2010 Year in Review: May

May 3: Unbelievable. Tremendous. Pretty neat. Impressive. Wonderful.

Those words were spoken countless times Friday and Saturday by the World War II veterans experiencing the inaugural Southwest Minnesota Honor Flight.

May 3: For slightly less than 200 Worthington High School promgoers, Saturday night was more than all right.

The WHS prom, a Friday night fixture for many years, took place on a Saturday this year, with students enjoying activities that began with a 7 p.m. grand march and ended with the conclusion of a hypnotist program at approximately 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

May 4: If anyone can appreciate the true value of a Dollars for Scholars award, it’s 1979 Worthington High School (WHS) alumnus Matt Entenza.

“I started college at Augustana with a scholarship based on my high school debate experience,” detailed Entenza, the guest speaker at last night’s ceremony recognizing the 31 students who are receiving $23,500 in scholarships this year from the Worthington Dollars for Scholars chapter.

May 4: There are a few sorpresas (surprises) in store for those planning to attend Worthington’s third annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration, set for Saturday at the Long Branch Saloon.

May 5: Win or lose, today’s 12:10 p.m. Minnesota Twins game will be a memorable one for many Worthington residents.

That’s because about 120 members of the Worthington High School (WHS) Trojan and Concert Choirs will sing the National Anthem at Target Field just prior to the game’s first pitch being thrown.

May 6: Carl Nagel isn’t sure how his wife was able to keep it a secret.

Nagel’s wife, Beth, knew the Worthington native was going to receive the Citibank Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award for his work with students in the Sioux Falls School District — but he didn’t find out until the annual Lutheran Social Services Mentor Appreciation Breakfast on Friday.

May 7: Firefighters from the small departments in Murray County can breathe a little easier today.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced the award of $872,629 through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, which will be used to equip the fire departments in Murray County with ARMER radios.

May 10: It’s a recipe for a night of charming entertainment: Take a professional opera singer and infuse her with the personality and dialogue of TV chef Julia Child, combine with the talents of a local funeral director and priest and finish with a dollop of fine food and beverages.

This delicious dish is “Bon Appétit!” a short — and comedic — opera that will be performed Saturday at the Historic Palace Theatre in downtown Luverne.

May 11: Minnesota West Community and Technical College agriculture instructors Jeff Rogers and Rolf Mahlberg are gearing up for a new fall schedule for students — to continue their education online during the busy harvest season.

May 12: Many facts of the case were kept nonspecific, but the Dickinson County Attorney’s Office and the Spirit Lake Police Department released Tuesday the names of 17 people who have been arrested and charged in the “Broken Arrow” investigation that delved into drugs and gun trafficking.

May 12: Keela Wieneke, the daughter of Craig and Lana Wieneke, recently volunteered to serve as the Nobles County Dairy Princess. She will be among dozens of girls competing this weekend to be one of the 12 Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists.

May 13: Citizens of Jackson County asked questions, expressed opinions and viewed floor plans Wednesday at an informational open house for the proposed new Jackson County Resource Center.

May 13: Students were rewarded for their academic excellence with something far better than certificates: lip-syncing teachers.

A large group of red-shirtclad District 518 faculty members wrapped up Wednesday’s 21st annual Academic Awards Ceremony with a performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the Worthington High School gymnasium. Students were unable to contain their laughter at the group’s synchronized dance moves and theatrical “solos” by teacher Sam Becker and coach Eric Lindner, and gave the educators a standing ovation for their efforts.

May 14: Construction will begin next month on a resort and casino near Larchwood following the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission’s approval of a casino license application on Thursday.

May 14: The Worthington Area Language Academy school board outlined its plan for school improvement during a public meeting Thursday, saying members would increase parent participation, elect all new board members and nix seventh- and eighth-grade instruction to focus on K-6 academics.

May 15: Rock Rapids community leaders gathered before a crowd of nearly 150 people Friday to announce the purchase of 146 acres of land on the city’s west side for commercial development, a water retention pond, single and multi-family housing construction and a possible building project for Merrill Pioneer Community Hospital.

May 17: Veterans, citizens, adults, children and even a small dog were on hand Saturday afternoon to dedicate the Fallen Soldier statue at Fulda’s Veteran Memorial Park.

May 17: It may have seemed like the construction to add 42 units to the Meadows of Worthington went on and on, but in reality it was finished ahead of schedule and approximately $300,000 under budget.

May 18: If all good things are worth the wait, Unity House must be really good.

Sponsors, organizers and others broke ground Monday afternoon on the mental health facility at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and 13th Street.

May 19: Remarkable. Mentor. Generous. Promoter. Considerate. Coach. Volunteer. Honest. Friend. Those are just a few of the adjectives and nouns that have been used by friends and colleagues to describe Hardy Rickbeil in the last couple of days.

Until very recently, Hardy had resided at The Meadows senior living facility in Worthington and was still a very active and vital member of the community. But Hardy was hospitalized early last week, having suffered a small stroke, and was moved to South Shore Care Center, where he died Sunday at the age of 101.

May 19: The Murray County Commissioners decided Tuesday to delay any decision regarding an addition to the current law enforcement center (LEC) until the public can have their say.

May 19: Two stores in the increasingly vacant Northland Mall will close this month, leaving 12 people out of work and shoppers without a local Claire’s or Vanity store.

Claire’s will close Friday; the local store employs five people. The mall’s Vanity store will also close May 27, putting seven employees out of work.

May 19: After discussions with utility Indianapolis Power & Light, enXco’s 137-tower wind project near Lakefield will proceed, with construction projected to begin in spring 2011.

May 20: The Okabena-Ocheda Watershed District was awarded nearly $36,500 from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council’s Conservation Partners Legacy grant recently to enhance the grasslands surrounding Lake Bella in southern Nobles County.

May 20: In 1862, settlers fleeing for their lives were killed by Dakota warriors in a grassy field that came to be known as “Slaughter Slough.” On Friday, men and women, including descendants of the settlers, the Dakota and the Lakota, will gather at the slough to dedicate an informational kiosk that tells the story of the conflict that took place.

May 21: Ash trees across the city and throughout the area continue to drop their leaves as a result of a fungal disease sparked by recent cool and damp weather.

Worthington Park Supervisor and City Forester Scott Rosenberg said area residents shouldn’t be too concerned about anthracnose of ash trees — the fungal leaf spot mainly hampers aesthetics and does not cause the trees to die.

May 21: From a fifth-grade twist on an iconic Sinatra tune to the “Fanfare & Flourishes” that will honor this year’s graduates, those looking to sample the District 518 band program need look no farther than the first-ever Band Bash.

The event is slated to begin at 7 p.m. Monday in the Worthington High School gymnasium; the concert is free and open to the public.

May 24: Northwest Iowa will trade some of its rails for trails after a landmark purchase of almost 40 miles of abandoned railroad land in Osceola and Dickinson counties, which will eventually be reworked into a biking and walking trail connecting the two counties just north of 140th Street.

May 25: The Worthington City Council cast the first vote in favor of a downtown Sterling Drug on Monday, approving its share of a tax abatement plan requested by Astrup Drug Inc.

May 26: Residents of Jackson County opted not to fund the building of a new Jackson County Resource Center, voting 1,657 to 717 against the project Tuesday a countywide election.

May 26: The Lincoln-Pipestone Rural Water project is going to cost nearly $1 million more than first budgeted after additional work was written into the project.

In a report to Nobles County Commissioners Tuesday morning, Dennis Healy, LPRW chief executive officer, said supplemental funds will need to be secured to cover the added costs. “It’s going to end up being a $13.5 million project instead of a $12.5 million project,” Healy told commissioners.

May 26: Sometimes Ellen Rabenberg checks her e-mail again, just to make sure it’s true.

But every time she sifts through her inbox, the letter confirming her acceptance to the summer research program at NASA’s Langley Research Center is still there.

May 26: Bob Wethor figured it would a typical day at work early Tuesday morning.

“I didn’t know until I stopped to get coffee and the guys were talking about it,” said Wethor, the golf course superintendent at Worthington Country Club. “Then I got here and said, ‘Oh, oh.’”

Wethor was greeted at around 6 a.m. Tuesday by a combination of downed trees and a variety of debris that were remnants of high winds the previous night. He estimated that six or seven trees were complete losses, while countless others had branches torn from them and strewn across fairways, sand traps and putting greens.

May 27: The Worthington City Council allocated funds for a new fire station at its special meeting Wednesday and defined other projects on which the city will spend $5 million in hospital sale funds.

The council voted unanimously to allocate $4.1 million of “legacy” dollars toward design and construction costs for a new station on the former Campbell Soup property.

May 27: The O’Brien County Sheriff ’s Office released the names of several more individuals arrested in the “Broken Arrow”operation that has now put at least 22 people behind bars in northwest Iowa.

May 28: The Worthington Area Language Academy will close its doors Wednesday following its sponsor’s decision to stop authorizing the school.

Volunteers of America-Minnesota, which has served as the authorizing organization for the K-8 dual immersion charter school since it was opened in 2005, announced Wednesday it was confirming its April decision not to renew its contract with the academy.

May 29: If the haberdashery displayed by the male graduates of the Worthington High School (WHS) Class of 2010 at the school’s 123rd commencement ceremony last night is any indication, the 152 graduates are a diverse bunch indeed.

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