Hecker Accuses Lawyer, Trustee Of Lying

(AP) Disgraced Twin Cities auto dealer Denny Hecker has written a letter to a bankruptcy judge accusing a bankruptcy trustee and his own former attorney of lying.

The letter was written in pencil and dated January 17.  In it, Hecker writes that his former lawyer lied about the source of $75-thousand dollars that Hecker used to secure the title to his home in Medina.

Hecker then says a bankruptcy-court trustee figured out the lawyer's deceit and used that information to blackmail the lawyer into revealing information about Hecker that hurt his bankruptcy case.

Hecker pleaded guilty last September to conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud charges.

Hecker acknowledged near the top of the letter, "I am not saying I am not guilty at all."

Prep Scores from Friday

Wrestling:
Aitkin 49, Hinckley-Finlayson/Pine City/East Central 19
St. Cloud Apollo 37, Brainerd 30

Girls' Hockey:
Brainerd/Little Falls 8, River Lakes 0
Roseau 4, Sartell/Sauk Rapids-Rice 1
Warroad 4, St. Cloud Icebreakers 1

Boys' Hockey:
Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 9, Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines 2
St. Cloud Tech 4, Roseau 2
Thief River Falls/Goodridge/W-A-O 5, Duluth Central 1
(Park Rapids/Menahga/Nevis vs. Lake of the Woods/Indus ppd.)

Girls' Basketball:
Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 57, Win-e-mac 51
Blackduck 54, Cass Lake-Bena 34
Crookston 47, Thief River Falls 35
Crosby-Ironton 62, Park Rapids 18
Mora 67, Aitkin 39
Pequot Lakes 64, Detroit Lakes 54
Pillager 54, Nevis 31
Royalton 50, Swanville 38
Sebeka 59, Mehahga 53
Wadena-Deer Creek 70, Staples-Motely 59

Boys' Basketball:
Bertha-Hewitt 60, Verndale 37
Browerville 83, Staples-Motley 73
Cass Lake-Bena 66, Blackduck 56
Little Falls 61, Alexandria 49
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 46, Milaca 39
McGregor 67, Cromwell 58
Nevis 56, Wadena-Deer Creek 53 OT
Rocori 61, Sauk Rapids-Rice 46
Royalton 80, Pillager 53
Sebeka 88, Menahga 75
St. Cloud Tech 75, Brainerd 61
Willmar 78, Fergus Falls 61

The Cockatiel Caper Solved

(AP) A stolen cockatiel is back at a Brainerd pet store. 

An unidentified woman walked into Petnorth in Brainerd on Friday and returned the $90.00 bird.  Store owner Sarah Buchite says the woman would not give her name but said she was supposed to drop the bird off at the pet store.

The young girl whose mother had put a deposit down on the bird was expected to pick up her new pet on Friday. 

Two women were caught on video stealing the 12-week old cockatiel Wednesday night.  Store employees say a woman in a wheelchair was seen on camera taking the bird out of its cage and hiding it under her jacket.

Klobuchar Worries About Egypt

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar describes what's going on in Egypt now as, "Really Scary." 

Klobuchar says, you'd think the protests going on in the streets would be a good thing, because a dictator has been in place for a long time.  However, she says the regime is friendly to the U.S.  She tells KLKS News, she would not like to see a theocracy similar to Iran or radicals similar to Al Qaeda seizing power.

Klobuchar says the regimes now under pressure in the middle east, had a chance to reform and avoid the conflict, but failed to do so.

Back to Hack This Weekend

Back to Hack Days gets going tonight in Hackensack with a blaze and a bang.  The fun begins at 6 p.m. with a snowmobile parade, followed by a big bonfire and fireworks.

Chamber of commerce spokesperson Jean Dawson tells KLKS News, there should be plenty of heat coming from the bonfire.  She says it is the biggest pile of Christmas trees and wreaths they've ever had.

Dawson says the fireworks are spectacular on a winter's night.

Back to Hack Days continue through the weekend including the rib-tickling Snowflake Pageant

Carlson Favors Teacher Freeze

The Republican controlled state legislature is moving forward with a pay freeze for teachers, as one way to help balance budgets across the state. 

Conservatives have generally favored local control.  State Senator John Carlson of Bemidji tells KLKS News, he too favors local control, but this is different.  He says school districts have requested the state take the freeze action so they don't have to.

Minnesota faces a new biennium $6.2 billion out of balance.

New Laws To Maintain Lakes

The Brainerd Lakes Area has more than its share of invasive species, including zebra mussels, spiny water fleas and Eurasian water millfoil. 

Brainerd Aquatic Species Specialist Dan Swanson tells KLKS News, they have a new tool to prevent their spread called "The Drain Plug Law."  He says boaters are required to empty their boats of all water before entering other lakes.

Asian Carp have not entered area waters yet.  Swanson says if they come here, it will likely be through the river system.

Staples Man Grabbed in Drug Case

The Central Minnesota Drug and Gang Task Force grabbed $12 hundred worth of marijuana and a 50-year-old rural Staples man Thursday.

The raid in Villard Township netted three quarters of a pound of weed along with a small amount of methamphetamine. 

The suspect was taken into custody for probable cause sales and possession of a controlled substance and was hauled off to the Todd County Detention Center.  Formal charges are expected today. 

Thursday High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Browerville 50, St. John's Prep 38
Crosby-Ironton 60, Wadena-Deer Creek 59
Eagle Valley 56, Royalton 52
Grand Rapids 64, Pequot Lakes 62
Moose Lake/Willow river 80, Aitkin 64
Onamia 67, Hinckley-Finlayson 63
Pierz 78, Eden Valley-Watkins 51
Upsala 78, Swanville 27

Girls Basketball:
Alexandria 71, Brainerd 51
Bertha-Hewitt 58, New York Mills 34
Fergus Falls 56, Little Falls 47
Greenway 66, Hill City 19
McGregor 63, Cromwell 26
Northland 57, Bigfork 56
Perham 63, Park Rapids 38
Pine River-Backus 80, Blackduck 21
Sebeka 53, Pillager 38
Verndale 57, Henning 54.

Boys Hockey:
Little Falls 3, Fergus Falls 0
River Lakes 4, Northern Lakes 3

Girls Hockey:
Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 7, LPGE/WDC 1
Park Rapids 9, Lake of the Woods/Indus 0
Thief River Falls 11, Crosby-Ironton/Pequot Lakes/Pine River-Backus 1

Wrestling:
Mille Lacs 37, Royalton/Upsala 26
Pelican Rapids 45, Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale 36
Little Falls 37, Becker 37 (L.F. Wins by Criteria)
Sauk Rapids-Rice 47, Little Falls 22

Oberstar Says He Will Not Run Again

(AP)  Following a labor meeting in Duluth speculation began to bubble that Jim Oberstar might run for 8th District Congressional seat is lost last fall.

However, the DFL-er says he has no plans to for his old post any time soon.  Instead he says he will focus on teaching and consulting. 

Oberstar was first elected in 1975, and lost to political new-comer Chip Cravaack in November.

This Week's High School Rankings

Boys Basketball:
2A
1.    Plainview-Elgin-Millville (15-1)
4.    Perham (12-0)
5.    Pequot Lakes (12-3)

1A
1.    Minnesota Transitions (7-4)
2.    Sebeka (11-0)

Girls Basketball:
2A
1.    Braham (17-0)
9.    Pequot Lakes (15-1)

Boys Hockey:
1A
1.    St. Thomas Academy
12.  Little Falls

Kudos for Lisa Paxton

The Chief Executive Officer of the Brainerd Lakes Chamber, has been named “Outstanding Individual in Tourism” during the annual Explore Minnesota Tourism conference.

Lisa Paxton has served on the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council since 2004 and currently is the chair of the council's public policy committee. She has also served as president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Executives. Paxton was also heavily involved in the  partnership that developed the Highway 371 Welcome Center, and was recognized for her experience in several tourism positions in the Brainerd area.

Tourism is an $11 billion industry in Minnesota, a key sector of the state’s economy. The leisure and hospitality industry, a major provider of tourism services, employs more than 243,000 Minnesotans.

Kelliher Woman Found Guilty of Murder

(AP)  A Kelliher woman has been convicted of 1st degree murder in the death of her significant other.

A jury found 26-year-old Betsy Marie Hanks guilty in the killing of 27-year-old Matthew Albert.  He is the father of her four children.

The prosecution said Albert was killed with a .22-caliber revolver while in bed following an argument.

A Minnesota Mixed Reaction to State of the Union Address

Two of Minnesotas top DFLers liked what they heard from President Obama's State of the Union Address last night

Governor Mark Dayton described the president's speech as terrific.  He went on to say, under President Obama’s leadership, the country is on its way to a new era in which we will lead the world into the 21st century through public-private partnerships in innovation, research, education and infrastructure.

Minnesota Senator Al Franken applauds the President for making jobs his top priority. The junior Senator says fromEast Grand Forks and Alexandria to Rochester and Duluth, everyone reinforced that investing in education, job training, and innovation is essential to our economic future and creating long-term prosperity.
 
Republican Congresswoman Michelle Bachman presented the Tea Party view.  Her response was not favorable, and urged the repeal of health care reform, often derided as Obama Care.

Tuesday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Crosby Ironton 77, Park Rapids 62
East Central 68, Isle 44
Hinckley-Finlayson 57, Aitkin 46
Kimball 63, Royalton 49
Little Falls 70, Brainerd 64
McGregor 82, Onamia 66
Menahga 57, Verndale 51
Milaca 59, Rockford 27
Nevis 55, Northome/Kelliher 27
New York Mills 80, Pillager 77
Pequot Lakes 61, Detroit Lakes 59
Pine River-Backus 58, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 44
Sebeka 75, Bertha-Hewitt 51
Wadena-Deer Creek 55, Staples-Motley 50

Girls Basketball:
Grand Rapids 46, Crosby-Ironton 40
Isle 81, Pine City 39
Little Falls 61, Bemidji 47
Nevis 48, Northome/Killiher 31
Northland 58, Greenway 34
Osakis 48, Royalton 29
Pequot Lakes 67, Brainered 34
Pierz 75, Rockford 66
Pine River-Backus 72, Menahga 41
Rush City 54, Aitkin 33
Upsala 59, Bertha-Hewitt 46
Verndale 44, Ashby 42
Wadena-Deer Creek 66, Perham 55

Boys Hockey:
Brainerd/Pierz/Pillager 6, St. Cloud Tech 4
Sartell 8, Little Falls 3

Girls Hockey:
Park Rapids 12, LPGE/WDC 0

Wrestling:
Park Rapids 45, West Central 34
Pierz 43, Staples-Motley 21
Little Falls 51, Rocori 24

Howes On Teacher Pay Freeze

There is a proposal floating through the halls at the state legislature that would freeze teacher pay for two years. 

State Representative Larry Howes tells KLKS News, he generally has been cool to idea of seizing local control.  However, he says maybe it's time to require the local districts do something to control their costs.

Howes says the private sector is experiencing little in the way of pay raises, and the public sector needs to follow that lead.

Another Captured in Red Lake Murder

(AP)  A man wanted in connection with a shooting that killed one man and injured two others is in custody.

22-year-old Cruze Anthony White will make an appearance in Federal court in Bemidji this afternoon.

White was indicted last week along with 22-year-old Donald Leigh Clark Jr on five counts, including murder and assault with intent to commit murder.

The two are accused of killing Julian Keith Demarrias and assaulting his brother and another man on November on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Monday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Cass Lake-Bena 72, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 58
McGregor 66, Ogilvie 43
St. John's Prep 73, Isle 54.

Girls Basketball:
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 61, Park Rapids 39
Eagle Valley 56, Pillager 31
Isle 80, Cromwell 39
Ogilvie 47, McGregor 43
Staples-Motley 57, Pelican Rapids 49

Sentencing Date Set For Hecker

(AP)  Fallen Twin Cities auto magnate, Denny Hecker, now has a sentencing date. 

Hecker is scheduled to be sentenced February 11 in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.  Hecker pleaded guilty last September to conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud charges.  Prosecutors say he duped Chrysler Financial out of more than 13-million dollars in loans.

Prosecutors are recommending the maximum 1-year sentence for Hecker.  He's being held in the Sherburne County Jail, awaiting sentencing.

Fire Danger Increases in C.W. County

There have been a lot of fires this winter, according to Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl.  He tells KLKS News, a common culprit is space heaters.  He says it is important to keep them away from anything combustible.

The Hunt's Point Sportsman Club in rural Pequot Lakes was lost to fire Sunday.  A remodeled barn that was used to house the facilities caught fire shortly after 1 p.m.  It was considered a total loss. 

Sheriff Dahl did not know if a space heater was involved in the blaze.

Toys For Kids Drive A Success

Christmas 2010 was a happy one for many area kids, thanks to the work of the Heartland Detachment of the Marine Corps League.

Toys for Kids resulted in 909 presents under trees for 410 families in the area. 

The Heartland Detachment is thanking everyone who made donations to make the drive a success.

Cravaack Subcommittee Appointments

Eighth District Congressman Chip Cravaack was appointed to three Congressional subcommittees with oversight of national transportation and infrastructure issues, and was named Vice Chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee.

U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John L. Mica also appointed Cravaack to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, and the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

The freshman says we must do more with less and eliminate wasteful spending when it comes to rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure and putting people back to work.