Saturday, February 28 Sports Scores

Boys High School Basketball
Long Praire-Grey Eagle 48, Mora 44
Sebeka 62, Barnum 39

Girls High School Basketball
Barnum, 76, Sebeka 61


Exhibition Baseball
Twins 7, Yankees 3

Girls Hockey
Class 2A Championship
Stillwater 5, Hopkins 3

Lt. Governor To Be At Republican Convention

Lt. Governor Carol Molnau will be the keynote speaker at the Crow Wing County Republican annual convention on Saturday, March 14. The event will be held at Central Lakes College. All elected delegates and alternates should attend, along with anyone interested in particpating in local and state Republican activities. Registration is at 9:00am, with the convention getting underway at 10:00am. In case of inclement weather, the convention will be held on Tuesday, April 3 at 5:30pm at the same location.

Friday, February 27 Sports Scores

Boys High School Basketball:
Braham 83, Moose Lake/Willow River 68
Detroit Lakes 78, Park Rapids 46
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 54, Frazee 41
Henning 77, Menahga 51
Little Falls 61, Brainerd 51
Mora 76, Aitkin 38
Nevis 78, Cass Lake-Bena 74
Northland 78, Hill City 59
Pelican Rapids 84, Perham 37
Pequot Lakes 78, Pine River-Backus 40
Pierz 82, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 76
Verndale 55, Ashby 52
Wadena-Deer Creek 61, Crosby-Ironton 58

Girls High School Basketball:
Alexandria 86, Little Falls 60
Cass Lake-Bena 50, Nevis 37
Cromwell 54, Wrenshall 33
Crosby-Ironton 57, Warroad 33
Eagle Valley 41, Verndale 36
Hinckley-Finlayson 72, Braham 68
Northland 61, Pine River-Backus 54
Pequot Lakes 84, Sebeka 82
Pierz 66, Maple Lake 43
St. Cloud Tech 48, Brainerd 44
Staples-Motley 60, Park Rapids 26

Boys Hockey
1A Section 8
Quarterfinal
Thief River Falls/Goodridge 5, Park Rapids/Menahga/Nevis 2

NBA
Portland 102, MN Timberwolves 82

Exhibition Baseball
Twins 5, Yankees 4

NHL
Flames 4, Wild 1

Habitat For Humanity Receives Governor's Award

Habitat For Humanity ReStores of Minnesota, including the organization's Brainerd Store, were recently awarded a Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention. The eight Minnesota ReStores received the award in recognition of their diversion of nearly 1200 tons of usable building materials from Minnesota landfills during 2007-2008. The Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore alone diverted approximately 590 tons of materials from landfills during the same two-year period. The materials came from contractors, retailers and individual homeowners committed to environmentally sensitive building concepts. To learn more about the Lakes Area Habitat ReStore visit www.lakesareahabitat.org or call 218-454-8517.

Email Scam in the Area

The Todd County Sheriff is concerned about an email scam in the area. The message states that your ATM card has been received, and a large amount of money was in the account. The email goes on to state that, a "Safe keeping fee" is required. Upon receipt the card would be mailed back to the owner. When the card arrives, the recipient is then asked to withdraw $20,000 each day until the account is empty. The Sheriff says anyone who receives such an email should delete it.

SUV - Bus Accident in Baxter

Snowy conditions contributed to a SUV-school bus collision in Baxter Thursday. The small SUV driven by a 17-year-old girl, lost control and struck the bus on County Road 48 and Evergreen Drive about 3:30 p.m. The bus had just picked up middle school students at Forest View School when the accident occurred. 34 students were on board at the time. Even though it was a head-on accident no one was injured.
An ambulance crew checked the condition of the SUV driver and found her uninjured.
While shaken, the students remained on the bus until they could be transferred to another and taken home.

Fatal Fire in Nevis

(AP) A house fire Thursday in Nevis has claimed a life. The rural home was engulfed in flame when firemen arrived. After the flames were quelled, a body was found in the rubble.
The body was taken to Ramsey County Medical Center for positive identification and autopsy.
Family members told authorities only one person was living in the home.
The Hubbard County Sheriff's Office and State Fire Marshal are investigating

Thursday High School Sports

Boys Basketball:
Pierz vs Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, PPD to Feb 27
Northhome/Kelliher vs LaPorte PPD

Girls Basketball:
Little Falls vs Alexandria, PPD to Feb 27
Pine River-Backus vs Deer River CCD
Royalton vs Pillager, PPD

7th Annual Ice Tee Open is Slated for March 7th

Saturday, March 7th, is the date for the 7th Annual Ice Tee Open coming up at Moonlight Bay in Crosslake. Jesse, an organizer for the event, says that Golden Eagle Golf Club does an excellent job of laying out a fun course. Other activites that day include a Silent Auction, a costume contest for "Most Original", and food and drink specials. Proceeds to benefit Camp Knutson. K-Lakes is a proud sponsor of this event. To make a tee-time, call 218-692-3575--or for more information, go to www.campknutson.org

Koering Opposes a New Vikings Stadium

St. Senator Paul Koering of Fort Ripley says this is not the time to consider public funding of a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings. He told KLKS News, "As far as this State Senator is Concerned, that is going no where." The Republican says, "Not during a time when a thousand people are turned away from the homeless shelters because they are packed full."
Koering says if the Vikings threaten to move the team out of Minnesota, while he would hate to see them go, he would say, "Good bye then."

A CPA's Advice for New Business Owners

The nations 20 million small businesses is growing, according to Kieth Hall, tax advisor and CPA for the National Association for the Self Employed. He says uemployed workers are deciding now is the time to strike out on their own. He tells KLKS News, it is important to invest in themselves, whether it be a new computer or vehicle.
Hall also says those new business owners need to get their tax returns done early. He says math errors and incorrect social security numbers are causing delays.

Federal Dollars for Mille Lacs Wastewater Treatment

The Garrison-Mille Lacs Wastewater Treatment plant stands to get $957,000 in federal funding. Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar says the congress has approved the project as part of the $410 billion Omnibus Appropriations bill.

Fuel Assistance Demand Is Up

(AP) About 3,400 families are asking for fuel assistance in Cass and Beltrami counties this winter. They are part of a record 140 thousand families looking for state help in paying their heating bills.
Cass-Beltrami Fuel Assistance Coordinator Patty Hargrave says they have hundreds more waiting to have their applications processed. Demand is up 10 percent over last year.
One bit of good news, the price of fuel oil and natural gas is down from last summer.

Stimulus Money Comes to Central Minnesota

The Brainerd Lakes area will benefit a little from the federal stimulus package. Governor Tim Pawlenty says 60 state highway projects are slated to begin construction in Greater Minnesota as early as this spring, valued at $180 million.
Highway 10 between Wadena to Staples will undergo an overlay.
Contractors for the first round of projects will be selected March 13, with work to begin in May. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that the Greater Minnesota transportation projects will create approximately 5,000 jobs.
District 3 Transportation Engineer said the goal is to ensure that their share of the federal stimulus funds is used efficiently and effectively.
Minnesota is expected to receive more than $596 million for state and local highway and transit projects over the next two years as a result of the federal legislation.

Thursday, February 26, Sports Scores

Exhibition Baseball
Minnesota 5, Boston 2

NBA
Utah Jazz 120, Minnesota Timberwolves 103

Garrison Ducks Unlimited Honored

The President's Top 100 are among Ducks Unlimited's elite chapters throughout the nation. Every year, the list is reserved for the 100 chapters who raise the most grassroots dollars for DU's habitat conservation work. The Garrison, Minnesota Chapter made the list as one of the organization's highest fundraising chapters. The Garrison Chapter has earned a spot in the top 100 out of more that 3,500 DU Chapters nationwide.

Eating Disorder Support Group Meets Every Month

February 23rd through the 27th is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Justina Richter, of the Eating Disorder Awareness Association of Central Minnesota, told K-Lakes' News that there are places people can go to get help, including the Association, their doctor, and other professionals. A local support group meets the first Monday of every month from 6:30-8:30 pm at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Baxter, with an educational session for the first hour, and discussion the second hour. For more information, call 218-963-7421.

Fish House Restrictions

Fish house restrictions are about to go into place, according to Brainerd Area Fisheries Manager Tim Brastrup. He says the ice shelters must be off area lakes beginning at midnight, Monday, March 2nd. He says north of a Fargo to Duluth line, they can stay of the lakes until March 16th. Brastrup says the shelters can still be used, but must be off the lakes at night.

Runway Improvements for the Brainerd Airport

A federal grant will help the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport continue a major runway reconstruction project. The Federal Aviation Administration is awarding a grant of $3.3 million to help fund the second phase of the runway project. Congressman Jim Oberstar, Chairman of the powerful Transportation Committee says the construction project will create jobs in the short-term and leave the region better positioned for long-term economic growth.
Last year, the Brainerd airport received a total of $2.8 million in grants from the FAA to make runway improvements, upgrade the terminal building and purchase snow removal equipment.

Oberstar Approves Obama's Economic Fix

President Obama's economic address received a positive reaction from fellow democrat Jim Oberstar. The 8th District congressman says the president has been walking a tight rope. He has had to be candid about the state of the economy, outline steps to set it on the right course, and instill confidence for the future. He says that's what FDR did during the great depression, and that's what Obama did last night.
Oberstar says the stimulus package is the beginning of the end of borrowing from the future to correct the sins of the past.

Klobuchar Liked Obama's Speech

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar was pleased to hear President Obama talk about Minnesota cops, during his speech on the economy to congress last night. The stimulus packages will allow Minneapolis to keep 57 officers. The Senator says the package will result in a total of 66-thousand Minnesota jobs. Klobuchar says it is important to put people back to work in the short term and having something to show for it in the long term.

Lewis Sentenced for Manslaughter

A 25-year-old Brainerd man will spend another year in jail for the death of another man in downtown Brainerd last summer. Bradley Thomas Lewis agreed to a first degree murder charge, in exchange for the dismissal of an array of other charges. Thomas was involved in an altercation August 19th in which 39-year-old Chad Charles Campbell suffered a severe head injury. He was taken to St. Cloud Hospital where he died. Police determined alcohol was a factor. Lewis has been jailed since the incident. He was not given credit for time already served. If Thomas violates the terms of his probation, he could be sentenced to over eight years in jail.

Tuesday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Bertha-Hewitt 65, Verndale 43
Brainerd 76, Sartell 45
Cass Lake-Bena 90, Menahga 60
Crosby-Ironton 69, Park Rapids 46
East Central 66, Aitkin 58
Grand Rapids 64, Staples-Motley 57
Little Falls 66, Sauk Rapids-Rice 56
Osakis 68, Browerville 50
Pierz 59, Eden Valley-Watkins 46
Pine River-Backus 55, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 54
Royalton 53, Nevis 36
Sebeka 69, Eagle Valley 52
Wadena-Deer Creek 73, Pequot Lakes 71 (OT)

Girls Basketball:
Cass Lake-Bena 70, Northome/Kelliher 36
Grand Rapids 69, Crosby-Ironton 45
Menahga 60, Northland 53
New York Mills 63, Pillager 27
Pierz 51, Kimball 33
Pine River-Backus 42, Park Rapids 34
Royalton 39, Nevis 33
Staples-Motley 68, Pelican Rapids 54
Verndale 66, LaPorte 56
Wadena-Deer Creek 72, Pequot Lakes 59

Boys Hockey:
St. Cloud Tech 3, Northern Lakes 0
Alexandria 9, Wadena Deer-Creek 2
Little Falls 11, Prairie Centre Area 0
Park Rapids/Menahga/Nevis 8, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley/Cass Lake-Bena 2

Howes Says Average Workers Are Not Being Heard

State Representative Larry Howes of Walker is concerned about who did not show up at recent legislative listening sessions. Hearings were held last week in Brainerd and Bemidji on the Governor's budget balancing proposal. Howes tells KLKS News, 97% of those who testified were those whose programs are subject to cuts. He says "Joe and Jane Worker" weren't there because the Governor's proposal does not propose a tax increase which would affect them. Howes felt testimony from those in education, health care and the courts, about the cuts that would affect them, was genuine.

Schools Want No Strings Attached to Stimulus Money

The federal stimulus package could send up to $339,000 to the Pequot Lakes school system. Superintendent Rick Linnell cautions those are only estimates. And, they don't know what kinds of strings are attached. Linnell tells KLKS News if those dollars can be applied to programs, it would be great. Linnell says all school districts are looking at reductions, because they don't know what next year will bring. He says Pequot Lakes has a decent fund balance, but they don't want to use it all up while they wait for the economy to improve.

Car-Bus Accident in Baxter

A car-school bus collision in Baxter last night sent a Brainerd girl to the hospital in critical condition. Seven-year-old Madeline A. Gibbons was airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center in Robinsdale with head injuries. The State Patrol says a car driven by 64-year-old Carol Schwarzkopt ran a red light at County Road 48 and Highway 371 striking the bus from Walker-Hackensack-Akeley. She was treated for head injuries at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd. A teacher and 11 students were returning from a cooking class in Minneapolis when the accident occurred. Three of the students sustained minor injuries.

Monday High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Cass Lake-Bena 88, Win-E-Mac 46
Nevis 48, Northome/Kelliher 43
Northland 75, McGregor 55

Girls High School Basketball:
Hill city 55, Wrenshall 48
Isle 50, Carlton 47
Onamia 58, McGregor 41
Perham 72, Park Rapids 28
Pine River-Backus 59, Northome/Kelliher 23
Underwood 71, Upsala 63

Stimulus Package to Aid Local Schools

Local school districts will receive between $215 thousand and $2.1 million from the recently approved economic stimulus package. Called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the funds will be used to help local school districts balance their budgets. Brainerd will receive nearly $2.1 million; Crosby-Ironton, 535,000; Little Falls, 904,000; Pequot Lakes, 339,000; Pierz, 276,000; Pillager, 215,000; Pine River-Backus, 462,000 and Staples-Motley, $577,000.

Koering Wants Slot Machines at Canterbury

State Senator Paul Koering, Fort Ripley, is hoping to ring the til with state-run slot machines at Canterbury Park Racetrack in Shakopee.
The idea idea of a Racino has been around a long time. Koering estimates adding one-armed bandits to the horse racing track could generate between $100 million and $200 million per year for the state.
Senator Koering said, "Our Native American friends have casinos all over the State and the taxpayers are not receiving one cent of revenue off that gaming."
He goes on to say, "In this economy, I think it makes sense to allow the state to accept money that people are going to drop into a slot machine if they are inclined to do so anyway."

Avoiding Home Burglary in Crow Wing County

One in 12 homes is targeted by burglars, according to Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl. He tells KLKS News, protecting homes from invasion has little to do with luck. The area's top cop says crooks are looking for easy entrance and escape. He says expensive security sytems help. So does telling your neighbors when you are gone and when you will be back. Good lighting outside and at entrances is important. Sheriff Dahl says homeowners should not attach notes to the house announcing when they will be gone, or when they will be back.

Education Tax Credits

As unemployed workers flock back to school to learn a new trade, education tax credits are becoming more valuable. St. Paul IRS spokeswoman Carrie Resch says parents and students should consider the Hope and Lifetime Learning credits. The Hope credit applies to the first two years of post-secondary education, such as college or vocational school. It can be worth up to $1,800 per year. The Lifetime Learning credit applies to undergraduate, graduate and professional degree courses, including instruction to acquire or improve job skills, regardless of the number of years in the program. If qualified, the student is eligible for a maximum credit of $2,000. The dollar amounts double for those in declared Midwest disaster areas.