A look back on 2016 in Motley, Cushing areas
A number of stories were collected throughout Motley, Cushing and the surrounding area during 2016. A few highlights of the past year are included below.
January
o The Motley Area Food Shelf (MAFS) welcomed Sherry (Miller) Frisk as its new director. It’s a position previously held by Sharon Stone.
o The Staples World caught up with Pam Sachs, former English teacher at Motley High School and Motley Staples Middle School. Sachs taught a total of 32 years, with the majority of that time at MHS, until the pairing with Staples. She taught at MSMS until her retirement in 1999.
February
o The Mobile Library is still going strong and since 1966, has made stops in Leader. It is currently part of the Kitchigami Regional Library, serving the counties of Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard and Wadena. Since it first began, the program has utilized four different vehicles, with the newest put into service in Nov. of 2015. The Staples World caught up with the Mobile Library during one of its February visits to Leader.
o Kindergarten teacher Ginger Stiner rallied the “troops” at Motley Elementary to create Valentine’s Day cards and collect goodies to send to soldiers serving with the 682nd Engineer Battalion of the MN National Guard currently serving in Kuwait.
o Dave Rowe of Motley shared his story during Black History Month. Originally from Jamaica, Rowe moved to the United States when he was 13 years old, settling in Chicago with his mother and siblings. He subsequently spent years struggling with depression and addiction, which led to homelessness; but ultimately found inner peace and healing. As he reflected on Black History Month, Rowe recalled the speech of Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream,” which always inspired him, even during his darkest days.
March
o Mitch Anderson of Cushing gave a presentation at Motley-Staples Middle School about his life-changing experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa the previous summer. It took the 30-year-old seven days to climb to the top of the mountain which stands 19,341 ft. above sea level. Anderson taught physical education at the middle school last year and is currently at the high school.
o The Motley Area Food Shelf (MAFS) reached their goal of raising $20,000 during March, Food Share Month, reported Sherry Miller Frisk, director of the food shelf. “We also collected 1,194 pounds of food, of which 850 pounds was collected from elementary and middle school students from Staples and Motley,” Frisk said.
April
o Mark Huber was named the “Pillager Citizen of the Year” for 2016. The award was presented to Huber April 2, at the Pillager Fiddler’s Contest, by Jennifer Paananen, Pillager Fair Board member. Huber is a Scout Master for Troop 77 and Cub Master for Pack 77. Over the years, he has helped lead a number of service projects in Pillager, including work at the Pillager Fairgrounds and Wildwood Cemetery; and at the Pillager Food Shelf.
o Residents and staff at Harmony House in Motley held a ‘baby shower’ recently to celebrate the arrival of two new ‘Serenity Baby’ dolls to their facility. The handmade dolls are from Loving Hearts Nursery in St. Joseph.
May
o Shirley Shake and her daughter Emily (Shake) Tholl, both of Leader, shared Mother’s Day reflections. In addition to celebrating Mother’s Day May 8, the Shake family celebrated Shirley’s 93rd birthday May 6. Sadly, Shirley passed away June 13.
o Dozens of athletes from 19 schools participated in the Area 5 Special Olympics Athletics Competition May 11, in Pillager.
o At their regular monthly meeting in May, the members of the Motley American Legion Tri-County Post 124 presented a plaque honoring their past post commanders. Post 124 was chartered in 1919; and has been going strong since that time.
June
o The kick off for the City of Motley’s new skate park was held June 4. A number of events were planned for the day, including safety demonstrations, prize give-aways and a BBQ lunch. The skate park is located on the west side of Converse Park in Motley.
o June 10 was Terri Smith’s final day working as the City of Motley’s clerk/treasurer, a job she had held for the past 12 years. She proceeded to take a leave of absence until Oct. 31, during which time she continued to receive full pay and benefits, but no accrual of vacation time. At a special meeting May 31, the Motley City Council had voted unanimously to approve Smith’s separation agreement.
o At a special meeting June 28, the Motley City Council accepted the proposal of David Drown Associates (DDA), Inc., to assist the city with their search for a new city clerk/treasurer. In addition, they learned that an interim city clerk (Scott Saehr, of Pierz), was in place, thanks to the efforts of DDA. The council also approved Megan Oldakowski to work as an intern in the front office at city hall. This was made possible through NJPA (National Joint Powers Alliance), at no cost to the city.
o Motley June Fest was held for the first time, in conjunction with the Morrison County Fair June 17 - 19. June Fest was sponsored by the Staples Motley Area Chamber of Commerce. The festivities included pig races, a parade, music and Wings competition.
July
o A 51-year-old Elk River man who went missing from a Crookneck Lake campsite July 25, was located alive on July 29, in Scandia Valley Township. The missing man, Glenn Hoppe, was reportedly in good physical condition, according to Morrison County Sheriff Shawn Larsen.
August
o Winds with reported speeds of up to 80 mph ripped through much of Cass and Crow Wing counties Aug. 4, causing extensive damage. The following October, Gov. Mark Dayton authorized up to an estimated $91,663.50 in relief for Cass County and $190,044 for Crow Wing County from the State Disaster Assistance Contingency Account.
o A few construction projects took place in Motley during August. These included installing a new parking lot at Motley-Staples Middle School; and a new diesel island with satellite pumps at BRICKS Travel Center.
o A 25-year-old Coon Rapids man was charged with murdering, kidnapping and sexually assaulting his friend’s five-year-old daughter, Alayna Jeanne Ertl of Watkins. The girl was found dead Aug. 20, in the Wilderness Park area north of Motley.
Cass County Attorney Christopher Strandlie reported Aug. 23, that Zachary Todd Anderson has been charged with second degree intentional murder, first degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping; and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. On Oct. 28, a Cass County grand jury indicted Anderson on 19 counts in connection with the girl’s murder.
September
o Glenn Pederson of the Oylen area shares his story of building a memorial for veterans near his home, just off of Cty Rd. 7 and 244th St. A Vietnam veteran, Pederson wanted to “do something for my buddies that didn’t come back and for the ones (veterans) I didn’t know.”
o Construction continues in Motley. New storage units, owned by Steve Bickford, were built at the corner of Eledredge and Hwy 10; and a new Dollar General store, located along Hwy 10 on the south end of town, was well underway with completion estimated by the end of the year.
o After a full day of panel discussions, facility tours and interviews with five worthy candidates Sept. 29, the Motley City Council voted to offer the position of clerk/treasurer to Lacey Smieja of Little Falls. Final approval took place at the council’s regular meeting Oct. 10; and Smieja’s first official day of work in Motley was Nov. 1.
October
o A streets improvement project was completed in Motley, which included tarring portions of Cimarron Drive, Postel Drive and Lil Street. In addition to tarring, the project included minor surface grading and excavation of both ditches and roads to keep water off the pavement; Class 5 aggregate supplement prior to the bituminous pavement; and simple T-type dead end treatments.
November
o The Motley City Council canvassed and accepted the results from the Nov. 8, 2016 general election for the office of mayor (a two-year term) and two (2) four-year term council members. Al Yoder was elected mayor for the term of 2017 - 2018; and Steve Johnson and Nate Douglas were elected for the term of 2017 - 2020.
o Army veteran Joyce Wille of Motley is the only woman on the Motley American Legion Post #124. She shared her story with the Staples World prior to Veterans Day Nov. 11, stating that she is proud to be a member of this organization.
o Tim and Jessica Judd of Motley, along with their four children, shared their Thanksgiving story with the Staples World. At the top of their list, they said, is their thanks to God that their 22-month-old daughter, Catherine, will be celebrating the holiday season in her own home. Catherine, who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia last February, underwent a series of treatments and spent nearly 150 days in the hospital. As of Nov. 15, she has been declared leukemia free and the Judds believe she has been completely healed.
o Blizzard conditions swept through Central Minnesota Nov. 18. Schools closed that day and snow plows were kept busy for hours, with reports of 10 - 12 inches of snow throughout the Motley and Staples area. Residents in the Motley area reported power outages which lasted up to 26 hours; and Leader reported a snowfall of 20 inches.
December
o 2 Tall Tavern in Cushing, owned by John Brichacek of Motley, is now open for business. The Lincoln Lakes area establishment, formerly known as The Hitchin Rail, features a variety of menu items, seating for 108, pull tabs, TV screens and more. An outdoor patio area is available during the summer months.
o The third annual Bill Berndt Community Christmas Concert was held Dec. 18, at the Motley United Methodist Church. Nine groups participated, including members of the Motley-Staples School Orchestra.
o Outgoing Motley Mayor Nancy Nieken passed the gavel on to Mayor-elect Al Yoder at the close of the Motley City Council meeting Dec. 12. Nieken has served on the council a total of 14 years; the last six as mayor.
