COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 34 NO. 28 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
JOB FAIR: Library and WorkForce Center set date for Nov. 13. PAGE 3
‘Caught in the Lye’ at Scandia lutfisk dinner BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
It’s an unusual day, even for small-town Minnesota, when a body is discovered in a lutefisk tank. Not that it’s happened — except in “Caught in the Lye,” Marilyn McGriff’s whodunit novel with a Scandinavian-American twist. McGriff, who describes the book as a “local history mystery,” grew up in east-central Minnesota about a mile and a half from the fish company that serves as her novel’s crime scene. “It wouldn’t surprise me if the Elim Church gets their lutefisk from there,” she said of the Day Fish Company. “It’s the only one in outstate Minnesota. They produce 20 tons of lutefisk a year.” Griff’s reference to Elim was made in anticipation of Gammelgården’s annual lutfisk and Swedish meatball dinner, planned for Thurs., Nov. 16, at
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Marylin McGriff will sell copies of “Caught in the Lye” at Elim Lutheran Church in Scandia during the annual lutfisk and Swedish meatball dinner, Thurs., Nov. 16. She plans to arrive at 12:30 and stay to the end of the event.
Elim Lutheran Church. McGriff will be there to meet area lutefisk lovers and sell copies of “Caught in the Lye.” (Although Gammelgården uses the Swedish spelling, “lutfisk,” McGriff uses the Norwegian spelling, “lutefisk,” in the novel. “Throughout the book I put the e in,” she explained. “It seems like a more common spelling and people seem to want to make it three syllables, lut-e-fisk.”) When it came to setting the scene, McGriff drew on her rich knowledge of the fish processing plant, and its scent. “I know a lot about this fish company,” McGriff said. “It’s a cinder block building … It’s very crude. There are tanks in the back and that’s where the cod floats. Of course, it reeks to high heaven. “There’s nothing fancy about this place,” she continued. “They SEE LUTFISK, PAGE 5
Thirty ways to help the river BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER LOWDOWN NEWS
A group of 30 St. Croix Valley residents gathered at Camp St. Croix in Hudson Oct. 26 with one thing in common: love of the water. These 30 individuals were certified as St. Croix Master
Watershed Stewards. Each had completed a capstone project (some in pairs, with a total of 25 projects) which were summarized and presented at the Oct. 26 event. Projects were as diverse as the St. Croix River ecosystem itself, and were implemented across the furthest reaches of the St. Croix, from the headwaters
near Solon Springs to the Mississippi confluence at Prescott. These included wildlife research such as tracking endangered Blanding's turtles at Warner Nature Center, stenciling storm drains in Forest Lake, and engaging citizens in art
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The fourth season of the Marine Documentary Film Nights continues with a free screening of the (as-yet-untitled) Jacob Wetterling documentary. This is a work in progress chronicling the circumstances and impact of the Jacob Wetterling story, an infamous case of child abduction that Wetterling baffled Minnesota law enforcement for decades but strengthened the resolve of the community. The film features exclusive footage of WetterSEE DOCUMENTARY, PAGE 2
Scandia considers billing for some fire calls Fire chief promoted to part-time role BY KYLE WEAVER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SEE RIVER, PAGE 2
Bi-state cohort. Back row from left: Gladi Sippel, Mary Dylkowski, Tony Minnichsoffer, Ian Karl, Mike Reiter, Mark Buley, Tovah Flygare. Front row from left: Nancy Anderson, Julie Kilpatrick, Sarah Shock, Angie Koebler, Patty Schuette, John Huber.
NEWS 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
Jacob Wetterling documentary to be shown in Marine
PUBLIC NOTICES 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
Bob Hegland believes Scandia should be charging people for calling the fire department. During an extended discussion of the city’s 2018 budget last week, the Scandia councilman implored the city council and staff to study the idea of billing for certain types of fire calls. “Every charge we lay on someone else gives us the opportunity to do more with what we have,” Hegland said. “It doesn’t mean we charge for every call, but we need to be open to ways to raise additional funds.” The council agreed to study the idea for a year before making any policy decisions and tasked
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City Administrator Neil Soltis and Fire Chief Mike Hinz with creating a list of special circumstances when the city might charge for the services. Car fires, false/excessive calls, fires caused by unauthorized burning or situations involving hazardous materials were discussed as possible future billings. “Let’s use these as benchmarks for a year and see if it’s worthwhile or not,” Hegland said. Soltis and Hinz, though, both raised concerns with the idea. Hinz, who had provided the council with an informal survey of area fire departments, noted that billing for certain services wasn’t unprecedented. But it isn’t common either. “The norm is: they do not charge for calls,” Hinz said. Hinz also worried that city residents SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 2
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