Cross-country page 22
Same Local Coverage Since 1854. | 2 Second Ave. S., Suite 135, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Vol. 169, No. 25
Storm pride
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER PHOTO SUBMITTED
Stella Schumann (from left), Karly Skroch, Myla Ackerman, Scarlett Swanson and Brynn Ackerman raise poms and holler Sept. 15 at Rice Elementary School in Rice. Pep fests and an RES tailgate party at lunchtime took place before the Storm football team’s 27-20 victory over Monticello.
Green and gold came out in droves Sept. 15 as the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District celebrated homecoming week Sept. 11-15. The middle and high schools hosted pep fests Friday before the annual homecoming football game, and the Rice Elementary School Parent Teacher Association put on a tailgate party for students inside the school cafeteria during lunch. Members of the PTA handed out football, trinkets and treats as well as decorated the cafeteria, encouraging Storm pride and school spirit.
Storm pride page 11
Personal care assistant Katlyn Miller and Addison Messer smile during a benefit to raise funds for Addison’s family Sept. 17 at The Waters Church in Sartell. Agape Warriors Ministry hosted a spaghetti meal, silent auction and more with a goal of raising $60,000 for a fullsize van with wheelchair lift to better accommodate growing Addison.
No child left behind Community backs Messers’ goal of wheelchair van BY NATASHA BARBER | STAFF WRITER
Alicia Messer describes her daughter, Addison, as “spicy.” She said Addison is Àlled with fortitude that has and will see the 6-year-old through the hurdles of life.
“She’s super determined,” said Alicia of her youngest child. “We sometimes refer to her as a Sour Patch kid. Her determination has been for her beneÀt; she will let you know what she wants and how to do it.
Messer page 4
Emerald ash borer found in Mille Lacs, Benton counties County, the MDA is enacting Emergency quarantine on wood movement put in place Benton an emergency quarantine which limits ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has conÀrmed the presence of emerald ash borer in Mille Lacs and Benton counties for the Àrst time. There are now 44 counties in the state, including Mille Lacs and Benton, with EAB. Tree care professionals in both counties noticed trees with signs of an EAB infestation and made reports
to the MDA. The Mille Lacs County infestation was discovered in Milaca along a set of powerlines. The Benton County infestation was found in a neighborhood in St. Cloud. EAB was Àrst discovered in Minnesota in 2009. The insect larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the
trunk. The trees show several signs of infestation. Woodpeckers like to feed on EAB larvae, and woodpecker holes may indicate the presence of emerald ash borer. Also, EAB tunneling can cause the bark to split open, revealing characteristic S-shaped galleries underneath. Because this is the Àrst time EAB has been identiÀed in Mille Lacs and
PUBLIC NOTICES
The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
• Benton County Planning Commission Notice - pg. 15 • Benton County Board of Commissioners Public Hearing - pg. 15 • Benton County Sherrif’s Office Notice - pg. 15 • Mortgage Foreclosure - pg. 15 • Benton County Board of Commissioners Reg. Minutes, Sept. 5 - pg. 15 • Notice of Motion and Affidavit for Order - pg. 15
the movement of Àrewood and ash material out of the area. The quarantine area for Mille Lacs County will be the southern portion of the county south of County Road 11, from Benton to the Isanti County border. All of Benton County will be under the EAB quarantine.
Emerald ash borer page 5
OBITUARY Judith A. Whalen
$1.00