Fish House Falls into Ice

According to the Todd County Sheriff's Office, a fish house fell part-way through the ice last Thursday. The fish house was located on Long Lake, located in Burnhamville Township. It belongs to Daniel Fruechte of Swanville. The rear-end of the 16' manufactured house broke through approximately 9 inches of ice, while the front remained suspended on the ice. The house had been on the lake for about 2 days before the incident. The owner says he will allow the ice to thicken around the fish house before removing it.

Hecker Divorce Granted

Former auto mogul Denny Hecker and his wife Tamitha will be traveling different roads in the future. A Hennepin County Judge has granted a divorce that will close the trunk on a 15 year marriage.

Terms of the separation have not yet been determined. Tamitha is said to be asking for $15 million and sole custody of the children, ages 8 and 14.

Hecker closed or sold 26 auto dealerships and filed for bankruptcy in June, including two in Brainerd.

Thursday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Crosby-Ironton 64, Aitkin 29
Menahga 83, Park Rapids 58
Pine City 62, Isle 51
Red Lake 75, Cass Lake-Bena 72
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 56, LaPorte 39
Browerville 70, Parkers Prairie 54
Eagle Valley 69, Verndale 55

Girls Basketball:
Cass Lake-Bena 54, Blackduck 52
Holy Family Catholic 60, Motgomery-Lonsdale 21
New York Mills 72, Verndale 55
Northland 87, Hill City 58
Pillager 49, Menahga 37
St. Cloud Tech 52, Little Falls 42
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 63, LaPorte 32

Boys Hockey:
Little Falls 3, Sauk Rapids-Rice 2 (OT)
Northern Lakes 4, Moose Lake Area 1
Park Rapids/Menahga/Nevis 5, Wadena-Deer Creek 1

Girls Hockey:
Brainerd/Little Falls 3, Willmar 1
Park Rapids Area 5, LPGE/WDC 1

Wrestling:
Brainerd/Pillager 37, Rocori 27
Pierz 54, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 24
Royalton/Upsala 59, Ogilvie 18

Crow Wing Shows Traffic Death Improvement

Crow Wing County is off the top 13 deadliest counties in the state for DWI fatalities. State Patrol Sergent Curt Mowers says the county is now at number 22. Half the fatalaties involving alcohol also involve motorists not wearing seat belts. He says that number is even higher during night-time hours.

Mowers says the State Patrol and local law enforcement is involved in the December mobilization now. He says they want to stay out of the top 13 dealiest counties by concentrating on DWI drivers and seat belt violations.

The state-wide traffic fatality rate is down to 389, compared to 419 last year.

More Transportation $ for Minnesota Roads

Minnesota Congressman James Oberstar and Wisconsin Congressman David Obey combined forces to pass a $500-million Minnesota Jobs Bill in the house. The money would be used to fund Minnesota Road road projects and transportation systems.

Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, sponsored the 75 billion dollar Jobs for Main Street Act. Congressman Oberstar, who chairs the Transportation Committee says he made sure that half of the bill will go towards transportation infrastructure projects.

The bill now goes the U.S. Senate, where it is expected to be taken up early next year.

A Stand-Off Today in Park Rapids

(AP) Two men are in jail, and another in the hospital, following a police stand-off in Park Rapids today. Police Officers were called to an apartment building after reports of a hostage and guns. Shots were heard, and a 47-year-old man left the apartment. He had a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his leg, and was taken to a hospital. Two men, who are brothers--ages 31 and 39, held of SWAT Officers for about 4 hours until police used tear gas to take them into custody. The suspects are being held in the Hubbard County Jail.

Nisswa Woman Wins Keller Award

Erin Herman has been awarded the Helen Keller award by Lions Clubs International in recognition of her commitment to the Sight First project which is trying to eradicate blindness and our hearing aid project which eases pain and suffering and brings healing and hope to people worldwide. Past President Ted Schaefer was on hand to present the award.

Herman is a member of the Nisswa Lions Club. She has been a Lion for many years, and has participated in various club projects including Crazy Days Corn Feed, Pork-on-a-Stick, and our annual Mississippi Belle boat excursion. Erin Herman is a Past President of the Nisswa Lions.

The Nisswa Lions Club has 84 members and meets on 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 6:00 PM at the Nisswa Community Center. Lions clubs are a group of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. For more information or to get involved with the Nisswa Lions Club, please contact Ted Dullum at 963-2452 or visit our internet site nisswalions.com.

MP&L Gets Rate Hike

(AP) Minnesota Power customers can expect to see their bills go up in 2010. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission granted a $48.5 million hike. Minnesota Power had requested a $73 million bump.

Residential customers of MP&L can expect to see their electric bill rise an average of $7 a month next year.

A company spokesperson says the rate hike is needed due to the utilities investment in infrastructure and green technology.

H1N1 Clinic Tuesday

The Crow Wing County Community Health Division will hold an H1N1 swine flu vaccination clinic at Central Lakes College for everyone 6 months and older, and children 9 years and under in need of their 2nd dose, Tuesday Dec. 22.

The clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the gymnasium at CLC.

Tiwari Appointed VP at CLC

Dr. Suresh Tiwari, after six months in an interim capacity, has been appointed vice president of academic and student affairs at Central Lakes College, Brainerd and Staples.

Dr. Tiwari had been a dean at the largest technical college in South Carolina and former dean at Hawkeye Community College in Iowa prior to taking the interim post at CLC last spring.

Tuesday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Barnum 66, Aitkin 56
Cass Lake-Bena 79, Pine River-Backus 37
Crosby-Ironton 75, Park Rapids 34
Detroit Lakes 76, Pequot Lakes 62
Henning 65, Verndale 41
Isle 66, McGregor 54
Little Falls 62, Alexandria 47
Nevis 62, Blackduck 50
Northland 65, Hill City 54
Sebeka 96, Pillager 48
St. Cloud Tech 61, Brainerd 48
St. John's Prep 58, Royalton 39
Staples-Motley 83, Wadena-Deer Creek 59

Girls Basketball:
Aitkin 60, Ogilvie 32
Bertha-Hewitt 60, Wadena-Deer Creek 40
Brainerd 59, St. Cloud Apollo 45
East Grand Forks 65, Park Rapids 32
Nevis 60, Blackduck 38
Pine River-Backus 66, Verndale 35
Sebeka 74, Pillager 56
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 69, Cass Lake-Bena 54

Boys Hockey:
Brainerd/Pierz/Pillager 4, St. Cloud Tech 2
Detroit Lakes/Perham 5, Park Rapids/Menahga/Nevis 4 (OT)
Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lakes 4, Northern Lakes 1
Sartell 3, Little Falls 2

Girls Hockey:
Morris/Benson 11, LPGE/WDC 0
Park Rapids 2, Detroit Lakes/ Perham 1

Community Notification Meeting for a Predatory Offender Release coming up next Tuesday

According to Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl, the release of a Level 3 Predatory Offender into rural Crow Wing County is scheduled for later this month. A Community Notification Meeting is set for next Tuesday, December 22nd at 6:30 pm at the Living Word Church located on Highway 371 North, Brainerd. The meeting is open to the public, and will discuss the release of 49-year old Brooks Fisher, who will be released from the Department of Corrections on Sunday, December 27th. Fisher will be living in a residence located on the 19,000 block of Soder Road, Brainerd--which is approximately 5 miles north of Baxter off Highway 371 North in Crow Wing County.

January Could Be Mild

September and November were warm. October and December have been cold. The pattern would suggest January will be warm. K-Lakes Meteorologist Tony Schumacher says that may be the case. He says there is a so-called North Atlantic Oscillation that is over-riding the warming El Nino effect.

Schumach expects that oscillation to change in January bringing us another mild month.

Give Tiger a Break

The public needs to step back, and give Tiger Woods a chance to heal his family life, so says W Granville Brown, Certified Life Coach and author of the book "Choices."

Brown told KLKS News, he was surprised about Woods fall from grace, because of the wholesome image he has enjoyed, even when living the single life. Brown says we ought not be so quick to judge. Few have been in the position of rejecting the temptations of super models.

Brown says the mark of an individual's character is not determined when things are easy, but rather when things get difficult.

Klobuchar urges Iran to Release Minnesotan

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is urging Iranian authorities to release three young Americans who were captured by the Iranian military last summer. Among them was former Minnesotan Shane Bauer. Iranian officials say they will be tried by Iran's judiciary system.

Senator Klobuchar says the three young Americans made a simple mistake by straying across the border from Iraq into Iran. She says any formal charges against them are unwarranted and unreasonable.

The three Americans were on a hiking trip in Northern Iraq when they reportedly crossed into Iran in late July. Since then, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and John Fattal have been held in near isolation in a Tehran prison and have been allowed no contact with their families in the United States.

Brainerd Salvation Army Halfway to Goal

The Brainerd Salvation Army says there is still time to get that "ring a ding feeling." With two weeks remaining until Christmas, volunteer bell ringing shifts still remain open.

Several hundred volunteer hours still need to be filled for this week, and especially for next week. Major Jeff Strickler, Corps Officer of the Brainerd Lakes Salvation Army says it will be hard to achieve the Christmas kettle goal without additional volunteers to ring bells.

Brainerd Lakes Salvation Army is just over halfway to their Christmas Kettle goal of $103,000. They still need to raise $49,000 by Christmas Eve, or $4,084 a day for the next 12 days.

Sign up to bell ring by calling (218) 829-1120. Shifts can last as little as an hour.

Donations can also be made by mailing a check to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 385, Brainerd, MN 56401.

Brainerd Man Dies in Cottonwood Accident

(AP) A Brainerd man was among two who were killed in a head-on collision south of Cottwood Monday morning. The have been identified as 53-year-old James Moses and 42-year-old Henry Castro of Cottonwood.

The State Patrol says Mose's Chevy was southbound in the northbound lane when the vehicles collided. The Patrol says alcohol may have contributed to the crash.

Monday Night High School Scores

Girls Basketball:
Floodwood 70, Northland 56
McGregor 65, Isle 63 (OT)
Staples-Motley 55, Frazee 25

Minnesota Senators Leary of Medicare Expansion

Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken have sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid outlining their concerns regarding plans to expand Medicare to Americans between the ages of 55-64. The Minnesota DFL-ers say any expansion must include ways of eliminating inequities in current Medicare reimbursement rates. The say such an expansion could exacerbate existing provider shortages in states that have low reimbursement rates.

Senator Klobuchar says states with more efficient health care systems are punished with reimbursement rates that lag significantly behind the rates of other states.

The two are urging Majority Leader Reid to hold on any expansion unless steps are taken to provide incentives for providers to see more Medicare patients.