FACES AND PLACES

FACES: June Kassa enjoys her job taking care of children

Squeals of delight fill the air as a stack of wooden blocks at June Kassa’s home daycare goes tumbling down. A 9-month-old boy on her lap and surrounded by six other children between the ages of 2 and 4, Kassa helps them stack the blocks so they can knock it down again. Afterward, she danced with the children, made lunch, helped them with artwork projects and took them outside to play. Late last month, Kassa was named Polk County Family Child Care Provider of the Year by the Minnesota Licensed Family Child Care Association. Kassa, 41, has done home day care for nearly 15 years.

By Ann Bailey , May 06, 2012

FACES: Dakota Science Center executive director was naturally drawn to science

Laura Munski was attracted to science at a young age by nature. “I was outside all of the time,” said Munski. Whether bird or wildlife watching or simply running around her yard in Havre de Grace, Md., she spent a lot of time outdoors getting hands-on experience with environmental science. Now, as executive director of the Dakota Science Center in Grand Forks, Munski works to instill in middle school students an interest in science.

By Ann Bailey , April 29, 2012

ANN BAILEY: Springing ahead, but not too much

A month ago, I thought I might break the record for earliest lawn mowing. The green lawn was showing signs of bolting and I figured it would only be a matter of time before I was back on the seat of the mower. But although there have been a few warm days this month, temperatures generally have been more seasonable and our grass has stayed pretty short.

By Ann Bailey , April 28, 2012

PRAIRIE GARDENER: Ash-loving insect boring into Minnesota

If you toured this wonderful state park — Minnesota’s crown jewel — last summer, you probably noticed purple tent-like devices scattered in areas of the facility. What you actually saw were three-cornered purple prisms used to detect emerald ash borers. This was an effort by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to track down and head off the destructive, invasive pest. The department will hang out about 6,500 of these traps in trees around the state beginning this month. This number of traps will be about 2,000 more than in 2011.

By Darrel Koehler , April 22, 2012

ANN BAILEY: New life is springing up on the farm

One of my favorite times of the year growing up on the farm is spring. Not only are there signs of new life all around me in the form of greened-up grass, budding trees and blooming flowers, there also are young animals on and around the farm to remind me of the renewal.

By Ann Bailey , April 22, 2012

FACES: Myron Barnes retires after rewarding career with Boy Scouts

Myron Barnes didn’t expect to dedicate his life to the Boy Scouts when he applied for a summer job to be an aquatics director at a scout camp near Hibbing, Minn. But the three-month position opened the door to a lifelong career, and this month, Barnes retired after 36 years with the Boy Scouts.

By Ann Bailey , April 22, 2012

PRAIRIE GARDENER: Don’t jump the gun when it comes to early lawn work

Gardeners tend to jump the gun when it comes to lawn chores. Lawns normally are what get the attention once the snow melts and the brown turf begins peeking out from under winter’s snow banks. For many people, this means only one thing. Either get out the rake or even better, fire up the lawn mower and get the yard freshened up for the summer. However, sometimes we can do more damage than good if we jump the gun.

By Darrel Koehler , April 15, 2012

Former neighborhoods live on, after '97 flood, in parks

Tom Reiten and Joan Abraham were the last people to leave the Lincoln Drive neighborhood after the 1997 flood. The homeowners at 1207 Lincoln Drive held out until 2001, when the dike alignment forced their ouster. It was a sad parting of residents and their real estate, as most were in those times. The couple’s attachment to their property was stronger than many, however. Four years after the devastation, they not only still lived on their property, but also mowed the lawns and trimmed the hedges of former neighbors.

By Ryan Bakken , April 15, 2012

ANN BAILEY: Flock provides farm-fresh eggs at a small price

Last summer, our small chicken flock of 21 chickens grew by 10, courtesy of a couple of friends who needed a home for their hens. The flock of 30 chickens and one rooster wintered well and even made history by going outside on Christmas Day. My husband, Brian, took a picture to record the event and our family talked about how delighted my mom would have been to see her chickens scratching in the dirt on Dec. 25.

By Ann Bailey , April 15, 2012

FACES: Laura Pikop is world champ in mounted shooting

Three years ago lifelong equestrian, Laura Pikop was hunting for a competitive event to ride her horses in when she read about mounting shooting in a magazine. After she found Wild Rice Peacemakers, a mounting shooting club based in Twin Valley, Minn., which is affiliated with the national Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, Pikop decided to give the sport a try.

By Ann Bailey , April 15, 2012

PRAIRIE GARDENER: To keep your Easter lily healthy, provide it with lots of light

Easter lilies will be out in full glory today as western Christians celebrate the most sacred date in their calendar — Easter Sunday. Those of the Jewish faith will be observing Passover. Although the lily is a native of Formosa or Taiwan off the coast of China it has become the symbol of Easter.

April 08, 2012

ANN BAILEY: Easter is a good time to count one’s blessings

Today, Easter Sunday, ushers in a week of blessings for me. The most extraordinary blessing for which I am grateful is the gift of Jesus’ resurrection. As a Christian, I believe that his resurrection after death on the cross freed us from sin and opened the gates of heaven.

By Ann Bailey , April 08, 2012

FACES: Five years after a near-fatal car accident, Ben Hylden is grateful to be alive

Eyes and ears filled with dirt, blood flowing down his throat and right leg crushed, Ben Hylden wriggled on his back, his only thought to get home and see his parents so he could say a final goodbye.

By Ann Bailey , April 08, 2012

FACES: Instructor Dacia Stiles says Zumba leaves participants sweaty, exhilarated and happy

Zumba keeps Dacia Stiles on the move. Stiles, of Grand Forks, was licensed in 2009 to teach Zumba. A fitness instructor who also has taught cycling and step classes, she constantly is on the look-out for new types of exercise classes to teach, she said.

By Ann Bailey , April 01, 2012

ANN BAILEY: Spring has arrived right on time

As a North Dakotan, I’m accustomed to hearing about spring arriving in other parts of the country long before it has sprung here. As I looked out of my kitchen window into a front yard knee-deep in snow, I could only imagine what it must be like to have trees leafing out and flowers poking up out of the ground.

By Ann Bailey , April 01, 2012