by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Myrna Pfau vividly remembers, while living on Riverside Avenue 70-plus years ago, her father walking across the foot bridge above the dam to his job at the Watab Pulp and Paper Co. Bob Pitschka, her father, was the chief electrician at the plant. Most mill workers, those who lived on the west side of the Mississippi
Bachmann visits Sartell, pledges support
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann has suggested the hydroelectric dam operated for so many years by a succession of paper mill companies might be run by the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers. Bachmann paid a visit to Sartell Aug. 9 to pledge her support for unemployed Verso workers and to promise to help find some kind of use for the Verso
Food drive hosted by volleyball team UB 8-17
The Sartell High School Girls Volleyball Team will host a Teamin’ Up for Hunger Food Drive from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23. During this hour, girls from the Sartell Volleyball Team will collect non-perishable food items and fresh produce for the local food shelf from those Sartell neighbors who would like to participate. If you are not visited by a
Three incumbents handily win primary
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Three incumbents who represent Sartell handily survived primary challenges in the Aug. 14 primary election. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Plymouth) received 183,692 votes statewide. Her challengers, Democrats Dick Franson, Jack Edward Shepard and Darryl Stanton garnered respectively 6,839 votes, 6,640 votes and 5,157 votes. Those vote totals were considered “unofficial” as of Wednesday morning on the
Overheated compressor caused Verso explosion
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Oil vapor from an overheated air compressor is what caused the May 28 explosion at the Verso paper mill in Sartell, according to an investigator with the State Fire Marshal Division of the Department of Public Safety. The long-awaited 27-page report was released Monday. One man died in the catastrophe, which caused an estimated $50 million
Metro Bus schedules Sartell public meeting
Proposes changes to Dial-a-Ride service Metro Bus will share its proposed changes to Dial-a-Ride service during one of four public input meetings held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22 at Sartell City Hall. Metro Bus is proposing a change in Dial-a-Ride service hours to match those of the fixed route. The proposal eliminates Dial-a-Ride service after 9 p.m.
Recreation on the river abounds at annual event
by TaLeiza Calloway news@thenewsleaders.com It was a perfect Minnesota day. There was just the right amount of warmth and cool breeze. Those who chose to stay indoors missed out on that beautiful day, Aug. 11. The estimated more than 2,000 people who got acquainted with nature during the fourth annual “Take a Day Off on the Mississippi River” event enjoyed
Now’s the time to go monarch hunting
Every child – and adult, come to think of it – should have the chance to witness in person one of the most awe-inspiring spectacles of nature: the life-cycle stages of the monarch butterfly. Seeing it on film just won’t do. That’s like trying to fathom the grandeur of the Grand Canyon by seeing snapshots of it. This is the