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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 VOL. 124 NO. 20 www.whitebearpress.com $1.00
WATER GREMLIN: Requests changes to court order PAGE 7A
Looking at Ash Wednesday as churches prepare for Lent SHANNON GRANHOLM | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Rehbein Transit Company staff Jean Jensen (left), JoAnne Urban and Bill Blaylock have over a century of experience driving school buses.
3 area bus drivers have over century of experience BY SHANNON GRANHOLM LEAD EDITOR
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Pastor Ralph Talbot and parishioner Peggy Parenteau demonstrate the Ash Wednesday ritual of applying specially prepared ashes in the form of a cross at St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church in White Bear Lake. Signaling the beginning of the holy season of Lent, the ashes represent death and repentance. BY ELIZABETH CALLEN SHOREVIEW EDITOR
This Wednesday, you may see some people donning black, cross-shaped smudges on their foreheads while going about their day. That's because Feb. 26 is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a solemn season some Christians observe in the six weeks leading up to Easter. Not all Christians observe Lent or practice the ashen cross ritual. In the U.S., Lent and Ash Wednesday are traditionally observed by Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians. The six weeks of Lent correspond
to the 40 days Jesus is said to have spent fasting in the Judaean Desert after his baptism. It is traditionally a time of penance, prayer and abstinence, making it a stark contrast to the joyous celebrations of Easter Sunday. In some Christian denominations, people will commit to giving up certain pleasures or luxuries, such as social media or alcohol, or add a spiritual discipline, such as daily devotional readings, for the duration of Lent. In the Catholic Church, every person 14 years or older is asked to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent. The ashes used in Ash Wednes-
day services often come from the burning of palms blessed during the previous year's Palm Sunday, the day before Easter, which marks Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion. In the Bible, worshippers welcomed Jesus into the city by waving palm fronds as he rode in on a donkey. Today, churchgoers carry palms in commemoration. Those palms are later burned and their ashes stored for the next year's Ash Wednesday service, when they are usually mixed with either Holy Water or oil. The imposition of ashes each Ash
Three bus drivers at Rehbein Transit Company have been transporting kids back-and-forth to school for well over three decades, with a cumulative total of 117 years behind the steering wheel of a yellow school bus White Bear Lake resident JoAnne Urban, Lino Lakes resident Jean Jensen and Coon Rapids resident Bill Blaylock are just three of the thousands of hardworking school bus drivers that will be honored Feb. 26, School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. “The school bus drivers at Rehbein Transit Company have been dedicated each and every day to assure their students arrive to and from school safely. Not only are they committed
SEE ASH WEDNESDAY, PAGE 8A
SEE BUS DRIVERS, PAGE 9A
Dance party helps keep Bear Boating afloat BY DEBRA NEUTKENS STAFF WRITER
About 1,600 people were treated to free excursions on White Bear Lake last year thanks to Bear Boating. The nonprofit, run by volunteers, takes seniors, active duty military, veterans and the disabled fishing and boating on the lake every summer. It relies on donations to cover costs like fuel, insurance, life jackets and tackle. Every spring, a chunk of revenue comes from the popular “fun-draiser” at the Armory. “It always sells out,” said Peg Black, Bear Boating’s
fundraising committee chair. “I’ve had people say, ‘You put on the social event of the year.’” The band Free and Easy returns this year. Black said the band is a huge draw in the area and “everyone loves to dance to them.” All proceeds from the event benefit Bear Boating, which has had a presence on White Bear Lake for at least a decade. More than 70 volunteers operate the excursions, taking guests fishing and cruising. One of the pontoon captains, Dave Ryan, figures those who choose to dangle a line catch and release
IF YOU GO: BEAR BOATING ‘FUN-DRAISER’ Bear Boating is holding its annual spring “Fun-draiser” and dance from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the White Bear Lake Armory. Live music will be provided by Free and Easy with cash bar and silent and live auctions. Admission is $15. Tickets must be ordered online at bearboating.org. Click on the fundraising tab. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit.
SEE BEAR BOATING, PAGE 9A
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