Tuesday, March 4, 2003

Extra credit
The American Legion Auxiliary is seeking candidates interested in attending the Minnesota Girls State Conference June 8-14 at Bethel College. The Auxiliary i

Parents, teachers question new math standards; await report
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Some parents and teachers in Minnesota, awaiting the release of recommendations for teaching mathematics, are urging schools to retreat from what is known as integrated or reform math.

Markets
SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) (USDA) -- Monday estimate: 450. Last Monday: 434. Year Ago Monday: 327. Friday actual: 1098.

Fires
The Brainerd Fire Department responded to a shed fire at the home of Arden Berg on Pine Beach Road Monday.

Courts
The following recently appeared in Crow Wing District Court:

Area crime
Brainerd police

Federal lawmakers' addresses in Washington
Sen. Norm Coleman

Childhood vaccine rule could affect adults, too
ST. PAUL (AP) -- Some Minnesota doctors worry that more college students will get chickenpox in the future if more children are not vaccinated when they are young.

Local briefs
BAXTER -- A second Eggs and Issues breakfast has been set for 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Friday at Bonanza Family Restaurant in Baxter.

Tourney time
In Tuesday's sports section, sports writer Jeremy Millsop takes a look at the boys' basketball tournaments that start this week.

Area fire contracts finalized
Fire protection contracts between Brainerd and 12 cities and townships are in place for next year.

This was Brainerd
MARCH 3 - 40 years ago (1963) - More than 1,000 high school students streamed into Brainerd today for district vocal contest and for the annual tournament of the Northern Minnesota District of the National Forensic League.

Brainerd puts a moratorium on pole barns
A six-month moratorium is in place on the construction of pole barns in certain zones within the city of Brainerd.

State championship hug
Brainerd High School's Andy Pickar ran to Warriors coach Bob Brakke (left) and assistant Mike Boran after he won the 152-pound Class 3A state individual wrestling championship during the state wrestling tournament Saturday at the XCel Energy Center. This was Pickar's second consecutive title.

Student pinned in auto class
A 10th-grade student at Brainerd High School was injured Tuesday morning after he was pinned by his pickup he was working on during an automotive class.

Board points to Forestview savings
The Brainerd School District has saved about $178,000 on bids so far for the construction of Forestview Middle School.

Aitkin sledder dies in Michigan crash
CARP LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- An Aitkin man was killed in a snowmobile crash in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Franklin's creative 'Pennies for Patients' fund-raising program reaps thousands
Some students said it was the lure of the Krispy Kremes doughnuts. Others said they just wanted to watch one of their teachers read school announcements on Channel One while wearing a pink tu-tu and clown shoes.

Local briefs
The Cass County Council on Aging will meet 1 p.m. Monday at the Hackensack Senior Center in Hackensack.

Dean Wiesner, civic leader, dies at 77
Dean R. Wiesner, 77, a driving force behind the League of Women Voters of the Brainerd Lakes Area, died Sunday afternoon after suffering a double aneurysm a week ago.

City stays put on health insurance
The city of Brainerd will stick with its current health care provider, but is asking its employees to look into better plans, if they choose.

Friends of Dr. Seuss
Brainerd High School basketball player Jake Phillips looked back at his teammates at a Lowell School assembly Monday to kick off Read Across America Week. Honoring the children's book author Dr. Seuss, players wore hats and answered questions about their favorite books while noting the author's birthday March 2.

This was Brainerd
MARCH 4 - 40 years ago (1963) - A majority of Brainerd's retailers voted to stay open Friday nights. A few business places announced that they will stay open on Monday nights instead of Fridays.

Dean R. Wiesner
Dean R. Wiesner, 77, Brainerd, died Sunday, March 2, 2003, at St. Cloud Hospital.

Mary Ann Nelson
WADENA -- Mary Ann Nelson, 76, Wadena, died Sunday, March 2, 2003, at home.

LuVerne O. Hanson
LITTLE FALLS -- LuVerne Orean Hanson, 71, Little Falls, died Sunday, March 2, 2003, at his home in Little Falls.

Janet M. Pedersen
FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. -- Janet Mae (McKee) Pedersen, 78, Fountain Hills, Ariz., formerly of Brainerd, died Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003.

Gloria F. Schommer
HILLMAN -- Gloria F. Schommer, 60, Hillman, died Sunday, March 2, 2003, at her daughter's home in Long Lake Township.

Adam Bullinger
LITTLE FALLS -- Adam Bullinger, 84, Little Falls, died Saturday, March 1, 2003, at St. Cloud Hospital.

John C. Fenner
AITKIN -- John C. Fenner, 25, Aitkin, died Saturday, March 1, 2003, in a snowmobile accident in northern Michigan.

Kenneth L. Brogren
ULEN -- Kenneth L. Brogren, 85, Ulen, died Saturday, March 1, 2003, at home.

Leon 'Lee' W. Barnard
SARTELL -- Leon "Lee" W. Barnard, 77, Sartell and formerly of Baxter, died Saturday, March 1, 2003, at St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud.

LuVerne Hanson
LITTLE FALLS -- LuVerne Hanson, 71, Little Falls, died Sunday, March 2, 2003, at home.

Dollie Pollock
PINE RIVER -- Dollie Pollock, 97, Pine River, died Saturday, March 1, 2003, at Whispering Pines Good Samaritan Center in Pine River.

John Fenner
AITKIN -- John Fenner, 25, Aitkin, died Saturday, March 1, 2003, as the result of a snowmobile accident in Michigan.

Albert E. VanLandschoot
CROSSVILLE, Tenn. -- Albert E. VanLandschoot, 87, formerly of the Brainerd lakes area, died Sunday, March 2, 2003, in Crossville, Tenn.

Gloria Shommer
HILLMAN -- Gloria Shommer, 60, Hillman, died Sunday, March 2, 2003, at her daughter's home in Long Lake Township.

Jerome 'Bud' M. Eibes
PINE RIVER -- Jerome "Bud" M. Eibes, 81, Pine River, died Saturday, March 1, 2003, at his son's home in Pine River.

Jerome 'Bud' M. Eibes
PINE RIVER -- Jerome "Bud" M. Eibes, 82, Pine River, died Saturday, March 1, 2003, at his son's home in rural Pine River.

Charles M. Zerfas II
Charles M. Zerfas II, 72, Brainerd, died today, March 4, 2003, in Mesa, Ariz.

Laura Franzen
STAPLES -- Laura Franzen, 77, Staples, died Sunday, March 2, 2003, at Greater Staples Care Center.

Herbert Theodore Forester
MINNEAPOLIS -- Herbert Theodore Forester, 82, Emily, died Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2003, at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Jennie E. Schaub
PEQUOT LAKES -- Jennie E. Schaub, 92, Pequot Lakes, died Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003, at Cuyuna Care Center in Crosby.

Poaching laws
It's amazing, but many otherwise law-abiding citizens think nothing of stealing food from the people of Minnesota. We're talking poaching -- mostly fish, but other wildlife, too.

Vox Pop
Vox Pop, voice of the people, publishes Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Submissions are limited to 100 words.

News conferences
A Washington Post news item reports that as of today it has been 116 days since President George W. Bush last conducted a news conference. He's had seven news conferences in his 26 months in office, an average of about one every 110 days or so, so he's about due for one.

Life throws a curve
Life can throw you some wicked change-ups and curves and that's exactly what happened last week as I experienced exhilaration, followed by bitter disappointment.

Open Forum
Emboldened by solid anti-choice majorities in both bodies of the Minnesota legislature -- and with a loyal friend in the governor's mansion -- the MCCL (Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life) has introduced what they misleadingly call the "Taxpayer Protection Act" (S.F. 431/H.F. 436.)

Evangelical ranks swell in state
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Evangelical Christians are moving beyond the mainstream and onto the main stage in Minnesota.

Regent selection on tap this week
ST. PAUL -- Roger Moe's name will be back in front of his former colleagues Monday when lawmakers decide who will sit on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

State pushes cities to enforce liquor laws
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- State alcohol enforcement officials have fined liquor-law violators dozens of times because cities have declined to do so.

Carleton College alum leaves slush fund for snow removal
NORTHFIELD (AP) -- A Carleton College alum with a sense of humor is keeping the streets and sidewalks of his old campus free from snow this winter.

Moe withdraws name from regents fight
ST. PAUL (AP) -- Roger Moe asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration for a spot on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

State brief
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- More people visited food shelves in Minnesota last year, but there was less food to give away, a charity said.

Austin students drink flavored milk
AUSTIN (AP) -- Austin High School is the latest place where Midwest Coca-Cola is selling flavored milk in cans through vending machines.

Minnesota Supreme Court hears arguments over unnamed sources
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on whether a reporter must reveal his confidential sources for a story that prompted a defamation lawsuit.

The battle goes on Amid fears of West Nile, bioterrorism, mosquito experts meet
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Mosquitoes have a well-deserved reputation as a nuisance, feeding on the blood of innocent passers-by, biting so aggressively they're sometimes caricatured as the state bird.

St. Cloud man who bound, threatened girlfriend sentenced to jail
ST. CLOUD (AP) -- A St. Cloud man was ordered to serve two months in jail for binding his girlfriend with duct tape and threatening to kill her.

Minnesotans split on how they feel about schools and the way they spend
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Minnesotans are split almost evenly on whether they believe public schools are wasting taxpayer money or spend it wisely, according to a poll published Sunday.

Scoreboard
boys basketball

Pioneer girls win subsection crown
MORA -- Kari Block continued a recent offensive splurge, dropping in 24 points, as the Pierz Pioneers defeated Foley 52-44 to win the Subsection 18, Section 6, Class 2A championship Saturday night.

Pickar repeats as state champion
ST. PAUL -- In 1984, moments after Jim Caughey won his second consecutive state wrestling championship, he did a backflip on the mat to celebrate his achievement.

Wrestling coming into its own
One of the rewards of covering high school athletics is an opportunity to watch a youngster like Brainerd's Andy Pickar mature into a state champion.

Pirates sink first-round opponent
VERNDALE -- David Cannon scored a career-high 24 points as the Verndale Pirates nearly doubled Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig's score by halftime, defeating the Silver Eagles 103-33 in the opening round of the East Subsection 6, Class 1A boys' basketball playoffs Tuesday.

Scoreboard
Boys basketball

Six Warriors qualify for state swim meet
ST. CLOUD -- The Brainerd Warriors finished second in the Section 8, Class 2A swimming and diving meet Saturday and qualified six individuals for state.

CLC women drop second game at state
COON RAPIDS -- For the second straight game, the Central Lakes College Raiders women's basketball team outplayed its opponent in the first half.

Luberts captures second state title
ST. PAUL -- Technically speaking, Pierz Pioneer Craig Luberts pinned his way to a second state title at 140 pounds Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.

Pierz finishes fifth in Class 1A
ST. PAUL -- Before wrestling Wheaton/Herman-Norcross for the consolation championship in the Class 1A state tournament, Pierz coach Mark Jensen thought the Pioneers would be in a favorable position if they could win the early matches.

Hayes completes perfect season
ST. PAUL -- Perfect.

Raider men win consolation championship
MINNEAPOLIS -- Deejay Mayfield is one of the most explosive players for the Central Lakes College Raiders men's basketball team.

LRCS boys, girls state champs
OWATONNA -- Brandon Courts was voted the Minnesota Association of Christian Schools most valuable player as the Lake Region Christian Hornets of Baxter captured their third straight boys' basketball state title, defeating First Baptist of Rosemount 56-51 Saturday.

A chance for all
Every boys' basketball coach will tell you the same thing when asked how his team is going to get to state.

Local shorts
Jane Peterson, two-time national coach of the year, has announced the 2003 summer schedule for Central Lakes College Raider Volleyball Camps and league play.

Perham boys defeat W-DC
WADENA -- Brady Winter and Kyle Gustafson combined for 39 points, helping the Perham Yellowjackets defeat Wadena Deer-Creek 67-52 in boys' basketball Saturday night.

Minnesota women finish off Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- It was time for Minnesota coach Pam Borton to apply her trapping defense again against Michigan.

Ortiz's return not complete without prank
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Things were back to normal on Sunday for David Ortiz, except for the bright red Boston jersey he was wearing.

State wrestling tournament results
At Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul

Radke still a key to Twins' rotation
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Once the lone reliable man in a Minnesota rotation that for several years was one of the league's worst, Brad Radke now finds himself surrounded by several other quality starting pitchers.

Rookie goalie helps Blues shut out Wild
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Curtis Sanford's job audition is going quite well.

Gophers have two games left to prove their NCAA worth
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota Gophers will have a tough time getting over Sunday's loss to Wisconsin.

Garnett, Wolves win seventh straight
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves hit the road with as much confidence as they've ever had.

Gardenhire likes top of Twins order
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has several options for organizing his batting order, but the top of it is starting to look pretty set to him.

League leaders hold off Gopher men
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Wisconsin Badgers didn't want to talk about the Big Ten standings.

Bosox edge Twins
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Manny Ramirez homered and Adrian Brown hit a tiebreaking RBI triple in the top of the eighth inning Monday night to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins.

Wrestling dynasties dominate at state
ST. PAUL (AP)-- One individual dynasty came to an end at the state wrestling tournament this weekend, another one might have started, and as usual, Apple Valley kept rolling along.

Twins' holding company changes name
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The holding company of the Minnesota Twins and the baseball club's recently created television network has changed its name to Twins Sports, Inc.

Twins defeat Red Sox, Reds
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Jacque Jones went 3-for-3 with a three-run homer Sunday to help the Minnesota Twins overcome a three-run homer by Manny Ramirez in a 6-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Cornhuskers hammer Gophers
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- No. 16 Nebraska beat Minnesota 15-2 Sunday afternoon in the Metrodome.

Run of low snow totals continued in February
February's 2 inches of snow in Brainerd did little to make up for what many snow enthusiasts will remember as the wasted winter of 2002-03.

State forecast for North Dakota
This afternoon...Mostly sunny and cold. Highs zero to 10 above.

You can say that again
Weather drawing by Amanda Randall in the Lowell first grade of Sharon Jendro.

State forecast for South Dakota
Today...Snow ending south central and southeast...Otherwise decreasing clouds southeast...Mostly sunny northeast...And partly to mostly cloudy west. A chance of afternoon snow showers southwest. Highs in the teens to lower 20s.

Wisconsin state forecast
Winter weather advisory for southern wisconsin this afternoon and tonight...

State forecast for North Dakota
Today...Windy and turning colder. Areas of light snow...With areas of blowing and drifting snow. Steady or falling temperatures to around zero northeast...To the teens southwest.

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...Light snow spreading eastward across much of the state. Accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Highs in the teens northeast to near 30 southwest.

Iowa state forecast
Today...Mostly cloudy. Snow northeast third...A chance of snow central. Flurries southwest. Highs from the upper 20s northeast to the mid 40s southwest.

Iowa state forecast
Winter storm warning for much of southeastern iowa this afternoon and evening...

Minnesota state forecast
today...Snow likely all but far southwest this morning. Total accumulation of 1 to 3 inches across most of the state. Scattered flurr

Minnesota state forecast
Today...Mostly sunny north...Partly cloudy central...And mostly cloudy south. Snow ending this morning southwest...But spreading into the southeast during the day. Highs from zero to 10 above north to the teens south.

State forecast for South Dakota
Today...Mostly cloudy. Light snow or flurries ending this morning east...Snow becoming likely northwest by afternoon. Highs from the lower 20s northeast...To the lower 40s southeast.

Dark outside
Weather drawing by Alyssa Kasper of Mrs. Redshaw's second grade class at Garfield school.