Monday, January 20, 2003

Extra credit
Students from Lowell, Lincoln, Whittier, Riverside, Baxter and Nisswa elementary schools recently played the role of a paleontologist in the new interactive, traveling exhibit tit

Conferences scheduled
LITTLE FALLS -- Parent teacher conferences will be from 5-8 p.m. Monday and Jan. 27th at the Little Falls Community High School.

Fire destroys home near North Long
The Brainerd Fire Department Sunday responded to a house fire on Highway 371 near North Long Lake.

Marriage licenses
Clifford D. Young, 59, and Joyce A. Risseeuw, 58, both of Merrifield.

Search resumed at mine pit
Authorities today will try again to complete their search of a mine pit lake for Erika Dalquist.

Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza prize winners
1 ERNIE KINNEY, ST PAUL MN, 6.63 Walleye, 2002 Ford 4x4 Truck

This was Brainerd
JANUARY 20 - 80 years ago (1923) - Jack Mutch was an excited man the other day at Round Lake. He speared a 30 pound pickerel in his fish house. Fishermen nearby said Mutch was so excited that he could not talk for a while, just kept on yelling.

Anglers hooked
With a northwest wind gusting to 18 mph and a high temperature of just 8 degrees, Saturday wasn't the ideal day to be on Gull Lake.

Big catch timely for Ernie Kinney
In a year when walleyes dominated the catch, Ernie Kinney caught the biggest to win the 13th annual Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza.

Zonta helps women soar
Cindy Ricard has been flying aircraft for 18 years, and as a Mesaba Airlines pilot she has earned the respect of her colleagues. Yet despite her training and experience, the St. Cloud woman still encounters older passengers who refuse to board her plane because she is a woman.

Two Grand Rapids men die in plane crash near Hill City
HILL CITY (AP) -- Authorities have identified the two men who were killed when their small airplane crashed in a densely wooded area in north-central Minnesota.

Demonstrations in Brainerd Saturday are both for and against conflict with Iraq
Rodney Thoe, Fort Ripley, held a sign showing his support for military action in Iraq. The other side of his sign read "Free Iraq, Bomb Saddam."

The big games
Four boys' basketball games highlight the area slate. Sports writer Jeremy Millsop previews the encounters. Look for the story Tuesday in Sports.

Kenneth W. Anderson
LITTLE FALLS -- Kenneth W. Anderson, 87, Little Falls, died Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003, at St. Gabriel's Hospital in Little Falls.

Claire E. LaFond
Claire Elizabeth LaFond, 98, Brainerd, died Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003, at Bethany Good Samaritan Village in Brainerd.

Laverne T. Mammenga
STAPLES -- Laverne T. Mammenga, 78, Staples, died Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003, at home.

Virginia 'Ginny' Albro
McGREGOR -- Virginia "Ginny" Albro, 74, McGregor, died Friday, Jan. 17, 2003, at Riverwood Health Care Center in Aitkin.

Al Schneider
LITTLE FALLS -- Al Schneider, 82, Little Falls, died Friday, Jan. 17, 2003, at St. Gabriel's Hospital hospice unit.

Eugene L. Marshall
PILLAGER -- Eugene Lawrence Marshall, 69, Pillager, died Friday, Jan. 17, 2003, at home.

Alice L. King
STAPLES -- Alice Louise King, 87, Staples, died Friday, Jan. 17, 2003, at Staples Care Center.

Edward J. McCormick II
GARRISON -- Edward Joseph McCormick II, 67, Garrison, died Friday, Jan. 17, 2003, at St. Cloud Hospital.

Gage Xavier Chapman
Gage Xavier Chapman, infant son of Harold Chapman and Charity Mertens, died Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003, at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis.

Ihleen Boyd
AITKIN -- Ihleen Boyd, 81, Aitkin, formerly of St. Paul, died Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003, at Leisure Hills Care Center in Grand Rapids.

Pawlenty's cuts are unfair to rural areas
The following editorial was published in Wednesday's Daily Journal of International Falls.

A gas tax
Sen. Dean Johnson's introduction of a Senate bill proposing a 6-cent increase in the state gas tax was the first transportation salvo of the 2003 Minnesota Legislature.

Open Forum
Last year, Minnesota passed a law allowing people to designate on their driver's license if they want to be an organ donor, thus making the designation binding.

Poll shows views on abortion
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Thirty years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion, a majority of Minnesotans still support the decision, but they are almost evenly split over whether the Legislature should make it harder for women to get an abortion, according to the latest Star Tribune Minnesota Poll.

Stable fire kills 17 horses in Lakeville
LAKEVILLE (AP) -- A fire that killed 17 horses trapped in their stable Sunday may have been started by a heater, authorities said.

Blandin to focus on economic development
GRAND RAPIDS (AP) -- The Blandin Foundation announced Monday that it is shifting the focus of its grantmaking toward economic development during the next few years.

Anti-tobacco ad raising questions because of its not real
ST. PAUL (AP) -- A recent television commercial by the state's anti-tobacco group has caused an increase in calls to the organization's help line.

Lawmakers continue race to fix deficit
ST. PAUL -- The Legislature's sprint to fix the first part of a budget deficit will dominate the short week that begins with a break to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Three teams go 3-0 at Staples-Motley tournament
STAPLES -- The Minnewaska Lakers, Perham Yellowjackets and Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Thunder each won all three of their dual meets in the Staples-Motley dual meet tournament Saturday.

Vermilion men defeat Raiders, 89-81
ELY -- The Central Lakes College men's basketball team dug itself a hole that it couldn't dig out of, facing an 18-point halftime deficit, and eventually falling 89-81 Saturday to the Vermilion Ironmen.

Starcevic basket leads Raider women
ELY -- Kayleen Starcevic grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 10 points.

Tech sophomores defeat Warrior boys, 75-58
Zach Eastman scored 12 points and Spencer Sundberg and Gabe Solseth each added 11 in the Brainerd Warriors 75-58 loss to the St. Cloud Tech Tigers in sophomore boys' basketball Saturday. Brainerd is 5-7.

Scoreboard
GIRLS BASKETBALL

Three area boys basketball teams fall
Wheaton-- Wyatt Carr scored a game-high 18 points as the Verndale Pirates were defeated 71-49 in boys' basketball Saturday.

Warriors win three championships, team title
ST. CROIX, Wis. -- Konrad Abramo, Tom Zelinske and Andy Pickar all won their respective weight classes as the Brainerd Warriors won the St. Croix Falls wrestling tournament Saturday.

Duluth East rallies to edge Brainerd boys, 2-1
DULUTH -- Kiel Browne scored Brainerd's only goal as the Warriors fell to Duluth East 2-1 in boys' hockey Saturday at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.

Brainerd boys snap three-game losing streak
ST. CLOUD -- PauI Tuchscherer's first career double-double couldn't have come at a more opportune time for the Brainerd Warriors as they defeated St. Cloud Tech 59-47 in boys' basketball Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.

Morris-Benson defeat Grizzlies, 8-4, in boys' hockey
CROSBY -- Kris Boike's hat trick was spoiled as the Crosby-Ironton/Aitkin Grizzlies were thumped 8-4 by Morris-Benson Saturday night in boys' hockey.

Rapids girls defeat Flyers
GRAND RAPIDS -- Michelle Nieman scored 12 points for the Little Falls Flyers in a 58-47 loss to the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks in girls' basketball Saturday.

Flyers fourth in own gymnastics invitational
LITTLE FALLS -- Little Falls placed fourth with 130.05 points in the Flyers Invitational gymnastics meet Saturday.

Sioux, Tigers remain in tie for WCHA lead
North Dakota and Colorado College share first place again in the race for the MacNaughton Cup as the WCHA season moves into the final seven weeks.

Chisholm's McDonald notches 800th victory
CHISHOLM (AP) -- Chisholm High School boys' basketball coach Bob McDonald won his 800th game Friday night, 67-52 over AlBrook at Roels Gymnasium.

Goalie, Kariya lead Mighty Ducks
ST. PAUL (AP) -- The Minnesota Wild dominated all but two of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

Gophers looking to climb back into Big Ten race
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- By beating Michigan State on Saturday, Minnesota gave itself a much-needed boost in self-esteem and in the Big Ten standings.

Wolves capitalize on Wallace's absence
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- When Kevin Garnett woke up Saturday morning, he was expecting to face star power forward Rasheed Wallace in a few hours. When game time arrived, his opponent was a second-year man making his first start.

No. 12 Minnesota women trounce Purdue
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota played at the only speed it knows: fast.

State forecast for North Dakota
Today...Occasional light snow and flurries southwest...Partly cloudy with a few morning flurries northeast. Highs 5 above northeast to near 25 far southwest.

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered lake effect snow showers and flurries far north. Highs from the single digits far north...To the low 20s southeast.

State forecast for South Dakota
Today...Cloudy...Except partly sunny far southwest. Chance of light snow or flurries except southwest and northeast corners. Light snow likely southeast this afternoon. Highs from 10 to 15 northeast to the lower 40s southwest.

Minnesota state forecast
Today...Partly cloudy north. Mostly cloudy south. A chance for light snow or flurries southwest. Highs from 3 below zero far north to the upper teens southwest.

Iowa state forecast
Today...Partly sunny southwest. Cloudy elsewhere with flurries possible. Highs in the teens north to upper 20s far southwest.

Let it snow
Weather drawing by Ally Mueller of Mr. Meyer's fourth grade class at Lowell school.