JANUARY

1 – Ryker Rofshus, son of Cathy and Ron Rofshus of rural Emmons, became the first child to be born in Freeborn County for 2002.

4 – Tony Simpson, general manager of the Exol plant west of Glenville, announced his resignation. He would be managing a new ethanol plant in Michigan.

8 – Dave Mullenbach was elected to serve as chairman of the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners. Mark Behrends was elected to serve as the new vice chairman.

11 – A 17-year-old juvenile was certified in Freeborn County District Court to be tried as an adult for an alleged criminal sexual conduct offense.

14 – Hollandale Marketing Association reopened its potato processing plant. This plant had been damaged by fire on Oct. 25, 2001.

14 – David Marvin Ketterling of Larimore, N.D., was injured when his car skidded on ice and went into Freeborn Lake.

20 &045; Howard Recknor of Hartland was elected president of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society, the governing body of the Minnesota State Fair. He had been on the Freeborn County Fair Board for 30 years and served as the manager for 25 years.

21 – Former Albert Lea mayor and city council member Marv Wangen died. He served 25 years as an elected official and was mayor from 1991-2000.

26 &045; The Albert Lea Tribune won two first place awards at the annual Minnesota Newspaper Association conference. One award was for the coverage of the Farmland fire in 2001. The other award was for best use of photography in 2001.

FEBRUARY

1 &045; Destination: Albert Lea discussed plans to purchase an unused building in the central business district, rehabilitating it, and offering it for rent or resale to a new tenant. The group also said plans were underway to move the Farmer’s Market from the Skyline Mall area to a North Broadway location.

8 &045; Jason Patrick Tope, age 26, escaped from the Freeborn County Jail about 1:40 a.m. by breaking out a window on the third floor with a crutch and lowering himself to the ground by tying together sheets to create a crude rope.

8 &045; The United Way of Freeborn County raised $503,161.43 to surpass its 2001 fund-raising goal.

13 &045; Developer Darv Habben and the City of Albert Lea settled a legal battle over a 33-acre site on the southeast side which would become a part of an industrial site.

14 &045; A resident received minor injuries in a house fire at 807 Water St.

19 &045; The first-degree murder trial of Paul Gutierrez Jr. for allegedly causing the death of 18-month-old Makio Lynn Radke during April 2001 started in Freeborn County District Court.

19 &045; The First National Bank of Kiester purchased a building on the west edge of Conger near the elevator which would be used for a new branch bank.

20 &045; A female juvenile prisoner at the Freeborn County Jail committed suicide.

20 and 21 &045; Home Depot held its grand opening for its new Albert Lea store.

MARCH

4 &045; Paul Gutierrez Jr., age 28, was found guilty of two counts of first degree murder by criminal sexual conduct and child abuse, and a second degree murder count by a Freeborn County District Court jury. He was charged in connection with the death of 18-month-old Makio Lynn Radke on April 21, 2001.

5 &045; Gutierrez was sentenced to life in prison without parole by Judge James Broberg in Freeborn County District Court.

6 &045; Lou-Rich celebrated its 30th anniversary. The firm started in Hayward and expanded to a second location in Albert Lea during 1989.

14 &045; Jason Patrick Tope, age 26, who had escaped from the Freeborn County Jail on Feb. 8, was arrested at a home in St. Paul.

14 &045; Freezing rain created traffic problems, closed schools, and caused electrical power outages in some areas.

18 &045; School District 241 Board of Education cut 14 positions as part of a budget-balancing plan.

19 &045; Redistricting would result in Minnesota House District 27A extending east into Mower County, and District 27B and Senate District 27 extending further east into Fillmore County.

20 &045; School District 241 sold the old Albert Lea High School building to Ed Rymer, a developer from Hastings, for a dollar. Ryman had plans to convert the building to new uses by new tenants.

30- &045; The FBI arrested Richard Matzke, age 51, in Urbandale, Iowa. He was a suspect in 25 Midwest robberies, inclusing the Unitec employees Credir Union of Albert Lea on July 13, 2001

APRIL

1 &045; Winnebago Industries of Forest City, Iowa, announced they would built a new plant in Charles City, Iowa. Albert Lea had been one of the contenders for this plant.

2 &045; Fire destroyed a home at 154 Main Street in Emmons.

2 &045; Tom Knutson was named as the 2002 Teacher of the Year for School District 241. He is a second grade teacher at the Lakeview School.

2 &045; Voters in the United South Central School District rejected a $32 million bond referendum by a vote of 973 yes and 2,394 no with 74 percent of the eligible voters participating.

4 &045; An armed bandit held up the Dairy Queen on North Bridge Avenue.

9 &045; This was the official ice-out date for Fountain Lake, according to Bill Malepsy who is continuing a 90-year-old tradition started by J. E. Murtaugh.

13 &045; Vern Allan Braund, age 39, of Walters, died when his vehicle went off the road in Mansfield Township.

20 &045; Amanda Thompson, a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, was crowned as the 2002 Freeborn County Dairy Princess. Ann Lysne was named to be the 2002 Freeborn County Milk Maid.

26 &045; Sean Ernest Stenzel, age 18, of New Richland, and Jason Richard Farris, age 18, of Albert Lea, were arrested and charged with the robbery of the Dairy Queen on North Bridge Avenue on April 4.

MAY

2 &045; Albert Lea Mayor Bob Haukoos announced he would not be a candidate for reelection for a second term.

4 &045; A total of 228 bicycle riders participated in the 30th annual Freeborn County American Cancer Society Bike-A-Thon.

9 & 10 &045; The Clarks Grove Lumber Co. celebrated its centennial of service to the area.

10 &045; The Albert Lea Medical Center announced it was considering a decision to close the Northwood and Garner, Iowa, and the Alden Clinics.

14 &045; This was Harry B. Neel Day in Albert Lea, according to a mayoral proclamation honoring the 96th birthday of the retired doctor.

16 &045; Albert Lea’s half percent local-option sales tax proposal officially died during a House-Senate conference committee meeting in St. Paul.

20 &045; Nicholas Joseph Nesse, a delivery person for Domino’s Pizza, was robbed on West 11th Street and badly injured in the armed assault.

21 &045; Gov. Jesse Ventura signed a bill authorizing a 26-week extension of unemployment benefits for former Farmland employees.

22 &045; Gov. Jesse Ventura vetoed a bill which included $600,000 for the Blazing Star Trail.

31 &045; Farmland Industries Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Just what this implied for the future of a new Albert Lea plant would depend on the firm’s future decisions.

31 &045; Workers at the Wells Concrete Products plant in Wells went on strike.

JUNE

3 &045; Hartland Mayor Laura Frederick, Councilor Roger Solberg, and City Clerk Joanne Phillips resigned their positions as a result of a dispute over a firefighters’ fund.

6 &045; The Albert Lea Medical Center made official its decision to close the clinics in Northwood and Garner, Iowa, and in Alden.

6 &045; This was the first day of Borderfest in Emmons.

10 &045; The Albert Lea City Council declared a loan with a balance of $92,548.42 as non-performing as a result of the Carlsen Companies declaring bankruptcy.

12 &045; Robert Ray Topp. age 77, and his wife, Joy Eileen Topp, age 73, both of Thompson, Iowa, died in a collision south of Albert Lea in the construction zone on I-35.

16 &045; The third annual Festival of Bands in Albert Lea featured the 451st Army Band and marching bands from 14 communities and schools.

18 &045; Demolition work started on the former Western Grocer building on East Pearl Street and just south of the Freeborn County Courthouse.

20 &045; Juan Miguel Sanchez, Jason Michael Sokolofsky and Sandra A. Banulos, all of Albert Lea, plus a juvenile, were arrested by Albert Lea Police and charged with the alleged armed robbery of a pizza delivery driver on May 20.

20 and 22 &045; The Challenger 3985 steam locomotive passed through Albert Lea on its way to and from S. St. Paul on the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

21-23 &045; The community of Conger celebrated its centennial with a parade and other events.

JULY

3 &045; First District Congressman Gil Gutknecht presented special medals to 37 area veterans who were part of the World War II invasion of France between June 6 and Aug. 31, 1944.

3 and 4 &045; Albert Lea joined the rest of the nation to celebrate the Fourth of July. Local festivities started with a parade on the 3rd and ended with fireworks on the 4th.

11 &045; Roger Lindbo Schleicher, age 49, of Ellendale, was found guilty in Steele County District Court of first degree murder for the death of Jack Johannsen of Waseca on Dec. 29, 2000.

15 &045; The Alden-Conger School District received a $288,000 federal grant which would be used mainly for roof repairs.

22 &045; The Albert Lea City Council approved the purchase of the Lea Center Building for $350,000, then sold it to a St. Paul developer for a dollar.

22 &045; Dr. Gary L. Rhodes, president of Riverland Community College, announced his resignation. He had accepted the presidency of a community college in Richmond, Va., starting on Oct. 15.

26 &045; Wells Fargo Bank announced it would close its Rainbow Foods branch in Albert Lea’s Skyline Mall on Aug. 30.

29 &045; Randall Romeo Caron, age 32, of Albert Lea, pled guilty to first-degree assault and second-degree and fourth-degree assault in Freeborn County District Court. He reportedly stabbed Annette Marie Lestrud several times on Nov. 10, 2001. He allegedly assaulted an Albert Lea police officer with a knife the following day and was shot in the chest.

30 &045; This was the first day of the annual Freeborn County Fair.

AUGUST

4 &045; This was the last day of the annual Freeborn County Fair.

6 &045; Jason Michael Sololofsky, age 18, of 314 Euclid Ave., entered a plea of guilty in Freeborn County District Court to a charge of aiding and abetting the robbery of Nicholas Joseph Nesse, a pizza deliveryman, on May 20.

7 &045; Complaints from residents and concerns about the West Nile virus resulted in the City of Albert Lea starting the first of four sprayings to control the local mosquito problem.

13 &045; Jason Carl Olson, age 19, of Austin, an inmate in the Freeborn County Jail, attempted to escape by knocking out a window. However, new steel bars over the outside of the window thwarted his attempt.

24 &045; Roger Schleicher, age 50, of Ellendale appeared in Steele County District Court and was given a life sentence in prison for the murder of Jack Johannsen of Waseca in December 2000.

26 &045; Carol Ann Springer. age 81, of Albert Lea, died after being struck by a car while trying to cross South Broadway Avenue as a pedestrian.

26 &045; Jim Pilgrim resigned as the director of the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau.

26 &045; Sean Ernest Stenzel, age 18, of New Richland, pleaded guilty in Freeborn County District Court to a charge of first-degree aggravated robbery. The charge was based on the robbery of the Dairy Queen, North Bridge Avenue, on April 4.

27 &045; The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 for the county to use a combination of general obligation bonds, lease bonds, and lease-revenue bonds to raise $24,635,000 to construct the proposed courthouse addition. This action would not require a referendum vote by the public.

SEPTEMBER

4 &045; Alvin Pelvit resigned as president of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce after 26 months in this position.

7 &045; What authorities termed a &uot;suspicious fire&uot; destroyed a vacant home at 928 S. First Ave.

9 &045; After voting to rename Wedgewood Park to Wangen Park to honor the city’s recently deceased former mayor two weeks earlier, the Albert Lea City Council voted to rescind this action. Thus, the park on the city’s west side would retain its original name.

10 &045; Five people were on the primary ballot for the office of Albert Lea mayor: Mark Anderson, Jean Eaton, George Marin, Don Mathison and Tony Trow.

Anderson and Eaton were the top vote getters and would be on the November ballot.

Phil Bartusek, Mark Harig and Bob Kindler were the contenders for the Freeborn County Sheriff position. Bartusek and Harig were the winners.

Contenders for the Ward Two seat on the Albert Lea City Council were Randy Erdman, Mike Kelly and David McPherson. Erdman and McPherson would advance to the general election.

In Ward Four, Roger Bok, Jeff Fjelstad and Ron Sorenson were on the ballot. Fjelstad and Sorenson were the two winners.

16 &045; Tyler Young was crowned king, and Jasey Porter was crowned queen for the Albert Lea High School Homecoming.

17 &045; The Freeborn County Board, on a 3-2 vote, finalized the financing of the $25.7 million courthouse expansion project.

18 &045; Iowa authorities arrested two people for allegedly robbing a Food ‘n’ Fuel store near Hanlontown, Iowa. Shots were fired by police when the pair were stopped near the Top of Iowa Rest Stop on I-35.

19 &045; James R. Davis of Pennsylvania was named as the interim president of Riverland Community College.

21 &045; Three people were arrested by Freeborn County sheriff’s deputies and charged with operating an alleged methampetamine making laboratory near Maple Island.

27 &045; City Manager Paul Sparks confirmed that the Ford Motor Co. was considering Albert Lea as the site for a distribution center which would employ about 300 people.

OCTOBER

5 & 6 &045; The 16th annual Big Island Rendezvous was held at Bancroft Bay City Park.

10 &045; An early morning fire at the Land Mark Apartments, 517 E. Fourth St., resulted in one person being airlifted to a Minneapolis hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Jay Arnold Bergland, age 37, died later in the day of the injuries received in this fire.

12 &045; Rudolph &uot;Rudy&uot; Hanson, age 99, former Freeborn County attorney (two terms) and state senator (four terms) died at his home.

14 &045; The Albert Lea City Council passed resolutions allowing the Wal-Mart Supercenter project on the east side to become a reality.

15 &045; A group known as the Freeborn County Committee for Fairness (FCCF) filed a lawsuit against the county and three commissioners to block the proposed courthouse project. As a result, the county was unable to sell bonds for this project.

16 &045; Marge Hamersly was appointed to be the interim executive director of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce.

16 &045; Randall Romeo Caron was sentenced in Freeborn County District Court to 98 months in prison for stabbing his girlfriend on Nov. 10, 2001.

23 &045; Jill Slette, a resident of Walters, became the executive director of the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau.

24 &045; The Albert Lea Medical Center announced that the proposed closing of the Alden Clinic had been &uot;postponed indefinitely.&uot;

28 &045; Freeborn County filed a motion in Steele County District Court to require the group known as the Freeborn County Committee for Fairness to post a $5.2 million surety bond.

28 &045; Jason Michael Sokolofsky, age 19, of 314 Euclid Ave., pleaded guilty in Freeborn County District Court to a charge of assaulting a pizza delivery person on May 20. He was placed on probation for up to five years.

31 &045; The Freeborn County Committee for Fairness withdrew its legal challenge to the courthouse expansion project.

NOVEMBER

2 &045; Jonathan Bergo, age 23, of Lake Mills, Iowa, died when his vehicle went off State Highway 105 in Worth County east of the Top of Iowa Travel Center.

4 &045; Lorna J. Johnson, age 45, was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for allegedly embezzling more than $525,000 from Edwards Manufacturing Co. of Albert Lea.

4 &045; Sean Ernest Stenzel, age 18, of New Richland, was sentenced in Freeborn County District Court to a 48-month prison term for the robbery of the Dairy Queen at the Northbridge Mall.

5 &045; Election Day resulted in the following:

The School District #241 levy referendum was given a yes, yes approval.

Jean Eaton was elected mayor of Albert Lea defeating Mark Anderson.

Mark Harig won over Phil Bartusek to become the new Freeborn County Sheriff.

Dan Dorman was reelected District 27A state representative, defeating contender Allan Halvorsen.

Incumbent Dan Belshan defeated challenger Dave Hutchins for the District Two seat, and incumbent Dave Mullenbach defeated Truman Thrond for the District Four seat on the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners.

Randy Erdman defeated incumbent Dave McPherson to represent the Second Ward; Jeff Fjelstad defeated incumbent Ron Sorenson to represent the Fourth Ward; and incumbent Al Brooks defeated challenger Keith Porter Jr. to represent the Sixth Ward on the Albert Lea City Council.

Marjorie Thorn, Tom Eaton and Jolinda Schreiber were elected to three-year terms, and Bill Villarreal was elected to a two-year term on the School District 241 Board of Education.

Dennis Distad was reelected as the Freeborn County Auditor-Treasurer, defeating Keith Porter. Incumbent Kelly Callahan defeated Irene Anderson for the post of Freeborn County Recorder.

The levy referendum for the Glenville-Emmons School District was defeated with a 53 percent no vote.

5 &045; George R. Blouin, age 72, of Ellendale died in an accident on I-35 near the Hope Exit in Steele County.

6 &045; As result of the 33 vote difference between State Senator Grace Schwab,

R-Albert Lea, and challenger Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, for the District 27 seat, the state would be conducting a mandated recount. Sparks was the apparent winner in the district which included Freeborn and Mower Counties, and a portion of Fillmore County.

8 &045; The teacher’s union and the United South Central School District, based in Wells, settled a contract dispute, thus avoiding a strike.

14 &045; The Ford Motor Co. announced in October that it was considering Albert Lea, Stewartville, and Menomonie, Wis., for a new distribution center which would employee up to 200 people. The firm made its final decision in favor of Menomonie.

15 &045; Authorities reportedly seized a large stash of cocaine at 327 W. Main St. Arrested for an alleged connection with these drugs were Rafael Gallado Jr., age 32, and his wife, Caroline Pena, age 33.

20 &045; A vacant house at 408 Frank Hall Drive was destroyed by fire in what police said may have been arson.

22 &045; The recount of ballots in the election for State Senate District 27 ended with a margin of three votes for DFL challenger Dan Sparks of Austin over Senator Grace Schwab, R-Albert Lea. The State Canvassing Board would be considering 32 contested ballots, plus 17 ballots &uot;inadvertently destroyed&uot; in Austin, on Dec. 10.

25 &045; United South Central School District Superintendent Frank Lorenz resigned from this position.

25 &045; Lorna J. Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of mail fraud based on embezzling $525,000 from Edwards Mfg. Co.

26 &045; Quality Pork Processing of Austin said it was considering an expansion which could result in a new plant in Albert Lea that would employ 100 to 200 people.

DECEMBER

2 &045; Sheila Renae Johnson, age 45, of Albert Lea, and George Robert Nielson, age 34, of Mason City, Iowa, died when their vehicles collided on State Highway 13 near Manchester.

5 &045; Tony Trow became the new president of Destination: Albert Lea. He replaced Randy Erdman who had been elected to serve on the Albert Lea City Council.

8 &045; Sharen Kaye Damerell, age 59, of Rochester, died when her vehicle went off I-90 four miles east of Alden and struck a tree.

10 &045; The state canvassing board declared that Dan Sparks defeated incumbent Grace Schwab by 11 votes to represent District 27 in the state senate. Schwab said she would likely appeal this decision with court action.

12 &045; Minnesota Gov.-elect Tim Pawlenty made a brief visit to the Albert Lea Business Development Center.

17 &045; Tom Purcell of Austin filed a lawsuit contesting the State Canvassing Board’s decision giving the State Senate District 27 seat to Dan Sparks (DFL-Austin). However, former senator Grace Schwab (R-Albert Lea) decided not to contest the canvassing board’s decision.

17 &045; The Freeborn County Board decided to defer action on Freeborn County Attorney Craig Nelson’s lawsuit to increase his salary from about $72,000 to $80,000 a year.

23 &045; Rose Marie Modderman, age 34, pleaded guilty in Freeborn County District Court to stealing more than $100,000 from her former employer, Olson Mfg. Co. She was arrested by police in Denver, Colo., during the previous month.

27 &045; Anoka County District Court Judge Joseph Quinn would be presiding in Austin on Jan. 2 at a hearing to determine the winner of the contested election for the State Senate District 27 position.

29 &045; An armed robber held up the clerk at the BP Amoco Food Shop, 901 W. Main St.