Sunday, December 18, 2005

Lindyland participants get a taste of poverty
LITTLE FALLS - A Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership LindyLand session last week focused on health and human services with a poverty simulation at the Morrison County Government Center.

Pine Peaks Lodge going up in Crosslake
Crosslake will have another lodging establishment by spring.

Business News
Sheila Haverkamp, Brainerd Lakes Area Development Corp. executive director, recently completed the 2005 Utility Economic Development Association's Senior Executive Education program.

Firms retain retirement drug benefit
WASHINGTON - The launch next year of Medicare's new prescription drug program is not prompting companies that offer retiree drug benefits to drop those benefits - at least in the short run. But many employers are unsure what they will do a few years from now when it comes to prescription drug benefits, according to a new study of the programs and plans of large U.S. corporations.

BIRTHS
Cuyuna Regional Medical Center, Crosby

AGENDAS
Meets 9 a.m. Tuesday

AGENDAS
Meets 7 p.m. Tuesday

AGENDAS
Meets 7:30 p.m. Monday

BIRTHS
Jason and Marie (Banick) Jay, Fort Ripley, twin girls, Jenna Lynn, 5 pounds, 3 ounces, Jaden Marie, 5 pounds, 15.5 ounces, Nov. 20, 2005. Grandparents are Tom and Karen Brisk, Pierz, and Mike and Tina Jay, Brainerd. Great-grandparents are Giles and Tomma Lou Jay, Grinnell, Iowa, Archie Banick, Pierz, Dorene Banick, Brainerd, Butch and Donna Brisk, Pierz, and Lucene Bogue, Grinnell, Iowa.

COURTS
The following recently appeared in Crow Wing District Court:

Lake Shore area resident has a friend just waiting
Maybe you're one of those people who has been thinking about becoming a Kinship Partner for a while now. If you happen to live in the Lake Shore area and would like to have a junior partner who is fun-loving, likes adventure and is an overall nice youngster, now is the time to act on your thoughts!

Holiday makeup secrets: Bolder is beautiful
Decorations are everywhere. You've decked the halls, hung the lights, scattered tinsel, nestled fir and draped beads. You've brought out your festive finery (hey, even your wardrobe is in a holiday mood). Now just don't forget to decorate your face.

SCHOOL OFFICIALS DEPLORE TEXTBOOK CASE OF BAD TIMING
It's a notion that Brainerd teachers couldn't comprehend either.

Two arrested in Morrison busts
The Morrison County Sheriff's Department arrested two men Wednesday in two separate incidents.

COMING WEDNESDAY IN NEIGHBORS
A Pequot Lakes church has found a lucrative way to raise funds each month while also drawing church members

Whittier, Lowell honored
Whittier and Lowell Elementary schools in Brainerd are being recognized as two of the top seven schools in the state, only two of 295 Blue Ribbon Schools that received this award in the country.

Job rules clarify reservist rights
WASHINGTON - The Labor Department released final regulations Friday clarifying a 1994 law that protects the employment and re-employment rights and benefits of members of the armed forces.

Where the lights are
The following is a listing of area homes decorated for the holiday season. Hop in the car, take a drive and enjoy some sights of Christmas.

Pets of the week
Cass is a 2 1/2-year-old spayed female border collie/husky mix.

Pequot Lakes man pleads guilty in hunting case
A 48-year-old Pequot Lakes man pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter Friday in Crow Wing County District Court for the Nov. 8 shooting death of Jeffrey Dean Ford, who was deer hunting in Timothy Township in northwestern Crow Wing County.

This was Brainerd
20 years ago (1985) - Rudy Hillig, director of the Paul Bunyan Arboretum, makes more than 1,200 wreaths every Christmas season for clubs such as Boy Scouts and sales. All proceeds go to the arboretum.

COMING MONDAY IN SPORTS
After another week of controversy, can the Vikings stave off the Pittsburgh

COMING MONDAY
After losing both legs to diabetes two years ago, Brainerd resident Steve Shively has dedicated his time to volunteering.

Three men charged with armed robbery in Staples
STAPLES - Three men were charged Thursday in Todd County District Court in connection with an armed robbery Tuesday at Sunset Motel in Staples, Staples Police Chief Kyle Huber said.

Mesaba pilots to picket on Monday
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Pilots for one of Northwest Airlines' regional feeder carriers planned to picket on Monday at several airports.

Transportation committee to meet Tuesday
The Brainerd Transportation Advisory Committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Brainerd City Hall.

Point of view
This is a place of residency (above) in Brainerd. Where is it?

Ssang Sim
BREEZY POINT - Ssang Sim, age 92, passed away peacefully on Dec. 14, 2005, at home in Breezy Point. She was loved dearly and will be missed by all who knew her. Funeral services will be held on Monday, Dec. 19, at Crosslake Lutheran Church with the Rev. Mark Anderson officiating. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. with a service at 11 a.m. with lunch to follow.

Marianna Smiley
"Granny," as she was known by all who knew her, passed away peacefully on Dec. 3, 2005, at the age of 93.

Ruth Betty' E. Wells
Ruth "Betty" Elizabeth Wells was born on May 8, 1927, in Roca, Neb., the daughter of Samual and Mabel (Haskins, Kelly) Crabtree. She was called from this life on Wednesday morning, Dec. 14, 2005, at her home in Moose Lake Township. She attained the age of 78 years, seven months and six days.

Ray Miles
Ray Miles, 92, Brainerd, died on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005, at Bethany Good Samaritan Village in Brainerd. He was born in Logan, Iowa, on Dec. 31, 1912 to William and Lena (Schick) Miles. He served during World War II in the US Navy. He married Dorothy Morcomb in Brainerd on May 14, 1938. He was employed by Potlatch Paper Co. before his retirement. He was a member of South Long Lake Presbyterian Church, the Farm Bureau and the American Legion Post No. 255 in Brainerd.

Harold W. Keppers
PINEWOOD - Harold William Keppers, 88, of Pinewood, formerly of rural Brainerd, died Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2005, at Havenwood Care Center in Bemidji.

Lester Keehr
LITTLE FALLS - Lester Keehr, a 77-year-old resident of Little Falls, passed away Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, at his home. Funeral services for Lester Keehr will be held Monday, Dec. 19, at 1 p.m. at the Shelley Funeral Chapel in Little Falls. Burial will be in the Freedhem Cemetery.

William Ingmundson
APPLE VALLEY - William Frederick Kirk Ingmundson, age 84, of Apple Valley, formerly of the Crosslake and Brainerd areas, passed away Dec. 14, 2005.

Joanne K. Rodriguez
ROCKAWAY BEACH, Mo. - Joanne K. (Turner) Rodriguez, age 51, passed away at her home in Rockaway Beach, Mo., on Dec. 13, 2005, after a two-year battle with cancer.

Donald Gibbs
CROSSLAKE - Donald Gibbs, age 77, of Crosslake, died Dec. 16, 2005, at his home. Arrangements entrusted to the Brenny Funeral Chapel in Crosslake.

Erle Bullen
PLYMOUTH - Erle Bullen, age 85, of Plymouth, died Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005. Graveside services will be Dec. 20 at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis at 1:45 p.m. A reception will follow at Vision of Glory Church in Plymouth.

VOX POP
It is clear that the state is planning for the expansion of state-operated treatment services (and jobs) at some of the other regional treatment centers. Why aren't any of these state jobs coming to Brainerd Regional Human Services Center to help save current employees?

Open Forum: Advent is the time to appreciate religious art
There is no time like advent season in the northern latitudes, with darkness settling in at early hours, to fully appreciate the brightness of religious art. From gold embellished Madonna and child icons and silver winged angels on greeting cards, manger scenes on fireplace mantels, twinkling light sculptures that encompass entire lawns - all remind us to look beyond ourselves and the long black nights of winter and imagine the origin of Christmas long ago in Bethlehem of Judea.

OUR OPINION: METH
The battle against methamphetamine has changed. Remarkable success has been seen in shutting down the nefarious meth labs but the demand for meth continues and the drug continues to be brought into the area.

Legislation creating return policies would help stop illegal dumping on public lands
Vince Meyer's article in the Dec. 11 Brainerd Dispatch discussed Potlatch's decision to lease its timber holdings. This decision was based in part on the disturbing behavior of people who illegally discard garbage, furniture and appliances on Potlatch timber plots.

Muzzleloaders take 20 deer at state park
The eighth muzzleloader hunt at Crow Wing State Park took place Dec. 2-4, with hunters bagging 20 deer.

Hunting, trapping regulation changes take effect Dec. 19
Changes in hunting and trapping regulations that affect deer baiting, falconry and snaring will take effect Dec. 19. The changes affect seasons already open and will apply to next year's hunting and trapping seasons.

NORTH COUNTRY CALENDAR
31 Archery deer season closes

SONAR 101
MEDINA - I replaced my old flasher with an LCD sonar unit more than 10 years ago. Today, I still can't interpret half of what it's showing and I use the unit to half of its potential.

DNR advises against snowmobile riding in western border counties
The DNR is urging snowmobile riders to stay off snowmobile trails and out of road ditches in the far western counties of Minnesota.

OUTDOOR NOTES
The DNR warns the public to use caution when going onto lakes that have operating aeration systems.

A top 10 list for gifts for outdoorsmen
I'm guessing I'm not the only person who waits and waits and waits to shop for Christmas gifts. This year we have Saturday the 24th to shop if we absolutely let things go down to the wire.

'Tis the season to be cautious with pets
Is there anyone out there who's not busy? I certainly don't want to add another item to your to-do list, but I ask you to consider your pet's safety at this time of year.

JOSHUA AND MEGAN MELBY
Megan Rae Myrick and Joshua Wil Melby were married Sept. 3, 2005, at the home of the bride's parents in Monticello, Ill., with Steve Ingram officiating.

Wedding planned
Carolyn F. Hulsey and Jason D. Smith announce their engagement. Parents are Mr. and Mrs. William N. Hulsey III, Austin, Texas, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Smith, Brainerd. A Dec. 31 wedding is planned.

Wedding planned - Ren Springer and Jason Erlandson
Ren Springer and Jason Erlandson announce their engagement. Parents are Norman and Chris Springer, Isle, and Dave and Ann Erlandson, Brainerd. A Feb. 25, 2006, wedding is planned at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wahkon.

ARIK AND RANDI HEMQUIST
Randi Beckerleg and Arik Hemquist were married Oct. 1, 2005, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Monticello, Minn., with Pastor Jim Nelson officiating.

RYAN AND NICOLE BLASING
Nicole Falness and Ryan Blasing were married July 15, 2005, at The Journey in Nisswa with Scott Pederson officiating.

CHRIS AND LYNDSEY OLSON
Lyndsey Anderson and Chris Olson were married June 17, 2005, with Father Seamus Walsh officiating.

BRIAN AND FELICIA LETTMAN
Felicia Marie Olson and Brian Michael Lettman were married Aug. 22, 2005, at the Crow Wing County Courthouse with Darrell Paske officiating.

MARK AND KATIE HANDLEY
Katie Lykins and Mark Handley were married June 4, 2005, at Lakewood Evangelical Free Church in Baxter.

SCOTT AND TESSA HALL
Tessa Domeier and Scott Hall were married at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Baxter with Pastor Erika Nilsen officiating.

Wedding planned - Darla Landmark and Andrew Christensen
Darla Landmark and Andrew Christensen announce their engagement. Parents are Gary and MaryLou Landmark, Montevideo, and Randy and Connie Christensen, Brainerd. A Jan. 28, 2006, wedding is planned at Heritage Assembly of God Church in Brainerd.

Mr. 300
At the conclusion of each Mixed Senior Coffee Break league bowling outing every Wednesday at Jack's House, the bowler with the best score is announced over the loudspeaker and congratulated.

Delivery boy
Seth Auger of Motley participated in the UPS Delivery of the Game before the Timberwolves game Dec. 13 against the Sacramento Kings at the Target Center. Auger's job was to deliver the game ball to official Michael Smith before the opening tip-off.

Ohrmundt leads W-DC to win
PINE RIVER - Brittany Ohrmundt drained three 3-point shots and finished with 25 points to lead the Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines to a 69-47 non-conference girls' basketball victory over Pine River-Backus Friday.

Meyer helps pilot Flyers to win
Megan Meyer is only 5-foot-7, but she knows how to get a rebound.

Flyers pin it to LP-GE
LITTLE FALLS - Little Falls wrestlers Sam Marcus, Josh Groshong, Jason Brill, Ted Wilczek, Pat Jenkins and Dylan Bue each earned pins to lead the Flyers past Long Prairie-Grey Eagle in a 53-15 victory Friday.

Karlsgodt sisters lead Raiders to victory
Last season it took the Central Lakes College women's basketball team 14 games before it registered its first win of the season and finished with just three wins on the year.

Staples-Motley in quest for Challenge Cup
Rochester Lourdes in Class 1A and Edina in 2A narrowly lead in the quest for the 2005-06 Minnesota State High School League Challenge Cup.

Crookston edges Brainerd in OT
CROOKSTON - Jessica Bye had an assist and scored the game-tying goal that sent Friday's non-conference girls' hockey game between the Brainerd Warriors and Crookston Pirates into overtime.

Sky high
When the Central Lakes College men's basketball team decides to turn on the offense, stand aside.

Patriots tame Mustangs in win
BREEZY POINT Following the only first-period goal by Pequot Lakes Chris Hardie, Joey Dumond lit up the second and third periods with back to back scores, leading the Patriots to a 4-1 win over the Mora Mustangs Friday.

Unsung Binek makes noise at Bunyan meet
At the start of last week Hakan Binek was 7-0 with two individual wrestling championships.

Tesdahl's 20 points help Rangers stay spotless
CROSBY - Bryce Tesdahl scored a team-high 20 points and handed out nine assists in helping the Crosby-Ironton Rangers past Park Rapids 83-70 Friday in Mid-State Conference play.

The Postal Service
After getting a taste of winning during the volleyball season, Stacey Schoon and the Verndale Pirates girls' basketball team are hungry for more.

Satellite radio prices down as XM, Sirius do battle
WASHINGTON - For Dan McLain of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, there was a compelling reason to buy a satellite radio receiver: shock jock Howard Stern's looming move off the traditional airwaves. "It's just a show I enjoy. I'm a listener and my wife's a listener," he said.

Latest iMac tiptoes into Media Center domain
When asked a few years ago if they might someday offer a Mac that works like a Microsoft entertainment PC, Apple executives joked that they were instead focusing on the convergence of computers and toasters.

Bird flu hype infecting biotech industry
SAN FRANCISCO - Two years ago, as fears of a SARS pandemic spread, a San Diego biotech company aided by federal dollars speeded a promising vaccine out of the lab and into human testing.

Digital photo printing easier, cheaper than ever
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Point. Shoot. Print. Getting a hard copy of your memories has never been easier.

Wanted: Vacation Photos
Do you have a favorite vacation photo? Send your slides, prints or digital files to:

Seeing the possibilities in disabilities
WINTERGREEN, Va. - Ski season is here, and with it comes the prickly touch of wind-blown snow, the swoosh of skis and the pounding surge of adrenaline. It happens every year at about this time, not only for millions of able-bodied skiers, but also for thousands of skiers with disabilities.

State forecast for Minnesota
.Today...Mostly cloudy north and central with scattered snow

Wisconsin state forecast
Today...Partly to mostly cloudy. A slight chance for snow showers or flurries far north. Highs from the teens northwest and central...To the mid 20s southeast.

Watch your driving
Weather drawing by Sadie Engren in the Eagle View third grade of Jane Schmidt.

State forecast for North Dakota
.Today...Mostly cloudy with occasional light snow or flurries.

State forecast for South Dakota
Today...Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered flurries...Mainly west and north. Highs in the single digits north to the teens south.

State forecast for Iowa
.Today...Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of snow across the

WHAT'S DOING
The Lakes Area Senior Activity Center doughnut crew will be on vacation for two weeks during the holidays. Doughnuts will not be made Dec. 22 or 29.

MUCH OBLIGED
Our thanks to each one who has donated clothing, bedding, and miscellaneous items to us this year to help meet the needs in the community. We will be closed from Dec. 20 to Feb. 6.

MUCH OBLIGED
On behalf of Kaja Nygard, we would like to express our gratitude for all the support and donations made by the following area businesses:

CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY
Brainerd Alateen

SUPPORT
Infertility support

ORGANIZATIONS
Brainerd Jaycees