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Jon Buyck received 576 votes for the open seat on the Benson City Council, easily winning the seat.

He will now fill out the remaining 16 months in the Benson City Council seat vacated by Terri Collins when she was elected the city’s mayor in November 2017.

Candidates Larry Smith received 138 votes, Lynn Jacobson-Stiehm 124 votes and Don Lenz 114 votes.

Though results from Chippewa and Pope counties were yet to come in, it looks as if the District 777’s $26.3 levy received overwhelming support.

In Swift County, the City of Benson voted 752 to 224 for the levy, a winning margin of 528 votes. In Benson Township, the vote was 91 to 40, a margin of 51 votes. And in Torning Township, the vote was 85 to 52 a winning margin of 33 votes.

In the three reporting voting areas, the vote was 928 to 316, or a winning margin of 612 votes. The vast majority of District 777’s population lives in the areas represented by the voting in the City of Benson, Torning Township and Benson Township. These are preliminary figures.

The $26.3 million building bond levy will:

- Add a new wing to the west end of the Northside Elementary School dedicated to infant and toddler daycare, pre-school children, and the Discovery Kids program.

Benson resident and retired school teacher Ron Hanson has filed for the District 777 Board of Education for the two-year term. Filings for four seats on the school board opened last Tuesday and will run through Tuesday, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m.

Three of the four seats up for election in November will be for four-year terms and one is for two years. Those school board members whose seats are four-year terms are Chad Payne, Jodi DeJong-Hughes, and Paul Carruth. Tammy Gunlogson’s seat is a two-year term.

When a person files for the school board, he or she will have to indicate whether or not they are seeking a two-year or four-year term.

School board members are paid $1,700 annually and get mileage for meetings they attend.

In the November election, the two candidates who receive the most votes for the two-year and four-year terms will be elected to office. They will join Mary K.W. Langan, Bill McGeary and Gary Williams on the school board in January.

$26.3 million proposal inlcudes new auditorium, space for childcare services
 

Next Tuesday voters in District 777 will decide the future of the quality of the educational facilities for Benson Public Schools, and many supporters say, the future of the area.

Tuesday, Aug. 14, voters will cast their ballots on a $26.3 million building bond levy with these key features:

As the City of Benson explores potential replacement industries for Benson Power, LLC, it has been talking with Brightmark Energy about locating a methane digesting facility at the site.

Benson Power, a 55-megawatt power plant that produced power from woodchips and turkey litter, has been purchased by Xcel Energy and shut down. It employed 45 people fulltime and provided jobs to more than 100 other people in the region who provided its supply and service needs.

Xcel says the shut down of the power plant will save its customers $350 million in energy costs over the next decade. Benson Power’s electricity was far more expensive to produce than the rapidly growing wind and solar energy sources it is turning to for electricity.

A total of 85 cars registered for the Kid Day Car Show this year, including cars from Erhard, Monticello, St. Joseph, Montevideo, and many from Benson, Danvers, Clontarf and the surrounding area.

The winner of Best of Show was Annie Danielson, with a 1956 Chev 3100 pick-up (pictured). 

The “Spectators Choice” winner was Keith Evenson with a 1955 Chev 210 Gasser.  According to organizers, this was the largest Benson Car Show held on Kid Day with many spectators from all around the area, beautiful weather and a great location at Ambush Park.  There were also about 50 cars taking part in the Kid Day car cruise, which lasted an hour.

For more stories like this, and to keep up on all the latest news, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!
 

School board filings

Filings for four seats on the District 777 Board of Education opened Tuesday and will run through Tuesday, Aug. 14.

There will be four school board seats up for election in November. Three will be for four-year terms and one for three years. Those school board members whose seats are four-year terms are Chad Payne, Jodi DeJong-Hughes, and Paul Carruth. Tammy Gunlogson’s seat is a two-year term.

When a person files for the school board, he or she will have to indicate whether or not they are seeking a two-year or four-year term.

In the November election, the two candidates who receive the most votes for the two-year and four-year terms will be elected to office. They will join Mary K.W. Langan, Bill McGeary and Gary Williams on the school board in January.

The Compass Creative Dramatic Children’s Theatre  is working with Benson Community Education and local youth this week to rehearse for two performances this Friday and Saturday of “Beauty and the Beast”.  As their beloved books disappear off the shelves, Beauty and her team of local librarians embark on a quest to rescue them from the city sewers. There, they find the Beast and his henchmen searching desperately to cure the curse that has transformed them all into animals of the lowest degree. Amidst dancing pigeons, ticklish books, and enchanted blue roses, Beauty and the Beast learn that it’s only by working together that they can save the day.   Auditions took place Monday afternoon in the senior high gym and practices will take place all week leading up to the performances at 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 3 and again at 11 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 4 in the senior high gym.  Tickets are $5 and are available at the door....

School district filings open this coming Tuesday and run through  Tuesday, Aug. 14.

There will be four school board seats up for election in November. Three will be for four-year terms and one for three years. Those school board members whose seats are four-year terms are Chad Payne, Jodi DeJong-Hughes, and Paul Carruth. Tammy Gunlogson’s seat is a two-year term.

When a person files for the school board, he or she will have to indicate whether or not they are seeking a two-year or four-year term.

In the November election, the two candidates who receive the most votes for the two-year and four-year terms will be elected to office. They will join Mary K.W. Langan, Bill McGeary and Gary Williams on the school board in January.

Mail ballots have already been sent out to District 777 residents of Swift County with residents of Pope and Chippewa counties to get theirs shortly, Supt. Dennis Laumeyer said at Monday night’s school board meeting.

Ron Vadnais, as Fred Flintstone, walks in the 88th annual Benson Kid Day parade Saturday, July 21 with grandson Logan (Bamm Bamm) and granddaughter Lily (Pebbles) who are children of Ben and Alicia Vadnais.

Don't miss our Kid Day Special section, filled with full color photos from Kid Day weekend - available on newstands now or at the Monitor-News office!

For more stories and photos like this, and to keep up on all the latest news, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you.