Saturday High School Sports Scores

BOYS BASKETBALL

Grand Rapids 71, Beaver Dam, Wis. 65, 3OT
International Falls 80, Crosby-Ironton 77, OT
Northome/Kelliher 75, Pine River-Backus 73

Akeley Man Looking at Jail Time

(AP)  A 26-year-old Akeley man will be sentenced February 15th in the assault of a state trooper last october.

A jury in Walker convicted Elijah Knowles following three hours of deliberations. 

Knowles was accused of assaulting Trooper Darcy Gagnon on Highway 34 while she was attempting to arrest him on suspicion of DWI.  The complaint said Gagnon was trying to handcuff Knowles when he struck her with her taser.  He then put the stun gun to her head and pulled the trigger.  The weapon did not discharge because the safety was on.

When back-up law enforcement arrived, Knowles sped away at speeds up to 100 miles per hour.  He was finally apprehended after attempting to ram two squad cars and crashing his vehicle.

Friday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Pequot Lakes 62, Park Rapids Area 43
Aitkin 65, Onamia 67
Detroit Lakes 62, Wadena-Deer Creek 32
Browerville 65, Upsala 60
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 70, Osakis 57
Zimmerman 71, Little Falls 66

Girls Basketball:
Brainerd 56, Sauk Rapids-Rice 47
Pine River-Backus 52, Clearbrook-Gonvick 41
Wadena-Deer Creek 63, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 31

Cravaack's Top Contributor - TCF

MN 8th District Congressman Chip Cravaack has reportedly raised $668 thousand dollars toward his reelection.

His top contributor, according to the nonpartisan research organization MapLight, is banking interest TCF financial, which has donated $14 thousand dollars to his campaign.  Hubbard Broadcasting in the Twin Cities has contributed $11 thousand dollars to the freshman Republican.

Cravaack is a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Koeze Nuts a Big Nisswa Lions Hit

The Nisswa Lions completed their annual Koeze nut fund raiser for 2011.

Koeze’s colossal cashews were the signature item for the Nisswa Lions again this year, but the product line was expanded over the years to include nuts and candies.

Nisswa Lions member’s sold over $33,000 of product for a net contribution to our donation fund of over $10,000. The income will be used for donations to local charities and worthwhile causes including the International Lions Sight First project.

Thursday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Brainerd 79, St. Cloud Tech 55
Menahga 68, Pine River-Backus 65
Albany 69, Milaca 37
Bertha-Hewitt 58, Verndale 56
St. John's Prep 70, Onamia 41
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 66, Blackduck 55

Girls Basketball:
Aitkin 69, Onamia 35
Frazee 43, Menahga 38
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 52, Pierz 41
Nevis 67, Park Rapids Area 47
Red Lake County Central 75, Cass Lake-Bena 51
Upsala 86, Browerville 47
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 56, Blackduck 35

Boys Hockey:
Brainerd/Pillager/Pierz 6, Willmar 1
Park Rapids/M/N/WHA 3, Red Lake Falls 2
Little Falls 6 Sauk Rapids-Rice 2
Wadena-Deer Creek 9, Detroit Lakes 8

Girls Hockey:
Willmar 5, Brainerd/Little Falls 1

Sen. Carlson Backs Voter I.D.

State Senator John Carlson of Bemidji supports a Voter I.D. constitutional amendment on the fall ballot. 

A hearing on the amendment will be held at the state capitol today.  Among those testifying against the amendment is the League of Women Voters.  Senator Carlson tells KLKS News, they are not a non partisan group.  He says the League along with AARP are left-leaning.

Those opposed to the amendment say it would disenfranchise many voters, including students, minorities and the elderly.

Groundhogs in Conflict

The groundhog weather prediction for the next six weeks varies from one large rodent to the next.

Punxutawny Phil saw his shadow in Pennsylvania, while Sun Prairie Jimmy in Wisconsin did not.  So, we turned to licensed Meteorologist Tony Schumacher for the definitive answer, who says, over the next six months, there is going to some winter weather and some spring weather.

Hows that for wishy-washy?  Schumacher expects the mild conditions to continue through early next week, with cooler, below normal temperatures for the end of next week.

LeMieur Proposes Two Const. Amendments

Representative LeMieur of Little Falls has authored two bills this session, calling for constitutional amendments to be placed on the fall ballot.

One, if approved by voters, would prohibit tax dollars from being used to fund abortions. The other bill would ban so-called "web-md abortions."  The LeMieur bill would require a doctor be in the same room as the patient.

Fellow Republican, State Representative Larry Howes of Walker has said only one constitutional amendment will go on the ballot this year, requiring voter I.D. at the polling places.

DFL Asks for Legislative Reforms

DFL state legislators are pushing a reform package they says will improve transparency at the Minnesota State Legislature.

The reforms would close loopholes and require elected officials to disclose all sources of income, including pay as a consultant or independent contractor, prohibit party officials from taking public Jobs and end midnight sessions and closed door meetings that make it difficult or impossible for the public to follow the legislative process.

State Representative John Ward of Brainerd supports the reforms.

The package of reforms is being introduced today.

Time for the Chickadee Check-Off

As taxpayers get ready to file their returns, the MN Department of Natural resources says, don't forget the chickadee check-off.

Non Game Specialist Pam Perry tells KLKS News, it is the primary means by which non game species receive support.  She says the money has funded loon projects around the Brainerd Lakes.

Perry says money from hunting license fees funds only projects for game animals.  In addition to funding loon projects, non game funding has been key in the restoration of the bald eagle population in the Brainerd Lakes Area.

The average donation is around $20.

February begins Mild

February is picking up where January left off. 

KLKS Meteorologist Tony Schumacher says highs  more than 10 degrees above average look to continue through the weekend.  There are changes afoot that could bring some frigid weather in the end of next week, then another warm-up. 

January was among the top 10 warmest in recorded history.  Schumacher says February could follow suit.

Tuesday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Crosby-Ironton 74, Cass Lake-Bena 55
Pine River-Backus 74, Park Rapids Area 62
Alexandria 72, Little Falls 63
Hinckley-Finlayson 56, Aitkin 38
Moorhead 71, Brainerd 54
Pillager 71, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 58
Braham 102, Onamia 39
Browerville 75, West Central Area 53
Isle 73, East Central 35
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 54, St. John's Prep 45
McGregor 62, Carlton 56
Pierz 81, Eden Valley-Watkins 49

Girls Basketball:
Pequot Lakes 85, Park Rapids Area 32
Crosby-Ironton 43, Grand Rapids 22
Pine River-Backus 65, Nevis 42
Pierz 79, Foley 63
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 39, Kimball Area 33
Maple Lake 51, Royalton 31
Sebeka 78, Pillager 20
Verndale 43, Henning 40
Wadena-Deer Creek 40, Detroit Lakes 21

Boys Hockey:
Brainerd/Pillager/Pierz 4, St. Cloud Apollo 2
Little Falls 4 Alexandria 0
Northern Lakes, 5, Cambridge-Isanti 1
Park Rapids/M/N 6, Prairie Centre 2

Girls Hockey:
St. Cloud 6, Brainerd/Little Falls 2

Wrestling:
Fergus Falls 57, Staples-Motley 17
West Central Area 39, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 33

Howes Says it's a Rocky Start to the Session

The session of the MN Legislature is less than a week old and it has already turned contentious. 

The MN Senate opened by cutting staffing dollars for DFL lawmakers, followed by the rejection of Governor Dayton's appointment of former DFL State Senator Ellen Anderson as chairman of the Public Utilities commission. 

State Representative Larry Howes of Walker tells KLKS News it was payback for when the DFL controlled the senate and rejected some of Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty's appointments.

Representative Howes expects the proposed constitutional amendment on voter I.D. will pass the house this year, but three other proposed amendments will not.

Bush Foundation Promotes Govmt Reform

The Bush Foundation is promoting local government innovation through collaboration.

Communication Director Scott Cooper says 12 southeastern Minnesota counties are sharing human service resources to hold down the cost of government. 

A little closer to home,Cooper tells KLKS News, Todd County is looking into reducing duplication in its internal workings to create cost savings.

School Districts in the Brainerd Lakes Area have for several years, used cooperative programs to share services and hold down costs.

Farewell to a Mild January

January in the lakes area will go down in history as one of the more mild ones. 

KLKS Meteorologist Tony Schumacher says the coldest month of the year was about 8 degrees above average.  He says it will be one of the top 10 warmest Januaries on record.

Snowfall for the month is about 6 to 7 inches below average.  Schumacher says the mild weather will continue into the first week of February.

Monday Night High School Scores

Boys Basketball:
Pelican Rapids 80, Pequot Lakes 59
Verndale 76, Underwood 62

 Girls Basketball:
Aitkin 67, Hinckley-Finlayson 31
Isle 94, Hill City 26
McGregor 45, Carlton 36
Menahga 56, Browerville 43

The Extravaganza will Happen Despite Mild Temps

Despite the mild weather expected this week, the Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is expected to go on as scheduled February 11th on Gull Lake.

Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl tells KLKS News, there is a consistent 17-18 inches of Ice on Hole in the Day Bay.  He says vehicle traffic will be limited on the ice during the event.

Sheriff Dahl is also encouraging contestants to use the shuttles to get back and forth from the event.

Earned Income Tax Credit for Low wage Workers

The IRS is reminding taxpayers of credit that is often over-looked. 

It is the Earned Income Tax Credit.  St. Paul IRS Spokesperson Carry Resch tells KLKS News, one in five workers and families miss out on it, either because they don’t claim it, or don’t file a return at all.  In Crow Wing County 53 hundred tax payers claimed about 10 million dollars through the credit.  About 20 percent of those eligible, fail to file for it.

Resch says the credit is available to moderate to low income workers, which would include those married filing jointly with a household income of $49 thousand or less.