BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2017 VOL. 55 NO. 42 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
HAPPY, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
Community Ed thrives in Burnett County BY SEAN DEVLIN EDITOR@BURNETTOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
SEAN DEVLIN | SENTINEL
Celebrating the Fourth! The streets of Siren were packed for Fourth of July celebrations on Tuesday but cleared when this young patriot made his way down Main Street. See pages 12, 13 and 24 for more holiday photos!
SIREN—One would be hard-pressed to find proof that education is detrimental to a community. In most cases, an educated community leads to less crime, a decrease in drug use, higher employment, better public health, increased tax revenue—the list goes on. However, many people immediately think of debt when the word “education” is spoken. There is no denying that the cost of higher education in the United States has skyrocketed, leaving the facts of the economy in the rear-view. However, the term education does not solely apply to universities. Many communities, our own included, offer what is called community education. And, in Burnett County, this education is on the rise. Jennifer Swenson, Director of Siren/Webster Communities United in Education, spoke recently
Pepin man handed Think big, live small: three more felony Tiny house living complaints in Devils Lake BY SEAN DEVLIN EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
SEAN DEVLIN EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
SUBMITTED
‘It is rewarding to work with people interested in growing and continuing to improve themselves and learn.’
BURNETT COUNTY— Allen G. Thomas, facing attempted homicide charges in Burnett County Court, is now up against three felony counts of perjury before a court and three counts of felony bail jumping. The case began after a summer 2016 neck-slashing incident at McKenzie Landing in which Thomas was arrested and charged with two counts of Class B felony attempted 1st degree intentional homicide and two counts of Class E felony aggravated battery. While detained in Barron County Jail, Thomas of Pepin, Wis., is reported to having passed a written confession underthe door of his jail cell. On May 26, a motion hearing took place in which Thomas attempted to sway to the court to suppress the written confession. The motion was eventually denied.
DEVILS LAKE—Many have seen the shows about individuals, couples or even whole families downsizing their living situations into a ‘tiny house.’ We sit, we watch, and much like after the conclusion of movie previews, we banter back and forth about whether we approve of what we’ve just seen. Often times, the situations on these shows concern those who are either going all in or wind up reconsidering their initial thought to scale down the size of a home. And, most viewings are of places that are not near to us, sometimes even in places quite unfamiliar. But, here in Burnett County, Jeff and Wendy Singer, a retired Minnesota couple, decided recently that
at both the Siren and Webster school board meetings in order to inform both districts about the growth of the program. Siren and Webster hold a joint community education program which Swenson has headed since 2011. The program has been in place since 1996. Swenson started in community education 15 years ago in her hometown of Willmar, Minn. Community education instructors can vary from decorated individuals with long teaching careers to a person who has a passion for a particular topic and is eager to share knowledge with anyone who
SEE THOMAS, PAGE 6
SEE DEVIL’S LAKE, PAGE 2
SEE COMMUNITY ED, PAGE 6
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JENNIFER SWENSON
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