Section B • Friday, December 30, 2011 • Albert Lea Tribune

By Albert Lea Tribune

If 2010 was unusual in how it had so much in terms of major news sto-ries — tornadoes, floods, scandals — compared to most years, then 2011 in the Albert Lea area was unusual in how it had so much less than a normal year. It was the yin to 2010’s yang.

But that doesn’t mean it didn’t have news. Here are the top 10 stories of 2011 for the Albert Lea area as voted upon by the Albert Lea Tribune’s news staff.

1.Pickup kills 7-year-old girl near Kensett

No one gets into journalism to write news like the sentence that appeared on the Albert Lea Tribune website the morning of May 10 and in the print edition the next day: “A 7-year-old girl was struck and killed by a truck Tuesday morning as she walked across the road to board a Northwood-Kensett school bus.”

Near 7:45 a.m. that day, Kadyn Jade Halver-son began another day by crossing Worth County Road S52 at her babysit-ter’s house to get on a school bus. The smiley, bubbly, blue-eyed blonde girl loved to go to school.

The lights were flash-ing on the bus. The stop arm was extended. But a driver of a red 2002 Chevy Silverado pickup blew through the stop arm, hit the girl sending her 60 feet into a ditch, then continued on. The suspect, apprehended later, was Aaron Gunder-son, a 31-year-old man from Northwood.

Her aunt said: “She was always excited to go and she liked doing her homework, too. She was the happiest, most energetic little girl. She was always excited to see everyone. There were lots of hugs and kisses.”

In July, dozens of people gathered in Northwood at the high school track for a candle-light vigil. People recalled how the girl liked riding on farm equipment or how she put on puppet shows. A reverend said Kadyn never waited to tell people caring or lov-ing words.

In September, Gun-derson was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an injury ac-cident resulting in death. The court documents alleged he was driving at 60 mph at the time and said he tested positive for marijuana use.

The investigation found he had more than 3,000 feet to notice the bus and witnesses said he reportedly stopped for a moment, then fled. He was headed to a place 1 1/2 miles south and west of the scene.

There, he spoke with a friend, investigators said. He told the man he had hit a deer when he passed a school bus and said he “hoped it was not a kid.” He also told the man he had an eye disorder and ought not be driving.

Gunderson pleaded not guilty to the charges. In November, he asked for a change of venue to a court outside of Worth

County. In the week before Christmas, the judge ordered a hearing for Jan. 6 to discuss a possible plea bargain in the case.

Residents dedicated a memorial in September near the Northwood swimming pool.

2.Guard deploys to Kuwait

The Minnesota Na-tional Guard announced on Jan. 23 that it would prepare for its second-largest deployment since World War II. It would send more than 2,400 members to Iraq and

Kuwait. They were to provide base and convoy security as the United States begins its draw-down of troops in Iraq.

But first, it said, they would go to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin in May for training.

And that’s just what happened. Also, the Albert Lea community gathered to prepare to support families. The American Red Cross offered a class on coping with deployments. And the Albert Lea unit of the National Guard — Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division — held a change of com-mand ceremony in April. Capt. Sam Andrews passed command to Capt. Steven Wayne.

On May 31, nearly 600 people attended a deployment ceremony at the Albert Lea Armory. Hugs were visible nearly everywhere. The Patriot Guard arrived to escort the colors. Speakers included state Rep. Rich Murray.

The soldiers departed for Fort McCoy, and in late June, the Albert Lea Tribune sent reporter Kelli Lageson to Fort McCoy to report on their training. They trained on gunnery skills, rifle

marksmanship, Mideast-ern cultural awareness, Arabic language and negotiating, among other tasks.

Before the soldiers left for Kuwait in mid-July there was a family picnic. The civic organization, Serving Our Troops, served soldiers and fam-ily members a free steak dinner. And a new group called the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon of Albert Lea was working to make itself better known. The group focuses on as-sisting family members while soldiers are away. Finally, in August, the last wave of the 2,400 departed.

In October, the Tri-bune told its readers that it would send Lageson to Kuwait. She would fly from Minneapolis to Ku-wait City on Nov. 4 and go to a base away from the city in the desert. There, she would stay for a week and produce stories, photos, videos and blog entries for the Tribune and its sister paper, the Austin Daily Herald.

In that week in No-vember, she gave readers insight into where sol-diers slept, the work they performed, the risks they

Child’s tragic death tops the year in news for area

Jake Rajewsky/The Globe GazetteA 7-year-old Worth County girl was killed May 10 by a hit-and-run driver as she prepared to get on the school bus in rural Kensett.

Submitted photoKadyn Halverson with her mother, Kari Halverson, and with Ryan Meyer of Kensett.

Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea TribuneSoldiers from Delta Company put on their gear after platoon leaders checked over every-one’s equipment in May. The soldiers, many from the Albert Lea area, were heading out to a training at one of the ranges set up at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin.

Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea TribunePfc. Aaron Enderson, of Hayward, sits in his room one night in November at Camp Buehring in Kuwait.

Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea TribuneSpc. Shaun Willaby drives the new MaxxPro Plus MRAP, or Mine Resistant Armor Protected vehicle, in November at Camp Buehring in Kuwait.

4Continued

took when they ventured into Iraq, the medical care they received, the places in which they stayed fit and the mail they received, among other topics. Readers absorbed profiles on some of the soldiers and learned where they were from and the challenges of being a soldier in the Mideast.

One of the soldiers, Sgt. Thomas Estes, came home for two weeks during the holidays and surprised his children in a Northwood, Iowa, classroom. Tammy, his wife, set up the surprise after finding out when her husband would be home on leave.

While the U.S. military has left Iraq — meaning National Guard don’t make trips over the border anymore — the military force remains in Kuwait. Delta Company along with the rest of the Minnesota National Guard units are hoping to return to the States in early May.

3.Ex-commissioner Linda Tuttle sent to prison

On Aug. 30, U.S. Dis-trict Court Judge David S. Doty sentenced former Freeborn County Com-missioner Linda Tuttle-Olson to 3 1/2 years in federal prison for stealing more than $1 million from the escrow accounts in her business, Albert Lea Abstract Co.

And she was ordered to pay full restitution of $1.32 million, though her lawyer and even victims in the case wondered how she would ever pay it.

Tuttle, through tears, apologized to the judge, the victims and her friends and family prior to the order and said she would serve the sentence that was given.

The sentence came after Tuttle, 60, in April pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, a felony, as part of a plea agreement between her lawyer and the U.S. At-

torney’s Office.She admitted to taking

funds from the escrow accounts at her business, Albert Lea Abstract Co., and diverting them to her own purposes, much of which went to pursue a gambling addiction at an

Iowa casino.However, prosecutors

argued that Tuttle’s theft also went to support an extravagant lifestyle, including shopping and trips.

Her lawyer made refer-ence to Tuttle being on

a prescription drug for restless legs syndrome that causes a side effect of compulsive behaviors such as gambling. The federal prosecutor said the case wasn’t about addiction — it was about theft.

She reported to the federal women’s prison in Alderson, W.Va., in

September, the same prison where media mogul Martha Stewart spend time behind bars.

Following Tuttle’s release from prison, she will be on supervised re-lease for three years with the U.S. Probation Office and must adhere to a long list of conditions.

The conditions includ-

ed committing no crimes, having no controlled sub-stances, not possessing firearms or ammunition, cooperating with re-quests for DNA samples and participating in a psychological counseling program.

Tuttle will be prohib-ited from opening new lines of credit without prior approval and from taking on any fiduciary responsibilities without prior approval.

Doty also ordered she not participate in any gambling and not go into casinos. This includes online gambling, chari-table gambling and even the lottery.

The search of her busi-ness and her initial arrest happened in June 2010.

4.Ex-city manager sentenced; new manager hired

All the Albert Lea City Council wanted to do last year was to find a replacement for Victoria Simonsen, who departed in February 2010 for a job in Colorado. After a bargain couldn’t be struck with the leading choice, the council hired Jim Norman of Anoka,

Page 2B • Albert Lea Tribune • Friday, December 30, 2011 2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea TribuneSpc. Douglas Anderson, of Austin and part of Rochester’s Bravo Company, stands with two Minnesota Vikings cheer-leaders in Kuwait for taped announcements that were played at the Nov. 20 home game against the Oakland Raiders.

Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea Tribune Sgt. Brian Tart, standing, and Staff Sgt. David Guldager, work to replace the rear axle of an MRAP, or Mine Resistant Armor Protected vehicle, in November at Camp Buehring in Kuwait.

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea TribuneLinda Tuttle’s lawyer, Kevin O’Connor Green, speaks to reporters Tuesday after his cli-ent’s sentencing.

4Continued

who began full time in May 2010. He didn’t last the summer as allega-tions surfaced that he abused the city-issued credit card to purchase personal items during his relocation to Albert Lea.

Charges were filed in Freeborn County Dis-trict Court in August of last year. The purchases totaled $2,300, and he repaid the amount and said he had a mistaken understanding of what relocation expenses were. Still, he faced two felonies and one gross misdemeanor.

He was to face a trial in January of this year — part of his Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial — but shortly beforehand, the pros-ecutor, Brenda Miller of the Waseca County Attorney’s Office, added five additional felony charges. His lawyer, Peggy Rockow, called it a delay tactic. The judge for that hearing, John A. Chesterman, approved the charges.

Another delay oc-curred when Chesterman retired, and the interim

judge had a conflict of in-terest. The came into the hands of Mower County District Judge Fred Wellmann. In March, he denied a claim that Norman was selectively prosecuted, despite evi-dence pointing to other city employees using city credit cards for personal purchases. A trial was slated for May.

Meanwhile, the City Council, working with Interim City Manager Pat McGarvey, moved forward with hiring a city manager. And it used the same search firm that brought forth Norman. By March there were five finalists, which was cut to four finalists because had to interview elsewhere. By the visitation dates of March 25 and 26, there were six.

One of the finalists was Chad Adams, the city ad-ministrator for the Minne-

apolis suburb of Medina. On April 1, the City Coun-cil approved a contract with Adams. He started June 1. Mayor Vern Ras-mussen announced: “We are all really happy about this day.”

Since then, Adams has pushed to have the council govern more through policies, rather than bringing every little item before the council. He has helped to shep-herd the council’s effort to upgrade the downtown streetscape and sewer and water lines. He pushed for City Hall renovations that will make the building more energy-efficient. He guided the city through a budget with a zero levy in-crease. Department heads have credited Adams with being a good listener.

At Norman’s trial in May, evidence came out that former Finance Director Rhonda Moen,

who was the person fil-ing the initial complaint against Norman, had made personal purchases with her city-issued cred-it card. Rockow asked Wellman to strike her testimony saying she was a “stickler” to make sure all receipts and docu-mentation were turned in for all purchases. Well-man denied her motion.

This aspect, more than any other, has prompted many letters to the editor from citizens wondering why Norman was pros-ecuted but Moen was not. Moen bolted in October 2010 to be the finance director for Owatonna. A firm handles her former duties now for Albert Lea City Hall. City officials simply say they are mov-ing on from the Norman-Moen situation.

After three hours of deliberation at the trial in May, a jury found Nor-

man guilty on seven of eight counts. He said afterward he planned to appeal.

On the last day of June, Wellman sentenced him to 90 days of electronic home monitoring and five years of probation.

Norman will not be allowed to obtain em-ployment or act in a nonemployment capacity that requires him to be a fiduciary for any other person. He was ordered to serve 100 hours of Sentenced to Service or

community work service and must also obtain a mental health evaluation.

Norman filed his ap-peal in October with the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

5.State shutdown has local impacts

At first, Albert Lea seemed to be like the rest

of the state in having to deal with a state shut-down. By the end, how-ever, it appeared to play a critical role. Moreover, the shutdown turned out to be the biggest 2011 story for Minnesota.

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and the Republi-can-led state Legislature faced a $5 billion budget shortfall, and from Janu-ary right up to the last day of June — the last day of the state fiscal year — they could not come to terms. Dayton refused deep cuts. Republicans refused tax hikes.

The state closed on July 1. Campers at Myre-Big Island State Park had to pack up and go home, just like campers state-wide. No fishing licenses were issued. The rest areas closed on the free-ways. Road construction projects stopped. Lottery tickets were not avail-able. Several state offices closed unless they were deemed by a Ramsey County court as neces-sary. Riverland Commu-nity College stayed open. Tax deadlines remained in place.

And Freeborn County had to lay off 11 em-ployees, something that would start another tale.

The shutdown affected The Children’s Center. Without the state govern-ment to distribute funds, federal assistance for child care stopped — at least until a court ruling deemed the funding as an essential state service.

Thus the stage was set for the governor’s visit to Albert Lea. He came after stops in St. Cloud and Rochester.

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW Friday, December 30, 2011 • Albert Lea Tribune • Page 3B

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Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneCity manager finalist Chad Adams speaks with Al “Minnow” Brooks while Ann Adams listens Friday at the National Vitality Center.

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea TribuneFinalists for the position of Albert Lea city manager listen as Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Randy Kehr speaks during a tour of the city. There are six finalists.

Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneJim Dolton of Alden connects his camper to the hitch of his Chevy pickup on the last day of June to be out of Myre-Big Island State Park before the campgrounds shut down that day.

4Continued

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea TribuneFormer Albert Lea City Manager Jim Norman, standing next to his wife, looks down at the Freeborn County Courthouse in May after hearing that a jury found him guilty of misusing the city-issued credit card.

A roundtable discus-sion with Dayton hap-pened on July 13 at the Albert Lea Business Development Center. About 58 people gath-ered to express how they are being impacted by the shutdown and to encourage protection for different programs in the budget.

Albert Lea business leaders urged Dayton and state legislators to get back to negotiations and find a budget compro-mise to end the state government shutdown. Representatives from both the public and pri-vate sector were present, including city and county officials, economic devel-opment officials, educa-tion leaders, chamber representatives, business owners, among others.

The very next morn-ing, in Minneapolis, Dayton offered to accept the GOP’s final budget offer and end the state shutdown. Everyone who had been in that room at the Business Develop-ment Center felt like they had been heard loud and clear.

Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Com-merce Director Randy Kehr said the meeting in Albert Lea was with busi-ness leaders and was de-livered in a “factual, civil manner,” contrasting with some public outcry the governor experienced at town hall forums in the other two cities.

It took a few more days to call a special session and get the state going again. The state finally reopened on the 20th day.

When the shutdown ended, 10 of the 11 county employees were re-hired. Rose Olmsted, the supervisor of the Crime Victims Crisis Center, was not.

In November, Olm-sted filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commis-sion and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights alleging that the 60-year-old was termi-nated from her job as a result of retaliation or age and gender bias.

Minnesota budget of-ficials said in November that the 20-day govern-ment shutdown in July cost the state nearly $60 million but saved it about $65 million in salaries that weren’t paid to state employees.

The Minnesota Man-agement and Budget department said the state lost almost $50 million in revenue and spent about $7 million prepar-ing for the shutdown and $3 million in recovery costs. But that was more than offset by savings in payroll costs for about 22,000 state employ-ees laid off during the shutdown.

6.Albert Lea man allegedly murdered in St. Paul

If Albert Leans didn’t know about the local im-migrant Karen popula-tion, they knew about it after the murder of Albert Lea resident Po Lye, who was killed in St Paul on Nov. 19.

Charges filed by the Ramsey County Attor-ney’s Office allege Pah Ber, 48, stabbed Lye, 40, after accusing him of cheating with his wife.

After stabbing Lye, Ber allegedly turned on his wife, Paw Pree, also 40.

The incident happened sometime after 6 a.m. at an apartment building near the intersec-tion of Farrington Street and West Arlington Avenue. Ber reportedly came home from drinking and play-ing cards and then saw Lye sleeping on the living room couch, court docu-ments state.

Ber’s 21-year-old son told police Lye was his friend and he had asked to stay overnight.

However, Ber, who had been teased by Burmese refugees that his wife was cheating on him with other men, told police he believed Lye was the man who had been sleeping with his wife. He report-edly asked Lye if he was going to take his wife, but Lye denied wanting to do so, stating he just wanted to get some rest and would then leave.

Ber became mad and began stabbing him with an 8-inch knife, accord-ing to court documents.

The son reportedly tried to stop Ber from stabbing Lye, but Ber threatened to kill the son. The son ran to his sister’s bedroom and told her to call 911. They later fled to a neighbor’s apartment.

Lye suffered “a very deep and wide lacera-tion” to his neck, along with stab wounds to his stomach and chest, ac-cording to court docu-ments, and died at the scene.

Ber reportedly broke down a bedroom door and started stabbing Pree, including several times in the eyes, blind-ing her. One of her young sons grabbed her hand

and led her out of the apartment. Police arrived near 7 a.m.

The grisly incident cast a somber mood over the Karen population in Min-

nesota, with one of leaders of the Karen Organiza-tion of Minnesota calling it the first major Karen crime in the state.

Lye worked for Albert Lea Select Foods, like many Karen immigrants

do. He didn’t have any local family or family in Minnesota. St. Paul police were left asking the public if anyone knew his kin.

On Dec. 16, Ber pleaded not guilty to the charges second-degree murder and second-de-gree attempted murder. Ber is being held in Ram-sey County jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

7.Red Power Roundup comes to Albert Lea

About 30,000 people descended on Albert Lea in June to participate in the Red Power Roundup, an annual gathering of fans of International Harvester products ranging from tractors to lawn mowers to kitchen appliances. People came all over the Midwest, of course, but also the states of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachu-setts, Texas, California and Washington, among others. There were also attendants from New Zealand, Denmark and Canada.

Organizer Bruce

Jensen, who this year has served as president of the Minnesota chapter of the International Harvester Collectors Club, said between 1,200 and 1,300 units were exhibited, including about 700 trac-

tors and 250 Cub Cadets. The three-day event

was at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds from June 23 through 25, but people started arriving in town a few days prior.

Restaurants were busy. Hotels and campgrounds were full. Signs could be seen at multiple busi-nesses around town that welcomed the visitors to the community. Some businesses even offered special discounts for Red Power Roundup partici-pants. Some people had to stay overnight in the neighboring cities of Ma-son City, Iowa, Faribault, Owatonna and Austin.

Reinertson’s Embroi-dery, which goes to farm shows to sell products regularly, reported its best show ever. Dairy Barn at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds also reportedly had its best day ever. Visitors also flocked to the Freeborn County Historical Mu-seum to exhibits about TV star Marion Ross and

musician Eddie Cochran.A stagecoach led a long

parade of IH equipment through the fairgrounds on June 24. Each piece of equipment drove through one at a time, as an an-nouncer took a minute to describe each.

In December, Jensen was voted to the board of directors for the National International Harvester Collector Club. His term begins next month. The International Harvester Collectors Club has 41 chapters in the United States, two in Canada and one in Sweden.

Jensen represented the Minnesota chapter at the Red Power Roundup in Missouri in 2008, where he beat out Iowa to get the show and bring it to Albert Lea.

8.Layoffs of teachers in Albert Lea Area Schools

The Albert Lea school board cut or reduced 17 teacher positions on the night of April 19, vis-ibly upsetting a crowd of more than 70 people who came to ask the board to spend more time on the decision.

On a 4-1 vote, the board reduced the teacher workforce as part of a district realignment of grades and transfer of teachers. Board member Jill Marin voted against the measure and said she supports the realign-ment, but not cutting music teaching positions. She also spoke to high school students who were present to say she ap-preciated them and that they’re strong leaders.

Board members Bill Leland, Linda Laurie, Mark Ciota and Jeshua

Page 4B • Albert Lea Tribune • Friday, December 30, 2011 2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

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Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneThe rest area on Interstate 90 near Hayward was closed June 30 in anticipation of a state government shutdown.

Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea TribuneFred and Rita Vergin, of Loretto, pose for a photo by their 1950 Farmall C, a white dem-onstrator tractor. The tractor, along with two others owned by the Vergins are on display as part of the Red Power Roundup.

Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea TribuneInternational Harvester tractors lined Bridge Avenue at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds in June in anticipation of he National Red Power Roundup.

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea TribuneA series of Cub Cadets were presented during the Red Power Roundup parade Friday.

Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneMinnesota Gov. Mark Dayton listens in July during the shutdown to the chairman of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Cham-ber of Commerce’s board of directors, Doug Olson, the business development manager at Lou-Rich. To the right are Albert Lea Economic Development Agency Executive Director Dan Dorman, House District 27B Rep. Jeanne Poppe and Jerry Ehn of Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea.

Pah Ber

4Continued

Erickson voted to ap-prove the budget reduc-tion and resolutions to cut or reduce teaching positions. Board mem-ber Sally Ehrhardt was not present. After voting on the measure, several Albert Lea High School students were visibly up-set — some were crying upon hearing the vote.

Of the teachers be-ing cut, the one that put a face to the issue was Albert Lea High School band teacher Peter Gepson. Opponents of the cuts said the music department had taken the brunt of staff cuts in recent years. And they pointed out how Gepson came to Albert Lea after being recruited away from Triton High School in Dodge Center.

Students made T-shirts and posters to garner support in their quest to keep Gepson at the high school. Tribune columnist David Behling pointed out: “While Al-bert Lea High School gets an extra administrator to share the load, the music faculty at ALHS are being asked to accept a whole extra grade with the same resources.”

Superintendent Mike Funk spoke to the crowd to remind them of why the administration brought the resolution to the board. He said it was because of budget short-falls and that he has full respect for all teachers in the district, including the next band director. He praised the crowd for its passion. To some, Funk seemed to talk down to the people in attendance, though to others he seemed to be making an attempt at praising their efforts.

Some opponents of the cuts took their vitriol too far. Someone sent a nasty message to Lakev-iew Elementary School music teacher Suzanne Mauer, who was slated to replace Gepson at the high school.

Two school board members, Marin and Ehrhardt, in May called for a resolution to save Peter Gepson’s job, but they were overruled by other board members. Ehrhardt stepped down from the board in July, citing personal reasons.

Gepson directed his final show in May. And in June, shortly before his job ended, the drumline, under his direction, was awarded Best in Show at the Straight River Days Parade in Medford, the only award that parade hands out.

9.Fire rescue on Vine Street

Fifteen-year-old Alex Clapper looked out his window around 1:30 a.m. the morning of April 13 to see why it seemed like daytime. He realized the brightness was a fire. He woke up his parents, Kevin and Tina. Older sister Amber awoke, too.

The neighbor’s house, 322 Vine Ave., was on fire. Sleeping inside were Kris Schewe and Beth Sackson.

Alex tried to break their door in. Tina threw rocks at the windows. Kevin went to his garage and came back with a ladder. The Clappers knew which room was their bedroom, so they placed the ladder at the window on the right, front of the house.

Inside, Beth awoke and woke Kris up. She opened the door, saw flames, and closed it. Then she opened the window where the Clappers were attempting rescue. It only opened halfway

Amber was on that lad-der and ended up breath-ing the black smoke. When she climbed down, she almost vomited.

Kevin moved the lad-der to the side of the house. That window opened, and Kris assisted Beth out of the window. Because she was wearing only her undergarments, Kris then threw a blanket out the window, then lo-cated his cell phone and cigarettes in the dark, before he came down.

Firefighters arrived and began fighting the fire. Neighborhood residents began to gather

and police kept them back. The Clappers found clothes for Beth, and Kris wore a blanket until a friend brought him clothes.

They went to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and for scrapes and cuts. They spent the following two nights at the Best Western before entering the residence once again, where the only room not charred black was theirs. Amazingly, Kris’ iPad was unharmed, too.

However, a dog and cat died in the fire. A second cat survived.

The cause, according to investigators, could have had multiple possibili-ties. First, a laundry bas-ket by the stove caught on fire and was set on the deck, where could have continued. The second could have been stains and rags on the deck that might have spontane-ously combusted. Third, cigarette butts could have contributed.

The house was torn down and remains a vacant lot.

10.Boy’s letter gets national attention

It all started with a let-ter to the editor about his BMX bike being stolen, a poignant letter ask-ing people to return not merely his bike but any stolen bike. He ended it with, “I love my God, I love my family, I love my bike.”

Through an aggregator, the letter made its way to Piper Weiss, a blog writer for Shine, a Yahoo web-site geared for women.

She interviewed Culley and his mom, Vicki, and

interviewed Tribune Edi-tor Tim Engstrom. She posted two blog entries that sparked national interest. Before long, Culley was mentioned on websites across the Internet, on local TV stations and appeared on “Good Morning America.”

Letters to the editor, phone calls and email messages came to the Tribune and to the Lar-sons from across America

from people wanting to buy the kid a new bike.

One, for instance, was from a man in Coronado, Calif.: “My son has far outgrown his BMX bike, and I would be happy to ship it to Minnesota. Please let me know who to contact to make this happen.”

Instead, the Larsons wanted to buy 10 bikes for 10 kids. They also met with Donald Trump, who flew them to New

York to appear on “Fox & Friends.” Trump wouldn’t take no for an answer and bought the 10-year-old a new bike, a Haro Top Am BMX

The Larsons with help from many friends held an event at the Albert Lea Skate Park on Sept. 18 called 10 Bikes for 10 Kids. They had raised enough money and re-ceived donations to give away bikes to kids who had their bikes taken from them.

In the end, nine bikes were given away to chil-

dren who had their bikes stolen, and a raffle de-termined the recipient of the 10th bike, which had been intended for a kid who had his bike stolen but the bike was found.

Vicki and Culley Lar-son and Nicole Mayer led the event. Vicki worked with the Albert Lea Police Department to find children who had bikes stolen between June and August. Many of the kids who came didn’t know beforehand that they would be getting a new bike.

Runners-upHonorable mention (in

no particular order): • Census figures

released.• One year after deadly

tornadoes.• Arson at Lakeview

Elementary School classroom.

• Sentencing updates for elder abusers.

• Progress on bike lanes and bike trails.

• Beach Boys perform at Freeborn County Fair.

• Layoffs in Lake Mills.• United South Central

school board proposes new school.

• Flooded streets in March from heavy rain and melting snow.

• Flooded streets in July after a downpour.

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW Friday, December 30, 2011 • Albert Lea Tribune • Page 5B

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Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneAlbert Lea school board members in March hear from Albert Lea High School senior Ray Stephenson on why students hope to keep band director Peter Gepson.

Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneKris Schewe and Beth Sackson stand in front of the charred home they resided in until April. The upper right window is where the first attempt to rescue them by ladder failed because the window did not open wide enough.

Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneOn a rainy Sunday in September at the Skate Park, Vicki and Culley Larson present a bike to the surprise of one girl whose bike had been stolen.

Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneThe Clapper clan poses for a snapshot in April in their home on Vine Street. They were honored by the city for their heroism.

By Albert Lea Tribune

For the second con-secutive year, the southern Minnesota and northern Iowa area produced a state track championship.

This year, Albert Lea sophomore Chrissy Mon-son won the state title in the Class AA 1,600-meter run at Hamline Univer-sity in St. Paul.

The Albert Lea wrestling team got the best of its Big Nine Conference rival twice en route to conference and section champion-ships, and Lake Mills’ volleyball team equaled 2010’s success with a state tournament berth and 45 wins to start the season.

Away from prep sports, Albert Lea was without its amateur baseball team, the Colonels, for the first time in two de-cades, but the city gained a new hockey team. The Waldorf College Warriors began playing its inau-gural season at newly-renamed Roy Nystrom Arena in October.

The Albert Lea Post 56 Legion baseball team hosted its district tour-nament in the summer and took advantage by earning a state tourna-ment berth. United South Central’s girls’ track and field, golf and cross country teams also advanced to state tournaments. In wres-tling, USC had one of its seniors finished second in the state.

In the pool, Albert Lea’s girls’ swimming and diving team posted one of its best seasons in years and had indi-viduals vying for state titles.

Here are the top sports stories of 2011:

1.Albert Lea’s Chrissy Monson wins state title in 1,600-meter run

Chrissy Monson’s sterling running career reached its pinnacle on June 11 when she won the state cham-pionship in the Class AA 1,600-meter run at Hamline University in St. Paul.

Albert Lea’s sopho-more took the lead over runner-up Jamie Piepen-berg, of Alexandria, with 200 meters left but lost it on the final turn. With about 50 meters to go, Monson regained the lead and won by .22 seconds.

“I wanted this so bad,” Monson said follow-ing the race. “Today my coaches had a long talk with me and told me to

bear down, stick with the plan and you’ll get it. It just feels so amazing right now.”

At the time, Monson was already a three-time Big Nine Conference champion in cross coun-

try and the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. She had competed in state a total of nine times of those three events.

The top four place-winners in the 1,600 crossed the finish line within one second of each other. Monson finished in 4:59.29, which broke her previ-ous school record, and Piepenberg, who won the 3,200 the day be-fore, finished in 4:59.51. Roseville Area’s Rebecca

Dyson (4:59.88) and St. Louis Park’s Mara Olson (5:00.07) rounded off the top four.

The day before her state-championship run, Monson finished third in the 3,200. She beat her season-best time by 20 seconds and finished in 10:51.03.

2.Albert Lea wrestlers win Big Nine and Section 1AAA

After being shutdown by Owatonna in 2010, the Albert Lea wrestling team swept its Big Nine Conference rival this year and won Big Nine Con-ference and Section 1AAA championships.

The Tigers were ranked sixth and considered underdogs going into the regular season match against No. 3 Owatonna on Jan. 13, but won nine of 14 individual matches and built a 17-3 lead before winning convinc-ingly, 35-15. The win all but sealed the Big Nine title and snapped a two-match losing streak to the Huskies after win-ning eight straight from 2006-09.

Tigers coach Larry Goodnature said after the dual: “Our kids came to wrestle tonight. We weren’t going to be de-nied. They couldn’t have wrestled any better and we weren’t satisfied with anything but a win.”

Albert Lea and Owa-tonna wrestled next on Feb. 19 at the Rochester Civic Center with even more on the line: a sec-tion championship and state tournament berth.

The Tigers got bonus points in three matches, including pins by sopho-more Dakota Wangsness and junior Dalton West-erlund, and gave up only decisions, as Albert Lea beat Owatonna 28-21.

The Tigers most dramatic performance wasn’t a win but a loss. Less than one month after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament his right knee, senior Carter Kortan grimaced through a 7-2 loss to Ben Zeman.

Because Carter held Zeman to just a three-point decision, he kept the Huskies at bay, which allowed his brother, Connor, to seal the vic-tory with a 6-4 double overtime win over Coyte Kuefner in the following match.

“When Carter did his job I was hoping Connor would do his,” the broth-ers’ dad, Jack, said follow-ing the dual. “Words can’t describe how proud of them I am. They battled.”

The Tigers went on to place fourth in the Class AAA state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and had three of nine wrestlers place indi-vidually — 112-pounder Lucas Hansen (third), 145-pounder Westerlund (fourth) and 103-pound-er Wangsness (sixth).

3.Lake Mills volleyball begins season 45-0, advances to state

The Lake Mills Bull-dogs were volleyball’s Cinderella story in 2010.

After slowly climb-ing Iowa’s Class 2A rankings, the Bulldogs peaked at No. 6 heading into the program’s first state tournament berth in six years. Unknown and considered untested by many, Lake Mills swept its way to the state finals before losing to Western Christian in the championship.

Despite losing four starters off the state runner-up team, the Bulldogs entered 2011 ranked No. 2 and didn’t disappoint. Lake Mills won 64 consecutive sets to start the season and ran its record to 45-0 before falling to even-tual state champion Dike-New Hartford in the Class 2A semifinals. The Bulldogs also won its ninth straight North Iowa Conference title.

“It was just an amaz-ing run to go 45 straight matches without a loss and to set the record we had,” said Bulldogs coach Jim Boehmer after being named the Tribune’s All-Area Coach of the Year. “As a coach I get to

Page 6B • Albert Lea Tribune • Friday, December 30, 2011 2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

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Eric Johnson/Albert Lea TribuneAlbert Lea’s Chrissy Monson hugs friend Kalesha Taylor from Rochester Mayo after winning the Class AA girls’ 1600-meter run championship in June at the Minnesota State Track and Field Meet at Hamline University in St. Paul.

Class AA girls’ 1600-meter run champion Chrissy Monson stands on June 11 with runner-up Jamie Piepenberg of Alexandria, left, and third place finisher Rebecca Dyson, of Roseville, right, at the Class AA State Track and Field Meet at Hamline University in St. Paul.

Albert Lea senior Carter Kortan, left, wrestles against Owatonna’s Ben Zeman in January at Albert Lea High School. Albert Lea defeated Owatonna 35-15.

Andrew Dyrdal/Albert Lea TribuneLake Mills volleyball’s Carlie Christianson, right, is all smiles as she walks off the court with Kelci Larson.

4Continued

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW Friday, December 30, 2011 • Albert Lea Tribune • Page 7B

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work with a great bunch of kids, but my job is to bring them together on the floor, and that is always the best part each year.”

The team’s setter, Morgan Fjelstad, was named the NIC Player of the Year, and was named All-State, along with Tri-bune Player of the Year, Josie Brackey. Fjelstad and Brackey were part of a senior class that went 90-3 over the past two seasons.

Lake Mills beat eight-ranked Sumner-Fredricksburg 3-1 in the Region 6 finals on Nov. 1 in Charles City, Iowa, to clinch its second consec-utive state tournament berth.

The No.2-seeded Bull-dogs opened the Class 2A Tournament with a sweep of St. Albert, Council Bluffs, before falling to third-ranked Dike-New Hartford in the finals.

Following the season-ending loss, Boehmer said of the team’s seniors: “They set high standards for themselves and I can’t argue with that. I told the girls in the locker room they are he-roes to a lot of people. All they do is walk out here and there will be little girls looking up to them. I said that’s the most im-portant thing what type of people you’re going to be. That’s what we pride ourselves on.”

4.Lindsey Horejsi rewrites Tigers’ swimming record book

Albert Lea’s Lindsey Horejsi wrapped up one of the greatest single seasons in girls’ swim-ming history on Nov. 19 when she placed sec-ond in the state in the 100-yard breastroke at the University of Min-nesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

Only an eighth-grader, Horejsi led the event’s defending champion, Kathryn Ostrum, of St. Louis Park, by 1/10 second over the race’s first 50 yards. Ostrum passed Horejsi on the final 50 and the junior won the state title by .41 seconds.

“She did everything she could,” Tigers head coach Jon Schmitz said follow-ing the race. “It was the best she had today which is all we can ask for. It was a great race.”

Horejsi finished the race in 1 minute and 5.06 seconds. The time broke her personal best and the school record, earned her All-State honors and All-American consideration.

Horejsi was also the anchor of a relay team that placed at state. The 200-yard freestyle relay of seniors Galen Schulz and Morgan Field and eighth-graders Anna Andersen and Horejsi placed eighth in 1:40.40.

Horejsi made noise on Sept. 8 when she broke the 30-year-old school record in the 200-yard individual medley relay previous held by Tracy Bergo. Horejsi then went on to break the school

record in the 100 breas-troke, previously set in 2009.

Horejsi then surprised herself with a few extra birthday presents on Sept. 15, when a day after turning 14 she set three more records.

Horejsi set new school records in the 200 indi-vidual medley and 200 freestyle relay, and the pool records in the 50-yard freestyle and 200 breastroke.

5.Glenville-Emmons boys’ basketball goes on historic run

Glenville-Emmons boys’ basketball was one of the most electric teams in the area last season as they

averaged more than 65 points per game and won the program’s first South-east Conference title.

The Wolverines, which also owned a top-six scoring defense in Class A, began the 2010-11 sea-son 14-0 and packed its gym with fans as it went on to finish 23-5 and 16-2 in the SEC. Glenville-Emmons earned the No. 2 seed in Section 1A West and beat Medford and Bethlehem Academy en

route to the subsection finals, but lost to top-seeded Goodhue 55-46.

The Wolverines ac-complished most of this without its starting point guard and reigning Team MVP, Peter Hansen. The senior broke his ankle four games into the season and didn’t return until late in the team’s schedule.

Without its go-to player, another Wolver-ine rose to the occasion.

Glenville-Emmons’ senior forward, Andrew Lau, was named the Tribune’s All-Area Player of the Year after averag-ing 21.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. He also scored a career-high 43 points on Jan. 14 against Immaunuel Lutheran.

Senior Tyler Woodside also contributed to the historic season. The for-ward averaged 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, and led the SEC with 55 blocks.

The Wolverines’ swept the postseason honors when its coach, Dan Fredrickson, was named All-Area Coach of the Year.

Glenville-Emmons’ quest for a perfect conference season was disrupted when the Wolverines were stunned by Hope Lutheran 40-37 on Jan. 28. The team had won its previous 14 games to start the season and beat Hope Lutheran by 44 points in their first meeting.

“It was a shocking loss,” Fredrickson said following the game.

The Wolverines went 7-3 over its final 10 games, including losses to Lake Mills, Lanesboro and Norwood-Young America. The team’s 16-2 conference record was just enough to outlast Spring Grove, who fin-ished 15-3, and Houston and Lanesboro, who each finished 14-4 in the top-heavy SEC.

6.Colonels don’t take field for first time in decades

Albert Lea’s only ama-teur baseball team, the Colonels, didn’t take the field this summer for the first time since 1990 due to lack of interest.

It was announced in the spring by the team’s coach, Bill Trygstad, that the team needed 13 or 14 players to field a team and that he “didn’t have a commitment from very many.” Trygstad then called the opposing team’s coaches to notify them the Colonels’ sea-son was canceled.

Trygstad declined to comment on how many players had signed up.

The Colonels began playing baseball in Albert Lea in 1990. That year marked the first time amateur baseball was played in Albert Lea since the town’s previous team folded in 1985. That team began playing in 1982 and its core play-ers made up the bulk of the Colonels’ roster in its inaugural season.

Trygstad said in July that the previous season’s Colonels team may have been too young.

“We had a very young team in 2010 compared to some of the other years. We relied a lot on the Legion players,” said Trygstad.

Trygstad said he needed a mix of veterans who were willing to run the team and young play-ers with speed and strong arms. But most

Andrew Dyrdal/Albert Lea TribuneLake Mills’ volleyball coach Jim Boehmer slaps hands with his players in November as the Bulldogs cruised in the Class 2A Region 6 Tournament en route to a second consecutive state tournament berth.

Glenville-Emmons’ Andrew Lau elevates for a shot last season against Grand Meadow in Glenville.

Shane Kitzman/Northfield NewsAlbert Lea eighth-grader Lindsey Horejsi receives her silver medal at following the 200-yard breastroke finals.

Albert Lea’s Lindsey Horejsi, front, swims in November in the 200-yard breastroke finals at the Class A state meet.

4Continued

Glenville-Emmons’ Landon Hall looks to pass the ball against Grand Meadow last season in Glenville.

importantly they needed players who were com-mitted.

“You’ve got to have guys who want to play year after year after year,” Trygstad said. “We haven’t had that lately.”

Trygstad said the Colo-nels, who play at Hayek Field, will try to complete a full roster in 2012.

7.Albert Lea’s Post 56 baseball team earns trip to state tourney

The Albert Lea Post 56 Legion baseball team hosted the District 1 Tournament in July for the first time in 20 years.

The Tigers made the most of its home-field advantage.

Top-seeded Albert Lea defeated Winona in the opening round and the Rochester Red Hawks in the semifinals and finals en route to its first Minnesota Legion State Tournament appearance in more than 30 years.

The Tigers’ district-championship run was led by sophomore Ethan Abben. The team’s shortstop and leadoff batter had a .370 batting

average with five doubles and eight RBIs over the tournament’s five games. He was also 4-for-5 with three doubles and six RBIs in the title game.

While Abben was the Tigers’ top player throughout the tour-nament, sophomore Makael Lunning had the most dramatic performance.

With two runners on base and two outs in the eighth inning, and Albert Lea clinging to an 8-7 lead against Winona in the quarterfinals, Lun-

ning blasted a three-run homer over the right-field fence. Lunning was mobbed at home plate after sealing the Tigers’ 13-7 win and breaking out of an 0-for-7 slump.

In the tournament’s championship game, the Tigers trailed the Red Hawks 3-2 entering the seventh but scored 14 runs over the final three innings to rout Rochester 16-5.

Tyler Woodside earned the win for the Tigers after pitching seven in-nings and allowing one

earned run on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

Aaron Klatt opened the state tournament, held at Round Lake Stadium Field in Eden Prairie, with complete game for Albert Lea in a 5-2 win over Lakeville North.

Klatt allowed four hits, struck out six batters and walked five, and Abben went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs.

The Tigers lost 13-1 to eventual state champion Eden Praire in the second round and were elimi-nated by Hopkins 3-2 in the loser’s bracket the following day.

Trailing 3-2 in the top of the ninth inning with one out, Cody Haaland, J.T. Bellrichard and Woodside each singled to load the bases.

With the tying run at third and go-ahead run at second, Lunning struck out and Dylan See-Rock-ers grounded out to third base to end the Tigers’ season.

Albert Lea’s coach, Jack Kortan, said follow-ing the game: “We had some good at-bats there at the end — it’s just a tough way to lose. We had our chances.”

8.Rebels track and field has impressive spring

United South Central/Alden-Conger’s boys’ and girls’ track and field teams had its fair share of accomplishments this spring.

The list goes on and on.For starters, the

Rebels won boys’ and girls’ Gopher Conference championships. The boys won by a margin of 105 points, won first place in 10 events and placed in all 18. The girls edged New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva by nine points and placed first in five events.

The girls team “piled up a bunch of points,” according to head coach Kent Viesselman, by fin-ishing second and third in the high hurdles and second, third and fifth in the 300-meter hurdles.

In addition to its con-ference titles, the boys’ and girls’ teams both qualified for the Class A True Team State Tourna-

ment, which is organized by the Minnesota State Track and Field Coaches Association.

The boys’ team won the state title 4 1/2 points ahead of runner-up Mor-ris Area and 5 1/2 points ahead of third-place Win-ona Cotter. Finishing in first place for the Rebels was the 4x200-meter relay team of Thane O’Rourke, Chris Melby, Jannik Rosemeyer, and Teddy Wiebold. Wiebold (200-meter dash), Riley Niebuhr (high jump), and Tony Willette (shot put and discus) all recorded second-place finishes.

The Rebels’ girls team placed sixth at the True Team meet. Hannah Goemann had the top individual finish for the girls with a second-place finish in the 800-me-ter run. Amanda Allis chipped in a third-place finish in the shot put. Kendall Ward added a fourth-place finish in the high hurdles. Goemann added a fourth-place fin-ish in the high jump and another in the 1,600-me-ter run.

The Rebels capped its season by sending two individuals to the Min-nesota State High School

Page 8B • Albert Lea Tribune • Friday, December 30, 2011 2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

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Andrew Dyrdal/Albert Lea TribuneMembers of Albert Lea’s Post 56 Legion baseball team congratulate Makael Lunning after the sophomore hit a home run against Winona in the District 1 Tournament at Hayek Field. The Tigers went on to earn a state tourney berth.

Albert Lea’s Cole Sorenson looks to tag a baserunner last season for the Post 56 Legion team.

Eric Johnson/Albert Lea TribuneUnited South Central’s Hannah Goemann, center, runs in July in the 800-meter finals at the Class A girls’ track and field state tournament at Hamline University in St. Paul.

4Continued

League-sponsored Class A track and field meet at Hamline University in St. Paul.

Goemann finished the 800-meter run in 2 min-utes and 19.86 seconds, and Willette threw the discus 147 feet, one inch.

Goemann finished fourth in 800-meter run preliminaries in 2:19.37. Her final’s time was less than one-half second slower.

Willette’s final throw bested his preliminary throw by 3 feet, 4 inches, and he beat the eighth-place finishers by 2 1/2 feet.

9.USC wrestler Dylla finishes runner-up at state

United South Central senior Dustin Dylla was a long shot in March at the wrestling Class A State Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

But he proved, accord-ing to his coach Marcus Eytcheson, with the right attitude anything can happen.

The sixth-ranked, 140-pound Dylla won three matches en route to a finals matchup against Pierz’s Clint Postner, the undefeated and No. 1-ranked wres-tler in the state. Dylla kept it close during the first two periods and trailed 3-2 entering the third. Poster scored a three-point near fall, takedown and penalty point in the final two

minutes to win 9-3. “He’s not a naturally

gifted wrestler but he’s always working hard,” Eytcheson said, of Dylla, following the match. “If you’re willing to listen and learn you can get to a state final. He proved it.”

Dylla, who currently

wrestles for South Dakota State University in Brookings, said his goal was to get the state finals and he had no regrets.

10.Albert Lea diver places 3rd at state meet

Albert Lea’s Karli Kriewall was the highest returning place winner at the Class AA state diving

meet this November after finishing fifth last season behind four seniors.

The Tigers’ junior got off to a slow start at the state meet this season and sat in 10th place fol-lowing the preliminary round. Kriewall bounced back on Day 2 and scored 102.95 over three dives

and surged to a third-place finish with 329.95 points.

“I wanted top two but with the bad dives I had on Friday I’m fine with third,” said Kriewall, fol-lowing the state meet. “I was kind of freaking out on Friday, and after I was in 10th I really wanted podium. After seeing I got podium I really wanted to beat what I got last year.”

Kriewall’s resurgence earned her All-State honors and All-American consideration, and the Tigers’ diving coach, Jill

Johnson, knew there was room for improvement in the finals.

“She just did her job,” Johnson said. “She performed her last three dives exactly the way she knew how and she did great. It was very fun.”

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW Friday, December 30, 2011 • Albert Lea Tribune • Page 9B

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Eric Johnson/Albert Lea TribuneUnited South Central’s Tony Willette throws the discus in July during the Class A State Tournament.

Jon Theuer/Albert Lea TribuneUnited South Central senior Dustin Dylla hollers after advancing in March to the Class A state wrestling finals at 140 pounds. Dylla lost to Clint Postner, of Pierz, 9-3 in the finals.

Photo by PhotobroderAlbert Lea junior Karli Kriewall dives in November during the finals of the 1-meter dive in the Class A State Tournament at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Runners-upHonorable mention (in

no particular order): Albert Lea boys’ •

hockey team wins Big Nine Conference title

Waldorf College •men’s hockey begins its inagural season at Roy Nystrom Arena

New Richland-Hart-•land-Ellendale-Geneva and United South Central girls’ basketball teams

share Gopher Conference title

NRHEG wrestling •wins Gopher Conference title

United South Cen-•tral girls’ cross country advances to state, Emily Mantor places 15th

United South Central •girls’ golf finishes sixth at state tournament, Ali Wood finishes tied for 13th overall

Albert Lea City Are-•

na’s Blue Rink renamed Roy Nystrom Arena

Former professional •wrestler Perry Saturn lived in Albert Lea while trying to make comeback

Alyssa Sager breaks •multiple school records for Albert Lea girls’ basketball

New Richland-Hart-•land-Ellendale-Geneva 135-pounder Dustin Es-plan places third at the Class A state tournament

4Continued

Page 10B • Albert Lea Tribune • Friday, December 30, 2011 2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

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Here are the 25 most-clicked-on stories at AlbertLeaTribune.com for 2011:

Story Date posted Page views1. Authorities looking into death of woman Feb. 8 7,235 2. Pillsbury Avenue standoff is over Aug. 7 6,708 3. Perry Saturn is down, but not out Nov. 13 6,479 4. Northwood child hit by truck, killed May 10 6,256 5. Glenville teenager killed in rollover July 12 6,198 6. Hy-Vee introduces a Blue Zones lane March 14 6,1647. Teens injured on I-35 Jan. 17 6,044 8. Tornado rips Phil Campbell, Ala. April 28 6,044 9. Sister: Qualley was ‘quiet, shy’ Feb. 10 5,585 10. Couple survives nighttime house fire April 13 5,391 11. Thorn to practice at Mason City clinic July 7 5,121 12. Ex-mall manager faces charges Aug. 9 4,99513. SUV falls through the ice Jan. 10 4,54314. Teenager killed after being ejected from car June 8 4,514 15. 6 arrested for multiple felonies June 22 4,480 16. Fire destroys Ellendale house Dec. 7 4,359 17. Tuttle sentenced to 42 months prison Aug. 30 4,210 18. Authorities find 2 people dead Jan. 11 4,107 19. Time to change perceptions on infertility April 23 4,056 20. Girl killed getting on school bus May 11 4,044 21. Couple dies 6 hours apart Nov. 14 3,998 22. Norman guilty of 7 out of 8 counts May 13 3,993 23. Maid-Rite in A.L. Dec. 19 3,970 24. Report says alcohol factor in rollover March 6 3,92425. Woman injured when car hits cow Feb. 17 3,838

Top 25 Web STorieS

Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea TribuneA large fan dries the hallway outside Lakeview Elementary School’s Room 119, where a fire in January made the sprinklers go off, causing water damage. School was canceled for students on a Friday.

Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneAn Allen’s Tow-N-Travel driver operates a winch that pulls Todd Drosland’s Cadillac in late July, when heavy rains causing flooding in Albert Lea. The car had been stuck in the flood on East Main Street near Morin Park.

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea TribuneWater is seen rising in the channel between Fountain and Albert Lea lakes on a Sunday afternoon in March after heavy rains.

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea TribuneThe Front Street bike lanes are identified by these signs along the path. The lanes were among several steps of progress made for local bike infrastructure in 2011.

Kelli Lageson/Albert Lea TribunePart of the effort to bring more bike infrastructure also meant more biker education. In May, bike proponents held a bike rodeo at Southwest Middle School. Different stations taught children about bike safety, fitting bike helmets, how to inspect a bike, hand signals and other lessons.

Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea TribuneMunchkins hide at United South Central High School when the Wicked Witch of the West appears on stage in November. In August and September, the USC school board debated whether to add to and renovate the school or build a new one. After initially favoring a remodel and addition, it ultimately favored pressing forward with seek-ing a new school in Wells.

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea TribuneManchester resident Steve Hoelscher in June stands in front of his new home at 23683 700th Ave. that was built after a tornado badly damaged his former home, machine shed and other structures on an adjoining family property on June 17, 2010.

On this page are images from the runner-up stories mentioned on Page 5B.

The Beach Boys perform in August at the Free-

born County Fair. They performed classics like “Kokomo,” “Wouldn’t

It Be Nice” and “Surfin’ U.S.A.”

Kelli Lageson/ Albert Lea Tribune