Times publisher presented with 50-year award

Feb. 27, 1964 – The United States Postal Service asked for bids on a new building. The post office said that the space could be in a new building or a building remodeled to post office specifications. 

Frances Merrill, publisher of the Starbuck Times, was honored by the Minnesota Newspaper Association when she was presented with a 50-year award. She and her husband had arrived in Starbuck in 1914, shortly after their marriage, to begin publishing the paper. He was elected to the position of county attorney in the 1930s, and she took over as publisher of the Times, a position she still held. 

Basketball fever was once more gripping the area with sub-district play beginning. The young Glenwood Lakers were in the midst of one of their finest years in some time with a record of 13-5, closest to the 17-3 totals of 1956. 

Feb. 28, 1974 – A Terrace man was killed in a fiery crash when the pickup he was driving collided with a semi-truck that apparently tried to pass the pickup when its driver was attempting to make a left turn.

Fourteen cars of a Soo Line train were derailed in Farwell when one car of the train went partially off the tracks near Hoffman. That car hit the switch at the Farwell crossing, knocking it and 13 others from the tracks. The train was en route to Glenwood from Enderlin. Among the cars derailed were one containing fertilizer, one of oats, one of durum wheat, two cars filled with liquid natural gas, an empty flatcar and eight empty boxcars. 

The Laker “Davids” and six other district teams were going up against the Melrose “Goliaths” in Dist. No. 22 play. Included on the powerful Dutchman team was 6-foot 8-inch Mark Olberding, rated the top high school basketball player in the state and called one of the 12 prep cagers in the nation. 

Postmaster Erv Schluter announced that first-class postal rates were moving from eight cents an ounce to 10 cents. 

Feb. 23, 1984 – Pope County would receive its share of the town road account. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, just over $46,000 would be distributed by the county board to the townships. 

Barrett deCathelineau, mayor of Villard, was leaving to accept a new job in Pipestone. He had worked for the Pope County State Bank and would be the Ag officer at a bank in the southern Minnesota town. He had served as mayor of Villard since January 1983.  

The Lakers wrestlers came up third in the Dist. No. 22 tournament which they had hosted. Long Prairie placed first. Participating Lakers wrestlers included Owen Braaten, Steve Arneson, Mike Hirschey, Ken and Craig Moe, Jason Schackenberg, Bill Kellogg, Jason Kramber, Darren Christenson and Brian Simonson. Starbuck wrestlers placing in the tournament included Shaun Stottler, Chuck Freeman and David Strommen. 

The Starbuck girls’ basketball team defeated Bellingham 86-43 to run their season record to a perfect 17-0. Eleven of the 12 Bucks who saw action scored, with Jan Doty and Cindy Vatthauer each putting up 17 points.  

Feb. 28, 1994 – Five students at Minnewaska Area High School, all senior boys, had apparently baked a batch of brownies containing a laxative and left it in the teacher’s lounge where several people had eaten the brownies. Two youths had come forward after the incident and three others were later implicated. All were suspended from school for five days and an additional 10 days of in-school suspension were recommended along with some other disciplinary action. 

The Rev. Jim Horn, of Glenwood, had returned home from 26 days of living in the West African village of Yonibana in Sierra Leone. His mission there was to help improve the education of the children. This had been Horn’s third trip to the country in which he and other work team members helped to build new or remodel present school buildings.

It was reported that beginning Sept. 17, 1994, telephone customers in Minnesota would have to change the way they made long-distance calls within the state. At that time it would be necessary for customers to include the 612, 507 or 218 area codes on every long-distance call they made, even if dialing from and to the same area code. 

Feb. 23, 2004 – A team of six Minnewaska Area High School students traveled to Moorhead to participate in a Math Counts competition. Of the 14 schools and nearly 80 students competing, Minnewaska’s team finished fourth and took home several trophies. The team was comprised of eighth-graders, Joel Klemme and Aylie Meisner, and seventh-graders, Ethan Larson and Amber Huerkamp. Eight-graders, Ed Olson and Tom McMahon were alternates for the team.

The American Dairy Association of Pope County announced its three dairy princess candidates. Nicole Erickson, Patty Henderson and Lisa Thompson would compete for the Dairy Princess title.  

Feb. 24, 2014 – Minnewaska Area Elementary School is getting in on the excitement of the 2014 Winter Olympics by competing in their own version of the Games, with all the sportsmanship, glory and glitter of medals. Opening Ceremonies were held last Wednesday, and the Games will continue once a week until closing ceremonies on March 7. 

Currently, Pope County, Douglas County and the three-county public health department of Stevens, Traverse, and Grant Counties operate separately. Pope County Public Health Director Sharon Braaten and Douglas County Public Health Director Sandy Tubbs have been instrumental in exploring the benefits of the possible five-county public health department integration. Braaten has been keeping commissioners apprised of the process, which began in March 2012 and met with commissioners last Tuesday to provide them with more information and a chance to ask questions. 

The Glenwood Police Department has received several complaints of motorists failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, it was announced by city officials last week. Glenwood officials again remind motorists, as well as pedestrians, to use caution at crosswalks.