St. Joseph V24 I7

St. Joseph

Reaching EvERybody!

Friday, Feb. 15, 2013Volume 24, Issue 7

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Local residents present at conferenceby Cori [email protected]

Several St. Joseph resi-dents recently presented re- Conference page 4

ports at the Living in the Avon Hills conference held on Saturday, Feb. 2 at St. Johns University.

Some of the presenters

contributed photo

Seven-year-old St. Joseph resident Evie Wing, who is a member of Girl Scout Troop 996, sold 50 boxes of Girl Scout cookies Feb. 2 at the St. Joseph Rod and Gun Clubs 20th annual fishing contest. Caramel Delights were the fishermens favorites. From left to right: Chas Scepaniak, Evie and Darci Wing.

included Diane Hans-gen, Steve Ruprecht, Su-san Kroska and Dr. David Kroska.

Hansgen presented Lil-

ies You Will Love, about successful planting meth-ods and how to choose the right lily to have a garden of

speed up filling the looming vacancy. St. Joseph Mayor Rick Schultz suggested post-

Council decides hiring process for chiefby TaLeiza [email protected]

The pool of candi-dates seek-ing to re-place St. Jo-seph Police Chief Pete Jansky will include fa-miliar faces and a few new ones. The St. Joseph City Council voted 4-1 to post the job both internally and externally Feb. 7. His last day is Aug. 22.

Jansky, who announced his retirement Jan. 17, sug-gested looking internally first to fill his post as an effort to save time and yield candi-dates who already know the community. He said the City of Sartell went that route by appointing an interim chief, monitoring performance and finalizing the hire.

I think it would save the city time to look at what you have internally, Jansky said. You can expect (at least) 30-plus applications.

Jansky

City council member Steve Frank agreed with the idea of hiring internally as a way to Council page 8

Snow, snow, more snow!photo by Cori Hilsgen

St. Joseph received more than 8 inches of snow during last week-end, breaking past records for the month of February.

ing the job and interviewing internally and then looking

Free CPR trainingClasses will be offered from

6 to 10 pm Monday, April 1 and Wednesday, April 3 at the St. Jo-seph Community Fire Hall.

Participants need only attend one class, and there are 25 spaces available per class. If interested, individuals should contact the City of St. Joseph at 363-7201 to register for the class.

Upon completion of the course, individuals will receive their Heart saver/AED CPR card and certifica-tion. The class is free to residents of St. Joseph, St. Joseph Township and St. Wendel Township.

St. Cloud Diocese hosts spiritual retreat

A Spiritual Retreat for Catholic women (and men) of the St. Cloud Diocese will be held from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9 in St. Edwards Church, Henning, Minn. The theme is Journey of Faith, with morning speaker Fr. Greg Paffel and afternoon speaker Dcn. Randy Altstadt. Other agenda items include registration, refresh-ments, Mass, lunch and more. The retreat is sponsored by the St. Cloud Diocesan Council of Cath-olic Women. Cost is: $15 prior to March 1; $20 after. Send registra-tion check to: Marilyn Stenger, 30415 410th St., Dent, MN 56528. For additional information, call Eva Koep at 218-862-4710.

Mayor will host town hall meeting

St. Joseph Mayor Rick Schultz will host a town hall meeting Sat-urday, Feb. 16. The meeting is set for 9-10 a.m. at the Local Blend, 19 W. Minnesota St., St. Joseph. The purpose of the townhall meeting is for residents to ask questions about city projects and discuss community issues.

Snowmobile Ride for Cancer

The first annual Stearns County Snowmobile Association Cancer Run is being held Saturday, Feb. 16. Members of the St. Joseph Sno-Joes and St. Stephen River Runners, along with many county snowmobile clubs, are sponsoring the event. Proceeds will be do-nated to the Keller Family Commu-nity Foundation, which supports research, education and informa-tional activities to increase public awareness and to prevent and treat chronic health conditions and diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and depression. You can pick up a pledge sheet from any local snow-mobile club member. For more information, visit www.thenews-leaders.com and click on Criers.

Girl Scout sells big at fishing contest

Friday, Feb. 15, 2013St. Joseph Newsleader www.thenewsleaders.com2

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P.O. Box 324 32 1st Ave. N.W. St. Joseph, Minn. 56374Phone (320) 363-7741 Fax (320) 363-4195 E-mail address: [email protected]: Send address changes to ST. JOSEPH NEWSLEADER, P.O. Box 324, St. Joseph, MN 56374.

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Contributing WritersTaLeiza Calloway

Mark Lauer

Contributing Writer/Administrative Assistant

Cori Hilsgen

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Blotter

People

If any readers have tips con-cerning 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.tricountycrimestop-pers.org. Crime Stoppers offers re-wards up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for crimes.

Jan. 111:04 p.m. Citizen contact. Ken-

nedy Community School. Officer was requested to speak with two students in regards to discipline issues.

Jan. 142:31 p.m. Hit and run. 1st Ave-

nue NW and Minnesota Street W. Driver was strapping in her chil-dren with her left rear door open. Motor vehicle pulling farm im-plement came by and caught door forcing it forward.

10:51 p.m. Medical. Baker Street E. Six-year-old male was throwing up blood and stated he had a tummy

ache. He was holding his left side but would not allow officer to take a look. Officer monitored patient until St. Joseph Rescue and Gold Cross Ambulance arrived. Patient transported to hospital.

Jan. 1511:25 a.m. Dog at large. Able

Street E. Complainant stated neigh-bors dog was running loose and doing its business in other peoples yards. Officer arrived and located dog which looked to be a shepherd/lab mix across the street. Officer will send letter about licensing and dog-at-large warning.

5:06 p.m. Suspicious vehicle. College Avenue S. Report of a white SUV possibly a Honda Pi-lot that sits in the Township Hall parking lot between 3-6 p.m. daily. Complainants wife owns a day-care and some of the parents have witnessed this vehicle parked in the Lions Park just down the road. There are usually two people in the vehicle, a black male, 25-35 years of age, and a white female around

40. Male gets out after meeting and walks toward town, female leaves the area in vehicle. Complainant would like extra patrol during that time frame.

Jan. 1712:09 a.m. 4th Avenue SE. Noise

complaint. Caller could hear thuds and screaming from apartment unit directly above. Officer made con-tact with a female tenant there who stated everything was fine and there was no problem. She said she had two friends over and all may have been talking too loudly. Officer ad-vised to keep the noise down.

Jan. 181:18 a.m. Intoxicated female.

Sals Bar. Officer witnessed two female students helping another female across the street after leav-ing Sals Bar. The one female fell and was lying in the middle of the street. Breathalyzer indicated a reading of .178. Officer gave the females a ride to Luether Hall. One of the females roommates said she

would take responsibility for the intoxicated female.

8:30 p.m. Noise complaint. Col-lege Avenue S. Report of a male grinding metal in the laundry room. Officer advised party to discontinue and male stated he was done for the night. Officer advised next time would result in a citation.

11:48 p.m. Underage consump-tion. College Avenue N. Observed a White Bear Lake male standing on the sidewalk holding a gallon-sized bottle of alcohol. As offi-cers approached, male attempted to hide the bottle under his jacket, at-tempted to flee and was taken down to the ground. Officers charged male with underage consumption, underage possession of alcohol, obstructing legal process and pos-session of false ID. Officer was assisted by reserve officer.

Jan. 197 p.m. Harassing phone calls.

Iris Lane E. Complainant said hes been receiving phone calls and text messages from his ex-girlfriend

since they broke up about two weeks ago. Officer advised to seek restraining order if it continues. Complainant said he wanted inci-dent documented.

Jan. 203:20 p.m. Dog at large. 7th Av-

enue NE. Complainant found dog at large and said she would keep it until someone claimed it and police could call her then.

Jan. 2011:15 a.m. Dumping complaint.

CR 75 and Old Hwy. 52. Com-plainant called in a garbage truck which was losing garbage along the road. Officer found truck and spoke with driver who then went back to pick up the garbage.

Jan. 223:16 p.m. Hazard. 3rd Avenue

NW and Minnesota Street W. Re-port of a line down. Officer assisted with blocking street until Midcon-tinent came and raised Charters cable line.

David Herdan, of St. Joseph, re-cently received a bachelors degree in music education from the Uni-versity of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Ten St. Joseph students were among 1,128 who recently grad-uated from St. Cloud State Uni-versity.

They, their majors and honors are as follows: Michele Braun, mas-ters in higher education adminis-tration; Sarah Covelli, bachelors in community health; Stephanie Hern, masters in marriage and

family therapy; Hannah Justin, bachelors in psychology, magna cum laude; Daniel Krippner, masters in biological sciences; Courtney Kroska, bachelors in biochemistry and bachelors in biomedical sciences, magna cum laude; Jordan Onnen, masters in business administration; Ju-lie Pratt-Blenker, bachelors in technology management; Randy Quistorff, masters in sports man-agement; and Jenna Stoneking, graduate certificate in learning dis-abilities.

contributed photo

Logan Scholz, a fourth-grader at All Saints Academy, St. Jo-seph, reads to first-graders. Every day during February (also known as I Love To Read month) a different fourth-grader reads to the first-grade class.

Jane Monarski Scepaniak of St. Joseph enjoys the day on the lake.

contributed photos

Dan Henry holds the largest catch of the day, a 6-pound, 14.5-ounce northern. He was the big fish win-ner of the contest.

The 20th annual St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club ice fishing contest was held Feb. 2 at Kraemer Lake, St. Jo-seph. The winners of the contest for game fish were as follows: Dan Henry, first place with a 6-pound 14.5-ounce northern; Matt Anderson, second place with a 3-pound 14-ounce north-ern; and Kevin Meyers, third place with a 2-pound 14.5-ounce northern. The winners of the pan fish were as follows: Brandon Janull, first place with a 7.5-ounce crappie; Christian Forster, second place with a 7.5-ounce crappie; and Dalton Turck, third place with a 7-ounce crappie.

Brandon Janull holds $200 in prizes from the St. Jo-seph Rod and Gun Club Ice Fishing Contest. During the contest, 578 fish were caught and returned to the lake. More than 400 people attended.

St. Joseph Rod, Gun Club 20th annual ice fishing contest

A correction is needed for a story in the Feb. 8 Newsleader that was about Jodi Rajkowski of St. Joseph, whose husband was killed Oct. 13, 2011 after he was struck by a car while work-ing on a construction project in Burnsville.

Rajkowski stated there should be an increased fine of $10,000 for motorists who strike a road-construction per-son. The monetary amount stated in the news story was far less than that because of a numerical typo.

Correction

Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 St. Joseph Newsleader www.thenewsleaders.com 3

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Bus service in St. Joseph will endby TaLeiza Calloway

[email protected]

Busing services provided by the Tri-County Action Program on Thursdays in St. Joseph will end after a recent city council vote.

Tri-CAP recently informed the city ridership is too low to maintain the route. The city weighed the option of paying for the continuation of the scheduled bus ser-vice Feb. 7 but unanimously voted not to move forward with the service due to cost.

This is the second adjust-ment to bus service in the city. The route went from two days a week to one day a week in 2011 due to the radius of Tri-CAPs ser-

vice area shrinking last year and budget reductions. The twice-weekly bus service in St. Joseph began in 2009. Through the collaboration of the city, St. Benedict Mon-astery and the St. Joseph Lions Club, the city entered an agreement with Tri-CAP. The cost of the contract was about $2,400 with each unit contributing $800.

St. Joseph City Admin-istrator Judy Weyrens said it would have cost the city about $54 per hour and $324 per week to keep the Thursday service. The prices include the cost of fuel, the driver and the bus, she told officials during the council meeting.

It wouldve been quite

costly, Weyrens said. The nice thing is residents can still use the Dial-A-Ride ser-vice.

Last year, the city had 534 one-way trips. Overall ridership last year did not meet transportation require-ments from the Minnesota Department of Transporta-tion, Weyrens said. MnDOT requires five passengers per hour in cities and three-plus passengers per hour in rural areas. St. Joseph has about 2.79 passengers per hour in the city and about 1.46 pas-sengers in rural areas. The last day of the route is still being determined.

Street light utility fee takes effect in Marchby TaLeiza [email protected]

The St. Joseph City Council voted, 3-2, Feb. 7 to implement a street-light utility fee despite some reservations by city of-ficials. Council members Steve Frank and Dale Wick voted against the move.

I just dont think it was the best option, Wick said.

Collection of the fee will begin in March. Residents will see an increase of $18 per year, and businesses will see an in-crease of about $20 per year, St. Joseph City Administrator Judy Weyrens said. The utility fee is based on a per-unit system and is not as simple as paying for the light by ones home, Wey-rens told officials.

It really is systemwide, Weyrens said of the fee. Its an asset. Everyone should pay the same share of the asset.

Wick said he would have

liked to have seen more options on how to distribute the fee.

Sue Palmer, vice president of finance and administration for the College of St. Benedict, spoke during a public hearing about the fee Feb. 7. Palmer asked officials to explain the basis for the fee. She said the city should perhaps consider an alternative way of distributing the fee or offer CSB a credit for the lighting costs the college al-ready pays. Under the approved change, the college will pay about $600 per light per year.

Street lighting is generally in-cluded in the citys property-tax levy, but in December 2012 officials voted to remove it and institute a street-light utility fee. By pulling the street-lighting expense from the levy, instead of residents and businesses paying taxes to the county for street lighting, they will pay the city directly every two months, staff said previously.

Avon MontessoriSchool

Registration for the upcoming summerand 2013-2014 school year is beginning.

We offer preschool and kindergartenplus family room for our fullday children. Space is limited.

For more information call

320-356-7570

SUMMER & FALLREGISTRATION

Home Stretch, a first-time homebuyer workshop that takes participants through the entire home-buying process will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at the office of the Central Min-nesota Housing Partnership. Homebuyer education is also offered as an online course. Framework is a new online tool to prepare you for successful homeownership. Framework will provide you with the facts you need to become a knowl-

edgeable buyer. Many lenders have approved Framework to meet homebuyer education re-quirements. For more informa-tion, visit www.thenewslead-ers.com and click on Criers.

Home Stretch set Feb. 23 for first-time homebuyers


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color from spring until fall. Hansgen discussed OT hy-brids, which produce large, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers; the altari lily which grows to heights of more than four feet; LA hybrids, which make very good cut flowers; and how tiger lil-ies only grow in the colors of orange, yellow, red and

Conferencefrom front page

photos by Cori Hilsgen

Local master gardener Diane Hansgen talked about lilies at the Living in the Avon Hills conference held Saturday, Feb. 2 at St. Johns University. The all-day event offered opportunities for people of all ages to attend sessions on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the day.

pink.She shared many other

interesting details about lil-ies. Her talk included how martagon lilies like shady areas where roots are kept cool and can provide a good border in a wild flower or woodland setting. Hansgen said if you brush the pollen off of the anthers, lilies will keep longer and make excel-lent cut flowers for bringing indoors.

Hansgen, who is a master gardener, has been giving

presentations for 15 years. She said she was hooked after her first presentation at the LaPlayette Bar in St. Joseph when she presented vegetable gardening to a group of women from the Cold Spring school district.

She belongs to several gardening organizations. Last year, she was asked to be a part of the Minnesota State Horticulture Societys garden tour, which was held in St. Cloud.

Starting in April, Hansgen begins yearly presentations in various cities. Topics she has presented include pe-rennials such as peonies, hostas and ferns. A new topic she will discuss this year is ornamental grasses.

Steve Ruprecht, who is the nursery manager at Thomsens Greenhouses, presented a report on Tree Pruning Made Simple. He discussed how and when to prune various trees. Rupre-cht said late winter, or now through March, is the best time to prune. Some trees such as silver maple, sugar maple, spruce and white pine will bleed or leak tree sap. Early summer or May when the tree leaves have fully expanded is a good time to prune those types of trees.

Trees have different bud arrangements, either op-posite or alternate. Rupre-cht said pruners want to cut the branch so it grows away from the tree. A forked branch on old, established trees can cause a tree to split in half. Ruprecht said the pruner can drill through the two sections and brace the branches with bolts. The tree bark will grow over the bolts. He recommend-ed using a three-point cut on branches that are bigger than one inch. A three-point cut involves undercutting the branch, then making a second cut above the first cut and lastly cutting the branch right along the collar

of the tree branch. Ruprecht said its good to remove broken branches and suck-ers from a tree because they can draw some of the energy from the tree.

This is Ruprechts third year of speaking at the Avon Hills conference.

Its a really good place to get in touch with the Avon Hills crowd, Ruprecht said. Its always good to see your neighbors and intro-duce them to what is new this year.

Susan Kroska presented a report on Susans Artisan Bread. She talked about how to make bagels that are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the mid-dle. Kroska passed out sam-ples of her Everything and Asiago Cheese bagels and also samples of her scones.

Kroska, who attended the San Francisco Baking Insti-tute and also took classes in Canada and San Diego, said she has loved baking since

Susan Kroska spoke about baking bagels and other breads. She handed out samples of her Everything and Asiago Cheese bagels. Kroskas husband, David, also presented on tomatoes at the conference.

she was very young.Kroskas husband, Dr.

David Kroska of ACME To-matoes, also presented a re-port called Tomatoes: Tips, Tricks and Trivia at the conference.

The keynote speaker was Stan Tekiela, a Minnesota author, photographer and naturalist.

The day was broken down into four 45-minute sessions. People who at-tended the conference were able to choose to attend any session on a first-come, first-served basis through-out the day.

Organized by the Avon Hills Initiative and other in-dividuals, the all-day con-ference is held on a Satur-day each winter, and usually covers a variety of topics on land use, natural history, alternative energy, the arts and more. The conference is meant to be a learning expe-rience for the whole family and several of the sessions are designed especially for children.

The AHI is an organiza-tion of concerned citizens who are working to pre-serve the rural and natural character of the Avon Hills, an area of about 50 square miles of land in St. Joseph, Avon, St. Wendel and Colle-geville townships.

The AHI works through educating and organizing lo-cal government to increase awareness of land-develop-ment pressures facing the Avon Hills. Members try to communicate with involved people to try to preserve the history, natural beauty and differing biological elements of the hills for future gener-ations, while still respecting the individual landowners rights.


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Stewarts classes improve driving skillsby Cori [email protected]

Drivers 55 and older are learning some new driving skills through classes taught by Ron Stewart, a St. Joseph resident.

Drivers who take the eight-hour course, and renew it with a four-hour refresher course ev-ery three years, are eligible for

a 10-percent-or-more discount on their auto insurance. The requirements and discounts are mandated by state law.

The classes help older drivers to improve driving skills and learn about recent changes in laws, highway design, technol-ogy and other things.

In the class, Stewart also discusses changes in physical health, how it affects your driv-ing skills and different methods of adjusting to the changes.

Stewart said some partici-pants arent sure about taking

photos by Cori Hilsgen

Dale Haug (left), Marilyn Haug and Sister Michaela Hedican, OSB, recently attended a driver-improvement class for people 55 and older. Participants who complete the course receive a discount on their car insurance rates.

the class when they first start but usually feel they learned some-thing by the time its finished. He said with the roundabouts and diamond interchange being built in the area, people enjoy learning new information.

During the class, Stewart talks about ways to combat driving fatigue. He said average

drivers are now getting one hour a day less sleep than they did in the 1950s.

Sister Michaela Hedican, OSB, and Dale and Marilyn Haug attended Stewarts class at Kennedy Community School.

Hedican said the class is re-quired for anyone at the St. Benedict Monastery who drives. She said she learned about new technologies and the future of self-driving cars. Self-driving cars are computer-controlled.

It helps us to be safe driv-ers, Hedican said. Its a good

refresher and teaches us new technologies and prepares us for the future as well as the present.

The Haugs took the class to keep up to date on driving skills and to learn new things.

It reminds us, Marilyn Haug said. A lot of laws have changed since we took drivers training classes.

No books or tests are re-quired for the class. Participants can follow the outline and take notes through a booklet. A cer-tificate is given at the end of the class.

Stewart is a certified instruc-tor and received his training from the Minnesota Highway Safety Research Center at St. Cloud State University. He has been teaching the class for four years. Stewart said the course can be sponsored by any or-ganization and can be taught through churches, schools, se-nior centers and other busi-nesses.

Stewart uses humor while stressing the importance of im-proving driving skills. He uses a multi-media approach to keep a persons interest. He said the classes are interactive and very informative.

Stewart teaches the course at Kennedy Community School through the community-educa-tion program. He also teaches it at the Whitney Senior Center in St. Cloud, as well as places in Sauk Centre and Long Prairie.

St. Joseph usually averages about 15 people in his classes, while the other locations usu-ally average about 30-35 people and fill very quickly.

We are trying to develop (it in) the St. Joseph area, he said.

Stewart grew up in Minne-apolis. He and his wife, Sandy, originally from Chicago, have four adult sons. Two of their sons are married, and the Stew-arts have four granddaughters. Ron and Sandy have been mar-ried for 44 years.

Stewart has more than 30 years of pastoral ministry expe-rience. The Stewarts moved to the area 15 years ago when he accepted a position as pastor at the Avon Community Church. He also served as pastor at the Park Side Community Church in St. Joseph.

The family lives in Graceview Estates in St. Joseph.

How appropriate is that for a retired pastor to live in a community with that name, Stewart said, smiling.

He also has volunteered in the Emergency Trauma Center at the St. Cloud Hospital for more than four years. Sandy is a paralegal with Quinlivan and Hughes law firm in St. Cloud.

The next class offered at Kennedy will be a four-hour refresher course on March 11 and an eight-hour course for first-time students on March 18 and 19. To register or for infor-mation, call 888-234-1294.

St Joseph resident Ron Stewart teaches driver improvement classes to people 55 and older. The classes help refresh old driv-ing skills and also teach new driving information.


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 weve 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

There are only 24 hours in one day. Time can get away from us and before we know it the next day has arrived. However, sometimes a pause is warranted. When possible, its im-portant for residents to take advantage of help when its offered by cities. With tight budgets and a struggling economy, these opportunities can become scarce. A recent city council deci-sion has firmed up one of these opportunities.

Members of the St. Joseph City Council unanimously voted to move forward with a small cities development grant application in partnership with the Central Minnesota Housing Partnership. Applying for funding from the Department of Employment and Economic Development has gone from dis-cussion mode to action. The city held a public hearing Feb. 7 and an open house previously to gauge interest. While turnout was low, the city has heard from about 45 property owners, officials said. Dont sleep on this opportunity, St. Joseph.

The Small Cities Development Program helps cities and counties with funding for housing, infrastructure and commercial re-habilitation projects that benefit people of low and moderate incomes, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development. Projects must meet three objec-tives. Those objectives are a benefit to people of low and moderate incomes, elimination of slum and blight conditions, and elimination of any urgent threats to public health or safety.

Specifically, the City of St. Joseph is sub-mitting a proposal to DEED requesting fund-ing for needed repairs to homes and commer-cial businesses. Funding is being requested to assist homeowners in two identified target areas. One target area is from Minnesota Street N. to Birch Street between 5th Avenue NW and 3rd Avenue NE. The other area is from Minnesota Street south to Baker Street between College Avenue and 8th Avenue SE. If the city receives the funding, the grant can provide zero-percent deferred forgivable loans to assist homeowners in completing needed repairs to include new roofing, siding, windows and doors, as well as mechanical and electrical updates. Exact loan amounts will be determined on a per-project basis.

This is just one of many examples of col-laboration at its best. Its also a way to help residents help themselves. While it is a com-munity investment on behalf of the city, its up to the residents to show the investment is worthwhile. For more information about the grant process, call St. Joseph City Hall at 320-363-7201.

Dear residents: Dont sleep on opportunities for help

Thinking outside the box about gun control

JanelleVon Pinnon

Publisher

As readers probably already know, the Newsleader has been battling it out between both sides of the gun-control issue some tout enacting legislature to limit military-style assault weapons and enforce stricter gun-licensing rules; oth-ers advocate their Second Amendment rights saying guns dont kill people, people kill people.

Although both sides are adamant in their beliefs and adhere strictly to their positions, most would agree something needs to be done to curb these appalling, senseless, and all-too-common killing frenzies.

The latest incidents include a former cop from California on the loose for nine days after several shooting sprees leaving at least four dead, including two police officers. And, closer to home, a shooter in the Twin Cities suburb of Oakland who randomly riddled bullets at any moving target, including a minivan with a mother and her 9-year-old son coming home during suppertime Monday evening. The innocent boy, Devin Aryal, died and sev-eral others were seriously injured from that rampage.

During his State of the Union speech

Tuesday evening, President Obama men-tioned there have been more than 1,000 gun-related deaths just since the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in early De-cember.

As a society we need to say Enough!Maybe we need to start thinking out-

side the box when it comes to gun con-trol.

I was heartened to hear of a Twin Cit-ies police chief who is taking action. His department spends $1 million annually on guns and ammunition. To do his part, he said he would purchase only from responsible gun dealers who self-impose limits on the purchase of semi-automatic weapons and multiple ammunition clips. I hope this catches on like wildfire and spreads to other communities, large and small. After all, no change is effective unless it hits the source in their pocket-books.

Another bright idea Ive recently heard about and believe its already being implemented although not fast enough for me is new technology that allows a gun to be fired only by its licensed owner. Others who may try to fire it would dis-able the gun altogether.

And yet another technology-based thought, one of the most ingenious ones to date I think, came from my 18-year-old daughter who, while discussing this same issue thoughtfully and sensibly, offered the suggestion if we can use relatively inexpensive GPS tracking in cars to pin-point our location and can microchip our pets so they can be found if lost, why couldnt this same technology be used to track guns and those using them?

And maybe there needs to be a combi-nation of all those ideas and many more that are still surfacing out there.

Somehow, those current technologies as well as new technologies and the new ideas of our future generation give me hope. I just wish, in the meantime, no more innocent lives would be taken by gunfire, but, unfortunately, this is prob-ably only wishful thinking.

While interviewing to become a judge, I was asked how my experience as an at-torney had prepared me for the position. I responded that trying cases for 20 years in state and federal court had been like studying to become a judge. I admit I wondered how different this studying would be in relation to the test of ev-eryday judging. Specifically, I questioned how difficult it would be adjusting from being an advocate, pleading and arguing on behalf of a client, to the role of neutral decision-maker.

The Minnesota rules which govern lawyers conduct say a lawyers duty in representing a client includes the re-sponsibility to act with commitment and dedication . . . and with zeal in advocacy upon the clients behalf. In my years as a lawyer, I zealously advocated for a wide variety of clients. As a legal ser-vices attorney, I advocated for victims of domestic abuse. As a criminal defense attorney, I represented men and women charged with crimes ranging from traffic tickets to homicide. As an attorney in a law firm, I represented families fighting for better education for disabled children. In each of those roles, I did what lawyers do worked at being as persuasive as I could to help my clients.

When I took the bench in March of last year, my responsibilities changed dramatically. The rules governing the

conduct of judges provide a judge . . . shall perform all duties of judicial office fairly and impartially. They also say to ensure impartiality and fairness to all par-ties, a judge must be objective and open-minded. According to Webster, I am impartial if I treat or affect all equally. I am no longer an advocate. I am a fair and impartial decision-maker with the ul-timate duty of insuring justice is served.

Prior to taking the bench, I found myself wondering how the skills I had developed as a zealous advocate would apply to this new undertaking. Im find-ing its easier to let go of my role as an advocate than I thought it would be. I still get to do what I value most listen to peoples stories. The only way I could do my job well as an attorney was to listen, patiently and attentively, to my clients. As a judge, I have the privilege of being able to spend my days listening to people tell me about their lives, their work and their families. I spend more of my day listening now than ever before. I might spend the morning hearing a childs tes-

timony about her abuser, how he hurt her but she loves him and doesnt want him to go away. My next case might involve an assistant county attorney fighting to protect the public from a man who can-not or will not stop drinking and driving. Later that morning, a public defender will ask I send a client addicted to prescrip-tion drugs to a treatment program rather than prison. The afternoon might begin with an attorney representing a credit-card company that cannot get a debtor to pay and end with a woman who cannot afford an attorney fighting on her own to get visitation with her child.

These stories can be hard to hear. At the end of a long day, it might be tempt-ing to assume you know the story behind the person in front of you without giving him or her the chance to tell it. My ex-perience in advocating for clients taught me the only way to really understand the person standing before you is to listen to him or her with an open mind. I have committed myself to open-mindedly lis-tening to each party before me. This is the foundation for treating those who come before me equally and for making fair and balanced decisions.

(Judge Sarah Hennesy of St. Cloud is district-court judge for Minnesotas Seventh Judicial District, which includes Benton and Stearns counties.)

True listening is crucial to judicial fairnessSarah

HennesyDistrict Court Judge

Send it to:The Newsleaders

P.O. Box 324 St. Joseph, MN 56374

or email us at: [email protected]

Please include your full name for publication (and address and phone number for verification only).


Friday, Feb. 15The Lesson, a St. Cloud State Uni-

versity Theater Department production intended for a mature audience, 7:30 p.m. today-Saturday, Performing Arts Center, SCSU. www.stcloudstate.edu/theatrefilm-dance/theatre/season or 320-308-4636.

Saturday, Feb. 1655+ driver improvement course,

four-hour refresher course, 9:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m., Miller Auto Plaza, 2930 2nd St S, St. Cloud. www.mnsafetycenter.org or call 1-(888)-234-1294.

The Lesson, a St. Cloud State Uni-versity Theater Department production intended for a mature audience, 7:30 p.m., Performing Arts Center, SCSU. www.stcloudstate.edu/theatrefilmdance/theatre/season or 320-308-4636.

Sunday, Feb. 17The Lesson, a St. Cloud State Uni-

versity Theater Department production intended for a mature audience, 2 p.m., Performing Arts Center, SCSU. www.stcloudstate.edu/theatrefilmdance/theatre/season or 320-308-4636.

Monday, Feb. 18Blood drive, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., St.

Cloud State University, 720 4th Ave. S., St. Cloud. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

Blood drive, noon-6 p.m., St. Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Ger-main St., St. Cloud. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club meet-ing, 7 p.m., American Legion in St. Jo-seph.

Tuesday, Feb. 19Dairy Farm Safety Course (Part 2),

10 a.m.-4 p.m., Midtown Square Mall, Room 218, St. Cloud. 320-255-6169.

Blood drive, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Great Hall, St. Johns University, Collegeville OR St. Cloud Blood Donation Center,

1301 W. St. Germain St.. St. Cloud. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

Blood drive, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., St. Cloud State University, 720 4th Ave. S., St. Cloud. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

Starting Seeds Indoors, a Master Gardener seminar, 1-2 p.m., Great River Regional Library, St. Cloud. 320-255-6169.

Wednesday, Feb. 20Criminal Justice Career and In-

ternship Fair, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Atwood Ballroom, St. Cloud State University. The fair offers students and alumni opportuni-ties to meet with state, federal and private employers including detention centers, residential facilities, sheriff and police de-partments, prisons and private security agencies, the FBI and others. No registra-tion is required.

Blood drive, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Great Hall, St. Johns University, Great Hall, Collegeville. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

Artificial Nutrition and Hydration at the End-of-Life, a Hospice Foundation of America annual teleconference, 1-4:45 p.m., Windfeldt Room, CentraCare Health Plaza, St. Cloud. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. 320-251-2700, ext. 55642.

Car-seat checkup, 3-6 p.m., Gold Cross Ambulance Garage, 2800 7th St. N., St. Cloud. 320-229-5139.

Thursday, Feb. 2155+ driver improvement course,

eight-hour first-time, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Life Assembly of God, 2409 Clearwater Road, St. Cloud. www.mnsafetycenter.org or call 1-(888)-234-1294.

Coffee 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. Ger-main St., St. Cloud. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

55+ driver improvement course, four-hour refresher course, 1-5 p.m., Sa-lem Lutheran Church, 90 Riverside Drive SE, St. Cloud. www.mnsafetycenter.org or call 1-(888)-234-1294.

St. Joseph City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall. 320-363-7201.

Friday, Feb. 22Blood drive, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., St. Cloud

Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Ger-main St., St. Cloud. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

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

Fish fry, 4:30-7:30 p.m., St. John the Baptist Parish, Collegeville.

Night of the Stars, sponsored by Dis-trict 742 Local Education and Activities Foundation, 7 p.m., Paramount Arts The-ater, 913 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud. 320-259-5463.

Saturday, Feb. 23Gardening Knowledge for Free by

Stearns County Master Gardeners, 8:15 a.m.-noon, Whitney Senior Center, St. Cloud. 320-255-6169.

Sartell Community Showcase, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sartell Middle School, 627 Third Ave. N., Sartell. A free, family-focused event with a Cirque du Sartell(circus) theme includes booths from many area businesses/organizations, kids activities, games, inflatables, open swimming and door prizes.Entertainment from various groups will be held at 10 a.m. and noon. The LeSauk Lions will sell food at the event too. Call 320-258-6061, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.sartellchamber.com.

Night of the Stars, sponsored by Dis-trict 742 Local Education and Activities Foundation, 2 and 7 p.m., Paramount Arts Theater, 913 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud. 320-259-5463.

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FREELANCERS SOUGHT

THE NEWSLEADERS seeks freelance writers and photog-raphers to cover town-specific events/meetings/personali-ties. Freelancers are paid per story/photo. If interested, please email a resume and a few writing/photo samples to [email protected]. tfn

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HOME TO MOVE TO YOUR LOT

TWO STORY HOME with 4 bdrm, 2 bath, approx. 2000 sq. ft. Recently completely re-modeled. Steel siding. $25,900 + $45/mile from St. Joseph. Power line charges not includ-ed in price. Call for informa-tion 320-243-8295 or www.AndersonBuildingMovers.com 6-2x-p.

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EYECARE

DESKTOP PUBLISHING

Mary Kay CosmeticsJoyce Barnes

St. Joseph 320-251-8989

Gateway Church - St. JosephWorship: 10 a.m. Sunday,

7 p.m. Wednesday, 6 p.m. Saturday

106 2nd Ave. NW 320-282-2262

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

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

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

320-363-7505 St. Joseph320-363-7505 St. Josephwww.churchstjoseph.org

Metro Plumbing & Heating545 8th Ave. NE

St. Joseph 320-363-7761

Von Meyer Publishing32 1st Ave. NW

St. Joseph 320-363-7741

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

Dr. Jerry Wetterling103 N. College Ave.

St. Joseph 320-363-4573

Barbara G. Backes, M.S., LPC, P.A.Marriage, Family & Individual

St. Cloud 320-420-6195

Michael F. Contardo D.D.S.26 2nd Ave. NW

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

DENTISTRY

COUNSELINGBEAUTY

CHIROPRACTOR

PLUMBING & HEATING

CHURCHES

Hours: Monday-Thursday Noon-6 p.m., Friday Noon-8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. & Sunday Noon-5 p.m.

Tri-CountyHumane Society735 8th St. NE PO Box 701

St. Cloud, MN 56302

252-0896www.tricountyhumanesociety.org

Helping one animal wont change the world but it will change the

world for that one animal!

Dogs - 10 Cats - 22 Mice - 2 Puppies - 3 Rabbits - 2 Guinea Pigs - 3

Meet Lia, a 13-year-old spayed and declawed black-and-white cat. Lia was surrendered because her owner was moving and sadly, was unable to take her along. In her previous home, Lia was buddies with a dog and another cat. She is a great lap-warmer and enjoyed receiving attention from all ages of children who came to visit. Despite her age, Lia is still very playful, especially with jingle balls and a laser pointer. Lia would be FREE to a senior citizen and someone who is or was in the military. She also qualifies for our Name-Your-Own-Price promotion.


Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Fridayor by appointment

Robert UlikOwner

Free electronic filing 20+ years experience

Reasonable rates

Address: 516 Schnieder Drive, St. JosephEmail: [email protected]: 320-433-2189

NOW HIRING!!!Journeyman Electrician

or Experienced Apprentice

New Residential Work Pay depends on experience.

Call 1-888-785-1649 or email resume to:

[email protected]

Joetown Snowtown is this weekendAn opportunity to celebrate

the close of winter is slated for this weekend.

The St. Joseph Park Board will host Joetown Snowtown Saturday, Feb. 16 in Millstream and Cen-tennial parks. Activities for youth include a medal-lion hunt, broomball, skate races and snowman-build-ing for children from 1 to

4 p.m. in Centennial Park, south of Highway 75 at the corner of Birch Street West and Old Highway 52. Additional festivities for adults include a chili-tast-ing, bonfire and flashlight snowshoeing from 5 to 9 p.m. in Millstream Park, north of Highway 75 1 mile west of the intersection of College Avenue and C.R.

2. Refreshments and some snowshoes will be pro-vided.

Some activities are de-pendent on weather and could be cancelled. For more information and clues for the medallion hunt, visit the citys website, www.cityofstjoseph.com.

outside the St. Joseph Police department if no candidate was selected. City council member Bob Loso was in fa-vor of looking within and outside of the city for the hire.

Id like to see whats out there, Loso said.

Councilfrom front page

The next step is for city staff to finalize the job de-scription and set a timeline for the hiring process. Jan-skys 34-year career in law enforcement started June 15, 1979. He worked as a pa-

trol officer in St. Joseph from 1981-87 and has been the citys police chief since 2001. He also previously served as police chief in Albany and Lakefield.

Now Hiring: Freelancers sought

32 1st Ave. N.W. St. Joseph320-363-7741


The Newsleaders seeks freelance writers and photographers to cover town-specific events/meetings/personalities. Freelancers are paid per story/photo. If interested, please email a resume and a few writing/

photo samples to [email protected].

Got a comment?Post it on our website at www.thenewsleaders.net

St. Joseph V24 I7

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