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Winter waterfowl suffer from lead poisoning

JACKIE BUSSJAEGER | PRESS PUBLICATIONS

Concerned neighbors captured this swan from Bald Eagle Lake and took it to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, where it was treated for lead poisoning, but did not survive.

BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER STAFF WRITER

This winter, many have noticed that many waterfowl haven’t migrated south. The annual Christmas Bird Count last month determined that the numbers of swans, ducks and geese that seem to be staying for the winter are up; many of them have stayed behind due to longer fall seasons, pockets of warm, open water or the availability of food from locals who put out corn or other feeders. But in the case of a trumpeter swan on the Lino Lakes area of Bald Eagle Lake, at least, the reason may be pollution.

The bird arrived on the lake around Christmas, and stayed for more than a week around the North Oaks Docks marina, where there was some open water. Neighbors became suspicious that there was something wrong with the swan, since it wouldn’t eat the corn that had been put out for it and it seemed listless. Some theorized lead poisoning could be the cause, due to the likely presence of lead sinkers in the marina bottom.

With this concern, three neighbors captured the swan and took it to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (WRC) in Roseville, where it was discovered that the animal was hypothermic, lethargic and had two lead objects inside its gastrointestinal tract. Veterinarians performed a procedure called gastric lavage to remove the objects, but on Jan. 15, the WRC reported that the swan had died from the toxicity remaining in its bloodstream.

SEE POISONED WATERFOWL, PAGE 12

SUBMITTED

SelfEco owner Danny Mishek and family sport SelfEco T-shirts in support of green gardening

Eco-friendly fundraiser hits goal in two days

BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER STAFF WRITER

A brand new, biodegradable planter pot from SelfEco, LLC is the first step in what Danny Mishek calls “the SelfEco Garden Revolution.” Mishek is the owner of SelfEco, a Stillwater-based business that creates specialty biodegradable dining utensils and, now, biodegradable planter pots.

Every gardener has seen the small, petroleum-based pots used to house young plants before they are placed in the ground. This material does not decompose, and ends up taking up space in landfills and contributing pollutants to the soil.

“We’re putting two million pounds of petroleum pots into landfills every year,” Mishek said.

Here’s how the SelfEco Pot works: The pot is composed of biodegradable materials that begin to decompose when buried into the soil. The degrading material breaks down, leaving

behind the nutrients that have been integrated into the pot material.

This prevents the spread of granular fertilizers, which can transfer harmful chemicals into water sources and animal habitats, and also eliminates the need to throw away the pot once the young plant is in the ground.

“It’s also really good to feed the root source rather than the topsoil,” Mishek said.

In fact, some of the SelfEco tests have demonstrated that plants grown using the compostable pot result in healthier plants that grow faster and bigger than plants grown in traditionally fertilized soil.

“It’s a new way of how people grow and garden. We want to minimize the harm to the environment. It’s a kinder, more gentle way of gardening,” he said.

The process of creating the SelfEco pot was nearly 10 months in the making. After the company first developed the container, it went through a series of experiments and tests, conducted

with the help of Iowa State University. The Kickstarter endeavor, which launched Jan. 11, was the latest step as the product awaits a patent. Mishek said that the United State Patent and Trademark Office will respond to the request within two to three years.

“It’s a huge burden off of us,” Mishek said, in response to the campaign’s immediate success. “It reiterates that there is a need and demand for products like this. People want to see products that aren’t going into a landfill.”

The SelfEco Pot shattered its goal of $25,000 as donations continue to flood in on the Kickstarter website to support environmentally friendly gardening products. The money generated will go toward creating a production tool that will fashion the specially made pots more effectively, lowering the cost to make it affordable for a national and international consumer market.

SEE BIODEGRADABLE PLANTER POT, PAGE 12

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JANUARY 22, 2016

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New St. Croix River Crossing will open to traffic in late 2017

Elmore Lowell – Stillwater Hall of Famer Stillwater history is filled with citizens who have come forward and truly made the city a better place. Some of these people have come from the lumber industry, from the household Washington or from public offices.

County Elmore Lowell came from a hotel backHistorical ground and made Stillwater a more beautiful Society place to live.

Brent Peterson Lowell was born on Jan. 20, 1851 in Concord, Maine, the son of Albert and Abbie Lowell. He came to Stillwater when he was 3 years old and received his education through the public schools of Stillwater. He followed his father in the hotel business, taking over the Sawyer House after his father’s death. The Sawyer House became very popular under Elmore’s direction, and it was during this time that the Civil War veterans formed the Last Man’s Club at the Sawyer House. He brought dignity to not only the hotel, but also the city of Stillwater.

A small note in the Stillwater Messenger of Dec. 27, 1884 noted, “Elmore Lowell, the popular manager of the Sawyer House, provided his guests with a most excellent Christmas dinner Thursday.” The next year, 1885, Stillwater was hit with a downpour that sent water everywhere, even right into the Sawyer House. Lowell estimated the damage of the hotel at $500. The big blow was that a boulder, about 100 pounds, slammed through the side of the Sawyer House, went through the barbershop and settled against the office stove.

After many years in the hotel industry in Stillwater, Elmore Lowell retired from the hotel business in 1902, and traveled to many parts of the world.

The Sawyer House passed to other hands. In 1924 the hotel that Lowell, as well as his father and uncle, made a credit to the St. Croix Valley area, was torn down. In its place, a more modern hotel was to be built.

A couple years after the demolition of the old Sawyer House, a new hotel company was formed for the purpose

of handling the construction of a new hotel. Elmore Lowell served as its president. The new hotel was opened in 1927 and it was named the Lowell Inn. In 1910, when the city was raising funds to develop the riverfront, Elmore Lowell made the largest contribution to the project. Because of his generosity, the park was named in his honor. Lowell also served several years as one of the park commissioners and as first chairman of the board.

For his kindness and contributions to the city of Stillwater, Elmore Lowell was the first inductee into Stillwater’s Hall of Fame, which was established in 1931, for “untiring efforts in behalf of Lowell Park, Fairview cemetery and Lakeview Memorial Hospital.”

By 1935, Lowell had moved to Los Angeles, California to live with his brother Charles A. Lowell. On a short walk, Elmore fell and broke his hip, which placed him in a hospital. Mr. Lowell died several days later at the age of 83.

Lowell will always be remembered in Stillwater, not because his name adorns the riverfront park and a five star hotel, but for what he gave to this community over the course of his life in the rough and tumble days of early Stillwater.

The bridge project has suffered several setbacks that prompted the revised completion target, related roadwork remains on track for timely completion The Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation earlier this month announced that the St. Croix River Crossing project will be open to traffic by the fall of 2017.

In September, MnDOT and WisDOT and the contractor for the project, Lunda/Ames Joint Venture, announced that the original completion date in 2016 was not attainable, and that a new completion date would be set by the end of 2015. The date was determined by analyzing work done to date and the work that remains.

“We believe this new date is well within the project team’s capability to meet,” said Michael Beer, MnDOT’s project director. “It is a large and complex project, and we want to be sure that it is done safely and meets our high standards for quality.”

MnDOT and WisDOT are committed to working with the Lunda/Ames Joint Venture to complete the St. Croix River Crossing project in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. The agencies at this time are not considering legal action against the contractor. At this point, working with the joint venture to resolve the schedule issue will save taxpayer money and reduce total project construction time.

The roadway portions of the project remain on track. Improvements to Highway 36 in Minnesota and Highway 64 in Wisconsin, which will connect to the bridge, are either complete or on schedule.

About the project delays Throughout the construction process, the St. Croix River Crossing proj-

ect has faced a variety of challenges: Workforce shortage – The strengthening regional economy has made it challenging for the contractor to find enough skilled and experienced workers for the project.

Equipment issues – During the 2015 construction season, the segment shuttle crane at Grey Cloud casting yard broke down several times, delaying the movement of segments onto the barges.

Each breakdown caused delays lasting from one day to one week. In July, the segment lifter broke down on Pier 9, so segments couldn’t be erected. This caused an additional weeklong delay.

Much of this specialized equipment is unique to this project.

Project complexity – The 3,200-foot span crosses over the federally protected St. Croix River. The complexity and length of the bridge has slowed progress.

Materials shortages – Acquiring the necessary concrete forms to make the segments for the bridge was delayed five months in 2014. Only two American companies make these forms, and the selected company’s owner died and the company subsequently lost its lead engineer. The timing of these events caused the company to delay fabrication of the forms.

Weather delays – Minnesota typically has an eight-month construction season, at the longest. The St. Croix River experienced high water levels in spring 2014, which was a key time in the construction of the bridge piers.

The high water caused a two-week delay. Progress was further slowed in 2014 when winter arrived early.

This year’s relatively mild winter has helped improve the schedule.

From press release

Eastern end of Gold Line route is likely to change; project will move forward

WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Young Elmore Lowell

The Gateway Corridor Commission will begin looking at alternatives for an eastern route alignment for the Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit project.

The move comes as a result of a Lake Elmo City Council vote Jan. 5 to not support the proposed route through the city. Three miles of the 12-mile route, and two stations, were proposed to be located in Lake Elmo.

The Lake Elmo City Council voted unanimously in September 2014 to support the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) that identified the general route and mode of transit. An amendment to the LPA was required of Lake Elmo, Woodbury and Washington County to finalize the route on the east end of the line from Saint Paul to Woodbury/Lake Elmo. Woodbury approved the amendment in December.

Lake Elmo’s decision does not stop the project. The Gateway Corridor Commission is committed to providing east metro residents with a transportation alternative which best meets the needs of the east metro. The Gateway Corridor Commission began to determine a process for redefining the eastern end of the route at its Jan. 14 Policy Advisory Committee and commission meetings. A number of alternate routes were already studied. These routes and additional routing information will be revisited for further evaluation in the coming months. The public will be invited to participate at each step of the way.

From press release

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Japanese internment is the focus of Afton author’s new release

BY JULIE KINK CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Diane Dettmann remembers her best friend Donna Matsuura following her footsteps in the snow on the way to school. It was north Minneapolis in the 1950s, and although America had emerged from the grip of World War II, it had not escaped the racism and prejudice left in its path.

The Afton author called on her childhood friendship with the Japanese family who lived across the street as the inspiration for her latest book, “Courageous Footsteps: A WWII Novel.” It follows 15-yearold Yasu Sakamoto, whose family is imprisoned in a camp in California after President Roosevelt orders the internment of all people of Japanese descent living on the West Coast following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.

Though the novel is historical fiction, it’s based on Dettmann’s childhood recollections and what she learned when she reconnected with her friend decades later.

“I remember the negativity and racism that Donna’s family experienced even back then,” Dettmann said. “When I found out both her parents had been interned, and learned about their experience in the camps, I wanted to look into it,” she explained.

Having earlier written “Twenty-Eight Snow Angels,” “A Widow’s Story of Love, Loss and Renewal,” and co-authored “Miriam, Daughter of Finnish Immigrants,” Dettmann spent three years writing “Courageous Footsteps.”

“Part of it was the research. I spent time watching World War II movies, read a number of different books about the internment experience, looked at a lot of old photos and videotapes. And I had to research the 1940s culture because I wanted to make sure things I mentioned were accurate. I’m a very visual writer, so I took pictures of where I lived in Minneapolis as a child and used that picture of our house as a setting.” Dettmann said she often writes with pen on paper to better connect with the story before transferring to her laptop for a second draft.

Writing and promoting her books is a full-time job for the retired schoolteacher and literacy coach. She uses a number of social networks, participates in book groups, sets up book signings, and participates in conferences and other events. She tries to do most of the promoting in the late afternoon and evening, reserving the mornings for writing.

Though written as a young adult novel, “Courageous Footsteps” has drawn acclaim from readers of

all ages. Dettmann alternates between the voices of Yasu and her older brother Haro, as they struggle to accept the overcrowded living conditions and hardships of life behind barbed wire fences, under the constant watch of armed guards. The confinement and humiliation force them to develop great resilience and make courageous choices.

According to Wikipedia, between 110,000 and 120,000 SUBMITTED people of Japanese Author Diane Dettmann ancestry who lived on the Pacific coast were incarcerated during World War II. Two-thirds of the internees were United States citizens. “They basically left everything they owned and took what they could carry in two suitcases per person, put on a number and were transported to fairgrounds and temporary facilities until they could relocate to the camps. A lot of times the internees were helping build their own camps,” Dettmann noted.

“The really disturbing part of the story—it boggles my mind that this happened in our own country,” she remarked. Dettmann said she was truly inspired by Donna’s parents, Art and his wife Julie, to whom she dedicated the book. “When they left their home in California, they came to Minnesota because they had relatives here.

Art couldn’t get a job, although he was highly qualified and educated. They had to start all over again.”

Dettmann said she visited Art two years ago in California where he lives with his children. He will turn 100 years old in March. “He doesn’t hold any animosity against the American government at all.

He said, ‘We just did what we had to do and moved on with our lives.’ I admire his resiliency and courage and perseverance.”

Dettmann is working on a sequel, continuing with Yasu’s journey, that she hopes to finish in 2016. “All the things typical teenagers do, she was not able to do in the context of that camp setting when she was 13,

SUBMITTED

The cover of Dettmann’s new book, “Courageous Footsteps.”

14, 15. She left all her friends behind. She’s going to continue with some major struggles and challenges in her life, and face difficult circumstances while she’s trying to figure out who she is.”

“Courageous Footsteps” was awarded runner-up in the 2015 Midwest Book Festival in the young adult fiction category. Dettmann will sign books at Barnes & Noble in Har Mar Mall in Roseville on Feb. 21, and will appear at Valley Bookseller in Stillwater May 7.

Her books are available at Valley Bookseller, Chapter2Books in Hudson, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore.

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JANUARY 22, 2016

Snowblowing extras

I

love my delivery people, including our mail carrier and newspaper carrier. Over the holiday season our mail carrier, Tim, nearly risked his life delivering packages to my house and others in our community where the driveways are steep and occasionally super slick. One thing we can do that I know mail and newspaper carriers appreciate is clear the snow around your mailbox and at the end of your driveway, so that they can reach into your mailbox without straining themselves. I know our newspaper carriers also appreciate it when they can deliver your paper without fear of getting stuck in the snow or damaging their car trying to reach the tube.

Letters to the Editor In the 15 years I have been the pubPublisher’s lisher of community newspapers, I’ve View had to develop a thick skin. We have a large audience, and at any given Carter Johnson moment there are numerous readers who find offense with a story or photo, with the opinions of a columnist, and even the letters to the editor. Our professional journalists work hard to write stories and take photos that represent the community and which they believe are of interest to our readers. Every story idea is considered and discussed among our staff prior to publication. And just like our mayors, city council members and other public officials, we sign on for this job knowing our decisions may not please all of our constituents. Our goal is to be the best source of local information for our readers, and to create dialogue through letters to the editor. We appreciate all kinds of feedback. Keep reading, keep writing letters to the editor when you feel inspired, and stay informed. If you have a comment on a story or topic please feel free to call or e-mail ppinfo@presspubs. com or call 651-407-1200. We want to hear from you.

Toilets and Water Usage Water rebate programs are launching all over from Hugo, Mahtomedi, White Bear Lake and White Bear Township. These grants are for water saving measures. The city of Hugo has put into place a $50 rebate for residents who update old, inefficient toilets. The rebates also include updating sprinkler heads. Mahtomedi is also offering rebates on water saving toilets and specific energy star appliances. Residents of these cities can call the city offices to find out more. Most grants are not available on new construction.

If you plan to update your toilet, be sure to install one that is taller. A higher toilet is safer and more comfortable, especially as homeowners get older. You save a few bucks now, do your part to conserve water, and make your bathroom safer. This kind of update is a good long-term investment in your home that pays dividends right away.

Password Nightmares It happens regularly - I need a new password today, because I forgot what I entered yesterday. Living with technology that gives us access to nearly all our accounts means we need a login and password for everything. From cell phones, e-mail, wireless internet, wireless printers, cloud storage, online applications, kids’ games, streaming movie services, school lunch accounts, bank pin numbers, home security, work security entrances, parking lots, grandma’s apartment and our garage door code, I am up to my eyeballs in passwords. With all of these passwords, it’s important for people to keep track of them in a safe place, and not out in the open. Some of my friends are using a password keeper application. Others keep a spreadsheet of passwords. Whenever I need to log into a site or account, I also worry whether I am actually logging into my real account or a fraudulent site. Last Sunday I took a call from a woman saying she was from our credit card company, and she needed me to verify some information. I laughed and jokingly told her I would give her my social security number and date of birth, too. She stayed professional and continued the conversation. It was a real call. I apologized for my response and she reassured me that I was right not to give out any personal information to an incoming caller. Lastly, regularly monitor your credit with your bank or trusted vendor and take a class.

Carter Johnson is publisher of Press Publications.

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A Hot Topic: Fever What’s normal and when you should see the doctor

A

than a simultaneously obtained child says he doesn’t feel good • Infections of the lung, skin, throat, bladder or kidney oral temperature. and it’s the first thing mom checks: his forehead.

• Conditions that cause inflammation What does the temperature mean?

A fever is one of the • Side effects of drugs The higher the temperature does quickest ways to know if you’re • Cancer not necessarily mean the more ill. But, what does that number on • Blood clots serious the illness in most cases. the thermometer mean? What is • Autoimmune disease such as Some illnesses do not cause a fever normal for a child lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and at all. It is important to take the may not be normal inflammatory bowel disease age into consideration. Below is a for an adult.

• Hyperthyroidism guideline for children and adults.

It’s a complicat- Measuring temperature Can I prevent fevers? ed topic, but unDigital thermometers can be Because most fevers are caused derstanding what used to measure rectal, oral, or ax- by infection, avoiding the source of causes a fever, how illary (under the armpit) tempera- infection is really the best option. to bring it down tures. The American Academy of Maintaining good hygiene practicand when it’s time Pediatrics does not recommend es can help. So, be sure to instill to see the doctor, use of mercury thermometers good handwashing techniques with Movers & are all critical (glass), and they encourage paryour children and do your best to lessons. ents to remove mercury theravoid contact with people who are Shakers What is a fever? mometers from their households sick. And, if you or your children Essentially to prevent accidental exposure to are sick, stay home.

Dr. Kurt Belk a fever is your this toxin. Axillary temperatures body’s internal mechanism for are not as accurate as rectal or Kurt Belk is ER physician and fighting infection. A part of the oral measurements, and these medical director of The Urgency brain called the hypothalamus generally measure 1 degree lower Room in Vadnais Heights. controls body temperature, which Age - Temperature - What to Do? usually varies throughout the day 0-3 months - Above 100.4 F Don’t give aspirin to an infant or aspirin to children or teenagers. from the normal temperature of the doctor, even if your child toddler. Call the doctor if the fever Call the doctor if the fever doesn’t 98.6 F. In response to an infection, Call doesn’t have any other signs or doesn’t respond to the medication or respond to the medication or lasts illness, or some other cause, the symptoms. lasts longer than one day. longer than three days. hypothalamus may reset the body 3-6 months - Up to 102 F 2- 17 years - Up to 102 F 18 and older - Up to 102 F Encourage your child to rest and Encourage your child to rest and Rest and drink plenty of fluids. Medito a higher temperature. plenty of fluids. Medication drink plenty of fluids. Medication cation isn’t needed. Call the doctor if Most fever is beneficial, causes drink isn’t needed. Call the doctor if your isn’t needed. Call the doctor if your the fever is accompanied by a severe no problems, and helps the body child seems unusually irritable, child seems unusually irritable or le- headache, stiff neck, shortness of fight off infections. The main rea- lethargic or uncomfortable. thargic or has significant discomfort. breath, or other unusual signs or 2-17 years - Above 102 F symptoms. son to treat a fever is to increase 3-6 months - Above 102 F Call the doctor; he or she may If your child seems uncomfortable, 18 and older - Above 102 F comfort. recommend that you bring your child give your child acetaminophen Rest and drink plenty of fluids. MediWhat causes a fever? in for an exam.

(Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, cation isn’t needed. Call the doctor if 6-24 months - Above 102 F Motrin, others). Read the label the fever is accompanied by a severe The most common causes of a Give your child acetaminophen carefully for proper dosage, and be headache, stiff neck, shortness of fever are colds, gastroenteritis others). If your child is age careful not to give your child more breath, or other unusual signs or and most common in children are (Tylenol, 6 months or older, ibuprofen (Advil, than one medication containing symptoms. ear infections, strep throat and Motrin, others) is OK, too. Read the acetaminophen, such as some cough All temperatures reflected are label carefully for proper dosage. and cold medicines. Avoid giving as a reaction to vaccines. Other taken rectally. causes include:

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Center, 15375 Norell Ave. Contact: 651-731-1320 N., Marine on St. Croix or co.washington.mn.us/ Details: Morning prolibrary gram is for families with GADGET GURU younger children featurWhen: 1- 2:30 p.m. ing a shorter snowshoe every other Saturday ‘THAT’S WHAT EYE hike looking for winter SAW’ ART SHOW through March, including Jan. 23 When: 4-8 p.m. Fridays; signs. Afternoon program includes history of Where: Hardwood noon-4 p.m. Saturdays, snowshoeing and longer Creek Library, 19955 Jan. 21-Feb. 15 hike. $5/WNC friends/ Forest Road N., Forest Where: Hallberg SMM members; $7/ Lake Center for the Arts, non-members. Ages 3+.

Details: Do you have a 5521 East Viking Blvd., Snowshoes provided. gizmo or gadget that you Wyoming Contact: 651-433-2427 just can’t grasp? HardDetails: Photographic x 10 wood Creek Library’s retrospective by 15 Gadget Guru can help regional artists. with a challenging gizmo Contact: wyoming BUNNY BUDDIES or gadget. Drop in or sign creativearts.org When: 11:30a.m.-12:30 up for a 15 to 30 minute p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 help session. Stop by or Where: Stillwater FAMILY STORYTIME call the Hardwood Creek Library, storytime room, When: 10:30-11 a.m.

Library at 651-275-7300 to Saturdays 224 Third St. N. register.

Details: Children can Where: Hardwood Contact: 651-275-7300 read to a therapy bunny.

Creek Library, 19955 Forest Rd. N., Forest Lake Sign up at information desk.

Details: For children ARCHERY LESSONS Contact: When: 7-9 p.m. Friday, ages 2 and up and their stillwaterlibrary.org families. Stories, songs Jan. 29 and fingerplays.

Where: Bow Daddy Contact: 651-275-7300 Archery, 801 MN-65, TEXTILE CENTER: Suide D, Isanti JAPANESE KOKESHI Details: Learn about DOLL WINTER STORYTIME archery through Forest When: 10:30 a.m.

When: 1:15-3:15 p.m.

Lake Community Tuesdays, Feb. 2-Mar. 8 Sunday, Jan. 24 Education. $39; ages 7+.

Where: Wyoming Area Where: Stillwater Contact: 651-982-8110 or Library, 26855 Forest.

Library, storytime room, forestlake.ce.feepay.com Blvd.

224 Third St. N. Details: Stories, songs Details: Children and fingerplays for ages 11-17 can make AARP TAXAIDE preschoolers ages 3-5. a tradition doll using When: 9 a.m. to 2 Contact: 651-462-9001 fiber art. Registration p.m. Tuesdays and required.

Wednesdays, Feb. 1 to Contact: 651-275-4338 April 15 OUT EAST x111 or stillwaterlibrary.

Where: Forest Hills org Methodist Church, 1790 11th St. SE, Forest Lake GUIDED MORNING Details: Free tax BIRD HIKE ‘HOOKED UP: CREATING preparation for seniors ART WITH WOOLWhen: 8:30-9:30 a.m. and low-income residents Saturday, Jan. 23 ONE LOOP AT A TIME’ on a fi rst-come, fi rstEXHIBIT OPENING Where: Lake Elmo served basis. Bring a RECEPTION Park Reserve, Nordic photo ID, Social Security Center, When: 2-4 p.m. Sunday, card and income, expense Details: Learn to iden- Jan. 24 and health insurance tify the birds that call Where: Stillwater documents (if obtained the St. Croix Valley home Public Library Gallery, through Mnsure). and contribute to citizen 224 Third St. N. Contact: aarp.org/ science data collection Details: Exhibit money/taxes/aarp_ by completing bird count features a sampling of taxaide surveys with the guide. styles and projects from The surveys collected St. Croix Valley area rug will assist the counhookers. Exhibit runs MU DAIKO ty’s Natural Resources through February.

PERFORMANCE team and related work Contact: When: 1:30 p.m. in conjunction with the stillwaterlibrary.org Sunday, Feb. 7 Lessard-Sams Outdoor Where: Hardwood Heritage Fund grant.

Creek Library, 19955 RED CROSS Forest Blvd., Forest Lake Free with vehicle permit. BLOOD DONATION Contact: 651-430-8370 Details: Twin CitiesWhen: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. based professional taiko or co.washington.mn.us/ Tuesday, Jan, 26 parks drumming ensemble Where: River Market performs a variety Community Coop, 221 of traditional and FAMILY SNOWSHOE FUN Main St., Stillwater contemporary works, When: 10-11:30 a.m. and Details: All blood types ranging from traditional 12:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday, needed, especially in the taiko repertoire to month of January.

Jan. 23 original pieces composed Contact: 800-RED Where: Warner Nature Cross or redcrossblood. org

JANUARY 22, 2016

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ADA COMPLIANCE INFO SESSION

When: 11 a.m.-noon Thursday, Jan 28 Where: Anderson Legal Services, 226 Myrtle St. E., Stillwater Details: Event is free and space limited registration required at www.GreaterStillwater Chamber.com and click on event calendar.

Contact: 651-439-4001 or greaterstillwater chamber.com

SUBMITTEDD

Scandia Vinterfest WHEN: Friday, Jan. 29 and Saturday, Jan. 30

WHERE: Throughout Scandia

DETAILS: Saturday

events include Lion’s Pancake Breakfast,

Where: Grand Banquet Hall, Details: Fundraiser for the pilot program, ‘Music Means More’, a partnership between the Stilwater Schools and Stillwater Rotary to infuse more music into classrooms. Event featured food by many of the area’s best restaurants, complimentary wine, cash bar, raffle, silent auction, and entertainment. Tickets $50.

Contact: 651-439-7672 or stillwatersampler.com

5TH ANNUAL TOM JOHNSON CRIBBAGE TOURNAMENT

When: 1-3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 30 Where: Stillwater Elks Club, 5880 Omaha Ave. N. Details: $20/person, 10 games played, $15 paid out in prizes. $5 from each to Scholarship Fund.

Contact: 651-439-5276

WOMAN’S READING CLUB

When: 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1 Where: St. Paul Lutheran Church, 609 5th St. S., Stillwater Details: Featured entertainers are awardwinning Debbie Schreyer and the Banjo Belle Jazz Band. Guests welcome.

Contact: 651-439-2131

LEGO LAB

When: 4:45-5:45 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 28 Where: Stillwater Library, storytime room, 224 Third St. N. Details: Open build for kids up to 6th grade; kid under 5 need an adult. Legos provided. Registration recommended.

THE STILLWATER Contact: 651SAMPLER When: 6-10 p.m. Friday, 275-4338 ext. 111 or stillwaterlibrary.org Jan. 29

8-11:30 a.m.; Snow Sculpture Contest, 10 a.m.-noon; Vintage Snowmobile Show, 9:30 a.m. On Big Marine Lake; Vinterfishing ice fishing contest, 1-4 p.m. On Goose Lake; Pleasant Valley

TEXTILE CENTER: INTRODUCTORY WET FELTING

When: 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5 Where: Stillwater Library, storytime room, 224 Third St. N. Details: Adults can learn wet felting to make soap stones. Registration required.

Contact: 651-275-4338 x111 or stillwaterlibrary. org

Cloggers at 3 & 4 p.m.; Meister’s Mite Hockey Jamboree; Fireworks, 7 p.m. To register for the ‘Scanley Cup’ adult hockey tournament, call 651-755-6401 Contact: ci.scandia. mn.us

3RD ANNUAL ‘THE OLDER THE BETTER’ VINTAGE SNOWMOBILE EVENT

When: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 6 Where: Withrow Ballroom & Event Center, 12169 Keystone Ave. N., Withrow Details: See old sleds and support the Stillwater Snowmobile Club. Free admission for spectators. $5 entry fee per sled. Noon-1 p.m. sled ride. Trophies, cash raffle ST. CROIX CATHOLIC and door prizes. Food SCHOOL GALA When: 6 p.m. Thursday, and drinks available for purchase.

Feb. 4 Contact: stillwater Where: St. Michael’s Social Hall, 621 Third St. snowmobileclub.org S., Stillwater Details: ‘Light Their AARP TAXAIDE Way’ fundraiser supports When: By appointment, tuition assistance and 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monincludes open bar and days and Tuesdays and social hour, gourmet 9:30 a.m. to noon Wednesdinner, video, and guest days, Feb. 8 through speaker Gail Dorn, April 13 president of the newly Where: Community formed Catholic Schools Thread, 2300 Orleans St. Center of Excellence W., Stillwater (CSCOE) and formerly Details: Free tax a senior executive with preparation for seniors Target Corporation. and low-income residents.

Ticket $250 per seat, in Bring a photo ID, advance.

Social Security card Contact: 651-439-5581 or and income, expense stcroixcatholic.org and health insurance documents (if obtained through Mnsure).

TAKE YOUR CHILD Contact: 651-439-7434 TO THE LIBRARY DAY When: 10-11:30 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 6 ST. CROIX VALLEY RUNNERS-TRAINING Where: Stillwater Public Library, 224 Third RUNS St. N. When: 8 a.m. Saturday Details: “Favorite mornings book” project with Where: Meet at ArtStart at 10:30 a.m.

Brown’s Creek Park, Make a bookmark, give Neal Ave. and McKusick the prize wheel a spin, Rd. try our scavenger hunt, Details: Group is sign up for a library card looking for runners and check out books. No planning to run a registration is required. marathon to join them on Contact: 651-275-4338 x long runs.

111 or stillwaterlibrary.

Contact: org scvalleyrunners@gmail. com

JANUARY 22, 2016

THE LOWDOWN

www.presspubs.com

7

City leaders, legislators criticize district’s approach in proposal to close 3 schools

BY DEBRA NEUTKENS CITIZEN EDITOR

Dogsledding in Superior National Forest The big boreal forest, home to wolves, slumbering bear and moose; its spruce, fir and pine white with snow, is magnificent, Woods and just magnifiWater cent. But for all its lush Notebook charm, the six dogs running Jim Mortwedt ahead of me this day upstage the woods.

The dogs are Alaskan huskies; that’s not a breed, just a humble mix of dog that can and will pull a sled.

They are sweet creatures. Eager to please and stalwart. Most about 40 lbs.; they sweep my wife Nancy and I through this forest with assurance.

Not quietly, mind you. We’ve seen little wildlife because of all the barking—ravens, jays and nuthatches back at the kennel, maybe a merganser on some open water we passed, an owl—but the dogs compensate.

They have character and personality and individual stories. We admire the buff-colored little female immediately in front of our sled. She runs true, no side-to-side movement.

She has great heart and cannot be thought of as mechanical for that reason, but what efficient movement, never a slacker in the harness! She does little baying at rest I notice, and I later learn her resume includes the Iditarod! Lesser dogs all around fill the air with noise after a short rest.

And the lesser dogs are themselves impressive. What a species is the dog!

We’re a party of six sleds, I didn’t count, but there are about a dozen of us, all Minnesotans somebody says, including genial and knowledgeable guides Heather and Kahsha. Earlier Heather, the older of the guides and a mom, tells the assembled to brake on every downhill. Each sled has a drag brake underneath the driver that works by stepping on a flap of knobby rubber, pressing the driver’s weight into the snow. Step on it too much and you needlessly drain the dogs. The other brake shoves twin blades through the snow into the ground and is not subtle.

About noon we pull off the trail and a number of dogs dive into the deeper snow to cool off momentarily.

The sleds are tied. I look at a dozen paws and more, from my sled and another, and the pads on the feet of the dogs are ruddy and glowing

with good health. The whole day long, all 22-plus miles of it, I do not see a drop of blood from a dog’s foot or elsewhere. I hear of no injury of any kind. The White Wilderness outfitters of Ely have these animals in condition. They are working dogs and much respected by us daytrippers.

Heather asks for help gathering firewood and I enter a thick stand of spruce only a few feet off the trail.

The trees are covered, trunk and branch, with lichen and when I come out my coat is smudged with lichen dust and my arms are full. But the fire does poorly for a while; the guides say the rains were heavy before the frost with no drying since.

Then a little notebook paper is quietly added and brightens the flame and an outdoor writer gets credit for his firecraft. But someone rats him out about the notebook paper. There are a few chuckles. No one minds.

The party lunches on supplied brats cooked on sharpened sticks, and on cookies and hot chocolate.

And by now many dogs are making a racket, though some are still dozing, one looks to be meditating, and there’s one mournful howl distinct from the rest. Shortly we’re underway again. I hear “all right,” then another “all right” to the rear of that, and another “all right” behind that. “All right” is the command for go, “whoa” for stop, and the dogs are good, erring on too eager at times.

That’s OK too. After a while the day begins to spend the dogs; they slow down and more and more often the drivers swing a foot to the side to kick the sled forward and help.

“Don’t let the dogs train you on the hills,” Heather said earlier. But later she walks the advice back a bit as she can be seen doing exactly that.

And she warned about that earlier too. “Do as I say, not as I do,” she smiled.

Then the day, never sunny, begins to weary some. A fine snow has fallen throughout and some hats and gloves are wet. The party pushes on and there are fewer and fewer conversations and distances grow and shrink among the sleds. Late in the day, Heather from the lead signals a right turn ahead and the dogs, who have done all the steering to date anyway, leave no doubt that they will turn in the correct direction, toward home! It’s growing darker.

So when the White Wilderness kennel comes in sight there is appreciation, not only for the day of wonder and the effort of the dogs, but also for the end of the day. It felt like privilege.

HUGO — Stillwater’s school superintendent said it was “not on her radar” to close three elementary schools when she took the job last year.

Denise Pontrelli appeared before the City Council Jan. 4 to discuss the closing of Withrow Elementary, a Hugo school under her jurisdiction. The superintendent explained that the plan to shutter the schools, under an initiative called BOLD (Building Opportunities to Learn and Discover), started with a study that showed many buildings at 60 to 70 percent capacity.

“We were shocked when we saw the numbers,” Pontrelli said. “It’s not very efficient. So we dug deep into demographics, population and employment. We expect a 6 percent decline in population to 2040 that includes a corner of Hugo.”

Pontrelli said the district doesn’t want to close schools.

“But we have to look at the overall health of the district,” she told council.

“We have to look at sustainability. Smaller schools are expensive to run. Withrow has 189 students with a capacity of 200.”

The proposal to close Withrow, Oak Park Heights and Marine was first mentioned at a December “learning session” with the School Board, Pontrelli noted. The timing prompted criticism from parents who say the district is fast-tracking the decision with no opportunity for residents’ input.

Mayor Tom Weidt asked Pontrelli, who happens to live in Hugo, to slow the process and invite the community in.

“This is a big decision,” he told the superintendent.

“You might come to a decision that is different. A lot of people didn’t know about this and it doesn’t make sense for the community.

I think you need to weigh all the options. Nothing is hurt by slowing this process down.”

The district plans public hearings for each school prior to the Feb. 11 school board meeting where a decision is expected to be made, but its motives have been questioned regarding the 5 p.m. start and Lake Elmo location. Withrow parents feel the time and location are inconvenient and designed to keep people from attending.

“Schools have a big impact on our community,” Councilman Chuck Haas told Pontrelli. “It sounds like public hearings now are less about taking input and more about telling residents what decisions are being made.

“A vitality in the com-

munity exists because of that school,” he added. “It’s essential to the fabric of our community. I wish things were going a different way.

We are open to helping things go a different way.”

Councilwoman Becky Petryk asked Pontrelli the future of the school building if Withrow closes.

“It could become a professional learning center or something like that,” she said. “The fate of that building has not been determined. We would probably look at selling it.”

The City Council did not approve a formal recommendation to take to the Stillwater School Board.

Staff was directed to draft language about the city’s desire to restart the process for approval at the next council meeting Feb. 1.

After the meeting with Pontrelli, Haas said he was disappointed school board members were not informed by the superintendent of the Hugo invitation to appear before the council.

“Elected officials are supposed to make policy decisions and staff implement them,” Haas said. “This is going the other way. In none of the information have I seen a school board directive to the administration to enact this BOLD plan. It certainly wasn’t done with stakeholders in mind. I’m really worried that this administrative-driven proposal is having a dramatic affect on our residents.

This isn’t looking good for Democracy.”

In the Country Messenger newspaper, a sister publication of The Lowdown, a Jan. 15 report indicated that Pontrelli notified Marine officials that she will not attend this week’s council meeting if residents are given the floor for public comment.

The superintendent had planned to present the district’s proposal to Marine City Council members and field questions from the council, according to city officials.

The mayor and council members were not happy with the arrangement, but agreed to post attendance

rules and accept residents’ questions via email. The council planned to ask the questions on behalf of the citizens.

In other developments on the closures, a letter addressed to ISD 834 administrators and School Board members from area legislators was posted on Stop Bold Cold’s website. They are a grass roots group working to defeat the initiative.

In the correspondence, Rep. Kathy Lohmer recalled a two-hour meeting she and two legislators had with the superintendent and only one School Board member, Kathy Buchholz. It was noted in the letter their sense was that “the decision to close these schools had been made, a video was produced to promote the BOLD agenda, and our thoughts and questions were not given serious considerations.”

To clarify, the legislators wrote, “we are all huge proponents of local control, but we are extremely concerned with the process in regards to the BOLD initiative and the lack of opportunity for community input.”

Their concerns were familiar: cost of transportation for students attending Withrow and Marine, timing of the announcement — one week before Christmas — and a new School Board policy that does not allow parents to speak and address board members, among the list.

“We are concerned that the message being interpreted by parents is that the School Board simply wants to divide and conquer. An individual school is not only a tremendous benefit to a neighborhood but to the community, as well.

Before the decision is made to close three of them we would strongly encourage extending this process and creating a broader timeline that would allow the voices of Stillwater residents to be heard before a final decision is made.”

The letter was signed

by Rep. Lohmer, Rep. Bob Dettmer and Sen. Karin Housley.

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9

Suburban East Conference

Forest Lake native Steve Houle inducted into Hall of Fame

1/5/2016 SEC CONFERENCE MEET AT AFTON ALPS

One of the most formidable and accomplished racers of the 1980s and 1990s, Steve Houle of Forest Lake, Minn., amassed a stunning record of wins and championships in the highest levels of oval, snocross and cross-country competition. Houle’s fiery competitiveness and keen mechanical knowledge were key ingredients to his individual racing success from 1980 until his retirement in 1996, as well as the remarkable success of his aftermarket and racing companies, Speedwerx and Hot Seat Performance.

His fi rst racing success came in the early 1980s in cross-country, where he won the XC World Championships, World Series and high point titles in CCC competing on Polaris and Yamaha machines. Houle focused on snocross and ice-lemans racing in the mid-1980s as a member of the Yamaha “Dream Team.” He captured three consecutive championships in MRP as well as World Series titles and he won the coveted Toyota/Yamaha Formula Challenge three consecutive seasons in 1986-1988, piling up more than 50 individual class victories. In the late 1980s Houle returned to Polaris and became one of the most decorated oval racers of his era, claiming eight wins at the Eagle River World Championships – including the 1993 Formula III title – plus three World Series titles. He amassed more than 60 total wins in oval competition, including 16 career Formula III victories and a string of 18 consecutive wins in the Mod II class. Houle returned to his cross-country roots in mid-1990s to notch multiple victories in ISOC during its fi rst heyday.

Houle’s racing and business success were possible in large part to his remarkable engineering and tuning talent and his unrelenting work ethic. After winding down his own career in the late 1990s, Houle launched Hot Seat and Speedwerx to develop high-performance engines, clutching, snowmobile race sleds and more. Since then, racers using Speedwerx-built engines and clutching have amassed a Pro class win record that includes more than 120 national snocross victories; 28-plus X Games medals (including

Boys Team

1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place 4th Place 5th Place 6th Place 7th Place 8th Place 9th Place

Forest Lake Stillwater Mounds View East Ridge Woodbury White Bear Lake Cretin-Derham Hall Roseville Park

1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place 4th Place 5th Place 6th Place 7th Place 8th Place 9th Place

Stillwater Forest Lake Mounds View East Ridge Woodbury Roseville White Bear Lake Cretin-Derham Hall Park

1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place 4th Place 5th Place 6th Place 7th Place 8th Place 9th Place 10th Place

Jack Midtlien, Woodbury Kaarl Damberg, Mounds View Patrick Allan, Stillwater Marty Longsdorf, Forest Lake Holton Sailer, East Ridge Wyatt Bieber, Mounds View Alfonso Amores, East Ridge Parker Smith, Stillwater Zach Ochsenbauer, Forest Lake Joe Weber, Stillwater

1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place 4th Place 5th Place 6th Place 7th Place 8th Place 9th Place 10th Place

Juliana Damberg, Mounds View Elizabeth Kiresuk, Roseville Allison Hoerr, Roseville Elli Rodsjo, Forest Lake Emily Nash, Mounds View Maddie Neubauer, Stillwater Becca Lepel, East Ridge Grace Donner, Stillwater Kirsten Anderson, Stillwater Kate Cox, White Bear Lake

Girls Team SNOWMOBILE HALL OF FAME

Steve Houle

Hall of Fame Induction DATE OF INDUCTION: February 13, 2016 CAREER SPAN: 1980 - Present BRANDS REPRESENTED: Polaris, Yamaha, Arctic Cat AGE AT INDUCTION: 57

Boys Individual

Girls Individual

more than 12 gold medals) in a variety of disciplines; 68-plus World and National championships; and 16 Jackson Hole World Championship hillclimb titles.

FOREST LAKE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS UPDATES

Isaiah Dobson obson

ST. CR

OIX V ALLE

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Stillwater boys basketball asketball Isaiah continues to be one of the ringleaders of the offense for the Stillwater boys’ basketball team.

The Pony senior had 41 points in Suburban East Conference games against Park and Cretin-Derham Hall. He had 18 points in a victory over the Wolfpack, and a gamehigh 23 in the contest against the Raiders.

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of the

s chosen by press staf *Athlete f

Athlete

of the

Week

The Rangers came in for a win against

The athletes of the Forest Lake Nordic Racing Squads competed in a day of racing at the world’s largest high school Nordic meet. Boys and girls were both 5th place out of 90 teams at the Mesabi East Invite. Leading the MSHSL defending State Champion boys in the classic technique race were Davis Long 7th and Rhino Mead 16th. In the skate race Spencer Kotys 19th and Andy

Week

Boys Swimming and Diving

Nordic Skiing

MAPLEWOOD

T TOYOTA

Haines 29th raced strongly to round out the scoring.

Regan Duffy paced the girls team leading the Ranger charge with her 5th place finish followed by Kate Schaaf 22nd in the classic technique race. Jenna Parent and Madi Anderson blazed to 17th and 23rd to score for the girls team on the frozen tundra of Biwabik, Minnesota.

Madi Nolan

FOR

EST

LAK

E

Forest Lake girls hockey y s chosen by press staf *Athlete f

The Rangers defeated the Andover Huskies 5-1 as a SECTION game last night. Kasel, Mills and Rugland each scored a goal; along with VanTassel scoring two goals. The team exploded in the third period.

White Bear Lake with a final score of 93/75. On Saturday, the Varsity swimmer/divers head up to Duluth for the Duluth Invite held at Ordean Middle school. Diving started at 9 a.m. with swimming starting at 1 p.m. The seventh, eighth and ninth grade team members were at The Fighting Tuna Invite at Centennial High School on Friday, Jan. 15.

Athlete

Girls Hockey

M Madi and the Forest Lake girls’ il’ h hockey team beat Roseville for the ssecond time this winter, topping the R Raiders 4-2 at Roseville Arena. The ju junior forward had a pair of thirdp period goals in the victory, and also a assisted on their other two goals.

SShe added a goal and an assist in a 4 4-1 triumph over Duluth East.

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JANUARY 22, 2016

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THE LOWDOWN

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Valley Outreach to expand programming Over the next nine months, Stillwater-based nonprofit Valley Outreach will greatly bolster its work to move struggling families to self-sufficiency as it takes over management of the successful Ascend Program from the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Stillwater.

The unique social service case management program will allow Valley Outreach to provide a wide range of long-term, intensive help to low-income families and individuals to get them on their feet and help them stay there.

Officials from both organizations said the transition to Valley Outreach was prompted when Ascend - which currently serves 38 St. Croix Valley families — had grown to a point that it was straining the church’s capacity to run it. They said Valley Outreach, which offers a food shelf, clothing closet, emergency financial assistance and resource advising to clients, has realized the critical need for comprehensive case management to support families in the St. Croix Valley. In the past year, Valley Outreach programs served more than 1,300 households. “More fully serving our clients, truly living our mission of being a bridge from the crisis of the moment to the solution of the future, means we do more than provide food and clothing,� said Tracy Maki, Valley Outreach Executive Director. “It means we help navigate the barriers, either personal or systemic, that

St. Croix Watershed Research Station announces artist/writer residencies

keep families from succeeding. Case management moves people towards real self-sufficiency.�

Since 2013, Ascend has provided long-term, intensive case management to clients, assisting first with basic needs, then addressing longterm transportation, housing, education and employment needs. For low-income families who struggle for stability in the face of poverty, these efforts directly support them as they strive to achieve stable employment, housing, family life and education advancement.

The Reverend Buff Grace, Rector of Ascension Episcopal, stated it is Ascend’s success that prompted the church to look for a transition partner. “In the three years Ascension has managed the program, we have steadily grown and served more clients. However, as a small church, we are limiting the possibilities for this program. Under the direction of Valley Outreach many more clients could be served. We have maintained this program well. Now it is time to serve it better.�

Jan Hallstrom, Valley Outreach Board Chairperson commented, “It’s a big step forward for us, yet it’s one that our board and our staff fully embrace because it simply makes sense.

Taking on an established, successful program jump-starts our own case management efforts beautifully. It deepens our work.�

From press release

Artist at Pine Needles, a residence program sponsored by the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, seeks applications from artists and writers for summer 2016. The Artist at Pine Needles project invites natural history artists or writers to spend two to four weeks in residence to immerse themselves in a field experience, gather resource materials, and interact with environmental scientists and the local community.

The St. Croix Watershed Research Station, the field research station of the Science Museum of Minnesota, is located near Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. The setting for the Artist at Pine Needles project is the James Taylor Dunn Pine Needles Cabin, located just north of the village along the St. Croix River. In 2015, the artists selected were poet and sculptor Soyini Guyton and Seitu Jones of St. Paul, plein air painter Joshua Cunningham Applications for 2016 will be accepted from writers and visual artists who focus on environmental or natural history topics and whose work demonstrates a connection between science and art. Participants will have an opportunity to interact with environmental scientists and to create links between their art, the natural world and the sciences. As part of the program, artists will be encouraged to design an outreach project to share their work with the local community. In addition, the residency requires that participants contribute an original work for the benefit of the research station.

Housing and rustic studio space is provided for the artist’s choice of a two, three or four-week residency; up to three residencies will be awarded for the summer of 2016.

Application packets are available from the Research Station or www.smm.org/scwrs/ programs/artist/. The application deadline is Feb. 29. For more information, contact Sharon Mallman at the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, 651-433-5953, extension 13 or researchstation@smm.org.

From press release

Hot Reads for Cold Nights The fifth annual Hot Reads for Cold Nights program at the Wyoming Area Library will take place from Jan. 21 to March 2. All adults 18 and older are invited to participate in this adult winter reading series. Participants are asked to write a short review for each book they read. These entries are placed in a box for the weekly drawing. Prizes include coffee mugs, small memo books for tracking what you’ve read, book calendars, books, Hot Reads for Cold Nights tote bags and gift cards for area businesses. Prizes will be drawn each

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Wednesday from reviews turned in the previous week. Patrons are encouraged to expand their usual reading genres.

If you normally grab a mystery, try a nonfiction book that reports the events around an actual murder case. If you like romances, try historical fiction.

Try a new author. Expand your reading horizons. Curl up with a good book and stay toasty warm. Your library card is the most valuable card in your wallet!

The Wyoming Area Library is located at 26855 Forest Blvd, Wyoming. You can call the library at 651-462-9001.

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JANUARY 22, 2016

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BIODEGRADABLE PLANTER : Stillwater business changes the future of gardning FROM PAGE 1

Mishek said there has been a huge interest in the SelfEco pot on a global scale. Companies all over the world have purchased bulk quantities of the product.

‘We’ve had backers from Singapore, Hawaii, all over the United States ... all corners of the planet,” Mishek said. “They want to make a statement that they want to see this come to the market.”

Depending on the amount donated, backers can receive a digital thank-you from the SelfEco team, their own SelfEco pot, or even — for a donation of $7,500-plus — a package that includes a 1,000-pack of SelfEco, five T-shirts, two sets of gardening gloves, two trowels, and autographed photo, a 3D-printed prototype of the production tool and a dinner cruise on the St. Croix.

Since the effort has already reached its goal—“30 hours to the minute,” Mishek said—future Kickstarter donors will be able to purchase pots for urban gardens in a location of their choice, in cities throughout the U.S. SelfEco is a sister company to VistaTek, a custom mold-making company run by Mishek’s brother, also based in Stillwater. In addition to the compostable pots, SelfEco produces earth-friendly party and catering ware, including specialties such as stemless champagne flutes and goblets. The company’s efforts to create a standard of earth-friendly alternatives are currently making waves in all corners of the media world.

“I think once people get exposed to it, and they see its success, this will be a new norm,” Mishek said.

At press time the SelfEco Pot had raised $26,737, with 27 days left to donate. To support the SelfEco pot or learn more, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/1782381964/selfeco-pot.

POISONED WATERFOWL: Effects of lead in the environment FROM PAGE 1

This story is not uncommon, as the employees and volunteers at the WRC can attest.

Lynette Scott, who is the executive assistant at the WRC, said that there is usually a large influx of swans and lake birds at this time of year.

“Our swan season starts in November,” she said, explaining that birds that have been poisoned are often too weak to make the migration and end up staying behind for the winter.

The Minnesota DNR has made efforts to reduce lead poisoning with its Get the Lead Out initiative, but many toxins remain present in the environment from the past; most of the remaining pollutants are from fishing sinkers and jigs and the shot pellets in shotgun shells.

“There’s decades of stuff at the bottom of the lake,” Scott said. “These big birds dabble at the bottom for vegetation and end up swallowing it. To remove lead from a big lake would be pretty much impossible.”

The lead objects that were removed from the swan had been caught in a part of its esophagus called the crop.

“They usually have stones in their crop for digestion, and it’s kind of a grinding muscle so it can break down lead,” Scott said. As the lead breaks down, it filters into the bird’s blood. As a result of the wear and tear of digestion, WRC staff members were unable to determine what the two lead objects had originally been.

The WRC releases animals back into the wild once they have recovered. The center is associated with the Three Rivers Park District, and many of the swans from the WRC are released into an open-water habitat at Lake Rebecca near Buffalo, Minnesota. The Bald Eagle Lake swan remained at the WRC for more than a week, but its condition continued to deteriorate.

“We always hope that they will turn around, but when they have such a high lead toxicity in their blood, it’s difficult to say if they will successfully recover,”

said WRC communications director Tami Vogel.

How to tell if an animal may be poisoned or injured: “In a very severe case of lead poisoning, the animal wouldn’t be able to have their head up,” Scott said. “If you approach the animal and it makes no attempt to get away, that’s a pretty clear sign that something is wrong.” She said that listlessness, as in the case of the Bald Eagle Lake swan, is one of the most common indicators of poisoning.

“If its laying on the ice, it’s going to get hypothermic,” she said. In some cases, birds swim around to attempt to keep the water open, but end up frozen to the ice because they do not have enough energy to break free once it has frozen over.

What to do if an animal shows symptoms of poisoning: The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center will accept the animal, but they do not perform animal rescue. It is up to concerned citizens such as the Bald Eagle Lake neighbors to capture the animal and bring it in for treatment. The DNR website offers the following list of recommendations regarding sick or injured wildlife: What to do if you find a sick or injured wild animal: Examine the situation carefully — is the animal really sick or injured? Some animal species will behave oddly at different times of year or different times of their lives. Often letting some time pass will reveal a healthy animal that was simply doing something unexpected.

Examine the environment carefully; is it possible and safe for anyone to attempt to rescue an animal? Sometimes, despite the best effort and intentions, an injured animal is just not accessible and unfortunately nothing can be done for it.

Also take note of how much the animal is still capable of movement. If an animal is still moving around vigorously and is able to flee when approached by a human (especially flying or swimming wildlife) it is best to leave the animal alone. A

WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTER | SUBMITTED

Julia Schmitz, a certified veterinary technician, administers chelation treatment to a poisoned swan. “Chelation is what we use to pull lead out of the blood stream, and they expel it in their feces,” said Vogel.

prolonged struggle or chase will often put both animal and human rescuers at greater risk.

Contact a permitted rehabilitator or rehabilitation center before attempting to handle the animal if possible. They will be able to give you the best advice on what to do and what not to do if you decide to attempt rescue. Sick or injured wild animals may bite and scratch and pose a risk to humans (physical injury and/ or exposure to disease). Use caution and never put yourself in a situation that you are uncomfortable with.

When contacting local rehabilitation services, take careful note of where the animal was found, either to direct retrieval personnel or to tell the clinic when you drop off the animal. Animals should be returned to where they were found, or as close as possible. Often, rehabilitators require you to voluntarily bring in the animal.

A good phrase to keep in mind is, “If you care, leave it there” before you decide to rescue an injured animal. Keep in mind that rehabilitation can be difficult,

WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTER | SUBMITTED

The WRC medical team performs gastric lavage to flush lead pellets from a juvenile trumpeter swan. From lower left: Vet Tech Student Extern Cora, WRC Vet Agnes, Volunteer CVT Sarah, WRC CVT Megan and lower right WRC Vet Renee. “We anesthetize the swan, take a radiograph of the GI tract (lead pellets show up as bright balls) and then we put the swan on an exam table (still under anesthesia) and flush gallons and gallons of water into its GI tract while it’s at an angle. This causes everything in the bird’s GI tract to flush out into a container.” -WRC Facebook Page

expensive, and has varying degrees of success. Nearly all rehabbers rely on donations to support rehab costs. Issues of disease must be carefully considered.

The website also notes that it is illegal for unlicensed citizens to attempt to rehabilitate wild animals, as well as to possess or transport wild animals for more than 24 hours. The DNR website also provides a list of permitted wildlife rehabilitators across the state. The Wildlife Resource Center is located at 2530 Dale St. N in Roseville, and can be reached at 651-486-9453.

14

THE LOWDOWN

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15

Stillwater’s Oasis Cafe featured on Minnesota Bucket List website

BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER STAFF WRITER

The Oasis Cafe on Main Street was the recent focus of a feature by Twin Cities blogger Jessica Brouillette, who travels to destinations across the state for her Minnesota Bucket List project.

“It’s meant to help navigate things for you. It’s kind of like that friend who knows where everything is,” Brouillette said.

“I never really liked it here,” she said.

Brouillette moved around often while she was growing up, and never felt as though she was part of a wider “Minnesota” community. After she began working as a recruiter at Best Buy, trying to tempt potential candidates from out of state to move to Minnesota, she realized that she did not fully understand the appeal of moving to the state herself.

“The biggest issue is: it’s cold and why would I want to be here?” she said. “I had this very convoluted idea of what Minnesota was. I took vacations out of state and then I’d come back and be kind of miserable. I started to actively think of Minnesota as a place I wanted to travel.

I pretended I was a tourist and starting traveling to different locations around the state. After a while you kind of run out of the top 10 things to do,” she said.

That’s when Brouillette began exploring more obscure locations: things that couldn’t be found on tourist maps or trendy websites. As she explored deeper into the hidden gems of Minnesota, she found that she was beginning to collect an online following.

Brouillette said that she initially started on Instagram, attending local events known as Minnstameets, where she found a number of people who were interested in her theme. The project, which now exists mainly as a website, went through a lot of evolution before appearing as it does today. She said that the wide variety of places featured has helped to gain a broader audience.

“It’s so diverse—it’s not gender-specific

and it’s not demographically specific,” she said. “If you hate today’s post, just give me 24 hours.”

Brouillette said that each of the platforms she uses attracts different types of interactions.

“On Twitter you end up seeing more of my personality. On Facebook it’s a little tougher, because the places that don’t have websites do have a little more Web promotion of Facebook pages, and Facebook is where people have a bigger voice,” she said.

Stillwater is an area Brouillette has featured several times because of its abundance of restaurants, antique shops and historical novelties. She also visits friends there on a regular basis and documents the types of adventures they go on together, such as a recent hike to the Arcola High Bridge north of the city.

“Stillwater definitely has been one of the highlights,” she said. “One of my favorite antique stores is there, and there’s this kind of history that seems livable there.”

Overall, the spirit of authenticity is a driving force behind the style and tone of her features.

“Oftentimes I don’t tell people I’m coming,” she said. “I really want to know your story and how you fit into Minnesota. [The project] has definitely given me this new hope for the local community.”

Part of Brouillette’s inspiration is in helping Minnesota transplants to feel at home in their new state.

“You don’t have to be from here or even like it here, but you can be proud of standing here with us,” she said. “The website is a place you can go where someone can give you an honest answer, and where people have a seat at the table.”

Brouillette now works at Island View Entertainment, a job which allows her to devote more time to seeking out new locations and stories for the MN Bucket List.

“It gives you a different kind of Minnesota,” Brouillette said. “There’s 500 million things you can like about it. It’s definitely a huge commitment, but it’s

JESSICA BROUILLETTE | SUBMITTED

An interior shot of the Oasis Cafe.

JESSICA BROUILLETTE | SUBMITTED

JESSICA BROUILLETTE | SUBMITTED

Twin Cities-based blogger Jessica Brouillette is the creator of Minnesota Bucket List, featuring unique locations around the state.

Brouillette documents a recent outing to the Oasis Cafe in Stillwater.

been fun and mostly hasn’t been a chore.

I usually go with a ton of people, so it’s very fun.”

You can follow Brouillette’s adventures

at www.mnbucketlist.com, or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/mnbucketlist) or Twitter (@mnbucketlist) pages.

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THE LOWDOWN

Reel talk Don’t Miss!

JANUARY 22, 2016

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Good

Worth a Look

SCHOOL BRIEFS

Forget it

“45 YEARS” (R) [LANGUAGE AND BRIEF SEXUALITY.]

When an Englishman (Tom Courtenay) learns that his former lover from 50 years ago was found buried in Alpine glacier after a hiking accident in this compelling, down-to-earth, well-acted, 95-minute film based on David Constantine’s novel “In Another Country,” his devoted wife (Charlotte Rampling) struggles with her husband’s secrecy while preparing for their 45-year anniversary party.

—

an

“CAROL” (R) [A SCENE OF SEXUALITY/ NUDITY AND BRIEF LANGUAGE.]

— In this touching, compelling, well-acted, start-studded (Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, and John Magaro), 118-minute film based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel “The Price of Salt,” a beautiful, sophisticated, divorced, bisexual housewife (Cate Blanchett) in the 1950s finds herself caught between her young department store lover (Rooney Mara) she meets in Manhattan during the Christmas holidays and her controlling, jealous exhusband (Kyle Chandler), who continually flirts with her and uses her unconventional sexuality and their daughter (Sadie Helm) as a pawn to gain sole custody.

“THE FOREST” (PG-13) [DISTURBING THEMATIC CONTENT AND IMAGES,]

— When an American schoolteacher goes missing in Japan and allegedly journeys into a haunted, menacing forest where distraught people go to commit suicide in this uneven, lackluster, dark, creepy, 95-minute, horror film, her worried twin sister (Natalie Dormer) travels 6,000 miles to Tokyo and is joined by an American journalist (Taylor Kinney) and a Japanese guide (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) in the traumatic search to find her.

“SON OF SAUL” (R) [DISTURBING VIOLENT CONTENT AND SOME GRAPHIC NUDITY.] [SUBTITLED]

— A disturbing, gut-wrenching, somber, dark, well-acted, 35mm-format, 107-minute film that focuses on the monotonous, monstrous, unbelievable daily plight of a Hungarian Jewish prisoner (Géza Röhrig) working in the crematoriums of Auschwitz in 1944 who desperately tries to find a rabbi to bless and bury a young boy who he believed was his son who died in the gas chamber while he plans an escape with other Jews (Levente Molnár, Todd Charmont, et al.).

WENDY SCHADEWALD The preceding films were reviewed by Wendy Schadewald, who has been a Twin Cities film critic since 1986. To see more of her film reviews, log on to www.shortredheadreelreviews.com.

©1986 through 2016 by Wendy Schadewald

Scandia Elementary second-graders pose with some of the cereal they collected for the Elim Lutheran Church food shelf.

Scandia second-graders help families with breakfast

Scandia Elementary second-grade students recently held a food drive to provide breakfast for needy families. The food drive focused on breakfast cereal and the students were able to collect more than 40 boxes of cereal, which were donated to the Elim Lutheran Church food shelf.

First class of Forest Lake Spanish immersion students ready for next step

Early Childhood program receives grant for parent training

For the fi rst time ever, sixth-grade students from Forest Lake Area Schools’ elementary Spanish immersion program are getting ready to move up to Junior High immersion classes.

These students, who were the fi rst group to begin Spanish immersion in the district, have been the trailblazers for a program that has grown along with them. Next year, these students will have the opportunity to continue their immersion education in junior high.

At the junior high level, several Spanish immersion classes are available in subjects like science, social studies and Spanish (including reading, writing, culture and grammar). For elementary students, Forest Lake Area Schools offers a “partial-immersion” program, where students are taught literacy skills in English, and all other subjects in Spanish.

Forest Lake Area Schools Early Childhood and Special Education department (ECSE) recently received a grant from The Education Foundation of the Forest Lake Area (TEFFLA), which will allow the department to offer training sessions for parents of young children. The ECSE department will begin offering training sessions in February or March using the Love and Logic curriculum, which aims to give parents the tools and techniques needed to navigate the social and emotional development of their child.

Minnesota FFA Foundation announces new scholarship The Minnesota FFA Foundation announces the James W. Tracy scholarship. The scholarship is available to Minnesota high school seniors enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited post-secondary school in the U.S. (certificate, diploma or degree) and studying agriculture or animal husbandry. The scholarship will award five $1,000 scholarships. The scholarship will be awarded based on leadership, involvement, agriculture interest and fi nancial need. Applicants will be required to complete the application, write an essay and submit two letters of recommendation. The guidelines and application can be found on www.mnffafoundation.org. Applications are due by Feb. 1. Scholarship recipients will be announced by May 1.

Festival of Cultures participants needed Forest Lake Area Schools is making final plans for its annual Festival of Cultures, which will take place at Forest Lake Area High School on April 8 from 5:30-8 p.m. This free community event is designed to celebrate the many cultures of the district’s schools and communities through games, storytelling, art, music and more. The festival’s planning committee is currently seeking groups or individuals who would like to have a booth at the event highlighting a particular country or culture. For more information, contact Kim Carver, at tk.carver@hotmail.com or Raquel Barrientos at rbarrientos@flaschools.org.

Kindergarten open house St. Croix Catholic School, located at 621 Third Street South in Stillwater, invites prospective families to its Catholic Schools Week Open House and Pancake Breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 24. The school’s preschool, primary, intermediate and middle school classrooms will be open for tours. The full staff will be present to visit with families about the offerings of the school.

During the open house, school families will host a pancake breakfast in St. Michael’s Social Hall, located adjacent to the school. The breakfast will be served from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. A freewill donation of $7 per adult, $4 child or $25 per family is appreciated. For more information, visit www. stcroixcatholic.org or contact Diane Polley at 651439-5581 or dpolley@stccs.com.

DECA team qualifies for State The Forest Lake High School DECA team has 26 team members going to qualifiers at state.

The team members that won second place are: Savannah Buck, Justin Grant, Camryn Jackson, Hannah Jacobson, Leah Jaqua, Isabel Leininger, Mackenzie Puleo and Brooke Vandermyde.

Debate team success The Section Champion Forest Lake Debate team qualified more than half of the team for state competition this past weekend. Sara de Sobrino is section champion in Section 5 Lincoln-Douglas debate, while Kelli Frederickson and Phil Davis are section runners-up in public forum debate.

Sarah Burger and Vicki Cebulla placed fi fth in public forum and will compete at the state level.

Rowan Wagner and Ron Reed placed fourth in policy debate and will also head to state as the fi rst Forest Lake team in policy since 2002. Forest Lake is the only team in the section to be sending debaters in all three divisions of debate.

JANUARY 22, 2016

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Crossword

THE LOWDOWN

Frank Watson is a local Meteorologist who operates a weather station in White Bear Lake. Weather data and observation are from his weather station and trips around the area. Frank can be found on the internet at WeathermanWatson.com.

Weather tidbits Brought to you by WeathermanWatson.com SUNRISE / SUNSET

Wed JAN

22

7:43

5:06

Thu JAN

23

7:42

5:07

Fri

JAN

24

7:41

5:09

Sat

JAN

25

7:40 5:10

Sun JAN

26

7:39

5:11

Mon JAN

27

7:36

5:12

Tue JAN

28

7:37

5:13

Sudoku CLUES ACROSS 1. 1. Elephant’s name 6. Support 10. Mures River city 14. Bastard wing 15. One was named Desire 17. PGA Tournament prize 19. A way to leave unchanged 20. Unchangeable computer memory 21. Harangues 22. 6th Hebrew letter 23. Well informed 24. Turfs 26. In a way, obeyed 29. Lawyers group 31. Increases motor speed 32. Political action committee 34. Light pokes 35. Struck down 37. Central Philippine Island 38. Japanese sash 39. Afresh 40. Bluish green 41. Inspire with love 43. Without (French) 45. Counterbalance container to obtain net weight 46. Express pleasure 47. Cheap wine (Br.) 49. Signing 50. ___ compilation, compiling computer language 53. Have surgery 57. Being trompe-l’oeil 58. Extremely mad 59. Day 60. Small coin (French) 61. Snatched CLUES DOWN 1. Cry 2. Wings

3. Baseball play 4. Flower petals 5. Drive against 6. Velikaya River city 7. A single unit in a collection 8. Stray 9. Bring back 10. Repented 11. Receipt (abbr.)

12. Expresses pleasure 13. Not wet 16. In a way, takes off 18. Macaws genus 22. “Fast Five” star’s initials 23. Sharpen a knife 24. Oral polio vaccine developer 25. Former CIA 27. Fencing swords 28. Aba ____ Honeymoon 29. Bustle 30. Minor 31. Propel a boat 33. Passage with access only at one end 35. Underwater airways 36. Small, slight 37. Box (abbr.)

39. __ Blake, actress 42. Repents 43. Merchandising 44. Exclamation of surprise 46. With fi replace residue 47. A small lake 48. Bait 49. Tip of Aleutian Islands 50. K____: watercraft (alt. sp.)

51. Norse variant of “often” 52. Adolescent 53. Visual metaphor (Computers) 54. River in Spanish 55. Cowboy Carson 56. Powerful gun lobby

WEATHER TIDBIT Return of the Polar Vortex as upper level drops to just north of Lake Superior drops lows into teens below this past weekend.

Thaw expected this weekend. Jan. 27, Jupiter north of moon all night.

YEAR AGO THIS WEEK Pacific flow brings in January thaw, highs warm with 40° on January 23 with 44° on January 24 and 26.

WEEKLY AVERAGES OCT. 14 TO 20, 2015 High Low %Sun PCP 24° 7° 52% 0.26”

Fun Fact Tug-of-war was an Olympic sport in the early 1900’s.

Did you know?

It is against the law to put pretzels in bags in Philadelphia.

Top 5 at PressPubs.com: Week of Jan. 10 – 16

Editor’s note: Visit www.presspubs.com to read the full versions of these most-visited stories

1. Fresh Thyme coming to Vadnais Square. Vadnais > News 2. Kowalski’s coming to town. Shoreview > News 3. Former Bear wrestler ranked no. 1. White Bear Press > Sports 4. Stillwater hockey mom featured in TV series.

Lowdown (SCV) > News 5. Figure skater makes national championships elite division debut on hometown ice. White Bear Press > News See Press Publications’ website www.presspubs.com for stories from the White Bear Press, The Citizen, Vadnais Heights Press, Shoreview Press, Quad Community Press, The Lowdown-Forest Lake Area and The Lowdown- St. Croix Valley Area.

“Without music, life would be a mistake.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols

17

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JANUARY 22, 2016

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Free Event! < <

Podiatrist– Foot Specialist Dr. Christopher Phillips Medical and Surgical Management of the Foot and Ankle Sports Medicine

Warm Hearts for Charity

Where

January 23, 2016 • 5pm-8pm

$5.00 Raffle Lots of n io uct • 50’’ LCD TV • HP Laptop Bundle Silent A !

• X-Box One • FitBit • HP Wireless Printer Items

23

Independent & Assisted Living

Senior Living Community in Stillwater

ONE & TWO BEDROOM APARTMENTS AVAILABLE Check with the office for any current specials!

Treatment of Adults and Children with Foot Conditions

• Ingrown Toenails • Arch & Heel Pain • Bunions • Hammer Toes • Senior & Diabetic Foot Care • Arthritic Feet

6060 Oxboro Ave N, Stillwater

651-439-8034 www.oakridgeplace.net

4653 White Bear Pwky White Bear Lake, MN 55110

651-426-3995

Raffle tickets can be purchased at

Wine Tasting Sponsor

Hugo Feed Mill 5582 - 146th Street North | Hugo North Country Auto Body & Mechanical 5451 40th Street N. | Hugo TGK Automotive 5241 - 130th Street | Hugo Hugo American Legion 620 5383 140th St. N. | Hugo

Featuring - Bent Paddle Brewery, Loon Juice Cider, and Lake Monster Brewery

Music/Entrainment

www.WhiteBearFootAndAnkleClinic.com

WE SE SELL COMFORT YEAR ROUND!

Help support

Where • American Diabetes • Alzheimer’s

• Autism Research • Hugo Good • Neighbors Food Shelf • Hugo Lions & Many More...

by Mike Anderson

Hugo American Legion Post 620 • 5383 140th St. Hugo Questions? Contact Cindy at pett0111@comcast.net or 651-653-5202

The best way to get insight into your local community: www.presspubs.com

Call us about our full line of Carrier Gas Furnaces

SPRINGBORN

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HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING 439-1519 11350 St. Croix Trail N. StillwaTER s WWw.springbornheating.com

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MAY 1ST, 2016 • 11-4 • VENDORS WANTED Where

HELD AT: THE VADNAIS SPORTS CENTER FREE FAMILY FUN WITH ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT:

• Facepainting • Bounce House • Stage Entertainment • Special Quest • And Much More

THIS EVENT WILL FEATURE: • Local Business • Home Improvement / Design & Style • Health & Medical • Sports & Fitness • Local Non-Profits • Government / Schools & Elected Officials

TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT GO TO WWW.VHEDC.COM **Sponsor opportunities available- Platinum sold out** Please contact Patty Steele at 651-407-1213 or marketing@presspubs.com

24

THE LOWDOWN

JANUARY 22, 2016

www.presspubs.com

THIS IS HOME White Bear Lake 4801 Hwy 61 N, Ste 100 (651) 426-1671

A TRUE GIFT!!!

Charming, Quality & Character You’ll Treasure! LR W/Fp, DR, Vaulted Greatroom W/Fp, MBR Suite + 3 BR’s 3 BA’s, Gorgeous Lot An Amazing Home!

R

E UC D E

SANDY ESPE SORENSON 612-812-9792

$450,000

SHARED LAKE ACCESS

COMMERICAL LOT

JOSHUA LEONHARDT 651-769-5329

$220,000

LANNY KURYSH 651-246-1631

$ 397,000

SORENSON 612-812-9792

$375,000

BALD EAGLE LAKE ACCESS SANDY ESPE Dock & Marina, Up North Feel Nestled On A 1.1Acre Lot, Enjoy The Lake WithOut The Drive, MBR Suite + 3 BR’s, Cherry Kit W/St Appl. Vaulted Sun Rm.

SORENSON 612-812-9792

CUSTOM BUILT LAKE HOME

AMY PERRINE 218-522-0323

$415,000

LAKE LIFESTYLE! Cottage Chic, Open Flowing Spaces, Beautifully Done, Spectacular Views, MBR Suite W/Covered Deck + 4 BR’s, 4 BA, Walk-Out Lower Level, Sandy Lakeshore

SANDY ESPE SORENSON 612-812-9792

3 BEDROOM TOWNHOME JOHN & RYAN Great location offering a premium lot.

Pleasant views from master bedroom and living room. Desirable location. Immediate possession.

MANN 612-751-1072

NOT SO FAR AWAY

CINDY CURREN 612-720-6445

$120,000

Well appointed 3 bd/3ba home with an artistic flair! Stainless appliances, concrete countertops, master suite. Tremendous lake views & 171’ frontage.

$395,000

POOL SIDE RELAXING! In-ground pool with “poolside” bonus room, patio and hot tub! Enjoy your backyard! Nice rambler with large main floor master bedroom!

THOMAS CARR 651-303-8001

$ 259,900

Weekend retreat that won’t take you out of your way. 45 minutes from MPLS/STP on a fully recreational lake. www.Cindy CurrenRealRealtor.com to see more

STEVE LENTSCH 651-248-1913

WELL KEPT Great Home. Sits on 100x150 Lot 2br. up 2br. down.

$179,000

THE PINES - NORTH OAKS Model condition detached townhome with 2 of the 3 BRs on the main floor and a 3 car garage. Finished walkout level.

Move in condition and decor.

PAT MCGRATH 651-485-4850

$625,000

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SOLD ON DAY ONE! Sold before the First Open! Seller has closed and moved on! Great time to list if you’re thinking about Selling! Inventory is Low!

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HUGO-WATERS EDGE SANDY ESPE Classy Walk-Out, Spectacular Greatroom w/ Fp, Chefs Kit w/Stainless, Wood Fl Main Fl MBR Suite w/Fp + 3BR, Fam Rm w/Wet Bar + Fp, 3 Car Gar, Like New!

LD

Commercial lot in high traffic area of Hugo.

SO

CBBurnet.com

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Mahtomedi Schools, Well kept, wood burning fireplace, hardwood floors, insulated 3 season porch, heated garage, tons of storage, so much more.

SO

Forest Lake Office 56 E Broadway, Ste 104 (651) 464-5555

JIMMY WALKER 651-303-7143

$234,900

NEW YEAR & NEW PRICE! Pristine site along St Croix River Bluffs!

Great opportunity to buy and build your own home! Call today 651-303-7143.

JIMMY WALKER 651-303-7143

$109,900

REMARKABLE RAMBLER! Mint Condition, Light & Bright 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, main floor family room, 2 fireplaces, fenced yard - WOW! Warranted home!

DON WOLKERSTORFER 651-653-2482

LAKE FRONT TOWNHOME Carefree lake front living with your own private boat slip. Incredible 4 season room overlooking lake. 3 bedroom on one level.Now you can have it all!

DON WOLKERSTORFER 651-653-2482

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100’ ON BALD EAGLE! Inventory is low and I have Buyers who are looking! If you are considering selling your home, call me for a free market analysis & more information!

CATHY STOREY 612-270-3427

$499,000

GREAT BUY! 3 large bedrooms, 3 great baths, 2 car garage in a privacy setting. Minutes to the freeway!

JANE MORRIS 651-653-2446

$159,000

CUT YOUR RENT BY 100% Large 2 story offering 4 BRS, 2 full baths, large kitchen, 9’ ceilings, 2 car garage fence yard, close to parks & downtown amenities.

JERRY THOMSON 651-336-4383

$109,000

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING 3+ Acres zoned commercial White Bear Area Hwy. 61 & Hoffman Rd. frontage.

Presently 3 single family homes + 4800 sq. ft. Shop/Warehouse. Please call!

TOM HAYCRAFT 651-653-2534

$775,000

Patti Brekke 6516285536

Cindy Curren 6127206445

Kirby Ehrreich 6512808916

Bridget FarleyHonkanen 6519836071

Tim Garry 6129630674

Tom Haycraft 6516532534

Stephanie Howe 6127415069

Greg Juetten 6513569139

Lori Ann Kofstad 6518955253

Kim Koniar 6518955857

Cindy Lange 6513294372

Steve Lensch 6512481913

Pat McGrath 6516532449

Jane Morris 6516532466

Mike Oscarson 6513439996

Ken Pilkenton 6516532535

Jan Rapheal 6516532575

Gina Vermilyea 6516532493

Marty Weber 6516532524

Cindy Werner 6128194600

THE NORTH TEAM CONNECTION | (651) 653-2456 Servicing the White Bear Lake / Forest Lake, Sturgeon Lake, Moose Lake, Pine City Areas ©2016 Burnet Realty LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Burnet fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Burnet are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Coldwell Banker Burnet.