Thursday, November 8, 2012

Volume 97; Number 20

www.bladepublishing.net

A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560

Burns enters Alford plea to criminal sexual conduct charge

filed against Burns. Burns was charged on Aug. 20, 2012 with seven counts of criminal sexual conduct against fellow students in the boys athletics programs at Browerville Public Schools during 2011 and 2012. Citing concerns for the victim and the victims family, Gustafson and Rasmussen agreed to let Burns enter an Alford Plea a specialized type of guilty plea with important conditions, instead of proceeding to trial on the juvenile and/or adult charges. According to www.definitions.uslegal.com, In an Alford Plea, the criminal defendant does not admit the act, but admits that the prosecution could likely prove the charge. The court will pronounce the defendant guilty. The defendant may plead guilty yet not admit all the facts that comprise the crime. An Alford plea allows defendant to plead guilty even while unable or unwilling to admit guilt. One example is a situation where the defendant has no recollection of the pertinent events due to intoxication or amnesia. A defendant making an Alford Continued on page 16

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Connor burns entered an Alford plea instead of taking part in the contested omnibus hearing which was scheduled for Nov. 2nd. By Rin Porter Instead of taking part in the contested omnibus hearing scheduled for Nov. 2 in Todd County District Court, Connor Burns attorney Ryan Garry, Assistant Todd County Attorney Jane Gustafson, and Todd County Attorney Chuck Rasmussen entered into a plea agreement approved by Seventh Judicial District Judge Sally Robertson that avoids a trial on the seven criminal sexual conduct charges

Todd Countys unemployment rate now lower than states and nations

By Rin Porter Driving north from Browerville on CR 21 in Section 4 of Ward Township, you can see on the right side of the road a small cemetery with a metal sign set back from the road announcing Ward Township Community Cemetery. Our research indicates that Ward Township Community Cemetery was once known as the Swedish Cemetery of Ward Township, and as many as 40 people may have been buried there. According to records held by Ward Township, the last burial was in 1984. According to Ward Town Clerk Larry Paskewitz, the township took over care and administration of the cemetery sometime in the 1990s, after it seemed to be abandoned. There are no documents in the materials we examined that show the transfer. The Swedish Cemetery of Ward Township was established by the Zion Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church in April 1901. On March 21, 1901 Peter O. Lundgren and his wife Anna Lundgren sold some land in the southwest quarter of Section 4 of Ward Township to the church congregation for the cemetery and a church building, according to Warranty Deed No. 46, file No. 34945, in the Ward Township records. The Zion Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church congregation was incorporated on March 9, 1901, at the building known as the Norwegian Lutheran Church in Section 10 of Ward Township. The Swenska Evangeliska Lutherska Zions (as it was known in Swedish) elected its first President, Trustees, Deacons, and Secretary at that same March 1901 meeting. The handwritten record, called Articles of Incorporation, Swedish Lutheran Church, Town of Ward, Todd Co, Minn was notarized by B. F. Berry and contains the seal of Todd County. According to the handwritten record, the first president of the congregation was J.P. Leaf, Trustees were Charles Carlson, Andrew G. Bengtson, and A. W. Anderson. Peter O. Lundgren (misspelled in 1900 and 1910 U.S. Censuses as Landgreen) was elected secretary. Deacons were E. F. Erikson, John Julius, and Isak Johnson. Continued on page 16

History of Ward Township CommunityCemetery

By Rin Porter County Administrator Nate Burkett told the county board on Oct. 30 that Todd Countys unemployment rate continues to drop and is now lower than Minnesotas statewide unemployment rate and the nations unemployment rate. Todd Countys unemployment rate for September 2012, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), is 5.1%. This is significant, Continued on page 16

Congratulations Section 6A Champions

The Browerville Tigers claimed the Section 6A Championship by knocking off Pillager 20-7 at the Fargo Dome on November 2nd. The Tigers will now face Dawson-Boyd on November 9th at Big Cat Stadium in Morris. See inside for story and additional photos.

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT

Tue. Nov. 6 Pt. Cloudy/Wind 42/28 Wed. Nov. 7 Partly Cloudy 40/33 Thur. Nov. 8 Sunny 48/32 Fri. Nov. 9 Mostly Cloudy 48/37 Sat. Nov. 10 Showers/Wind 55/28 Sun. Nov. 11 Mostly Cloudy 36/22