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NEW : Miss Lino Lakes Ambassadors crowned PAGE 19
Centennial seeks support in upcoming levy BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
In the past nine years, the Centennial School District (CSD) has cut $17.2 million from its budget, $5.1 million of that in the past five years. The district has cut 60 full-time positions in the past three years and has reduced expenditures for supplies, technology, activities/athletics and textbooks. Superintendent Brian Dietz said the district is at the point where it needs help from the community. “We have not had an operational increase in 13 years. We have made it work. We run a very fiscally prudent district, we have made reductions and adjustments when we needed to,” Dietz said. “In 13 years of trying to manage all of that, we need to start looking at investing back into some of the things we have lost in that time period.” This fall, taxpayers will see two levy questions on the ballot. Question 1 will ask voters to approve an operational increase at $650 per pupil, for 10 years. Question 2 deals with capital expenditures and asks for $22,215,000 over a 20-year period to address safety and security at the high school as well as other building improvements. Question 2 cannot pass unless voters approve Question 1. The last time the district went out for a levy
SHANNON GRANHOLM | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Blue Heron Days A very young Minnesota Vikings fan from Lino Lakes attended the Blue Heron Days parade before the big game Saturday, Aug. 18. See more photos on page 12.
SEE CENTENNIAL LEVY, PAGE 11
Nonprofit gives veterans something to look forward to BY SHANNON GRANHOLM EDITOR
Lino Lakes resident Jim Flermoen was just like most boys as he grew up: he enjoyed fishing with his dad. After a combat wound and 12 years in the military, he once again found himself fishing. Flermoen and two other veterans, Eric Anderson and Joe Scavo, started the Freedom Fishing Foundation in March 2017. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that helps veterans, Gold Star families and children of veterans who have committed suicide or died in combat fi nd peace and tranquility through the sport of fishing.
Flermoen served in the Minnesota Army National Guard for 12 years. He was deployed to Iraq from 20052007. In May 2007 his military career came to a halt when he was wounded in combat by an improvised explosive device (IED). He tried to stay in the military but after some time he was forced to medically retire. He was hoping to make it to 20 years of service to his country. In 2010, Flermoen realized he wanted to get back to fishing. He bought a boat. “I found out how therapeutic it was. After I got home, I was in pretty rough shape ... I didn’t want to do anything, I didn’t want to leave my house. I really
struggled,” he said. “When I started fishing, that was a whole different world for me. It really changed my life. It gave me something I could enjoy. If I was having a bad day or was struggling with something, I could go out and fish and it would help me reset. I would come back in a better mood.” Flermoen knew the wonders fishing had done for him, so when he had friends reach out who were having similar struggles, he introduced them to the sport. “When guys I knew would call me and they were struggling with something, I would hook up the boat, go get them and SEE FREEDOM FISHING, PAGE 20
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Founder of the Freedom Fishing Foundation Jim Flermoen is a Lino Lakes resident.
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