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VOL. 128 NO. 51 www.whitebearpress.com $1.00
WINNERS TAB: Results are in for Best of Contest SEE INSIDE
Readers vote St. Jude of the Lake teacher ‘the best’ BY NOELLE OLSON EDITOR
The votes are in, and a St. Jude of the Lake first grade teacher is at the top. Shannon Vitullo (Globensky) was selected the Best Teacher in the 2023 Best of the Press Readers’ Choice Contest. St. Jude of the Lake is a Catholic elementary school in
Mahtomedi for grades kindergarten through sixth grade. “When I found out I won, I was really touched by it,” Vitullo said. “I really enjoy working at St. Jude's and was really surprised because some teachers at school have been teaching for like 24 years, and I've only been teaching for seven years. We just have some really
awesome teachers here.” Vitullo grew up in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. She graduated from McDonell Central Catholic High School and then headed to Benedictine College in Kansas. She earned a master's degree from St. Mary's University of Minnesota. “When I was in high school, I was a preschool aide and that made me
want to become a teacher,” Vitullo said. “I had a really good teacher when I was in high school who inspired me. His name was Mr. Aita and he teaches in Missouri now.” She started her career as a teacher in Chippewa Falls, which is not surprising since she comes from a family of over 15 teachers. “I taught there for two years and I
replaced my first grade teacher. Her name was Rita Nowak, and she was also a big inspiration to me.” She packed her bags and moved to Minnesota because a lot of her friends lived in the Twin Cities. “I used to work for the Archdiocese of St. Paul
2023
of the Press White Bear Lake Vadnais Heights
SEE BEST TEACHER, PAGE 9A
City welcomes new firefighters BY NOELLE OLSON EDITOR
Memorial Beach, the landscaping down there is massive.” Beautifying White Bear Lake is no easy task, and it requires a lot of work. Horticulturist Sadie Loose is in
October is Firefighter Appreciation Month and it's fitting for the city of White Bear Lake to welcome four new firefighters/paramedics to the White Bear Lake Fire Department. Fire Chief Greg Peterson introduced the four at a City Council meeting before a swearing-in ceremony. The new firefighters/paramedics are as follows: • Greg Wheelock brings 14 years of experience. He started as a combat Army medic, worked at Pleasant Hill fire in Iowa, Lockwood in rural Montana, Ames, Iowa and Allina. • Alex Weil has five years of experience and came from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He currently lives in Lake Elmo. He is also with the Lake Elmo Fire Department. • Ben Horner brings 19 years of experience. He began his career up north, worked at HCMC for 10 years and has been with the Scandia Fire Department for three years. • Chris Dvorak has 12 years of experience. He started down in Louisiana, worked for HCMC for 10 years and has been on the Andover Fire Department for seven years. “We're very happy to have them and they all have a lot of experience,” Peterson said. “I've gotten a lot of compliments from our current staff like saying this is a really good class of people.” Peterson noted changes in staffing in the fire department including — three full-time employees resigned this year, four part-time employees resigned (Lieutenant Margaret Janssen retired). “We lost three full-time firefighters to other departments,” Peterson said. “There's a lot of opportunity out there right now. When I started in this business, it was hard to get a full-time job. Now, there are
SEE FLOWER PROGRAM, PAGE 9A
SEE FIRE DEPARTMENT, PAGE 9A
NOELLE OLSON | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Horticulturist Sadie Loose and Parks Working Foreman Andy Wietecki at Railroad Park in White Bear Lake.
Downtown flower program beautifies White Bear BY NOELLE OLSON EDITOR
Have you noticed the flower beds, hanging flowers and sidewalk pots throughout the city? The city of White Bear Lake has a flower program to supply
and care for the flowers that adorn the sidewalks and streets. “There are 160 beds throughout the city, and 62 are downtown,” said Andy Wietecki, parks working foreman. “It can be a large bed or a small little bed next to the trees. If you go down to the
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