Jim Lutgens
Swearingen says no to resignation
Ellendale City Council
By SCOTT GROTH
Contributing Writer
The Ellendale City Council met Thursday, September 13 with Mayor Engel and all council members present. Eric Haefner of Bolten & Menk, Roger Swearingen, City Maintenance, Steve Louks, City Clerk, and Pete Paulson, Municipal Liquor Store Manager were also in attendance.
The agenda was approved as presented.
The first item on the agenda was the Road Improvement Plan. Haefner was recognized to go over the plan with the council.
Haefner and his firm have been putting together a plan for the city to improve streets, and has been working with maintenance to review street conditions within the city.
Haefner’s firm then prioritized them according to condition. The council went over the plan with Haefner and gave their input.
‘Spreading their wings’
Long family opens 5th Avenue Pizza in Ellendale
AT YOUR SERVICE — Ricky and Sarah (Lundberg) Long have renovated the old Maggio’s Pizza building and turned it into the 5th Avenue Pizza Shoppe in downtown Ellendale. (Star Eagle photo by Kathy Paulsen)
By KATHY PAULSEN
Staff Writer
Who doesn't like pizza, especially since there are so many choices to choose from and it is so easy to find?
Ricky and Sarah (Lundberg) Long recently decided to open the 5th Avenue Pizza Shoppe, on the top of the hill in Ellendale at 301 5th Avenue West.
Ricky is originally from West Texas, where his dad works for a natural gas company and his mother was a stay-at-home Mom for his brother, sister, and him. Sarah is a New Richland native who went to college at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, where she and Ricky met. She plays piano and writes songs, while Ricky is a drummer. They attend and are active members of Vibrant Life Assembly of God Church in Ellendale.
Ricky and Sarah moved to Ellendale in 2006 and purchased a home there in 2007. Ricky worked for the previous pizza restaurant, Maggio’s, for four years.
The Refuge aims to be ‘The Spot’ on Fridays
THE SPOT — From left, Cynthia Butler, Ella Butler and Michael Butler are among area youth enjoying The Refuge at Ellendale’s Assembly of God church on Friday night. (Star Eagle photo by Rachel Rietsema)
By RACHEL RIETSEMA
Staff Writer
Ellendale’s Vibrant Life Assembly of God church members have always had a strong yearning to get involved in the lives of teenagers.
And now, through the planning of Pastor Patrick Stitt, Alicia Butler and many other members of the congregation, this soulful longing of theirs will be fulfilled.
“All year round (starting September 14), on Friday nights, 7-12th graders can come here to the Refuge and hang out, after a parent consent formed is signed,” Butler said. “They can come and go as they please, and we will of course have adult supervision.”
Kids in this age bracket can even show up last minute, and bring home a consent form to fill out and return the following week. Anybody is welcome to join in on the good old-fashioned fun.
NRHEG gridders still seeking first win
Fourth-quarter rally falls short in 35-16 loss to MCW
SWARMING DEFENSE — Panther defenders Spencer Tollefson (6) and Noah Krell (52) chase Martin County West quarterback Austin Krumwiede along the Mustangs’ sideline at New Richland Friday night. (Star Eagle photo by Jim Lutgens)
By DALE KUGATH
Sportswriter
NEW RICHLAND – After scoring just seven points in its first two games, the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva football team was seeking some offense.
The Panthers put 16 points on the scoreboard in the final quarter, but still suffered their third straight setback, a 35-16 defeat to Martin County West in NRHEG’s home opener Friday.
The Mavericks, who blanked NRHEG 14-0 last season, improved to 1-1 in the conference and 2-1 overall.
The Panthers slid into the cellar in the Gopher/Valley AA Conference at 0-2 and lost their third in a row overall.
NRHEG, which was playing without Dillon Parpart and Brandon Herrmann, may have also lost starting quarterback Casey Rosacker for next week. He rolled his ankle near the end of the game and will be questionable for Friday.
Giants prove too much for NRHEG spikers
DOUBLE-TEAM — The Panthers’ Noelle Bartness (8) and Jade schultz (12) team up for a block against LeSueur-Henderson last week. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)
By DALE KUGATH
Sportswriter
LeSueur-Henderson is a team the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva volleyball team has to learn to play with.
The Giants swept NRHEG during the regular season last year and ended the Panther season with a 3-1 victory in the sub-section championship.
LSH appears to be just as strong this season, outscoring the Panthers 75-47 in a three-game sweep at New Richland Sept. 11.
“We knew we would have to play at a high level to compete against them,” said NRHEG coach Joe Kuechenmeister. “We were a little inconsistent at times and that really hurt us.”
The Giants really had few problems in sweeping the three games, 25-16, 25-17 and 25-14. NRHEG slipped to 2-3-2 for the season.
Schiltz 1st again, this time at Maple River
NRHEG cross country
DOWNHILL RUN — The Panthers’ Katharine Lewer leads a pack of runners at the Maple River Invitational last week. Lewer finished 12th overall. NRHEG’s T.J. Schiltz won the boys’ division. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)
By DALE KUGATH
Sportswriter
MAPLETON – New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva sophomore T.J. Schiltz provided the highlight reel for the Panther cross country teams at the Maple River Invitational in Mapleton last Thursday.
The Panther boys had just three runners compete for an incomplete score. There were seven complete teams in the race.
The NRHEG girls finished with 175 points, placing eighth among eight complete teams.
A year ago, both Panther squads placed ninth among 11 teams.
The NRHEG boys are still searching for a full team, while the girls have an overall mark of 8-29 this fall.
Boys
Maple River captured its own invitational, edging United South Central by one point for the boys’ championship. Le Sueur-Henderson and Madelia/Truman tied for third place.
T.J. Schiltz took one minute off of last year’s time to win the 5,000-meter race in 16:42.
Manuel A. Johnson, 76
Manuel A. Johnson, 76, of Hartland, died Monday, September 17, 2012 in Owatonna.
He was born May 31, 1936 in New Richland, Minnesota the son of Myrtle and Monroe (Hanson) Johnson. He grew up on a farm near Hope. He attended school in Hope. After his schooling he then worked on the family farm. He entered the United States Army and served three years until his honorable discharge. He then went to work for a freight delivery service in the metropolitan area. Manuel moved to Wisconsin where he farmed near Menomonie for a number of years. He returned to Minnesota where he drove semi before becoming self-employed as a carpenter.
Rebecca M. Stephenson, 84
Remembering the life of Rebecca M. Stephenson….
Memorial Services for Rebecca M. Stephenson, of Albert Lea, will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at Ascension Lutheran Church, Albert Lea. The Reverend Mark Boorsma will officiate. Interment will be alongside her husband at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN. Visitation with family will be from 4-7 p.m. on Monday at Bonnerup Funeral Service, Albert Lea and one hour before the service at the church.
Becky died from complications of cancer on Friday, September 14, 2012 at Good Samaritan Center in Albert Lea. She was 84.
Brian Renstrom, 35
Brian Renstrom, 35, of Karlstad, Minnesota passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Friday, September 7, 2012. Brian Michael Renstrom was born May 4, 1977 in Albert Lea, Minnesota, the son of Timothy and Leone (Walz) Renstrom. He was a 1995 graduate of Tri County High School in Karlstad, Minnesota. On August 14, 2004 he married Courtney Hultgren at Grace Lutheran Church in Hallock. Brian did concrete and sheetrock construction work until 2008 when he began working for Central Boiler in Greenbush, Minnesota. He was a member of the Karlstad Volunteer Fire Department.
Family members include his wife, Courtney; a daughter, Isabelle; his brother, Randy (Lauren) Renstrom, Eden Prairie, MN; his biological father, Randy (Diane) Fox, New Richland, MN; four nieces, Kiersten Renstrom, Jocelyn and Keria Anderson and Harper Weller. He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister Erinn and his biological mother, Pam Fox.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 2 p.m.
Harmony Park draws police attention
Multi-agency effort results in dozens of arrests during weekend music festival
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
Heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, cocaine and, of course, marijuana.
Freeborn County Sheriff Bob Kindler has seen it all, including overdoses, and more of it seemed to be happening at Harmony Park, a low-profile but high-traffic rural sanctuary located between Geneva and Clarks Grove.
So a crackdown was inevitable.
The result was dozens of arrests for drug violations last weekend. Members of the South Central Drug Task Force — including deputies from Waseca, Faribault, Steele and Freeborn County and several police departments — conducted the enforcement. Charges ranged from possession of drug paraphernalia to felony drug possession. Most of the arrests were the result of traffic stops, though some arrests were made at Harmony Park.
The extra enforcement was an effort to reduce illegal drug traffic and sales, according to Kindler. It continued throughout the weekend festival, Shangri-La, presented by WookieFoot.