BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016 VOL. 54 NO. 31 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
MARY MACK: Home-grown comedienne showcases at Tourism Coalition gala. P2
Kleiss resigns Grantsburg board BY STEVE BRIGGS SENTINEL
GRANTSBURG—At the close of Monday evening’s Grantsburg Village Board meeting, Trustee Rod Kleiss announced he was resigning from the board, effective immediately. Speaking quietly, Kleiss said, “Before we dismiss, I just want to say I’m going to resign from the board now. I just don’t see that we’re going to have any common ground. I don’t see that my presence on the board will do any good. It seems like we are on such different paths. This will be my last meeting.”
Village Board President Glenn Rolloff responded, “Very good. Thank you for your service.” Trustee Diane Barton asked, “Does that need to be in writing?” Village Clerk Jennifer Zeiler responded to Kleiss, “Yes, if you would put something in writing, that would be great.” Kleiss nodded that he would. “Fantastic,” Rolloff said. “Adjourned?” The meeting ended. Kleiss turned in his village-issued iPad and departed. Thus ended an era of often-acrimonious SEE KLEISS, PAGE 6
Adding a law enforcement asset BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
TODD BECKMANN | SENTINEL
Joplin-esque Gypsy Wagyn took the stage and belted out several songs in a very Janis Joplin-like style at Denny’s Downtown Lanes during Saturday’s annual Pinko Jam fest in Grantsburg. More photos on Page 12.
A weighty matter
SIREN—The final two pieces seem to be in place for the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department to begin its own K-9 program. “Dr. Greg Palmquist, owner of the Grantsburg Veterinary Hospital, has agreed to donate the basic veterinary services for our K-9,” Sheriff Ron Wilhelm told members of the county’s public safety committee last week. In addition, the county has discovered it
can offer a procedure by which residents can make donations to the K-9 program and get a tax deduction for the effort. Even if they hadn’t, Wilhelm talked of using the department’s Citizens Auxiliary, which has its own 501(c)3 moniker, for tax-deductible K-9 donations. “I’m totally in favor of going in-house,” the sheriff pointed out. The department is looking at a $20,000 investment for the first year, which includes SEE K-9, PAGE 6
ER doctor pens medical thriller
• Sheriff’s department without truck-weighing capability. BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
• Tom Combs to be featured speaker at Grantsburg Public Library gala.
SIREN—The seemingly innocuous item of Burnett County weight scales was on the agenda at the county’s public safety committee meeting on Thursday. At issue is the fact the county has not been doing random truck weight stops for the past two years. “There is no way for towns to enforce road restrictions without those weight stops,” Gary Lundberg, supervisor for the Town of Scott, pointed out. He was referring to the seasonal spring road bans the highway department issues for county and town roads each spring restricting vehicles to, in most cases, no more than 4.5 tons per axle. The 2016 ban went into effect March 19, almost two weeks earlier than usual due to the weather, and will most likely be lifted later this month — but those bans are obviously weather-dependent. The problem, as Lundberg and other town super-
BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
PLYMOUTH, Minn.—Sitting in his “office,” watching the cardinals feed on the porch or watching the occasional bald eagle fly over Bass Lake about 20 minutes from downtown Minneapolis, author Tom Combs is putting the final touches on the sequel to “Nerve Damage” — due out this summer. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Combs, who penned his debut medical thriller “Nerve Damage” which was released in 2014, will be the featured speaker at the Grantsburg Public Library’s 12th annual spring gala on Saturday, April 30. A life-long reader combined with the super-absorbing career as a doctor of emergency medicine
SEE WEIGHT, PAGE 7
SEE COMBS, PAGE 7
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Tom Combs
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