Features & People

Editor

“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to attend a taping of a game show,” said Don Oman as he shared about his recent experience in Las Vegas.

This past January 2010 Don and Jean Oman, who live on Cross Lake just north of Cromwell, spent a week in Las Vegas, staying in a hotel next to where the game show Let’s Make A Deal was being taped. “So we figured, Why not go for it?” said Don who went on the Internet and got tickets for the 2:00 p.m. taping of the show. “Even though you have a ticket, it does not guarantee admittance to the show,” Don explained. “Often the number of tickets issued exceeds the seating capacity.” To be on the safe side, Don also got tickets to the 11:00 a.m. taping for the following day. “The tickets instructed us to arrive no later than one hour before the taping time,” Don continued.

Feeling very excited about being on the show, Don and Jean arrived before 10:00 a.m. for the 2:00 p.m. taping. “Upon entering the Casino, we found a long line of people dressed in all the goofy costumes we have grown accustomed to seeing on the show,” described Don who had recorded shows for several weeks, studying to see if there were any secrets to being picked and what to do if picked.

The Omans continued to wait in line until Don had a revelation. “I began to realize that the line we were in could possibly be for the 11:00 a.m. taping.” The show was filled to capacity with about five couples left in front of Don and Jean. “They were giving those still in line for the 11:00 a.m. show a priority pass for the next taping,” said Don. Because the Omans had the foresight to show up four hours early, they received a priority pass for the 2:00 p.m. show.

According to Don, “I felt a little guilty going to the priority line seeing as how our tickets were for the 2:00 p.m. show, but it was either go to the back of the 2:00 p.m. line, which was already quite long, or move to the priority line. We found out that the lines were unusually long because this was the last week for taping in Las Vegas. So to be sure we would get in, we decided to move to the priority line.”

When they reached the front of the priority line, the Omans were given papers to fill out while they moved through multiple other lines where they were given …

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Managing Editor

The recent interest in building a plasma gasification facility in Palisade has yielded quite a controversy. Many residents are in favor of its construction, and many people are against it, but they all have one thing in common: questions. The Palisade PAGE (Plasma Arc Gasification Endeavor) has set up a series of meetings to inform the public of the technology and the possibilities.

Tuesday, February 23, an informational meeting was held at the Palisade School entitled “Plasma 101.” Over 120 people attended the meeting to learn about plasma technology. Dr. Louis Cireco, Director of Plasma Research at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, spoke at the meeting.

“We were looking for an expert to come and speak about plasma technology, so we decided to start with the expert, Dr. Cireco,” stated JoLynn Kullhem from Palisade PAGE. “We weren’t sure he would agree, but he decided to visit Palisade, Minnesota, free of charge to present the technology to us.”

Dr. Cireco began by explaining what plasma is. “Plasma is often called the fourth state of matter. If you heat a solid, you get liquid. If you heat a liquid, you get gas. If you heat a gas, you get plasma,” described Dr. Cireco. “In other words, if you could get two-to-three feet of lighting and put it into the end of our plasma torches, that is exactly what we produce in the lab.”

The proposed process is the gasification of waste using plasma. A plasma torch is used, and electrodes create a flame anywhere from 4,000 to 7,000 degrees centigrade – hotter than the surface of the sun – to gasify the waste.

“This is unique from any other technology,” emphasized Dr. Cireco. “This is not an incineration process. There is a big difference between the two technologies.”

Dr. Cireco believes that plasma arc gasification is ideal for solid waste treatment. “Hazardous and toxic compounds break down into basic elements. Organic materials become gasified, and residual materials take on a rock-like form,” noted Dr. Cireco. “I guarantee there is no other technology where containments can be treated like this. The important thing to realize is that …

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Publisher

Ben O’Brien wasn’t driving a sled at the 25th annual Jacobson to Swan River Classic Snowmobile Ride this year. For good reason — he has Parkinson’s disease. But that hasn’t prevented him from enjoying his favorite hobby — fixing up old snowmobiles.

Ben shared that he has a couple of metal rods in his head and carries a couple of batteries to help prevent the shaking caused by the disease.

Ben made his way to the concession stand located on County Road 28 near Jacobson where he waited for his wife Carol, son Ben Jr., and dog Al Hunter. The three enjoyed riding the sleds, while Ben was in charge of snowmobile prep and trailering the sleds back home.

Ben restored a unique sled that Carol road this year called the “Survivor Sled.” The sled is a 1972 Arctic Cat Panther with a 440 in it.

“My mother is pictured inside a pink ribbon on the hood,” said Ben Sr. “On the hood we have signatures of cancer survivors that we meet along the trail. I carry the ink pen with me, hoping they will sign.”

The sled was restored in memory of Ben’s mother Florence who died of cancer in 1971.

While waiting for Carol and Ben Jr., it was reported that Carol had a little accident early in the ride. “Apparently, the dog hit the throttle and propelled the snowmobile over the highway,” reported another friend, Dale Juntonen, who was also on the ride. “Carol’s alright, but the back got banged up a bit.”

Carol finally arrived at the concession wagon with Al, and the sled was mostly intact. A few scratches and a busted backrest were the bulk of the damage.

At age 67, Carol took quite a spill trying to go across Highway 65 near Jacobson Park, but shook herself off, got back on with the dog and completed the ride.

Ben Jr. described the mishap. “The dog got in the middle and …

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