Herald Sauk Centre
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023
NUMBER 35 • VOLUME 156
| WWW.STAR-PUB.COM
SCACC opposes Minnesota business bill Mandate would require 24 weeks of paid leave, 0.7% tax increase BY BEN SONNEK STAFF WRITER
Business bill page 4
Es un honor
PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK
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Kelly Buysse (middle) teaches an upper-level Spanish course to high school students Jan. 30 at Sauk Centre Public Schools. Buysse teaches fifth grade Spanish and the Spanish 2, 3 and 4 classes for high schoolers.
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BY BEN SONNEK | STAFF WRITER
ducation Minnesota has announced its list of the 131 teachers nominated for Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award, and among their ranks is Sauk Centre Public Schools’ own Spanish teacher Kelly Buysse. Having been at SCPS for about 20 years, she is both surprised and flattered to be recognized in this way. “Sometimes, it’s a little difficult to take because I teach with so many wonderful people,” Buysse said. “It feels like they deserve that recognition too.”
The Education Minnesota panel will be meeting again in March to narrow down the candidate list, and then a winner will be announced at the May 7 Minnesota Teacher of the Year banquet in St. Paul. Born and raised in Alexandria, Buysse greatly enjoyed her ninth-grade Spanish class and her instructor, and so she knew in high school that she wanted to be either a veterinarian or a Spanish teacher. After graduating high school in 1999, going to college at Concordia College in Moorhead tipped the scales for her. “I took my first organic chemistry class in
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Buysse nominated for Minnesota Teacher of the Year
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The State of Minnesota may be on the cusp of enacting a major change to businesses through Bill HF2/SF2, mandating 24 weeks of paid leave to employees. State businesses would also be charged a 0.7% payroll tax, totaling $1 billion, to fund the program; every employer in Minnesota, regardless of size, would be required to participate. According to Sauk Centre Area Chamber of Commerce president Stacie Michels, the bill has been around for about five years, meeting enough opposition to prevent its passage. This year, though, it is moving swiftly through the legislative process, and she is hoping it gets stonewalled once again. “This bill is bad for business and bad for Minnesota,” Michels said. “Whether they are trying
college and I decided, yep, Spanish teacher it is,” Buysse said. “I liked them both, but I’m really happy with my choice.” Buysse graduated from Concordia in December 2002 with degrees in education and Spanish. In May 2002, through a Concordia pro-
Buysse page 4
Snowmo
New name, bigger reach
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PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK
Neal Leagjeld arrives at his office Jan. 23 in Sauk Centre. Neighborhood Realty was recently acquired by Coldwell Banker Crown Realtors, based out of Alexandria.
Coldwell Banker Crown Realtors acquires Neighborhood Realty BY BEN SONNEK | STAFF WRITER
Local real estate is getting a broader reach, thanks to Coldwell Banker Crown Realtor’s recent acquisition of Sauk Centre’s Neighborhood Realty. “We are honored to serve the team in Sauk Centre and all of our surrounding communities,” said Brandon Johnson, president and CEO of CBCR. “A large marketing team behind the hyper-local agents within our Coldwell Banker Crown team is an amazing mix of talent for the communities. We are honored to partner together in impacting lives through real estate.”
Coldwell Banker page 4
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PHOTOS BY MARK KLAPHAKE
(Above) A class of snowmobilers line up before heading out on the oval to race in the Sauk Centre Snofest Racing Festival held Jan. 28 on Sauk Lake. Racers from across the Midwest brought snowmobiles to compete. (Right) Chad Marthaler and his son, Gus, were a couple of the many fans that attended the snowmobile races on Sauk Lake.
Snowmobile racing page 2
OBITUARIES
PUBLIC NOTICES
Bennie M. Holmquist Stanley A. Patyk
• Mortgage Foreclosures (3) - pg. 7 • Amended Assumed Name - Neighborhood Realty - pg. 7 • City of Sauk Centre Public Hearings (2) - pg. 7 • Saukinac Notice of Aeration System - pg. 7 • Sauk Centre Township Notice - pg. 7
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