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

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources released a draft of a management plan for Greenleaf Lake State Recreation Area last week. Compiled by DNR staff, with input from several open houses and a volunteer committee led by Regional Planner Cathy Fouchi, the management plan is the official document that gives life to what the state recreation area could become. It is not the final word. Area residents still have time to make their feelings known. The public review period runs through Nov. 1.

Verrol E. Smith, 83, of Grove City, died Monday at Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield, Minn. Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grove City. Visitation will be Friday from 4-8 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church and one hour prior to the service at the church. Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home & Cremation is in charge of arrangements.

Elaine Marie Sedlacek, 45, passed away peacefully in her home on Sunday at 7 a.m. surrounded by family and friends. Services will be today (Thursday) at Olinger Andrews Caldwell Gibson Funeral Home, 407 Jerry Street, Castle Rock, Colo. Visitation is from 9-11 a.m. with services at 11 a.m. Her wish was that memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society in order to continue the fight she had carried on for the past two years.

Litchfield residents will pay more for sewer and electric service next year.

The City Council unanimously approved increases of 4.5 percent for sewer and 8 percent for electric Monday — increases that will provide the city with a “break even” standing for both the sewer and electric funds.

Pamela E. Riehle, 54, of Litchfield, Minn., died Sunday at the Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield, after a courageous eight year battle with liver disease. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Church of St. Philip in Litchfield with Father Joe Steinbeisser as celebrant. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. today (Thursday) at the Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home in Litchfield, with a prayer service at 8 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church.

Mildred Ella Piepenburg, 94, of Litchfield, died Sunday at Meeker Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Litchfield. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home & Cremation is in charge of arrangements.

Dorathy Kunerth, 85, of Litchfield, died Friday at the Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield. Funeral services were Monday at the Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home-Stein Chapel in Long Prairie. Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Aaron Solbrack threw two touchdown passes and Steve Hendrickson, right, ran for a score, but it wasn't nearly enough as Litchfield fell to Orono 48-20 Friday in a Wright County Conference football game at Litchfield High School field.

Litchfield's 20 points was more than Orono's defense had given up in its previous five games combined.

Solbrack led the Dragons, throwing for 70 yards and rushing for 108 yards. Devine caught two passes for 35 yards. 

Harry Werner, 82, died Sept. 30, 2008 at Meeker Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Litchfield. Visitation will be from 5-7:30 p.m. Friday at Johnson Funeral Home in Dassel.

A plan is on the table. Now it’s up to the public to respond to proposals made for Greenleaf State Recreation Area.

The draft management plan for the Greenleaf State Recreation Area will be available for public review from Oct. 3 to Nov. 1, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced recently.

Additionally, the plan will be available for review at a public open house from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Oct. 13 at the Meeker County Courthouse in Litchfield.

Donald Berg, 81, of Grove City, Minn. died Sept. 27, 2008 at his home in rural Grove City. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. today (Tuesday) at the Cornerstone Church in Litchfield. Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home & Cremation is in charge of arrangements.

Melba Margaret (Peters) Sevens, formerly of Minneapolis and St. Paul, died Sept. 27, 2008 at the Heritage House in Pequot Lakes. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at St. Matthew's United Church of Christ in Forest City. Friends may call on Thursday one hour prior to the services at the church. Arrangements are with the Koop Funeral Home in Crosby.

Maisey Mae Callahan, 2, of Eden Valley died Monday, Sept. 22, in Eden Valley. Funeral will be today at 10:30 a.m. at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Swift Falls, Minn. Burial will be in Benson City Cemetery. Zniewski Funeral Home in Benson is in charge of arrangements.

Lavonne Jordin, 84, of Windom, Minn., died Thursday, Sept. 25, at Sogge Memorial Good Samaritan Society. Funeral will be 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 3, at First Lutheran Church, rural Cosmos. Burial will be in First Lutheran Cemetery in rural Cosmos. Arrangements are with LaCanne Family Funeral Service in Windom.

Frank W. Mausehund, 87, of Eden Valley died Wednesday, Sept. 24, at Paynesville Area Hospital. Funeral will be 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Eden Valley with burial at Manannah Union Cemetery. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Eden Valley and one hour prior to the services at the church. St. Paul's Lutheran Church prayer service will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Arrangements are with Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Eden Valley.

The U.S. House of Representatives moved Wednesday to clear up a misinterpretation of the Farm Bill.

House members passed bipartisan legislation to suspend for the 2008 and 2009 crop years a Farm Bill provision that required producers to have a minimum of 10-base acres to receive program benefits.  H.R.  6849 was approved on a voice vote in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's plan to deny farm program benefits to producers who did not meet the base-acres requirement.

The sixth Car Buffs’ Breakfast of the 2008 summer season has been set for 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at Peter’s on Lake Ripley in Litchfield. Following the breakfast everyone is invited to join a leaf cruise to enjoy all the fall colors.

The event is sponsored by the Willmar Car Club and is open to all area car enthusiasts.

The breakfasts are held the first Saturday of each month, May through November, at area restaurants to give car enthusiasts a chance to view and discuss collector cars and vintage vehicles.

They were only four words but they brought relief when Connie Dallmann said them with conviction and enthusiasm.

“We’re out of SOD,” the business manager for Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City School District announced Monday at the School Board meeting. And she raised her hands to rejoice the fact that for the first time since 2005, the district is no longer in statutory operating debt, which occurs when a school district’s debt exceeds what’s allowed under state law.

Minnesota Farm Service Agency Executive Director Perry Aasness Monday announced that effective Oct. 1 the maximum loan size for the FSA guaranteed loan program will increase to $1,094,000.  The previous loan limit was $949,000.  The increased guaranteed loan limits reflect the rising input
costs affecting farmers.

"The higher lending limit will allow Minnesota lenders, using the guaranteed loan program, to better meet the increasing credit needs of the state's farmers and ranchers," Aasness said.

They were only four words but they brought relief when Connie Dallmann said them with conviction and enthusiasm.
 “We’re out of SOD,” the business manager for Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City School District announced Monday at the School Board meeting. And she raised her hands to rejoice the fact that for the first time since 2005, the district is no longer in statutory operating debt, which occurs when a school district’s debt exceeds what’s allowed under state law.

LeRoy "Bud" Jaster, 71, of Grand Rapids, Minn., died Thursday, Sept. 18, at his  home. He is the brother of Dennis "Butch" Jaster of Litchfield and Gerald "Buzzy" Jaster of Cosmos. Funeral arrangements are with Rowe Funeral Home and Crematory in Grand Rapids.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Zion Lutheran and First Lutheran churches will team up to offer a workshop for parents and their grade-school age children about using money wisely.

A workshop is planned Oct. 21 at Zion Lutheran and a second workshop is set for Oct. 23 at First Lutheran.

Called “Parents, Kids and Money Matters,” the workshop offers parents and their children ages 6 to 10 years old several hands-on experiences in learning about consumerism, values, stewardship and money choices.

Minnesota officials announced today that the state’s venison donation program will continue in 2008, though several key changes will be implemented to help avoid the donation of meat contaminated with lead fragments.

The Minnesota Hunter Harvested Venison Donation Program is operated by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and state food shelves.

By Stan Roeser

 What’s in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any  other name would smell as sweet.

I was reminded of those lines from a Shakespeare play when I read the story in the Independent Review on the action of dropping the term “county” from the official title of our hospital.

I was surprised by the bland manner with which both the Hospital Board and the County Board accepted  the change.

Even though at least one City Council member stubbornly refuses to see that any good can come out of efforts to preserve the historic nature of buildings in Litchfield’s downtown, the decision Monday to move ahead with organization of a Historic Preservation Commission should be applauded.

A majority of the City Council still seems to believe a commission and, perhaps, a preservation ordinance and a Certified Local Government are at least worth further investigation.

Arnold Helmuth Rosenau, 84, of Litchfield died Thursday, Sept. 18, at Koronis Manor in Paynesville. Funeral will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grove City. Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, at Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home in Litchfield and one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in First Lutheran Cemetery in Grove City. Arrangements are with Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home in Litchfield.

Litchfield Lions Club will celebrate its 60th anniversary Oct. 13 at Peter’s on Lake Ripley.

The local club currently has 38 members. The Lions are a worldwide service organization with more than 1.3 million members. their fund sand efforts are concentrated primarily in the areas of sight, hearing and diabetes.

The guest speaker for the local club’s anniversary celebration will be William “Bill” Biggs, former Lions international president.

Following national trends, Minnesota employers dropped 3,100 jobs in August, according to figures released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Minnesota has lost 8,200 jobs during the past 12 months, a decline of 0.3 percent, equal to the national pace for that period. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the state stands at 6.2 percent for August; the national rate is 6.1 percent.

Integrated Power Services announced Tuesday it has acquired Litchfield-based Trico TCWind.

Trico TCWind is a family-owned power services company, specializing in the North American service and repair of wind generators and turbines, as well as the repair of electric motors and other rotating equipment for the Minnesota regional market.  The deal marks the third acquisition for IPS in 2008, following the company’s prior purchase of Electro-Mec and The Monarch Group.  Terms were not disclosed.

Miranda Smith, 93, of Litchfield, died Monday at the Meeker Memorial Hospital. A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the United Methodist Church in Litchfield. Visitation will bne one hour prior to the service at the church. Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home & Cremation was in charge of arrangements.