WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015
Serving Polk County’s St. t Croix C i Valley V ll since i 1897
VOL. 118 NO. 05 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
OSCEOLA COMMUNITY FAIR/WHEELS AND WINGS BOOKLET INSIDE
Twenty-four to dive at Wheels & Wings BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Twenty-four and a half years ago, tragedy struck near the L.O. Simenstad Municipal Airport when two small planes collided, crumpled and fell on a Sunday in early February. Seven died, five of them members of the St. Croix Valley Skydivers Club, aboard a Cessna 182. One, Jon Quist, was from Osceola. The remaining two victims –a flight instructor and his student – were in a Piper aircraft. The crash was visible from the airport, about a mile away. “Keith Ward, a pilot who was at [the] airport when the accident ocSEE DIVE, PAGE 12
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
In what he calls standard operating procedure, Michael A. Feist’s lawyer has requested reconsideration of a verdict that found Feist, owner of Otter Creek Ranch,
SKYDIVE SUPERIOR
Skydivers take the leap with Skydive Superior, which is helping to organize the memorial skydive at this year’s Wheels & Wings.
Osceola family safe after tree falls on camper BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Charlie and Dana Weber had just settled their three sons in for the night in a pop-up camper outside a friends’ cabin in Webster. A heavy rain sounded on the camper’s top as Charlie and Dana began to drift off. Suddenly, they heard a crackling overhead, the sound of branches shattering and a crash as the roof of the camper collapsed in on them. Splintered by lightning or wind, Charlie Weber isn’t sure, but the top half SEE TREE, PAGE 13
Otter Creek Ranch owner challenges guilty verdict
SUBMITTED
While camping in Webster, a tree snapped in half and fell on a pop-up camper with an Osceola family inside. Dana and Charlie Weber and their three boys, Dillon, Connor and Dominic, all emerged safely.
Hard work, and no one gets to do it Franconia artist sculpts homage to ax and a hard day’s work BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Before Paul Howe, artist in residence at Franconia Sculpture Park, had a chance to start chopping, visitors were already leaving signs of their curiosity. Howe often finds his recently
raised sculpture – a tower of wood, from which a log and giant bowl of stones hang in balance – different than he left it. “People like messing with it,” he smiles wryly, unscrewing a vice to remove a cluster of long grass someone pulled from the lawn. “That’s not supposed to be there. Neither are those rocks.” He points to stones strewn near the counterweight that keeps the log from sinking, then begins picking them up. “I’ve gotta do this every couple
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days,” he says, arranging them carefully on the pile. Last weekend, Howe began chopping large chips from the low end of the log, as if sharpening a colossal pencil. As the log grows shorter and lighter, he’ll take rocks from the bowl. The weight will rise and the log will lower. Then, he’ll continue chopping, repeating the process until the log is gone. The work of chopping is in this
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“During the trial, evidence was admitted that shouldn’t have been, and it prejudiced jury.” Paul Rogosheske Michael Feist’s attory guilty of animal neglect and mistreatment. If the request is denied, Feist’s lawyer, Paul Rogosheske, will ask the judge for a new trial. Following a four-day trial in March, a jury found Fiest, 60, guilty of four counts of felony and 30 counts of misdemeanor: a felony for each of four horses found dead at the Milltown ranch, 15 counts of misdemeanor for neglect and another 15 for failure to provide adequate food and drink to horses on the property. Rogosheske, who took over the case in June, filed the request for reconsideration Aug. 20, saying some evidence likely skewed the jury’s decision. “During the trial, evidence was admitted that shouldn’t have been, and it prejudiced jury,” said Rogosheske. He noted that judges rarely grant a new trial. Requesting reconsideration of the verdict and, failing that, asking for a new trial are steps to-
ward eventual appeal of the case. “It’s standard operating procedure,” he said. “You have to go through motions if you ever want to appeal.” Another problem would arise if Feist were sentenced to prison, said Rogosheske, because he’s still the main caretaker for about 80 horses on the ranch. “People are asking that he be severely punished,” said Rogosheske, “but they don’t realize that the horses are still out there. [Feist] has gotten better hay and better feed. They have a veterinarian doing inspections and the sheriff has been doing inspections too. According to the vet, the horses are now between 4 and 5 on the Henneke scale [a score that evaluates horses’ physical condition], which is normal. They have plenty of hay and fodder out there. If people want to send him to prison, Feist would have to sell the horses and they’d be taken to slaughter.” According to Rogosheske, it would be impossible to find new owners for the large number of horses because of time constraints. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Feist’s horses are in better health. “We continue to monitor Otter Creek Ranch because Mr. Feist is out on bond,” said Steve Smith, field services captain. “Sometimes the visits are unannounced and sometimes they’re announced. … The horses are in much better condition.” Feist’s sentencing was originally scheduled for Aug. 28, but was reschedSEE VERDICT, PAGE 18
Early deadline Due to the Labor Day holiday, the deadline to submit advertising or news releases for the Sept. 9 edition of The Sun will be noon on Sept. 3. Our office will be closed Sept. 7. SUBSCRIPTIONS 715-294-2314 office@osceolasun.com
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