Thursday, March 9, 2000

Ford to spend $210 million to fix defect
Ford Motor Co. will spend at least $210 million to pacify owners of 700,000 sedans and minivans suspected of having defective V6 engines after a wave if complaints from consumers.

Potential fire hazard prompts recall of electric cars
DETROIT -- A potential fire hazard has forced General Motors Corp. to recall about half of the high-tech EV1 electric cars it has leased since 1996, and all of its battery-powered Chevrolet S-10 pickups.

Internet putting car buyers in driver's seat
WASHINGTON -- When Peter Manchester, a self-avowed ''details person,'' set out to buy a new car last year, the first place he went was his computer. Manchester used the Internet to check out everything -- price, availability, options and financing.

Gas prices just don't measure up
WASHINGTON -- Shoppers at Celebration Chevrolet in Milford, Va., stroll past the Prizm compact cars and bypass the small Cavalier sedans.

Youths have unique risk Study looks at fatalities
ATLANTA (AP) -- Too big for child safety seats and too small for adult seat belts, children ages 4 to 8 face a unique risk of dying in accidents because drivers often leave them unrestrained and in the front seat, according to government researchers.

Chrysler's PT Cruiser gets strong following
DETROIT -- When the 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser arrives at dealerships at the end of March, it's expected to get a bigger reception than any mass-produced American car since the 1960s.

The logic of car thieves
For the past several years, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord have been the best-selling cars in the United States. They've also been the most-stolen, according to the latest information from Chicago-based CCC Information Services Group Inc.

Quiet is the word for Jaguar
I wasn't sure whether to believe the Jaguar official's story about a Jaguar owner sneaking down to the garage in the dead of night to find peace and quiet in his car. Now, I believe.

Sport trac: Easy ride, short bed
When historians write the story of early 21st century vehicle design, 2000 will go down in the books as the start of the Sybil school of styling.

Eat Mexican Sweet Bread in America
When we were recently in Mexico on vacation, I fell in love with the Mexican Sweet Bread they serve at many of the restaurants.

Use variety of spices to add zip to meat, poultry sheared of fat
OK, so fat makes food taste good. That's too bad for most of us, so we search for substitutes.

Don't turn up nose at bake-off runners-up
The supermarket is sold out of refrigerated pie crusts, and the brownie mix is nowhere to be found on the shelves. Alas, you'll have to wait to try the $1 million winning recipe in the 2000 Pillsbury Bake-Off.

Births
Joseph and Julie Kroll, Baxter, a boy, Jaden Joseph, 7 pounds, 7 ounces, Feb. 17, 2000.

Crime
BURGLARY -- Kerry Thiery reported his business, Dixon Auto Electric, had been broken into.

Births
Jeffrey and Julie Hardy, Brainerd, a boy, Colton Scott, 8 pounds, 11.5 ounces, Feb. 24, 2000. Grandparents are Ken and Leona Gangestad, Fort Ripley, and Jaci Hardy, Brainerd.

Crimes
VANDALISM -- Danielle Keen, 4000 block of Tracside Road, reported the driver's side window of her vehicle was broken.

Golf in March a real treat
I know what you golf fanatics were thinking this past weekend.

Cass to implement adult entertainment ordinance
WALKER -- The Cass County Board voted Tuesday to proceed with plans to implement an adult entertainment ordinance, targeting an April 30 effective date.

Minnesota Guard biathlon team wins overall championship
CAMP RIPLEY -- Just how strong is the Minnesota Army National Guard Biathlon team?

Kloss first state champion wrestler from Pierz
PIERZ -- Aaron Kloss of the Pierz Pioneers wrestling team could be considered a trendsetter.

Regional briefs
CROSBY -- The Crosby-Ironton Senior Citizens Club will hold its monthly meeting and potluck dinner at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Cuyuna Range Community Center in Crosby.

College students read at Staples schools
STAPLES -- Students and staff members of Central Lakes College took time last week to read at elementary schools in Staples as part of the Read Across America project begun last year as a memorial to the late author Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.

CLC turns up recruitment to bolster enrollment
Central Lakes College put out the welcome mat to 300 high school juniors and seniors March 2 at its inaugural, two-campus College Experience Day.

Cuyuna Range Women's Club raises $746 for Courage Center
CROSBY -- The Cuyuna Range Women's Club raised $746 for the Courage Center at its annual benefit card party.

Cass agrees to reorganize two county departments
WALKER -- The Cass County Board on Tuesday approved a reorganization for the Environmental Services Department and job classification reviews for reorganizing the Assessing Department.

Greenhouse business blossoms
PILLAGER -- Three years ago, Pillager High School forestry and biosystems teacher Karl Kaufmann approached area businesses about creating a partnership to develop a school greenhouse.

Pequot's Biebighauser helped build basketball program
PEQUOT LAKES -- To say Brianna Biebighauser is a great basketball player is an understatement.

Three C-I football players excited to play down under
CROSBY -- Individually J.R. Ferrier, Patrick McKenzie and Cal Preisinger are unique individuals. Together they share a love for football that's going to send them to Australia to play in the 2000 Down Under Bowl.

Minneapolis mayor to speak at benefit
ONAMIA -- The Pearl Battered Women's Resource Center in Milaca, which serves women and children in Mille Lacs County who have experienced physical or sexual abuse, will hold its first fund-raiser March 25 at Grand Casino Mille Lacs.

Job Fair scheduled at Central Lakes College
The 10th annual Job Fair will be held at the Brainerd campus of Central Lakes College from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 30.

Regional briefs
LITTLE FALLS -- Good, used adult and children's fiction and nonfiction books will be available at a used book sale sponsored by the Friends of the Little Falls Carnegie Library.

Trying to gain control
Wadena-Deer Creek 130-pounder Louie Vandermay (right) tries to maintain control of Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena's Dominick Alvarado during the state Class AA consolation final Saturday at Target Center in Minneapolis. Alvarado won the match, but the Wolverines recorded a 26-24 come-from-behind win to take the consolation championship. (Photo for The Dispatch by Jason Henke)

Winds up to 100 mph battering the Plains
Vehicles were blown off highways and mobile homes were overturned as fast-moving thunderstorms dashed across the Plains states with wind gusting to 100 mph.

Bush wins state GOP votes; Independence Party backs McCain
EDINA, (AP) -- Minnesota wasn't a complete loss for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Cass County may leave health plan
WALKER -- The Cass County Board voted Tuesday to authorize Commissioner Joanne Pels or her alternate Commissioner John Stranne to withdraw from the Essential Health Plan.

Lightning strikes downtown chimney
Lightning from Wednesday's thunderstorm apparently struck a 15-foot chimney on top of the Factory Direct furniture store in downtown Brainerd, shattering about three quarters of the chimney and sending a large piece of it crashing into the roof of apartments above Tropical Nights nightclub.

Corrections/ clarifications
The Brainerd Dispatch incorrectly listed the starting time for Saturday's DFL caucuses at Mississippi Horizons in an editorial in Monday's newspaper. The caucuses start at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Cass has problem with ATVs, sleds using cross country ski trails
WALKER -- Land Commissioner Norm Moody told the Cass County Board on Tuesday there has been a problem this winter with all terrain vehicles and snowmobiles using Spider Lake and Cut Lake cross country ski trails.

This was Brainerd
20 years ago (1980) - Brainerd Burlington Northern employees, manned the picket line for about four hours in a short lived labor dispute which was settled almost before it began.

Local briefs
Brainerd Friends of the Library are accepting donations for the Spring Book Sale on March 24-25. Books may be dropped off at the library during regular business hours.

Capitol notebook
Happenings Tuesday at the Minnesota Capitol:

Unicameral bill falls in House committee
ST. PAUL -- Gov. Jesse Ventura's marquee proposal for a unicameral Legislature fell today on a mostly party-line vote in the House State Government Finance Committee.

Cass looking at building projects
WALKER -- The Cass County Board on Tuesday selected commissioners Joanne Pels and Glenn Witham to review 11 architectural firm proposals for designing an addition to the social services building.

This was Brainerd
20 years ago (1980) - Brainerd High School will send four representatives to the State Swimming and Diving Championships. Mike Abrahamson and Joe Vrudny each qualified in two events and divers Tim Fraser and Jeff Millam also gained berths in the State meet.

They planned a party caucus but nobody attended
Some people may think Gov. Jesse Ventura is mixing things up again.

BRAINERD WANTS YOU!
In response to a rash of recent retirements, the Brainerd School District is working to hire teachers.

Cass one of state's fastest-growing counties
Cass County made top 10 lists for growth percentages in a national ranking of the 1990s today.

Student suspended for inadvertently bringing a knife to Franklin junior high
A student at Franklin Junior High School was suspended from school for seven days for inadvertently bringing a knife onto school grounds Wednesday.

Area braces for usual March storm
Don't put away those winter jackets and shovels just yet.

Daughter follows mother's footsteps -- on ice
When Julie Davidge was 8 and a Vacationland Figure Skating Club member, she used to idolize ice skaters like Rosalyn Sumners and Peggy Flemming.

She said she had to cooperate
LONG PRAIRIE (AP) -- Connie Sarff knew she had to cooperate with her estranged husband after he allegedly abducted her, put her in his truck and headed for Mexico.

Correction
In the Harvey L. Pies obituary on Page 2A on Friday, the funeral service date was incorrect. The service is March 11.

Cass highway projects outlined
WALKER -- Cass County Engineer David Enblom told the Cass County Board on Tuesday his staff will undertake 22 small maintenance improvement projects on county and state aid roads this year.

Legislators back off firm positions in profile debate
ST. PAUL -- Lawmakers appear determined to avoid a repeat of last year's Profile of Learning stalemate as opposing camps inch slowly toward common ground on changes to the graduation rule.

Light turnout for Republicans at caucus here
ST. MATHIAS TOWNSHIP -- Tuesday's Republican caucus at the St. Mathias Town Hall was open to the GOP faithful in three precincts, but the six attendees could have fit around a good-sized kitchen table.

It's her turn Teacher who tries to make pupils feel special feels that way herself today
BAXTER -- After being involved with the Brainerd School District for more than 50 years as a student and a teacher, Karen Hines received one of the district's top honors.

Floating bogs tethered to shore
WALKER -- Cass County's contractor, EarthTech of Minnesota Inc., has spent this winter trying to anchor floating bogs in Boy Lake to the shoreline.

Students gather at Cragun's for academic decathlon
EAST GULL LAKE -- About 200 students from around the state traveled to the Brainerd lakes area Tuesday and Wednesday to compete in the Minnesota State Academic Decathlon at Cragun's Resort and Conference Center.

Gore postpones trip to Minnesota until Friday
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Vice President Al Gore canceled a visit to a Minnesota high school today because he may be called on to cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate, his presidential campaign said.

10 show up at Constitution caucus
BERTHA -- Ten people, primarily from the Bertha, Hewitt and Wadena areas, attended the Constitution Party's first caucus night as a major party.

Initiative Foundation names grant recipients
The Community Action Council of Crow Wing County received a $5,000 grant to fund area coordination in developing a community cultural plan.

District plans 90-day suspension for 6-year-old boy
MOUNT MORRIS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- The 6-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting a first-grade classmate will be suspended from school for 90 days, officials say.

Many couples work other shifts
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Almost half of working women who are married or live with a partner are seeing their significant other only in passing because the two work different shifts, an AFL-CIO poll found.

ELECTION '00: Now it becomes a two-man race
Republican Party leaders began Wednesday to repair the wounds left by the bruising nomination campaign as Democrats awaited the formal withdrawal of former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley that sealed the choice of Vice President Al Gore as their standard-bearer against Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

ELECTION '00: Super Tuesday outcome
George W. Bush's Super Tuesday blowout sent Sen. John McCain to his Arizona retreat to contemplate the future of his presidential campa

ELECTION '00: The parties try to pull together
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Sen. John McCain contemplated the future of his campaign today after suffering a Super Tuesday blowout, while George W. Bush turned his focus to Vice President Al Gore, labeling him ''an agent of Washington.''

Circus performer's long journey to end
DELAND, Fla. (AP) -- After a lifetime and a little bit of eternity on the road, Harry Hammond may finally be going home.

Underdogs make exit
John McCain suspended his presidential campaign today, conceding the Republican presidential nomination to George W. Bush.

Thousands protest Florida's affirmative action ban
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- As Gov. Jeb Bush defended his decision to end affirmative action for university admissions and state contracts, thousands of people gathered nearby to rally against the policy.

Economic notes
NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks finished a turbulent session mostly higher Wednesday after the Federal Reserve's latest assessment of the economy reassured investors who were still uneasy following Tuesday's huge selloff.

In victory, Gore tries to clear way for Bradley exit
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Pocketing primary wins from New York to California, Al Gore charged straight at Republican George W. Bush today, criticizing his likely November foe on issues from gun control to Social Security. Gore cleared the way for Bill Bradley to bow gracefully out of the Democratic race.

Report cites child care handoffs
For many working parents in the United States, child care has become the equivalent of a relay race, with youngsters passed like batons between multiple caregivers from breakfast until bedtime.

Arizona Democrats report good online voter turnout
Arizona Democrats swarmed to the nation's first legally binding online election Tuesday, casting more than 6,000 votes after just 12 hours, according to Election.com, the New York company administering the election.

Consumer advocates say diabetes drug may cause heart failure
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumer advocates say the diabetes drug Rezulin, already notorious for destroying some patients' livers, also may be linked to 56 cases of heart failure.

USDA says approval for organic food doesn't mean that it's better
WASHINGTON -- New federal rules for organic food will assure consumers that the products are grown and processed to the same standards nationwide. That doesn't mean, however, that organic is better than conventional food, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said.

Police lose allged murder suspect after tracking him to hotel
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A man suspected of killing three people while kidnapping his estranged girlfriend was at large today after a shooting rampage in which he shot three others, one of whom later died.

Now it's Gore vs. Bush After Super Tuesday victories, battle for independents begins
The general election campaign for the White House had its unofficial kickoff Tuesday night, as Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush set out to win over the independent-minded voters who had backed the men who lost the party nominations. With kind words for the beaten challengers, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley, Bush and Gore steered their campaigns away from the ideological shoals they had skirted in the primaries and aimed for the political center where most elections are decided. Bush, in a talk to supporters in Austin, Texas, restated his claim to the education issue and tried to warn the country of the risks in ''a Clinton-Gore third term.'' He also defended his position on taxes -- a subject on which both Gore and McCain have criticized him -- and on Social Security, a favorite topic of the McCain campaign. Gore, in his home city of Nashville, Tenn., pointed to the country's healthy economy and staked out positions on guns, abortion and the environment from which he can attack Bush's record. Claiming to be ''the mainstream'' candidate, he linked Bush -- without naming him -- to ''secretly funded TV ads and smear phone calls from the extreme right wing.'' ''Gore is at his best when he has an opponent,'' one close observer of the vice president said, ''so they don't want to waste any time in going after Bush.'' As observers in both parties looked down the road to the November election, they agreed that Bush emerged more scarred from the battle with McCain than Gore did from his tussle with Bradley. Bush was driven further to the right by the McCain challenge than Gore was forced to the left by Bradley -- a development that could cause problems for the Texas governor as he shifts into a general election stance and seeks to reconnect with moderate voters. Still, Linda DiVall, a Republican pollster who advised Elizabeth Dole's campaign, said Bush ''is better positioned to go for the McCain voters. They were energized by a Republican candidate and are ready for change in Washington, D.C. He has to make overtures to them, but they found something in the Republican Party they did not find among the Democrats.'' Some evidence for her view could be found in exit polls in New York and California. They indicated that Bush would win a slight majority of McCain voters in a November showdown with Gore. But those same exit polls in California demonstrated that if the November turnout resembles the voting patterns in Tuesday's ''beauty contest'' primary, open to voters of all parties, Gore would be a clear favorite to carry the important state, as President Clinton did in the last two elections. On both sides, the expectation is that this will be what veteran GOP strategist Charles Black called ''a very tough, very close'' election. According to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, released last week, Bush leads Gore 50 percent to 44 percent. That is only half the 13 percentage point margin Bush held a year ago, and indicates the race could go either way. As Republican pollster Ed Goeas remarked Tuesday night: ''Structurally, this is built to be a close campaign. The parties are at parity and both sides are fairly intense about wanting to keep the White House or get it back. That makes for a very competitive election.''

Rejuvenated NRA arms for election-year showdown
The National Rifle Association is back. After several years of waning influence on Capitol Hill, the venerable association of shooting enthusiasts and gun rights advocates is enjoying a renewal as it gears up for what could be a watershed election this fall.

ZZZzzzzz -- Super Tuesday a bit deflating for networks
NEW YORK (AP) -- For the networks, it was more like Flat Tuesday.

Firefighter arrested in deadly ambush at house fire
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- When the firefighters came to the burning home, they believed they were responding to a routine alarm. Instead, authorities said, a fellow firefighter burst out the garage firing a shotgun and screaming ''Get away! Get away!''

Hollywood whodunit: The hunt for 4,000 missing Oscar ballots
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- Ten mailbags with all 4,000 Oscar ballots were missing Tuesday in a real Hollywood whodunit for Academy Awards executives, a distinguished accounting firm and the Postal Service.

Energy boss sees chance for more oil
WASHINGTON -- Energy Secretary Bill Richardson today welcomed word that Iran will go along with increased oil production and said he is not concerned that Iraq could cause a snag when oil-exporting countries meet later this month.

New Orleans survives big Mardi Gras
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Mounted police cleared the French Quarter, maintenance crews cleaned the streets and the Big Easy's Catholic roots began to blossom again today after a wild Mardi Gras party.

Denominations are united for unprecedented Ash Wednesday
LOS ANGELES -- Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran church leaders of Los Angeles ushered in the Christian penitential season of Lent in an unprecedented ecumenical Ash Wednesday service.

ELELCTION '00: Minnesota plays its role with caucuses
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bill Bradley intends to bow out of the presidential race Thursday and endorse Vice President Al Gore who vanquished him in 16 Super Tuesday contests from coast to coast, The Associated Press learned today.

White House and lawmakers remain divided on gun control
WASHINGTON -- President Clinton's hopes of breaking a congressional impasse on gun control in the wake of last week's fatal shooting of a Michigan first-grader met a stern Republican rebuke Tuesday, as a key senator refused to convene House-Senate negotiations and accused the administration of trying to eliminate gun shows.

EXIT POLLS: Core supporters lift Bush, Gore
WASHINGTON (AP) -- John McCain couldn't reach enough Republicans, and Bill Bradley saw his core supporters flock to Al Gore. That was Super Tuesday in a nutshell.

ELECTION '00: What primaries mean for the future
Overwhelming support from core Republicans and conservatives allowed George W. Bush to push John McCain toward the edge of elimination Tuesday night in the Republican presidential race -- but left open significant questions about the breadth of Bush's appeal as a general election candidate.

Highlights of state primary results
Results of state primary voting in three states Tuesday:

Good news on beta blocker
CHICAGO (AP) -- A drug that has been shown to save the lives of heart failure patients can also ease their symptoms and reduce hospitalizations, an international study of 4,000 people found.

Ailing McGuire to retire from booth
NEW YORK (AP) -- CBS basketball analyst Al McGuire's plan to skip this year's NCAA tournament will go far beyond that.

Marino meets with Dolphins' owner
MIAMI (AP) -- Dan Marino, considering a contract offer from the Minnesota Vikings, joined Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga for a round of golf and a consultation.

McSorley faces criminal charge
Defenseman Marty McSorley of the Boston Bruins was charged Tuesday with assault with a weapon for striking Vancouver Canuck forward Donald Brashear on the temple with his stick Feb. 21, putting hockey on trial April 4 in a Canadian court.

Rodman's Dallas career over; NBA days, too?
DALLAS (AP) -- Now that Dennis Rodman's tenure with the Dallas Mavericks is over, there's a good chance his NBA career is finished, too.

Lowliest of Big Ten teams hope to win
CHICAGO (AP) -- For all but one of the Big Ten's lowliest teams, the task sounds simple enough: Win four games in four days, and it's on to the NCAA tournament.

Player allowed to withdraw guilty plea
LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) -- One-thousand miles removed from spring training, a county judge helped the Colorado Rockies finalize their opening-day lineup.

What? Yankees are 0-6 but Steinbrenner is still joking
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- It's a sure sign of spring: George Steinbrenner is still able to smile with his New York Yankees stuck at 0-6.

Smoltz out for season before it begins
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- When John Smoltz heard the news, he swallowed hard. His season was over before opening day.

Yankees win; Twins lose
In news from Florida spring training camps, Charlie Manuel returned to Cleveland's dugout, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his second spring homer and the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers won their first spring games.

Leslie S. Cummings
AITKIN -- Leslie S. Cummings, 35, Aitkin, died today, Wednesday, March 8, 2000, at home.

Sylvia M. Hillukka
Sylvia M. Hillukka, 77, Brainerd, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at St. Joseph's Medical Center of Brainerd.

Esther Ecker
CROSBY -- Esther Viola Brant Ecker, 81, died Monday, March 6, 2000, at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center of Crosby.

Carl Byers
PEQUOT LAKES -- Carl Byers, 102, Pequot Lakes, died Monday, March 6, 2000, at Whispering Pines Good Samaritan Village of Pine River.

Arthur 'Sam' H. Dangers
CROSBY -- Arthur "Sam" Henry Dangers, 77, Crosby, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at Cuyuna Regional Care Center of Crosby.

Phillis Brostrom
PINE RIVER -- Phillis Brostrom, Pine River, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at St. Joseph's Medical Center of Brainerd.

Donald Medenwaldt
BACKUS -- Donald Medenwaldt, Backus, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at North Memorial Medical Center of Robbinsdale.

Robert B. Doherty
LAPORTE -- Robert Bruce Doherty, 49, Laporte, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at his home of emphyzema and hepatitis C.

Phillis Brostrom
PINE RIVER -- Phillis Brostrom, 60, Pine River, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at St. Joseph's Medical Center of Brainerd.

Harvey L. Pies
MAKINEN -- Harvey L. Pies, 58, Makinen, formerly of Pequot Lakes, died Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2000, in Minneapolis.

Donald D. Medenwaldt
PLYMOUTH -- Donald Davis Medenwaldt, 68, Plymouth, formerly of Backus, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at North Memorial Medical Center of Robbinsdale.

Leona M. Evans
Leona M. Evans, 87, 804 Wright St., Brainerd, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at Bethany Good Samaritan Village of Brainerd.

Sylvia M. Hillukka
Sylvia M. Hillukka, 77, Brainerd, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at St. Joseph's Medical Center of Brainerd.

Leslie S. Cummings
AITKIN -- Leslie S. Cummings, 35, Aitkin, died Wednesday, March 8, 2000, at her home.

Roy E. Swanson
Roy E. Swanson, 83, Brainerd, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, in Mathis, Texas.

Harold S. Dickman
MOTLEY -- Harold S. Dickman, 62, Motley, died Monday, March 6, 2000, in Payson, Ariz.

Donald 'Bob' Burchett
AITKIN -- Donald "Bob" Burchett, 78, Aitkin, formerly of Maple Lake and Annandale, died Monday, March 6, 2000, at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.

Edna Nelson
TACOMA, Wash. -- Edna Nelson, 88, Tacoma, Wash., formerly of Fort Ripley and Barrows, died Thursday, Feb. 24, 2000, at her home.

Meade M. Myers
AITKIN -- Meade M. Myers, 86, Aitkin, died today, Thursday, March 9, 2000, at Ah-Gwah-Ching Nursing Home near Walker.

Robert B. Doherty
LAPORTE --Robert Bruce Doherty, 49, Laporte, died Tuesday, March 7, 2000, at home.

Super Tuesday does its job
It'll be the felonious friends versus the sleazy Texas buddies.

Open Forum
Due to certain events I feel that a response is necessary to an article that ran last week titled Go-CI-Go. For whatever reason the meaning of my article "Aitkin, CI rivalry," Feb. 28, 2000 was taken the wrong way and many people misunderstood my intent.

Overreacting to oil prices
WASHINGTON -- There's something about rising oil prices that turns otherwise sensible people into fools. And in this election year, the national oil madness is becoming positively dangerous.

$614 a day - Dispatch Editorial
That's the interest for each day that payment is not made by the state for the court-ordered $3.95 million legal bill for eight Chippewa bands in the long treaty rights dispute.

OTHER OPINIONS Nix hearings
In the past five years, Otter Tail County commissioners could likely name on two hands the number of residents who attended truth-in-taxation hearings for the reason the state Legislature intended.

Smart guns
When a Michigan first-grader shot and killed a classmate last month, President Clinton offered the latest testament to Americans' persistent belief in the ability of technology to solve any problem.

Fasten your seat belts
WASHINGTON--Al Gore and George Bush proved at least one thing in winning their parties' nominations: They know how to take an opponent down.

Open Forum
I would like to invite

Scoreboard
Boys Basketball

Warriors act like Tech is a new foe
Two teams that have struggled to win but may be playing their best basketball of the season collide Thursday in the opening round of the Section 8, Class 4A boys' tournament.

International Falls crushes Hutch
MINNEAPOLIS -- Senior forward Mitch LaVern scored twice and sparked a four-score onslaught that carried International Falls to a 6-0 shutout of Hutchinson in the boys state hockey tourney Wednesday night.

Gophers expect more sanctions
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- University of Minnesota officials will likely impose more sanctions on the men's basketball program within two weeks, the Star Tribune reported today.

Trip to state on line when Pequot meets Chisholm
PEQUOT LAKES -- The Chisholm Bluestreaks have been the surprise story of the Section 7AA girls' basketball tournament this season.

Wizards hold off Wolves' comeback
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- If new Washington Wizards head man Michael Jordan has any pull with the NBA's top brass, maybe he'll try to get the Minnesota Timberwolves moved into the Eastern Conference.

State hockey scoreboard
Class AA

Hjelmeland, Galovich win scoring titles
Senior Dustin Hjelmeland of Staples-Motley and junior Kati Galovich of Crosby-Ironton won scoring championships in Mid-State Conference basketball this season.

Bjorklund makes All-Big West first team
Honors continue to pour in for Brainerd graduate Chris Bjorklund.

Local shorts
Brainerd biathletes Beth Barrett and Adam Youngman qualified for the junior national championships following their performances in the Community Olympic Development Program at Elk River last weekend.

This time Kimman is there as Pierz seeks state berth
Because of an injury suffered two summers ago, Pierz senior Cyndi Kimman was forced to watch from the sidelines as her girls' basketball teammates fell in the second round of the playoffs last season.

Scoreboard
Boys Basketball

Look who's on top Twins, 6-1, beat winless Yankees
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Twins, holders of the worst record in the American League last year, are leading the exhibition season with a 6-1 record after beating the New York Yankees 7-5.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Mike Vesely plays guitar in a rock band called "Girlskouts," which has performed throughout the state.

Vacationland Figure Skating Club prepares for silver anniversary show
Brainerd's Vacationland Figure Skating Club will present its silver anniversary show Saturday and Sunday at the Brainerd Area Civic Center.

Pillager students to give concert
PILLAGER -- The Pillager School music department will present its annual "Music in Our Schools Month" concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16, in the performance area of the school.

BHS orchestras to be featured in Winter Concert
Selections from the "Star Wars" trilogy's musical score and a St. Patrick's Day salute with Irish folk song "Danny Boy" will highlight the Brainerd High School orchestras' Winter Concert next week.

Artist's works at CLC show her outrage at media's manipulation of images of women
Twin Cities photographer Laura Crosby did nothing to disguise her intent when she assembled the 19 black and white prints for her one-woman exhibit in the Central Lakes College Gallery.

Blues, folk musician to perform at New York Mills art center
NEW YORK MILLS -- Blues and folk musician Ben Weaver will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday in the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center in downtown New York Mills.

Heartland Poets to meet Friday
Heartland Poets, a chapter of the League of Minnesota Poets, will gather from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday in the Brainerd Public Library for a business meeting and an "art of the critique" presentation by members.

Dinner theater to star Twain impersonator
LITTLE FALLS -- If you've booked passage at the "Party for the Arts," expect to rub shoulders with the most famous riverboat rascal of them all, and nibble down in the best Southern tradition, according to the event's sponsor.

Best books
Publishers Weekly best selling books

Fine Arts Student of the Week
Roll the tape on Jessica Scrimshaw's life story and it would open with a crescendo of xylophone, accompanied by a spray of piano.

Entertainment Calendar
For week of March 9-15; bands perform from 9 p.m. to close with no cover unless otherwise noted.

Motley-Staples Middle School to perform play
STAPLES -- The Motley-Staples Middle School will present "The Beverly Hillbillies," a comedy in three acts, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Centennial Auditorium in Staples.

Brainerd Art Club seeks artists for Spring Expos
Members of the Brainerd Art Club and the Crow Wing County Historical Society present the seventh annual Spring Expos open to all artists in the area and greater Minnesota.

Staples men's, women's choruses to celebrate freedom
STAPLES -- The Staples Area Men's and Women's choruses are gearing up for another show celebrating freedom and independence.

Great River Strings Ensemble to perform at area churches
The Great River Strings Ensemble, directed by Richard Aulie of Crosby, will perform "Spring Symphony," featuring music of Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, Mahler and others plus Irish and Gaelic music in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Canadian violinist to perform
Erika Raum, described as "one of Canada's most talented young string players," is the next featured artist in the Lakes Area Concert Association season.

Book makes making millions sound easy
Thomas J. Stanley's "The Millionaire Mind'' (Andrews McMeel, $16.95) is worth every cent.

Area choirs to be featured in 'It's Good To Sing' event
Area choirs will be on stage for "It's Good To Sing" at 8 p.m. Friday at Tornstrom Auditorium, hosted by the Harmony Engineers.

Best movies
Weekly charts for the nation's most popular videos as they appear in next week's issue of Billboard magazine. Reprinted with permission:

C-I junior high school bands to give annual end of winter concert
CROSBY -- The Crosby-Ironton Junior High School Bands, directed by Bruce Femling, will present their annual end of winter concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Mayberry Auditorium.

Tempo tidbits
Brainerd High School alum Tom Schmid is at it again. He's the guy who dumped his successful legal career in New York a year or so ago for a chance to get his name in lights.

Best music
Billboard Hot 100

National juried art show to open in St. Cloud
ST. CLOUD -- A national juried art show that opens at the Paramount Arts District on Friday attempts to answer the question, "What is Art?"

Celebrate country's ethnic roots at Heritage Festival
The Brainerd area's ethnic roots will be harvested Saturday for Heritage Festival 2000, the biannual celebration sponsored by Brainerd Community Education.

Family center to open in Pequot Lakes
PEQUOT LAKES -- The large rooms are gutted with wires dangling from the ceiling. Old weightlifting equipment from Pequot Swim and Fitness is piled high, along with other odd assorted furniture and construction supplies.

Emily Charter School sets kindergarten roundup, screening
EMILY -- Screening and roundup dates for Emily Charter School's multiage kindergarten class for the 2000-2001 school year have been set.

Big type, short words explain kids' illnesses
Following medical advice is often not easy, but for people who have trouble reading, it can be especially difficult. A new book by two nurses is designed to help parents with low literacy skills.

Emily-Outing-Fifty Lakes Laker Lions host sled races
OUTING -- Despite rain, wind, lack of snow and fog, the Emily-Outing-Fifty Lakes Laker Lions Ice LeMans Snowmobile Races were held Feb. 26 on Roosevelt Lake in Outing.

Sidewalk designs
Samantha Schwanke (left), 10, and Bailey Newland, 10, used sidewalk chalk to create colorful designs on the Pequot Lakes Elementary School playground Monday afternoon. (Dispatch Photo by Jodie Tweed)

Lakes area news
Collette Wagner, chair of the Nisswa Women's Club, announced the 17th annual Nisswa Women's Club Fashion Show will be Tuesday, May 30, at Madden's Conference Center.

Wrestlers' reflections
PINE RIVER -- It didn't go as they would have liked, but three Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus wrestlers said it was worth it just to make it to the state wrestling tournament.

Lakes area events
Watercolor workshop with Gerald Korte, Midwest Watercolor Society signature member, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Pine River-Backus High School. Cost: $25 to Pine River-Backus Community Education, c/o Lyn Nickisch, 9260 Edgewater Circle, Pequot Lakes, MN 56472. Call 562-4364 for more information.

Brainerd forecast
Tonight...Partly cloudy and cold. Lows zero to 5 above. Light northeast wind.

Great Lakes cooled
A weakening storm system packing snow and gusty winds pulled away from the northern Plains and into the Great Lakes region early today while clouds and rain stretched into the Northeast.

East remains warm
Two storm fronts west of the Mississippi River lumbered over California and the northern Plains today while an unseasonably warm day dawned over the East.

Around the nation
Albany,N.Y. 59 34 cdy

It's back
Weather drawing by Daniel Smith in the Lowell third grade of Mrs. Wig.

Wishful thinking
Weather drawing by Natasha Loving in the Lincoln third grade of Mrs. Ahlers.

Storm hits Plains
Thunderstorms and blizzard conditions raked the Plains early Thursday, stranding travelers on snow-covered interstates, toppling mobile homes and peeling up roofs.

Brainerd forecast
Tonight...Some early evening thunderstorms...Then windy with rain changing to snow. Snow heavy at times. Accumulations of 4 to 8 inches possible. Lows around 20. North wind 20 to 30 mph. Precipitation chance 80 percent.

Lakes area escapes brunt of storm
Brainerd and much of Minnesota were spared from the snowstorm Wednesday that passed the area and hit most of Wisconsin.

Around the nation
Albany,N.Y. 66 45 rn

Pro-choice grandma cites early tragedy, later joy
DEAR ABBY: I am a 70-year-old Republican woman. I attended high school with fewer than 300 students in the late '40s. Two young women died of botched abortions, devastating their families and friends. (Abortions were illegal then.)

What's doing
The Cuyuna Range Men's Softball league is forming. An organizational meeting will be 7 p.m. Thursday at Ironton Fire Department. Those interested in playing or having a team and cannot attend the meeting, call Jeremy French at 546-8197 or 838-3391.

Frequent family weekends wearing out stepmother
DEAR ABBY: I am 57. Two years ago, I married a widower with four grown children. This is my second marriage. We moved to Louisville when my husband accepted a lucrative job here.