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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016 VOL. 118 NO. 36 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Osceola track team wins at New Richmond invitational. PAGE 10
Luck man charged in county bomb threat BY JESSICA DE LA CRUZ EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
Thanks to quick detective work on the part o the Polk of C o u n t y S Sheriff’s Depar tment, 2 7-ye a r - old D David A. S Strenke of L Luck is in Strenke custody following a non-specific bomb threat toward Polk County buildings on March 22. According to the criminal complaint, a call was made to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office shortly after 1:30 p.m. Tues., March 22. The caller stated, “Hi, I need the Balsam Lake Police Department. I placed an explosive device in every government office, probation and the jail. If you don’t release Mr. Lascala within one hour, I’ll detonate.” The call prompted the closing of several departments for the afternoon, and also interrupted scheduled court proceed-
ings. Authorities could not immediately associate a name with the caller’s cell phone number, but traced the call to the Johnstown area of Polk County. The person referenced by the caller, Anthony E. Lascala, 32, of North Branch, Minn. is currently being held at Polk County Jail on drug related charges. Lascala told investigators he wasn’t sure who would have made the call, and incorrectly identified the recording as someone he believed was out to get him regarding a drug case. After following up on requested phone records from Verizon, authorities were able to determine that the phone number belonged to Strenke. Authorities were able to execute a search warrant at his address by 9 p.m. the same day. But when they arrived at the addess, only his father and brother were home, SEE THREAT, PAGE 16
Newman, Gildersleeve win at National powerlifting meet BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER
They did it again. The Osceola Chieftain powerlifting contingent went to the National meet in Orlando last weekend. When the Chieftains go to such an event they are not on a sightseeing tour. They are there to do their best. This year four Osceola lifters qualified for the meet and two of them, Kaija Newman and Teddy Gildersleeve, returned as National champions. “Our two National champions this year are specimens in powerlifting and are role models for all of our young lifters,” Hahn began. “They are wonderful, wonderful kids and have great parents and great teammates that support them.” Gildersleeve, lifting in the 165 pound class, was the first Chieftain to claim the top spot at Orlando. He started off his day’s work by topping out at 551 pounds in the squat. He then hit all three of his bench presses with his best being 314 pounds. On
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Coach Hahn (center) pictured with winning Osceola High School lifters Tom Schell, Ted Gildersleeve, Kaija Newman and McKenzie Boerboom.
his second deadlift he hit 639 pounds to establish a new American deadlift record and he ended his day by re-setting his own American mark when he lifted 656 pounds. Gildersleeve missed the honor of best male lifter at the meet among all weight classes by less than six pounds. Newman claimed the top spot in the 182 class by starting out with a 419 pound squat. She followed that lift with a 215 pound best in the
Grant extension clears up Discovery Center concerns
Concern over design and construction timelines for the new Discovery Center were cleared up recently when the project received a one-year extension on a federal grant. The $488,610 grant awarded to the Village of Osceola is earmarked for a senior center in the new Discovery Center. Awarded by the Wisconsin Community Development Block Grant Program, the funds also came with a set of timelines that had the potential of affecting construction timelines. The tighter timelines raised some concern over how it would impact the public-private partnership’s vision for the Discovery Center. The Discovery Center will house a new MIT affiliated Fab Lab, Senior Center, Teen Center, Technology and Business Center, and Community Space. In ad-
dition, it will be the new home to the Osceola Public Library and municipal complex. “This timeline development actually showcases the complexity of this project,” said Joel West, Village of Osceola administrator. “The complexities of designing and constructing multiple entities into one co-located facility creates more ‘moving targets’ than traditional, single entity facilities,” he said. The solution required a series of phone calls, letters, emails and written appeals made by capital campaign and village leaders to state legislators and grant administrators. The result was the approval of a one-year extension. “This effort is a fine example of how good things happen when a strong partnership can pull together to evaluate and resolve the situation, never wavering
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from our ultimate goal of one facility that will serve the entire community,” emphasized Mark Kravik, chair of the Discovery Center capital campaign. According to Kravik, fund raising for the Discovery Center has been accelerating as the message of this all-in-one project is resonating. At this point, nearly $2 million in cash, pledges and inkind gifts have been raised, with a number of prospects pending. That’s in addition to a voter approved $2.4 million village bond referendum and the block grant. “It starts with a vision,” Kravik said, “but it succeeds with tenacity, grit and the willingness and flexibility to work together to make it happen. Not because we want to build a building, but because we see what the Discov-
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bench. Hahn had difficulty communicating with Newman before her efforts in the deadlift. “It is hard to get back to her after she lifts because I get stopped 2-3 times by other coaches saying, ‘Wow, she is a really good lifter. She looks perfect.’ She really is a technically sound powerlifter. She may be the most technically sound lifter SEE LIFTERS, PAGE 12
Attempted homicide charge challenged in Osceola case BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
A man accused earlier this year of attempted homicide o c de in Osceola h has filed a m motion to d dismiss the c charge, sayi ing the case a against him w was built on Krueger f false information. Paul Krueger, formerly of Osceola, was charged with attempted second-degree intentional homicide after a drunken brawl that left another man severely beaten in the early-morning hours
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of Feb. 1. Krueger’s defense attorney, Kate Murtaugh, is challenging information initially presented in the State of Wisconsin’s case against her client, arguing that the criminal complaint “contains statements that are deliberately false or that were made in reckless disregard for the truth.” In support of this claim she cites four inaccuracies, foremost that initial reports of a wadded up piece of paper towel dislodged from the victim’s airway – supposedly put there by Krueger – are SEE KRUEGER, PAGE 16
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