Archive - Jun 4, 2008

Oveda Blanche Brantal, 90, of International Falls, Minn., died Sunday, June 1, 2008 at Falls Memorial Hospital, International Falls.
Memorial services will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 7, at Zion Lutheran Church, International Falls, with the Rev. Steve Olson officiating.
Burial will be at Forest Hill Cemetery, International Falls, under the direction of Cease Family Funeral Home of Blackduck, Minn.

Members of the International Falls-Koochiching County Airport Commission last week discussed the impact of a late session K-12 education supplemental appropriations bill approved by the Minnesota Legislature that would reduce funding to several agencies.
Among the cuts was $15 million from the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s aeronautics fund, which provides money to the Falls International Airport.

Commissioners concerned about funding the service

Adding advanced life support to the International Falls Ambulance Service for critical patients in Koochiching County came one step closer to reality Tuesday.
Koochiching County commissioners agreed to support the addition of the service, but were concerned about funding. The county board, which calls itself the health board for the community, asked for a review of International Falls’ ambulance service budget as the next step in the process.
The additional service would cost an estimated $32,000, according to a task force report.

More than 1,400 veterans live in Koochiching County, but only between 2 and 5 percent of those veterans are receiving benefits available to them.
Outreach to the veteran community is the focus of new Veterans Service Officer Allen Kruse, who wants veterans and their families to contact him with questions big and small.
He is encouraging people that “even if it’s far fetched and they’ve been told they aren’t entitled,” it doesn’t hurt to ask — it’s what he’s there for, he said.

People concerned about water quality and soil erosion in Koochiching County should consider filing by July 15 to run for the position of supervisor of the Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District.
Supervisors can play an important role in how communities deal with a wide variety of resource management issues, including wetlands, water quality, soil erosion, and forestry. Serving as a supervisor is an opportunity for people who want a voice in how we manage our environment.

In high school sports, it is not very often that the words freshman and champion can be used in the same sentence. But for the Falls High girls’ track and field team, there is one such athlete that the sentence applies.
Freshman Alicia Hendrickson is the Section 7A pole vault champion and will be making her first trip to the State Track and Field Meet later this week.
“I didn’t really expect to be champion. I thought I would do good, but not that good,” Hendrickson said.

To the editor,
To the person/persons who stole flowers at the cemetery: What have you done with your conscience, your heart and your common sense?
I went out to the cemetery at 4:30 on Memorial Day to get the flowers I put at my son’s grave and they were gone. They were still there at 12:00 that day. Should I thank you for removing the ribbon and leaving that there?

It makes sense to improve patient care by adding advanced life support to the International Falls Ambulance Service.
Borderland is simply too far from other medical facilities to continue to provide only basic life support. ALS will save lives by providing the appropriate medical care in a quicker manner both for 911 calls as well as transports to medical facilities outside the area.

Tuesday Musicale awarded seven student scholarships to area music students to attend a summer music camp at Bemidji State University at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
Recipients are: Falls High School — Paige Boyum, voice; Jabari Prevost, alto saxophone; and Kevin Neagbour, tenor saxophone. Littlefork-Big Falls High School — Becky Horne Dunn, clarinet, and Kari Imhof, clarinet. Indus High School — Blaine Freden, baritone, and Taylor Patterson, alto saxophone.

Stephen Briggs, of International Falls, graduated from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College May 22.
Vincent Sharpe, of Big Falls, Neil Soper Gordon, of Big Falls, and Benjamin Bootin, of Littlefork, graduated from Central Lakes College in heavy equipment operation and maintenance. Soper Gordon and Bootin graduated with honors.
Nicholas Robert, of International Falls, graduated from Northwestern College in St. Paul. He graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts in pastoral studies. He is the son of Darcy and Brenda Ruport and a 2005 graduate of Falls High School.