WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 118 NO. 51 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
VILLAGE OF OSCEOLA: “United to Amend” question on ballot. PAGE 2
Kalmoe heads to third Olympics BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
In the weeks leading up to rowing in her third Olympics, St. Croix Falls native Megan Kalmoe said the Rio de Janeiro games would likely be her last. “I’m hoping it will be my best performance and I’ll feel a nice sense of closure,” she explained. Then again, she had similar sentiments four years ago. “Coming back from London after 2012 I wasn’t totally sure this was what I wanted to keep doing,” she said. “I was 29 and a lot of my peers were establishing careers, starting families, buying homes. … There’s a pressure to kind of get going.”
Megan Kalmoe
But winning bronze in London with her women’s quadruple sculls crew – the nation’s first medal in the event – left her feeling that her work was unfinished. “Winning a medal changes your perspective a lot,” she explained. “Breaking through that barrier was really spe-
cial and was a reason I ultimately decided to come back … to see how far we could raise the standard, not just for myself but for the women who come to the team after I’m gone.” She thinks this year’s Olympic team could do just that. “I think we’re capable of having our best Olympics performance ever,” she said. “The team has a lot of depth. All the athletes are very strong and extremely motivated.” Though Kalmoe was athletic in high school, she didn’t start rowing until her second year at the University of Washington. “I met a bunch of rowers in my dorm,” she explained. “They always SEE KALMOE, PAGE 10
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Megan Kalmoe (in blue) rowing. The St. Croix Falls native plans to go to her third Olympics this year.
State grant will help restore Civic Auditorium Assistance from Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will support renovation of historic auditorium The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) awarded a $500,000 grant to the city of St. Croix Falls last Tuesday to help fund the restoration and expansion of the historic Civic Auditorium. The 8,130-square-foot facility was built in 1916, and for the past 25 years has been home to Festival Theatre, a professional theater company. The expansion will add an additional 8,080 square feet to the downtown theater. WEDC’s Community Development Investment Grant Program supports
St. Croix River struggles to handle heavy rains Minnesota man vanishes in powerful waters BY TOM STANGL TSTANGL@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
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A rendering of the site plan for the restored and expanded Civic Auditorium.
community development and redevelopment efforts — primarily in downtown areas — throughout the state. Awards for the competitive program are based on the ability of applicants to demonstrate the impact of the proposed project, including public and private partnership development, financial need and use of sustainable downtown develop-
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ment practices. “Community Development Investment Grants are an extremely effective vehicle for improving communities,” said Mark Hogan, secretary and CEO of WEDC, who was in St. Croix Falls Tuesday to announce the grant. “We are confident this investment in the civic auditorium will help spur additional business and communi-
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ty development in St. Croix Falls.” The restoration and expansion of the Civic Auditorium could serve as a catalyst for commercial redevelopment of adjacent property with the potential to create 70 full-time and part-time hospitality and performing arts jobs as well as local construction jobs. SEE AUDITORIUM PAGE 6
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A 10-13-inch rainfall event that ranged from north of St. Cloud to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan July 11 and 12 resulted in widespread flooding on the Namekagon, Kettle and Snake rivers, tributaries of the St. Croix River. By Sunday, the high water crests on the St. Croix had moved through Stillwater. The National Park Service on Wednesday closed all landings on the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers until further notice. The increased flow of the Kettle and Snake rivers in Minnesota and the Namekagon caused numerous high water marks and danger-
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ously swift flows. Mike Griesinger, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, explained that a warm front anchored Mon., July 11, over an area ranging from Wilmar, Minn. through Osceola and north to Danbury created “perfect conditions” for a widespread heavy rainfall event. The warm front kept drawing up warm and humid air from the south and did not clear out until a cold front pushed it south on Wednesday. The meteorological term used to describe a line of thunderstorms that are unable to move through and continue to develop is “training.” The storms on Monday night continued to redevelop, causing the high rainfall amounts. The St. Croix River crested July 13 in the SEE RIVER, PAGE 6
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