Agreement to Retain Health Care Program Reached

(AP) General Assistance Medical Care, which serves more than 30,000 poor adults each month, has received an extension. According to Democratic lawmakers, a deal has been reached that would retain the health care program that serves some of Minnesota's most vulnerable adults. Senator Linda Berglin and Representative Tom Huntley say that funding for the program will start to shrink by June, and will be only 23% of the current level--that's despite the extension.

Cass Lake Man Injured in Shooting

According to Tom Burch, Chief Deputy at the Cass County Sheriff's Office a 31-year old man, indentified as Amos Ervin Laduke of Cass Lake was injured by gunfire Thursday afternoon near Tract 34 in the Cass Lake area. He was taken by air ambulance to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth. In custody is 22-year old William Earl Morris of Cass Lake. He's being held in the Cass County Jail pending formal charges. The incident is under investigation.

Peter Pan Opens Saturday in Pequot

Peter Pan opens Saturday on the Pequot Lakes High School Stage. Director David Allan Pundt says it is a fantastic cast of area young people.

The opening performance will be at noon and 7 p.m. Saturday. Additional performances will Sunday, March at 2 p.m., March 12 & 13 at 7 p.m. and March 14 at 2:00pm.

Tickets are available through Pequot Lakes Community Education, 568-9200, and at the door one hour before each performance.

Polar Plunge Saturday In Breezy

Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl says this should be a nice weekend for a dip. The Polar Plunge will be held on Pelican Lake in front of Breezy Point Resort Saturday afternoon. The Sheriff says the chill only lasts for a little while, and the proceeds go the Special Olympics.

Sheriff Dahl says whether plunging or not, its fun to be there, and he says the looks on the faces of the Special Olympics athletes makes it all worth while. The event is scheduled for 1 p.m.

A Character in Hecker Case Commits Suicide

(AP) The former father-in-law of Denny Hecker has apparently taken his own life.

Police found 71-year-old William Prohofsky of Minnetonka dead from a self inflicted gun shot wound in his car in Medina earlier this week. He died a week after he was accused of aiding Hecker hide money from creditors.

The trustee in Hecker's bankruptcy case filed a suit again Prohofsky alleging he accepted $15 thousand to hide $81 thousand for Hecker and his girl friend. commit

Olson Looks at Nuclear Power

Nuclear power has become a hot topic at the state capitol this legislative session.

State Senator Mary Olson of Bemidji tells KLKS News, the big concern is safety and storage of the spent rods. However, she has heard from voters in the home district that the U.S. not nearly as efficient in the use of nuclear power as European counties.

An effort to remove the state ban on new nuclear power plans was stalled in the State House Thursday, when DFL-ers placed conditions on any new construction.

Ice Tea Saturday In C.L.

The bay in front of Moon Light Bay in Crosslake will transform into a golf course of sorts Saturday. It's the 8th Annual Ice Tee Open to benefit Camp Knutson.

Director Rob Larson says there is no restriction on what can be used as a club. He says a seven iron is as good as anything, but some ice duffers have had good luck with hockey sticks.

Entree fee for adults is $20.00; children under 14, $10.00 per child. New this year is a Hole-In-One contest with a cash prize.

Cass Lake Shooting

A 31-year-old Cass Lake man has been air lifted to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth with a gun shot wound. The Cass County Sheriff's office says the incident happened about 3:30 Thursday afternoon near Cass Lake.

A suspect has been taken into custody.

The victim has not been identified. And the incident is under investigation.

Thursday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Cass Lake-Bena 103, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 85
Eagle Valley 78, Menahga 67
Northome/Kelliher 76, LaPorte 35
Pillager 57, Royalton 56
Rush City 74, Aitkin 53
Swanville 76, Verndale 75

Girls Basketball:
Section 6 2A
Pierz 64, Albany 50
Staples-Motley 71, Breckenridge 33
Section 8 2A
Crookston 54, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 39
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 46, Crowsby-Ironton 40
Pequot Lakes 60, Wadena-Deer Creek 57
Section 5 1A
Bertha-Hewitt 74, Menahga 41
Isle 60, Cromwell 58
Northland 47, McGregor 45
Pine River-Backus 36, Nevis 25
Sebeka 61, Eagle Valley 42
Upsala 65, Pillager 53
Section 8 1A
Clearbrook-Gonvick 58, Cass Lake-Bena 54

Vonn Hits the Big Time--

(AP) Olympic Gold Medalist and Burnsville native, Lindsey Vonn, will be the first female Alpine Skier to appear on the Wheaties box. Vonn posted a picture of herself with her orange cereal box on her blog this morning. Additionally, Vonn's sponsor, Red Bull, announced that Vonn's image would appear on their limited-edition six-packs of the energy drink.

Wednesday High School Scores

State Wresting Tournament:
Pequot Lakes-Pine River Road Crew
140# Peter Harrison pinned Ruban Hidalgo of St. Thomas Academy in 3:30 at 3:30 into the match.
160# Chris Henderson won by a pin in 5:33 over Garrett Miller of Plainville-Elgin-Melville.
145# Levi Allen defeats Bailey Felix of Virginia with a 5-2 decision.

Girls Basketball:
Section 7 2A
Esko 69, Aitkin 50

Tuesday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Aitkin 58, Deer River 56
Crosby-Ironton 93, Walker-Hackensack-akeley 60
Isle 64, Hinckley-Finlayson 47
LaPorte 76, Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig 48
Little Falls 76, Sauk Rapids-Rice 65
Nevis 77, Verndale 41.
Pequot Lakes 57, Esko 44
Pierz 52, Eden Valley-Watkins 46
Pine River-Backus 70, Pillager 56
Staples-Motley 87, Detroit Lakes 56

Girls Basketball:
Brainerd 54, Moorhead 52
Eagle Valley 64, Verndale 44
Menahga 63, Browerville 43
Northome/Kelliher 47, LaPorte 36
Pillager 65, Swanville 27
Royalton 50, Hill City 49
St. Cloud Apollo 61, Little Falls 49

St. Joe's to Lose $ From Pawlenty Veto

State Representative John Ward of Brainerd says he is very disappointed the legislature did not override the Governor's veto of a bill which would have restored insurance to poor Minnesotans. He tells KLKS News result could be a further loss of jobs in the Brainerd area. He says St. Joseph's Medical Center will lose $800 thousand in revenue.

Brainerd has the highest unemployment rate among Minnesota cities over 10 thousand population. Ward says every job is important now.

Peter Pan Comes to Pequot

Peter Pan comes to the Pequot Lakes High School theater stage this weekend. Director David Allan Pundt tells KLKS News, the cast of local actors are wonderful, creating a play all age groups can enjoy.

The play opens with a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee and runs two weekends. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Mille Lacs Walleye Limits Unchanged

Anglers who fish Lake Mille Lacs during the 2010 fishing season will again be able to keep four walleye up to 18 inches in length. The bag limit of four may include one trophy more than 28 inches.

The regulation, which begins May 15 and is identical to the current regulation, requires anglers to release all walleye from 18-to 28-inches. It was set by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources following input from Mille Lacs area resort, angling and related interests.

The regulation aims to ensure that the state angler harvest falls within the state’s 2010 allocation of 411,500 pounds of walleye. Eight Chippewa Indian bands from Minnesota and Wisconsin may take 132,500 pounds of walleye.

The DNR is seeking legislative approval that would allow the agency to change the fishing regulation on Mille Lacs mid-season, ensuring the walleye regulation is no more restrictive than necessary.

Olson Seeks Relief from Fishing Guide Fees

A resolution urging the United States Congress to change the rules regarding fishing and boat guide licensure has had its first hearing in a Minnesota Senate Committee. The resolution, authored by Sen. Mary Olson aims to help local businesses and resorts by easing the process of obtaining fish and boat guide licenses on Minnesota lakes.

Senator Olson says hundreds of thousands of jobs are tied into the industry, and many of those jobs are reliant on natural resources, including over 500 fishing and recreation guides throughout the state, many of whom operate in her district. She says current federal law governing the licensing of these guides does not apply to the smaller fishing and recreational vessels that operate on inland lakes in Minnesota.

The Bemidji DFL-er says it would cost a great amount of money and hardship on boat owners to obtain these licenses.

Bond Set in Death of Pierz man

(AP) Bond has been set at $75 thousand for an auctioneer accused of murdering a Pierz man. The attorney for 27-year-old Nicholas Caspers says his client acted in self-defense.

Caspers is accused of killing 30-year-old Paul Varner, who was working at Wishek Livestock Sales in Wishek, North Dakota at the time of the shooting.

B.P. Woman Appointed Governor's Council

Governor Tim Pawlenty is appointing 14 to the Council on Disability, including Pamela Lillehei, of Breezy Point. She is a substitute teacher and English as a second language tutor with the Pequot Lakes Schools. Ms. Lillehei has served as the disability representative on the V.A. Medical Center’s Equal Employment Opportunities Council.

The Council on Disability advises the Governor, state agencies, the Legislature, and the public on matters relating to public policy and the administration of programs, services, and facilities for persons who have a disability.

The Council consists of 16 members, including at least one member from each of Minnesota’s state development regions, who serve three-years terms and are appointed by the Governor.

Monday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Cass Lake-Bena 87, Northome/Kelliher 69
Eagle Valley 73, Royalton 52
Hill City 68, Mountain Iron-Buhl 51
Moorhead 82, Brainerd 75
Nevis 63, Browerville 51
Park Rapids 55, Crookston 53

Girls Basketball:
Sebeka 78, New York Mills 67
Staples-Motley 49, Bertha-Hewitt 35

Lion - Lamb Folklore

March is coming in like a lamb. K-Lakes Meteorologist Tony Schumacher says this first work week looks to bring lots of sunshine and high temperatures around 40. But, that does not mean the month will leave like a lion. He describes that as folklore, and says the month can produce all sorts of different weather.

Schumacher says the weekend weather, and into the first part of next week, could bring a combination of both rain and snow.

February was about a degree warmer than normal and we received about half the usual snow fall.

Dahl Predicts Continued Economic Challenges

Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl says the biggest surprise facing him during his first term in office has been dealing with a down-turn in the economy. He tells KLKS News, he has dealt effectively with the economic problems, while maintaining services. He says he wants to wants to run for reelection this year, because 2011 also looks to be challenging.

Dahl says one way they have replaced shrinking dollars is by housing short-term state prisoners for up to a year.

E-filing Win-Win

Three quarters of Minnesota taxpayers file their taxes electronically, according to St. Paul IRS Spokesperson Carrie Resch. She tells KLKS News, there are benefits for both the taxpayer and government. E-filers get a confirmation that their return has been accepted for processing, it results in a quicker refund, and it costs the government almost three dollars less per taxpayer to process the return.

Resch says E-filers who owe the government money, can debit their account anytime before the April 15th deadline.

Olson to Hold Town Meetings

State Senator Mary Olson will host town hall listening sessions in three cities in her district Friday.

The Bemidji DFL-er says "Everyone knows our state is dealing with an economic crisis that will require the government to tighten its belt." She says it will be important to be thoughtful about the impact of our decisions and think strategically about how to improve the state's economy as they move forward.

The Friday meetings will be at 9 a.m. in the Pillager City Council Chambers, 1 p.m. in the Akeley City Council Chambers and 4:30 p.m.in the Bemidji City Council Chambers.

Students Look to get Counted

(AP) Metropolitan State University student leaders in St. Paul are wanting to make sure that students get counted in the 2010 census. More Federal funding may be available, if a thorough count is achieved. Lobbying is being done at the University in the classrooms and hallways. The census data is used by the government in Federal tuition grant and loan programs.