Crow Wing Feeders Owes $15,000

Crow Wing Feeders has agreed to pay $15,000 for alleged feedlot violations at its cattle feedlot in Cass County.  Inspectors with the MPCA reported a number of violations in December.  Inspection reports say the company failed to obtain required permits for certain construction and expansion. 

Inspectors say Crow Wing expanded to near 27-hundred head of cattle.  As part of the settlement, the company must limit the number of cattle to its current registered number of 840. 

Time To Register To Vote

The Crow Wing County Auditor, Deborah Erickson, reminds those residents who are not registered to vote, or those who have changed addresses since the last election, that July 10th is the last day to register in advance for the Primary Election to held Tuesday, August 10.  You may pre-register at the her office on the 2nd floor of the Historic Courthouse in Brainerd from 8:00am - 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. 

If you you do not register by the deadline, you may register at the polls on Election Day by providing an acceptable for of proof of residence.  If you have questions, call 218-824-1045.

Sweetheart Days in Hackensack

Hackensack's Sweetheart Days begins this weekend. 

Chamber Executive Director Jean Dawson, says the Fire Department gets things cooking Saturday with a barbecue and evening dance.  Sunday features a tournament at Black Bear golf course, and the start of the medallion hunt. 

Dawson says the big day is Tuesday with kids fishing contest, horseshoe tournament, and the day concludes with a parade at 6 p.m.

Disaster Center Opens in Wadena

(AP)  A state disaster recovery center will open at the National Guard Armory in Wadena today.  The center will answer questions about uninsured losses.  The center will help those in Wadena and Otter Tail counties who suffered losses from the June 17th tornadoes.

State officials will have information on housing, unemployment, farm advocacy and other issues.

The Center will be open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. today,  and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Walleye Restrictions Eased on Mille Lacs

Anglers who fish for walleye on Lake Mille Lacs will be able to keep larger fish effective July 15 when a new mid-season regulation takes effect. .

The Minnesota Department of the Natural Resources says the new regulation will require anglers to release all walleye 20-28 inches in length. Currently, anglers must immediately release all walleye 18-28 inches in length.
Mille Lacs’ four-walleye limit remains in place. Only one of the four walleye an angler may
keep can be longer than 28 inches.
The DNR broadened the harvest opportunity because angler harvest and hooking mortality is below the threshold necessary to maintain the current and more protective slot limit. As of  June 30, angler harvest of walleyes was less than half of the state’s annual allocation of 411,500 pounds.
“This new change addresses the request of the Mille Lacs Lake Fisheries Input Group,” said Dirk Peterson, DNR fisheries section chief. “It provides a good balance of resource protection and angler opportunity, while at the same time pursuing the need for consistency in regulations from year to year.”

The walleye size limit will revert back to the 18-28 inch protected slot limit December 1st, for the winter angling season. The possession limit will remain at four fish.

Detour Near Pierz

Motorists will encounter a detour on Highway 27 beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 12, as crews reconstruct the Platte River bridge three miles west of Genola/Pierz in Morrison County.
The road will be closed to traffic. Drivers will be detoured north of the project via Morrison County Road 45, Morrison County Road 43 and Morrison County Road 255.
The new bridge will be open to traffic by October 1, 2010.
Drivers are urged to slow down and pay attention to directional signs. For updated statewide traffic, construction, weather and travel information visit http://www.511mn.org/.

HWY 10 Traffic Switch Today

Motorists traveling on Highway 10 overflow bridge over the Mississippi River north of Little Falls will encounter a traffic switch on This afternoon.

Traffic will be switched from the westbound lanes over the bridge to the newly constructed eastbound lanes. Motorists will remain restricted to a single lane in each direction over the river.
Crews will then begin demolition and construction of the westbound lanes of the bridge.
The westbound ramp from Morrison County Road 76 to westbound Highway 10 will remain closed. Motorists should watch for signed exits.

Boating traffic on the Mississippi River will be maintained.
The bridge was originally closed to traffic on Wednesday, March 17, due to damage from an ice jam in the main channel and erosion to the overflow bridge. Crews built temporary traffic crossovers on each end of the bridge and stabilized the westbound lanes to allow motorists on the bridge.

No Vacation for Denny

(AP)  Another pitch from Denny Hecker to vacation in the Brainerd Lakes Area has fallen short. 

The former auto mogul made the request to a federal Magistrate.  He said he needed to be out of town to spend quality time with his children.  However, Judge Susan Nelson said he could have quality time with his kids at his Medina home.  Further, she felt Hecker was a flight risk.

Hecker will be on trial in October on federal fraud charges.  He says he's not guilty.

At one time, Hecker owned a huge auto empire, which included two dealerships in Baxter.  Both are under new ownership.

Theatre Tonight in Pequot

The summer production of the Pequot Lakes Community Theater opens tonight. 

"Nice People Dancing To Good Country Music," is a humorous look at a nun in training who has developed an unfortunate tick, according to director Gary Hirsch.

Tickets for the production are available through Pequot Lakes Community Education at 568-9200 or at the door. Tickets are $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors, age 60 and older, and $8.00 for youth, 18 and under. Shows are scheduled for July 8-10 and again July 12 - 14.   The curtain goes up at 8 p.m.

Wadena Looking for SBA Disaster Loans

Governor Tim Pawlenty is asking the U. S. Small Business Administration to issue an SBA Disaster Declaration for several Minnesota counties, including Wadena, as a result of severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred on June 17th.

The Governor said that the affected counties should qualify for the emergency loan program because the SBA damage threshold of at least 25 homes and/or businesses with 40 percent or more uninsured losses has been met.

Cass Co Feedlot Pays $15K fine

Crow Wing Feeders will pay $15 thousand in fines to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for alleged feedlot violations at its cattle feedlot in Cass County.

MPCA staff inspections in December revealed several violations relating to an unpermitted construction and expansion, discharges, and failure to obtain required permits. According to inspection reports, the company expanded its feedlot to nearly 2,700 head of cattle without obtaining a required National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The permits are required when a feedlot exceeds 1,000 cattle. The company also used unpermitted and uncertified liquid manure storage areas for manure and manure-contaminated runoff.

In addition to paying the $15,000 civil penalty, the company was required to empty and close the manure storage areas and land apply the manure and contaminated soils. They must also limit the amount of cattle on the feedlot to their current registered number of 840.

Help Asked to Solve Kamp's Korner Caper

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in solving a burglary that occurred during the early Tuesday morning at Kamp’s Korner Convenience Store in the City of Swanville.

Three suspects are believed to have entered the business and stolen a large number of cigarettes. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office at 320-632-9233 and you may remain anonymous if you wish.

Shoreland Buffer Expo At Deep Portage

Shoreland owners and users can learn how to protect the quality of lake and river water at the Shoreland Buffer Zone Expo ’10, Saturday, August 7 at Deep Portage Learning Center, located east of Hackensack.

A fee of $15 per person or $25 per couple is payable on the day of the event. Call Deep Portage at 218-682-2325 to complete the required pre-registration by Sunday, August 1. For more information, contact Jack Fitzgerald at 218-682-2941.

Emmer in Breezy Tonight

Republican endorsed candidate Tom Emmer is meeting with supporters in Breezy Point this evening.  He is scheduled to attend a pig roast at the Commander Restaurant and Bar at 5 p.m. 

He has been spending part of his day deflecting flack he has received over his comment that tips ought to be considered in the hourly wage of waiters and waitresses.  Emmer says servers would make more money with a tip credit than what they make today.  He says twin cities restaurant owners have told him they have some servers who make $100 thousand a year.

Emmer tells KLKS News, he is not looking to cut the hourly wage.  He says he wants them to be successful.

Too Many Jet Ski Accidents

Crosslake DNR Conservation Officer Nikki Shoutz says there have been too many personal injury accidents on personal watercraft this year.  She tells KLKS News, jet skis make up only three percent of all water craft, but they account for over half the accidents.

Shoutz says too many jet skis are out on the water after hours.  She says they need to be at the dock by one hour before sunset.

Alcoholic Fight Ends in Death

(AP)  A 48-year-old Park Rapids man has been has been arraigned on a charge of 1st degree murder.  Luis Candelaria is accused in the death of his friend 41-year-old Richard Hoskins, also of Park Rapids.

Apparently the two were fighting in the front yard.  When police arrived, Cadelaria was performing CPR on Hoskins, who died at the scene from a traumatic brain injury. 

Candelaria's wife quoted her husband as saying, "This is what alcohol will lead to."

Help for Wadena Businesses

(AP)  Wadena businesses damaged by the June 17th tornado are in line for some monetary help.   The Minnesota Agricultural and Economic Development Board has made an award to the Central Minnesota Initiative Foundation of $75 thousand. 

It is a matching fund that could generate $150 thousand. 

There are between 10 and 20 business which could benefit from the fund.  The maximum loan is $20 thousand, and the loan must be repaid within five years.

GAEA Is Back in Bemidji

(AP)  Bemidji is getting a beaver back.  The sculpture entitled "Gaea" is being returned for public view after the city manager removed it because it showed a portion of the female anatomy. 

Following protests of artistic censorship, the sculpture will join 9 others through out the northern Minnesota city.  The city council made the determination following a packed meeting Tuesday night.

Creator Debora Davis, says her rendition depicts mother earth praying with roses coming from her hands.

Deer-Cycle Accident Claims Rider

A 63-year-old Clear Lake man died in a motorcycle accident early in the morning on the 4th of July near Garrison.  He has been identified as Thomas C. White.

Crow Wing deputies assisted the Minnesota State Patrol.  Sheriff Todd Dahl tells KLKS News, it appears White's Harley Davidson hit a deer.

The accident occurred around 1 a.m. a mile south of Garrison on Highway 169.

Area Airports Get a Fed Lift

Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and Congressman Jim Oberstar say area airports will receive $7,296,344 in grants from the Department of Transportation.
Park Rapids Municipal-Konshok Field will receive $76,000 to construct an access road.

The Pine River Regional Airport has been granted $59,850 to install miscellaneous NAVAIDS and rehabilitate the runway.

Oberstar says, "These are investments that are creating jobs in the short term, but building the infrastructure for a strong economy in the long run. Modern, up-to-date airports are vital to the long term economic health of Greater Minnesota.”

Knitters Benefit Komen

Area knitting and crochet enthusiasts will spend 24 straight hours using their skills and energy to make a difference in the lives of those who are diagnosed with cancer.

They will be participating in the third annual Nisswa Knit-In for the Cure, from noon July 9 to noon July 10 at Utrinkets, located in Nisswa Square. The event includes a classic car show from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 10. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Brainerd Lakes Race for the Cure.

For the knit-in, dozens of volunteers will be knitting shawls, lap blankets and special hats called Chemo Hats, which are worn by women and men who lose their hair as a result of chemotherapy treatment. The knitted items will be donated to Brainerd Lakes Race for the Cure, which will include the items in the organization’s Comfort Kits that are donated to women who are newly diagnosed with cancer.

Brainerd Fisherman Rescued

Beltrami County authorities say two fishermen have been found exhausted but safe after their boat sank on the Mississippi River. The Sheriff's office identified the men Monday as 69-year old William Wright of Northome and 61-year old David Wright of Brainerd.

After their boat sank Friday afternoon they began walking in the woods, where they became lost.  They trudged for three hours through swamps with high heat and humidity before they picked up cell-phone reception.  Rescuers used sirens to help guide them to safety.  The pair finally found rescuers after another 90-minutes of walking.  Both were covered with bug bites and one was nearly collapsed from dehydration.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Beryl Wernberg say they were lucky to get cell-phone reception in such a barren area. 

Passport Fees To Increase

Laureen Borden, Crow Wing County Treasurer, reminds county residents that passport fees are going up as of July 13.  Total fees for a passport book will rise from $100.00 to $135.00 for adults and for minors under the age of 16 the fee will go from $85.00 to $105.00.  For the new passport card the total fee will go from $45.00 to $55.00 for adults and from $35.00 to $40.00 for minors.  The increase in fees is being made by Passport Services, U.S. Department of State and none of the increase will go to the county.  Applications for passports are taken at the Crow Wing County Treasurer's Office located in the historic courthouse in Brainerd, Mondays through Fridays from 8:00am - 5:00pm.