Country Messenger 01.01.20

COUNTRY

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020

Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township

VOL. 36 NO. 36 www.countrymessenger.com $.75

COUNTY: Dosage Probation program wins statewide award. PAGE 9

River Grove creates artwork for pollution awareness

BY MATT ANDERSON EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM

SUBMITTED

Scandia Elementary donates to Elim Lutheran Food shelf The Scandia Elementary IB World School second grade classes collected cereal boxes and other food items for the Scandia Elim Lutheran Church Foodshelf. Pictured are students from Mrs. Chelsey Adami’s class and Mrs. Bethany Lichtscheidi’s class with some of their collected food items.

River Grove students made some curious creatures in December with the aid of teaching artist, Karron Nottingham. The project that Nottingham helped the students create brings attention to the plastic pollution in waterways by creating sea creatures from recyclable materials.

“I am currently in the process of overseeing the students River Grove, Lake Elmo, and the after school students at my studio, Off the SEE SCHOOL, PAGE 8

2019 Year in Review January Scanley Cup now Minnesotan Cup The traditional Vinterfest Scanley Cup hockey tournament was renamed to The Minnesotan Cup after event organizer Corey Roberts established his apparel brand The Minnesotan in White Bear Lake. Now the title sponsor of the tournament, the new name stuck with proceeds donated to maintain the Wojtowicz skating park.

Also in January: • Vinterfest in Scandia.

• Audubon Christmas Bird Count spotted uncommon Carolina Wren in Marine on St. Croix and May Township.

February Frigid Polar Vortex

FILE PHOTO

A tornado touched down in Scandia July 28 causing significant damage to some homes. Residents worked together to clean up some of the debris left behind.

30-below-zero temperatures ripped through Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois cancelling school days, closing businesses

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and even suspending The United States Postal Service. The Red SEE 2019, PAGE 2

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River Grove students created sea creatures out of recycled cardboard and other materials including a 12 foot tall mermaid that will be on display at the 12th annual Da Vinci Fest in Stillwater. The project brings awareness to plastic pollution in waterways.

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DNR to protect deer through temporary farmed deer movement ban

The Department of Natural Resources today issued an emergency rule that temporarily prohibits the movement of all farmed white-tailed deer within the state.

The rule, which goes into effect today, is a temporary, emergency action to reduce further spread of chronic wasting disease and protect Minnesota’s wild deer. The action is in response to the recent discovery of CWD in a farmed white-tailed deer in Douglas County in western Minnesota. The emergency rule is in effect for 30 days.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health earlier this month confirmed an 8-year-old white-tailed doe tested positive for the fatal deer disease in a small, two-deer hobbyist herd.

The new discovery in Douglas County has connections to other Minnesota deer farms and the state needs time to investigate locations that either provided deer to, or received deer from, the hobby farm.

“We don’t take this action lightly,” said DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen. “The DNR is committed to proactively addressing CWD and doing everything we can do to protect Minnesota’s deer herd. The Douglas County positive, with its connections to other farms in the state, poses a risk to wild deer that requires emergency action.”

The temporary prohibition on all movement of farmed white-tailed deer in Minnesota would help control and contain the current spread of CWD, while allowing the state time to evaluate the outbreak, generate potential solutions to containing and eliminating the disease, and protect the wild deer herd. The DNR is working closely with BAH on investigating the Douglas County discovery and tracing the farm’s connections to other locations in the state.

The DNR is already monitoring for CWD in disease management zones in southeastern and north-central Minnesota where the disease has been detected in both captive and wild deer, as well as in a CWD surveillance area in central Minnesota where it has been found in captive deer.

Prions, the infectious agent causing the disease, are found in urine, saliva, blood, feces, muscle and antler velvet of infected deer. Disease transmission can occur via direct animal-to-animal contact.

To date, 73 wild deer have been confirmed positive for CWD in Minnesota. Test results, including locations of confirmed positive test results and statistics, are available on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/ cwdcheck.

County will seek money to install tornado sirens

Washington County will seek $27,578 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s hazardous mitigation grant program to install tornado sirens in the northern part of the county to serve Big Marine Park Reserve and the Disabled Veterans Rest Camp.

The County Board approved the application Dec. 17.

Big Marine Park Reserve has a risk of thunderstorms and lightning during the summer when the park experiences the most visits. The park reserve

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is in a rural area of Washington County with no near access to a tornado siren to alert visitors to the threat of severe weather, and has more than 227,000 visits annually. Surrounded by the park is the Disabled Veterans Rest Camp, which has an additional 30,000 visitors each year. A tornado siren will increase the evacuation time for visitors and staff to take shelter in appropriate locations. The extra time afforded by an early and localized warning reduces the chances of a casualty.

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2019: Country Messenger Year in Review Cross was in need of blood after 370 blood drives were cancelled due to the frigid temps.

Also in February • Solar Farm discussions in Scandia.

• Division from parents over whether or not to move River Grove from Wilder Forest.

March May Township finds handwritten records May Township Clerk, Linda Tibbetts, found hand written records that dated back to the founding of May Township in some boxes

rine Elementary School property.

• Little Miss Forest Lake wins Little Miss Minnesota.

June Flanagan visits William O’ Brien Park

• Scandia Taco Daze.

• Marine Doc Nights begin with ‘Love Them First.’

October

Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan visited William O’ Brien State Park June 6 to celebrate Minnesota’s outdoor skill-building programs. The visit marked the 10th anniversary for the Department of Natural Resource’s I Can! outdoor programs offering equipment and lessons for the outdoors.

Mondale honored at William O’Brien State Park Five St. Croix River sites in Minnesota were renamed to honor Walter Mondale at the William O’Brien State Park October 15.

The sites were renamed in recognition for all that Walter Mondale did as a champion for the St. Croix River.

Also in October

while she was organizing. Nobody knew the records were there until she discovered them that included a swearing, in 1893, which created the town.

Also in March • River Grove stays in Wilder Forest.

• Marine residents relieved that Ostlund’s Marine Garage would stay open.

April Marine earns Tree City recognition Marine on St. Croix received a recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation for Tree City USA. A municipality must create a tree care policy, maintain an annual budget for community forestry, establish a tree board committee, and celebrate Arbor Day annually to receive this recognition.

Also in April • A bomb scare in Scandia turned out to be no threat to the public.

• Cheryl Bennet retires from May Township treasurer position.

May Gammelgärden Restorations Restorations were planned for the 151 year old Präst Hus, Minnesota’s oldest Lutheran parsonage.

The building is no longer lived in, but is kept as a historic landmark in Scandia. The city worked with Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps and Advantage Construction for the restorations.

Also in June • Marine fireworks show continues after some uncertainty in the community.

• Surf Yogurt Bar brings the coast to Marine

July Tornado touches down in Scandia A tornado left a trail of damage in its path when traveling through Scandia July 28. The path of the tornado started in Forest Lake, moved through the solar farm on Highway 97 and Manning Trail before hitting hardest on the homes near Bone Lake. Nobody was injured during the tornado and residents helped to clean the debris.

November Scandia water tower barn still on Olinda Scandia officials granted the Scandia Heritage Alliance a 50year lease of land south of Scandia City Hall and Community Center as a proposed location for the historic water tower barn just down the street from its original location. Next to the barn would be an amphitheater, Scandia Arts and Heritage Center, and walking path connecting other Scandia landmark locations.

Also in November

Also in July • Nearby Marine residents rescued a bald eagle after crashing into the river while locked with another eagle.

• Arcola Mills awarded $10,000 grant from Minnesota Historical Society

August Search for Scandia Administrator.

Five more candidates interviewed with Scandia City Council for the Administrator’s position after three others had been offered the job and declined. Candidates included Cynthia Boyce, Tina Folch, Joseph Bjelland, Kevin Kelly, and Ken Cammilleri, who would eventually be chosen for the position.

Also in August Also in May • City of Marine purchases Ma-

• Lilleskogen Park opens Scandia Elementary ‘Story Time’ walking path.

• Annual Scandia heritage Alliance Dinner.

• Scandia walk-in clinic opens.

• Marine holds inaugural Founder’s Day Soirée.

September Warner Nature Center announces closure To the dismay of many, the Warner Nature Center announced that it would be closing its doors at the start of 2020. The Manitou Fund announced that it would not renew its longstanding partnership with and would no longer be funding the Warner Nature Center. As of the time of this publication, the Warner Nature Center will have closed down.

Also in September

• Marine Folk School celebrates first year.

• St. Croix Chocolate Company wins International Chocolate Salon Award for Best Overall Truffle Artistry.

December Red Christmas Truck part begins For its first year, the iconic red Christmas truck seen on holiday decorations came to life in Marine on St. Croix for the first time.

Robyn Dochterman launched the first event this year parking Marine residents David Stephens and Susan Ferron’s 1950 Chevy on Judd Street for residents to admire and take pictures with.

Also in December • Annual Lucia Dagen celebration in Scandia

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JANUARY 1, 2020

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JANUARY 2

JANUARY 8

Documentary Night in Marine

Library Talk

The next film is “The Interpreters.� Afghan and Iraqi military interpreters serve as a crucial bridge between American soldiers and local nationals. But as a result of their work with the U.S., many have become targets. In the chaos of their war torn countries, these loyal allies now struggle to find a way out for themselves and their families.

The event is free in the Marine Village Hall, 121 Judd Street, Marine on St. Croix at 7 p.m.

JANUARY 7 Tri-County DFL Senior Caucus

We’ll be welcoming Jill Chisholm from Moms Demand Action.

If you reside in eastern Anoka, southern Chisago or northern Washington County join us at Vannelli’s by the Lake, 55 Lake St. So., Forest Lake; we meet from 12:30-2:00.

Questions? Call Caucus Chair Sandy @ 651-4921149

There will be a free talk open to the general public at Giese Library in Wyoming on Wednesday at 5:50 p.m. The topic is Lies We Tell Ourselves. The speaker is Mary Jo Meadow, Ph.D., professor emerita from Minnesota State University at Mankato.

Registration at resecum@ msn.com is appreciated but not necessary.

JANUARY 16 Swedish Dinner Christ Lutheran Church, located at 150 Fifth Street Marine on St. Croix, MN will hold their annual Swedish dinner.

There will be hand rolled Swedish meatballs and lutefisk, and much more.

All proceeds directly support local, national and international mission projects.

JANUARY 17 8th Marine Library Birthday Celebration Join us for an evening celebrating Marine Community Library’s 8th birthday, with stories and poetry by local award-win-

ning writer Laurie Allmann, author of An Hour From Now. Talented young cellist, Alice Ryan, will provide accompaniment.

Free. All are welcome.

Birthday cake will be served.

ONGOING Fika med Pratstund (Swedish Snacks and Chat)

Rivers Room A. Use Third Street entrance and free parking ramp. FFI: Call Marie or Bob at 651-7701436.

Alcoholics Anonymous AA Big Book Study: Mondays, 7 p.m., at Elim Lutheran Church, Scandia, in Room LL2 (lower level 2). Enter through the preschool door.

Tri-County Seniors (50+) DFL Luncheon Meeting

Every Sunday afternoon, July 21 to September 29, from 1 to 3 p.m., Sven SjĂśstedt and the Lindstrom Historical Society will host “Fika med Pratstundâ€? (Snacks and Chat) at the Karl Oskar House in Ki Chi Saga Park located (29061 Glader Blvd, Lindstrom). Open house format with coffee, donuts and talk of Swedish things.

(Eastern Anoka, Southern Chisago, & Northern Washington County’s) 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

(First Tuesday of each month) Vannelli’s By The Lake Restaurant Broadway & 55 - So. Lake Street. Forest Lake. FFI: ckgenz@msn.com or call 763-227-7536.

Stillwater support group for families

Mental Health Support Group

NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) sponsors free support groups for families who have a relative with a mental illness.

Group meets on the first and third Mondays of each month, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Stillwater Library, 224 Third St. N., in Margaret

A NAMI Connection peer support group for adults recovering from mental illness meets bi-weekly in Stillwater.

Free, sponsored by NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Led by trained facilitators who are in recovery. Meets: first and

third Mondays of each month, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at Episcopal Church of the Ascension Office (215 North 4th St., Stillwater).

FFI: Call Diane at 651-7240977 or NAMI at 651-6452948.

Camera Club The St. Croix Valley Camera Club meets the third Monday of each month, 7 p.m. at the Chisago County Government Center in Center City.

Meetings include a presentation followed by casual discussion. Photographers of all interests and abilities are welcome.

BooksMoveMe Yoga Storytime at Hardwood Creek The first Monday of each month from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m, Learning Tree Yoga will present a free 30 minute BooksMoveMe yoga session for children and their caregivers.

Event is free and open to children 6 and under and their caregivers. No registration required.

Hardwood Creek Library, 19955 Forest Rd N, Forest Lake.

Family Storytime at Hardwood Creek

Thursdays, from 10:3011:00 a.m. Children of all ages and their caregivers.

Hardwood Creek Library, 19955 Forest Rd N, Forest Lake. 651 275-7300.

Super Storytime Tuesdays from 10:30 11:15 a.m. A craft or other activity with storytime.

Hardwood Creek Library, 19955 Forest Rd N, Forest Lake. 651 275-7300.

Baby Storytime Wednesdays, 9:45-10:15 a.m. Hardwood Creek Library invites parents and caregivers with babies 0-24 months. Siblings are welcome! Hardwood Creek Library, 19955 Forest Rd N, Forest Lake. 651 275-7300.

Toddler Storytime Wednesdays, 10:30-11 a.m. Children of all ages and their caregivers.Hardwood Creek Library, 19955 Forest Rd N, Forest Lake.

FFI: 651 275-7300.

Used Book Sale The Friends of the Osceola Library will hold a used book sale the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Discovery Center, 3rd Ave. entrance, lower level.

13th Annual Taste of the Valley to be held January 30 The Stillwater Rotary Club presents for the 13th year, the Taste of the Valley event which will be held on Thursday, January 30, 2020, at the newel renovated Water Street Inn from 6 – 9 pm. “This event is a tradition in the valley and brings people together for a great cause and tastings from local restaurants,� says Stillwater Rotary President, Kathleen Elbert.

Cost for the event is $50.00 which includes tasting of a variety of food from a variety of local restaurants, live music, a silent and live auction, and an evening of fun. Guest may vote for their top three restaurants. Last year the winner of the Taste of the Valley was the Manger Restaurant and Wine Bar from Bayport, MN. We are pleased to share that this year’s spotlight charities will be Valley Friendship Club. The Mission of the Valley Friendship Club (VFC) is to promote and provide safe accessible social and educational opportunities

while fostering friendships with young people and adults living with disabilities. To this end, VFC aims to enhance community connections, empower club participants to strengthen important life skills and create greater social independence. This mission of VFC is expressed in four strategic priorities that guide its programming. The prior-

ities include: Health/Wellness, Social/ Life Skills Development, Community Connection, and Artistic Expression.

This will assist to fund a yearlong health and wellness program for young people and adults living with disabilities called “Fit Friends!.� This program will be offered on a weekly basis throughout the year. The pro-

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JANUARY 1, 2020

Tomorrow’s not as bad as it seems

D

id you have a good Christmas? Were you able to spend some time with friends and family? Did you survive the umpteenth retelling of that embarrassing story from your childhood?

I hope the answers to all of those questions was “yes.” By the way, that embarrassing story really has aged well!

I was thinking about traditions in the days before Christmas when my wife and daughters were busy in the kitchen devising a game plan for the meals and treats for the family gathering. Traditions are rather polarizing things, always have been. There are those who believe that strict adherence to traditions is the glue that holds families and society together. Others believe we need to lighten up about these things and be open to new ideas.

I think I fall somewhere in Publisher between.

Like many young people, I rebelled against any and Tom Stangl all things familiar. As I aged, becoming a husband, father and grandfather, I grew to appreciate and endorse the traditions of my family.

In fact, I have become an aficionado of the past.

I love to watch old movies on Turner Classic Movies, enjoy tried and true recipes of my family and my wife’s family and enjoy listening to the old holiday classics when radio changes its format in November. Viewed through my nostalgic lenses, I think 1940 would have been a pretty good Christmas, just before World War II. Of course, I realize there was the Great Depression, diseases and a lot of injustice going on as well. I’m observing the era through the movies and music and think it was pretty cool. But I digress…

One of the challenges my wife and daughters faced this year was how to present a meal that honored traditions without making my daughter sick. My oldest has to be gluten and dairy free since a diagnosis this fall necessitated the change.

Thankfully, the internet has made gathering this information very easy and stores are beginning to carry items to help persons with dietary issues. In an afternoon of consulting the family recipe books, Pinterest and other websites, a plan was devised and executed.

I’m glad to say they did a great job. We enjoyed two meals on Christmas Eve and everyone had something they could eat without doubling up on the number of dishes on the menu. There were also plenty of baked goodies as well that fit the bill.

In the end, the food was secondary to the company, like it should be each and every year. I imagine that some new traditions will be created along the way. Hopefully in years to come they will be enjoyed almost as much as that embarrassing story.

As we get ready for a new year and new decade, I hope you all are able to embrace the past and the present in your daily life. There’s something to be said about honoring where you came from while being open to new possibilities.

As great as the good old days may have been, there’s always something new that can be just as awesome. Besides, if you aren’t open to at least trying new things, you could easily miss out on something you want to have be a part of your life.

Happy New Year!

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@theameryfreepress. com, telephone 715-268-8101 or write me at P.O. Box 424, Amery, WI, 54001.

Thanks for reading I’ll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.

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TO SUBSCRIBE: office@osceolasun.com The Country Messenger is mailed to the homes of subscribers for delivery every Wednesday. One year

‘The Media’ in the ‘Fake News’ era “Boy, that’s a lot of media,” said Donald Trump at a recent rally in Minneapolis, looking to the press gallery. The crowd instantly erupted in a collective “boo” without another word being said. “They are so dishonest, and frankly, they are so bad for our country,” he continued.

I heard this live on Minnesota Public Radio driving home from Baldwin.

All I could do was shake my head as my heart sank into my stomach.

Editor “These people are just doing their Matt Anderson jobs,” I said aloud.

“They don’t even care who they are with? All he said was “the media” and everyone boos them?”

I tried to imagine myself standing there among fellow reporters, writers, and photographers in an entire stadium of people collectively mocking us for the careers we decided to pursue. They didn’t care who those people were. They were now branded, “The Media” – something bad for the country, according to the President’s words.

Now, before you brand me, I

would refer you back to my previous column in the December 18 edition. I am not a political person, nor do I care to be. I’m not a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Capitalist, Socialist, or any other political label you can stamp me with. I’m just a human being, and an editor in the newspaper industry. So, that being said, this column is about the current perception of “The Media.”

Mind you, I haven’t been a part of “The Media” for very long, but hearing a collective disdain belted out in real time toward a field that your career path falls into is disconcerting no matter how long you’ve been doing it. And, to brand all media as “bad for our country” is simply damaging to a free press, so it struck a nerve in me.

Luckily for us, news at the local level is among the most trusted despite the era of “Fake News.”

That doesn’t mean the “Fake News” narrative doesn’t come down from the national level to haunt us. There is still a certain hesitance that comes with interviews – as if we’re ready to pounce on the first controversial topic brought up in conversation and run it with prejudice. This just

simply isn’t the case (at least in good reporting).

My argument with the “Fake News” narrative is not that disinformation isn’t spread by news conglomerates with the highest profit margins. There is a desire to break a story as quickly as possible at that level. This causes facts to be overlooked, or a story to come out unfulfilled with essential details revealing themselves later. So, I do understand that there are times when the media misconstrues their stories. My argument is simply that disagreement does not equate to “Fake News.”

Most people that lean “left” will more than likely disagree with right-wing media. Most that lean “right” will disagree with left-wing media. Does this mean it’s all fake? Of course not. Are there instances where dishonesty prevails, and a story isn’t factual? Yes, of course. The necessity to differentiate between the two needs to be utilized more often rather than painting either side with the broad “Fake News” brush.

Blanket statements are harmful SEE ANDERSON, PAGE 6

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Food Trend for 2020

E

THE POSTSCRIPT

very year, I try to make a guess at new food trends. This year I’m having trouble.

Honestly, I’m sick of trends. Anyone else feel the same way?

I’m feeling a pull towards simple traditional all American foods. Maybe even a little basic or boring foods. Too many flavors and restrictions have dominated the food world. Keto diets, gluten free, and weird spice this and that.

Don’t get me wrong, I like trying new flavors and tastes—just not with every meal. I tried many new foods and gadgets this year. Some interesting ones were: cauliflower tacos, hemp seeds, and fake or lab grown meat, Insta Pot, and Air Fryers.

Sometimes, I even wonder if my Wild Chow kids will know what kinds of foods I grew up eating. When I was young Lisa Erickson my mother made mashed potatoes at least twice a week. We had roasted vegetables, roasted meat, fresh baked breads, and stews often. Those foods now seem rare or labeled as bad for you.

The pendulum swings too far. I realize we were leaning towards an unhealthy trend as a nation.

We ate too many processed foods, too much sugary treats and drinks. We need to make some better choices, but throwing everything out the window is not a good idea either. There are some good wholesome American classics. Think farm to table.

Both my grandparents lived into their late 80 and early 90s eating basic foods. They ate lots of vegetables and farm grown meats. That sounds good to me.

They ate beef, chicken, and potatoes, corn, all things wheat, but they did not eat a ton of sugar or processed foods.

Both my mother and my grandmother cooked from scratch. They cooked good nutritious meals. Plus, we ate together most meals. Life was simpler back then.

In my own way, I’m making a food trend prediction. I predict people will be going back to the basics.

Eating simpler meals—together. I think we will see more roasted meats with veggies—simply spiced or SEE ERICKSON, PAGE 7

“Sparkles”

I

glanced up as the bells rang to herald new customers walking into the used clothing store. I was looking for a pair of warm dress pants. Visiting my parents in Minnesota, I had forgotten entirely about the possibility of extreme cold and the idea of going out that night in tights and a skirt seemed preposColumnist terous.

Luckily, I found Carrie Classon a like-new pair of black jeans with just a little sparkle on the pocket for a good price. I was wandering around the store with these

jeans in my hand—just in case I saw something else that I might need—while I waited for the line at the check-out counter to get a little shorter. Maybe I could find a silver jacket, I thought, that would look nice on a cold winter night.

A woman and man had parked their pick-up outside and come into the store. The woman marched in a determined fashion to a rack in the middle of the store. She was a heavyset woman and it looked as if she had located this rack on a previous visit. She approached with a grim determination.

She and the man she was with were standing in front of the rack of dark colored clothing as I slipped by with my sparkly jeans in hand. The woman was holding out an article of clothing for the

man’s inspection.

“They’ll all be wearing sparkly clothes,” she said, sounding dejected. “This is just black… not sparkly.”

I almost said, “Sparkles are fun!” because they are—and because she sounded so sad that I wanted to say something to cheer her up. But I realized this was probably not the right thing to say so I stood silent, my back to the couple reviewing the unseen, unsparkled outfit that I suspected was going to be worn very soon.

“I think it will look good,” the man said—rather unconvincingly, I thought.

The woman stood silent, holding the black garment, visualizing (I am quite sure) a room full of SEE CLASSON, PAGE 8

Parked at the Boat Launch

W

e wanted a fresh fish Christmas dinner. After a Christmas Eve dinner of heavy ham and all the fixings, including too many sweets and then a Christmas breakfast the next morning that was heavier than a boat anchor, my wife Nancee’ and I decided to check out a local lake for panfish since the house was now empty of family, relatives and friends.

There were only a few vehicles parked at the launch when we got there. An ATV and a snowmobile Wild River were out on the lake moving over 6 to 8 inches of ice. A couple pop Trails up shacks were up, one over by the scout camp, another out in front of Jim Bennett the mobile home estates. I noticed

a nice white pick up parked right at the launch but no boats were going to be launched and no one was going to drive any cars or trucks out on the ice this day.

Nancee’ offered to pull the sled but I knew where I wanted to go. This time of year without owning anything motorized most ice anglers are limited in range when it comes to walking out on the ice.

Smaller lakes are obviously easier to cover but larger lakes can require a lot of steps to get to where you think the fish are going to be. My 79 year old brother Dick said he walked 10,000 steps his first time out. No one fishes by boat launches anymore because we all know all of the good spots are all on the other end of the lake.

Then I spotted 6 tip ups out in front of me right SEE BENNETT, PAGE 9

Customer Appreciation

ONE DAY SALE Despite our best efforts to sell them all, we find ourselves with some left over half and full page ads. These ads are perfectly fine, unused and ready to get your message out, but need to be sold. To do so, we are offering a one day sale.

Friday, Jan. 10, 2020 • 9-3 Contact Elise for more information 715-294-2314

Thank you for your past and future business!

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To qualify for this extraordinary offer, all full and half page ads must run between January 15, 2020 and February 28, 2020. Not valid with contracts or any other offers. Ads do not qualify for repeat discounts.

Digital boost is $25 per week per ad and included in the pricing.

BURNETT COUNTY

COUNTRY

BALDWIN

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6 COUNTRY MESSENGER

JANUARY 1, 2020 www.countrymessenger.com

FIND US ONLINE! COUNTRY

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ANDERSON: A free press is the watchdog of a community Media� dishonest and bad for the country. The media serves as much more than entertainment.

We are the community “Watchdogs,� we are the microphone for citizens, and we do it all with a sense of responsibility to our communities as members of the

FROM PAGE 4

just about everywhere. You can’t call all members of a particular religion terrorists because of the minority of extremists that carry out heinous acts. All the same, you cannot simply call all of “The

Changing Lives ...

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free press.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Matt Anderson editor@osceolasun.com 715-294-2314

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COUNTRY MESSENGER

7

www.countrymessenger.com

ERICKSON: Roasted chicken and veggies is a family favorite recipe for years 6 carrots, peeled and sliced in half Seasoned salt Pepper

FROM PAGE 5

flavored.

I know you’ll enjoy this roasted chicken recipe. It has been a family favorite for years.

Serve it with some fresh baked bread and corn.

You can thank me later.

Bake chicken for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover chicken and bake for another 30 minutes until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let chicken sit in the juices for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Simple Roasted Chicken and Veggies 1 whole chicken 1 onion slider into quarters.

4 potatoes, sliced I half

Rinse and pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Literally salt chicken with the seasoned salt.

Plate chicken and surround with vegetables. Pour any extra liquid from the roasted chicken into a serving bowl. Serve with chicken and vegetables.

Place chicken in a large Dutch oven. Place vegetables along the sides of the chicken. Cover tightly with tinfoil and cover with Dutch oven cover on top of tinfoil to create a seal.

Lisa Erickson is a food columnist who loves adventure and food. You can find more recipes at www.wildchow.com or email her at wildchowrecipes@gmail. com.

...writing and publishing them.

You can share your ideas by...

Newspaper Fun! www.readingclubfun.com

Kids: color stuff in!

Annimills LLC © 2019 V15-51

Sharing Ideas

Happy birthday to us!

When you “publish” something, you are sharing your ideas with others in a “public way.”

This year, Newspaper Fun is celebrating 15 years of publishing our weekly educational activity page. That may seem like a long time, but some newspapers have been in print for a century or more. Humans have been publishing in one form or another for thousands of years.

Cave drawings were the earliest way for people to put their ideas on display for others.

Have you ever dreamed of publishing? This page shows you 12 basic steps for how we do it!

Perhaps you can publish a newsletter or web site!

The Art of Writing and Publishing

10

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8 travel

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edit

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12

4

5

Artists may do their work by hand, on a computer, or by using a combination of both.

computer monitor keyboard printer backup storage word processing program

$UWLVW·V 7RROV drawing program digital camera sharpener drawing paper sketch books scanner

D S D R A W I N G P A P E R Z D D L

I C Q D X O W D S H A R P E N E R S

C T U I J Q O I J U I N E V U D A O

T V D L Y H M K J I O A M G T C W X

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design

Tools of Writing and Drawing

ink ruler easel erasers mannequin art pencils blending tool

15

2

1. ______ a calendar of themes: holidays, seasons, subjects taught in school, events 2. ______ the theme to learn interesting facts and Yum! decide how information will be used 3. ______ out ideas for the types of puzzles and how they might fit on a page Cake.

4. ______ clues, word banks, directions, hints 5. ______ the puzzles: crosswords, dot-to-dots, mazes, word searches 6. ______ the illustrations and cartoons that we imagine 7. ______ (and tweak) the writing to make sure everything is as clear as possible 8. ______ the puzzles to make sure they are accurate and fun 9. ______ ______ the writing (copy), puzzles and illustrations to make an attractive presentation 10. ______ to look for any errors: spelling, facts, names 11. ______ the final product to a web site so others can print and enjoy it 12. start all over again: ______, visit places, explore, talk to Publish your people, take photographs and notes for future themes ideas, too.

dictionary notebooks pens laptop carry bag phone

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 10

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Read the clues to fill in the crossword:

:ULWHU·V Tools

3

A A F E I S O E T N I F J S A D P M

R C G J Y O N O E K H V E D T P R L

Y K Q V K C R H C X J U I E N R O Y

A U Q S I T S D T M Z G V X G O G X

N P Y L P F V C Q K I X S R S C R D

A S S J L O S P A T O Z F K C E A V

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N G T N M K C Q A J J N Y E S G V T

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R N R U Z E D U N Q A S U N R R L H

B A L C A R R Y B A G N G E S O I B

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S M A N N E Q U I N J I K I N A P K

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R P Y N L T R I C O M P U T E R P Q

SEE ANSWERS, PAGE 11

8 COUNTRY MESSENGER

JANUARY 1, 2020 www.countrymessenger.com

PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICE OF INSTALLATION OF AERATION SYSTEM ON GOOSE LAKE The City of Scandia shall be installing and operating an aeration system in Goose Lake, (D.O.W. #59) located in Washington County, Township 32 North, Range 20 West in Section 11 and Section 14 on approximately January 15, 2020. The

purpose of the system is to control winterkill of fish and to improve water quality.

Brenda Eklund City of Scandia Deputy Clerk Dated: December 4, 2019 Published in the Country Messenger December 11, 2019 and January 1, 2020

CLASSON: Sparkles FROM PAGE 5

happy women in sparkly dresses.

She sighed. “Okay. Let’s go.” She took the black garment to the front counter without trying it on and moments later they were gone. They whole transaction took less than ten minutes and seemed completely void of holiday cheer.

I went home with my sparkly jeans and wore them out that night with an old friend. We stayed up late, laughing at the crazy things we had done together over the years and sharing crazy plans for the new year. But, after he was gone, for some reason I thought again of the unhappy woman I’d seen earlier in the day.

I wondered where she had gone, where this room of sparkly women had been and if the black garment had pleased her once she had finally tried it on. I suddenly felt unreasonably sad and wished that she had found something with sparkles on it—something silver or red or gold or green—something that would have made her happy and excited to greet the New Year.

There are so many expectations at this time of year.

Sometimes it’s too much. Sometimes it is just too hard.

I watched the snow begin to fall and was filled with terrible feeling of tenderness and gratitude and a desire to try—to try a bit harder this year. I am going to try to be kinder. I’m going to try to slow down. I’m going to try to feel all of it in this new year—even the parts that hurt.

Maybe those in particular.

Till next time, Carrie Carrie Classon’s memoir, “Blue Yarn,” was released earlier this year. Learn more at CarrieClasson.com.

Answers

Lake Center 4 Youth & Families announce new leadership The Board of Directors of Lakes Center for Youth and Families is excited to announce Dr. Linda Madsen as our Executive Director. Linda succeeds Matt Howard who suffered a debilitating auto accident in October of 2018. She has been doing an outstanding job leading the organization on an interim basis since Matt’s accident.

Linda has been deeply involved in the Forest Lake community for many years. She had an outstanding 36 year career in education starting as a teacher and culminating with 8 years as

Superintendent of Forest Lake Schools. Throughout her career she has served on many boards and committees including LC4YF, TEFFLA, YMCA boards, and the Fairview Corporate board. Linda’s entire career has been devoted to the youth and families of our community and she will continue that legacy as our Executive Director.

Matt Howard was selected as Executive Director of LC4YF in February of 2018 having been with our organization for nineteen years in positions of ever

increasing responsibility. In October of 2018 he was involved in a car accident resulting in serious injuries. He has always been hopeful of returning to his Executive Director position but his injuries are such that his return is not possible. Jim Schoppenhorst, board chair, recognizes Matt’s many years of dedicated service. “Matt has helped the agency grow and thrive in our community and we are deeply appreciative of his many contributions.”

SEE LC4YF, PAGE 9

SCHOOL: Students create creatures from recycled materials FROM PAGE 1

Wall,” says Nottingham.

Off the Wall Studio was founded in Hawaii in 1983 and is currently located in Stillwater. The goal of Off The Wall is to offer art classes and programs to students of all ages. Nottingham is the director and instructor of Off the Wall Studio and teaches after school classes, adult classes, holiday workshops and more.

During her current project, Nottingham is instructing students at River Grove and Lake Elmo to use reusable and recycled materials to make creatures of the sea in an effort to educate about pollution and how to help stop it.

“Grove and Lake Elmo students created fish

from ‘rubbish’ and other recycled materials,” she says. “To date, the project includes a 12 foot high mermaid also constructed entirely from recycled materials. The community art project will be on display at the Da Vinci Fest Saturday, January 25 at the Stillwater Area High School Cafeteria.”

January will mark the 12th annual Da Vinci Fest in Stillwater. The event is intended to highlight talents and creative works of the St. Croix Valley youth in both art and science.

The artwork of River Grove and Lake Elmo students from this project will be showcased along with many other talented artists at the event.

CLUES ACROSS 1. Database management system 5. Soft blue-gray mineral 11. Algerian coastal city 12. A healthy redness 16. El __, border town 17. Part of the mind 18. Female body part 19. Atrocities 24. You can call Paul Simon this 25. Copyread 26. Large integers 27. Large, flightless bird 28. Bread and whiskey are two 29. Indicate pain or discomfort 30. Worry 31. Wild goats 33. Belittle 34. More supernatural 38. Wakes up 39. Intestinal pouches 40. Popular dance 43. American state 44. CSI actor 45. Having a keen enthusiasm for 49. Swiss river 50. Restaurant item 51. Intense unhappiness 53. Unit of loudness 54. Increase in velocity 56. Mesoamerican religion 58. Early multimedia 59. Forearm bone 60. An unprincipled person 63. Swarming with 64. Shellfish 65. Root of taro plant CLUES DOWN 1. More silly 2. Adult beverage 3. Iron used for lofting 4. Noses 5. Smile

CONTRIBUTED

The project will be on display at the 12th annual Da Vinci Fest in Stillwater January 25.

6. One who examines closely 7. Lethal dose 8. Denotes past 9. “This Is Us” actor Fitch 10. Dabbling ducks 13. Polish beer 14. A type of cat 15. Shows respect for 20. Of I 21. Commercial 22. Chai and chamomile are two 23. Lodging option 27. Geological times 29. Unit of electrical inductance (abbr.)

30. Where G-men work 31. Hot beverage 32. One of the six noble gases 33. Southern constellation 34. South American nation 35. Suitable for use as food

36. The back 37. I (German) 38. Blood group 40. Fit to stand trial 41. Praise excessively 42. Female’s title 44. EU predecessor 45. Acutely insightful and wise 46. Disguised 47. Improved the appearance of 48. Generator 50. The real __, the genuine article 51. Male’s title 52. Home of the Hawkeyes 54. About aviation 55. At all times 57. Military peace officer 61. College degree 62. Indicates position

JANUARY 1, 2020

COUNTRY MESSENGER

9

www.countrymessenger.com

Washington County’s Dosage Probation program wins statewide award

SUBMITTED

Staff members of the Washington County Department of Community Corrections with the Washington County Board of Commissioners and staff from the Association of Minnesota Counties with the award from the association for the county’s Dosage Probation program.

Dosage Probation, a program piloted by Washington County’s Department of Community Corrections, was recognized by the Association of Minnesota County’s at its conference in early December.

The County Board recognized the award at its meeting Dec. 17.

Washington County Community Corrections is one of two sites in the nation creating a new way to deliver probation

services to adult offenders with Dosage Probation. The model was first developed through a collaboration with The Center of Effective Public Policy and a judicial district in Milwaukee, Wis. Dosage probation relies on an offender’s internal motivation to change behavior. The offender can shorten the time they are under probation supervision by actively participat-

ing and completing programming to reduce the likelihood of future criminal behavior. The model is more efficient and cost-effective than the traditional model of supervision in which probationers are sentenced to years of supervision with or without behavior change conditions.

Those offenders who have Dosage Probation have been released from probation earlier than

would have been the case with earlier programs.

National Institute of Corrections (NIC) has adopted Dosage Probation as one of its major initiatives in 2019, and has sponsored Washington County to train correctional professionals from around the country to embrace this innovative intervention.

BENNETT: Boat launch FROM PAGE 5

where I wanted to fish. Now I knew why that truck was parked at the launch! Someone was sitting all warm and comfy in the truck. Nancee’ and I were walking into a wet cold east wind. I let Nancee’ pull the sled as I took a trek around the area I wanted to fish looking for open holes that wouldn’t block the view of whoever was in the truck. My preconceived notions were that they were either lazy or just out of shape to sit in a truck at the launch all warm and comfy watching tip ups. Real ice anglers walk on water!

We set up and were immediately into fish. The problem was they were all three inches long and those ended up being the big ones. Then a flag popped and the two people came strolling out of the truck to check their tip up. She was dressed in leggings that were not designed to be warm and her makeup, although beautifully done did not look like it was put on to fish. He was the normal rugged looking ice angler, complete with a full beard. After she checked the tip up, hardly any line was pulled out; they reset the rig and headed back to the confines of the warm white truck.

Nancee' and I hole hopped with little luck when truck doors opened again. After a leisurely stroll to that same tip up I heard the gentleman say, “Its spinning”! This time a fish was there and after a great battle took place at the hole a fat 27” walleye momentarily lay on the ice for a couple quick pictures before the fish was released. “I just couldn’t see cutting up a nice fish like that,” was all he said.

Nancee' and I packed up knowing it was chicken fajitas for supper for us.

Jim Bennett is an outdoorsman who lives and worked in the St. Croix River Valley and can be reached at jamesbennett24@gmail.com

LC4YF: New leadership FROM PAGE 8

The Board of Directors thanks our community for your continued support through this difficult period. We are

proud that our agency has continued to grow and provide outstanding services in support of the youth and families of our community.

AREA CHURCHES Ascension Episcopal Church

Forest Hills United Methodist Church

Lord of the Lakes Lutheran Church (LCMS)

River Valley Christian Church

St. Joseph Catholic Church

214 North Third Street N, Stillwater (651) 439-2609 • www.aechurch.org Rev. Marilyn Baldwin Rev. Daniel V. Pearson, Interim Rector Mindy Boynton, Christian Ed/Youth Nancy Whipkey, Director of Music Sunday: 8 a.m. Holy Eucharist, no music 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist, with music

Hwy. 97 at County Road 34 S.E. Forest Lake (651) 464-5249 Pastor: Rev. David Werner www.foresthillsumc.net 10:00 a.m. Sunday worship

25402 Itasca Avenue Forest Lake, MN 55025 651-462-3535 / lordofthelakes.org Pastor Craig Bertram Regular Worship 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Communion First and Third Sundays 9:00 a.m. Coffee Fellowship 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Adult Bible Class

Lake Elmo (651) 430-9950 5900 Lake Elmo Avenue N. (Hwy 36 & County Road 17) Pastor Jon Neitzel, Teen Pastor Greg Hamm Children’s Pastor Karen Hynes Sunday Worship and Childrens’ Church 9:30 a.m. Nursery available.

Saturday Worship and Children’s Church, 6:00 p.m.

Sunday Teen Service 7:00 p.m.

490 Bench St., Taylors Falls, MN (651) 465-7345 Father John Drees Sat. Mass 5:30 p.m.

Sun. Mass 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The Baha’i Faith For information about Baha’i Faith or times and places of meetings call (651) 433-3686.

Christ Lutheran Church 150 Fifth Street, Marine (651) 433-3222, office ext. 10 Pastors Joel Martin and Hannah Bartos Sunday Worship 8:15 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.

Kid’s Church during 9:45 service.

Wednesday Life Night schedule: Community Supper at 5:30 p.m.

Faith formation classes for all ages at 6:30 p.m.

Elim Lutheran Church Scandia (651) 433-2723 www.elimscandia.org Senior Pastor Scott Westphal Associate Pastor Meredith McGrath 8 and 9:30 am in the Sanctuary 8:45 am Adult Christian Education in the Library 10:35 Kid City Sunday School

Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA) Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA) Forest Lake (651) 464-3323 886 North Shore Drive Pastor John Klawiter Sunday Worship: Traditional, 9 a.m.

Contemporary Praise, 10:30 a.m.

Grace Church 722 Seminole Ave. Osceola Pastor Mark Barlow Amy Germain, Day Care Bety Greydanus, Office Manager “The Cure for the Common Church” e-mail: info@gracechurchosceola.com www.gracechurchosceola.com or call (715) 294-4222 or (715) 755-3454 Sunday: Praise and Worship Service 9 a.m. with Children’s Church Adult Bible Study 10:45 a.m.

Children’s Sunday School 10:45 a.m.

Christian Child Day Care Monday-Friday 5:30 am – 6 p.m.

Hosanna Lutheran Church (ELCA) Living, loving and serving as Jesus did... so that all may know him.

9300 Scandia Tr. N. Forest Lake (651) 464-5502 www.hosannaforestlake.net Linda Friesen, Lead Pastor Jen Collins, Associate Pastor Sept-May Worship Schedule Sunday 9:00 & 10:30 a.m.

In Great Hall (lower level) Wednesday (thru Apr) 6:00 p.m. in Garden Chapel (upper level)

Lakes Free Church www.lakesfree.org Lindstrom (651) 257-2677 29620 Olinda Trail N. Senior Pastor Jason Carlson, Associate Pastor Stephen Moore Sunday Worship 9 & 10:30 a.m.

Sunday School 9 & 10:30 a.m.

Maranatha Church Chisago Lakes Campus 10963 Lake Blvd. (Hwy 8) Chisago City (651) 257-8605 Pastor Bill Headley Worship service Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday service 9:30 a.m.

Osceola Community Church 2492 Education Dr., Osceola, WI Larry Mederich, Pastor (715) 417-0608 • www.occconnect.org Sunday Worship 9 a.m. with provided Nursery Kids Church 9:30 a.m.

Meeting in home groups throughout the week. Call for details, 715-294-4332.

Osceola Medical Center Spiritual Care

2600 65th Avenue, Osceola, WI www.myomc.org/specialtyserv_1chapel.php 715-294-5645 fax: 715-294-5712 email: alan.hagstrom@myomc.org Chapel open daily for meditation.

Osceola United Methodist Church 306 River Street Osceola, WI (715) 755-2275 osceolaunitedmethodistchurch@gmail.com Sunday: Worship 10 a.m.

Fellowship at 11 a.m.

St. Croix Falls Unitarian Universalist Fellowship First 3 Sundays of each month @ 10 a.m.

201 NorthAdams St., St. Croix Falls, WI 54024 Rev. Kelli Clement - www.scuuf.org

St. Croix Falls United Methodist Church Upper St. Croix Parish 300 N. Adams St. • (715)-483-9494 Pastor Carolyn Saunders Pastor MIke Brewbaker Sunday Service 10 a.m.

St. Croix Valley Friends Meeting Stillwater (651) 439-7981 Seventh Day Adventist Church, Fifth & Laurel Streets Sunday Worship: 10:00 a.m. Childcare available.

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Franconia (651) 465-7345 Sunday Mass: 9:15 a.m.

Father John Drees Three miles north on Hwy. 95 from Hwy. 97.

West on Redwing 1/4 mile.

St. Joseph Catholic Cluster Osceola (715) 294-2243 Rev. Andy Anderson Saturday Mass: St. Joseph’s, 4 p.m.

St. Anne’s, Somerset 5 p.m.

Sunday Mass: Assumption, East Farmingon 8:30 a.m.

St. Anne’s, Somerset 8 & 10 a.m.

St. Joseph’s, Osceola 10:30 a.m.

Call for weekday mass and reconciliation schedules.

Trinity Lutheran Church (WELS) Osceola (715) 294-2828 300 Seminole Avenue Sunday Worship: 9 a.m.

Sunday School/Bible Class: 10:15 a.m.

Wednesday worship: 7 p.m.

Trinity Lutheran Church Stillwater (651) 439-7400 www.trinitylc.org • 115 North Fourth Street Pastors: Dan Poffenberger & Stephanie Vos, Saturday Evening Worship: 5 p.m.

Sunday Worship: 9 a.m Traditional; 10:30 a.m. The WALK Contemporary Worship Children’s Learning, Sunday 9 a.m. and on Wednesday 6 p.m.

Wednesday 7:15 p.m. “The River” Youth Worship

10

COUNTRY MESSENGER

JANUARY 1, 2020 www.countrymessenger.com

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JANUARY 1, 2020

11

COUNTRY MESSENGER www.countrymessenger.com

County Board conducts AG Ellison bans charities that deceived Minnesotans public hearing, adopts about supporting families of fallen police officers capital Improvement plan The Washington County Board of Commissioners conducted a public hearing on the county’s 2020-2024 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Dec. 17, and then approved the plan.

No residents spoke at the hearing. Comment letters were received from a number of county cities, including Cottage Grove, Forest Lake, Hugo, Scandia, and Woodbury. Responses to those communities were included at the hearing.

State law requires the hearing, which covered the county’s 2020-2024 CIP. The plan includes major roadway, parks, and facility projects in the county planned for the next five years. Along with projects planned for the next five years, specific projects for 2020 are included. Some of those major projects will be: • County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 19 from Dale Road to CSAH 18; • CSAH 5 from County Road 64 to Sycamore Street West; • the intersection of CSAH 18 and CSAH 20 in Woodbury; and • CSAH 18 from Woodlane Drive to CSAH 13 in Woodbury.

In addition, several county roadways will be designed in 2020, in preparation for construction in later years.

Major parks projects for 2020 include the Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park lower landing facility, a St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park boat launch, as well as a number of park maintenance projects throughout the county.

In addition to bond funds, the capital improvement plan is funded by state and federal transportation aid, state sales tax, state bonds, and local contributions from municipalities where the project is located.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today announced that Ramsey County District Court has approved two settlement agreements that permanently ban American Federation of Police and Concerned Citizens, Inc. (“AFPCC”), and related charity National Association of

Chiefs of Police, Inc. (“NACOP”), from soliciting charitable contributions in Minnesota. AFPCC is also required to pay restitution in the amount of $298,637 — constituting every dollar that Minnesotans donated to it in the last six years. AFPCC and NACOP’s primary officers and directors

Sharing

SEE ELLISON, PAGE 12

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also agreed to permanently refrain from doing business in Minnesota.

“Police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to us,” Attorney General

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Celebrating the 15th anniversary of Newspaper Fun.

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The Sun is seeking a freelance reporter to help report the news of our community.

If you have a knack for seeing beyond the obvious and a well-developed sense of curiosity and enjoy sharing stories, this might be a great fit for you.

Send resume and writing clips to Matt Anderson, Editor, The Sun P.O. Box 248, Osceola, WI 54020 Email: editor@osceolasun.com

12 COUNTRY MESSENGER

JANUARY 1, 2020 www.countrymessenger.com

SHERIFF’S REPORT City of Marine on St. Croix

City of Scandia

DECEMBER 13

DECEMBER 14

At 9:20 a.m. an accident on St. Croix Trail at Nason Hill Road was reported.

DECEMBER 17 At 12:35 a.m. an open door/window was reported on Judd Street.

DECEMBER 19 At 5:14 p.m. an accident was reported on Ostrum Trail North.

DECEMBER 21 At 9:07 p.m. suspicious person/activity was reported on Blue Heron Lane.

DECEMBER 14 At 8:48 p.m. a medical need on West Maher Drive was reported.

At 3:21 p.m. a complaint about an animal in the 21000 block of Quarry was received.

At 5:45 p.m. an accident on St. Croix and Scandia Trails was reported.

At 5:57 p.m. welfare was checked in the 16000 block of 205th.

At 6:37 p.m. welfare was checked in the 22000 block of Oldfield.

At 8:58 p.m. a 911 call was abandoned in the 22000 block of Oldfield.

At 9:45 p.m. a fire in the 11000 block of Scandia Trail was reported.

At 11:18 p.m. an alarm sounded in the 21000 block of Newberry.

DECEMBER 16 At 11:46 a.m. an animal complaint was made on Scandia Trail North/ Newberry Avenue

North.

At 12:41 p.m. found property was reported on Quadrant Avenue North.

At 3:43 p.m. an alarm sounded on Parrish Road North.

A open door/window was reported on Olinda Trail North.

DECEMBER 17 At 7:26 p.m. an animal complaint was made on Old Marine Trail North/ Orwell Avenue North.

DECEMBER 18 At 11:35 a.m. a driving complaint was made on Olinda Trail North/202nd Street North.

At 3:16 p.m. property damage was reported on Oxboro Avenue North.

At 3:18 p.m. an ordinance violation was reported on Mayberry Trail North.

At 5:58 p.m. an animal complaint was made on Old Marine Trail North.

DECEMBER 19 At 1:10 a.m. a traffic stop was made on Lofton Avenue North.

DECEMBER 20 At 6:28 p.m. a civil matter/dispute was reported on 240th Street North.

DECEMBER 21 At 12:05 p.m. a civil matter/dispute was reported on Langly Avenue North.

At 4:38 p.m. an animal complaint was made on Old Marine Trail North.

At 7:25 p.m. a hunting complaint was made on Old Marine Trail North.

May Township

DECEMBER 15 At 1:23 a.m. suspicious person/activity was

reported on Square Lake Trail North.

At 11:24 p.m. found kittens were reported on 120th Street North.

DECEMBER 16 At 1:24 p.m. suspicious person/activity was reported on Nason Hill Road North.

At 3:34 p.m. a traffic complaint was made on Norell Avenue North.

At 5:50 p.m. a traffic complaint was made on Manning Trail North.

DECEMBER 17 At 12:19 a.m. suspicious person/activity was reported at Square Lake Park.

DECEMBER 18 at 5:42 a.m. a traffic stop was made on Manning Trail North.

At 10:07 a.m. an accident was reported on Lynch Road North.

At 7:15 p.m. an animal complaint was made on Manning Trail North/148th Street North.

DECEMBER 19 At 5:22 p.m. a snowmobile violation was reported on Square Lake Trail North.

At 5:24 p.m., a snowmobile violation was reported on 122nd Street North.

DECEMBER 20

at 5:30 a.m. a fire was reported on Lynch Road North.

At 7:32 a.m. an accident was reported on Manning Trail North.

At 4:10 p.m. an accident was reported on 122nd Street North/Manning Trail North.

At 10:08 p.m. a fire was reported on Lynch Road North.

DECEMBER 21 At 12:17 p.m. an accident was reported on St. Croix Trail North.

At 2:57 p.m. a snowmobile violation was reported on 150th Street North/May Avenue North.

Spotlight on Area Businesses ELLISON: Charities banned Edward Jones of Marine on St. Croix

Is Market Timing a Smart Investment Strategy?

You may have heard that timing is everything. And in many walks of life, that may be true – but not necessarily when it comes to investing.

To understand why this is so, let’s look at three common mistakes investors make: • Selling investments and moving to cash when stocks are predicted to drop – If you follow the ¿nancial news on cable TV or the internet, you’re eventually bound to discover some “experts” who are predicting imminent, huge drops in the stock market.

And on rare occasions, they may be right – but often they’re not. And if you were to sell some of your stocks or stock-based investments based on a prediction and move the money to cash or a cash equivalent, you could miss out on possible future growth opportunities if the predictor was wrong. And the investments you sold still could have played a valuable part in your portfolio balance.

• Selling underperforming assets in favor of strong performers – As an investor, it can be tempting to unload an investment for one of those “hot” ones you read about that may have topped one list or another. Yet there’s no guarantee that investment will stay on top the next year, or even perform particularly well. Conversely, your own underperformers of today could be next year’s leaders.

• Waiting for today’s risk or uncertainty to disappear before investing – Investing always involves risk and uncertainty. Instead of waiting for the perfect time to invest, you’re better off building a portfolio based on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon.

All these mistakes are examples of a risky investment strategy: trying to “time” the market. If you try to be a market timer, not

only will you end up questioning your buy/sell decisions, but you also might lose sight of why you bought certain investments in the ¿rst place. Speci¿cally, you might own stocks or mutual funds because they are appropriate for your portfolio and your risk tolerance, and they can help you make progress toward your long-term ¿nancial goals. And these attributes don’t automatically disappear when the value of these stocks or funds has dropped, so you could end up selling investments that could still be doing you some good many years into the future.

While trying to time the market is a dif¿cult investment strategy even for the professionals, it doesn’t mean you can never take advantage of falling prices. In fact, you can use periodic dips in the market to buy quality assets at more attractive prices. Suppose, for example, that you invested the same amount of money every month into the same investments. One month, your money could buy more shares when the price of the investment is down – meaning you’re automatically a savvy enough investor to take advantage of price drops. While your money will buy fewer shares when the price of the investment is up, your overall investment holdings will bene¿t from the increase in price.

Buying low and selling high sounds like a thrilling way to invest. But in the long run, you’re better off by following a consistent investment strategy and taking a long-term perspective. It’s time in the market, rather than timing the market, that helps keep portfolio returns moving in the right direction over time.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Have you heard from your Financial Advisor? Let me return your call

Heidi Gemuenden, AAMS® Financial Advisor

41 Judd Street Marine On St. Croix, MN 651-433-1776

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FROM PAGE 11

Ellison said. “Any charity that takes advantage of their sacrifice to raise money from generous Minnesotans had better tell the truth about where those donations are going. These folks repeatedly lied to Minnesota donors that all they were doing was supporting the families of fallen officers, when they barely did that at all. We kicked them out of Minnesota permanently.”

In October 2018, the AGO sued AFPCC for deceiving Minnesotans in multiple ways, including by misrepresenting that donations would only be used to help families of police officers killed in the line of duty. However, the vast majority of AFPCC’s charitable program spending — 83% — went to paying its fundraisers and other for-profit agents to send mailers with claimed “public education” content, not providing aid to police families. The AGO also alleged that AFPCC misrepresented to donors that their money would be set aside for families in the donor’s local city or county by advertising an “Area Appeal” or “special campaign” for the families in a donor’s local area. In reality, donations were used for all of AFPCC’s expenses nationwide, and were not set aside for any specific city or state. Although NACOP was not a party to the AGO’s lawsuit, an investigation revealed that NACOP, which has a similar mission and which is run by the same leaders as AFPCC, used similar deceptive tactics.

The AGO also alleged in its lawsuit that AFPCC failed to make disclosures in its solicitations as required by law, failed to file accurate financial statements by claiming it spent more on its charitable programming that was actually the case in order to appear more efficient to donors and watchdog groups, and violated a 1996 Consent Decree resolving similar alleged misconduct.

If you donated to AFPCC in the last six years, you may be entitled to obtain restitution (e.g., a refund payment) under the settlement. The Attorney General’s Office will contact you about your options. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the settlement you may contact Assistant Attorney Carol Washington of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office at (651) 757-1298 or (800) 657-3787.

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