By Jolene FarleyAshley Mortimer, Steen, was featured as a Miracle Kid, by the Children’s Miracle Network on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, television broadcast.Mortimer, daughter of Don and Danell Mortimer, was featured along with 11 other children from the region.She has life-threatening asthma and her association with the organization began in seventh grade when she attended her first Camp Foster Asthma Camp, Okoboji, Iowa. Asthma has affected Mortimer’s life in several ways. She takes six medications twice a day and must have nebulizer treatments every four hours to help the medications penetrate her lungs. She can’t participate in sports and is hospitalized three or four times a year. She’s also had surgery to decrease heartburn symptoms that seemed to trigger asthma attacks. The Children’s Miracle Network has helped pay for some of Mortimer’s medical equipment and other expenses, according to Mortimer. "They raise money for kids with problems," she said. "It helps pay if they need surgeries or helps pay for medical equipment." Mortimer said the other Miracle Kids featured in the broadcast had asthma, cancer, liver disease or cystic fibrosis.As a Miracle Child, Mortimer was interviewed by KELO television and helped answer phones. This year the Children’s Miracle Network broadcast raised $584,000, up from a record $511,000 last year. Dollars raised stay in the local area and are used for family assistance, medical equipment essential to the treatment of children and other services such as social work and child life. Mortimer has three siblings, Michael, 16, Amanda, 14, and Matt, 13.

By Jolene FarleyJolene Brackey, nationally acclaimed speaker on Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia, will visit the Tuff Village at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, to present a workshop."My passion is to share my enthusiasm and knowledge with others," Brackey said on her Web site. "We can create many moments of joy for people with dementia." Brackey became an activity director for a Special Care Alzheimer’s Unit and began writing down ideas that created positive outcomes in patients. She attended many educational conferences, set up three Alzheimer‘s units and presented educational seminars. From her experiences, she established her business Enhanced Moments. Through Enhanced Moments she creates memory-enhanced environments, trains staff on how to create positive outcomes, sets up memory-enhanced programs and empowers care providers and families with helpful tools. When people have short-term memory loss, their lives are made up of moments, according to Brackey. Participants of the workshop will learn techniques to help deal with a patient or loved ones’ memory loss and find the treasures that each individual holds. Everyone is invited to attend Brackey’s workshop, sponsored by the Tuff Memorial Home and the Tuff Village.

By Jolene FarleyThe Hills-Beaver Creek School Board narrowed down the color selection for the locker room project’s pre-cast concrete walls at a Monday meeting. The manufacturers of the product will provide three larger slabs with different color variations. Superintendent Dave Deragisch told the board the necessary trees are removed and contractors are breaking up the cement from the tennis court. Sunkota, Sioux Falls, general contractors for the project,plans to start digging footings this week.Deragisch said Sunkota officials suggested holding community walk through nights to prevent the curious from looking at the sight when no one was around."Just for safety purposes we could schedule maybe one a month or two a month," he said. Hills resident Wendell Bengtson questioned board members about their decision not to build the fitness center. "Older folks supported the project because they thought there would be something for them in the fitness center," Bengtson said. Deragisch explained that the project couldn’t cost more than $500,000 without requiring a Review and Comment from the Department of Children, Families and Learning. The fitness center would have raised the project costs over the $500,000 threshold. "Did we want to get it built the way we wanted? Yes. Could we get it built? No," he said. He added that if a fitness center was added in the future it could easily be connected to the locker room addition. Since bond and private money cannot be mixed, if a donation was made to the school no project could proceed until the district received permission from the State of Minnesota to occupy the current addition, according to Deragisch.Activities feesDeragisch showed the board a list of various fees the district charges students.The hot lunch program fees, at $1.45 for elementary students and $1.60 for high school students, are in the high average for area schools, according to Deragisch. The activity fee of $20 per sport with a $60 maximum is in the low average. Some schools are charging $300 for football or hockey. "Do you want haves and have nots, that fine line where they can play if they have the money," Deragisch said after discussion on raising the fee.The driver’s education program with a fee of $150 breaks even with 20 students enrolled. Numbers vary from year to year, according to Deragisch.The board discussed admission and athletic pass prices. Admission for home athletic events is $5 with a 10-punch pass available for $30. Student admission is $2 with a $15 pass. Senior citizens are free.Board member Ann Boeve suggested charging a small admission fee for music events with proceeds used for the music program. Board chair ___???___ asked Deragisch to survey other schools in the conference to see what they charge for admission. InsuranceDeragisch informed the board that the current dental insurance provider offered eye insurance free of charge for two years as an added perk but on July 1 will begin charging for the coverage.The cost of eye coverage would be almost the same as the cost of dental coverage. Deragisch suggested the district not pay for the eye coverage but allow employees to pay for the insurance themselves if they want it. Eye insurance is not guaranteed in the district’s employment contracts."If we were to double our costs for this type of coverage," Deragisch said. "That’s a lot of money."

By Jolene FarleyThe Beaver Creek Golf Course is open and ready for experienced or not-so- experienced golfers.The course opened Friday, June 6, and 75 to 80 golfers have tried their luck (or skill) despite a lack of warm weather, according to General Manager Anthony Hacker. "We could use a little better weather," Hacker said. "It’s hard to get golfers when it’s crappy outside." Those who have tried the course think it’s a lot of fun, according to Hacker. "It challenges everybody," he said. "People really like the layout."Green fees for the course, open daily from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., are $14 on weekdays for nine holes and $16 on weekends. Cart rental is $10 on weekdays and $14 on weekends.Driver’s Restaurant opens at 11 a.m. and offers daily lunch specials. Golfers can rent clubs or purchase any golfing merchandise at the clubhouse. Men’s and ladies’ golf leagues are currently forming. Men’s league is scheduled for Tuesdays and ladies league is scheduled for Wednesdays. Interested parties can call the golf course or stop by.

‘Road to hell is pavedwith good intentions’ …motto also true in courtI sat in on Rep. Doug Magnus’ court hearing Monday when he asked Judge Timothy Connell to dismiss charges filed against him during last fall’s elections.Magnus was charged with violating Minnesota’s Unfair Campaign Practices statutes when he failed to include a disclaimer on his final mailing (see related story).I admired Magnus’ initial reaction to the complaint. He admitted he’d made an error on the post cards and said he’d pay appropriate penalties.I remember thinking— and even commenting — that it takes a person of strong character to respond that way, especially since the allegations appeared to be a dirty ploy by his opponents.Unfortunately, Magnus changed his mind and decided instead to fight the charges when he learned the complaints against him were politically motivated.His attorney argued the charges against his client should be dismissed because the "intent and spirit of the law" hadn’t been violated (he didn’t mean to do it, Your Honor).He also argued the case should be dismissed because the charges were politically motivated (brought by political opponents in an election).As I sat through Monday’s hearing, I wondered how the same arguments would hold up for the rest of us who accidentally break the law and are called to task by our opponents.Consider the following fictitious scenario:What if I got pulled over for speeding 59 mph in a 55 mph zone by a disgruntled deputy after our news story on the Department’s uncomplimentary internal review.I could argue that I didn’t mean to break the law, and at that speed, I certainly wasn’t violating the "spirit and intent of the law."I could also make the convincing argument that the ticket was politically motivated as retaliation for the recent story on the deputy and his co-workers.Even though the law was clearly violated, would it be right to expect the court to dismiss my ticket based on these arguments?No.And it isn’t right in this case either.Magnus made an honest mistake, and an honest response would be refreshing.The fact that his opponents pointed out the error doesn’t change the fact that the error occurred.Despite our best intentions, politicians, journalists, attorneys, accountants and plenty of people in numerous other professions inadvertently make enemies in the line of duty.If we’re smart, it makes us work harder to keep our noses clean, and if we’re smart, we’ll know our enemies will hold us accountable when we do screw up.Intentions have nothing to do with it.To wiggle out of an obvious violation on that argument is, as Don Klosterbuer said in court, "embarrassing on the part of the defense."Pay your penalty Mr. Magnus, and please move on to more productive political activity.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills Thunder couldn’t produce a victory for their fans when the amateur baseball team hosted a pair of foes Sunday.Pipestone topped the Thunder by six runs in the first game of the day. Hadley nipped Hills by three runs in the finale.The 2-4 Thunder hosts Luverne for a 2 p.m. game Saturday. Hills hosts Worthington at noon Sunday before playing in Spencer, Iowa, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.Hadley 4, Hills 1The visiting Buttermakers blanked the Thunder over the final six innings to set the stage for a three-run win during Sunday’s second game in Hills.The Thunder plated one run in the bottom of the first to open the scoring, but Hadley scored single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh frames to win the game.Chad Rauk pitched a strong game in a losing effort. Rauk fanned 11 batters in seven innings. He allowed one walk, 11 hits and four runs.Jarud Lang reached base and scored Hills’ first-inning run. Derek Sammons received credit for an RBI.Box score AB R H BIJ.Lang 3 1 1 0E.Harnack 1 0 1 0S.Harnack 3 0 1 0Sammons 2 0 0 1Top 2 0 0 0Funke 3 0 0 0Van Maanen 3 0 0 0Jellema 3 0 0 0C.Lang 3 0 1 0Rauk 0 0 0 0Forshey 1 0 0 0Pipestone 11, Hills 5The A’s scored the game’s first seven runs and never lost the lead during Sunday’s first game in Hills.Pipestone put together three-run first and fourth innings, and a one-run third frame to open a 7-0 cushion.Hills pulled within four runs (7-3) of the A’s after scoring three times in the bottom of the fourth, but Pipestone outscored the Thunder 4-1 the rest of the way to win by six.Jarud Lang singled and scored on a double by Scott Harnack to open the fourth inning for Hills. Eric Harnack and Sammons walked to load the bases as the inning progressed, and two runs scored when Matt Funke singled to make it a 7-3 game.Pipestone increased the lead to 11-3 by scoring one run in the fifth and seventh innings and two more in the sixth.Hills capped the scoring with a two-run seventh frame.Wade Jellema reached base on a fielder’s choice and Cade Lang was hit by a pitch to set the table for Scott Harnack, who capped a three-RBI game with a two-run single.Jarud Lang tossed the first five and two-thirds innings and took the loss for Hills. Lang allowed 10 runs, 13 hits and one walk.David Top surrendered one run in one and one-third innings of relief. He walked two batters and yielded one hit.Box score AB R H BIJ.Lang 3 1 0 1E.Harnack 3 0 0 0S.Harnack 4 1 2 3Sammons 2 0 0 0Top 0 0 0 0Funke 3 0 1 2Van Maanen 3 0 1 0Jellema 2 1 0 0C.Lang 3 2 1 0

By John RittenhouseThe Hills Thunder couldn’t produce a victory for their fans when the amateur baseball team hosted a pair of foes Sunday.Pipestone topped the Thunder by six runs in the first game of the day. Hadley nipped Hills by three runs in the finale.The 2-4 Thunder hosts Luverne for a 2 p.m. game Saturday. Hills hosts Worthington at noon Sunday before playing in Spencer, Iowa, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.Hadley 4, Hills 1The visiting Buttermakers blanked the Thunder over the final six innings to set the stage for a three-run win during Sunday’s second game in Hills.The Thunder plated one run in the bottom of the first to open the scoring, but Hadley scored single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh frames to win the game.Chad Rauk pitched a strong game in a losing effort. Rauk fanned 11 batters in seven innings. He allowed one walk, 11 hits and four runs.Jarud Lang reached base and scored Hills’ first-inning run. Derek Sammons received credit for an RBI.Box score AB R H BIJ.Lang 3 1 1 0E.Harnack 1 0 1 0S.Harnack 3 0 1 0Sammons 2 0 0 1Top 2 0 0 0Funke 3 0 0 0Van Maanen 3 0 0 0Jellema 3 0 0 0C.Lang 3 0 1 0Rauk 0 0 0 0Forshey 1 0 0 0Pipestone 11, Hills 5The A’s scored the game’s first seven runs and never lost the lead during Sunday’s first game in Hills.Pipestone put together three-run first and fourth innings, and a one-run third frame to open a 7-0 cushion.Hills pulled within four runs (7-3) of the A’s after scoring three times in the bottom of the fourth, but Pipestone outscored the Thunder 4-1 the rest of the way to win by six.Jarud Lang singled and scored on a double by Scott Harnack to open the fourth inning for Hills. Eric Harnack and Sammons walked to load the bases as the inning progressed, and two runs scored when Matt Funke singled to make it a 7-3 game.Pipestone increased the lead to 11-3 by scoring one run in the fifth and seventh innings and two more in the sixth.Hills capped the scoring with a two-run seventh frame.Wade Jellema reached base on a fielder’s choice and Cade Lang was hit by a pitch to set the table for Scott Harnack, who capped a three-RBI game with a two-run single.Jarud Lang tossed the first five and two-thirds innings and took the loss for Hills. Lang allowed 10 runs, 13 hits and one walk.David Top surrendered one run in one and one-third innings of relief. He walked two batters and yielded one hit.Box score AB R H BIJ.Lang 3 1 0 1E.Harnack 3 0 0 0S.Harnack 4 1 2 3Sammons 2 0 0 0Top 0 0 0 0Funke 3 0 1 2Van Maanen 3 0 1 0Jellema 2 1 0 0C.Lang 3 2 1 0

Hills-Beaver Creek High School sophomore Zach Wysong tags out a Jackson County Central runner in front of Luverne teammate Jared Pick (21) during Thursday’s Section 3AA Baseball Tournament championship game in Windom. Wysong had two hits to help the Cards beat JCC 5-2. Luverne plays in the state tournament today in St. Cloud.By John RittenhouseSophomore Zach Wysong will go down in history as the first Hills-Beaver Creek High School baseball player to participate in a state tournament.That will become a fact today in St. Cloud, where the Luverne High School team will make an appearance in the Minnesota State Class AA Baseball Tournament.Wysong, a sophomore shortstop, helped the Cardinals win the Section 3AA Tournament Championship in Windom Thursday.Luverne defeated Jackson County Central 5-2 in the section championship game, giving the Cardinals their seventh berth in the state tournament.Luverne, 16-9 overall and the winner of seven straight games, plays 19-6 St. Cloud Cathedral at 12:30 p.m. on Joe Faber Field. Win or lose, the Cards will play their second game of the event at 5:30.As the lone undefeated team of the Section 3AA event, Luverne needed one win against JCC to clinch the title.After falling behind 1-0 after yielding an unearned run in the top of the first, Luverne bounced back to score five runs in the fourth and fifth innings to set the stage for a 5-2 win.Wysong, who had two hits (one single and one double) in two trips to the plate, didn’t contribute to Luverne’s three-run rally in the fourth inning and two-run uprising in the fifth.He did, however, make a play in the field that proved to be one of the turning points in the game.Luverne moved in front 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, but JCC made a bid to regain the lead in the top of the fifth as the first two Huskies to bat in the inning reached base.With runners on first and second and one out, a line drive headed toward left field found Wysong’s glove for the second out of the frame. The JCC runner on second base strayed too far off the bag, allowing Wysong to beat him in a race to the base and complete an inning-ending, unassisted double play.Luverne went on to outscore the Huskies 2-1 the rest of the way to win by three runs.

Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton was represented by nine athletes at the Minnesota State Class A Track and Field Championships in Blaine Friday and Saturday. They are (from left) Chris Reid, Cassi Tilstra, Erin Boeve, Tyler Bush, Todd Alberty, alternate Kerry Fink, Kale Wiertzema, Lee Jackson and alternate Derek Haak.By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton boys’ track team found the formula for success at the Minnesota State Class A Track and Field Championships in Blaine last weekend.The Patriots scored points in five events and placed second as a team during competition staged at the National Sports Center.H-BC-E-E compiled 39 points during the two-day event, finishing second to state champion Plainview (63 points) in a field that featured 77 different teams producing points during the meet.The second-place performance is H-BC-E-E’s best effort as a team at a state meet, and it came as a welcome surprise to Patriot coach Tom Goehle."You don’t go to a state meet thinking about winning as a team," he said. "You want the kids to come up with their best performances. To succeed as a team, it usually takes a couple of superb performances by one person, and to get a little help from some others. That’s what we did last weekend."Chris Reid came up with the superb performances for the Patriots.All the senior did was win two individual state championships and place third in another event, and establish two school records in the process."Just to get to the state meet is quite an honor, especially in Minnesota," Goehle said. "When you excel at a state meet like Chris did, you realize that you really are the cream of the crop."Reid’s weekend was highlighted by the state championships he produced in the long jump and 100-meter dash.By winning those events, Reid joins Brad Haak (800 champion in 2001) and Steve Esselink (long jump champion in 1999) as H-BC athletes to win individual state championships.Reid’s first title came Friday, when he took top honors in the long jump.On his second jump in the preliminaries, Reid broke off a 22-4 1/2 effort that surpassed his old school record of 21-9 3/4.Reid passed on this third jump during the preliminaries so he could run in the 100-meter dash preliminaries. He recorded jumps of 21-10 1/2 and 21-8 1/2 in the finals, but his 22-4 1/2 effort in the preliminaries proved to be the winning distance. Triton’s Jamin Eggert placed second with a distance of 21-8.Reid, who placed fifth in the long jump at last year’s state meet, could have produced a longer distance Friday if his timing had been right."I really didn’t do too much right," he said. "I was missing the board by about a foot and a half. I felt good jumping, but I knew I was way behind the board," he said.Reid’s timing was much better in the 100 preliminaries, when he won his heat and recorded the second-fastest qualifying time for the finals with an 11.44 effort.He came up with an even stronger performance in Saturday’s finals, running an 11.14 to best runnerup Brian Baumann of Blue Earth Area, who turned in an 11.21."I was feeling good, and I ran one of my best races of the season in the finals. I probably had my best start of the season during that race, and it came at the right time." Reid said. "I ran and felt good, but the start was the big thing."By winning the 100, Reid overshadowed his fifth-place performance in the same race at last year’s state meet.Reid capped his high school career by placing third in the finals of the 200-meter dash.He ran a 22.87 in Friday’s preliminaries, placing second in his heat while establishing the fourth fastest qualifying time for Saturday’s finals.H-BC-E-E needed a strong performance from Reid in the finals as the Patriots were one point out of second place in the team standings.Reid came through as he set a new school record with a time of 22.46 and finished third. Chad Miller owned the old standard of 22.54.Melrose’s Mike Linneman won the 200 title with a time of 22.33."I ran the 200 during the season, but I didn’t run it that well until I got to state," Reid offered.Reid credits coach Goehle for getting him in shape to be successful at the state level. Goehle credits Reid for having the drive to win two state titles and place third in another event."Chris came into the meet with the right mentality," Goehle said. "Some people set their goals at getting to state. Chris had a bigger goal of winning a couple of state titles."Reid wasn’t alone in H-BC-E-E’s acquisition of the runner-up trophy in team competition. Tyler Bush, Todd Alberty, Lee Jackson and Kale Wiertzema also made key contributions to the team effort.Bush, a sophomore, placed a strong fifth in the 800-meter run.Bush ran a 1:57.25 in Friday’s preliminaries, placing third in his heat and recording the fourth fastest qualifying time for the finals.The Patriot came back with a 1:58.5 during the finals Saturday, finishing fifth behind state champion Eric Palmquist, of Warroad, who ran a 1:54.66."It wasn’t that Tyler ran any slower in the finals," Goehle explained. "It was the fact that the race was much more congested."Bush also was a member of H-BC-E-E’s 3,200-meter relay team, which placed eighth with a time of 8:31.63 Saturday. Kingsland won the state championship with a time of 8:03.06.Juniors Alberty and Jackson and sophomore Wiertzema round out the squad."We came in with the seventh-fastest qualifying time and ended up placing eighth. Our goal in the 3,200 relay was to get to state, and anything that happened when we got there would be gravy," Goehle said.Junior Erin Boeve and sophomore Cassi Tilstra, E-BC-E-E’s female entries at the state meet, were unable to medal at the event.Boeve placed 10th in the long jump with a distance of 15-10. St. Cloud Cathedral’s Emily Coborn won the state title with a distance of 17-3 1/5.Tistra ran a 2:26.6 in the preliminaries of the 800-meter run, placing seventh in her heat and was unable to qualify for the finals. Roseau’s Heidi Evans won the state title with a time of 2:15.14.