District 14A special election set Feb. 12

A special election to fill Min-nesota House seat District 14A, left open after the resignation of Rep. Steve Gottwalt, will take place Feb. 12.

Candidates wishing to file for the open seat have until Jan. 15 to do so. Filings need to be done in the Stearns County Auditor’s Office or at the Secretary of State’s Office. If more than one person in a party files for the seat, a primary election will be held Jan. 29.

District 14A covers areas of two precincts in St. Joseph Town-ship as well as St. Cloud, Waite Park and St. Augusta. A map of the district can be found on the Stearns County website. For more information, visit www.thenews-leaders.com and click on Criers.

Students need supportersJoin St. Cloud Area School Dis-

trict 742 Volunteer in Education program. Community volunteers are being sought to help support students in their schools. Helpers are needed to assist with various academic roles in their elementary schools, such as reading, math or science support.Volunteers typi-cally work one-on-one or with a small group of students and are needed during school hours, Monday through Friday. Aides can choose to serve two or more hours per shift. Orientation includes lit-eracy training to ensure helpers are prepared to support students in the classroom. Contact Sonia Dickrell, St. Cloud Area School District 742, at (320) 529-6500 x6268 or volunteer@isd742.org.

Hazardous waste drop-offextends hours

To better meet the needs of residents, the Household Hazard-ous Waste drop-off and product exchange programs have extended public hours of operation. The fa-cilities are now open to the public from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday. Other hours include from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednes-day through Friday; and from 8 a.m.-noon the third Saturday of each month.

The Household Hazardous Waste drop-off and product ex-change, operated by Tri-County Solid Waste Management, accepts household hazardous waste prod-ucts from residents in Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties and is located at 3601 – 5th St. S. in Waite Park. For more informa-tion, visit www.thenewsleaders.com and click on Criers.

St. Joseph

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From determining how to survive a zombie apocalypse, examining the inside of a pig’s heart and learning how to make ice cream in a plastic bag, the students who participated in the Science Rocks! education-al event learned a lot. Twenty fifth- and sixth-graders from Kennedy Community School in St. Joseph were among area stu-dents who journeyed Jan. 10 to St. Cloud State University to see just why science rocks.

Science Rocks! is a daylong event complete with more than 30 different sessions on the sci-ences for fifth- and sixth-grade students. Sponsored by Re-source Training and Solutions of St. Cloud, the goal of the event is to expose students to some-thing new and spark an inter-est in science, organizers said. That exposure includes lessons in ecology, biology, chemistry, physics and archaeology. This year there were 660 students

Students turn into scientists during SCSU event

by TaLeiza Callowaynews@thenewsleaders.com

Plans continue to take shape to bring a winter community event to St. Joseph next month.

St. Joseph Park Board mem-bers voted at their last meeting to host Joe Town-Snow Town, a

fun-filled outdoor event aimed at bringing the community to-gether and getting people in the parks. The date of the event is Feb. 16. Times of scheduled activities are still being deter-mined.

John Anderson, chair of the park board, said festivities

Park board plans winter community event for Feb. 16

photo by TaLeiza Calloway

Kennedy Community School fifth-grader Heather Kirchner (center) feels the inside of a pig’s heart Jan. 10 during a science session called, “It Makes Your Blood Run,” at St. Cloud State University. Fellow Kennedy fifth-grader Keardyn Hawker does the same.

are set to include sledding, silver-skate races for various age groups and a snow-softball tournament. Most events will take place at Memorial and Millstream parks. Joe Town-Snow Town will also include a chili supper, a wine- and beer-tasting event and a medal-

lion hunt for children. Board members hope to get local busi-nesses to distribute clues for the medallion hunt.

The park board also hopes to partner with the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s Univer-sity to host a broom-ball tour-

Eight therapy dogs visit CSB studentsby Cori Hilsgennews@thenewsleaders.com

Eight central Minnesota therapy dogs recently visit-ed with some College of St. Benedict students before final exams. The dogs visited first-year students to help calm them before testing. Some up-per-class students also came through to visit.

One of the therapy dogs was Ella, a golden retriever owned by Marlene Dingmann. Dingmann said students told her the dogs helped relax them and that they missed their own dogs at home and couldn’t wait to see them again.

Another of the eight was Se-

cret, a springer spaniel owned by J.P. Martin, who started the Animal-Assisted Therapy Program at the St. Cloud Hos-pital in 1996. He is an AAT dog trainer and evaluator with more than 25 years of expe-rience in obedience training with all types of dogs.

Therapy dogs currently visit most areas of the St. Cloud Hospital, including oncology, pediatrics, adult intensive care, family birthing, behav-ioral health, neurology/spine, telemetry, bone and joint, medical/surgical and also the Coborn Cancer Center at the CentraCare Health Plaza.

The six other dogs included Nahlah, a great Dane owned

contributed photo

Animal-assist therapy dog, Spencer, comforts College of St. Benedict students Emma Fering (left) and Emily Dallager (middle) before final exams.

Park • page 3

Science • page 4

Dogs • page 3

Friday, Jan. 18, 2013St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com2

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106 2nd Ave. NW St. Joseph (next to the Post Office)

320-282-2262 G Gateway Church St. Joseph

Resurrection Lutheran, ELCASunday Worship 8:30 & 11 a.m.

WoW! (Worship on Wednesday) 6:30 p.m.

610 N. CR 2 St. Joseph320-363-4232 www.rlcstjo.org

St. Joseph Catholic ChurchMasses: Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m.Masses: Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m.

Saturday 5 p.m.Sunday 8 and 10 a.m.

320-363-7505 St. Josephwww.churchstjoseph.org

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Russell Eyecare & Associates15 E. Minnesota St., Ste. 107St. Joseph 320-433-4326

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St. Cloud 320-420-6195

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St. Joseph 320-363-4468Drs. Styles, Cotton & Milbert1514 E. Minnesota St., Box 607St. Joseph 320-363-7729

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Clara Kroska, of St. Joseph, has been accepted to and has chosen to attend the University of Minnesota, Morris.

Kroska, a 2013 graduate of Albany Senior High School will attend Morris beginning Fall 2013. Kroska is the recipient of an Achievement Scholarship, renew-able up to four years. Achieve-ment Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplish-ments at the time of application. All first-year students who sub-mit an application to Morris are automatically considered for an Achievement Scholarship pack-age.

Ten St. Joseph students were among 1,432 student who were recently named to the fall dean’s list at St. Cloud State University.

They and their majors are as follows: Kylie Carlson, nursing; Chelsea Christman, English; Lu-kas Gohl, communication arts and literature; Payton Kalla, fi-

nance; Erika Klein, communica-tion studies; Courtney Kroska, biochemistry; Tyler Lahr, math-ematics; Samantha Laudenbach, elementary/K-6 education; April Legatt, music; Katelyn Tiffany, social work.

To be eligible for the honor, students must have a grade-point average of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Three St. Joseph students were among 3,101 students re-cently named to the fall dean’s list at North Dakota State University, Fargo.

They and their majors are as follows: Andrew Hellmann, psy-chology; Brianna Netter, man-agement communication; and Ivan Schleppenbach, mechanical engineering.

A student must earn a 3.50-grade point average or higher and be enrolled in at least 12 class credits to qualify.

Samuel Engelsgjerd, son of Nancy Engelsgjerd and Mark En-gelsgjerd of St. Joseph, recently performed in the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival in Northfield, Minn. He is a member of the St. Olaf Choir, and a chemistry and mathematics major.

The St. Olaf Christmas Festi-val is one of the oldest musical celebrations of Christmas in the United States. Started in 1912 by F. Melius Christiansen, founder of the St. Olaf College Music Depart-ment, the festival features more than 500 student musicians who are members of five choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra.

The festival, which is regularly broadcast nationwide on public television and radio, has been featured in hundreds of publica-tions, including TV Guide, the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times.

People

Moeller

Moeller recognized for fostering science,math literacy

D i a n e Moeller, prin-cipal of Ken-nedy Commu-nity School, St. Joseph, was recently named 2013 Science and Mathematics Elementary and Middle Level Principal of the Year.

Created through a partnership between the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Minnesota El-ementary School Principals’ As-sociation, the award recognizes the vital importance of fostering lifelong science literacy and hon-ors the key role principals play in developing a culture that encour-ages and celebrates student inter-est in math and science.

In reviewing applications for this year’s award recipient, the award committee looked for evi-dence of the nominees’ support of professional development and

coaching for the teachers in their schools, active partnerships with other organizations, efforts to ap-ply math and science standards to curriculum and provide sup-port materials, support of out-of-school as well as in-school ex-periences, inclusion of families, and evidence of other creative ways of fostering interest in math and science.

How has Diane Moeller earned this honor? She has a sin-cere passion for science. To quote Jodie Kragness, a Kennedy third-grade teacher who nominated Moeller for the award, “Diane Moeller has made science a liv-ing part of our school. With her leadership, we built a new green school in 2008. But it’s not just the building that has earned us awards such as the Green Ribbon School Award from the U.S. De-partment of Education, or LEED certification at the gold level, it’s also how the staff uses the build-ing to teach science concepts. Diane has created a culture of excitement for staff, students and families in the area of science and math. Our school itself is a lab for our students, both indoors

Kennedy principal named 2013 science, math Principal of Yearand out.”

Moeller strives to have stu-dents become critical thinkers and be able to interact with the world. She believes in creating a science passion in students through inquiry into everyday events. Kragness said, “Diane will often present students with a fun discrepant event, and encour-age them to figure out what sci-entific principle is responsible.”

Moeller works with the com-munity to bring science alive for students and to help the community understand as well. For example, the district (led by Moeller) partnered with St. John’s University Arboretum per-sonnel to embed science stan-

dards at each grade level into activities at the arboretum – so all students can participate in field trips there. Classroom ma-terials are also provided to sup-port science instruction, includ-ing hands-on materials, as well as leveled readers at each grade level. She’s also the science cur-riculum chair for the St. Cloud school district.

Finally, the school itself is green. How many schools can say the school building itself was constructed and built with the goal of using it to teach students? This was Moeller’s vision.

“Our community has learned a great deal from our state-of-the-art school,” Moeller said. “Stu-

dents conduct tours highlighting the green elements of our school and how they work. Families and community members are amazed at how well-versed the students are in environmental and sus-tainability concepts.”

As the 2013 Science and Math-ematics Elementary Principal of the Year, Moeller will be recog-nized by Dr. Eric Jolly, president of the Science Museum of Minne-sota, during the MESPA Institute Awards Banquet on Thursday, Feb. 7 in Bloomington, Minn. In addition, Kennedy Community School students and staff will receive complimentary Science Museum education program-ming.

If any readers have tips concerning crimes, they should call the St. Joseph Police Department at 363-8250 or Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 255-1301 or access its tip site at www.tricounty-crimestoppers.org. Crime Stoppers of-fers rewards up to $1,000 for informa-tion leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for crimes.

Dec. 99 p.m. Medical. Third Avenue

SE. Officers responded to assist a 93-year-old male who fell inside the house with possible broken hip and leg. Officer arrived and found patient sitting in a chair and stating his leg and hip hurt a little bit. Assisted St. Joseph Res-cue and Gold Cross. God Cross transported to St. Cloud Emer-gency Room.

Dec. 117:23 a.m. Kennedy Communi-

ty School. Citizen contact. Officer monitored hallways and spoke to students and staff.

Dec. 132:24 a.m. Overdose. Iverson

Street W. Female took approxi-mately 15 1 mg. Lorazepam and an unknowan number of Am-bien. She had also consumed three to four beers during the evening. She was lethargic but able to answer questions. She did not admit to suicidal intentions, but did not appear to be honest when asked about her intentions. She was monitored by rescue and transported by Gold Cross.

Dec. 153:30 a.m. Agency assist. Coun-

ty Road 138. Officer assisted in trying to locate 19-year-old fe-male who was arguing with her mother. Mother said that daugh-ter threw a knife at her and was threatening to kill her. Five people were in the house. Officer transported a female witness to St. Cloud.

Dec. 1610:32 a.m. Theft. 109 Minne-

sota St. W. Male reported his cell phone had been stolen from his jacket previous evening in Sal’s Bar. He tried to call it with no answer then it was turned off. He tried texting to find it but phone was still off. $600 value.

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Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com 3

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nament as part of the events. Broom ball is a recreational ice game played in ice arenas and community parks. It’s a game very similar to hockey in its for-mation and rules but also incor-porates some soccer strategies. The game is played on a hockey rink with two teams consist-ing of six players on each side (a goalie, two defense players

and three forwards). Similar to hockey and soccer, the object of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team. Players use a stick (a shaft with a molded broom-shaped head) to maneuver a six-inch diam-eter ball up and down the ice. Instead of skates, players wear spongy-soled shoes to gain trac-tion when running on the slip-pery surface.

The park board meets every fourth Monday of the month. The next meeting is slated for Monday, Jan. 28 at city hall.

Park from front page

by Joyce Salzer; Abby, a bas-set-spaniel cross owned by Priscilla Gray; Spencer, a shih tzu owned by Deb Renschler; Bailey, a poodle-maltese cross owned by Deb Haus; Jazz, a poodle owned by Janelle Krae-mer; and Spot, a chihuahua owned by Dorothy Bernardy.

During Dingmann’s expe-rience of working with the therapy dogs, she said she has watched the dogs relieve stress in both patients and staff.

“They can also help with pain management,” Ding-mann said. “The dogs can calm children who are upset about medical procedures and help patients work in physical therapy. The dogs’ keen sense of smell can also detect medi-cal conditions such as bladder infections. Some dogs, like Nahlah, can work well with autistic children.”

Therapy dogs at the St. Cloud Hospital must be at least 1 year old and have a calm temperament, be gentle, obedient and have a positive social manner and disposition that works well with patients of all ages. Dingmann and Sal-zer said they feel a dog who is good with strangers and will-ing to please their handler is best suited for therapy work.

With AAT, a certified ani-mal handler and animal assists in the treatment of patients to achieve specific health-care goals. Therapy is performed under the direction of a health-care provider to help promote social, physi-cal, emotional and/or mental healing.

Dingmann and Gray have been working with their thera-py dogs for six years, Bernardy for three years and Haus and Kraemer for two years. Salzer and Renschler are presently in the process of completing their training. Dingmann also visits the Assumption Nursing Home in Cold Spring once a week, which she has been do-

ing for the past nine years.To become a therapy-assist

animal, dogs should complete two courses of basic obedi-ence. The handler and the dog then complete 21 weeks of class with Martin. Next, the dogs take a national test through Pet Partners’ Therapy Animal Program, where they are evaluated as a team. The test usually takes 30-45 min-utes to complete. The final

step is 30 hours of one-on-one training with Martin at the hospital.

The Pet Partners’ program screens and trains volunteers and their pets for visiting an-imal programs in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools and other fa-cilities.

The program was started in 1990 to ensure people and animals were well-prepared to

participate in animal-assisted activity and animal-assisted therapy programs. It’s the only national registry that requires volunteer screening and train-ing of animal-handler teams. The national network links volunteers with facilities in their communities.

The therapy dogs need to be re-certified with Pet Part-ners every two years to ensure

Dogsfrom front page

Dogs • page 5

Friday, Jan. 18, 2013St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com4

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from area school districts that included the St. Cloud Area School District and the Sartell-St. Stephen School District.

This is the seventh year for the event that grew from a conversation. Sandra Cordie and Rebecca Krystyniak met seven years ago at a women’s leadership conference. It was there they made a connection and a commitment to bring the science event to St. Cloud State University. Cordie, a Sar-tell resident, is the director of educational programs at Re-source Training and Solutions. Krystyniak is an associate pro-fessor of chemistry and science at SCSU.

“We are getting students engaged in hands-on learning in math, science and engineer-ing activities,” Krystyniak said. “The kids like what they’re learning and are excited to be on a college campus.”

Krystyniak said when chil-dren are in middle school, they like science but that interest fades once they get to high school. Whether it’s the belief it’s too hard or (science) is for a certain type of student, once students enter high school they often think science is a subject to be avoided. What she hopes Science Rocks! does for them is provide a positive perspec-tive about science and even introduce a possible career path they might not have considered before.

“Everybody can do science,” she said. “This is a great oppor-tunity for them to get a positive perspective on science and see that it relates to their life.”

Cordie said the event grew from 244 students in the first year to 660 this year. While the goal is to expose students to sci-ence and nature, there’s more to it for Cordie.

“We want them to experi-ence something new,” Cordie said. “The biggest thing for me is providing them with mentors, allowing them to see female city

Sciencefrom front page

photos by TaLeiza Calloway

Above, Sam Holthaus of St. Joseph, examines a pig heart Jan. 10 during the Science Rocks! event at St. Cloud State Univer-sity. The 10-year-old was one of 20 students from Kennedy Community School to attend. Below, William Cook, a biology professor at St. Cloud State University, leads a session called, “Furs, Fangs & Femurs” Jan. 10 during the Science Rocks! event at SCSU.

engineers and city planners and a variety of (professions).

Karen Tadych, a fifth-grade teacher at Kennedy, is in her first year at the school. She said she has taught in District 742 for years but this was her first time at the Science Rocks! event. She was amazed at how much va-riety and freedom the students had as they went from session to session. They chose what sessions they wanted to attend.

“This is such a great opportu-nity for students,” Tadych said. “The kids are so involved and engaged. It’s going well.”

Tadych had her students write a letter stating why they should go on the field trip. Sam Holthaus of St. Joseph had only one word to describe the day: “Sweet.” The 10-year-old St. Jo-seph resident is a fifth-grade student at Kennedy.

“I was lucky enough to get picked to come,” Holthaus said. “It’s a sweet experience.”

While some might get a little squeamish examining a pig’s heart, students Heather Kirchner and Keardyn Hawker jumped right in. The 10-year-olds held their own as the heart bulged during their examination.

“It was different,” Hawker said with a smile.

Kirchner said she learned a lot about the different parts of the animal’s heart. She was surprised at how heavy it was. Students were participating in a session called “It Makes Your Blood Run.”

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Cordie said Resource Train-ing and Solutions also hosts another science-focused event called, “Project Earth” in the

spring for seventh- and eighth-grade students. The event is held at St. John’s University in Collegeville.

Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com 5

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Spike is a Red-Eared Slider. He and his pal Flash were surrendered with their 50-gallon aquarium because their previous caretaker no longer had the time for the daily upkeep. They should really be upgraded to a larger habitat. The “slider” part of their name comes from their ability to slide off rocks and logs and into the water quickly. Turtles are not recommended for children due to the risk of salmonella. If you’ve done your homework and know what’s involved in providing proper care for turtles, please stop by to see them.

contributed photo

Secret, one of eight animal-assisted therapy dogs, visits with these College of St. Benedict first-year students to help calm them so they are less stressed with their final exams.

the dog is still able to handle the stress of working in the hospital environment. The Pet Partner certification provides owners with insurance in case the dogs would happen to do something such as acciden-tally pull out an intravenous tube.

Dingmann said a nursing professor, Carie Braun from CSB, did a 500-case study on how the dogs can help with pain management. She pub-

lished her results in a nursing journal.

The eight dog handlers come from varied occupations. Martin is a retired chef. Ding-mann graduated from CSB and has taught elementary mu-sic in the Sartell-St. Stephen school district for the past 23 years. Salzer has worked as a veterinary technician, owns a grooming shop and raises shih tzus and yorkies; she is also equine-therapy certified. Gray is a retired teacher. Renschler is a daycare provider, Haus works at GeoCom, Kraemer owns J and J Homes in Baxter, and Bernardy is an activity director.

AAT is a volunteer position and is a free service to patients and staff at the St. Cloud Hos-pital. Upcoming events out-side of the St. Cloud Hospital include the dogs doing presen-tations Jan. 21 for a Girl Scout troop in St. Cloud and also on Feb. 15 at the Cold Spring Senior Center. The dog han-dlers also often speak with St. Cloud State University nursing students about the value of therapy-dog work.

Anyone who has questions about animal-assisted therapy can contact Martin at 320-333-5817, Dingmann at 320-248-0544 or Salzer at 320-333-7841.

Dogsfrom page 3

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Opinion

Fairness and ethicsNewsleader staff members have the respon-

sibility to report news fairly and accurately and are accountable to the public. Readers who feel we’ve fallen short of these standards are urged to call the Newsleader office at 363-7741.

If matters cannot be resolved locally, readers are encouraged to take complaints to the Min-nesota News Council, an independent agency designed to improve relationships between the public and the media and resolve conflicts. The council office may be reached at 612-341-9357.

Our View

Cold and flu season is inevitable. It happens every year. Making it through this dreadful season without catching either is a different story.

Minnesota is in the middle of one of the most severe flu outbreaks in several years, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. More than 1,100 people have been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms statewide this season. Twenty-three of the 27 flu deaths in the state and 62 percent of the hospitalizations have been in people 65 and older, the department said in a recent weekly update. Some hospitals have even restricted visitation to protect patients and staff.

Minnesota is not alone in the fight against the flu. Most states have classified the flu as wide-spread. It is, and we have to be mindful about how to avoid it. Staying well requires action. Note ways to avoid the flu this season. The Centers for Disease Control suggests three ways to fight the flu. The first is to take the time and get a flu vac-cine. That is recommended as it protects against the three viruses that research suggests will be the most common. Everyone 6 months of age or older should get the flu vaccine. People at high risk include those living with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart or lung disease.

The second step to take against the flu is taking everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of the flu. This can be done by avoiding contact with sick people, staying home for at least 24 hours if you are sick with flu-like symptoms and covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when cough-ing or sneezing. One of the biggest preventive measures is washing your hands often with soap and water. Washing our hands often seems like a simple reminder but can be inconvenient, in which case having hand sanitizer close by is the next-best thing.

The third action the CDC suggests is taking flu antiviral drugs if they are prescribed. The prescrip-tion medication can make the illness milder and shorten the time you are sick.

While the flu season we’re in seems bad, health experts say this is what influenza looks like. When it strikes, it strikes hard. Data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows Minnesota recorded 67 flu-related deaths and more than 1,800 hospi-talizations during the 2009-2010 season, 70 deaths and more than 970 hospitalizations in the 2010-2011 season, and 33 deaths and more than 550 hospitalizations in the 2011-2012 season.

More information about how to fight the flu this season can be found at www.cdc.gov/flu. Stay well.

Fight the flu this season by noting preventive tips

My fellow Americans, tyranny is at hand!

If they ban assault weapons, a new Hitler is going to crush our freedom-loving America!

If they limit weapons, next they’ll take our huntin’ guns away!

Soon, we won’t be able to defend our homes, our lives!

Sound familiar?“They” are the black-hatted villains

of Big Government. “Our” includes the gun-totin’ heroes with white hats de-fending our freedoms. So goes the NRA propaganda machine. We’ve all seen that cowboy movie. Too many times. The slaughter of children in Newtown, Conn. shows those lamebrain assertions for what they are: preposterous lies.

There’s no end to the verbal contor-tions the NRA leadership goes through to justify their beloved assault weapons. One of the most mindlessly parroted phrases, encouraged by the NRA, is “THEY’re gonna take OUR huntin’ guns away!” That phrase encapsulates the paranoia gun fanatics feed upon – THEY the sinister government, US the “real” patriots. That US, it should be noted, does not include such misguided nuts as peaceniks, bunny-huggers, nerds and eggheads. Those misfits don’t own guns; they don’t even like hunting, for cryin’ out loud; there’s something wrong with them; they’re un-American. Probably communists.

Why is “the gun” so sacred to so many Americans? It actually approaches the dimensions of a genetic disease. Some people store guns up like they’d hoard food in preparation for the end of

the world. There are basements and attics chock-full of guns. Guns are the stock-in-trade of hate groups and of so-called survivalists and weekend warriors. Why isn’t there a clinical name for gun mania? Come to think of it, there is. It’s called arrested development.

In all fairness, the NRA has done some good things, such as gun-training and gun-safety programs. And most of its members are rational, reasonable, good people. The latest polls, in fact, indicate at least 70 percent of NRA members are in favor of some form of gun controls, especially those regarding assault weap-ons. It’s the stone-head monomania of NRA’s top echelon that is the problem. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the NRA membership demanded the resignation of that leadership? Wouldn’t it be even better if huge numbers of NRA members resigned in protest against such bullish intransigence?

In the meantime, the many good NRA members should be calling, emailing and writing their representatives at all levels – demanding a ban on assault weapons and multi-ammo clips.

It’s well and fine the brainstorming in Vice President Joe Biden’s task force includes mental-illness issues, violence in the media, school-security methods, universal gun checks and the possible banning of multi-ammo clips. It’s about

time those issues are addressed legisla-tively. They’ve been on the back burner for too long. However, if the task force does not recommend a ban on assault weapons, its members are cop-outs. And if President Barack Obama doesn’t fight for an assault-weapons ban, he too will be a cop-out.

Isn’t it astounding how many in the U.S. Congress heed the advice of un-elected tin gods like Grover Norquist (no new taxes) and NRA’s Wayne LaPierre (no gun bans)? Why aren’t our elected leaders heeding the advice of the griev-ing loved ones who lost their precious children to vicious killers, most of them armed with assault weapons? The answer should be obvious: fat-cash bullies (aka gun lobbyists).

The NRA brags about a recent boost in membership. It now claims close to six million members. Are you im-pressed? Well, I’m not – for the simple reason there are 305 million Americans who are not NRA members. And most of those people, most of US, want a ban on assault weapons. Now. Not to mention many NRA members who do, too.

I heard a great quote today submitted by a TV viewer: “Using an assault rifle to hunt is like using a chainsaw to sharpen a pencil.”

If the U.S. Congress doesn’t ban as-sault weapons, its members will prove themselves once again to be gutless wonders. If there is any hope at all, it’s in the heartbreaking testimony of the grief-stricken parents of those children. Maybe our leaders, at long last, will re-ally listen to them and heed their advice for a change.

Dennis Dalman

Editor

The evil ‘they’ are out to get ‘us’

by Ron Marquette, Sartell

It started out a normal Connecticut school day in December, with anticipa-tion of Christmas in the air – children happy with futures full of promise and life fair.

Who could have imagined what would take place that morning – the hor-ror – when evil came crashing through the door. A gun was drawn and 20 inno-cent children and six brave adults were taken from us so fast, and the pain seems to last and last.

And now there is sadness where love used to be. Years taken and dreams shat-tered. Oh, the laughs, the smiles, the hugs are what really mattered.

Grief so strong for those who knew the fallen...mothers, fathers, grandpar-ents, brothers and sisters, and friends were all in despair and so many others who tried to show they cared. Love con-

quers all, even after the fall.The names ring in our ears – Benja-

min, Catherine, Dylan, Victoria, James, Grace and on and on – and then come the tears.

A rickety old swing hangs motionless in the backyard where a child once was – toys strewn across the room never to be played with again. A baseball glove rests on the ground...and just for a mo-ment you hear the sound “Dad! Did you see me catch the ball?” A puppy awaits the bus that will never again bring her favorite person home...a mother weeps and weeps for that little girl who she will never again hold so tight.

There was a boy who loved tacos so much, he wanted to grow up and be a “taco maker” because he was afraid the world would run out. There was a girl who broke open her piggy bank last Christmas to buy toys for needy kids.

There was a girl who danced to music whether it was in the air or in her head. There was a boy whose parents said was “just so good.” And a girl who every day practiced random acts of kindness, just because. All were precious; all made the world brighter and better...and now leave a void.

The teachers, the educators – so he-roic and brave, now motionless lie...they taught us all how to live and to die.

Those who left us that day now are “angels in starlight”...if you look heav-enward now their light will always shine bright.

Let’s now work to stop all the vio-lence and say, “enough is enough.” Let’s all try to get along...and make their lives mean something and their memories strong.

Love to all and God bless each soul.

A tribute to lives lost at Sandy Hook ElementaryLetter to editor

Send your opinions to:The Newsleaders • P.O. Box 324 • St. Joseph, MN 56374

or email us at news@thenewsleaders.com

Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com 7

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LEgaL notICES

Notice is hereby given the City Council of the City of St. Joseph, Minn. (the “City”) will meet at the City Hall, 25 College Ave. N. in the City, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 to consider giving host approval to the issuance by the City of Sartell, Minn. (“Issuer”) of a revenue obligation, in one or more series, under Minnesota Statutes, Sections 469.152 through 469.1651 (the “Act”), in order to finance the cost of a project locat-ed in the City.

Opportunity Matters Inc., f/k/a Opportunity Manor Inc., a Min-nesota nonprofit corporation and 501(c)(3) organization (collective-ly, the “Borrower”), proposes to refinance (a) the outstanding prin-cipal amount of the City of Sauk Rapids, Minn. $1,400,000 Health Care Facilities Revenue Note, Series 2001 (Opportunity Manor Project), the proceeds of which were used, in part, to refinance and renovate Borrower’s group hous-ing facilities for disabled persons located at 13-12th Ave. SE in the City (the “St. Joseph Facility”) and 1311-13th Ave. SE, 861-17th Ave. N., 930 Cory Lane, 926 Cory Lane, 902 Gloria Drive,and 1708- 7th St. SE in the City of St. Cloud, Minn. (“St. Cloud”) (the “St. Cloud Facilities”, and together with the St. Joseph Facil-ity, the “2001 Facilities”), (b) the outstanding principal amount of a taxable obligation issued Jan. 24, 2003, to finance the construction of a group housing facility located at 808 NE 2nd Ave.in the City of Sartell, Minn.(the “Sartell FNMA Facility”), (c) the outstanding principal amount of a taxable ob-ligation issued March 1, 2004, to finance the construction of a group housing facility located at 1712 27th St. SE in St. Cloud (the “St.

Cloud 1712 FNMA Facility”), (d) refinance the outstanding principal amount of a taxable obligation is-sued April 1, 2004, to finance the construction of group housing fa-cility located at 2708 18th Ave. SE in St. Cloud (the “St. Cloud 2708 FNMA Facility,” and together with the St. Cloud 1712 FNMA Facility, the “St. Cloud FNMA Facilities”), and (e) refinance the outstanding principal amount of a taxable obligation issued Oct.16, 2006, to finance the construction of a group housing facility located at 601 Birch St. in the City (the “St. Joseph FNMA Facility”, and together with the Sartell FNMA Facility and the St. Cloud FNMA Facilities, the “FNMA Facilities”). The 2001 Facilities and the FNMA Facilities (collectively, the “Proj-ect”) are owned and operated by the Borrower.

The maximum estimated principal amount of the Note to be issued to finance the Project is $1,250,000.

The note or other obligation, as and when issued, will not consti-tute a charge, lien or encumbrance upon any property of the City and such obligation will not be a charge against the general credit or taxing powers of the City but will be payable from sums to be paid by the Borrower pursuant to a rev-enue agreement.

At the time and place fixed for the Public Hearing, the City Council will give all persons who appear at the hearing an opportunity to express their views with respect to the proposal. Written comments will be considered if submitted at the above City office on or before the date of the hearing.

Publish: Jan. 18, 2013

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGON THE ISSUANCE OF HEALTH CARE FACILITIES

REVENUE REFUNDING OBLIGATIONS TO REFINANCE PROJECTS BY OPPORTUNITY MATTERS

Notice of Public Hearing on Proposed Applicationfor Community Development Block Grant( CDBG) Funding

To Whom It May Concern:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the City Council of St. Joseph, Minn. will meet in Council Chambers of the St. Joseph City Hall, located at 25 College Ave. N., St. Joseph, MN 56374, at 7:15 p.m. Feb. 7, 2013, thereby dedicating a portion of their regular monthly meeting to identify community development and housing needs, including the needs of very low and low-income persons, as well as other needs of the community that might be addressed through the Community Development Block Grant( CDBG) program. The public hearing will include a review of the proposed CDBG activities, their benefiting location(s), overall cost and proposed financing, and the implementation schedule. Citizens will be provided the opportunity to comment upon the original Citizen Partici-pation Plan and on substantial amendments to it, or to the activities for which CDBG funds will be used. Information and records regarding the proposed and past use of CDBG funds will be available at the St. Joseph City Hall during regular business hours.

Dated this 14th day of January, 2013.

Judy Weyrens, City Administrator

Publish: Jan. 18, 2013

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Friday, Jan. 18Blood drive, 8 a.m.-2 p.m..,

St. Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Germain St. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcross-blood.org.

Chicken and ham dinner, sponsored by the Lions of St. Joseph, 5-8 p.m., El Paso Club, St. Joseph.

Monday, Jan. 21Blood drive, noon-6 p.m., St.

Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Germain St. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcross-blood.org.

St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club meeting, 7 p.m., American Legion in St. Joseph.

Tuesday, Jan. 2255+ driver improvement

course (four-hour refresher course), 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Life Assembly of God, 2409 Clearwa-

ter Road, St. Cloud. 1-888-234-1294.

Blood drive, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., St. Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Germain St. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcross-blood.org.

Wednesday, Jan. 23Healthy Eating for Successful

Living, 9-11:30 a.m., today and Jan. 30, Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27, David F. Day Apartments, 1221-22nd Street South #120, Sartell. 320-229-4591.

Thursday, Jan. 24Coffee and Conversation, a

senior discussion group, 9 a.m., Country Manor, Sartell.

Blood drive, noon-6 p.m., St. Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Germain St. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcross-blood.org.

Friday, Jan. 25Blood drive, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.,

St. Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Germain St. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcross-blood.org.

Blood drive, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Gorecki Conference Center, 37 S. College Ave., St. Joseph. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcross-blood.org.

Open house, 4:30-6 p.m., All Saints Academy, St. Joseph. www.allsaintsmn.org.

St. Joseph Farmers’ Market, 3-6 p.m., Resurrection Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall, 610 North County Road 2, St. Joseph. www.stjosephfarmersmarket.com.

Community Calendar

Friday, Jan. 18, 2013St. Joseph Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com8

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by Dennis Dalmannews@thenewsleaders.com

Some of MaryBeth Munden’s acquaintances are beginning to wonder if she’s part polar bear.

Why else would she enjoy plunging into arctic-icy waters every winter?

Well, as she likes to remind folks, she takes the “plunge” not because she’s part polar bear but because she likes to do it, gladly, for a good cause – to raise money for Special Olympics.

Munden is the dispatcher for the St. Joseph Police Depart-ment.

Contributions can be made online at:

online plungemn.org/plung-er/marybethmunden

Or a check can be made out to “Special Olympics Minne-sota” and sent to:

MaryBeth MundenP.O. Box 546St. Joseph, MN 56374Checks can also be dropped

off at the St. Joseph Police De-partment.

This year, Munden will take her plunge Feb. 2 in Maple Grove’s Fish Lake Park. She will be one of 297 plungers and one of 3,840 plungers in 16 “Polar Plunge” events throughout Min-nesota this winter.

The Maple Grove event will be Munden’s fourth plunge in as many years.

“It’s very cold,” she said

Munden to take the plunge for Special Olympics

in an obvious understatement. “It’s just a sudden shock. The cold doesn’t even register at first because it’s such a shock.”

During a couple of her plung-es, it was a matter of jumping into the icy water and jumping right back out. But in some plunges, the plungers have to swim to the other side of a wide expanse of water to get back out. Two years ago, at Lake Dar-ling in Alexandria, there were so many plungers there was not enough room for them in the makeshift tents set up along the shore. After taking her icy plunge, a water-drenched Mun-den realized there would be no room for her in the crowded tents. Shivering to her bones, she had to walk all the way

to Radisson Arrowwood Resort at least 50 yards from shore. She felt as if she was about to morph into a human icicle when, all of a sudden, a woman ran up to her and threw a towel over her.

The Polar Plunge is a pro-gram of Minnesota law-enforce-ment agencies to raise funds for the Special Olympics, along with the annual Law Enforce-ment Torch Run. The “Plunge” began on Lake Como one shiv-ering-frigid day in 1998 with just a handful of plunging team-mates. In 2005, there were 100 “plungers” who raised $275,000 in five locations. Last year, at 13 locations, the 7,000 plungers raised a cool $1.4 million.

contributed photos

MaryBeth Munden of St. Joseph (right) walks briskly from icy waters after her Polar Plunge last winter in Burnsville. Inset: The iconic polar bear rises above a hole in the lake where “plungers” gather to jump ino the lake in Burnsville. There will be 16 Polar Plunge events this winter in Minnesota to raise funds for the Special Olympics.