Friday Night High School Sports

BOYS BASKETBALL
Grand Rapids 74, Chisago Lakes 35

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Pequot Lakes 55, Hawley 52, 3OT

Road Restrictions For Brainerd Area Monday

Spring truck weight restrictions on state highways will begin March 12 for Minnesota's north-central frost zone and March 13 for the north frost zone.  The north-central zone includes Cass, Aitkin, Wadena, Hubbard and the northern two thirds of Crow Wing County.

Spring weight restrictions are already in place for the south, southeast, central and Twin Cities Metro area frost zones.

MnDOT limits truck weights to prevent damage to roads weakened during the spring thaw.

Ending dates for spring load restrictions are established by monitoring roadway strength as weather conditions change. All changes are made with a minimal three-day notice.

Career Exploration at CLC

Area high school students are getting a taste of career opportunities at Central Lakes College today.

Some 2,300 area high school students are participating in Career Exploration Day on the Brainerd campus. The event is a partnership of organizations working in support of the Bridges Career Academies and Workplace Connection.

At Career Exploration Day businesses and college programs will be showcased for the high school students.

Students are experiencing interactive demonstrations, simulations, illustrations, and experiments for careers in Business, Health and Human Services, Arts, Information Technology, Manufacturing, and more.

Sen. Carlson Backs Invasive Species Research

State Senator John Carlson of Bemidji has introduced a proposal to create an aquatic invasive species cooperative research center within the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences at the University of Minnesota.

The center’s objective would be to develop and implement new technologies to permanently control and eliminate aquatic invasive species in Minnesota.

Carlson says “New ideas and aggressive technological approaches are needed to develop and implement solutions to counter Asian carp, zebra mussel and others that are destroying Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and fisheries.

Clark Will Run in the Primary

Former State Senator Terryl Clark says she will take her campaign for 8th District Congress into the DFL Primary.  Clark says she will let the people decide who will be the DFL nominee in the election this year.

Clark says she is taking a page from other DFLers, from Congressman Jim Oberstar to Governors Rudy Perpich and Mark Dayton, to seek the party’s nomination in the DFL primary.

Clark is looking to unseat freshman Republican Chip Cravaack who defeated Oberstar two years ago, becoming the first Republican to capture the seat in 60 years.

DFL Chair Ken Martin was not pleased with Clark's decision.  He said he was disappointed to hear that she will not be abiding by the DFL endorsement.   Martin says, as a former associate chair of the State DFL Party, Tarryl Clark knows the importance of the endorsement process. By forcing a primary election, we risk wasting valuable DFL resources and drawing the focus away from the real goal of defeating Chip Cravaack.

Ward Will Run in 10A

State Representative John Ward will be running for re-election in 2012 in District 10A, formally District 12A. Rep. Ward was first elected in 2006 and is completing his third term.

The Brainerd DFLer said his decision to run again was based on what he felt was both best for his family and which legislative body would allow him to best serve the people of the area

Ward said, “A lot has happened in the last two years. Minnesotans were forced to watch their state descend into the longest government shutdown in our history. Partisanship and gridlock have robbed the legislature of its ability to do anything to help the people its members were elected to serve. A lack of trust and respect for elected officials is abundantly clear."

Thursday Night High School Sectional Scores

Boys Basketball:
Pequot Lakes 84, Park Rapids Area 57
Annandale 72, Milaca 49
Barnum 83, Onamia 60
Browerville 66, Menahga 48
Eagle Valley 71, Nevis 59
Fosston 61, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 53
Hawley 74, Wadena-Deer Creek 65
Hill City 53, McGregor 49
Isle 59, Pine River-Backus 54
Pierz 77, Staples-Motley 37
Pillager 61, Bertha-Hewitt 44
Royalton 59, Ogilvie 37
Upsala 83, Swanville 67

Wednesday Night High School Sectional Scores

Boys Basketball:
Moose Lake/Willow River 53, Aitkin 50

Flyers Fall to St. Thomas

The Little Falls Flyers ran up against a very good St. Thomas Academy team in the first round of the Class 1A State Hockey Tournament in St Paul Wednesday.  The result was a 7-0 shutout.

The Flyers will play Duluth Marshall in the consolation bracket at 10 a.m. today at Mariucci Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.

Gazelka Authors Wolf Hunting Bill

State Senator Paul Gazelka of Baxter authored the Wolf Hunting and Trapping Authorization bill, which passed out of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday.

Gazelka says the bill would authorize the Minnesota DNR to set a hunting and trapping season on wolves in Minnesota. The wolf is no longer on the endangered species list and Gazelka says the top predator is no longer considered threatened and now requires management.

Tuesday Night Sectional High School Scores

Girls Basketball:
Pequot Lakes 58, Crosby-Ironton 54
Isle 54, Pine River-Backus 48
Sauk Centre 58,Staples-Motley 48
Upsala 64, Sebeka 57

Boys Basketball:
Brainerd 69, Buffalo 67
Sartell-St. Stephen 71, Little Falls 63

Ward Won't Criticize the Governor's Veto

State Representative John Ward of Brainerd says he will not second guess Governor Dayton on his recent veto of a bill which would have liberalized the laws on when deadly force could be used in the home.

The legislation would have justified the use of a gun if anyone in a home, boat, car or hotel felt threatened by an intruder.
Police opposed it feeling it would put them at higher risk when entering a home during the course of their routine duties.

State Representative John Ward of Brainerd supported the bill, saying he supports his constituents who are staunch supporters of the second amendment.

Representative Ward says he will announce within a week if he is running for the State House again or the State Senate in District 10.

LeMier Hails Gun Bill

Representative Mike LeMieur of Little Falls is excited about the potential benefits of a new law which allows the resale of confiscated firearms.

Governor Mark Dayton signed a bill authorizing law enforcement agencies to sell forfeited firearms to federally licensed firearms dealers.

LeMieur, chief author of the bill, said with this change, proceeds from the sale of contraband property will go towards the law enforcement agency’s operating fund, county attorney or other prosecuting agency’s operating fund or crime victims’ services organizations depending on the violation.

The Republican lawmaker called it a common sense solution for increasing revenue and a simple and very practical way to help out our law enforcement agencies

Heisserer Promoted at CLC

Nick Heisserer of Pillager has been named Director of Admissions and Advising at Central Lakes College, Brainerd and Staples. He had been the college’s registrar since 2010.

Heisserer has been employed at CLC since 2004. Until 2008 he served as assistant director and senior academic adviser in the Upward Bound program. He served as interim director of TRIO/Upward Bound for one year before joining the Business Management faculty as instructor in 2009.

A former Bemidji High School social studies teacher and track coach, Heisserer earned his bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State University, majoring in social studies with a minor in history. In 2008 he earned his master’s in management from the College of St. Scholastica.

Bertha Bank V.P. Pleads Guity to Theft

The vice president and branch manager of the Star Bank in Bertha pleaded guilty to one count of bank theft today.

The Todd County Sheriff says Kenneth Ashbaugh had taken a substantial amount of money from the bank.  He will be sentenced sometime in June.

Spring Weight Limits

Spring truck weight restrictions on state highways will begin Friday, March 9 for Minnesota's central frost zone including; Todd, Morrison, Mille Lacs and southern Crow Wing Counties.

Winter load increases and overweight permits remain in place for the state's north-central and north frost zones.

MnDOT limits truck weights to prevent damage to roads weakened during the spring thaw.

Ending dates for spring load restrictions are established by monitoring roadway strength as weather conditions change. All changes are made with a minimal three-day notice.

CLC BB Heads to NY for the Nationals

The Central Lakes College men's basketball team won the Region 13 championship, and state tournament title, 84-66, over M State of Fergus Falls Sunday.

The Raiders earned a berth in the NJCAA Division III tournament March 15-17 at Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. It will be their second trip to the Elite Eight in five years. The Brainerd team weathered the Spartans' hot outside shooting in the first half, taking a 42-41 lead into the break.

Monday Night Sectional Scores

Boys Basketball:
Pine River Backus 79, Northland 55
Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 58, Laporte 26
Mahnomen 101, Bug-O-Nay-Ge Shig 25
Menahga 72, Sebeka 44
Onamia 48, East Central 46

Polar Plunge an Icy Success

The annual Polar Bear Plunge at Breezy Point Resort on Saturday generated the most ever plungers and most ever money, according to Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl.

The county's top cop says it takes him little longer each year after he takes the frosty dip.

Money from the annual event goes to the Special Olympics.  Sheriff Dahl says several of the athletes were there to enjoy the event.

Crosby Man Dies in Saturday Auto Accident

A 67-year-old Crosby man died in a two vehicle accident Saturday night.  The Minnesota State Patrol has identified him as Russel D Fort. 

The accident happened just before 11 p.m. five miles north of Crosby on Highway on High 6.  The State Patrol says the 1999 pickup truck driven Fort was north bound when it struck a south bound SUV driven by 55-year-old Stephen Kapaun of Hudson, Wisconsin. 

Kapaun and his passenger 52-year-old Ronald Kapaun, also of Hudson, received non-life threatening injuries.

Lueck File for 10B

Dale Lueck of Aitkin is the latest to announce that he is seeking election to the Minnesota House of Representatives in the newly created 10B state house.

Lueck, President of the Aitkin-Carlton County Farm Bureau, said his parent’s generation worked their entire lives to ensure they could hand on a free and more prosperous nation. He says the greatest challenge is not from outside, but from within. He said we must put our financial house back in order or we face losing what has been handed down to us.

Lueck, a graduate of Aitkin High School currently raises beef cattle on a 340-acre farm in Nordland Township.

Saturday Night High School Scores

BOYS BASKETBALL
Fergus Falls 65, Brainerd 60
Pequot Lakes 82, Sebeka 38
Perham 44, Ulen-Hitterdal 38

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Staples-Motley 51, Melrose 34
Mora 68, Moose Lake/Willow River 42
Crosby-Ironton 39, Roseau 29
Pelican Rapids 57, Wadena-Deer Creek 46
Pequot Lakes 68, Crookston 65
Pine River-Backus 85, Ogilvie 54
Sebeka 62, Nevis 57
Upsala 77, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 47