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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2018 VOL. 122 NO. 42 www.presspubs.com $1.00
FOUNDING OF MAHTOMEDI: Hucksters & holy men PAGE A9
Calling 911? Better hope it’s covered BY DEBRA NEUTKENS EDITOR
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
The many faces of cancer survival A group of White Bear Lake Area High School cheerleaders lead 158 participants in the survivors lap around the track at south campus during the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of White Bear Lake Area Friday, July 27. Organizers reported that this was the first year of the event where the fundraising votives honoring survivors outnumbered those in memory. The event is the largest of its kind in the state and ranks fifth in the nation. Not including the 2018 goal of $200,000, the event has raised $1.1 million over the last five years.
WHITE BEAR LAKE — A stressed fire department that lost more people over the last three years than were hired is looking for more paramedics that serve a dual role of firefighter. City staff say four more full-time firefighters/paramedics are needed ASAP and four more later to meet the growing demand for service. The shortage has led to gaps in service, particularly during weekdays. A request for funds to hire personnel was on the July 24 City Council agenda, but moved to discussion-only when member Steve Engstran, an emergency medical technician (EMT) for the fire department, said he had just heard about it Saturday and needed more time to make a decision. Mayor Jo Emerson reminded Engstran that the issue was discussed at the July 10 council meeting. At that meeting, fire Chief Greg Peterson told council that a new duty crew schedule for medical calls instituted recently “has been mostly successful.” Staffing during certain times of day, however, has been a challenge. “There is a fair amount of time we don’t have coverage,” the chief said. “It’s a numbers game.” SEE PARAMEDICS, PAGE 9A
Going solar in the neighborhood BY CONRAD ENGSTROM PRESS INTERN
The thunderstorm and fire engines outside White Bear Lake City Hall did not stop Solar United Neighbors of Minnesota from holding a meeting about the new Mahtomedi area solar co-op. Around 15 community members battled the rain July 12 to educate themselves on solar and what a solar co-op looks like. Solar United Neighbors held a similar meeting in Mahtomedi on May 31 in which 32 community members showed up. Virginia Rutter, program director of Solar United Neighbors of Minnesota, listed the benefits of going solar and going solar through a co-op that Solar United Neighbors provides. “Our goal is to increase education about solar and
fight for energy rights in the areas that we have coops,” Rutter said. Solar United Neighbors got started in Washington, D.C., when a family wanted to convert to solar energy use and could not afford it. So they went door to door to get other people to join them in hopes of getting a reduced price. After getting the residents of around 50 neighborhood homes to join them, they qualified for bulk purchasing, making it affordable for everyone. Afterward, the group kept getting calls from others looking to explore the bulk purchase concept, and Solar United Neighbors was born. Today, Solar United Neighbors is located in eight states, including Minnesota. Mahtomedi is not the first city to get a solar co-op. SEE SOLAR, PAGE 8A
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The Wirth family has a 32-panel, 10 kilowatt solar array in the backyard of their Grant home that provides them with energy.
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