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Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Number 40 • Volume 134
Albany city administrator candidate interviews underway
Melrose researching policing options ... pg. 3 Hiltner happy to carry on legacy ... pg. 7 ‘A Team’ has first baby boy in 2017 ... pg. 16 Gymnasts scoring with the best ... pg. 10
Names of 8 applicants released after Sept. 20 meeting BY TIM HENNAGIR STAFF WRITER
ATKINSON TO TALK ABOUT SPACE MISSIONS BOOK AT MELROSE LIBRARY
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music filled life The beat goes on for Honky-tonk queen of Stearns County
Eight Albany city adCOMMUNITY COVERAGE 127 YEARS ministrator applicants will be interviewed this week and BY CAROL MOORMAN and Jeff Welle and grandchildren. to her PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN next week. STAFF WRITER childhood June and Jeff have performed Marcie Welle plays piano during A prospective finalist growing up with her on stage. the Sept. 3 Marcie and Friends will be selected by mid-Ocgig with other musicians at the on a farm in rural Saluting Marcie for her arcie Welle smiles tober for the vacant position, Horseshoe Bar and Ballroom Spring Hill. Sept. 3 when fellow music-making, Dale changes the which also includes clerk and in Spring Hill. Welle has been “My mother, Nelle Athmann, words to a familiar song. musician Dale treasurer duties. “Marcie don’t need a rocking used to play the piano every night entertaining people with music Gruber calls her the “Honky-tonk most of her life. City leaders decided to after chores and us kids would chair, Geritol or Medicare. She queen of Stearns County” while move forward with intersing,” Welle said. “That’s when does her rocking on the stage. You performing with Marcie and views after receiving a Sept. it started. I’ve just always loved can’t put Marcie in a cage. Her Friends musicians at the Horse20 update from interim city music.” shoe Bar and Ballroom in Spring body’s old but it’s not impaired. administrator Tom Schneider Her siblings include brothers talk,” said Marcie, who plays by She don’t need your rocking Hill. during their council meeting Stan, Joey, Tony and Gene and chair,” Dale sang. ear and is self-taught, learning Marcie has been making at Albany City Hall. sisters Josephine Ertl, Pat Kruzel from other musicians. There is excitement in Marmusic most of her life, passing Schneider reviewed a her more than 80-year passion on cie’s voice when talking Sept. 27 and Alice Athmann. hiring schedule and list of in“My sister, Pat, told me Mom to children June Bierschbach, Jan in her Meire Grove home about Welle page 3 terview committee members. said I could sing before I could Woeste, Joy Silbernick, Jill Welle a music-filled life dating back As sunfrom was city starting to rise Monday, Commercial Hethe retired employment earlier Company this year after Contractors workers from Melrose were in35-plus years of service. side the Lisa’s On Main building working on securing “Youwall. have an option rethe west PHOTO BY CAROL MOORMAN garding interviews,” Schneider said. “We can complete a training and experience received for the project, with the opening rating form reviewing each is ready for the sidewalk that we’ve been Melrose council application, and based on waiting for since spring. … It’s a safety issue, Sept. 7. The low bidder, J.R. Ferche, Inc., the supplied information, approved spring 2024 start with 16 families and 24 kids. We’re here to provided a bid approximately $26,000 higher to complete the work this fall ($404,123.25) we could determine if we make sure you know we are ready to have BY CAROL MOORMAN | STAFF WRITER versus next spring ($378,0950). interview two people, four a connection point to the other sidewalk,” The council needed to consider awardpeople, six people or eight Meyer said during the open forum portion of Shawn Meyer and Rick Laforge came to ing the low bid based on when the project people the weeks of Oct. 2 to the meeting. the Sept. 21 Melrose City Council meeting at could be completed. Also the grant funds for Oct. 9.” The city of Melrose received a Minnethe city center with one mission in mind — the project created a gap that will need to be The other option mensota Department of Transportation grant for ensuring the Fifth Street (County Road 168) filled from funds already budgeted for contioned involved interview$351,725 to construct a sidewalk/trail from sidewalk project moves forward for sure by struction of the sidewalk. ing all eight candidates as Fifth Avenue to 11th Avenue, extending a spring 2024. finalists. sidewalk from the intersection to Daylight Sidewalk page 3 “Our neighborhood (Daylight Court) “Their names would be Court along County Road 168. Two bids were public, but the information on their applications would be private,” Schneider said, citing a portion of the Minnesota Data Practices Act. Schneider released the following administrator applicant names to The Star A publication’s journey Post via email after the Sept. 20 council meeting: Jackie from production to recycling Bauer, Renee Eckerly, Angela Jacobson, Erica Mattice, BY HANS LAMMEMAN | STAFF WRITER Rebecca Sai, Jon Stueve, Jessica Ruprecht and Gary Though most people simply think of Winkels. newspapers as their source of information “Hopefully, if things go while drinking morning coffee or relaxing well, we can do reference at home, each copy has a long and arduous checks after those interviews journey before arriving on newsstands and in and select an individual we mailboxes. can recommend for hiring At Star Publications, the newspaper beduring our Oct. 18 meeting,” gins with the story. Schneider said. “The person On-scene reporters armed with notepads who is selected for employand cameras gather details and ask questions ment would have to give while deadlines loom in the back of their two weeks’ notice, so we are heads. looking at mid-November Sauk Centre-based Star Publications probefore we get someone.” duces four community newspapers — Benton Schneider also conCounty News, Sauk Centre Herald, Sauk firmed mayor Tom Kasner, Rapids Herald and The Star Post — as well councilor Keith Heitzman, as two regional rural-living newspapers, one police chief Ozzie Carbajal, multi-county shopper, a five-state newspaper PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK city attorney Susan Dege Star Productions employee Herman Lensing looks over that covers the dairy industry and 58 special and himself will serve on the sports articles he wrote in the Sept. 27 issue of The Star sections that are inserted into the pages of its internal city committee that Post at the Sauk Centre Herald office in Sauk Centre. Lensing, a fullpublications. will complete evening intertime journalist in Stearns County since 1986, said he views his position views the next two weeks. reporting local news as a recorder of history in his community.
400 Block update
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Residents eager for Fifth Street sidewalk project
Lifecycle of the local newspaper
Newspaper page 4
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PUBLIC NOTICES Probate Notice - Gustafson ..................................................... pg. 7 Star Publications Statement of Circulation ............................. pg. 8 Melrose School Board Minutes, Aug. 28 ................................. pg. 7 City of Avon Amendment Notice ............................................ pg. 6 City of Albany Ord. No. 2023-01 Notice................................... pg. 7 City of Albany Notice of Propossed Assement Notice .............. pg. 7 City of Albany Hydrant Flushing Notice .................................. pg. 7 Albany Area Schools Work Session, Sept. 27........................... pg. 7 Melrose Area Public School Notice.......................................... pg. 7
OBITUARIES pg. 3 and 4 Dennis F. Dirkes Anna May Fleischhacker Robert F. Havard Bernadette A. Jennissen
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