Reaching Everybody!
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Newsleader Sartell
Friday, April 19, 2013 Volume 18, Issue 16 Est. 1995
Town Crier Community ed offers Lyme Disease class
“Lyme Disease: You’re Not Alone,” will be held from 6-9 p.m. Monday, May 6 in the Sartell School District Service Center Watab Room. Support and share with each other the struggles that come with this disease and its effect on the body. The dramatic documentary, “Under Our Skin,” which focuses on the epidemic of chronic Lyme disease will be viewed. Advanced registration is required. Call 320-253-4036.
Postal Patron
Sartell runners OK after Boston Marathon blasts by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com
The four Sartell runners who participated in the Boston Marathon April 15 are thankfully all safe and sound, according to
several sources. The four are Jereme Fimrite, Shane Johnson, Curt Karolus and Laura Nordby. The area near the finish line of Monday’s Boston Marathon, usually the scene of much jubilation, instantly turned into a horrify-
ing scene of carnage when two bombs exploded. As of press time, three people had died from the blast, including an 8-year-old boy, Martin Richard, from Dorchester, Mass. He was watching from the sidewalk
‘If I were a rich man...’
Sabres Booster Club hosts spring social
The Sabres All-Sports Booster Club Spring Social will be held from 8-11 p.m. Friday, April 19 at Blackberry Ridge Golf Course, 3125 Clubhouse Road, Sartell. The group wishes to thank the many parents and friends for their continued support of Sartell athletics throughout the years. The event offers free food and fun with a social, silent auction and membership kick-off for the 2013-14 school year.
Motorcycle training schedule now online
Motorcycle rider training courses are available for new and experienced riders April-October. The Office of Traffic Safety is investing federal grants totaling more than $7 million to 317 law enforcement agencies and community partner groups for enforcement and education campaigns. With the rise in the number of rider fatalities in 2012, rider training is a critical and potentially lifesaving option. New and experienced riders can benefit from a wide range of affordable training courses to earn a motorcycle license, build and hone crash-avoidance skills, learn bike maintenance and more. Training is available at 30 MnSCU sites across Minnesota. For more information, visit www.thenewsleaders.com and click on Criers.
SWCD seeks landowners for wetland restoration
The Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District is partnering with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources to locate landowners who are interested in completing a wetland restoration project on their property. Those who complete a wetland restoration project will generate wetland credits that can be used to offset wetland impacts resulting from qualifying road improvement and rehabilitation projects in Minnesota. BWSR has $5 million for wetland restoration projects. For more information, visit www.thenewsleaders.com and click on Criers.
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Appliance Smart
photo by Jack Hellie
Sartell High School senior Ben Maurer rehearses his role as Tevye, one of the main characters in the the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” The high school’s spring play will be performed tonight through Saturday, April 20. Show times are 7 p.m. each night, as well as a 12:30 p.m. show Saturday. Tickets are available at the door before each performance.
with his mother and 10-year-old sister when the first bomb exploded. The mother and sister were gravely injured, and the sister’s leg had to be amputated. The children were there with their mother to see their father, Bill, who was one of the runners. There were about 176 injured, including 10 children. Fortunately, all the injured children have been released from hospitals. Some of the injuries caused by shrapnel were so severe that amputations were required. In some cases, the force of the blast itself literally tore the limbs off of some of the people. Most of the injured were spectators cheering on runners as they approached the finish line. Many people at the scene said it was like instantly being thrust into the middle of the carnage of war. Investigators are calling the two bombings an act of terrorism, but they do not know if the perpetrator(s) are domestic or foreign. They are combing the scene for evidence that may lead them to the bomber or bombers. An estimated 20,000 runners participated in the event, which is now 117 years old. The Sartell Newsleader plans to interview one or more of the Sartell runners when they return home.
Perske gives upbeat ‘State of the City’ address by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com
In his annual “State of the City” address, Sartell Mayor Joe Perske had mostly good news to share with his listeners. Perske was guest speaker recently at the monthly luncheon
meeting of the Sartell Area Chamber of Commerce. A m o n g Perske’s comments are the Perske following:
Sartell residents continue to pay the lowest in property taxes of the five cities in the area – St. Cloud, St. Joseph, Waite Park and Sauk Rapids. The city’s spending levels are also the lowest in the area. Sartell’s tax increases have remained fairly flat during the past 10 years.
Last year’s property tax totaled about $4 million. The rest of the money used to run the city comes from fees for licenses, permits and from forms of state and federal aid and grants. The city staff and council, Perske said, do an excellent Perske • page 4
Board reinstates spring break April snow showers bring day of fun by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Next year, students will get a five-day spring break at schools in the Sartell-St.Stephen School District. On Monday night, the school board approved the calendar for the 2013-14 school year. It includes a five-day spring break for the last week of March and two three-day weekends in February and April. School will begin Sept. 3, 2013 and end June 4, 2014. Board member Mary McCabe voted against the spring-break reinstatement. The topic of spring break has been a contentious issue for
many months in the district, ever since the former school board voted to end it last year. There was a public outcry against that decision, with many claiming there was not enough input before the decision was made. When a new school board was elected last November (four new members on it), the board quickly implemented new policies designed to enhance more transparent communications with the public. One of those policies was to form a school-calendar committee of parents, school staff and school administrators. The committee recommended to the board the reinstatement of
Break • page 8
contributed photo
Lily, Natalie and Shelby Rahm (left to right) of Sartell enjoyed a fun snow day.
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