WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 118 NO. 48 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Braves lose to Blaine. PAGE 11
It’s a (French toast) wrap Kids prepare for ArtBarn ‘Broadway’ show BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
“Alright everyone, we’re going to try to get from the beginning all the way to the French toast wrap before we take a break,” announces Claire Traynor to a cast of more than 20 kids. They’re rehearsing for the upcoming production of “Ants SEE PLAY, PAGE 10
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Murphy will be helping kids practice their reading skills in a comfortable environment at the Osceola Public Library on Wednesdays throughout the summer.
A ‘pawsitive’ approach to reading Kids and parents wild about new program at Osceola Public Library The Osceola Public Library is hosting “Reading with Murphy,” a new program featuring Darla Traynor, a local kindergarten teacher, and her beloved dog, Murphy. Children can practice their reading skills in a comfortable environment with Murphy, a hound they’re bound to love. Reading with Murphy takes place on evenings Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. Reading to a pet is a great way to prevent summer learning loss, or the “summer slide,” which can be especially detrimental to beginning readers. And studies have shown that reading to dogs can increase a child’s confidence as
dogs offer non-judgmental support. This affirmation can make the world of difference to a new or struggling reader. What’s more, reading to dogs is relaxing and reduces anxiety in children. It also lowers blood pressure in kids and adults. Murphy isn’t your typical household pet. He and Traynor are a certified therapy team who have undergone obedience and therapy training. Each have passed rigorous exams and have completed and passed an evaluation together. To learn more about their training, visit petpartners.org. Register for Reading with Murphy by stopping in or calling the Osceola Public Library. For more information about this event or any summer learning opportunities please see: www. osceolapubliclibrary.org. And be sure to give Murphy a high-five when you see him.
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SUZANNE LINDGREN |THE SUN
Having been shrunk en masse, ant-sized characters plot their return to normal size in a rehearsal of “Ants in France,” an original musical written during the ArtBarn’s Broadway at the Barn camp.
Milberg cleared in vehicular homicide case BY TOM STANGL TSTANGL@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
It took a jury of nine women and three men just under two hours Wednesday to find Kari Milberg not guilty of three counts of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and one count of reckless driving causing injury. Milberg, her two children and two nieces were involved in a collision in Pierce County on Dec. 12,
2013. Lydia Milberg, 11, Clara Pavek, 5 and Laynie Jo Amos, 5 all died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. Milberg’s son, Easton, 3, survived the accident. The prosecution presented 19 witnesses in three and a half days. The defense did not call any witnesses and Milberg declined to testify on her own behalf. Prosecutor Sean Froelich presented ex-
TOM STANGL | AMERY FREE PRESS
Kari Milberg reacts to being found not guilty of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and one count of reckless driving causing injury. Her defense attorney Aaron Nelson is on the left.
SEE VERDICT, PAGE 2
Dream of restorative agriculture springs to life BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
In the days after planting almost 6,000 asparagus crowns and between hosting educational groups at Lily Springs Farm, Eli Utne discovers that the hazelnut trees have begun producing. “Wow, look at that! We got our first nut,” he says. “This is huge.” Utne is the director of marketing and communications at the site, where his family
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Eli Utne, marketing and communications director at Lily Springs Farm in Osceola, with a handful of freshly picked asparagus. Behind him are rows of recently planted and year-old asparagus, interplanted with oats and chamomile
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and a crew of locals have begun a years-long process of building what he describes as a perennial demonstration farm. Since last year, they’ve planted 1,600 hazelnut trees and more than 6,500 asparagus crowns. The planning and prep work reach back even further, and the dreaming spans decades (the family has owned the property since the 1980s). In the future, they plan to build a greenhouse and farm store, and grow raspberries, red and black currents, and fruit trees. SEE FARM, PAGE 5
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