Messenger COUNTRY
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
VOL. 33 NO. 42
www.countrymessenger.com $.75
ELECTION: May Township election and annual meeting slated for March 14. PAGE 5
More hockey, less hassle BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Caught between high-investment hockey leagues and a short season for pick-up games, the mother of two boys who attend Marine Elementary School has plotted a middle path, a casual kids hockey league set to expand this spring. The new program extends the season for a pick-up hockey group Stephanie LeGros organized last year for her sons and their friends. “My kids have been interested in hockey,” said LeGros. “The financial and time commitment was too much for us so we just did pick-up hockey after school.” Her boys, James and Jack Kalmon (9 and 7 years old, respectively), loved it. But the season was short. “We can't count on good outdoor ice for very long,” LeGros explained. So last fall she got a group together and rented ice time at the Lumberyard Hockey & Sports Center in Stillwater. The group played once a week after school,
Marine man nominated for Teacher of the Year BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
STEPHANIE LEGROS
Stephanie LeGros’ family snapped a selfie while playing pick-up hockey outside. LeGros, far right, has organized a recreational league for families who like hockey, but aren’t ready for high-investment association leagues.
doing basic drills and scrimmages, and parents shared the cost. “The kids loved it and so did we,” said LeGros. “The great sport of hockey without the time and financial commitment of association hockey.” Word spread and other parents
asked if their kids could join, prompting LeGros to partner with the Lumberyard to found the After-School Rec Hockey League, which will begin in early March and continue into early SEE HOCKEY, PAGE 2
St. Croix Crossing could be complete in August
Andrew Weaver, a Marine on St. Croix resident and science teacher at Stillwater Area High School, has been nominated for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Weaver is among four Stillwater Area Public School educators nominated for the award, and 132 teachers statewide. “When I was nominated my first thought was 'why me?' and what a great thing that Weaver one of my colleagues would make the effort to nominate me,” he recalled. “I teach in a district full of over achievers with many deserving this nomination.” His teaching philosophy? “Make a personal connection with your students and share your passion with your students,” he said. “I fear state wide homogeny in curriculum where we all teach the same lesson on the same day in the same way and test on the same day in order to chase some common standard that leaves students bored and teachers unable to insert creativity.” The Teacher of the Year will be selected by a 25-person panel and announced Sunday, May 7.
Girl hit by car in Scandia COURTESY MNDOT
The St. Croix Crossing last Thursday, after crews filled the last of the gaps between bridge segments. The crossing is slated to open in August 2017. BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
The St. Croix Crossing is nearing completion and could be ready for traffic in six months, representatives of the bridge project announced last week. The bridge, estimated to cost $625 million, spans the St. Croix River from Oak Park Heights, Minn., to St. Joseph, Wis. Crews have continued to work on the four-lane, mile-long cross-
ing through the winter months, making significant headway on the project. “Weather permitting, the contractor anticipates the new bridge will open to traffic in August 2017,” announced the St. Croix Crossing team, which includes members of the Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of transportation. MnDOT had originally planned for a fall 2016 opening for the bridge, but pushed the date back
NEWS 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
to fall 2017 due to material shortages, equipment breakdowns and weather, among other unanticipated variables. The new August goal puts the project on pace for a late-summer opening. Crews have been filling gaps between sections of the bridge through the winter, and completed the final “closure pour” last Thursday, Feb. 9. More work remains, including the installation
ADVERTISING 651-433-3845 sales@osceolasun.com
SEE BRIDGE, PAGE 2
PUBLIC NOTICES 651-433-3845 editor@countrymessenger.com
A girl was hit by a car Saturday evening in Scandia, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The call came in around 6:30 p.m., Feb. 11, said Sargent James Gribble. The caller reported that a pedestrian had been hit by a car on 192nd Street, near the Berry Patch. When deputies arrived, the girl was conscious and alert in the ditch, but suffering from multiple injuries. She was air lifted to North Memorial Hospital. An uninvolved motorSUBSCRIPTIONS 651-433-3845 office@osceolasun.com
ist reported that he had seen three individuals walking side by side in the roadway before the incident. They were wearing dark clothing and walking with traffic, Gribble said. The driver of the vehicle returned to the scene, was questioned and released. There are no charges pending. The Minnesota State Patrol was called to reconstruct the scene. Washington County was assisted by Forest Lake Police Department and Scandia Fire and Rescue.
BREAKING NEWS, UPDATES Whenever, wherever you are! Scan me with your smartphone