Pequot Lakes Teacher Charged In Theft

A Pequot Lakes teacher has been charged with six felonies in Crow Wing County in the theft of $34,000 from a teacher's union fund.

46-year old Larry Lightner of rural Backus was charged Thursday.  He was not taken into custody.  His first court appearance is set for October 3.

Lightner served as co-treasurer of Education Minnesota Pequot Lakes.  The criminal complaint says he told investigators he had been writing himself checks from the union's account since 2005.

Lightner reported the theft to the president of Education Minnesota Pequot Lakes, who in turn called police on July 25.

Lightner was the 2007 Pequot lakes Teacher of the year. 

Sex Offender Compliance in Cass County

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and agents from the US Marshall Fugitive Task Force conducted compliance checks on Registered Predatory Offenders residing in Cass County last week.

Deputies and agents did compliance checks on several Registered Offenders. Of these, only 1 was found to be non-compliant with registration requirements, as he moved out of state without registering.

This is a cooperative effort with State, Local and Federal law enforcement agencies to ensure compliance and public safety. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office will continue to conduct compliance checks on Registered Offenders in Cass County. The frequency of those checks, which could be weekly or up to bi-monthly, will depend on the level of the offender.

In the future, counties will be stuck with more of the bill dealing with sex offenders.  A new state law will shift 25 percent of the cost of the state treatment program to the counties, up from 10 percent.  The cost would most likely be borne by local property taxes.  The idea is to make counties think twice before sending offenders to the $70-million-a-year program

Hope for Stopping Zebra Mussels

(AP)  A group of lakeshore owners near Wilmar think Zeaquanox may be the answer to zebra mussels plaguing Minnesota lakes. 

The Green Lakes Property Owners Association wants to use it to control their zebra mussel population.  The product is currently be used by utilities to keep their water intakes clear of the invasive species. 

The lakeshore owners will be working with Minnesota Waters, which represents Minnesota lake associations, to determine if the product works when diluted throughout a lake.  Zeaquanox is said to be safe for native mussels, fish, waterfowl and people.

Zebra mussels have invaded waters in the Brainerd Lakes Area.

Big August Rains

K-Lakes Meteorologist Tony Schumacher says more rain is in the forecast for today.  Some of the accompanying storms could be strong.  However, because it is a fast moving system, it is not expected to drop more than a half inch of rain

The folks in the St. Mathias area south of Brainerd say they have had enough rain.  Neighbors report four to four and a half inches of rain from Friday night into Saturday morning between Dewing Highway and Sleepy Hallow Road.   Gravel county roads in the area have sustained some erosion. 

The last day of the Crow Wing County Fair Saturday was a soggy one, with two inches of rain on the fair grounds, creating monster puddles and causing one tent to collapse.