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Program gives Ripley students
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Pam and Steve Ahlgren of Darwin stand near the bow of the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship, on which they were stranded for 13 days in the South China Sea over concerns of coronavirus contamination.
Pam and Steve Ahlgren enjoy a view of the sea in Cambodia, which allowed them and other Westerdam passenger to disembark after two weeks at sea. They’re wearing kramas, traditional Cambodian scarves, which were gifts from Cambodia’s prime minister.
When Steve and Pam Ahlgren of Darwin began planning a 30-day Asian cruise last winter, they hoped to visit some of the places Pam’s father and mother had worked as missionaries many years ago.
They never imagined a viral outbreak of global proportions might disrupt their plans, but that’s exactly what happened. The Ahlgrens were passengers aboard the Holland America Westerdam cruise ship that in February was stuck at sea for two weeks as they were denied entry by multiple ports for fear of COVID-19 contamination, or novel coronavirus.
This was the second year the Ahlgrens, who are crop farmers and have time off in winter, planned a cruise with family members.
“Some of our friends like to go to Arizona, some like to go to Florida, some like to go to Texas,” Pam said. “We just like to take a month and see the world.”
When the Ahlgrens boarded the Westerdam from Singapore Jan. 16, there was little concern about the coronavirus, which was still being studied by the Chinese National Health Commission.
The cruise went as scheduled for the first few weeks, making stops in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. During this time, however, more information about coronavirus was coming out as it became a worldwide concern.
It was during their fourth planned stop that the Ahlgrens first started having concerns.
“Everything was absolutely smooth and we didn’t hear any word of the virus until we got close to Hong Kong,” Pam said.
Ahlgren said she and her family had planned to explore Hong Kong during their stay, but they decided to stay on the ship when they heard news that the outbreak had caused many areas of the city to be closed.
“They did let some people off, and we had some people get on, which was a little concerning to us,” Pam said, “but they had to go through health screening.”
UNWANTED GUESTS
The next planned stop was Manila, but that’s when the trouble started. The Philippines denied the ship from making a scheduled port call. They were subsequently denied entry by Japan, South Korea, Guam, Vietnam and Thailand.
“They even sent a military ship out to make sure we didn’t dock,” Pam said about Thailand’s response to the cruise ship. “That was really disconcerting. As you’re looking out you see this military ship circling your ship.”
For 13 days, the Ahlgrens were stranded in the South China Sea along with the other 2,257 people onboard the Westerdam. Fortunately, the passengers were assured that there were ample supplies to withstand a long departure from land.
“The captain said we had plenty of food and fuel,” Pam said. “Somebody did say they ran out of ketchup, but that’s not an emergency.”
While passengers suffered minor inconveniences such as depleted condiments, Pam described the two-week voyage as an inconvenience rather than a major concern. The ship’s medical team twice required passengers to have their temperatures taken to monitor signs of the virus, but otherwise people were free to roam the ship.
“My dad went through seven books. I read a lot, I think I was on my fourth book,” Pam said. “The weather was super nice, but it was like my husband said, ‘What side of the ship should we see today?’ You just get a little stir crazy because you want to get on land. You’re just kind of cooped up.”
SAVED BY CAMBODIA
Finally, on Feb. 13, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen granted the Westerdam permission to disembark.
“Everybody cheered,” Pam recalled, “because we were wondering where we would go. It was just a feeling of, ‘Now we can actually go home.’”
The prime minister even visited the ship himself via helicopter and gifted each of the passengers a Cambodian scarf known as a krama.
Although the passengers were now on land, their trials were not complete. When they arrived at the airport in Phnom Penh, they learned they would not be able to fly home. Connecting airports such as South Korea, Thailand and Malasyia would not allow the passengers into the country.
The Ahlgrens and others were put up in a hotel along with ambassadors from multiple countries representing those stranded in Cambodia. Holland America’s president also visited the passengers to assure them everything was being done to get them home, and the Ahlgrens credited the cruise line and its workers for taking care of the passengers’ needs throughout the ordeal.
CORONAVIRUS SCARE
The passengers received one final scare when an 83-year-old woman tested positive for coronavirus. While that ultimately turned out to be a false-positive — nobody aboard the Ahlgrens’ ship was ever found to have contracted coronavirus — the passengers were subjected to a battery of medical tests from workers in hazmat suits.
“The nose swab,” Pam said, “I swear they were trying to get brain matter because it was very uncomfortable.”
When the tests all came back negative, Holland America resumed trying to find flights home for its passengers. People were told to stay in the hotel and be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
“Within an hour you had to be ready to go, because they didn’t know which country would let us fly to transfer,” Pam said.
After three days in Cambodia, the Ahlgrens were told Feb. 18 they would be heading home. Their flight connected through Tokyo and San Fransisco, and finally arrived in Minnesota. As soon as they landed in the U.S., Pam said, they received a phone call from the Minnesota Department of Health, which was tracking their passports.
“I said we were feeling fine and they said, ‘Yes, we got your report from the Cambodia Health Department and they said you’re all healthy,” Pam said. ‘“There’s no reason to be quarantined.’ … And I thought, ‘Wow, they’re watching all this stuff.’”
While the coronavirus outbreak changed their plans, ultimately the Ahlgrens said they didn’t let it ruin their vacation. They were also happy with how it was handled by Holland America.
“Like my dad said, it was a great trip,” Pam said, “it was just a little unexpected toward the end.”
The couple have already begun making plans for a South American cruise next year.
Litchfield and Eden Valley-Watkins students enjoyed imagining what it might be like to work in the Meeker County Courthouse during the annual Boys and Girls County program last week. Pictured, from right, Litchfield Middle School eighth-grader Lydia Asmus, Eden Valley-Watkins freshman Phillip Reichart, and Litchfield eighth-graders Alison Hernandez and Isabelle Culbertson.
Kristi Holthaus, a clerk for the Eighth Judicial District Court, explains the inner workings of a courtroom to Phillip Reichart, Lydia Asmus, Isabelle Culbertson and Alison Hernandez.
Suzie Holtz, a dispatcher for the Meeker County 911 Communication Center, explains to students what goes on when someone calls 911, the different aspects of how she deals with calls and more.
Four students took control of court proceedings last week at Meeker County Courthouse.
As part of the 36th annual Boys and Girls County Program, sponsored by Nelsan Horton American Legion Post 104, Litchfield Middle School eighth-graders Alison Hernandez, Isabelle Culbertson and Lydia Asmus, and Eden Valley-Watkins High School freshman Phillip Reichart learned a ton about how a court system works.
“The main reason is to get some of the students in the area familiar with how county government runs each office,” Marland Meyer, an adjutant finance officer for Legion Post 104, said. “I know we didn’t have all the department heads here, but we had several — I think like eight. So the kids got to go up and see what they do on a day-to-day basis.”
About 22 students participated in this year’s Boys and Girls County program, which is designed to expose students to responsibilities and operations of Meeker County government.
Participants — 14 Litchfield students and eight Eden Valley-Watkins students — toured the Meeker County 911 communication center, the detention center, the Meeker County Courthouse and the Meeker County Historical Museum at the G.A.R. Hall.
Kristi Holthaus, a clerk for the Eighth Judicial District Court, showed Hernandez, Culbertson, Asmus and Reichart the inner workings of a courthouse. Holthaus explained to the students that her day-to-day tasks include scheduling criminal cases, criminal complaints, and preparing release orders for the judge.
“I process all of the judge’s orders, set the next hearing send out hearing notices,” Holthaus said. “So in the courtroom, it is very fast-paced, but I like that kind of environment.”
Hernandez, Culbertson, Asmus and Reichart also sat on important seats. Reichart sat on the judge’s seat, Hernandez sat on a court reporter’s seat, and Culbertson sat on the witness stand. Meanwhile, Asmus sat on a court clerk’s seat.
Sitting on those official chairs made Culbertson and Reichart feel different, the two said.
“It felt like I had more power than what I was saying,” Culbertson explained when she said the witness affirmation. “What my words meant mattered in, like, the whole situation.”
“I feel like I got power,” Reichart said about sitting in the elevated judge’s seat. “I guess it feels cool higher up.”
Reichart is thinking about attending law school, as it interests him, he said.
Holthaus said being a law clerk can afford opportunities for gaining practical experience in the courtroom. This is especially true for people completing their law degree and who don’t know which path to select, she said.
“(Students) go through law school, and when they graduate a lot of times their first position is to be a law clerk with the judge,” Holthaus said. “And you gain a lot of experience in all different case categories — the civil, the family, the criminal, guardianship, conservatorship, probate cases, all of that stuff.”
The 22 students then visited the Meeker County detention center, where about 69 inmates can be housed, but they didn’t get to see any inmates due to data privacy issues. However, Meyer explained that students 36 years ago could tour the jail, walk through the cells and see inmates.
“No, they won’t let us do that anymore,” Meyer said, “which is probably a good deal. I mean, these students do not have to see their neighbors in prison or jail. So it’s a good idea that they can’t do that.”
The Meeker County Board’s decision in February to discontinue support for maintenance of dead end roads was anything but a dead issue at the board’s March 3 meeting.
A group of about 18 township officers at the meeting resulted in an intense but balanced discussion on the impact of the county board’s decision.
In the wake of the February decision, the board directed County Engineer Phil Schmalz to meet with all township boards involved (two townships, Dassel and Collinwood, maintain their own township roads) to give them a clear understanding of which roads will no longer be covered in the new maintenance agreement.
Schmalz said it is the county’s hope that the change in county services will benefit both the county and the townships in providing a higher level of services where they are needed and keep available equipment operating most effectively.
Meeker County has about 50 miles of dead end roads — about 5 percent of the roadway the county maintains — yet the dead end roads consume about 15 percent of the overall road maintenance budget.
The county currently has 130 dead end roads, and the number varies widely among townships. Harvey has none, Cosmos one and Acton seven. Yet, in the lake area the number is much higher. Ellsworth has 22 and Greenleaf 19.
Both County Administrator Paul Virnig and Schmalz agreed that the March 3 discussion on dead-end roads was a positive and productive one and provided good input from the various townships.
In other action:
The county board received the annual report from the offices of Dr. Strobel, whose office provides coroner service to the county.
The office handled 155 cases during 2019 and did 11 autopsies. Two motor accident deaths were investigated during the previous year— a 32-year-old female driver intoxicated and an 80-year-old driver who crossed the center line. Two deaths of people ages 38 and 53 were associated with methamphetamine, and an 89-year-old man died of complications from hip fracture. Four suicide deaths were reported, all male ages 25 to 59 years.
There were 125 cremations approved.
Rep. Collin Peterson
American Legion Post 96 Commander Tim Burley, right, and advocate David Heidebrink were among a group of veterans advocates and leaders who spoke to Rep. Collin Peterson, left, during a visit to McCormick’s in Hutchinson last year.
Incumbent Rep. Collin Peterson announced Friday he will seek re-election to Minnesota's largest U.S. congressional district.
Minnesota's 7th Congressional District stretches from the far northwest corner to nearly the southwest corner, and extends in to central Minnesota, including McLeod and Meeker counties. Peterson was first elected to represent the district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990.
“This wasn’t an easy decision for me because our country is so polarized right now, but that’s also why I want to ask the voters of western Minnesota to support me again," said Peterson, a "Blue Dog" conservative Democrat. "There aren’t many like me left in Congress. Rural Democrats are few and far between, and I’m concerned that rural America is getting left behind."
He said he plans to focus on agriculture, rural health care facilities, student loan debt, veterans, roads and broadband access.
Peterson's announcement ends weeks of speculation about whether he would run again. Ahead of the state central convention of the Republican Party of Minnesota in 2019, party chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan said the party is paying special attention to the race. In 2018 and 2016, Peterson held off GOP challenger Dave Hughes by roughly 5 percentage points. In 2014, Peterson held nine points over Torrey Westrum, and in 2012 he defeated Lee Byberg by roughly 26 points.
Hughes is one of a number of Republican candidates who have announced for the race this year. He is joined by Republicans Michelle Fischbach, Jayesun Sherman, Noel Collis and Joel Novak. Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates Thaddeus Laugisch and Stephen Emery have also filed.
In 2016, President Donald Trump won in the district by 31 points. He has announced plans to aggressively campaign in the Midwest.
Peterson last year raised $779,720 for his campaign, much of it from various agricultural interests, along with $176,717 from individual contributions. Fischbach, who previously served as lieutenant governor, raised $364,417 last quarter. Collis raised $292,126 last quarter. Hughes raised $45,307 last year.
