The Sun 03.04.2020

Page 1

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2020

Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897

VOL. 122 NO. 31 www.osceolasun.com $1.00

SPORTS: Two SCF wrestlers crowned State Champions. PAGE 13

Two OHS students win Kohl Scholarships

Osceola looks to expand 4K BY TOM STANGL PUBLISHER

Four year old kindergarten (4K) is one of the programs that looks to benefit from the passage of the first question voters in the Osceola school district will determine the fate of April 7. The district is looking to expand the current program to all day every day. Since its inception in 2005, the program has offered half day sessions in the morning and afternoon, Monday through Thursday. Wraparound day care is offered so 4K students remain at the school for an entire day while parents are at work. Currently, 105 children are enrolled in the district’s 4K program. District Superintendent Mark Luebker says the state pays either 50 or 60% to the district, SEE 4K, PAGE 8

TOM STANGL | THE SUN

Students enjoy playing on iPads during play time at Osceola’s 4K. If voters approve question one April 7, the program will expand to all day, every day.

Daylight saving in question by states BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM

Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8, 2020, when you’ll move your clocks forward by one hour to 3 a.m. This means you should be prepared to lose an hour of sleep, but in return you will gain an extra hour of daylight. Some U.S. states are “springing ahead” with their own ideas on daylight saving time. Puerto Rico, the Virgin

The Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship is one of the most recognized scholarships throughout Wisconsin. The purpose of the Kohl Excellence Scholarship program is to recognize student leadership, citizenship, school and community involvement, and academic achievement. Sean Rogers was awarded a Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship. He was one of 193 seniors chosen in the state of Wisconsin. Rogers is planning to attend either St. Olaf or Northwestern to study biology. This year, Tyler Dye was awarded the Herb Kohl Initiative Scholarship. He was one of 100 seniors selected by their local school districts. The intent of this scholSEE SCHOLARSHIPS, PAGE 7

Tyler Dye

Polk County ponders meth problem How has it evolved? BY KELLY HOLM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, Hawaii and most of Arizona, do not observe the time change. The exception in Arizona is in the Navajo Nation, which takes part in the biannual clock change to and from daylight saving time. The state of Utah will spring ahead this year, and, if the governor signs a new bill, the state may stay at that time perma-

The Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory (WSCL) drug cases dashboard provides county-by-county statistics on the number of cases in which a sample of a particular drug was sent to the forensic lab for analysis. The most recent set of complete data on the dashboard pertains to 2018. When it comes to methamphetamine, that year saw 69 Polk County cases and corresponding reports through the WSCL, one more case than Milwaukee County, the most populous county in the state. Neighboring Barron County had the highest number of meth cases, 155, sent to the WSCL in 2018. It should be noted that these statistics do not necessarily imply what the rates of metham-

SEE SAVING, PAGE 18

SEE METH, PAGE 18

NEWS 715-294-2314 editor@osceolasun.com

Sean Rogers

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KELLY HOLM | THE SUN

On WI-87 south into St. Croix Falls, this sign urges the public to report any information they have regarding area methamphetamine activity.

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MARCH 4, 2020

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School district identiďŹ es $10 million in building needs for referendum BY TOM STANGL TSTANGL@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM

Voters in the Osceola School District will go to the polls April 7 to decide the fate of two ballot questions. One of the measures is a $1 million operational referendum for two years to pay for

Building/Location

educational programming and curriculum, transportation and safety and staffing. The second measure is a $10 million loan for facility needs that will be repaid over four years. District Superintendent Mark Luebker says the district currently has about $15 million in needs for the district’s three

buildings. The needs were pared down to $10 million and would be paid for by the second ballot question. Questions at the first information meeting about the elementary school not being included in this list of needs were answered by Luebker. He said the district did an analy-

Area of Work

sis of the elementary building, the oldest structure in the district, in 2013. That study indicated the building would need $12-$13 million in repairs to be lived in for the next 20 -25 years. Here is a list of projects that would be undertaken with the $10 million if the voters pass

Description of Work

High School

Safety & Security

Secured Entrance - Alum. Entrance only includes 20% for HVAC Electrical, finishes

High School

Safety & Security

Security cameras

High School

Safety & Security

Fire Alarm Replacement

High School

Network Infrastructure

District Firewall Replacement (includes Firewall, Threat Protection and Licensing)

High School

Network Infrastructure

the referendum question. There are two remaining public information meetings for the referendum: March 16, 6:30 p.m., Osceola Intermediate School Auditorium and March 30, 6:30 p.m., Osceola Intermediate School Auditorium.

Quantity

Unit of Measure

Cost 2020 Estimate

250

sf

$110,422

1

ea

$126,196

174,000

sf

$511,095

1

ea

$25,795

Replacement of Network Switches

12

ea

$74,527

High School

Energy Efficiency/HVAC

1996 Chiller replacement

1

ea

$310,052

High School

Energy Efficiency/HVAC

1996 Boilers

2

ea

$826,804

High School

Energy Efficiency/HVAC

Replace Hot Water heater

2

ea

$39,164

High School

Energy Efficiency/HVAC

1996 10 Ton A/C in main office replacement

1

ls

$10,879

High School

Energy Efficiency/Electrical

Replace Building Interior Lights with LED

174,350

ea

$616,445

High School

Energy Efficiency/Electrical

Upgrade Auditorium Lighting

High School

Roof

1996 Roof

1

ls

$108,790

139,810

ea

$1,368,894

High School

Roof

1998 Roof replacement

14,530

ls

$142,265

High School

Site

Sealcoat parking lot

180,000

ls

$195,822

High School

Interior

Carpet flooring to polished concrete

High School

Interior

IMC, LGI, Band, Choir, SPED classrooms to Carpet

High School

Interior

High School

Exterior

13

rms

$120,213

15,000

sf

$130,548

Gym Net - Remove hard partition

1

ls

$38,077

Tuck Pointing and Caulk Joints

1

ls

High School

Sub Total of Costs

High School

Project Management, Architect/Engineer, permitting, commissioning

$217,580 $4,973,568 $1,243,392

High School

TOTAL

$6,216,960

Middle School

Safety & Security

Replace PA system

1

t

$36,710

Middle School

Safety & Security

Security cameras

1

ea

$91,252

Middle School

Network Infrastructure

Replacement of Network Switches

8

ea

$47,902

Middle School

Energy Efficiency/HVAC

1992 Carrier AHU - replace 15 ton A/C 6th grade wing

1

ls

$18,355

Middle School

Energy Efficiency/HVAC

1992 Carrier AHU - replace 5 ton A/C D.O. wing

1

ea

$7,867

Middle School

Energy Efficiency/HVAC

1996 Trane RTU with A/C 15 ton

1

ea

$20,977

Middle School

Energy Efficiency/HVAC

Provide Kitchen Makeup Unit with gas heat

1

ea

$25,173

Middle School

Energy Efficiency/Electrical

Replace Interior Lighting with LED

103,000

ea

$324,101

Middle School

Roof

1992 roof 20-30 year life expectancy

12,000

ea

$113,278

Middle School

Building Envelope

Minor Tuck-pointing & caulking

1

ea

$31,466

Middle School

Building Envelope

Tuck pointing/brick repair Phase 2

1

ea

$138,451

Middle School

Building Envelope

Classroom window replacement

25

ea

$28,844

Middle School

Food Service

Cooler Freezer repairs

Middle School

Interior Finishes

Student locker replacement 1983 lockers

Middle School

Interior Finishes

Carpet to polished concrete

Middle School

Interior Finishes

Carpet IMC, Band, Choir SPED rooms

Middle School

Data

Replace Clocks

1

ls

$20,977

400

ea

$111,180

10

rms

$78,665

10,000

sf

$83,910

1

t

$31,466

Middle School

Sub Total of Costs

$1,210,576

Middle School

Project Management, Architect/Engineer, permitting, commissioning

$302,644

Middle School

TOTAL

$1,513,220

Pool

Energy Efficiency

Pool blanket - cover

1

ea

$41,955

Pool

Roof

1996 roof 20-30 year life expectancy

26,300

ea

$257,506

Pool

Pool Interior

Re Surface Pool interior

10,000

sf

$52,444

Pool

Sub Total of Costs

$351,904

Pool

Project Management, Architect/Engineer, permitting, commissioning

$87,976

Pool

TOTAL

$439,880

Intermediate School

Safety & Security

Secured Entrance - Alum. Entrance only includes 20% for HVAC Electrical

250

ea

$110,422

Intermediate School

Safety & Security

Security cameras

1

ea

$63,098

Intermediate School

Safety & Security

Replace PA system

1

t

$55,211

Intermediate School

Network Infrastructure

Replacement of Network Switches

10

ea

$60,934

Intermediate School

Energy Efficiency/HVAC

2002 chiller

1

ea

$271,975

Intermediate School

Energy Efficiency/Electrical

Replace Interior lighting with LED

85,000

sf

$323,650

Intermediate School

Building Envelope

Caulking and minor brick repair

1

ea

$59,835

Intermediate School

Site

Sealcoat Parking Lots includes baseball/softball lots

1

ea

$43,516

Intermediate School

Interior

Carpet in Classrooms

45,000

sf

Intermediate School

Sub Total of Costs

Intermediate School

Project Management, Architect/Engineer, permitting, commissioning

Intermediate School

Total Priorities Cost 2020

$480,387 $1,469,028 $367,257

TOTAL

$1,836,285

$10,006,345

& MARCH 4, 2020

THE SUN

3

www.osceolasun.com

MARCH 4

Village of Osceola offices.

an interview.

Senior Citizens Club meeting The Osceola Senior Citizens Club will meet at noon in the Senior Center at the Osceola Discovery Center. Presentation by author Mark Hayes Peacock. For more information or a ride call 715-2944566. Also looking for Duplicate Bridge players for an afternoon group Mon, Wed, or Fri. Call if interested.

MARCH 5 GriefShare

GriefShare, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the New Life Christian Community, Dresser. New group. FFI: (715) 557-1431.

“Unplanned” movie shown Options for Women/Tri-County will be showing the movie “Unplanned” at the Alliance Church of the Valley in St. Croix Falls at 6:30 p.m. www.WRTL.org/Unplanned.

Movie Time An educational movie series with interesting history with a purpose to unite will be shown at 6:30 p.m. at the Osceola Discovery Center, Room 205. Sponsored by the Polk County Republican Party.

MARCH 7 Used book sale

Friends of the Library Used Book Sale, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Discovery Center, Osceola. Third Avenue entrance.

MARCH 12 Polk County Democrats meet Polk County Democrats will have their monthly meeting and delegate training at 6 p.m. in the Amery Community Center, 608 Harriman Ave, Amery.

MARCH 13 Variety show The Osceola High School Variety Show will be at 6 p.m. at the Osceola High School Auditorium. Admission is pay as you can.

MARCH 14 Chili feed and bingo Bethany Lutheran Church in Star Prairie will be having a chili feed and bingo from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Bluebird nest box workshop A bluebird nest box workshop is planned at the Ice Age Center, Interstate Park in St. Croix Falls from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Construct your own box. Small fee.

MARCH 16 School referendum meeting A community information meeting about the School District of Osceola referendums will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Osceola Intermediate School Media Room.

MARCH 20 Community Coffee

MARCH 8 Palt Dinner Trinity Lutheran Church in McKinley, 1/4 mile east of Luck on Hwy. 48, will be having a traditional (Swedish) boiled palt dinner, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Osceola Police Department will be having Community Coffee at Caribou Coffee from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Stop in and talk with local police officers.

MARCH 25 Last Wednesday Meal

MARCH 9 An educational movie series with interesting history with a purpose to unite will be shown at 6:30 p.m. at the Osceola Discovery Center, Room 205. Sponsored by the Polk County Republican Party.

The Last Wednesday Meal for February will be prepared and served by Osceola United Methodist Church. The meal will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Osceola United Methodist Church. It is a free meal that is open to everyone in the community.

MARCH 10

MARCH 25-26

Movie Time

Rise N’Shine education series

Gift/book fundraiser

Upgrade your skills running a successful business, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Osceola Discovery Center. To register: https://www.myosceolachamber.org.

Job Fair

The Partners of OMC will be having a gift and book fundraiser, Collective Goods (formerly known as Books are Fun), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, at the Osceola Medical Center, Cascade Room.

A Job Fair is planned at the Polk County Government Center, 100 Polk Plaza, Balsam Lake. It will be in the East Conference Room, second floor, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Bring resume and be prepared for

* The Discovery Center is located at 310 Chieftain St., Osceola, and houses the Osceola Senior Center, Wilberg Memorial Public Library and the

Delivering Your Community Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897 108 Cascade street Osceola, Wisconsin 715-294-2314 715-755-3316

ONGOING

Dr. Thomas Hauge

Dr. Casey Chantelois

Dr. Carla Hauge

• Adult crafting on the first Monday of the month, 5:30 p.m. at the Wilberg Memorial Public Library in Osceola. Registration is required. 715-294-2310. * • The Dresser & St. Croix Falls Area VFW Post #4186 meets the third Monday of every month at 2 p.m. at the Dresser VFW Hall. • The Valley Chess Masters Club meets on the second and fourth Monday, 4:30 to 6 p.m., St. Croix Falls Public Library. scflibrary@ stcroixfallslibrary.org. • Read & Review Book Group meets the last Monday at Dresser Library, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. • The St. Croix Valley Camera Club meets the third Monday, 7 p.m. at the Chisago County Government Center in Center City. All abilities are welcome. • The American Legion Post 221 meets the second Monday at 7 p.m. at the Osceola Senior Center. 715294-3822. * • KC Robert F. Kennedy Council 6567 meets the third Monday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Osceola, 7 p.m.

Tuesday • Tech help is available at the Wilberg Memorial Public Library in Osceola from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.* • St. Croix Valley MOPS - Moms group meets the first and third Tuesday at New Life Christian Community in Dresser. FFI: stcroixvalleymops@gmail.com.

Wednesday • Book club for adults at Wilberg Memorial Public Library the fourth Wednesday. Books available at the library. FFI: Anne Miller, 715-294-2310. * • Get Lit Book Club, second Wednesday, 6 p.m. at PY’s in Osceola. Stop at the Osceola Public Library for a copy of each month’s book. • Open Mic Night at PY’s Bar & Grill in Osceola, every third Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Bring your instrument and participate in an open jam or feature your own music. Call 715-294-3314 for more details. • Osceola Senior Citizens Club meets the first Wednesday of every month at noon in the Senior Center at the Osceola Discovery Center. *

Thursday • Tech help is available at the Wilberg Memorial Public Library in Osceola from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. * • Polk County Democrats meet the second Thursday at the Village Pizzeria in Dresser at 5:30 p.m.

Dr. Jordan Dittberner

• Ceramic Crowns (1 day crowns) • Oral Surgery (implants) • Cosmetic • Orthodontics (SureSmile) • Family Dentistry • Sleep Apnea Testing and Appliances • In-house Insurance Benefit Program • Now offering Botox

108 Chieftain St. • P.O. Box 159 • Osceola, WI

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MEETINGS THIS WEEK

Monday

715-294-2202 • Fax: 715-294-9995 www.haugedentalcare.com

WEDNESDAY

SATURDAY

• Osceola TOPS meets at Trinity Lutheran Church. Weigh-in, 7-8:20 a.m., meeting, 8:30-9:30. FFI: 715-755-3123. • Lego Lab, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Dresser Library. • Non-denominational men’s prayer breakfast, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Osceola Community Church, 651329-9535. • Tai Chi, 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Osceola Senior Center. * • St. Croix Falls Rotary Club meets in the French Room at the Dalles House Restaurant, noon. Lunch, business meeting and speaker. Warren White, 715-483-3010 or website at http://scfrotary.org/ • Adult basic education classes at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC). Call 800243-9482 ext. 4257 or visit witc.edu/adult/basicedprogram.htm.

• Weight Watchers meets at Hope E. Free Church, Osceola. Weighin, 7:30 a.m. Meeting, 8:15 a.m. Kim, 715-417-0683. • Osceola Running Club meets at Mill Pond Park in Osceola at 7 a.m. Saturdays. Go to www.runosceola.org, Paul Smith at 715-410-6047.

THURSDAY • GriefShare, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the New Life Christian Community, Dresser. Free. Meets weekly through April. FFI: (715) 201-2295. • Free Baby & Me classes from 5 to 6 p.m. at Osceola Medical Center. To register, 715-684-4440. • Dual Recovery Anonymous, 7:15 p.m. at the St. Croix Falls Alano. 715-755-3639. • AA meets at Trinity Lutheran Church, Osceola at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church, Dresser. • Family Game Night at Dresser Library, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. • Osceola Seniors 500 card group, 12:30 p.m.-4 p.m. at the Osceola Senior Center. *

FRIDAY • AA meets at Trinity Lutheran Church, Osceola at 7 p.m. Topic meeting. • Qigong, 9 a.m. at the Osceola Senior Center.

Poppy is a two year old Classic Calico with a gorgeous patchwork Calico saddle and mask. Poppy also has the confident Calico personality. She is friendly to everyone and will leave her perch to greet anyone who comes to visit. She enjoys proper adoration and petting, befitting of a well behaved diva but is also at home in her own company. Catnip toys bring out her playful side. Poppy will make a great companion kitty for someone. Two dogs and three cats were adopted d t d last l t week. k TTabby bb bbrothth ers Lex and Gecko found homes easily. A young woman fell for the quiet and casual Sasha. And Australian Shepherd Mix, Ryker found his very own boy. They made a great team. The big news is that after three months at the shelter, our dynamic Lab-Pit mix Tate found his forever home. He was surrendered in late November for lack of training. For a Pit mix at 10 months of age, that is a problem. Tate was playful to his very core, but that had gotten out of hand, having never been taught proper play with humans. Without this lesson, he relied on his canine rough and tumble play style, using his mouth to engage playmates; it was all he knew.

SUNDAY • Pleasant Lake 4-H Club meets the first Sunday of each month at 4 pm at the Dresser Community Hall. Teri Wallis at 715-566-0802.

MONDAY

• The Voices of the Valley meets at 6:30 p.m. at the ArtBarn in Osceola. This group is for adults with special needs who enjoy singing. 715-4940385. • The Indianhead Barbershop Chorus meets at 7:30 p.m. in the government building in Balsam Lake. 715-483-9202. • Divorce Care Support Group, Grace Church of Osceola, 6:30 p.m. • AA meets at Trinity Lutheran Church in Osceola at 7 p.m. and Osceola United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. • Music and Movement storytime, St. Croix Falls Public Library, 10:15 a.m. • Little’s Storytime at Dresser Library, 10:30 a.m. • Qigong, 9 a.m. at the Osceola Senior Center. *

TUESDAY • Storytime every Tuesday at Wilberg Memorial Public Library, 10:30 a.m. * • AA for women at Trinity Lutheran Church in Osceola, 7 p.m. • Seniors on the Go card group, 12:30-4 p.m an the Osceola Senior Center. * • Storytime, Wilberg Memorial Public Library in Osceola, 10:30 a.m. 715294-2310. *

His first month at the shelter was all about teaching him not use his mouth – on your arm, on the leash, to get your attention, to play tug-of-war. He was rewarded for quiet engagement, rewarded for not using the leash as a tug toy, for learning sit, wait and down. Tate was very smart and he learned quickly, enjoying the game of learning. It took numerous potential adoption introductions but Tate did finally meet his forever home Bulldog-Pit mix playmate Odin, over the weekend. They were introduced in our exercise pen and worked out their play strategy before ever going home. Odin’s parents now have two over-the-top playful Pit Mixes. They will undoubtedly keep them on their toes and engaged. We are thrilled to see Tate in a home where he will receive the love and attention he deserves. There are no kittens available this time of year, but we do have a few wonderful adult cats. Nina is an older Brown Tabby. She is looking for a quiet home to soak up some sunshine and purr in her sleep. Valyrie has a medium long coat of soft Grey Tabby. She is almost too friendly and would make a great cat for a family with young children. Seraphina is a Dark Grey Tabby with green eyes. She is a looker with a super soft coat. Kent has a Brown Tabby and White coat; he is a gentle kitty, just one year old. Send a photo of your Amazing Pets to our Facebook page. We want to revel in the Awesomeness of your furry best friends. For National Love Your Pet Day, we are posting photos from pet parents who want to share how special their Amazing Pets are. They don’t need to be adopted from Arnell. We are looking for any and all of the incredible Pet Pal photos you want to share. This is your chance to show the brilliance of your favorite pet. We will share the smile.

Arnell Memorial Humane Society 715 268-7387: ARNELLHUMANE.ORG and Facebook

4 THE SUN

www.osceolasun.com

MARCH 4, 2020

It’s fishy, but worth it

H

appy Lent to you all. Yes, saying “happy” and “Lent” in the same sentence may appear to be a misnomer when discussing the time we turn inward to reflect on our faith and actions, but there are many, many reasons to embrace the 40 days of the season. I am a Christian, raised as a Catholic, so I have war stories about Lent. I’m sure you do as well, especially from your childhood. Telling children that they be better off spiritually by Publisher will giving up candy for 40 long days and dealing with the whining and Tom Stangl complaining should qualify parents for some level of sainthood. My parents raised six children and endured for decades seemingly endless whining about the depravity and abuse of giving up pop or candy. As bad as the cacophonous wailing was about no Snickers candy bars, it was truly nothing compared to the reaction to meat-less Friday meals. Catholics after the Vatican II conference were allowed to eat meat on Fridays, except during Lent. While this was a tremendous boon to meat lovers, fish haters found yet another reason to be miserable during Lent. My mother, rest her soul, did her best to keep us happy and follow doctrine. It was far from easy on both fronts, but we children knew that Mom would always err on the side of the church. No one was soiling their soul because they wanted meat Friday, not on her watch. So we had fish sticks. Lots of fish sticks. To mix it up we had what I liked to call “rich people’s breakfast” for dinner — pancakes and eggs. Lots of macaroni and cheese as well. I was never a fan of fish, but eating those awful fish sticks in the 1970s has scarred me for life. I can recall looking at Sizzlean, a faux bacon of the time, hoping beyond hope that it was meatless, only to learn it had pork. It was a sad realization. As an adult, I realize that having a period of time where we become introspective about our lives, our actions and our faith is a healthy thing. In our instant gratification, spilt-second attention span world, slowing down and denying ourselves things we are accustomed to having actually makes us appreciate them more when we have an opportunity to enjoy them again. Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Christ had many doubts about the next phase in his life. Up until this point he was able to live a normal life and enjoy the world as much as the son of God can do. Like us, he had to make choices and sacrifices. Lent is an annual time to renew our commitment to our faith and simplify our lives. I didn’t mean to jam religion down your throats, gentle reader. The arrival of Lent as the last terrible part of winter arrives gives us hope that the rebirth and renewal of spring, glorious spring, is just around the corner. We can put up with some sacrifices and tough out the time until Easter arrives. We can then truly enjoy the celebration, safe in the knowledge that we have once again abided and done our part. Until then, tough out the fish sticks. As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@theameryfreepress. com, telephone 715-268-8101 or write me at P.O. Box 424, Amery, WI, 54001. Thanks for reading I’ll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.

Active member of

HOW TO REACH US: Our office is located at 108 Cascade Street, Osceola, WI 54020. We are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday. Call: (715) 294-2314, (715) 755-3316, or fax at (715) 7553314. TO SUBSCRIBE: office@osceolasun.com The Sun is mailed to the homes of subscribers for delivery every

THE POSTSCRIPT Push-ups P h with ith B Bob b

B

ob suggested we all do pushups. I guess I should mention that I don’t know Bob. Peter, my husband, knew Bob in high school. To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure Peter and Bob were even close pals in high school. But Bob sent me a Facebook friend request shortly after he became Facebook friends Peter and, Columnist with even though I don’t know Bob, I acCarrie Classon cepted. Then Bob h ll d me tto do push-ups. challenged “Join me in the push-up challenge!” Bob said. I was delighted that I been invited. I love the idea of a personal trainer—although I am far too cheap to hire one. Here was Bob, offering to provide encouragement and support and that’s important, especially as we get older. A person can coast through their thirties and forties without a care and then one day, you flap your arms in the

mirror and discover you look like a bat. It’s not good. Now here was Bob, offering to save me from my bat wings. I was delighted. Looking back on it now, I’m not sure Bob really intended for me to take up his challenge. I suspect he was thinking that other friends— friends he actually knew—might be inspired to start doing push-ups with him every day. But I appreciate when someone challenges me to try something new. So, when Bob suggested that we should all start doing push-ups, I started doing push-ups. I wasn’t very good at first. But the nice thing about having a long-distance coach is that Bob was not very demanding. I figured if I added one push-up every other day the days would add up—and they did. “I’m still doing push-ups!” I reported to my new friend, Bob, with some regularity. Bob didn’t write back but I like to think he nodded approvingly. Then, I stopped. I got busy and preoccupied and I let one day go and then another and soon it had been a week and, before long, it had been a month

and I’d not done a single push-up. I could hardly look Bob in the face—except that I didn’t have to, as I mentioned, because I don’t actually know Bob. Still, I felt bad. Today I was sitting and thinking of how things were going in my life—sort of taking an inventory, the way I like to do from time to time. I have a book halfway finished and that makes me happy. I’ve been eating more or less healthy—although Peter has been on a cookie-baking binge and having freshly baked cookies in the house is a hazard. But overall, I thought things were going pretty well until I remembered the pushups—and Bob. “I haven’t reported to Bob in ages!” I thought. And it was true. I had ditched my personal trainer and I was not feeling good about it. So, today I came clean and wrote to Bob. “Hey Bob! I stopped doing push-ups and felt terrible, but I’ve started again!” I wrote. And then I added, “Thank you for your inspiration.” I knew Bob probably didn’t remember who I was, and that’s SEE POSTSCRIPT, PAGE 6

LETTER GUIDELINES Letters to the Editor are published with priority given to letters that are concise (400 words or less) and exclusive to our newspaper, from readers in our general distribution area. All letters are subject to editing for grammar and clarity and must contain the undersigned’s full name and their address and daytime telephone number for verification. (Addresses and phone numbers will not be printed.) Letter writers must live, work or have another connection to The Sun’s coverage area. Due to space limitations, letters that don’t address local issues are not guaran-

Wednesday. One year subscription in Polk County is available for $29, two years is $51. A subscription outside Polk County is $34 for one year, $61 for 2 years. NEWS ITEMS: editor@osceolasun.com News releases of general interest must be at our office by Friday noon to be considered for publication.

teed publication. Staff reserves the right to refrain from printing a letter. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Letters may be emailed to: editor@osceolasun.com no later than noon Friday the week preceding publication. The Sun welcomes readers’ suggestions for news stories as well as their comments on stories that have been printed. News releases should be typed and include appropriate contact information. They will be printed as space permits in the first issue possible. There are no guarantees that news releases will run.

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subject to editing and are not guaranteed publication. The Sun (USPS 412-760) is published weekly by Sentinel Publications, 108 Cascade Street, P.O. Box 248, Osceola, WI 54020. Periodicals postage paid at Osceola, WI 54020. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Sun, P.O. Box 248, Osceola, WI 54020.

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TO THE EDITOR

YEARS AGO

Referendum Regarding the upcoming referendum for the Osceola School District, your readers should know that the state implemented major funding cuts in 2012, pushing more of the funding responsibility down to local property taxpayers, and freezing a school district’s funding when a referendum fails. With a projected state surplus of about $600 million, the governor recently called the legislature into special session to provide relief for both school funding and property taxes. Instead of working with the governor, the legislature gaveled in and out of the session in less than a minute and instead sent him a bill that had neither. This is what Rep. Magnifici was touting last week. No one should be surprised it was vetoed. Also last week Bernie Desmarais launched his candidacy for the school board with a conspiracy theory that the District is trying to hide something, because it is planning 5 years out while only asking for a 2-year funding bump. It’s no secret that both private and public entities plan past their next budget cycle all the time. It’s called due

diligence. Ask your elected officials why the state is no longer providing the two-thirds funding it promised us. Skip the conspiracy theories. Inform yourself on the upcoming referendum and consider supporting this modest “pay it forward� investment in the Osceola community that we have all benefited from. Our kids deserve it. Bob Wright Dresser Paid political endorsement

State of Union, viruses After State of the Union speech, a Wisconsin relative texted “Wasn’t Trump great?� Memories are short, fact checking is important. Just a few points, Fact check rest of speech, Factcheck. org. All information is before the Coronavirus. Economy: Best growth in recent history was mid-2000’s (GW Bush) at over 3%, and well over 4% from 1997 – 2000 (Clinton.) Trump has just less than 2.5% growth average per year, which is slightly greater than Obama’s 2.2% average. Trump spearheaded a $1.5 Trillion tax cut,

MOVIE REVIEW Th The C Call ll off the th Wild is missing its wild and natural roots

T

he Call of the Wild is about the dog Buck who is taken from his home in the south and learns to survive as well as thrive in the Yukon during the Gold Rush. Just for the record, I like dogs. Growing up, we had a black lab named Darth Vader, and I have a brother named Contributing Luke. I had many fond memories of Writer “Darthie� dog who Paul Backstrom got into trouble more times than I could count but also had a heart of gold. Besides reflecting positive feelings and

mostly to Corporations and top 1%, and spending increases to achieve a pace of 2.9% in 2018, same pace reached in 2015 under Obama with no corporate tax giveaways. Trump’s tax cuts have resulted in largest budget deficits in history during a strong economy and low unemployment. Yet Trump has cut critical government agencies and their budgets, State Department, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and others, leaving the U.S. unprepared for crisis. Obama inherited the Great Recession, which took time to turn reverse. Obama effectively handled Ebola crisis. Obama spearheaded an economic stimulus, credited worldwide with digging the US out of recession and setting up the largest economic expansion period in U.S. history. Investment by foreign companies has slumped under Trump. Foreign companies directly invested $268 billion into the U.S. economy in 2018, a decrease of $220 billion from its record-breaking level in 2016 when Obama was still president. Since Trump took office, 35 months ago, 6.2 million jobs were created. Last 35 months of Obama administration there were 8

memories about dogs, the film also starred one of my favorite actors, Harrison Ford. Lastly, the trailers noted this was a historical fiction film to which I gravitate. So, I anticipated really loving The Call of the Wild. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into The Call of the Wild. One of my biggest problems is the use of CGI (computer generated images) animals. They just looked so fake. Buck, the main dog, took on too many human attributes for me. I half expected to hear voice over from him, which took me out of the movie. Also, Michael Green’s script didn’t help. I get it that we are traveling through Buck’s life with his different human owners, but the only owner I got invested in was Harrison Ford’s character. Ford’s character is the only one who shows some humanity. The other owners were pretty one-dimensional characters who didn’t

million jobs added. Unemployment: 50-year low of 3.5%, but proportion of Americans with a job was higher in the late 1990’s (Clinton) and without corporate tax breaks. The final 35 months under Obama, unemployment rate fell from 6.7% to 4.7%, a 2% drop. Unemployment rate was 4.7% when Trump took office, so declined by 1.2%. Wages have increased under Trump, partly due to low unemployment and competition for workers. Also many Democratic run cities and some states have increased the minimum wage. US trade deficit in goods increased 18% during Trump’s first 2 years, indicating more manufacturing jobs left the U.S. than came back. Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have lost manufacturing jobs. Farm bankruptcies skyrocketed and farm debt is greater than during the Great Recession. Before this week, stock market increased greater percentages under Clinton and Obama in same 35 months in office than Trump. Cheryl Moskal (previous area resident) Denver, CO

add to the story. As much as I didn’t like the story and the CGI animals, the gorgeous shots of the Yukon and Harrison Ford’s performance saved this movie. I loved being reminded of how beautiful the mountains and the forests are, especially because we don’t see these natural wonders in Minnesota or Wisconsin. There were a few times during the film that I was just lost in the grandeur of the scenery. Harrison Ford’s performance made the movie for me. He has a way of allowing the audience to empathize with his character. Without giving too much away, one scene could have fallen flat, but Ford’s performance made the moment emotionally powerful. I know it is early in the year but I would put him up for a best supporting role for this performance, it is that good. SEE REVIEW, PAGE 6

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30 years ago Feb. 28, 1990 • St. Croix Falls wrestlers were named Class C Sectional Champions. • Amy Dannenmueller and April Hudson were winners of a coloring contest sponsored by Skelgas. • Osceola wrestlers Jeremy Hill and Ted Neumann advanced to the state tournament in Madison. • John Jenkins, a student at Osceola High School, has been awarded the $500 Mac Lampert Honor Scholarship from University of Wisconsin – Stout. • More than 260 Boy Scouts and their leaders converged at the Clear Lake Ball Park for the Lake Wanochi District Klondike Derby. • New construction began last week at Northwire,Inc. It’s in its fourth expansion, giving it 82,500 square feet. • With their 82-65 win over Somerset, the Osceola boys basketball team grabbed a share of second place in the Upper St Croix Valley Conference. Jeff Rixmann led the Chiefs with 27 points.

GOVERNMENT NUMBERS WHO TO CALL... President Donald Trump 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.• Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: (202) 456-1111 or http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ Switchboard: (202) 456-1414 • Fax: (202) 456-2461

Congressman Sean Duffy 7th Congressional District 1208 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 225-3365 or 502 2nd St., Suite 202, Hudson, WI 54016 • (715) 808-8160 duffy.house.gov/

U.S. Senator Ronald H. Johnson 328 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20515 • (202) 224-5323 www.ronjohnson.senate.gov 709 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 • (202) 224-5653 • (715) 832-8424 www.baldwin.senate.gov/contact

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20 years ago March 1, 2000 • Osceola almost owns a river bluff. The village has a signed purchase offer for the land, a signed contract with the state and a signed site lease with APT Minneapolis Inc. All of which means the actual purchase is just a few days away. • Osceola students lent an artistic hand to the Osceola Medical Center recently when they painted a mural on the waiting room wall to brighten up the area. • Iris Bierbrauer retired after working 32 years for the Bank

of Somerset. • Osceola Middle School students of the month were R.J. Lowney, Melissa Tinney, Josh Willey, Amanda Lombardo, Mitch Steffen, Maria Nord, Ashley Johnson and Rick Funk. • Osceola High School boys basketball player Mark Kumlien was honored after scoring his 1000th career point. • On Friday night Osceola boys basketball claimed their ďŹ rst ever Middle Border Conference championship.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin

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10 years ago March 3, 2010 • Joe Raygor of St. Croix Falls won the Division 2 state wrestling title at 171 pounds. • The Osceola Village Board aproved a new municipal court ordinance and appointed local attorney Priscilla Dorn Cutler to serve as the municipal judge. • Osceola wrestler John Olson and St. Croix Falls wrestler Shaw Amundson made it to the state tournament but both lost in the ďŹ rst round. • Osceola boys basketball played New Richmond for the conference title but came out on the short end, losing to the Tigers. • Osceola girls basketball held off the Ellsworth Panthers with a 49-42 win. It kept them in second place in the conference. Lisa Rydeen led the team with 12 points. • Osceola Braves utility player Ryan Rugg will take up a dual role as the team’s onďŹ eld player/coach this season. He will split the coaching duties with Mike Tetzlaff of Somerset.

Governor Tony Evers 115 East, State Capitol Bldg. Mailing address: P.O. Box 7863, Madison, WI 53707 • (608) 266-1212 EversInfo@wisconsin.gov • www.evers.wis.gov

Rep. Gae Magnafici 28th Assembly District 3

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P.O. Box 8952 • Madison, WI 53708 (608) 267-2365 or 1-888-534-0028 • Fax (608) 282-3628 Rep.Magnafici@legis.wisconsin.gov

Senator Patty Schachtner 10th Senate District State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882 • Madison, WI 53707 (608) 266-7745 Sen.Schachtner@legis.wisconsin.gov

NO CALL LIST 1-888-382-1222 or website: datcp.wi.gov

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ST. CROIX VALLEY SENIOR CENTER

T

he Senior Center members and friends extend our deepest sympathy to family, school teachers and friends of the latest young people involved in the recent car accident. We pray that those injured physically and emotionally will find that their life will adjust and they can smile again. The Lord is with you always. We’ve had great crowds for dinner on Sundays and most stay for 500 cards too. Always more fun when we have 4 or more tables to play cards. The potluck dinners are always outstanding, with great variety of dishes served and desColumnist erts too. Winners for Sunday, Feb. 23 were Paul Strasser first place Pat Willits and Shirley Sims and Thelma Heuer came in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Ray Nelson Claimed the 9 bid. Sunday, Feb. 26 winners: Thelma Heuer and Roger Greely tied for first place, 2nd place:Ray Nelson and 3rd place Betty Wilson. 9 bid: Bob Norlander. Our Irish dinner is on Sunday, March 15 at 12:30pm for $10. It’s bound to be a wonderful meal, be sure to come down to the center. You will enjoy it, great folks to visit with and stay to play 500 if you can. It’s a good way to spend a winter Sunday afternoon. Call any Tuesday afternoon for details or information about the center. Every May we have an annual meeting and membership drive, join us anytime but in May you can join or rejoin, $12 for the year. Bridge is Friday mornings and Mahjong on Wednesday afternoon. Always room for more players, bring a friend and join in the fun playing with really nice folks! Winners for Tuesday 2/18 500: Lynda McCurdy. Hand and Foot: Bill McGrorty. Winners for Tuesday 2/25 500: Gary Johnson. 9 bid: Ray Nelson Winners for Thursday 2/12 500: Roger Greely and Bob Norlander. 9Bid: Cathy Smith Winners for Thursday 2/27 500: Bob Norlander and Cathy Smith. 9 Bid Ray Nelson and Bruce Medchill We are located downtown St. Croix Falls at 140 N. Washington. Phone: 715-483-1901.

TO THE EDITOR Stower trail As a homeowner and taxpayer for over 25½ years whose property abuts the Stower Seven Lakes State Trail (SSLST), my strong desire is to keep the trail as non-motorized. I strongly oppose allowing ATV’s/ UTV’s, snowmobiles, or other motorized vehicles on the trail. Allow me to make some important points: The SSLST is the only non-motorized state trail completely within the county, and is an outstanding gem. The popularity of this non-motorized trail is continuing to grow, with a steady stream of hikers and bicyclists, including many families with children. The ‘inclusive’ argument by the motorized proponents is an empty argument; i.e.: “we want the trail to be open to everyone”. While ATV and snowmobile riders would not be intimidated by hikers or bicyclists, no hiker, skier, or bicyclist that I know would be comfortable sharing the trail with motorized vehicles. It is more than uncomfortable; it would be unsafe - especially for children. It isn’t a matter of excluding anyone, but rather is a matter of safety. For example, interstate highways do not allow pedestrians and bicyclists; not because the Department of Transportation wants to exclude people, but simply because it would be unsafe to allow pedestrians and bicyclists into the interstate highway environment. There is no practical way to widen the trail corridor in order to accommodate separate motorized & non-motorized trails; it would be prohibitively expensive (cuts, fills, wetlands, bridges), and extremely questionable if all environmental permits could be obtained. My property value would plummet from the noise and dust pollution from the trail (the corner of my house is approximately 90 feet from the edge of the trail). For the long-term welfare of the good citizens of Polk County, I urge

the county and state officials, and my fellow citizens, to do whatever they can to maintain this wonderful trail as non-motorized. Thank you for your consideration. Jim Judkins Dresser

Committee should go back and look at the draft plan I attended the Environmental Service Committee (ESC) meeting at Polk county, on Feb. 12 and 19, concerning the Stower Seven Lakes Trail and the Master Plan Draft for the future of the trail. At the meeting on Feb. 12 it was decided that the county would take public comments relating to trail use by groups on a county website in regards to the trail. At the meeting on Feb. 19, the public comment result numbers that were given to the Environmental Committee members, didn’t all come from the county email site. The Polk County Snowmobile Club provided their own numbers, which the county went ahead and used. The numbers that the snowmobile club provided came from a survey on their own website, with no parameters. I took the survey on their website. I received a reply from them thanking me for supporting S3, which allowed snowmobiles on the trail with no changes made to the trail, which was their preferred choice from the draft plan. I didn’t vote for S3 on their site. I think that the ESC should go back and look at the Draft Plan. The county made a decision using numbers from an outside source with bias to the outcome. They should be looking at what would be a safe choice for all people in the county. The current decision was the easiest and the cheapest decision; it requires nothing from the county. The decision to put snowmobiles

POSTSCRIPT: Push ups Harry and Julie (Olson) Munson of Bloomington, MN celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on March 6, 2020. They were married March 6, 1970 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Dresser, WI. They have two daughters, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Congratulations and love from your family and friends!

and horses on a narrow trail, with skiers’, pedestrians and bikes is not safe. The 2020 snowmobile season has been one of the deadliest in the last 10 years, with the majority of accidents involving alcohol and high rates of speed. The county will not be able to regulate choices made by people on the trail, and should be considered in the final decision.

Lee Ann Overman Amery

Love the support The SCF Girls Basketball team met up with the Barron Golden Bears Saturday evening in SCF for the regional final. When the Bears took the floor for warm-up’s they were all wearing Blue T-shirts that said St. Croix Falls STRONG. I will tell you that brought a few tears! That support is incredible! It serves as huge reminder of how much of an impact our kids make not just in our own community but many others. It’s unreal how many people from all over the state have shown there thoughts, support + prayers with this grieving community. P.S. Good luck to all the girls basketball teams in the sectional semi-finals, finals Thursday and Saturday this week! Also, good luck to the boys basketball teams as they start their playoffs this week! Congratulations to all the wrestlers who made it to state! Good Luck the hockey team at state this week! The local talent we have in our area is truly amazing. Get out and support these kids, they’re fun to watch and cheer for! Hard to believe the winter sports season is coming to an end already.

Katie and Bryan “Fatboy” Raddatz Dresser

REVIEW: Call of the Wild gets a C

FROM PAGE 4

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okay. Almost every day someone gives me a lift, inspires me to do a little better, and I’m not very good at letting them know. So, I wanted Bob to know that he helped me do something that makes me feel better and I was grateful. Imagine my surprise when I got a message from Bob. “Thanks for the kind words!” he said. Now I definitely can’t slack again. My arms are killing me. Till next time, Carrie Carrie Classon’s memoir is called, “Blue Yarn.” Learn more at CarrieClasson.com.

Overall, I would give this movie a C (An Average Movie). I don’t like the decision to not use real animals in this film. The CGI/ animated dog was a little too human like for my tastes and was distracting. Michael Green’s screenplay was too much of a miss for me. The story would start to get interesting and then we would transition to a new owner to start the process again. I wished he would have just had the dog go with Harrison Ford’s character a lot earlier. The reason for this is the

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movie quality drastically improves when Harrison Ford is on the screen. Ford puts in a superb performance and really helps gives the movie its heart. It is not bad as a family movie; I would probably just wait until it came out on DVD or a streaming service before I would go see it. The Call of the Wild is rated PG for some violence, peril, thematic elements and mild language. It was directed by Chris Sanders and written by Michael Green. The Call of the Wild stars Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, and Cara Gee.

MARCH 4, 2020

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OBITUARIES

Gerald A. Green Gerald (Jerry) A. Green, son of Beatrice and the llate Henry Green, died p peacefully March 2, 2020, ffrom cancer. He was 63. Jerry spent several y years in the United S States Army and traveled a around the world in supp port of his country. After h his time in the service, h he worked as a prison g guard at the Minnesota C Correctional Facility iin Stillwater until his rretirement. In his rettirement, he enjoyed his yearly trips to Mexico as well as times with friends and family. Jerry is survived by his children, Jared (Jennie) Green and Amy; grandchildren, Joshua and Jillian; brothers, Dave (Chris), Danny, Jeff (Peggy) and Rick; sisters, Sherry (Dave) Madden, Cindy (Lance) Kostka and Vicki (Tom) Moore and several nieces, nephews and other relatives. Arrangements are being made with the Grandstrand Funeral Home in Osceola. A celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Condolences may be expressed online at www.grandstrandfh.com.

SCHOLARSHIPS: Two win in succeeding in college and beyond, but has not yet received any other academic based scholarships. Tyler plans to attend WITC and study business management.

FROM PAGE 1

arship is to reward a student who has demonstrated exceptional initiative in the classroom while showing great promise

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Osceola native is an information warrior in training BY MEGAN BROWN NAVY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH

SAN DIEGO – People serving at The Information Warrior Training Command (IWTC) in San Diego believe in the importance of continued education. Sailors are trained in areas they’ll need to execute information warfare throughout their military service. One of the sailors continuing the tradition of maritime superiority through information warfare is Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory Hakel, an information systems technician going to school for communications and satellite communication. “The opportunity to train here will broaden my field of expertise from network security to satellite communications and Navy communications system circuits,” said Hakel. Hakel is a 2009 Osceola High School graduate and native of Osceola, Wisconsin. According to Hakel, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Osceola. “Growing up in Wisconsin, hard work was expected,” said Hakel. “Working at a dairy farm we had to wake up early and go to work. This has rolled into the Navy, when I wake up early to

Gregory Hakel

work swing shifts.” With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy. Each year the CIWT domain trains approximately 20,000 students comprised of military members from all branches and Department of Defense civilians. Throughout the program, participants can take any of the 200 classes offered to prepare them for battle. The CIWT domain, along with all other Navy training commands, are transforming and innovating their training programs through Ready, Relevant Learning

(RRL), a pillar of Sailor 2025. Sailor 2025 is a program that uses modern personnel management and training systems to recruit, develop, and retain sailors for the future of the Navy. RRL delivers a modernized learning continuum that aligns training with fleet requirements and warfighter needs. The long-term vision of RRL is to take modernized training to the point of need in the fleet at the waterfront. According to Admiral

‘Growing up in Wisconsin, hard work was expected. Working at a dairy farm we had to wake up early and go to work.’ Gregory Hakel Mike Gilday, the Chief of Naval Operations, the focus of today’s Navy is squarely on warfighting, warfighters and the capabilities needed for the Navy of the future. “I am confident we will maximize the Navy we have today while delivering the Navy that our nation will rely upon tomorrow,” said Gilday. “And we will do so with urgency. Our fleet will be a potent, formidable

force that competes around the world every day, deterring those who would challenge us while reassuring our allies and partners.” There are many opportunities for sailors to earn recognition in their command, community and careers. Hakel is most proud of earning a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. “I supported the planes’ mission at Navy Information Operations Command Whidbey Island,” said Hakel. For Hakel, serving in the Navy is a tradition passed down from generations. “Both of my parents were prior Navy, my uncle is retired Navy and my cousin is a Navy officer,” said Hakel. “It is just kind of a way of life. I grew up knowing about the military and it is something I have done since the end of high school.” As a member of the U.S. Navy, Hakel, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow. “Serving in the Navy is more than a job,” said Hakel. “It is a way of life. I am proud to keep serving.”

CHURCH LISTINGS ALLIANCE CHURCH OF THE VALLEY 1259 Hwy. 35 South, St. Croix Falls 715-483-1100 www.stcroixalliance.com Lead Pastor Jeff Naegelen Co-Lead Pastor Chris Folkestad SUNDAY: Worship 10 a.m. ———————— ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH East Farmington Rev. Joseph Madanu SUNDAY: Mass at 9 a.m. ———————— BETHANY LUTHERAN Star Prairie Pastor Dan Pennington (715) 248-3730 blcsp@frontiernet.net SUNDAY: Traditional Worship 8 a.m. Contemporary Worship 9:30 a.m. ———————— BETHESDA LUTHERAN LCMC 1947 110th Ave. Dresser Sand Lake 715-755-2562 www.bethesdalutheran.ws Pastor Peter Rimmereid Associate Pastor Scott Adkins SUNDAY: Contemporary/Traditional worship, 9 a.m ———————— CEDARBEND CHURCH P.O. BOX 414, Osceola Matt Hayton connect@cedarbendchurch.com SUNDAY: Worship, 10:30 a.m. at Osceola High School Auditorium. CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH 150 Fifth Street Marine on St. Croix, Minn. Pastor Joel Martin 651-433-3222 SUNDAY: Worship 8:15 & 9:45 a.m. ———————— EL SALEM/TWIN FALLS CHRISTIAN CENTER Six miles east of Dresser on Co. Rd. F, 1751 100th Ave. Pastor Darryl R. Olson

715 755 3113 715-755-3113 SUNDAY: Morning worship 10:30 a.m. Evening service 6 p.m. ———————— EUREKA BAPTIST CHURCH 2393 210th Ave., St. Croix Falls Pastor Seth Brickley 715-483-9464 SUNDAY: Worship Service 10 a.m. ———————— FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 661A West Street Taylors Falls, MN 55084 651-465-6792 www.firstbaptisttaylorsfalls.com Dr. Kevin Schumann, Pastor SUNDAY: Worship 10.15 a.m. ———————— FIRST EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN 561 Chestnut St. Taylors Falls, Minn. SUNDAY: Worship 9 a.m. ———————— FIRST PRESBYTERIAN 719 Nevada St. St. Croix Falls Reverend David Maghakian 715-483-3550 (office) SUNDAY: Church Service 10 a.m. ———————— GRACE CHURCH – OSCEOLA Pastor Mark Barlow 722 Seminole Ave. Osceola 715-417-0752 SUNDAY: Worship Service, 10 a.m. ———————— GRACE BEREAN FELLOWSHIP 421 4th Street, Centuria Duane Gallentine, Pastor 715-755-2523 FRIDAY and SUNDAY KJV Bible Study/Fellowship ———————— GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH Nye Area/Wisconsin Synod 2098 70th Avenue Pastor Nile Merseth SUNDAY: Worship 9 a.m. ———————— HOLY CROSS ORTHODOX

CHRISTIAN CHURCH Meeting at Zion Lutheran Church 28005 Old Towne Road Chisago Lakes, Minn. 651-260-5100 www.holyx.net Fr. Bill Neumann, pastor SUNDAY: Worship 9:30 a.m. ———————— HOLY TRINITY ORTHODOX CHURCH 523 First Street, Clayton 715-948-2203 Father Christopher Wojcik SUNDAY: Liturgy 9:30 a.m. ———————— HOPE EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH 933 248th Street, one mile north of Osceola on Highway 35 Pastor Nate Roschen 715-294-2112 • www.hefc.org SUNDAY: Worship 10 a.m. ———————— JOURNEY CHURCH 131 Broadway, Amery www.journeychurch.city office@journeychurch.city 715-268-2223 THURSDAY: Latino Bible Study 5 p.m. SUNDAY: Worship Service 9 a.m. ———————— NEW LIFE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY Non-denominational 201 State Hwy. 35, Dresser Pastor Tony Minell, 715-417-1982 galatiansii20@yahoo.com Church office: 715-417-0945 SUNDAY: Worship Service 9:30 a.m. ———————— NEW WINE COMMUNITY CHURCH 309 5th Street, Centuria Pastor Scott Petznick (715) 338-8912 Worship 10 a.m. ———————— OSCEOLA COMMUNITY CHURCH 2492 Education Drive, Osceola Larry Mederich

l it h h www.osceolacommunitychurch.org SATURDAY: 6 p.m. SUNDAY: Worship 9 a.m. OSCEOLA MEDICAL CENTER SPIRITUAL CARE 2600 65th Avenue, Osceola https: myomc.org/wellness/ spiritual-care 715-294-2111 Chapel open daily for meditation. ———————— OSCEOLA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 306 River Street, Osceola P.O. Box 447 Pastor Jack Starr 715-755-2275 osceolaunitedmethodistchurch@gmail.com SUNDAY: Worship 10 a.m. Coffee Fellowship, 11 a.m. ———————— PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH (ELCA), 2355 Clark Rd., Dresser 715-755-2515• plcdresser.org Pastor Melissa Carmack Find us on Facebook! peace@centurytel.net SUNDAY: Worship, 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. ———————— PRAIRIEVIEW COVENANT CHURCH OF NEW RICHMOND 1396 210th Ave. 2 miles north of New Richmond on Hwy. 65 Pastor Rudy King 715-248-0600 SUNDAY: Worship 10 a.m. ———————— REDEEMER EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH Wisconsin Synod Corner of Adams & Louisiana St. Croix Falls Rev. Timothy Blauert 715-483-3401 SUNDAY: Worship 9:15 a.m. ———————— RIVER VALLEY CHRISTIAN CHURCH LIGHTHOUSE 1289 160th Street

St C i F ll Wi i St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin 715-483-5378 Pastor Jonah Fetzer SUNDAY: Worship 10 a.m. ———————— ST. ANNE PARISH 139 Church Hill Road Somerset, WI 54025 715-247-3310 Rev. Joseph Madanu SATURDAY: Mass 5 p.m. SUNDAY: Mass 8 and 10 a.m. ———————— ST. CROIX FALLS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Upper St. Croix Parish 300 North Adams Street St. Croix Falls 715-483-9494 churches@centurytel.net umstcroixfallswolfcreek.org Pastor Ran Yoo Pastor Kooko Kim Sunday services 10 a.m. ———————— ST. CROIX UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP 201 N. Adams, St. Croix Falls www.scuuf.org Rev. Kelli Clement SUNDAY: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sunday 10 a.m. ———————— ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CATHOLIC CHURCH Franconia, MN 651-465-7345 www.stfrancisfranconia.org Fr. John Drees SUNDAY: Mass 9:15 a.m. ———————— ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC Osceola Rev. Joseph Madanu 715-294-2243 SATURDAY: Mass at 4 p.m. SUNDAY: Latin Mass, 8:30 a.m. Mass at 11a.m. ———————— ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC 490 Bench Street

T l F ll Minnesota Mi t Taylors Falls, 651-465-7345 www.stjosephtaylorsfalls.org Fr. John Drees SATURDAY: 5:30 p.m. Vigil SUNDAY: Mass 7:30 and 11 a.m. ———————— SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSOURI SYNOD 140 Madison Street St. Croix Falls Pastor Mark Schoen 715-483-1186 SUNDAY: Worship Services 9 a.m. ———————— TRINITY EV. LUTHERAN CHURCH (WELS) 300 Seminole Ave., (Ct H M) Osceola 715-294-2828 • www.trinityosceola.com Pastor David Rosenow (920-645-7526) SUNDAY: Worship 9 a.m. • Wed. 7 p.m. Bible Class, Sunday, 10:30 a.m. ———————— TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH OF GARFIELD 1578 85th Ave., Amery Pastor Lori Peper 715-268-9577 SUNDAY: Worship Service 9:30 a.m. ———————— WEST IMMANUEL LUTHERAN (ELCA), 447 180th St., Osceola www.westimmanuel.org Interim Pastor Matt Saarem SUNDAY: Worship Services, 9:30 a.m. ———————— WORD OF LIFE FELLOWSHIP Cliff Bjork, (651) 465-7373 366 Bench St., Taylors Falls, Minn. SUNDAY: Worship Service 10 a.m. ———————— ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH (Wisconsin Synod) East Farmington Pastor William Brassow (715) 294-3489 THURSDAY: Worship, 4:30 p.m. SUNDAY: Worship, 10:30 a.m.

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8 THE SUN

MARCH 4, 2020 www.osceolasun.com

4K: Osceola looks to expand 4K FROM PAGE 1

SUBMITTED

WITC students participating in the PAS competition included Mike Wurst, Mitch Everson, Levi Berg, Andrew Haase and Zach Staats.

WITC students win at PAS competition Students from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College’s (WITC) Agricultural Power and Equipment Technician program traveled to Wisconsin Dells to demonstrate their skills during the annual Wisconsin Professional Agricultural Student (PAS) competitions. WITC scored well against the other teams during the three-day competition with several students earning the opportunity to advance to Nationals in Bloomington, Minn., on March 17-21, 2020. In the Ag Mechanic Service Technician Award (AMSTA) portion, students showed their skills on agriculture equipment diagnostic stations. In the AMSTA team competition, Andrew Haase, Osceola, and Mitch Everson, White Bear Lake, MN, placed second and Mike Wurst, Osceola, and Levi Berg, Chippewa Falls, placed fifth. Andrew Haase also placed second in the AMSTA individual

competition and in the PAS Interviewing Competition. Zach Staats, Glenwood City placed third in PAS interviewing and second in Prepared Speaking. Zach also serves as the National PAS Vice President. WITC-New Richmond’s Agriculture Power and Equipment Technician program is a two-year technical diploma exclusive to this area and campus. Agricultural equipment becomes more complex, precise, and expensive so it becomes more difficult for individuals to repair their own equipment. This program prepares students to pursue careers as technicians at farm implement dealerships, repair shops, businesses that use farm equipment or diesel engines, or to work on their own equipment. This program stresses practical hands-on experience in the shop in their study of diesel engines, drivetrains, electrical systems, hydraulics and more.

WITC is grateful to all its community partnerships. Your support of the WITC Foundation is essential to student success. For information on how to contribute, visit witc.edu/donate. A nationally top-ranked college and a designated 2019 Military FriendlyÂŽ School, WITC serves the educational and career needs of more than 20,000 residents of Northwestern Wisconsin each year. With multiple campuses, WITC offers career-focused associate degree programs, technical diplomas, short-term certificates, customized business training, and a wide array of courses for personal or career enrichment. WITC is a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org). For more information, call 800.243.WITC or visit witc. edu. WITC is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action/ Veterans/Disability Employer

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depending on the program. Osceola’s 4K program is paid at 60%. Elementary Principal Lindsay Thomas says the district would add additional staff with referendum funds as well as expand the offerings to the students. Current staff who could not transition to full time would be able to work in the Kids Club wraparound day care program. Information from the district’s website says “All day 4K would provide students with the opportunity to learn from highly qualified teachers for an entire school day in a nurturing and enriching environment. Students will participate in developmentally appropriate activities to enhance their social skills, early literacy skills, fine motor development and foundational math skills. OES 4K students would have access to library books, participate in music and movement activities, have more time to explore art, and would be exposed to science related experiences. “As the District focuses on a well-rounded education, students will grow their vocabulary, problem-solving skills, and conflict resolution during play based learning skillfully facilitated by teachers. Young learners require both rest and movement. Students would have two recesses and a rest time each day

EXHIBIT A (Type A Notice) NOTICE OF REFERENDUM ELECTION NOTICE TO ELECTORS OF SCHOOL DISTRICT OF OSCEOLA RELATING TO A REFERENDUM ELECTION TAKE NOTICE that a referendum election shall be held on April 7, 2020 in the School District of Osceola for the purpose of approving or rejecting an Initial Resolution and a Revenue Cap Resolution adopted by the School Board of said School District on January 27, 2020. The Revenue Cap Resolution reads as follows: RESOLUTION TO EXCEED REVENUE CAP COMMENCING WITH THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR

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BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the School District of Osceola, Polk and St. Croix Counties, Wisconsin, that the ďŹ nal school district budget shall include an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 in excess of the revenue limits imposed by Section 121.91 of the Wisconsin Statutes each year for a period of two years on a non-recurring basis for the purpose of supporting each child’s success and providing a safe environment by supporting District operation costs including curriculum, utilities, educational programming, technology, and transportation. Said resolution authorizes the School Board of the District to exceed the so-called “revenue capâ€? imposed on the District’s school budget under Section 121.91 of the Wisconsin Statutes by an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 each year for a period of two years on a non-recurring basis for the purpose of supporting each child’s success and providing a safe environment by supporting District operation costs including curriculum, utilities, educational programming, technology, and transportation. The question to be submitted to District electors will be “Shall the School Board of the School District of Osceola be authorized to exceed the revenue limit under Section 121.91 of the Wisconsin Statutes by an amount not to exceed $1,000,000 each year for a period of two years on a non-recurring basis for the purpose of supporting each child’s success and providing a safe environment by supporting District operation costs including curriculum, utilities, educational programming, technology, and transportation, as provided in the foregoing resolution?â€? The Initial Resolution reads as follows: INITIAL RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $10,000,000 BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the School District of Osceola, Polk and St. Croix Counties, Wisconsin, that there shall be issued, pursuant to Chapter 67, Wisconsin Statutes, General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $10,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs of capital maintenance projects at the high school, middle school and intermediate school including replacements and upgrades to mechanical, lighting, rooďŹ ng, HVAC, electrical and security systems; and equipment acquisition related to said projects. The question to be submitted to District electors with respect to the Initial Resolution will be “Shall the foregoing resolution of the School Board of the School District of Osceola be approved?â€? A copy of the resolution directing submission of the questions set forth above to the electorate and information concerning district boundaries may be obtained at the District ofďŹ ces located at 331 Middle School Drive, Osceola, Wisconsin 54020. Persons with questions regarding the referendum election should contact Mark Luebker, Superintendent. School District of Osceola Peter Kammerud District Clerk

in the all-day 4K program. Students will be better prepared and will face an easier adjustment during the transition to kindergarten while being ready to tackle academic and social challenges. Families will still have the option for half-day 4K as well.� Thomas notes neighboring districts Amery, Luck and Unity currently offer all day 4K. Saint Croix Falls will be adding all day 4K next year. Thomas says there are concerns about families being able to find quality day care and notes that one of the reasons some families choose to open enroll to a neighboring district is the availability of programs such as all day 4K. “We want our kiddos here,� Thomas said, noting that once a family settles in to a neighboring district “they don’t come back.� During 4K Roundup this past year, the district surveyed parents about all day 4K and found “overwhelming� support for expansion to an allday program. Thomas says the district will work with parents who don’t feel their children are ready for an all-day program to find an appropriate alternative. Twenty students will be needed to create a half day program, Thomas says. Thomas says the all-day program will help ease the financial burden on families when it comes to day care. She notes the sudden closing of a day care provider last summer caused a great deal of stress to families when they needed to make new arrangements. “Education is always changing,� Thomas said. “All-day 4K is a way to keep our Osceola kids in Osceola.� There are two remaining public information meetings for the referendum: March 16, 6:30 p.m., Osceola Intermediate School Auditorium and March 30, 6:30 p.m., Osceola Intermediate School Auditorium.

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THE SUN

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Dresser woman charged with OWI 4

Wendy Reed, 53, has been charged with operating while intoxicated (OWI) 4, with a child und the age der o 16 in the of v vehicle, as w as operwell a ating while r revoked, in c connection w with an inReed R d cident that took place Feb. 23. According to probable cause, law enforcement was dispatched to County Road Y, south of Highway 8 for a vehicle in the ditch.

Law enforcement approached the female driver who was entering a First Responder vehicle and she identified herself as Reed. She allegedly told law enforcement she answered her phone and went into the ditch. She said she knew she was caught. Law enforcement could smell a strong odor of intoxicants coming from Reed. She allegedly had bloodshot eyes and showed poor balance. When asked how much she had to drink, she became belligerent and refused

to answer questions. She also refused a field sobriety test and a preliminary breath test (PBT). She told law enforcement several times that she just went in the ditch and didn’t hurt anyone. It was learned there was a 15-year-old child in the vehicle with Reed. She was transported to St. Croix Regional Medical Center where she refused to submit blood samples. Once a warrant for the samples was granted, she cooperated.

POLK COUNTY ARRESTS Bailey L. Snyder, 17, Amery, was arrested February 21 for battery, disorderly conduct and domestic abuse. Kathleen Kay Huntington, 57, Luck, was arrested February 20 for domestic disorderly conduct, damage to property and possession of drug paraphernalia. Thomas R. Olsem, 52, Luck, was arrested February 20 for domestic abuse and disorderly conduct. Nicholas James Hodgson, 21, Osceola, was arrested February 20 for domestic disorderly conduct. Richard W. Rohan, 66,

Woman killed in crash identiďŹ ed, driver arrested On Feb. 23 at approximately 7:05 p.m., Polk County Dispatch received a call of a two vehicle accident on CTH M just north of the Saint Croix/Polk County Line. A Polk County Deputy arrived on scene at 7:11 p.m. to report that this was a truck pulling a

trailer northbound that had collided with a southbound passenger car. The truck pulling the recreational trailer was occupied by an adult male driver, and two adult female passengers. These subjects were attempting to make a left hand turn onto East

Cedar Lake road. These occupants were uninjured at the scene. The southbound passenger car was occupied by an adult female driver. This vehicle collided with the truck and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Alcohol is believed to be a con-

tributing factor in this incident. The driver who was killed was identified as Dawn Richter, 54, of New Richmond. The driver of the truck, Michael Barkema, Klemma, Iowa, was arrested for alleged homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.

PUBLIC NOTICES

Group seeks to bring Splash Pad to St. Croix Falls/Osceola area A local group of citizens have formed a group aiming at bringing a splash pad to the area. A splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area, often in a public park, for water play that has little or no standing water. This is said to eliminate the need for lifeguards or other supervision, as there is little risk of drowning. Typically, ground nozzles spray water upwards out of the splash pad’s rain deck. There may also be other water features such as a rainbow (semicircular pipe shower), or mushroomor tree-shaped showers. Some splash pads feature movable nozzles like those found on fire trucks to allow users to

spray others. The showers and ground nozzles are often controlled by a hand activated-motion sensor, to run for limited time. Normally, the water is either freshwater, or recycled and treated water, that is typically treated to at least the same level of quality as swimming pool water standards. These splash pads are often surfaced in textured non-slip concrete or in crumb rubber (from Wikipedia). Grow SCV was established in 2019 and is now a non-profit 501C3 organization aiming to enhance the lives of all who live in this valley. Values: 1. Community 2. Family 3. Recreation 4. Connection 5. Activity

Pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 125 the following have ÂżOHG DSSOLFDWLRQ ZLWK WKH 9LOODJH Clerk for alcohol retail sales OLFHQVHV LQ WKH 9LOODJH RI 2Vceola, Polk County, Wisconsin. These applications will be conVLGHUHG DW WKH 0DUFK WK 5HJXODU 9LOODJH %RDUG 0HHWLQJ WR EH KHOG DW 9LOODJH +DOO ORFDWHG DW &KLHIWDLQ 6WUHHW DW S P Class B Beer & Class B Liquor

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR ALCOHOL RETAIL SALES

Mission: Bridging families and communities together through recreation to enhance connectivity in the St. Croix Valley. Vision Statement: To build sustainable recreation areas in the St. Croix Valley to continue bridging families and communities. “The splash pad is not the only project we want to build. We have been approached by several citizens and groups – we aim to provide amenities to this area without adding burden to taxpayers,� Marc Gilker, board president and founder says. Board members have presented the pad to a

STATE OF WISCONSIN CIRCUIT COURT POLK COUNTY AMENDED NOTICE TO CREDITORS (Informal Administration) Case No. 19PR89 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF -RKQ (GZDUG +RĂ€DQG PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: 1. An application for informal adPLQLVWUDWLRQ ZDV ÂżOHG 7KH GHFHGHQW ZLWK GDWH RI ELUWK $XJXVW DQG GDWH RI GHDWK )HEUXDU\ ZDV GRPLFLOHG LQ 3RON &RXQW\ 6WDWH RI :LVFRQVLQ ZLWK D PDLOLQJ DGGUHVV RI WK $YHQXH 2VFHROD :, $OO LQWHUHVWHG SHUVRQV ZDLYHG QRWLFH 7KH GHDGOLQH IRU ÂżOLQJ D FODLP DJDLQVW WKH GHFHGHQWÂśV HVWDWH LV 0D\ $ FODLP PD\ EH ÂżOHG DW WKH 3RON &RXQW\ &RXUWKRXVH %DOVDP /DNH :, 5RRP -HQHOO / $QGHUVRQ 3UREDWH 5HJLVWUDU 5RGOL %HVNDU 1HXKDXV 0XUUD\ 3OHWFKHU 6& 1RUWK 0DLQ 6WUHHW 5LYHU )DOOV :, %DU 6F :1$;/3

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Notice is hereby given the Village of Osceola, Polk County, Wisconsin will conduct a Public Hearing on Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 at 5:45 p.m. at the Village Hall Discovery Center, Room 205, located at 310 Chieftain Street. This Public Hearing is in regards to formally vacating a portion of an unpaved alleyway located immediately east of the east property line of 808 Chieftain Street and is bounded by 9th Avenue to the north, 8th Avenue to the south and is wholly within a residential neighborhood. For more information regarding the proposed alley discontinuance please contact Village Administrator Benjamin Krumenauer at Village Hall or 715-294-3498. Frances Duncanson, MMC-WCPC Village Clerk

Frederic, was arrested February 16 for domestic disorderly conduct. Randy Ronald Carlton Foster, 38, Balsam Lake, was arrested February 19 for a Polk County warrant. Michael Charles Barkema, 47, Klemme, IA, was arrested February 23 for OWI (1st) and homicide intoxicated use of a vehicle. Wendy E. Reed, 53, Dresser, was arrested February 23 for OWI (4th) with child under 16 and operating while revoked. Sara Ann Underwood, 26, Frederic, was arrested February 22 for OWI (1st) and prohibited alcohol content (1st).

Jeffery Dean Larson, 55, Luck, was arrested February 21 for operating snowmobile under the influence and refuse to provide required sample. Douglas Gene Johnson, 55, Luck, was arrested February 19 for operating with prohibited alcohol content (2nd). Hunter Carl Schmidt, 21, Frederic, was arrested February 19 for OWI (1st) and prohibited alcohol content (1st). Alicia Dawn Paukstat, 30, Luck, was arrested February 16 for OWI (2nd), operating while suspended, failure to obey officer and a bond violation.

PUBLIC NOTICES STATE OF WISCONSIN CIRCUIT COURT POLK COUNTY CASE NUMBER: 2019CV000284 CASE TYPE: OTHER – REAL ESTATE CASE CODE: 30405 Earl Allen Mork, Plaintiff, Polk County, Involuntary Plaintiff, -vsThe estate of Henry Cooper Oakey, Defendant. The heirs of Minnie Oakey, Defendant. NOTICE OF MOTION TO CORRECT LEGAL DESCRIPTON AND TRANSFER PROPERTY TO: Polk County, Malia Theresa Malone, Polk County Corporation Counsel, 1005 West Main Street, Suite 100, Balsam Lake, WI 54810-4404. To: The estate of Henry Cooper Oakey The heirs of Minnie Oakey %H QRWLÂżHG WKDW WKH 3ODLQWLII Earl Allen Mork (“Plaintiffâ€?), by his attorney Rory E. O’Sullivan, shall move the court, the Honorable Jeffery L. Anderson presiding, pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 847.07, at the Polk County Justice Center, 1005 West Main Street, Suite 300, Balsam Lake, WI 54810 on March 6th, 2020 at 12.45 pm, for a judgement in this matter, correcting the legal description of Lot 3 FRQWDLQHG LQ D FHUWLÂżHG VXUYH\ map dated July 24th, 1964 and received for recording with the Polk County Register of Deeds LQ YROXPH RI &HUWLÂżHG 6XUYH\ Maps, page 61, as document number 306690 and, consequently, transferring to Plaintiff the following-described parcel of land: Part of the SW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 1, T32N, R18W, Town of Alden, Polk County, Wisconsin, including part of /RW RI D &HUWLÂżHG 6XUYH\ 0DS recorded in Volume 1 Page 61 of said maps as Document no. 306690 more particularly described as follows: Commencing at the East 1/4 corner of said Section 1; thence along the East-West 1/4 line of Section 1, N 86°35’27â€?W a distance of 1627.32 feet; Thence N03°24’33â€?E a distance of 361.07 feet to the southeasterly line of Lot 3 of VDLG &HUWLÂżHG 6XUYH\ 0DS Thence along the southeasterly line of said Lot 3, N52°38’15â€?E a distance of 94.98 feet to the point of beginning; Thence, N41°14’06â€?W a distance of 149.11 feet to the south right of way of County

Road “Kâ€?; Thence along said right of way, N89°05’48â€?W a distance of 42.00 feet; Thence, N04°13’46â€?E a distance of 66.11 feet to the north right of way of County Road “Kâ€? and the beginning of a meander line on the southerly shore of Big Lake; Thence, the following being along said right of way and said meander line, S89°05’48â€?E a distance of 43.87 feet; Thence N86°55’37â€?E a distance of 72.51 feet; Thence easterly along the arc of a curve, concave northerly, a distance of 36.76 feet, said curve having a radius of 394.14 feet a chord which bears N84°15’18â€?E a distance of 36.75 feet; Thence leaving said right of way and said meander line, S19°43’01â€?E a distance of 67.11 feet; Thence, S16°07’29â€?E a distance of 78.30 feet along the centerline of 180th street; Thence, S52°38’15â€?W a distance of 77.78 feet to the point of beginning. Including all lands lying between the above described meander line and the shore of Big Lake between a line that bears N04°13’46â€?E from the beginning of said meander line and a line that bears N19°43’01â€?W from the end of said meander line. Containing 0.52 Acres, more or less. Subject to the right of way for County Road “Kâ€? and 180th/ Street within the above described property and subject to all easements, restrictions and covenants of record. The motion and its supporting GRFXPHQWDWLRQ VKDOO EH ÂżOHG in advance of the hearing and Plaintiff shall rely on those anticipated pleadings and on the arguments and evidence presented at the hearing. A copy of the motion and the supporting documentation may be obtained either from the court, whose address is Polk County Justice Center, 1005 West Main Street, Suite 300, Balsam Lake, WI 54810 or from Plaintiff’s attorney, whose address is 219 N. Main Street, River Falls, WI 54022. Dated this 17th day of February, 2020. Rodli, Beskar, Neuhaus, Murray & Pletcher, S.C., 219 North Main Street, P.O. Box 138, River Falls, WI 54767. /s/ Rory E. O’Sullivan Rory E. O’Sullivan Attorneys for Plaintiffs Wisconsin State Bar No. 1088644 T: (715) 425-7281 F: (715) 425-7586 rory@rodlibeskar.com 30-31Sc WNAXLP

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Steffen pleads no contest to lesser charge JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM

WNDR

All vacant ice houses must be removed from Polk County Lakes by March 15.

Ice houses removal dates coming up JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM

Ice fishers take note: your ice house or shanty will need to be removed from the lake if you’re not using it after March 15. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has several dates for ice fishers when it comes to vacant ice houses. All ice fishing shelters, when not in daily use, must be removed from Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Green Bay and all other inland waters north of Highway 64 by the first Sunday following March 12. All inland waters south of Highway 64 were to be removed by March 1. Sarah Hoye of the WDNR explained in an email, ice houses can be used after the removal date, but they must be in use. “People can still use a shanty on a daily basis, but have to be in it,� Hoye said. “You can’t set it up, leave to grab lunch and come back four hours

later.� Wisconsin boundary water ice shelters were supposed to be removed from the Wisconsin-Iowa boundary waters by Feb. 20. Boundary water ice houses with Michigan are set to be removed by March 15 and with Minnesota on March 1. In Minnesota, the DNR says ice houses need to be removed from inland waters across the southern two-thirds of the state on March 2. On March 16, the northern one-third of the state. Dates of removal are determined by an east-west line formed by U.S. Hwy. 10, east along Hwy. 34 to Minnesota Hwy. 200, east along Hwy. 200 to U.S. Hwy. 2, and east along Hwy. 2 to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border,� according to the Minnesota DNR. “After removal dates, shelters may remain on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise only when occupied or attended. Storing or leaving shelters on a public access is prohibited.�

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Burnett County’s Assistant District Attorney Dan Steffen pleaded no contest in a Dane County Courthouse last week to disorderly conduct. Last year, Steffen was c charged with misdemeanor t theft – false representation in i Dane County. However, that charge was amended to t C County disorderly conduct. The statute for county d disorderly conduct states, Steff St ffen “Whoever, in a public or private place, engages in violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, unreasonably loud or otherwise disorderly conduct under circumstances in which the conduct tends to cause or pro-

voke a disturbance is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.� Steffen was ordered to pay a fine of $330.50 to the Dane County Clerk of Courts office within 60 days of his plea Feb. 19. The charge is not a misdemeanor. It is an unclassified forfeiture which is not a criminal offense but similar to a traffic ticket. According to the criminal complaint, Steffen attended a conference held by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and there was confusion about reimbursement Steffen had submitted. An investigation by the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed Steffen lied on his reimbursement to hide that he was staying in the same room with a colleague. Steffen has been ADA in Burnett County for two years.

Kinship featured match SUBMITTED BY AMY DANIELSON

It seems clichÊ to say that many of our Kinship matches are no longer just friends, but family. However, that sentiment couldn’t be more true as I ponder on how to share about this newsletter’s featured match. Doug and Dianna Greene first met Caydyn in November of 2017. He was a bit on the quiet and reserved side, and I wondered as I matched them how their first meeting time without me would go. Would they find common ground? Would Caydyn talk? Then they got on the topic of Caydyn’s broken bike and Doug offered to help him fix it. And the rest, as they say, is history! Now their relationship is marked with the familiar ease of family. Caydyn most often goes over to their home, where they enjoy supper together and whatever activity has been chosen for that day. They have fixed bikes. Doug says Caydyn now knows how to do basic maintenance on his bike. They have ridden snowmobiles, played in the woods, visited the neighbor’s donkeys and played in their creek. They play lots of board or card games and set lots of puzzles. This winter they decided to teach Caydyn and his brother how to swim. So, they have made many trips to the pool and wouldn’t you know it, now Caydyn is jumping into the deep end! Doug and Dianna couldn’t be prouder of this young boy who has

SUBMITTED

Doug and Dianna Greene with Caydyn.

thoroughly entrenched himself in their affections. Whether it is the photo album of pictures and newspaper clippings of him they keep or just verbally affirming him,

There are currently 11 youth in Polk County much like Caydyn waiting for a mentor to step alongside them. their affection is clear. And that affection goes both ways. I asked Caydyn what he likes best about Kinship, about his time with Doug and Dianna. With a little shrug he told me, “Kind of everything.� For a boy of few words, his statement spoke volumes. They have big plans

ELECT KYSA MARTEN Kysa Marten will be at Coming Home in Osceola on Sunday, March 8 from 12 to 3 p.m. Come on down to ďŹ nd out why she wants to be elected to the Osceola School Board. There will be a rafe drawing, food, beverages and great conversation. Paid for by Kysa Marten

for the spring. Their first order of business is to get the hotrod out of the garage and go to a car show. If you see a happy looking pair out and about, it may just be them. As I was getting set to leave, Caydyn hurried downstairs to get his snow gear on for one last snowmobile ride, while Doug held back with one more thing to add. “You know, Amy, there are times that I get to Caydyn’s home and he doesn’t know that I am coming that day. But when he sees me, he comes hurrying to the door, throws it open and with a sparkle in his eyes says, ‘Doug! I didn’t know you were coming today! I’m so glad you’re here! I was hoping you would come today!’ The way his face lights up‌that makes it all worth it!â€? There are currently 11 youth in Polk County much like Caydyn waiting for a mentor to step alongside them. Spread the word or perhaps you could be that person. For more information, please contact Kinship by phone at 715-405-3900, by email at mentoring@ polkkinship.org or visit Kinship’s website at polkkinship.org.

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WISCONSIN STATE SENATE 10TH DISTRICT Doing more to support family caregivers

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ast week, Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm joined us in Baldwin to hold a roundtable of family caregivers from all over our area. This is an important issue that we are working to address on the Governor’s Task Force on Caregiving because as Wisconsin’s population ages, supporting State long-term care is becoming even Senator more critical. Wisconsin’s Patty Schachtner aging population continues to growespecially in rural, northern areas like ours, where more than 25% of residents are 65 or older. For example in Burnett County, over 41% of the population is over the age of 65. Meanwhile, the 85 and over population in Wisconsin will grow by 120% by 2040- the fastest growing of any age group. While both of these populations grow, our crisis of quality, reliable long-term care will grow as well because family caregivers, rather

than paid professionals, provide care to around 90% of the longterm care population. This unpaid caregiving is so prevalent that one out of six members of our state’s workforce are also unpaid caregivers. And 30% of those caregivers are over 65 themselves. In Baldwin, we brought family caregivers to the table to give us the stories beyond the statistics. Their stories were striking. We heard from people like Darci who began caring for her husband, Mike, in 2017 when he was diagnosed with probable early-onset Alzheimer’s. After a few years, she had to move him into an assisted living facility which is costing her $6,000 every month. To cover the expenses, Darci is has been forced to tap into their IRA. As she said, “we are all one illness from poverty.” Jamie shared his difficult story of caring for not only his spouse, but also his daughter. Jamie’s 11 year old daughter has muscular dystrophy that requires significant care around the clock. A few years ago, his wife was diagnosed with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis too. Although the state has approved his daughter for 30 hours of personal care, workers are in short supply and Jamie can’t get the help he needs. In western Wiscon-

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

WISCONSIN INDIANHEAD TECHNICAL COLLEGE The following students graduated in December. Dresser: Amanda Keopple, associate in applied science, nursing; Osceola: Allyssa Larson and Alexus McKenzie, associate in applied science, nursing. St. Croix Falls: Erin Mevissen, associate in applied science, nursing. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN – MADISON

The following students received degrees in December. Osceola: Jessica Bjerke, bachelor of arts, psychology, social welfare, graduated with distinction; Emily Carlson, bachelor of business administration, operations and technology management, graduated with distinction. CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY WISCONSIN Joleen Gravelle of St. Croix Falls was named to the Fall Honors List.

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sin, certified nursing assistants and personal care aides can head across the border where they face fewer barriers to certification and can earn a higher reimbursement rate for their work. Jan told us that though she worked in senior care for 32 years, nothing could have prepared her for becoming a full time caregiver for her husband with Alzheimer’s. Judy, who spent her career working in healthcare, shared that she has been caring for her husband with a variety of chronic health problems since 2011. She said she has recently given herself permission to grieve the losses she’s had in dealing with his care. I am so thankful for all the caregivers that joined us to share their stories this week. Family and other unpaid caregivers give up so much of themselves to keep their loved one safe, healthy, and happy. As Bonnie told us, they look to “find the grateful joy in every day.” Wisconsin’s caregivers and those in need of long-term care must have access to all the resources and support they need to find that joy in every day. Caregivers can get help from their local Aging and Disability Resource Center by visiting www. dhs.wisconsin.gov/adrc/consumer/index.htm.

Sign up for March trips Join the ADRC Van and Mini Bus this winter to get out of the house, run some errands or just enjoy an afternoon out. The ADRC Social Transportation Program provides wheelchair accessible transportation to social events, shopping and errands for individuals 60 years of age and older and adults of all ages living with a disability. New to the program? Here are some basic details: There is a very small fee. Payment required at the time of service. Cash only. Trips are pre-scheduled by the ADRC of Northwest Wisconsin and published in our monthly newsletter, The Voice, and online at www. adrcnwwi.org/transportation.htm . Custom group trips (not on the schedule) are accepted on a case by case basis. We ask that you call right away with your request, invite friends and be flexible (if you can be) with dates. We can accommodate 3-5 individuals on the van and 8-10 on the bus.

March trips for Polk County residents Milltown Dining Site Meal Fri., March 6, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Walmart Shopping and Errands in New Richmond for residents of: Amery, Balsam Lake, Clear Lake and Clayton Mon., March 9, 11a.m. - 4 p.m. Walmart Shopping and Errands in St Croix Falls for residents of: Frederic, Luck, Milltown, Centuria, Dresser, Osceola and St Croix Falls Tues., March 10th, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Amery Dining Site Meal Thurs., March 12, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Milltown Dining Site Meal Tues., March 17, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. New Richmond Shopping Trip Thurs., March 19, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Amery Dining Site Meal Mon., March 30, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. To reserve a seat for one of the above trips, get more information, or coordinate your own custom group trip contact the ADRC of Northwest Wisconsin at 877-4852372.

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River Bum Blog: Walking on water Winter hiking along the frozen river opens a window to this subtle season. BY GREG SEITZ ST CROIX 360

This is when it feels like winter won’t end, so I double down on putting the time to good use. I walk. This winter I have walked even more than usual, trying to keep my body moving and my blood pumping. Usually my route includes some variation on walking down a bluff and then back up it. The valley’s topography makes for a great fitness club. There are many places along the river where enough people snowshoe and walk that there is usually a wellpacked path. I rarely see anyone but we benefit from each other’s footsteps. Dropping down the steep slopes toward the river, roads and responsibilities quickly slip behind. The topography silences civilization, and a short trek allows an escape equal to hiking a mile from the trailhead on flatter terrain. I hike under gray skies and blue, over snow soft or frozen solid, in bright sunshine and on dim days when our home star seems to be leaving us forever. In January, we pleaded for sunshine after a blur of featureless clouds, filtered sunlight. Our appeals are eventually answered. On a blinding afternoon in February, when the sun bounces off fresh snow and hits my eyes without losing much of the original solar intensity, I walk down a trail that follows an old road cut through the bluff line. My new dog, Ginger, trots along next to me. She is another good reason I have hiked more — a sixmonth-old mutt needs exercise if she’s going to spend the day locked in my office with me while I work. I added two pieces of gear this winter that have greatly improved my walking. The first was a pair of Yaxtrax, the cleats that go on my hiking boots to improve traction. They’re largely intended for ice, but I find them great for hiking on packed trails. I waste much less energy, since my foot doesn’t slip backward with every step forward. The second piece of gear are Outdoor Research boot gaiters, which attach to my boots and go up to below my knee. These let me

wear light hiking boots, and occasionally, inevitably cross through some deep snow without getting it packed around my ankles. With snow on the ground and no leaves on the trees, the woods are better lit than any time of the year. It’s almost perfectly silent. There is little wind at the moment, and few birds. The smallest sound carries great distances, my footsteps steadily squeaking and crunching, giving rhythm to thoughts. A far-off airplane breaks this silence, then a blue jay screech, a tapping woodpecker, and then the soft music of trumpeter swans flying up from the river. These scarce signs of life only increase the sense of solitude. I’m reminded of a blog post I recently read by Chris Helzer on his blog The Prairie Ecologist. A scientist working for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska, Chris has deep knowledge of the ecosystems along another National Scenic Riverway, the Niobrara. “When wandering through a stadium during the off-season, the stillness can be overwhelming. The arena is full of life and commotion during the season, but most everyone is gone now. Only a few die-hard athletes and year-round staff remain, preparing for the next year, or just hanging around because they don’t have anywhere better to be. “As you walk around in the near silence, it’s easy to imagine the kind of bustling activity that occurs when everyone is around. While much of the mess has been cleaned up, the main infrastructure remains and you can squint your eyes and envision the players moving about on the field. While meandering about, you feel nostalgic about previous visits as well as a strong yearning for the start of the upcoming season.” – The Empty Stadium, The Prairie Ecologist, Jan. 28, 2020 There are trees and rocks and the intermittent sounds of birds, but otherwise the land seems to lie waiting. This is the season of owls and eagles nesting and mating, whitetail deer does in their second trimester, but the bursting of life is a long ways away. When I come out of the woods and walk along the edge of a big prairie, with acres of land and water before SEE BLOG, PAGE 14

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MARCH 4, 2020 www.osceolasun.com

Chieftain wrestlers end season at State meet BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER

The wrestling season has come to an end for the Osceola Chieftains. Osceola had one wrestler compete at the State meet, junior Thomas Oswald at 113 pounds. Oswald lost in the first round of action to Wyatt Kaczrowski of Seymour which turned out to be a very tough match. Kaczrowski ended up placing third at State in the division. “Tommy didn’t get on the podium but he had a great experience,” Osceola coach Nate Demulling said. “Some wrestlers are happy just qualifying for state. Other wrestlers get a little awestruck by wrestling in the Kohl Center. Not Tommy. He had the right mindset and came down (to Madison) to wrestle and wasn’t affected by any of that other stuff. It didn’t matter to him that he was wrestling a State finalist from last season and he attacked that match like he does for everyone. I couldn’t be more proud of him.” “Being able to compete in the Kohl Center was such an amazing experi-

ence,” Oswald said. “Now that I know what the competition is like at the State level, I am ready to start preparing myself for next season.” Osceola has had an improving team the last several years under Demulling. It is hard to measure progress when you compete against so many quality teams that the Middle Border conference offers. “Overall our team was 10-8,” Demulling noted. “More than half of our opponents were ranked in division 1, 2, or 3 at some point during the season. We didn’t back down from competition. There were a number of matches we came out on the wrong end of, either due to not having all of our wrestlers in the lineup or a tough break. It makes me excited for next season. We have a lot of wrestlers that will return with varsity experience. Our off-season will predicate our success next season. That’s where we need to make gains, in the weight room, being competitive in other sports, and getting a little spring and summer wrestling in.” Although Osceola will

JO JASPERSON|THE SUN

Thomas Oswald represented Osceola at the State wrestling tournament in Madison last week which was the last wrestling event of the high school season for the Chieftains.

return much of their team next season the loss of seven seniors will certainly put a dent in their roster. These seniors were great leaders on and off the mats during their four years at OHS.

“It’s always hard seeing seniors go,” Demulling said. “By the end of four years you get to know those kids very well and see them progress. They start as boys and leave as men. You experience ad-

versity together and celebrate triumphs. It really is an honor and privilege to coach, something I don’t take for granted. I’ll miss their leadership and passion. Three of our seniors were team captains

and four year starters and two of them won over 100 matches in their careers. You don’t replace guys like that easily but they set a standard that will hopefully be met by those that come after.”

Chiefs win MBC contest in Ellsworth Girls’ season ends at regional BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER

BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER

Too bad the regular season has ended for the Osceola Chieftain boys basketball team. Last week was another good week for Osceola as they closed out the Middle Border conference season with a hard-earned road win at Ellsworth against the Panthers. The next night the Chieftains played the West Lakeland conference champions, the Unity Eagles, and played very well before losing. New Richmond and Prescott tied for the top spot in the MBC standings with 13-1 records. Now all teams turn their attention to WIAA Regional play. Osceola began tournament action with a game in Northwestern on March 3. Osceola fell behind Ellsworth early in the contest as the Panthers were hot from behind the arc. The Chieftains fell into a nine point hole before they started digging their way out. “Once we made some adjustments on defense we started battling back and managed to get within two,” Osceola coach

It is always tough to have your sports season come to an end. That is what happened to the Osceola Chieftain girls basketball team when they lost in the first round of WIAA Regional action against the Baldwin-Woodville Blackhawks. Osceola had defeated BW in a Middle Border conference game three weeks ago but could not make it two wins in a row over the Blackhawks. As hard as it is to see your season end with a loss the fact of the matter is that all but five schools in the state end their season this way. Only the five division champions walk off the court as winners in their final game. Osceola and Baldwin-Woodville appeared to be in another donnybrook after Osceola had defeated BW 40-38 in conference play on Feb. 6. With Osceola trailing 14-10 the teams got hot from beyond the arc. The Chieftains hit a trio of 3-point missiles before the end of the half and the Blackhawks responded with two of their own. At intermission BW had a narrow 23-21 advantage. In the second half Baldwin-Woodville continued their 3-point barrage and Osceola could not keep pace. The Blackhawks ripped the nets six more times from beyond the arc in the second half to gradually pull away for the win. “BW got hot from the three point line, Osceola coach Mike Haase said. “We were in the hunt at halftime, but six threes by them in the second half was insurmountable for us. On our

JO JASPERSON | THE SUN

With an injury to senior Trey Jensen, Osceola sophomore Charlie Tronrud has stepped up and given the team some valuable minutes off of the bench. The Chieftains defeated Ellsworth in the last MBC game of the season and now begin WIAA tournament play.

Jacob Meyer said. “Trey Jensen helped kick-start our run by playing physical defense which led to a fast-break layup. Unfortunately on that layup

there was a little contact and he was injured.” Jensen was forced to the sideline for the rest of SEE OHS BBB, PAGE 23

JO JASPERSON | THE SUN

Senior Emily Fox scores on a layup during her last OHS game. Osceola lost to Baldwin-Woodville to end their season.

side, we also rely on our outside shooting, and we only shot 3-for-22 (13.6%). We did a lot of things that we needed to do in order to win. We only had 11 turnovers, we made more free-throws than BW shot, and those were positive stats that we wouldn’t have reached earlier in this season.” Freshman Hattie Fox led Osceola in scoring with 14 points followed by SEE OHS GBB, PAGE 18

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MADDY STENSVEN

Kole Marko won his second consecutive state title.

MADDY STENSVEN

Tanner Gaffey won the 285 pound state title.

SCF crowns two State wrestling champions BY COACH JOE RAYGOR

When and Where: Feb. 27 – 29 in Madison Outcome: St. Croix Falls tied for fourth place with Coleman at the State individual wrestling tournament held in Madison. Stratford captured the team title and was followed by Cadott and Fennimore. Highlights: “St. Croix Falls wrestling finished with four out of five (State) qualifiers placing,” Saints’ coach Joe

Raygor said. “Bennett Bergmann lost first round and was eliminated. Mason Will won two matches and placed sixth, Luke Thaemert placed second and Tanner Gaffey and Kole Marko placed first overall. Comments: “Words will not express how proud I am of the boys who competed down at Madison,” Raygor said. “The boys had to endure immense loss in the last week and still try to perform to their best of abilities. They showed grit and

perseverance like I’ve never seen before. Truly amazing to be a part of these boys’ careers and watch their journey.” “Bennett Bergmann lost first round to a tough 40 win wrestler in the last few seconds,” Raygor began. “Bennett is a veteran and will become better because of it. He’ll have one more year to get his goal of standing on top of the podium. Mason Will placed sixth overall at 120 pounds. Mason suffered a major knee

injury during the week of Regionals and couldn’t walk for two days. The swelling subsided so he could walk and it was a game time decision to see if he could compete. He ended up competing and won the Regional on one knee without practicing the whole week. After that the swelling went more and more away and he was able to qualify through Sectionals. At State he left every ounce he had on the mat and I was super proud

The fight for the Boundary Waters

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ike many of you, I’m thinking about a trip to the Boundary Waters. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is nearly 1.1 million acres of boreal forest laced with interconnected lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands and aquifers. I have drunk clean water right from the middle of remote lakes as well as enjoyed some of the best fishing, camping and hunting the world has to offer. In fact people come from around the world to explore the legendary waters routes between Canada and the U.S. Today the treasure lays in the wilderness camping, the call of the loon, fishing for lake trout, walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, as well as seeing moose, ruffed grouse, wolves, black bear and whitetail deer. Those treasures will bring 150,000 visitors to seek new adventures, take photographs and explore the BWCAW in canoe and kayak. The Boundary Waters, estabWild River lished in 1964 are the most visited Trails wilderness in our nation because of Jim Bennett the backcountry experience. The 3

million acre Superior National Forest, which includes the BWCAW, contains 20% of the fresh water in the 193 million acre National Forest System according to sportsmenbwca.org. In 1978 federal laws were passed protecting the BWCAW from mining inside and along all access corridors of the BWCAW and protection areas. Today the Boundary Waters is currently threatened by proposed sulfide-ore copper mining at its headwaters by the Chilean mining company Antofagasta, which owns Twin Metals MN. Sportsmanbwca.org reports this type of mining has a terrible track record of polluting, especially in water-rich environments, and could damage the very quality of water and land that makes these waters so unique. Recent Polls show that while 60% of Minnesotan’s oppose the mining project, 23% of polled Minnesotans support the mining project because of the jobs that would be created. “It would be a win-win for cities like Ely and Babbitt,” according to Nancy McReady, a proponent of the mining project. McReady feels new people would be moving in for higher paying new SEE BENNETT, PAGE 19

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of how he competed through an injury. Luke Thaemert ended his career with a huge bang. Luke hit a hip toss in the State semi -finals in overtime to make the finals and wrestle Brayden Sonnentag. He ended up dropping the match but fought hard. Luke will go out as a 140 plus win wrestler and a two time State place winner. He’s an all-time great wrestler and leader for the Saints. Kole Marko won his second consecutive State title as a

sophomore. He’s a remarkable tough human being. Overall, Kole wrestled a little tight this weekend but got the job done. In the quarterfinals he beat a tough Coleman opponent in overtime. Then in the semifinals he wrestled a Michiscot opponent who is extremely tall which caused some difficulties. Kole’s ability to ride and score points at the end of periods helped him win the SEE SAINTS, PAGE 14

SCOREBOARD BOWLING FRIENDLY VALLEY WOMEN’S LEAGUE Feb.26, 2020 Osceola Cleaners 92 Osceola Lanes 82 PY’s Lil Devils 81.5 The Golden Girls 74.5 Truhlsen Chiropractic 74 Scott’s Tire 72.5 Hauge Dental 70 Sue’s Bar & Grill 69 Horse Creek Store 62.5 Friendly Bar 59 Cascade BP 46 200 (Feb. 19): Jess Quigley, 245; Pam Brunclik, 224 Julie McKenzie, 211; Jolene Wille, 202; Lynn Quigley, 202. 200 (Feb. 26): Meghan Tinney, 215. 500 (Feb. 19): Julie McKenzie, 572; Meghan Tinney, 536; Pam Brunclik, 533; Jenny Blake, 526; Jolene Wille, 512; Venessa Viebrock, 508. 500 (Feb. 26): Meghan Tinney, 515; Jessica Campeau, 503. High game: Sue’s Bar & Grill, 647. High series: Osceola Cleaners, 1842.

OHS BOYS BASKETBALL Chieftain Boys Basketball Osceola at Ellsworth (unofficial) February 27, 2020 Osceola Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Hall 4 0 5 6 1 13 Jensen 0 1 0 0 0 3 G Slater 0 0 0 0 3 0 Schultz 3 0 3 6 4 9 Mork 1 2 1 2 1 9 Maxon 1 2 10 15 1 18 Tronrud 1 0 5 6 1 7 Krentz 5 0 1 2 1 11 Measner 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 15 5 25 37 13 70 Ellsworth Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Janke 1 1 0 0 5 5 Coulthard 1 1 0 0 1 5 Matzek 0 1 0 3 0 3 Mehrkens 1 1 0 0 3 5 Mendez 0 2 2 2 3 8 Schultz 0 1 1 2 2 4 Lange 1 0 0 4 2 2

Anderson 6 4 0 1 4 24 Smith 0 1 0 0 0 3 Quade 0 0 0 0 3 0 Pechacek 3 0 0 0 3 6 Totals 13 12 3 12 26 65 Score by Halves 1 2 Final OHS 24 46 70 EHS 26 39 65 Chieftain Boys Basketball Unity at Osceola (unofficial) February 28, 2020 Unity Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP J Flaherty 2 2 7 9 3 17 L Flaherty 0 0 0 2 2 0 Foeller 0 0 0 2 0 0 Paulsen 1 0 0 0 0 2 Bloom 2 0 0 0 3 4 Peterson 0 1 0 0 0 3 Collins 3 0 0 1 2 6 Feist 3 0 0 4 1 6 Sorenson 4 0 4 6 1 12 Totals 15 3 11 24 12 50 Osceola Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Hall 3 1 2 2 4 11 G Slater 0 1 4 4 2 7 Schultz 3 0 0 0 4 6 Mork 0 1 0 0 2 3 Maxon 1 0 3 4 2 5 Tronrud 0 0 0 0 2 0 Krentz 1 0 0 0 2 2 Measner 2 0 0 0 1 4 Totals 10 3 9 10 19 38 Score by Halves 1 2 Final UHS 23 25 48 OHS 15 23 38 Middle Border Conference Boys Basketball Standings FINAL Regular Season Team Conf. Overall New Richmond 13-1 19-3 Prescott 13-1 18-4 St. Croix Central 9-5 16-6 Somerset 8-6 13-9 Baldwin-Woodville 7-7 12-10 Ellsworth 3-11 7-15 Osceola 3-11 4-17 Amery 0-14 0-22 Scores February 24

SEE SCOREBOARD, PAGE 15

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MARCH 4, 2020 www.osceolasun.com

Bear application period delayed

SHARON WAMPFLER | THE SUN

Barron sophomore Rylee Stauner and SCF junior Emma Cooper struggle for control of the basketball during the Saints’ win to clinch the Regional Championship title with a final score of 62-32.

Lady Saints win Regional title, Sectionals up next

When and Where: Feb. 28 at St. Croix Falls Outcome: St. Croix Falls 63, Baldwin-Woodville 43 – Regional Semi-Final Summary: After receiving a bye in the first round of the WIAA Regional tournament, the St. Croix Falls Saints defeated Middle Border conference member the Baldwin-Woodville Blackhawks by a score of 63-43. The Saints had trouble getting into gear against the pesky Blackhawks leading just 25-24 at halftime. SCF outscored BW 38-19 after the break. Highlights: Olivia Miron led the St. Croix Falls scoring with 21 points with Emily McCurdy adding 14. The Saints netted 27 deuces to just 12 for BW. Comments: “It’s been an emotional week for the team,” St. Croix Falls coach Angie Maternowsky said after SCF lost two students in a tragic car accident the previous week. “We struggled a bit in the first half of the Baldwin-Woodville game. The team rallied in the second half.” When and Where: Feb. 29 at St. Croix Falls Outcome: St. Croix Falls 62, Barron 32 – Regional Final Summary: The Saints dominated the Barron Bears from the start running out to a 34-10 halftime lead on their way to a 30 point decision. With the win St. Croix Falls captured the WIAA Regional title and will now advance to Sectional play. Highlights: Three Saints hit for double figures with McCurdy dropping in 14 points to lead the balanced attack. Lucia Newman knocked down a dozen points and Miron netted 11. A total of eight different Saints contributed to the scoring. Comments: “Barron supported SCF by wearing blue T-shirts and pony-tailers,” Maternowsky said. “The team played well (last) Saturday night. There was good energy in the gym both nights.” What this Means: St. Croix Falls advances to the Sectionals carrying a 23-1 overall record. Upcoming: The Saints will play the Northwestern Tigers in the Sectional semi-final game on March 5. Northwestern won the Heart O’North conference title with a 15-1 record (21-3 overall) with their only conference loss to Bloomer by three points. Northwestern defeated Bloomer 44-27 to win their WIAA Regional. The winner of the St. Croix Falls and Northwestern contest will play the winner of the game between Arcadia and Prescott for the Sectional title and a trip to the State meet in Madison.

Delivering Your Community

<www.osceolasun.com>

SHARON WAMPFLER | THE SUN

Sophomore Dayo Oye on a fast break for a layup in the Saints’ cross over game against the Turtle Lake Lakers on Thursday, Feb. 27. Saints won with a final score of 89-47.

Saints close out regular season with non-conference win over Turtle Lake

The opening of the bear permit application period for the 2021 bear hunting season will be delayed this year while the new 2021 zone structure works its way through legislative review. The application period, which normally opens in March, will open shortly after the review process is completed in late spring/early summer. The 2021 bear application deadline remains Dec. 10, 2020. When it’s time to apply, hunters should be aware of potentially changed zone boundaries. It is not known precisely how these changes will affect harvest permit wait times, but there will likely be no significant changes across zones A, B, C and D. The Wisconsin Black Bear Management Plan 2019 - 2029 was developed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bear Advisory Committee and approved by the Natural Resources Board in May 2019. The new bear management zones proposed in the plan are designed to address bear conflicts and manage desired population levels effectively. Wisconsin continues to be one of the premier black bear hunting states in the nation, with ample public hunting lands and a robust bear population that has steadily expanded further south into the central forest and beyond. The new zones will allow management decisions to address both the opportunities and challenges that can arise with an expanding bear population. Applications are required for a Class A license or to receive a preference point. Hunters must apply at least once during a period of three consecutive years, otherwise all previously accumulated preference points will be lost. For more information go to dnr.wi.gov.

BY COACH CHAD HALL

When and Where: Feb. 27 at St. Croix Falls Outcome: St. Croix Falls 89, Turtle Lake 47 (non-conference) Summary: St. Croix Falls finished their regular season with a win over Turtle Lake in a Lakeland conference crossover game. The Saints finished their season on a high note with the 42 point win. The Saints blistered the nets with 57 points in the first half. SCF connected on a total of 11 shots from behind the arc led by Declan Greenquist with three. Highlights: St. Croix Falls had five players hit double figures with Kullan Parks leading the way with 21. Greenquist and Alex Mysicka each netted 17, Payton Christenson added 13 and Dayo Oye had 10. Comments: “Turtle Lake was a big win for us as we closed out the season at 17-5,” Saints coach Chad Hall said. “I was really proud of the guys and how they took care of business after a very emotional week. It was certainly fun to get everyone some playing time in our last regular season home game. This team is certainly looking forward to the playoffs.” What this Means: St. Croix Falls ended the West Lakeland conference contests with an 8-4 record good for third place. Unity earned the top spot with a 10-2 record followed by Luck at 9-3. The Saints ended their regular season record with an overall record of 17-5. Upcoming: SCF earned the 3-seed in the upcoming WIAA Regional tournament and will host the winner of the game between Bloomer (6-seed) and Spooner (11-seed). The Saints will play on March 6.

SAINTS: Two state winners FROM PAGE 13

close matches. In the finals, Kole scored a takedown in the final seconds of the first period which put him in the driver’s seat. From there both wrestlers rode each other out and Kole got the win. Tanner Gaffey won the 285pound State title. He had to defeat very tough opponent, Wade Stanger of Ladysmith. Stanger has a record of 44-5 having collected over 40 pins in the season. All five of Stanger’s losses were served by Gaffey. Tanner kept great position and kept to the game plan. Tanner’s physical strength and ability to win the little positions makes him tough to beat. Gaffey’s commitment to the weight room made the difference in his success so far in his career.” Summary: “Overall, we did the best we’ve done at the State tournament since 1991,” Raygor said. “That was the last time we had three in the finals with two champions. But the accolades of winning aren’t what I’m most proud of. I’m proud of how the kids came together and fought for each other, the community, and Kegan and McKinley. Success can be measured by the amount of fight brought and these boys have shown they’re truly champions.” Upcoming: “Now that the season is over we’ll focus on getting stronger in the weight room and improving techniques,” Raygor said. “Freestyle and Greco season is around the corner and we need to keep improving if we want to climb to the heights we’re capable of.”

BLOG: Walking on water FROM PAGE 11

my eyes, and little movement, little visible activity, it feels just like being in an empty arena. Of course, there are countless mice and voles scurrying under the snow, and snakes hibernating down in the ground. Insect larvae wait under dead leaves and logs for their chance to mature. But the signs are few, and so many creatures are elsewhere. Some of the best mental medicine I know is to see somewhere new, or see somewhere familiar in a new way. That might mean observing a beautiful sight previously passed by, or a native flower blooming, a bird fluttering among leafy limbs where my memory is of bare branches. That will come. Right now, the newness is the emptiness. It’s when my feet fall into that rhythm, and my thoughts match its pace, that the feeling of smallness sinks in, the sense of being the only thing moving and making noise in a still and quiet coliseum. Big open-grown oaks stand every 100 yards or so along the edge of the bluff, like columns adorning ancient arboreal arcades. They have snow in the joints of their limbs, gnarled bark, and jagged limbs spreading to find the sun. They’re surrounded by recent growth, small maples and basswood, but generations of these softer trees will come and go in the lifespan of an oak. When the first European-American settler surveyors mapped this area in 1848, the term they most often used to describe it was “scattering oak.” This was the savanna — grasslands sprinkled with sprawling oak trees, sunny and dry and alive in summer, windblown yet wondrous in winter. Occasional grassfires limited the growth of other trees, and protected the prairie. Most of the land was cut and plowed and the natural fire cycle was forgotten, but it’s remembered now at parks and nature preserves, and oaks still scatter across the prairie in some places along the St. Croix River. The path here has been obscured by blowing snow. A breeze pushes north, and I dip my head into it and keep going. At the edge of a bluff, I look over the river, a quarter-mile to the matching sandstone cliffs on the other side. Bare silver maples poke up from the floodplain. This is like standing in the bleachers, just another fan watching the river sleep. I want to yell “wake up!” but that’s not for me to say. I’m a short-lived aspen tree compared to the river, which is an oak. The seasonal cycles will outlive the trees and me. I turn and keep walking, feet crunching, silence singing.

MARCH 4, 2020

THE SUN

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Flex Gymnastics compete in St. Paul

SCOREBOARD: OHS/SCFHS FROM PAGE 13

The Flex Gymnastics Xcel Teams competed Feb. 15-16 at the Gina Morri Invitational in St. Paul. The Bronze team started the meet with a second place finish out of six teams. The Gold team placed first out of nine teams. On Sunday, the Silver team placed first out of three teams, Platinum first out of nine, and Diamond first out of four teams. Because gymnastics scoring is not only broken down by team and level, but also by age group, Flex brought home many individual medals. The Bronze team had four gymnasts place in the top three for All-Around. Bronze gymnasts also earned five first place medals, three second place medals, and three third place medals in individual events. Gold gymnasts kept the momentum going for Flex with five gymnasts finishing in the top three for All-Around. Eleven individual event medals were earned by Gold gymnasts for first, second, and third places. Seven girls from the Silver team placed in the top three for AllAround in the different age groups. Silver gymnasts also earned many individual event medals: eight first place, ten second place, and six third

place. The meet wrapped up with excellent performances by the Platinum and Diamond teams. All four Platinum gymnasts finished in the top two for All-Around. In individual events, the Platinum gymnasts earned eight first place medals and four second and third place medals. The four-gymnast Diamond team rounded out the competition, and Flex earned three first and second place All-Around places. Six top three individual medals were earned.

Hudson 80, New Richmond 63 (non-conference) February 27 Osceola 70, Ellsworth 65 St. Croix Central 80, Amery 43 New Richmond 77, Somerset 63 Prescott 68, Baldwin-Woodville 40 February 28 Unity 50, Osceola 38 (non-conference)

SCF BOYS BASKETBALL

SUBMITTED

Elletta Uddin of Osceola performs a back handspring on the beam.

SUBMITTED

Clare Gilbertson of Osceola on the vault.

What to value about America

S

ometimes, you just need to step back. The political conversations I hear these days are strikingly negative, dominated by what’s amiss in Washington, by the deep divisions in the country, by President Trump’s actions and the aftermath of his impeachment, and by the difficult problems we face but seem to make little progress Columnist toward resolving. There’s a lot of Lee Hamilton discouragement out there. I’ve done my share of carping, too. But at times like these, I find it helpful to draw back and look for the positives, as a reminder not to lose sight of the benefits we all share as Americans. For one thing, in the great game of world politics I’m pleased to be able to identify with the United States. We are not always right as a nation, though often we are. We have an economy that remains the envy of the world. Even if it’s not

the record-breaking marvel the President claims, we’ve enjoyed economic growth over a long period, and despite our problems with wage stagnation, inequality, and rising concern about affordability, our overall performance — both political and economic — holds up well against our chief global rivals, Russia and China. That is why our economy continues to attract outside investment and why our shores remain a top destination for refugees and immigrants. And it is why, quite remarkably for a superpower, we have friends, allies, and partners whose ties are voluntary, based on shared ideals and values. We can always do better, of course. Some of our alliances have become frayed of late. And it may be that we’re no longer at the pinnacle of global power we once enjoyed. But we’ve been able to protect our standing without descending into outright war, and though our global challenges are sobering and we have to appreciate the constraints on our power – we’re not going to make every country in the world peaceful, prosperous,

and democratic – we can still have a profound influence for the better on the world around us. This is in part due to the nature of our democracy. I don’t buy into the view that our country is collapsing. Yes, I understand that we have a vigorous public debate that goes on between the right and the left, and that as liberals, conservatives, and moderates all compete aggressively for power, sometimes the competition gets out of hand. It’s not a perfect process, but it has served us well on the whole. Most notably, we have a longstanding tradition of free and fair elections, a free press, separation of powers, the rule of law (though some of these are under stress right now) and an active civil society. All of these produce a feature of our democracy that constantly impresses me: our capacity for reform. Our freedoms give us the capability to stand back, watch the process unfold, search for the truth, try to understand what’s happening in the country and the world, and then make decisions SEE HAMILTON, PAGE 18

Killings at brewery do little to change Wisconsin politics BY SCOTT BAUER ASSOCIATED PRESS

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s latest mass shooting, which left six people dead at one of the world’s largest breweries, appears to have done little in the politically polarized state to budge Republicans who expanded access to guns over the past decade. Milwaukee police say a 51-yearold employee of Molson Coors Brewing Co., which for decades operated as Miller Brewing, opened fire on his co-workers on Wednesday afternoon, killing five before he turned the gun on himself. It was the nation’s fourth mass killing of the year. The shooting took place less than 3 miles from the venue that will

host the Democratic National Convention in five months. Democratic presidential candidates weighed in on the shooting, with several reiterating their calls for tougher gun laws. President Donald Trump called the shooting a “terrible thing,” but he and other Republicans, including in Wisconsin, did not advocate for any changes to the law. Trump narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016 and defeating him in the key swing state in November is a priority for Democrats. They see gun control as a winning issue, with numerous polls showing broad public support for the bills that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has unsuccessfully touted to the GOP-controlled Legislature. Evers told The Associated Press

in an interview Thursday that he’s pessimistic the latest shooting will cause Republicans to reconsider their position against stricter gun laws. “As leaders, we have to pray and give our heartfelt condolences to people that pass away but, at the same time, we have an obligation as leaders to think about what solutions exist,” Evers said in a telephone interview. “I think the people of Wisconsin deserve that too.” Just before the shooting, Evers had renewed his call for the state Legislature to take up the bills that would enact a universal background check for gun purchases and institute a “red-flag” law alSEE POLITICS, PAGE 24

Saints Boys Basketball Turtle Lake at St. Croix Falls (unofficial) February 27, 2020 Turtle Lake Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP LTorgrson 3 0 1 1 2 7 T Kahl 0 0 0 2 2 0 Humphrey 0 1 0 0 1 3 Thill 1 0 2 2 1 4 C Kahl 2 0 2 3 1 6 Stremke 6 3 2 4 1 23 Davis 1 0 1 2 1 3 NTorgrson 0 0 1 2 2 1 Totals 13 4 9 16 11 47 St. Croix Falls Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Oye 2 2 0 0 1 10 Greenquist 3 3 2 2 5 17 VanBuskirk 0 0 0 0 1 0 Chrstnson 3 2 1 1 3 13 Lessman 2 1 2 2 2 9 Mysicka 6 1 2 2 1 17 Parks 6 2 3 6 1 21 Johnson 1 0 0 0 1 2 Totals 23 11 10 13 15 89 Score by Halves 1 2 Final TLHS 25 22 47 SCFHS 57 32 89 West Lakeland Boys Basketball Standings FINAL Regular Season Team Conf. Overall Unity 10-2 19-3 Luck 9-3 17-5 St. Croix Falls 8-4 17-5 Grantsburg 7-5 13-9 Webster 4-8 10-12 Siren 2-10 6-15 Frederic 2-10 6-16 Scores February 24 Drummond 61, Siren 49 (non-conference) South Shore 75, Frederic 67 (non-conference) Grantsburg 61, Spooner 45 (non-conference) Luck 70, Turtle Lake 59 (non-conference) Unity 53, Spring Valley 27 (non-conference) Clear Lake 72, Webster 48 (non-conference) February 27 St. Croix Falls 89, Turtle Lake 47 (non-conference) Siren 73, Clayton 21 (non-conference) Grantsburg 53, Northwood 37 (non-conference) Frederic 73, Cornell 27 (non-conference) Luck 89, Shell Lake 60 (non-conference) Unity 54, Clear Lake 37 (non-conference) Webster 67, Prairie Farm 42 (non-conference) February 28 Luck 88, New Auburn 43 (non-conference) Unity 50, Osceola 38 (non-conference)

OHS GIRLS BASKETBALL Chieftain Girls Basketball Osceola at Baldwin-Woodville (unofficial) February 25, 2020 Osceola Individuals 2’s 3’s FTMFTA F TP J Wright 0 0 0 0 2 0 Bradway 1 0 2 3 0 4 Gillespie 1 2 0 1 3 8 E Fox 2 1 0 0 0 7 H Fox 2 0 10 10 2 14 Johnson 1 0 1 2 2 3 Branum 1 0 0 0 0 2 See 1 0 0 0 0 2 DeMoe 0 0 1 2 0 1 Totals 9 3 14 18 7 41 Baldwin-Woodville Individuals 2’s 3’s FTMFTA F TP Klatt 2 4 1 1 3 17 Mikla 0 2 0 0 2 6 Groskreutz 0 2 0 0 2 6 Olson 1 0 1 2 1 3 Jensen 5 1 1 1 3 14 Roemhild 0 1 0 0 1 3 Jordt 3 0 2 4 0 8 Albrightson 0 0 1 2 0 1 Nilssen 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 11 10 6 10 13 58 Score by Halves 1 2 Final OHS 21 20 41 BWHS 23 35 58

Middle Border Conference Girls Basketball Playoff Scores WIAA Regional February 25 – Round 1 Division 2 New Richmond Bye Division 3 Baldwin-Woodville 58, Osceola 41 Somerset 69, Spooner 25 St. Croix Central 35, Hayward 29 Ellsworth 71, Altoona 57 Amery Bye Prescott Bye February 28 Regional Semi-Final Division 2 New Richmond 61, Holmen 56 Division 3 Barron 52, Amery 36 St. Croix Falls 63, Baldwin-Woodville 43 Bloomer 49, Somerset 37 Northwestern 67, St. Croix Central 39 Arcadia 69, Ellsworth 44 Prescott 91, Nekoosa 60 February 29 – Regional Final Division 2 New Richmond 41, River Falls 38 Division 3 Prescott 67, West Salem 55

SCF GIRLS BASKETBALL Saints Girls Basketball Baldwin-Woodville at St. Croix Falls (unofficial) WIAA Regional – Semi-Final February 28, 2020 Baldwin-Woodville Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP Klatt 2 0 2 4 1 6 Mikla 1 0 3 4 3 5 Groskreutz 1 0 0 0 0 2 Olson 0 0 2 4 2 2 Jensen 6 1 4 5 1 19 Roemhild 0 0 0 0 2 0 Jordt 2 0 5 7 4 9 Totals 12 1 16 24 13 43 St. Croix Falls Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP K Miron 2 0 2 3 2 6 Neuman 4 0 0 0 2 8 Larson 2 0 0 0 2 4 EMcCurdy 6 0 2 2 3 14 BMcCurdy 1 0 0 0 4 2 O Miron 9 0 3 5 3 21 A Edwards 2 0 2 2 2 6 Cooper 1 0 0 0 2 2 Totals 27 0 9 12 20 63 Score by Halves 1 2 Final B-WHS 24 19 43 SCFHS 25 38 63 Saints Girls Basketball Barron at St. Croix Falls (unofficial) WIAA Regional Final February 29, 2020 Barron Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP R Stauner 0 1 2 2 5 5 Brunkow 0 0 0 0 3 0 Thompson 0 1 0 2 0 3 S Stauner 0 1 0 0 3 3 Wirth 1 3 0 0 3 11 Smith 3 0 0 0 4 6 Herrman 1 0 2 4 4 4 Totals 5 6 4 8 22 32 St. Croix Falls Individuals 2’s 3’s FTM FTA F TP K Miron 3 0 1 3 1 7 Neuman 2 2 2 4 1 12 Larson 1 0 0 0 0 2 Lee 0 0 0 0 2 0 EMcCurdy 4 2 0 0 3 14 BMcCurdy 1 1 3 3 0 8 O Miron 3 0 5 11 2 11 A Edwards 1 0 3 4 2 5 Cooper 1 0 1 3 0 3 Totals 16 5 15 28 11 62 Score by Halves 1 2 Final BHS 10 22 32 SCFHS 34 28 62 West Lakeland Girls Basketball Playoff Scores February 25 - WIAA Regional – Round 1 Division 3 St. Croix Falls Bye Division 4 Unity bye Chetek-Weyerhaeuser 48, Grantsburg 45 Division 5 Frederic 45, Mercer 43 (overtime) Siren 69, Bayfield 47 Solon Springs 62, Luck 59 Mellen 68, Webster 64 February 28 – WIAA Regional Semi-Final Division 3 St. Croix Falls 63, Baldwin-Woodville 43 Division 4 Unity 65, Boyceville 25 Division 5 Hurley 51, Frederic 34 Siren 53, South Shore 48 February 29 – WIAA Regional Final Division 3 St. Croix Falls 62, Barron 32 Division 4 Unity 69, Ladysmith 32 Division 5 Hurley 52, Siren 49

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STATE WRESTLING

CHAMPIONS TANNER GAFFEY & KOLE MARKO 285 LB. • ST. CROIX FALLS • 145 LB.

Congratulations! This page is sponsored by these fine area businesses: Amery Hospital & Clinic Baribeau Implement Bill’s Ace Hardware Boss Equipment Carlson SV MidWestOne Bank Core Products Crystal Ball Farms Culligan

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THE SUN www.osceolasun.com

REGIONAL

CHAMPIONS St. Croix Falls Girls Basketball

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Dick’s Fresh Market Falls Orthodontics Grandstrand Funeral Home Hauge Dental Johnson Motors Marketplace Foods Northwire Osceola Auto Sales & Service Osceola Veterinary Service Polaris Industries

Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperatives Re/Max Synergy – Candi Mueller Royal Oaks St. Croix Regional Medical Center Dr. Steven B. Schletty Scott’s Tire SF Insurance Group The Sun Newspaper 3 Arrows Coffee Company

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SAVING: Push clocks ahead FROM PAGE 1

nently. In February, the Utah House voted in favor of making daylight saving time permanent and sent the bill to Gov. Gary Herbert’s desk for final approval. The House approved the legislation with a vote of 70 to 1. The one opposing vote came from Rep. Robert Spendlove, who wasn’t opposed to ending the midyear time change but wanted the permanent time to add the extra hour of daylight in the morning, not in the evening. His peers disagreed, and the evening hour of daylight was approved in the final vote. If the governor signs the bill, the change would not immediately take effect. First, the state would seek approval from Congress. The bill also stipulates that four other west coast states must agree on the time change as well before it is implemented in Utah. At least 40 U.S. states have taken up legislation to adopt either daylight saving or standard time year-round. Massachusetts is considering going year-round to Atlantic Standard Time, the same time in places such as Nova Scotia and Puerto Rico, but the change would not take effect unless New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island agreed to do the same. Daylight saving time has been around since World War I. Germany and Austria were the first countries to use Daylight saving in 1916. Canada and Germany soon followed and eventually the United Kingdom and France. During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt instituted year-round daylight saving time, called “War Time,” from Feb. 9, 1942 to Sept. 30, 1945. From 1945 to 1966, there was no federal law regarding daylight saving time, so states and localities were free to choose whether or not to observe daylight saving time and could choose when it began and ended. This understandably caused confusion. It became the actual law of the land for the U.S. with the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Though the exact dates; now the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, have changed some over the years. Any State that wanted to be exempt from daylight saving time could do so by passing a state law. Arizona cited its hot climate in getting an exception, and Hawaii cited its tropical latitude, which means there isn’t much variation in daylight in the summer and

winter months. President Trump has also floated making daylight saving time permanent. Last March, he tweeted, “Making daylight saving time permanent is OK with me!” According to a poll by The Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research, four in 10 Americans would like to see their clocks stay on standard time year-round, while about three in 10 prefer to stay on daylight saving time. About another three in 10 prefer what is the status quo in most of the United States, switching back and forth between daylight saving time in the summer and standard time in the winter. Like it or not, as of now, residents in Wisconsin will have to keep adjusting to the twice yearly clock adjustment. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends you go to bed an hour early Saturday and get children to bed early too. They pay more attention to their internal clocks than timepieces, so implement the routine Saturday night to help them adjust to the lighter-than-usual bedtime, so they’ll be set up for a good night’s sleep before school Monday. What are the best ways to avoid sleep deprivation? The CDC says this already affects about one-third of adults in the U.S., outside of time changes. Tips provided by the CDC include: limiting your caffeine intake in the late afternoon and evening; do not eat a big meal right before bedtime; if you are using the extra hour of daylight at the end of the day for exercise, make sure your session ends at least three hours before bedtime, because the energy boost that exercise gives you can cause insomnia. Try to wind down with a warm bath or shower. Let the sun shine in. Experts say that pulling back the curtains and allowing the sun to shine in the windows in the morning improves alertness during the day. You’re also more likely to feel sleepy when it is time to go to bed. It is suggested to turn off the bright lights an hour or two before going to bed, including the television, your computer and other electronic devices. Read a relaxing book or listen to soothing music instead. Also, try to watch the length of your naps. Authorities say the time changes are also a good day to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Daylight saving time ends Nov. 1, 2020, when we’ll move our clocks back an hour and lose an hour of daylight.

METH: Polk County ponders meth problem, how it has evolved FROM PAGE 1

phetamine usage or addiction are across Wisconsin. “The rates (of samples) going to the crime lab have gone down,” Polk County Criminal Justice Coordinator Kristin Boland said. In fact, the number of Polk County cases sent to the WSCL was more than halved from 2017 to 2018. “That would lead a person to believe that maybe meth use in Polk County has gone down. That’s not necessarily true. There was a period of time in Polk County when every case that involved any amount of drugs was sent to the crime lab.” Indeed, meth is still quite prevalent across the county and northwestern Wisconsin. Polk County offers a number of programs designed to divert people from drug use, including Treatment Court, the First Time Offender Program and the Treatment Diversion Alternative (TAD) Program. All of these options, Boland said, were full as of the beginning of January. “I don’t think we’ve completely taken care of the meth issue,” she relayed. “Meth is the primary drug of choice in our county.” There are a number of contributing factors to this, and Polk County’s close proximity to the Twin Cities is one. Most of the meth in the county is brought in through Minneapolis and St. Paul, and originates from cartels in Mexico. Counties closer to the Chicago metropolitan area tend to have higher rates of opioid cases, which are less common in the northwestern part of the state. While the nature of Polk County’s meth dilemma has changed, the problem itself dates back decades. Twenty years ago, homemade meth labs were prominent in this neck of the woods. “We had some of the largest

labs in this county,” Sheriff Brent Waak said. “It was just amazing, the amount of product and glassware and detail put into some of these labs… at times in lake homes, at times in businesses.” Prior to mid-2000s federal restrictions placed on the sale of cold medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, it wasn’t uncommon for would-be Walter Whites to buy out a store’s entire stock of

‘We had some of the largest labs in this county. It was just amazing, the amount of product and glassware and detail put into some of these labs.’ Brent Waak Polk County Sheriff Sudafed for meth manufacturing. “We’re very fortunate, from an environmental protection standpoint, that we don’t have these labs going [anymore], because they were a chemical disaster [and a fire hazard],” Waak said. Now, he states, meth in Polk County is just one more facet of the ongoing border security debate. “If you want to talk big picture, it does affect us all the way up here, the fact that there are super-labs of methamphetamine down in Mexico,” he said. “But there’s obviously a demand here, so you have to look at both sides of that problem.” That demand is spurred chiefly by trauma, a major contributing factor in propensity for addiction. “We know there’s a couple of things that really fuel addiction. Trauma, and loneliness or lack

of community. One, we have to constantly work as providers, community, whatever... to make sure that people are not being traumatized,” Boland said. “That comes with reducing crime… The second is community connection. When people feel like they’re cared about, and they belong, they make better choices across the board.” It is the local sense of invested community support, Boland believes, that contributes to the Polk County Treatment Court’s 86% success rate, a sharp contrast from the national average of 40-60% for similar programs. The road proves rough, however, when it comes to turning around the cycle of substance abuse. “They can’t live in subsidized housing. They can’t get student aid to go to college. They can’t get some jobs because they’re felons,” Boland says of many people convicted on drug-related charges. “You take this group of people who already, we know, have significantly more adverse childhood experiences than the average population. And by the time they come into our system, they don’t have a lot of resources.” Nonprofits like Moms and Dads Against Meth of St. Croix Falls, which runs the women’s sober living facility Butterfly House, have played a role in educating the community about the dangers of methamphetamine use. The Criminal Justice Collaborating Council (CJCC) has run anti-drug PSAs during previews at the movie theater. Parents, though, are the most important figures in stopping meth’s prevalence among the youngest generation, the CJCC says. “If you have that conversation [about meth’s dangers], there’s a high chance that your kids will not abuse substances,” Waak said.

OHS GBB: Osceola girls basketball season ends at regional FROM PAGE 12

in scoring with 14 points followed by Ellie Gillespie with eight and Emily Fox, playing in her last OHS game, with seven. Emily Fox was the only senior on the squad this season and understandably consistency was difficult for Osceola to achieve this season. “Every basketball season has ups and downs and this one was no different,” Haase said. “The loss to St. Croix Central was no doubt the turning point of our season. We had to do some soul searching

after that game and the players responded and improved when they could have given up. Our practices got more intense. Our goal was to focus on the next game and we bounced back by winning three in a row on the road.” Osceola will enter next season with something that they had little of starting this season, and that is experience. “We bring back four starters next season, which is certainly positive,” Haase said. “Our challenge for next season will be generating more offense to replace

the scoring we got from Emily (Fox). The WIAA is also allowing 24 games next season which means there will be some changes and additions to our non-conference schedule.” “With losing a senior, we have big shoes to fill,” Hattie Fox said. “Next season is going to be different. I can’t wait to see how we step up as a team. We have a lot of potential and I am looking forward to seeing us grow in the off-season. Next season can’t come soon enough.” Perhaps the most difficult thing for any team when their season ends

is to say goodbye to the departing seniors. The good news for Osceola is that they have only one senior departing. The bad news is that Emily Fox is a special athlete and a special person. “Emily has been a lot of fun to coach,” Haase said. “She has put so much time and effort into basketball. It’s easy to see that she loves the game and that made it hard to see her walk off the court for the last time on Tuesday. She has been such a great role model for younger players to look up to.”

HAMILTON: What to value about America FROM PAGE 15

based on the information we have in front of us. If we make a mistake, which is hardly uncommon, we have the ability to correct it – usually by working through the system to change course. True, popular protests in this country occasionally turn violent, but more often than not we sort out our problems peaceably by working together. This is why I don’t share the gloom I see in a lot of the predictions about where we’re headed. Since our founding – in fact, it’s

right there at the start of the Constitution – we have striven to achieve “a more perfect union,” and though that goal has suffered setbacks and at times seemed beyond reach, over the course of our history we’ve always been able to advance toward it. It takes hard work to overcome the challenges and to bounce back, but our capacity for self-renewal is strong and no less vital now than it ever was. We should remember that. Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government; a Dis-

tinguished Scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years. For information about our educational resources and programs, visit our website at https://corg.indiana. edu. “Like” us on Facebook at “Indiana University Center on Representative Government,” and share our postings with your friends.

MARCH 4, 2020

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BENNETT: Author feels ecosystem is too fragile to risk mining FROM PAGE 15

jobs, homes would be built and the tax base would increase, to name a few of the positives some see in the new mining proposal. But many people across the nation and organizations like Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the nation’s fastest growing sportsman organization, pointed out, “There has never been a copper/sulfide mine that hasn’t leached. Never.” They feel that this mine placed

within the Boundary Waters watershed a quarter mile south of the edge of the 1.1 million acre treasure places the future of the BWCAW at risk and opposes the proposed mining project. I’ve been to the BWCAW several times and can attest to the delicate balance of the BWCAW that hangs on a string. In my opinion the risk is just too great to allow mining projects like this one that could damage this unique place that has taken centuries to form. I just don’t

understand why anyone would risk losing it all or any piece of this place all by allowing mining anywhere near the Boundary Waters. I want to take my grandchildren to this place and let them drink from the same lake I drank from when there was no mining in the BWCAW. Jim Bennett is an outdoorsman who lives and worked in the St. Croix River Valley and can be reached at jamesbennett24@gmail. com

HOROSCOPES

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Hobbies can be a great distraction from your responsibilities, Aries. But this week you need to get back to business, or you may fall behind. TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, change is in the air and you are excited about all the new prospects that lie ahead. The most difficult decisions will be centered on what you’re going to do. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Nurturing is a part of your nature, Gemini. This week you may discover you are spending a lot of time lavishing attention on others at your expense. Find a healthy balance. CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, your social and business calendar is full for the next several weeks. Even though you

CLUES ACROSS 1. Yields Manila hemp 6. A type of gin 10. Japanese ankle sock 14. Swiss city 15. Applied to 17. Achievements 19. Japanese title 20. Possesses 21. Belgian city 22. Child 23. Great delight 24. Petty quarrel 26. Gathered 29. Zoroastrian concept of holy fire 31. Path 32. Legendary hoops coach Riley 34. A citizen of Denmark 35. Flat 37. Upper-class young women 38. Payment (abbr.) 39. Distort 40. Affirmative! (slang) 41. One who has a child 43. Without 45. Workplace safety agency 46. Political action committee 47. Period of plant and animal life 49. Swiss river 50. Sino-Soviet block (abbr.) 53. State of being kept secret 57. Hobbies 58. One-time Korean ruler 59. Sudden attack 60. Born of 61. Assists CLUES DOWN 1. Ancient Greek sophist 2. Famed composer 3. Spore-bearing fungi cells 4. Chief executive officer 5. Defunct Syrian political party 6. Thin wood

enjoy being busy, you may need a break to avoid burnout. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 It will be another fortuitous week for your finances, Leo. All of your financial ducks are in a row, and you can take some time off from micromanaging your accounts. VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, you may want to show others a new side of you over the course of the next few days. You’re often conservative, but you might want to let loose a little bit and be adventurous. LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 You may receive a few offers this week that seem too good to be true, Libra. Trust your instincts as you navigate through all of these opportunities to find the best options. SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22

Scorpio, over the course of the next few days you’ll get an idea of how many people rely on you. When you are out of commission, things may come to a halt. SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 People are drawn to your warmth and good nature, Sagittarius. That is why you are never short on friends or left with nothing to do. This week is no different. CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Changes that you have been hoping will occur will finally see the light of day, Capricorn. The effects will be subtle at first and then build as they go. AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, now is your opportunity to take care of yourself. You have been freed of some responsibilities and are able to

focus on small changes that can add up to something big. PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, when things get a tad stressful this week, remember that physical activity can calm you down. Take a walk or hit the gym. FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS MARCH 1 Kesha, Singer (33) MARCH 2 Chris Martin, Singer (43) MARCH 3 Camila Cabello, Singer (23) MARCH 4 Draymond Green, Athlete (30) MARCH 5 Taylor Hill, Model (24) MARCH 6 Connie Britton, Actress (53) MARCH 7 Bryan Cranston, Actor (64)

I only want soup on sick days

W

hen your family wants pizza and you want soup, you make pizza soup. Pizza is a staple at our house; we love it. If I never made pizza again, I think my children would take out an ad in the wanted section for a new mom. As I have shared before, I love pizza too, but sometimes it just doesn’t sound good. Last week, I was sick for the first time in years. Nothing sounded good but a cup of homemade soul warming tomato soup. My college-age son was home Wild Chow and knew I wasn’t feeling well. He offered to make me pizza, which Lisa Erickson was a super sweet offer. As a family, pizza is one of our favorite things to cook together. We laugh and talk as we make pizza. I suggested soup. We made pizza soup— basically tomato soup with some Italian spices, green pepper, and sausage. To really knock it out of the park, we cut up some French bread into hearty-sized diagonal slices, buttered and topped each with a generous handful of mozzarella cheese and garlic salt, and then broiled them. Each bowl of soup was topped with a slice of cheese bread. Our soup looked like an Italian version of French onion soup. Our meal was perfect. Not only did the soup warm me up, but I also got to spend time with family. I felt better the next day. Winner, winner, pizza (soup) dinner. Italian Pizza Soup ½ lb. Italian sausage 1 onion, chopped 1 green pepper, diced 1 - 28 oz. can tomato sauce 1 - 14 oz. can diced tomatoes 1 to 1 ½ cups water 1 ½ Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp Italian seasoning

7. Polynesian garlands 8. Fluid replacement (abbr.) 9. Flammable hydrocarbon gas 10. Multi-leveled 11. Influential diarist 12. Gambles 13. Many subconsciousnesses 16. Current unit 18. Illumination unit 22. Tantalum 23. Steps leading down to a river

24. Kids love him 25. Before 27. Fencing swords 28. Mountain range in China 29. Payroll company 30. A way to pack together 31. Business designation 33. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (abbr.) 35. Forage fish 36. Greek temple pillars 37. Internet mgmt. company 39. Rouse oneself 42. In a way, covered

43. Elaborate silk garment 44. Cooling unit 46. Riley and O’Brien are two 47. __ fide: genuine 48. Ancient Incan sun god 49. Poker stake 50. Trigonometric function 51. Interesting tidbit 52. Adieus 53. U.S. Treasury position 54. Midway between east and southeast 55. Doctors’ group 56. Women’s __ movement

For the Cheese Bread: 1 loaf French bread, sliced diagonally into 8 pieces 2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced ¼ cup butter 1 tsp. garlic salt In a large saucepan, brown the sausage over medium heat; about 7-8 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add remaining ingredients and water to desired thickness. Bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 25-30 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and top each bowl with cheese bread. To make the cheese bread, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter each slice on one side and lightly sprinkle with garlic salt. Top with cheese and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is crispy on the edges. Lisa Erickson is a food columnist who loves adventure and food. You can find more recipes at www. wild-chow.com or email her at wildchowrecipes@ gmail.com.

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PHONE: 715-294-2314 | FAX: 715-755-3314

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102

300

454

Free Items

Services

For Sale

Storage Rent

FREE: 1942 Howard/ Baldwin upright piano. Good condition, you haul. 651-433-2142.

Erickson piano service. Bryan Erickson Tuning-RegulationRepair 715-463-5958 \ 507-475-2584 Problems with your car insurance? Tickets? Accidents? Been canceled? Call Noah Insurance for help at 715-294-2017. RESUMES copied for free if you have been laid off and looking for work. Stop in at The Sun, 108 Cascade, Osceola.

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COUNTY/OFFICE: Polk/Balsam Lake, WI POSITION TYPE: 4-H Summer Extension Intern

available at

EMPLOYMENT PERIOD: Late May through early-August (10-12 weeks - dates negotiable) This position is designed to provide assistance to the 4-H Youth Development Educator and other Extension staff during the busy summer months. Summer Interns gain experience for future educational employment while learning more about Extension, a Division of UW-Madison.

108 Cascade

Osceola

IMMEDIATE POSITION AVAILABLE IN THE TOWN OF OSCEOLA

The School District of Osceola is looking for both regular and extra-curricular trip School Bus Drivers! What does it take to become part of team? The ability to obtain a Class B Commercial Driver’s License with school bus endorsement, DOT Physical and criminal background check. We provide behind the wheel training to give you the skills necessary. Great pay and work schedule!

APPLY ONLINE www.osceola.k12.wi.us or call us at: 715-294-3456 School District of Osceola is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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The Town of Osceola, population 2,906, in Polk County, Wisconsin, is seeking to fill a part-time position of Town Clerk, whose responsibilities are defined in detail in Wisconsin Statutes §60.33. The Clerk is expected to have strong organization skills and experience in a variety of administrative work including, but not limited to, meetings and minutes, elections, licenses and permits. The position involves extensive public contact, providing services to citizens, elected Town officials, and other departments within the Town government. Experience in municipal government is desired, with strong oral and written communication skills, ability to work under deadlines, and the ability to manage multiple projects. The individual must have proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and basic accounting skills, and will be required to work occasional evenings each month due to board meetings. Pay is DOQ, but is expected to be in the $18.00 – $20.00 range. Application packets and information are available on the Town’s website at www.townofosceola.com, or by calling 715.755.3060. Submit your cover letter, resume, and employment application as soon as possible to the Town of Osceola, 516 East Avenue North, PO Box 216, Dresser, WI 54009 or by e-mail to townofosceola@yahoo.com. Position is open until filled. EOE.

Septic

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QUALIFICATIONS: • Educational background and/or work experience with youth. • Educational background, interest, and/or work experience in animal sciences preferred. • Basic computer program proficiently. • For chaperoning purposes, age 21 preferred. • College student having completed sophomore year. Must be currently enrolled as a college student or graduate in 2020. • Current driver’s license. • Personal automobile with adequate insurance. SALARY: $5,500.00 +/10-12 week contract. APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Send letter of interest and resume to: Chuck Prissel, Polk County Extension, 100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 190, Balsam Lake, WI 54810, 715-485-8600 by April 15, 2020. Letter of intent and resume can be emailed to: charles.prissel@wisc.edu For more information about Extension Polk County, visit our web site at: http://polk.wisc.edu

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Real Estate

with NON-HODGKINS LYMPHOME (Cancer)? You may be entitled to compensation. Call Attorney Charles Johnson 1-800-535-5727

2020 4-H Summer Intern Employment Program – Polk County

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Scam alert: Robocall scams get political Milwaukee, Wis. – Between the political ads and the news coverage, the 2020 presidential election is impossible to ignore. But voters aren’t the only ones paying attention. According to recent BBB Scam Tracker reports, scammers are using phony political fundraising calls to trick Americans into “donating” to a favorite candidate. How the Scam Works You receive a robocall and answer the phone. It’s a record-

ed voice – perhaps even one that sounds just like one of the presidential candidates. According to the recording, rivals have been raising a lot of money. In order to see your favorite candidate elected, you need to donate… immediately. If you offer to give, you’ll be transferred to a live person and asked for your credit card information. But your money won’t go to support the political cause. Instead, the phony caller will make off with

your money and/or personal information that can be used for identity theft. As the 2020 election campaign heats up, be on the lookout for more versions of this con. How to Avoid Robocall Scams Screen your calls. If a call comes in from a number you don’t recognize, don’t answer. Even if the number looks familiar, be wary. Check the number on Whitepages.com (a BBB Accredited Business) to see if it’s been flagged with a

fraud alert. Don’t respond to unsolicited robocalls. If you receive an unsolicited robocall that seems to come from a legitimate business, be cautious. Scammers can fake caller ID, and businesses are only allowed to call you via robocall with your written permission. If someone is calling you out of the blue, it’s most likely a scam. Best practice is to hang up the phone without interacting with the call. Don’t “press 1 to be

Newspaper Fun! www.readingclubfun.com

score

compose

air

Art

3

4 6

7

5

choir

8 duet

conductor

4

7

musician

architect

Where do we get things with which we draw and paint? Match each item to things they might be made from: 1. pencil 2. crayon 3. chalk 4. paper 5. chalkboard 6. colors 7. paintbrush 8. eraser

!

I love to paint designs on items. I save my money and buy paints and brushes. I choose what I want to give and decide how I’m going to decorate it. Each gift is ‘one of a kind’, so you won’t see someone else wearing the same T-shirt!

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1. thinks about color, light, form; uses 3 brushes, paints, canvas to make a picture 2. plays a character in a movie, TV 1 2 show, on radio or on the stage 3. writes and directs musical scores photographer for an orchestra, theatre, film, radio 5 4. takes photographs with film or digital cameras; the use of light is important 5. makes images in frames that are actor moved quickly to bring action in cartoons, movies, on web sites 6 6. creates the look, details of clothing fashions, new items, games composer painter 7. makes art using the tools on a computer: 8 posters, websites, video games 9 10 8. plays instrument(s); may onist play in different styles carto 9. moves the body to rhythm or music designer writer to show feeling or idea, tell story 10. uses words to express feelings, tell story dancer 11 11. blends words with drawings to make us laugh or to make a point digital ar 12 tist 12. blends illustration with engineering to create buildings, bridges

5. large group of musicians 6. written music 7. tune, song 8. makes up musical works

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What does the word art mean to you? Art is what people do creatively to share their view of the world with other people. Their expressions may be shown through painting, drawing, poetry, dance, sculpture, acting, music or other art forms. Music is the art of making sounds. It can be created by making sounds with your voice or by playing instruments. You can keep a piece of music “alive” by writing it down or recording it. Dance is created by moving the body. Many of the actions or movements are repeated. People in all parts of the world enjoy dance. It is kept in memories and on film. It is passed on from one person to another. Art lets us create using materials. Paint, charcoal, clay, paper and glue are just a few things you can use to share your ideas and express your feelings.

Kids: color stuff in!

Annimills LLC © 2020 V16-9

Arts are Alive!

Practice, practice, practice!

1. leads an orchestra 2. song for two 3. group of church singers 4. sailor’s working song

SEE CALLS, PAGE 24

...play and a symphony this year.

We are going to a musical, a...

Read the clues to fill in the music puzzle:

removed from our list;” that just confirms to the scammer that your number is good. Register with the Do Not Call Registry. This step won’t prevent scammers from calling you, but it will reduce the number of legitimate marketing calls you receive, which will make it easier to identify the fraudulent ones. If you live in the United States, call 888-382-1222 or register online

A. flowers, berries, bark, ground eggshells B. animal tails, plastic ‘hairs’ C. rubber tree juice D. powdered rock E. steel sheet and coating F. bits and pieces of wood G. wax and powdered colors H. clay, graphite and wood

Things you What art project would you be getting ready for if you had: can paint 1. newspaper and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . e r p a p - â c é m h for gifts: wallpaper paste? T-shirts 2. clay and kiln? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . r l u s p u c t e clay pots 3. paint and a wall? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l m r u a wood boxes 4. paper and pencil? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . h k s t e c pillowcases 5. loom and yarn? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i n v w a e g photo frames 6. magazine and posterboard? . . . . . . . a l o c l e g wood trays 7. dye and a shirt? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . e t i - y d e birdhouses poster boards (Hint: Get a piece of paper to unscramble the answers!) SEE ANSWERS, PAGE 23

MARCH 4, 2020

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OHS BBB: Osceola boys basketball wins contest in Ellsworth FROM PAGE 12

the game and in fact will be lost for the rest of the season. Osceola was down at intermission but scorched the nets for 46 points after the break to put the game away. Ellsworth had a good second half offense as well keeping it close scoring 39. “Jacob Hall and Charlie Tronrud stepped up great in the second half,� Meyer noted. “Both played great defense and provided a spark on offense for us. We managed to turn that two point deficit in the first half into a 14 point lead in the second half. We did a great job of keeping our composure down the stretch and were able to close the game out. It was a great win for our guys.� Osceola was led in scoring by Logan Maxon who finished the night with 18 points, 10 of them coming on free throws. The Chieftains were hot from the charity stripe netting 25 of 37 attempts (68%). Ellsworth got to the free throw line just 12 times and converted only three. Jacob Hall added 13 points for Osceola with Colin Krentz contributing 11. “Being down by two at half, we came out hot,�

SPLASH: x square foot park, with water features, a recirculating system and maintenance costs. The group will begin seeking donations this upcoming month to raise funds from grants and private donations. To learn more about the project and group, visit “St. Croix Valley Splash Pad� on Facebook. To contact them or send a tax-deductible donation: Grow SCV, Po Box 102, St. Croix Falls, WI 54024 or growscv@gmail.com

FROM PAGE 9

presented the pad to a couple of municipalities, a school board, a private group and the county, with plans to pitch to St. Croix Falls and Osceola after the April 7 elections. “We are gaining lots of traction with our presentations and have several potential partners lined up� says Gilker. The initial building costs of the project come in at around $250,000 which include a 1200

Krentz said. “We played a physical game, which is what we’ve spent the year working on, and forced them to take bad shots. They moved to a press and we pushed the ball fast and were efficient scoring in transition.� The next night Osceola played their final regular season game with the Unity Eagles, the adversary. Unity won the West Lakeland conference with a 10-2 record and came into the game at 18-3 overall. The Chieftains played well in a game that was a lot closer than the final score of 50-38 would indicate. “We knew this game was going to be a tough game,� Meyer said. “I thought our boys played really well. We were very patient on offense and played really physical on defense. We played the type of game that was going to put us in position to win down the stretch.� Osceola was within five at 35-30 with 3:33 to play but could not get the big bucket to cut into that deficit. The Chieftains still had a chance at 44-36 with under a minute to play but Unity secured the win from the free throw line. “I thought Unity made some plays down the stretch that made the difference in the game,� Meyer said. “I was pleased with the energy Jacob Hall played with in defense. He really did a great job playing defense on one of the better basketball players in the area. I also thought Charlie Tronrud brought energy off the bench. He was able to get some huge offensive rebounds.� Hall led Osceola’s scoring with 11 points followed by Garett Salter with seven and Josh Schultz with six.

School District of Osceola Employment Head Cook- Osceola High school - Full time school year Looking for a team member to join our school nutrition team! Responsible for the overall operation of the School Breakfast Program & Nat’l School Lunch Program for the Osceola High School. Oversee & work cooperatively with staff of 4 to maintain food safety/ sanitation & provide excellent customer service! Responsible for daily meal preparation, inventory management, food ordering, delivery & acceptance of food/supplies, occasional catering for school events. Looking for a team member with above average leadership, collaboration, written and oral communication skills. Requirements: Serv Safe CertiďŹ ed and/or Food Manager CertiďŹ cate. School Food service experience preferred. Ability to work with Microsoft OfďŹ ce Applications/ Google saavy . Ability to lift up to 5o lbs. Hours-6-1:45pm

NOW HIRING NOW HIRING

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yard in a clean and organized fashion, inventory counts, and other duties assigned while observing all safety rules and regulations. A successful candidate will have a clean driving record, capable of lifting 80 pounds, ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment, strong organizational and communication skills, problem solver with an eagerness to learn, and a good team player with an excellent customer service attitude.

COUNTER SALESPERSON – Full-Time & BeneÀts Responsibilities include providing prompt, quality service to all customers and assist in maintaining store in an attractive, well-displayed condition. Job duties include greeting and assisting customers with their purchases, working the cash register, mixing paint, ordering stock and special-order merchandise, receiving incoming orders, restocking shelves, setting up store displays, assisting with store events, answering phones, maintaining cleanliness of store, and any other assigned duty. Candidate should be customer service focused with a positive, energetic attitude that is able to multi-task in a fast-paced environment. Prefer someone experienced with computers and the building/hardware industry. Willing to train the right person. Submit your resume in person or online to: Lampert Lumber, Attn: Richard Smith 201 Keller Ave S., Amery, WI 54001 rsmith@LampertLumber.com Application deadline is March 2020.

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HELP WANTED

Osceola

J & S General Contracting is seeking qualiÂżed applicants to Âżll the following openings:

Shingling Houses & Barns

• Bulk Materials Lot Attendant/Loader Operator • Heavy Equipment Operators • General Laborers • CDL Truck Drivers

Free Estimates Clayton, WI

Wage dependent on experience and skill level. Commercial drivers license and clean driving record is a plus. Must be able to work within a team environment.

Stuivenga RooďŹ ng

715-641-2347

• Flatwork Concrete Laborers or Finishers

Apply in person at our Osceola ofÀce location, 651 State Road 35.

For further information call 715-294-2748

Federated Co-ops is looking for YOU! Federated Co-ops is a leader in Agronomy, Energy and Retail. If you are looking for an exciting position with a stable company that is owned by the people it does business with, then Federated Co-ops is for you! Our Osceola, WI location is currently accepting applications for the following position:

“Value for lifeâ€? ~ Agronomy • Energy • Retail

2018 Polk County Platbooks Available!

$40 full color

Cash or check only Now available at:

Ser Serving erving i Polk Polk County’s C unty Co unty’s nt ’s St. St Croix Croix oi Valley Vallley since since 1897 si 1897 7

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1. newspaper and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . paper-mâchÊ wallpaper paste? 2. clay and kiln? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sculpture 3. paint and a wall? . . . . . . . . . . . . . mural 4. paper and pencil? . . . . . . . . . . . . sketch 11 5. loom and yarn? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . weaving 6. magazine and posterboard? . . . . collage 7. dye and a shirt? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tie-dye

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Where do our things to draw and paint come from? A. flowers, berries, bark, ground eggshells B. animal tails, plastic ‘hairs’ C. rubber tree juice D. powdered rock E. steel sheet and coating F. bits and pieces of wood G. wax and powdered colors H. clay, graphite and wood

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SEASONAL DRIVERS Lampert Lumber has been in business since 1887. DRIVER/LUMBERYARD REP training. Great opportunities Applicants must have a clean driving record, Class B CDL or willing to obtain a Farm Service CDL and a current Fed Med Card. Ideal candidates will have the for advancement. Come grow your career with us! ability to operate delivery equipment and follow directions. LUMBERYARD REP/DRIVER – Full Time & BeneĂ€ts Candidates must meet all company core values: positive attitude, Responsibilities include building delivery loads, flexibility, speed, integrity and continuous improvement. operating forklift, unloading trucks, delivering materials COUNTER SALESPERSON COUNTER SALESPERSONPlease apply online at www.federatedcoops.com. Click “Careersâ€?. to job sites, assisting customers in yard, maintaining

1. pencil 2. crayon 3. chalk 4. paper 5. chalkboard 6. colors 7. paintbrush 8. eraser

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DRIVER/LUMBERYARD REP We provide comprehensive

Arts are Alive!

Practice, practice, practice!

available at

NOW HIRING

Amery, WI location

Submit employment application located our homepage www.osceola.k12.wi.us and search under employment. For questions please contact 715-294-4140. School District of Osceola is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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MARCH 4, 2020 www.osceolasun.com

POLITICS: Killings at brewery do little to change Wisconsin politics FROM PAGE 15

lowing judges to confiscate guns from people determined to be a risk to themselves and others. Seventeen states have passed red flag laws and 21 have similar universal background check laws. Both the state Senate and Assembly in November quickly adjourned a special session on Evers’ bills with no debate. Roughly an hour before Wednesday’s shooting, the leader in the state Senate reiterated that Republicans had no intention of taking up the bills.

“They’ve dug in their heels and it’s unfortunate,” Evers told AP. “The people of Wisconsin expect better and I’m hopeful they’ll change their mind but I’m a pessimist. On big votes the people of Wisconsin lose out because they don’t know where their legislators stand.” Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said before the shootings: “We’re going to have that discussion about the Second Amendment forever. A lot of the provisions that are in place already, people are satisfied with.”

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The Friends of Osceola ceola Fire & Rescue and Osceola Lions Club would like to thank the following wing ir businesses for their contributions to the 2020 Osceola Firefighters Ball.

a l o e Osc

ROB & BECKY CARDENAS

CARLSON FARMS

Branches LLC

DR. STEVEN B. SCHLETTY, DDS

DRESSER TRAPROCK

SUZANNE LINDGREN

Fishing fun Chase Saloka, age 9 of Osceola, with his buddy Henry Boesel, age 9 of Scandia, caught some beautiful pike Feb. 22, while fishing with their fathers in Chisago County.

3 snowmobile fatalities raise total deaths this season to 17 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Authorities say three people died in snowmobile accidents last weekend, boosting the number of deaths to 17 for the season. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said all three of the victims were from Illinois. Two of them died after striking trees and one person was killed after being struck by another snowmobile rider. There have been nine fatalities this

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers have signed longtime placekicker Mason Crosby to a threeyear contract extension. Crosby, who turns 36 in September, has been with the Packers since being selected in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. He’s appeared in every game since then. His string of 208 games are second in Packers history to Brett Favre’s 255. Crosby is one of four NFL players to appear in every regular-season game since 2007, joining former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers,

SPRY/STEFFEN FAMILIES DENNIS NEUMANN FARMS

mental health services. That was something Republicans had supported in the past, but Evers’ call to spend nearly $23 million on school-based mental health services has been met with silence in the Legislature. “We proposed, frankly, the minimal amount of reasonable, common sense solutions,” Evers said. “The people of Wisconsin deserve a vote.” The Republican Fitzgerald, who is running for Congress, did not mention the possibility of taking another look at tougher gun laws in his statement after the shooting. He called the shooting “an act of evil.” Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who has stood united with Fitzgerald against the gun bills, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

month. That includes a 15-year-old Wisconsin boy who failed to stop at an intersection of a public trail and highway and collided with a car, a 28-year-old Wisconsin man who struck a fence on private land and a 29-year-old woman who struck several trees. Alcohol, excess speed and driver inexperience are the leading causes of snowmobile accidents, according to the DNR.

Packers re-sign Mason Crosby

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SPONSORS EO JOHNSON

Between 2011 and 2019, under then-Gov. Scott Walker, he and fellow Republicans greatly loosened Wisconsin’s gun laws. They legalized concealed carry —- Wisconsin was the secondto-last state to allow it — removed a 48-hour waiting period for gun purchases, passed a “castle doctrine” law giving homeowners more legal protections if they shoot an intruder, and allowed off-duty, retired and outof-state police officers to carry firearms on school grounds. In 2018, in reaction to a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, Walker signed a $100 million plan to increase safety at schools that made grants available for better locks, security cameras and other upgrades. Evers ran in support of gun control measures in his campaign against Walker in 2018. After the Republican-controlled Legislature ignored his gun safety bills and following shootings on consecutive days at Wisconsin high schools, Evers pivoted, urging lawmakers in December to increase funding for

Baltimore punter Sam Koch, and Dallas long snapper L.P. LaDouceur. Crosby comes off his most accurate season, making 22 of 24 field goal attempts, 40 of 41 extra points. That he sometimes must kick on the tundra in Green Bay makes his 2019 season and career achievements stand out. He’s the franchise leader in points (1,575), field goals (329), 50-yard field goals (35) and extra points (588). He also owns the NFL postseason record for consecutive field goals made with 23.

COTTOR FARMS

Bill’s

Hardware & Appliance

OSCEOLA TOWING & Recovery

DONORS Hauge Dental Care Osceola Family Eyecare Denny’s Auto Grandstrand Funeral Home Quality Polymers Inc. United Mutual Insurance Co. MidWestOne Bank Osceola Veterinary Services Press Publications Thiels American Pie The Chocolate Gnome Cascade Nutrition Ricky Fehlen St Paul Saints Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative Traiser Farms County Line Dairy Sue’s Bar & Grill

Transportation Programs

OUTDOOR POWER

Frontier Ag & Turf Dancing Dragonfly Winery Croixland Leather Works Osceola Dairy Queen Lucky Panda Osceola Subway Fiesta Loca Neumann Farms Horse Creek Store Crystal Ball Farms Dairy Northwire Inc Tippy Canoes Coming Home Red Bird Music Store Watershed Café Studio A Salon Osceola Area Ambulance Service Woodhill Bar & Grill

Osceola Lanes Sportsman’s Bar Paige’s Pots Dresser Food & Liquor Wards Bar The Village Pizzeria Petro Plus North 40 Resources Valley Suds Trollhaugen Xcel Energy Cascade Bar UW Wonderoos Jen Demulling Style Escape Total Image Neumann Roofing Scott’s Tire Service Dakota Koosmann

For more information call

877-485-2372

Serving individuals 60+ and adults of all ages living with a disability.

Social Transportation

oWheelchair accessible oFor shopping, running

errands and attending social events oMost trips just $1/person oSchedule is published in The Voice and on our website at www.adrcnwwi.org oCustom group trips accepted on a case by case basis. We ask that you call in advance, invite friends and be flexible with dates

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation

oTransportation to and

from, local and out of area medical appts. provided by volunteer drivers oRiders must be able to get in and out of a vehicle with minimal assistance oCost: $0.29/mile; 5 or more trips in a month $0.14/mile; travel pay received or $30 roundtrip for veterans to any VA Medical Center

CALLS: Robo calls get political FROM PAGE 22

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For More Information To learn more about how to avoid robocall scams, read BBB.org/ RoboCall. If you’ve been the victim of a robocall scam, report it on the BBB.org/ ScamTracker. By doing so, you can help others protect themselves from falling prey to similar scams. Learn more about scams at BBB.org/ScamTips and learn how to avoid them at BBB.org/ AvoidScams.

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