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JULY 4TH: Amery celebrates Independance Day PAGE 32
Steffen announces bid for fourth termCOUNTRY as Polk County DA
Balsam Lake, Wis.--Polk County District Attorney Dan Steffen has announced that he will seek a 4th term as District Attorney. Steffen was first elected to his current position in 2007 and was re-elected in 2009 and 2013. Dan was born and raised in Polk County and graduated from Osceola High School in 1989. He received his degree from St. Cloud State University in 1994 and graduated from the William Mitchell College of Law in 1998. He returned home to Osceola and joined the Ludvigson & GaleWyrick law firm as a general practitioner. When Judge Steffen GaleWyrick won election to the Polk County bench and Guy Ludvigson retired, Steffen joined the Bakke Norman firm where he became an experienced municipal prosecutor while practicing family law, criminal law and personal injury. In 2006, Steffen won election as Polk County District Attorney and has served in that position through the present date. Dan is proud of the programs and advances that he has made to the District Attorney’s Office over the last 10 years. “We’ve created the Drug Court, the Criminal Justice Collaborating Council, the Restorative Justice Program, the Intoxicated Driver Intervention Program, the Polk County Diversion Program for first time offenders, the Drug Endangered Children Program, as well as many other valuable programs. We are one of the few counties in the state of Wisconsin to require domestic abusers and victims to take an
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Ceremonial Scoop
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 33, 2222 Amery Royalty, Mayor Kay Erickson, and Business of the Year recipients Chili and Gzime Ilazi helped dish out this year’s ‘Giant 131 More NO. 19 coverage www.moraminn.com $1.00 Ice Cream Sundae.’ The event happened at noon on Friday in Soo LineVOL. Park. on page 10.
Milberg cleared in vehicular homicide case BY TOM STANGL TSTANGL@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
Milberg, her two children and two nieces were involved in a collision in Pierce County on Dec. 12, 2013. Lydia Milberg, 11, Clara Pavek, 5 and Laynie Jo Amos, 5 all died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. Milberg’s son, Easton, 3, survived the accident. The prosecution presented 19
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It took a jury of nine women and ISANTI-CHISAGO three men just under two hours
Wednesday to find Kari Milberg not guilty of three counts of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and one count of reckless driving causing injury.
SEE STEFFEN PAGE NINE
witnesses in three and a half days. The defense did not call any witnesses and Milberg declined to testify on her own behalf. Prosecutor Sean Froelich presented experts that testified to the mechanical condition of Milberg’s 2007 Saturn Vue as well as the International straight truck
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Is Polk County ready for the next recession?
THE SUN BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Since 2010, Polk County has reduced spending, paid off debt, increased savings and lowered the annual rate of tax increases. And things are running better, according to the county’s administrator, Dana Frey, who presented a report on
the condition of Polk County to the county board last week. Still, signs of the recession remain evident. Roughly 6,600 people used the county’s FoodShare program in 2015. That’s down from almost 8,000 in 2012, but significantly greater than the 3,800 or so that depended the program in 2007. Employment in the county is above
pre-recession levels, though it hasn’t reached the level it likely would have if the recession hadn’t hit. “The gap in lost jobs will take a long time to come back,” said Frey. “The recession has permanently altered the economic landscape.” Housing prices continue to improve, giving reason for optimism, said Frey. And although equalized values have
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been slow to recover, Frey expects a sizeable increase this August, which will help lower the tax rate (though it will not lower actual tax dollars paid). Revenue from sales tax reached record levels in 2015, approaching 2.9 million, which Frey attributed to increased vehicle sales and a surge in tourism as disposable incomes have SEE COUNTY PAGE TWO
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