White Bear Press

Protracted season of construction

Police chief report: ‘Still a safe community’

WHITE BEAR LAKE — Taxpayers are getting bang for their buck, judging by the number of police and fire calls in the city.

The number is nothing to be alarmed about. “We’re still a very safe community,” said Police Chief Julie Swanson, who added she doesn’t worry about her elderly parents who live in the city but does advise them not to go to shopping malls at night.

Residents probably have no idea how much value they’re getting from public safety personnel, observed City Council Member Kevin Edberg. He did some math to make the point the police department averages 60 calls per day, based on the chief’s biannual presentation to council.

In that Oct. 25 report, Chief Swanson said there have been 17,500 calls for service so far this year. She expects the num ber to end at about 21,000 for 2022. “That’s still kind of low,” admitted the chief, noting the number once peaked (pre-pan demic) at 28,000 calls.

The lower number is partly attributed to fewer officers working, and since the fire department is fully staffed, offi cers don’t go on as many medical calls, she said.

The chief included these stats among the more significant calls:

• 178 persons in crisis —at least one a day; many are repeat customers.

Resolution’s final version withdraws Maplewood’s support for Purple Line

BY DEBRA NEUTKENS STAFF WRITER

MAPLEWOOD — Wording for a final resolution took some haggling and at least two friendly amendments, but City Council unanimously agreed to withdraw its support for the Purple Line bus rapid transit (BRT) project as currently proposed by the Metropolitan Council.

That doesn’t mean Maple wood wants out. The city is all for mass transit, just not the plan in place right now. The resolution also calls for time to evaluate other transit options and routes that work

for everyone.

“Our concern is the proposed plan in a post-pandemic world and changes to workplaces,” said Mayor Marylee Abrams. “What is the best transit for us over the next 20 years? The Purple Line is a $450 million public infrastructure project that will change the communi ty. We need data on ridership. I haven’t seen any data at all.”

The agenda item was set Oct. 24 after the mayor learned “by accident” late September that the Met Council was consider ing a route through the Birch Run Station shopping center. Abrams was told Met Council

planned to take the private ly-owned property by eminent domain for the Purple Line without discussing it with the city.

“The process is flawed,” the mayor maintained. “We need data that supports the proposal and then we should all decide what transit is best. We can fig ure that out in an intelligent, data-driven way.”

Both residents and nonres idents spoke during a public hearing in crowded council chambers regarding their thoughts on BRT and mass

At issue is option 2B by the Met Council, a Purple Line route modifica tion that cuts through the Birch Run shopping center. The route would serve Maplewood Mall, St. John’s Hospital and the north end district.

METROPOLITAN COUNCIL | CONTRIBUTED

COMMUNITY BRIEFS

Local authors to visit Fall Boutique

Something new is brewing at the Senior Center's Fall Boutique. In addition to a variety of handmade crafts made by local seniors and a bake sale, local authors will be on hand to sell and sign their books during boutique hours.

On Friday, Nov. 4, children's and young adult author Mary Clare Lockman will be at the boutique from 9 a.m. to noon; Jack Burch, author of “Ghost Burglar,” will sign books from 1 to 3 p.m.; and local poet Anne Picard will be at the boutique from 4 to 7 p.m. Moth er-daughter team Eileen Berger and John Berger Hoffman will be at the boutique from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 5. Their book “If Only You Would Ask” provides help for grandchildren and others to learn how to talk to elders.

The Fall Boutique is a annual event — celebrating 40 years — that runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5. The White Bear Senior Center is located at 2484 East County Road F, White Bear Lake.

Donations sought for food drive week of Veterans Day

November is Food Insecurity Month for the VFW and Auxiliary. White Bear Lake VFW Post 1782 is asking for donations of nonperishable food items from Sunday, Nov. 6 through Saturday, Nov. 12, the week of Veterans Day.

A complete list of items most needed is on the gro cery cart, and includes diapers and baby wipes, cere al, peanut butter, gluten-free pasta and ground coffee. The White Bear Area Food Shelf is also in need of items to fill Kid Packs, which are distributed to more than 400 children in local schools who may not have enough food over the weekend. The Kid Packs include individual cereal bowls, cups or boxes; single serving, pop-top and microwavable meals; and fruit or veggie squeeze pouches.

Items can be placed in the grocery cart near the entrance of the VFW, located at 4496 Lake Avenue South.

County to remove snow, ice on stretch of Highway 96

Washington County will take over the snow and ice removal on a 9-mile stretch of Highway 96 through Dellwood, Grant, Stillwater Township and the city of Stillwater this winter. The county and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) are in nego tiations to transfer jurisdiction of the roadway from the state to the county. The transfer is expected to occur next year. As part of the negotiations, MnDOT asked the county to accept snow and ice maintenance responsibilities this winter on the highway from Highway 244 to Highway 95, ahead of the proposed jurisdictional transfer of Highway 96.

Adding the highway to the county’s current plow routes may result in a slight increase in the overall response time during snow events. However, the county says it will be able to provide a higher level of service to the public. MnDOT has agreed to pay $63,000 to the county for snow and ice control services on the highway. The amount is based on the county's historical maintenance costs for similar roadways.

Bell ringers urgently needed

The Salvation Army is preparing to kick off its bell-ringing season in mid-November, and volunteers are needed to man the kettles.

The Red Kettle initiative is critical to The Salvation Army’s $12.6 million holiday fundraising campaign, as 65% of the organization’s funding is raised in the last three months of the year. These are funds that are needed to provide struggling families with food, housing and financial assistance throughout the year.

Individuals, families, and groups can sign up for a two-hour shift at centralusa.salvationarmy.org/ northern/bell-ringing.

Winter Village collection adds iconic landmarks

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

The new winter village buildings have arrived at Medicine Chest. The new collectibles include Cup and Cone and the Caboose. Buildings from previous years are still available, and include the train depot, gazebo, post office, Carnegie Library and Armory. Winter Village is made in Minnesota. A portion of sales is donat ed to the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society.

roofs add revenue

city

WHITE BEAR LAKE — The number of roofing permits issued third quarter has gone, well, through the roof, according to a report by the community development director.

“Things really popped third quarter,” observed Jason Lindahl, who added that the numbers were mostly storm-related.

Permits for new roofs went from 131 last year to 696 this year, Lindahl told City Council at its Oct. 25 meeting.

Mahtomedi had a similar scenario, going from 49 roofing permits this time last year to 874 in ’22. White Bear Lake contracts to do building inspections and permit applications with its neighbor across the lake.

That’s good revenue for the city. In fact, it’s $392,000 over budget, said Finance Director Kerri Kindsvater. Other unexpected revenue came in the form of park rental fees. The city budgeted $20,000 in park rental revenue and has received more than $33,000 through Sept. 30.

“It’s nice our residents are using our parks,” Kindsvater added.

The license bureau is also busy. There were 1,700 applications for the new en hanced driver’s license in September alone. As a reminder, those applying for the license before the May 2023 deadline should fill out the pre-application online to shorten wait times.

Lastly, Kindsvater reported on delinquent utility accounts and expenses the city incurs servicing private properties for things like mowing and tree removal.

Unpaid bills are certified with the county and added to a property’s tax state ment. Those delinquent accounts have until Nov. 18 to settle with the city. As of Oct. 14, the certification listing has 410 open accounts with a total balance due of $275,121. Council approved certification of the list.

Debra Neutkens

NAMES IN THE NEWS

Leadership change coming to WBCA

The White Bear Center for the Arts announced the retirement of longtime Executive Director Suzi Hudson. The WBCA said in a statement that Hudson is leaving to “embrace her

own creative pursuits, as well as spend more time with her family.”

Hudson has led the WBCA through significant growth and expansion over the past nearly 20 years. Her retirement is effective Dec. 31

Ross Carter

past August, Ross wasn't feeling well, so he went to the doctor to run some tests to see if everything was okay. A few weeks later, he told his son and daughter he had a large

tumor in his liver. Last Thursday, he had to go to Region's Hospital because of the urgency of his cancer. The doctors let them know that it was stage 4 cancer, and if he didn't perform surgery the next day on his liver, he would die in the next two weeks. The surgery went well, but he had to stay in the hospital for a few more days until his pain started to slow down. He started Chemotherapy on Sunday, but he still isn't doing so good.

Heights City Council

of

Heights,

preparation for

office has been a combination of a fulfilling

career

WHITE BEAR LAKE CITY COUNCIL NOTES

Suzi Hudson

OPINION

Shifting perceptions of reality

The question of why we don't digitally alter the content of the editorial photos printed in our newspapers was raised during a recent impromptu discussion concerning cover photo options for one of our publications here at the Press. While I was considering my answer, publisher Carter Johnson responded with “journalistic integrity.”

Gunther, Havlat, Knauss, and Veterans Day

Angle of View

Paul Dols

A current TV commercial for the latest Google Pixel phone illustrates the chal lenges of truthful documentation and preserving journalistic integrity in this rapidly evolving technological and moral landscape. In a scene shot at an oceanside beach, a camera feature that can remove unwanted elements from photos is demon strated. The unwanted elements happen to be all of the other people at the beach; so a busy beach scene is suddenly trans formed into a deserted background for a selfie, perfectly capturing a moment that never was. I suspect the marketers view this feature as a positive selling point, but I find the flippant act of wiping those pesky people out of the photo with an algorithm unsettling at best and alarming at worst.

This is certainly not a new development in the history of photography, but now this type of manipulation has never been easier or more accessible. I wrote about this subject back in 2013, following accusations that the World Press Photo of the Year for spot news was somehow faked. In a turnabout to what usually has occurred in past controver sies like this, the expert opinion revealed that the image, while showing signs of the post production process, was not faked. The original raw file taken by the photographer was compared with the prize-winning jpeg and all of the pixels were found to be in the same place. The controversy surrounding a dramatic, prize winning photo helped raise awareness about our shifting perceptions concerning the ongoing and varied digital depiction of reality. It was also an example of the continuation of techniques and practic es that have been evolving since the introduction of the photographic process more than a century ago.

A lot has changed over the past decade, but the history and fundamentals of photography are still valid. I was in school at the beginning of the digital revolution while film was still predominantly used in journalism. At this time the negative served as the original “file” source of visual information. As the technology evolved into digital, I personally made the decision to follow Associated Press rules and not alter news or feature photos beyond lighten ing and darkening, color correction and removing dust spots; essentially processing and cleaning the images up for effective presentation. Without that experience or guidance, I can see how someone might not think twice about creating an enhanced view of reality — because the technology so easily enables them.

An image forensics expert was used to verify the au thenticity of the World Press Photo of the Year. Now with evolving digital technology moving into the creation and manipulation of sound and video files, the experience and expertise of these experts is needed more than ever to help verify that a connection to reality is maintained in the im ages we're seeing online, broadcast and published in print.

One of the roles of journalism is to document and pres ent the world as it is, not a curated presentation meant to impress your online friends or promote a false representa tion of oneself. No matter how sophisticated the technolo gy becomes, I believe it still comes back to the fundamen tal act of telling the truth. Unfortunately, it appears to be getting increasingly difficult to figure out the difference between what's real and what's fiction in this ever chang ing world.

Paul Dols is photojournalist/website editor for Press Publications. He can be reached at 651-407-1238 or photos@presspubs.com.

The 11th hour has become synonymous with Veterans Day, originally called Armistice day, in recognition of the document signed at the 11th hour, or the 11th day, of the 11th month.

In reality, the Armistice ending the war to end all wars was signed around 5 a.m. on November 11. Over the course of the next 6 hours, nearly 3,000 men would lose their lives in the final hours of a war that had already claimed the lives of 20 million military personnel. The final death of WW1 came at 10:59 am one minute before the guns of war would fall silent.

Private Henry Gunther was a German-American drafted in the fall of 1917; most accounts state that his final actions were motivated by Gunther’s need to demonstrate that he was “courageous and all-Ameri can.” A chaplain from Gun ther’s unit recounted, “As 11 a.m. approached, Gunther suddenly rose with his rifle and ran through thick fog. His men shouted for him to stop. So did the Germans. But Gunther kept running and firing. One machine gun blast later, he was dead. His death was recorded at 10:59 a.m.

In every conflict, inevitably a final service member pays the ultimate sacrifice. In World War

• Limited to 350 words.

• Submissions must Include a full name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

• Letter writers must live, work or have another connection to Press Publications coverage area.

• Letter writers are limited to six letters per year and at least four weeks must

II, Private Charlie Havlat, the son of Czech immigrants, in the closing days of the war, found himself liberating his parents’ former homeland – word of the cease-fire reached his position minutes after he was killed. Offi cially, the U.S. has never declared a final casualty in the Korean War; since the armistice was signed, nearly 100 U.S. Soldiers have been killed in combat on the Korean peninsula. On April 29, 1975, Charles McMahon and Dar win Judge were two of a small number of Marines tasked with safeguarding the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. They had been deployed for only 11 days when they were killed by a rocket attack. The U.S. would complete the process of withdrawing from Saigon the following day. Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss was the last of the 2,461 Service Members who died in Afghanistan; he along with 12 of his comrades was killed in a suicide attack during the with drawal from Kabul.

In every war, there is always one that must fill the dignified but dubious role in history as being the last to give the full mea sure of devotion. Each year on the 11th day of the 11th month as a na tion we pause, not only to honor those that have given their lives but for all those who believed so deeply in American exceptional ism that they were willing to give their lives to defend it. For most Americans talking about war is conceptual, something learned through history books, news reports, and movies – those that have served do not have that lux ury. Not only should we remem

ber that the democratic principles we hold so dear have been defend ed by generations of Americans whom we honor on Veterans Day, but more importantly we should take inspiration from that sacri fice. Our country, despite all our self-imposed differences, needs to look to our Veterans and see that there are no divisions in a foxhole – there are only those who stand in defense of democracy and those who stand against it.

While we may only celebrate Veterans Day with a few mo ments of silence each year, we have an opportunity to use those moments to find our own way to serve as part of our commitment to living up to the legacy of our Veterans. When the Armistice was signed in 1918 when the Jap anese surrendered, and when the last flights departed Kabul and Saigon – these were not simply endings – they were new begin nings. We honor those who serve by recommitting ourselves to making the sacrifices necessary to preserve our way of life.

As Adlai Stevenson once stated, “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” Let this Veterans Day be a new beginning. Go forth and find a way to serve, our nation, our communities, and each other – we owe it to our Veterans.

WHITE BEAR PRESS | LETTER GUIDELINES

lapse between publication. Exceptions may be made for rebuttal letters.

• Due to space limitations, letters that don’t address local issues are not guaranteed publication.

• Repeat letters by the same writer about the same subject matter will not be published.

• Submissions containing

libelous or derogatory statements will not be published.

• Submissions containing facts not previously published in the Press must be accompanied by factual verification.

• All letters are subject to editing.

• Deadline is 5 p. m. , Thursday of the week prior to

publication.

• To submit a letter, e-mail it to whitebearnews@ presspubs.com, fax it to 651-429-1242 or mail or deliver it to Press Publications, 4779 Bloom Ave., White Bear Lake, MN 55110.

Joseph Reagan is the Director of Military and Veterans Outreach for Wreaths Across America and an Afghanistan veteran.

Joseph Reagan

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Better than what could have been

The Nintzels asked if we are better off than four years ago (“Are you better off today?”, Oct. 19). It is entirely the wrong framing.

Coronavirus came to our shores only two years ago, with cases ultimately peaking only one year ago, ultimately killing over 1.1 million Americans and 6.5 million people globally. Only two years ago, complete economic collapse loomed, with millions laid off, unem ployment spiking at 15%, and millions of businesses at risk of failure. Have we forgotten so soon?

A godawfully painful 7-minute video captured not only the public murder of George Floyd by a police officer, but sparked a long-festering conversation about systemic racism, the failure to honestly tell and confront our own his tory, and the yawning gap between our shared lived experiences and our noble assertions of equality for all.

Mr. Putin’s unprovoked invasion only 10-months ago has disrupted global en ergy and food supplies, adding massive economic uncertainty and food insecu rity to lives all around the world.

I assert all of these are beyond the abilities and accountabilities of any president, governor, legislator or party.

Compared to only two years ago, today we have vaccines, and recovery from COVID is almost common. Unem ployment in Minnesota is a stunning 2%, labor participation rate is well above national averages and we remain among the wealthiest of states mea sured by median family income. While we indeed face inflation, this is not a unique American issue. We shut down the world economy to save lives; it mostly worked, but anyone who thinks one can do that and not have conse quences is not living in reality. Every central banker in the world is dealing with inflation, and it is a consequence of pandemic and war, not unique poli cies of one party or the other.

Let us acknowledge the massive disruptions of the past two years and argue, if we must, about who has better policies going forward. Our American Experiment continues. But context matters. We are so much better off than where we could have been.

Another city office not needed

In her letter (“Choose advocates for welcoming city,” Oct. 19), Lisa Wersal claims a need for a more concerted effort toward equity and inclusion be cause of a man telling them to go back to their own country. Well, considering that Vadnais Heights has a population of over 13,000 people, there is bound to be a least one ignorant and unkind person who obviously was too stupid to tell that she is a native Minnesotan. Who would say such a thing? But that is by no means justification to set up another city office to deal with that person. What would such an office do? They are not going to change that person's mind or the handful of others that might be like-minded. In fact, stupid as it may be, that person has a constitutional right to voice his or her prejudice. We already have a state Department of Human Rights that deals with illegal prejudice in the workplace. Such an office in the city of Vadnais Heights would be an unneces sary waste of resources.

Bill Conway Vadnais Heights

Candidate forums are volunteer-driven

It was a big job for the local League of Women Voters White Bear Lake Area (LWV-WBLA). The geography covers over 30 communities from Shoreview in the west to the St. Croix River on the east and north to Forest Lake. Recruits were lined up over the summer.

Over 25 local election races contested were identified. Ten communities, two school boards, and legislative districts 33, 36, 40 and 41 had races. The local league would partner with Woodbury LWV for Washington County and over lap legislative districts. The LWV-WB LA Voter Service committee found volunteers to invite all the candidates after filings closed and take care of an array of logistical details. All candi dates were contacted several times and asked to participate. Some chose not to participate or had a schedule conflict. At least three LWV members worked each of the candidate forums in September and October. Moderators, timekeepers and hosts kept the forums running smoothly. Hundreds of hours have been put in by the Voter Service committee.

You can watch the 45-minute forums yourself by going to the LWV-WBLA website and clicking on Candidates Forums: lwv-wbla.org. Over 20 forums for legislative districts 33, 36, and 40 as well as school board, city council, mayor and town supervisor can be found there. These forums have been viewed over 2,500 times already on the LWV-WBLA YouTube channel.

The League of Women Voters is a grassroots organization of women and men with service to voters and empow ering democracy as its cornerstone. The League of Women Voters remains a nonpartisan organization which nei ther supports nor endorses any political candidate. You can hear from the candi dates and make your own decisions. Before the forums happened, the Voter Service team was working on outreach. The legislative districts had been redrawn. People were often in new districts. The LWV hosted tables at Stillwater and Mahtomedi farmers markets and at Marketfest in White Bear, and spent time at Ramsey County beach. Legislative maps, voter registra tion information and directions to find sample ballots were just some of the information made available. Youth civ ic engagement and assisted living were also part of the efforts. The LWV-WBLA would especially like to thank many engaged students at Century College, White Bear Lake and Mahtomedi high schools. And our Voter Service chair and committee are ready for a well-de served break.

The ship of state reprised

As a child, I was required to learn a poem by heart and then recite it to the entire school assembly. I was 10. So I hardly knew enough to be afraid or ner vous, at least until a first momentary falter. Then suddenly I heard a short and secret snicker from the throat of an older student.

The old private school headmaster shushed him harshly and quickly, but the snicker made me feel more than mortal. It was the old headmaster’s insistent sternness that somehow gave me the courage to continue.

It wasn’t really a long poem, but I doubt I could still memorize it today. My grandfather had helped me to recite and repeat—the whole time never let ting on that he himself likely knew the poem by heart.

It seemed somehow just the right

poem in that fall of 1964, for less than a year earlier John Kennedy had died at the hands of an assassin.

My poem was Walt Whitman’s “Oh Captain! My Captain!”

The poem was, of course, written in the aftermath of the national grief and anguish surrounding President Abra ham Lincoln’s death.

Lincoln, according to the imagery (wondrous to me even then at the age 10), was a fallen Captain of our endan gered ship of state called America.

It wasn’t enough that the nation had been riven by four years of civil war; Whitman’s imagery now made me won der whether the nation could survive the future peace.

Whitman wrote: “The ship has weather’d every rack ...” That’s about all I can remember from my first time as a public speaker. In that line, I can still feel the double anxiety of a nation swimming above the collective waves of crisis. Lincoln and Kennedy.

It was the spirit and purpose of Whit man’s stanzas which still ring through that stale air on a Durham morning as the entire student body surrounded me like an ancient parliament.

The fresh grief of a president’s loss was still impressed upon our conscious ness. But was that in all of our minds or only mine?

As the lines droned on in that hall way, even I knew this ship of American state had to sail on with or without its young Captain. It must have done it before. A hundred years before. How

could anyone ever doubt it still could or still should? So I recited with a kind of 10-year-old resolve, as if this was my required duty to the last martyr of the Civil War, as well as to his young successor.

My grandfather had given me his stentorian speaking model (somehow) as a target for my declamation. Now nothing was left except for me to keep on reciting each following stanza. And to ignore the few pre-adolescent heck lers’ snickers. The headmaster would take care of the rest.

The recital became my own version of going to and “[f]rom fearful trip [until] the victor ship comes in with object won.”

As long as the old headmaster keeps the watch, I thought, I will make it through the storm.

And, I did.

I got through my own storm on an otherwise forgotten day in the fall of 1964 after the death of a president. The ship of state and I sailed on.

Maybe we just assume it always will. But we all must play our parts, captains or privates.

As Walt Whitman would say, I see the “shores a-crowding.”

Waiting Child

Ambreyah, 16, is a vibrant and outgoing teen who loves socializing with peers and adults. She has an artistic personality and enjoys drawing and writing. She also enjoys watching TV and movies and dressing up to participate in cosplay. Ambreyah likes animals (especially reptiles) and is open to all kinds of pets. She has tried horseback riding and really enjoyed it. Ambreyah’s favorite foods are sushi, Chinese food, and popcorn. An ideal family for Ambreyah would be a two-parent household with no other children in the home.

Following adoption, Ambreyah would need to remain in contact with her grandmother and siblings. Only families living in Minnesota are being considered at this time.

Possehl Agency

The Annual Election period is upon us!

Did your plan go up? Do you have

Give

November 10th Walk-ins at Anchor Coffee 10AM - Noon 4742 Washington Square, White Bear Lake, MN 55110

November 10th White Bear Senior Center 2PM 2484 East County Rd F, White Bear Lake, MN 55110

• November 10th Woodbury Central Park 6PM 8595 Central Park Pl, Woodbury, MN 55125

November 11th Walk-ins at White Bear Senior Center 11:30-3PM 2484 East County Rd F, White Bear Lake, MN 55110

November 12th Jimmy’s Food and Drink 10AM, Noon, and 2PM.* 1132 Co Rd E East, Vadnais Heights, MN 55110

Possehl

Kevin Edberg White Bear Lake

Stephanie McNamara Board member, LWV-WBLA

Albert Turner Goins White Bear Lake

Submitted by MN Adopt, a state organization whose vision is to have zero kids waiting for permanent loving families, and mission to find and strengthen Minnesota adoptive, foster care and kinship families. To learn more, go to www.mnadopt.org.

COPS&COURTS

RAMSEY COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTS

The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office reported the following selected incidents in Vadnais Heights and White Bear Town ship:

Vadnais Heights

• An abandoned bicycle was report ed found Oct. 2 in the 900 block of County Road E. After it cleared the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, it was entered into property.

• A Shoreview man, 35, was arrested Oct. 4 in the 600 block of County Road D for interfering with a 911 call following a domestic. The case has been forwarded to the city attor ney for consideration of charges.

• A White Bear Township woman, 49, was cited for misdemeanor theft Oct. 5 at the Walmart in the 800 block of County Road E after loss prevention personnel detained her for under-scanning $94.18 in mer chandise at the self-checkout and passing all points of sale. A Center City woman, 21, was cited Oct. 6 at the Walmart for misdemeanor theft after she was detained for un der-ringing $166.42 in merchandise at the self-checkout and passing all points of sale. A St. Paul man, 48, was also cited Oct. 7 for shoplifting at the Walmart after he was caught concealing $38.50 in merchandise and leaving the store.

• The driver of an Amazon delivery truck was reported Oct. 6 for run ning into and damaging a garage door in the 4500 block of Oakhurst Avenue. The criminal damage to property report was backed up by the neighbor's doorbell camera,

WHITE BEAR LAKE POLICE REPORTS

The White Bear Police De partment reported the following selected incidents:

Theft was reported at a store in the 4800 block of Highway 61 Oct. 15.

• Officers assisted the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office in checking the area around the 4200 block of Homewood Avenue for a person asking for help Oct. 16.

• A suspicious vehicle was reported in the 4600 block of Bald Eagle Avenue Oct. 16.

• Officers responded to a report of narcotics in the 3900 block of Hoffman Road Oct. 16.

• A verbal altercation was reported in the 2100 block of Orchard Lane Oct. 16.

• A suspicious person was reported in the 4900 block of Highway 61 Oct. 16.

• Two drivers who were en gaged in racing and driv ing recklessly in the area of Douglas Lane and White Bear Avenue were arrest ed following a traffic stop Oct. 16. One was arrested on DWI and for third-de gree test refusal, the other for fleeing police in a mo tor vehicle and a fifth-de gree controlled substances violation.

• Three motorcycles and three vehicles were stolen in the 2300 block of Oak Lane Oct. 17.

• Suspicious activity was reported in the 1400 block of Highway 96 Oct. 17.

• Property damage was reported in the 3500 block of McKnight Road and the 1700 block of Highway 96 Oct. 17.

which documented the incident.

• A key ring containing a car key was reported found Oct. 6 in the 600 block of Bear Avenue N. Ram sey County Sheriff's Office (RCSO) deputies left a message with the possible owner.

• A Maplewood woman reported her motor vehicle stolen Oct. 6 from the area of Greenhaven Drive and Centerville Road after she ran out of gas Oct. 4 and left the vehicle on Greenhaven Drive with its key under the driver's seat. When she returned two days later, the vehicle was gone. After records showed the vehicle was not towed, it was en tered into the NCIC.

• A Vadnais Heights man, 72, is suspected of violating a harassment restraining order following an Oct. 6 harassment report in the 600 block of Bibeau Court.

• A 30-year-old man from Des Moines, Iowa, was arrested at 2:37 a.m. Oct. 8 in the 3200 block of Highway 61 for being in possession of a stolen vehicle, after deputies conducted a random license plate check of a ve hicle parked in a convenience store lot and found it had been stolen out of Prior Lake. Deputies boxed the vehicle in and called the driver out to be taken into custody. During the usual vehicle inventory search subsequent to arrest, deputies found unmarked pill bottles containing suspected oxycodone. The vehicle was towed to Prior Lake and the passenger given a courtesy ride to Roseville. The case has been turned over to the RCSO investigator.

• Fraud was reported in the 2300 block of Lakeaires Blvd. Oct. 17.

Burglary was reported in the 4700 block of Center ville Road Oct. 17.

• Officers responded to a noise complaint in the 3900 block of Hoffman Road Oct. 17.

• A license plate was stolen in the 1700 block of Elm Street Oct. 18.

• Theft from a vehicle was reported in the 3500 block of McKnight Road Oct. 18.

• A woman was served with a no-trespass order in the 4900 block of Highway 61 Oct. 18.

• Officers responded to the 4600 block of White Bear Parkway for an in-prog ress fraud call Oct. 18. The suspect was identified.

• Disorderly conduct was reported in the 4500 block of Centerville Road Oct. 18.

• A White Bear Lake woman was arrested for DWI near the intersection of McK night Road and Orchard Lane Oct. 18.

• Theft from a vehicle was reported in the 3400 block of Bellaire Avenue Oct. 19.

• Disorderly conduct was re ported in the 4600 block of White Bear Parkway Oct. 19.

• Suspicious activity was reported in the 1900 block of Highway 96 and the 2000 block of County Road F Oct. 19.

• Officers responded to juveniles shining lights on a house near the inter section of Elm Street and Auger Avenue Oct. 19.

• Officers responded to a dispute in the 1700 block of

Highway 96 Oct. 20.

COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTS

The Washington County Sheriff's Office reported the following selected incidents in Birchwood, Dellwood, Grant, Mahtomedi, Pine Springs and Willernie:

Dellwood

• A southbound motorist in the 10000 block of Dellwood Avenue was cited Sept. 27 for failure to provide proof of insurance after he was pulled over for appear ing to look down at a phone when he passed deputies. The front license plate of the vehicle was also situated on the dash of the vehicle and unreadable. The driver admitted to looking down at his phone for directions and presented insurance papers that expired in 2019. Deputies advised the motorist on how to present proof of insurance at court.

Grant

• An aggressive intoxicated male was reported at 6:45 p.m. Sept. 25 in the 6000 block of Manning Avenue for pushing people and attempting to drive. When deputies arrived on scene, all parties agreed to leave the area via Uber.

• A purse was reported stolen Sept. 26 from Logger's Trail Golf Course in the 11000 block of 80th Street N.

Mahtomedi

• A resident in the 1000 block of Hallam Avenue N. reported receiving a phone call Sept. 25

• Suspicious activity was reported in the 3500 block of Glen Oaks Court Oct. 20.

• Fraud was reported in the 4000 block of Bellaire Ave nue Oct. 20.

• A suspicious person was reported in the 2000 block of Dotte Drive Oct 21.

• A White Bear Lake man was arrested for posses sion of a controlled sub stance in the 1800 block of Birch Street Oct. 21. Harassment was reported in the 4300 block of Lake Avenue and the 3100 block of McKnight Road Oct. 21.

• Fraud reports were made in the 4600 block of Peggy Lane, the 1800 block of County Road F and the 1600 block of Fourth Street Oct. 21.

• Suspicious activity was re ported in the 1700 block of Willow Court and the 3800 block of Highland Avenue Oct. 21.

• Officers responded to a dispute in the 1700 block of County Road E Oct. 21.

• Officers responded to a drunk person in the 2000 block of Fifth Street Oct. 22.

• Theft was reported in the 4800 block of Highway 61 Oct. 22.

• Officers mediated a dis pute between a boyfriend and a girlfriend in the 1800 block of Cedar Avenue Oct. 22.

• Theft was reported in the 1900 block of Buerkle Road Oct. 22.

Officers investigated sus picious vehicles Oct. 22 at the intersection of High way 96 and White Bear

from a spoofed WCSO number and person claiming to be a Sheriff Osterman. The fake sheriff advised her that she had a warrant out against her and needed to pay money to avoid being arrested.

• The back window of a vehicle in the 1000 block of Griffin Avenue was reported smashed sometime during the day Sept. 26.

• Juveniles were reported Sept. 26 for operating an orange moped on the walking path between Lincolntown Avenue and Pic cadilly Square. Deputies arriv ing on scene found the moped abandoned without any kind of registration and had it towed to Stillwater until its owner could be found. On Sept. 27, juveniles were reported for riding scoot ers on the sidewalk in front of a building on Mahtomedi Ave nue. On Oct. 1, more juveniles were reported for driving along Edgecumbe Drive and throwing golf balls at mailboxes, street signs and a bicyclist.

Pine Springs

• A black bear was reported for rummaging around the 6000 block of Hilton Court N. at 11:27 p.m. Sept. 30. On arrival, depu ties discovered a trash can on its side and garbage in the drive way. While looking over the sur roundings, deputies found the bear in a tree at a residence and scared it away using their squad lights and a lot of noise.

Parkway and the intersec tion of Cook Avenue and Third Street.

Officers responded to noise complaints in the 2300 block of Blomquist Avenue and the 2100 block of Divi sion Court Oct. 22.

• Officers responded to a report of an assault in the 3800 block of Oak Terrace Oct. 22.

• A suspicious woman was reported in the 1800 block of Birch Street Oct. 23.

A neighbor’s fence was reported for being down on the roadway in the 5100 block of Long Avenue Oct. 23.

• A catalytic converter was stolen in the 1400 block of Park Street Oct. 23.

• Officers mediated a dis orderly conduct incident in the 2300 block of Circle Drive Oct. 23.

• A license tab sticker was stolen off a vehicle in the 4700 block of Centerville Road Oct. 23.

• A Hugo man was identified for violating a domestic abuse no-contact order in the 3600 block of Highland Avenue, but fled the scene prior to officer’s arrival.

• Copper cables were sto len in the 1600 block of Buerkle Road Oct. 23.

• A Little Canada man was arrested on several outstanding warrants following a traffic stop in the 3500 block of Hoffman Road Oct. 23.

• Officers responded to a re port of a disorderly woman in the 3200 block of White Bear Avenue Oct. 24.

• Laptops and checkbooks were stolen in the 3500

block of Auger Avenue Oct. 24.

• Suspicious activity was reported in the 2200 block of Second Street Oct. 24.

• Attempted vehicle theft was reported Oct. 24 in the 3500 block of White Bear Avenue.

• A stolen vehicle was recov ered in the 4000 block of Lakehill Circle Oct. 24.

• Theft was reported in the 4900 block of Highway 61 Oct. 25.

Officers assisted the White Bear Lake building de partment with a stop work order in the 5100 block of Long Avenue Oct. 25.

• Officers mediated a verbal argument between a man and a woman in the 1400 block of Highway 96.

• A suspicious note was re ceived in the 1900 block of Spruce Place Oct. 25.

• Suspicious activity was reported in the 3600 block of McKnight Road and the 3900 block of Van Dyke Street Oct. 25.

• Officers gave a ride to a man under the influence of narcotics who was scream ing at passersby near the intersection of Highways 61 and 96 Oct. 25.

• Officers responded to a civil problem in the 5000 block of Woodcrest Road Oct. 26.

• Criminal sexual conduct was reported in the 5000 block of Bald Eagle Avenue Oct. 26.

• A vehicle was stolen at the intersection of Banning and Lake Avenues Oct. 26.

Brothers not living together very harmoniously

Two brothers living together for 40 years have long been convinced the other has been trying to kill him.

A White Bear Township man, 44, faces up to five years imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of $10,000 if convicted of felony threatening violence with reckless disregard for risk, following an Oct. 9 incident in the 1800 block of Stillwater Street.

At 1:25 a.m. Oct. 9, Ramsey County Sheriff's Of fice deputies responded to a report that the com plainant's brother threatened to kill him and tried to attack him with a knife. When deputies searched the suspect, they found a 10-inch knife on him, as well as 15-20 small knives in his pockets.

As if the suspect's pockets weren't full enough, deputies also found a small plastic bag with white powder residue in his watch pocket. Deputies found the defendant to be under the influence, as he was speaking quickly and was difficult to understand.

The complainant said he confronted the suspect about spitting on the floor and calling him ho mophobic names. The suspect then brandished a knife and held a metal pipe under the complainant's chin, saying “I'm going to F---ing kill you!” The complainant said the suspect had physically as saulted him in the past and was arrested for it 10 years ago.

A witness, who was on video phone with the sus pect during the incident, and who arrived while the altercation was still ongoing, has video confirma tion of the incident.

Under Miranda rules, the suspect told deputies that he was asleep when the complainant started talking to him about his living habits. When the suspect got out of his bed and merely walked to the

kitchen, his brother called the police on him. The suspect also said he sleeps with weapons in his hands because he “doesn't trust that fat f---er” and that his brother had assaulted him with a pizza the previous night. The suspect added that he has a collection of knives and sleeps with them. When asked why he didn't call 911 when his broth

White Bear Lake ROTARY ACADEMIC ACHIEVER

er pointed a firearm at him, the suspect said, “They never do anything for me when they're here.”

The complainant confirmed he stores a firearm in the nightstand in his bedroom, but never pointed it at his brother, even though be believed his broth er capable of killing him.

Rotary Matters wblrotary@comcast.net

On behalf of St. Jude of the Lake Catholic School in Mahtomedi, we would like to acknowledge Matthew Corbett as an academic achiever and community leader. Matt is a very wellrounded Middle School student at St. Jude. He is academically strong in all areas of his honors classes. In addition to academics, Matt excels as a community leader. He serves at mass, volunteers at parish events, and helps wherever he sees a need. When he is not serving or focusing on his studies, Matt excels on the ski slopes, on the baseball field and in the swimming pool. Matt is a kind, thoughtful student, classmate, and supportive team player! Congratulations Matt on all your hard work and commitment to excellence!

Matthew Corbett St. Jude of the Lake Catholic School

Sponsored by Gene and Marcia Altstatt 755959

WHAT’S HAPPENING

NE METRO ROTARY OPEN HOUSE

When: 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3 Where: White Bear Country Inn, 4940 Highway 61, White Bear Lake

Details: Learn about the satellite club of WBL Rotary, which meets once a month and focuses on community ser vice. Hors d'oeuvres served and cash bar. RSVP. Contact: nemetrorotaryclub@gmail. com

SENIOR CENTER CRAFT CORNER FALL BOUTIQUE

When: 9 a.m.- 7 a.m. Friday, Nov. 4; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov 5 Where: White Bear Senior Center, 2484 E County Rd F

Details: Shop the fall holiday boutique for unique home crafted items by local seniors. Home and holiday decor, mit tens, hats, scarves, kitchen items, art jewelry and more! Also a bake sale and book sales/signings with local authors.

“UNVEILED”

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, Sunday, Nov. 6, and Monday, Nov. 7 Where: Hanifl Performing Arts Center, 4941 Long Ave., White Bear Lake Details: One-woman show written and performed by Rohina Malik. Tickets $20 Contact: 651-478-7427 or lakeshoreplay ers.org

KOWALSKI'S STRIVE 10 MILER AND 5K

When: Noon Sunday, Nov. 6

Where: Boatworks Commons, 4495 Lake Ave. S., White Bear Lake

Details: 5K course along Lake Ave. Trail to West Park and back; 10 mile course around the lake. Registration $25; proceeds support the Strive Schol arship Fund. Contact: midwestevents.com

ALL SAINTS CONCERT

When: 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6 Where: St. Andrews Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Rd., Mahtomedi Details: National Lutheran Choir pres ents the All Saints concert featuring John Rutter's “Requiem.” Tickets $33 general admission. Contact: nlca.com

LUNCH AND TABLE GAMES

When: noon Wednesday, Nov. 9

Where: Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 3676 Centerville Road, Vadnais Heights Details: Bring a bag lunch and play ta ble games with friends. Coffee provided. Contact: 651-204-6000 or cityvadna isheights.com/seniors

MICK STERLING PRESENTS “BEAUTIFUL VISION THE ESSENTIAL SONGS OF VAN MORRISON”

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9 Where: The Zephyr Theatre, 601 N. Main St., Stillwater

Details: Mick Sterling performs Van Morrison's most popular songs with a 13-piece band. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tick ets $35 general admission. Cash bar. Contact: stillwaterzephyrtheatre.org

MEDICARE ANNUAL ELECTION SEMINAR

When: 2-3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 & 1011 a.m. Monday Nov. 14

Where: White Bear Senior Center, 2484 E County Rd F

Details: Hear about carrier specific updates to Medicare plans and look at Medicare insurance coverage. Plans can be changed Oct 15-Dec 7. Contact: 651-653-3121

DRIVE THRU FREE VETERANS BREAK FAST

When: 8-10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11 Where: Harbor Crossing, 4650 Center ville Rd., White Bear Lake Details: Veterans can drive thru the parking lot to receive a free breakfast sandwich, hashbrowns and orange juice. RSVP. Contact: 651-762-6121 or vseidl@ preshomes.org

VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION

When: 9:30-11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11 Where: White Bear Senior Center, 2484 E County Rd F Details: Join us in honoring the men and women who served our country. VFW Post 1782 will give a brief presenta tion at 10am. Coffee and sweets served. Contact: 651-653-3121

FREE VETERANS DAY LUNCH

When: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 Where: VFW Post #1782, 4496 Lake Ave. S., White Bear Lake

Details: Veterans and a guest receive a meal compliments of the VFW Auxil iary. Donations of non-perishable food items fr food drive requested.

Contact: vfwpost1782.org

FREE SOS LUNCH FOR VETERANS

When: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 Where: American Legion Post 39, 2678 E 7th Ave., North St. Paul Details: Guaranteed to bring back memories of dining in the mess hall, vet erans will receive free lunch of chipped beef on toast and fruit cup. Family mem bers can order from menu. Open to the public.

Contact: 651-354-0064

ANNUAL VETERAN’S DAY CEREMONY

When: 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 Where: Veteran’s Memorial Park, Mahtomedi Details: Join members of American Legion Kramer-Berg Post 507 and other veterans and family members for a cele bration honoring service men and wom en. The Mahtomedi High School Chior will perform National Anthem.

WINTER FARMERS MARKET

When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 Where: Normandy Park Education Center, 2482 County Rd. F. East, White Bear Lake Details: Monthly market with more than 20 local vendors with locally sourced foods. Hot cider and food trucks. Contact: forksinthedirt.com

TURKEY BINGO

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 Where: Mahtomedi High School Details: Play Bingo and win a turkey. Annual fundraiser for the Mahtomedi Fire Department Relief Association. Contact: ci.mahtomedi.mn.us FALL FOREST BATHING WALK When: 3-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 Where: Tamarack Nature Center, 5287 Otter Lake Rd., White Bear Township Details: Join Certified Forest Thera py Guide Cinde Morris at Tamarack Nature Center for a meditative and im mersive walk practicing the Japanese art of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing). En gage in gentle activities that will deepen your sensory awareness and focus in a calming, regenerative way. Ourdoor program. Registration $30. Contact: moderndayvalkyrie.com/ book-a-walk

2022 MASQUE

When: 5:30-11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 Where: Hanifl Performing Arts Center, 4941 Long Ave., White Bear Lake Details: “Boots and Bling”-themed an nual fundraiser for Children's Perform ing Arts includes happy hour, silent auction, live auction, prizes, games, and live music by “Coyote Wild” at after par ty. VIP, in-person and virtual options available. Register before Oct. 23 to re ceive discount. Contact: 651-336-8613 or childrensper formingartsmn.org

“BY SPECIAL REQUEST” FUNDRAISING CONCERT

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12

Where: Trinity Lutheran Church, 115 4th St. N., Stillwater

Details: Concert for St. Croix Valley Opera with performances by Obed Floan and Megan Wagner, along with Stillwater favorites, Clark Weyrauch and Laurann Kirschner, along with Jen nifer Eckes (SCVO’s Cabaret Impressa rio), and Thomas Glass and Andrew Sun. Tickets $30.

Contact: scvopera.org

MAHTOMEDI MUSIC FACULTY

When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13

Where: Mahtomedi High School Fine Arts Center, 8000 75th St. N.

Details: Concert performed by Mahto medi music faculty is a fundraiser for extra music materials and experienc es for students and the Kelly Spauld ing Scholarship Fund. Special guest MHS alum Paul Gutmann. Tickets $25/ adults; $20/seniors; $15/students, avail able online or at the door.

Contact: 651-605-1124 or wildwoodartist series.com

DONATELLI'S PASTA FUNDRAISER

When: 4:30-7:30 p.m. Monday

Where: WBLAHS South Campus cafe teria, 3551 McKnight Rd.

Details: Support the White Bear Lake Wrestling Team. Dine-in or carry-out options available;$8/plate.

TAKING CARE OF YOU

When: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15 Where: White Bear Senior Center, 2484 E County Rd F

Details: Health Fair for seniors includes Diabetic Show & Mobility Show 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Vision Loss Resources & Blood Pressure Screening 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact: 651-653-3121

FOR THE LOVE OF THE LIBRARY

When: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15

Where: 7 Vines Vineyard, 101 Highway 96 E., Dellwood

Details: Annual fundraiser for the Stillwater Public Library includes pan el of local authors, winery tours and appetizers. Tickets $100; sponsorships available.

Contact: stillwaterlibraryfoundation.org

Corey Bohmert, Mahtomedi halfback, is averaging 10.8 yards per carry this season, rolling up 1,736 yards in 161 attempts while reaching the end zone 23 times. The 5-foot-10, 177-pound senior rushed for 247 yards Saturday in a 44-10 playoff win over Cretin-Derham Hall, with touchdowns of seven, 66 and 30 yards. That was Bohmert’s fifth 200-plus yard game of the season. He also has a kickoff return touchdown. The Zephyrs are 8-1 and ranked No. 6 in Class 5A heading into the

finals.

Corey Bohmert

Historical society hires familiar face

White Bear Lake native Dan Jones is new creative director of the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society (WBLAHS). A history buff himself, Jones recently accepted the position af ter working as a contractor throughout the summer. His projects have so far in cluded developing multimedia elements for the popular “Bears on Boards” exhibit celebrating the 100th anniver sary of the invention of waterskiing at the Armory and producing new presen tations such as the recent “What’s in a Name? Part III.” Jones, who also sits on the White Bear Lake City Council and is involved in several community organizations, has been an active supporter of the WBLAHS for years.

At the same time, Rheanna O’Brien, former middle school social studies teacher and WBLAHS associate director since 2020, has transitioned into a new role as education director. This restructuring is in response to the tremendous growth in student involvement with the historical society over the last two years. It will allow O’Brien to continue to develop those connections and resources as part of the growing vision for the organization.

Assisted living proposed at former convent

WHITE BEAR LAKE — An aban doned plan for a nurs ing home has morphed into a 14-unit assisted living facility at 3881 Highland Ave.

The long-vacant of fice building was once a convent for St. Pius X Catholic Church.

The applicant, Jim Mackey, on behalf of 3881 Property Group, received a conditional use permit last year for a 24-bed nursing home but approvals expired before the use was enacted. The new application is the same except each occupant will have their own room and bath.

A separate request was made to lease the city-owned parking lot adjacent to the facility at Stellmacher Park. City code requires 12 spaces, and the former

convent, converted to office space years ago, only has four. That was also approved last year.

Staff recommended approval, noting the property provides “a good opportunity to offer senior assisted living while using an existing building in the neighborhood.” The proposed use is also compatible with the present and future land uses of the area, according to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

The project is not anticipated to impact the surrounding sin gle-family homes that abut the property. A six-foot privacy fence is planned along the south and west sides to provide a buffer. The building has been on the property since 1962. There are no

A new proposal will convert a former convent to an assisted living facility.

proposed changes to the building exterior and there are no plans to expand.

According to Mack ey, the project’s archi tect, interior remod eling of the two-story building will include adding an elevator and numerous bathrooms.

An existing kitchen will be updated.

Planning Com

mission members voted 7-0 in favor of the proposal at their Oct. 24 meeting. City Council will consider the application on its consent agenda Nov. 9.

The council’s meeting date moved to Wednes day due to the Nov. 8 election.

From WBLAHS

Dan Jones

Debra Neutkens

FILE PHOTO

VIII: Any day now

cannot recall a windier stretch of time on White Bear Lake. Through it all, the chick has managed to remain safe and on top of its game. Spotting the chick is no easy task in 24 mile per hour winds. It is hard to tell the difference between white caps and the chick’s light-colored head and white chest. Keeping the camera steady and out of the spray, adds to the challenge. Fortunately, most of the days were warm and sunny. The waterdance is down to four. We think a few of the chicks may have headed south during the third week of October, when the temperatures dipped below freezing and some ice was visible on the shoreline. When the chick is not fishing, it spends most of the day, flying all around the lake, and meeting up with the remaining chicks at sunset. Covers of Coots have taken up residence around Manitou Island by the protective bulrushes and in the cove. The Eagles

have their talons full and have been leaving the Loons alone. With the precipitously declining lake level and winter weather just around the corner, we made the bittersweet decision to take our fishing boat off the lake and tuck it away for Winter. Len chose one of the windiest days of the week to make the final voyage. What a morning! After scouring the lake in search of the chick, we were thrilled when it made a surprise pop up, within inches of our boat. We all had eye contact and the chick posed just long enough for the photo in the center frame. No cropping or editing necessary. Perhaps, a parting gift for the season. When we arrived at the Ramsey County boat launch, we were blown away by all the windsurfers and kiteboarders harvesting the wind, that included 27 mph gusts. It looked and felt like the Columbia River Gorge. I included a few shots of one kiteboarder, who

maneuvered his lines and power kite to take him high above the treetops. Amazing skill and strength. By way of update, this morning, I did spot the chick with another chick, way out of camera range, fishing and diving together. They most likely will stick together, until they part company to make their independent 1,170-1570-mile journey south. We will close out Loon Chronicles VII in November, with a retrospective photo montage and things to ponder in anticipation of the return of the Loons in April 2023. Thank you for the privilege of sharing the story of WBL’s Loons with you.

Ellen Maas

ELLEN MAAS | SUBMITTED

Creative License

Clinton Smith: Intarsia artist extraordinaire

Clinton Smith is a member of North Star Scrollers Club and recipient of its Swede Bengtson Memorial Intarsia blue ribbon the last two years at the State Fair. The ribbons are among many the intarsia artist has won for his creations. The Press caught up with the gifted wood worker for a Q&A about his life and artwork.

Q: Where are you from, how old are you and where do you live now?

A: I am 85 years old and have lived in White Bear Lake for the past 30 years.

Q: How and when did you get started as an artist?

A: I did my own house addi tions/remodeling, then started doing some scrolling while I was still working, then when I retired (21 years ago) I tried intarsia and really liked that, so now I do both. Intarsia is a mosaic of woods cut and pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. The art form was popular in 15th century Italy for decora tion.

Q: Are you self-taught, or do you have formal training in art? If so, when and where?

A: I am a graduate of the school of do-overs, no formal training.

Q: In what media do you work?

A: Many species and colors of wood.

Q: What are the most un usual materials or tools you use in your art, if any?

A: I source some of my wood locally, such as buckthorn, ap ple, smoke tree, cherry plum, locust, sumac and box elder. Other varieties are purchased at Rockler Woodworking and online.

Q: What usually inspires you in your art? Does your art tend to have commonal

ities of theme, color, texture or design?

A: I look for patterns that appeal to me. I often do wildlife and religious themes but I’m not limited to those.

Q: How do you market your art?

A: I don’t market anything. It hangs in my house. I also make pieces for family members.

Q: What is it about your art to which people seem to respond?

A: They especially like the different woods, the colors and the depth. They also like that all of the colors are natural

wood. I very rarely use any stain or paint.

Q: What is the most reward ing part about creating your art?

A: I don't create anything that I don't find personally appealing. I enjoy looking at them after the pieces are completed, as well as watching them develop as I am working on them. It gives me a lot of satisfaction.

Q: What is the most chal lenging part?

A: Finding interesting patterns and finding the right woods.

Q: Do you have a "claim to fame" as an artist?

A: I started entering my scrolling and intarsia pieces in the creative arts competition at the Minnesota State Fair in 2012 and have won 11 blue ribbons and two second-place ribbons, including two blue ribbons from the North Star Scrollers Association.

Q: Are you a full-time artist, or do you have a day job? If so, what do you do, and where?

A: I usually work in the shop about 5 or 6 hours a day 5 days a week.

Q: What else do you do in your spare time? Do you have a family, and what are their names and ages?

A: I volunteer at Bridging one day a week in the wood shop making and repairing furniture and household items that go to people referred by social service agencies setting up a place to live. My wife Cyn thia died in 2020 after 60 years of marriage. We have one son Greg (Becky), two daughters,

Q: What is your five-year plan as an artist?

A: It would be wonderful if I am able to be doing the same thing five years from now. God blessed me with good eyes and

steady hands. You can’t do this work if you’re shaky.

The Creative License feature profiles artistic people of all kinds who live in the White Bear Press coverage area. To suggest a subject to profile, please email news@presspubs.com

Julina (Tim) and Holly, seven grandchildren, Josiah, Liliana (Noah), Jubal, Rosalee, Kayla (Nick), Anna (Justin) and Alex (Sarah) and four great-grand children, Alyce, Esme, Leo and Ayda.

This piece is one of Smith’s favorites. It won the 2022 Swede Bengtson Memorial Award at the Fair.

“The Knock” is a piece he’s donating to a Lutheran church in Wisconsin. It took him 150 hours to make the piece from 17 types of wood.

This “Owl in landing form” is made from 510 pieces fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Each color is an individually cut piece of wood.

Clinton at one of his saws. Different species of wood are selected for their color and cut to size using a scroll saw. He creates an illusion of depth by carefully selecting the grain pattern and direction of each piece.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

Clinton next to “Palm Sunday,” which won a State Fair Senior Award. He used 21 different woods.

The painstaking process of intarsia is like making a jigsaw puzzle from scratch. Smith selects each type of wood to provide the color he seeks. This piece (on left) is the second of two he’s donating to a church.

well, so that must mean our favorite season is around the corner. Again, we are very excited that the Township was chosen to host Hockey Day Minnesota 2023! Look for more announcements specific to the event over the next few weeks & join us at Polar Lakes Park in late January! Winter parking is in effect now, so be prepared…..

2022 MID-TERM ELECTION INFORMATION – As election day nears new voting locations open. In the White Bear area the Ramsey County Library in downtown White Bear Lake will be open during the following times for voting:

November 1-4 – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

November 5 – 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Saturday)

November 7 – 10:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.

ABSENTEE VOTING TURNOUT 2022 – As of October 21st, 39,714 absentee ballots have been sent out; 20,136 have been accepted which equals a ballot return rate of 50.7%. There are 314,972 registered voters in Ramsey County.

A bi-weekly section where readers will be informed on subjects of seasonal interest, upcoming events and other timely topics.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDING – With Sunday, November 6th at 2:00 a.m. marking the end of daylight savings time don’t forget to set your clocks back 1 hour & it’s also a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors & carbon monoxide detectors.

RAIN, LEAVES & LAKES DON’T MIX - KEEP LEAVES OUT OF THE STREETS – What do leaves in the streets have to do with algae in the lakes? Rainfall & stormwater that run through streets & gutters leach phosphorus from fallen leaves & carry the nutrient-rich “tea” down the storm drains & straight to the lakes. Phosphorus is the nutrient that drives algae growth; so let’s do our part to stop leaf litter leaching!

What can you do:

1. Mulch fallen leaves into your lawn with a lawnmower.

2. Gather fallen leaves out of the street & storm drains.

3. Time your raking to just before your trash/yard waste pick-up day to minimize leaves’ time on the curb.

ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE BRANCHES/ TREES NEAR YOUR POWER LINES HERE IS SOME INFORMATION WHICH MAY HELP – Whether you have questions around cutting a tree down, trimming & pruning a tree, or you’re just wondering about best practices & potential costs, Xcel Energy is there to help by calling 1.800.895.4999 or by submitting a request online.

Cutting Down Trees & Tree Removal – if you feel circumstances call for tree removal, a representative from Xcel Energy can discuss arrangements with you. Xcel provides pruning a portion of the tree away from power lines, so a tree trimmer that you hire that is not qualified to work near power lines can complete the tree removal. The area trimmed by Xcel is called the Safety Zone. Any brush or wood cut is not hauled away but left on site.

Pruning Trees for Clearance Near Lines – Pole-to-house lines have the least impact on large-scale power outages, so Xcel does not trim those for clearance except when major interference exists such as broken limbs on the lines & significant deflection of the lines due to a tree branch or branches. Remember pole-to-house lines are fully energized & extremely dangerous.

Potential Costs Around Tree Maintenance. There is no charge for the tree work performed by Xcel Energy or its contractors it is part of their responsibility to ensure safe & reliable electric service. The cost of the work is a part of the rates approved by our state’s utility commission.

PURPLE LINE: City council supports mass transit, rejects current plan

transit solutions. A particular sore point was having to share the popular Bruce Vento Trail with buses.

First to speak was a St. Paul woman who said she’d spotted 127 endangered rusty patch bumblebees along the trail. She wasn’t alone in worrying that the steady stream of buses will harm polli nator habitat. Others bemoaned losing miles of tree canopy when the trail is converted to a shared busway. Safety was another concern. Several citizens said they wouldn’t let their children ride bicycles next to a bus lane.

Members of the Anti-Rush Line (now known as the Purple Line) Coalition also spoke, encouraging the council to support a resolution that permanently dedicates the Bruce Vento as a nonmo torized trail.

The mayor pointed out that the Met Council doesn’t need city approval to move ahead with the project. Nor does the city have any say in the trail. “We don’t govern or own the Bruce Vento Trail,” Abrams said. “What I see is for us to gather together to say we need data and that we want to help bring effective, reliable transit to our commu nity.”

Regional trail design

Ramsey County acquired the rail right of way in the 1990s for future tran sit use. The Bruce Vento Regional Trail will be reconstructed only through the

portion of the Purple Line route that uses that rail right of way, according to the Met Council website.

The right of way is approximately 100 feet wide. The Bruce Vento Regional Trail will be 12 feet wide, and the BRT guideway will be 26 feet wide in this segment of the route. The remaining space in the right of way will include vegetation, landscaping, stormwater fa cilities and buffer space separating the guideway, trail and adjacent properties.

A maximum of six electric buses per hour in each direction will use the guideway, and buses will be operated by professional drivers, creating what Metro Transit considers “a safe travel environment for all users.”

Signs are located in the right of way indicating it is reserved for possible future transit and trail use.

State Rep. Peter Fischer, a Maplewood resident, told council the BRT is critical to the area. “We can have both the BRT and a trail. It can be done,” he said.

Others agreed there is a need for mass transit but felt the planning pro cess should start over with a proposal that puts “transit users at the heart of any decisions, like the rest of the world.”

Council member Rebecca Cave pushed for the amended resolution to withdraw support, rather than suspend it, as the original read. “Met Council

needs to hear this, that we are serious. They can’t shove it down our throats,” she said.

Council member Kathleen Juenemann feels the city has lost trust in the Met Council. “The in cident that brought this all to light wasn’t shared with us by them, but by someone else. I was just as shocked as the mayor about the changes. The Met Council needs to be convinced they have to come to the table with all of us and that we’ve thought this through. Ulti mately, we can be bullied into this. I don’t want that to happen.”

City Manager Melinda Coleman said Met Council staff is paying at tention to Maplewood’s concerns. “They are prepared to take pause, according to a staff person,” she said. “I think we’re heading in the right direction. We’re asking them to come to the table instead of saying ‘we’re walking away.’”

The mayor told residents to ex pect a survey from the city asking their thoughts on mass transit, and may form a steering commit tee. She hopes to have an engage ment plan by the end of November to take to the Met Council.

REPORT: Calls for service down, police officer vacancies up

• 109 domestics. That is up slightly and usually includes an arrest.

• 335 disorderly persons. Includes infractions like pan handling.

• 80 motor vehicle thefts. Up, but no carjackings.

• 99 thefts from auto — mostly catalytic converters and purses.

• 63 assaults (nondomestic).

• 17 overdoses. Three fatal; 14 revived with Narcan.

• 3,038 traffic stops, of which 73 were DWI arrests.

The number of DWIs has stayed fairly constant the last few years, the chief said. Swanson attributes it to people not staying out late at drinking establishments. “I was at a popular bar on a Saturday night recently,” she told coun cil. “Last call was 9:30 p.m.”

Once a person in crisis is identified, a community advocate from Northeast Youth & Family Services may be assigned as a shared case worker to follow up.

The shared case worker works with four other metro departments, serving people in crisis who have been in volved with law enforcement but have needs that cannot be addressed by law enforcement alone.

“We’ve used them for people who suffer from (poor) mental health, family instability or dementia patients who wander from home. The advocate tends to have more success than we do, and they know the system better,” the chief said. “Ramsey County Crisis is there, but as you can

imagine, and it was a reminder today when you received the alert on your phone (the Roseville incident last Tues day), there are a lot of people in crisis. It gives opportunity for us to help families.”

The chief doesn’t want these people incarcerated (“the jails are full”), but to receive help by other means like medication and therapy that hopefully reduces the need for law enforcement intervention. She noted that the city of Roseville has a full-time mental health advocate for people in crisis. Both her sons, by the way, are Roseville police officers.

Mayor Dan Louismet questioned whether the depart ment was reaching critical mass (a number or develop ment that triggers change) regarding resources. “My ask is you tell us if we get to that point,” he told the chief.

Swanson assured council calls are prioritized and the department has enough people to respond.

That said, the chief added that one of law enforcement’s greatest challenges right now is filling vacancies. “Polic ing is not an easy job,” she stated.

The White Bear department is authorized to staff 31 sworn officers. They aren’t at full capacity, but close. “It’s not uncommon (to be short-staffed),” the chief said, noting they’ve been full strength only a few times during her eight-year tenure. In addition to the chief, a full depart ment includes two captains, four sergeants, 18 patrol officers, four investigators and two school resource offi

cers. Currently, several officers are out on medical leave and there is one vacancy she hopes to fill by December.

Two new officers will be sworn in this month, Phonvelai Sorenson and Will Fink.

She added that demand far outstrips supply for officers in Minnesota, noting one commonly used website had 170 job postings. Some of those were for multiple openings. The pool of law enforcement prospects, on the other hand, is 120 graduates per semester.

The chief thanked the council and the community for its support, maintaining “the city has done a great job equipping officers and giving them what they need.” That includes the new officer wellness program that involves an embedded mental health consultant. “It’s something we like to tell candidates when we’re trying to recruit,” she said. “Our officers are excited to have him.”

Debra Neutkens

White Bear Lake is currently accepting applications for a full-time police officer. See whitebearlake.org/jobs to apply. Deadline is noon, Wednesday, Nov. 9.

METROPOLITAN COUNCIL | CONTRIBUTED Ramsey County Rail right of way is shown within the yellow dotted lines. The project assumes co-location with the Bruce Vento Regional Trail.

My name is Brian Roelofs and I have been assisting families and businesses just like yours for over 19 years in finding the right insurance company to fit your specific needs.

If you’ve “Got A Guy or Gal” that you already love, that’s awesome, but if you don’t I’d love to apply for the job. My staff and I will collect all your insurance information, shop all of our companies for you and then I present you with our best options from both a pricing as well as coverage standpoint to see if something works for you. If it does great, if not that’s okay too, there is never any pressure to buy, we just really appreciate the opportunity.

Below are a handful of some of the companies we represent and can be your agent and advocate with.

AAA - ACE - Acuity - AllState

- Chubb - Encompass

- The Hartford

- Main Street

Midwest Family

Integrity

MetLife

Nationwide

- PURE - QBE - Safeco

Secura - Selective - State Auto Travelers - West Bend - Western National - Westfield

— Brian Roelofs

Silver Harmony Singers ‘Together Again!’

Above: Members of the Silver Harmony Singers

United Church

At right: Barb Memory plays the violin during the song “Our Love

by George Gershwin. The volunteer singing group has been presenting programs around the

for more than

Above: Former Silver Harmony Singers director Jane Jones helped fill in as the show announcer after a colleague was unable to perform. She led the singing group for ten years.

At left: Boy Scout Troop 434 members Nathan and Zach ary Medved helped collect and organize food donations for the White Bear Area Food Shelf during the event.

Find more photos online at presspubs.com.

Zephyrs clip Winona, advance to final four

BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTER

The Mahtomedi girls soccer team, seeking a fifth consecu tive state championship and 11th overall, rolled through its Class 2A opener.

The Zephyrs defeated Winona 5-1 at Farmington as Lauren Coy delivered two goals, and Lily Lindquist, Katelyn Beulke and Kaitlyn Moltzan one each. Stella Grabow was the goalie.

Coy scored in the third minute, assisted by Beulke. The next 35 minutes went scoreless as Winhawk goalie Benna Wells foiled several Zephyr shots and others banged off the post. However, Coy scored again with 2:30 left in the half, on a rebound, and Beulke drilled her 28th goal with a minute left.

Moltzan made it 4-0 early in the second half. Winona eighth-grader Alivia Bell scored on a corner kick in the 52nd minute. Lindquist got the final goal in the final minute of action.

Winona, in its first state tournament trip, finished 12-6-2.

The top-seeded Zephyrs (17-2) now face No. 4 Benilde-St. Margaret’s (14-4-2) on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m., at U.S. Bank Stadium. In the other semifinal, No. 2 Holy Angels (18-2) meets No. 3 Mankato West (13-4-1). The championship match will be held Friday, 12:30 p.m.

Zephyrs’ Beulke named Miss Soccer

Katelyn Beulke, leader of Mahtomedi’s top-ranked girls soccer team, received the Minnesota Miss Soccer Award for Class 2A from the coaches association. The senior forward has tallied 28 goals for the Zephyrs (17-2), who have reached the state semifinals in pursuit of a fifth consecutive state title. Beulke has been a Class 2A coaches association all-state first-team pick on state champion teams as a sophomore and junior.

Zephyrs rumble past Raiders, reach section finals

BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTER

The Mahtomedi Zephyrs, well-rested after a first-round bye, defeated Cre tin-Derham Hall 44-10 on Saturday in the Section 5AAAA semifinals.

The top-seeded, defending champion Zephyrs (8-1) will host No. 3 St. Paul Central (5-5) in the finals on Friday at 7 p.m. The Minutemen reached the finals beating Mound-Westonka 42-0 and Min neapolis North 26-0.

The Zephyrs ran wild for 415 yards, averaging 11 yards per attempt. That started with a 98-yard drive, all on the ground, for the first touchdown, an eight-yarder by Cole Saenger.

Corey Bohmert racked up 247 yards and touchdowns of seven, 68, and 30 yards, giving him 24 for the season. Alec Mahoney had 64 yards in five carries.

Quarterback Charlie Brandt scored on a 25-yard run and threw a touch down pass on his lone completion, 23

yards to Andrew Breien.

Sebastian De La Torre turned in the Zephyrs’ best kicking performance of the season, 5-for-6 on conversions plus a 26-yard field goal.

Mahtomedi limited Cretin-Derham Hall (2-8) to 215 net yards. Nolan Harris notched a 17-yard touchdown run for the Raiders. Aidan Macke kicked a 39yard field goal. Myles Bollinger com pleted 10 of 19 passes for 113 yards with one interception, by Will Harris. Nolan gained 70 yards in 12 carries.

Mahtomedi girls team, 2 boys set for state CC

BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTER

The Mahtomedi girls will compete in the state cross country meet as a team after placing second in the Section 4AA meet on Wednesday at Highland Park Golf Course in St. Paul.

The Zephyr boys team placed third and had two individual state qualifiers.

Three Mahtomedi girls placed in the top seven as senior Sarah Brings was third in 19:55, seventh-grader Vanessa Rogosheske sixth in 20:51 and sophomore Gabby Fox sev enth in 20:52.

The state-bound lineup also included seventh-grader Brooklyn Erickson,16th in 21:54; senior Greta Liner, 20th in 20:19; senior Juliana Nyberg, 28th in 23:27; and freshman Sylvie Lavigne, 30th in 23:45.

Chisago Lakes, led by one-two runners Kaia Osmundson (19:14) and Annika Hall (19:24), won with 41 points. Mahtomedi had 48 for second among seven teams.

Zephyr senior John Gibbens finished fifth in the boys race in 16:38, and junior William Lieberman placed 12th in 17:24, both advanc ing to state. Just missing was senior Wyatt Siess, placing 13th in 17:27, while senior Ryan Pavlick was 20th in 18:05 and freshman Mat thew Studenski 27th in 18:34.

Top three among 11 teams were St. Paul Como Park with 39, Totino-Grace 70 and Mahtomedi 77. Como Park’s Charlie Pow er-Thiesen was individual champion in 15:40.

The Zephyrs, coached by Jim Driscoll, will run in the state meet Saturday, Nov. 5, at St. Olaf College. Class 2A girls will start at 2:30 p.m. and boys will start at 3:30 p.m.

Bears to end long playoff drought

BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTER

For the first time since 2014, White Bear Lake will play in the second round of the football playoffs.

The Bears held off the Ano ka Tornadoes 28-23 at home after opening a 28-9 lead, in the first round of the 32-team Class 6A state tournament.

“It felt good. In this 6A play off format, any playoff win is special,” said Ryan Bart

competitive from round one on.”

The Bears (7-2) rushed for 318 yards to stay in front of Anoka (1-8), which scored two late touchdowns to close the gap. The Bears had beaten the Tornadoes 45-20 on Oct. 7.

The Bears will play at Lakeville South (7-2) on Fri day. The No. 4 ranked Cougars beat Burnsville 52-6.

Read highlights of the White Bear Lake/Anoka game on line at presspubs.com.

ZEPHYRS SPORTS BRIEF

VOLLEYBALL

The Mahtomedi volleyball team, seeking its first-ever trip to the state tournament, is top-seeded in Section 4AAA. The Zephyrs (22-5) met No. 4 Chisago Lakes (9-20) in

the semifinals on Tuesday. See presspubs.com for the outcome. In the other semifinal, No. 2 St. Paul Como Park (15-7) met No. 3 Hill-Murray (11-17). The championship match will be played Thursday at high seed, starting at 7:30 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

White Bear Lake’s season ended with a 3-0 loss to Roseville Area on Wednesday evening in the first round of the Section 4, Class 4A tournament. Roseville topped the Bears 25-9, 25-14, 25-18. The Bears had a final 1415 record. Seniors in their last match were Kennidee Thomas, Isabelle Martin, Ava Marino, Annika Olsen, Blessing Adebi si, and Briah Hill.

SWIMMING

White Bear Lake lost the final regular season meet to Park of Cottage Grove 99-86 on Thurs day evening. The Bears won the medley relay with Lucy Borof ka, Ella Maas, Emma Masso and Lily Jenkins in 2:03.69. Also winning events were Borofka, 200 freestyle (2:12.76), Jenkins, 50 freestyle (26.29), and Masso, butterfly (1:10.68). Next for the Bears is the Section 4AA meet Nov. 10-11 at Stillwater.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

White Bear Lake placed third of five teams and had three state qualifiers in the Section 4AAA meet Wednesday. Team scoring was Woodbury 35, Stillwater 56, the Bears 61, St. Paul Central 72 and Cretin-Der ham Hall 138. Advancing to state was senior Katelyn Porter, placing fifth in 19:35; junior Rosalie Sommars, ninth in 19:53; and eighth-grader Clara Kolstad, 14th in 20:15. The Bears also had Lily Schnei der, 15th in 20:17, and Amelia Nachtscheim,18th in 20:30. “I am so proud of all of our ath letes,” coach Christina Thomas said. “They competed with strength and ran as a team at sections.” Individual champion was Laura McClary of St. Paul Central in 19:00.

BETH DONAHUE | CONTRIBUTED

Lauren Coy (5) of Mahtomedi boots the ball past Winona goalie Ben na Wells. Coy had two goals.

lett, the Bears coach since 2012. “We basically start in the section semi finals, so it is

BRENNAN SCHACHTNER CONTRIBUTED Chris Heim eluded an Anoka tackler on a four-yard touchdown run for the Bears.

MARY ROLLINGER | CONTRIBUTED Mahtomedi’s JP Johnson (left) and Cody Dvorak wrapped up CDH’s Theto Hatley.

RUNNER - SHOP HELPER

IMMEDIATE - Full-Time employment opportunity with great benefits for a parts runner / shop helper at our Lino Lakes facility.DAYTIME HOURSIMMEDIATE OPENINGS Emergency Apparatus Maintenance, Inc provides full service and repair of fire apparatus, ambulances and other emergency vehicles. Due to our rapid growth and expansion we are looking for professional, reliable parts runner and shop helper to join our team.

Job Requirements: Pre-employment physical and drug screen required. Good driving record. Must have a Class B CDL license.

Excellent Benefits: medical/dental/life insurance, Holiday/Vacation pay and a HUGE retirement plan. Also, uniforms provided.

(651) 786-4463

The hurricane is coming: A reporter’s first- hand experience during Fiona

BY LORETTA B. HARDING CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I thought I would be looking at the colorful fall can opy of the Canadian Maritime Provinces while I was “on assignment.”

Instead, I mostly saw the bottoms of large trees with their roots waving in the air, after the “other” hurricane caused severe damage to my camping trip in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

A Canadian traveler at Halifax Airport said about Hurricane Fiona's pending Sept. 24 arrival, “The weather will not be good.” A rental car agent cheerily warned her customers, “Don't park under a tree!”

During that tropical evening before the storm, the valet at the stately Nova Scotian hotel said employees would be put up there during the hurricane.

The next morning, Sept. 23, was a two-raincoat day. Although the all-day rain increased hourly, my hus band and I weren't deterred from walking around Hali fax to watch what people did to prepare for a hurricane. And also to see historic Halifax before it became history.

Adirondack chairs on the Halifax waterfront board walk were grouped and tied together with rope. Did they really think bits of string will hold back the storm surge?

One or two businesses along the elevated waterfront stacked four rows of sandbags at their doors to keep out the storm surge. At 10 a.m., workers started install ing barricades, expecting the highest tides ever. The boardwalk closed at 5 p.m.

Grocery stores where I needed to buy food for my upcoming camping trip were all closed to allow their employees to get home. I didn't bring any food to Can ada due to customs rules, and now I couldn't buy any.

I already started to worry about where my next meals would come from.

Because the historic Citadel closed early, we were given free admission. We heard apple growers on Prince Edward Island were hastily picking their crops before the trees fell down. Ten-minute hurricane checks showed a slight downgrade and the eye making landfall 50 miles to the east of us.

DI RE

After our last hot meal of fabulous ravioli at an Ital ian restaurant, our server allowed us to take the rest of our bottle of wine out of the restaurant, which was against Canadian law. She wanted to leave early to buy toilet paper.

Now safely in our room on the sixth floor of a hotel huge enough to get lost in, I rehearsed using the stairs in case the electricity went out.

During the storm itself, the wind howled and screeched all night long. Rain spattered the windows, and the hotel made weird noises like a sinking ship.

A

The wind gauge on the Confederation Bridge be tween Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island regis tered 110 mph, before it ceased to function. Fiona, a Cat egory 4 hurricane at its strongest, was reported by the Canadian Hurricane Center to be the lowest-pressure landfalling storm in Canadian history: barometric pressures dropped to 932.7 mbar.

Three people in the Maritime Provinces lost their lives in the storm.

I awakened to the power being off in my room and everywhere east of Halifax. At the hotel, power was out until 4:15 p.m., and we were offered a continen tal breakfast and cold sandwiches for lunch. In New Brunswick, power was out until late Sept. 26.

It was October before power was restored in Cape Breton and on Prince Edward Island, where Anne's Green Gables were likely scraped to the ground by falling trees.

Chugging generators were the sounds of the season. Businesses that stocked them had lines of customers out the door. We bought our first camping provisions at a crowded convenience store outside of Peggy's Cove.

For the next week, roads gradually opened after pa rades of electricity trucks, bucket trucks, auger trucks, telephone pole trucks and chainsaw trucks worked around the clock to wrestle giant trees off the wires.

Much waiting time was spent on the phone canceling and making new reservations.

Talk Herbs

After a week, the sun came out to sparkle on light houses and tidal bays as we enjoyed destinations not on our original schedule. A makeup trip to the Maritime Provinces is on the five-year calendar.

The colorful Adirondack chairs tied up with string on the Halifax waterfront didn't move one inch.

Loretta B. Harding is a contributing writer for Press Publications. She can be reached at news@presspubs. com or 651-407-1200.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

on the Halifax waterfront piled up sand

Downed trees were a common sight post-hurricane, especial ly on top of a power wire

Lois H “Bunny” Griemann

Age 97

Of White Bear Lake

Preceded in death by her loving husband of 68 years, Raymond; children, Karen Jones, Jim (Kathy), Connie (Mike) Reitmeier, Nancy (Dave) Wolff; 8 grandchil dren, Luke (Melissa), Megan (Andy), Zack (Cory), Nick (Bre), Nathan (Jenny), Heidi (Ben), Jeremy and Christine (Tony); 13 great-grandchil dren. Private interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Arrangements by Honsa Family Funeral Home. www.honsafamilyfuneral.com – 651-429-6172

James F. Tennyson

James “Jim” F. Tennyson, age 59, of Forest Lake, Min nesota, passed away unex pectedly on October 23, 2022. James was the commander of the local Forest Lake American Legion Post 225. He loved coaching youth football and traveling with the family. James’ sense of humor and jokes will be missed. He is preceded in death by parents, Walter and Carol. Survived by wife, Jaci; children, Justin (Angie), Chris; step-son, Tony Jones; grandchildren, Makenna Jones, AJ Jones, Liam, Graham, Eloise; siblings, Paul (Deidre), Tom (Ann), John (Debbie), Dan (Ranell); sister-in-law, Debbie Jacobsen; brother-inlaw, Greg (Mona); many nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. A Memorial Open House will be held 12-4 PM, on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at the Forest Lake American Legion Post 225, 355 W Broad way Ave, Forest Lake.

Virginia Staberg

H. Virginia (Ginny) Staberg, Sr. Passed away on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. She was born on February 9, 1935, at home in Spring field, Ohio to Hartley and Lillian Dailey, who preceded her in death. Also, preceded by her loving husband of 62 years, Jack L. Staberg, Sr., brother Kenneth Dailey, his wife Patsy, sister Jeanne Sutton and husband Al, and son-in-law Michael Kryjeski. She is survived by her sister Nancy (Jack) Abel of Enon, Ohio, daughter’s Christine Kryjeski, Linda (Ken) Johnson and son Jack, Jr. (Cathy), three grandchildren, Andy (Cashmere), Carly (Carlos), Kristin and two great grandchildren, Ashton, and Averiella, plus many great relatives and friends.

Virginia enjoyed life with her husband Jack, who worked in the soft drink industry, which eventually moved them to Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. They later retired in Oxford, Ohio closer to her family. Together they spent many hours volunteering at Oxford Presbyterian Church and Gin ny also volunteered at the McCullough-Hyde Hospital gift shop.

Throughout the years they traveled to many places and continued yearly trips to Minnesota to spend time with family and friends. She is happy now rejoining her love, Jack, parents, siblings, relatives, and friends for a heavenly reunion. No longer will she suffer from Dementia/Alzheimer’s which slowly and eventually took her life.

After cremation, the family is having a private ser vice in the Spring of 2023. She will be sadly missed by her family.

Charles Dean Wright

WHITE BEAR LAKE, MN - Charles Wright (92), of White Bear Lake, MN, peacefully went to be with his Heavenly Father on October 24. Charles ( Chuck) was born in Yankton, SD on June 25,1930. He grew up on a farm in Volin, SD. Charles attended Augustana Uni versity in Sioux Falls, SD and subsequently earned a PhD in Organic Chemistry. Chuck worked as a research er and laboratory manager at 3M for 34 years and received 22 patents. His inter ests included fishing, traveling, and writing. Charles was a devoted husband to Delores Ost for 62 years. He spent his life continuing to nurture his faith and love of God. Charles was intricately involved in many faith activities at Redeemer Lutheran Church and Christos Christian Center. He sang in his church choir for 64 years and continued to share his joy of singing with those at Cerenity Care Center where he called home for the past six years. In accordance with his love and devotion to science, learning, and giving, Charles do nated his body to the Anatomy Bequest program at the University of Minnesota. He is preceded in death by his loving wife, and brother Wayne. Survivors include his children: Pamela (Jerry) Ball; Al (Gail); Cheryl (Chad) Mayne; Greg; eight grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren.

The family is hosting a Celebration of Life on Satur day, November 5, 2022 at Cerenity Care Center. Visita tion begins at 12:00pm with a service to follow at 1:00. Masks required. In lieu of flowers the family requests a donation be made to Minnesota State Services to the Blind, Cerenity Chapel Fund or Christos Center (Lino Lakes, MN).

The White Bear and Vadnais Heights Press exists thanks to the community’s support. More than 17,000 newspapers are delivered weekly by our carriers and motor route drivers to the city of White Bear and Vadnais Heights.

We hope you find the White Bear and Vadnais Heights Press helpful in your daily lives. Visit our Web site at www.presspubs.com and you’ll

High School seniors go above and beyond community service

BY NOELLE OLSON SHOREVIEW PRESS EDITOR

Over the summer, three friends — Shivam Vash ishtha, Shaurya Sehgal and Benjamin Wiggenhorn — founded two nonprofits.

trio, all seniors at Mounds View High School, created a website called Mathular. It consists of math ematical documentation that can be used by middle school, high school, or college students.

all personally felt that there was no specific website or textbook that had animations or graphics about math; it was all theoretical stuff,” Vashishtha said. “This summer, we wanted to do something or build a platform that has the concepts from every single math class. Our emphasis was on more visual stuff, and that's what we tried to incorporate on our website.”

said the website is being used by many

Mounds View High School. Members of the trio hope to extend their reach to middle schools, high schools and colleges in neighboring cities.

our school, we surveyed to find out the resourc es used by students to study and learn math concepts outside of school,” Vashishtha said. “Most partici pants said that they're dependent on books because there aren't any websites that contain interactive information. They also said that websites would en hance the accessibility of obtaining information.”

The website comprises animations, graphs, tables, etc. to better explain mathematics fundamentals.

“Once we launched the website, we went back to the

same people who responded to the survey and asked them about their genuine reviews of the content that we had published,” Vashishtha said. “Nearly every student claimed that the website was useful in terms of clarifying certain concepts taught in class.”

The second nonprofit business, WebComp, aims to build websites for local businesses at no cost.

“We wanted to do a community service by reach

ing out to local businesses that have been around for a couple of years that don't have websites and can't reach the mass of the local community,” Vashishtha said.

Wiggenhorn said they reached out to approximately 10 local shops that either didn't have a website or had outdated interfaces, and asked them whether they'd like to have a renovated layout.

They found their first client, Computronix, a local computer store based in Circle Pines.

“We've recently redesigned their website, and the owner, Justin, was pleased with his decision to have given the contract to us,” Vashishtha said.

“Basically, we are entrepreneurs, but we are doing it more volunteer-style because we're not charging them for this,” Wiggenhorn added. “A local business might not have enough money because of COVID, so we decided we'd help renovate their website to make their business more modern and do it for free. As high schoolers, we need the volunteer time and to just help them out in general.”

All three said the hard work they did in the summer taught them a lot about business and collaborating to make sure everything was done on time.

“I learned a lot by building these websites, working with others, setting up times and learning the skills by making Mathular,” Sehgal said. “All of the learn ing I've done is what I value the most out of this.”

Website: https://www.mathular.com/

Shoreview Press Editor Noelle Olson can be reached at shoreviewnews@presspubs.com or 651-407-1229.

Frank Watson

there really much to complain about with the weather we’ve been having lately? This great run of weather has made it tough to stay indoors and veg on the couch. The upper level winds have been split which means for us the northern jet has been to our north, and we’ve been receiving air from the Pacific and

It also means we’re cut off from Gulf moisture, leaving us well below normal on rainfall. Meanwhile, enjoy the great weather.

WeathermanWatson.com to PREORDER my 2023 weather calendar. Thanks for your support!

NOELLE OLSON PRESS PUBLICATIONS

(From left) Young entrepreneurs Shivam Vashishtha, Benja min Wiggenhorn and Shaurya Sehgal are pictured at Mounds View High School. The Mounds View High School seniors founded two nonprofits that offer help to students and local business owners.

PUBLIC NOTICES

The Bears Varsity Competition Cheer leaders are headed to Nationals. The team competed at the Universal Cheerleaders Association 10,000 Lakes Regional Competition held at Minnetonka High School, and earned scores high enough to receive a bid to the National High School Cheerleading Championship held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando in February 2023.

Front row l-r: Trisha Johnson, Holly Anderson, Addi Andrekus, Kate Krey; middle l-r:Ali Carnes, Katelyn Kaehler, Presley Manship, Hailey Lukas, Kayla Longhenry; back row l-r: Tessa Shaffer, Maddie Hood, Keira Keese, Natalie Steensland, Amelia Ahrens, Angelina Marino. Not Pictured: Sammie Sherrick.

Vote Sen. Roger Chamberlain

“With

Vote Elliott Engen for House

“It’s time to provide permanent tax cuts so families can grow their own savings accounts rather than state government’s coffers.”

Luke Williams (3rd from left) became the Bears’ second straight section

sophomore Vaughn Larson (right), finishing 13th in

(left),

in

Airport fly-in breakfast

at Benson Airport

Champ,

Benson EAA Chapter 745 volunteer Paul Carlson took donations for the pancake breakfast. About 175 people attended the fly-in event Saturday. About two-dozen airplanes landed at the town ship airport.

at Benson on a beautiful fall day.