The Pope Country Tribune & Starbuck Times
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Pope County Tribune - Starbuck Times
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Written by Deb Mercier - Tribune Reporter
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Friday, 03 February 2012 08:07 |
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Winterama gears up for Feb. 11 festivities
 The 15th annual Winterama celebration is coming up fast. Festivities take place on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Lakeside Ballroom in Glenwood, kicking off with a noon burger special. Next up are the kids’ games, running from 12:30-2:30 p.m. outside the ballroom on beautiful Lake Minnewaska.
Kids’ games include a nickel pickup, minnow races, a fishing booth, ring toss, turkey bowling, saucer races, a hockey shoot-out, mini golf on the ice, snowshoe races and a free-play snow area. More games may be added, according to Jim Palmer of Glenwood & Beyond.
While in past years, kids have earned small prizes for individual games, this year, Palmer said Glenwood & Beyond decided to try something different. A $5 wristband buys kids unlimited access to all the games. Each time they complete a game, a hash mark will be made on the child’s wristband. At 2:30, kids can turn in their wristbands for coupons—one coupon for each hash mark. Those coupons will then be placed in a drawing held around 2:30-2:45, giving kids chances to win larger prizes donated by area businesses. “That way parents don’t have to deal with cash and tickets and mittens,” said Palmer.
Also new this year, some of the games will be held in a large tent—a way to stay toasty even if the thermometer plunges.
And speaking of plunging… the ever-popular Polar Plunge follows the kids’ games at 3 p.m. The Plunge is a fundraiser for Waterama; last year Minnewaska’s icy waters took in 52 brave jumpers who raised money through sponsorships to support Waterama activities. If you’re interested in taking the plunge this year, visit www.waterama.org and contact one of this year’s Waterama brass.
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Pope County Tribune - Starbuck Times
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Written by Zach Anderson - Starbuck Times New Editor
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Thursday, 02 February 2012 08:36 |
Glacial Hills Elementary School Establishes Endowment
Awards season isn't only in Hollywood right now. Here in west central Minnesota, West Central Initiative (WCI) is awarding a share of $75,000 to the Glacial Hills Elementary School Foundation for successfully meeting WCI's 25th Anniversary Endowment Challenge.
In the spring of 2011, WCI launched the challenge to encourage its component funds (funds set up by and for communities and organizations, and administered by WCI) to create or increase a permanent endowment fund by raising at least $10,000 by Dec. 31, 2011.
The Glacial Hills Elementary School Foundation is one of 15 component funds to successfully meet the challenge. The fund will receive $5,000 from WCI for its endowment.
"Even though we don't have a trophy to hand out, we still want to recognize the outstanding performance of the Glacial Hills Elementary School Foundation's advisory committee," said Kim Embretson, WCI's vice president of development. "Because of their efforts, donations made to the foundation's permanent endowment fund stay invested to keep producing income for grants year after year for the Glacial Hills."
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Pope County Tribune - Starbuck Times
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Written by Steffanie Dahlseng
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Thursday, 29 September 2011 10:25 |
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The steps to taxpayer sticker shock
Pope County taxpayers could be in for a rude awakening in 2012 with the potential for property tax increases totaling more than 20 percent.
The increase is a combination of the needs of several local taxing authorities to increase tax revenue, but the problem started with the state budget bills that were passed in special session this summer.
State lawmakers eliminated the market value homestead credit in an action known as the homestead market exclusion during special legislative sessions. According to Sen. Joe Gimse, this saved the state $365 million for the 2012-13 biennium and $538 million for the 2014-15 biennium.
The new homestead market exclusion reduces the amount of taxable market value to compensate for the elimination of the market value homestead credit. Therefore a property with an estimated market value of $141,100 will only have a taxable market value of $116,559.
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Pope County Tribune - Starbuck Times
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Written by Zach Anderson - Starbuck Times New Editor
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Thursday, 29 September 2011 10:21 |
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Mahoney affirmed as Head Pastor at Hope Community Church
Pastor Kelly Mahoney recently received affirmation at Hope Community Church to become the church's head pastor. Mahoney's title was changed from an associate pastor who was doing small groups and discipleship to now being the head pastor On Sept. 11.
"I an excited to be in that role and my wife (Cheryl) is excited for me," Mahoney said. "We love this church and this area as well as the people we are working with."
Mahoney has been at Hope Community Church since March 2010.
"We both grew up on farms," Mahoney said of his wife Cheryl and himself. "We can relate to living in a rural community."
Mahoney grew up on a small farm near Kimball, SD as the youngest of six children. Upon graduating Kimball High School in 1990, he got his undergrad degree at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD in 1996.
While in college, Mahoney got in touch with religion in 1992. From that point on, Mahoney's dreams of building things as a mechanical engineer turned into a calling to build people instead.
The road that led Mahoney to Hope Community Church involved completing several church callings, including an internship with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship at the end of college.
Before attending seminary at Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, VA where he graduated in 2008 with a masters of Divinity, Mahoney spent time as a youth director in Williston, ND for almost two years. Mahoney also served as a youth pastor at New Life Evangelical Free Church in Watertown, SD from 1998-2005.
After graduating from seminary Mahoney served as a youth pastor at Bethel Evangelical Free Church in Fargo, ND. That would be the final stop before coming to Hope Community Church.
Hope Community Church holds worship services in both Starbuck and Glenwood on Sundays. The 9 a.m. service is at 117 W 5th Street in Starbuck (old Senior Center/Theatre) and the 10:30 a.m. service is held at Central Square in Glenwood (105 2nd Ave. NE). |
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Pope County Tribune - Starbuck Times
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Written by John R. Stone
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Thursday, 29 September 2011 10:12 |
The Minnewaska Area Schools Board of Education approved the sale of $2,980,000 in Aid Anticipation Certificates last week to make up for school aid delayed by the Minnesota Legislature.
The board approved the bid of 0.375 percent for the certificates from United Bankers Bank and Eagle Bank of Glenwood.
"This is the lowest rate we have seen for 11 months," said Carolyn Drude, executive vice-president of Ehlers Inc., a public finance firm, who presented the bid results to the board.
The bids ranged as high as .48 percent. Total interest for the 11 months of the certificates will be $10,243.75. The certificates will be paid off by October 6, 2012.
Superintendent Greg Ohl said that his most recent review of the district's finances was positive and would continue to be so with the arrival of the aid certificate money Oct 6. The money will be repaid as state aid payments are received each month.
The board also heard preliminary proposed levy results for the 2012 tax levy.
Ohl said that the district was proposing a levy increase of $48,580 or 1.64 percent. The total levy would be $3,017,734.72 as compared to $2,969,153.92 last year.
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Pope County Tribune - Starbuck Times
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Written by Tim Douglass - Pope County Tribune Publisher
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Thursday, 29 September 2011 10:10 |
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MAHS seniors prepare for Homecoming parade
Riley Hurst, Justin Roggenkamp, Ben Humbert, Brandi Otto, Nateanna Schrankler and Alexis Banister began prepartions for the MAHS Homecoming parade. The MAHS Student Council is coordinating the Minnewaska Area Homecoming parade for Sept. 30 during halftime of the Minnewaska Lakers vs. Montevideo Thunderhawks football game.
Parade Rules:
1) Any area business, community group, elementary for high school grade or activity groups are welcome to participate.
2) Trailer, pick up or walking float is permitted. Driver must be 18 or older.
3) A positive, pro-Lakers message is required.
4) Float participants are responsible for taking care of their own garbage.
If interested, please contact Linda Hoffmann, MAHS Student Council advisor, for more information at 239-4800 ext. 1034.
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Pope County Tribune - Starbuck Times
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Written by Steffanie Dahlseng
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Friday, 23 September 2011 12:12 |
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County increases preliminary tax levy by 14.99% during a recession
The Pope County Board of Commissioners set the preliminary levy at an increase of 14.99 percent for 2012. This will raise an additional $1,001,803 in tax revenue and is in addition to last year's tax levy of $6,683,143.
Interim County Coordinator Jim Thoreen said the county should be able to reduce its total expenditures for 2012 of $15,477,461, which were requested by department heads, by $740,926.
This can be accomplished through a 10 percent cut in appropriations, instituting an early retirement incentive, reducing cost of living increases for employees, reducing step increases for employees, a reduction of 2.5 percent in commissioner salaries, mandatory or voluntary hour reductions for employees and not filling vacancies in county employee positions.
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