The Minnesota Tree Farm Program and the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) have named John Wallin of Pequot Lakes as the 2013 Minnesota Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year. This award recognizes outstanding sustainable forest management on family-owned woodlands. The John Wallin and Family Tree Farm is a family-owned tree farm in Crow Wing County.

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Two girls abducted, one still missing

DAYTON, Iowa — Authorities in Dayton, Iowa, are asking for the public’s help to find a girl abducted Monday in northern Iowa according to KCCI television’s website.

Kathlynn Shepard, 15, has been missing since 4 p.m. Monday. She is the daughter of Mike and Denise Shepard, who are formerly of Pine River.

Dayton Police Chief Nicholas Dunbar said two girls were abducted from a bus stop Monday afternoon. DCI Director Charis Paulson said the girls were taken to a rural agricultural facility southeast of Dayton at 4:30 p.m.

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■ Aviation company will
spray around area lakes

Armyworm/tent caterpillar spraying is planned around area lakes in Crow Wing and Aitkin counties from mid-May until July by Central Planes Aviation Inc. For more information, call 320-352-3013.

■ BPSF to award
annual scholarships

The Brainerd Public Schools Foundation will hold its annual scholarship Senior Recognition Night at 6:30 p.m., on May 22 in the Tornstrom Auditorium of the Washington Educational Services Building.

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Buster would have loved this park.

Spanning 47,000 square feet of grass and speckled trees, there’s a view of the river and even a few out-of-commission fire hydrants.

It’s the ultimate dog playground, and it opens June 1. Buster Park, Brainerd’s dog park, is finally a reality after nearly three years in the works.

Bob Rudsenske donated the needed $15,000 in memory of his Boston Terrier, Buster, which died more than a year ago.

“Animals are very important to us, especially for those who don’t have family,” he said.

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Question: There is an article I have seen printed numerous times over the years through different venues stating what happens in the first second of a fatal crash. I haven’t seen it for a while now, but I was always wondering if it was accurate or just made up.

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Edward is a 9-year-old boy from Brainerd who has been waiting over a year for a mentor. He lives with grandma and his sister.

Play football or soccer is what Edward would like to do with a Kinship Partners mentor. He hopes to be a pro football player some day and if that doesn’t work out he will settle for pro soccer.

Kinship Partners serves families in Crow Wing County, southern Cass County and the Staples/Motley area by providing positive role models to youth from the ages of 5 to 14. We have offices in Brainerd, Pequot Lakes, Crosby and Staples.

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■ Weather spotters class offered

The Weather Spotters Class that was postponed in April has been rescheduled for 6:30 p.m., on June 3 at the Walker Area Community Center.

The three-hour class is appropriate for all age groups.

The National Weather Service has a new program this year with new storm examples and scenarios. As a weather spotter, once you complete the class, you are given an ID number and a direct line phone number to the National Weather Service that you can use to call and report what the weather in your area is doing.

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LITTLE FALLS — After a well-attended inaugural ride, cyclists are again invited to Little Falls for a scenic ride along the Mississippi River.

The 20-mile Dam2Dam Bike Ride on June 15 will be one of many rides in Little Falls in an effort to make the town more bicycle-friendly and attract visitors.

Riders will follow the Great River Road to Blanchard Dam through Lindbergh State Park, then return to Little Falls on Hillton Road.

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Cass County Sheriff’s Office K9 Portos retires after seven and a half years of service with Cass County

In April of 2005, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office purchased K-9 Portos, a 2-year-old German Shepherd from Poland with donations received from citizens, businesses and organizations of Cass County. Portos and his handler Deputy Bill Conner went through a condensed 6 week Academy in Colorado, which included narcotics detection, tracking, patrol and handler protection. Portos and Deputy Conner started working as a team in mid-June 2005.

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The Minnesota National Guard celebrated the opening of a new facility for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, May 17 at Camp Ripley Training Center.

The facility provides a centralized location for service members to train on the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in combat to gather valuable intelligence. The 13,000 square-foot building will house both Shadow and Raven Unmanned Aircraft Systems and simulators designed to provide realistic training scenarios.

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Residents will soon get a chance to weigh in on the future vision for Brainerd and four city council identified priorities.

A town hall meeting will be June 10. The final two of four top priorities were detailed at Monday’s Brainerd City Council meeting.

At its regular meeting, the Brainerd City Council talked about what those priorities might mean down the road and how to implement them.

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MOORE, Okla. (AP) — A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph. At least 51 people were killed, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise.

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Brainerd High School (BHS) Chamber Orchestra Director Grant Wilcox has left his imprint on BHS and on the lakes community.

After more than 30 years of teaching thousands of students how to play in the orchestra, Wilcox has decided to retire at the end of the 2012-13 school year. His last Chamber Orchestra concert will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Tornstrom Auditorium at the Washington Educational Services Building.

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With zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil and other invasive species continuing to be a threat to waters in the Brained lakes area and Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2nd Lt. Rob Haberman (water resource enforcement officer) is asking boaters to help stop their spread. The DNR is advising boaters to take a few simple steps to protect Minnesota lakes and rivers and avoid a citation.

The DNR reminds boaters that they may not:

• Transport watercraft without removing the drain plug.

• Arrive at lake access with drain plug in place.

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Two Minnesota children, both under 1 year old, have become ill with salmonellosis linked to eating Krinos brand tahini sesame paste that has been recalled by the manufacturer.

State health and agriculture officials today said consumers should not eat Krinos brand tahini from the affected lots and sizes noted below. The product should be discarded, and the lid of the product can be returned to Krinos for a refund.

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■ Brainerd man injured after losing control of vehicle

A 56-year-old Brainerd man was injured Saturday when the vehicle he was in left Highway 210 near Wonderland Park Circle, west of Brainerd after going at a high rate of speed and struck a tree, reported the Minnesota State Patrol.

Scott D. Brown was transported to Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd where he was treated and then released.

The state patrol reported that alcohol is believed to be involved in the crash that was reported at 8:19 p.m.

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The Brainerd Public Schools Personnel Committee will meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Washington Educational Services Building. The committee will move into closed session for the purpose of labor group contract negotiations strategy discussion.

Firefighters have busy weekend

The Brainerd Fire Department responded to several calls Friday through Sunday.

On Friday, firefighters responded to a grass fire at 2:06 p.m. on 10987 Leisure Lane and then at 2:28 p.m. they responded to a fire alarm at 14114 Dellwood Drive.

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■ Simplified SNAP application available

A shortened and simplified Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program application is now available for Minnesotans age 60 and older.

The SNAP application for seniors was launched by the Department of Human Services to increase seniors’ participation in the SNAP program, formerly known as food stamps. The SNAP participation rate is only 50 percent of eligible seniors.

The one page, two-sided application is for individuals and couples age 60 and older. Everyone in the household must be age 60 and older to use the application.

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