Thursday, January 26, 2012

Volume 95; Number 32

www.bladepublishing.net

A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560

Todd County Social Services Director resigns after 31 years

By Tim King Todd County Commissioners accepted the resignation of long time Social Services Director Frank Sandelin at their Tuesday January 17th meeting. Sandelin said he has been with Todd County Social Services for thirty-one years. He started with the agency in 1980 and became its director in 1984. Ive known Frank since Ive been with the County, County Commissioner, and former Todd County Sheriff, David Kircher said. Over the years Ive learned a lot from him. You are respected and you will be missed, Commissioner Randy Neumann said. Sandelins retirement will be effective on June 1st. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Todd County Development Corporation Executive Director Rick Utech told the Commissioners there is a lot of business construction going on throughout Todd County. That is very exciting to see, Utech said. Utech appeared before the Commissioners to make his quarterly report. He said that 2011 had been a successful year for the Development Corporation. Utech said that a revolving loan fund had been established in June and that the first loan from the fund had closed in December. The loan

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Will the Tiger boys go all the way this year?

was made to KB Specialties of Grey Eagle. Utech also pointed out that the Development Corporation had succeeded in putting together a contract to open a Small Business Development Center in Long Prairie. The Center can be used by people planning to go into business or by an existing small business, Utech said. Under Utechs leadership the Development Corporation met, or exceeded, all of the goals set THREE OF THE UNBELTED for them by the County Board for 2011. VICTIMS WERE TEENS ing them room to live in the Utech said in 2012 the Development Eight of Minnesotas first 10 event of a crash. Seat belts also Corporation will be starting a membership promotorist deaths in 2012 were gram to wean it from reliance on County fund- not buckled up, according to pre- keep a motorist correctly posiing. The County will provide the Development liminary reports from the tioned behind the wheel. In rollover crashes, Corporation with $82,100, as well as office space Minnesota Department of and support, in 2012. The Development Public Safety (DPS) Office of unbelted motorists are usually ejected from the vehicle in Corporation will hold its annual meeting on Traffic Safety. most cases, the vehicle will Monday February 6th at 7 pm at the Browerville DPS also reports a poor belt rollover them. In less severe Community Center. use period in December 2011. crashes, an unbelted motorist HIWAY 10 OVERPASS Preliminary reports from last Commissioners signed an agreement that month indicate 23 motorists will crack teeth out on the steerlays out the responsibilities of both the City of were killed and only five were ing wheel or break their nose, and even slam into and injure Staples and Todd County in regards to the known to be buckled up. others in the vehicle. Highway 10 and Burlington These crash victims are rea Wear lap belts low and Northern overpass near Staples. sons every Minnesotan must County Engineer Loren Fellbaum remind loved ones to buckle up, snug across the hips; shoulder straps should never be tucked said that once the City of Staples says Lt. Eric Roeske of the under an arm or behind the signs the agreement, a permit from Minnesota State Patrol. back not only is this unsafe, it the Army Corps of Engineers, and The 2012 unbelted fatalities is illegal. an agreement from the Minnesota occurred in the counties of Crow Children under age 13 Department of Transportation are Wing, Faribault (two), Goodhue obtained, the project can be let for (two), Kandiyohi, Wadena and should always ride in the back bid. Fellbaum showed commission- Winona. Among the unbelted seat. Children who have outgrown a forward-facing harness ers a computer-simulated video of victims were three teenagers. restraint should ride in a boostthe overpass design. He said that In Minnesota, drivers and when the project is complete that passengers in every seat must er seat until they are 4-feet 9traffic coming from the south of be belted. Law enforcement will inches tall. Pregnant women should County Road 21 will cross over ticket unbelted drivers and paswear the lap belt under the State Highway 210 and continue sengers. stomach, as low on the hips as north. The reconstructed roadway Seat Belt Facts and Tips: possible and against the upper north of Highway 210 will take Each year, more than half traffic to the bridge over the rail- of the motorists killed in thighs. The shoulder belt should road and highway 10. After cross- Minnesota crashes arent belted rest between the breasts. Airbags are designed to ing the bridge traffic will be able to translating to more than 150 access Highway 10, downtown deaths and 400 serious injuries work with seat belts to keep Staples, or Warner Road and the annually. Eighty percent of the vehicle occupants in a safe position during a crash airbags Technical College. unbelted deaths occur on are not effective when the Fellbaum said construction on Greater Minnesota roads. motorist is not belted. the project will start in April or Seat belts restrain May and be completed by motorists in the vehicles November. designed protective space, givCONDITIONAL USE PERstreamlined and shorter, Commissioner Gerald Ruda said. MITS Ruda was a member of a committee that spent months workCommissioners approved three conditional ing on rewriting the ordinance. Each time we were able to use permits including one near Cedar Lake in shorten the ordinance by eliminating a paragraph or a page Little Sauk Township. Under that permit the committee cheered, Ruda said. Tammy Bruder received the go-ahead to estabBILLS lish a fifteen unit assisted living business in an The Tiger boys are enjoying one of the best season they have Commissioners approved the payment of 157 different existing home now owned by Warren and Mary seen in recent years. bills for a total of $211,506.97. Among them was a $2,100 Dreger. Bruder is a nurse. Last Tuesday night, in front of a full crowd, the Tigers from payment to S.W. Recycling for the recycling of electronics In a separate action the commissioners Browerville went into Long Prairie with the chance to give the devices. There was also a bill for $2,456.38 to the Kandiyohi approved a month long public comment period Thunder their first loss of the season. Long Prairie had a 13 0 County Sheriff. for the revisions to the Countys Land Use overall record and 7 0 Prairie Conference record. Browerville We have an inmate that we are housing in the Kandiyohi Ordinance. The comment period will be open came in with a 10 1 overall record and 4 1 Prairie Conference jail because he is too uncontrollable for our staff, County from January 17th to February 17th and will be record. Administrator Nathan Burkett said. followed by a public hearing. The 142-page ordiBefore the game, Coach Schueller said, Its hard to say at this SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY nance can be found at the Countys website or point in the season that this is the biggest game, but as far as havAt the recommendation of County Administrator Nathan can be viewed at the County Administrators ing a chance to stay in the Conference hunt, it is important. Burkett the Commissioners adapted a Todd County Social office. Above: Seth Kellen goes up for two during the boys ealier victory Media policy. Burkett has been discussing the possibility of a The rewritten ordinance will be more over Osakis. Complete story inside. Todd County Face Book site.

First 10 road deaths of 2012 - 8 not buckled up

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT

Wed. Jan. 25 Mostly Sunny 35/21 Thur. Jan. 26 Sunny 32/10 Fri. Jan. 27 Partly Cloudy 25/4 Sat. Jan. 28 Partly Cloudy/Wind 17/-1 Sun. Jan. 29 Mostly Cloudy 20/9 Mon. Jan. 23 Mostly Cloudy 21/15