Storytelling has always been a part of Walter LaBatte Jr.’s life. Growing up in the Upper Sioux Community, Walter says that there were many childhood evenings spent listening to his father’s stories. “When I grew up, we didn’t have electricity, and so the only entertainment we had was my dad telling us stories,” Walter recalls. “We have a mythical creature called Unktomi, which means spider, and he’s a trickster. There are tons and tons of stories and he would tell us those Unktomi stories at night. These stories had morals in them. Because he was a trickster, he would do bad things, and through telling those stories they were sending a message how to act, how to behave.”

CCM Health is excited to announce the addition of Lisa Baker, MD to their growing team of providers. Dr. Baker is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School and completed her OBGYN residency at UCSD Medical Center San Diego. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Lac qui Parle State Park is preparing for the return of the "Lake that Speaks" Lumiary Hike after last year's COVIDrelated cancellation of the event. This year, the event that has been held since 2015, will be held on January 15th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

CCM Health's New Year's Baby for 2022 is baby girl Rosa Marie Luna. Rosa was born January 4, at 3:35 p.m., weighing 8 lbs, 11.5 oz and measured 21 inches long. Rosa is pictured here with proud parents Felicity Schuneman and Alex Luna. PHOTO SUBMITTED

Allen Jacobson has been interested in the construction trade from a very early age, having watched his grandfather do woodworking while growing up playing with tools and saws rather than toys. His first job was picking up shingles for a construction company, and he continued to work in the trade throughout high school. "I went to college for two weeks and I knew that it wasn't my route. I called home and told mom and dad, and mom said the only thing she had to say was that I wasn't going to lay on her couch all day, I was going to find a job," says Jacobson. "Before she came home from work that day, I had a job working at Sears." From there, Jacobson would go on to work for Paul Rongstad's construction business, learning more about the trade until he would eventually become a partner in Prairieland Builders in 2006.