WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 123 NO. 13 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: SCF volleyball wins Regional. PAGE 12
Chieftain cross country runs away with Sub-Sectional and Sectional titles
The public has spoken, and they want to keep speaking BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER
It has been a different sports season this year due to the pandemic but for the Osceola Chieftain cross country team, the more things change, the more they stay the same. This season travel has been restricted for all Wisconsin sports and for cross country there is a different playoff format. This year teams were assigned to Sub-Sectionals first before they competed at Sectionals and a chance to go to State. This was done to minimize the number of teams at the Sectional meet. Osceola apparently has taken a liking to the new format as both the boys’ and girls’ teams placed first at both the Sub-Sectional that was held in Amery and the Sectional hosted by Barron. Another common theme for the Chieftains is that they had the top runner in both the boys’ and girls’ races at both meets. Ju-
Public comments during Polk County Board of Supervisors meetings in August were a topic of debate. Chair Chris Nelson suggested they should stop verbal public comments and only allow written. In the weeks since the meeting, County Clerk Lisa Ross received over 50 written comments defending the right to have verbal comments at the meeting. Not all Supervisors agreed with Nelson’s wishes, but did ultimately approve removing a rider in an unrelated rule of order, changing resolution that supports the spoken comment decision, which will be discussed in the future. Also approved were a resolution to modify the procedures in the county rules of order concerning the lack of policy when it comes to vacancies left by supervisors. The country recently had two vacancies at the same
JO JASPERSON | THE SUN
Chieftain runners Mason Hancock and Jacob Hall look comfortable for Osceola in the Sectional race at Barron. Osceola placed first as a team and will compete at State this Saturday. Senior Lauren Ellefson (right) played a huge role in the girls’ cross country wins at Sub-Sectionals and Sectionals.
nior Quinn McDonald raced to first place in Amery and Barron as did sophomore Rachel Ulrich. This is the second straight season that Ulrich has placed first at Sectionals. The Osceola girls had their way at the Sectional meet with a comfortable win over
second place Hayward, who also advanced to the Sectional meet. The Chieftains placed first among the eight schools competing setting up the Sectional finals. At Sectionals OHS had to deal with season long nemesis St. Croix
time when Supervisor, Jim Edgell passed away and Supervisor, Brian Masters announced he was moving out of state. This left Chair Chris Nelson to appoint the seats to Sharon Kelly-District 8 and Dan Ruck-District 6. The change in procedure now requires a twothirds vote for approval. The Polk County Executive Committee will assist in in the process of reviewing candidates and the board chair would nominate the chosen candidate, who would then need the twothirds vote. The board approved a resolution supporting veterans outreach, a resolution to urge the state to push for phone fees supporting 911 dispatching improvements, a Balsam Lake zoning change, Public Hearing for the 2021 budget and a resolution bumping the Act 150 municipal library reimbursement up five percent, from 90 to 95.
SEE OHS CC, PAGE 23
Arrest made in six-year Polk County cold case BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
Late January, Polk County Sheriff Sheriff’ss Dep Department set a g goal of revisiti an unsolved ing c case that affected P Polk County and t Round Lake the C Community Jan. 1 2014; the hit11, Endres a and-run, double fatality that took the lives of Ben Juarez and Rick Cobenais.
Ten months later, that revisit has paid off. Andrew Endres, 32, Randolph, Minn., has been charged with two counts of hit and run involving death. Six years ago, witnesses said Cobenais, concerned over Juarez’s ability to drive, took his car keys. An altercation ensued that spilled into the traffic lanes of County Road E. A truck approached from the north and hit them. Evidence at the scene and witness statements indicated that after striking the pair, the
truck stopped. The driver and a front passenger exited the vehicle and began to approach the scene before abruptly running back to the vehicle and fleeing to the south. Jan. 31, 2020, in a news conference, Cobenais’ son, Thomas Fowler spoke. When speaking of the individuals who fled the scene six years ago he said, “I don’t hold grudges against them. As an Anishinaabe we are taught that forgiveness gives us peace, but I do not have anyone to forgive. My
peace has been disrupted for five years.” He described how since the incident he has had anxiety over people walking and jogging on the local county roads. “There are two individuals out there who feel it is ok to run someone over and keep going. I need peace so I can move on with the rest of my life. I am ready to forgive these two individuals. Be a man. Do the right thing. I cannot keep reliving this,” he said. It was not one of the indi-
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viduals that ended up coming forward, but someone else who had learned of the incident. According to the criminal complaint, the Polk County Sheriff’s Department received a call Sept. 28 from an individual identified as MJL, who said his estranged wife, identified as KKL, was intoxicated one evening and told him her friend, Endres, was the individual who had struck and killed the Native Americans. SEE COLD CASE, PAGE 14
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