Friday, October 23, 2009
A car that masters zigzags
WASHINGTON - To be young again, to thrill to the "me" of the moment - the Nissan 370Z is good for that. Like most sports cars, it makes no practical sense. It is what disappears when "me" becomes "we," unless "we" are rich and can afford toys.
Flexing it's 'must sell'
CORNWALL, N.Y. - Rosa Parks Brown, our Labrador, prefers subcompact cars. We think it's because subcompacts force humans to sit next to her. Parks, as we call her, loves humans, craves them. She hates being left alone in the rear compartments of large trucks, crossover utility vehicles or sedans.
Mercedes' beauty versus beast
This is no trivial matter.
FINE ARTS STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Kenzey Ostrowski
UPCOMING EVENTS
Live music
Art award winners
Diane Runberg received the People's Choice Award at the recent exhibition of artwork by lakes area artists at the Nisswa Community Center.
LOCAL BRIEFS
The Minnesota Crime Wave is coming to the Brainerd Public Library at 11 a.m. Oct. 31.
Mex in the mix, enchiladas on the stovetop
One day last week when it was cold and chilly outside, Gary was in the mood to get in the kitchen and cook up a new taste from one of my cookbooks.
TCC students to get extra support
Minnesota Reading Corps exceeded its recruitment goal for the 2009-2010 school year, and has enlisted and placed a record 555 AmeriCorps members in 161 pre-school sites and elementary schools across the state, including Tri-County Community Action in Brainerd.
Quality winter gear is needed for 2009 Coats for Kids
Good clean coats, boots and snow pants are needed for all ages but, especially for the elementary age group, for the annual Coats for Kids giveaway.
FIRES
The Brainerd Fire Department responded at 1:43 p.m. Tuesday to the Laestadian Church, 1501 S. Eighth St., for what turned out to be a false alarm.
POLICE BLOTTER
PROPERTY DAMAGE - Winifred Davis, 20000 block of Tullibee Drive, Tuesday reported her mailbox damaged.
Area crime
PROPERTY DAMAGE - Was dispatched to a report of an intoxicated man who had damaged music equipment at O'Neary's Irish Pub, 305 S. Seventh St. It was determined the man had accidentally damaged the music equipment and officers gave him a ride home.
Nisswa teen placed third in state pageant
NISSWA - Bailey Wachholz, a ninth-grader at Brainerd High School South Campus, was named third runner-up in the Miss Minnesota High School Teen Pageant Oct. 17 in Hopkins.
Births
Todd and Molly Cosert, Brainerd, a girl, Haley Lynn, 7 pounds, 2 ounces, Oct. 9, 2009. Grandparents are Mark and Sandy Cosert, Brainerd, and Tim and Ruth DeJonghe, Garrison.
Senior calendar
Weekly activities
Home (tour) for the holidays
NISSWA - The only thing missing was snow.
Local housing briefs
BAXTER - The Greater Lakes Association of Realtors held their annual installation of officers Oct. 1 at the Greater Lakes Association of Realtors office in Baxter. Minnesota Association of Realtors president-elect Russ Portele installed the new officers.
Northland Arboretum Haunted Trail set for this weekend
The Northland Arboretum will host the Haunted Trail from 7-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Northland Arboretum in Brainerd.
Fall color
A look at fall color in the Brainerd lakes area.
A band of gold
After leaf color has matured in central Minnesota the needles on the tamarack turn a golden yellow. When the needles drop, winter is just around the corner. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
Officials take steps to prevent offender mistake
In December of 2008, Eugene Wgeishofski did what he was required to do by state law in registering as a predatory offender in Crow Wing County.
Ready for a Halloween tour?
Do you, your neighbor or friend decorate the yard with creepy, crawly, scary or just plain fun Halloween decor?
This was Brainerd
OCTOBER 22 - 60 years ago (1949) - Fred Thiesse of the Thiesse Dairy has renewed his voluntary donation of a tank training area for Headquarters Company of the 194th Tank Battalion. He has provided ten acres of rough terrain on his farm on South 13th Street for a second year.
Girls' night out event planned Thursday
CROSBY - As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Cuyuna Regional Medical Center will host a "Girls' Night Out" event from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at the Heartwood Senior Living complex in Crosby.
LOCAL BRIEFS
BAXTER - Highway 169 will open to traffic Thursday, two miles south of Aitkin, reports the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Overheard
"We have enough Marines to shake everyone's hand."
A familiar name for Resorter of Year
Chris Ruttger, who has continued the family resort tradition in Deerwood, was named 2009 Minnesota Resorter of the Year.
In Afghan farming community, a fragile turnaround
NAWA, Afghanistan - Before a battalion of U.S. Marines swooped into this dusty farming community along the Helmand River in early July, almost every stall in the bazaar had been padlocked, as had the school and the health clinic. Thousands of residents had fled. Government officials and municipal services were nonexistent. Taliban fighters swaggered about with impunity, setting up checkpoints and seeding the roads with bombs.
Morrison issues crime alert in its search for man wanted on DWI warrant
On Tuesday, the Morrison County Sheriff's Department took the unusual step of issuing a statewide crime alert through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for a man wanted on a warrant for felony first-degree DWI.
Canopy of color
Under a roof of colored leaves, David Karr walked Gunner Thursday on the Paul Bunyan Trail near Brainerd. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
He knows every step of the way
The Bataan Death March was nearly 70 years ago but the memories are still all too vivid for survivor Walt Straka.
Benny Castro is coming home
On Aug. 11, Richard and Jennifer Castro were two days away from moving back home to Gering, Neb., with their sons Andrew and Benny.
March markers point to sacrifices of area people
The ordeals of the Bataan Death March and the valor of its survivors were more than just history lessons for Stewart C. Mills Jr. A few of those former POWs who were lucky enough to return home became classmates with him at Brainerd Junior College.
Delta Air Lines to pull out of St. Cloud
Delta Air Lines announced Thursday it is pulling out of the St. Cloud Regional Airport.
Lakewood limiting visitors
Lakewood Health System in Staples announced Wednesday that it will be limiting visitors at all Lakewood Health System locations, including its clinics, hospital, care center and assisted living facilities, because of the high number of H1N1 cases.
Aitkin voters being asked to OK school levy
Aitkin School District residents will head to the polls Nov. 3 to vote whether to renew the district's existing 6-cents per pupil operating levy referendum.
Look out below
A lone maple leaf was arrested in its downward flight by skeletal branches Wednesday in Brainerd. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey
Brainerd Sunrise Rotary Club works to fight polio worldwide
In recognition of World Polio Day Saturday, the Brainerd Sunrise Rotary Club has committed to raise $1,000/year for each of the next three years. This will help Rotary International achieve its goal of eradicating polio. The club has two fundraisers planned to reach its goal this year: a wine tasting in January and an Applebee's breakfast in April.
Overheard
He was an egotistical SOB.
Growth forum set
By December, the Brainerd School Board is expected to reach a decision on how to deal with its elementary student enrollment growth projections. School administrators have presented the board with five options.
This was Brainerd
80 years ago (1929): To George Berkholder goes the responsibility of getting enough migratory ducks for a dinner on November 18 at which the American Legion will fete its new 1930 members.
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.
Hazell S. Cox
McGREGOR - Hazell S. Cox, age 98, of McGregor, died Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, at the Aicota Health Care Center in Aitkin.
Louise P. Smith
Louise P. Smith, 93, Brainerd, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, at her home. She was born March 23, 1916, to John and Mary Putzker on the family homestead in the Trail Creek area of Park County, Mont., north of Yellowstone Park. She was the fourth of five children.
Julie S. Zyvoloski
LITTLE FALLS - Julia S. Zyvoloski, 66, of Little Falls, Minn., passed away Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009, at St. Cloud Hospital.
James M. Long
SARTELL - James M. Long, 46-year-old resident of Sartell, Minn., passed away Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, at his home in Sartell, Minn. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at noon on Friday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Rice, Minn., with Father Timothy Wenzel officiating.
Kathleen J. Rasinski
RANDALL - Kathleen J. Rasinski, age 63, of Randall, passed away Wednesday evening, Oct. 21, 2009, at her home. Arrangements are pending with the Brenny Funeral Chapel of Randall.
James Schuette
James Schuette, 68, of Brainerd, died Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009, at Bethany Good Samaritan Village. Arrangements are pending with the Brenny Funeral Chapel of Baxter.
James P. Schuette
James P. Schuette, age 68, of Brainerd, passed away early Wednesday morning, Oct. 21, 2009, at Bethany Good Samaritan Village in Brainerd. By his own request there will be no services at this time.
Robert L. Prickett
Robert L. Prickett, age 78, resident of Brainerd, died Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, at Good Samaritan Society-Woodland in Brainerd. Mr. Prickett was born in Pekin, Ill., June 8, 1931, to Merrill and Bertha (Odoms) Prickett.
Mary Davis
LITTLE FALLS - Mary Davis, 74-year-old resident of Little Falls, Minn., passed away Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009, at the St. Gabriel's Hospital in Little Falls, Minn.
Ruth Kitchenhoff
EMILY - Ruth Allene Kitchenhoff, age 74, of Emily, died on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009, at the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby. She was born on Nov. 15, 1934, in Petoskey, Mich., to Joseph and Myrtle (Royce) Pemberton.
Clarence Jendro
LITTLE FALLS - Clarence Jendro, 92-year-old resident of Little Falls, Minn., formerly of Bowlus, Minn., died Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2009, at St. Otto's Care Center in Little Falls, Minn.
Gilbert Ponsness
LAKE SHORE - Gilbert Ponsness, 80, of Lake Shore, Minn., passed away Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, at St. Cloud Hospital. Services for Gil are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at the Brenny Funeral Chapel in Baxter with Father George Zeck officiating.
Tony Boros
LITTLE FALLS - Tony Boros, age 74, of rural Little Falls, passed away Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, at his home in Pike Creek Township, Morrison County, Minn.
Katherine M. Larson
CROSBY - Katherine Mary Larson was born on Feb. 7, 1918, in Riverton to John and Mary Radinovich. She passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, at the Cuyuna Regional Care Center in Crosby. She met Omar Larson in Crosby in 1938 and they were married on Sept. 20, 1943, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Crosby.
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.
Rose Taylor
BACKUS - Rose Taylor, age 80, of Backus, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. She was born July 9, 1929, in Omaha, Neb., to Max and Elvera Geihs. She married Billy Taylor on Dec. 28, 1946. They were married 51 years until his death on Nov. 11, 1997.
OTHER OPINION: MEXICO
Mexican President Felipe Calderon says his decision to dissolve the state-run utility that supplied electricity to Mexico City and surrounding states was based on simple economics: The government spent more than $3 billion a year to subsidize the company, yet consumers put up with regular blackouts and many businesses had to spend millions on their own energy substations.
That health reform cost study
It has been alleged that health insurers commissioned a report recently from PricewaterhouseCoopers as part of a last-ditch effort to kill health-care reform. A relentless public relations campaign has attacked the messengers - our association, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), and PricewaterhouseCoopers - as a way of discrediting the findings that major provisions in the Senate Finance Committee proposal will have the unintended effect of increasing the cost of health-care coverage.
Over 50 and out of luck
WASHINGTON - I am a Republican who did not vote for President Obama, but I support his health-care initiative because I have just experienced first-hand our system's dysfunctional wrath - and it isn't pretty.
Open Forum: Keep hands off our choices
In the last week the federal executive branch undertook actions which could give government officials (including the president) unconstitutional control over what we see, hear and read.
What do you think?
The Brainerd Dispatch welcomes letters on recent articles and current issues. Letters should include the writer's full name, city and a phone number (for verification only). Letters are limited to 300 words. Only one letter per person per week.
Other opinion: Balloon
How's this for a reality show concept? Call it "Schemers": A man and woman fall in love - with fame, that is. They waste scads of taxpayer dollars and scare the daylights out of the public by telling police that their propitiously named son, Falcon, is soaring off in a wayward balloon. Except he was never in the balloon at all. What a laugh riot!
VOX POP
I haven't heard anything from the Brett Favre bashers lately. My relatives in Wisconsin sent me a bunch of jokes about over the hill and cash for clunkers. Well, I sent them a fake stuffed crow with a Vikings bib and several recipes on how to cook the crow. I haven't heard back from them yet. I'd like to know how the crow tastes. What a great football player this 40-year-old is. Go Vikings!
Church news
Park United Methodist Church, 315 N. 6th St., Brainerd, will have its 30th annual Swedish meatball supper from 4:30-7 p.m. Monday. The supper features a menu of all you can eat, Swedish meatballs and all the trimmings including real mashed potatoes. Tickets are available at the door. Cost is $8 for those 11 and over and $4 for ages 5-10 with under 5 being freewill. The supper is an all church event with the building being handicapped accessible and to-go dinners available.
Local sports shorts
The Central Lakes College football team has moved up one spot in the Oct. 20 NJCAA/JC Football.com Poll.
Scott, Flyers fall to Storm
LITTLE FALLS - Alex Scott rushed 21 times for 111 yards and one touchdown, but the Little Falls Flyers couldn't navigate past the Sauk Rapids Storm's 14-point first quarter during a 14-6 Central Lakes Conference loss Thursday.
BHS football by the numbers
Week 8
Wadena-Deer Creek snaps 23-game slump
WADENA - Aaron Kern carried 32 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns as the Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines broke a 23-game losing streak by defeating West Central 12-6 in a Heart O' Lakes Conference South Division regular-season ending game Wednesday.
Warriors can capture share of CLC title
This is how it should be - two teams playing their final game of the regular season with a championship at stake.
LOCAL SHORTS
The top-seeded Brainerd Warriors will play the No. 2 Elk River Elks for the Section 8-2A girls' soccer championship at 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. Cloud State University.
Michaelson sparks Pequot Lakes
THIEF RIVER FALLS - Matt Michaelson rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Pequot Lakes Patriots past the Thief River Falls Prowlers 28-6 in a Heart O'Lakes Conference North Division regular-season ending game Wednesday.
Staples-Motley rallies to beat Breckenridge
STAPLES - The Staples-Motley Cardinals rallied from a 27-26 deficit to beat the Breckenridge Cowboys 34-27 in a Heart O'Lakes Conference South Division regular-season ending game Wednesday.
Lakes area fishing and hunting report
BRAINERD-NISSWA AREA: Walleye fishing has been best in 17 to 38 feet with minnows and jigs on Gull_Lake, North Long Lake, and Pelican_Lake. Sucker minnows under bobbers are producing northern pike in 18 to 26 feet on the south end of Gull and North Long.
Paying dues pays off for Mimmack
As a sophomore and junior Reid Mimmack was a backup quarterback.
Concordia inducts Brainerd coach
MOORHEAD - Brainerd teacher and coach Kris (DeBoer) Smith was one of five individuals inducted into the Concordia College Athletics Department Hall of Fame Saturday.
Roth wins, Cardinals claim two seconds
HOWARD LAKE - Kaitlyn Roth ran a 15:42 earning individual honors and four Staples-Motley boys finished in the top 20 as the Cardinals girls and boys each claimed seconds Thursday at the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Invite.
Scoreboard
Area events
Woodcrest blanks Lake Region 3-0
ROSEMOUNT - Isaac Arco picked up a hat trick notching three goals for Woodcrest Academy in its 3-0 victory over the Lake Region Christian School Hornets Thursday in the Minnesota Association of Christian Schools state tournament.
SCOREBOARD
Area events
Sartell controls ball and Warriors
SARTELL - It's virtually impossible to score when you rarely have the ball.
Rangers perfect for first time since 1973
AITKIN - Not rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor the Aitkin Gobblers could deny the Crosby-Ironton Rangers their first perfect regular season since 1973.
Barnesville shuts out PR-B
PINE RIVER - Barnesville lived up to its Class 1A fourth-place ranking as the Trojans dominated Pine River-Backus 55-0 in a Northern Plains Conference regular-season ending game Wednesday night.
Lunkers add Anaas to front office staff
The Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers announced Wednesday the hiring of Dustin Anaas as assistant general manager.
Fink, Pirates beat the Braves
VERNDALE - Trista Fink spiked 11 kills in a 3-0 Verndale victory over Menahga in a Park Region Conference match up Thursday.
State forecast for Iowa
.Today...Cloudy...Rain. Highs 40 to 55.
State forecast for Minnesota
Today...Cloudy east and south with rain in the morning...Changing
State forecast for Wisconsin
Today...Cloudy. Periods of rain south. Isolated light snow showers near lake superior in the morning. Highs in the 40s most places...And around 50 far southeast.
State forecast for Iowa
Today...Cloudy...Rain northeast. A chance of rain southwest. Highs
State forecast for S.D.
Today...Clear to partly cloudy west and north. Mostly cloudy with rain likely far southeast by afternoon. Highs around 40 southeast to near 50 west.
State forecast for Wisconsin
Winter weather advisory portions of north central wisconsin late this afternoon into this evening...
Look who's getting ready
Weather drawing by Amber Britton int he Baxter third grade of Ms. Hemstad.
State forecast for N.D.
Today...Mostly sunny west. Patchy fog with isolated morning rain
State forecast for S.D.
Today...Rain and snow ending southeast by mid morning...Otherwise becoming partly cloudy. An isolated rain shower possible west and central in the morning. Highs in the mid 40s far east to the mid 50s west.
Let it rain
Weather drawing by Anyka M. Patton in the Lowell second grade of Mrs. Hollbrook.
State forecast for N.D.
Today...Variable cloudiness. A slight chance of light rain far
State forecast for Minnesota
Today...Mostly sunny north...Becoming partly cloudy central...And