"Where Olmsted County News Comes First"

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The year is over, 2013 has officially begun and many are reflecting on the past twelve months and all that has happened. The Olmsted County Journal has covered hundred of stories; from government happenings to new businesses, to interesting people, as well as happy stories, controversies, and shocking events.

Denny Hanson remembered as a caring, fun-loving leader

One of the most talked about and tragic events this year was the death of City Council President Denny Hanson in June. Hanson died unexpectedly at age 54 of a brain aneurysm, and the community mourned the passing of a beloved leader along with his family. Council member Randy Staver assumed the temporary position of president. Hanson remained on the ballot, though, and he won the election against Jan Throndson in November, calling for the city council to have a special election.

A miracle for those with miracle babies

Our Miracle Babies is a non-profit organization based out of Rochester that offers support to anyone who has been affected by a premature birth or neonatal trauma. Amber Bacon tells her story of the birth of her twin daughters, Aubrey and Lillian. The twins came from a high-risk pregnancy, and exhibited signs of Vanishing Twin Syndrome. They spent 32 days at the St. Marys NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), and Miracle Babies, headed by Tamara Buechler, were there to help her with friendship and support through the difficult time.

FedEx delivers big news to Stewartville

In June, FedEx Ground announced they were opening a shipping distribution center in Stewartville, a welcome addition to the community, and a good source of jobs for the economy. The building is planned to be 60,000 square feet, and should be up and running by July of 2013.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama visits Rochester

His Holiness The Dalai Lama visited Mayo Clinic in Rochester in April for his annual checkup. While he was there, he participated in a panel discussion at St. Marys Hospital, “Integrating Mindfulness in Healthcare.” A large crowd of several hundred people attended the discussion to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama and hear what he had to say. During the discussion, the Dalai Lama wore a University of Minnesota cap, and visitors were struck by his down-to-earth disposition.

Voter ID and Marriage Amendments

It’s not often that an election has such heated issues, and divides people so drastically between “Yes” and “No.” The presidential race was also a hot button topic, as people argued over whether or not Barack Obama should be the President for another four years. Locally, the arguments were about constitutional amendments. One was to make marriage between a man and woman only, and the other was to require picture ID for every voter. On each side, emotions ran high, and in the end both of the amendments failed.

Wildcats wow the crowd at Oxbow

Oxbow Park’s Zollman Zoo in Byron was the scene of a brand new wildcat exhibit in November. A crowd of people gathered at the opening to see the new residents of the zoo; a seven-year-old cougar, an eight-year-old bobcat, and a one-year-old lynx. The exhibit was funded through donations, which included $100,000 raised by the non-profit organization Friends of Oxbow.

PossAbilities awards banquet draws an emotional and

caring crowd!

The Rochester Event Center was the host to an emotional time when PossAbilities had their 2012 Employee Awards Banquet in September. ABC 6 News Anchor Betsy Singer hosted the event, in which three awards were given out. The John Ellingson Summit Award was presented to Culver’s South, the Fitzpatrick Guide Award went to Thom Hartman and Tim Shelly, employees of the Homestead of Rochester; and Mike, who works for Sodexo at the Dan Abraham Living Center, was given the Explorer Award.

Biden stumps for DFL in Rochester

Vice President Joe Biden visited Rochester as part of the campaign for re-election in August. He visited the Floral Hall at the Olmsted County Fairgrounds, and more than 700 people came to hear him speak. Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede, Representative Tim Walz, and Senator Al Franken also spoke at the event.

USPS to close Rochester

facility

In order to help save the United States Postal Service $22 billion by 2016, the Rochester mail processing site was shut down this year. Rochester was just one of the 223 facilities that were consolidated as part of this plan. This means that mail is being shipped to the St. Paul processing center, and back down to Rochester. The Rochester site employed 98 people, and after consolidation, 41 positions were eliminated.

Excitement is building for new cancer treatment facility at Mayo Clinic

The Proton Bean Therapy facility coming to Mayo Clinic was an important event, as it will be a very large facility that will be able to offer cancer patients more options for treatment while they are at the Mayo Clinic. The building, near Methodist Hospital, will be the largest cement project in Rochester history. It is scheduled to be fully operational in 2016.