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Honoring all who served November 11
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Saturday, November 11, 2023
Same Local Coverage Since 1854.
Vol. 169, No. 32
Elevating women Sauk Rapids dance center to participate in Zonta Christmas House BY MAURA WENNER STAFF WRITER
Sauk Rapids-Rice graduate keeps U.S. Air Force fighters
flying high
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With Christmas less than 50 days away, the Zonta Club of St. Cloud will be hosting its 32nd annual Zonta Christmas House event. Traditionally, a chosen local home welcomes various designers and stores within the area to decorate a room in Christmas fashion and ticket holders visit for inspiration. This year, one of the presented 15 vendors has a local tie. Shantelle DesMarais, owner of Elevate Dance Center in downtown Sauk Rapids, and her mother, CeCe, are participating in the event. “We are decorating a room as a bonding activity together but also because we like decorating and what the Zonta ell House stands Sha n t for,” DesMarais said. The event takes place Friday, Nov. 17, and Saturday, Nov. 18, at 22807 Rausch Lake Road in St. Cloud. Tickets can be purchased online, at area businesses and at the door. Zonta International strives to help women around the world. The St. Cloud chapter’s Zonta Christmas House proceeds help to support local organizations who have the same purpose in mind. Anna Marie’s Alliance, Terebinth Refuge, Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center and St. Cloud Area Crisis Nursery are among the recipients. “This seemed like a good opportunity to get our business involved in the community and do something good for them,” DesMarais said. Originally from Pipestone, DesMarais moved to St. Cloud for college and decided to stay in the area permanently after graduating, leading her to opening Elevate Dance Center in June 2022.
Zonta page 3
Chief Master Sgt. Rohde’s service includes global assignments
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE
ter) and Air Force Achievement Medal (one cluster). He met his wife, Cheryl, halfway Joseph Rohde enlisted in the U.S. Air Force about a month-and-a-half after through one of his early overseas deploygraduating from Sauk Rapids Rice-High ments in the Republic of Korea. They have been married 22 years and have School in 1997. three children — Sophia, 18, Alexander, His aviation interest took off with 16, and Dominic, 14. guidance from former teacher Curt OlRohde has maintenance and manson. “He taught an amazing applied tech- agement experience on multiple U.S. Air Force ghter aircraft. nology class,” Rohde said. “We would His assignments have included bases carve propellors from a single block of wood to see how ef cient we could make in Arizona, South Korea, Italy, Virginia, Hawaii, Nevada and Japan. them.” “My speci c job could be compared Rohde is currently a chief master sergeant and has served with the U.S. Air to being a NASCAR crew chief,” Rohde said. “I started off being in charge of one Force for 26 years. aircraft. Having my name on the side of His active duty and service assignments have taken him around the world. a $27 million aircraft when I was 19 was Rohde has been awarded the Bronze pretty awesome. I’m getting to the end my active-duty career. Global travel has Star, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal (four oak leaf clusters), Air Force been a de nite eye-opener.” Commendation Medal (one oak leaf clusRohde page 2
The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
BY TIM HENNAGIR | STAFF WRITER
PUBLIC NOTICES
OBITUARIES
• Mortgage Foreclosure - pg. 18 • Probate Notice - Christianson - pg. 18 • Benton County Board of Commissioners Reg. Minutes, Oct. 17 - pg. 18 • Benton County Board of Commissioners Special Minutes. Oct. 20 - pg. 19 • Sauk Rapids-Rice School Board Meeting, Oct. 23 - pg. 19
Herbert A. Bechtold Lynn M. Repulski
(Top) A F-15E Strike Eagle (front) from the 494th Fighter Squadron and a F-35A Lightning II from the 495th Fighter Squadron with the U.S. Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing based in Lakenheath, England, fly in formation. Chief Master Sgt. Rohde, a 1997 Sauk Rapids-Rice High School graduate, leads the maintenance group that is responsible for maintaining the high-tech fighter aircraft. (Inset) Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Rohde is serving as senior enlisted leader with the U.S. Air Force’s 48th Maintenance Group at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England. He is stationed 70 miles northeast of London and 25 miles northeast of Cambridge.
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