Local briefs

PINE RIVER -- Cass County authorities today identified the man found dead Tuesday morning in a ditch northeast of Pine River.

The victim was Steven A. Townsend, 48, Pine River.

An autopsy revealed that Townsend's probable cause of death was exposure to hypothermic conditions.

Townsend was found about 9 a.m. Tuesday in the ditch off Highway 84, about a half mile south of Highway 87. He was located a short distance from his residence, according to Cass County Sheriff Randy Fisher.

Koering co-author of double-bunking bill

Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, is co-author of a bill to double-bunk or house two inmates in a cell designed for one to relieve a shortage of capacity in Minnesota prisons and cut costs.

The bill would lift the ban on double-bunking in Minnesota's highest level security facilities, which house dangerous or unpredictable prisoners.

Man arrested for bomb threat

LITTLE FALLS -- An 18-year-old Little Falls man was arrested after allegedly calling in a bomb threat at a high school Wednesday.

The Little Falls Police Department reported about 10:45 a.m. the Morrison County Jail received a call about a bomb that had been planted at an area high school.

Though the Little Falls Community High School wasn't specifically named, school officials evacuated the high school and police officers searched the school. Students were allowed back into the school about an 90 minutes later.

The 18-year-old is being held in the Morrison County Jail on terroristic threat charges. He is a student at the high school.

First team of Americorps to arrive in Little Falls

LITTLE FALLS -- The first of 12 teams for the Americorps National Civilian Community Corps will arrive in Little Falls Monday.

The volunteers will work with middle school students throughout the school day and after school until 4:50 p.m. The after-school program works with students to help them complete class assignments. Throughout the year, the volunteers are expected to do some individualized service projects.

The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls are providing the Americorps teams with housing and meals through Oct. 31.

If anyone in the community needs services from the Americorps volunteers they can call the Little Falls Middle School at (320) 616-4200.

Otremba calls for pre-natal care to be saved

A group of pro-life DFL members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Wednesday called for restoration of funds for pre-natal and maternal health care in the short-term budget balancing bill, saying

that the cuts mean Minnesota would no longer seek to protect unborn children.

"As a pro-life legislator, I could not support a measure that denies health care to unborn children and denies mothers the opportunity

to ensure their babies will be born healthy and well," Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba, DFL-Long Prairie, said. "It is a sad day when the most vulnerable are included in the cuts to balance the budget."

Otremba and fellow pro-life Democrats will contact legislators serving on the House-Senate conference committee on the budget bill to ask them to restore funds for pre-natal and maternal care.