Wednesday, November 2, 2005

Flash fire cited as cause of Baxter man's death
A flash fire caused the death of a 94-year-old Baxter man in his garage early Monday, Baxter Police Chief Jim Exsted said Tuesday.

BIRTHS
James Amerud and Alisha Miller, Staples, a boy, Tyler James, 8 pounds, 2 ounces, Oct. 20, 2005.

COURTS
The following recently appeared in Crow Wing District Court:

Firefighters respond to garage fire
The Brainerd Fire Department at 6 p.m. Tuesday responded to a garage fire at a residence in the Lazy Acres mobile home park on Highway 210, near the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport.

Sunflowers as far as the eye can see
Brett Sande of Brainerd submitted this photo taken this past summer of a sunflower field on Highway 210 West, just past Hewitt. Sande said the photo makes a great day brightener as a desktop background or screen saver. Do you have a recent scenic picture that shows the beauty of the lakes area? Send it to photos@brainerddispatch.com for possible publication in the Neighbors section.

Ninth-graders help with fall cleanup
For the eighth year in a row, Confidence Learning Center near Sylvan Lake near Brainerd opened its doors to half of the ninth-graders who attend school in Brainerd and participate in Service Learning.

Polaris, CLC team up in ATV modification project
STAPLES - Central Lakes College students are trying to impress Polaris Industries, a 50-year-old company that this year produced its 2 millionth all-terrain vehicle.

Work on CSAH 7 near Longville, County Road 50 complete
WALKER - Cass County Engineer David Enblom reported Tuesday on progress made to date on this year's highway construction projects and proposals for future work.

Driver Improvement Programs offered in Pequot Lakes, Crosslake
The full course 55+ Driver Improvement Program will be offered 5:30-9:30 p.m. Nov. 16 and 17 at Pequot Lakes High School.

Township supports Lake Washburn project
WALKER - The Crooked Lake Township Board voted Oct. 13 to support the Cass County intra-lake reclassification project on Lake Washburn, despite a petition presented last month by some homeowners on the lake calling for their lake to be withdrawn from the pilot project.

AREA BRIEFS
BACKUS - The Backus Lions will host their annual Holiday Craft and Bake Sale from 8-12:30 p.m. Saturday at Backus City Hall.

CLC becomes partner in manufacturing and engineering consortium
The board of trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has approved the development of the Minnesota Consortium for Manufacturing and Applied Engineering that includes Central Lakes College, Brainerd and Staples.

Commissioners receive award for support of truancy prevention program
WALKER - The Cass County Board received a Youth Intervention Programs Association legislative leadership award for its support for the county's truancy prevention program.

Walk the bog
JENKINS - The Veterans Walking Trail east of here has undergone a major upgrade with the opening of a bog walk.

The campus that cares
STAPLES - The Staples campus of Central Lakes College serves as not only a higher education environment for its students. The CLC-Staples family of educators and support staff is committed to the individual who is working hard toward life with a living wage and contribution to society.

Golf event raises scholarship funds for CLC students
The seventh Bob Danzl G.E. 1 Golf Tournament raised more than $13,000 for Central Lakes College student scholarships.

Commissioners to look at Region 5 services
WALKER - The Cass County Board voted Tuesday to request that Region Five invite all county commissioners to the region's 2-8 p.m. planning meeting Nov. 30 at Central Lakes College in Staples.

Cass commissioners, Leech Lake Tribal Council members to meet Nov. 28
WALKER - The Cass County Board will meet with the Leech Lake Tribal Council at 1 p.m. Nov. 28 at Northern Lights Hotel at the junction of Highways 371 and 200, south of Walker.

CLC-BSU program uses blended technologies to train students to be elementary teachers
A college student seeking the Minnesota elementary education teacher license now has another option to reach that goal, thanks to a hybrid online program.

LOCAL BRIEFS
The Central Lakes College Presidential Search Committee has begun its work in the process toward selection of a top administrator for the community and technical college in Brainerd and Staples.

Overheard
"Did the meth problem go away? Uh, no, but thousands of young people didn't get their first taste of meth this year. That's an act of God,"

Overheard
"I would not be standing here today, nor standing where I stand every day, had she not chosen to sit down."

Fatal fire
BAXTER - A garage fire claimed the life of a 94-year-old Baxter man early Monday.

Point of View
This is a place of worship in Brainerd. Where is it? Find the answer Thursday.

Point of view
This is the logo of a new business in Baxter. Where is it? Find the answer Wednesday. Monday's photo showed the Nisswa Square shopping sign. Do you have an idea or photo for a Point of View quiz? Send your suggestions or photos to photos@brainerddispatch.com.

Cass Lake crash victim identified
CASS LAKE - The victim in a single-vehicle rollover Sunday near Cass Lake has been identified as Jesse Lee Jones, 22, Cass Lake.

Ghosts and goblins haunt Brainerd Police Department
Tom Fanjoy hugged his daughter, Lexi Fanjoy, after her great-aunt Julie McCullough placed a glow-in-the-dark ring over her head Monday at the Brainerd Police Department. When 3-month-old Lexi reached the police department on Halloween, more than 1,000 glow rings had been given to children for safe trick-or-treating.

Repairing the crossing
Work continued Tuesday on repairs to the Fourth Street railroad crossing. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls

No charges seen in traffic death
Brainerd Police Chief John Bolduc said Monday that he doesn't anticipate charges will be filed against a Nisswa driver who struck and killed an 86-year-old pedestrian who stepped out into traffic.

Residents seek relief from waste plant odor
BAXTER - Something smells rotten in the city of Baxter - and Baxter City Council members want Brainerd officials to own up to the nasty odor.

Bundled up for fall
Lana Jensen bundled up her 1-year-old daughter Ellie with a fleece Tuesday on a visit to Gregory Park in Brainerd. Brainerd Dispatch/Nels Norquist

Pillager girl survives E. coli
A 5-year-old Pillager girl was expected to be released from a Twin Cities hospital Wednesday, more than a month after she became seriously ill after contracting an E. coli infection.

This was Brainerd
NOVEMBER 2 - 60 years ago (1945) - Cpl. Walter Straka, member of the 194th Tank Battalion, who has been a prisoner of war in Japan, has arrived at Letterman Hospital, San Francisco. He said he was "feeling fine" and expects to be transferred to a hospital nearer home soon.

This was Brainerd
NOVEMBER 1 - 60 years ago (1945) - Snow, the first of the season, swept over the Brainerd area last night and this morning the ground was covered with a light layer of snow.

Aitkin church gears to grow
AITKIN - St. James Catholic Church in downtown Aitkin plans to demolish its church building and sell the property to its neighbor - Aitkin County - and then build a larger church south of the city.

LOCAL BRIEFS
Crow Wing County Commissioner Terry Sluss, the county's methamphetamine prevention coordinator, will discuss the cost of meth use in Crow Wing County at a meeting sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Brainerd Lakes Area.

Community goal: ICE meth
ST. CLOUD - Methamphetamine labs have been almost non-existent in Minnesota this year, but the prevalence of the drug in the state remains as high as ever.

Missing hunter still sought
REMER - A year after he went missing while hunting in the Remer area, authorities are still searching for John Andrew Brown.

What's said about methamphetamine
"This is truly the devil's drug. It pulls people down to such depravity as they never would have allowed before. If we don't solve this problem al-Qaida will be the least of our troubles."

Correction
In an Oct. 21 story in the Dispatch about the polio outbreak in an Amish community in central Minnesota, the location of the outbreak should have been attributed to state news media reports.

Mary Masten
PEQUOT LAKES - Mary Masten, age 82, of Pequot Lakes, died Oct. 29, 2005, at Heritage House of Pequot Lakes.

Lucinda Blomker
ROYALTON - Lucinda Blomker, 88, a resident of Royalton, Minn., died Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2005, at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar. Funeral arrangements are pending with the Brenny-Karlinski Funeral Home of Royalton.

Eugene Nygren
HACKENSACK - Eugene Nygren, age 85, of Hackensack, passed away Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005, at Innovis Hospital in Fargo, N.D. He was born June 15, 1920, in Brainerd to David and Lillian Nygren. He married June Martin Sept. 19, 1942, at Union Congregational Church in Hackensack.

Obituary policy
Obituary notices are charged at 34 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.

Harold Longanecker
BAXTER - Harold Longanecker, age 94, resident of Baxter, died Monday, Oct. 31, 2005, at his home. Arrangements by Nelson-Doran Funeral Home in Brainerd.

Merilea Schultz
Merilea Krentz Plipson Schultz died on Oct. 31, 2005, after battling cancer for five years. Merilea was born on Sept. 1, 1947. She grew up in Walnut Grove, Minn., and graduated from high school there in 1965. She graduated from Fairview Hospital Nursing School in 1969 and worked as an occupational health nurse for both Litton Microwave and CP Rail.

Robert MacArthur
The notice for Robert MacArthur in the Sunday paper was mistakenly worded in such a way as to leave the impression that the memorial service on Nov. 6 at the Congregational Church would be private. This is not the case. The memorial is presented for all friends of the family and acquaintances who wish to attend.

Bruce Schimmelpfennig
MESA, Ariz. - Bruce Schimmelpfennig, age 61, formerly of Brainerd, Minn., passed away in Mesa, Ariz., on Oct. 31, 2005. Services will be held at a later date. Arrangements by Wyman Cremation and Burial Chapel.`

Lois M. Larson
PEQUOT LAKES - Lois Mae Larson, age 92, of Pequot Lakes, passed away Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005, at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd. She was born Jan. 30, 1913, in Marshalltown, Iowa, to Harvey and Stella Shaffer. She was united in marriage to Victor Larson on April 8, 1931.

Delbourne Del' G. Reck
Delbourne "Del" G. Reck, age 86, of Brainerd, died Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005, as the result of an automobile-pedestrian accident in Brainerd. A memorial service will be held Thursday at Bethany Good Samaritan Village Chapel at 1:30 p.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service at the chapel. Burial will be at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery, Camp Ripley, Minn. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bethany Good Samaritan Village or your favorite charity in his name.

Obituary policy
Obituary notices are charged at 34 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.

Sue Jewett
AITKIN - Sue Jewett, age 64, of Aitkin, died on Monday, Oct. 31, 2005, at her home. Funeral arrangements are pending at the Sorensen-Root-Thompson Funeral Home in Aitkin.

Merilea Schultz
CROSSLAKE - Merilea Schultz, age 58, of Crosslake, died Oct. 31, 2005, at her home. Funeral services will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Crosslake Lutheran Church with visitation on Friday from 6-8 p.m. at the Brenny Funeral Chapel in Crosslake. Merilea is survived by her husband, Clint; children, Jeremy "Jay" (Diane) Schultz, Ann (Eric) Peterson; two grandchildren; her mother, Meribell Krentz; brothers and sisters, Rosemary Valentine, Doug Krentz, Jessie Stevenson and Richard Krentz. Services entrusted to the Brenny Funeral Chapel in Crosslake.

Calvin R. Carlson
Calvin R. Carlson, 72-year-old resident of Brainerd, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2005, in his home.

Vernon Wilson
PILLAGER - Vernon Wilson, age 82, of Pillager, Minn., died Oct. 31, 2005, at St. Cloud Hospital. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Brenny Funeral Chapel in Baxter.

Calvin R. Carlson
Calvin R. Carlson, 72-year-old resident of Brainerd, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2005, in his home.

Robert C. Renstrom
HACKENSACK - Robert Carl Renstrom, age 78, of Hackensack, passed away Friday, Oct. 28, 2005. Services will be 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, at Kline Funeral Home in Pine River. Friends may call one hour prior to services. Arrangements are with Kline Funeral Home in Pine River.

VOX POP
Come on, you people. Come spend a day at the airport. Sit along Highway 210. Watch the cars, trucks and semis. Barely miss the stopped car turning left into the airport. Watch them swerve to the right passing lane that's in front of Lazy Acres trailer court. Now they put the county garage out there with all the dump trucks getting out on Highway 210. There have been many accidents turning into the airport. Do you see a stoplight there?

What do you think?
Write us a letter or send us an e-mail

Open Forum
I am sickened by the thought of closing Whittier school. There are just too many questions. Where would the children go (temporarily), Baxter, which is bursting at the seams already? Riverside, which has a 39-child waiting list? Perhaps the solution is Crosby where they already have a large new school and lost children to a strike last year.

Open Forum
I think our school board and high school administrators need another look at some new rules, and activities that have been eliminated. There are new rules for the photos seniors submit to the Brainonian. Only head and shoulder shots. No props, full body, or outdoor shots. Preferred backgrounds are gray or blue. In the scope of things, how important is this?

SCOREBOARD
Transactions

Upcoming sporting events in the Brainerd lakes area:
THURSDAY NOV. 3

Raiders volleyball players garner awards
For the second year in a row, Central Lakes College volleyball players Amy Fleischhacker and Courtney Stach were named to the All-Minnesota Community College Conference team.

Pioneers edged out
SAUK RAPIDS - In a close battle for the right to go to the Section 5, Class 2A championship game, the No. 3 seeded Pierz Pioneers fell to the second-seeded Maple Lake Irish 25-17, 26-28, 23-25, 25-17, 15-12 Tuesday.

Pierz Pioneers are scary good
April fools came Saturday to a sold-out Pioneer football field.

Now the girls have role models
These days, I'm all about girl power.

Rangers buck the Broncos, move on to title game
GRAND RAPIDS - The Crosby-Ironton Rangers volleyball team advanced to the Section 7, Class 2A championship match as it downed the International Falls Broncos in a five-game marathon 23-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-16, 15-9 Tuesday.

SCOREBOARD
Transactions

Yes, Virginia, PR-B emerged victorious
GRAND RAPIDS - The Pine River-Backus Tigers volleyball team will try for its second straight Section 7, Class 2A crown after defeating the Virginia Blue Devils 25-19, 25-15, 25-15 in semifinal action Tuesday.

Wolverines move on to section title matchup
PERHAM - Jessica Davis did a little of everything for the Wadena-Deer Creek volleyball team as she had 19 digs, six ace serves, five kills, and one block to lead the Wolverines to a 25-21, 25-17, 25-23 win over the West Central Area Knights in the South Subsection 8, Class 2A title match Tuesday.

LOCAL SPORTS SHORTS
The Brainerd Warriors defeated St. Cloud Cathedral 5-0 Saturday at Granite Bowl in St. Cloud to clinch the conference title.

Upcoming events in the Brainerd lakes area
TUESDAY

LOCAL SPORTS SHORTS
The Central Lakes College women's basketball team will conduct clinics Nov. 12 and Dec. 10 for girls in second, third and fourth grades.

Verndale wins in nail biter
WADENA - Stephanie Daily came close to reaching the half-century mark in digs, finishing with 47 as the Verndale Pirates were crowned North Subsection 5, Class 1A champions with a five game, 29-27, 13-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-12 win over the Hill City Hornets Tuesday.

State forecast for Iowa
Today...Mostly sunny...Breezy...And warmer. Highs in the mid 60s to

State forecast for N.D.
Wind advisory in effect from 9 am this morning to 6 pm cst this

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...Partly to mostly cloudy. A chance for showers north half. Highs from the upper 40s far north to around 60 west and southwest.

A big pile of leaves
Weather drawing by Dylan Johnson of Ms. Hemstad's third grade class at Baxter school.

State forecast for Minnesota
Today...Partly cloudy. Warmer. A chance of rain showers north.

State forecast for Iowa
Today...Partly cloudy north and mostly sunny south. Highs in the

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...Partly cloudy. Highs from the low 50s far north to the mid 60s west and southwest.

State forecast for S.D.
Today...Partly to mostly cloudy in the morning...Then becoming mostly sunny and breezy during the afternoon. Highs from the upper 50s northeast to around 70 southwest and south central.

State forecast for Minnesota
Today...Mostly cloudy north and central with a chance of showers.

State forecast for N.D.
Today...Breezy. Partly cloudy west and central. Mostly cloudy with

State forecast for S.D.
Today...Partly cloudy west and north...Mostly sunny southeast. Unseasonably warm with highs in the mid 60s far northwest...To around 80 south central through the lower missouri river valley.

Doing the raking
Weather drawing by Megan Goldberg of Mrs. Taatjes' third grade class at Nisswa school.