by Logan Gruber
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Happy New Year!
It’s been an exciting year for Sauk Rapids-Rice. With two weekly newspapers, good – and not so good – news travels fast. Many residents have expressed delight at having two papers covering varied stories of people and events from around the western end of Benton County.
Uplifting stories, like those of: Sauk Rapids Citizen of the Year Robyn Paul; new and recently opened business owners sharing their passions; new, highly-skilled police officers joining the Sauk Rapids department; the retirement of Colleen Christensen after 44 years in the school district; The Wall That Heals coming to the Benton County Fair; the blossoming of the ACT on Alzheimer’s group; Minnesota Army National Guard veteran Shelby Hadley receiving the Veteran’s Voice Award; Sauk Rapids-Rice Superintendent Daniel Bittman being named Minnesota Superintendent of the Year, and many more. Relive those stories, in abbreviated form, below.
May
Rollie Doroff, owner and publisher of the Sauk Rapids Herald for 45 years, died April 5, Easter Sunday, at the age of 81.
Robyn Paul was selected as the Citizen of the Year for the city of Sauk Rapids. Well-wishers, colleagues, city officials and family gathered at the government center for a reception and ceremony in honor of Paul, along with the four other nominees, including: Sandy Grosland, Chris Gully, Bonnie Skillrud and Arvis Stubbs. Rollie Doroff was the sixth nominee, and his wife, Winnie, attended in his place.
The Newsleader expands into Sauk Rapids. Von Meyer Publishing, based in St. Joseph, has operated the St. Joseph Newsleader since 1989, the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader since 1995, and now operates the Sauk Rapids-Rice Newsleader beginning in May. Funding for all three papers has always come completely from advertising and not from a subscription base. Each Newsleader is delivered through the U.S. Postal Service weekly to all residents in each respective zip-code area.
Tower Park was closed as work began on the water tower. Repainting would be done, with very slight changes to typography and color. A mixer was also added, to prevent ice from forming inside the tower.
A Sauk Rapids man, Jesse Knettel, 31, was arrested in connection to several garage break-ins in St. Cloud.
Trisha Bemboom was honored as the Student Council Advisor of the Year for Minnesota, as well as for Region 4 which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North and South Dakota and Wyoming.
A “Peter Pan” theme underlined the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School Prom’s Grand March, where 150 couples delighted the audience with runway pantomimes. Tiara Brown and Spencer Petrek were crowned Homecoming Queen and King.
Donald Jones opened his Smoke-In-D’s BBQ restaurant in Sauk Rapids. Jones said Sauk Rapids’ small-town feel is just right for his restaurant, and he loves having a park right outside his back door.
Jean Peterson, Sauk Rapids, celebrated her 100th birthday. Born in Royalton, Peterson (makes??? or made) her home at Good Shepherd now.
A $3 million expansion was planned for Sacred Heart Catholic Church, providing meeting rooms, office space and a fellowship hall. The project should be finished by spring 2016.
Sacred Heart Cemetery was host to members of the Sauk Rapids Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion for Memorial Day ceremonies.
An ordinance regarding residential property maintenance was approved by the Sauk Rapids City Council.
Sauk Rapids Police Department announces its intention to hire three officers before the end of the year. The department is currently short one officer, but another is being assigned to the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force while another will retire in the fall.
The graduation ceremony for the class of 2015 was held on May 26 at Halenbeck Hall on the campus of St. Cloud State University.
June
Connie Leitheiser, Sauk Rapids, retired after 48 years of teaching across multiple area school districts. Leitheiser plans to continue being an educator in retirement, through tutoring and substitute teaching.
Colleen Christensen retired after 44 years of teaching with the Sauk Rapids-Rice school district. She hopes to stay involved with young people through teaching piano lessons and volunteering.
Two high school seniors, Amber Kulow and Colleen Schimnich, were awarded Citizen of the Year scholarships by the Sauk Rapids City Council.
Levi Popp, 2, the son of Ashley and Lee Popp of Rice, tragically drowned June 8 in a backyard pool in Sartell.
Sauk Rapids’ ACT on Alzheimer’s group was awarded a $10,000 grant to help improve education, awareness and caregiver resources.
The first of four ‘community crawls’ was held June 18 in downtown Sauk Rapids.
Good Shepherd hosted a bridal fashion show, featuring dresses from every decade from the 1930s to today.
The 12th annual Sauk Rapids River Days were held June 25-27, starting with the Ambassadors Pageant held at the high school. This year’s Ambassadors are Tana Hendrickson, Kelsey Christensen and Nikki Bukowski. The parade had more than 85 units this year, including more than one dozen marching bands who were judged during the parade.
The top-10 high school seniors were announced. The Rice students are as follows: Tyler Hackett, son of Judy and Shawn Hackett; Erika Hanson, daughter of Corbi and Jeff Hanson; Kayla Kahl, daughter of Margie and Mike Kahl; Hannah Voigt, daughter of Linda and Scott Voigt; and Morgan Zeleny, daughter of Renee and Michael Zeleny. The four Sauk Rapids students among the top 10 are: Kyra DeZeeuw, daughter of Julie and Brian DeZeeuw; Amber Kulow, daughter of Lisa and Kraig Kulow; Logan Mastey, son of Dona and Walter Mastey; and Colleen Schimnich, daughter of Julie and Kurt Schimnich. The student from St. Cloud among the top 10 is Lydia Glen, daughter of Danielle and Mark Glen.
July
A Sauk Rapids man, Randal Donn Ramler, 37, was charged July 6 with fleeing officers on foot as well as first-degree drug possession for having more than 47 grams of methamphetamine.
Nineteen homes were purchased along CR 3 in Sauk Rapids to be moved in anticipation of reconstruction of the road. The project is set to break ground in spring 2016, with a price tag of $12 million.
Perfect summer weather blessed the Immaculate Conception Summerfest July 19 in Rice. The day started with an outdoor Mass, followed by activities and food on the church grounds and live music in the evening.
Extra red paint needed to be ordered, but by the end of July the water tower refurbishment was nearly complete.
Three police officers were honored for their service at a city council meeting. Officers Tim Sigler and Jeremy Welsh were honored for 15 years of dedicated service, while Officer Matt Bosma was honored for 10 years of service.
Officer Katy Davis, formerly of the Rochester area, was sworn into service with the Sauk Rapids Police Department at the July 27 city council meeting.
Sauk Rapids Citizen of the Year Robyn Paul pauses for a photo with the woman who nominated her for the award, Jenny Zimmer, who is the volunteer coordinator for the Good Shepherd Community Home in Sauk Rapids. Paul, Zimmer said, is a joy to be around for residents, other volunteers and employees because she imparts a sense of fun to everyone she meets.
The water tower in Sauk Rapids is receiving a bit of a facelift! Sandblasting and painting is being performed by Osseo Construction Co, LLC out of Wisconsin. The employee pictured is Eric Young.
Sauk Rapids athlete Amy Olson and Joe Perske, Sartell Middle School phy-ed teacher and Special Olympics volunteer, exchange a high five at the finish line of the 800-meter walk during the Special Olympics Track and Field Meet, held May 16 at the Sartell Middle School. Twenty-one teams, including the St. Cloud Area 7 Team which is comprised of athletes residing in Sauk Rapids, Sartell, St. Joseph, St Cloud, Waite Park, Clear Lake, Clearwater and Rockville, participated in field events, including long jump and Bocce, and track events including running, walking and relays.
Boy Scouts from Sauk Rapids Troop 9 salute the flag, prior to the Memorial Day Ceremony last Monday.
Katie Cruikshank receives her diploma from Jan Solarz, a school board member.
Music was in the air June 18 at the Sauk Rapids Community Crawl. Ryan Golombecki of Sartell, who is also a Hoff’s Insurance agent, plays his guitar while owner, Jerry Hoff, helps a customer.
Jim Hixson (left) of Sauk Rapids searches the Wall that Heals for the name of a childhood friend who died in 1967. Hixson served as an intelligence analyst in Germany. Bruce Olson (kneeling) of Rice searches the Wall that Heals for the names of friends who died in Vietnam.
The American Family Insurance/Sarah Wilczek Agency, of Rice, had a great idea to cool off the parade crowd during Rice Family Fun Day held in August. The kids on this float took their job seriously and the overheated crowd loved it.
The 10th Street North neighborhood in Sauk Rapids gathered together for food and friendship and also enjoyed a visit from Benton County law enforcement. Pictured from left to right are: Jenny Newbanks, Carl Newbanks, Bob Zawacki, Nancy Zawacki, Milan Cronquist, Dylan Roth, Sheriff Troy Heck, Adam Tagarro, Sara Kitzmann, and Staci Roth.