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GALA ENGAGES: Hearts and minds to support education PAGE 7
Council concerned with council-school relationships BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
SUBMITTED
Brian and Elizabeth Merkel pose for a photo with their three children Henry, Anna and Claire along with Thami from Brazil. The group went on a bunch of adventures as a family while Thami was the family’s au pair for one year.
Area family grows global family BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
LINO LAKES — A Lino Lakes family is one of 10 finalists out of more than 700 nominees for Cultural Care Au Pair's Host Family of the Year award.
Brian and Elizabeth Merkel and their three children have lived in Lino Lakes since 2007. Brian learned about the au pair program about a year before their twins were born. “I had a co-worker who has a couple of kids, and he is originally
from England. When they had kids, they needed help with child care, especially since he couldn't drive,” he explained. “They really needed someone who could drive them around and wanted someone in their house with more flexibility
LINO LAKES — A strained relationship between Lino Lakes and multiple school districts dominated a good portion of the over three-hour City Council work session on March 5. Originally the topic came up after the city and the Centennial School District couldn't reach an agreement over facility rental fees and program offerings. The topic came up again when representatives from Rice Lake Elementary visited a work session to discuss the possibility of the city contributing funding to playground upgrades. This time, the discussion revolved mainly around the Forest Lake School District, but the feeling was the same. The topic at hand was the Nature's Refuge development located near Lino Lakes Elementary. A development application was reviewed by the Park Board on Feb. 5 and the Park Board recommended the council work with the school district to provide leisure opportunities through park enhancements at the school. The item was placed on the work session agenda at Councilman Rob Rafferty's request after he expressed a concern regarding discussions with the district about the project.
SEE MERKEL FAMILY, PAGE 13
SEE NATURES REFUGE, PAGE 15
All-inclusive scouting program teaches traditional skills BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
The 6th Woodrunners of the Twin Cities was the fi rst Baden-Powell Service Association (BPSA) chapter to form in the state. Today, there are three chapters in Minnesota. BPSA was formed in the U.S. in 2006 as an independent and traditional-style scouting association, not affi liated with the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. Robert Baden-Powell drafted the principles in 1907, which center on the origins of scouting: promoting self-reliance,
good citizenship, training in habits of observation, and loyalty. “Traditional scouting is about creating confident, productive, skillful and participatory community members through a fun program that is outdoorfocused and to gain a better perspective of our world. I believe this is the best I can do for my children as a parent,” said Chun-Yin Chong, Scoutmaster of the 6th Woodrunners. Chong, a Lino Lakes resident, helped establish the local chapter. Both his SEE BPSA, PAGE 2
SUBMITTED
George Stecher, a resident of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, teaches Xander Noraker, of Anoka, about fire making with bow drilling. Stecher is a Baden-Powell Service Association (BPSA) Rover.
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