Wednesday, May 8, 2002

Minnesota schools suspend thousands annually
ST. PAUL (AP) -- Public schools in Minnesota hand out formal punishments to tens of thousands of students each year. Regardless of the incident or the age of the student, the penalty is nearly always the same: an out-of-school suspension.

HINTS FROM HELOISE
Dear Heloise: We serve a lot of meals with ground beef or turkey, such as spaghetti or tacos. We purchase family packs and package it in 1- to 2-pound lumps or loaves in plastic bags and then freeze it for later use.

DEAR ABBY
DEAR ABBY: A year ago, I led a picture-perfect life. I was a junior at a prestigious university, an All-American wrestler, in a wonderful relationship with my fiancee, "Libby," the father of a handsome 19-month-old son, driving a luxury car and living in a three-bedroom home. All of that came to an end. I was living two lives. One part of me was an honor student, loving boyfriend and father. The other was a violent drug dealer.

HINTS FROM HELOISE
Dear Heloise: Recently, you had a hint about putting your name and address, along with your travel dates, on a sticker outside and inside your luggage. I would not recommend this. Consider this: Any baggage handler at your home airport will know your address and how long you will be gone. Perfect opportunity for a theft!

DEAR ABBY
DEAR ABBY: The letter from "Hurting in Virginia," the distraught widow who discovered her previously married husband still carried snapshots of his first wife in his wallet, resonated with me. She feared that it meant he was still in love with his first wife.

Cash grain
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Wheat receipts Monday 27, a year ago 147.

Livestock
SOUTH ST. PAUL (AP) (USDA) -- Monday cattle: 400. Last Monday: 310. Year Ago Monday: 279. Friday actual: 463.

Have a complaint?
The Minnesota News Council is an independent organization that examines citizens complaints alleging inaccuracy, unfairness or unethical conduct by the media.

Let Minnesota's state legislators hear your voice
Rep. Dale Walz, R-Brainerd, District 12A

Golf shorts
The fourth annual Habitat for Humanity golf tournament is scheduled 1 p.m. June 2 at Irish Hills.

Twilight League
Dondelinger remains in the lead at the men's Twilight Golf League at Pine Meadows thanks to a 7-5 win over Mills Motors May 2.

Flyer boys 4th, Warriors 5th
ST. CLOUD -- The Brainerd Warriors boys' golf team shot a season-low 327 and finished fifth in the 20-team St. Cloud Apollo Invitational Monday at the Fairways Golf Club.

Hills takes top honors at GRC meet
ONAMIA -- Aitkin's Brian Hills shot a blistering 37 to capture medalist honors at a Great River Conference meet at Izaty's Golf Club Monday. The Gobblers captured second place with a team score of 170.

Virnig paces Pierz in golf
ANNANDALE -- Doug Virnig shot a 5-over-par 77 to help the Pierz Pioneers boys' golf team to a third-place finish at the Annandale Invitational Monday.

Tip from a pro
The best defense when playing the wind is course management, and the No. 1 thought should be "Keep the ball in play."

'I get enjoyment seeing people hit the ball like they can'
DEERWOOD -- Dawn Iverson has mowed fairways, scheduled tee times and done almost everything involved with the golf business.

Gobblers finish runner-up
ONAMIA -- The Aitkin Gobblers girls' golf team placed second with a score of 214 at a Great River Conference meet at Izaty's Golf Club Monday.

Stangl leads Pierz girls
KIMBALL -- Diane Stangl led the Pierz Pioneers girls' golf team to victory shooting a round of 50 in a Central Minnesota Conference meet at Kimball.

Little Falls 3rd, Brainerd 6th in CLC girls' golf meet at Willmar
WILLMAR -- The Little Falls Flyers placed third shooting a 204, while the Brainerd Warriors placed sixth with a 222 at the first of two Central Lakes Conference girls' golf meets Monday in Willmar.

Treasury secretary warns about government default on national debt
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress needs to extend the government's authority to borrow or risk an unprecedented default on the national debt, something that would cast a cloud over U.S. securities, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill warned Wednesday.

Placebo effective against depression
After thousands of studies, hundreds of millions of prescriptions and tens of billions of dollars in sales, two things are certain about pills that treat depression: Antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft work. And so do sugar pills.

FDA clears new device to target radiation in breast cancer patients
WASHINGTON (AP) -- More women who have a cancerous lump removed from a breast may soon have a new option for follow-up treatment: a way to radiate just the tumor site instead of the whole breast.

A third of women delayed seeking health care because of costs, survey finds
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A third of women have health conditions that require continual treatment, yet nearly a quarter of women said they delayed or went without health care in the past year because they couldn't afford it, a new study says.

Study bolsters link between breast-feeding, adult intelligence
CHICAGO -- Breast-fed babies may grow up to be smarter adults, according to research that bolsters the evidence linking nursing and intelligence.

May Township residents make appeal for improved road
LEADER -- Residents who live along or depend upon 61st Street as their main access to Highway 210 appealed to the county board Tuesday for help in getting May Township to improve their road.

4-H then and now: It concentrates on both rural and suburban families
NEW YORK (AP) -- To the millions of people who live in rural America, 4-H is a part of life. It's how children learn about livestock and get their first taste of community service.

CLC is second college in state to have 3-D printer
STAPLES -- The revolution is here. Central Lakes College knows it.

Fieldwork going well in southern Minnesota, more slowly in north
ST. PAUL (AP) -- Fieldwork is progressing well in southern Minnesota but is going slowly in the north, the Minnesota Agricultural Statistics Service said Monday.

American Indian Month celebrated with powwow, arts and crafts, dancing
ONAMIA -- In celebration of American Indian Month, Grand Casino Mille Lacs hosted the fifth annual American Indian Month Powwow and Arts and Crafts Show last weekend, including traditional dance demonstrations and handmade Indian items on display.

Rep. Luther weighs options
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After a trying year, Rep. Bill Luther faces the toughest decision of his political career.

Attorney suggests Cass County Comprehensive Plan require buffer zones around shooting ranges
LEADER -- Pine River attorney Ted Lundrigan offered suggested changes to the county board Tuesday for the proposed, revised private land use section of the Cass County Comprehensive Plan.

CLC student is captain of U.S. hockey team
STAPLES -- Before U.S. hockey athlete Karl Stuemke takes to the ice, he changes arms.

Value of new construction in Cass County nearly doubles in past five years
LEADER -- The value of new construction in Cass County last year was nearly double that of five years earlier, Cass County Assessor Steve Kuha told the county board Tuesday.

Bigger Aitkin hospital is just what the doctor ordered
AITKIN -- A parking space at the Riverwood HealthCare Center in Aitkin is hard to come by at times since there are only 18 parking spaces for visitors to the hospital and adjacent nursing home.

CLC students, staff honored at Awards Day
Central Lakes College recognized the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff and organizations last Thursday at the Brainerd campus Awards Day.

Area briefs
CROSBY -- The Crosby-Ironton Senior Citizens Club will hold its monthly meeting and potluck at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Cuyuna Range Community Center in Crosby.

Countywide, calls to Cass sheriff's department have decreased
LEADER -- Cass County Sheriff Randy Fisher told the county board Tuesday about the number of calls for service his department has received the last decade.

Cass to close gravel pit to use by ATVs and dirt bikes
LEADER -- The Cass County Board voted Tuesday to permanently close a county owned gravel pit to all-terrain vehicle and dirt bike rallying in the Spider Lake area.

Retraining grant set for Potlatch workers
More than 600 Potlatch employees will receive assistance from the Minnesota Dislocated Worker Program to find a new place in the workforce.

Impact statement nearly done for U.S. 169
BAXTER -- An Environmental Impact Statement for improvements on U.S. 169 is nearing completion, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported.

Coleman to open fishing season on Whitefish chain
Senate hopeful Norm Coleman will open the 2002 fishing season on the Whitefish chain of lakes.

POTLATCH POWWOW
The Brainerd Potlatch Mill could close as early as Monday if the sales contract with Sappi Limited is signed, but officials cannot confirm that date yet.

Shingobee sewer project discussed
LEADER -- Because all county board appointees except three have resigned or refused appointment to Shingobee Island Sewer Board until legal issues concerning the board have been resolved, Cass County Board voted Tuesday to give the sewer board a choice of three options for the county board to act upon.

Cass briefs
WALKER -- Donna Witham of Hackensack is one of four people who filed for election as of 2 p.m. Tuesday to fill the Cass County Board District 3 vacancy created when her husband, Glenn, died April 22.

Park director used to taking on challenges
Accepting the Crow Wing County park director position is not the first challenge Michael Kearns has ever taken on in his lifetime.

Former UPI owner Johnson seeks tax abatement for proposed office building
BAXTER -- The developer of a proposed three-story office building is seeking tax abatement from the city of Baxter.

District 4 DFLers meet May 19
DFLers in Senate District 4 will conduct their endorsement convention at Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School May 19.

Baxter approves road project
BAXTER -- The Baxter City Council Tuesday approved a mill and overlay project for business roads east of Highway 371.

Sen. Samuelson describes his efforts to lessen impact
Sen. Don Samuelson said he asked if there could be a more gentle phase-out at Potlatch versus a quick mill closing once a sales agreement is signed.

Think-Off
Four finalists have been selected to debate this year's Great American Think-Off question. Look for the story Thursday in Tempo.

What about Cass County?
Will the name of the Brainerd-Crow Wing County Regional Airport ever change?

Schools discuss suspension policies
Out-of-school suspension in the state is not new.

Bonds OK's for new airport runway City residents will pay more than those living in county
Brainerd will participate in funding a new airport runway, but city officials are hoping to change a system that has city residents paying more for the airport.

Local briefs
About 150 Crow Wing Power customers along part of Crow Wing County Road 8, including the north and east side of Nokay Lake, Eagle Lake, west side of Clearwater Lake and Placid Lake, will experience a power interruption Thursday because of power line maintenance.

No decision yet on Wise Road issue
No decision yet has been made by the Brainerd City Council on a request to rezone property on the Wise Road from rural residential to general business.

Correction/clarification
The name of a church and the last name of a first husband were listed incorrectly in an obituary for Lena I. Meinhardt on Page 5A Sunday.

Brainerd physical education teacher receives award
A Brainerd High School physical education teacher was awarded a Minnesota Award of Excellence today at Madden's on Gull Lake.

Searchers find jacket that may belong to missing man Hess
A jacket matching the description of the one owned by a missing Brainerd man was found during a search in east Brainerd Monday.

Cass County, union reach agreement
LEADER -- The Cass County Board and the health and human services unit of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have reached a compromise agreement, averting a strike.

YMCA's aquatic center to make a splash
Nearly a year after ground was broken for the Brainerd Family YMCA's new aquatic center, the facility is ready for splash ratings from swimmers.

Bena grocery store destroyed
BENA -- Cass County authorities are investigating a fire that destroyed Bena Grocery today.

This was Brainerd
MAY 7 - 30 years ago (1972) - Brainerd High School seniors will likely be casting votes this week to decide whether they want to wear caps and gowns at commencement exercises.

DNR announces partial lifting of spring fire restrictions
The DNR announced Tuesday that open burning restrictions in Anoka, Benton, Chisago, Isanti and Sherburne counties will be lifted at midnight Wednesday.

NP Center would sell building to city
The Northern Pacific Center has thrown its hat into the city's space needs ring.

COMING WEDNESDAY
Community members were invited to a public meeting tonight about the Potlatch Brainerd mill closing.

This was Brainerd
MAY 8 - 30 years ago (1972) - Gerald Vanek, a Hopkins native who has built a 125-30 record in high school basketball coaching at Wood Lake and Renville, is the new cage mentor of the Brainerd High School Warriors succeeding "Corky" Johnson.

Enron directors blame executives, Andersen
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Directors of bankrupt Enron Corp., under scrutiny by a Senate investigative panel, said Tuesday that executives of the company and its auditor Arthur Andersen hid from them the information they needed to exercise oversight and deal with problems.

Troops return from Tora Bora with DNA samples of Afghan dead
BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) -- Canadian troops and U.S. forensic experts returned from the former al-Qaida stronghold at Tora Bora on Tuesday with DNA samples they hope will identify some of those killed there by U.S. bombs late last year.

Documents reflecting market rigging by Enron rattle energy industry
WASHINGTON -- Documents showing Enron Corp. sought to rig energy prices in California escalated pressure Tuesday for a wider investigation of energy market manipulation, sending tremors through the industry.

Republican committee sues to overturn campaign finance law
WASHINGTON -- The Republican National Committee, which usually operates as a political arm of the White House, filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday seeking to overturn major portions of the landmark campaign finance legislation signed by President Bush.

Bush intends to name Clinton to delegation
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush intends to include former President Clinton in a U.S. delegation to the May 20 celebration of independence for East Timor.

Bush administration nullifies approval of U.N. criminal court
UNITED NATIONS -- Unilateralism is back -- or at least that's what critics of two new Bush administration initiatives here contend.

U.S. soldier dies in accident during military exercise in the Czech Republic
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) -- A U.S. soldier died during a training exercise in the western Czech Republic, an Army spokesman said Wednesday.

Worker productivity shoots up 8.6 percent
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Worker productivity, a key ingredient to the economy's long-term vitality, shot up at an annual rate of 8.6 percent in the first quarter, the best performance in nearly 19 years.

Growing price tag for farm bill fuels critics as final Senate vote nears
WASHINGTON -- The price tag for a new farm bill is rising because of slumping commodity prices, bringing new criticism for the election-year legislation even before it becomes law.

Judge orders Cardinal Law to answer questions
BOSTON (AP) -- Fearing Boston's top Roman Catholic leader might soon leave for Rome, a judge ordered Cardinal Bernard F. Law to answer questions about the diocese's handling of a pedophile priest whose case helped trigger the recent crisis facing the church.

Pipe bomb found in Colorado raises fears domestic terror is moving West
SALIDA, Colo. (AP) -- The discovery of a pipe bomb in a Colorado mailbox that appears similar to 16 others found in three Midwestern states has left authorities fearful that the march of terrorism has moved westward.

Justice Department reverses long-held stance, urges broad right to bear arms
WASHINGTON -- Reversing decades of Justice Department policy, the Bush administration has told the Supreme Court for the first time that it believes the Constitution protects an individual's right to possess firearms.

Andersen agrees to settle Baptist group's civil cases by paying $217 million
PHOENIX (AP) -- The $217 million settlement between Arthur Andersen LLP and the Baptist Foundation of Arizona marks the end of a topsy-turvy ride for investors who lost millions of dollars after a bankruptcy blamed in part on inadequate auditing.

Incumbents lose in Ohio and Indiana as new redistricting affects primary elections
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- A freshman state senator grabbed the Democratic nomination from eight-term U.S. Rep. Tom Sawyer during a day of primaries that also saw one of Indiana's sitting Republican congressmen eliminated.

Storms bring more problems for flooded Appalachia
WELCH, W.Va. (AP) -- Thunderstorms that moved into central West Virginia killed at least one person and created the potential for more misery in a region trying to recover from last week's deadly floods.

Cracks, hole trigger doubts about nuclear plant inspections
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Severe cracks found at one nuclear power reactor and the stunning discovery of a hole that nearly breached the six-inch steel dome of another facility are raising new questions about aging nuclear plants and whether they are being inspected closely enough.

Man who called himself 'Dr. Chaos' accused of committing 53 acts of vandalism
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A man who called himself "Dr. Chaos" and was accused of storing cyanide in the Chicago subways was charged Tuesday with committing 53 acts of vandalism in Wisconsin.

Podium used by president to address nation after Sept. 11 attacks mistakenly sold as surplus property
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The podium President Bush used while addressing the nation after the Sept. 11 terror attacks was mistakenly sold as surplus property for $75 to a high school in rural Arkansas.

Retired priest Shanley pleads not guilty to child rape charges
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Retired priest Paul Shanley, accused of shocking crimes in a sex abuse crisis that has rocked the Catholic church, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to three counts of child rape.

Spurs even series with LA
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- If the Los Angeles Lakers held a psychological advantage over the San Antonio Spurs -- and that's up for debate -- they don't anymore.

Seattle Slew showed his greatness on and off the track
A great horse died Tuesday in Kentucky, a horse who will live richly in the memories of anyone who saw him race, one animal whose influence will be felt for many decades. The operative word here is "great," because we have seen few horses in recent years who merit the title.

Seeing red: Griffey angry with hometown treatment
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Ken Griffey Jr. didn't want to talk about his injured knee -- or much of anything else. The terse answers suggested he was seething about something.

Defense lets Johnson down
Randy Johnson can be beaten, especially when the Diamondbacks' defense breaks down.

AL leaders
BATTING--Damon, Boston, .360.

Mavericks rally past Sacramento
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Steve Nash wasn't just running the floor for the Dallas Mavericks. He might as well have been the ringleader of a circus.

Blues show Red Wings
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Giving up five goals was bad enough for Dominik Hasek. Doing it while facing just 16 shots was worse.

Watching video helps Sharks' Nolan
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- A hard lesson from videotape brought Sharks captain Owen Nolan to life in the playoffs.

Jordan fuels LA
Brian Jordan homered twice in his return to Atlanta. But Gary Sheffield, the player the Braves got for Jordan in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, made it a very long night at Turner Field.

June S. Boyer
PEQUOT LAKES -- June Shirley Boyer, 69, Pequot Lakes, died Monday, May 6, 2002, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

Martha E. Lowe
HENRIETTE -- Martha Ellen Lowe, 71, Henriette, died Monday, May 6, 2002, at home.

Minnie Lampert
ELMDALE -- Minnie Lampert, 91, Elmdale, died Monday, May 6, 2002, at St. Cloud Hospital as the result of injuries from a motor vehicle accident.

Reymunda Bautista
STAPLES -- Reymunda Bautista, 82, Motley, died today, May 7, 2002, at Greater Staples Care Center in Staples.

Walter 'Walt' J. Bunte
PINE RIVER -- Walter "Walt" J. Bunte, 84, Pine River, died Monday, May 6, 2002, at home.

Winsome 'Winnie' Christenson
AITKIN -- Winsome "Winnie" Christenson, 71, Aitkin, died Monday, May 6, 2002, at Riverwood Extended Care Center in Aitkin.

Roger F. Matheson
Roger F. Matheson, 86, Brainerd, died Sunday, May 5, 2002, at Woodland Good Samaritan Village in Brainerd.

Idell 'Granny' Gjerde
FORT RIPLEY -- Idell "Granny" Gjerde, 92, Fort Ripley, died Sunday, May 5, 2002, at St. Gabriel's Hospital in Little Falls.

OTHER OPINIONS Clean air victory
The U.S. District Court in Washington on Friday boosted efforts to cut dangerous pollution from diesel-powered trucks and buses. A three-judge federal panel unanimously upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's tough new diesel rules, which will require new tractor-trailers and other heavy-duty diesel vehicles to cut their emissions by 90 percent beginning in 2007.

Catholic periodicals laud church scandal coverage
This is the dark night of American Catholicism's communal soul.

Open Forum
On Friday, April 12, 2002, there was a military coup in Venezuela. The army installed a n

No easy answers
It is certainly not wrong to question bias in the media, as Steven Lastovich did in a recent guest column for The Dispatch. Nor is it wrong to register support for increased U.S. assistance to Israel.

PUC's reserves
The plan, which was supported in concept by the Brainerd City Council, calls for the PUC to pay the debt on a bond issue not to exceed $2.87 million for the city projects.

Vox Pop
Vox Pop, voice of the people, publishes Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. To call in a comment, dial 829-2900 or 1-800-547-2909 then enter code 8008. To e-mail a comment, write to voxpop@brainerddispatch.com.

With the military
Scott K. Montgomery, son of Marvin and Lorraine Montgomery, Brainerd, recently received the highest promotion an enlisted person can achieve, the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9). Master Chief Montgomery is a 1977 graduate of

McGehee still believer in 'soft' walls despite injuries
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- At first, it appeared "soft" walls would allow Robby McGehee to walk away from his hard crash almost unscathed.

Farmington driver charged with vehicular homicide
HASTINGS (AP) -- A Farmington driver has been charged in a passenger's death after his car ran off a road and overturned in a pond in Eagan.

State man held in mailbox bombings
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- After a five-day spate of pipe bombings that had rural Americans nervously eyeing their mailboxes, the suspect's own father and an alert motorist led to the arrest of a 21-year-old college student who majored in art and sang in a punk band called Apathy.

Two dead after canoe capsizes in SE Minnesota
ORONOCO (AP) -- Two men died but another man survived after a canoe overturned on Lake Zumbro in southeastern Minnesota.

Fingerhut talks fizzle
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Two investors said they're still interesting in buying Fingerhut after negotiations between a leading investor group and Federated Department Stores broke off.

Moe talks about work left for legislators
ST. PAUL (AP) -- Fresh from winning the DFL Party's endorsement for governor, Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe returned to the Capitol Monday to set about culling his must-do list before the Legislature can adjourn.

Two injured as storms hit state
Two men were hospitalized in fair condition Monday with injuries stemming from high winds and thunderstorms that struck Minnesota on Sunday evening.

Tigers get first baseball triumph, edge Pillager
PINE RIVER --The Pine River-Backus Tigers got their first win by defeating the Pillager Huskies 10-8 in a Park Region Conference game Tuesday.

Aulie, Soukup lose in Upper Midwest semis
Ricky Aulie of Crosby and Dan Soukup of Pine River lost in the semifinals of the Upper Midwest Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament Sunday at Grand Casino Hinckley.

Hawks squeak past Gobblers
HERMANTOWN --The Hermantown Hawks narrowly defeated the Aitkin Gobblers 4-3 in non-conference tennis on Tuesday.

Pohlkamp leads Pierz past Rangers in softball action
PIERZ -- Kayla Pohlkamp crossed home plate four times to help the Pierz Pioneers beat the Crosby-Ironton Rangers 11-8 in non-conference softball Monday.

Girls' true team champs still up in (soggy) air
Faced with weather conditions that postponed many area sporting events, the Warriors girls' track and field team endured 15 events in weather resembling late October rather thanMay at the Section 8, Class 2A True Team meet at Don Adamson Field.

BHS softball team loses twice at DL
DETROIT LAKES -- The Brainerd Warriors softball team dropped two out of three games at the Detroit Lakes Invitational Monday.

Cardinals gain split in softball
PARK RAPIDS -- The Staples-Motley Cardinals earned a split against Mid-State Conference foe Park Rapids Tuesday, winning the first game 3-2 and falling 2-1 in the second.

Gulls sign Cornhuskers
The Brainerd Mighty Gulls of the Northwoods League announced Monday the signing of two players from the University of Nebraska.

Raiders clinch playoff spot with win
WILLMAR -- Needing to win at least one game in order to get into this weekend's Region 13 tournament, the Central Lakes College Raiders softball team fought off the elements and the Ridgewater Warriors to come away with a 8-5 victory. The second game was canceled due to weather.

Local sports shorts
Brainerd's Mike Zauhar is one of five high seniors who has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Minnesota High School Coaches Association.

Thompson to speak to boosters club
Brainerd Warriors boys' tennis coach Bruce Thompson will be the speaker at the Brainerd Sports Boosters Club meeting, which begins noon Thursday at the Sharing Bread Soup Kitchen.

Scoreboard
high school BASEBALL

Scoreboard
GIRLS GOLF

C-I Sports Boosters tournament June 30
CROSBY -- The Crosby-Ironton Rangers Sports Boosters will host their second annual golf tournament 1 p.m. June 30 at the Cuyuna Country Club in Deerwood.

Boushee in line to become Pillager AD
This might be Dan Boushee's most memorable year.

Roberts leads Warriors to early third place
Battling poor weather conditions, meet officials at the Section 8, Class 2A True Team track and field meet Tuesday decided to postpone the pole vault and triple jump for safety reasons.

Girls' softball skills clinic postponed
The Brainerd Parks and Recreation Department postponed the girls' softball skills clinic that was set for today.

Twins' bullpen does the job
MINNEAPOLIS -- With his bullpen unexpectedly strong this season, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire could afford to be cautious with starter Rick Reed.

Burnett rejects Minnesota women's basketball job
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The front-runner for the Minnesota women's basketball coaching job has withdrawn.

Royals pick up win for Mizerock
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- If the Kansas City Royals had had more starts like this in the past few seasons, Tony Muser might still be around.

Baseball owners suggest collusion
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Attorneys for Major League Baseball are accusing a sports commission and a local newspaper of having a secret alliance to keep the Minnesota Twins from being disbanded.

Plant a seed of inspiration for children's outdoor play
Being able to play outside in spring and summer is one of the simple joys of childhood.

Winning Pequot Lakes students share their poems
First place

Crosby woman to mark 100th birthday
CROSBY -- Lillian Trevett, a resident of Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Care Center in Crosby, will turn 100 on May 11.

Pequot Lakes students submit poems for contest
PEQUOT LAKES -- Fun Books for Kids and Pequot Lakes elementary school teachers and English teachers worked together in April to promote National Poetry Month at Pequot Lakes School.

Area briefs
CROSSLAKE -- A Fishing Opener Bake Sale will run 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., or until sold out, Friday at the Crosslake-Fifty Lakes American Legion Post 500.

Wisconsin state forecast
Winter weather advisory far northwest wisconsin today and tonight...

Fishing
Weather drawing by Zach Shepersky of Gayle Kub's first grade class at Lowell school.

Iowa state forecast
Flood watch tonight and wednesday over eastern and far southeastern iowa...

Minnesota state forecast
Winter storm watch tonight into wednesday night far northwest...

State forecast for North Dakota
Winter storm watch tonight and wednesday...

State forecast for North Dakota
Winter storm warning northwest and north central today...

The 's' word is in the forecast, and it's not 'spring'
Residents in the Brainerd lakes area could be seeing up to 1 inch of snow tonight.

State forecast for South Dakota
Wind advisory northwest this afternoon and evening...

State forecast for South Dakota
Winter storm watch far northwest tonight...

Iowa state forecast
Flood watch today a portion of eastern iowa...

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...Mostly cloudy this morning...Becoming partly sunny this afternoon. Highs from the mid 40s far north to the mid 60s southwest.

Minnesota state forecast
Snow and winter weather advisories for northern minnesota tonight through thursday morning...

Spring
Weather drawing by Kellie Fenske of Mr. Trucano's fourth grade class at Baxter school.

Names and faces
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Anna Kournikova is suing Penthouse magazine's parent company over topless pictures that the magazine published and misidentified as snapshots of the tennis star, her managers say.

Names and faces
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jewel says it will be "a little weird" to be without her guitar when she starts her European tour next week.

Airline says all 112 aboard Chinese airliner are dead after crash
DALIAN, China -- All 112 people aboard a jetliner that crashed into the sea off China's northeastern coast are dead, the airline announced Wednesday as rescuers in boats gave up a search for survivors that had lasted through the night.

Italy refuses to accept militants; standoff drags on
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) -- Israel and the Palestinians say they have a deal to end the confrontation at the Church of the Nativity, but with Italy refusing to accept 13 Palestinian militants who have agreed to go into exile, the 5-week-old standoff dragged on Wednesday.

Israel, Palestinians agree on broad terms to end standoff
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) -- Israel and the Palestinians on Tuesday agreed on broad terms for ending a 36-day standoff at the Church of the Nativity, including the deportation of 13 suspected militants holed up inside, but said a few technical problems still needed to be resolved.

French premier to name conservative government
PARIS (AP) -- France's new prime minister is counting on the first conservative Cabinet in five years to win back voters in time for parliamentary elections next month.

Israel prepares tough response to Palestinian suicide bombing of pool hall
JERUSALEM -- Israel prepared a tough response to a Palestinian suicide bombing in a suburban pool hall, weighing options including a large-scale military operation and expelling Yasser Arafat. The Palestinian leader, meanwhile, said Wednesday he was ready to wage "war against terrorism."

Survivor reports sparks, jolt before plane crash in Tunisia that killed 15
TUNIS, Tunisia -- A survivor said she felt a jolt and saw sparks flash through the cabin before an EgyptAir flight crashed on landing in Tunisia, killing 15 people.

General Assembly condemns Israeli action in Palestinian areas, rejection of mission
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. General Assembly voted to condemn Israel's assault on Palestinian cities and its rejection of a U.N. fact-finding mission into its army's actions in the Jenin refugee camp.

Ten French engineers die in suicide bombing
KARACHI, Pakistan -- A suicide bomber blew up a shuttle bus parked outside a Karachi hotel Wednesday in a thunderous explosion that killed 10 French engineers and their Pakistani driver and wounded 34 other people.

Iraq resumes its oil exports
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq reported on Wednesday the resumption of crude oil exports after a stoppage of one month in solidarity with the Palestinian uprising.

Myanmar's democracy leader Suu Kyi enjoys second day of freedom
YANGON, Myanmar -- Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with Western diplomats and party leaders on Tuesday, her first full day of freedom after 19 months of house arrest. But the state media blacked out the news of her release, signaling that democracy is still a distant hope.

Assassination stuns Netherlands
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- Dutch political leaders, stunned by the assassination of an outspoken right-wing leader, decided Tuesday to go ahead with elections in eight days. The prime minister appealed for calm after the slain candidate's supporters fought with riot police near parliament.