Thursday, November 29, 2012

Volume 97; Number 23

www.bladepublishing.net

A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560

History of Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Little Elk Township

By Rin Porter As we have been studying Todd County cemeteries, we keep coming across the term Zion in the names of churches and their accompanying cemeteries. There are several Zions and it is often difficult to determine which church building and which plot of ground is meant. Zion has many meanings and referents in the worlds major religions. Zion is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem, and refers to a specific mountain near Jerusalem where a fortress stood, also named Zion, that was conquered by King David. The term later was used to refer to an area within the city of Jerusalem where the fortress was located, and then to refer to Solomons Temple in Jerusalem, the city itself, and the world to come, or heaven, in Christian belief. It is used in both the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible, and is mentioned 108 times in the Hebrew Bible. In Islamic tradition, it is also used as a name for Jerusalem, and is thought by some scholars to refer also to Mecca. (www.wikipedia.com <http://www.wikipedia.com> ) In addition, the Jewish longing for Zion, starting with the deportation and enslavement of Jews during the Babylonian captivity <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby lonian_captivity> that ended with Moses leading them out of Egypt, was adopted as a metaphor by Christian black slaves <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave ry> in the United States Continued on page 16

Thanksgiving shooting leaves two dead, many questions

David Smith, 64, Nicholas A Little Falls man Byron David Smith, 64, faced arraignment Monday, November 26, in the shooting deaths of a pair of teenage cousins on Thanksgiving Day and whose bodies were found by police Friday in the basement of the mans home, north of Little Falls Little Falls school officials identified the victims as cousins Haile Kifer, 18, and Nicholas Brady, 17. Smith told police he shot the

Brady, 17, and Haile Kifer, 18. two during a break-in, but authorities said his actions exceeded a reasonable selfdefense. About 200 people gathered Sunday night for a vigil at Little Falls High School for Kifer and Brady. Mourners remembered both as athletic and friendly. Morrison County deputies visited Byron David Smiths home just north of Little Falls on Friday afternoon on a suspicious activity call, at which point, they

say, he immediately confessed to shooting two people the previous day around noon. Deputies found the bodies in the basement. Smiths brother said that his brother was upset after the shootings and unsure how to react. Put yourself in his shoes after you shoot two people in your basement, Bruce Smith Continued on page 16

Prairie Conference 2012 Award Winners

All Academic Prairie Conference Football: Jackson Polak, Kyle Petermeier, Trent Johnson, not pictured Zach Lafreniere

Pictured from left: Matthew Schettler, Chris Buhl, Eliezer Vigil, Dalton May, Reid Pearson, Mitchell Heid, Brad Dreher, Austin Butler, Kyle Petermeier, and Ryan Rickbeil. Not pictured: Zach Lafreniere Prairie Conference: Chris Buhl, Dalton May, Zach Lafreniere, Austin Butler All Conference Selections Honorable Mention: Brad Dreher, Mitchell Heid, Ryan Rickbeil, Eliezer Vigil, Reid Pearson, Kyle Petermeier Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman: Prairie Conf. South Brad Dreher Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman: Prairie Conf. South - Ryan Rickbeil Most Outstanding Offensive Back: Prairie Conf. South - Mitchell Heid Prairie Conference North and South: MVP Offense - Mitchell Heid All Section 6A: Austin Butler, Matthew Schettler, Mitchell Heid, Kyle Petermeier, Chris Buhl Class 1A Academic All State Football Team: Kyle Petermeier Honorable Mention: Chris Buhl, Dalton May, Austin Butler, Zach Lafreniere

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT

Tue. Nov. 27 Partly Cloudy 32/11 Wed. Nov. 28 Partly Cloudy 26/13 Thur. Nov. 29 Cloudy 27/23 Fri. Nov. 30 Partly Cloudy 33/30 Sat. Dec. 1 Snow Showers 36/24 Sun. Dec. 2 Partly Cloudy 36/24