A new insurance agent has an office at Thrivent at 403 North Sibley Avenue in Litchfield. David Gebhardt started Keystone Insurance in 2024 and specializes in Medicare.
Gebhardt grew up around St. Cloud and now lives south of Kimball in Kingston Township. He says he works with several carriers and people can make appointments to meet with him Mondays through Fridays.
Gebhardt says MN Sure comes in handy to bridge the gap prior to Medicare coverage for people retiring before age 65. He says he also works with prescription carriers and branches into dental and vision coverages, and there’s the Freedom Blue plan for veterans, but it’s not yet available in Meeker County. David can be reached at 320-326-8658 or at yourkeystoneinsurance.com.
Paul White of North Sibley Insurance says he works with Blue Cross insurance and branches into life, disability and long-term care insurance. He says he knew David from Thrivent in St. Cloud and as he moved closer to Litchfield, thought his Medicare expertise would be a great fit at the Thrivent office in Litchfield.
White says Medicare usually covers 80% of costs, but sometimes that remaining 20% can be expensive, so it’s recommended that people have supplemental coverage when they go on Medicare. He says he can be reached at 593-2846 for more information.
On this day in music, April 25, 2002, TLC member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes perished at the age of 30 in an automobile accident while shooting a documentary in Honduras. The Philadelphia-born singer and rapper rose to fame as one-third of the groundbreaking Atlanta-based trio TLC, with whom she recorded three albums, including 1994’s CrazySexyCool, featuring the No.1 US hit singles “Creep” and “Waterfalls.” Lopes also made a solo album, 2001’s Supernova.
In 1990, Jimi Hendrix’s Olympic White Fender Stratocaster, with which he closed the legendary Woodstock festival in 1969, fetched $295,000 at auction when it was bought by Italian TV host and music critic, Gabriele Ansaloni. Hendrix famously concluded his two-hour Woodstock set with a rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
In 1987, Madonna became the first female artist to chalk up four UK No.1 hits when “La Isla Bonita” reached the top spot. The track was the fifth single culled from her third studio album, True Blue. She went on to top the UK singles chart a record-breaking 13 times.
In 1977, Elvis Presley was captured on tape for the final time when his concert at the Michigan Civic Center in Saginaw was recorded by RCA. Three songs from that show appeared as part of an album called Moody Blue, a blend of studio and live tracks, which was released in July 1977, a month before Elvis’ death.
In 1954, singer, songwriter, and pianist Johnnie Ray scored his first of three UK No.1s with “Such a Night.” Dubbed the “Father of Rock and Roll” by Tony Bennett, the Oregon-born star only bagged a solitary US No.1: 1951’s “Cry,” a pleading tearjerker that became his signature tune and highlighted Ray’s prowess as an emotive balladeer.
In 2007, 69-year-old singer-comedian Bobby “Boris” Pickett died following a battle with leukemia. He was best known for his uncanny Boris Karloff impersonation on “Monster Mash,” which he co-wrote and performed with his group The Crypt-Kickers. The 1962 horror-themed spoof, which parodied dance-craze records of the time, became a million-selling No.1 hit in the US, but was initially banned by the BBC for purportedly being “too morbid.” The BBC eventually lifted their ban and in 1973, “Monster Mash” made No. 3 on the UK singles chart. Today, it remains a perennial Halloween favourite.
BORN ON APRIL 25
1918: Ella Fitzgerald
1923: Albert King
1933: Jerry Leiber (Songwriter)
1943: Tony Christie
1945: Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
1945: Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA)
1958: Fish (Marillion)
1964: Andy Bell (Erasure)
1965: Simon Fowler (Ocean Colour Scene)
1965: Eric Avery (Jane’s Addiction)
1980: Jacob Underwood (O-Town)
1994: Sam Fender (Singer/songwriter)
A project to replace the surface of the roadway at the railroad crossing on County-State-Aid-Highway 1 – just west of Litchfield – is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 29th. The work is expected to be finished by May 2nd.
There will be no official detour so motorists will have to find alternate routes. The project is being coordinated by Meeker County and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
On Thursday morning at 7:53 a.m., the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a fire alarm at the Atwater Cosmos Grove City School in the 27200 block of Minnesota Highway 4 in Grove City. A short time later, staff at the school called and said there was a fire in a boy’s bathroom.
Meeker County Sheriff’s Deputies and Grove City Fire Department responded to the school. It was learned a toilet paper dispenser in the boy’s bathroom was ignited and the fire suppression system was activated. Grove City Fire Department confirmed the fire was out. An alert was sent by the school to notify parents and guardians of students. No injuries were reported as a result of the fire. The MN State Fire Marshall’s Office was called and Deputy Fire Marshall Investigators responded to the school to assist with the investigation. The incident remains under investigation.
On this day in music, April 24, 1995, Oasis scored their first No.1 hit in the UK with their sixth single, “Some Might Say.” Written by Noel Gallagher, the tune was taken from the Manchester band’s second album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, and marked the last recording made with their original drummer, Tony Carroll. The song became a defining hit for the band and was one of the biggest singles of the year in the UK.
In 1970, Elton John released his single “Border Song” in North America. While the song tanked during its initial release in the UK, it found better success across the Atlantic, where it gave the British singer and pianist his first appearance on any chart (peaking at No.34 in Canada). Co-written with John’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, “Border Song” was plucked from the singer’s self-titled second album.
In 2016, Philadelphia soul legend Billy Paul died at 81. Born Paul Williams in the City of Brotherly Love, the singer made his recording debut in 1952 but didn’t begin to enjoy success until 1970, when he began collaborating with noted songwriters and producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who signed him to their Philadelphia International label. He was best remembered for 1972’s “Me and Mrs. Jones,” a No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, which peaked at No.12 in the UK, also earned Paul a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Male Artist.
In 1968, The Beatles’ newly formed Apple label turned down signing David Bowie, who had just left Deram Records. Bowie’s then-manager Kenneth Pitt submitted a demo tape, only to receive a letter from the company’s A&R chief, Peter Asher, stating that “Apple Records is not interested in signing David Bowie. The reason is that we don’t feel he’s what we’re looking for at the moment.”
In 1965, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders scored their sole No.1 hit in the US with “Game Of Love.” The Manchester band – whose frontman took his stage name from Elvis Presley’s drummer, D. J. Fontana – would only break the Hot 100 once again with “It’s Just A Little Bit Too Late,” which peaked at No.46.
In 1961, Bob Dylan made his first officially released recording, earning $50 for playing harmonica on the title track of Harry Belafonte’s LP, The Midnight Special. Dylan had made his debut recording five months earlier on a record by folk singer Carolyn Hester, but it wasn’t released until after Belafonte’s album.
In 1968, New Orleans jazz legend Louis Armstrong scored his only UK No.1 hit with “What A Wonderful World.” At the time, Armstrong, then 69, was the oldest act to top the UK charts.
BORN ON APRIL 24
1942: Barbra Streisand
1945: Doug Clifford (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
1951: Nigel Harrison (Blondie)
1958: Boris Williams (The Cure)
1963: Billy Gould (Faith No More)
1964: Paul Ryder (Happy Mondays)
1967: Patty Schemel (Hole)
1982: Kelly Clarkson
1987: Ben Howard
The Chamber Serving the Meeker County Area held its annual meeting Thursday at Prospects in Litchfield. Awards were distributed to the Small Business of the Year, and to the Large Business of the Year, and the President’s Award was also presented.
The nominees this year for Small Business of the Year were Pierce Insurance and Ramsey Printing & Design, and Pierce Insurance received the award. The nominees for Large Business of the Year were Meeker Cooperative Light & Power and Meeker Memorial Hospital, and the award went to Meeker Cooperative. Judy Hulterstrum received the President’s Award.
The guest speaker for the event was Stefani Havel – a communications expert and sales strategist, specializing in coaching professionals. She spoke about the importance of communication, and gave examples of how the DiSC training can help enhance workplace communication, improve sales success, and foster leadership development.