Linda Vanderwerf
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I cover education issues for the West Central Tribune and have worked for the paper since 1995. I have worked in journalism since 1981.
Follow me on Twitter: @lindavanderwerf
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- Member for
- 4 years 8 months
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GROVE CITY — If you’ve ever wondered what that food tastes like at barbecue competitions, The Hog-n-The-Road restaurant can show you. The barbecue restaurant opened a couple weeks ago in Grove City. Co-owner and executive chef Chris DeKoster has won awards for his barbecue, and he serves competition-level meats in his restaurant. Hog-n-The-Road is open Wednesday through Saturday evenings — the bar opens at 4 p.m., the kitchen at 5 p.m. The kitchen will close at 10 p.m., but the bar will be open until last call.
WILLMAR — The Salvation Army Mobile Emergency Disaster Canteen located in Willmar, MN has been deployed today to go to Fargo, N.D., in support of disaster relief efforts in that area. The canteen left Willmar this morning and was to arrive in Fargo later today. The National Weather Service has predicted a 40 percent chance of record flooding in Fargo this spring.
CLARA CITY — Mark Weber has named his cancer Buford, and Buford is one big, nasty fella. But before a liver stuffed with tumors can take his life, Weber is making the most of it.
WILLMAR — Winter apparently isn’t done with west central Minnesota yet, even though it’s been spring for nearly a month. The National Weather Service has predicted a winter storm for much of Minnesota today through Friday. Meteorologist Michelle Margraf at the Weather Service office in Chanhassen said the storm is now over the Rockies, and precipitation should begin in west central Minnesota this morning. All but the northwest corner of the state will be affected by the storm, Margraf said.
WILLMAR — Seventh-grader Gabriella Larson thinks things like food and housing are way too expensive.
WILLMAR — Ridgewater College is ready for a year of upheaval on its Willmar campus as a $14 million, 50,000-square-foot remodeling and demolition project gets underway. College officials observed the official kickoff of the work Friday at a “Building Breaking” ceremony in one of the project areas — the now-empty Building A, which will house student services. College president Douglas Allen, college vice presidents and several students donned hard hats and safety glasses before swinging gold-painted sledge hammers at a wall in the former business office area.
WASHINGTON — Willmar turkey and products from across Minnesota figured prominently in the third annual “Hotdish Off” for the Minnesota Congressional Delegation this week. U.S. Rep. Tim Walz won the contest with his Hermann the German Hotdish, paying honor to a statue in New Ulm, which happens to be in his district.
WILLMAR — Learning English, adjusting to a new culture, learning American history — Willmar Middle School teacher Ann Hendershott knew it was a tall order for some of her Somali students. And she knew just where to turn for some assistance. The solution was as near as her own family full of teachers. Frances Hendershott, 79, a retired first-grade teacher and Ann’s mother, comes to the Middle School every school day to help Somali students in her daughter’s eighth-grade history class.
WILLMAR — When it’s time to talk about the Great Depression in teacher Ann Hendershott’s eighth-grade history class, it’s time to grab an iPad. Hendershott’s iBook on the Depression covers the same material as her students’ textbooks and adds audio files, videos and photo galleries.
Many schools in west central Minnesota will be closing early today due to the weather conditions. The area is under a winter storm watch until Thursday, with a combination of rain, sleet and snow forecast over the next couple days. The National Weather Service has predicted snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches today for west central Minnesota, with another 2 to 4 inches possible tonight. Another 1 to 3 inches are possible on Wednesday.
