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VOL. 42 NO. 19 www.quadcommunitypress.com $1.00
SPORTS: Cougar boys hockey headed to sections. PAGE 11
Rice Creek Chain of Lakes sees improvements this spring BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
STUDIO BLUE PHOTOGRAPHY | CONTRIBUTED
Who will win? Will it be the Guns or the Hoses? The eighth annual Guns-N-Hoses Charity Classic will be Friday, Feb. 23 at the Blaine Super Rink. The game raises money for first responders. See calendar listing inside for more information.
Park users of the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes will see some disruptions this spring, but if everything goes as planned, improvements should be complete just in time for the busy season — Memorial Day. Anoka County Parks Director Jeff Perry said the project has been on the county’s radar for the last five years. The last time the area saw improvements was in 1999. “This is the largest park reserve in the metropolitan area. It is very heavily used,” Perry said. “We are poised and ready to go to make these upgrades for public use.” The main entrance road from Main Street to the Centerville boat launch will be reconstructed, as will the parking lots by the beach area and boat launch. The trail that leads from the swimming beach to the boat launch will also be reclaimed/repaved. Depending on how bids come in, Perry said the county may also be able to improve the trail that runs from Main Street to the swimming beach. He added they also hope to pave the parking area next to the county’s maintenance support area across from the beach. SEE CHAIN OF LAKES, PAGE 12
Behind the wheel: Drivers are ‘unsung heroes’ in the community BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
Perhaps those friendly faces behind the steering wheel are, in fact, the unsung heroes of the community. Minnesota’s will celebrate School Bus Driver Appreciation Day Feb. 21. The state first celebrated the day in 2017 to recognize school bus drivers for their efforts to go above and beyond in transporting students to school every day. Rehbein Transit Inc., located in Circle Pines, employs 45 regular education route drivers, 27 special education route drivers/aides, and a handful of standby and trip drivers.
“Our bus drivers and aides here at Rehbein Transit are truly the unsung heroes in this community!” said Tyler Olson, Rehbein manager and safety coordinator. “They show up every day, rain or shine, snow, or blistering heat! They are here and ready to greet our students with a smile,.” “Without the dedication and hard work of these fantastic people,” he said, “many of our students would not make it to school to have access to the education, meals, support and therapies they deserve. Because of their devotion to their students, Centennial Schools has not had to cancel any route or activity buses when other schools have struggled to
transport their students to and from school.” John Tohgen, of Shoreview, is a retired audiologist. He has been a bus driver for 3 1/2 years. His route includes Centennial High School, Centennial Middle School and Golden Lake Elementary. “From working with patients all of my career, I learned that retired people need to maintain two things in their life — socialization and a mission. And that’s necessary to maintain mental health,” he said. SHANNON GRANHOLM | PRESS PUBLICATIONS “You need to feel needed. You need to John Tohgen (left) and Tom Wos are both bus feel like you’re contributing.” drivers for Centennial Schools and work for SEE BUS DRIVERS, PAGE 2
Rehbein Transit Company. This week, be sure to thank your bus driver in honor of School Bus Driver Appreciation Day, Feb. 21.
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