LOCAL BRIEFS

Brainerd Lakes Salvation Army officials said that at the 2008 Christmas Campaign's halfway point kettle donations total $39,311 - just 36 percent of the goal of $110,000.

Kettle donations are down 8 percent, officials said. Last year by this point kettles had raised $42,927.

"It is clear the nation's economic crisis has found its way into the Brainerd lakes area," Maj. Jeff Strickler, administrator of the Brainerd Lakes Salvation Army, said. "We need the community's support now more than ever. Without it, families will go hungry, children will go without Christmas presents and worse."

Officials listed three ways to contribute to the Salvation Army:

Make a financial donation at a red kettle or by mailing a check to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 385, Brainerd, MN, 56401 or online at www.thesalarmy.org. Online gifts can be designated to a specific community.

Sign up to bell ring by calling 829-1120. Shifts last as little as an hour.

Donate at Cub Brainerd or Cub Baxter toward the purchase of a food basket for a family in need.

CLC's enrollment increase makes it 12th highest in nation

Central Lakes College saw an increase in its fall 2008 headcount enrollment from 2007 that ranked it as the 12th highest in the nation, among two-year public colleges in the U.S.

The CLC newspaper reported Dec. 1 that it had compiled data on the nation's fastest-growing community colleges. The survey was conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Education.

The Fall Enrollment Survey reported data from 2007, which placed colleges in four enrollment categories for comparison. CLC showed a 14.8 percent increase from the fall of 2006 to the fall of 2007, according to the analysis.

CLC's headcount went from 2,912 to 3,343, an increase of 431 students, among colleges with enrollments of 2,500-4,999. It's the only Minnesota two-year college in the Top 50 in its enrollment class.

In a Dec. 12 e-mail, CLC president Larry Lundblad said, "We are pleased and excited to realize this growth. It indicates that more people understand the benefit of a college education."

Three Brainerd lakes area teams compete in dance

Three Brainerd lakes area dance teams competed Saturday in the Class 1A dance invitational at Eastview High School.

Aitkin, Pequot Lakes and Pierz competed.

In kick competition, Aitkin placed second, Pequot Lakes fifth and Pierz 10th.

In junior varsity, Pequot Lakes placed first; Aitkin, fourth; and Pierz, fifth.