LOCAL BRIEFS

Community Partners Research will present an overview of the recently completed Brainerd Lakes Area Housing Market Study at 1 p.m. Friday at the Chalberg Theater at Central Lakes College in Brainerd.

The study and presentation are sponsored by the Brainerd and Crow Wing County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities, Central Lakes College, the Brainerd Lakes Area Chambers of Commerce, the Brainerd Lakes Area Development Corporation, the Central Minnesota Housing Partnership and area lending institutions.

The presentation is open to the public at no charge. For more information call the Brainerd HRA at 824-3425.

3-Day walk benefits lakes area

The Brainerd Lakes Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure recently received $64,000 in proceeds from the Breast Cancer 3-Day, a fundraising event conducted across the country involving walking 60 miles over a three-day period.

The nearest 3-Day walk was in September in the Twin Cities. Numerous people from this area participated. Each raised a minimum of $2,500.

The funds will be used in Cass and Crow Wing counties to further the Komen goal of a world without breast cancer through grants to nonprofit or governmental organizations for education, screening or treatment programs.

Grant projects that have been approved for 2007 include: St. Joseph's Medical Center Foundation and Life Care Center to serve wellness needs of recent survivors, Lakewood Health Systems and Cass Lake Indian Health Systems to implement a Breast Cancer Navigator program and Crow Wing County Public Health to provide breast health education outreach including billboard ads about free mammograms.

The affiliate also funds small grants throughout the year, such as training for technologists, local health fairs, informational booths and funding prosthesis and other items for uninsured mastectomy patients. The new funds from the 3-Day will be used to fund additional grants. The guidelines and applications for these grants are available online at www.komenbrainerdlakes.org or by contacting Joanne Forrest, grants chair, at joannef@brainerd.net.

Hospice benefit eligibility presentation

BAXTER - Heartland Hospice will make a presentation from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday or noon to 2 p.m. Thursday at Diamond Willow Assisted Living in Baxter regarding what Medicare will pay with respect to hospice benefits. A pizza buffet will be served.

All nurses, social workers, seniors and family members interested in benefit eligibility for hospice should attend.

One CEU is available for social workers and nurses.

RSVP by noon Wednesday to 824-1400.

Grad Blast committee to meet

Brainerd High Grad Blast committee chairpersons will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Northwest Pizza/Boardwalk Bread and Bagel. Anyone interested in helping with Grad Blast planning is welcome. For any questions, call Jean Maaske at 825-8504 or e-mail to jmmaaske@yahoo.com.

Ward lists details of Minnesota House property tax relief bill

ST. PAUL - Rep. John Ward, DFL-Brainerd, has detailed the projected effects of a property tax relief bill being considered in the Minnesota House. If the bill becomes law, Ward said, every property owner in the state would receive significant and permanent property tax relief.

"Instead of the projected 8.9 percent property tax increase next year, this bill will provide the average Minnesotan with a property tax cut of 3.4 percent," Ward said.

The bill increases local government aid for many area cities, according to Ward's news release. Brainerd's LGA will increase by $266,781. Increased LGA amounts for other cities are Crosby, $71,174; Ironton, $46,641; and Riverton, $3,147.

Ward's statement also said the plan includes funding for buy-back and indexing of school levy aid, which will decrease the levy for each school district by the following amounts: Brainerd, $1,013,271; and Crosby-Ironton, $148,889.

Crow Wing County would receive more than $101,000 in additional funding because of additional revenue going to county program aid, according to Ward.

The first-term lawmaker cited a Department of Revenue report that the highest earners in the state pay a smaller percentage of their income in taxes than middle earners. The bill will ask the top 1 percent of earners to pay a closer percentage of their income to that being paid by middle earners, Ward said.