DCI History December 29, 2022

50 years ago
January 3, 1973
Folmer Carlsen, Publisher
Driver License Testing 25 Years OldOn Jan. 2
The Minnesota Driver License testing program will complete 25 years of service on January 2, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced today. Driver license examining was authorized by the 1947 legislature and was based on an earlier President’s Safety Conference recommendation that all states adopt a program of examining drivers before issuing the privilege to drive. The first training school for examiners was held at Camp Ripley in December, 1947 with 50 applicants in attendance. At the end of the two-week school, 27 examiners and five supervisors were appointed, making up the first examining unit. During the first year of the examining program, 90,141 tests were given. Six of the original examiners are still with the driver license program. They are Ken Dirkzwager, St. Paul, assistant driver license director; Leonard Hotaling, West St. Paul, chief driver license examiner; Harvy Mattson, Coon Rapids, assistant chief examiner; Joe Graupmann, Rochester, field supervisor in Rochester; Lawrence Reedstrom, St. Cloud, examiner; and Len Patroske, Virginia, examiner.
30 years ago
December 30, 1992
Randy Carlsen, Publisher
Welcome home motorcadeto be heldfor danceline
There will be a welcome home motorcade on Sat., Jan. 2 for the KoMette Danceline members who will be participating at the Cotton Bowl game during halftime in Dallas on New Year’s Day, Channel 10 and 11 will cover the game. The motorcade will start about 3 p.m. at the junction of Hwy. 57 and the Wasioja Corner. It will go to the high school for a welcome home celebration. The motorcade and welcome home party will be a surprise celebration. The danceline and parent chaperones will be in Dallas five days, four days before the bowl game to prepare for the big event. Tune in your television set to the 1:30 p.m. game and you may see the locals at the Cotton Bowl. The danceline will be among some 500 extras who will be a part of the festive halftime (at around 3 p.m.). In preparation for the halftime show, the girls will be practicing 12 hours daily for their halftime routine. They are also expected to have some time for sight seeing while in Dallas.
20 years ago
January 1, 2003
Randy Carlsen, Publisher
Local couple Volunteer at Irish Peace Center
While talk-show hosts and editorial-page writers carry on about the “Troubles” of Northern Ireland, ordinary U.S. citizens are opening their hearts and, in their own small ways, making a real difference in this age-old conflict. Mantorville residents Roger and Maggie Nolte are among those caring individuals. For two weeks in October, the Noltes were part of a team of volunteers lending a helping hand at an innovative peace center known as Glencree Centre for Reconciliation, located just 40 minutes south of Dublin, Ireland. (The-team was coordinated by Global Volunteers, a U.S. nonprofit organization that offers short-term service opportunities in 19 countries around the world.) The Noltes and other volunteers helped on a variety of maintenance and construction projects at the center, thus freeing up Glencree staff to concentrate on their reconciliation work. Founded in 1974 in a 200 year-old army barracks, Glencree has welcomed thousands of Irish Catholic and Protestant students, business professionals, politicians and ordinary folk who come together for a few days of listening, talking and learning from each other. The center’s work has resonated around the world, attracting young idealists from a variety of countries who come to volunteer for extended periods of time. Many evenings were marked by lively discussion energized by the diverse volunteers and guest speakers representing various points of view about the Northern Ireland conflict. A freetime highlight was a weekend escorted tour of Belfast in Northern Ireland. “Glencree made me aware that peace is not a precise state of affairs but rather a process whereby people can learn to live together,” said Roger. “I learned that cultures approach similar situations differently and that what looks simple from a distance can be very complex the closer you are,” added Maggie. Each year, Global Volunteers coordinates 150 teams of volunteers working on short-term community projects around the world. Volunteers pay to participate and fees range from $1,395 to $2,595 for international programs and U.S. programs are $500, airfare excluded. All program related expanses, including airfare, are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers. The fee covers ground transportation, food and lodging at the site, project and program expenses.
10 years ago
January 2, 2013
Randy Carlsen, Publisher
Congratulations on 42 yearsof service!
A retirement open house for Dodge County Commissioners Dave Hanson, Dodge Center, and Don Gray, Claremont, was held Wednesday afternoon at the courthouse in Mantorville. Dave Hanson worked as Dodge County Extension Agent from 1966 to 1989. In 1992 he ran for county commissioner and served from 1993-2012. Don Gray, dairy farmer, retired as a county commissioner after 22 years of service. A courthouse employee commented, “This place is not going to be the same without them around the courthouse”.