Horses have the largest eyes of any mammal

from The Sun 06.10.2020

by The Sun

A horse’s body contains 205 bones

Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020

VOL. 122 NO. 45 www.osceolasun.com $1.00

SPORTS: State park campgrounds open June 10. PAGE 8

Local businesses cope with COVID safety steps

BY DAN JOHNSON

STAFF WRITER

Four local businesses are doing their best to open up in a world where safety is a high priority. The difference is, two of them are in Minnesota, and two are in Wisconsin.

Jenifer Fraley, co-owner of Hår Salon in Scandia, Minn., started opening her doors on June 1. After over three years of serving her community, having to shut down on March 17 was a shock.

“My feeling at fi rst was that it was just going to be maybe a two-week period,” Fraley said. “And then once I started watching the news more, after the two week period, I was getting a little bit more concerned that we weren’t going to be able to open until probably July.”

Keeping in mind the need to slow the spread of the disease so hospitals wouldn’t be overwhelmed, she stayed at home, wondering if things would ever go back to normal.

Fraley follows the guidelines issued by the CDC and does her best to make changes to keep herself and her employees safe. Clients wait outside for their appointments, with only two stylists working at one time rather than the usual four. Stylists and clients are required to wear masks, and they follow handwashing and sanitizing procedures. They don’t reuse combs, capes or other tools.

The salon looks a lot different than it did just a few months ago.

“We had drinks out; coffee, water,” Fraley said. “We had suckers, a bunch of magazines people could look at. We took all that stuff away.”

Despite the restrictions, Hår Salon’s waiting list extends into July. Haircuts are one of the things quarantined people miss the most.

Fraley is happy to report that her customers have all been following

SEE BUSINESS, PAGE 3

DAN JOHNSON | THE SUN

Jennifer Fraley works on a client at her salon in Scandia, Minn.

The artist who’s mailing positivity across the country

BY DAN JOHNSON

STAFF WRITER

What is it like to self-isolate for a long time? We all relate to that restless, anxious feeling. With Coronavirus cases on the rise in the United States, this can be an especially scary time for those with underlying health conditions.

For Hannah Beeves, an artist in Turtle Lake, Minn., there’s something special about being told that someone cares for you and loves you during such an uncertain time of life. That’s why she’s been busy creating positivity packages for people in isolation.

The envelopes contain a handwritten note for encouragement and a small

Hannah Beeves

BY MATT ANDERSON

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After the town of Osceola met at their May 19 Annual Meeting of Electors, the board of supervisors heard large support from residents who would like to see multi-use ordinances re-introduced into the Stower Seven Lakes Trail. At the June 2 board of supervisors’ meeting, supervisor Brandon Whittaker announced that the board would pen a letter to the Polk County Board of Supervisors and Environmental Services Committee that refl ects the desires of some Osceola residents.

“The Town of Osceola has heard from our residents in great numbers regarding the Stower Seven Lakes Trail and how it should be used to its full extent going forward…” the letter reads. “As a result, the Osceola Town Board would like to express its support for multiple users of the trail… As the Town of Osceola anchors the western end of the Stower Trail, we feel that we can maximize the benefi ts to making the trail multi-use for all to enjoy and for economic growth going forward.”

Town of Osceola shows support for a multi-use Stower Trail

The Polk County Environmental Services Committee will be meeting Wednesday, June 10 where they will be reviewing video and written testimony from the June 2-3 public hearings on the Stower Trail master plan and will consider those recommendations to the County Board. The Town of Osceola’s letter was planned for submission prior to this meeting in hopes of consideration from the Committee and County Board and addresses the master plan.

“The Town of Osceola Board of Supervisors is aware of the Draft Master Plan for the Stower Seven Lakes State Trail dated February 26, 2020,” the letter reads. “We realize there is both support and opposition for the many alternatives listed in the draft plan. The Town can support adding uses to the trail that are described in the draft Master Plan, provided that the goals and objectives itemized in the master plan are realized as a result of adding any new trail users; none of the current allowed uses are displaced due to substantive impact and adding new users to the trail does not create a real perceived safety risk. An example multi-use trail is the Gandy Dancer Trail in Danbury, Wisc. We trust that the county will work closely with clubs and organizations that bring recreationalists together on a shared trail to ensure that the multi-use trail can be enjoyed by all permitted users together.”

piece of artwork – a drawing, painting, or a collage – just to brighten someone’s day.

Beeves lived in Osceola during high school until 2013, and she’s been doing art as long as she can remember.

Before living in Osceola, her family lived in Istanbul, Turkey, as missionaries. She did

SEE BEEVES, PAGE 6

When some community members brought up a letter submitted to the Polk County Board from July 11, 2018 that

SEE TOWN, PAGE 16

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