January 5, 2017 at 3:17 p.m.
Year-in-Review 2016
Year-in-Review 2016
Former area resident and Wild River State Park staff member Kacie Carlson writes an essay about what her dog has brought into her life, and submits it to a contest, winning a grand prize of $50,000 for the Northwoods Humane Society in Chisago County. The essay contest was sponsored by Petco and Halo Pets products.
Heartland Express initiates a Pine City to North Branch round trip bus route.
The Celebrations of Lakes is called-off, due to warm weather conditions affecting snow and ice. The Press ran a photo at the end of December showing a water-skier on South Lindstrom Lake.
America’s Best Communities semi-finalists are moving into the finals in April and Chisago Lakes is announced as being among the contestants. In April 2016 the group will go to North Carolina to make a team pitch before the contest judges and advance to finals.
The district court seats a new judge replacing Alan Pendelton. In a shuffling of courts assignments-- Bridgid Dowdal is now officed in Center City.
Early in 2016 the Press runs a feature story about hometown natives Geoff and Cory Swenson, who opened Swenson’s LakeHouse in Center City. The community is sad to see, in the fall, Swenson’s closes its doors.
The state regulators okay the applications for an overhead powerline and an 800-acre solar array for “North Star” and the project is constructed and opened all in the second half of 2016.
Chisago Lake Township Hall is approved for a permit. The township government has been using the township’s new maintenance building for official functions. The old township hall on Hwy 8 has been sold and is a private fitness business.
There’s some discomfort at the sheriff’s department when Chief Deputy Chad Worden is forced-out (his words) or resigns (official description) over a disagreement about the ethics of hiring the sheriff’s son. Worden presents his side at a County Board meeting but he files no employee official grievance. The jail administrator is shifted to Worden’s chief deputy slot and a department sergeant is assigned jail oversight.
In February the North Branch teachers association puts up an informational picket outside the district education center. The negotiations grow more successful though, and the contract is agreed on a month later.
Mariah Huberty is a FFA state competitor representing North Branch’s program.
Chisago Lakes Community Education in the paper February 11 celebrates its newest U.S. citizen to come out of the citizenship program...Chai Yin Linn, Lindstrom. She loses her life in a local vehicle crash just months later.
The statewide theatre program Spotlight, recognizes two Chisago Lakes students in its musical category-- Elijah Land and Megan Malaski, with “Outstanding Performance” honors. The Grease cast is also named as recipients of the theatre trust’s Honorable Mention.
Pastor Schumann of Taylors Falls is chosen to be the city’s Stewardship Award winner which means he is also going to serve as the Grand Marshal for Wannigan Days.
Chisago Lakes Mutual Insurance bids good luck to longtime Board Member Myron Johnson.
East Central Habitat for Humanity announces it will be doing a house in North Branch. The city cooperates and donates a city lot and the volunteers pitch in and the home is presented in the fall to the family of a disabled U.S. Veteran.
During March 2016 the second unintentional murder trail in the county of three trials, is supposed to get underway and is delayed. Come June Morgan Pavey, 22, will be tried and convicted of third degree murder for her role in providing methadone to an area man who overdoses.
Unemployment hits a year high at 5.5 percent in the county in March. By the end of the year it’s around 3.6 percent.
Ice-Out official data keepers, the Fredell Family, reach a milestone marking the 100th year of declaring iceout on the Chisago Chain of Lakes.
Chisago City gets a new fire chief, the first in a decade, with Zach Reed taking over.
At the end of March the century-old Park Island Manor comes down, decrepit and unwanted as a renovation property. The lot is cleared and put on the market.
Taylors Falls gets a new manufacturing enterprise in Hay Chix, which gets the city okay to locate into the city’s business park.
Highway 8 near Taylors Falls is shutdown by MnDOT for a 30-day emergency construction project that ends up closing the highway until late fall. There is subsidence on the river bluff beneath the highway making the roadbed potentially hazardous. It takes a while to address along with the round-a-bout being built at Tern Avenue and other planned improvements.
Chisago County moves up in the national “Health Rankings” The set of criteria created by the Robert Wood Johnson public health program is analyzed annually and every county in America gets ranked. Chisago went from 60th in the state (of 87 counties) to 45 in 2014 and was ranked 26 from the top in 2016.
In April 2016 the Center City Council holds its first meeting in the new City Hall, purchased from the county. The site used to be used by Heartland Express. City taxpayers are paying 10 annual payments of $12,500 to the county for the structure, located next to Bayview Apartments. The fire department expanded into the old city offices.
Governor Mark Dayton corrects the lack-of-umlaut situation on MnDOT signage, using his executive order, and gets a free T-shirt to boot.
County Treasurer Lee Olson retires and is so irreplaceable that the county commissioners roll the treasurer job into the duties of county auditor. Longtime auditor Dennis Freed accepts the challenge. Olson served one month shy of 32 years in the elected treasurer post.
Shafer welcomes its new city clerk Joan Ciesler.
The Chisago Lakes Area Library opened in 2006 and library boosters hold a 10 year anniversary party.
In May the emergency responder community is thrilled to announce that Dennis Frandsen, business person and local philanthropist, has donated an airplane hangar at Rush City Airport for use by LifeLink air ambulance. The gift greatly improves having a base, and access to air transport, in Chisago County.
Laurie Warner and incumbent Rep. Bob Barrett file as candidates for House Seat 32B. The ballot for the race is nullified for November, however, and no votes are certified. The state courts rule that Barrett filed illegally and does not reside in his district, but it’s too late to take his name off the ballots. A special election is called for Feb 2017. Later the GOP selects Anne Neu to put forward as the Republican candidate to challenge Warner.
Richard and Marlys Hjort are honored for 30 years of exceptional service to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration as official weather data recorders for the rural Chisago City area.
June 2016 and the North Branch Ambassadors: Anna, Britta and Chloe are at work representing the city.
The Grand Marshal for the MidSummer Days Parade is Al Budde, Chisago County Veterans Services Officer.
As part of the Karl Oskar Days celebration, in Lindstrom, the community honors Susan Wilson as its Grand Marshal for its localgrand day parade.
There’s a party at the Lakes region EMS facility and demonstration when “Kilo” officially retires from the sheriff department’s K9 program. Later in 2016 he will pass away.
Chisago City Fire department holds its ceremonial groundbreaking for the new fire hall on Karmel Avenue. Project is estimated at $2 million...minus land acquisition.
Judge Todd Schoffelman sentences Aaron Schnagl to 160 months of rthe conviction on third degree unintentional murder in the death of Danielle Jelinek.
July 2016 continues the season of town celebrations...the Karl Oskar Days Ambassadors Ivana, Sarah and Jaimie are chosen
The Lakes Area Police recognize lifesaving actions by officers and one citizen reservist. Receiving honors are Officers Kolbow, Quimby, Tougas, Van Horn, Merchelwitz and Reserve Officer John Varney.
The Wyoming Area Creative Arts Community holds its first ever art competition/show and the call for entries goes out in Jul. The contest winners’ names are annunced in September.
High river levels cause the closure of landings to the St Croix from Hwy 70 and north. The rapidly flowing river claims the life of a Chisago City man, 26 year old Andrew Remley, July 15.
North Branch is excited about the making of a movie in that area, The House of Tomorrow, starring Ellen Burstyn, Nick Offerman and Maude Apatow. The majority of scenes are shot at Natural Spaces Dome Home headquarters. Editing continues and producers haven't annunced the release date as yet. Lots of North Branch residents are tapped to play extras and background cast members.
In August the Ki Chi Saga Days Parade is led by Grand Marshal Rick Ekstrand. Little Miss Ki Chi Saga, chosen based on an essay contest, is Alivia Corbett.
There is a primary for county board and for the GOP candidate for senate district 32. The biggest vote-getters are Mark Koran, defeating incumbent state senator Sean Nienow for the GOP nod and the county board will see Rick Greene run against Mark Osland when these two men get the most primary votes in a race of four.
Let’s Go Fishing gets a south-based pontoon boat and now has two programs in Chisago County, one on the Chisago Chain and one on Rush Lake.
Come September 2016, the new “water trail” is opened officially with a paddle from Lindstrom to Chisago City.
The Eichtens are the county’s Farm Family of the Year.
Franconia Sculpture Park marks its 20 year anniversary.
Morgan Leslie Pavey is sentenced to 86 months for third degree unintentional murder for her part in providing methadone to a Chisago City man who overdosed.
October is the new month for Relay for Life and the co-chairs for the event are Diane Rollins and Carter Olson.
Mike Olmschenk serves as Shafer’s Grand Marshal for Shafer Days on a nice, warm weekend in October.
Chisago Lakes Homecoming Royalty are Kallie Jo Olson and Doran Velaski.
North Branch student body votes for Anna Kennedy and her brother Kut Kennedy for the firsttime-ever brother and sister royal court.
October brings a long-awaited ribbon cutting for a segment of the Swedish Immigrant Regional Trail. Everybody gathers at Wildwood Campground to walk to the neargy section being opened.
It is announced that Center City Postmaster Tim Christensen is being succeeded by Lee Turner.
Marlene Smith’s statue is unveiled in Lindstrom.
The massive “North Star” solar array site is completed and there’s a ribbon cutting celebrated.
In November the Habitat for Humanity project house in North Branch is in the newspaper, the program was at the end of September, where the home was presented to the family officially.
The 2016 Taylors Falls Royal Lady is Sheila Sandell.
The abolition of North Branch Water & Light fails at the polls about three-to-one.
Come December the retirement of Lakes Area Chief of Police Kevin Stenson takes place. Bill Schlumbohm is the new chief.
The month brings hundreds to the overnment center to contribute to a discussion about a new cemetery. The controversy is based on the use of “natural” burial methods and on land value impacts. It’s decided on a split vote when the County Board votes 3-2 to disallow the Islamic Community of Bosniaks of MN a permit for the cemetery.
Greg Olson is announced as a state conservationist honoree by the county SWCD.
Two bonding referendum ballots are going to be voted on for both North Branch and Chisago Lakes School Districts in May. The amounts and projects are announced in December.
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