By all accounts, St. Joseph had a very successful 2023. Among the achievements were a plan advancing a community center, a roundabout, amenities proposed for East Park, renovations at local businesses and new business openings, such as Trobec’s Bus Service, Granite City Gymnastics and Obbink Distilling – to name just three.
As always, there was a very vibrant, dynamic arts, entertainment and music scene in downtown St. Joseph and in the parks and ballfields. The JoeTown Rocks concert in early July was again a huge success, along with the annual Fourth of July Festival and Parade the next day. Other events included the Millstream Arts Festival, book and poem readings, the JoeTown Winter Walk with lots of holiday cheer and a Shop Local event.
Many improvements were made in the city’s parks, as well as the start-ups of many new recreational and arts activities in the parks.
Another notable happening was the publication of a book co-written by Patty Wetterling of St. Joseph and Joy Baker of New London about the abduction and killing of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling in St. Joseph in 1989. The book, entitled “Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope,” garnered bouquets of praise from readers.
St. Joseph and its legacy of baseball made statewide news when a Fox 9 News crew came to town to cover a baseball game of the St. Joe Saints vs. the Avon Lakers. The news program, part of the series “Town Ball Tour,” covered the city’s history, its connection to the two universities and its thriving businesses.
The following are just a sampling of city highlights as they were presented in news stories in last year’s Newsleaders.
January
St. Joseph Catholic Church parishioner Ted Bechtold, who grew up in St. Joseph, recently returned home after living in Ukraine during part of the Russian war of aggression on that country. He gave a presentation about his work in that war-torn country and shared photos Jan. 12 in Heritage Hall at the Catholic church.
After driving more than 4.7-million miles all over the United States without so much as one accident, Gerald “Red” Popp knows a thing or two about staying safe on the road. Formerly a St. Joseph resident, Popp is his own owner/operator who drives his large flatbed truck, delivering equipment for the multiple-award-winning St. Joseph-based Brenny Transportation. Honored by the Minnesota Trucking Association, Popp is a finalist for the state’s Trucker of the Year for 2022.
Within the white-painted walls of the K-12 classrooms, students at Kennedy Community School have been experimenting with interactive floor tiles known as Unruly Splats. The school celebrated “Computer Science Week” in early December. Gaming, programming and movement roll into one activity under the guide of school librarian and media specialist Holly Nelson.
At the end of December, the St. Joseph Community Food Shelf closed on purchasing the building the organization currently occupies at 18 Birch St. This will be the first time in the food shelf’s history that they own their space, adding stability and sustainability to the services it provides to the surrounding St. Joseph community.
The Stearns County jail and Law Enforcement Center in downtown St. Cloud hosted an open house Jan. 21. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office will take the public on a walk-through of the Law Enforcement Learning Center, which will include portions of the jail, shooting range, 911 Dispatch Center, interview rooms, workout area and the garage containing sheriff’s deputies’ vehicles. Tours will run throughout the morning.
The post office in Avon will be named in honor of Kort Plantenberg, a young military veteran who died in a helicopter accident near Kimball on Dec. 5, 2019. The Minnesota Legislature recently approved a bill to rename the post office to honor his memory. Sixth District House Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Otsego) authored the bill with seven other representatives joining him as co-authors.
Nobody should grieve alone. That is the deeply held belief of Tami Kruzel of Sartell, who knows all too well what those four words mean. Kruzel’s 18-year-old daughter, BriAnna, died suddenly, unexpectedly at home on Sept. 28, 2013. The grief still remains she said, but it’s less debilitating because Tami Kruzel has reached out to find comfort in others – those going through the same wrenching grief she had endured. Now, Kruzel, along with Julie Keller Dornbusch who teaches at the College of St. Benedict, are trained and certified “grief companions” reaching out to others who are stricken by grief, helping them share (and lessen) their persistent pain and profound sadness.
At first glimpse, some people might ask, “What in the world are those people doing out there on that sheet of ice? They’re pushing what looks like squashed bowling balls. Then they’re using some kind of brooms to sweep like crazy the top of the ice as those goofy bowling balls go sliding across the ice. Those people are playing the game of “curling.” The competitive, fun activity is extremely popular in Canada and in many other countries (mostly snowy, cold ones) but not so much – yet anyway – in the United States. Minnesota does, however, have some curling clubs and even some champions.
The fifth annual St. Stephen River Runners Vintage Snowmobile Show and Drive will take place Feb. 4 starting at Trobec’s Bar & Grill on St. Stephen’s main street. The event will feature a Vintage snowmobile awards show, a 50/50 raffle drawing, door prizes and a snowmobile drive on groomed trails to Bialka’s bar in Opole and back to St. Stephen, a round-trip of about 20 miles.
February
Aging, loss of memory and life-threatening diseases all sound like depressing topics to be avoided, but in fact they can be, in some ways, as life-affirming as blooming health-and-happiness. Those who doubt that should attend a free event Feb. 11 at the Minnesota Street Market in St. Joseph. The gathering, dubbed “Book Nook Conversation,” will feature four local writers who will read poems or prose from their books, followed by a discussion in which all are invited to participate.
The St. Cloud School District’s “Night of the Stars” variety-show benefit is returning for two nights of performances after a two-year absence due to the Covid virus pandemic. The shows will take place starting Feb. 10 and 11 at the school district’s new Tech High School.
What started four years ago as a way to provide affordable prom dresses to young women has now expanded to include wedding outfits as well – and all for a very good cause. One hundred percent from sales of the gently used dresses and formal gowns from “Prom it Forward” goes to the St. Cloud-based Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center.
Former U.S. Sen. David Durenberger of Minnesota, who died on Jan. 31, at the age of 88, was eulogized Feb. 7 as “a man with a higher purpose who led our country to a higher place.” Those words were spoken by current U.S. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar during his funeral held at St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville. Magnificent organ music, inspirational singing and prayers accompanied the funeral service.
Scott Warzecha, president of Catholic Community Schools, recently announced he will resign, effective April 1.
A steady loss of memory in a loved one can cause heartbreak and ever-creeping dread that leads to a mental-emotional struggle between stark despair and glimmering hope. In Tracy Rittmueller’s new book of poetry, she vividly evokes that struggle, but like a verbal alchemist she wrings from that despair not only hope but renewed bonds of love.
Nicholas Drew of St. Joseph recently returned from a month-long residency in Vienna, Austria, with the Luther College Symphony Orchestra.
March
Edwina “Winnie” Troutt was one lucky woman. She not only survived the sinking of the Titanic, she also outlived three husbands, endured a near-deadly bout of pneumonia and then went on to continue living a long productive life, despite having the use of only one lung. She lived to be 100, dying on Dec. 3, 1984. Troutt was a cousin of the late Bernice Traut, the mother of John Villcheck, a long-time Sartell resident.
Sister Karen Rose was chosen in a canonical election by her peers Feb. 26 to become the 18th prioress of St. Bene- dict’s Monastery in St. Joseph. She will be officially welcomed as prioress at a June 4 ceremony in Sacred Heart Chapel.
For 32 years, Steve Penick’s mostly-undone “Do List” has been growing steadily, and now he hopes to start working on that Do List to fulfill some of his long-time dreams, including writing a book. Penick, the archivist at the Stearns (County) History Museum, recently resigned after more than three decades of work for the museum. He intends to pursue new ventures, other Do-List items.
Why did the Local Blend spend a week in the Minnesota Street Market? A renovation project lasting from Jan. 2-8 required the Local Blend to close its doors. Employees worked to deep-clean and repaint everything. Professional construction was done by Hi-Tec Electric and Michael Lang of Paragon Homes.
April
When people ask “Big Brother” Nathan Molitor what he and “Little Brother” Justin like to do when they get together, Molitor laughs because the answer is so easy. “We like to have fun!” Molitor always says. Molitor, who lives in St. Joseph, is being honored as Minnesota Big Brother of the Year for 2023 by the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.
With its brand-new 110,000 square-foot building, Trobec’s Bus Service opened in March in St. Joseph’s Industrial Park after being based in St. Stephen for 85 years. The new space will be large enough to house Trobec’s large number of buses – school buses and charter-trip buses. The building also has a lounge for bus drivers, a huge work-shop area and a place to wash the buses. The new, larger space will also make it possible for the company to hire more employees such as drivers and mechanics.
Othmar Schmitz is just five years shy of being 100 years old, but there is nothing “old” about him. He is active, ambitious, energetic, sharp as a tack, and when he talks, the words roll off his tongue with great gusto and humor. He loves life; he loves to laugh. Schmitz was recently chosen to be the grand marshal in this summer’s St. Joseph Fourth of July parade. He and his wife, Marilyn, will be waving to the cheering sidewalk crowds lining Minnesota Street.
The Twin Cities-based QueerSpace Collective is about to open a branch organization in the St. Cloud area and celebrated its launch with a gathering April 14 at Jupiter Moon Ice Cream in St. Joseph. The event had originally been set for March 31 but had to be rescheduled due to weather concerns.
Local authors who have disabilities of one sort or another will read from their works at a “Neurodiverse Author Reading and Book Signing” event April 15 at the St. Cloud Public Library.
Stearns County needs a Justice Center. It’s not a matter of if, but when, and it’s going to be very expensive, costing anywhere from $200 million to as much as $300 million, depending on which one of six options is chosen. The Minnesota Department of Corrections is urging the county to plan for a new facility because DOC inspections of the jail revealed deficiencies in the floors, walls and plumbing, as well as other inadequacies such as lack of space.
There is a wide variety of summer-fun activities in St. Joseph for people of all ages throughout the month of May.
Irene Reber says she is going to slow down. Maybe she was referring to when she switched from roller blading to bicycling at age 84 a decade ago. Other than her mode of transportation, there is no slowing down of her generosity. Several people had told me about this quiet saint. Last week when I stepped onto the street in downtown St. Joseph, I could see her coming. Irene, emblazoned in a bright yellow safety vest, was a half block away. I put out my thumb to hitch a ride on her three-wheeled bike. That’s how I got her attention, as she was on one of her missions.
May
Fifty years ago in the summer of 1973, scuba-diver Richard Schwegel found a mysterious box on the bottom of a Waite Park quarry, and the contents of that box still perplex him. A long-time St. Joseph resident, Schwegel was born and raised in St. Cloud. Now and then, he still opens that box and wonders why in the world it contains two very old straight-edge foldable barber razors.
The Chris and Vicki Stoeckel family of St. Joseph will be guests of honor at an “Ales for ALS” fundraising event from June 3 at the Bad Habit Brewing in downtown St. Joseph. Chris Stoeckel, husband and father of three, was diagnosed as having ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
The owners of Audio Video Extremes in Waite Park were named Small Business Owners of the Year for 2023 by the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce. The owners, Rich and Jodi Erkens, were honored May 3. Jodi (Mohs) Erkens was raised in St. Joseph, the daughter of Harvey and the late Mary Jo Mohs. She attended Kennedy Elementary School in St. Joseph, then North Junior High School and graduated from Apollo High School, both in St. Cloud.
For Megan Coleman, a jewelry-maker based in St. Joseph, it’s been a long surprising journey from southeast Minnesota to teaching in two Mid-East countries and then to St. Joseph, which she happily calls a “charming” city.
A lack of daycare for children affects not just panicking parents but virtually everyone in society in one way or another. Just one example is employers. Many of them struggle to retain employees who, because of lack of daycare, quit their jobs and stay at home with one or more children. Those points were brought home strongly by two employees of United Way of Central Minnesota. The Newsleaders recently conducted an interview with Sara Hagen, community childcare coordinator; and Alexis Lutgen, director of financial stability and co-chair of mental-health work.
Sister Karen Rose was installed as the 18th prioress of St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph on June 4 during a private Rite of Installation ceremony in Sacred Heart Chapel.
When the Saul and Lisa Wolf family moved to St. Joseph from Madison, Wis. seven years ago, it was like a homecoming because both parents had graduated from St. Joseph area colleges – the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. Last year, Aquiliana, at the age of 14, convinced her mother to help her start an “Art in the Park” in St. Joseph. They did. They worked together and it was a rousing success. So this summer, they’re going to offer the free program again. It’s designed primarily for children 3 years old up to elementary-school ages.
Michael Busch, a former in-fielder for the St. Cloud Rox baseball team made his debut in Major League Baseball April 25 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
June
A harrowing, tragic day in Cold Spring (Sept. 24, 2003) was a life-changing day for Jerry Sparby because since then he has dedicated much of his life trying to prevent violence in schools. On that traumatic day, Sparby was the principal of Cold Spring Elementary School. A teenage student named Jason McLaughlin took a gun to Rocori High School and shot to death Aaron Rollin, 14; and wounded another boy, Seth Bargell, 17. Bargell, who had been put on life support, died of his wounds two weeks later in the hospital. Sparby felt compelled to write McLaughlin letters when he was incarcerated, and one day he went to visit him. “I promised Jason and those families that I would work hard in my life to make schools safer,” Sparby said in an interview with the Newsleaders.
A historic session at the Minnesota Legislature approved a veritable cornucopia of new laws, provisions and bonding money that caused swift reactions from those strongly in favor and those adamantly opposed. The legislation was made possible mainly because Democrats now have a trifecta – that is, the control of the House and the Senate and the governorship, Tim Walz.
A new business called Obbink Distilling and founded by three former St. John’s University students opened in St. Joseph June 1, the first day of its Grand Opening Weekend.
A 16-year-old St. Joseph boy, Nathanial Wayne Morehouse, was injured in a car accident that happened sometime after 11 p.m. May 20.
Minnesota’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, announced during a press conference April 10 at the St. Cloud Regional Airport, that $495,000 in federal funding will be given to the airport for improvements through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.
The College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University Board of Trustees approved a phase-out of eight academic majors and nine minors that are no longer in strong demand. The majors being phased out include Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Gender Studies and Theater (minors, however, will remain in those programs).
The regional Great River Children’s Museum will be completed for sure by late 2024, thanks to $7 million of funding approved May 22 by the Minnesota State Legislature in its bonding bill.
Because of odd, mixed-up, unseasonal conditions during this so-called spring, atmospheric conditions at high altitudes are causing ice to build up on migrating loons’ (and grebes’) bodies. That causes them to make “emergency landings,” stranding them on the ground or on watery places that are not large enough for them to fly off again. They become stranded because loons cannot walk. Their “feet” toward the backs of their bodies are for swimming only, like paddles.
After bowling a perfect game (12 strikes in a row) 17-year-old, two-handed bowler Cody Adams of St. Joseph is heading again – for the third time – to the national Junior Gold tournament, this time in Indianapolis.
The celebratory two-day Fourth of July festivities in St. Joseph will kick off Monday, July 3 with a JoeTown Rocks concert featuring The Killer Vees.
If all goes as planned, St. Joseph will very likely have a multi-purpose community center sometime in 2025 – one that would include a pool, tennis courts, an exercise area and more. In an interview with the Newsleaders, St. Joseph’s new city administrator, David Murphy, mentioned the community center as one of the highlight developments in the city’s future. The center, he said, would be a partnership project between the current St. Cloud YMCA and the City of St. Joseph. A fundraising drive is now underway with the goal of raising about $20 million, half of it from private donations, the other half from other revenue sources – local, state and maybe some federal funds.
Sister Karen Rose was installed on the morning of June 4 as the new prioress of the St. Benedict Monastery during a Rite of Installation in the monastery’s Sacred Heart Chapel. Prioress Karen Rose has now become the 18th prioress in the history of the monastery.
July
It took Cheryl Novacinski of St. Joseph 36 years to graduate finally – from first grade. As a teacher, that is. She recently retired after teaching first grade students for more than three and a-half decades at Kennedy Elementary School, then at Kennedy Community School.
Recreational use of marijua- na by adults 21 and older will be legal in Minnesota starting Aug. 1 after the state legisla- ture approved a “cannabis” bill recently, which was signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz. “Cannabis” is another word for marijuana.
On average, Gene Boysen of St. Joseph rides his trusty “Trek” bicycle about 3,000 miles every year, and 500 kilometers of that distance he will peddle in July when he participates in the Build.Bike.Home event in and near LaCrosse, Wis.
The latest weapon in the war against pesky buckthorn is goats. Yes. Goats. Browsing goats love to munch on buckthorn plant leaves, and that’s just what they’re doing right now. They’re feasting on buck- thorn in Quarry Park and Nature Pre- serve in Waite Park, the largest park in Stearns County, with 683 acres. The buckthorn-removal project will be done on 90 acres of the park’s property – on forest land, wetland areas and at rock outcroppings.
St. Joseph voters will decide in the 2024 November general election if they are for or against the imposition of a local-option half-cent sales tax to help pay for a community center and for improvements to East Park in the city.
August
The happy ongoing success of the Art in the Park summer program in St. Joseph continues, with one final session scheduled from 9-11 a.m. Thursday, July 27 in Centennial Park. The art program is free and open to children 3 years old to ele- mentary school ages, and children from other cities and areas are welcome to participate. Children have come from as far away as Sartell, Melrose and Albany to enjoy the sessions.
CentraCare health organization will sell 12 senior-living facilities in Sartell, St. Cloud and Monticello to Ecumen, a nonprofit service organization for older adults.
Two St. Joseph writers, Jessie Chandler and Susan Sink, gave public readings from their novels at the second annual “LitFest” June 22 right outside of the Minnesota Street Market on St. Jo- seph’s main street. “LitFest” is short for “Litera- ture Festival.” About four dozen people attended the reading.
The City of St. Joseph was spotlighted to great effect July 5 when Fox 9 News presented live coverage of the city, its cultural, collegiate heritage, its people and its passion for baseball during the TV program’s “Town Ball Tour.” The Town Ball Tour is an annual spring-summer series of broadcasts by the Fox 9 News TV channel to show off Min- nesota cities and their base- ball programs.
The annual colorful, tune-filled, engaging arts event known as the Millstream Arts Festival will take place in St. Joseph along College Avenue from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27. The festival is an outdoor juried art show with a staggering variety of visual arts, ceramics, jewelry, printmaking, folk art, textiles, paintings (watercol- or, acrylics, oil), photography, homemade candles, woodwork- ing, stained glass, literature (including poetry), music and dancing (both street and stage performances), art activities for children and many kinds of food for sale at street-vendor tents.
For several decades the names Styles & Cotton were practically synonyms for den- tistry in St. Joseph as they were partners in their highly successful dental office in the city. In January 2020, Dr. Joseph Styles decided to retire. And now, Dr. Curt Cotton is about to retire, but their legacy will continue because the business they developed for nearly five decades is still thriving as Milbert, Johnson & Cotton Family Dentistry.
Fifty-four years ago, on Aug. 15, 16-year-old Mike DeLuca, now a Sartell resident, decided to go camping with a friend for a few days – up near the Housa- tonic River in western Connecti- cut. Well, that’s what he told his parents, anyway. But the truth is he and friend Guy Lang, also 16, packed a tent in DeLuca’s rust-blue Volkswagen “Beetle” and headed west, from their home town of Ridgefield, Conn. to Bethel, N.Y. They were about to enjoy the biggest music festival in world history – “Woodstock,” billed as “3 Days of Peace & Music.”
A third St. Cloud woman has been arrested in Texas for allegedly helping traffic drugs from a Mexican drug cartel to North Dakota.
A truck driver for Brenny Specialized Inc. in St. Joseph was recently honored with a “Highway Angel” award from the Truckload Carriers Association. Jesse Harlander, who lives in Holdingford, drives long-haul routes. The “Angel” award is pre- sented to truckers who show courtesy, kindness and courage doing their jobs.
Ninety-six cats and dogs received micro-chips – for free – Aug. 4 at the Tri-County Humane Society.
September
Stearns County Deputy Joel Schmidt recently received an award of appreciation from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for his hard work in helping put together a case against a drug-trafficking operation between Mexico and the United States.
A dedication ceremony took place on the morning of Aug. 17 in Avon to name its post office as the W.O.C. (Warrant Officer Captain) Kort Miller Plantenberg Post Office in honor of a local veteran who died in a helicopter crash in 2019, along with three other veterans.
Dr. Perian Stavrum, who lives in ru- ral St. Joseph, received an award Aug. 16 from the St. Cloud Optimist Club for her work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota. Stavrum serves on the advisory council of BBBS, of which she is a charter member. The award recognizes outstanding employees or volunteers who have pro- vided assistance to organizations that serve youth in central Minnesota. As part of her honor, the club will donate $100 to BBBS of Central Minnesota.
Moriah Novacinski, an all-star athlete who grew up in St. Joseph, is now among seven females inducted into the Apollo High School Athletic Hall of Fame. And it’s no wonder. She has a long string of achievements in not just one sport but in four of them: volleyball, basketball, cross country, track-and-field.
At the request of St. Joseph Police Chief Dwight Pfannenstein, the city council at its Sept. 5 meeting agreed unanimously to drop, at least temporarily, a joint-powers agreement with the St. Cloud School District regard- ing school resource officers.
As the sizzling summer heat turns to cooler days and frosty nights, many people’s thoughts turn to pumpkin-harvest time and Halloween festivities. And that is exactly what the Boulder Crest Farm in St. Stephen offers – lots of fun for families centered around pumpkins and gourds and picture-taking opportunities with picturesque autumnal backdrops of straw bales, corn stalks, old wagons, a red barn and more. Boulder Crest Farm will offer eight kinds of pumpkins and gourds, as well as family-fun activities.
There is no question about it: Carol Theisen’s pans of caramel rolls are not only made with love, they are also scrumptious. If you have been to downtown St. Joseph in the last 11 years during summer, you can’t help but see the stunning flower baskets adorning the downtown area. Margy Hughes relished describing what happened. About a dozen years ago, Carol and her husband, Jim, were visiting Red Wing. Carol became overwhelmed by the beauty of the enormous hanging baskets that town was known for. Immediately, she thought of her own town. How those colorful baskets would be enjoyed by all those who visit St. Joseph. At the time, she had no idea what that would entail, including daily watering and fertilizing of what would become 114 baskets just this year!
Long-time St. Joseph residents, Gaida and his wife, Loyola, own Homestead Artisans, a crafts-and-arts shop on their property in a stray pocket of LeSauk Township, located just south of County Road 120, the road that runs past Epic Center shopping plaza in Sartell.
October
After seven years of on-and-off-again writing, a memoir entitled “Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope” that was co-written by Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker, will be published and released Oct. 17. A two-hour nationally televised program about the Wetterling family of St. Joseph will be broadcast at 8 p.m. CT Friday, Oct. 13 by ABC TV’s “20/20” show, which focuses on crime cases. The documentary precedes by four days the publication/release of Patty Wetterling’s book, a memoir entitled “Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope.”
A possible St. Cloud Area Metro Bus route to St. Joseph was briefly mentioned at the St. Joseph City Council meeting Sept. 18.
The record-hot summer’s over, but fun activities will continue in St. Joseph during the coming cooler months. Rhonda Juell, the city’s parks and recreation director, outlined new amenities and activities including Hollow Park, scavenger hunt, dodge ball, volleyball, pickleball lessons, open pickleball, adult trivia and basketball.
The people of central Minnesota are invited to a “Building Blocks Party” from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 on the site of the Great River Children’s Museum in downtown St. Cloud. Once completed, the GRCM will be the second-largest children’s museum in Minnesota. It will be a regional cultural/social facility open to all the children of central Minnesota – and beyond.
A central Minnesota veteran who has done an enormous amount of work locally – and beyond – to help veterans recover from substance abuse has just been honored with the Chief Master Sgt. Russ Habighorst Humanitarian Award. The honor was bestowed on retired U.S. Army Major John Donovan by the Recovery Community Network, which Donovan co-founded in 2014 in St. Cloud.
The public is invited to attend the annual St. Joseph Safety Fair, an event that will take place from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13 at the St. Joseph Fire Department. The Safety Fair is intended to help people stay safe in their daily lives by learning tips from firefighters, police officers, safety experts and others. There will also be handouts covering many safety tips.
Students and staff of the Col- lege of St Benedict and St John’s University hosted the film crew of the award-winning Amazon Prime documentary, “The College Tour,” Tuesday-Saturday, Oct. 3-7. The crew will feature the two colleges in an upcoming “College Tour” TV program, sometime in the spring of 2024. The exact date and time will be announced later.
A new bridge will be built across Hwy. 75 between St. Joseph and Waite Park; the old one will be torn down in December and the new one won’t open until late June 2024.
Sartell resident Evan Daniel- son, a senior at St. John’s Prep School, has achieved semi-finalist status in the National Merit Scholarship Program. The son of Michele and Nathan Danielson of Sartell, Evan is one of two St. John’s Prep students named semi-finalists. The other is Patrick Duffy, a Cold Spring resident.
After surviving an explosion/fire in a home, a 4-month- old kitten wandered in extreme pain and hungry misery for eight days before someone found her. Those who saw her gasped at her painful, pitiful condition. The poor kitten had hideous burns on her ears, face and all four paws. Her “sister” was found a week earlier right after the fire and also suffered severe burn damage. Now, thankfully, both critters are recuperating, thanks to the care experts at Ruff Start Rescue, an animal shelter in Princeton.
November
Raised in a fam- ily of St. Joseph meat processors, Dwight Pfannenstein was the first to break from that pro- fession to join another “family” of sorts – local law enforcement. St. Joseph Police Chief Pfannenstein said he has a passion for his work, for his staff and for the residents of the city.
As winter approaches, many people experiencing or fearing imminent food insecurity are always welcome to visit and find help at the St. Joseph Community Food Shelf.
Just about every day, Laura Ruprecht cuts her hands (accidentally) as she meticulously slices bits of glass into shapes to create stained-glass panels of radiant colors and stunning designs. Fortunately, the cuts to her hand are tiny; the finished panels are big and eye-popping. Ruprecht is a stained-glass artist extraordinaire. Ten of her recent works will be exhibited for the public from Tuesday, Nov. 7-Friday, Nov. 20 (10 a.m.- 6 p.m.) at the St. John’s University Art Center.
As snow approaches, St. Joseph’s Millstream Park is already fit as a fiddle for baseball season 2024, with improvements to its playing fields having been completed last week. The two baseball fields are now up to snuff in many ways, thanks to city funding and money granted from the Minnesota Twins Community Fund.
The Stearns County Board of Commissioners voted to consider the use of a sales tax to fund the cost of building a new Stearns County jail/justice center but only if voters agree to a referendum for that tax on next year’s ballot in November. The county board’s action made that vote referendum possible to be placed on the ballot. Earlier this year, the Minnesota Legislature approved the county’s use of a local-option sales tax of three-eighths of one percent to fund the project up to $325 million. At their board meeting, commissioners agreed to use the sales tax as an option to pay for the facility.
As a child born near St. Joseph and growing up in St. Cloud, Fran Court always wanted to join the military, and when he became a young man that is exactly what he did and made a decades-long career of part-time, full-time and later retired Re- serve service in the U.S. Army, all the while earning awards of distinction. Born in St. Joseph, Court and his wife now live on his family farm just southwest of St. Joseph.
At least 25 people attended the Nov. 2 meeting at the St. Joseph Government Center to hear more about the proposed roundabout on CR 133. Construction is set to begin in June 2024. Besides the roundabout, the county will add an additional left-turn lane from Hwy. 75 north to reduce rush-hour congestion for commuters, businesses and Industrial Park traffic. Schematic drawings of the proposed project were displayed at the meeting.
Shop small, win big. Shoppers will find lots to choose from when they explore St. Joseph shops for the annual “Shop Small Crawl,” an event Saturday, Nov. 25 to support small businesses. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day. Fifteen small businesses will be featured this year, most of them right in downtown St. Joseph.
For many, Halloween is a time to dress in costumes, get free candy and watch scary movies. But one St. Joseph family takes it further. To Jennifer and Greg Walker, a wife-and-husband duo and self-proclaimed Halloween fanatics, Halloween is much more than a holiday. To them, it is a time to scare and bring Halloween fright. Jennifer hosts what’s called “Restless Souls Walk-Through Haunt” from the Walkers’ home. This is the couple’s 20th annual Halloween haunt.
On her birthday, Nov. 2, Patty Wetterling of St. Joseph spent part of the day signing copies of her new book for visitors at the Bad Habit Brewing Co. in downtown St. Joseph. Also signing books was Wet- terling’s co-author, Joy Baker of New London.
Three new reporters joined the Newsleaders of St. Joseph and Sartell-St. Stephen in recent weeks – MaryAnne Block, Conner Sura, Jessica Tomhave.
During the past 14 years, Granite City Gymnastics grew just too big for its britches, and that it why it opened a brand-new studio in St. Joseph. The new facility officially opened on Nov. 13. It is owned and operated by Sartell residents Tommy and Amy Rodine, who opened and owned the Waite Park-based GCG for 16 years. That facility will no longer house GCG. St. Joseph will be its sole location, its owners noted.
A 102-year-old play entitled “R.U.R.,” which portrays the inherent, insidious dangers of artificial intelligence, will be performed at St. John’s Prep School this weekend. Written by Czech playwright, Karel Capek (pro- nounced Kah-rell Chah-peck), “R.U.R.” introduced the world to the word “robot.” The play opened last week- end at the Weber Center at St. John’s Prep, Collegeville. Additional performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18 as well as a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee performance Nov. 19.
December
Bright lights, strobe lights and a siren noise – even a faster heart rate – do not necessarily equal fame and fortune, at least not for the people being stopped for a traffic violation. Heart rate can also pick up before calling for police assistance, whether for an accident or domestic abuse or reassurance about a potential fraud situation. People know in whom they can trust when it comes to safety in all manner of settings, and that is the St. Joseph police. This Newsleaders reporter recently had the chance to ride in squad cars (in the front seat) with three police officers on each of their shifts. The officers are Dan Pfannenstein, Anthony Mi- lostan, Reece Riegel. They graciously shared a couple hours of their 10-hour shifts to provide first-hand glimpses of what their work entails.
Santa Claus is coming to town – to St. Joseph, that is. On Friday, Dec. 1 from 4-8 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus will greet city residents on the patio of the Bello Cucina restaurant in downtown. The special appearance is just one of the events scheduled for the 13th annual JoeTown Winter Walk. A tree-lighting ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. in front of the St. Joseph Catholic Church.
It took Ernst Schaefer years and a roundabout way to get from Germany to California to St. Joseph. He was glad he finally got here, getting the chance to work on a vintage printing press, which is now his specialty. He started to find people online who knew about printing presses and found Mary Bruno, who owns a print shop in St. Joseph. After attending a special conference in Wisconsin in October, Schaefer came to St. Joseph to do some work on Bruno’s vintage press.
A 2023 graduate of St. John’s University, Jervon Sands, recently learned the astonishing news that he was selected for the prestigious honor of becoming a Rhodes scholar. He is one of a select group of students who will begin two years of study at Oxford University in England starting next year.
During the Dec. 1 JoeTown Winter Walk, children and adults eagerly entered a room at the Bad Habit Brewing Co. where the kids immediately gravitated toward a table stacked with colorful wonders. It was an event led by Avon Hills Folk School.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced a “Vet Center Outstation” will open in early 2024 in St. Cloud at 330 Hwy. 10. The St. Cloud facility is one of eight new ones set to open soon in the nation.
Agustin and Christine Luna Munger could envision their perfect dream farm years ago. They even had a picture of their dream hanging on the wall. And now, after several years and several moves, they have come closer to reaching their dream – just outside of St. Joseph.
The evening was chilly-crisp, with lots of joy and expectation in the air, at the 11th annual Joe-Town Winter Walk Dec. 1.
If Stearns County Highway Engineer Jodi Teich of Sartell wins many more awards, she might have to have another room built at her house to display them all. Recently, she was honored with the William Koniarski Transportation Advocate Award. That award is bestowed from time to time to a person or unit of government for out- standing leadership and commitment to improving Minnesota’s transportation infrastructure.
The Tri-County Humane Society has been the bedrock for promoting and providing animal support for 47 years. After 40 years, the shelter is turning a new page with the retirement of its executive director Vicki Davis.
Within a month, Minnesotans will know what their new state flag will look like. On Tuesday, the field was nar- rowed to three finalists. Early in 2023, the Minnesota State Legislature decided to update the flag and seal with new designs and invited the public to submit designs.
Darrick and Danielle Saboe of St. Joseph are very proud of their business called Floor to Ceiling, but they do sometimes wish it wasn’t located quite so “far off the beaten track.” Many people in the St. Joseph area – and beyond – do not know the store exists, and that is because they seldom if ever drive by it. The store, which specializes in virtually every kind of flooring and window treatments and some countertops, is located at 8075 Sterling Drive in north St. Joseph.
East Park has been simmering on the back burner of the St. Joseph park-and-trails system for a number of years. In 2018, there was a master plan created, a plan that was a rationale to write grants for development of what is the newest city park. City planners decided with the expansion of construction and housing south of St. Joseph, it is time to move ahead with development for that area.
