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New Look. Same Local Coverage since 1854. Vol. 163, No. 25
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, Benton County, MN 56379
District approves 4.36 percent increase BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Graham United Methodist Church rests in rural Benton County. The church celebrates 125 incorporated years this month with two worship services highlighting the milestone.
A promising future after 125 years
RICE – The Sauk Rapids-Rice School Board met Sept. 25 in the Rice gray shingles. Although the property Elementary School media center for is quaint in its country setting, on their regular meeting. Sunday mornings the parking lot of A primary topic of discussion was Graham United Methodist Church the preliminary review and approval Àlls, and people bustle with activity of the 2018 levy. The board approved inside and around the buildings. a 4.36 percent increase during the “I’m amazed that there is a BY NATASHA BARBER meeting, which is approximately church [out here]. We are literally a STAFF WRITER $371,005.36. church in the middle of a corn Àeld,” The Ànal percentage and dollar Rice — Ten minutes east of Rice, said Rev. Ric Koehn, who became amount will be approved at the Dec. nestled amongst a few homes and the resident pastor at Graham United 18 board meeting. The Truth in farmland is a small white church with Methodist this spring. “In today’s Taxation hearing will occur at that meeting as well. PHOTO SUBMITTED In other school board news: Bishop Bruce Ough, leader of the • Superintendent Bruce Watkins, Dakotas-Minnesota Conferences, along with the board, are encouraging will participate in services Oct. 8. members of the community to join the Community Task Force as the district prepares to have another referendum vote as early as spring 2018. • Watkins commented on the successful homecoming week and was impressed with the student behavior and support.
Graham United Methodist celebrates quasquicentennial
Levy approved, land rezoned BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — The Sauk Rapids City Council approved a 7.1 percent increase to the 2018 preliminary levy Sept. 25. The increase amounts to $253,900 and budgets for Sauk Rapids Police OfÀcer Sean Gales to return early to the department from the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force, as well as an additional building ofÀcial assistant to be hired in April. City Ànance director Jack Kahlhamer said he couldn’t specify the exact impact on taxpayers due to the unveriÀed tax capacity but commented that a home valued at $200,000 would likely see at a $77 increase. Kahlhamer stated taxpayers would see additional increases not associated with the city levy as well. The preliminary levy information did not change since the prior update in August. The council has the option to decrease the levy before December. Kahlhamer said he would have updates to the enterprise fund and general fund, as well as the capital improvement plan before that time. Perhaps more controversial at the meeting, was the approval of the rezoning of 10.59 acres from agricultural land to residential. The property in question — located at 11th Street North and Summit Avenue — is considered to be quite wet and the agenda item brought more than ten residents to the meeting. Community development director Todd Schultz recommended that the council approve the rezoning as it is an action in accordance with the city’s comprehensive plan, but also stated that the rezoning alone would not constitute a structure being erected. “Before the city would be willing to offer a building permit on this property it would have to be delineated for wet lands to determine that there is a pad back there large enough to accommodate a home,” Schultz said. “You can’t build in a wetland, so they will have to establish that there are in fact high areas that are not considered legally a wetland for them to be able to get a building permit.” Despite his information, city residents had questions and opposed the property being developed. Some people disputed the undeveloped city street and worried that the wet lands would be destroyed and the pine trees would be taken down. “I’m personally against
City council page 3
Saturday, September 30, 2017
society, rural churches are dying. This church, for some reason, after 125 years seems to be as strong as it possibly can. There is a strong community here — whose roots are here and families are here — and they continue to maintain the ministry of this congregation.” Graham United Methodist Church — 2255 135th Street NE, Rice — is celebrating their quasquicentennial, or 125th anniversary, with two worship events that will eventually hold their own place in Graham’s thick history. Bishop Bruce Ough, leader of the Dakotas-Minnesota Conferences, and Minnesota Big Waters District Superintendent Susan Nienaber will participate in the Sunday, Oct. 8 service at 9 a.m. A meal will follow, with a chance for those attending to socialize with Ough and Nienaber. Toward the end of the month, on Oct. 29, the church will highlight its history in the 9 a.m. Sunday service with former pastors in attendance. Coordinator of Celebrations, AnneMarie Vannurden, has arranged the events and invites all those wishing to participate to the place celebrations those days.
Although the church was ofÀcially incorporated in 1892, Graham has roots that extend into the 1870s. Evangelical Association missionaries began serving the spiritual needs of the pioneers in the area and by 1885 eight families were gathering as a congregation in homes and at the local school house. The group was assigned a pastor from Royalton who rotated between the areas of Elmdale, Hay Creek, Royalton, Buckman and Rice. “The pastor was a circuit rider and the congregation would only get him occasionally. They were meeting in homes and the pastor came by horse and would stay with a family. The Schumann family here is known for taking in the pastor and keeping him overnight,” said parishioner Cliff Weitgenant, of Rice. The, then, Evangelical Association church, which became United Methodist through the merger of denominations over the years, continued to grow with the ofÀcial articles of incorporation being Àled in 1892. A 36 by 24 foot church was built and a cemetery plotted
Graham United page 3
Spreading kindness
Chinander creates a school-wide walk BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – So often in schools, bullying, teasing and general dislike are a common theme among students. Ian Chinander has seen these issues and wanted to do his best to put an end to it. “My mom and I were researching some history one day and it was apparent there is not enough tolerance of each other and not enough kindness in the world,” Chinander said. “I didn’t like that, especially in our own school. I wanted to change that so I brought up the idea of having an anti-hate, or tolerance, walk for our school. They liked the idea, so here
we are.” Chinander’s idea came to pass Sept. 22 when the whole of Mississippi Heights Elementary School went for a walk around the outside of the school. “Ian brought the idea to our principal last year and then it was passed onto myself and Megan Foley (behavior specialist). Ian’s idea was to walk to the middle school, but that just wasn’t doable with the schedules we have for school this year,” said Tara Prom, MHES social worker “We turned it into a walk around the building and coupled it with our visit from a well-known hip-hop artist, Tyler Lydeen.” Chinander took up the idea of having a walk from previous walks the school has done, such as Walk for Life. “Having a walk worked for other things at the school seemed to work
well, so I took the idea and worked with it,” Chinander said. “The more people we have involved in it, the better the message will be received.” For Chinander, it all comes back to kindness, tolerance and respect. “I really want to make kindness a priority,” Chinander said. “If kindness isn’t important, we hear a lot of nasty things and kindness is way better than those things.” Throughout the walk’s planning and development stages, Chinander had to present to a couple different groups, including Prom and Foley and the student council PATH
Chinander page 3 PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Ian Chinander feels the world needs more kindness. On Sept. 22, MHES had an anti-hate walk, an idea which came from Chinander.
Brighter than sunshine SunÁower grows from school Styrofoam BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
Isabella Ramey, 7, stands in front of a giant sunÁower Sept. 22 at her home in Rice. This past spring, she brought the plant home from school.
At 4-feet 1-inch Isabella looks up and smiles. Her cheeks blush red as you ask her the spelling of her name. With a jeweled headband, black-framed glasses and colorful clothing, Isabella Ramey is the epitome of a 7-year-old girl. Yet, what stands behind her is anything but typical, or is it? Last spring, like many Rice Elementary students, Isabella brought home a sprouted sunÁower that was planted in a white Styrofoam coffee cup. The then Àrst-grader had sowed the seed in a unit of Mrs. Christensen’s class. “We were planting some sunÁowers,” Isabella said. “It was an activity. We had to do who can grow the sunÁower the biggest and I think I won.” Although the lesson may
have not been a competition, the conÀdence Isabella portrays and the over 10-foot tall sunÁower towering over her small stature will surely have you nodding in agreement. That’s right. The tiny bud in a cup — that for many elementary students and their guardians amounts to nothing more than rotted organic
Ramey page 2 A large sunÁower blossom attracts bees and other insects Sept. 22 in Rice. Seven-year-old Isabella Ramey planted a small sprout that turned into an over 10-foot high stalk at her home near Little Rock Lake.