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SPORTS: Amery and Clear Lake wrestlers quaify for State Tournament P17,18
Extra snowy ‘Snow Day’ for Bantam hockey players
COUNTRY
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Serving Marine-on-St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
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BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
SENTINEL BURNETT COUNTY
APRIL ZIEMER|AMERY FREE PRESS
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Justin Swank chose to hand out flowers and cards to residents at Willow Ridge. He is shown with Mary Lou Stanley (L) and Pat Bentz (R).
7-year-old brings Valentine’s cheer BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
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ered them to every single lady that resides at the health care facility. He also spent time making cards for all residents living at Willow Ridge. “I think it was about 58 cards. My mom helped me, so it really didn’t take very long at all,” he said. Swank’s mother shared that since he is home-schooled they were trying to come up with ideas of how the young man could still participate in a Valentine’s Day
celebration. He was all for putting in the work to make the holiday special for the residents. He had visited the facility previously with his mom when she was there sharing a butterfly release and really enjoyed his time there. Swank said that Valentine’s Day is his second favorite holiday right after Christmas, although he really likes Halloween too. He thinks that blueberries are
COUNTY ST
Forget the candy, a thoughtful 7-year-old was the sweetest thing in town on Valentine’s Day. Justin Swank was like Cupid shooting arrows of kindness Feb. 14, when he brightened up the daily routine for residents at Willow Ridge in Amery. Swank picked up carnations from M Flower Studio and deliv-
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An old African proverb said, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Recently, roles were reversed, as it was the children taking care of the village. A group of young hockey players from Amery spent their Snow Day giving back to the community that they feel has given so much to them. It started Tuesday morning when families involved with the Amery Hockey Bantams team received an email around 11 a.m. that THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 33,we 2222 said, “Can you believe have ANOTHER VOL.SNOW 131 NO. 19DAY?! www.moraminn.com $1.00 and a couple big Coach Jordan burly dads have agreed to help us maintain our sanity and get those boys out of the house today. At 1 o’clock today, anyone who is able or would like to, can meet at Coach Jordan’s house. The Bantam Crew will head out in the community and around town to help shovel some snow and be visible. The Coaches believe this is the perfect opportunity to reinforce the lessons of community service, respect and leadership on and off the ice!” The email expressed this was voluntary. It said, “If it isn’t safe for you to travel or get out of the house, we understand. There are coaches and managers who are willing to help try to get your hockey player there if you are at work and need help.” Two hours later about 15 bantam hockey
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Sheriff’s department focusing on prevention in officer suicides
THE SUN BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Few would argue with the notion that law enforcement is dangerous work. In recent years, however, a disturbing trend has surfaced. Despite the dangers of the field, offi-
cers have become more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. A study of data from 2017 by the Ruderman Foundation found 129 police officers had died in the line of duty. At least 140 died by suicide.
Waak
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is taking steps to address this trend, reported Sheriff Brent Waak, starting with increased support for county deputies.
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
“You see a lot of death and destruction in law enforcement,” Waak said. “We’re on edge all day and when we get home we can zone out. It can create all sorts of problems if it’s not handled correctly. We know when our guys go to fatal crashes and things
like that it can take a toll over time. “We’ve always had a concern about wellness. We’ve suffered losses in this community. Officers have taken their lives and it’s heartbreaking. This is finally start SEE PREVENTION ON PAGE 2
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Lorraine Griffin, MD, Dermatology 715-268-8000 | amerymedicalcenter.org
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