Tour of Color Saturday

3rd Annual Tour of Colors Bicycle Ride swings out of Pequot Lakes High School Saturday.

Ride organizer Jim Oraskovich says there will be three routes; 14, 24 and 40 miles.  Although he says most are chosing the longer ride.

Oraskovich is suggesting riders stick around for the Taste of Pequot Lakes, at the end of the ride.

On site registration will run from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Profits will go to the Pequot school Patriot Foundation. Bicycle helmets are required.

Koering Will Stage a Write-In

Paul Koering has registered as a write-in candidate for the Minnesota Senate District 12, where he is the incumbent . 

The Fort Ripley Republican lost his party's nomination in the primary election to former State Representative Paul Gazelka.

A write-in campaign is required to be registered with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State for those votes to be counted.

Koering said he thought he was done with politics, but since the primary election, claims to have gotten hundreds of calls, e-mails, or personal contacts urging him to stage a write-in campaign.

Senator Koering says, “I have always voted for what is best for the people of Morrison and Crow Wing Counties, rather than voting party line on issues I believe it’s important to vote for the people. If successful in November, that is what I will continue to do in the next two years, vote for what is right for people, rather than for political parties. There are many issues of critical importance facing us in this upcoming session, and with my eight years of experience and seniority that I’ve gained, I believe that I am the right choice to continue to serve as senator for our area.”

Heartland Trail Getting Fixed

Enthusiasts of pedal power will have to look for another route while the Heartland Trail undergoes reconstruction.

The 49 mile segment between Cass Lake and Park Rapids has been suffering from cracked and heaved pavement.  So, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will apply a new ribbon of blacktop.  Also the bridge over the Crow River in Akeley will be replaced and two other trestles repaired.

The construction is expected to be completed by October 15th weather permitting.

Thursday High School Scores

Girls Volleyball:
3-0  Bertha-Hewitt def New York Mills
3-0  Cass Lake-Bena def Red Lake
3-0  Crosby-Ironton def Staples-Motley
3-0  Detroit Lakes def Park Rapids
3-0  Henning def Verndale
3-0  Isle def Aitkin
3-0  Pierz def Kimball
3-0  Pillager def Menahga
3-0  Rocori def Brainerd
3-0  Upsala def Browerville
3-0  Wadena-Deer Creek def Pequot Lakes
3-1  Carlton def McGregor
3-2  Royalton def Eagle Valley

Area Racers Represent BIR

A team comprised of 33 drag racers – including three high school students – will represent Brainerd International Raceway this weekend at the NHRA West Central Division Summit Racing ET Finals at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan.

BIR’s team will compete on the drag strip against teams from 21 other tracks in the NHRA’s West Central Division, which includes the five-state area plus Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado and Canada. Teams compete in five different classes – Super Pro, Pro ET, Sportsman, Motorcycle and High School – with individual and team honors, $100,000 in prize money and contingency awards on the line.

Among the team members are Chuck Fenstra of Crosby and Jim Knebel of Pillager competing in the Sportsman class.

DNR Wants Tree Seeds

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is in the market for tree seeds.

Mark Mortensen, Program Forester in the Brainerd office say they are looking for red and burr oak, jackpine, sugar maple and basswood seeds.   He tells KLKS News, they want quality "Float Tested" acorns.  If they float it is a good indication they are mature and likely to sprout and grow.

Local forestry offices have a list of their seed needs.

Hiway 6 Repairs in Remer

A resurfacing project on Highway 6 in Remer begins Monday. 

Motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures and traffic directed by flaggers and a pilot car on Highway 6 at the bridge in Outing to the west junction of Highway 200 in Remer.


This project, which should result in a smoother, safer road, also includes guardrail replacement, shoulder work and striping.
Anderson Brothers Construction of Brainerd is the prime contractor for this $1.49 million roadway improvement project. The project is scheduled to be completed by late October, weather permitting..

Nimrod Accident Injures Andover Man

(AP)  A 56-year-old Andover man is recovering at North Memorial Medical Center in Robinsdale with serious head injuries suffered in the woods near Nimrod over the weekend.

Thomas J. Knox was clearing a path through the woods when a tree fell on him.  Rescuers estimate he had been laying in the woods for up to 30 hours following the accident.  He was found Monday evening. 

When help arrived, Knox was in shock and unable to speak. 

Coworkers of Knox, who is a dentist, alerted authorities when he failed to show for work Monday morning.  The Wadena County Sheriff's office got the case about 4 p.m. Monday.

Knox is listed in critical condition.

Tuesday High School Scores

Girls Volleyball:
3-0  Nevis def Verndale
3-0  Sebeka def Staples-Motley
3-1  Bemidji def Brainerd
3-1  Bertha-Hewitt def Parkers Pairie

Monday's High School Scores

Girls Volleyball:
3-0  Blackduck def LaPorte
3-0  Deer River def Northland
3-0  Floodwood def Hill City
3-0  Milaca def Princeton
3-0  Osakis def Browerville
3-0  Onamia def Barnum
3-0  Upsala def Royalton
3-0  Wadena-Deer Creek def Pelican Rapids
3-1  Menahga def Park Rapids

Highway #84 Near Longville Detoured

Minn. — Motorists will encounter a detour on Highway 84 beginning Monday, Sept. 13, as crews replace or re-line nine culverts on Highway 84 just north of Longville in Cass County.

The road will be closed to traffic. Northbound motorists should follow the signed detour via Cass County Road 5 to Cass County Road 125 to Highway 200 then back to Highway 84. Southbound motorists will be directed from Highway 84 to Highway 200 to Cass County Road 125 to Cass County Road 5 and back to Highway 84.

The roadway will re-open to traffic by late September 2010.

Drivers are urged to slow down and pay attention to directional signs. For updated statewide traffic, construction, weather and travel information visit www.511mn.org.

Merrifield Medieval Castle

(AP)  If  you happen across a medieval castle while trekking through the woods north of Brainerd, you may think you happened upon Camelot.  You haven't.  It's Merrifield. 

The Central Minnesota Council of the Boy Scouts of America spent more than $1.5 million from benefactors to build the Miller Castle on the Parker Scout grounds.  The place comes complete with towers, murals of knights and dragons, even a suit of armor.

The building was originally a storm shelter, but has evolved into a 12-thousand square foot building that can house up to 64 scouts and 16 adults.  Its available for rent, when not in use by the scouts.

A medieval fair is planned in early November for the public.

Ojibwe Language Revitalization

A Dakota-Ojibwe Language Revitalization Working Group will meet at the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University.

The Dakota-Ojibwe Language Revitalization Working Group was established by the Legislature in 2009, charged with “developing strategies for the 11 federally recognized American Indian tribes and the state to work together to revitalize and preserve the Dakota and Ojibwe languages in Minnesota.”

State Senator Mary Olson of Bemidji was at the forefront of the legislative effort to establish the working group, working closely with many tribal leaders and other stakeholders who have spent decades working to protect and revitalize America’s native languages.
“The preservation of Native American languages is a major part of protecting our state’s unique culture,” said Sen. Olson. “With each passing year, we get closer and closer to losing these languages forever. We need to act now to protect and revitalize the state’s indigenous languages.”