COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2018
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 35 NO. 06 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
DISTRICT 39A SEAT: May Township resident officially launches campaign. PAGE 6
Munch Bunch strikes again
Brookside changes concept for Scandia site
Goats eat invasives at Warner Nature Center BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
It’s mid morning at Warner Nature Center and the goats are hungry. Enclosed by a solar-powered electric fence, the herd hunts for buckthorn and nibbles garlic mustard near the nature center’s headquarters. The goats, 37 of them, were invited to graze invasive plant species on a 10-acre plot. They will return in August to nibble away regrowth. It’s the first time staff at Warner Nature Center have used goats to manage buckthorn on the 800plus acre site.
SUZANNE LINDGREN | COUNTRY MESSENGER
The Brookside closed on a Scandia location last week. The building is the former Chiko’s Bar & Grill, which closed in January. BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
Two weeks after Scandia’s city council awarded a liquor license
to Brookside Pizza & Hoagies, a concept pitched by the owners of Marine’s Brookside Bar & Grill, the restaurant owners decided to
change the concept for the Scandia location. Instead of pizza, the new Brookside will feature a more traditional grill-focused menu:
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
The Marine Community Library will kick off its summer programming Saturday at the Marine Gazebo (Broadway and Judd Street) with a magic show, food, music and activities. 10 a.m. to noon; all ages and free; no RSVP required. If it rains, the event will be held at the Marine Village Hall (121 Judd Street). The event will highlight the library’s reading incentive program, which beings June 11. As children read a book, they
can fill out a form and be entered in a drawing for a weekly prize. The incentive program is for all ages, preschool through high school. Children’s program coordinator Ruth Willius raved about the prizes given by sponsoring organizations. “We’ve gotten amazing donations for prizes,” she said.
Story Time line up The Marine Community Library will host special family story times this summer. The free, allage events have varied themes, activities, snacks and special guests. SEE LIBRARY, PAGE 2
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SUZANNE LINDGREN | COUNTRY MESSENGER
Munch Bunch owners Allysse and Dan Sorensen.
SEE RESTAURANT, PAGE 2
SEE GOATS, PAGE 2
Governor voices concern for water quality in rural Minnesota
Marine Library kicks off summer programs Announces story time line up
burgers, sandwiches, appetizers and a kids menu. “We’re very excited to
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@COUNTRYMESSENGER.COM
After signing the final bill of his career, Governor Mark Dayton said last week he remained concerned about water quality, especially in rural communities. “We’ve made some considerable progress on water quality and there’s been good bipartisan support,” he told outstate Minnesota reporters via phone. “I think [legislators] recognize the urgency. This is water coming into communities that’s contaminated. And smaller communities in Minnesota don’t always have the funds to handle that.” This session, the Legislature funded a little over half of Dayton’s proposed spending on water. Dayton said such fundADVERTISING 651-433-3845 sales@osceolasun.com
Dayton
ing must to continue yearly if Minnesotans wish to preserve water quality. He also addressed the reg-
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ulation of substances such as sulfate and nitrate. “It’s a difficult needle to thread … between those who think anything should be allowed and those who think nothing should be allowed,” he said. “We’re going from laissez faire anything goes to seeing water as a commodity,” he continued. “We can’t bury our heads in the sand when more and more water in the state is unsafe and unusable. I think it’s a cultural shift … we’re going to have to be more careful about water and how we use it.” He added: “I think there’s broad recognition that we’re going to have to face up to some kind of protection for wild rice and water quality across the SEE DAYTON, PAGE 2
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