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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018 VOL. 15 NO. 25 www.readthecitizen.com $1.00
BIRD COUNT: Annual Christmas tradition PAGE 14
A community comes together to say thanks BY SARAH KNIEFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Santa and his helpers
Santa walks in front of a big rig with his helpers Emily Bienick and Emily Elletson during the annual Hugo Fire Department Toy Drive Saturday, Dec. 1. Please see more photos on page 13.
HUGO — The Hugo American Legion Banquet Hall served as a gathering area for the fi rst-ever “Thank You For Your Service Event” celebrating local veterans, active military members, fi refighters, police officers and volunteers Nov 16. “This evening was just a group of us local citizens that wanted to say thank you to all of those who do so much for Hugo,” said event coordinator Mindy Looyenga. An outpouring of support from the community allowed this festivity to commence with local businesses and restaurants all pitching in. Cub of White Bear Township, Delta Dental, Manitou Grill, Blue Heron Grill, Maplewood Chiropractic Health Center, Schwan Super Rink and Victory Links all donated prizes for attendees to get a chance to win by raffle. SEE THANK YOU, PAGE 23
‘Apocalyptic’ fire in California hits close to home BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
Chip Fechter was watching the news when he heard the Camp Fire was approaching his sister’s home in Paradise, California. Fechter, a Coon Rapids resident, is the Centennial High School boys swimming/diving team coach. After burning for more than two weeks, the Camp Fire of northern California is now 100 percent contained. It was both the deadliest and most destructive fi re in the state’s history. The Camp Fire killed at least 85 people since it started Thursday, Nov. 8,
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and nearly 14,000 homes were destroyed. The cause of the fi re remains under investigation. “It turned out to be really close to where my sister was, so I gave her a call to fi nd out what was going on,” Fechter said. His sister, Judy Quick, has lived in California with her husband Bruce for about five years. Thankfully, at the time the fire hit their neighborhood, she was in a nearby town watching her grandchild. It was a different story for Bruce. “Judy was in Redding trying to get a hold of her husband. She has a cell phone, but Bruce doesn’t. She was able
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to get a hold of him through the landline around 8 a.m. She told him to leave, and he said he hadn’t been told to leave. My sister said, ‘I am telling you to leave,’” Fechter recalled. “She called him a few more times and he probably left around 9:30 a.m. He packed up the dogs and off he went.” The plan was for Judy to meet up with Bruce in nearby Chico, but on his way out of Paradise, Bruce got caught in traffic, as there are only two ways out of Paradise: north or south. SEE CALIFORNIA FIRE, PAGE 12
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Bruce Quick, a resident of Paradise, California, steps out of his vehicle, which caught fire while he was sitting in traffic trying to evacuate. The “Camp Fire” was headed straight for his home.
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