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News from the week of March 7, 2001 Headlight Herald - Serving Tracy, Minnesota, since 1880

School cut proposals slated for March 19

Tracy School Board members approved a motion last Monday calling for a special session to consider reductions in programs and personnel.

The purpose of special meeting will be to allow the administration to present money-saving options by cutting programs and/or personnel. The extra session will also allow an opportunity for discussing the recommendations.

The meeting is set Monday, March 19 at 6 p.m. and is open to the public.

School Board Chair Dan Zimansky said that he would like the extra week to consider the recommendations before voting on them at the regularly scheduled school board meeting on March 26. Other board members agreed.

School administration will present options to cut $250,000 from next year's budget and an additional $84,000 for the 2002-03 school year

The impending cuts come in response to Governor Jesse Ventura's proposed budget for the next two years.


Almlie Furniture liquidation sale set

A liquidation sale is scheduled to begin at Almlie Furniture March 15. The sale, expected to last two to three months, will be the last hurrah for a business that's been an anchor in Downtown Tracy for 30 years.

“It's kind of sad,” said Steve Almlie. “The store has been a part of Tracy for a long time.”

Almlie Furniture was established in 1971, after John and Lucille Almlie purchased a furniture store owned by Dick Kelley. Steve Almlie, and his wife, Eddi, purchased the store from Steve's parents in 1995.

Steve Almlie, who also operates the Almlie Funeral Home, still plans to be a part of the Tracy retail scene. He and a partner, Jeremy Bjorklund, plan to open A&B Flooring Concepts in the former Tracy Food Center building later this month. The new store will stock all types of flooring, from carpet and vinyls, to hardwood and laminates, plus offer installation services.


Speechless?

Not Thursday night, when thespians present pieces

The Tracy Area High School speech team will showcase its talents Thursday night.

Thespians will present their speeches and routines in a special 7 p.m. program at the high school. The public is invited.

The format for the speech showcase divides students into groups of four or five. Each group will give their speeches in a separate room or area. Spectators can choose which presentations to attend.

The 69-member Panther speech team has competed at weekly speech festivals since early February. Most meets are on Saturday. Students select competition categories ranging from prose and poetry to extemporaneous speaking and discussion.


Issue? What issue? Dayton staffer hears support for DM&E upgrade

To the grain shippers, farmers, and government officials who gathered in Tracy last week, the proposed expansion of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern railroad is a no-brainer.

Let the DM&E project begin, area people told a staff representative from Senator Mark Dayton's office.

“This is huge,” said Balaton Mayor Glenn Mitzner. The mayor told field representative Jim Geldmann that an upgraded railroad would boost the region's farm economy and create economic opportunity for towns along the railroad.

If the DM&E rebuild is rejected by federal regulators, Mitzner warned, the railroad might not survive and Southwest Minnesota will suffer greatly.

Mitzner wasn't alone. Speaker after speaker touted the economic potential of an upgraded DM&E. Not a single speaker criticized the $1.4 billion railroad rebuild.


Author, illustrator enthralls students

From noses and eyes to hats and earrings, author and illustrator Gary Harbo covered it all last week.

The author and illustrator, originally from the Lynd area, came to the Tracy district for a three-day workshop.

Students were a captive audience Thursday afternoon, as Harbo showed them how to draw different kinds of characters. He explained that adding details to characters gives them different personalities. His favorite part, he told them, is drawing eyes.

"This can really make it interesting," he told a group of fifth and sixth graders. "You can change the whole look with the eyes." Harbo is the author of five books. A sixth book is coming out in May or June of this year.


A&B Flooring Concepts opening planned soon

Remodeling is underway for the new A& B Flooring Concepts in Downtown Tracy.

The new floor-covering store will be located in the former grocery store building that was last occupied by the Tracy Food Center.

“We hope to be open by about March 15,” said Steve Almie, who is launching the store with Jeremy Bjorklund. Almlie previously operated a floor-covering business from Almlie Furniture, which is going out of business. Bjorklund has been employed as an Almlie's floor covering installer.

A&B Flooring Concepts will have both a showroom, and a warehouse. Remodeling work has already begun.