Baseball, Softball Teams Post Playoff Wins
BPHS Qualifies Many for Section Track and Field Meet More Memorial Day Photos
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Pages 2, 14
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, MAY 27, 2015
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 22
B.P. Public Schools in Holding Pattern Until Impasse Solved
This is the time of year, the make it too expensive to susBelle Plaine School District tain. Republicans like Vogel are and other districts would be fi- also opposed because it would nalizing budgets for the coming negatively impact day care and year. But with state lawmakers preschool businesses. He supand Minnesota Gov. Mark Day- ported “scholarship” funding ton unwilling to agree on an for families of children in need education budget bill last week who would benefit from prebefore the required adjourn- school programming. ment May 18, the budget for next year will have to wait. Bills to Pay The DFL governor and Re- The Belle Plaine School Dispublican lawmakers controlling trict’s current $21.2 million the House of Representatives budget, like the state budget, could not reach an agreement runs from July 1 through June on funding for early childhood 30. The district needs state and K-12 funding, a $17 billion funding to pay its bills over the funding package. summer. A special session of Republicans were willing to the Legislature is expected next put $400 million in new money month once House Republiinto K-12 education. The two cans, DFLers and Gov. Dayton sides came with $25 million reach an agreement on K-12 Belle Plaine High School student Megan Littlepage sang the National Anthem during Monday morning’s Memorial Day Ser- of an agreement, but the lack funding. vice at Veterans Park. Also pictured, from left, are Belle Plaine Sons of American Legion Commander Albert Koepp, American of agreement on universal pre- “Being a freshman, I’m waitLegion Commander Lyle Schultz, Veterans Club Senior Vice President Larry Ruehling and Roger Delgehausen, the latter of school funding spending nixed ing to be told where to be and whom provided the introductions. the deal. when to be there,” Vogel said. “I’m hopeful the speaker and Sen. Kevin Dahle, DFLthe governor can work it out,” Northfield and Belle Plaine’s said Superintendent Kelly representative in the Minnesota Smith. “It was disappointing Senate, was also lukewarm on because they were so close.” universal preschool. He previRep. Bob Vogel, R-Elko New B.P. Public Schools Market, said the funding “tails” (continued on page 8) on the universal preschool by Dan Ruud a military base hospital. She is was a hard-working soldier with. This one was even harder Overcast skies, a breeze and a currently a nurse practitioner at who always was trying to help as he was one of my nurses in temperature of 60 degrees did Target Clinic in Burnsville and others. SSG Caballero made it the EMT and a friend who had not keep close to 200 people at St. Francis Regional Medical through this deployment and joined the military the same from attending Monday morn- Center (Urgent Care) in Shako- was excited to surprise her fam- time I did. Captain (Cpt.) Ian ily on her return as she had not Johnson was on a family vacaing’s annual Memorial Day pee. Service at Veterans Park in “In my recent deployment to told them her arrival date. Un- tion in Florida; still not clear Belle Plaine. Kuwait, I served with a veteran fortunately, she did not make on the details but he collapsed Army Reserve Captain Karen soldier, Staff Sergeant (SSG) it home. On our flight home, while out in the Golf of Mexico The two men accused in the charged with two counts of secAnderson of Belle Plaine, who Caballero, who had been de- she suffered a blood clot in her and drowned. Cpt. Johnson left killing of Earl Olander of San ond-degree murder. Benitez, of lungs and died when we arrived behind a wife and four sons. He returned home to a hero’s wel- ployed to Afghanistan and reFrancisco Township are still Richfield, is charged with two in Chicago. She was 41. was 44. ceived a purple heart for being come last fall following a 10in the Carver County Jail this counts of aiding and abetting month deployment in Kuwait as shot while in the line of duty. “That was my first real en- “Even though these two solSSG Caballero volunteered for counter with a fallen soldier,” diers did not die in the line of week awaiting their next court the second-degree murder. a member of the 452nd Combat The two men are charged with this second deployment and Anderson continued. “In the duty, both loved their country date. Support Hospital, was the guest Edison Celin-Dominguez entering Olander’s house on worked in our combat support next six months of being home, and were honored to serve. If speaker. Benitez and Reinol Godines Homestead Road in San Franhospital in what you may refer we lost another soldier from they knew their lives would In Kuwait, Anderson, now 52, Vergara remain in the Carver cisco Township on April 9 or managed an emergency room at to as out HR department. She our unit that I was deployed end so soon, they would not County Jail after a first appear- 10. They allegedly beat Olanhave changed a thing regarding their deployment because that ance in district court last Friday der and ransacked the house. is the type of soldiers they were (May 22). Both been charged They allegedly stole items that – courageous, determined, self- for their involvement in the include $2 bills, old silver and less and dedicated to duty. Our murder of Earl Olander of rural silverware, a Bible, and two unit has a saying – ‘Trained to Belle Plaine. They are due back $1,000 U.S. Savings Bonds. save, honored to serve’ – SSG in court for omnibus hearings Olander, 90, was found dead by Dan Ruud on April 11 when a neighbor Caballero and Cpt. Johnson July 28. Sisters Shannon and Bridget Bail for both was set at went to the house to check on Egan were borderline toddlers $500,000 cash or $1.5 million Olander at the request of one of Memorial Day when they took up gymnasbond. his relatives. (continued on page 4) tics with the Midwest AmaA St. Paul man, Vergara is teur Gymnastics Association in Mankato, an endeavor they stuck with for more than a dozen years. The daughters of Bill and Pamm Egan of Belle Plaine, Shannon and Bridget have taken the skills they learned from almost daily round-trips to Mankato for gymnastics practices and meets to a whole new level as members of the Belle Plaine High School girls’ track and field team. “We were in gymnastics for 14 years and Bethany Otto (BPHS pole vault coach) gave us poles and said ‘you’re vaulting,’” explained Shannon, who is a senior this year. “She (Otto) understands that a lot of things you use in gymnastics – technique and flexibility – can be used in pole vaulting.” That was years ago and Otto, who is still the pole vaulting Shannon and Bridget Egan took time out for a photo shortly coach as an assistant to head before the start of the state Class 1A pole vault competition track and field coach Rich in the fieldhouse at Hamline University last June. They both hope to return this year. Foust, was correct! Not only have Shannon and with Bridget right behind her in and third,” Shannon said. “It’s Bridget become BPHS’s best second. This year, Bridget was been a friendly competition tryfemale pole vaulters of all time, the MRC champion and Shan- ing to beat each other.” they are among the best in the non was second. At last week’s In more cases than not the past state. In fact, Bridget, a junior, subsection meet, Bridget was couple of years, the only one placed second at the state Class first again and Shannon second. Sixty-two pints of blood were donated at last Wednesday’s (May 20) American Red Cross Belle Plaine Sisters 1A meet last year and Shannon Both will be vying to finish 1-2 blood drive at the Vets Club in downtown Belle Plaine. Along with several first-time donors, was ninth. again at this Saturday’s section (continued on page 5) pins were presented to donors for frequent donations. The honorees included Delores Merkley The weeks leading up to that meet in Mankato and return to (seven gallons), Robert Hillstrom (12 gallons), Michael Winterfeldt (one gallon), Amy Stolee state. meet, Shannon won the Min(four gallons) and Lori Wolff (one gallon). The Red Cross Bloodmobile will be back in Belle nesota River Conference and “We’ve pretty much always Plaine later this fall. Section 2A championships been first and second or second
Memorial Day Program
Guest Speaker Karen Anderson Remembers Fellow Soldiers in Kuwait
Men Accused in Olander Murder Remain in Jail
Belle Plaine Sisters Take What They Learned in Gymnastics to New Heights
62 Pints Donated at B.P. Blood Drive