5/31/2006 – News
Volume 123, Number 17
Minnewaukan man wins $53,000 in contest
Jason Feldner of Minnewaukan, fishing his first In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) tournament as a pro, claimed victory in the tournament held on Devils Lake May 24-26 and took home prizes worth $53,000.
Feldner, a fishing guide who lives on the west shore of the lake in Minnewaukan, said, "Walleyes are everywhere, and people love fishing here." That was the sentiment of the contestants as they crossed the PWT stage at Graham’s Island State Park Friday. Feldner won $25,000 in cash, a Lund boat, Mercury outboard and an E-Z Loader trailer.
Tournament participants were allowed to bring five fish to the weigh-in daily. Feldner caught 27.94 pounds of walleyes the first day, 25.82 pounds the second day and 21.42 pounds the third day for a total of 75.18 pounds (15 total fish). He was in second place day one and day two and gained the top slot the third day.
Second place was won by Rod Gazvoda of Lakewood, Colo. who led the first two days and brought in a total of 69.37 pounds. Gazvoda said he and his partners caught as many as 80 fish some days.
Feldner, like many of the anglers, watched slip bobbers in and among the thousands of standing, dead cottonwoods. Depths ranged from 4 to 7 feet. When the wind came up following a cold front, he left some slips out, but dragged jigs slowly to give walleyes another chance.
"They liked the change-up," he said, as his amateur partners really got in the act by catching many walleyes.
Two groups were recognized by the PWT on stage. Dick Horner accepted the PWT Superior Achievement award on behalf of his Graham’s Island State Park staff. The Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce was also a recipient of the Superior Achievement award for their many months of details and managing the event.
The final two regional series tournaments take place in late July (Mobridge, SD) and August (Escanaba, Mich.). Amateur/co-angler openings remain; to enter call PWT headquarters, 218-829-0620. Feldner said he would definitely be in the Mobridge tournament.
Jason and his wife, Shelle, came to Minnewaukan from Omro, Wisc. in May of 2001 to operate a hunting and fishing guide service. He was a guide in Wisconsin as well.
His business, Perch-Eyes Guide Service and Lodging, has a house and a cabin in Minnewaukan to accommodate hunters and fishermen. His Web site location is www.percheyes.com.
Is he going to use the new boat in his business? "Well, no," he says, somewhat sheepishly. "It’s a 2007 twenty-foot Lund Pro-V with 225 hp Mercury outboard . . ." that would certainly be an addition to his guide service. "But I’ll have to sell them because my fishing tournament sponsors are Polarcraft, Evinrude and Fra-Bill," he said.
And the $25,000? "To begin with, federal and state taxes will take about 30%," Jason said. "Don’t worry. I’ll find good use for the rest," he added.
In the tournament professionals are paired with amateurs. Amateurs from this area who placed in the tournament were Rick Darling of Leeds, 37th with 45.36 pounds of fish; Darla Larson of Sheyenne, 47th with 43.45 pounds; and Paul Halko of Devils Lake, formerly of Minnewaukan, 85th with 35.51 pounds.
Jason Feldner of Minnewaukan raises his arms in victory as he accepts a plaque from an In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail official.
Feldner, a fishing and hunting guide, won prizes equivalent to $53,000 for landing 75.18 pounds of walleyes (15 fish) in the three-day fishing tournament on Devils Lake May 24-26. (In-Fisherman photo)
Leonard Bubach fights back from effects of debilitating stroke
Editor’s note: The following article concerns Leonard Bubach, who is recuperating from a serious stroke. He was superintendent at Maddock from 1975 to 1986. Before that he was superintendent at Sheyenne.
Five of the Bubach children graduated from Maddock High School: Renel, Renee, Russell, Robert and Richard. Rachelle graduated from Towner, where the Bubachs still live.
Reprinted from TRINITY HEALTH TALK
Recovering from a stroke isn’t an easy task; it can be a long and difficult challenge for the patient, the family, and the caregivers who work with stroke patients on a daily basis. Success isn’t always guaranteed. But as we all know, there are exceptions to every story. Leonard Bubach is one of them.
With her husband by her side, Darlene Bubach, explains: "Leonard had surgery last December just before the holidays. In fact, we planned it that way so we’d be back from Bismarck in time to be with the rest of the family for Christmas. Of course, it didn’t work out as we planned because he had a stroke."
Hospitalized after surgery, Bubach, 81, was in serious condition and barely conscious when, as Darlene describes it, "Everything just went downhill from there." In addition to suffering a debilitating stroke, his respiratory system failed, which required the insertion of a breathing tube and he also needed a feeding tube. "He had so much equipment attached to him that he was lit up like a Christmas tree,"
Darlene recalls. Six weeks later, Leonard was transferred to Mandan’s Specialized Complex Care Inc. Hospital (SCCI) for five weeks.
Dr. Marcel Young, medical director of Trinity’s RehabCare Center, received a referral from Leonard’s attending physician at SCCI and upon review of Leonard’s condition, accepted him for admission to Trinity’s extensive medical rehab program.
"Lots of people told us the outlook wasn’t good — maybe a 40 percent chance of survival and a 10 percent chance of ever walking again," Darlene confides. "He just had so many other complications, but that began to change not long after he got to Trinity’s RehabCare Center."
"That’s right!" Leonard adds with gusto. "This is where they got me up and working!" Talkative and alert, it’s hard to believe that this is the same man who came to the RehabCare Center in February, 2006 unable to recall any of his ordeal, and unable to speak or eat.
Under the medical direction of Dr. Young, the interdisciplinary team of physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, speech pathologists, and social workers, developed a plan of care, which included his wife and family.
Once at the RehabCare Center, the tubes and various pieces of medical support equipment were gradually removed from Leonard as he began to recover.
"His progress has been remarkable," observes Leonard’s speech therapist, Marla Rose, who calls him a "miracle patient." "He’s had to overcome so many problems, but his personality has just continued to blossom, and he’s started to remember things," she adds.
Other members of the RehabCare team agree with Rose’s observation:
Leonard Bubach is an exceptional patient — one that is motivated to recover and willing to work for it. Physical Therapist Jennifer Nelson and Occupational Therapist Bruno Rimatzki worked closely with Leonard and with other team members. Their first goal, says Rimatzki, was to improve his endurance level — he could barely walk. "But ultimately," adds Nelson, "our goal was to get him to the point where he could go home again."
RehabCare Nurse Manager Jennifer Mitchell, RN, CRRN, says Bubach’s remarkable recovery has been a very gratifying experience for everyone involved with his care.
"Leonard worked very hard with all team members to get where he’s at," observes Mitchell. "But when a patient like Leonard is able to walk out the door on his own two feet — it just confirms that we are all doing our job and doing it well."
While a patient in the RehabCare Center, Leonard and his wife participated in "Starting Now," a stroke education and prevention program open to anyone interested in learning about the warning signs and symptoms of stroke.
On April 4 Leonard was discharged home to Towner where his faithful dog, Sonja, was very happy to see him. His immediate family includes his wife, Darlene; three daughters — Renel, Renee and Rachelle; and three sons — Russell, Robert and Richard, plus many friends and neighbors.
Leonard Bubach (left) works with speech therapist Marla Rose (far right). In the center of the photo is Tonille Mutlow, an MSU graduate student in Communication Disorders (left), and Leonard’s wife, Darlene.
Leonard Bubach (far right) poses with members of Trinity’s RehabCare Team, experienced medical professionals who helped him recover from a devastating stroke.
Fantastic finish
Defending state champion Benson County came on strong and wound up second in the North Dakota Class B girls high school track and field meet at the Bismarck Community Bowl last weekend. The Wildcats had the task of trying to keep up with Bottineau. Three of the seven Wildcats show off their runner-up trophy. Left to right are Katrece Thompson, Bobbi Grann and Lindsay Anderson. Benson County is a three school co-op (Leeds, Maddock and Minnewaukan). Complete story and photos next week.
Observe Syttende Mai
On Tuesday, May 16, Irma Dulmage joined the Leeds kindergarten class to celebrate the coming of Syttende Mai. Students learned about the history of Norwegian Independence Day, as well as stories of Nissen and trolls. Pictured are Irma and her granddaughter, Maddy Dulmage, who accompanied Irma to school wearing her Norwegian bunad.
Kindergartener Arnikka Thompson also wore her Norwegian bunad. The style of her dress indicated the region of Norway from which her ancestors originated. Irma also brought a taste of krumkake for all.
Left to right, front row, are Danielle Schwanke, Ryan Wangler and Luke Pepple. Back row: Garrett Johnson, Rochelle Hansen, Arnikka Thompson, Braydon Follman, Maddy Dulmage and Irma Dulmage.
Arnikka Thompson wears her Norwegian bunad.
Receive awards
James Johnson, son of Jeff and Coreen Johnson, and Breana Buehler, daughter of Todd and Nadley Buehler, students at the Maddock School, were awarded the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. This award is given to students finishing the sixth grade for their academic excellence in the classroom for the last three years and for their advanced proficiency on the state assessment tests in reading and/or math.
Air conditioned car
This car has a custom air conditioning system that was installed after the owner was informed it would cost $1400 to repair the factory system.