SARTELL (WJON News) -- There will be an open forum on Tuesday night to discuss life in Sartell. The St. Cloud Regional Human Rights Commission is hosting an open forum at the Sartell Community Center from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m The forum's focus is on human rights issues related to life in Sartell Cloud are encouraged to attend to discuss things such as: what you like about living in Sartell what are areas of opportunity and improvement Elected officials have been invited to attend Cloud Regional Human Rights Commission serves St Gallery Credit: Brown and Riley, "Cyclone Views: Pictures Sauk Rapids Cyclone" (1886). University and Other Publications. 1. Human Right forum at Sartell Community Center to look at life in Sartell\nRead More SARTELL (WJON News) -- There will be an open forum on Tuesday night to discuss life in Sartell. The St. Cloud Regional Human Rights Commission is hosting an open forum at the Sartell Community Center from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m A well-known automotive tire store will open in early May in Sartell's River Crossing development Construction began last summer for Les Schwab Tire Center which serves customers seeking not just tires The facility will be 10,500 square feet with a full suite of retail services More: Amtrak Borealis: Minnesota’s popular train route for scenic weekend getaways Les Schwab opened dozens of stores in multiple states across the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest last year and continues this year to ensure easier access to the company Store manager Tanner Martin — who comes to the area from Washington State — said he looks forward to bringing the Les Schwab's great service to the local community “Our customers rely on us for more than just tires—they trust us to deliver service the right way,” Martin said “Les Schwab brings generations of hard work and dedication and I’m committed to upholding those values here in Sartell and I’m passionate about getting involved in the community—whether through our toy drives local events or other programs that make a difference.” Les Schwab claims that every time they touch a customer’s tires they also make certain to check the surrounding components to ensure everything is squared away and the vehicle is safe to be on the road More: New restaurant opens in Sartell Jade Garden brings family recipes, authentic Asian cuisine to Sartell Les Schwab has been around for nearly 75 years and had $2.3 billion in retail sales in 2024 The new location has begun recruiting to fill local positions Les Schwab offers a competitive package of pay and benefits designed to reward their employees’ hard work The company notes that for decades employees have shared in their success through profit sharing bonuses They are also only promoting from within and currently have more than 8,500 employees Memorial services celebrating the life of Arlo Joseph Groebner infant son of Dan and Paige will be held at 11:00 a.m 2025 at Celebration Lutheran Church in Sartell Cloud Hospital and passed away peacefully on May 2 Left to cherish his memory are his parents; sister Memorial services celebrating the life of Arlo Joseph Groebner, infant son of Dan and Paige will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at Celebration Lutheran Church in Sartell.\nRead More SARTELL (WJON News) -- One area school district is seeking public feedback on how it is doing Stephen School District is conducting its "Striving for Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness" community feedback survey the state of Minnesota required that schools periodically survey their community about their connection to and level of satisfaction with the school Early Childhood Family Education questions were added Superintendent Michael Rivard says the district's has a strong tradition of partnership with parents and input during the survey period is helpful as the district strives for continuous improvement People have until May 8th to fill out the survey via the district's website Survey results will be available on the district's website once compiled The Sartell School District is seeking the community's feedback on how it is doing\nRead More SARTELL (WJON News) -- One area school district is seeking public feedback on how it is doing People have until May 8th to fill out the survey via the district's website - Bridges in poor condition: 7.4% (11 of 149 bridges)\n- Square meters of bridges in poor condition: 10.4% (5,895 of 56,771 square meters of bridges) SARTELL — Getting teenagers to be productive before 7 a.m The Tigers are eagerly rising with the sun during the sport’s inaugural season in Minnesota “Coach (Jon) Benson actually said today we’re one of the only teams that practice as much as we do,” said Katie Boardman “We actually had these kids specifically ask for more practices We go at six in the morning and we get after it out on the turf in the lights and the cold running through plays learning how to play the different types of defense.” “I think what I’ve enjoyed the most is just seeing all the girls on all the teams getting out here playing a fun game,” Benson said I love that this is an opportunity to showcase some athleticism of these gals that maybe you don’t see at a track meet or softball field Tech is fresh off a 35-14 victory on Sunday against Sartell where sophomore Sydney Shamla showed off her ball-hawking skills to seal the victory with a pick-six on the game’s final play I threw it to Reese and it was a touchdown,” Shamla said The Tigers couldn’t have asked for a better way to start an endeavor brewing with anticipation.  A pioneering thrill comes with exploring uncharted territory Twenty-five girls came out for Tech’s program which splits up into junior varsity and varsity squads on game days There may be more players coming out in 2026 Tech freshman Greta Anderson said there’s a lot of word of mouth about the sport at school what are you doing this weekend?’ I say ‘I’m going to flag football.' I think that's super cool," Anderson said The Tigers pull out all the stops on social media utilizing the Tech Tiger Football Facebook and X pages once exclusive to the boys football teams to promote the team There’s a big learning curve for everyone involved families in the stands — even the officials — are learning the rules and nuances on the fly this is really only our second day of playing flag football,” Boardman said I think we’re doing a lot of good things and everyone’s picking each other up and we’re learning as we go.” Tech opened the season April 27 with wins over two foes from its four-team district: Melrose and Monticello Melrose got revenge on Tech Sunday with a win over the Tigers in the second half of the doubleheader in Sartell Tech will get its chance to host its fellow district teams on Sunday The Tigers are in Big Lake on May 11 for a pair of non-district matchups What’s a silly homecoming week tradition at some schools proved to be far more at Sartell Sabre girls got a taste of what life could be like if a flag football league entered the equation “We played powder puff at our school.” Sartell eighth-grader Lizzy Mazzone said “We always wanted to play flag football from powder puff.” A chain reaction of commitments came quickly after “(Maya and Scott Hentges) went around saying we might be playing this year,” Mazzonne said Unlike 11-on-11 tackle football where only a select few are capable of clutching the pigskin and finding the end zone everyone is a touchdown scorer waiting to happen in flag football the center is eligible to go out for a pass who may receive a shotgun snap or from under center The quarterback can also hand off to a running back or wide receiver on a reverse or take off running if the opposing defense elects to send a rusher on a blitz “It’s kind of a fun format,” Scott Hentges said Scott Hentges is intent on prioritizing fun and is eager to shuffle players around the lineup Maya Hentges and Lauren Morse each fired touchdown passes while taking turns as Sartell’s primary quarterbacks “We had a touchdown pass from Maya to Keeley Guggisberg,” Scott Hentges said We just kind of rotate through and everybody takes their turn.” Substitutions are frequent in the fast-paced format featuring two 15-minute halves Unless teams burn one of two timeouts granted per half the action keeps flowing until the halftime break splitting games in the first two weeks of the four-week regular season The Sabres beat Monticello and lost to Melrose in Week 1 After losing to Tech in their first game Sunday the Sabres bounced back for a commanding 42-12 win over Monticello Players are finding that skill sets from their primary spring sports are paying off on the football field “That drop step for softball outfield,” Mazzoni said physically demonstrating the motion as she spoke Morse firing the ball to receivers downfield draws from the muscle memory built up over the years used to nab would-be base stealers “I’m a catcher so I throw a lot,” Sarell softball’s starting catcher Morse said Scott Hentges is still learning what works best and what doesn’t from a play calling perspective The consensus among teams thus far appears to favor a pass-heavy style That contrasts to the ground-and-pound style the Sartell boys employed last fall The key in flag football is to give playmakers room to show off their athleticism “Find your good athletes and try to get them the ball and get some space,” Scott Hentges said The field is roughly half the size of a traditional 100-yard field though teams can opt to “punt” on fourth down which equates to relinquishing possession and forcing the opposing team to start at its own 5-yard line Teams can achieve one first down before vying for the end zone teams have the option to go for a one-point conversion from the 5 Lateral or backward passes are not allowed If a defense opts to send the maximum of one rusher the rusher must begin from the “rush line” seven yards past the line of scrimmage here are several nuances to the game that coaches and players are still working through “The hard part is there are little tweaks here and there that you don’t really know,” Scott Hentges said Grasping a new rule book doesn’t detract from the overall experience it’s a chance to break through in what’s long been a male-dominated venture but also just playing football,” Smith said of what she enjoys most “It’s mostly known just as a men’s sport.” Joining this team is something Morse has envisioned for some time “It’s been my dream since I was a little kid,” Morse said Guggisberg pointed out — in tongue-in-cheek fashion — how she’s finally fulfilling one of her parent’s longstanding wish “Mom always wanted a football player,” Guggisberg said MORTON — The Sartell boys golf team finished in fourth place at the two-day Elk River was second (593) and Alexandria was third (613) Jameson Schmitz took 12th overall for Sartell with a score of 152 Sam Lunde was 18th (154) and Carson Andel was 24th (156) Gorgeous morning for golf @dacotahridge!! Sabres finish 4th at Dacotah Ridge Invite @gosartellsabres pic.twitter.com/T4piCN0gAc Landon Hilger and Vaughn Hilger each had three goals in the Storm'N Sabres lopsided victory on Friday Hilger added four assists for a seven-point night and Hilger had two assists for a five-point night Dylan Smith had four saves and Noah George had three saves COLD SPRING — The Spartans improved to 4-4 on the season with the win at Blattner Stadium on Friday BIG LAKE — The Storm'N Sabres fell to 0-8 on the season with the loss on Friday BECKER — The Bulldogs' Morgan Vee had four goals and an assist in the Bulldogs' rout of the Spartans Katelyn Gaule and Emma Ryan had two goals each for ROCORI (3-4) Cloud Area Human Rights Commission is hosting an open forum for the Sartell and St Cloud Area Human Rights Commission encourages attendees to respond to questions regarding life in Sartell what community members like about living there what are some areas of opportunity and improvement Elected officials have been invited to attend the forum Cloud Area Human Rights Commission serves St The organization aims to provide education regarding the Minnesota statute of human rights and the state Department of Human Rights The event will be held at the Sartell Community Center at 859 19th St The forum is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m Light refreshments will be served at the event BRAINERD — Brainerd’s Sawyer Riffle-Clark Haglin defeated Sartell’s Collin Rankin and Will Gerads 6-0 1 doubles for the Warriors’ lone point in a 6-1 Central Lakes Conference loss to the Sabers Friday Next: Brainerd at Chisago Lakes Quadrangular 9 a.m To view the PDF version, click here Calendar Citizen Spotlight Criers People Funerals/Visitions Obituary Police Blotter Public Notices Support Groups About Us Contact Us News Tips Submissions Advertise With Us Print Advertising Digital Advertising 2024 Promotions Local Advertising Rates National Advertising Rates A new option for authentic Asian dishes has opened in Sartell Jade Garden is now serving up meals from multiple Asian cuisines after opening on April 7 Owner Vanida Scott said opening her own restaurant was always a dream of hers after growing up cooking with her family and working in other restaurants Sauk Rapids restaurant: New Tex-Mex restaurant Los Mariachis opens in Sauk Rapids Jade Garden offered an extensive two-page menu and has incorporated customer feedback on the original items into trimming down and shaping its menu the restaurant will be unveiling its reimagined menu and online ordering option she focuses on other little details for clues about how much customers like their orders such as by seeing how much food people leave on their plates and what foods in particular they leave behind visitors and family have been very supportive of the new restaurant and she's already seen multiple repeat customers coming to try more items on the menu Jade Garden's menu offers a range of items with appetizers like potstickers and beef laap and entrees such as pad se ew The sweet and sour chicken and pad Thai dishes have been the most popular dishes so far as well as a banh mi sandwich and teriyaki double smash burger The restaurant also plans to add rotating specials and they're happy and have another place to eat," said Jeremy Scott Vanida Scott's husband who helps at the restaurant part-time Farmers markets reopen: St. Cloud-area farmers markets opening for the season learning recipes that had been passed down for generations She is now incorporating those same recipes into the restaurant and passing them along to her son she also worked at another restaurant in Des Moines helping with the menu and getting it up and running "(It's) always been my dream of opening a restaurant so just a passion and love for cooking," Vanida Scott said "I believe that cooking brings family together I like to create a space for everyone to come together." Receiving positive support from the community so far has been overwhelming and seeing repeat customers visit the restaurant again has been her favorite part many customers tell her how thankful they are to have a restaurant serving homemade-style Asian dishes in the area "I am super excited when I see people come back that tell me they missed the food," Vanida Scott said "When I see them leave here and they are happy Jade Garden is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 101 Seventh St. N. in Sartell Teagan King covers business and development for the St news@thenewsleaders.com remains in the hospital after suffering a head injury April 23 during lacrosse practice at a Sartell playing field is a member of the Storm’N Sabres junior varsity lacrosse team he was hit on the back of his head by a lacrosse ball And even though he was wearing an obligatory helmet An ambulance rushed him to the CentraCare St There he suffered a seizure and bleeding on his brain He was then flown to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis the Sartell hockey team decided to go ahead and play a game in Sundby’s honor has posted some comments about her injured son on a Caring Bridge website This does not seem like real life right now It’s such a helpless feeling for a parent to stand by and watch.” The Sartell Boys Hockey Team posted these good wishes: “Sartell Sabre Hockey joins the Storm’N Sabres Lacrosse community and all of Sartell High School in sending heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the Sundby family We’re all hoping and praying for Blake’s recovery and keeping him close in our hearts.” A GoFundMe page for Sundby and his family has been started “Blake is a 15 year old sweet and kind boy who was hit in the back of the head with a lacrosse ball at practice and his family is going through a really hard time caring and loved by everyone who knows him The money raised will help with medical bills travel and other costs while his family focuses on helping him get better SARTELL — This week a sophomore on the Sartell-St Stephen/Sauk Rapids-Rice boys lacrosse team sustained a serious head injury at practice On Tuesday Blake Sundby was hit in the back of the head with a lacrosse ball losing consciousness despite wearing a helmet He is undergoing treatment at Hennepin County Medical Center according to information posted by his mother Sundby was taken to CentraCare - St Cloud Hospital where he was sedated with and intubated with brain hemorrhage where “teams of neurologists” are conducting tests according to Sharntel Sundby’s most recent update posted Friday “They anticipate Blake will remain in his highly sedated state for days to come,” Shantel Sundby wrote “They warned that if he remains on this (good) slow progress Brains are complicated and need time to heal.”  She wrote that “It’s too early to speculate a prognosis,” and that brain damage may be possible A GoFundMe fundraiser has raised over $42,000 Sundby said her family is “overwhelmed” and “humbled by the support we all feel Softball names to know this spring: Who to watch: 55 softball players to eye in 2025 in the St. Cloud area Crusader lineup blasting hits: After 2024 bronze, Cathedral softball chasing first title with new pitching, same lineup Athlete of the week pol: Record-setters and breakout stars: April 13-19 Mid-Minnesota top performances of the week The Storm’n Sabres played Thursday and Friday beating ROCORI at home and losing on the road at Owatonna The Sabres won four games straight after their opening loss to Andover and lead Central Lakes Conference standings Blake Sudby is listed as a defender and Shantel Sundby wrote she played Thursday’s game aloud for him to hear Blake Sundby also played hockey for the Sabres during the winter Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com EAST GULL LAKE — The Sartell girls golf team finished in fourth place at the Central Lakes Conference stop on Thursday at Pine Beach East Golf Course at Madden's Sophie Christianson had medalist honors for Detroit Lakes Sartell's Gwen Latunski tied for fourth place with Alexandria's Cadence Simon ALBANY — The Albany girls golf team took third place at the Granite Ridge Conference stop at the Albany Golf Club Milaca's Rula Butkowski was the medalist with a round of 81 Albany's Katelyn Hoff finished fourth (87) and Kendall Stueve tied for sixth (92) Foley's Bella Kasner finished in a tie for ninth (94) Averie Andvik led Cathedral with a round of 99 FERGUS FALLS — The Sauk Rapids-Rice boys golf team finished in sixth place at the Central Lakes Conference stop at Pebble Lake Golf Course in Fergus Falls ROCORI's Drew Austin tied for third place with a round of 75 Alexandria's Weston Nyberg was the medalist with a 3-under-par 69 FOLEY — A top 10 battle in Class A went Foley’s way on Thursday The host Falcons won three of four in singles play to secure a 4-3 victory in a boys tennis match over Litchfield Colton Stangler and Weston all picked up wins 3 tandem of Joel David and Liam Harris earned a 6-3 7-5 win over the Dragons' Isaac Elwell and Everett Carlson HUTCHINSON — The Crusaders were blanked by the Tigers in a nonconference dual —The West Central Tribune and Brainerd Dispatch contributed to this report Momentum is building on a new hotel in Sartell.  Mayor Ryan Fitzthum joined me on WJON.  He is confident a new hotel will break ground in 2025.  Fitzthum says more details are becoming available which includes drawings of what the hotel will look like.  He indicates he cannot make public a brand name or specific location.  Fitzthum explains the location is down to two different parcels which are both in the medical campus development near Highway 15.  He says it would be a 3-4 story hotel without a restaurant attached.  Fitzthum indicates the hotel will be great for the traveling professional or family visiting Sartell for weekend sports tournaments/events Fitzthum says the hotel is exactly what Sartell was hoping to attract which will act as an incubator to future restaurants in the area.  He expects the agreement and plan for the new hotel to likely be finalize in late May or early June.  Fitzthum indicates if all goes well construction could begin this fall with an opening by Memorial Day in 2026 The River Crossing development along Highway 15 continues to fill out.  Fitzthum says a new oil change business is under construction near the Chipotle.  He couldn't recall the name of this new development Monday night the Sartell City Council took a step forward with the Niron Magnetics development.  The council approved the TIF district along with the development agreement with Niron.  Niron plans to close on the property this summer break ground this September or October and be ready for production late in 2026 or early in 2027.  Fitzthum says close to $20 Million in labor costs will go into the local community.  He indicates there is a big labor impact during the buildout If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Ryan Fitzthum Momentum is building on a new hotel in Sartell. Mayor Ryan Fitzthum joined me on WJON. He is confident a new hotel will break ground in 2025. Fitzthum says more details are becoming available which includes drawings of what the hotel will look like. He indicates he cannot make public a brand name or specific location.\nRead More Stephen ISD 748 received a $10,000 grant for its farm-to-school lunch program according to a Minnesota Department of Agriculture news release The funding will support the purchase of Minnesota-grown and raised foods creating opportunities for local farmers and improving the quality of school meals Stephen ISD 748's grant falls under the department's full tray farm-to-school and early care grants for school districts with farm-to-school programs ready to take on larger projects The Minnesota Department of Agriculture said it awarded more than $1 million in grants to schools across the state An annual neighborhood garage sale in Sartell looks poised to be among the biggest sales of the spring with nearly 20 houses planning on peddling wares this week The sales are set to run from April 30th through May 1st or 2nd The Avalon Village neighborhood in Sartell will host garage sales beginning Wednesday and going on throughout the weekend while a handful of sales will take place beginning on Thursday and some on Friday Avalon Village is located near Bernick's Arena and Sartell City Hall off of 19th AveAnue and 2 1/2 Street in Sartell While I have seen a couple garage sales already this spring this is the big daddy that I personally consider the opening day of garage sale season It looks like we will need some help from the weather forecast Thursday looks like there may be a little rain Make a plan to come out to Sartell this week and check it out You never know what kind of deal you might find The sales are set to run from April 30th through May 1st or 2nd, depending on the sale.\nRead More SARTELL — A Sartell/Sauk Rapids sophomore lacrosse player suffered a serious head injury on Wednesday on the practice field outside of Sartell-St Shantel Sundby wrote that the teen fell to the ground instantly and lost consciousness after being hit Sundby was taken by ambulance to CentraCare — St he began suffering a seizure and had to be sedated and intubated Scans showed that Sundby had bleeding on the inside portion of his brain A ventricular dissection (tearing of a vessel) was confirmed and Sundby was flown to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis a neuro team inserted a line for drainage into the center of Sundby's brain She said "they are closely monitoring the pressure readings on his brain They gave him meds to reduce his blood pressure His levels change quickly and they are changing things as needed." is sedated and on a ventilator to help him breathe He responds slightly to pain when poked on his feet and hands "This could be due to a high level of sedation though," Shantel Sundby wrote "They hope to get him in for an MRI sometime on (Thursday April 24) and also have an angiogram of his brain to look at his vessels It's such a helpless feeling as a parent to stand by and watch." An HCMC spokesperson declined to give Sundby's current status when reached Thursday afternoon "When someone is underage — and can't advocate for themselves — we can't legally give you that information," the HCMC spokesperson said "The best we can tell people is to follow updates from his family on CaringBridge." Rivard also declined to give Sundby's status "out of respect to the Sundby family." "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Sundby family," Rivard said "The entire Sabre community is pulling for them as Blake heals I don't know if I can put into words the feeling that any parent would have after seeing their child go through something like this." Rivard said counselors were available to Sartell-St Stephen students on Thursday and will be available moving forward "The students are supporting each other and the lacrosse team met to support each other today," Rivard said "What I saw was a team — and a student body — rallying around Blake today "The team wanted to honor Blake (by playing)," Rivard said "They felt this is what Blake would want." suffered a brain bleed and a seizure after being struck in the back of the head by the ball on Wednesday He collapsed and lost consciousness despite wearing a helmet at the time He was taken by ambulance to St. Cloud Hospital, before being airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center A GoFundMe has since been created to support Sundby and his family as he recovers in the hospital the fundraiser had raised more than $37,000 and other costs while his family focuses on helping him get better,” the GoFundMe reads A post by Sundby's mother, Shantel, on CaringBridge on Thursday said that her son remains heavily sedated and doctors continue to drain blood from his skull.  She said it is "too early to speculate a prognosis for Blake," saying: "It is possible there is irreversible brain damage It is possible he walks out of here some day "I keep telling Blake and the team that walking out is the ONLY option He’s got to fight with everything he has we will celebrate with cautious optimism." a screening of the movie Sight and Sound says is the best movie ever made saying he'd killed the mother of his child which features a swimming beach and splash pad Fox 9 reported that Mila was admitted to Children’s Minnesota in St The Minnesota Department of Health investigated allegations of abuse at Edgewood Assisted Living in Sartell earlier this month saying in a report that the DHS was unable to find significant evidence to determine whether misconduct led to the alleged abuse A memory care unit resident diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease was allegedly using the bathroom with the assistance of three staff members when the alleged incident took place The resident reportedly got aggressive and grabbed a staff member's hair and punched them in the face and head A resident care plan reportedly states aggressive behavior is a tendency for this resident due to increased anxiety give the resident space and re-approach the patient at a later time A DHS report states family members provided investigators with pictures showing "a large dark purple bruise on (the resident's) hand spanning the webbed space between his thumb and index finger a quarter size dark purple bruise on the back of his right hand a small dot the size of a thumb on the inner aspect of his right forearm above the wrist and a large bruise on one of his forearm(s)." Another DHS investigation Probe finds maltreatment at St. Cloud care facility The facility's leadership allegedly told a DHS official a staff member said they had to "put hands" on the resident to get them to sit on the toilet didn't clarify with staff what "put hands" meant Leadership also said they were not aware of any bruising prior to the bathroom incident A nurse who assessed the patient following the bathroom visit reportedly described bruises appearing like "hand and thumb prints on the resident's hands and arms." Entertainment news: Great River Children's Museum launches membership sales April 1 At least two of the staff members in question told the DHS investigator they didn't stop re-approach or seek assistance from the nurse during the alleged incident They reportedly denied forcing the resident to sit on the toilet or seeing anyone else do so The DHS report doesn't specifically discuss an interview with the third staff member who is no longer employed by Edgewood Assisted Living the report states the third staff member is the one who told leadership "they had to 'put hands,' on the resident to get him to sit down on the toilet." News, sports and more: Accessing local journalism is even easier with the St. Cloud Times app Edgewood Assisted Living in Sartell declined to comment on the investigation The DHS report states the assisted living facility met with the resident's family reported the incident to the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting center and educated staff on memory-care behaviors Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St An elected official is facing criminal charges just days after being sworn onto the Sartell City Council Councilmember Rustin Deters was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving on Jan He is now facing charges for allegedly refusing to submit a chemical test and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol Deters' arrest comes after the Minnesota State Patrol received two complaints regarding the white Chevy Traverse Deters was allegedly driving Law enforcement found Deters heading westbound on Highway 10 shortly after milepost 194 in Becker Township A state patrol trooper allegedly saw the Chevy Traverse cross lane lines the fog line and rumble strip multiple times The Minnesota State Patrol trooper asked if Deters was driving all over the road for a specific reason Sherburne County Jail: 23-year-old Little Canada woman found dead Court records allege the responding officer noticed Deters having slow speech and movement accompanied by bloodshot eyes and a slight odor of alcohol Deters allegedly told the officer he had a little to drink including the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test the Walk and Turn Test and the One Leg Stand Test Court documents allege the councilmember showed signs of impairment on each test citing his inability to follow instructions or focus Preliminary breath test results show Deters having a blood alcohol content level of 0.13, according to court documents, when Minnesota's legal driving limit is 0.08 Deters was arrested and taken to the Sherburne County Jail Deters allegedly failed to follow instructions when performing the official DataMaster (DMT) test after being arrested Court records allege the councilmember gave short bursts of air rather than blowing a long breath into the machine Benton County: Board passes resolution scolding Wolgamott for missing session allegedly telling Deters if he failed to follow instructions it would be considered a refusal Court records allege the elected official didn't follow instructions Deters told authorities he consumed two tall beers within a span of two hours Sartell City Council's 2024 election: Deters, Lynch win seats Refusal to submit to a chemical test charge is a gross misdemeanor could impose up to a year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine which could hold up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine He was elected to the Sartell City Council this election cycle with 35% of the vote coming in second of three candidates vying for two open seats An 18-year-old Sartell man is in custody after he reportedly tried to rob a St the most recent in his alleged robbery attempts The same suspect allegedly robbed the Kwik Trip at 2211 Division St when he reportedly threatened to kill the store's employees if they didn't give him vapes and money from the cash registers He reportedly took a little more than $350 in the St Another court case: Stearns County fentanyl overdose leads to murder charge for St. Cloud man This trend continued on April 1 in the suspect's latest robbery attempt Michael Kwik Trip and threatened a 54-year-old employee The man reportedly indicated to the employee that he had a gun in his pocket and allegedly demanded money from the registers The employee didn't believe the 18-year-old suspect and told him no according to the search warrant application The suspect allegedly then asked for vapes but said he didn't have his ID reportedly asking the cashier if the gun in his pocket would work instead The employee allegedly asked "the suspect if he is serious," and called a co-worker for assistance the suspect reportedly said he didn't have a gun the Sartell man then allegedly told the employee she is "really bad at this" and said "What if I threaten your life?" The employee then used her cellphone to call 911 and the suspect left without getting any money he reportedly entered the passenger seat of a SUV with a Lyft sticker The suspect's mother told authorities her son got home via a Lyft that day because he crashed her car ‘Personal hands-on touch’: Simply Serene medspa expands with new Sauk Rapids location Investigators performed a search at the suspect's Sartell home where they allegedly found clothing fitting what the suspect was wearing in the store security footage the suspect reportedly told investigators he was upset the Kwik Trip staff were resistant and thought "What if I actually would kill [the employee]," the statement of probable cause states He reportedly told a Wright County investigator he didn't have a gun but allegedly he admitted to telling the employee he had one The defendant's next court appearance is scheduled for April 11 according to the Minnesota Judicial Branch He is facing a felony charge of second-degree aggravated robbery for his alleged St could carry up to 7½ years in prison and/or a $15,000 fine As of April 7, the 18-year-old man is in custody at the Wright County Jail, according to the jail roster Bail is set at $200,000 without conditions but it can be lowered to $100,000 if he follows guidelines such as not contacting the Kwik Trip's employees The Stearns County Attorney's Office filed felony robbery charges against the man on Feb He was released on bail at the time of the second robbery attempt SARTELL — A new Asian restaurant is opening soon in Sartell Jade Garden Authentic Asian Cuisine will open inside the former Nana's Asian Bistro soon; however The restaurant previously said it was close to opening earlier this month MELROSE — The inaugural girls flag football season is under way Cloud Tech and Sartell both played their first games of the season at Melrose High School on Sunday Tech and Sartell will play each other at 4 p.m at Riverview Intermediate School in Sartell Inaugural game for our Girls Flag Football Team ends with a 26-2 victory Led the entire game and played great defense Loved to see our team compete and have fun Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application and unwavering commitment to her students and family Diana taught first and second grade at Valley Elementary where she touched countless lives and cultivated a love of learning in her students With her determination and innovative spirit she proudly created one of the first computer labs in her classroom ensuring her young learners had access to technology at an early age she continued her passion for education as a librarian at Fairborn Children's Library fostering a sense of curiosity in children of all ages Diana’s nurturing approach had a profound impact A proud graduate of Beavercreek High School in 1965 and Wright State University in 1969 where she earned her Bachelor's in Education Diana carried her educational values into every aspect of her life with a particular fondness for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren Diana took immense joy in the precious moments spent with them: Kaitlin Each one held a special place in her heart and her stories and laughter will linger in their memories forever where she engaged in crafting and showcased her talents as an amazing seamstress Those who knew Diana often recall her sitting on her front porch skillfully soldering or working on a project and ability to enjoy life’s simple pleasures made her an inspiration to all who knew her Diana’s spirited nature was further illuminated through her love of singing little ditties and playful banter especially when she delighted in harassing her longtime spouse with whom she shared a beautiful marriage of 53 years Their love story is one of companionship and support characterized by laughter and shared experiences Lesley (Marc) Sartell and David (Dee) Sartell; her grandchildren Kylie Sartell and Natassia Roberts; her great-grandchildren Carol Ann Williams; along with many nieces Danny and Casey Schurig who will forever hold her memory dear McKensie Sartell and special friends Kathleen and Ray Garrison we also cherish the joy and love she brought to our lives She has left a lasting imprint on our hearts a reminder to embrace life with enthusiasm In every classroom she filled with laughter Family will be holding a private celebration of life for Diana This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Cloud Area Regional Human Rights Commission is hosting an open forum for Sartell and St Members of the commission hope to explore what Sartell residents like about living in their city areas of improvement and what people would like to see the city do More: 23 marijuana plants seized from home on St. Cloud's east side The commission serves St. Cloud, St. Joseph, Sauk Rapids, Sartell and Waite Park, with representatives from each community. It meets from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the St. Cloud City Hall, according to its website There is currently a vacancy for a Sauk Rapids representative saying the credit is part of the Department of Energy's Section 48C Advanced Energy Project tax credit program and expanded with the Inflation Reduction Act “This funding strengthens our position as a leading manufacturer of next-generation magnet technology,” Niron Magnetics CEO Jonathan Rowntree said in a release “This support is a key enabler in our journey to scale our magnet production domestically and lead the way in U.S.-based manufacturing of advanced materials.” Niron's Sartell facility is among 140 projects selected in the tax credit program The plant is expected to be 190,000 square feet and create 175 jobs Practice your swing anytime: New indoor 24-hour golf simulator business opens in St. Cloud The company will occupy roughly 79 acres of the 167-acre lot purchased by the City of Sartell The land was part of the old papermill site which is being turned into the Mill District "Niron Magnetics' decision to build their cutting-edge permanent magnet facility in Sartell is fueling innovation and creating new job opportunities in Minnesota,” Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum said More on Niron Magnetics: Sartell enters agreement with manufacturer, 175 jobs expected TIME Magazine also ranked Niron 22nd of 250 companies in its 2024 Top GreenTech Companies list Fitzthum says Sartell has done a great job attracting people to the community with sporting events medical needs and other attractions.  He explains due to a lack of hotel options in the community these individuals were forced to stay in hotels in surrounding communities and spend their money there.  Ftizthum would like to see that money stay in their community and a new hotel and restaurant will help them do that.  He would also like to see a hotel built on the Mill District site.  Sartell currently has one hotel Sartell is close to adding another hotel. That according to Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum. He joined me on WJON Wednesday for an update on what's happening in the city.\nRead More ALEXANDRIA — The Sartell girls golf team tied for eighth place at the 13-team Alexandria Invite on Wednesday Wayzata's Lauren Chambs was the medalist with a round of 74 Sartell's Gwen Latunski finished in a three-way tie for eighth place with a round of 82 Minnewaska's Arivia DeBoer and Rogers' Ella Souli also had 82s SRR's Sam Gruber and Albany's Blake Silbernick tied for third place with rounds of 77 each SRR's Bryden Prelvitz and Jackson Dhein tied for fifth place with rounds of 79 each Morris Area's Charlie Hanson was the medalist with a round of 71 SARTELL — With spring (hopefully) approaching it means the beginning of road construction season The project will be broken up into four areas on Sartell’s west side Another automotive store is preparing to locate itself at Sartell's growing River Crossing development Valvoline Instant Oil Change plans to open its doors in mid to late summer 2025 near Les Schwab Tires as River Crossing fills up during the coming year The brand-new facility will be a three-bay property that is able to perform three instant changes at a time The company expects about seven full-time employees at the facility Typical hours for Valvoline Instant Oil Change locations are 8 a.m.- 7 p.m More: Tire store to open in Sartell New auto store to open in Sartell in 2025 While Valvoline's main service is providing instant oil changes it also performs other vehicle fluid replacements trained technicians perform a free 18-point maintenance check on every vehicle it services These facilities are a drive-through service meaning the customer stays in his or her car the entire time “We are community-minded and a good neighbor All services are performed in the building,” Valvoline management told the Times via email “There is no storage or parking outside of our building We take special care to eliminate any noise outside of our four walls with nice masonry finishes that work well with the surrounding businesses Our landscaping is professionally installed and maintained.” More: Advance Auto opens in St. Cloud Advance Auto Parts opening in St. Cloud. Here's what to know Valvoline Instant Oil Change has nearly 1,100 employees between its U.S BRAINERD — The Sartell softball team split a Central Lakes Conference doubleheader at Brainerd on Thursday Brainerd starting pitcher Mya Tautges limited the Sabres (3-2 CLC 5-3 overall) to five hits in earning the win Ruthie Owen delivered a key double for the Warriors and finished with two RBI struck out nine and walked two in a complete-game victory Brynn Darling and Kennedy Lewis each had doubles for Sartell and Lauren Morse went 1-for-3 with a triple and RBI She gave up four earned runs on three hits Brainerd went up 3-1 before Sartell mounted a rally with three runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good at 4-3 Darling went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Maddy Smith went 1-for-2 with an RBI Koosmann started the second game and lasted 4 2/3 innings She gave up three unearned runs on five hits Lydia Woehl earned the win in 2 1/3 innings of relief She gave up one run on one hit over two-plus innings Owen went 2-4 with a double and a triple for Brainerd (3-3 7-3) and Ericah Folden finished 2-3 with a double and two RBI Warriors pitcher Joze Tautges allowed five runs on four hits and one walk SARTELL — Jade Garden Authentic Asian Cuisine is open in Sartell The restaurant held a grand opening in the former Nana's Asian Bistro on April 7 (This story was updated with new information.) SARTELL — Workers at a Sartell Starbucks announced on Friday that their efforts to unionize were successful The store at Highway 15 and Riverside Avenue South is the 14th Minnesota Starbucks location to unionize and the majority of us are happy being partners," barista Connor St and my fellow partners and I believe we deserve more for the hard work we put in for Starbucks." More: Project 37 purchases downtown St. Cloud building for new music venue, coffee shop Sartell baristas are joining more than 570 stores that already unionized in 45 states and Washington Unionization efforts at Starbucks involved more than 11,000 employees working toward issues of compensation The Sartell location's address is 1608 Crossing Loop Starbucks wages fall short when compared to the living wage in the St. Cloud area. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology a single adult without children needs to earn $20.63 per hour to meet basic living expenses two-child household would need to earn $30.65 per hour The downtown St. Cloud Starbucks location successfully unionized earlier this year making sure every partner feels safe and welcome like they can have a career here," barista Courtney Fahland of the St Starbucks' company headquarters is in Seattle our success starts and ends with our partners (employees),” Starbucks wrote in a statement to be represented by a union or not to be represented by a union and will continue to work together to make Starbucks the best job in retail." SARTELL — The Minnewaska boys tennis team beat Sartell 4-3 on Wednesday The Lakers won 3 of 4 singles matches and captured No 3 doubles to secure the non-conference victory The Lakers also fell 4-3 to Bemidji in the triangular at Sartell Middle School Minnewaska’s Tenzin Dahl beat Sartell’s Dane Kenning 7-5 Dahl also won a cliff-hanger over Bemidji’s Owen Lappinga 3 singles each scored straight-set victories over the Sabres Minnewaska’s Easton Palmer and Aidric Vold edged Tyler Larson and Braydon Schneider 7-5 Minnewaska next plays New London-Spicer at 4:30 p.m SARTELL (WJON News) -- Could any area schools start the school year before Labor Day in the future In February a bill was introduced to the Minnesota House that would allow schools to start their school year before Labor Day Sartell-St.Stephen Schools have already approved their 2025-2026 school calendar but have not set the tentative calendar for 2026-2027 yet Superintendent Michael Rivard says they purposely did not set the 2026-2027 calendar so the district can see what becomes of the bill Rivard says the district has had some preliminary discussions about the potential to start the school year earlier in 2026: "The idea that we would have more flexibility and local control over when we would start our school year is something that sounds like it could be a good thing I think we would want to take a look at the full calendar for the year before making any decision about whether we would start before Labor Day in 2026." Rivard says they would want to make sure an earlier start would be good for students and families before making any decision He says with a later Labor Day in 2026 and 2027 there would be some advantages to starting the school year beforehand Up until 1985 schools did start before Labor Day Rivard says there were some advantages to the earlier start to the school year: "You know going back to those times there were some real positives about starting earlier We know that kids are more likely to become engaged at the beginning of the school year versus towards the end of the school year We do struggle keeping students engaged often when you get to the end of May so starting a little bit earlier could pay some dividends instructionally." Rivard says the district knows an early start would have a big impact on people's lives so they would be listening closely to their community sponsored by Representative Cheryl Youakim of Hopkins/St Louis Park would let school boards vote to start the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 school year before Labor Day for two years and then the legislature would have to revisit it Sartell School District closely following early school year start bill in Minnesota House\nRead More SARTELL (WJON News) -- Could any area schools start the school year before Labor Day in the future Another roundabout will be constructed in Sartell – this one at the intersection of Second Street S which is located just southwest of Winners Sports Bar & Grill will be a partnership between Sartell and Stearns County (Second Street S is also known as County State Aid Highway 133) Cloud Area Planning Organization announced it would award $1,201,000 in federal funds to construction costs for the roundabout There are two major reasons for the roundabout project One reason is the growing concerns about safety at that intersection after many residents expressed worries about the high volume of pedestrians and bicyclists in or along that intersection Some residents have reported to the city they have seen some frighteningly close-calls between vehicles and pedestrians and/or bicyclists at that intersection A second reason is an expected increase in traffic after Niron Magnetics sets up shop on a large lot on Fourth Avenue S. Niron is a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of rare earth-free magnets Cloud Area Planning Organization also announced grants to the City of St Cloud for a project that includes a road extension of Heatherwood Road to the Opportunity Business Park and completion of the mid-section of the Beaver Islands Trail to be funded by the Carbon Reduction program will be the addition of bike lanes and sidewalks along 22nd Street on the city’s south side COLD SPRING — The ROCORI girls and the Sartell boys took home first place at the Ed Babcock Invite on Tuesday The ROCORI girls had 168 team points and the Sartell boys had 142.5 team points Sartell's Zoe Lain won the 100- and 400-meter dashes Lain had a time of 12.64 seconds in the 100 and ran a time of 58.89 seconds in the 400 ROCORI's Avery Jacobson took first in the 100-meter hurdles (16.70 seconds) and the long jump (16.275) Sartell's Landyn Stavos won the 100- and 400-meter dashes Stavos had a time of 11.26 seconds in the 100 and ran a time of 23.08 seconds in the 200 SAUK RAPIDS — The Sartell girls golf team led area teams with a sixth-place finish at the Central Lakes Invite at Wapicada Golf Course Detroit Lakes won the meet with a score of 316 Sartell's Gwen Latunski took fifth place with a round of 81 Willmar's Kennedy Mara won with a round of 72 CLOUD — Claire Staudinger had four goals in the Crush's win over the Warriors at Tech High School Sunny Oehrlein added three goals and two assists for St Cloud's Bridget Torborg had two goals and 11 ground balls MOORHEAD — The Spartans fell to 1-1 on the season with the loss to the Spuds BRAINERD — Gaje Germundson’s five goals led the Brainerd to a nine-goal second quarter as they defeated the St The Crush fell to 0-2 on the season with the loss Talen Ruprecht had two goals and Barrett Flaherty had a goal and an assist COLD SPRING — Andy Soldner and Zack Vogt each had a goal in the Spartans' loss at Blattner Stadium SARTELL — The Storm'N Sabres improved to 1-1 on the season with the win at Sartell High School Mason Anderson had three goals and four assists for Sartell/Sauk Rapids 4 singles victory to help the Aitkin Gobblers to a 6-1 victory over St Cathedral/SJP's Caiden Danielson picked up the lone win for his team at No DETROIT LAKES — The Sabres swept the Lakers in a Central Lakes Conference dual Chase Woods and Seth Davidson all won their singles matches for Sartell The Sartell tandems of Collin Otto/Alex Burns Will Gerads/Eli McGraw and Collin Rankin/Braydon Schneider all won on the doubles side SARTELL (WJON News) -- Another area school district is facing a budget shortage for next year Sartell-Stephen School District Superintendent Michael Rivard says the district has to make a $750,000 budget adjustment for the 2025-2026 school year He says the district will use $600,000 from the fund balance and that will allow them to still respond to unexpected needs Rivard says the district will still have to make some staff reductions: "The challenge always is with school districts is that about 85% of our budget goes towards the people that are here for our students so we will have to look at some positions being cut Always really difficult decisions and we never take them lightly We know that our staff are the heart of our schools and they're the ones that show up every day for our kids." Rivard says state funding has not kept up with inflation and an increasing number of unfunded state mandates is stretching the district's resources He says there is some hope the district could receive additional funds once legislators figure out the state's budget: "The challenge that all school districts have is that contractually we have to make some of these decisions we have to have our budget prepared for the 2025 - 2026 with some of those being unknowns and we can't wait until May 19th to make those decisions or if the legislatures were to go into a special session that could go on into June 30th and so we're not able to wait." He says the district has been reviewing positions for over a month already to try to minimize the impact on students Rivard says the district's goal is to remain as transparent as possible while continuing to care for the people who make the Sartell-St Sartell-St. Stephen schools facing $750,000 budget adjustment for 2025-2026\nRead More SARTELL (WJON News) -- Another area school district is facing a budget shortage for next year Sartell Street is one of the oldest streets in the city and runs on the south side of Watab Park.  Fitzthum says that street will be re-done and a bike path will be added with lighting.  He says the city is excited to get this street repaired this summer The city of Sartell secured a $2 Million grant to reconstruct Grizzly Lane.  Fitzthum says flooding has really impacted that roadway.  He says the plan is to narrow the road to calm the traffic flow and will add sidewalk along that road.  Fizthum explains it butts up against 13th Avenue which is one of the major corridors which leads to Pine Cone Central Park and the ballfields.  He says the surplus $1.5 Million from the westside project will go to fix as much of 13th Avenue as possible The City of Sartell has signed an agreement with an owners rep to market the Mill Site to developers.  Fitzthum says 3 different groups came together to market this property and this collaboration of groups doesn't have a specific name at this time.  He expects the marketing of the property to start this spring.  Fitzthum is hopeful the property will sell to developers in 2025 and a clearer vision will appear a year from now The westside reconstruct project is the major street project that will happen in the city of Sartell starting this spring. Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum joined me on WJON. He says this has been planned for about a decade and will take place beginning as early as late March.\nRead More Stephen School District 748 Board of Education incumbents Tricia Meling and Matthew Moehrle in office Newcomer Chelsea Thielen is joining the two The three successful candidates ran their campaigns on keeping politics out of the school board This comes after the board has a 3-3 political ideology split after sitting board members Emily Larson Jen Smith and Scott Wenshau won their seats as a slate in 2022 Students tell the St. Cloud Times these tensions are “filtered down” for the student body to notice The disagreements nearly caused the board to miss the July 1 deadline to approve staff contracts this past summer District 748’s board will look relatively the same after this election Nies typically joined Meling and Moehrle in opposing the 2022 candidate slate when casting his vote echoed a similar sentiment of keeping politics outside of decision making Michael Ringstad and Michael Gruber also ran but didn't garner enough votes to fill the three open seats ISD 748 substitute teacher and current ISD 748 Board Chair What needs to be changed: Bringing politics into our boardroom The role of a board member is non-partisan and it needs to get back to being just that I think it would be great if everyone would remember that all involved want what’s best for students Encouraging people to approach a problem directly with a teacher first and then following the chain of communication What needs to be changed: We have facilities projects that I’d like to see completed Replacing the 1960s-era air handling system at Riverview Intermediate School is one of our biggest facilities needs and is one that has been communicated to the public since about 2015 in partnership with the other five area school districts that make up the Benton Stearns Education District need to replace aging and inadequate facilities our sports and physical education complex at the high school is in need of completion on a public referendum ballot in early 2025 I also hope to improve our school board's ability to function as a cohesive unit What needs to be changed: Our district needs to come together and resist the division caused by fringe groups We need to restore confidence in our educators and administrators by trusting their expertise and supporting them fully It's essential to allow our teachers to work without harassment or micromanagement demonstrating our commitment to their well-being and professional autonomy We need to genuinely listen to the community majority respecting their input when we ask for feedback to create a more united and supportive environment Stephen communities is approximately 18,000 and the school district has approximately 4,000 students in preschool to 12th grade SARTELL — The Sartell boys tennis team defeated the St Cloud Crush 5-2 in a Central Lakes Conference match on Tuesday FOLEY — The Falcons swept the doubles matches and won three of the four singles matches in a dominating win Cathedral/SJP's Edmon Zeng beat Foley's Reid Erkens 4-6 The Foley tandems of Jack Erkens/Lane Stangler Isaiah Mix/Cole Rueckert and Liam Harris/Ellis Hempeck all won in doubles GLENWOOD — The Holdingford boys track and field team took first place at the Minnewaska Area Steve Hill Invitational with 169.5 points The Holdingford girls were fifth with 84 points The Minnewaska girls took first with 171 points Holdingford's 4x400 relay team took first with a time of 4:09.67 Carly Mitchell leaped to a first-place finish in the long jump (16-3.5) Cloud Apollo boys both took first place at the Apollo Quad on Tuesday Cathedral's Erika Salaski took first in the 100 (12.8 seconds) and 200 (27.01 seconds) and was second in the 400 (1:05.39) behind Apollo's Zili Lenzner's winning time of 1:02.75 Apollo's Enmary Kitue took first in the 100 (11.27 seconds) and 200 (23.35 seconds) BUFFALO — The Sartell girls track and field team took third place at the Buffalo Bison Invite on Tuesday with a score of 114.5 points Buffalo won with 146 points and Sartell was fourth (104.5 points) Sartell's Olivia Terhune won the high jump with a PR of 5-1 The Sabres 4x400 relay team of Mollie Statsick Sienna Schmitz and Zoe Lain took first with a time of 4:02.39 the Sabres' Andrew Berndt took second in the 3,200 (10:35.09) behind St In the girls wheelchair 100-meter and 200-meter races Nelson had a time of 28.99 seconds in the 100 and had a time of 57.39 seconds in the 200 MOORHEAD — Teagan Ruprecht had the lone goal — assisted by Trevor Bye — for the Crush (0-6) in their loss to the Spuds SARTELL — The Storm'N Sabres fell to 4-3 on the season with the loss BIG LAKE — The Spartans fell to 3-4 on the season with the loss to the Hornets COLD SPRING — The Spartans improved to 3-3 on the season with the lopsided victory at Blattner Stadium CLOUD — The Crush fell to 3-3 on the season with the setback to the Spuds at Tech High School Claire Staudinger had the lone goal for St MONTICELLO — The Magic made easy work of the Storm'N Sabres Allen Beckstrom is preceded in death by his parents Roy and Colette Beckstrom son Christopher and mother and father in law John and Marcella Weyer Helen; daughter Lori; sons Randy (Shanna) Jamie (Sara); grandchildren A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m until the time of the service on Thursday at the Church Allen “big Al” Beckstrom was 87 years young when the Lord called him home on Friday Al spent the last weeks of his life at the Sanctuary in St Cloud MN after spending the majority of his life in Sartell and he and his brother were raised in the St Cloud Children’s home and he looked very fondly at his time there being part of a church community which shaped his lifelong faith They attended many “family reunions” for years to come and it will come as a surprise to no one that he was always described as easy going and so kind by the nuns that had a hand in raising Al He would go on to serve in the National Guard They had four children together that brought them much joy including watching them goof off and great students who were respected by others which they all loved to do on an annual basis He was an avid sports fan and could be often found at a field or court of some sort supporting his children Al was a hard and dedicated worker who spent his entire career in the lens manufacturing business ultimately retiring from Visionease in 2000 He went on to have three grandchildren who thought the world of him and considered him to be such a kind and gentle soul and they treated him as their own and loved on him throughout his life He loved attending all family gatherings and enjoyed a good party or bonfire Al was a gentle soul who could only be described as kind by anyone who crossed paths with him He will be missed by all who have survived him and we are left with many memories to get us through our grief Allen “big Al” Beckstrom was 87 years young when the Lord called him home on Friday, April 25th, 2025.\nRead More He will be missed by all who have survived him and we are left with many memories to get us through our grief.