Year-In Review 2000

Clinic closure unites Braham
Sitting wall to wall at Braham City Hall, residents listened and voiced concerns Jan. 27 during a public forum on the closing of the Braham Medical Clinic. The clinic closed its doors Feb. 1 based on finances, physician shortages and needed building repairs as seen by the Allina corporation. Many at the forum including city officials expressed their disappointments of Allina’s decision.

Officers go high tech as dangers of meth lab dismantling increase
The phenomena of illegal methamphetamine use continues to grow, having eclipsed marijuana several years ago. However, meth labs are now using more dangerous ingredients, and there’s a new appreciation among law enforcement as to just how volatile labs can be. Isanti County investigator Tim Akers returned from a two-week Clandestine Lab Tactical Entry School in Virginia, where 38 investigators from around the state became certified to create the DEA’s Clandestine Lab Enforcement Team.

Dignity restored at State Cemetery
Back when the state-operated facility was known as the Minnesota Colony for Epileptics, and later the Cambridge State Hospital, residents’ identities were kept private from society. In fact, of the 354 buried at the State Cemetery, many were laid to rest with only initials and birth and death dates on cement head stones, which became overgrown with grass and brush. But some dignity has been restored to the grounds this year after Mike Maus, director of what’s now called the Minnesota Extended Treatment Options campus in Cambridge, discovered extra funds in the budget and help from the Sentence-To-Serve prisoner program.

Licari guilty of murdering estranged wife
The case of Craig Robert Licari, charged with second degree murder in the April 1999 bludgeoning death of his estranged wife, Nancy, came to a quiet end last week with the filing of a two-page ruling of “guilty” by 10th District Judge Douglas Swenson. Isanti County Attorney Jeff Edblad had earlier announced his intention of seeking a 330 month sentence, a substantial increase from the Minnesota Guidelines because of the cruelty inflicted on the victim.

Year-In-Review 2001

Building collapses on Main St.
The east side of the 200 block of South Main Street in Cambridge was evacuated about 3:30 p.m. March 2 when a roof at the old Down Town Center collapsed taking the building down. The building had been unoccupied for several years and was being renovated as the site of the new Pizza Pub. No one was injured in the collapse. The Pizza Pub was expected to be open early in 2002.

Tornado whips through Braham 
At the cost of at least one barn, some silo damages, shingles, garage doors and plenty of trees torn apart, the price of the June 18 tornado that touched down in Braham was pretty low. After hitting Braham just after 7 p.m., the same storm cell continued toward Siren where it created more havoc, killing two residents.

Fire claims A&W in Cambridge
Cambridge and Isanti volunteer firefighters responded to the June 21 fire at A&W Family Restaurant in Cambridge. It took hours for crews to control the blaze and smoldering in the attic area. Now, a concrete slab is all that’s left of the site, which previously housed Cindy’s restaurant.

The day that shook the world
The defining moments of 2001 came early on Sept. 11 when we actually watched and/or learned of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York. Isanti native Kari Gibbons, 22, a 1998 graduate of Cambridge-Isanti High School, recalled the experience just days afterward. She had been at her restaurant job some 2 miles away from the attacks. Back home, American Red Cross nurses were on hand for busy bloodmobiles. Braham Elementary fourth grader Jessica Patterson started a penny drive, generating $808 for families with young children who lost a parent in the WTC attacks. And churches held special prayer services.

Year-In-Review 2002

Luke Becker Day in Cambridge
Known statewide for his wrestling prowess as a Bluejacket in the late '90s, Luke Becker has now gone national. The '98 Cambridge-Isanti graduate completed a determined season on top for the University of Minnesota when he won the 157 lb. title at the March 22-23 NCAA Div. I wrestling meet held in Albany, NY.  On April 18, “Luke Becker Day” was hosted in Cambridge.

County files first felony DWI
Isanti County Attorney Jeff Edblad confirmed this week, Sept. 4, that the county has filed its first felony driving while intoxicated charge since the new law went into effect Aug. 1. The case involved an adult male from Minneapolis who is alleged to have committed his fifth driving while intoxicated violation. He was also charged with driving after cancellation and refusal to test.

Cambridge receives $1.6M federal grant for NE
industrial park
It was a quick early morning meeting Tuesday, Oct. 1 but no one at the city of Cambridge was complaining. The occasion was receipt of a $1,659,322 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to the city and Isanti County ear-marked for development of the city’s proposed 105 acre Northeast Industrial Park.

Big deals
The Isanti County Board of Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to purchase only the 50,916 square foot Oakview Building on the Regional Treatment Center (RTC) property for $125,000 from the city of Cambridge. At the Nov. 18 Cambridge City Council meeting, the city unanimously decided to submit a bid of $634,200 to the state to purchase the 88-acre RTC property.

Year-In-Review 2003

Shipping out orders fall on local National Guard unit
It was a mixture of pride in their military lineage and service to the overall mission when the local Battery F of the 151st Field Artillery Minnesota Army National Guard unit held its departure ceremony Aug. 11 in Cambridge. And, yes, mixed in also was the sadness of sending off more men and women citizen soldiers for overseas duty and the voiced wishes for their safe return. Battery F of the 151st, which has been headquartered in Cambridge since 2000, received its deployment orders to aid with a security mission in Italy.

County OKs $2.7M jail plan
It has taken many meetings and many presentations, but the Isanti County Jail space issues are finally resolved. During the Isanti County Board meeting Wednesday, May 21, much to the delight of Sheriff Mike Ammend, it unanimously approved Option 9 that will add 11,800 square feet to the current jail, carrying a price tag of $2.7 million.

Grant backs bike trail planning
The announcement was made Nov. 13 that the county and the cities of Isanti, Cambridge and Braham were recipients of a $200,000 grant to solidify planning, funding and development of a bike/walk trail which will run between the three major villages of the county. The five-year Active Living by Design grant was awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support the county’s Trails and Greenspace for Life project, a local partnership developed to increase active living and encourage healthier lifestyles. Isanti County was one of 25 selected by the Johnson Foundation–out of 966 applicants for this year’s allocation of funds.

Year-In-Review 2004

Vandals rip St. John Lutheran
Members of St. John Lutheran Church gathered at the church to start the clean up process after the church was ransacked sometime the night of Sept. 5. From the pastor's office to the choir loft evidence of the intrusion was obvious everywhere. Through the work of volunteers and a fix-up fund the church was restored.

Heritage Greens development
A collaboration of planning forces combined to create the Heritage Greens neighborhood on the former Regional Treatment Center grounds on Cambridge’s southwest side. The groundbreaking for the project was held on the morning of Nov. 17. The vision for Heritage Greens is the creation of a mix of housing types—offering both rental and home ownership opportunities—and to make the housing affordable to families of all income levels.

Year-In-Review 2005

Arts Center renamed in honor of Hardy
For over 50 years, Richard Hardy promoted musical skills and community involvement in District 911, and now his name will be associated with the Performing Arts Center at Cambridge-Isanti High School. A special ceremony took place March 15 at the CIHS PAC for the official naming of the facility as the “Richard G. Hardy Performing Arts Center.” 

Aronson wins Class AA long jump
Cambridge-Isanti senior Jenny Aronson cleared 17’10.25” to bring home the gold medal in the Class AA state track meet long jump division in June. In November, 2005 Cambridge-Isanti Football made headlines by winning the Section 8AAAAA crown to reach State.

Grandy printing business burns
Emergency response network personnel were called to battle a blaze which consumed the Sias Graphic Equipment building in Grandy on June 19. The Cambridge Fire Department arrived on the scene just after 9 a.m. and were soon aided by the Braham and Rush City Fire Departments to corral the fire in the 100-year-old, 8,000 sq. ft. building. Traffic was diverted for over six hours.

AIDS vigil hosted in Braham
A nice-sized audience attended the first World AIDS Day Vigil hosted at the Braham Evangelical Lutheran Church on Thursday, Dec. 1. Co-organizer Gary Skarsten was the first to take the podium as the votive candles flickered in the center of the church.

Year-In-Review 2006

Two juveniles arrested for drive-by shootings of horses, cow on farms
Senseless acts of cruelty to animals were carried out in the southwest corner of Isanti County Feb. 3, when four horses and one cow were shot out of a vehicle window. Two 16-year-old males were charged with felony cruelty to animals and felony criminal damage to property. An outpouring of support was felt for the families affected by the shootings.

Motorsports park sought—then shut down—in North Branch Township
Jed Copham of JD Investments proposed an amateur and competitive motor sports facility on 752 acres in North Branch Township. On April 19, The Isanti County Board of Commissioners denied the proposed ordinance amendment for the motorsports park.

Three state championships for Braham Boys Basketball (2004-2006)
Braham Basketball captured state-wide attention with a fantastic run through the middle of the decade, working for three-straight Class AA championships. A 33-0 undefeated season in 2005 and a near State-record 65 home-game winning streak were among the accomplishments. The Bombers would end up reaching State five straight seasons.

Banner year for Isaiah Dahlman and Bomber Boys Basketball
For the second straight season, Braham’s Isaiah Dahlman was chosen as the Associated Press’ Minnesota boys basketball Player of the Year. Dahlman is the most prolific scorer in Minnesota basketball history, concluding his four-year career with 3,366 points. He scored 1,110 points this past season as the Bombers defeated Breck 73-51 in the Class AA championship, the team’s third straight State title.

City in shock over police chief’s death
Cambridge Police Chief Rick Wilson, 46, passed away from of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease on Tuesday morning June 6 at his rural Stanchfield home. He had been approaching his eighth year as the city’s chief of police.

Old feed mill comes down in Isanti
Since the early 1900s, the old feed mill and grain elevator has been a permanent fixture at the corner of Dahlin Avenue and Co. Rd. 5. in Isanti. On June 20, demolition was started and completed on the old facility to pave the way for Federated Co-op, Inc. to build a new 14,000 square foot warehouse and storage facility and a 8,000 square foot showroom.

Fire destroys Isanti warehouse facility
Nine area fire departments responded to a fire that broke out at a warehouse facility Dec. 2 just south of Isanti along Hwy. 65. Firefighters battled for over 12 hours to put out the flames, and used 300,000 gallons of water from Isanti’s fire hydrants and the Braham Fire Department pumped 200,000 gallons of water from the Rum River to battle the blaze.

Cambridge Health Care Center sold to Living Services Foundation
After 60 years of family ownership, Cambridge Health Care Center will operate under a new nonprofit corporation effective January 2, 2007. Robert Sundberg, who purchased CHCC from his father, Donald, who founded the facility in 1947, has sold the Cambridge-based business to the Living Services Foundation. As of Feb. 1, CHCC’s new administrator will be Dorothy Baker, who brings administrative experience from working at Benedicting Health System facilities in Lewiston and Plain View, Minn.

Year-In-Review 2007

Cambridge purchases Sandquist property for $3.75M
The Cambridge City Council agreed to buy 155 acres, worth $3.75 million, from long-time residents Dellis and Doris Sandquist, whose estate is a few miles north of the Isanti County Fairgrounds.

Citizen aid or felony assault?
The case, which generated headlines nationwide, appeared to involve a citizen acting on good intentions yet under a vigilante manner not tolerated by today’s code of law. Stemming from what the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office originally reported as an assault accompanied by a car chase, long-time Bradford resident and town supervisor Kenny Englund, 74, faced a felony charge related to second degree assault with a dangerous weapon during a 2006 incident in Bradford Township. In February, the charges were reduced to two misdemeanor level offenses. Englund was cleared of all charges on Feb. 20 when the state dismissed its case. Englund later had the charges expunged.

Braham teacher pleads guilty to federal charges
Former Braham teacher Barry Scott Ostrander plead guilty Feb. 23 to federal charges that he knowingly and intentionally possessed approximately 1,000 electronic images and at least 12 digital video files of minors engaging in explicit sexual conduct. Appearing before U.S. District Court Judge James Rosenbaum in Minneapolis, the 44-year-old Ostrander also admitted to installing a hidden camera in the bathroom of his Braham residence and taping four minor girls as they dressed and showered. He was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in September.

Cambridge Campus offers four-year degree program
ARCC President Patrick M. Johns and Minnesota State University - Moorhead President Dr. Roland Barden signed an agreement, which will bring the first four-year program to the Cambridge college, a bachelor of science degree in Special Education next fall.

Cambridge, military unite in ground breaking for readiness, community center
A July 28 ceremony served as the official ground breaking for the new Cambridge Armed Forces Reserve Center, to be constructed just west of the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Cambridge Campus. The center is planned to be a joint facility shared by the Minnesota Army National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve and the Cambridge community. The facility opened in 2009.

Celebrating Isanti County’s 150 years
Sesquicentennial historical pride was capped off when many attended the Roots-N-Shoots Arts Fest Saturday, Sept. 15 in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Isanti County. Activities were held at the West Riverside School as well as the Isanti County Historical Society Heritage Center.

Year-In-Review 2008

First non-municipal liquor store OK’d
Isanti County commissioners on Feb. 6 approved the county’s first non-municipal exclusive off-sale liquor license for EC’s Corner Express owner Eileen Crawford. Prior to the ordinance amendment, the county only issued an off-sale liquor license in conjunction with an on-sale license.

Triple play plus one
Coined the “largest retail development project in Cambridge in nearly a decade,” the city of Cambridge closed on a $6.98 million commercial development deal April 30 with Lowe’s, Kohl’s and commercial developer Opus Northwest. Later that afternoon, the city also finalized the $3.75 million farmland purchase with representatives of the Doris and Dellis Sandquist family whose Cambridge Township estate now houses Sandquist Family Park.

Motivational speaker charged, later sent to prison for attempted murder 
Russell James Simon Jr., 45, a nationally known motivational speaker and author who lectures to teens on drug and alcohol abstinence and personal responsibility, was charged in connection with a May 15 shooting at a rural Isanti County residence. The incident involved two victims as well as physical and sexual assaults. Simon pleaded not guilty on all counts June 18 in Isanti County District Court. On Aug. 26, a jury convicted Simon of attempted murder. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison Dec. 11 for the attempted murder of two people.

Ground breaks for Sandquist Park
Under stormy skies, city officials and members of the Doris and Dellis Sandquist family on July 7 celebrated a ground breaking ceremony in honor of Sandquist Family Park. The ceremony took place next to the Sandquist’s country home, 34343 Jamestown St. NE, which overlooks the 155-acre estate in Cambridge Township. The park’s first phase includes the construction of three softball fields, two soccer/football fields, one tournament baseball field and related parking facilities

A community partnership
Members of the Community Center Task Force on Aug. 26 received an initial, first-hand look inside the facility, called the Cambridge Armed Forces Reserve and Community Center. This $10 million complex—a joint facility shared by the National Guard, Army Reserve and the Cambridge community—is set on 25 acres just west of the local college campus.

Gov. Pawlenty hunts Isanti County area for deer opener
Struggling through cold and windy conditions in the woods of Isanti/Chisago County, Governor Tim Pawlenty didn’t get his deer the morning of Minnesota’s firearms deer season opener Nov. 8.

Year-In-Review 2009

New comp plan OK’d
A process that began in August 2006 came to fruition, as the Isanti County Board of Commissioners adopted its revised comprehensive plan during its meeting Feb. 3. The last revision to the plan had been done in 1998.

Highest foreclosure rate in state
With a foreclosure rate of 3.27 percent, Isanti County had the highest foreclosure rate in the state in 2008. In a Feb. 26 report prepared by HousingLink, it showed the county’s foreclosure rate was over double the state average of 1.26 percent and the Greater Minnesota average of .94 percent.

First domestic violence shelter for women opens in area
Black Dog Hill, which opened its doors Feb. 25, is the only domestic violence shelter in East Central Minnesota. The shelter is licensed for up to 15 women and children and staffed 24 hours per day, seven days a week by The Refuge. Network. Since opening, it has been operating at capacity.

Isanti’s biodiesel facility opens
A new biodiesel facility—which some feel will lead the effort toward energy independence in the United States—opened its doors in Isanti. The facility uses the Mcgyan production process—developed at SarTec labs in Anoka—that uses inedible plant waste oil. Over 200 people gathered for the Sept. 28 grand opening.

First wave of H1N1 vaccine arrives
The first wave of the H1N1 vaccine arrived in Isanti County in November. Specific priority groups in Isanti County received a vaccine for the H1N1 novel influenza virus. After targeted groups were vaccinated, the general population was allowed to receive the vaccine.

District 911 concedes to EMCI lawsuit
The Cambridge-Isanti School Board, during a Dec. 1 study session, conceded any case against the local teachers’ union, Education Minnesota Cambridge-Isanti, which Nov. 17 filed an unfair labor practice lawsuit claiming the district violated its current contract.

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