THE CLARA CITY HERALD - December 12, 2012- 3

the operations of the nursing The remainder of the special

City
(Continued from Page 1)
City Fire Department has not
gotten a raise since after the
train derailment in 2007.
It was recommended that
the council work the num-
bers to see how it impacts the
budget and will consider an
answer during a budget meet-
ing of the regular city council
meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 11.
The council approved a
recommendation from the
EDA regarding the sale of
a city-owned property to
the Farmers Co-op Oil for
$200,000.
Clara City Care Center Ad-
ministrator Mike Stordahl at-
tended the special meeting to
discuss a possible opportunity
to share his time working as
the administrator in the Bel-
view nursing home. He has
been offered a part-time ad-
ministrator position to oversee
home and the attached as-
sisted living facility. Stordahl
proposed cutting back his
hours in Clara City to roughly
30 a week, four days a week to
spend one full day in Belview
and would take a pay cut in
Clara City.
Stordahl sees this only as a
benefit for Clara City because
he could be used as a resource
for improving the Clara City
Care Center. The council
made no decision on the mat-
ter, but were open to the pos-
sibility and planned to have an
answer at the regular council
meeting held on Tuesday, Dec.
11.
The city accepted a $1000
donation from the family of
Kenneth Gerdes in his memo-
ry. The family wished to have
$500 donated to the Clara City
Fire Department and $500 to
the Clara City Ambulance
Service.
meeting consisted of discuss-
ing the continued work on
the development of the 2013
City Budget and Property Tax
Levy.
Items that were discussed
were the franchise fees for
Xcel Energy and Dooleys
Natural Gas. More informa-
tion is to follow that was dis-
cussed in the regular meeting
on Tuesday. Other areas dis-
cussed were the vehicle and
equipment inventory and re-
placement plan, property tax
analysis, rate structure for the
water and sewer funds, street
light utility fees and proposed
2013 utility and street im-
provement.
No decisions were made on
the 2013 budget at the meet-
ing. The regular meeting was
held on Tuesday, Dec. 11, with
the Truth-in-Taxation public
hearing on the Citys 2013
budget and tax levy.
The New Girl in Town
Not many people who aren't
teachers have the opportunity
to provide education opportu-
nities, cultural enhancements
and economic development.
Les Heen from Maynard is
one of the few. As President
and General Manager of the
Pioneer Public Television,
Heen has had the chance since
2007 to cover all spectrums of
informing the public through
media.
"For us in this place what we
are capable of is telling stories
no one else will and delivering
content no one else will in the
state or nationally," Heen said.
Heen grew up in this area.
When he first got started in
news media he was a part of
the big commercial television
station that is NBC.
"I believe in the power of
media at its best," Heen said.
With a communications
degree from Augsburg, Heen
started as an intern at NBC
where he quickly found a per-
manent position.
"During that time they were
more open to growing their
own talent," Heen said.
Which means at that time in
the station's life those working
there were trying to change
how the network was run. It
focused more on giving those
new to the business a chance
and seeing where their fresh
insight took the station.
"I had an unusual oppor-
tunity," Heen said. "I had a
one-month internship and then
I was the writer for the five o-
clock show."
He spent quite a few years
working there jumping from
the show writer to a consumer
reporter researcher. Then from
co-producing a documentary
on the farm crisis to being the
host of an on-air farm seg-
ment. Through it all he kept
close to his rural roots and his
view that it was the communi-
ty pieces that made the media
what it was.
"Later they started only
covering the two ends of the
media spectrum," Heen said.
"The stories were either warm,
fuzzy features or tragedy."
The station started pulling
back from rural news and sto-
ries and heading more towards
the commercial side of news
media.
"I didn't want to be a part of
that," Heen said.
So he left. He spent some
time in the Minnesota State
Senate media service as a Sen-
ate and Capitol reporter and
eventually left media all to-
gether.
"I am one of those people
that can't work for something
that doesn't fit my values,"
Heen said.
And he no longer believed
By Laura Kay Prosser
in what the media was turning
into. So eventually he found
himself turning to public tele-
vision.
"The reasons I got out of
the field were the reasons I
got back in. This chance to
tell rural stories and serve ru-
ral viewers was something I
couldn't pass up," Heen said.
Six years ago he was work-
ing with the General Manager
of Pioneer Public Television
on a P.R. project, and as they
worked together, he was of-
fered a job within public tele-
vision.
"I had an opportunity to do
work that I believed in again,"
Heen said.
It helped that the job was
also near where he wanted to
live, the farm he grew up on,
the roots he wanted to get back
to. Les Heen stands on the home
And so began his years at set within the Pioneer Public
Pioneer Public Television. The Television station. The set
only local television station was build with funds from the
around that is free, over the air legacy program, this program
television. is what allows the station and
"Media at its best is suppose Heen to continue to cover
to educate, illuminate and im- stories about heritage, about
prove our lives," Heen said. community and about the
"It's about a service to the people you care about.
community."
As a non-profit organization ten to dig his teeth into heri-
the Pioneer Public Television tage stories, into public affairs
station exists to provide public and into the community.
television for western Min- "Working here I've gotten to
nesota, eastern South Dakota learn more about these com-
and northern Iowa. munities," Heen said. "I've
"The best part is taking dis- come to a deeper understand-
cussions of production and ing about why public televi-
seeing the idea be turned into sion is important."
good television that other peo- It's a job he can believe in,
ple can see," Heen said. and because he believes in it
According to Heen 1/3 of he's good at it.
the main Pioneer Public Tele- "We help people understand
vision channel is high quality, the present as well as who was
commercial free children pro- here and who came before
grams that educate kids, the them," Heen said.
rest tells stories nobody else To him that's what makes
does and looks closely at pub- the job worthwhile, the impact
lic affairs that are important to public television has on the
these communities. communities it surrounds.
"Urban news broadcasters "It's remarkably reaffirming
jet in and out for a story. We're going out to talk to people,"
here all the time, these stories Heen said. "The vast majority
are our stories, we want to tell like what we do and want us to
them," Heen said. keep doing it."
Heen over the years has got- So, he will.

Christmas cookies, apple cider,

coffee and tea were served to
anyone who came to the Christ-
mas at the Farm celebration.
Door prizes were handed out and
childrens toys sat under the tree
for any child who came with their
family members.

One call Windy Hill Auto Parts

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One email starting immediately! We are buying junk cars, farm
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