:07.75 and 16. Nicole Agre 1:10.86. 100 BR: 9. Bittman 1:16.36 and 12.

Stover 1:17.97. 400 FSR: Davis, Ziegler, Zabinski and Flores-Bonilla 3:49.77.

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Nicole Agre swims the 100 backstroke at the Section 5A championships Oct. 24 in Sauk Rapids. Agre took 16th place in the event in a time of 1:10.86.

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Leading the

Aaron B. Reichard

Senior Parents: Parents: Sheila Johnson (mother), Long Nguyen (father), Robert Johnson (step-father) and Helen Nguyen (stepmother).

Accomplishment: Starting left guard for the Sauk Rapids-Rice football team that gained 346 total yards Oct. 23 against Elk River.

What is your favorite part about football? Working together with 10 other teammates, putting plays together and scoring touchdowns.

What other activities are you involved in at school? Band, Storm Leadership and Minnesota Honor Society.

What is your favorite thing to do on the field? Block others for my teammates because if you are strong enough and use the right technique, you can put players on the ground.

Why is it important for you to be involved in school activities? Because I want to be a part of our school’s community and participating in activities allows me to fulfill that.

Tell us about the best game you have been a part of. The game against Alexandria last year. The weather was perfect, and the team was focused and got the job done.

How do you make a difference at school? By being a part of activities.

I help with school events like the blood drive last year and pep bands for sports.

Leading the Storm is

Sponsored by: Which teacher has impacted your education most? The teacher that has impacted my education is hard to pick because each teacher has impacted my life. If I had to choose, it would have to be Dan Johnson, the physical education and health teacher at the middle school.

Who has been a mentor to you? Big mentor of mine has been Coach Klaphake. Coach Klaphake has been a big role model in how I approach football and my life.

What is your favorite meal, movie, social media and song? Crab legs and shrimp with steak and rice, “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” YouTube and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

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Saluting great accomplishments in the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School