Thursday, February 5, 2009

A magic carpet ride - in Baxter
BAXTER - A Night at the Oscars is coming to Baxter.

UPCOMING ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR
Live music

LOCAL BRIEFS
The Brainerd High School Orchestra under the direction of Grant Wilcox will present a benefit concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

FINE ARTS STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Katie LeClaire

Panini packs a plateful of pizzazz
My sister, Pam, is known for her wonderful sandwiches made on the Panini grill. She uses a variety of breads - so easy to make. Her sandwiches are always a delicious treat served with chips and a pickle for a quick meal that is ooey-gooey good. Her tip is to spread Miracle Whip in place of the butter on the outside of the bread for a perfectly grilled sandwich.

POLICE BLOTTER
CRASH - No injuries were reported in a two-vehicle collision at 5:51 p.m. Monday at Highways 210 and 371.

Ray's Promenaders to dance
Ray's Promenaders will have a dance beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday with Plus and mainstream from 8-10 p.m. at the Franklin Arts Center cafeteria with C.J. Amweg calling. The Doshes will host the event.

Crow Wing court
Nathan Kelly Thiesse, 39, Onamia, was sentenced in Crow Wing District Court for gross misdemeanor driving after license cancellation and ordered to pay $778 in fines and fees.

BIRTHS
Nicholas and Gabrielle Buffetta, Brainerd, a girl, Louisa Helen, 8 pounds, 8 ounces, Jan. 16, 2009.

Firefighters respond to dishwasher explosion
CROSBY - The Crosby Fire Department responded to a report of a dishwasher explosion about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby. The explosion caused smoke damage to a basement room. No injuries were reported.

MARRIAGE LICENSES
Michael P. Nelson, 21, Baxter, and Kara A. Tank, 18, Pillager.

Crow Wing court
The following recently appeared in Crow Wing District Court:

BIRTHS
Elijah and Trista Hansen, Crosby, a boy, Brady Noah, 7 pounds, 6 ounces, Jan. 17, 2009.

Dancing their way to state
The Brainerd Warriors Dance Team finished second in high kick and third in jazz at the 4AAA section meet Saturday in Elk River to advance to the state competition in both events Feb. 13-14 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Brainerd wins in Morris
The Brainerd Pee Wee C hockey team won the Morris tournament Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Brainerd defeated Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 5-4, Brookings, S.D., 9-3 and clinched the title with a 7-1 victory over Crow River. The team: Taylor Schloemer (front, left), Tanner Schmidt, JJ Raboin, Harvey Chamberlin, Andrew Ebinger, Taylor Campbell (middle, left), Chris Laber, Dorian Ludes, Kyle Wyatt, Brandon Strange, Blake Thelen, Mitchell Rahn, Jayke Olson, coach Jon Schloemer (back, left), coach Jeremy Leese, Kyle Colsen and coach Dave Schmidt.

Musher mania
Sled dog mushers from Minnesota and beyond will compete in the Mid-Minnesota 150 Sled Dog Race on Saturday.

The champs
Knights of Columbus District 2 free throw winners were determined Sunday at Crosby-Ironton High School. Front row: Mariah Craig, Crosby; Chelsey Bonsante, Ironton; Shannon Lundgren, Crosby; Hallie Ann Schmidt, Deerwood; Kaylee Gangestad, Ironton. Back: Jonathan Geisenhof, Fort Ripley; Brad Nelson, Aitkin; William Provost, Aitkin; Jack Silgen, Deerwood. Winners are eligible to compete in region competition March 1 at Aitkin High School.

Jubilation in the heart of winter
The 37th annual Nisswa Winter Jubilee features weekend events of snow sculpting, wood splitting, live music, food, games, a broomball tournament, an ice fishing contest and a parade.

ORGANIZATIONS
Brainerd Jaycees

Alpine ski team wins
The Brainerd Warrior girls' Alpine ski team won the Welch invitational on Friday for the first time in program history, defeating 17 other teams. First row: Taryn Ruttger (left), Andrea Cibuzar, Katie Hutchison. Back: Gina Engel, Savannah Stone, Kirsten Hibbard, Meghan Hamson, Ari Cibuzar. Engel finished second, Ruttger seventh and Ari Cibuzar fifth.

SUPPORT GROUPS
Lakes Area Ecumenical Bereavement

Brainerd second in Big Lake
The Brainerd seventh-grade girls' traveling basketball team placed second in the Big Lake tournament. Brainerd defeated Buffalo 40-22, Holy Family 31-30 and lost to Alexandria 39-26. The team is coached by Jennifer West and the players are Kaylene Madsen (front, left), Courtney O'Hotto, Shayna Vastila, Sara Dick, Mackenzie Dondelinger (back, left), Audrey Wanous, Natalie Comeau, Maria West and Courtney Hegg.

CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY
Go to Any Length

LOCAL BRIEFS
A ranger-guided night ski is scheduled Feb. 14 at Charles Lindbergh State Park near Little Falls. Homemade cookies will be served after skiing.

Fur trade history
Minnesota History students at Central Lakes College learned about the fur trade era when historian Ray Nelson, president of the Cuyuna Range Historical Society, brought examples of that bygone culture to the Brainerd campus. Nelson selected student Brandon Lundholm-Fern of Brainerd as a likely voyageur to model common attire befitting the trapper-trader whose essential currency was "soft gold" (beaver pelts) among other fur-bearing prey.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
Teresa Farrell wrote, "Here's our daughter, Sienna Farrell, helping with the Red Kettle Campaign for the Salvation Army this past December."

Bird, er, rabbit feeder
Do you have a recent scenic picture that shows the beauty of the lakes area? Send it to photos@brainerddispatch.com for possible publication in the Neighbors section. Be sure to include your name, where you are from, a brief description of the photo and when and where it was taken.

Area groups weigh in before Senate panel
ST. PAUL - Pine River Watershed Alliance board members Darrell Swanson and Doug Rhode, along with other area water-related associations, attended a special presentation before the Minnesota Senate Environment and natural Resources Committee at the state Capitol last week.

Volleyball team finishes third
The Central Lakes Junior Olympic volleyball team took third place in the Midwinter Classic last weekend at Ogilvie. Front row: Taylor Johnshoy, Nicole Traut, Courtney Ryan, Emily Erickson, Sabrina Aldin, Abigail Palmer. Second row: Hannah Kangas, Jenna Lamb. Back row: coaches Christine Malm, Tara Cipterly.

Brainerd fifth-graders first
The Brainerd fifth-grade boys' traveling basketball team won the Park Rapids tournament Saturday. Brainerd defeated Lake Park 48-4, Wadena 34-21 and Bemidji 40-18. The team, coached by Keith Ahonen and Craig West, includes Jack Ceraets (front, left), Luke West, Allen Jevning, Brady Kline, Devon Fiedler (back, left), Chris Pederson, Jake Meyer, Arron Martin and Kobe Ahonen.

DNR regulations show walleyes are coming back on Mille Lacs
Safe harvest numbers are up on Lake Mille Lacs for 2009. But for the premier walleye fishery to rebound from a recent string of down years, area marina employee Rick Goodholm said other numbers need to grow, too.

Lino Lakes administrator taking Baxter post
BAXTER - Baxter has offered its city administrator position to Gordon Heitke, the current city administrator in Lino Lakes.

Stevenson selected as Cass land commissioner
WALKER - The Cass County Board selected Josh Stevenson to succeed Land Commissioner Norm Moody when he retires April 1.

Stabbing draws assault charge
The 24-year-old Little Falls man accused of stabbing two men early Sunday outside of a Little Falls bar has been charged with assault.

School video policy ready
It all started last year when an eighth-grade English teacher at Forestview Middle School in Baxter accidentally showed her students an unedited version of the movie, "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

This was Brainerd
FEBRUARY 4 - 40 years ago (1969) - The Brainerd School Board salary committee said last night that its wage proposal calls for maintaining the present salary schedule, with the only increases being those provided by yearly increments.

Foreclosures up
WALKER - During the economic downturn, tax forfeitures have not increased in Cass County, but the number of property foreclosures has.

Baxter offers administrator position to Heitke
BAXTER - Baxter has offered its vacant city administrator position to Gordon Heitke, the current city administrator in Lino Lakes.

This was Brainerd
FEBRUARY 5 - 40 years ago (1969) - Winless in 20 previous starts against the Brainerd Warriors, the Little Falls Flyers demonstrated a deft touch at the free throw circle (31 of 50) to go with 51 percent from the floor to victimize Brainerd 77-58.

Overheard
I screwed up.

Fee reduction sought to boost athletic numbers
Brainerd athletes likely will be granted slight relief this spring from the $380 sport participation fee and will instead pay $250 or $350, depending on the sport.

Commissioners roll back their pay increases
WALKER - Cass County commissioners took the first step Tuesday to begin cutting the 2009 budget when they voted unanimously to reverse their December vote for a 3 percent pay raise for themselves.

LOCAL BRIEFS
WALKER - A special meeting of the Cass County Board will be 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at Shingobee Town Hall to consider transferring four sections of county roads from county to township ownership. The meeting is open to the public.

Stuck truck
A semi-truck became stuck and blocked traffic during the rush hour on Dellwood Drive in Baxter late Tuesday afternoon. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey

Board to look at revised athletic fees
It may cost more to play basketball or hockey next year at Brainerd High School, but other athletic and activity participation fees may go down.

District mulls MLK holiday
Is it better for Brainerd students to stay in school on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and honor the fallen civil rights leader in class or to be sitting at home on the federal holiday?

Pierz police chief resigns
The Pierz City Council on Friday accepted a letter of resignation from Kyle Hoehne, who had served only seven months as police chief. His resignation was effective immediately.

Overheard
...what gets people upset - and rightfully so are executives being rewarded for failure, especially when those rewards are subsidized by U.S. taxpayers.

Proposed video policy clears hurdle
The Brainerd School Board Curriculum Committee recommended school board approval of a proposed video use policy, its second reading.

Jury selection begins in murder trial
Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of Steven Radke, the 39-year-old Emily man accused of murdering his father-in-law in 2007.

Emma A. Peine
LASTRUP - Emma A. Peine, age 92, of Lastrup, Minn., passed away Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at Harmony House of Pierz, Minn.

Helen K. Lindberg
Helen K. Lindberg, age 84, of Brainerd, Minn., passed away Jan. 31, 2009. Preceded in death by parents, Carl and Hulda Tjernberg; and two brothers, Walter C. and Ernest B. Terry.

Clifford Lindroth
PINE CITY - Clifford Lindroth, age 90, of Pine City, Minn., died Jan. 29, 2009, at the Lakeside Nursing Home in Pine City, Minn. He was born in Crosby, Minn., on July 24, 1918, to Clarence and Amanda (Nystrom) Lindroth.

John R. Spalj
DEERWOOD - John Rudolph Spalj, age 81, of Deerwood, died on Feb. 3, 2009, at the Cuyuna Regional Care Center in Crosby. He was born on Sept. 13, 1927, in Crosby to Tomo and Antonia (Tomljanovich) Spalj.

Gatlin Collins
DeSOTO, Wis. - Gatlin Collins, 13-year-old resident of DeSoto, Wis., formerly of Little Falls, Minn., passed away Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, in DeSoto, Wis. Funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Little Falls, Minn., with the Rev. Blaine MacNeil and the Rev. Rachel Flogstad-Heise officiating. Friends may call from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Bethel Lutheran Church. Funeral arrangements are with the Shelley Funeral Chapel in Little Falls, Minn.

Larry D. Cates
BAXTER - Larry D. Cates, 76, Baxter, passed away on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud. Larry was born on Jan. 23, 1933, in Fargo, N.D., to Eldred and Florence (Quance) Cates.

Lucille M. Macho
STAPLES - Lucille M. Macho, age 92, of Staples, passed away at the Lakewood Health System hospital on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009. A funeral Mass is planned for Friday, Feb. 6, at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Staples with Father Scott Wittkop officiating. The wake will be on Thursday from 4-6 p.m. at the Brenny Funeral Home in Staples with a rosary at 4 p.m. and parish prayers at 4:30 p.m. Interment will be at St. Isadora's Cemetery at a later date.

Obituary policy
Obituary notices are charged at 40 cents a word, exclusive of the first 125 words, which are free. A $10 fee is charged for a half-column photograph. To place an obituary in the Dispatch, consult the funeral home handling arrangements.

Catherine L. Ukura
McGREGOR - Catherine L. Ukura, 76, of McGregor, died Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, at Riverwood Healthcare Center, Aitkin.

Russell Peterson
AITKIN - Russell David Peterson, age 74, of Aitkin, died on Feb. 3, 2009, at the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby. He was born on Jan. 13, 1935, in Almena, Wis., to H. Engnard and Ida (Severson) Peterson.

Clara Bylander
Clara Elizabeth Bylander, of Bethany Apartments in Brainerd, died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at the age of 89.

Margaret L. Miller
LONG PRAIRIE - Margaret L. Miller, 90-year-old resident of Long Prairie, Minn., formerly of Randall, Minn., died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at the Long Prairie Memorial Nursing Home. Funeral services will be held Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m. at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Randall, Minn., with the Rev. Harley Johnson officiating. Burial will be in the Randall City Cemetery in Randall, Minn. Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church in Randall, Minn.

Robert E. Davies
EDINA - Robert E. Davies, age 85, of Edina, died Oct. 16, 2008, after a brief illness. Preceded in death by parents, John and Myrtle Davies; wife, Donna; sister, Marion Marolt; and brother, James.

Open Forum
When we voted the last time I thought that the instructions were very plain. Shade in the oval for your preferred candidate and if you make a mistake turn in your ruined ballot and a new one would be issued. If you did not follow the instructions your ballot would be rejected. This seemed to be too complicated for some voters so they made up their own rules and their votes were thrown out.

Open Forum
A local letter writer's assault on Rep. Al Doty's pro-life voting record continues. For the past two years MCCL has rated Rep. Doty at 100 percent on pro-life issues. By their rules, however, this is not sufficient to merit their endorsement because he did not promise to support all future legislation that has not even been written yet. His position on this matter applies to all lobbying organizations.

VOX POP
Back in the early 1950s when I was at the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, N.J., the state had traffic control devices that we are referring to now as roundabouts but the state there called them traffic circles. I've always felt that they were much more descriptive and appropriate then the term roundabout. What do you folks think?

Hanowski, Flyers continue perfect season
LITTLE FALLS - Ben Hanowski continued his chase for Johnny Pohl's 379 career points record with a hat trick and two assists as Class 1A's second ranked and unbeaten Little Falls Flyers roared by the Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines 9-1 in a Section 6-1A matchup Tuesday.

Shhhh: Section champions resting
After a fast start Wednesday during the Section 8 Nordic ski meet at Camp Ripley, Little Falls Flyers skiers Jackie Thelen (left), Kayla Meyer, Molly Binger and Megan John rested up for the skate race later in the afternoon. The Flyers won their fourth section title to advance to the state meet. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey

Spuds edge Flying Warriors
Ellie Whiteman tallied a goal and an assist as the Brainerd/Little Falls Flying Warriors were defeated 5-4 by the Moorhead Spuds in non-conference action Tuesday.

SCOREBOARD
Area events

Tech wins battle of titans
It was Brainerd, not Beijing, but the atmosphere for Tuesday's gymnastics meet between the St. Cloud Tech Tigers and Brainerd Warriors was as lively as Olympic gymnastics, only on a smaller scale.

Gobblers cruise by Isle to stay perfect in conference
AITKIN - The Aitkin Gobblers ran their conference unbeaten streak to 11 with a 70-28 Great River Conference victory over the Isle Huskies.

Bronze at X-Games gives Ebert steam
Dan Ebert had never reached the finals in two previous snocross events in the Winter X-Games at Aspen, Colo.

Wadena-Deer Creek splits
BRECKENRIDGE - The Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines went 1-1 at the Breckenridge triangular Tuesday and had four wrestlers with 2-0 records.

Thunderhawks defeat Brainerd
GRAND RAPIDS - Matt Pohlkamp scored an unassisted goal in the second period for the Brainerd Warriors in a 3-1 loss to the Grand Rapids Thunderhawks on Tuesday.

Rosenthal, Anderson set for next season
Two of the more celebrated Brainerd Warriors athletes were rewarded for their hard work Wednesday.

Sprints become Goll's specialty
Even though Andrew Goll is a swimmer he's kind of like a starting pitcher who has been converted into a short-inning specialist.

Warriors drench Otters
Andrew Goll, Jared Anderson and Alek Rudstrom each captured individual titles and helped two relays to victory as Class 2A's fourth-ranked Brainerd Warriors downed Class 1A's eighth-ranked Fergus Falls Otters 100-75 Tuesday in Central Lakes Conference action.

Mutz, Warriors take down the Gobblers
AITKIN - Brandon Mutz won his match at 119 pounds, pinning Jordan Chouanard in 1:08, to improve his record to 26-2 as the Brainerd Warriors defeated the Aitkin Gobblers 37-28 Tuesday.

SCOREBOARD
Area events

Flyers score season high in loss
SARTELL - The Little Falls Flyers scored a season-high 133.25 points Tuesday, but the Sartell Sabres scored 139.025 to win the Central Lakes Conference matchup.

Theien's six goals key Warriors
MINNETONKA - Tyler Theien scored six goals and had an assist as the Brainerd Warriors took down Wayzata/Minnetonka 14-4 Tuesday.

Patriots grab 2nd win
BREEZY POINT - Emily Erickson set the tone by scoring the game's first two goals for the Pequot Lakes Patriots as they picked up their second win of the season, defeating the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Wadena-Deer Creek Blue Devils 4-1 in Mid-State Conference action Tuesday.

Warrior girls ski past favorites, win section
HASTINGS - The Brainerd Warriors girls' Alpine ski team is headed back to the state tournament, but this time as section champs.

LOCAL SHORTS
Brainerd Warrior athletes Kelly Rosenthal and Jared Anderson will sign NCAA National Letters of Intent at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday in the high school cafeteria.

Brainerd overcomes ragged start to beat Apollo
In a show of heart and determination, the Brainerd Warriors overcame a 16-2 deficit and went on to defeat the St. Cloud Apollo Eagles 61-52 during a Central Lakes Conference matchup Tuesday.

Wolhowe, Cards hand Pequot Lakes first conference loss
STAPLES - Derek Wolhowe led all scorers with 22 points as the Staples-Motley Cardinals handed the Pequot Lakes Patriots their first Mid-State Conference loss Tuesday 51-32.

Crocker, Gervenak spark tough road win for Warriors
MOORHEAD - Kyle Crocker scored 22 points and Mike Gervenak contributed a career-high 19 as the Brainerd Warriors defeated the Moorhead Spuds 68-57 in Section 8-4A action Tuesday.

Warriors send three to state
CAMP RIPLEY - Hannah McAllister advanced to her third straight state meet and teammates Amanda Finstad and Pat Mangan became state meet rookies Wednesday.

State forecast for N.D.
Today...Partly to mostly sunny. Highs around 30 east to the

A roundabout of valentines
Weather drawing by Catherine McGuire in the Garfield second grade of Olson-Morgan.

Whee!
Weather drawing by Nikita Collette in the Lowell second grade of Mrs. Larson.

State forecast for Minnesota
Today...Mostly sunny east. Partly cloudy west. Highs 10 to 20.

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...Cold. Sunny east. Increasing clouds west. Highs from around 10 above zero far west...To around 15 southwest.

State forecast for N.D.
Today...Sunny west...Cloudy east. Highs around 15 east to around 50

State forecast for Iowa
Today...Sunny. Highs upper 20s northeast to upper 50s far southwest.

State forecast for S.D.
Today...Sunny and warmer west. Considerable morning clouds east becoming partly cloudy during the afternoon. Highs 15 to 20 east to the mid and upper 50s southwest.

State forecast for Minnesota
Today...Sunny. Highs 25 to 30 north and 30 to 35 south.

State forecast for Iowa
Today...Sunny. Highs near 10 above north to the upper 20s far southwest.

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...Becoming sunny. Not as cold. Highs from the mid 20s northeast...To around 30 far southwest.

State forecast for S.D.
Today...Sunny and warmer. Highs in the 30s northeast to 55 to 60 southwest.