2020.
Ugh, what can we say about 2020?
Well, as tradition, we at the Patriot are giving our readers a re-cap of this dreaded year with stories and features from all the communities we serve. Some of the stories will surface from articles we wrote from January through June, when the newspaper in these parts was still the Citizen-Tribune.
After July 1, the Patriot began and continued covering news from Becker, Big Lake, Clear Lake and Clearwater. Following are the stories from the year we found to be most interesting.
January, 2020
The Clearwater Library added a piece of stained glass artwork created by Terri Morgan of Orrock Twp. that’s now hanging in the front window. The piece was commissioned in memory of Library Assistant Wanda Phelps.
Richard Donald Schmit, 54, was convicted of third-degree assault and sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of supervised probation for punching MN. House candidate Shane Mekeland in 2018.
The Haus family — Dan, Sheri, Brady, Colton and Ethan — stopped by the local fire stations last January to extend their thankfulness for all they did to bring Ethan home after he got lost the past October.
Emma Domka signed a letter of intent to play soccer and study exercise science at Crown College in St. Bonafacious.
February, 2020
For nearly a week, a massive fire burned at the Northern Metals Recycling Center in the Industrial Park. The fire started in a pile of crushed up vehicles and the National Guard along with at least 18 or so other area fire departments had been called in to help quell the fire.
Emily Novotny, daughter of Rep. Paul Novotny, served as a White House intern last February, touring the East Wing with a White House historian, the Capitol Building, Pentagon, U.S. Supreme Court, Washington Monument and the Decatur House.
The Becker Bulldogs wrestling team clinched the Mississippi 8 Wrestling Conference Title, going 7-0 in the M8 and 20-1 on the season.
Ray Friedl, a prominent Clear Lake businessman and public servant, died Feb. 10 at St. Cloud Hospital, at the age of 84. He served in several local service organizations and was a Sherburne County Board of Commissioners member for several terms in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
March, 2020
Brayden Weber, a wrestler for the Becker Bulldogs, was competing in the 220-lb weight class at the state wrestling championships at Xcel Energy Center in late February, early March when he suddenly collapsed facefirst onto the mat right after his semifinals match. His heart had stopped. Fortunately, medical personnel were able to revive Brayden after several agonizing minutes.
The Becker Bulldog girls basketball team headed to their second-straight state title game in March before the state pulled the rug out and canceled all tournament games due to COVID-19.
To slow the spread of COVID-19 across the state, Gov. Tim Walz signed the first executive order in late March directing Minnesotans to stay at home and limit movements outside of their home beyond essential needs. The order took effect March 27. The order caused a panic in which shoppers started buying out necessities (toilet paper, hand sanitizer, water, etc.)
April, 2020
Steve and Lynn Fuchs of Big Lake went through a nightmare beyond all their beliefs when their G r a n d Princess C r u i s e s h i p returned to California after a schedule 15-day cruise turned into 26 days due to quarantine.
Becker Activities Director Dave Niemi was awarded the Region 8AA AD of the Year at the Minnesota Interscholastic Activities Administrators Association (MNIAAA) banquet at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud.
The Clear Lake Twp. Board and associated business members held a groundbreaking ceremony in late April at the site of their new town hall that was completed this summer. The township sold their previous town hall building on Hwy. 24 in Clear Lake which had a number of issues, including that it was dilapidated and not handicapped accessible. The board has been meeting in Clear Lake City Hall since the sale.
May, 2020
Jason Mortensen of Clear Lake was on his way home in early May when he noticed a giant bird along the road attempting to catch flight. Immediately he noticed it was a bald eagle and it appeared to have been hurt alongside the road. Mortensen rescued the injured raptor and did all he could to save it, but to no avail as the bird had to be euthanized due to its severity of injury.
Roger Bigalke, Mike McDowall and Al Scherping were instrumental in having a veterans monument placed at city hall last May. The monument, along with a bench and three flagpoles, was dedicated on the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
The spring pandemic wreaked havoc on students, teachers, coaches, parents and administrators as the trail of paper masks and rubber gloves lingered into summer after the disruption of the final trimester of school. The Class of 2020, decided to hold parades through towns to salute students, teachers and parents.
June, 2020
After a statewide closing of bars and restaurants by Gov. Walz in March, some restaurants that featured outdoor seating began serving outdoor diners and those that didn’t have outdoor dining situations, created them. Sherburne County established an Outdoor Dining Capacity Relief Fund to help hospitality businesses cover costs to expand capacity.
Back in 1972, Jim Zindler removed his Becker High School class ring while swimming near a bridge in Santiago. It was the last time he’d see his ring until last June when teenager Jayden May came upon the ring and factored in a plan to return the piece of jewelery to its rightful owner.
Clearview Elementary School said goodbye to two members of their community as the school year closed, teacher Andrea Coulter and paraeducator Judy Beck.
July, 2020
The first edition of the Patriot hit mailboxes on Independence Day weekend. The newspaper took over the defunct Citizen-Tribune and expanded coverage to Big Lake via the United States mail.
Beloved Pastor Fr. Ralph Zimmerman of Sacred Heart Parish in Sauk Rapids, retired in July. Fr. Ralph was a popular priest at Our Lady of the Lake Church a few years before it changed over to Mary of the Visitation in Becker and Big Lake.
Fourteen-year-old Isabella Villette left her Becker home early in the morning last July 11 and was eventually found safe three days later in Montana.
Most of Big Lake woke up to the news of a homicide that occurred in the early morning hours of July 23. City Council Member Rosalie Ellie Johnson, 62, was brutally assaulted and murdered by her own son, Eric Jordahl.
August, 2020
Minnesota Primaries were held mid-August and voters — even in the time of COVID-19 — still found casting their votes in person was a good way to go.
Laura and Jeff Jones reopened the Sand Dunes gas station in Orrock in August after it had been closed for over nine months.
The Becker Buzzards men’s baseball team became Class AA champions last August, adding to their long list of trophies and accomplishments over the last several years.
September, 2020
Pastor Rob Olsen of Becker Baptist Church gave his final sermon in September before officially riding off into the sunset of retirement. He had been pastoring BB Church since 1992.
The Santiago Township Board dealt with plaguing vandalism back in mid-September. Several residents and the entire town board all voiced their frustration with the newest round of damage, this time including the removal of traffic signs as well as extensive, vulgar graffiti spray painted on the 12th street bridge.
Mitch and Jen Wipper became the new owners of the Briggs Lake General Store and in September they held a grand opening on what would have been the weekend of Palmer Day, had it not been for COVID-19.
Becker’s Bobby Lee won the Cage Fury Fighting Championships Welterweight Title in Mississippi in September.
October, 2020
Big Lake held their October School Board meeting and kicked it off by welcoming Ella Dotzler, the new student liaison, to her first board meeting. Dotzler acts as a representative of the student body, and also makes reports to the Big Lake City Council in this capacity.
Eric Trump, the second youngest son of President Donald Trump, hosted a campaign rally for his father in early October in Becker that yielded well over 700 excited guests.
Big Lake resident Sarah Colford helped to create a memorial to survivors of sexual violence in Minneapolis. The memorial was created by the organization “Break the Silence” which aims to help survivors of sexual abuse.
November, 2020
Early November’s lines to vote in person at local polling stations were astonishingly long as voters lined sidewalks and parking lots to cast their votes in the 2020 general election.
Mike and Tone Nget opened a new restaurant, Cambo Flare, on Nov. 13 in Big Lake. The couple had been running a food truck of the same name for more than eight years. They serve a variety of Asian cuisine and are located off of Hwy. 10 and Marketplace Dr. in Big Lake, in the same location as the old A&W.
Jessica Treptau, a nurse from the Becker area, started her own COVID-19 testing company, COVID Quick Results just west of Country Lumber on Bank St. in Becker, next to Schmidt’s Signs. Since then, she has moved the operation to the offices next to Snap Fitness. Treptau takes appointments in five-minute intervals, and results are available in 15 minutes.
December, 2020
Ethan Wilson, son of Annie and Kevin Wilson of Becker, was named Becker’s 2020 homecoming king. His grandfather, Gary Cox (Annie’s father), was also a former homecoming king at Becker High School, way back in the year 1971.
Bob Arnold retired from the Clear Lake City Council after 32 years of service. Since he first ran for election in 1988, Arnold has been a fixture in the City of Clear Lake and a popular, trusted member of the city council. He chose not to run for re-election this year, as he and his wife are moving out of the city and into a new home near the Territory Golf Course in St. Cloud which better suits their needs for the future.
Kady Lindbom and Ellie Wenner of the Becker High School volleyball team, were both named to the Mississippi8 All-Conference volleyball team. Wenner had a stellar season and was able to position her teammates for great offensive performances. Lindbom earned praise from the conference coaches for her offensive prowess, including a total of 215 kills over 10 conference matches, a hitting percentage of .233 and 21 ace serves.
We, the Patriot, thank you for your readership and participation in our community newspaper and we especially want to say THANK YOU to our advertisers who promote their business, their products and services in this important free newspaper.
Happy New Year!
