Archive - Jun 27, 2008

Now shall I walk or shall I ride?
"Ride," Pleasure said:
"Walk," Joy replied.
~W.H. Davies

“People have asked me if I prayed to be healed,” said Dale Rogers.
“But I look around and see people worse than myself. I have no pain — what’s to heal?”
Then, with typical exuberance, a grin spreads over his face as he adds: “Besides, I’d have to go to work. Better wait ‘till I’m 65 to be healed.”
In truth, Dale has always had jobs around town.
But what he loves to do is walk. Dale loves people. He loves life.

County government officials are rethinking their security procedures after a man interrupted a meeting in Morrison County and held people hostage.
Many courthouses have installed metal detectors that visitors must pass through. But most administration buildings have been left open to encourage public participation.
Jim Mulder, who directs the Association of Minnesota Counties, said many counties have older buildings with multiple doors that would be costly to secure.
He said security has been heightened at court buildings, but not in buildings where county board meetings are held.

The International Falls-Koochiching County Airport Commission met Wednesday to discuss a temporary runway repair and future construction projects.
Benita Crow, an aviation project manager with the airport’s engineering firm, Short Elliott Hendrickson of St. Paul, spoke via conference call with the commission to update them on work to repair a depression, or “dip,” which began forming last fall under the Runway 13/31 extension and parallel taxiway. The goal is to make a temporary fix to avoid shutting the runway down for an extended time during the busy summer months.

A portion of the money raised from promotional materials sold at this year’s Can Am Rock Festival go to fill some of the needs of Kootasca’s Head Start and Circles of Support program.
Jeff and Patty Hausmann, two of the organizers of the event, have told Kootasca officials they plan to make a donation from the annual event to Kootasca programs, which serve Koochiching County.

Rethinking security at courthouses and administrative buildings makes sense.
County officials across the state are reviewing security systems following an incident this week that resulted in the death of a man at the Morrison County courthouse. The man, who had a long history of battles with county officials, was shot by officers responding to the county boardroom, where he held several people hostage.
Clearly, rural courthouses and administrative buildings are not immune from violence. Little Falls is a city of 8,500 people.

With the division race heating up and the playoffs just three weeks away, the International Falls VFW baseball team is in need of some division victories.
The Falls was in Chisholm on Thursday for doubleheader with both games counting toward division play. The teams split the series with the Falls taking the first game 7-6 and Chisholm squeaking past the Falls 12-11 in the second game.
“It was a good day of baseball,” Falls head coach Roger Jerome said. “They were both real good games.

While many Borderland residents are concerned now about high water levels, Pelican Lake area resort owners have been thinking about low levels.
The Pelican Lake dam was repaired in 2006 by St. Louis County, and since then local resort owners have complained that the structure has settled 2 inches below its authorized elevation. And that has caused concerns in recent drought years.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources could have just repaired the structure, however, staff say a comprehensive impact study is needed before the work begins.

DNR Staff Report

More and more homeowners are becoming alarmed over the “worms” that are devouring the needles of their pine trees, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources .
“These aren’t worms, but larvae of the European pine sawfly,” said Val Cervenka, DNR forest health program coordinator. “The name is misleading, as the insect is not a fly, but a small, stingless insect that is a relative to the wasp.”

DNR Staff Report

Late season lake sturgeon harvest on Minnesota/Canada border waters opens July 1 and runs through Sept. 30. A sturgeon tag is required to harvest a sturgeon, but anglers may fish catch-and-release without a tag. Sturgeon must be 45-to 50-inches, inclusive, or more than 75 inches to harvest. Immediately upon reducing a fish to possession, the sturgeon tag must be validated and attached. Harvested sturgeon must be registered within 48 hours.

Fall hunting season brought concern

DNR Staff Report

Ruffed grouse spring drumming counts are slightly higher than last year despite the concern of some hunters that last fall’s harvest didn’t meet their expectations.