Marie Nelson (wife of Arvid Nelson), 91, of Hutchinson, died Thursday, Aug. 28, at Burns Manor Nursing Home in Hutchinson.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3, at Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Hutchinson. Interment will be in Oakland Cemetery in Hutchinson.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, and from 8 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3, at the Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church.

Online condolences may be directed to www.hantge.com.

From Bud Morrow
Hutchinson

I am perplexed as to the why the Hutchinson City Council would not budget for mosquito spraying. The fire chief has had or has West Nile virus, whether it came from the multitude of storm water ponds filled with stagnant water or not, one will never know. But to think that every time a project is proposed, another pond is included. It just adds to the potential for mosquito infestation. The money should not be an issue.

From Diane Leonard
Darwin

I am writing in support of Hutchinson police officers being organized and part of a union. I belong to Education Minnesota, one of the largest unions in our state.

From Ann Bajari
Hutchinson

A competent manager, a team player, a fiscally responsible person, these all describe Becky Felling, candidate for Third District county commissioner in McLeod County. I have had the opportunity to work closely with Becky since 1995 on public health programs that are run jointly in McLeod, Meeker and Sibley Counties.

From David and Nell Gehrke
Hutchinson

From Reve' Robischon
Hutchinson

I have worked with LaVonne Hansen for 10 years and would like to convey what an asset she would be as a member of the Hutchinson City Council. LaVonne is very intelligent, hardworking yet a practical individual. She has a wealth of experience in leading large organizations. LaVonne, with her diverse background and personal creativity, has been a catalyst of many advances in our organization.

Many of the 323 students attending New Century Charter School and New Discoveries Montessori Academy will see their new 40,000-square-foot school for the first time when they walk through the doors Tuesday morning.

Cheers and a big thank you to the young man who mowed the Great Northern depot property — a job well done.
Jonathan Crosby, president
The Luce Line Railroad Club

Cheers and thanks to all who made our annual Relay for Life a huge success. More than $130,000 was raised. Hats off to all.
Arlene Schwarz, Hutchinson

From Pat DeWitt
Hutchinson

I would like to encourage the voters in Hutchinson to vote for Mary Christensen for City Council. She is a “hometown girl” with great passion and love for our city. She is my dear friend and walking companion, and has taught me to look at our beautiful city with new eyes and to be more involved with what is going on in our community. I am also a “hometown girl” and know Mary has Hutchinson’s best interest at heart.

His timing could have been better, but Monroe Street resident Rett Young urged the Hutchinson City Council on Tuesday to consider future investments to improve the city’s skateboard park in Tartan Park.

On the same night that the council was dealing with closing a projected 2009 deficit in its proposed 2009 budget, Young said the park is in need of about $50,000 worth of improvements.

“It is a nice skateboard park, but it is by no means complete,” he said. The park lacks lights, benches or bleachers and even basic restroom facilities.

When members of the National Guard and Reserve return home from military duty, their jobs are protected. That’s the law.

Bob Benshoof is a volunteer working to make sure McLeod County employers are aware of the law. Fortunately, many employers understand it and comply with it.

But some are still fuzzy about it. “The idea is to get as many people informed as we can,” he said.

From LaVonne Hansen
Hutchinson

The interest and enthusiasm in the race for City Council is inspiring. There are fancy signs and articles that promised reduced taxes, new revenue, budget scrutiny, etc. But, forget campaign rhetoric, relationships and personal desires for a minute. Step back and consider what Hutchinson needs to move into the future.

The completion of $28 million in new Hutchinson public facilities will be celebrated next week with separate events planned Tuesday and Wednesday.

At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, the completion of the $1.6 million pedestrian underpass beneath State Highway 7, near the McLeod County Museum, will be recognized.

Two open houses are planned for noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3. One honors completion of the city’s new $15 million water treatment plant on Prospect Street, while the other marks completion of a $11.4 million waste water treatment plant expansion on Adams Street.

Gerald Messner
Hutchinson

Webster’s dictionary defines integrity as “a firm adherence to a code of moral values; incorruptible.” I define it as my friend who is a candidate for the Hutchinson City Council — Raymond Norton.

I have known Raymond Norton for many years. He exemplifies a man that almost never takes something by its face value, but rather digs into the workings of it before drawing any conclusions.

This in no way implies that he is not a team player. Quite the contrary, he is not only a team player, he is a team leader.

From Harry A. Spannaus
Midland, Texas

I reviewed Mr. Bob Backlund's Opinion comment about the first Hutchinson High School hockey team and while I believe his start date for the hockey team of 1945 was nearly correct, there are several other facts to be known about the so-called “first hockey team.”

From Kate Steinbach
McLeod County American Cancer Society staff partner

On behalf of the American Cancer Society Minnesota Region, I would like to thank McLeod County residents for their commitment to Relay For Life and their outstanding fundraising year. You have exceeded your goal by more than $15,000, bringing us to over $130,000. Outstanding work!

Cheers to our neighbors who caught our dogs and took care of them while we were at work Wednesday morning. The dogs escaped from our house while we were gone and were running loose. Our wonderful neighbors took care of them until we returned.
Jim McClure, Hutchinson

Cheers to McKenzie Ketcher, Erika and Eliza Smith, Shanel and Carlie Goranowski, Nicole and Ashley Haarstad, Ellyssa Hoversten and Emma Johnson for helping me paint the giant U.S. map on the Park Elementary playground. It looks great!
Brian Tillmann, Hutchinson

It’s time for more Minnesotans to become more European about their grocery shopping habits. Yes, it’s OK to bring your own bag to the grocery store and reuse it again and again.

All three of Hutchinson’s grocery stores now sell fabric reusable grocery bags for about $1. There’s no longer the need to ponder whether paper or plastic is the right choice. There is no right choice other than the reusable bag.

The Hutchinson City Council needs to tell McLeod County Auditor Cindy Schultz by mid-September what it intends to collect in taxes from local property owners in 2009. The council and city staff are still scrambling to arrive at that number.

The council on Tuesday re-examined its budget and tax levy projects. It learned action by the Minnesota Legislature last session helped Hutchinson in one way, but hinders it in another.

By Kim Asche, University of Minnesota Extension

We are at the end of summer but there are still a few very warm days in our area. During the warm days it is important to prevent heat-related illness.

The most effective way to manage heat illness is to prevent it. The following guidelines offer simple steps for the prevention of heat related injuries:

• Recognize that any form of physical exertion, not just exercise, can result in heat related problems.

The first sign that not all was well when B & B Sports owner Butch Hausladen arrived at his business Friday morning was the sight of a door wide open on a camper.

Hausladen discovered 20 camper units, including five, customer-owned ones stored there, had been entered sometime overnight and vandalized. B & B is just north of Hutchinson city limits at 20271 State Highway 15.

By David Nicolai, University of Minnesota Extension

Bruce Potter, integrated pest management specialist of southwest Minnesota at Lamberton, reviews the 2008 soybean aphid problem by illustrating several of the core principles of IPM regarding insect control with insecticides which he lists below:

By David Nicolai, University of Minnesota Extension

Roger Stearns’ decision to run for Seat 4 on the Hutchinson City Council wasn’t necessarily a result of his wife, Rachel, telling the 60-year-old retired businessman to get out of the house. But it was pretty close.

“She said, ‘You need a passion,’” the former head of Stearnswood said.

With that, Stearns, who once was the treasurer of the District 423 Board of Education, decided he would run to replace his friend, Kay Peterson, who is not seeking re-election. He made his decision late in the filing period and opted to run in the seven-person race for Seat 4.

The typical SUV or family sedan driver chokes up a bit at the thought of a $60 tank of gas. Now imagine paying $1,100!

That is what it cost truckers to fill up with diesel fuel this summer. They are hit with the triple whammy — large tanks, diesel prices that typically are about 40 cents higher than gasoline, and skyrocketing prices that have only recently retreated a bit.

The rumor swirling around Hutchinson for months is apparently true — Twin Cities-based Best Buy, a leading retailing in consumer electronics and appliances, has its eyes on building a new store here.

Hutchinson Planning, Zoning and Building Director Rebecca Bowers told the Planning Commission last week that plans for a Best Buy store are likely to be on the group’s September meeting agenda.

WILLMAR — Completion of the roundabout at the intersection of State Highway 15 and North High Drive in Hutchinson is scheduled for about 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26, weather permitting.

The detour will be lifted. Traffic is currently detoured west to School Road, north on McLeod county road 12 to Meeker county road 14, north to Meeker county road 18, and east to Highway 15.

Three weeks from now the Hutchinson City Council has to let McLeod County Auditor Cindy Schulz know how much taxes it intends to collect from property owners in the city in 2009.

That means the council has to have a pretty good idea what the 2009 city budget will be, too. For that reason, the council plans to review the proposed budget during a public hearing at its 5:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday. In preparation for that, council members will take part in a 4 p.m. workshop.

Jerome Doerr, 86, of Stewart, died Friday, Aug. 22, at Burns Manor Nursing Home in Hutchinson.

A funeral service is at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug 25, at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Fernando. Interment is in the church cemetery.

Visitation was from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at the Hughes Funeral Home in Stewart, and will continue for one hour prior to the service Monday, at the church.

Arrangements with Hughes Funeral Home.

Dorothy (Zila) Sahr, 99, of Hutchinson, died Thursday, Aug. 21, at Trinity Health Care Center in Farmington.

A private family service will be in September at Bohemian National Cemetery in Rich Valley Township, rural Silver Lake.

Memorials are preferred to Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Hutchinson.

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