PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER —
Rev. Mark Keefer of Traer United Methodist Church, right, visits with a youngster during Kids Shopping Day on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Peace Church in Gladbrook.

GLADBROOK — For the second year running, Gladbrook’s beloved Kids Shopping Day took place amid a significant winter storm. But not even intense snowfall and cold temperatures could stop more than 170 children from attending (with their caregivers) the 13th annual event held on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Peace United Church of Christ in order to pick out gifts for their loved ones this Christmas season.

While attendance (171) this year was down slightly from years past, organizer Jeanne Paustian, who chairs Kids Shopping Day as a member of the Gladbrook American Legion Auxiliary Children & Youth Committee, said everything went well.

“I was happy so many (still) came. But I know if we have it, parents or grandparents are going to get them here.”

Kids Shopping Day has grown tremendously since it first began back in 2011 but still manages to remain true to the original intent – allowing children to more fully experience the joy that caring for others brings. The idea behind that very first Kids Shopping Day originated with now-retired Gladbrook kindergarten teacher Becky Fish, Paustian said.

“She came and asked me one day if I thought Gladbrook would support a Christmas store where kids could shop for their loved ones – no parent help and at no cost. And I said, well, I think we could do that. It was all Becky’s idea.”

In the early years, the event was held at the Gladbrook Memorial Building before quickly outgrowing the space. Today, Kids Shopping Day takes place over practically the entire two floors of Peace Church, including in the sanctuary where caregivers wait for their children as they “shop” downstairs. Without parental help, it requires an army of volunteers to orchestrate the event each year.

“We have a lot of different volunteers to help the children, including high school students – the little ones love going with them to shop. It takes about 82 people to make it all work,” Paustian said.

In addition to members of the Gladbrook Legion Auxiliary, Paustian receives volunteers and/or donations from almost all the area churches and organizations, including the Gladbrook Corn Carnival Corp., the Gladbrook Commercial Club, the Gladbrook Women’s Club, the Gladbrook Lions Club, the Legion, and many more.

“We wouldn’t stay afloat if we didn’t have all the organizations that supply volunteers and financial donations.”

It also takes roughly $3,500 a year to finance the massive endeavor despite about 75% of the items being donated outright. Cash donations are used to shore up tables.

“We always have to beef up toys and the men’s gifts. We [receive donations] all year long. As soon as Christmas is over, we’ll see stuff start coming in the door again.”

Following the shopping day, many of the leftover items are taken to Westbrook Acres for residents to shop for their own loved ones and for themselves, Paustian said.

“We’ll also take a few things that we know they like – such as puzzles – to Independent Living. We also make a donation to Trinkets & Togs [Thrift Store in Grundy Center].”

Trinket & Togs is part of the non-profit agency The Larrabee Center. All proceeds from Trinkets & Togs sales support services for persons with disabilities and the elderly.

Kids Shopping Day: 2025

Last Saturday, Dec. 13, as snow piled up on the sidewalk outside Peace Church’s south entrance, children were lined up down the street well ahead of Kids Shopping Day’s 9 a.m. start which kicked off with Paustian unlocking the church’s double doors. Once inside, attendees were greeted at the check-in table by volunteers Sherri Denbow and Becky Fevold who handed out gift lists and pencils.

After checking in, children proceeded upstairs to the sanctuary to deposit their coats (and their caregivers) before filling out their gift list with the names of family members for whom they would like to “shop.” Once their list was completed, they moved to the gift tag tables which were strewn with 100s of beautiful tags handmade by volunteers using discarded and/or past holiday cards.

From there, children ventured downstairs for the main event – shopping in the Christmas Store. At the entrance to the store’s large room, children were given a clipboard for their list plus a red or blue shopping basket. Preschoolers and kindergarteners received assistance from a volunteer as they perused the many tables. Once finished, children moved on to the wrapping stations – situated on the room’s periphery – where their selections were expertly prepared for gifting. They were then zoomed back upstairs (with their gifts) by elevator to a room located behind the chancel for a quick chat with the “People of Bethlehem.” This year’s cast featured Rev. Gideon Gallo of Gladbrook United Methodist Church, Rev. Mark Keefer of Traer United Methodist Church, Kay Lowry, Sue Storjohann, and Sierra Wiebensohn.

“Children can’t shop for themselves [at Kids Shopping Day], so they receive a nativity Christmas card and a nativity ornament (from the People of Bethlehem). They also tell them about the reason for the season,” Paustian explained.

Then it was time to find their caregivers in the sanctuary – or have a committee volunteer make a phone call – and head home with their bounty of carefully-curated gifts. This is the part Paustian said she loves the most as she hears about it later from parents and grandparents following the event.

“It’s really sweet – how they put them under their trees. They might rearrange them under the tree 100 times. They’re just so proud of their gifts. … It (really does) make you cry. I helped one little girl (on Saturday), she didn’t say one word to me. But she was so proud.”

And while the event takes place in the heart of Gladbrook, Paustian said children from far beyond the local community attend. On Saturday, there were children present from throughout Tama County as well as Reinbeck – including Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent Caleb Bonjour’s children – and even Marshalltown.

But no matter how big it gets, Paustian said the committee has no plans to stop.

“It is a Gladbrook Christmas tradition that we plan to continue for years to come.”

Mark your calendars now – and hope for better weather! – Gladbrook’s 14th annual Kids Shopping Day is set for Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026.

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S !

A 20-year-old Petaluma man has been arrested in connection with the racist vandalism left on the vehicle belonging to a well-known local youth basketball coach and former Harlem Globetrotter, police said.

The suspect, Corey Newman, was linked to the vandalism through surveillance video, police said. He was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop and taken into custody without incident.

He was booked into Sonoma County jail on suspicion of vandalism for defacing property and commission of a hate crime, police said.

The arrest marks a breakthrough in an incident that drew widespread condemnation after the coach, William Bullard, who is Black, posted on social media about the vandalism of his vehicle, which included racist slurs and swastikas scrawled in the dust on his SUV.

He also shared his account with The Press Democrat.

The vehicle was parked in a downtown Petaluma garage near Bullard’s apartment from Dec. 1 through Dec. 9, and was defaced at some point during that time.

Bullard, who noted the garage surveillance cameras in his social media posts about the incident,  contacted police.

After reviewing more than a week of surveillance footage, officers identified Newman as the person believed responsible for the vandalism.

Bullard, who has lived in Petaluma for about five years, said the vandalism left him concerned about his safety.

“It is tough to deal with being a minority here in Sonoma County, where it is 1-2% Black,” Bullard previously told The Press Democrat. “With my impact within the community, to walk outside to your car and see that is really tough.”

Police, in their press release on the arrest, noted the media coverage and attention the attack had drawn through social media.

The department said it takes all hate-related incidents seriously and remains committed to thorough and impartial investigations, noting that crimes motivated by bias affect not only those directly targeted but the broader community.

You can reach Staff Writer Isabel Beer at isabel.beer@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @IsabelSongbeer

WINONA, Minn. (KTTC) – In the wake of Christmas day, area basketball teams took their talents to Winona State University for the Lewiston Auto Holiday Basketball. The annual tournament features 27 games over four days of basketball. Day one was Friday.

Results from Day One:

• Chatfield beats Arcadia (WI), 59-57 (Girls Basketball)
• Chatfield beats Richland Center (WI), 58-41 (Boys Basketball) *
• Lake City beats Waseca, 60-24 (Girls Basketball) *
• Cotter beats Lake City, 81-74 (Boys Basketball) *
• Goodhue beats Winona, 88-72 (Boys Basketball)

All games are in McCown Gymnasium. The tournament continues tomorrow.

* = Watch highlights above

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Copyright 2025 KTTC. All rights reserved.

The ice hockey season is in full swing, and that includes San Diego State University’s men’s ice hockey team.

Alpine resident Tim Mehrer is a member of the 2025-26 Aztecs squad and he’s having a blast.

“It’s fun to play at this high level,” the El Capitan High School alumnus said. “There are a lot of good guys on the team and I enjoy the team camaraderie.”

Mehrer attended the Lakeside school all four years before making the cross-country trek New Hampshire to play Junior hockey for the Northern Cyclones for two years. The Cyclones compete in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) Elite, which serves as a launching pad for college and professional leagues.

Mehrer played in 43 games his first season with the team in 2022-23 with one goal and one assist and six penalty minutes. He logged time in five playoff games with one assist. He appeared in 38 games in his second season with the Cyclones, recording nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points with four penalty minutes. He skated in six playoff games with one goal.

He took a year off from the grueling grind of Junior hockey to suit up this season for SDSU. In three games with the Aztecs, he’s been productive with three goals, three assists and six penalty minutes.

Mehrer grew up playing the standard American youth sports — baseball, soccer and lacrosse. He then transitioned to ice hockey with the San Diego Saints youth club at the 10U to 18U levels. He learned to skate at the Kroc Center.

He said ice hockey caught his attention when he noticed his father watching “Miracle,” a film about the 1980 United States gold-medalist men’s Olympic team.

“Hockey was kind of unique, no one else in San Diego was playing it,” he said.

He got his feet wet in higher levels of local hockey by playing in five games for the San Diego United Hawks, a high school team that competes in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League. He appeared in 30 games with the Saints 18U-AA team in 2021-22, excelling with 17 goals and 12 assists for 29 points with 41 penalty minutes.

He finished second in scoring on that Saints team.

While he was attending El Capitan, he played three seasons of tennis for the Vaqueros, winning a San Diego Section Division III championship in 2021 as a junior and a league championship as a senior.

The 2021 season was unique Alpine skater enjoying SDSU hockey as the section combined boys and girls into a coed format in response to the coronavirus pandemic that forced teams to field shortened seasons. The coed format featured boys singles, girls singles, boys doubles, girls doubles and mixed doubles.

It was the first CIF championship in the sport for the Lakeside school.

Mehrer played doubles.

“It was an enjoyable sport,” he said. “My best friend was my doubles partner. He got me into it. It was something different from hockey.”

SDSU competes at the Division I level in the American Collegiate Hockey League, a club-based league separate from NCAA varsity teams.

This is the Aztecs third year since moving up to the ACHA’s highest level. The team is still experiencing growing pains with a 2-11-1 record through games as a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey League, one of the premier ACHA men’s playing circuits.

Mehrer ranks fifth in scoring on the team but sits just two points behind team scoring leader Braden Mayer, an Eastlake High School alumnus. Jake Abenojar, Cameron Ferraz and Ryan Elleraas are all one point ahead of Mehrer, who is tied with teammates Mason Brown and Noah Robinson.

Elleraas also played for the Cyclones.

The Alpine skater recorded two goals and two assists in a 13-1 non-conference win over Cal-State Long Beach.

The St. Paul Boulevard Fire Department plans to build a new firehouse to meet modern safety and staffing needs.

Since the staff has grown beyond the original design, the current firehouse no longer fits the needs of the staff or the proper health and safety standards — according to NFPA 1500 safety standards and cancer prevention standards. It was built in 1990.