2010 Year in Review: October

Oct. 2: After working on public health issues for more than a decade, Nobles County Commissioner David Benson was honored Wednesday in Brainerd with the 2010 Award for Outstanding Dedication to Local Public Health.

Oct. 4: When the veterans of the second Southwest Minnesota Honor Flight arrived at the Sioux Falls airport early Friday, they carried their many years with the quiet, slightly groggy demeanor of those who rise before 4 a.m. to catch a flight.

Less than 48 hours later, the men left Washington Dulles International Airport with all the enthusiasm of a high school football team returning from a state championship win. The full depth of emotions the World War II memorial stirred within them is known only to them, but the significance of genuine gratitude received from total strangers was immediately evident.

Oct. 5: Members of a regional dispatch group committee met Monday to start hammering out details for a joint powers agreement, spending time discussing how many members each entity should have on the board and how each would contribute financially.

Oct. 5: Water levels on Lake Okabena have dropped more than a foot since a deluge of rain fell on the region nearly two weeks ago, but the damage it left behind will take much longer to fade into the memory of some property owners with lakeshore lots.

Among battered docks and signs of slumping shoreline, perhaps the most visible destruction caused by the five-plus inches of rain occurred on a parcel of property along South Shore Drive.

Oct. 5: For the first time in recent memory, the Minnesota College and University System’s monthly Leadership Council will not occur at the system’s St. Paul office. Instead, presidents from across the state will travel to Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Worthington for committee meetings on issues like academic and student affairs, diversity, finance and technology.

Oct. 6: After a tense discussion Tuesday that at times threatened to erupt into a turf war, officials from the city of Worthington, Sanford Medical Center Worthington and local emergency services decided to continue working on contingency plans for emergency medical care.

Oct. 7: The Carnegie Cultural Center in Luverne will showcase its recently completed interior facelift on Sunday in conjunction with an artist reception for Ellsworth painter Dorothy Hocking.

Oct. 7: Artists, art enthusiasts and public officials came together Wednesday at the Historic Dayton House to learn more about the value of public art and to share ideas for its implementation in area communities.

Oct. 8: At least 1,230 students in District 518 schools are receiving their flu vaccination this week thanks to a partnership between Sanford and Avera Worthington Specialty clinics in Worthington, and funding from the Worthington Regional Healthcare Foundation.

Oct. 9: Mark and Shari Lenz of rural Lismore will be recognized at the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts annual convention in early December as the Nobles County Conservationists of the Year.

Oct. 9: Two eighth-grade students at Fulda Junior High School have joined a nationwide effort to nix distracted driving, especially sending text messages while behind the wheel.

Sporting black and neon pink sweatshirts that read “Test Busters,” Taylor Kenney and Marissa Kunerth have worked since August to develop the project for their district’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter.

Oct. 11: Paycheck took the honors at the second heat of the Great Gobbler Gallop Saturday in Cuero, beating the celebrated Texan racing turkey Ruby Begonia by just 21 seconds and bringing home the Traveling Trophy of Tumultuous Triumph.

Oct. 12: Unseasonably warm temperatures and clear skies have been a perfect combination for farmers working to get this year’s crop into the bins, but they have also lead to a later-than-usual algae bloom on Lake Okabena.

Since Saturday, visitors to the eastern shore of Worthington’s lake have encountered a foul smell and a layer of slime that, except for its color, could mirror an oil slick. The large mats of bubbly brown, turquoise and milky white hues are dead and decaying cyanobacteria, otherwise known as blue-green algae.

Oct. 12: A 55-year-old Adrian man who in 2001 was sentenced to 88 months in prison pleaded guilty to controlled substance sale Monday for the fourth time since 1998.

Oct. 13: The Worthington City Council made more strides toward the construction of a new fire station at its Tuesday night meeting, approving contracts with a project architect and construction oversight organization.

Oct. 13: Several subjects that stopped the regional dispatch group in its tracks last week were breezed through with relative ease Tuesday during a joint powers subcommittee meeting at the Prairie Justice Center.

Oct. 14: Minnesota Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon, DFLDuluth, running mate for gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton, stopped in Worthington Wednesday to discuss mental health care issues with area providers.

Oct. 14: Dennis Duitsman pumped his fist in appreciation as a neighboring farmer drove passed with a couple wagon loads of grain Wednesday morning on a minimum maintenance road near Spafford.

The farmer was among nearly 30 neighbors and friends to come to the aid of the Duitsman family after Dennis’ dad was hospitalized late last week. Bill Duitsman has long filled the role as load hauler during the harvest season, but this year his health got in the way.

Oct. 16: Students at Adrian Elementary kicked off their day Friday with a Rockin’ Recess, dancing to the Macarena and rolling through the motions of the Chicken Dance. The event was part of day-long festivities at the school to celebrate its silver rating in the Healthier U.S. School Challenge.

Oct. 16: Worthington resident Janet Rachuy has battled cancer for the past 12 years. But as she undergoes yet another round of chemotherapy, she will have the benefit of a small waterfall and pond close to home.

The Sioux Falls, S.D.,-based River of Hope Foundation selected Rachuy as a recipient of the rapid landscaping project after daughter Darla Janssen nominated her mom for the honor.

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