News stories from Hutchinson, Minnesota

Dale Hamann, 62, of Hutchinson, and formerly of New Germany, husband of Karen, died Sunday, Oct. 12, at St. Cloud Veteran’s Hospital.

Arrangements are pending with the Dobratz- Hantge Chapel in Hutchinson. Online condolences may be directed to www.hantge.com.

James Hagen, 62, of Lake Stella, husband of Marlene Hagen, died Sunday, Oct. 12, at his home.

Arrangements are pending with the Hantge Chapel in Darwin. Online condolences may be directed to www.hantge.com.

From Tom Benson
Hutchinson
To all my anti-hunting friends, you are missing the point if you think hunting is just about the killing of game.

An editorial from today’s Litchfield Independent Review

Greenleaf State Recreation Area is officially more than just a dream.

From Mayor Steve Cook
Hutchinson

As much as I respect LaVonne Hansen’s passion, her letters on the proposed mosquito levy and city budgeting warrant a response. Failure to do so does a disservice to the public, the Hutchinson City Council and city staff. The letter on the mosquito levy is particularly important to address because much of what was included was inaccurate or simply false.

Mosquito control cherry-picked:

We had no idea how readers of hutchinsonleader.com would respond when we asked them last week to complete our 14-question election poll. So we were pleasantly surprised when we received the largest number of poll answers in years. More than twice the average number of weekly poll takers responded.

Our goal was to get voters — and specifically our online readers — to think and talk more about the issues and candidates. We hoped the poll stirred them to long dinner-table discussions of issues of public importance.

Citizens Community Bancorp Inc., the holding company for Citizens Community Federal, has opened a new full-service branch inside the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Hutchinson. This is Citizens’ 10th Wal-Mart Supercenter branch to open this year.

“The opening of our new Hutchinson, Minn., in-store branch is an exciting opportunity for Citizens and its customers,” Tim Cruciani, executive vice president of Citizens Community Bancorp, said. “Citizens’ branch in Hutchinson offers the one-stop banking and shopping experience that Citizens and Wal-Mart customers across the Midwest value.”

William Field, infant son of Mark and Jacqui Field of Hutchinson, died Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Hutchinson Area Health Care in Hutchinson.

A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel in Hutchinson. Interment will be in St. Anastasia Catholic Cemetery in Hutchinson.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at the Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel in Hutchinson, and will continue one hour prior to the services Saturday at the Funeral Chapel.

On-line condolences may be directed to www.hantge.com.

Hillard Kaufmann, age 82, of Hutchinson, husband of LaVonne Kaufmann, died Wednesday, Oct. 8, at Birchwood Hospice House in Hutchinson.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 13, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hutchinson with interment in First Lutheran Church Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church and continues from 8 a.m. to the time of services Monday at the church.

Memorials may be directed to Birchwood Hospice House and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hutchinson.

All the sights, sounds and textures that make the hobby of model railroading so much fun will be on display when Luce Line Railroad Club Inc. hosts its 14th Hutchinson Train Show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at the McLeod County fairgrounds in Hutchinson.

How much crop ends up in the grain bin usually depends upon seed varieties, fertilizer, soil types and rainfall. Farmers can control the first two, but pretty much have no say in the second two.

Soil type and rainfall are again showing their vital role as the 2008 harvest kicked into high gear last week. Hutchinson-area farmers set up their combines with the soybean heads and rolled through their fields until rain Monday night into Tuesday forced them to pause for a couple of days.

Ed Shukle Sr., 94, of Hutchinson, died Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

A Mass of Christian burial will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at St. Anastasia Catholic Church in Hutchinson with interment in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today (Thursday, Oct. 9) at the Dobratz-Hantge Chapel in Hutchinson and will continue for one hour prior to the services Friday at St. Anastasia Catholic Church in Hutchinson.

A prayer service will be at 6 p.m. today, at the Dobratz-Hantge Chapel.

A decision last week by Minnesota’s Bureau of Mediation Services clears the way for Hutchinson police officers to begin voting this week, through a mail ballot, on whether to join Twin Cities-based Teamsters Local 320.

Those ballots are being mailed Thursday, Oct. 9, to 14 licensed officers and four sergeants. Police have until Oct. 21 to return them to the Bureau. Results should be known Wednesday morning, Oct. 22.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has made changes to the Job Opportunity Building Zoning program, better known as JOBZ, that officials say will improve oversight.

The changes, effective Oct. 6, were made following an evaluation of JOBZ by the Office of the Legislative Auditor earlier this year. Following are the program improvements:

* All new JOBZ applications will be reviewed for approval or disapproval by DEED officials. A new application form has been developed for use by local governments and/or subzone administrators.

Minnesota veterans will be able to meet with more than 130 employers and service providers, including college representatives, at a career fair from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Earle Brown Heritage Center, 6155 Earle Brown Drive, Brooklyn Center.

Employers will be on hand to talk to veterans about a variety of job opportunities located throughout Minnesota. Service providers and college representatives will help ensure veterans are on the right path to meet their career goals.

The first year of the SowBridge Breeding Herd Education Series just finished, and registrations are now being taken for the next year of the program, which will begin Nov. 5.

“The SowBridge program provides valuable information on the daily care and management of the sow herd from breeding through lactation, as well as piglet care,” states Mark Whitney, swine specialist with University of Minnesota Extension. “We have brought together national industry experts to discuss options for key issues affecting this segment of the pork industry.”

By Kim Asche
University of Minnesota Extension

Working and living around teens one learns to adapt to the tired state teens sometimes appear to be in. Note that teen sleep cycles may not match family and school schedules, but we can help them synchronize.

From LaVonne Hansen
Hutchinson

Mayor Cook definitely did bring in improvements to Hutchinson’s 2009 budget process, such as using business consultants in the process, but it is hard to budget if you don’t have some basics. The good budget process is part of the closed loop strategic planning/budgeting system. Our city’s budgeting process has gaps that make effective cost cutting harder. There are many, many opportunities in this area. I had to pick just a few.

From Shirley Wurdell
Hutchinson

As vice president of Historic Hutchinson and the coordinator of the Living History Tour, I’d like to thank the community for the overwhelming response to our sixth annual event at Oakland Cemetery on Sunday, Sept. 21. We had guests come from as far away as Grand Forks, N.D., new local visitors and many that have been at all of our tours. It was a wonderful day.

From Paul Boor
Hutchinson

McCain offers an attractive proposal. Lower taxes. Deregulate business. Unfettered by regulations, capitalism will produce the solutions to our problems. McCain promises a litany of things: worker retraining, wage subsidies, reasonably priced health care for all, clean coal, nuclear power and “drill, baby, drill” for domestic oil. It is implied that none of this will need any impetus from government. After all, we need less government.

From Brad Engelmann
Helen Township

I demand fiscal responsibility from my elected representatives. I’m not getting it. I don’t want to vote for an incumbent who has voted for a deficit budget every year he’s been in office. I would like to see responsible tax policy.

I can’t prove global warming exists and I can’t prove climate change exists. But I sure would like to see us weaned off of foreign oil. I would like to see us encourage environmental policies that may lead to alternative sources of energy.

From Arlette Anderson
Dassel

On Oct. 1, the Star Tribune listed the New York Times “Bestseller Book List.” Among the list was “The Obama Nation,” written by Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D. This book is a must read.

EDITORIAL By Publisher Matt McMillan and Editor Doug Hanneman

Local cities and counties could see a drop in property taxes
— the main source of most operating budgets —
during the next year. We think planning for some dip is prudent.

Reader Gary Rusch recently wrote a letter to this newspaper about the government bailout of the Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage giants. He also lamented the doubling of his home’s value during the past six years. Why? Because property taxes go up each time the county increases his home’s value.

One of Hutchinson’s newest auto parts retailers, Checker, closed its store along Highway 15 South on Sept. 24, following the purchase of its parent company, Phoenix-based CSK Auto, by Springfield, Mo.-based O’Reilly Auto Parts.

Justin Miller, manager of the 9,600-square-foot O’Reilly store that opened in February at the intersection of Highway 15 South and Edmonton Avenue, said five members of Checker’s staff have transferred to the O’Reilly store. O’Reilly had moved from a store next to Godfather’s Pizza on Baltimore Avenue.

One strategy for being successful in retail is finding a niche not being served and then filling it. Janice Heintz thinks her new Cities Collections shop in downtown Hutchinson succeeds in doing that.

“Everyone coming in says Hutchinson needed this,” she said.

Whether it is raspberry pan chicken or grilled French double-pork chops, Zella’s Restaurant, the newest dining establishment in downtown Hutchinson, has a goal of creating a memorable experience for diners.

Doing business under the general philosophy of “specializing in chef-driven eclectic comfort food in a warm and elegant bistro atmosphere,” Zella’s owners Tiffany Haag and Blake Barnard believe Hutchinson area diners will like what they offer.

Jennifer Magallon graduated from the Minnesota School of Business’ massage therapy program just two years ago, but she puts continuing education high on her list of priorities.

Magallon is an independent massage therapist working out of a room in the basement of Julie Elder’s Urban Hair Salon, 18 Main St. S. There she offers hot stone massage, body wraps, prenatal massage and Swedish deep tissue massage.

Mildred E. Piepenburg, 94, of Litchfield, died Sunday, Oct. 5, at Meeker Memorial Hospital.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Litchfield.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7 at the Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home in Litchfield, and will continue one hour prior to the services Wednesday at the church.

Interment will be in the Lake Ripley Cemetery in Litchfield.

Arrangements are by Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home. An on-line guestbook is available at www.johnsonhagglund.com.

Donald Hamrin, 80, of LaPorte, Ind., died Friday, Oct. 3, at the LaPorte Hospital in LaPorte.

Visitation will be from 1 to 2:45 p.m. today (Tuesday, Oct. 7), at Dobratz-Hantge Chapel with a 3 p.m. graveside service at Oakland Cemetery in Hutchinson.

Military honors will be by the Hutchinson Memorial Rifle Squad.

Arrangements are with the Dobratz-Hantge Chapel in Hutchinson. Online condolences may be directed to www.hantge.com.

Mabel Grunewaldt, 98, of Waconia and formerly Hutchinson, died Sunday, Oct. 5, at Waconia Good Samaritan Center in Waconia.

A funeral service is at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, Peace Lutheran Church in Hutchinson. Interment will be in Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery in Acoma Township.

Visitation will be two hours prior to services Thursday at Peace Lutheran Church.

Arrangements are with the Dobratz-Hantge Chapel in Hutchinson. Online condolences may be directed to www.hantge.com.