Serving Polk County’s St. t Croix C i Valley V ll since i 1897
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015 VOL. 118 NO. 22 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Basketball court honors Ruhsam. PAGE 12
Top 10 stories of 2015
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OHS Football wins state championship
Call it false foreshadowing: The Chieftains lost their first football game of the season. The game was to be their only loss. With a strong emphasis on teamwork, Osceola went on to win the Wisconsin Division 4 state championship Nov. 19. The Chiefs hadn’t played for a state title since 1984, but when they walked onto the field at Camp Randall stadium, they were up to the challenge. Cheered on by the Chieftainettes, the Osceola High School marching band and dedicated fans in Madison and at home, the team beat Lodi’s Blue Devils 28-0.
Post-game, the Chieftains celebrate their Division 4 state championship win. BOUNDARY AGREEMENT COMMITTEE
A working cooperative boundary agreement map that shows two areas that have been marked as likely places to allow future annexation.
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The Wisconsin side of Interstate Park became the setting of a high-profile homicide case, rare for the area, in mid April. News of the fatal stabbing of Peter S. Kelly, a 34-year-old father and wrestling coach from St. Croix Falls, traveled quickly beyond the St. Croix Valley, perhaps because the man who stabbed him fled the scene. Reporters from Twin Cities news outlets picked up the story as Levi Acre-Kendall of Cambridge, Minn., then 19 years old, turned himself in and later pleaded not guilty on grounds of self-defense. Acre-Kendall was acquitted of charges for first- and second-degree reckless homicide and second-degree intentional homicide on Dec. 14, following a highly publicized weeklong jury trial.
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Boundary Agreement Committee begins draft
St. Croix River stabbing
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Following his testimony last Friday, Levi Acre-Kendall sat, head in hands, between defense attorneys Eric Nelson and Douglas Hazelton. The posture was not uncommon throughout the trial, especially when the prosecution was speaking. On Monday, Acre-Kendall was declared not guilty on all three homicide charges.
Plans unveiled, fundraising ongoing for Discovery Center
The future of the proposed library and municipal office building, dubbed the Mill Pond Discovery Center, is currently a bit of a question mark. Initial plans for the building were unveiled
in February, and though funding for the $2.5 million municipal portion of the center was approved in an April vote, fundraising for the library and other common spaces is ongoing. “Before we start a project with the library and village hall we want to have the money in pledges or cash,” said Osceola Village Administrator Joel SEE TOP 10, PAGE 8
Though still in the initial phases, a cooperative boundary agreement between Dresser and the Town of Osceola is now being written. Representatives from both municipalities, who have been meeting and researching the potential deal for several months, began a draft Mon., Dec. 21. The boundary agreement committee has identified two “pockets” where annexation into Dresser seems practical and would work well with existing boundaries. Although the areas have been proposed as future sites of growth for Dresser, annexation would occur only at the request of the properties’ owners. Neither of the two areas includes the site of
the proposed Blue Rock Quarry, which sits on the southeast side of the boundary. In September, the committee examined the east side of Dresser’s boundary. Although one committee member was absent, others representing both Dresser and Osceola agreed the side will likely stay as it is, which would rule out annexation for the quarry. However, the plan is still malleable. “I suspect we will visit the entire boundary again as a committee prior to submitting a final draft to the governing bodies of each municipality,” said Mike Wallis, a representative of the Town of Osceola. Once submitted, the boundary agreement will also be subject to review and public hearings.
Early deadlines Due to the New Year’s holiday, the deadline to submit advertising and press releases for the Jan. 6 edition will be Dec. 30 at noon. The Sun office will be closed Jan. 1.
A rendering of plans for the Mill Pond Discovery Center shows the building abutting the existing fire hall.
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