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WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2018 VOL. 122 NO. 30 www.presspubs.com $1.00
ICE OUT: Two records two years apart PAGE 3A
Vintage custom cruiser heading home BY DEBRA NEUTKENS EDITOR
When the story about the John O. Johnson cruiser, re-dubbed the Queen Mary, appeared in the White Bear Press last month, Jason Brown’s phone lit up. Brown owns White Bear Boat Works. His stepdad is Skip Johnson, John O. Johnson’s grandson. “You’d think someone landed on the moon, all the interest in that boat,” Brown said. One of the callers was Pete Sampair, a White Bear businessman who owns commercial property along the city’s waterfront. “He asked if I would help him get the boat back to the public on White Bear Lake,” Brown said. “I told him I would help orchestrate the deal but would not put a dime into the restoration.”
And so the process to return the 38-foot wooden cruiser to its roots began. Built at Johnson Boat Works in 1940, it should arrive end of the month or early June on a fl atbed truck. When the pair flew to Green Bay to see the boat, they didn’t know what to expect. “I knew the boat when I was 7 years old, I don’t know the boat now,” Brown said. “We went to see it to make sure whoever did get it would know it either had good bones left or not to waste their time.” Owned by Howard Nicholson of Port Washington, Wisconsin, and his son Robert, the boat has been in storage the last few years. Nicholson bought it in 1982 from Walter Johnson, who SUBMITTED
SEE QUEEN MARY, PAGE 8A
The Queen Mary on Lake Superior.
Charitable gambling limited to 2 sites per organization
May flower collections At right: Marlene Robinson and Kathy Kieffer got an early start and collected a wide array of flowers from various locations during the annual Bouquet Day in downtown White Bear Lake Saturday, May 5. They estimated that it was the 10th year they have participated in the annual spring event. Below: Eve and Kristina Reigstad, Bella Butters and Cora Donoghue take a break on a bench along Fourth Street with the bouquets they have assembled. Find more photos online at presspubs.com.
BY SARA MARIE MOORE VADNAIS HEIGHTS EDITOR
VADNAIS HEIGHTS — The White Bear Lake Area Hockey Association (WBLAHA) will not be able to expand to any more charitable gambling sites located within Vadnais Heights. Limiting organizations to two sites maximum in the future was one change the City Council unanimously approved in its city code regarding charitable gambling at a May 1 meeting. Councilman Terry Nyblom said he wants to ensure that nonprofit organizations that contribute back within the corporate limits of Vadnais Heights are not pushed out by organizations from other cities. “My concern for Vadnais Heights is if we continue to lose charitable dollars which support many things — city civic activities, things for seniors, youth and parks,” Nyblom said. If the city loses too much charitable gambling that goes directly back to city services, taxes would likely have to be increased or services downgraded, he said.
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
SEE GAMBLING, PAGE 8A
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