RELAY FOR LIFE RECAP
A fast-moving thunderstorm ruined several of the luminary bags at the Litchfield High School Track Friday afternoon during the Meeker County Relay for Life. But the sun returned and most of the bags dried and were set up again in time for the lighting ceremony Friday evening.

Carol Loch spoke during Friday night’s event and told about her son, Mike Berger’s, battle with cancer back in 2003 at the age of 11. She says they discovered a tumor in his back which was removed, but as a survivor, you live with the reality each day that the cancer could return.

Loch says as a caregiver, she is also a survivor of cancer. She spoke about her father’s battle with cancer, and also about a student who died of cancer while she was a school nurse in Hutchinson.

Dr. Richard Searl spoke about the advancements that have been made in recent years against cancer. He says it’s no longer a death sentence as it was years ago

ATWATER FESTIVAL DAYS
Tammy Moll found the medallion in Atwater on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. during Atwater Festival Days. Pat Walsh received the Atwater Good Neighbor award.

MARCHING BAND IN MILACA
The Litchfield Marching Dragons and the Waconia Band both finished the night with an 85.2 score. Despite the highest score of the season for the Dragons, it wasn't good enough to claim Grand Champion Honors; that honor went to the Mankato 77 Lancers.  The Lancers are within site of the Dragons, as they claimed top honors with a score of 86.3. 

EMMAUS GIFT SHOP
The Emmaus Gift Shop in Litchfield has its Heritage Day tomorrow (Saturday). German heritage will be celebrated.

Gift shop volunteer Gerry Moen says they’ll be serving gingerbread and coffee from 9-to-11 in the Viking Room and the gift shop will be open from 9-to-3 with a 10-percent discount on all merchandise. She says the gift shop has lots of items that come from Germany such as crystal and glassware

Moen says proceeds from Heritage Day will be used for new flooring in the Gloria Dei dining room. She says Litchfield High School German teacher Sig Pfeifer has been helping them with decorations for tomorrow’s event.

Emmaus Gift Shop volunteer Phyllis Koenig says they also have a great selection of books available for both children and adults and a large selection of inexpensive greeting cards. She says several couples register throughout the year at the Emmaus Gift Shop for wedding gifts.

Koenig says there’s a large selection of runners, table cloths and linens that are very popular these days for wedding gifts and bridal showers. She says they went like hotcakes over the Easter season this year.

Heritage Day is coming up tomorrow (Saturday) at the Emmaus Gift Shop in Litchfield from 9-to-3. There will be a 10-percent discount on all merchandise, gift wrapping is available, and ginger bread and coffee will be served in the Viking Room from 9-to-11.

MC RELAY FOR LIFE
The Meeker County Relay for Life is today (Friday) at the Litchfield High School Track. It gets started with lunch at 11 and will continue until midnight.

Chairperson Lisa Hicks says the food court will be open throughout the event, there will be 35 baskets of hope that people can buy chances on, and there will be a youth zone this afternoon from 2-to-5. She says the youth zone will include karaoke, music by a band from Hutchinson called Last Man Standing, carnival and inflatable games and human bowling.

Hicks says there will be a movie sponsored by LARPP today (Friday) at 10, a bonfire coordinated by the Litchfield Fire Department, and a closing ceremony at 11:30. She encourages people to attend the Relay for Life today (Friday) at the Litchfield High School Track.

Hicks says they’re hoping to raise 50-thousand dollars this year for cancer research. She says her father died from lung cancer, and her mother is a cancer survivor.

Donations Chairperson Cori Sherman says she’s a survivor of thyroid cancer and is so thankful for the support she received from the community. She says the opening ceremony will begin at 5:30 this afternoon, and there will be entertainment by two groups of dancers, the cast of "Annie," the Rainbow Singers, the Litchfield High School Marching Band, Ryan Rice and Ashley Lindeman.

Sherman says Dr. Richard Searl will be speaking, along with cancer survivor Mike Berger and his mother, Carol Loch. She says members of the American Legion and VFW will raise the flag, and there will be a survivor’s walk, team laps and the luminary bag lighting ceremony. Sherman says people will be able to buy luminary bags at the Relay for Life today, if they didn’t get around to purchasing them ahead of time

Sherman says there are 16 teams participating in the Meeker County Relay for Life this year, and many of them are new this year. The event is at the Litchfield High School Track today (Friday) – beginning with lunch at 11 a.m. and concluding tonight at midnight.

FIRST PLACE FOR THE MARCHING BAND
The Litchfield Marching Dragons made it 3 for 3 last evening in Paynesville.  The band came home with First Place honors after achieving their highest score of the season. 

The 82 point 9 last evening, was nearly 3 points higher than the band received in Hutchinson on Sunday; a parade in which they were declared the Grand Champion.  The band will load up this afternoon to travel to Milaca, there they will march against 11 other bands including Waconia, The Mankato 77 Lancers, and Sauk Rapids. 

The Marching Dragons are scheduled to hit the street at approximately 7:30 this evening in Milaca.  The band will perform for the first time in Litchfield on Friday at the Meeker County Relay for Life at the Litchfield High School Track.

DEMO DERBY
A demolition derby will be held Saturday night at the Meeker County Fairgrounds at 7 o’clock. Adult admission is $8 and it’s free for children 7 and under.

Meeker County Fair Board member Wally Strand says the concession stands will be open in the grandstand Saturday night. He says there will be 7 divisions: compact, old stock, 1980 and newer, 3-quarter ton pick-ups, chain stock, half-ton pick-ups and minivans

Strand says there will two demolition derbies during the Meeker County Fair on July 31^st and August 2^nd, and a combine derby on August 1^st. This weekend’s demolition derby at the Meeker County Fair grandstand begins at 7 o’clock Saturday night. For more info, call Wally Strand at 612-735-0212.

PEANUT BUTTER & MILK FESTIVAL MEETING
the Peanut Butter and Milk Festival Committee met Tuesday night. Members of the committee signed up for various summer fundraisers.

Peanut Butter and Milk Committee members will help with Center Bank’s brat feed on July 10^th during the Watercade celebration and will make cheeseburgers at the ballpark. Committee members also signed up for serving cheeseburgers on Thursdays this summer at the ball fields, and signed up for shifts at the malt stand at the Meeker County Fair.

The next Peanut Butter and Milk Festival Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, September 16^th at 7 p.m. in the Litchfield High School Ag Room. Everyone’s welcome.

RESCUE SQUAD CALENDAR WINNERS
This week’s winners in the Litchfield Rescue Squad calendar sweepstakes include:

Quality Stereo, Mike Boyle, Jane Lind, Roy and Marge Grabanski, Shad Wallin and Sue Beebout – all of Litchfield

Each of them will receive 20-dollars from the Litchfield Rescue Squad.

RELAY FOR LIFE
The Meeker County Relay for Life is coming up this Friday at the Litchfield High School Track. Twenty teams have a goal of raising 50-thousand dollars this year for cancer research.

Publicity Chairperson Laura Lindeman says the Meeker County Relay for Life will be from noon-to-midnight this year. She says it actually gets started with lunch at 11 a.m. She says a Youth Zone will be open during the afternoon from 2-to-5 with the band Last Man Standing, human bowling, inflatable and carnival games, and door prizes.

Lindeman says there will be entertainment throughout the camp site. She says each of the teams represented in the camp site will have baskets of hope and people can purchase one-dollar tickets at each booth for a chance to win a basket.

Lindeman says the opening ceremony for the Relay for Life will be at 5:30, with entertainment by the cast of "Annie," the Rainbow Singers, the Litchfield High School Marching Band, Ryan Rice and Ashley Lindeman, special speaker – Dr. Richard Searl – at 6:30, words from a survivor and a caregiver at 7, the Survivor’s lap at 7:30 and more.

Food Committee chairperson Jan Schlack says the food court during the Meeker County Relay for Life will be open from 11 a.m. on. She says there will be pizza, tacos in a bag, hamburgers and much more.

Schlack says the Meeker County Relay for Life is an awe-inspiring event that is open to the public. She says they’re expecting 3-thousand luminary bags to be set up around the Litchfield High School track this year and it’s an emotional experience to look at all of them and to see them lit up.

The Meeker County Relay for Life is this Friday from 11 a.m. to midnight at the Litchfield High School Track. Everyone’s welcome.

MEEKER COUNTY BOARD MEETING
The Meeker County Board of Commissioners gave County Engineer Ron Mortensen permission to advertise for bids for paving County-State-Aid-Highway 18. The board also approved a quote from B. McNarmara for seaonal gravel for $25,830.

Mortensen also informed the board that the paperwork from the low bidder on the County-State-Aid-Highway 15 project was not correct in regards to disadvantaged workers as required since it’s a federal project.  He says the low bidder has until noon on Thursday to correct the paperwork, otherwise they will go to the next lowest bidder.  The board meeting was adjourned until June 24th and it’s hoped that the project on County-State-Aid-Highway 15 can be awarded at that time.

In other matters, the Meeker County Board of Commissioners approved a contribution of 75-thousand dollars to the Meeker County Public Transit Storage Building project as the Litchfield City Council did Monday night.  Meeker County Attorney Stephanie Beckman explained that Ecumen received funding from Mn/DOT which required a 20-percent local match which is why the city and county are providing a total of 150-thousand dollars and the state is contributing 600-thousand dollars.

The Meeker County Board has approved updated by-laws for the Economic Development Authority; reappointed Ron Johnson to the H-R-A board; approved a conditional use permit for Schiefelbein Farm of Kimball for a new feedlot; and handed out 15 years-of-service awards to Social Worker Kathleen Cain and Financial Worker Kris Andrews.

Commissioner Jim Swenson displayed an award that Meeker County received from Litchfield Community Education.  The County, City of Litchfield and the Litchfield School District were given "Leader" awards from Community Education for their commitments to the Bernie Aaker Auditorium remodeling project.

LITCHFIELD CITY COUNCIL MEETING
The Litchfield City Council moved forward last night on several projects. And the annual audit report was presented by Paul Harvego from Conway, Deuth and Schmiesing.

Harvego says the city has a lot of large projects coming up, but it is well-managed and continues to receive "A" ratings from the bond companies. He says that indicates that the city is managing its debt well.

City Administrator Bruce Miller followed the audit report with his own report which he called "Against the Odds." He out-lined several examples such as the legislature’s bonding and transportation bills and increase in local government aid, along with a favorable bid on the electric generation project which all add up to about 14-million dollars worth of savings for the city.

City Engineer Brad DeWolf told the council last night that bids were opened June 5^th for the power generation facility. He says Rice Lake Construction Group had the low bid of $10,820,000 – about a million dollars below the engineer’s estimate. The council approved the bid. DeWolf also asked the council to order the preparation of a feasibility report for the Marshall Avenue/First Street improvement project.

The Litchfield City Council also approved purchasing two homes east of the power plant at 217 and 221 North Austin Avenue for possible future expansion or noise control. A ground-breaking ceremony for the new electric generation plant is scheduled for July 21^st at 4:30.

The Litchfield City Council has approved purchasing the Litchfield V-F-W. The bare space will be used to construct a new rescue/fire hall. The VFW members still need to approve the purchase. The property will cost the city 446-thousand dollars which includes the VFW building and its elevator. Councilman Gary Walz and former rescue chief Ron Dingmann were given authority by the council to negotiate with the other two property owners on the block for the possible purchase of their parcels.

Also last night, the Litchfield City Council approved participating in a project for a storage facility for Meeker County Public Transit. The transit system has been operating for 13 years as a joint effort of Hicks bus, Augustana Homes, MN/DOT, Meeker County and the City of Litchfield. Augustana Administrator John Boughton and Transit Director Donna Anderson gave the council some background information on the program last night and Boughton said a site had been selected at 812 Ripley Street East for the new storage facility.

ATWATER FESTIVAL DAYS
The Atwater Festival Days celebration begins today and continues through Sunday. The Atwater Fire Department is hosting family fun night this evening with a pinewood derby at 6:30, followed by bingo and games from 7-to-9, bar-b-que chips and root beer floats.

Tomorrow’s events in Atwater include the medallion hunt with clues available in the city office, food served by the royalty at 5:30, and a pet show in the downtown park at 6:30.

Atwater Chamber President Elsie Kashmark says Thursday’s highlights include a car wash benefiting the royalty at Schmidty’s from 11-to-3, a huge garage sale at 5 o’clock in downtown Atwater sponsored by the Atwater Historical Society for a 5-dollar donation, and brats, beans and chips served by the Snowdrifters in the park from 5:30-to-7.

Past Atwater Chamber President Paul White says Friday’s events include city-wide garage sales, a kiddie parade at 6, followed by the kids pedal tractor pull, food in the park and fireworks at dusk.

Elsie Kashmark says the softball tournament in Atwater begins Saturday at 9 a.m., along with games and food in the park, entertainment by Stan’s Country Dutchmen from noon-to-2, and an ice cream social at United Methodist Church from 11-to-2. She says the Grand Parade will begin Saturday in Atwater at 3 o’clock.

Kashmark says the queen coronation will be at 4:30 on Saturday in the Atwater Community Center. She says there are 3 candidates this year.

Paul White says the community dinner is right after the queen coronation on Saturday in Atwater from 5:30-to-7.

White says an adult meal with all of the trimmings is 7-dollars and there will also be a 3-dollars children’s meal available with a hot dog. He says the street dance is Saturday night from 8:30-to-12:30 with the Blues Brothers.

Atwater Festival Days will conclude with a golf scramble Sunday afternoon at Island Pine Golf Course. For more information, go to www.atwaterchamber.com or call the city office at 974-8760.

MARCHING BAND RESULTS
The Litchfield High School Marching Band started their summer parade schedule on a "high note." At Buffalo on Saturday they got 1st in their Class and Best Colorguard overall, and at Hutchinson yesterday, they got Grand Champion and Best colorguard.

STORM DAMAGE
On Saturday evening at 7:59, Meeker County was in a severe thunderstorm watch.  Weather sirens were set off for the entire county and weather spotters were sent out.  There were reports of funnel clouds in the Grove City area.  There were no confirmed reports of tornado touch-downs.  Meeker County experienced strong winds, heavy rains, and dime sized to nickel sized hail.  There were reports of power lines down, trees up-rooted, and buildings damaged in the Grove City and Dassel areas.  There were no reports of injuries or homes damaged. 

YOUNG PEOPLE'S FISHING CONTEST
The Litchfield Police Association has its annual Young People’s Fishing Contest this Wednesday – June 18^th – at Jaycees Park on Lake Ripley. Registration begins at 4:30 and the contest will run from 5:30-to-7:30.

Litchfield Police Investigator Gary Gruenke says the contest is for children 15 and younger and there’s a 3-dollar fee which includes lunch. He says every child will get a door prize, and the top two door prizes are bicycles.

Gruenke says four trophies are awarded – for the largest fish and for the largest stringer of fish – both from a boat and from shore. He says the Young People’s Fishing Contest gives the police officers an opportunity to connect with children in a positive manner

Gruenke says the contest is open to all children – and they often get kids from the Eden Valley area who are involved in the IMPACT mentoring program, and children who are staying at the Litchfield Campground. He says if the weather is bad, they’ll post a notice at the Jaycees Shelter and will make postponement announcements on KLFD.

The Young People’s Fishing Contest, sponsored by the Litchfield Police Association, is this Wednesday at Jaycees Park on Lake Ripley from 5:30-to-7:30, with registration beginning at 4:30.

LITCHFIELD DIALYSIS OPEN HOUSE
The CentraCare Kidney Program - Litchfield Dialysis will have an open house tomorrow 2-to-5. The clinic is at 520 East Highway 12 in Litchfield.

The clinic in Litchfield opened about a month ago. It will be able to handle 9 patients in Litchfield at any given time, and about 50-to-60 clients a week.

Litchfield is the 9^th CentraCare Dialysis site with other locations in Alexandria, Brainerd, Little Falls, Big Lake, Princeton, Cambridge, Staples and St. Cloud. The open house at the Litchfield Dialysis clinic is tomorrow from 2-to-5. It’s located just across East Highway 12 from Save-a-Lot. For more information, call 1-800-835-6652, extension 24542, or call Cathy directly at 320-202-7184.

EMMAUS GIFT SHOP HERITAGE DAY
The Emmaus Gift Shop in Litchfield will have its Heritage Day this Saturday. German heritage will be celebrated.

Gift Shop volunteer Gerry Moen says they’ll be serving gingerbread and coffee from 9-to-11 in the Viking Room and the gift shop will be open from 9-to-3 with a 10-percent discount on all merchandise. She says the gift shop has lots of items that come from Germany such as crystal and glassware.

Moen says proceeds from Heritage Day will be used for new flooring in the Gloria Dei dining room. Gift Shop volunteer Phyllis Koenig there’s a great selection of books available at the Emmaus Gift Shop for both children and adults. She says there’s also a large selection of greeting cards available at reasonable prices at the Emmaus Gift Shop.

Koenig says there’s a large selection of runners, table cloths and linens that are very popular these days for wedding gifts and bridal showers. She says they went like hotcakes over the Easter season this year.

Heritage Day is coming up on Saturday at the Emmaus Gift Shop in Litchfield from 9-to-3. There will be a 10-percent discount on all merchandise, gift wrapping is available, and ginger bread and coffee will be served in the Viking Room from 9-to-11.

DIALYSIS OPEN HOUSE
The CentraCare Kidney Program - Litchfield Dialysis will have an open house on Tuesday, June 17^th from 2-to-5. The clinic is at at 520 East Highway 12 in Litchfield.

CentraCare Director of Dialysis, Cathy Sindelir of St. Cloud, says the clinic in Litchfield opened about a month ago. She says they will be able to handle 9 patients in Litchfield at any given time, and patients typically need dialysis three times a week.

Sindelir says Litchfield is the 9^th CentraCare Dialysis site with other locations in Alexandria, Brainerd, Little Falls, Big Lake, Princeton, Cambridge, Staples and St. Cloud. She says they gave a tour of the clinic earlier this week to staff members from Meeker County Memorial Hospital.

The open house at the Litchfield Dialysis clinic is Tuesday, June 17^th from 2-to-5. It’s located just across East Highway 12 from Save-a-Lot. For more information, call 1-800-835-6652, extension 24542, or call Cathy directly at 320-202-7184.

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
Committed to investing in the future of life-long learners, the Minnesota Masonic Charities (MMC) presented $148,000 worth of scholarships to eight Minnesota high school graduates on May 31^st. Simon Kern, an Eden Valley-Watkins High School student, received the Robert and Alta Van Tries Masonic Legacy Scholarship.

Kern was chosen from 300 applicants based on his academic standing, extra-curricular activities, merit and response to essay questions.

An active member of the Knowledge Bowl, FFA and the National Honor Society, Kern maintained a GPA of 3.97. He believes that good character is contagious. In his scholarship application, Kern said, "When you see someone being charitable or courageous, it makes you strive to be the same way."

As the 2007 World Dairy Expo Quiz Bowl National Champion, Kern will major in animal science at South Dakota State University.

Minnesota Masonic Charities, which recently gave the University of Minnesota $65 million – the largest gift to the University ever  –  for cancer research, awarded five Masonic Signature Scholarships of $5,000 each, renewable for up to four years for up to $20,000. Three Masonic Legacy Scholarships were presented in the amount of $4,000 each, renewable for up to four years for up to $16,000.

The Masonic Signature Scholarships were named after five individuals who are strongly identified with the state of Minnesota through personal achievement, public service and who were personally committed to the values of Masonry in their private lives: James J. Hill, Hubert H. Humphrey, the Mayo Brothers, Harold Stassen and Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Masonic Legacy Scholarships are named after Robert and Alta Van Tries and William F. Mackintosh.

RECYCLING
Meeker Cooperative and its wholesale power provider, Great River Energy – have joined with the Center for Energy and Environment to offer compact fluorescent light recycling at no charge. Customers will be able to drop off expired C-F-L bulbs at the service desks of the Menard’s stores in Hutchinson, Willmar and St. Cloud.

C-F-L bulbs reduce energy costs and last up to ten times longer than standard incandescent light bulbs, but due to a small amount of mercury in the bulbs, they need to be recycled. It’s illegal in Minnesota to throw the bulbs in the garbage.

Great River Energy Environmental Compliance Coordinator Matt Herman says this is the first recycling program of its kind in Minnesota. He says Great River Energy provides electrical service to 28 member cooperatives across the state, and partnering with Menard’s gives their members a free and convenient recycling option from International Falls to Rochester and from Duluth to Moorhead.

DAVIS MOTORS
Meeker Cooperative and its wholesale power provider, Great River Energy – have joined with the Center for Energy and Environment to offer compact fluorescent light recycling at no charge. Customers will be able to drop off expired C-F-L bulbs at the service desks of the Menard’s stores in Hutchinson, Willmar and St. Cloud.

C-F-L bulbs reduce energy costs and last up to ten times longer than standard incandescent light bulbs, but due to a small amount of mercury in the bulbs, they need to be recycled. It’s illegal in Minnesota to throw the bulbs in the garbage.

Great River Energy Environmental Compliance Coordinator Matt Herman says this is the first recycling program of its kind in Minnesota. He says Great River Energy provides electrical service to 28 member cooperatives across the state, and partnering with Menard’s gives their members a free and convenient recycling option from International Falls to Rochester and from Duluth to Moorhead.

MEEKER COUNTY BOARD MEETING
The Meeker County Board of Commissioners opened bids today for a federal project on County-State-Aid-Highway 15. The regrading will take place on a 7-mile stretch of the highway, south of Dassel through Collinwood Township to the county line.

Central Specialties of Alexandria apparently had the low bid of $1,816,353.75, but County Engineer Ron Mortensen will review the bids before the next board meeting when the Commissioners are expected to award the bid. Five bids were submitted for the project. The engineer’s estimate was $1,855,748.

Mortensen brought up the fact that County-State-Aid-Highway 18 will be needed to transport materials for the County-State-Aid-Highway 15 project, but is also in need of repairs. Discussion then followed regarding the possibility of Meeker County bonding for road projects. County Administrator Paul Virnig will put some bonding information together in time for the next board meeting.

In zoning matters, the Meeker County Board has approved an interim use permit for McCarthy Gravel to mine and crush gravel at the Wigen place, and approved a conditional use permit for the Apostolic Lutheran Church of Kingston for a parsonage.

Also today, Meeker County Memorial Hospital Chief Operating Officer Mike Schramm gave a summary of Monday night’s hospital board meeting. He says Net Income for April was $166,351 and year-to-date net income was 484-thousand dollars.

Schramm says the hospital project is on-budget and is going well. He says the roof was poured last Wednesday.

MANANNAH DAZE
Manannah Daze is coming up this weekend. Several fun activities have been planned in the small northwestern Meeker County community at the intersection of County-State-Aid-Highways 3 and 30.

Becky Valiant says the celebration will get started at the Hilltop Tavern Friday evening with a performance by Wobble Box from 8-to-midnight. She says tattooing will also be available.

Valiant says there will be chain saw art and all kinds of fun attractions in Manannah on Saturday. She says one of the events at the Hilltop Tavern on Saturday will be bingo.

Valiant says the Hilltop Tavern will also host Pure Country Saturday evening from 5-to-9. She says the raffle winners from the Zion Lutheran Youth 4-wheeler raffle will be announced at 8 p.m.

Cheryl Anderson says the Saturday events in Manannah will begin with a flea market at 8 a.m. and a volleyball tournament at 9 o’clock. She says the parade is at 10:30, and anyone is welcome to enter a float at the Church of Our Lady parking lot by 10 a.m….

Anderson says the parade in Manannah will likely include classic cars, royalty from Grove City, Litchfield and Paynesville, and the Eden Valley-Watkins band. She says there will be a kids pedal tractor pull right after the parade and a horseshoe tournament at one o’clock.

There will also be mass at the Church of Our Lady Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. The Manannah Daze celebration will conclude Saturday night with a street dance featuring the music of Blurred Vision.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
The Litchfield School Board approved the high bid last night for the Litchfield High School Construction Technology house. Marv and Irene Miller bid 71-thousand dollars for the house during an auction May 31^st.

The house was constructed this past year by Litchfield High School students. Business Manager Todd Swanson says the Millers plan to demolish their old house in Litchfield and move their new house from Litchfield High School onto their lot this summer.

Litchfield Middle School Principal Pat Devine presented the student handbook to the school board last night for a first reading. He says it’s pretty much status quo, but 8^th grade German has been added to the list of class offerings.

Devine also went over a list of the exploratory options that are available to Litchfield Middle School students once a quarter to give them an opportunity to explore something they otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to try. Among the fall options, he highlighted a trip to Minnesota Archery and to Broken Wheel Farms. Devine also highlighted two of the winter options – curling at the Willmar Civic Arena, and getting a behind-the-scenes look at the University of Minnesota sports arenas.

Also last night, Superintendent Bill Wold reviewed some of the up-coming board meeting agendas. The board will evaluate Wold during a closed session on July 14^th and will also review the budgets and referendum during the July 14^th meeting.

VEHICLE RECOVERED FROM SWAN LAKE
Back on June 1st, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office was informed that an unoccupied vehicle was on the bottom of Big Swan Lake – north of Dassel.  The vehicle was removed from the lake Sunday.

According to Meeker County Sheriff Mike Hirman, two local divers from McLeod County discovered the vehicle on June 1st in about 18 feet of water, about a half-mile from the lake’s public access.  The vehicle was last registered in 2000 and it’s believed that it may have fallen through the ice at some point in time, but since it hadn’t been registered for so many years, the license number is no longer on file with the State of Minnesota.

This past Sunday morning, Meeker County Boat and Water Deputies, Dassel Fire Department, Litchfield Rescue/Fire/Dive Team and Carver County Dive Recovery Team met in Litchfield and then proceeded to Big Swan Lake to raise the vehicle.  Gold Cross Ambulance also stood by.

Float equipment from Carver County was used to raise the vehicle with very little difficulty and it was towed to the Meeker County Impound Lot.  The Dassel Fire Department assisted in the decontamination of divers and equipment because fluids were leaking from the vehicle.  The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office is continuing efforts to determine the owner of the vehicle.

STEVE DILLE
State Senator Steve Dille of Dassel spoke yesterday on KLFD about the recently completed 2008 Legislative Session. He says the bonding bill, the transportation bill, and balancing the budget were three of the biggest items of business this year.

Dille says the State of Minnesota cannot have a deficit like the Federal Government can, so they had to fill a 935-million dollar deficit with the help of 500-million dollars from reserves and 350-million dollars worth of spending cuts. He says the bonding bill received 50 line-item vetoes from the Governor, but luckily, the 2-point-4 million dollars for the Greenleaf State Recreation Area stayed in the bill.

Dille says the bonding bill also included 6-million dollars for the Litchfield Wastewater project which will make it possible for First District Association to expand its facility. He says the Governor pared the bonding bill down about 200-million dollars below the 925-million dollar bill passed by the House and Senate and then used it as a negotiating tool to get some projects that he wanted near the end of the session such as Vermillion State Park.

Dille says he voted along with Democrats to over-ride the Governor’s veto of the transportation bill which included the first gas tax increase in 20-years. He says it was the right thing to do as more money is needed for transportation.

Dille says the gas tax had broad support from as least 140 organizations and only two major organizations against it – the Republican Party and the Minnesota Taxpayers League. He says he also voted for a gas tax increase 20 years ago when he was in the Minnesota House.

Residents of District 18 are welcome to contact Senator Dille with any of their concerns at his home at 398-6545.

CENTRACARE OPEN HOUSE
The CentraCare Kidney Program in Litchfield opened on May 5^th with nine dialysis stations. An open house is planned from 2-to-5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17^th.

The clinic is located at 520 U.S. Hwy 12 East in Litchfield.

Affiliated with St. Cloud Hospital, CentraCare Kidney Program- Litchfield Dialysis is a not-for-profit service, which adheres to the hospital’s mission of improving the health and quality of life for the people it serves.

With the addition of Litchfield, the CentraCare Kidney Program offers hemodialysis services in nine communities including: Alexandria, Big Lake, Brainerd, Cambridge, Little Falls, Princeton, St. Cloud and Staples. Together, the outpatient dialysis program provides approximately 43,000 treatments a year.

For more information about dialysis services, call the CentraCare Dialysis admissions nurse at (800) 835-6652, ext. 24542.

PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT
Shortly after noon yesterday, the Meeker County Sheriff's Office received a report of a truck vs. pedestrian accident at 22527 730th Avenue, just south of Dassel.  The Sheriff's Office responded and dispatched Gold Cross Ambulance and Dassel Rescue to the scene.  Deputies arrived and found that 79-year-old Ewald Gunner Nielson of Dassel ad stepped into the lane of traffic and into the side of a semi-truck.  The driver of the semi-truck, 50-year-old Francis Theodore Nowak of Silver Lake was traveling north when the victim stepped out and into the truck.  Life Link III transported Nielson to St. Cloud Hospital.  Nielson's injuries are unknown at at this time.

GRANTS
State Representative Dean Urdahl of Grove City has announced that two local entities have been awarded grants by the Minnesota Historical Society.

The Cokato Historical Society will receive 6-thousand dollars for work on the Akerlund Photographic Studio Glass Plate Collection Project. Meantime, the Greater Litchfield Opera House Association has been awarded 5-thousand dollars for a historic structure report.

Urdahl is a member of the Minnesota Heritage Finance Division Committee and his support is helpful to the Minnesota Historical Society in providing these grants.

Urdahl says he was pleased to offer legislation this session that provided more money for historical societies and community projects for worthy projects such as these.

There was significant competition for limited grant funds since requests exceeded the total amount available. A total of $181,852 was approved for 34 projects in the State Grants-in-Aid Program funded by the historical society.

SUMMER READING PROGRAM
The summer reading kick-off event at the Litchfield Public Library is this evening from 5-to-7:30. Children can get signed up for numerous reading programs and will receive prizes just for showing up.

Litchfield Children’s Librarian Jan Pease says they will give out pencils, book bags, reading logs, and – the Early Childhood Initiative has donated t-shirts so they will give those out too – as long as the supply lasts. She says several studies have been done showing how far behind students can get if they don’t continue reading throughout the summer months.

Pease says families can enjoy the Watercade brat feed and the E-C-F-E "pie in the park" this evening, and then visit the Litchfield Public Library from 5-to-7:30 to get signed up for the summer reading programs. For more information on those programs, call the library at 693-2483, stop in to the library and pick up a schedule or check out the library’s website at www.litch.com/library.

A summer reading kick-off will also be held at the Dassel Public Library tomorrow from 2-to-3 and at the Grove City Public Library June 12^th at 11:15.

RESCUE SQUAD CALENDAR WINNERS
This week’s winners in the Litchfield Rescue Squad calendar sweepstakes include:

Cookie Fenner, Janet Smith, D.C. Bauer and Helen Madden – all of Litchfield, Phronsie Swanson of Hutchinson and Dan Myllykangas of South Haven. Each of them will receive 20-dollars from the Litchfield Rescue Squad.

GROVE CITY AREA CARE AUCTION
The Grove City Area CARE program will be having a fundraising auction later this month at South Grove Square. The event is scheduled for Sunday, June 22^nd at 1 p.m.

CARE Program Director Ronda Johnson says CARE provides services that help elderly residents in the Grove City area stay in their own homes as long as possible. She says the program is funded with grants and with special events like the "Soup"er Bowl Party and the Octoberfest Hog Roast each year.

Johnson says the auction is a new idea. She says they’re asking people to donate new or used items or services for the June 22^nd auction.

Johnson says they’ve already received many donations of items such as kitchenware, Plymouth Playhouse tickets, a love seat and chair, gift certificates and more.

Grove City Area CARE Activities Director Rosie Dilley says they’ve also received lamps, suitcases, a humidifier, a fertilizer spreader and a shoe rack. She says it will be sort of like a regular auction.

Dilley says people have also donated services. She says some people will be making home-made pies and bread and another person has offered to do a cookie-of-the-month-type of donation.

If anyone has items to donate, call the CARE office at 857-2274. The office on the west side of South Grove Square in Grove City is open weekdays from 8-to-3:30. The auction is coming up on Sunday, June 22^nd at 1 p.m. at South Grove Square. They will also sell root beer floats and ice cream cones that day.

MEEKER COUNTY BOARD MEETING
Meeker County Attorney Stephanie Beckman gave the County Commissioners an update (today, Tuesday) about a federal investigation. She says prosecutors are declining to pursue any charges on the federal level.

Beckman read the following statement: "Federal Investigation resulted in a decline to prosecute from the U.S Attorney’s Office so that now the matter has been referred to the State level for review of charging, which is routine. The matter has been referred as a conflict case to the Anoka County Attorney, Robert Johnson, whose office will review the matter. Any inquiries should be directed to the Anoka County Attorney’s Office."

Beckman says she couldn’t comment any further, but says it is related to an FBI investigation from last fall. Beckman last commented about an investigation during the April 8^th Meeker County Board meeting in which she said the Meeker County Jail was involved in a federal lawsuit. An April 13^th West Central Tribune article stated that the Meeker County Jail ’s practice of strip-searching and photographing inmates was the subject of a lawsuit.

In other matters (today, Tuesday), the Meeker County Board of Commissioners accepted the resignation – with regrets – of long-time Meeker County Courthouse Chief Custodian Larry Jones who plans to retire on August 29^th after 32 years. Board members recounted numerous examples of how Jones went above and beyond normal expectations to make sure the courthouse was being cared for – including walking several miles in frigid weather to get to the building during a storm, and staying over night at the courthouse on many occasions.

The Meeker County Board has approved hiring Travis Mackedanz of Eden Valley as a boat and water deputy; approved transferring Roxanne Rueckert from part-time to full-time Deputy Clerk Treasurer; and approved David Koecher as a Seasonal Engineering Aide for the Meeker County Highway Department.

Meeker County Coroner Dr. Janis Amatuzio gave her annual report to the commissioners. She says there was only one motor vehicle death last year in the county; there were only 2 suicides in 2007 – down significantly from 7 in 2006; and people in Meeker County live longer than people in any other county she covers.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING
The Litchfield City Council approved a resolution last night authorizing negotiations for the purchase of the VFW property. The area could be the sight of a new rescue and fire hall.

Former Rescue Squad Chief Ron Dingmann gave a detailed report last night about the proposed project. He also mentioned the possibility of the Litchfield Police Department being housed in the VFW building, with squad cars being kept in the old firehall, if the department were to decide not to renew a lease with Meeker County at the Law Enforcement Center at some point in the future.

The appraised value of the VFW property is $407,100 – not including the elevator – and the asking price is $446,974. Dingmann and Councilman Gary Walz will negotiate with the VFW and will report back to the council in two weeks. Two other property owners between the VFW and the current rescue hall were contacted about selling their parcels, but the council decided that their asking prices were too high to consider at this time.

City Engineer Chuck DeWolf spoke to the council about the electric conduit project. He says a bid for doing 30-thousand feet of conduit installation came in substantially below the estimate and he recommended doubling the size of the project. The council approved a resolution to expand the project an additional 30-thousand feet.

DeWolf also spoke about a future improvement project on Marshall Avenue and 1^st Street. He went over a timeline in which he will ask for the authorization to prepare reports at the next council meeting, and advertising for bids in January of 2009. The council approved a resolution to adopt the proposed schedule for the project.

The council addressed some issues related to the golf course last night. The council approved a resolution to reject bids for the irrigation project, and approved a rate schedule for times when the course is closed for tournaments.

Also last night, City Administrator Bruce Miller told the council that two pieces of property are available for sale to the east of the power plant at 217 and 221 North Austin Avenue. He says one of the homes could be moved and resold. The council authorized staff to gather more information about the possible purchase of the properties.

WATERCADE KICK-OFF BRAT FEED
The annual Litchfield Watercade Kick-off Brat Feed is this Thursday in Litchfield’s Central Park. The ECFE and School Readiness programs will also be there serving pie and ice cream, and Wally Pikal will be performing.

Litchfield Watercade Board member Sue Koll says people can get a brat plate with beans, chips and a beverage for 5-dollars or a hot dog plate for 4-dollars. She says Econofoods is a major sponsor for the Watercade Brat Feed.

Koll says the Watercade queen candidates will be introduced Thursday evening along with the grand marshall – Dale Miller from ProWorks. She says the queen candidates will be selling Watercade buttons Thursday night in Central Park.

The Watercade Brat Feed is this Thursday evening from 5-to-7 in Central Park in Litchfield, with the ECFE and School Readiness programs serving pie and ice cream from 5-to-8.

FENTON MOTORS SOLD
Word spread around the community late last week that Fenton Motors in Litchfield had been sold.  According to a story in today’s West Central Tribune, the car dealership has been consolidated with Princeton Auto Center.

Fenton Motors will be known as Davis Motors.  Chuck Fenton will continue as the dealership’s general manager.  Fenton Motors was started back in 1939 by Chuck’s grandfather, Hugh Fenton.

BLOOD DRIVE
The Meeker County blood drive had a strong finish last week.  89 units were collected on Thursday in Litchfield, along with 73 units on Friday.  The goal on Thursday was 75 units – so the goal was surpassed by 14 units.  There were 6 deferrals and one first-time donor. 

Pin recipients in Litchfield on Thursday included 13-gallons for both Lorraine Whitcomb and Arlyn Wendlant, 12-gallons for Gale Larson, 10-gallons each for Dorothy Stenberg, Leland Pearson and Judy Oestreich, 9-gallons for Bradley Midtling and Idell Kadelbach, 4-gallon for Kathryn Jackson of Cosmos and Joe Mortimer, 2-gallons for Stephanie Larson, and one-gallon for Annette Barnes of
Darwin.

On Friday in Litchfield, the goal was 75, and 73-units were actually collected.  There were 7 deferrals and 7 first-time donors.

Gary Cervin received a 10-gallon pin.  Vince Caron got a 9-gallon pin.  Roxanne Dick received her 8-gallon pin.  Other pin recipients on Friday in Litchfield included 5-gallons for Duane Henkelman, and 4-gallons for Norman Malherik.

For the week, 288 units of blood were collected in Meeker County – 22 short of the goal.  There were 24 deferrals and 25 first-time donors.

ROBBER SENTENCED
26-year-old James Nicholas Dahlager of rural Sacred Heart and Prior Lake was sentenced in Meeker County District Court last Wednesday for aggravated robbery in the first degree.  The sentencing stemmed from two armed robberies that
occurred last summer in Meeker County.

According to Meeker County Sheriff Mike Hirman, Mike’s Standard in Eden Valley was robbed on June 8th and Roger’s Grove City Liquor was robbed on July 4th.  He says a Regional Armed Robbery Task Force – formed by the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office – subsequently identified Dahlager during their investigation into 14 armed robberies in ten different jurisdictions.

Judge Steven Drange sentenced Dahlager to 108 months in prison and ordered him to pay $593 in fined along with restitution.