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• Elmwood man killed in Iraq
• Thursday night regional prep sports scores
• Eight Pierce County board districts have no declared candidates for upcoming April election
• Xcel's rate hike request trimmed down
• UPDATED: Elmwood man dies in Iraq

By The Wheeler News Service

An Elmwood man was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq Thursday while working for a private security company.

Kyle Kaszynski, 38, was on leave as a police officer in St. Paul and was working for Kroll Incorporated when his convoy was hit while escorting correctional advisers from Baghdad to Baquba for prison inspections.

One other person in the vehicle was killed, and three other passengers were seriously hurt.

Kaszynski was a seven-year veteran of the St. Paul police force, and he went on leave in October to become part of an international effort to restore police functions to Iraq.

He worked for the Bemidji Police Department in northern Minnesota, and for the U.S. Secret Service before joining the St. Paul force in 1998.

Kroll Incorporated is making arrangements to return the victim's body.

*** Boys Basketball ***

Prescott 60, Hastings, Minnesota 54

Somerset 58, Spooner 42

St. Croix Central 42, Baldwin-Woodville 37

*** Girls' Basketball ***

Prescott 69, St. Bernard's, Minnesota 48

Somerset 52, Osceola 37

Amery 54, Clear Lake 42

Durand 44, Mondovi 42

Elk Mound 41, Chippewa Falls McDonell 39, OT

Luck 45, Bruce 37

Siren 76, Prairie Farm 16

St. Croix Falls 65, Turtle Lake 21

Webster 67, Shell Lake 19

*** Boys' Hockey ***

New Richmond 3, Hudson 2

River Falls 6, Somerset/Osceola 4

By Judy Wiff, RiverTown Regional Editor

Four incumbents and one other candidate have completed the filing process and will have their names on the April ballot for Pierce County Board.

Five others have declared their candidacy with the county clerk's office. River Falls Supervisor Scott Mulhern has formally announced he isn't seeking re-election.

There are 17 seats on the board and, as yet, no declared candidates for eight of those positions.

The five who have completed the paperwork necessary to have their names on the ballot are:

Paul Barkla, River Falls, District 5 incumbent.

Rod Rommel, River Falls, District 7 incumbent.

James E. Ross, Elmwood area, District 10.

Bill Gilles, Town of Hartland area, District 14 incumbent.

Jeff Holst, Town of Diamond Bluff area, District 16 incumbent.

These people have declared their candidacy, but not returned nomination papers:

Richard Purdy, Town of River Falls, District 3 incumbent.

Ron Lockwood, River Falls, District 7 challenger.

Greg Kerr, Town of Trimbelle area, District 13 incumbent.

Michael Jones, rural Prescott, District 15 newcomer.

Mel Pittman, Plum City area, District 17 incumbent.

These districts had no formal candidates as of Monday afternoon:

District 1:Wards 1 and 2 of the City of Prescott.

District 2: Ward 3 of the City of Prescott and Wards 1 and 2 of the Town of Clifton.

District 4: Wards 4 and 12 of the City of River Falls.

District 6: Wards 9 and 10 of the City of River Falls.

District 8: Wards 1 and 2 of the Town of River Falls and Ward 2 of the Town of Martell.

District 9: Town of Gilman, Ward 2 of the Town of Spring Lake and Wards 1 and 2 of the Village of Spring Valley.

District 11: Ward 1 of the Town of Ellsworth, Ward 1 of the Town of Martell and Ward 3 of the Village of Ellsworth.

District 12: Wards 1, 2 and 4 of the Village of Ellsworth.

The filing deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006. Candidates must collect 20 to 100 signatures on nomination papers and sign declaration of candidacy and candidate registration statements by that time.

Judy Wiff can be contacted at regional@rivertowns.net

A request by Xcel Energy to boost its electric and natural gas rates for the first time since 1998 has been trimmed down by Wisconsin's Public Service Commission on Thursday.

The commission cut Xcel's electric rate request down by about 4 percent meaning electricity rates will increase 11 percent. The average residential customer will see their monthly electric bill increase by $8.50.

Natural gas rate increases were cut by 2.5 percent which means natural gas rates will increase by 2.5 percent. This is on top of recent price increases caused by natural gas shortages. The average residential customer will pay an extra $2.50 per month for their natural gas.

The commission noted that natural gas prices nearly doubled from November 2004 to November 2005.

An Elmwood resident working for a private security company was killed Thursday by a roadside bomb in Iraq, his neighbors and friends confirmed.

Kyle M. Kaszynski, 39, an officer with the St. Paul Police Department, was working for Kroll Inc. and was in a convoy that was escorting correctional advisers from Baghdad to Baquba for prison inspections when it was attacked Thursday morning.

One other person in his vehicle was killed, and three other passengers were seriously injured.

Kaszynski went on leave in October to work for Kroll as part of an international effort to restore police functions in Iraq.

He was a seven-year veteran of the police force and is survived by his wife, Kristin, and 2-year-old daughter.

Friends and acquaintances in the Elmwood area are mourning the loss of "a really nice man."

Roberta Holcomb recalled visiting with Kaszynski while the two worked on a Thanksgiving dinner at the United Methodist Church in Rock Elm. She remembered him as outgoing, kind and friendly.

"He was excited about going" to Iraq, Holcomb said this Morning. "We didn't think it would end up like this."

Kaszynski is the third Pierce County man to die in the war in Iraq. Army Sgt. 1st Class Trevor Diesing of Plum City was killed by a roadside bomb in August. In March 2004, Army Reserve Spc. 4th Class Bert Hoyer of Ellsworth died when his convoy was struck by an explosive.

Dan Flory, who lives less than a mile from the Kaszynskis, said he had sent e-mails back and forth with Kaszynski in the past few months. The two men had helped each other with farm projects before Kaszynski left for Iraq.

"It was awful," Flory said of hearing the news of Kaszynski's death. "I'm still kind of upset about it.