http://www.grantsburgrotary.org/

Grantsburg Rotary, PO Box 185, Grantsburg, WI (2026)

10/30/2026

A Special Evening Out at Indianhead Supper Club – October 29
Jenny Lee, Rotarian

Rotary Club members enjoyed a special evening out at Indianhead Supper Club, sharing a delicious dinner, wonderful conversations, and fellowship.

It was a lovely opportunity to step away from our usual routines and simply enjoy one another's company in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Although we see each other regularly, spending time together outside our usual meetings made the evening extra special.

Beyond our commitment to serving the community, building friendships and sharing meaningful moments together are also important parts of being Rotarians.

A special thank-you to Carol, our Rotary Club President, for organizing this wonderful evening, and to everyone who joined us and made it so enjoyable. It was truly a delightful evening with our Rotary family!

10/29/2026

"Sheriff Finch ending 37-year career"
By Byron Higgin, Grantsburg Rotary

Thirty-seven years ago Tracy Finch accepted a job as a dispatcher with the Burnett County Sheriff’s office.
Following this year’s mid-term, elections in November, Finch will end her illustrious career, including two terms as sheriff of Burnett County.
As she retires and turns over the keys to the new Burnet County Jail to a new sheriff in January, she says, “I’m happy with the team we’ve put together.”

The former Wisconsin and Burnett County “Officer of the Year” has been credited with bringing order and credibility to the office that formerly was under scrutiny.
When she took over as sheriff the office was down five officers. It currently has the approved 12 officers that Sheriff Finch labeled as functional but not enough for the increased workload.

During her tenure as sheriff, Finch told Grantsburg Rotarians this week, “The SWAT team was disbanded but we need it, we do” she said.
So, in conjunction with Sawyer and Washburn county’s sheriff’s departments she helped resurrect the SWAT team which has been used in the past year.

The county sheriff’s department also added a second canine to the staff, along with a new records management system.
She also held auctions on unused property to raise funds for the department.
One of the biggest assets added to the department were “Body Cameras” worn by each officer at every incident.

The new county sheriff’s jail was also built during Sheriff Finch’s domain. “It’s working well and has helped us deal with difficult issues and even includes a padded cell for violent inmates.
As for the jail, Sheriff Finch said about 20 percent of the jail are female inmates.The jail holds 90 inmates but averages 72-75 inmates.
It’s also helped usher in separate jail and dispatch positions.

Another important tool added to the department are both indoor and outdoor “Drones”.
Outdoor drones help discover criminals hiding in woods and other areas an indoor drones find those hiding indoors.
“We used them several times and they’re very valuable tools,” said the sheriff.

Personally, sheriff Finch has had two bouts with cancer and has undergone chemo treatments.
One of the difficulties occuring during her tenure was when an inmate flushed plastic bags down a toilet and flooded the jail with water. “We had to evacuate the inmates,” she said.

One of the most dangerous events for the sheriff’s department was the fire at the Burnett Dairy that threatened chemicals stored in the building. She also was sheriff when one of her deputies was fired on but was not injured.
Perhaps one of the most difficult times came during Covid. “It was difficult but we got through it,” she said.

The sheriff’s office has also adopted several programs to help within the county.
One is a shopping program in which, “Underprivileged kids are taken on shopping trips whereby they are able to purchase gifts for family and friends and for themselves.” Thirty to forty kids were part of this program.
Another program called “Cops and Bobbers,” provided a day of cops and kids going fishing together.

The department has also hosted a “Tribal Picnic” for reservation community members, along with. a “Tribal Youth Fishing Contest.”
The department also includes retreats in all communities each year.
She also told Rotarians of an incident of a man entering the Circle K station in Siren with a knife in his hand. “He told a lady at the scene he was going to kill everyone in the store.” The sheriff’s department was summoned and they were able to disarm the man.

There is just one candidate running for the sheriff’s job this year and he is Deputy Mikal Anton.
Chances are good Sheriff Finch will be putting her department into Anton’s hands come January.

10/27/2026

"Local court safer, says judge"
By Byron Higgin, Grantsburg Rotarian

After nine years on the bench in Burnett County, Judge Melissa Mogen feels the local court system is, “The strongest we’ve been.”

While crime ”stays on an even keel”, when it comes to the more serious crimes, “We have definitely turned those around,” the judge told Grantsburg Rotarians last week (October 20, 2026).
“The sheriff, district attorney, child support services, health and human services are all at the top of what they do,” she said.

The last time Judge Mogen spoke to the Rotary she outlined two programs being implemented, An enhanced Drug Court and a new Restitution Court.

Six months later, the judge said the Drug Court has been slower getting started but she sees it taking off with the next month. “The Restitution Court is going great. We’ve had a lot of people held accountable (for what they owe).”

The court takes those who don’t pay a chance to pay or face more time in jail. “Several cases have been paid in full,” she said.
Judge Mogen told the Rotarians the new county jail is doing well but is understaffed. Just not enough help.”

She also addressed the improved security in the courtroom, which has been one of her main priorities.
“We’ve had the second most unsafe courtroom in the state, next to Ashland’s, which is old an outdated.”
She said, “We now have an officer on duty in the courtroom,” she said. “I feel tremendously safer.”

There are plans for more safety measurers in the courtroom. We plan to renovate the whole courtroom area. When it's complete we’ll be much safer,” she said.

As for the caseload she handles in the district, Judge Mogen said she handles the “Third highest caseload out of 262 districts. But she added, “It’s OK, I can handle it.

09/19/2026

"Rotary helping Haitians with clean water and latrines"
By Byron Higgin, Grantsburg Rotary

In rural Haiti only 55 percent of people have access to clean drinking water from an improved source That is, water from an improve source that requires no more than a 30-minute round trip to collect it.
Matters become worse when natural disasters and poor management disrupt access to the water.
Helping Haitians get good water and creation of toilet facilities became a priority for Rotarians several years ago.

The local connection to this project has been Grantsburg Rotarian Greg Peer, who made two trips to Haiti to help improve the water and toilets.
Along on his second trip was his wife Cindy in 2009.

This week, Peer brought Dale Snyder of the Haiti Outreach committee to Grantsburg to update Rotarians on Rotary International’s work in Haiti.
Snyder, a retired executive director of Haiti Outreach said, “Developing a water infrastructure,” was only the first step. “We found it doesn’t work to develop the water system and leave.” Eventually the system breaks down. So Rotary trains residents how to maintain the system and keep it running.

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, so “Haiti outreach works toward the vision that Haiti will become a developed county in our lifetime,” said information provided by Snyder to Grantsburg Rotarians.
“It’s about true sustainable development, not relief,” said Snyder.
The project has given, “People a mission of water and health care.”
Snyder told Rotarians the man who spearheads the Haiti maintenance programs is Neil Van Dine, who went to Haiti and stayed. “I worked with Neil and know him well. He’s put everything into this project,” said Peer.

Now the Haiti Outreach cofounder and country director, Van Dine, is not just a repair guy, he’s living the goal of making the local residents “responsible for their own water system” said’ Snyder.

Other groups have built water systems in Haiti, then left and eventually the system broke down and became unusable. They don’t come back to fix the system. “So many systems are sitting there broke,” added Snyder.
Rotary developed a system of “Development” not just relief. “We develop an infrastructure so people can take care of their own system,” Snyder related.
Those using the water pay for the water to help keep the system going. “Now 90 percent of Haitian residents have access to water and 95 percent have public latrines.

In order to make the program work, Rotary educates Haitians on how to keep their water clean in an effort to help their own health. “They are responsible for themselves,’ said Snyder.

Haiti outreach has worked with 540 communities to build wells or water systems that currently impact over 275,000 people daily.
About 90 percent of the wells built in the last 20 years are still functioning. And 95 percent of households in these communities now have latrines.
The Haitian Outreach program will continue to keep good water and latrines going and now Grantsburg Rotarians have had a chance to feel part of the program.

*The photo shows Geeg Peer (left) with Dale Snyder(right).

09/05/2026

"Adventures on the Arizona Trail"
By Byron Higgin, Grantsburg Rotary

Most folks know Blaise Vitale as a local physician.
But many probably don’t realize he’s avid enthusiast of American trails and he’s walked and explored many of them.
Vitale, who is also a Rotary member, told Grantsburg Rotarians about his recent adventures on the Arizona Trail.
The trail, which runs along the Mexican border, runs up to the Utah Border. Vitale walked and explored the 800-mile trail on four separate weekends.
He described the trial with fencing and markers and said the first 6,000 to 9,000 feet was uphill and it was, “a horrible climb.”
Along the way the sites were many.
“We saw old gold mines. They were closed off the public.
“Every 5,000 feet we’d lose five degrees in temperature,” said the veteran hiker.
The next hill was, “A brutal climb,” he said.
“Deer were hanging around everywhere. Being a very dry year they were looking for food.”
Snakes, even rattle snakes were abundant, but when he reached Sunny Side Canyon , “We got warmer.”
“This is Cattle Country and there were many old dilapidated buildings along the way. There were lots of grasshoppers, so many it was almost a plague,” Vitale joked.
Small creeks or pools of water looked bad but sometimes the water was drinkable.
Next came a “A horrendous climb,” related Vitale.
Along the trail he met up with former Grantsburg Middle School Principle Curt Knutson.
One of the benefits of walking trails is meeting people. “I meet Julia a blogger from Germany, and made a new friend,” noted Vitale.
Along this part of the trail he found the shell of a desert tortoise, more snakes, even one rather angry rattlesnake right in the middle of the trail.
Still carrying 18 pounds of water, Vitale encountered another “Horrendous climb.”
Going down toward the “Cottonwood Canyon he discovered, “More snakes.”
There was one more climb that gave way to a beautiful sunset as the adventure ended.

(Note: Vitale, formerly a Burnett Medical Center Doctor has retired and lives part-time with his family in Arizona and they spend the other part in the Grantsburg Area. He is also a National Guard Medic).

08/25/2026

Grantsburg Rotary Club Kicks Off Its 33rd Annual Rose Sale!
Jenny Lee, Rotarian of Grantsburg

Today, we had a fun and joyful rose auction to celebrate the kickoff of the 33rd Annual Rose Sale!
The funds raised through this annual fundraiser will help provide scholarships for local students and support community development projects.
Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make today’s event so much fun! We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our community together.

08/25/2026

Shrinking the size of the county board will be on the ballot
By Byron Higgin, Grantsburg Rotary

“Administrating Burnett County has never been as challenging as it is today, mostly due to new restrictions on revenue,” said 13-year Administrator Nate Ehalt. He spoke to Minnesota Rotarians last week.

Since state reimbursements are about 1/3 of the county’s income, new restrictions have cut the amount the county now gets.
“We have to be really careful how we administer the funds,” he said.
“How do we do it …. We cut!” He added.
“We eliminated eight percent of our workforce to keep our budget fairly flat,” he told Rotarians.

One department has gone from eight to two workers.
In fact, “Last year we managed with an unbalanced budget for the first time since I’ve been administrator. It was a little scary,” he said.
He said there were times, “When we could hardly make payroll.”

A big issue for the county is coming up in the November election when county voters will vote to keep the number of commissioners at 21 or cut it to 15.
Recently community residents circulated a petition to shrink the size of the county board, and they had enough signatures to send he issue to the ballot.
“If the size of the board is shrunk it will save the county about $22,000.

However, a new map, for board coverage will have to be drawn.
However, the county has been able to make up fund by the additional sale of lumber cut from the ample county woods. “We work with developers and use the resources we have,” he indicated.

Timber sales are a big part of the county budget.
While Ehalt admits it’s been a challenging year, he finds Burnett County is still sitting in good shape.

08/25/2026

Grantsburg firm is ‘pumping away’ all over the country:
By Byron Higgin, Grantsburg Rotary

If you’ve spotted Oil wells in North Dakota or Oklahoma. There is a good chance they are using pumps from Minnesota business Northern Pump.
General Manager John Segelstrom recently told Minnesota Rotarians the business is a part of McNally’s Industries in Grantsburg.
“We have a good partnership with McNally’s,” Sederstrom said.
Northern Pump and McNally’s have enjoyed a 24-year partnership.
As for the pumps in oil wells, Sederstrom said, “We found our niche there.”
There was a time when the US was pumping out a lot of oil and Northern Pump was right there in the middle of it.

The Northern Pumps are known to stand high pressure and high temperatures and are suited to the oil business.
Norther Pump has a large distribution force and pumps from Grantsburg are used all over the country.
Since 1929, Northern Pump has specialized in manufacturing high-pressure, heavy-duty positive displacement rotary gear pumps. Originally founded as the Northern Fire Apparatus Company, and now part of McNally Industries, the company has remained committed to building gear pumps engineered to outperform in the most demanding high-pressure and severe service environments.

With a legacy spanning nearly a century, Northern Pump’s products have consistently demonstrated durability, reliability, and performance.

Today, pumps produced at the Grantsburg, WI facility embody decades of precision manufacturing, deep engineering expertise, and a proven track record in the field. Northern’s heavy-duty rotary gear pumps are recognized as the workhorses of positive displacement applications.

Backed by McNally Industries’ strong foundation in design engineering and extensive manufacturing capabilities, Northern offers custom-engineered gear pumps tailored to meet the toughest high-pressure demands

08/25/2026

New sign

Rotarian Ted Kniutson showed the club the new sign they will be displaced at Vanessa’s Diner to let folks know where the Rotarians meet.

08/25/2026

GOLF OUTING on August 11, 2026

The Minneota Rotary Golf Outing with St. Croix Falls last week was a huge success with over 50 golfers competing.
Outing Chairman Mike Giles reported over $8,100 was raised by the two clubs.
After expenses and the splitting. Of the profit with St. Croix Falls, Giles reported the local club willet in the vicinity of $3,500.
The money will be used for local Rotary projects.

Grantsburg Rotary

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