Jean Ruzicka
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jruzicka@parkrapidsenterprise.com
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- Member for
- 3 years 10 months
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Attorney Mark Thomason has sold his law practice to Sara Swanson and Roger Zahn, but he will continue to view the Fish Hook River as it winds its way through Park Rapids. Thomason intends to remain in practice at the Edgewater Office Plaza, "working with clients on a contractual basis for the foreseeable future." Swanson, a Park Rapids alumna, has been practicing since 2008, obtaining her law degree from the St. Thomas College of Law. She was admitted to the bar in October 2008.
From time immemorial - ever since a hunter lugged home a piece of a mammoth elephant for his prehistoric dinner guests in the cave - humans have gained fulfillment through sharing food. Romans were famous for their elaborate feasts, emperor Caesar concocting a signature salad. Medieval hosts were known for not just food, but "subtleties" between courses. Mechanical elephants, ships and castles were rolled into the dining room with bards and troubadours entertaining the gourmands. Dorset chefs are about to replicate epicurean history for the 23rd year.
Nevis School District will likely be sending residents to the polls in November to make a decision on an operating levy. The existing $126 per pupil levy, approved 10 years ago, will expire at year's end. This generated approximately $37,000 a year in revenue, well below state average. Park Rapids voters, for example, approved continuing a $600 per pupil levy last fall, generating $1.1 million. The median levy in the state is currently $990. Nevis voters defeated a proposed $475 per pupil operating levy last year, with 63 percent opposed.
Thoughts of grandma conjure warm memories of notable kitchen creations, coupled with genial hospitality. Those traits inspired the name for a barbecue sauce that's now energizing taste buds across Midwest - and earning notable culinary awards. The inception of Grandma Foster's barbecue sauce began incubating from experiences a half century ago on the western tip of Portage Lake. Steve Foster began coming to the family cabin in the 1950s. He recalls his grandmother heading into the woods to harvest wild berries.
The Coborn family, known for ferrying passengers aboard the Chester Charles II on Lake Itasca, has launched another means of transportation, a shuttle service. Groups of 15 or more may park at the Smokey Hills Outdoors Store on Highway 71, Park Rapids. At 10 a.m., the bus departs for a tour of Itasca State Park, via land and sea. Passengers will head out for a boat tour on the 141-passenger Chester Charles.
Yes, we've got trouble. Right here in River City... And the Park Rapids audience is about to come face to face with the con man himself, Harold Hill (David W. Konshok). But the con man is also a family man, and learning the lines is a family affair. Son Matt, 14, and daughter Rachel, 12, will join him on stage when the Northern Light Opera production of "The Music Man" debuts next week. Rachel has assumed the role of Amaryllis, "Winthrop's love interest," and Matt is a town teen. But, like Dad, the two are seasoned thespians.
Carpooling to Wadena put the wheels in motion for a business venture. Brandee Brown and Alex Ziemann, heading through forest and field to M State Community and Technical College, discovered they shared the same outlook on their vocation. "We want to bring the wonderful gift to the community," Ziemann said of therapeutic massage. "In a place that's affordable," added Brown. The certified massage therapists, graduating May 6, opened a studio under two names, Brown's Treasured Hands and Ziemann's Back in Tune.
"The district continues to be in the banking business," Park Rapids school superintendent Glenn Chiodo told the board this week. He is referring to the budget agreement between Republican leadership and Governor Mark Dayton that's calling for a 60-40 funding shift to the state's K-12 schools. The proposed bill would require a $700 million shift in school funding. "And there's no plans to pay us back," Chiodo said. "That's the scary part." Schools in the state will go from the current 70-30 shift to a 60-40 shift next year.
Nevis School's band room, filled to capacity, heard "a joyous noise unto the Lord" Sunday morning.
The future of Park Rapids' water system, now at peak capacity, will come under engineer scrutiny, the council approving a study this week on long-term solutions. Ulteig engineer Jon Olson reported city water is now produced by three wells, one deep, two shallow (wells five, six and eight).
