WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 118 NO. 47 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: All Conference athletes named. PAGE 10
Could state budget block local road to economic success? BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Roads are Polk County’s economic link to the rest of the world. Without them, farmers could not get produce to buyers, manufacturers wouldn’t get raw materials to their plants or ship finished products out of them. And while it’s easy to see the condition of local roads, it takes a bit of imagination to link the effects of those conditions to the local economy. “We have a strong manufacturing sector in Polk County and strong agriculture, and that goes through that road system,” said Polk County Administrator Dana Frey. “The ease of transport of goods – farm to market, business to market, our access to markets – effects the economy in a major way.” In Wisconsin, counties
maintain local road systems with help from the state through highway funding. And right now, roads in Polk County are in good shape, according to Frey. But the state’s borrowing trend for highway projects has some, including Frey and the Polk County Board, concerned about the longterm future of funding for roads. “As far as the county system, the state has been a good partner in funding,” said Frey. “During the last budget, when there were lots of cuts all over the place, funding for county roads was not cut. “The concern goes beyond county funding for our road system and into funding for state transportation,” he continued. “This is going to be a big issue for the legislative session this next year; SEE ROAD, PAGE 19
Teen killed in Colorado had local ties BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
A Cushing family and their friends are mourning the unexpected death of a Colorado teen who authorities believe was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. The 18 year old’s father, Jeff Doolittle, was raised in Cushing. Ashley Marie Doolittle of Loveland, Colo., was reported missing the evening of June 9. According to the Denver Post, after Doolittle did not return home when expected, family members found her car empty near a fishing reservoir in her home county. They called the sheriff, who launched a search. Based on interviews, investigators believed Doolittle was with Tanner George Flores, a young man with whom she’d recently ended a yearlong relationship. Flores, also 18, was reportedly distraught over the breakup and armed with a handgun, ac-
cording to a statement from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. Doolittle’s body was found the next morning in Mesa County, about five hours away. A tip led investigators to Flores, who was taken into custody, brought to the Mesa County Jail, and later charged with first-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping. By Monday, June 13, the Mesa County Coroner’s Office had confirmed that Doolittle was murdered. Tuesday, Colorado news outlets reported that Flores had admitted to shooting Doolittle twice in the head and driving her body to the home of his deceased grandfather in Mesa County. He is being held without bond in Mesa County but is expected to stand trial in Larimer County. Doolittle graduated from high school this spring. She had been SEE DOOLITTLE, PAGE 2
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Ashley Doolittle was named the 2016 Boulder County Fair and Rodeo Lady-in-Waiting. Authorities believe the teen, whose father is from Cushing, Wis., was murdered by her ex-boyfriend.
Snowplow innovator hopes to move to Osceola BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Kage Innovation, an Oak Park Heights-based snowplow manufacturer, is looking to expand – and it has its sights set on Osceola. “We outgrew our manufacturing space a few years ago,” Chris Hulback, general manager of Kage Innovation, told the Osceola Village Board last week. “We’re running three shifts, welding 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday.” The company’s patented plow can act as a straight blade or a pusher, saving time and reducing machinery needs. Hulback called the pioneering design “a true American Dream story.” About 25 years ago,
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A rendering of the future Kage Innovation facility, which the company hopes to build in Osceola. A preliminary site plan was approved last week.
owner Mike Stephan was working for his father in lawn care, landscaping and snow removal. “If you’ve ever plowed snow, when those storms come, those operators can be out there 20 or 30-plus hours straight,” said Hul-
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back. “Mike came up with this idea for a faster, more efficient way to remove snow.” Now the design has seven patents and, about nine years into manufacturing, business seems to be booming. “We’re a growing
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company,” said Hulback. “We consistently doubled our volume from 2012 to 2014 … and (going forward) we’re planning on growing about 20 to 25 percent.” Currently a $6.2 million company, Kage SEE KAGE, PAGE 2
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SUZANNE LINDGREN | THE SUN
Family Karaoke
Keegan Cloutier, 5, sang “You are My Sunshine” and the theme song to Barney and Friends at Family Karaoke in Mill Pond Park June 18, hosted by the Osceola Public Library. PY’s lent equipment to the library for the event. Volunteer Jessica Sine will continue to host Family Karaoke before each of the library’s outdoor movie events this summer.
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