SartellNewsleaderSenior connection hosts cardiac arrest program

A sudden cardiac arrest pro-gram will be held during the Sar-tell Senior Connection at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12 in the Sartell Senior Center. It will be moder-ated by Suzie Osaki-Holm of the Central Minnesota Heart Center.

Two survivors will tell their story of being saved by bystanders who provided cardiopulmonary resuscitation and paramedics who gave them several shocks with an automated external defibrillator. They will educate about sudden cardiac arrest and how it differs from a heart attack. There will be a CPR and AED demonstra-tion as well as time for questions. Refreshments will be served. No registration is required.

Visit the Sartell Senior Connec-tion website at Sartell Senior Con-nection.com or call 320-260-4817 for more information.

Wanted: former dancersWanted: Former dancers of the

Sartell-St. Stephen Community Education Danceline.

The program’s director, Shelly Teff, (see related story) is ask-ing everyone’s help to contact as many as possible of the thousands of dancers who were in the pro-gram during the past 25 years.

Teff would like to have them dance together during the annual spring show, which will also be the program’s 25th birthday bash. The dancers will gather for a quick-and-easy alumni rehearsal 7-9 p.m. Friday, April 19 for the show, which is set for the next day, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20 at Sartell High School.

Danceline alumni can check out the danceline’s Facebook on the Sartell St. Stephen Commu-nity Education website: www.sartell.k12.mn.us/community-education. For more information, they can also call the community-education office at 253-4036.

Candlelight trails nightset Feb. 15

Ski, snowshoe or hike 1.4 miles of trails by candelight from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15 in Charles Lindbergh State Park, Little Falls. Afterward, visitors can relax in a 1938 wood-heated log-cabin-style shelter building. Ski rentals are available in Little Falls. Snowshoe rentals and vehicle permits are available at the park office. In case of bad weather call 320-616-2525. The park is located at 1615 Lindbergh Drive S., on the south-west side of Little Falls. For more information, visit www.thenews-leaders.com and click on Criers.

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St. Joseph NewsleaderSt. Joseph, MN 56374

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Friday, Feb. 8, 2013Volume 18, Issue 6

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by Dennis Dalmannews@thenewsleaders.com

After 25 years as a dance teacher, Shelly Teff likes to tell her friends she “has grown old in the gym.”

They laugh at her because there is nothing “old” about Teff. Her love of dancing and the joy of working with students keeps her young, and those who know Teff know there is enough pas-sion and energy in her to teach dancing for another 25 years – at least.

This year is the 25th anniver-sary of the Sartell-St. Stephen Education Program Danceline. It was started by Teff when her daughter Missy was in sec-ond grade in what is now the District Services Center. At that time, Teff decided Missy and her friends needed something, a special and creative activity beyond what the school offered. The dance classes were a hit and soon they filled with other girls.

Teff’s danceline to celebrate 25th birthday

contributed photo

In 1988, a group of dancers performs the Cyndy Lauper song, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

Sartell man takes the polar plunge

Plunge • page 4

The program has grown every year and now averages 210 girls ages pre-school through senior high school for a variety of age-category classes three times a

week.Missy, the daughter Teff

taught way back then, has been her loyal dance-instruction assis-tant throughout all those years.

Besides serving as emcee for the shows, Missy choreographs the ever-popular dazzling light-show dance every year. She lives

by Dennis Dalmannews@thenewsleaders.com

For taking an ice-cold plunge, a Sartell man helped his team raise almost $1,700 for the Min-nesota Special Olympics.

It was one of the top two amounts raised that day.

Rick Welch was one of almost 1,000 “plungers” who took a dip through a hole in the ice Feb. 2 on a lake in Maple Grove. It was the third of 16 “Polar Bear Plunge” events scheduled for this winter throughout Minnesota. Sponsored by law-enforcement agenies, the plunge events raise funds, through pledges, for Spe-cial Olympics Minnesota.

Originally from Chicago, Welch now lives in Sartell and is employed by Target in St. Cloud. He’s studying to be an accoun-tant. This was Welch’s first polar plunge. He decided to do it this year because his girlfriend, Mary-Beth Munden of St. Joseph, con-vinced him it’s not only fun but for a good cause. This was Mun-den’s fourth plunge. Munden’s and Welch’s third team member was Jill Vonfeldt, a long-time friend of Munden’s who flew to Minnesota from Colorado for the event. Munden, who grew up in Colorado, is the police dispatcher for the St. Joseph Police Depart-ment. Munden raised the lion’s

share of the money for her team.“It was a good time with that

big crowd of people,” Welch said of the Maple Grove event. “It was fun seeing all the goofy outfits the plungers wore.”

The three team members agreed that taking the plunge “was cold but fun.”

In Maple Grove, the temper-ature that day was about 15 degrees. They didn’t stay cold for long, though. Right after the plunge, they “plunged” into a hot tub for awhile before putting back on some winter-weather clothing.

Welch said he will definitely participate in the polar plunge next year. His mother and step-father, who live in Maple Grove, also plan to “plunge” next winter.

So far, the Maple Grove Polar Plunge raised $126,231, but those

Danceline • page 4

contributed photo

At right: Holding hands and gritting their teeth, Rick Welch of Sartell and MaryBeth Munden of St. Joseph prepare to take the plunge Feb. 2 at a lake in Maple Grove. The cou-ple and their teammate, Jill Vonfeldt of Colorado, raised nearly $1,700 for the Minne-sota Special Olympics for their brave participation in the “Po-lar Bear Plunge.”

Friday, Feb. 8, 2013Sartell Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com2

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Blotter

People

If any readers have tips concern-ing crimes, they should call the Sartell Police Department at 251-8186 or Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 255-1301 or access its tip site at www.tricountycrimestoppers.org. Crime Stoppers offers rewards up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for crimes.

Jan. 231:45 a.m. Parking violation.

Greenview Court. Winter-parking citation issued.

11:56 a.m. Traffic stop. Pine-cone Road. A vehicle was wit-nessed traveling 58 mph in a post-ed 40-mph zone. The driver was aware of his speed. He was issued a citation and released.

1:05 p.m. Traffic stop. Riverside Avenue. A vehicle was witnessed with expired tabs. The officer also found the driver had no proof of insurance and had not updated her license since moving to Minne-sota. The driver was issued a cita-tion for all violations and released.

Jan. 241:18 a.m. Parking violation.

17th Street S. Winter-parking cita-tion issued.

10:14 a.m. Traffic stop. Riv-erside Avenue. A vehicle was

witnessed traveling 49 mph in a posted 30-mph zone. The driver was also found to have a revoked license and no insurance. He was issued a citation for all violations, the vehicle was parked and he was released.

1:07 p.m. Traffic stop. Riverside Avenue. A vehicle was witnessed traveling 46 mph in a posted 30-mph zone. The driver was un-aware of his speed. He was issued a citation and released.

10:44 p.m. Noise violation. 7th Avenue S. A complaint was made regarding loud noises coming from an apartment. Officers made con-tact with the renter who agreed to turn down the TV.

Jan. 256:32 a.m. Theft. County Road

120. An employee’s purse was stolen from her desk.

8:49 a.m. Traffic stop. High-way 15. After checking a vehicle’s registration, the officer found the registered owner had a suspended license. The driver stated he was not aware of the status. He was is-sued a citation and someone came to drive his vehicle.

10:02 p.m. Traffic stop. Pine-cone Road. A vehicle was wit-

nessed traveling 59 mph in a post-ed 45-mph zone. The driver was aware of his speed. He was issued a citation and released.

Jan. 262:09, 2:14 and 2:14 a.m. Park-

ing violations. 6th Avenue S, Sar-tell Lane and Vermont Drive. Win-ter-parking citations were issued.

2:14 a.m. Warrant arrest. Am-ber Avenue S. A complaint was made regarding a belligerent female in an apartment. It was found the female had a warrant for her arrest. She was placed under arrest and transported to Stearns County Jail.

5:50 p.m. Vehicle tampering. 7th Street N. Sometime during the night a vehicle was gone through. The vehicle was left unlocked but nothing was taken.

Jan. 271:33 a.m. Parking violation.

Fieldcrest Court. Winter-parking citation issued.

5:42 p.m. Theft. Walmart. A male was witnessed attempting to leave the store with unpaid mer-chandise. Once stopped, he admit-ted to the theft. He was issued a

On Jan. 28, Sartell area stu-dents found themselves spell-ing words like “authoritative,” “wanderlust,” and “odyssey” in the District 748 Spelling Bee. Eighth-grader Adam Johnson placed first by spelling the most words correctly; second and third places went to sev-enth-graders Maia Kurvers and Monte Belmont, respectively. These students will represent Sartell-St. Stephen schools at the Regional Spelling Bee Feb. 21 at St. John’s University in Collegeville.

Twenty-two students in grades 5-8 participated in the

district competition. To ad-vance to that level, students participated in spelling bees in their classrooms and then in their grade levels. Students from each grade advanced to the district competition along with two students from St. Francis Xavier. Earning the op-portunity to participate in the district competition was a huge accomplishment in itself.

A special thank you to Mas-toni’s Pizza, Sartell who donat-ed gift certificates for free cook-ie dough to each participant, Coborns for donating alphabet pasta for each participant and

Sartell Middle School Principal Julie Tripp presents trophies to the top three spellers in the District 748 Spelling Bee held Jan. 28. Winners are (left to right) Monte Belmont, third place; Adam Johnson, first place; and Maia Kurvers, second place.

All spelling bee participants (front row, left right) Janagan Ra-manathan, Paige Mackenthun, Matt Jokela, Jacob Stolzenberg, Jacob Franzmeier and John Bromenschenkal.; (middle row) Emma Lundgren, Sara Ufearo, Matt Sieben, Jessica Andrew-son, Spencer Gillian, Claire Bruland, Taelor Nebel and Yash Hindka; and (back row) Adam Johnson, Nick Juntenen, Aus-tin Haus, Monte Belmont, Maia Kurvers, Christ Belling, Hallie Holtz and Laura Schwictenberg.

Winners named in spelling bee

Kid Stop students from Oak Ridge and Pine Meadow elemen-tary schools (front row, left to right) Jack Greenlun, Zachary Boelz, Damian Steffes, John Rivard, Rainna Stangle, Lauren Opatz and Taetum Werk; and (back row) Callan Miller, Blake Hartwig, Callahan Mechelke, Ava Williams, Delaney Capretz, Isabella Ellis and Alice Colatrella recently received prizes for doing their homework from the Sartell Rotary. Anita Smoley (back left), a Sartell Rotary member, presented the prizes. Also pictured are Kid Stop organizers Liz Quach (back right), Oak Ridge, and Michelle Fischer (back far right), Pine Meadow.

A l e x Mayer, son of Todd and Cindy Mayer of Sartell, was recently named to the fall semes-ter principal’s honor roll at St. John’s Preparatory School, Col-legeville. To achieve this honor, students must have a grade-point average of 3.0 to 3.499. Mayer is a junior at SJP.

Three Sartell students were among 2,365 students who were recently named to the fall semes-ter dean’s honor list at Minne-sota State University, Mankato.

They are Elizabeth Gerads, Joshua Kremer and Sarah Schellinger.

Students must maintain a 3.5 to 3.99 grade-point average to qualify for the honor.

Seven Sartell students were recently named to the fall se-mester dean’s list at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter. Minn.

They are the following: Rachel Bachman, Matthew Husmann, Jenna Legatt, Me-gan Maricle-Roberts, Rachel Scharf, Janelle Thienes and

Mallory Waytashek.To achieve this honor, stu-

dents must maintain a mini-mum 3.7 grade-point average.

Kathryn Haglin, Sartell, was among 725 students to be named to the fall semester dean’s high honor list at Minnesota State University, Mankato. To achieve

this honor, she earned a 4.0 grade-point average.

Frederick Bidinger, Sartell, was among 2,190 students who were recently named to the fall semester dean’s list at Universi-ty of Wisconsin-Eau Clair. Bid-inger is majoring in business.

Dr. Stacy Hinkemeyer, P i n e C o n e Vision Cen-ter’s clini-cal director, was recently a p p o i n t e d to the Admittance Committee

of the American Academy of Optometry by Bernard Dolan, president of the American Academy of Optometry. By ac-cepting this two-year position, she will support the Academy of Optometry and its growing membership.

In Business

Blotter • page 7

Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 Sartell Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com 3

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A prowler and/or window peeper may be on the loose in Sartell.

At about 10 p.m. on the night of Monday, Feb. 4, the Sartell Police Department re-ceived two calls from resi-dents concerned about a pos-sible prowler. One caller said he observed fresh footprints in the snow leading from the road to one of his windows of his home on Mockingbird Loop. Another caller, about an hour later, told police about fresh footprints by a window and noise outside the window of their home on

Signs of possible prowler reported by residents

Many people, including Rep. Tim O’Driscoll (R-Sartell), are trying to find out more details about the purchase of the Verso paper mill in Sartell. It appears, however, the mill will be torn down and sold for scrap metal. If there is a definite use planned by the purchaser after demolition, nobody at this point knows.

Verso officials and the pur-chasing company, American Iron and Metal Development, have released very little informa-tion about the sale. AIM Devel-opment LLC is a subsidiary of a company based in Montreal, Canada.

Like Sartell city staff, O’Driscoll has not been able to

learn much about the purchase other than the plant was bought by AIM Development.

The chief executive officer of Montreal-based AIM Develop-ment, Herbert Black, did tell Minnesota Public Radio, in a Jan. 30 interview with MPR’s Conrad Wilson that the Sartell mill will be disassembled and

some kind of “development” will be at the site. Black said he will visit Sartell this month to get a better idea of what kind of development might be con-sidered.

O’Driscoll, meantime, has been trying to find out further details.

“I have not yet been ap-

proached by state officials about future plans,” O’Driscoll said. “It appears the new developers plan to sell off aspects of the build-ings and machines for scrap. I have been in touch with local officials about the purchase and look forward to hearing more in the near future from those involved.”

Verso plant purchase still shrouded in mystery

Birch Circle.In the early morning hours

of Tuesday, when it was still dark, a police officer was checking the area for more evidence of a possible prowl-er and saw fresh footprints in front of a home in the 1400 block of 9th Avenue N. and footprints in nearby yards.

Police Chief Jim Hughes is asking all residents to watch for such signs of a prowler – noises and footprints – and to report anything amiss imme-diately to the police depart-ment. Call 251-8186. If resi-dents see someone suspicious looking through a window, they should dial 911.

Wellness Expo is now accepting exhibitorsThe Central Minnesota Well-

ness Expo is scheduled from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2 in the River’s Edge Convention Center, St. Cloud. Admission is free and open to the public.

All businesses and organiza-tions are invited to take advan-tage of this unique opportunity to showcase themselves at this event. Attendance is expected to exceed 1,500 people. In ad-

dition to more than 100 booth spaces, stage times are available for speakers and fitness demon-strations.

The Expo will feature topics including health, fitness, feeling and looking your best, financial well-being and incorporating wellness into your overall life.

For more information, visit www.thenewsleaders.com and click on Criers.

Friday, Feb. 8, 2013Sartell Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com4

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Plungefrom front page

are only online pledg-es, and more are still coming in. Statewide, the three plunges so far have raised more than $1 million in online pledges. Last year, about 12,000 participants raised $2.8 million, which is double the amount

raised in 2010.The three team

members said they would like to thank again all of those who pledged money for a good cause.

The next polar plunge will take place in St. Cloud Feb. 16. For more informa-tion and to register, visit the polar plunge website at www.plungemn.org.

in Hopkins and is employed by United Health in Minnetonka.

The culmination of all the choreography and practice is the annual Spring Dance Show, which is always packed to stand-ing-room-only with proud par-ents, siblings and relatives of the many dancers.

“I don’t know off-hand how many students I’ve taught,” Teff said. “But it’s got to be in the thousands. Right now, we are compiling lists of names of every girl who was ever in the pro-gram. Their names will be dis-played on a board during our big show April 20 (1:30 p.m.) at the high school. We’ll also have lots of photos from all those years on display at the show.”

That spring show, which will

be the formal 25th anniversary celebration, will take place Sat-urday, April 20 at Sartell High School. Teff is inviting any and all former dancers to be a part of the show. Teff and others are putting out “all-point bul-letins” to all danceline alumni, asking them to show up for a quick-and-easy rehearsal from 7-9 p.m. Friday, April 19 at Sar-tell High School the day before the show. Teff is hoping at least 60 alumni will agree to be in the show, which will feature a com-bination of old songs and new, plus the scintillating light-show finale, which will be as colorful and bright as a 25-candle-power birthday cake.

“The oldest alumna is my daughter and the others who were in my first class, so they are about 33 years old right now,” Teff said.

Plans for the spring show include, of course, lots of week-ly practice for dancers in this

year’s program. Classes will be-gin Monday, Feb. 11. Anyone interested should call Sartell-St. Stephen Community Education office at 253-4036. Girls can join any time during the first week of classes (Feb. 11-18). They and their parents can just show up if they like. Alumni who would like to be in the spring show should also call community edu-cation at 253-4036.

Dance classes last for 10 weeks and meet one night a week. There is a class for every grade level.

Looking back on the quarter century of the dance program, Teff feels a mixture of deep af-fection, excitement and a sense of delight.

“What I always loved most is just being with those kids,” she said. “I always looked forward to that. Every year. It was so good to see them develop con-fidence and self-esteem, and the

Dancelinefrom front page

Danceline • page 5

contributed photo

Drenched head-to-toe, the three shivering teammates emerge from the frigid water, eager to take another plunge – this time into a hot tub available for the “plungers.”

Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 Sartell Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com 5

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One of the highlights of the first danceline spring show, the year the danceline was founded in 1987, was a group of girls performing to a song called “Doing the Barbie.”

program helped them make new friends.”

Teff sometimes gets tears in her eyes when she explains how she feels about the program. Last year, a little girl was so shy she just could not bring herself to dance. Teff convinced the girl’s mother to sit in the very front row during the big show, and then Teff made sure the girl’s place in the dance group would be very near her mother. Dur-ing the show, the girl saw her mother swaying in time to the music. The girl, so happy to see her mother, smiled and began to dance.

“And she danced through the whole show,” Teff recalled. “You should’ve seen the huge smiles on that mother and daughter. It was so precious. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.”

Born in Foley, Teff always wanted to be a teacher because she loved being around little children. Although she never be-came a classroom teacher, she more than made up for that lack when she started her dance teaching 25 years ago. As it

turned out, her lifelong love of dancing and of children led her heart and mind in the right di-rection.

Teff is a receptionist for Mid-Sota Plastic Surgeons. She also spends countless hours volun-teering at the Good Shepherd Home in Sauk Rapids.

She and her husband, Lar-ry, have two children – Missy of Hopkins and Chris of Foley. Larry and Chris are huge fans of Teff’s dancing classes and attend every show. Another big fan is Teff’s mother, Margaret Rymer, 84, of Sartell, who has never missed a dance show.

“She sits beside me at the shows,” Teff said. “She’s my number-one fan. “She has al-ways helped with costumes – washing, ironing, sewing. I couldn’t ask for a better family.”

And Teff has a large, extended “family.” She considers her stu-dents and their families all part of a bigger family.

“I’ve always felt that way,” she said. “It’s a family. We are all a family.”

Teff’s dedication was honored a couple of years ago when the Sartell Area Chamber of Com-merce named her “Citizen of the Year,” presented to her as a sur-prise in the middle of her annual spring show.

Dancelinefrom page 4

Friday, Feb. 8, 20136 Sartell Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

Opinion

Fairness and ethicsNewsleader staff members have the responsi-

bility to report news fairly and accurately and are accountable to the public. Readers who feel we’ve fallen short of these standards are urged to call the Newsleader office at 363-7741.

If matters cannot be resolved locally, readers are encouraged to take complaints to the Minnesota News Council, an independent agency designed to improve relationships between the public and the media and resolve conflicts. The council office may be reached at 612-341-9357.

Our View

Congratulations to the Sartell-St. Stephen Community Education Danceline, which is now celebrating its 25th birthday.

The good things brought about by that dance-line are incalculable. Thousands of girls not only enjoyed dancing but they also learned confidence, self-esteem and poise while having fun. Their parents and relatives who packed the bleachers for each show also enjoyed the memorable dance numbers. It is – and always has been – one of the most successful programs in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District.

And we can all thank the danceline’s director and instructor Shelly Teff for that. She is the one who started the danceline 25 years ago when her daughter, Missy, was in second grade. Dancing, Teff figured, would give Missy and her young friends something special to do. And the dancing has been non-stop from that point forward.

Teff has been a mentor, an inspiration, a pillar of moral support and a fun friend – not just to the dancing girls but to their parents as well. She has gone the extra mile time and again to make sure all her dancers, no matter what their skill levels, feel comfortable in the dance groups and have a lot of fun. Many shy, withdrawn, introverted girls have bloomed like flowers because of Teff’s love and kindness for the children. She has always given one-on-one attention to every dancer, and parents have been amazed by her miracle-work-ing ways.

Long ago, Teff, who was raised in Foley, want-ed to be a teacher because she loved being around children. That goal didn’t pan out. But her dance teaching has fulfilled that goal –and then some. For 25 years, she has been allowed to do what she loves to do – work with children.

Teff’s extraordinary dedication to the girls in her dance classes and her hard work as organizer, choreographer and teacher show her dance-teach-ing is far more than a job. It’s a deep and abiding passion. Her daughter, Missy, and her assistant instructors also deserve credit for the ongoing success of the dance program because they all share Teff’s personal dedication to the program and its dancers.

Each year, there is an average of 120 girls in the dance program, ages 4 up to 18. The amount of work to practice and rehearse for the shows is staggering, but Teff and her assistants make it all look “easy,” year after year.

Teff has been telling people, “I got old in the gym” because she has spent so much of her life dancing with children in the gym. But anybody who knows Teff knows she is anything but “old.” She is, in fact, still energetic, still bursting with creative ideas and still brimming with a sense of fun. We can easily predict Teff will be teaching and inspiring for a long time to come – perhaps even another 25 years.

Hats off to Sartell Danceline on its 25th

Laura Freese, Sartell

The month of February is dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease and increasing knowledge and preven-tion. Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Congenital Heart Disease is a specific type of heart disease. CHD is considered the most common birth defect and is the lead-ing cause of birth-defect-related deaths worldwide. More than 40,000 babies (approximately 1 in 100 babies) born in the United States each year will have a congenital heart defect. Some defects are so slight the baby or child appears healthy for many years after birth, and some defects are so severe his/her life is in serious danger. Little is known about what causes CHDs and little is known on how to prevent them. There is hope that raising awareness of congenital heart dis-ease will result in additional funding for support, research and services to provide quality care for our children and adults affected by CHDs. The advances in diag-nosis and treatments have led to dramatic increases in survival for children with serious CHDs and most are able to lead active lives.

Feb. 7-14 is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, an annual awareness effort to help educate the public about CHD. It’s a special week to recognize people born with heart defects, to re-member loved ones who lost their battle to CHD and to honor the dedicated health professionals who work with us. I requested a proclamation from Mayor Joe Perske to recognize Feb.7-14, 2013 as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week and I’m proud to announce he has

prepared and signed this proclamation for the city of Sartell. I hope the CHD proclamation and this letter may help raise some awareness about congenital heart defects.

My strong interest in CHDs is because my 5-year-old goddaughter, Hailee, is one of the many children affected by CHDs. As an infant, Hailee was diag-nosed with numerous heart and lung defects, including Scimitar Syndrome, Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return, Pulmonary Hypertension, Dex-trocardia, Right Pulmonary Hypoplasia and an Atrial Septal Defect. Scimitar Syndrome is a rare heart defect affecting only 1 in every 100,000 babies born. It’s characterized by an unusual arrangement of the pulmonary veins, which when seen on an X-ray, resemble the shape of a scimitar sword.

Hailee’s heart and lung defects led to two open-heart surgeries at the Chil-dren’s Hospital in Minneapolis. Hailee’s first surgery was done in 2008 to repair PAPVR and close the ASD. This did not hold and therefore Hailee required another surgery in 2010 to redo repair. Hailee is a happy and healthy girl today and we pray she will not have to have any more surgeries. My family has learned a lot about CHDs by what we have wit-nessed ourselves with Hailee, as well as by learning from other families who are affected by it.

There are many ways to raise aware-ness and support of CHDs. Lasting Im-print is an excellent advocacy organiza-tion for anyone interested in CHDs. They are a non-profit corporation established by individuals who are committed to

fighting CHD by funding research, help-ing to educate and raise awareness in our communities, along with provid-ing hospital outreach programs, support meetings and family activities to those affected by CHD in Minnesota. Last-ing Imprint holds many CHD awareness events, including two annual awareness walks, which this year will be held in Mankato on May 18 and in Alexandria on Sept. 7. These walks and the activities provided at them have been very enjoy-able for my family and friends. For more information about Lasting Imprint, visit its website at www.lastingimprint.org.

Another way to raise awareness and support for CHD is to participate in the annual Heartbeat 5000 5K Walk/Run on June 22 in Minneapolis. This is a walk/race to support children’s heart health with proceeds helping to support the cardiac care program at the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. This is a fun walk my family has participated in for the last four years. Visit www.heartbeat5000.com for more information.

I have heard lots during the last year about Camp Odayin in Cross Lake, Minn., which provides a fun residential camping experience for young people with heart disease. Camp Odayin offers a youth day camp in the summer and a family camp in the fall. You can help send a kid to camp by donating online on their website or by attending one of their fundraising events. Visit www.campo-dayin.com for information.

For more information about CHDs, visit www.congenitalheartdefects.com, or visit the Congenital Heart Information Network website at www.tchin.org.

Resident’s personal connection helps her educate about heart defects

(Dear readers: Please, while reading the following, note my frequent use of the word “some.” As I’ve said before, the vast majority of NRA members and gun owners are good, responsible, kind and caring people. However, that said, there are the “some” that I refer to below.)

I want to thank all of the readers who

responded to my recent column about as-sault weapons.

Some email messages and letters were written in wholehearted agreement. Oth-ers were downright nasty and, as is so typical, mostly unsigned.

All of the letters of disagreement, whether vicious or thoughtful, did not change my mind. Nothing will convince me there is a need for assault weapons. And no one will ever persuade me the Second Amendment is an absolute right. Like other rights in the U.S. Constitu-tion, it’s subject to restrictions, just as the First Amendment comes with some restrictions (i.e. hate speech that sparks a riot). The belligerent NRA leadership, at the very least, should do itself a favor by agreeing to mandatory gun registration in all cases.

One thing I did learn from the letters is this: There are some adherents of the Second Amendment who are nearly rabid in their insistence that it is sacred, as if it is God-given holy writ handed down by Moses himself. A couple letter writers kept equating “God” and “Guns” as if you can’t have one without the other.

Some of these gun people harbor the most far-flung paranoid notions, not to mention a toxic hatred of the American

government. It’s also obvious, based on their letters, they derive their ideas al-most entirely from slogans ranted by ultra-right-wing extremists. Their letters were filled with one parroted phrase after another. These people despise the government and the media, and yet they dote daily on the rantings of hate-radio “personalities.” You see, some media’s OK, as long as it’s hate-filled ultra-right bombast.

What’s alarming is how some of these gun-worshippers actually think one day federal agents sent by Dictator Obama will pound on their doors and demand they turn over all their guns. When that happens, some of these gun huggers – including one man who wrote me – actu-ally boast about how they will blow the agents away. Some of these people have seen too many Rambo movies, fancying themselves as heroes in their own violent dreamplays. And some of them appar-ently have never read a book in their lives other than maybe “The Turner Diaries,” that “classic” paranoid bedtime story so favored by armed survivalists.

A couple letters I received are proof-positive, in my opinion, that there should be a ban on assault weapons. Some of these angry gun-lovers sound so riled up

I wouldn’t trust them even with a Red Ryder B-B gun. For example, one espe-cially livid writer shares with many of his gun-crazed brethren a drooling hatred of President Obama.

“Today,” he wrote, “we have the most corrupt president in the history of the nation, ditto for the attorney general. Just think how refreshing it would be if we had senators and congressmen and women that would stand up to those two (expletives deleted) and just say ‘NO!’”

If ingrown toenails could talk, they would sound like the man who wrote that letter. His hatreds, besides media “morons,” include public education and college. He claims I flunked history and civics class “as a product of a public education system” and that I’m “prob-ably a college boy, at that.” Then, with sarcastic condescension, he proceeds to “enlighten” me on the Second Amend-ment. He concluded with the assertion the Second Amendment is the only thing that protects the First Amendment.

“God,” he states, “didn’t give you a brain for you to turn it into a vegetable.”

I laughed out loud at his closing word – “Respectfully.” I expected to see “Broccoli” as his signature.

What disturbs me about these poison-ous letters is their writers seem to be perfect examples of what I was trying to express about the “gun culture” in my re-cent columns. These people give up their reasoning power in exchange for every paranoid conspiracy theory that comes down the pike so they can shout their call to arms, “Guns, guns and more guns!”

More guns are not the answerDennis Dalman

Editor

Letter to editor

Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 Sartell Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com 7

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Friday, Feb. 8St. Joseph Farmers’ Market, 3-6

p.m., Resurrection Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall, 610 North Coun-ty Road 2, St. Joseph. www.stjo-sephfarmersmarket.com.

Sue Borgeson benefit, 4:30-7 p.m., Westside Learning Center, 1001 2nd St. S, Sartell. jennifer.fox@isd742.org. Borgeson, a paraprofes-sional at Apollo High School and a Sartell resident, has battled breast cancer for the past year and won, and now has been diagnosed with colon cancer. She had surgery on Jan. 16 and is recovering. Family and friends are trying to aid her family with their medical costs, which will be matched up to $2,000 by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Amadeus Chamber Symphony concert, musicians from Central Min-nesota, 7:30 p.m., Church of St. Au-gustine, 442 2nd S. SE, St. Cloud. www.amadeuschambersymphony.com.

Saturday, Feb. 9League of Women Voters an-

nual membership luncheon, 11:30 a.m., the Stearns History Museum, 235 33rd Ave. S., St. Cloud, Minn. “Celebrating our successes,” by key-note speaker Sherri Knuth from the state LWV followed with a guided tour of the museum. 320-529-0146.

Sunday, Feb 10Celebration of Commitment,

sponsored by PFLAG of St. Cloud/Central Minnesota, 1:30-4:30 p.m., Unity Spiritual Center, 931 N 5th Ave. Sartell. pflagstcloud@gmail.com.

Monday, Feb. 11Blood drive, from noon-6 p.m.,

St. Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcross-blood.org.

55+ driver improvement course, eight-hour first-time, 5- 9 p.m., to-day and Feb. 12, Kennedy Commu-nity School Media Center, 1300 Jade Road, St. Joseph. www.mnsafetycen-ter.org or call 1-888-234-1294.

Sartell City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall. 253-2171.

Tuesday, Feb 12Blood drive, from 10 a.m. to

4 p.m., St. Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

Dairy Farm Safety Course (Part 1), from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Midtown Square Mall, Room 218, St. Cloud. 320-255-6169.

Sartell Chamber of Commerce, 11:45 a.m., City Hall. 320-253-2171.

Holistic Moms Network, 7-8:30

p.m., Good Earth Co-op, St. Cloud. 320-252-2489.

“The Lesson,” a St. Cloud State University Theater Department pro-duction intended for a mature audi-ence, 7:30 p.m. today-Saturday, Per-forming Arts Center, SCSU. www.stcloudstate.edu/theatrefilmdance/theatre/season or 320-308-4636.

Wednesday, Feb. 13“The Lesson,” a St. Cloud State

University Theater Department pro-duction intended for a mature audi-ence, 7:30 p.m. today-Saturday, Per-forming Arts Center, SCSU. www.stcloudstate.edu/theatrefilmdance/theatre/season or 320-308-4636.

Thursday, Feb. 14Coffee and Conversation, a se-

nior discussion group, 9 a.m., Coun-try Manor, Sartell.

Blood drive, from noon-6 p.m., St. Cloud Blood Donation Center, 1301 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud.

Blood drive, from 1-7 p.m., Com-munity Church, 204 Avon Ave. N., Avon. 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.

“The Lesson,” a St. Cloud State University Theater Department pro-duction intended for a mature audi-ence, 7:30 p.m. today-Saturday, Per-forming Arts Center, SCSU. www.stcloudstate.edu/theatrefilmdance/

Community Calendartheatre/season or 320-308-4636.

Saturday, Feb. 1655+ driver improvement

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

“The Lesson,” a St. Cloud State University Theater Department pro-duction intended for a mature audi-ence, 7:30 p.m., Performing Arts

Center, SCSU. www.stcloudstate.edu/theatrefilmdance/theatre/season or 320-308-4636.

Sunday, Feb. 17“The Lesson,” a St. Cloud State

University Theater Department pro-duction intended for a mature audi-ence, 2 p.m., Performing Arts Cen-ter, SCSU. www.stcloudstate.edu/theatrefilmdance/theatre/season or 320-308-4636.

citation and released.8:16 p.m. Vehicle theft. 7th Street

N. A vehicle was left unlocked dur-ing the night and numerous items were taken from the vehicle. There were also two hats left in the ve-

hicle that did not belong to the owner. The hats are being held at the Sartell Police Department.

Jan. 281:42 a.m. Parking violation. Bear

Path Court. Winter-parking citation issued.

1:06 p.m. Warrant arrest. 5th Avenue E. A complaint was made regarding a male who was not wanted on private property. Officers

found the unwanted person had a warrant for his arrest. He was placed under arrest and transported to Benton County Jail without in-cident.

5:56 p.m. Traffic stop. Pinecone Road. After checking a vehicle’s registration, it was found the reg-istered owner had a suspended license. The driver also could not provide proof of insurance. He was issued a citation for both violations.

The vehicle was parked and he was released.

Jan. 291:37 a.m. Vehicle in ditch. Heri-

tage Drive. While on patrol, officers found a vehicle that had run into the ditch. Officers were able to help the motorist and push it out of the ditch.

8:46 a.m. Vehicle in ditch. Riv-erside Avenue. While on patrol, of-ficers found a vehicle that had run

into the ditch. The driver wanted the vehicle towed out so officers stayed on scene until the tow truck arrived.

10:57 a.m. Suspicious activity. Riverside Avenue. A report was made of a single glove and a small amount of blood found in the drive-way of a home. The owners were unaware of where it could have come from. The glove is being held at the Sartell Police Department.

Blotterfrom page 2

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

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

St. Cloud, MN 56302

252-0896www.tricountyhumanesociety.org

“Helping one animal won’t change the world … but it will change the

world for that one animal!”

Dogs - 12 Cats - 24 Fancy Mice - 3 Puppies - 12 Kittens - 5 Rabbit - 1 Parakeets - 2 Red-eared Slider Turtles - 2Guinea Pig - 1

Reuben is a neutered 4-month-old Black Lab and Doberman mix pup. He loves to play – and tug of war with a rope toy is his favorite. Toss it in the air and he’ll jump up to get it. Reuben exhibits both the friendly qualities of a Lab as well as the intelligent traits of a Doberman. This super student is eager to sit for treats and continue to learn more. Is love in the air or is it Reuben? Maybe it’s a little of both!

Friday, Feb. 8, 20138 Sartell Newsleader • www.thenewsleaders.com

Erich Mar-tens, Sartell resident and principal of Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, has been named M i n n e s o t a High School Principal of the Year.

Martens was honored by more than 1,300 of his peers at the Min-nesota Association of Secondary School Principals, which met Jan. 30. Martens was lauded for “con-sistently articulating organizational purpose and priorities to his staff, the district, the community and the media.”

The citation further states:“Martens promotes a positive

image of schools and the district at all times and always makes students his number-one priority. Moreover, he models true volun-teerism as he works closely with

numerous organizations such as the United Way, Walk for Life, Kids Against Hunger, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and various youth as-sociations for the betterment of all children.”

Martens was previously hon-ored in May 2012 when he was named Central Minnesota Princi-pal of the Year.

He has been a school adminis-trator for 13 years, eight of them in the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District.

Martens graduated from St. John’s University with a bach-elor’s degree in secondary edu-cation (math) and then earned a master’s degree in educational administration from St. Cloud State University.

Through his leadership, student achievement on tests at Sauk Rap-ids-Rice High School has increased by 32 percent in math and 30 per-cent in reading since 2007.

Martens named Principal of the Year

6th Ave. & DivisionDowntown St. Cloud

251-6604

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Martens