Saturday, September 29, 2007

BUSINESS NOTES
BAXTER - Jennifer Person, doctor of chiropractic, joined the Family Chiropractic Clinic in Baxter.

County foreclosure statistics tell the sad housing story
Foreclosures in Crow Wing County reflect some of the turmoil in the housing industry.

West Side Cafe closes; what a shame'
The stools no longer line the counter at the West Side Cafe on West Washington Street in Brainerd. The West Side Cafe recently closed its doors after decades in business.

Housing slump, credit crunch likely to slow economic activity in future
WASHINGTON - The double whammy of a worsening housing slump and a credit crunch is punching the economy in its gut. That's likely to mean a period of slower activity in the months ahead.

CORRECTION
In Diane Hoglin's recipe for Tangy Buffet Meatballs on Page 6E Thursday, an ingredient was listed incorrectly. The recipe does include 1/3 cup of chili sauce but also 1 cup of grape jelly in the sauce.

Crow Wing court
The following recently appeared in Crow Wing District Court:

SCHOOL MENUS
Brainerd

Cass court
WALKER - Elias John Swann, 30, Pine River, received a withholding of adjudication recently in Cass County District Court for felony negligent fires, was ordered to pay $40,230 restitution and placed on three years supervised probation.

CRIME
BURGLARY - A man was arrested Thursday during a home invasion/burglary on the 300 block of South 11th Street. Other charges on the matter included fourth-degree assault on a police officer and obstructing the legal process.

Crow Wing County meetings
Wednesday 9 a.m. GIS Steering Committee: Jinx Ferrari Meeting Room; 10 a.m. Bid opening annual supply of crushed rock salt; County Board Room.

Afghanistan discussion to be held Friday at library
Andrew Hook will be speaking on "Afghanistan: Development and Capacity Building" at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Brainerd Public Library.

BIRTHS
Randy and Tessa Capelle, Staples, a girl, Ava Dianne, 5 pounds, 12 ounces, Sept. 21, 2007.

Referendum opponents to meet Tuesday
People Against District 181 Referendum will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Brainerd Public Library.

One injured in collision
DEERWOOD - A 68-year-old Deerwood man was injured Wednesday after his pickup sideswiped a semi-truck on Highway 210 just east of Deerwood in Aitkin County.

SENIOR CALENDAR
LAKES AREA SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER

You, too, can be a master gardener
Interested in becoming a master gardener? If so, applications are being sought by the Crow Wing County Extension Service.

Home run
ROSBY - Fifteen 8-by-8 pillars decorated with rugged, Cobblefield Texas cream rocks hold up a 3,400-square-foot addition that boasts extraordinary living space, connecting a home - built in 1932 - to a garage and guest area where guests won't want to leave.

Kinship Partners picks up 17 new mentors
Question: What does an office manager, priest, floral designer and utility lineman have in common? Answer: They have all applied to be mentors during the Kinship Partners 100 Mentors 100 Days recruitment campaign! Kinship is currently into its fourth week of an area-wide mentor drive, which concludes Dec. 10.

WHAT'S DOING
AITKIN - The Lakes and Woods Garden Club will meet 7 p.m. Monday at the Mille Lacs Electric Cooperative meeting room in Aitkin. Marge Spiel and Lucy Stippel will present our program, Holiday Decorating. Bev Anderson and Bernice Schley will be hostesses.

Finalists named for two judicial vacancies here
Gov. Tim Pawlenty accepted the recommendations of the Commission on Judicial Selection for two Ninth Judicial District trial court bench vacancies in Brainerd.

Bank robber still being sought
The man who robbed a Garrison bank at gunpoint remained at large Saturday morning.

Chain saws considered dangerous and artistic
HACKENSACK - It takes at least year of practice to develop skills and finesse to convert from a hand carver to a chain saw artist, according to A.J. Lutter, owner of Come See What I Saw chain saw carving store on Highway 371 north of Brainerd.

Spotlight on trees
Sixth-grader Adam Nyland used a tool to bore into a tree Thursday on the Forestview Middle School grounds in Baxter. The core is extracted and read to determine the age of the tree. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls

COMING TUESDAY
Find out who is crowned Brainerd High School homecoming king and queen at Monday's coronation. Homecoming activities continue all week.

Week's activities start with coronation on Monday night
Coronation, BHS gymnasium, 7 p.m.

Lightning strikes start grass fires
An early-morning lightning show illuminated skies and started grass fires throughout the region Saturday.

Rah! Rah! for BHS
You're never too old to cheer for the hometown high school football team or to show your school spirit at the game.

COMING MONDAY IN EVERYDAY PEOPLE
For the last 50 years Bob Wallin has been honing his handyman skills by tinkering with small engines.

Luxury suite, Pillager style
Shawn (left) Anna, Cole, and Ridge Hunstad were the highest bidders for the "Best Seat in the House" at the Pillager Huskies football game Friday night in Pillager. Husky fans bid on the seat which is a couch on a cart and comes with personal attendant which happened to be 11th grader Kelly Johnson (right). The venture is a fundraiser for a New York trip for the Pillager band and choir.

Account set up for Kolstad family
LONG PRAIRIE - An account has been set up for Brad, Jordan and Dacotah Kolstad to provide financial help to them in the loss of their wife and mother, Jackie Kolstad, who died after an all-terrain vehicle accident on Sept. 15.

Meeting on polluted waters planned in Baxter
BAXTER - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is hosting an informational meeting to present a draft of the state's 2008 list of polluted waters.

COMING TUESDAY
Customers and bartenders react on the first day of Minnesota's smoking ban.

Sesquicentennial meetings planned
Past and future will come together for meetings in area counties on the Minnesota Sesquicentennial, or the celebration of 150 years of statehood, that will be marked on May 11, 2008.

This was Brainerd
The Brainerd High School Kixters won the fall Minnesota Association of Dancelines Invitational at Alexandria. The girls outpaced 12 Class AA competitions.

This was Brainerd
SEPTEMBER 28 - 40 years ago (1967) - Five Washington High School students will be attending the Central Minnesota Association of Student Councils Convention held in Alexandria. They are Emma DeRosier, Mike Lundeby, Nedra Nelson, Irene Rademacher and Marcia Widmark.

Free YMCA community day offerings
The Brainerd Family YMCA will be open to the public from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Oct. 7 as part of the community homecoming celebration.

'Embarrassed' Goble admits error
An error was discovered in Brainerd's tax rate and levy numbers, it was learned Thursday.

Justice project seeks volunteers
The Lakes Area Restorative Justice Project is seeking volunteers.

Morrison indicates its support for detention center
LITTLE FALLS - The Morrison County Board would like to see a youth detention center built in Brainerd and it made its view known Thursday.

LOCAL BRIEFS
The winners of Wednesday's Crow Wing County United Way chili cook-off are as follows:

Man holds up bank in Garrison
GARRISON - A man brandishing a handgun walked into a Garrison bank Thursday morning and robbed the teller of almost $3,000.

Overheard
"I was going to the bank to make a withdrawal but I couldn't because someone else had,

How do your pumpkins grow?
Eagleview Elementary School student Brittany Hilgers (left) showed her bench of pumpkins Thursday to students Camryn Cowle, Kathryn Miska and Megan Nelson in the courtyard of the Breezy Point school. With the help of the Pelican Lake Conservation Club, elementary students picked rocks and prepared the garden last fall. This spring the school garden was planted with 400 seedlings. Thursday 350 pumpkins and gourds along with 150 squash were sold to Eagleview students. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls

Florence M. Lennon
Florence M. Lennon, age 101, died Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007, at Bethany Good Samaritan Village in Brainerd. Florence was born on Feb. 15, 1906.

Joseph H. Joe' O'Neil
PIERZ - Joseph H. "Joe" O'Neil, age 82, of Pierz, Minn., passed away Friday, Sept. 28, 2007, at St. Benedicts Center in St. Cloud. Mass of Christian Burial is 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 1 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Pierz. Visitation is 4-8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30, at Emblom-Brenny Funeral Service in Pierz with a rosary at 4:30 p.m. and parish prayers at 7 p.m. Visitation continues Monday at the funeral home from 9-10 a.m. Arrangements are with Emblom-Brenny Funeral Service of Pierz, Minn.

Obituary policy
Obituary notices are charged at 40 cents a word, exclusive of the first 125 words, which are free. A $10 fee is charged for a half-column photograph. To place an obituary in the Dispatch, consult the funeral home handling arrangements.

Donna L. Elling
AITKIN - Donna L. Elling, 73, of Aitkin, died Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007, at Riverwood Health Care Center, Aitkin.

Donna Rudolph (Koll)
PERHAM - Donna Rudolph (Koll), age 63, of Perham, Minn., formerly of Pierz, Minn., passed away Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007, at Elder's Home in New York Mills, Minn. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at the Shelley-Virnig Funeral Chapel in Pierz, Minn., with Father Gerald Dalseth officiating.

Not quite dead yet
In 1897 American humorist Mark Twain was visiting Europe when rumors starting circulating here in America that he had died. This prompted Twain's famous telegram to his New York editors stating: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." At the Brainerd Dispatch we know how he felt.

OUR OPINION: BRAINERD HIGH
Brainerd High School's 2007 homecoming celebration promises to be a showcase event this year and it's not difficult to find conspiracy theorists who'll argue that it's all a ploy to encourage yes votes on the Nov. 6 operating levy referendum.

Continue public TV funding
In response to the Dispatch's editorial on Friday about public funding for public television, I would like to comment on several issues. Public television's mission is to educate. Many educational shows have been produced for public television that never would have been supported by commercial television.

Public TV: a highly valued service
Last Friday (Sept. 21) the Brainerd Dispatch ran a staff editorial that questioned the need for government funding for public television now that we have so many TV viewing choices with cable and direct broadcast television. While I certainly respect the Dispatch for their efforts in providing local news to the area, I disagree with its assessment here.

Open Forum
The Dispatch lead story (Taking the back door out? Sept. 17) states that Defense Secretary Gates would recommend a veto of Democratic Sen. Webb's proposal that troops be given additional rest between deployments in Iraq.

OUR OPINION: EDITORIALS
This is an editorial - a statement of this newspaper's opinion. The heading above this column reads "OUR OPINION" and it's exactly that.

VOX POP
Please all of you involved in the decision to rebuild Mill Avenue and then reroute a part of the traffic by way of Riverside Drive, take the time to drive that route. It is a very dangerous route and really should be rebuilt before it is subjected to additional traffic. Traffic accidents can be very tragic, especially when the cause is bad road repair.

AREA FISHING REPORT
Walleye action has been very good with rainbows, redtails, and shiner minnows. Gull Lake is producing the most fish in 13 to 40 feet often right off the weedlines. Pelican Lake and Whitefish Lake also have produced walleyes during the afternoon hours on the remaining weed edges.

Down to earth
WALKER - The path separated them, if only for a moment. Then, as quickly as the cyclist came upon them, one ruffed grouse bobbed across the path to the other and both disappeared into the refuge of the forest.

Up to the task
HACKENSACK - The altimeter read 1,371 feet.

Savoring the season
Here we are, nearing the end of September already. Isn't it amazing how fast the days, weeks, months and years fly by? Where does it go?

OUTDOORS NOTES
Perry Good of Brainerd earned $18,000 for finishing third among the Super Pro anglers in the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail's Optima Batteries/Berkley Pro-Am, held recently on Cass Lake.

Engagement announced - Brianna Hoheisel and Robert Deyo
Brianna Hoheisel and Robert Deyo announce their engagement. Parents are Robin Heald, Duluth, and Joe and Joni Hoheisel, Crosby, and James Deyo, Pillager, and Kim Simmon, Zimmerman. A Sept. 6, 2008, wedding is planned in Breezy Point.

Christopher Jones and Jane Anderson-Jones
Jane Anderson and Christopher Jones were married July 14, 2007, at Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life, St. Paul with Pastor Martin Hancer officiating.

30th anniversary - Robert and Stephanie (Shumway) Wilder
Robert and Stephanie (Shumway) Wilder, Baxter, formerly of Maple Park, Ill., will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary with their family. They were married Oct. 1, 1977, in Batavia, Ill.

60th anniversary - Mr. and Mrs. Veryl Roberts
Mr. and Mrs. Veryl Roberts (Doc and Viv), Brainerd, will celebrate their 60th wedding annviersary Oct. 6 with their family and friends. They were married Oct. 4, 1947, in Henning.

50th anniversary - Bill and Nancy Erickson
Bill and Nancy Erickson, Pequot Lakes, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Sept. 14, 1957, in Cloquet.

Wedding planned - Anna Brostrom and Michael Gilbert
Anna Brostrom and Michael Gilbert announce their engagement. Parents are William and Elizabeth Brostrom, Alma, Mich., and Lois Palmer, Edmore, Mich., and Douglas Gilbert, Crystal, Mich. The bride's grandparents are Paul and Myra Vrudny, Brainerd. A Nov. 10 wedding is planned in Alma, Mich.

CHRIS AND PAM WALLEY
Pam Hansen and Chris Walley were married Aug. 18, 2007, at the bride's family's home on Bay Lake with Chris Hansen officiating.

PETER AND HOLLY ALSLEBEN
Holly Trom and Peter Alsleben were married May 12, 2007, at First Lutheran Church in Blooming Prairie with Pastor Richard Hegal officiating.

Engagement announced - Randee Marquardt and Destery Dwire
Randee Marquardt and Destery Dwire announce their engagement. Parents are Richard and Darlene Marquardt, Backus, and Kirby and Cheryl Dwire, Backus. A May 31, 2008, wedding is planned in Walker.

25th anniversary - Jay and Yvonne Beebe
Jay and Yvonne Beebe, Niswa, recently celebrated their 25th wedding annversary. They were married Sept. 25, 1982, at the Camp Ripley Chapel.

50th anniversary - Walt "Bud" and Dione Lund,
Walt "Bud" and Dione Lund, Brainerd, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house from 1-5 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Trinity Lutheran Church fellowship hall, 1420 South Sixth Street, Brainerd. The event is hosted by their family.

45th anniversary - Tom and Darlene Strange
Tom and Darlene Strange, Brainerd, will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary with an open house from 2-4 p.m. Oct. 6 at Heritage Assembly of God. The event is hosted by their children and families. They were married Oct. 6, 1962, in Brainerd.

85th birthday - Jennie Hookom
Jennie Hookom, Baxter, will celebrate her 85th birthday with an open house from 1-3 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Hearth Room at Arbor Glen Apartments in Baxter. The event is hosted by her children. No gifts please. She was born Oct. 7, 1922, in Kandiyohi County.

Wedding planned - Jodi Hetland and Jon Folk
Jodi Hetland and Jon Folk announce their engagement. Parents are Deb Wonders, Motley, and Roger Thiers, Pillager, and Tim and Linda Folk, Brainerd. A Nov. 3 wedding is planned at Lutheran Church of the Cross.

80th birthday - George Thesing Jr.
George Thesing Jr. will celebrate his 80th birthday with an open house at 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Carl Thesing residence, 24208 165th Ave., Fort Ripley. No gifts please.

'Clean comedian' has a message for youths
Pep rallies and football games aside, Brainerd Area Youth Ministries has another option for area students during this homecoming season.

When no one's looking
You may have heard the story of a preacher accepting a new call to serve as pastor in a church. Some weeks after she arrived, she had an occasion to ride the city bus. This was when you paid the bus driver directly, and the driver could make change. When she sat down, she discovered that the driver had accidentally given her a quarter too much in change.

CHURCH NEWS
BAXTER - First Baptist Church in Baxter will celebrate 135 years of existence Oct. 6 and 7. On Oct. 6, there will be a concert of special music starting at 6:30 p.m. On Oct. 7, there will be a morning service with a message from our former pastor, the Rev. Richard Paige. A meal will follow the service. At 1:30 p.m., there will be a celebration service with testimonies and a message by Ben Peterson, former missionary to Brazil, who was sent by First Baptist Church.

Pequot Lakes, C-I dominate meet
McGREGOR - Clayton Foster and Kylie Beltz raced their way to victories for the Pequot Lakes Patriots in the McGregor Invitational cross country meet Thursday.

Fleet-footed Foster carrying Patriots
Clayton Foster has turned cross country into a team sport in Pequot Lakes.

D-G-F thrashes Pequot Lakes
GLYNDON - Tristan Brown rushed for 23 yards on six carries as Pequot Lakes remained winless on the season after its 41-2 defeat at the hands of Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton in Heart O'Lakes Conference football Friday.

Brainerd's Smith first at Eau Claire meet
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Brainerd's Sam Smith placed first at an Eau Claire, Wis., diving invitational Friday with a score of 351.3.

Scoreboard
Area events

Brainerd wins eighth straight
ST. CLOUD - The Brainerd Warrior girls' tennis team won its eighth straight meet Thursday by dispatching the St. Cloud Tech Tigers 5-2 in Central Lakes Conference action.

W-H-A edges LRCS 3-1
WALKER - Levi Skog's second-half goal cut Walker-Hackensack-Akeley's lead to 2-1 but Lake Region Christian School could get no closer in a 3-1 boys' soccer loss Thursday.

Binger helps Little Falls win
LITTLE FALLS - Molly Binger won the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle and was a member of the first-place 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays to help the Little Fall Flyers swimming and diving team past Holdingford 99-79 Thursday.

PR-B hunts down Ducks
PINE RIVER - In a game where any sort of offensive production was at a premium, one adjustment in Pine River-Backus' backfield made all the difference in its 12-0 victory over the Blackduck Drakes Friday.

Second-half surge sparks Warriors
ST. CLOUD - The St. Cloud Apollo Eagles had beaten the Brainerd Warriors seven times in 35 previous meetings.

W-DC ends PR-B's undefeated run
PINE RIVER - Courtney Volkmann had 30 set assists and Brigetta Berg had 16 kills for Wadena-Deer Creek in a three-game sweep over Pine River-Backus in Northwoods Conference action Thursday.

Turnovers hurt Rangers
RUSH CITY - Derek Midthun came on in relief to throw two touchdown passes and rush for another in the Crosby-Ironton Rangers 42-18 Great Polar Alliance loss to Rush City Friday.

Warriors win in OT
BAXTER - In three games since his promotion from the junior varsity, Ethan Nichols has made an impact at the varsity level.

Brainerd blanks Tech
ST. CLOUD - Kelly Rosenthal scored two goals to propel the Brainerd Warriors past the St. Cloud Tech Tigers 2-0 in Central Lakes Conference girls' soccer Thursday.

Alexandria blanks Flyers
BELLE PRAIRIE - The Little Falls girls' soccer team was shut out by Alexandria 11-0 in Central Lakes Conference play Thursday night.

Pequot Lakes defeats W-DC
PEQUOT LAKES - The Pequot Lakes Patriots swept the singles competition as they defeated the Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines 6-1 in Mid-State Conference tennis Thursday.

Klucas enjoying surprise success with AHS
Kelsey Klucas said by the second set the gig is up.

Johnson, Tech rout Little Falls
LITTLE FALLS - Alex Steiemann rushed seven times for 117 yards including a second quarter 69-yard touchdown run for Little Falls in a 48-6 loss to the St. Cloud Tech Tigers in Central Lakes Conference football Friday.

Pierz rolls over Maple Lake
MAPLE LAKE - The Pierz Pioneers handed the Maple Lake Irish their first Central Minnesota Conference loss with a convincing 33-0 win Friday.

Albany crushes Cardinals 50-8
ALBANY - Kodeiy Lind rushed for 111 yards and scored the only touchdown for Staples-Motley in its 50-8 loss to Albany in West Central Conference football Friday.

Warriors swamp Apollo
ST. CLOUD - Sadie Panzer won two events and the Brainerd Warriors defeated the St. Cloud Apollo Eagles 108-77 in Central Lakes Conference swimming and diving Thursday.

Gobblers fall to Braham 26-20
BRAHAM - Matt Christensen scored on a 73-yard touchdown strike from Nick Harmon in a 26-20 Aitkin loss to Braham in Great Polar Alliance Conference action Friday.

Rocori defeats Brainerd 3-0
The Rocori Spartans made quick work of the Brainerd volleyball team Thursday, consistently squashing any runs the Warriors could muster, to come away with a 3-0 sweep and stay atop the Central Lakes Conference.

It's not just about football, fortunately
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - "Touchdown Jesus."

LOCAL SHORTS
Brainerd Youth Athletic Association football games that were postponed by rain Sept. 24 have been rescheduled for Monday under the lights at Adamson Field.

Ball doesn't bounce the Huskies' way
PILLAGER - One bounce.

Warriors to face luckless Eagles
As with any winless football team, a combination of turnovers, misfortune and lack of depth in the fourth quarter has prevented the St. Cloud Apollo Eagles from experiencing success this fall.

Wheaton snaps Verndale streak
VERNDALE - Sam Moenkedick rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown, but the eighth-ranked Verndale Pirates lost for the first time this season 24-14 to third-ranked Wheaton Friday.

Johnson does it all in Warriors' win
ST. CLOUD - Turner Johnson's versatility was on display in the Brainerd Warriors 38-13 victory over the St. Cloud Apollo Eagles on Friday.

State forecast for S.D.
Wind advisory central today...

State forecast for Minnesota
Today...Gradually becoming partly cloudy north and west while

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...Mostly sunny. Highs from the mid 60s to low 70s...Cooler along the great lakes. Tonight...Increasing clouds northwest with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the far northwest late. Mostly clear east and south. Lows in the 40s to lower 50s.

State forecast for South Dakota
Today...Partly to mostly cloudy and windy. Scattered showers and thunderstorms east this morning...Then west and central this afternoon. Highs mostly in the 80s with some lower 90s west.

State forecast for N.D.
Wind advisory central and eastern today...

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...A chance of thunderstorms northwest. Partly to mostly sunny southeast. Highs around 70 north to about 80 southwest. Tonight...A chance of thunderstorms northwest. Partly cloudy southeast. Lows from the lower 50s northeast to around 60 southwest. Sunday...Thunderstorms becoming likely west. A chance for late afternoon showers and thunderstorms central. Highs from the upper 60s northwest to around 80 southeast.

State forecast for Iowa
Today...Sunny. Highs in the 70s to lower 80s.

state forecast for Minnesota
...Wind advisories in effect for parts of southwest from 11am until

State forecast for Iowa
...Wind advisory in effect from 11 am this morning to 7 pm cdt this

State forecast for North Dakota
.Today...Partly cloudy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms

Even the sun needs sunglasses
Weather drawing by Alivia Rardin in the Forestview fifth grade of Mr. Edinger.

Lunkers lurk in area lakes
Weather drawing by Chloe Hawks in the Forestivew fifth grade of Mrs. Larson.