2010: A year of persistence

It’s always a challenge to sum up an entire year of news into one word and this year’s top 10 news stories have one thing in common – persistence.

Whether is was a big win, recovering from a storm or getting through change, Osakis people proved their persistence through and through.

Here’s a look at what we think were the top 10 stories of 2010 (in no particular order):

Fishing for the halibut – published June 18.

It may not have happened here, but a big catch by two local boys was talk of the town for weeks last summer. Phil Carlson, 28, and Tyler Dahlheimer, 23, brought in a 430-pound halibut while leading a fishing expedition in Alaska.

The two Osakis High School graduates were working for Angling Unlimited out of Sitka, Alaska. Carlson was the ship’s captain and Dahlheimer was a deckhand.

It took more than 45 minutes for the client to reel in the monster. Finally, Carlson had to shoot the fish to bring it in to avoid injuring any of the clients.

At 91.5 inches long, the customers and crew enjoyed taking many photos to go along with their fish tale.

Power outage stopped business, closed school – published April 2.

Sparks flashed out of a power pole, then the lights went out all over Osakis at approximately 7:30 a.m. March 25, causing a big nuisance for Osakis schools and businesses.

With the school construction project still in the works, the back up generator was not running, so the school closed at 11:15 a.m. The local gas stations had to turn away customers, as well as the bank and café that had to close. At Home Quality foods and True Value, customers shopped by flashlight, with purchases added up with a hand calculator.

It was one of those inconveniences that actually brought people out to stand by windows visiting and speculating until the power was restored, around 1:20 p.m.

Hail storm hits Todd County – published July 23.

Wide portions of Todd County sustained hail and wind damage from a severe storm that passed through the area July 17, causing extensive damage in Little Sauk and Reynolds townships.

The wind and hail completely demolished multiple corn and soybean crops in the area. In addition, neighbors reported toppled trees, broken windows and unrepairable damage to siding.

This was the worst of multiple severe weather events that sent residents to their basements throughout the summer.

Remodeled school opens – published throughout 2010.

After a year of dealing with blocked hallways, strange parking and all sorts of minor inconveniences, Osakis students were thrilled to start the 2010-11 school year with what felt like a brand new school.

Thanks to school district voters, the school received $7.975 million worth of additions and renovations, including a new kitchen, cafeteria, classrooms, wrestling area, high school office, a parking lot and more.

The new spaces have offered more conveniences for community use of the school commons area, parking and bus loading.

Successful students – published throughout the year.

Osakis High School has much to be proud of and the Osakis Review had many newsworthy moments of positive coverage for OHS students.

In sports, Osakis sophomore Cody Rupert won the state title in archery and Kelsey Ross became the first Osakis girl golfer to ever win a state championship.

On the academic side, John Piekarski earned gold at the National FCCLA leadership conference. Tonya Hetland, Alex Anderson and Katie Anderson were named first alternates to nationals.

Outside of school, Brooke Waldorf and Bria Nienaber earned the Girl Scout Silver Award.

Top honors also went to the OHS band and choir for receiving multiple superior ratings at contests throughout the spring. Also, OHS was represented at state tournaments by: Cody Torkelson in wrestling, Kiera Zimmel and Sabrina Zimmel in doubles tennis, girls golf team of Kelsey Ross, Jackie Bowman, Annalise Savageau, Peyton Garcia, Katelyn Strelow and Emily Backes and girls track members Hannah Szech, Mikayla Hoglin, Aimee Allen, Taylor Kraemer, Becka Sadlemyer and Calista Sadlemyer.

Statue leaves Lake Street – published September 3.

Word that the Lake Street horse was headed for the auction block brought many Osakis people to the home of Tony and Donna Borash last fall for an auction of many collectible items.

The 8-foot by 5-foot, life-size fiberglass horse with a harness and wooden buggy stood in the Borashes’ yard for 25 years, becoming a sort of landmark in the area.

Many were interested, but there could only be one winner – Dennis Anderson of rural Vining was the final bidder, taking home the statue for $1,500.

Trixie’s is new again – published September 3.

It’s one of those local icons – Trixie’s New to You, on the corner of Central Avenue and Nokomis Street was a place everyone knew about.

Last May, things began to look different and it got people talking.

LaDonna Karl, longtime resident of Osakis, officially took over the store in May with a vision in mind for making it her own. With the support of Trixie, 83, and her family, this vision became a reality.

Karl, who is still looking for a name for her business, maintains it will be the place to go for people looking for a bargain.

Since May, Karl has worked diligently to rearrange and revitalize the store. A clean second-hand store offering antiques, collectibles, furniture and consignments is Karl’s ultimate goal. It will be a well-organized, well-marked and friendly space where people can find just what they are looking for.

Veterans dedication – published throughout 2010

What seemed like a simple plan by some local veterans to honor fallen comrades turned into a lengthy battle of wills.

While Douglas County and the city of Osakis supported the effort to dedicate Lake Street to veterans, Todd County continually locked the subject in red tape.

Finally, in late October, the group got the go ahead to place the signs designating “Osakis Armed Forces Scenic Drive” along Lake Street from Pollard Mill through Osakis city limits onto County Road 55.

The road designation is the first step in creating a veterans memorial in Osakis – something the group hopes will happen soon.

Local election recount – multiple stories published in print and online November 3-24.

With eight people vying for three seats on the Osakis School board in the 2010 general election, we knew things could get interesting.

When the final results came in, incumbents Tom Grundman and Steve Hilde received the most votes, with Dave Carlson coming in fifth. The question then came, who got third?

Newcomers Aimee Goodwin and Monica Klimek tied with 591 votes each.

With some scrambling on the part of the school district, it was determined the winner should be chosen by lot.

At the regular school board meeting on November 8, the two women chose cards to determine the winner. Although Goodwin drew the higher card, it wasn’t over, as Klimek requested a recount.

For two days, two election judges and board clerk Shari Maloney hand-counted all of the District 213 ballots in Douglas and Todd counties, looking for any discrepancies.

As it turned out, one extra vote was found for Klimek in the Osakis city ballots for Douglas County, making her the newest school board member.

Stolen calves recovered – published December 8.

When three calves were stolen from the Bob Massmann and Norb Johnson farms near Osakis, it made state news. Thanks to a multi-county effort, the calves were recovered more than a week later.

The Osakis Review was first to break the recovery story online, with the help of the Todd County Sheriff’s Office. The calves were stolen by Jesse Robert Ronsberg, 19, of Rothsay and a 16-year-old male from Barnesville. Apparently the boys were attempting to start their own dairy operation.

The theft left many in the area unsure of the safety of their property, considering all the calves were stolen from farms when the residents were home. Thankfully this story had a happy ending.

Tags: local news, top 10 stories, news, osakis, hometown