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• Hager City woman unharmed after deer flies through windshield
• Spring Valley man sentenced for felony theft
• Ellsworth teenager gets probation for theft
• Fu's bringing a bit of China to Ellsworth

By Jason Schulte, RiverTowns staff

Luanna VonBargen was thinking that, in her eight years as a mail carrier, she's never struck a deer.

While that is still true, VonBargen had an incident with the popular animal last Tuesday which doesn't happen on a daily basis.

After completing her mail route, the Hager City native was on her way home, traveling on Hwy. 63, as she needed to make a stop before she was on to her second job--working for the Red Wing Police Department.

Before she got home, a car driven by Justin Larson, Bay City, struck a deer and the impact caused the deer to fly up in the air around 7:45 a.m., according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. VonBargen, who was traveling in the opposite direction, saw the deer flying and soon realized what was going to happen next wasn't going to be good.

"It was going to land on my truck," she said.

So, she closed her eyes and turned her head while her truck was still moving. When she opened her eyes, she saw the end result--blood and hair everywhere (including on her), then finally a head and a whole leg on the passenger floor.

"It was so weird and yet gross," she added.

VonBargen believes the deer collided with the windshield and hood at the same time, causing it to be dismembered, as the other half ended up in the ditch.

"The sound when it went through the windshield was so unbelievably loud," she said. "I can still hear it in my mind when I'm thinking about it."

VonBargen called the deer, a doe, "mid-size." "It wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny," she added. She estimated it to be between 150-200 pounds.

The good news is both VonBargen and Larson were uninjured. Her truck is a different story. VonBargen said some of the damages include the windshield being shot, the seats needing replacement, a buckled hood, a bent fender and the antenna is gone.

There is also one other thing coming from the accident VonBargen has to deal with.

"People are now calling me 'The Deer Slayer'," she said.

By Jason Schulte, RiverTowns staff

A Spring Valley man was placed on a deferred prosecution agreement for 30 months Friday in Pierce County Circuit Court for felony theft.

Peter J. Flanigan, 35, was charged with taking over $16,000 during a four-year span. Terms of the agreement call for Flanigan to pay restitution, which court records say is $8,200. If Flanigan completes the agreement, the charges will be dismissed. If he doesn't, he will be found guilty without trial and will be sentenced.

According to the criminal complaint, a Maiden Rock man hired Flanigan to install heating and air conditioning for his home. Between September 2003 and April 2004, the man wrote three checks to Flanigan, totaling $16,200.

The man told sheriff's department investigators Flanigan did the initial installation of the ductwork during that period. The man states the ductwork was almost done, but not quite, in its entirety and that work has been all the work which has been completed.

For more please read the June 17 print version of the Herald.

By Jason Schulte, RiverTowns staff

An Ellsworth teenager was placed on one year probation for misdemeanor theft in Pierce County Circuit Court earlier this month.

Geordan D. Godwin, 17, was also charged with burglary relating to a January incident in the Village of Ellsworth. That charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

According to the criminal complaint, David Heffron, who lives on Maple Street, reported on Feb. 16 to the Ellsworth Police Department several items were taken from his residence within the last month.

Heffron specifically mentioned an incident on Jan. 16 in which he was missing six individual six-packs of Michelob Golden Light bottles, a case and a half, with a value of $30. The beer was located in a spare refrigerator, he explained, along with extra pop, beer, milk, etc and when he opened the refrigerator the next day, the refrigerator was empty.

On Feb. 21, Ellsworth police interviewed an alleged accomplice in the burglary. The accomplice admitted to participating in the burglary and said Godwin was with him. He admitted the idea was his and he told Godwin the night of the burglary, "It should be easy. All you've got to do is go in, get the beer and come out."

For more please read the June 17 print version of the Herald.

By Bill Kirk, RiverTowns staff

Sam Fu liked using the word "king" in the name of his new Ellsworth restaurant because kings have been part of his native China for 5,000 years.

And Fu's almost ready to create perhaps only a slightly smaller dynasty with the King House Chinese Restaurant, set to open in the coming two weeks in a strip mall next to the local post office. Friday, he shared an extensive tri-fold menu of Chinese food in Hunan, Cantonese and Szechuan styles he plans to serve.

"We'll be getting our ingredients from Asian Foods and some from Sysco," he said about his suppliers. "Every day there will be a delivery, so they'll be fresh."

Asked about favorite dishes, Fu pointed on the menu under "Chef's Specialties" to "General Tso's Chicken," described as "chunks of chicken with house special hot plum sauce. Our chefs follow general Tso's recipe from Ching dynasty. Very popular dish in east coast (New York)."

An appetizer on the menu having wide favor is Crabmeat Rangoon with sauce, he said. Appetizers are one of 16 separate sections, accounting for 120 items and including: soup, fried rice, sweet and sour, chow mein, chop suey, egg foo young, chow malfun, lo mein, pork, chicken, beef, seafood, moo shu, vegetables and side orders. Additionally, there are dinner combinations, a health food section and the aforementioned specialties.

In the restaurant's fully equipped kitchen (containing all-new equipment ordered from New York), Fu demonstrated his chef skills. Showing one of six stainless steel Woks in which most of the cooking will be done, he used a large metal spoon to swing a faucet directly over the special pan, at which point it automatically dispensed water, then push it away for automatic shut-off. The kitchen is almost entirely covered in stainless steel; among its other fixtures are a walk-in cooler and dishwashing sink.

For more please read the June 17 print version of the Herald.