Gretta Stark
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Gretta Stark has been a reporter for the River Falls Journal since July of 2013. She previously worked as a reporter for the New Richmond News from June 2012 to July 2013. She holds a BA in Print and Electronic Media from Wartburg College.
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Thanks to a move next door, Lori Mathys said her business' atmosphere is now more relaxing. Mathys owns Perfect Reflections in Somerset, which opened in its new location (705 Rivard St., suite 2) on Sept. 4. In it's old location, Mathys said Perfect Reflection's tanning customers had to walk through the nails area in order to get to the tanning beds. In the new location, manicures and pedicures take place in a room of their own. In addition, there are rooms for facials and massages.
Jan Reynolds has spent 35 years at American Heritage Care Center in Hammond and according to several of her coworkers, the assisted living director continues to go above and beyond the call of duty with her work.
Betsy Burns, of Flutterby Childcare, is working with Michelle Johnson to give kids and adults another place to display their artwork, besides the refrigerator door. The new Community Rainbow Art Program will display the artwork of local children and adults at the library. "I want something where...people can come to the library and enjoy the beauty of adults and children's art," Burns said. Burns said there is a theme for the artwork each month, winter for January, jungle animals and Valentines for February, St.
For its 10th birthday celebration, Grace Place is holding a celebration, and inviting the community to the homeless shelter on Sunday, Sept. 30, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Duana Bremer, Grace Place director, said the event will start with a brief ceremony led by the regional Salvation Army leader. "And then it's going to be fun, fun, fun," Bremer said. We're going to have a big tent outside. We're going to be serving lunch," Bremer said. Lunch, she added, will be pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans and chips.
School is starting up all around the country, and church Bible study classes and groups are no exception. Riverside Ministries non-denominational church in Somerset has a different approach to Bible studies. Classes began Tuesday at the church's self-accredited Christian Leadership Institute of Minnesota (CLIMB) School. CLIMB began at Riverside's local church in Stillwater, Minn. in 1996 as a basic Bible Training Center.
Jason Rhode has spent many nights on a ladder in St. Croix Central Elementary School, painting the wall. He said he hopes his efforts will promote children's literacy. "Reading is the most important thing for kids to learn," Rhode said. "It's the foundation of everything else they need for math, science..." Rhode, an art teacher at St. Croix Central Elementary, is painting a mural composed of characters from children's books on one of the school's walls. The mural includes characters (and the tree house) from Mary Pope Osborn's "Magic Tree House" series, "Flat Stanley," Junie B.
St. Anne's Catholic School in Somerset has added three new teachers to their staff. The teachers were asked to provide a little information about themselves, which can be viewed by clicking the Photo Gallery link.
Carol Moenke, 69, fell down 14 steps, breaking both wrists, fracturing a vertebra in her neck, dislocating her jaw and acquiring many bruises. Her husband Jim Moenke is recovering from knee surgery. While both are recovering well, Jim Moenke said cooking meals has been difficult for the couple.
The 16th annual Running of the Llamas included an entirely new race this year: an alpaca race. The first-ever alpaca race at the Running of the Llamas went very well, according to Sheila Fugina, who has been in charge of coordinating the llamas, and now alpacas, taking part in the race since the first Running of the Llamas 16 years ago. "It was very good for everybody, I think," Fugina said. "It was interesting for people to really see the difference between llamas and alpacas." Llamas, Fugina said, are generally larger than alpacas, and have longer ears and faces.
For its 10th birthday, Grace Place is inviting people to join a celebration on Sunday, Sept. 30 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Grace Place is also asking for sponsors for its 10th birthday. According to Grace Place Director Duana Bremer, the shelter has had sponsors for each room in the shelter since it began operation in 2002. However, after 10 years, Bremer said it was time to start a new group of sponsors. According to Bremer, 11 rooms have already been claimed by groups from River Falls, New Richmond, Somerset and Hudson. There are still three bedrooms, and seven other rooms unsponsored.