Winds up to 75 miles per hour were reported in Littlefork this morning. Structural damage, power outages and downed trees were reported in Littlefork.  

Littlefork administration asks residents to let the city know if they have damaged trees needing to be removed. Residents can also move trees and debris into the right aways to be moved by city workers.

The National Weather Service predicts severe weather Friday night and advises residents to stay alert.

Bishop-elect Tom Aitken man of rare gifts

Past the seeker as he prayed, came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten. And seeing them... he cried,
"Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?" God said, "I did do something.
I made you."
~Author Unknown

To say that Tom Aitken sees the goodness in people is to tempt cliche.
To say that he inspires people to feel the goodness, and to hope for goodness, and to recognize the potential for goodness, better defines his gift.

The Minnesota Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion will open an International Falls recruiting office Aug. 1
The office will be located in the former Zone One store at 304 3rd Street.
Spec. Jonathan Brunner, a U.S. Army National Guard recruiter, will get his sergeant stripes at about the time he is ordered to assume recruiting duties in the Falls. He will cover Borderland from the Falls to Warroad and down to the southern border of Koochiching County.

Two incumbents have filed for positions on the Koochiching County Board.
Filings for the Koochiching County Commissioner District 3 position and District 5 position opened July 1 and close Tuesday at the Auditor’s Office.
Kallie Briggs, who now holds the District 3 position, and Mike Hanson, who holds the District 5 position have filed for the commissioner positions.
Newcomer Louis Slapnicker, Big Falls, has also filed for the District 5 commissioner district position.
No one has filed for positions on the Koochiching County Soil and Water Conservation District.

The Icebox Radio Theater will hold auditions for three summer projects at 7 p.m. Monday at the Rainy River Community College theater. Actors and sound effects artists will be needed.
The IBRT, fresh from live performances in the Twin Cities over Fourth of July weekend, will reprise skits from that performance on July 30 in the band shell in Smokey Bear Park as part of the Concerts in the Park series.
The IBRT is also preparing to participate in the Backus variety show on July 25, and a new presentation of “Dogwatch: Trouble in Pembrook” in Rainer on Aug. 16.

The Up North basketball and volleyball camps wrapped on Thursday with award ceremonies at the Rainy River Community College Gym.
The basketball camp was run by RRCC women’s basketball coach Tim Myles and was attended by over 70 second through seventh graders. The camp focused on fundamentals and sportsmanship.
“I think the kids really learned something over the past couple of days,” Myles said. “I’ve heard from couple of parents that they thought the camp was really informative.”

The 2008 Up North High School Volleyball Camp is scheduled to start on Monday at the Rainy River Community College gym.
The camp is run by RRCC volleyball coach Mel Millerbernd. Millerbernd is in her 19th season with the camp that is for players entering grades eight through 12 and is a girls only camp.
The camp will focus on skills and drills in the morning and on team play in the afternoon.
“You get the best of both,” Millerbernd said.
Millerbernd will be joined by Andrea Millerbernd, Jenna Gordon, Monica McAllister, Kim Wimmer and Nicole Krueger.

With summer in full swing, ticks and mosquitoes are out in Borderland. A record number of tick-born illnesses were reported to the Minnesota Department of Health last year. Health officials are warning that prevention of bites is vital in protecting against disease.
Melissa Kemperman, an epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, said the cause of the record number of cases could be more people being exposed as they do outdoor activities, more infected ticks, or a combination of both.

Tick-borne illnesses

By ALLAN OLSON

In what started out to be just a normal fishing trip for a mixed group of anglers, things soon turned interesting.
“It looks like we’re going to eat fish tonight,” said Alex Olson, 8, shortly after landing a lunker in the boat.
Olson, along with his dad, grandpa, uncle and cousins, went out for a quick fishing trip on Lake of the Woods July 4, prior to taking in the parade in Baudette.

Wireless Internet service in the great outdoors? Like illegal drugs, just say no.
Itasca State Park became the first state or federal park facility in Minnesota to offer wireless Internet service when it was launched in May.
The experiment was prompted by slumping park attendance and the knowledge that fewer people are enjoying the great outdoors.