Pat Miller

When Virgil and Mary Ann Baltes moved to Blackduck, Minn., in 1953, they became friends with folks who homesteaded forest property southeast of the city. A few years later, Virgil, a couple of his brothers, and his brother-in-law were invited to hunt deer there. They quickly accepted the invitation.
“The way I remember, that was the start of the Balteses hunting that land,” said Virgil’s son Jim. “And this year, we will be back again.”

The past few months have been eventful for 12-year-old Chasity Skerik, her mother Leah, her dad Greg, and the rest of her family.
About a year ago, the Bemidji, Minn., seventh-grader experienced seizures that were later determined to be caused by a tumor on the right side of her brain. In April, she underwent seven hours of surgery to remove that tumor and, after the medical professionals determined that it wasn’t cancerous, Chasity worked through six weeks of rehabilitation before finally receiving the all-clear to resume the activities of a constantly on-the-go kid.