FREE PRESS MESSENGER AMERY
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SCHOLAR ATHLETE: Clear Lake’s Calvin Rosen receives elite honor PAGE 17
City will re-bid boat landing
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Serving Marine-on-St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 131 NO. 19 www.moraminn.com $1.00 BY TOM STANGL TSTANGL@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
SENTINEL BURNETT COUNTY
CONTRIBUTED
Xcel Energy linemen enjoyed a spectacular view as they ate lunch on top of an abandoned house.
A powerful experience
Northwest Wisconsin linemen enlightened by assisting Puerto Rico relief efforts FREE
COUNTY ST
BY HEIDI CLAUSEN EDITOR, THE COUNTRY TODAY
CLAYTON - In the months after hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico, Todd Bergmann often heard news reports about the painfully
slow recovery process there. Most concerning to Bergmann, a rural Clayton resident and line crew foreman for Xcel Energy, was how long it was taking for electrical power to be restored. “I wondered how come it’s taking so long; people are strug-
FREE
gling,” he said. But after working for three weeks in the jungles of Puerto Rico this winter, Bergmann now knows why. Rebuilding power lines on the island was one of the most rewarding yet frustrating
ISANTI-CHISAGO
The Amery City Council voted April 18 to reject the bids for the Granum boat landing project and re-bid the project. Nicole Hodkiewicz of Cooper Engineering was present at the council meeting to explain the process that led to the need for the project to be re-bid. A bid notice that ran in the Amery Free Press did not run two consecutive weeks, causing a week’s delay in the deadline for the bids. Hodkiewicz was on vacation the week the THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 33, 2222 time off would not bids were due. Her planned VOL.have 131 NO.fallen 19 www.moraminn.com $1.00 submitted if the before bids were original schedule would have been kept. During Hodkiewicz’s absence, Pember Companies called to ask if the landing could be constructed on land before being installed, or if it needed to be built in the lake. Constructing the landing in the lake would require the use of cofferdams, a barrier to hold back the water while water is pumped out to make the area ready for work. Another engineer at the firm told Pember that the dock could be constructed on dry land, saving the cost of cofferdams. This information was not relayed to the other bidders, causing an unfair advantage for
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SEE LINEMAN ON PAGE 18
SEE BID ON PAGE 2
District to add two Student Success coordinators BY TOM STANGL TSTANGL@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
Cheryl Wesle and Middle School Guidance Counselor Kate Weisenbeck gave a presentation to the board outlining the need for the positions, also referred to as At Risk Coordinators. Wesle and Weisenbeck presented national and local evidence of the changing face of the student population and trends teachers and counsel-
disengaged. Another study showed that more than 4060% of low income, minority, and urban students are chronically disengaged in school. A third study reported that prior to dropping out, students report a process of disengagement from school activities and school demands. Highlights from the Youth Risk Behavior survey were
ors deal with to ensure the success of the students. Wesle told the board that the district mirrors national and state trends. A 2013 Gallup poll found that approximately 55% of students across the United States are engaged in their current school, leaving 28% of students who are disengaged, and 17% who are actively
THE SUN The Amery School Board voted 4-0 April 16 to add two Student Success Coordinators for the 2018-19 school year. One position will be PK4 through grade 5 and the other position will be a 6th grade through 12th grade position. Director of Pupil Services
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
presented. Wisconsin students in grades 9 -12 can take a confidential online survey. According to the survey: 55.4% of youth believe their health is excellent. 70.8% of youth feel they belong at school. 71.6% of youth feel they have a supportive adult at school. SEE SUCCESS ON PAGE 2
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April 25, 2018
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