Old Glory’s proper end
Americans get 8-year sentences
The American Legion Post No. 3 held a flag burning ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 18
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal have been found guilty of spying in Iran and received eight-year sentences
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JORDAN
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2011
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www.jordannews.com
INDEPENDENT JORDAN SCHOOLS
Clean in time for first day? PHOTOS BY DAVID SCHUELLER
After an excavator punched holes in two walls of the brick St. Benedict School building, a third shove was all it took for the roof to fall.
School built in 1898 fades away Another St. Benedict landmark is gone
BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com
BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com
T
he St. Benedict school building was demolished the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 23. It stood near a church in Helena Township since 1898, part of the landscape that had over the years held classes for students in grades one through eight. A handful of people watched as the bricks toppled down into a cloud of dust. The building, about six miles south of Jordan, was used in recent years for parish events, religion classes, Helena Town Board meetings, and polling for elections. Last year, the community decided to have the building demolished while facing the closure of the church building, located near the school, following a reorganization of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The demolition date had been delayed somewhat until a Scott County mitigation study could be completed. It came back without major issues, which cleared the way for the Tuesday demo.
Workers under duress to finish mold cleanup at elementary
While young students of the past may have hoped for such an event, the actual demolition of St. Benedict school on Tuesday, Aug. 23 meant another town landmark would be no more. To watch a video of the demolition, visit jordannews.com. Discussion on the fate of the church building hasn’t happened yet. “We haven’t talked about it,” said Diane Weckman, a former liturgist there and an involved St. Benedict community member. “We were so focused on getting the school done.”
The cornerstone in the church was recently removed to fi nd out what was behind it. The fi nd: two G er ma n la ng uage newspapers printed in Illinois, and German coins. And the papers were readable. “Surprisingly, the papers were in fairly good shape,” Weckman said.
After the school demolition, bricks were planned to be set aside for people to take as keepsakes. The community plans to plant a garden, and have a monument installed that will incorporate a wooden St. Benedict school sign from 1937, as well as an angel that was saved from the building.
With only a couple weeks before school starts, custodians and contractors are feeling the crunch as they test for mold and clean up Jordan Elementary School. “This will be an unusual start to the year,” Principal Stacy DeCorsey told the Jordan School Board at its Aug. 22 meeting. The school’s air conditioning system malfunctioned during hot and humid July weather, leading to mold growing in the school. This past week, contractors were testing more than 50 rooms for mold. Nearly 30 dehumidifiers were running in the building. Furniture has been moved out of rooms, causing a delay for teachers who want to get into their classrooms. Each book in the library needed to be cleaned. Heat extraction was planned for the carpets on Tuesday. “ T hey’re goi ng to go to every single room and give us the stamp of approval before we move any furniture in,” DeCorsey said, after the meeting.
Cleanup to page 5 ®
HEIMATFEST 2011
Leaving their tiaras behind Miss Jordan royalty represented all of us
After visiting other fields, teen puts home-run end on search
BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com
Where is Jordan? Thankfully for residents here, four young women are chosen each year in the Miss Jordan Ambassador Scholarship program to represent Jordan in parades and events far and wide – and they answer that geography stumper question. A pageant is held each year to choose a Miss Jordan, fi rst princess, second princess and miss congeniality.
Miss Jordan to page 2 ®
Medallion found at Holzer Park BY DAVID SCHUELLER dschueller@swpub.com
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Miss Jordan ambassadors greeted customers at Radermacher’s Fresh Market with warm apple cider at the store’s open house this past winter. They are, from left, First Princess Katie Hovland, Miss Jordan Emily Beckius, Miss Congeniality Marissa Robling and Second Princess Mariah Olinger.
A Jordan High School student off from tennis practice found the Heimatfest medallion around 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18, outside the fence of a softball field at Holzer Park.
Paige Moran, 15, of Jordan, was hunting as part of a family team with her mom Stina Moran and brother Thurston Moran. Medallion hunters, this should get your goat: They found it on their first day of searching.
Medallion to page 8 ®
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PHOTO BY DAVID SCHUELLER
Paige Moran of Jordan noticed the plastic bag near the fence at Holzer Park, and knew she was onto something. She found the Heimatfest medallion the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 18.
VOL. 128, NO. 16 © SOUTHWEST NEWSPAPERS