BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016 VOL. 54 NO. 29 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
ON THE BLOCK: Grantsburg Fire Association puts former hall on market. P2
Prelim set in embezzlement case SIREN—A Grantsburg woman, charged with three counts of theft from Bethany Lutheran Church in Grantsburg, was released on a $5,000 signature bond following an initial appearance in Burnett County Circuit Court last week. Dorothy White, 61, allegedly embezzled more than $83,000 over three years while she served as treasurer for the church. In her initial appearance in court last Wednesday, Judge
Ken Kutz set June 8 as the preliminary hearing for White, although court sources told the Sentinel that Bill Norine, the county’s District Attorney, will seek a continuance as the lead detective in the case will be gone that day. In addition to her bond, White is to have no contact with Bethany Lutheran Church, members of its church council nor Pastor Jay Ticknor. by Todd Beckmann, Sentinel Dorothy A. White
Gburg man faces 11th OWI charge FREDERIC—It was far from anyone’s lucky day when authorities were dispatched to a Frederic auto parts store just shortly after 5 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day. According to police reports, a man had been traveling at a high rate of speed through the store’s parking lot, and at one point, staff even thought he might drive through the building wall. But the driver, 47-year-old Daniel Hess of Grantsburg, came to a stop right in front of the building, and promptly passed out. Hess was slumped over his steering wheel for several min-
utes, and at first glance, staff thought he might be texting or emailing on his phone. But 15 minutes later, staff found him unconscious and unresponsive, at which time they called for help. According to police reports, after EMTs checked Hess out, he gave several stories to what had happened to him that day. He was heading home, to a friends house, and to work. He was also coming from an 11-hour shift, had been sleeping for 12 hours, Daniel Hess
The life and death of the Marshland Visitor Center BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
GRANTSBURG —Frequent travelers on Highway 70 across the St. Croix River Bridge were greeted with a new sight earlier this month —a hole in the ground where the National Park Service’s (NPS) Marshland Visitor Center on the river’s west bank used to stand. “We had been working on a plan for its removal for awhile now,” Julie Galonska, Acting Superintendent and Chief of Interpretation, Education SEE CENTER, PAGE 9
SEE HESS, PAGE 6
TODD BECKMANN | SENTINEL
‘Look what I found!’ Charlie Grimm was one of dozens of kids “hunting” for Easter eggs at the annual event in Danbury on Saturday. Because of inclement weather, volunteers “hid” 1,660 eggs on the main floor of the Swiss Town Hall. More photos on Page 32.
Falun Baptist welcomes Kleven as new pastor ber when I was four or five years old the two of us sitting in chairs having devotions every morning.” By that age he felt he already had a heart for God and a sensitivity to God. “I knew if I did something wrong, I’d track my mom down and we’d sit and pray about it,” he continued. Flash forward to high school and Kleven picked up on a sense he was heading toward ministry. “I was at a family reunion and my 25-year-old cousin and I went ice fishing,” he related. “As we were driving on the lake the car broke through the ice —I was able to get out but she wasn’t.” He was able to grab a piece of ice
BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
FALUN—A lot of water has passed under the bridge since 15 year-old Mike Kleven got out of a sinking car which had crashed through the ice when he was going ice fishing with a cousin in western Minnesota, but it was one of those defining moments which helped lead to his life in the ministry. Kleven is the pastor at First Baptist Church in Falun and has served there since December. In addition to the ice fishing incident, he credits his life in the ministry to his formative years. “I grew up in a solid Christian home,” he recalled. “My mom was a solid believer and I can remem-
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Pastor Mike Kleven
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SEE KLEVEN, PAGE 7
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