Local briefs

Lane closures scheduled for Highway 10 in St. Cloud began Friday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported.

The closures will affect east and westbound lanes. The eastbound lanes will be worked on until Sept. 18 and the work on the westbound lanes is expected from Sept. 21 until early October. Northern Lines Railroad will also be working on their tracks crossing Highway 10 so eastbound traffic will be switched to westbound lanes on the highway.

Once the railroad finishes its work on the eastbound lanes, crews will close the westbound lanes and switch traffic onto the eastbound lanes to complete the repairs.

Crews will then remove the temporary bypass, which will require inside lane closures. This work will be conducted from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

The completion date for this work is Nov. 13.

For updated statewide traffic, construction, weather and travel information, visit www.511mn.org.

Minn. secretary of state to speak on 'Thinking Outside the Ballot Box'

Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie will deliver a presentation entitled "Thinking Outside the Ballot Box" at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22 in the Central Lakes College cafeteria in Brainerd. The meeting is open to the public.

Following the presentation, he will take questions from the audience as time permits until 7 p.m. Coffee will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the program will begin promptly at 6 p.m.

The League of Women Voters Brainerd Lakes Area and the Brainerd Dispatch are sponsors of the event. The topic "Thinking Outside the Ballot Box" is one used by the League as it explores options for voting in Minnesota. The Brainerd Lakes League has specifically asked Secretary Ritchie to discuss how a so-called early voting process might work in Minnesota and whether or not a presidential primary should replace the caucus system in Minnesota. He also has been asked to briefly address the recent re-count for the U.S. Senate race and comment on lessons learned from that process.

MSA scholarship program seeking students

Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl recently announced the beginning of the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association scholarship program for 2009.

The MSA has established a scholarship fund totaling $9,000 for the awarding of up to 15 $600 scholarships for the year. This is possible due to the coordinated efforts of the 87 sheriffs of the state of Minnesota.

MSA members give special recognition to the financial needs of students attending the mandated peace officers skills course or two/or four year law enforcement degree school. The scholarship committee, in making its selection of awards, intends to achieve representation from all geographical areas of the state. Applications will be received until Nov. 1 of each year, with scholarships being awarded by Dec. 31 of the same year.

Scholarships are only available to students currently enrolled in one of the following categories: Mandated post skills program; in their second year of a two-year law enforcement program; and in their third or fourth year of a four-year college criminal justice course. In order to qualify, students must have completed at least one year of a two-year program or two years of a four-year program.

Application forms and a statement of procedures are available at the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office. Students meeting this criteria also can obtain a scholarship application form online at www.mnsheriffs.org.

Special Olympics to gain from eatery fundraiser

Erbert & Gerbert's restaurant in Brainerd is donating $1 for every sub sold Thursday to Special Olympics, for dining in or delivery.

Mississippi Headwaters board meeting changed

BACKUS - The time and place of the Mississippi Headwaters Board meeting has been changed to 1 p.m. Friday at the Cass County Government Building in Backus.