February 2025
Early lead holds for victory at Windom
The St. James Area basketball teams are finding success with second chances. The boys added Windom Area to the list by beating the Eagles 87-83 on January 31st. The Saints avenged an earlier loss behind 36 points by Brennan Kern and 22 points by Wyatt Haler.
Pond racing took over Butterfield Lake again after two years of poor ice conditions
Winter may not have come as much as most snowmobilers would have liked for being able to enjoy the trails. One group of snowmobilers, once after three years of trying had the conditions they needed on Butterfield Lake to do what they enjoy.
Grizzly bear attack survivor and author Alex Messenger visits St. James
Gary Paulsen’s book ‘Hatchet’ is sometimes people’s first introduction to extreme settings and survival. These themes may make people wonder how humans survive, against the odds. Northside students have read ‘Hatchet’ and had Alex Messenger visit to talk about his experience surviving against the odds.
Schwickerts welcomed and Encore refresh and 10th anniversary recognized by Chamber
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, St. James Chamber of Commerce member Schwickerts held a business before-hours event at Encore Cafe. Schwickerts is a roofing and mechanical contractor and a new member of the chamber. As they are a new member the Salutators welcomed Shane Boyle, Schwickerts’ Business Development Representative, to the chamber.
MSU Children’s Theatre visits Butterfield-Odin
MSU Children’s Theatre visited Butterfield-Odin school to perform a play for K-6 students from B-O and Comfrey on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
College News
St. Cloud State University announced the names of students whose academic achievements placed them on the 2024 fall semester Dean’s List. Students who achieved a GPA of 3.75 or higher were recognized on the Dean’s List. One St. James area student was recognized on the Dean’s List, Samuel Stade, of Odin, College of Liberal Arts, Film Studies, BA.
Court Reports
Theft-take/use/transfer movable prop- no consent: Jose Rodriguez, St. James, 345 days local confinement, 2 years supervised probation, fine plus restitution $15,072, conditions: No possession or use of alcohol or drugs, pay restitution, contact probation officer within 72 hours of being charged with new crime, change address, employment or phone number
St. James first responders respond to Carbon monoxide alert; encourage checking CO detectors
In the middle of January, the page went out for a carbon monoxide alert at a communal living facility in St James. The page, at about dinnertime for most folks, stated that CO gas was detected. CO is nothing to mess around with. I lost a good friend from Springfield to CO poisoning – the danger is real. Immediately after getting the call, the Sheriff’s Office 911 Telecommunicators paged out both the Fire and EMS departments. Upon their arrival, CO was detected with their monitors and the process of activating years of training and experience naturally took hold and the community came together.
St. James-Madelia salvages win at New Ulm
The SJM wrestling team ran into a pair of state-ranked Big South Conference opponents during a quadrangular at New Ulm on January 28th but finished by beating Sibley East. The victory over the Wolverines followed losses to Marshall and New Ulm.