The Times - Steele County

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Blossom girls advance to tourney semifinals

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The

Times

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Serving Blooming Prairie and the Four-County Area Steele County’s Only Community Weekly Newspaper

INSIDE:

New legislative lines drawn Blooming Prairie to be represented by Rich Murray, R-Albert Lea

Dr. Daniel Schafer has joined the staff of Main Street Dental Clinic in Blooming Prairie. Dr. Schafer is a graduate of Augustana University and the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. See Page 4A.

BY JON FLATLAND Managing Editor The Minnesota Supreme Court’s Special Redistricting Panel last week released its congressional and legislative maps, settling a months-long battle over the state’s representation. Redistricting takes place once every 10 years, coinciding with the federal census, to reflect population shifts in congressional and legislative districts. Under the new redistricting plan, the communities of Blooming Prairie and Hayfield will move into new districts

and have new representation in the House. Blooming Prairie Township will keep its current representation, as will the city of Owatonna. The city of Blooming Prairie had previously been in District 26B and was represented by Patti Fritz, D-Faribault. It will now move into District 27A, with Rep. Rich Murray, R-Albert Lea, serving constituents in the House. Murray will represent nearly all of Freeborn County, the eastern tier of townships in Faribault County, along with Udolpho Township in Mower County, Westfield and Hayfield

townships in Dodge County, and the city of Blooming Prairie in Steele County. Fritz becomes the representative in District 24B, which will include Blooming Prairie Township, much of the rest of Steele County, and western Dodge County, including the city of Claremont. Murray said he is very happy with the new redistricting map and looks forward to working with his current district for the remainder of the year and making new friends in the new sections of District 27A. Legislative Lines Continued on Page 7A

Steele County residents will soon see the beginnings of the formation of a long-range plan for the Steele County Fairground in Owatonna, including changes to the race track. See Page 3A.

Bank offered free radio to residents Every Saturday evening during the fall of 1922, the First National Bank in Blooming Prairie offered citizens the opportunity to listen to radio broadcasts in its Commercial Club room. Read more about the Golden Age of Radio on Page 5A.

Walz, challengers remain in Dist. 1

American Legion plans celebration The Otto T. Lund American Legion Post in Blooming Prairie will celebrate the 93rd birthday of the American Legion organization on Thursday, March 1, with a meal and program beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Servicemen’s Club. See Page 10B.

INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2A County News . . . . . . . . . . . 3A Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Times EXTRA . . . . . . . . . .5A Public Safety . . . . . . . . . . . 6A News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7A Community . . . . . . . . . . . .8A Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9A Tax Guide . . . . . . . . . . . 10A Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . .1B-3B Scouting News. . . . . . . . . 4B Legal Notices . . . . . . . 5B-7B Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . 9B Car Care Month . . . . . . . 10B

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Volume 119, Issue 36

Steele

Dodge

24A 24B

Blooming Prairie

25A

+D\ÀHOG

27B

27A

Freeborn

Mower

Owatonna & Waseca

Eastern Dodge County

Blooming Prairie Township, Claremont, Ellendale & Medford

Austin

Blooming Prairie, $OEHUW /HD +D\ÀHOG

BP School Board okays new teacher contract

Fair board plans improvements

Congressman Tim Walz and both of his Republican challengers remained in the same congressional district after new political boundaries were announced last week by a state judicial panel. See Page 7A.

NEW LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Times photo by Jon Flatland

An 86-year-old Owatonna woman was killed Friday when the vehicle she was a passenger in was struck by a DM & E train at the intersection of County Road 18 and 13th Street in Meriden shortly after noon.

Train-car crash leaves one dead BY JON FLATLAND Managing Editor One person was killed and another injured on Friday when a DM & E train collided with a car at a railroad crossing at the intersection of County Road 18 and 13th Street in the community of

Meriden, just west of Owatonna. According to the Steele County Sheriff’s Office, a passenger in the vehicle, Betty Patricia Bang, 86, of Owatonna, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, Donna Marie Miller, 68, of

rural Waseca, was taken by Gold Cross Ambulance to the Owatonna Hospital and later airlifted to a hospital in Rochester. No other injuries were reported in the incident. Crash Continued on Page 7A

BY JON FLATLAND Managing Editor The Blooming Prairie Board of Education last week voted unanimously to approve a teacher contract for the 201112 and 2012-13 school years. The move comes after the board and the Blooming Prairie Teacher’s Association reached a tentative agreement on a contract during a mediation session in January. Blooming Prairie teachers had been working under the terms of a contract that expired at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. The agreement ratified by the board last Tuesday calls for a 5.39 percent increase over the next two years. The 54-member teacher’s group voted 39-6 last month to accept the contract offer. According to Supt. Barry Olson, the new contract calls for a soft freeze on salaries for the first year, with teachers at the top of the grid, or “step” structure, receiving a one-time payout of $750 the first year and $700 the second year. He said he feels the agreement is fair and provides “good things” for both sides. “It’s a little below the state average, but for schools that are the same size as ours, it’s a little above average.”

Prior to entering mediation, the teacher’s association had rejected a contract offering a 5 percent pay increase over two years. This was the fourth time the school district and teacher’s association have gone to contract mediation since 1995. Each time, an agreement has been reached after one or two sessions.

BP Elementary to celebrate Reading Day Early in January, the Blooming Prairie Elementary School announced its students planned to attempt to read 1,980 books over a two-month period – that’s one book for every person living in Blooming Prairie. Not only did the students succeed, they tripled their goal. To mark the feat, they will celebrate National Reading Day on Friday, March 2, with a variety of activities from 1 to 2:30 p.m., and the public is invited to attend. The event will include a read-and-feed and feature students reading to fellow students, Cat in the Hat cookie making and decorating and more.

Local gas prices climbing BY JON FLATLAND Managing Editor Gas prices are on the rise again, climbing nearly 15-cents at some local gas stations last week. Now, new troubles in the Middle East have many people nervous about the future at the pump. Iran halted oil shipments to Britain and France over the weekend. The move comes after the countries supported tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. So what will it do to gas prices at the pump in the United States? Gail Weinholzer, a spokesperson for the American Automobile Association (AAA), says the impact probably won’t

be significant. “It really shouldn’t impact us us, or Britain or France, for that matter,” said Weinholzer. “Those countries were already talking about boycotting Iranian oil beginning in July, so the fact Iran is refusing to export effective immediately really isn’t going to have that much affect. Saudi Arabia has promised to make up any shortage Britain or France may have.” But, she concedes, it’s still not going to be easy for Minnesotans at the pump this spring and summer. For the fourth time in the state’s history, prices are expected to climb to $4 a gallon by Memorial Day. Currently, gas prices are the highest

they’ve ever been for this time of year. Craig Lunning of Blooming Prairie said he cringes every time he fuels up his vehicle. Like many others, he’s trying to cut back other expenses because of the rising cost of gas. “Our hands are tied. There’s nothing I can do about the price going up, so I’m just trying to do what I can to make it hurt a little less on my wallet,” he said. “That means trying to cut back on other things.” Businesses are also preparing for more pain at the pump, and are also looking at trimming back on the expense of services they offer. Gas Prices Continued on Page 7A

Established in 1893

Times photo by Jon Flatland

Gas prices at Casey’s General Store in Blooming Prairie jumped nearly 15-cents last week to more than $3.50 per gallon.

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