To get ALL the news from the Edge of the Frontier, subscribe to NORTHERN HERALD. Details on Home Page: http://members.aol.com/nhrld/index.html ****************************************************************** Copyright (c) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 by Northern Herald and Northern Herald Publications, Inc. MEDIA AND OTHER USERS: See Copyright Info and Limited Permission to Use - Revised 9/6/97 - at the end of this file. ****************************************************************** THE LIBRARY - VOLUME 4 Part 2 - 10/28/98 to 09/21/99 THE NORTHERN HERALD LIBRARY OF ARCHIVED ISSUES ************************************ FULL TEXT FOLLOWS TABLES OF CONTENTS ************************************ There is no index, nor is one needed. If you are researching a particular subject, or person, use the FIND utility in your browser's EDIT menu (at top of your screen) to locate stories dealing with your topic. Contents are in order - are not hypertext - just SCROLL DOWN to find what you want - this file is cumulative and voluminous - you may find it expeditious to FIND (from your EDIT menu on Explorer and certain other browsers) for a keyword in the headline (as listed in these Contents), or to download and then search): CONTENTS - BY ISSUE (DESCENDING): ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 09/01/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 17 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism QUESTIONS SURFACE ON GRAND RAPIDS SCHOOL BOND VOTE DISTRICT 318 (GRND RPDS) SCHOOL REFERNDUM POLLING PLACES OCTOBER 5th, 1999 CAJUNFEST ROCKS WALKER! Good Things to Eat OJIBWE FOODS NATURAL ALDERWOOD SMOKED WHITEFISH In Focus CORN FEST AT BACKUS !! In Focus REMER CELEBRATES HARVEST DAYS REPERCUSSION, REIF BRING A COMEDY OF ERRORS TO GRAND RAPIDS ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 08/11/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 16 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism ITASCA COUNTY APPEALS TO TAKE CARPENTER'S, LEECH LAKE LAND Leading Edge Journalism - Bemidji Crime RENTERS DEMOLISH HOME Follow-Up WINGER BACKS GHERARDI'S ACTIONS Dog Tales NEIGHBORS QUARREL OVER DOGS IN RURAL WALKER In Focus WHITE OAK TAKES GUESTS BACK TO DAYS OF VOYAGEURS (picture caption - photo in print edition only): RECYCLING THE ROAD Dining Out A NORTHERN HERALD RESTAURANT REVIEW: YUKON GRILLE (HACKENSACK) WALKER GEARS UP FOR CAJUNFEST ! ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 07/21/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 15 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism WALKER COUNCIL HOLDS KEYS TO REOPENING HISTORIC CHASE ATTENDEES ACCLAIM MOONDANCE CORRUPTION MAY GET BOOST ON KOOCHICHING NINTH DISTRICT BENCH In Focus PAUL BUNYAN DAYS AT AKELEY MUSKIE DAYS AT NEVIS THOUSANDS SHARE SPIRIT AT 2ND SPIRITFEST! III SOUL CRY PACKS HOUSE THE MIND ADDRESSES LAWN DARTS, STADIUM HAS NORTHERN BUSINESS LOST ITS MIND? LETTERS TO THE EDITOR advertisement ------------- DEEP-DISCOUNT WE-FEST TICKETS FOR NORTHERN HERALD READERS HACKENSACK SWEETHEART DAYS '99 (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Giuliana's, Walker Electric car NORTH STAR PLANS STAMPEDE WHITE OAK RENDEZVOUS AUGUST 6-8TH advertisement ------------- DEEP-DISCOUNT WHITE OAK TICKETS FOR NORTHERN HERALD READERS REPERCUSSION THEATRE, WILLIAM S., TO RETURN TO GRAND RAPIDS. (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Model-T Ford Club Arthur's Ten Mile Lake Inn MOONDANCE BATTLE OF THE BANDS WINNER "PART OF THE TRIBE" TO BE AT CASS LAKE WATER CARNIVAL CORVETTE CARAVAN LEARNING ACADEMY WEEK AUGUST 9-13 ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 06/23/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 14 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism ----------------------- Just Being Neighborly THE DEPTH OF CORRUPTION The Stuff at Paul Bunyan Telephone's Board Meeting May Have Run Deeper Than Their Cable Leading Edge Journalism PARK RAPIDS BOND VOTE DRAWS SEASONAL RESIDENTS' CONCERN REFORM PARTY CONVENES! In Focus RED LAKE ON THE MOVE! In Focus Photo Caption - Summer Little League-Walker at Nevis (photos in print edition only) Letters to the Editor MCT MEMBER CHALLENGES CONSTITUTION REVISION ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 06/02/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 13 ------------------------------------ Akeley Authors, Artisans ------------------------ DOMORATZKI RELEASES "BRIDGE OVER THE MAIN" Life as Polish Youth During WWII Occupation Author to Sign at Paul Bunyan Days STIFFLERS FIND MEDIUM IN WOOD OLD-TIMERS REUNITE AT BACKUS In Focus THE AKELEY - NEVIS AREA BIGFORK NATIVE ROGER LUCHAU HONORED THERE'S GOIN' TO BE A WEDDIN' ... WHERE GOOD GOVERNMENT STARTS! THE GOVERNOR'S FISHING OPENER BURGOON SUES DE LA HUNT WITH A GRAIN OF SAND* * With a Grain of Sand is satire. It should not be confused with our regular news, which is funnier and less believable. Consumer Corner TIME-SHARING - IS IT FOR YOU? ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 05/12/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 12 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism ----------------------- The Bemidji Disease JUDGE RASMUSSEN HOLDS STEBE 2 1/2 MOS. ON PRETENDED CONSPIRACY Trial Delayed - Rehabilitating Man's Family Now on Welfare Co. Atty. Tim Faver Declines Charges Against Drug-Dealing Gang After Pistol-Whipping Leading Edge Journalism "UP NORTH" TAKING HORSES IN ITASCA COUNTY In Focus WHY FIREMEN HAVE BIGGER, UH... FUND-RAISERS INVESTIGATION OF PAUL BUNYAN TELEPHONE CO-OP OPENED Party Time! REFORM PARTY TO CONVENE JUNE 12TH GOVERNOR'S WEEKLY BROADCAST TO BE AVAILABLE IN PARK RAPIDS Editorial THE PROBLEM WITH POSTAL SURVEYS Letters to the Editor SHOULD PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ALLOWED AT LITTLETON, UNDER SIEGE? ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 04/21/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 11 ------------------------------------ CROAKER, LINDGREN TO FIGHT AT MEDINA Leading Edge Journalism - Follow-Up COUNTY LOSES APPEAL AGAINST CARPENTER A WORLD OF TALENT AT LAPORTE In Focus -------- BREAKFAST AT EMMAVILLE In Focus -------- AT WALKER, MINNESOTA EXPRESS YOURSELF ! Another NORTHERN HERALD Poll Editorial - Opinion SHOULD BEMIDJI P.O. SORT MAIL AT ST. CLOUD? COUNTER PENS GONE AT BEMIDJI POST OFFICE Letters to the Editor CRIPPLED WOMAN KICKED OUT OF HARD TIMES SALOON TAXES: TO FILE OR NOT TO FILE HACKENSACK THEATER TO AUDITION DRAMA ROLES Ask Lady Grace -------------- THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 03/31/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 10 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism BALL CLUB MERCHANT RECOVERS FROM ANOTHER BREAK-IN Leading Edge Journalism - Follow-Up SHERIFFS' DRUG AND GANG NET NETS RESULTS The Session DEFENDING YOUR HOME MAY BECOME LEGAL IN MINNESOTA THIS IS AMERICA A public service message by this newspaper GILLILAND FAILS TO APPEAR FOR TRIAL ON CONSUMER FRAUD RADEL: BEMIDJI POSTAL MOVE WON'T SLOW IN-TOWN SERVICE In Focus LOWELL'S - FOR 39 YEARS, A TRADITION OF SERVICE AT KABEKONA Credit Where Due MN REV MAKES TAX PRACTITIONERS' TASK EASIER WOMEN ON WELFARE A public service message by this newspaper MDES ANNOUNCES SHARED WORK PROGRAM FOR TEMPORARILY DOWNSIZING BUSINESSES EVERY SUNDAY JAM AT PINE COUNTRY CAFE Editorials - Opinion HOW MUCH TAX ARE YOU PAYING FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S KIDS? Letters to the Editor INDIGENT WOMEN SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HAVE ABORTIONS MILLE LACS LANDOWNERS URGE PEACE, RESPECT FOR DECISION SUCCESS IS FOR THE RISK-TAKERS - Opinion ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 03/10/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 9 ------------------------------------ LIONS HOLD ANNUAL DERBY AT BAGLEY Leading Edge Journalism ----------------------- Cracking Down on Crack Dens SHERIFFS WINGER, DOWSON, TARGET GANG & DRUG ACTIVITY The Bemidji Disease POLICE PROSTITUTION COURT FILES TIE COMMISSIONER BOOTH TO STRIP-PARTY SITE ATWATER RETURNED TO DUTY Photo Caption - photo in print edition only: FIFTH-GRADE ART STUDENTS AT NORTHERN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Consumer Corner --------------- QUALITY DISCOUNT TIRES, SERVICE, COME TO BEMIDJI PETERSON MAY PROPOSE BILL RESOLVING MUSTERING OUT PAY DEBACLE Editorial TEACHER ROMANCE-CRIME BILL WOULD BE UNNECESSARY DUPLICATION, UNUSUAL PRIORITY Letters to the Editor --------------------- WHITE EARTH MEMBERS WANT TO PRESENT GRIEVANCES ROBERT MORTON'S FAMILY JOURNAL by Robert Morton M.Ed., Ed.S. HUMOR GETS PARENTS THROUGH THE TERRIBLE TWOS WE RECEIVE 8 CRITICISMS FOR EVERY 2 COMPLIMENTS Photo Caption - photo in print edition only: A GOOD CUP OF LATTE IN WALKER !! BASKETBALL PROGRAMS AVAILABLE SNOWBOARDING RESULTS FROM ANDES TOWER REWARD OFFERED IN BAGLEY ABDUCTION ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 02/17/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 8 ------------------------------------ Northern Arts ------------ KONECNE, BSU JAZZ, DO IT AGAIN !! 1999 Jazz Fest Draws Acclaim from World-Class Artists, Participants THE REIF, RUTTGER'S PRESENT MACBETH ONLY GREY AREAS SURROUND HACKENSACK LIQUOR CHANGE BEMIDJI TRUCKER TO PAY PENALTIES ASK THE TAX GUY by Adam Steele, practicing accountant & former Enrolled Agent FOLLOW-UP: Accountant's Software LAMSON TECH PRODUCT BEST SUITED FOR WASTE BIN NATIVE-AMERICAN STORYTELLING MISSISSIPPI RIVER FORUM 20TH EELPOUT AT WALKER Editorials - Opinion -------------------- Yes, DO cut public radio's funds! by Richard Thomas, NH Liberal Staff Writer, Grand Rapids CORRECTION Letters to the Editor MENGE: CONSOLIDATE BEMIDJI-BELTRAMI OPERATIONS ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 01/27/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 7 ------------------------------------ BACK TO HACK! - Hackensack's 1999 Winter Fest a Success! Leading Edge Journalism REIGN OF CORRUPTION BEGINS IN HUBBARD COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE HUBBARD RESIDENT HAS TO HIRE ATTORNEY TO OBTAIN COURT-ORDERED RELEASE WOMAN PURSUED SECOND TIME IN HUBBARD COUNTY States That Authorities Failed to Act First Time MACBETH TO BE AT THE REIF, FEB. 3RD Ask the TAX GUY TAX PROFESSIONALS STILL HAVE LOW-COST SOFTWARE OPTIONS 1998 STEELE SPHERES AWARDED BEMIDJI POLICE CHIEF TELL SUSPENDED MERRIFIELD BROADCASTER, AL MARTIN, LISTED IN WHO'S WHO HOLLERUD ENTERS ALFORD, SENTENCED IN POLICE PROSTITUTION CASE DE LA HUNT CRITICIZES TEAMSTERS, HUBBARD UNION OVER NEW HOLIDAY DEMAND Editorials - Opinion WELFARE REFORM ON TRACK? WAIT A SEC, HERE . . . A Northern Herald Book Review ----------------------------- A FARMER'S VIEW by DEAN CARLSON, KENNEDY, MN CONNECTIONS... Web Tips CONSUMER CORNER --------------- YOU KNOW YOU'RE EATING BIG... WHEN YOU'RE EATING A PIG! ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 01/06/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 6 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism ----------------------- RESORT CUTS OFF LAKE ACCESS TO LEECH LAKE LANDOWNERS Itasca Co., Tribal Landholders, Others Embroiled in Winnie Road Dispute BELTRAMI'S SHERIFF WINGER ON THE JOB Leading Edge Journalism ----------------------- A SCOURGE OF BEMIDJI CLOSES [photo captions - photos in print edition only]: A NEW LOOK IN AN OFFICE SUPPLY AND PRINTING SHOP RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR IN STYLE! [photo caption - photos in print edition only]: holiday light display Editorials - Opinion -------------------- A SPECIAL NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE TO HIGH SCHOOLERS, AND OTHER GIRLS WHO ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO STILL HAVE THEIR HONOR Letters to the Editor --------------------- BELTRAMI COMMISSIONERS SHOULD RETURN WINDFALL TO TAXPAYERS, NOT SPEND IT ON DEPOT WHERE TO GET MEDICAL RECORDS [photo caption - photos in print edition only] Robert Morton's Family Journal by Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. ADHD KIDS DON'T IMPROVE BY ACCIDENT ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 12/16/98 - VOLUME 4 NO. 5 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism - Follow-Up ----------------------------------- TRIAL CONFIRMS 'BOTTUMS-UP' BAR MANAGER INVOLVED IN POLICE PROSTITUTION CASE Campus Corner ------------- KROTZER TRAINS AUTOMOTIVE STUDENTS IN LEADING EDGE TECHNOLOGY AT NTC Students will have 2-yr. advantage over others Krotzer's New Device May Eliminate Costly 'Scope' Jobs COURT THROWS OUT ANOTHER BOGUS WOMEN'S SHELTER-ASSISTED OFP CAREGIVERS SEEKS VOLUNTEERS, "CLIENTS" [picture captions - photos in print edition only]: CAMPUS CORNER NEW BAGLEY NITE SPOT ! LAST OF THE OLD DICKINSON MILL WALKER LIGHTS UP! BOUNTY OF PROVIDENCE GRACES TABLE AT ANNUAL BECIDA COMMUNITY CHURCH GAME FEED Recipe Box ---------- PATTI'S WORLD-CLASS VENISON CHILI Follow Up -- Many WW II, Korean Vets May Be Due $200 SORENSON CRACKS MUSTERING OUT PAY ISSUE Editorials - Opinion -------------------- Quote by outgoing Beltrami County Sheriff Dee Wayne Rognstad Letters to the Editor --------------------- GUNDERSON CLAIMS HARASSMENT BY ARTICLE Eventide - Arts & Literature ---------------------------- THE CALIFORNIAN'S TALE by Mark Twain Consumer Corner --------------- COPENHAGEN(R) SNUFF: IF YOU'RE GOING TO GRAND RAPIDS, MN, BUYING IT THERE CAN PAY FOR THE TRIP. ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 11/25/98 - VOLUME 4 NO. 4 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism ----------------------- The Real Story per the Filed Record and What Happened in Court BURG DROPS ANOTHER BOGUS FORS CHARGE; CASE RESOLVED "Fornication" Law Enforced-Fors Admits 4 Instances of Consensual Romance Follow-Up WOMEN'S SHELTER RESIDENT SENTENCED FOR PERJURY Quest for the Gold A SYNOPSIS OF THE FORS MATTER Hubbard County Board Matters ---------------------------- HUBBARD DEVELOPMENTS APPROVED ROBINSON EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER CUL-DE-SACS INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT TO EVALUATE PHONE BIDS GUTHRIE RESIDENT ASSERTS LAND RIGHTS LAST UMMHC HOMOSEXUAL ASSAULT CASE TO SETTLE Editorials - Opinion -------------------- THE FORS MATTER: ALL JUST A BIG MISTAKE? QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (satire) Why You Didn't Get the Real Story Elsewhere FOOD 4 LESS MANAGER TRIES TO BLOCK FORS COVERAGE - CONVEYS THREAT THE HARTHUN RECORDS Consumer Corner NATIONAL FUEL SAVER ADVERTISING AGAIN BEWARE OF UNLEADED FUEL AND OTHER COMMODITY OPTIONS ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 10/28/98 - VOLUME 4 NO. 3 ------------------------------------ SPECIAL BELTRAMI VOTERS' ISSUE Due to limited space, The Harthun Records cannot be presented this issue and will continue next issue. BEMIDJI CITY, BELTRAMI COUNTY CANDIDATES AMBLE, STOMBAUGH VIE FOR BEMIDJI AT-LARGE COUNCIL SEAT ROSEMARY GIVEN-AMBLE: ENVIRONMENT AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY CHUCK STOMBAUGH: HOUSECLEANING WITH AN EYE TO THE BUDGET BALL: DRIVE UNDESIRABLES FROM THE AREA Note: Beltrami Sheriff Candidate Keith Winger's interview was presented in NH of 9/16/98, available in The Library at our web site). MASLOSKI CHALLENGES BOOTH FOR BELTRAMI DISTRICT 1 JIM MASLOSKI - THE GUY COMMISSIONERS CALLED WHEN THEY WANTED TO GET SOMETHING DONE STEVE BOOTH - "MAJOR DAD," WITH A "MR. AMERICA" IMAGE AND MILITARY TRIM, SAYS HE'LL SAVE COUNTY $$S Editorials - Opinion OUR ENDORSEMENTS (Graphic Caption - illustration in print edition only) BEMIDJI CITY AND BELTRAMI COUNTY SALARY TO OFFICERS SINCE SUSPENSION (Photo Caption - photo in print edition only) Editorials RESPONSIBILITY VERSUS PROBABLE OUTCOMES UPSURGE OF MORALITY (Photo Caption - McProtest - photo in print edition only) ****************************************************************** TEXT OF ARCHIVED ISSUES BEGINS: ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 09/01/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 17 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism QUESTIONS SURFACE ON GRAND RAPIDS SCHOOL BOND VOTE GRAND RAPIDS -- Following a Park Rapids bond referendum last winter, that critics say was designed to eliminate the snowbird vote, some now charge that the pending Grand Rapids School District 318 bond vote, scheduled for October 5th, and seeking over $15 million dollars for a new middle school at the Golf Course Road ("Southwest") site, was set to eliminate rural voters in the district. A similar referendum was narrowly defeated last year, on a 190 vote margin, and some speculate that it would have carried on the Grand Rapids city vote; that the rural vote was pivotal in deciding the issue. And strong questions have been raised concerning the wisdom of using the Southwest site, which, although not part of the ballot question, has been selected by the School Board to be used if the measure passes. A six-member citizen committee, coordinated to evaluate potential sites, arrived at the determination that a new middle school, if one is to be built, should be at the "Northwest" site (by the present high school and Reif Center). Some of the Board may have based their decision on a public "survey." But an examination of the survey questions indicates that they were "programmed" to elicit the desired response. They all began with a statement, such as, "To build a new school at the existing site would mean ... about 1 million dollars in temporary facilities.... Is the existing site worth this expense?" The preamble to the question omitted that the existing site would still be almost $2 million less costly than any other. One Grand Rapids resident criticized the survey as being only quantitative, rather than qualitative - that is, each question results in a "check mark" for a certain site, but the questions aren't given weight, so some more important features might be outweighed by the sheer number of responses on less important features. The public was not asked to rate the sites on an overall basis, and the school board decided not to allow the public to do that at the referendum. Said School Board member Roberta Votava, "If the majority of the Board would not allow the public to make the decision of the middle school site democratically on the ballot, then I feel that the Board should have listened to the Middle School Advisory Committee. They were extremely skilled and intelligent people who worked very hard in coming up with their recommendation of the new site." Votava cited several reasons why she felt that the Northwest site was more appropriate: * The two schools could share Reif Center as well as the swimming pool and other large capital items (the high school, she said, does not presently have a swimming pool). * Enrollment numbers are decreasing. The shared site would allow the schools to share staff, equipment and programs, as well as the dance studio, ITV facilities, athletic fields, tennis courts, etc. "We'd only have to pay to maintain one area," she said. * All emergency services are headquartered on the north side of Grand Rapids. * Lower food service costs * Both schools would be close to the hockey arena. * The present wetlands at the Northwest site could be used to teach environmental science & the children could utilize the walking and ski trails. * More cost-effective in the long run. Votava also criticized the way the School District engineered the vote, a month prior to the regular election day, without allowing mail ballots and determining their own voting districts and polling places, with some polling places very remote for out-of-city residents. She said that some voters would have to drive 40 miles (round-trip) to vote on the single issue. "I have concerns with the geographical size of the polling [districts set up by the School Board]; I feel the size may limit many people's ability to vote, she said." Minnesota law establishes when a school referendum may be held, but Ben Hawkins, School District 318 Business Manager, defended the setting of the referendum apart from November's city elections saying that the Board felt the issue should stand on it's own, and that by having the referendum separately, the District could designate different polling places than in the general election. As to the legality of the October referendum, "There's a window of time before the regular election" when the vote can be statutorily had, he said. Asked why the Board chose not to accept mail ballots to vote on the $15+ million issue, Hawkins said, "A lot of it is the cost" of sending the mail ballots. Although there will not be general mail balloting on the referendum, absentee ballots may still be obtained and voted. "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money." -- Everett McKinley Dirksen (1869-1969) as cited by Quote World online - http://quoteworld.eilc.org/ DISTRICT 318 (GRND RPDS) SCHOOL REFERNDUM POLLING PLACES OCTOBER 5th, 1999 1) GR pcts. 1 & 6 Airport Conf. Room 2) Arbo; unorg. Deer Lake, Grace Lake & Wabena twnshps Arbo Town Hall 3) Balsam; unorg. Long Lake, McLeod twnshps Balsam Ele. School 4) Cities of Bigfork, Effie; Pomeroy, Liberty, north unorg., Bigfork School 5) Blackberry, Trout Lake twnshps Blackberry Town Hall 6) Carpenter, Bearville twnshps Carpenter Town Hall 7) City of Cohasset, unorg. Wellers, McCormick twnshps Cohasset Comm. Ctr 8) City of GR pct. 3, GR twnshp pct. 8 1st Luth. Church 9) City of GR pct. 2 & 5, GR twnshp pct. 9 & 10 Grd. Rap. Town Hall 10) Harris twnshp Harris Twn Hl 11)City of Squaw Lk; Alvwood, Ardenhurst, Goodhope, Grattan, Kinghurst, Max, Moose Pk, Nore, Third River, unorg. Winnibigoshish twnshps Squaw Lake School 12) Sugar Lk twnshp Sugar Hills Ldg 13) City of Warba; Feeley, unorg. Gran, Sago & Wawina twnshps Warba Comm. Center 14) Wildwood, Spang & Splithand twnshps Wildwood Town Hall 15) City of GR pct. 4 & GR twnshp pct. 7 Zion Luth. Church ------------------------------------------------------- CAJUNFEST ROCKS WALKER! WALKER -- Zydeco: Popular music of southern Louisiana that combines tunes of French origin with elements of Caribbean music and the blues and that features guitar, washboard, and accordion. That's how Merriam Webster® defines it,* but according to Robert Immonen, one of many thousands of enthusiastic listeners at Walker's CajunFest, August 26th - 28th, "The only way to describe this music is that it is infectious." That is, once you've been around it, it grabs you - you wants to hear and dance to more of it. It's hard to describe the sound, but one thing is very obvious: it's made for dancing, as evidenced by the many variations of ballroom & swing on the floor that night. And that drew about 30 members of the Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music & Dance Association, who came up from the Twin Cities for the fest. To Grammy winner, Rockin' Dopsie Jr., from Lafayette, Louisiana, who has recorded with Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and many others, Zydeco is more - like jazz, it's uniquely American "Zydeco was originated right out of, like, Carencro, which is right outside of Lafayette,... they've been doing Zydeco ... for, the last... 40, 50 years. ... It was not called Zydeco, it was called La-La Music, ...[In] 1979, Clifton Chereine named the music Zydeco," he said. And for Dopsie, it's a legacy. His father was Zydeco pioneer, Rockin' Dopsie Sr. "My dad tells me, ...what they used to do, man, was go sit in somebody's living room, pay 25 cents to come to the La-La. You know, and people would dance, they played for a couple of hours like from maybe ten to midnight..." Dopsie said that later on, but still before his father got really well known for Zydeco, "he was playing Zydeco music from Houston to Europe, to Chicago, New York; and working during the daytime. When he really got his break was in 1987, [or] '86, when we did the Graceland [CD] with Paul Simon... won a Grammy off of it, and in 1990 we did the Old Mercy CD with Bob Dylan...." Since then Dopsie has performed with his Zydeco Twisters, as well as with, BB King and others. From here, Dopsie is taking Zydeco, "to a different level, and people around the world... will get to see us live and know that we are the force behind the music." Dopsie just got back from Italy, and will be back in Europe next July. Immediately after CajunFest, Dopsie will be playing in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago before returning to New Orleans. He said that hopefully they'd be back for CajunFest next year, "I'm just honored to be on this festival. This is great, the people's great, the food's great, I'm enjoying it, I'm just glad they're loving my music... Everybody's so beautiful and [I] just thank you for the warm welcome ... I love it, it's just like home down in New Orleans." For authenticity of the Cajun food, CajunFest flies cooks in for the event. Dopsie, who knows Cajun food, said of the dishes reasonably offered, "It's definitely real Louisiana - it's hot, it's sizzling, it's good - Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler." Dopsie had planned to make his latest of his eight CDs available at CajunFest, but the 1,500 he had sold out at the Metropolitan in Minneapolis just before. They are available, however, at record stores. Louisiana music is diverse. There's R & B, Zydeco, and the many forms of Jazz. Patrick Williams, who plays percussion and harmonica for Rockin' Dopsie Jr.'s Zydeco Twisters, commented on the music, and New Orleans' famous French Quarter, "It rolls every 24 hours, you know, it's nonstop party, the Quarter is that way every day... 24 hours." "I believe that Preservation Hall [New Orleans] is a place that you can listen to real traditional jazz, you know; other people, they got brass bands ... Zydeco music and Cajun music is traditional also. You know, it's just a lot of music that's combined; rhythm and blues, deep down blues from Mississippi and Lafayette... blues and jazz all combined... that's all Zydeco music is all about... like a gumbo, you know, a mixture of lots of stuff," he said. Williams, who has been with Rockin' Dopsie Jr. for about 5 years, has been immersed in the Louisiana sound all his life, "When you're born in Louisiana, you pick up their music ... you pick it up," he said. Joseph A. Mouton, known as Zydeco Joe, another featured recording artist, also from Lafayette, does many of his songs in French. "I play traditional Zydeco," he said. "I'm a country boy... I was raised up in the country where we raise cotton, corn, everything like that. That's where I learned how to play the accordion and learned the French language." Zydeco Joe has been performing since the 1960's and has been playing with his current group for 15 years. "I play by ear... somebody asks me to do a song, I can do it right off," he said. In closing, he added, "I want to thank everybody that supported Zydeco Joe and the rest of the band. I love you from the bottom of my heart and whenever you come to the [next] fest, if you'll find Zydeco Joe, I'll give you one hundred and five percent." After CajunFest, Zydeco Joe and his 5-piece band left for their next engagement at Grand Portage. His current CD, Jack Rabbit, is available at record stores. Other continuous featured entertainers at the three day CajunFest included the Treater Band with Washboard Charlie, Curtis Coubello (known for playing fiddle upside-down (the fiddle, that is) ), Jonno Frishberg, Cajun Dance Company, the Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler Band, Cajun Pepper Marching Brass Dixieland Band, the Royal Dixieland Band. Friday's many activities under the Heritage Tent included Cajun Accordion, Cajun Cooking Demo, Story Hour, Dixieland Parade (in campground), interviews with bands, a cajun movie, and games of Gator Races, Pirate Swamp Adventure, Mardi Gras Toss, Swamp Buddies, Crawfish Boiling Pot and the Alligator Pond. Not connected with CajunFest, the Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music & Dance Association regularly brings Cajun music to the Twin Cities. Persons interested in this dance music may contact Chris Gellerman, Pres., at 612-978-3126, or email to: cjgellerman@juno.com *Merriam Webster(R) online http://www.m-w.com dictionary.htm (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Rockin Dopsie Jr. performs, wearing his strap-on washboard, with the 9-piece Zydeco Twisters at Cajunfest to a packed tent and dance floor. Insets: Left, Dopsie, Right, Patrick Williams. A hot ladleful of Jambalaya is dished up at the food court which also featured Seafood Etouffee, File Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, Alligator Sausage,VooDoo Shrimp over Pasta, Blackened Chicken and Cajun Burgers CajunFest's Heritage Tent offered a more informal and intimate, like a coffeehouse, music setting away from the main tent, as well as kid's games, gifts, and mask making, in preparation for the nightly Mardi Gras and Parade. If you couldn't be in the French Quarter in February, this was, in all ways, the closest thing! The T-Mamou Band fiddled at Heritage when not on the main stage. Zydeco Joe performs in Louisiana gold-tipped alligator boots. --------------------------------------------------------- GOOD THINGS TO EAT WALKER -- People who expect just another can of densely packed minced fish, as with some other products, are in for a pleasant surprise when they open a can of Objibe Foods Whitefish. They'll find, instead, actual chunks of filet, steeped in rich natural amber alderwood smoke, moist, delicate, fresh tasting and flaky, like a catch that just came from the smokehouse; but these will keep fresh a lot longer. Whitefish is great for breakfast, as well as other times. There's nothing like a bit of fish on a bagel with cream cheese, a slice of Swiss and maybe even a tad of Treasure Cave bleu. Trouble is, when you get a hankering for it, and run out and buy a whole fish, it sometimes loses it's fresh taste in the refrigerator before it's all used. It would be great if whitefish came in about a 5 1/2 oz. size and would keep on the shelf so to be there when you wanted it. The guys at Ojibwe Foods have come up with the next best thing. These 5 1/2 oz. cans are about the perfect size for a few meals, and they'll keep, on the shelf, practically forever, so you can have a fish breakfast or snack anytime you want it. Ojibwe Foods has, since 1983, been operated by the Leech Lake Band of Chippewa. Seasonally, and buying from local producers and gatherers, they market, in addition to the whitefish, other natural foods of the reservation including jellies made from wild berries, and wild rice. Ojibwe Foods plans to include maple syrup in their line next year, and also intends to provide a market for native arts and crafts. Their wild rice can currently be ordered by calling 877-246-0620. Due to limited quantities, this production of Natural Alderwood Smoked Whitefish is a little hard to find. But we found it and we'll tell you where! In the North Central Minnesota area, it's found exclusively at Bieloh's Family Foods in Walker, where the store bought out the current production and is offering the product (normally $3.59 a can) at 2 for $3 ($1.50 per can). This works out to about $4.36/lb., which generally compares favorably with fresh whitefish, and this will keep a lot longer. Another production is expected next year, but for now, this is what there is. As well as for meals, Mr. Bieloh recommends mixing the whitefish with cream cheese for a cracker dip. (Photo caption - photos in print edition only): There were 100 cases at Bieloh's, Walker; but we tried the product, and when we left the store there was one case less than when we arrived. Prices stated above will be honored through Sept. 20th, 1999 or until the current stock is sold out, if sooner. ------------------------------------------------------------- In Focus -------- CORN FEST AT BACKUS !! BACKUS -- It was the corn, and a lot more, as the City of Backus celebrated it's annual Corn Fest, August 21st & 22nd. Backus, with it's Trade Center on the west side of Hwy. 371, just north of town and the airport, is a hub of commerce in North Central Minnesota. For quality and the special good sweet taste of the Backus Corn, each year, a special crop of corn is ordered and produced by Bristol's, in Pine River. "As soon as we name our date, they plan for the planting... for our Corn Fest," said Cloie Smith, coordinator of the event. The celebratory meal, for $2-4, included sloppy joe or hot dog, potato salad, baked beans, an assortment of good homemade bars, beverage and most importantly, all the butter-dipped corn you could eat. The meal, which served about 450, took 200 lbs. of potatoes, 100 lbs. of hamburger and 160 all-beef hot dogs ("They gotta be beef," said Smith) and 15 dozen eggs. The fest included many activities, games and entertainment, mostly on Saturday. Saturday evening, Megan Hughes was named the new Backus Jr. Queen, and Shawn Kish, having served an excellent term, retained his title as Jr. King. The term-limit Republicans will, no doubt, have something to say about this! For their service, each gets a $50 bond at the end of the year. Leo Elyea, Commander of the American Legion Post at Hackensack, and an Air Force veteran since 1954, comes to Corn Fest every year, "Being this is my home town, this is what I don't miss." Asked what's his favorite part of Corn Fest, Elyea said, "The corn." (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Backus Locker's Cinderella float took 1st place in the Disney non-musical division Richard Bros. Forest Products' Snow White took 1st in the Disney musical division The Besty Ross float, by Backus American Legion Post 363, got 1st in the Patriotic Division The American Legion "Billy Brown" Post 627 of Nisswa took First Prize for color guard. The crowds peruse goods, including distinctive Northern Art like painted saws, and Mary Ann Fynboh's handmade doilies, glass jackets, scarves and other crochetwork, at the Corn Fest swap meet. There are many reasons why one might go to Corn Fest at Backus. For most, though, it was a fairly simple equation: They were there for the corn!! ------------------------------------------------------ In Focus -------- REMER CELEBRATES HARVEST DAYS REMER -- The theme of this year's Harvest Days at Remer, August 14th & 15th, was Festival of Nations and it featured their first Taste of Nations - a sampling of international food in the park. Other activities of the 2-day fest in this city of 342 residents included a fun run, collector car show, snomo & ATV exhibits, vegetable & flower exhibits, children's activity tent and games, a turkey barbecue, 2 parades - one just for the kids, Remer Ambulance open house, Lion's exhibit, pie and ice cream social, music in the park, horseshoe, volley ball, darts and youth basketball tournaments, bingo, "Battle of the Fire Departments, a children's movie and a street dance featuring the band Class Clown. (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Minstrels entertain at the Remer Gazebo in the Park where, only hours before, Remer's first Taste of Nations was held. Hopefully, this will be an annual event! The mural on the side of a building at the town's centre was painted and donated by Remer Northland High School art students, May 1997. As the shadows of the afternoon sun get longer, people were still coming to the swap meet set up for harvest days and which feature both local, and more remote wares that would sometimes be hard to find here. Irene Baker, from Keewatin, sells shells, rocks and ceramics. ------------------------------------------------------------- REPERCUSSION, REIF BRING A COMEDY OF ERRORS TO GRAND RAPIDS GRAND RAPIDS -- Could classic Shakespeare be set in 1930's Chicago? Cas Anvar, Producing Artistic Director of the Repercussion Theatre's A Comedy of Errors says yes, and the excellence of the performance bears him out. The very versatile Repercussion Theatre company also does excellent Shakespeare set in the writer's period. "I think that [Repercussion's classic production of] Macbeth was set in a more typical time frame, what people might be expecting;" said Producing Artistic Director Cas Anvar, "however, I don't think this Comedy of Errors, which is set in a gangster period, is less faithful to the script, because when Shakespeare wrote his plays, he wrote his plays to be absolutely contemporary.... He wrote them to be in the period that he was in; and he used contemporary references .... It was kind of like he was the Gilbert & Sullivan of his time... about things that are happening at the time ... and whenever Gilbert & Sullivan is done now, say at Stratford,... they change all those references to suit the time." The play, presented as Shakespeare Under the Stars, August 25th at Grand Rapids, was light and airy, animated and very colorfully amusing. It was true to the script, yet, in it's setting, easy to understand, making the genius of Shakespeare easily available, even to those first-timers not accustomed to his literary style. One of the goals of Montreal's Repercussion is to introduce Shakespeare to a whole new generation. This summer has been "one of the largest expansions we've ever had," said Anvar. They went from 55 performances last year to over 70, with more of them in the U.S. "We've increased our performances in the United States from 2 weeks to 7 weeks," he said, with their schedule ranging from New York to San Antonio. Repercussion is unique in being a traveling Shakspearian company equally adept both indoors and, in their most familiar surroundings, outdoors. Next winter, Repercussion will produce one of Shakespeare's most famous, Romeo & Juliet. It's availability in Northern Minnesota, however, will be highly dependent on sponsorship. "30 people, touring, like this, it's hugely expensive," said Anvar of the show that he said just broke even on the Grand Rapids appearance. Patrons of the Arts who want to see Romeo & Juliet here next season are encouraged to contact David Marty, at The Reif, 218-327-5780. (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Confusion is rampant as Antipholus of Ephesus sojourns in Syracuse, where dwells Antipholus of Syracuse. Here, Assoc. Director Jack Langedijk (in zoot suit at center) portrays the lead role; Producing Artistic Director Cas Anvar is seen in the role of his squire, Dromio of Ephesus, at far right. Allen Morrison as Antipholus of Syracuse: "Spread o'er the waves your chestnut hair" "This is false - you burden me withal." "Is that your name, sir, called Antipholus?" Cas Anvar, Prod. Art. Director ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 08/11/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 16 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism ITASCA COUNTY APPEALS TO TAKE CARPENTER'S, LEECH LAKE LAND GRAND RAPIDS -- "The issue in County of Itasca vs. Carpenter is that it has been appealed on the correctness of the lower court ruling ... we just disagree with the [lower court] findings," Itasca County Attorney Jack Muhar said in justifying his second appeal (Appellate File No. C3-99-751) of Ninth District Judge Lang's decision, last winter, throwing out the County's request to condemn and take a private road belonging to Doug Carpenter, himself a former Co. Commissioner, for creation of a public county road 115. (See Resort Cuts Off Lake Access..., NH of 01/06/99; and County loses appeal..., NH of 4/21/99, at The Library at our web site - address p. 4) Said Carpenter, "Muhar told me 'Carpenter, I'm going to take your land and ... I'm going to appeal this until you're broke.'" The county has also filed suit in federal court against Leech Lake tribal member Robert Fairbanks, to seize, for the road, land he holds under a tribal allotment. In actuality, as Doug Carpenter explained, the dispute, in which Itasca County has enmeshed itself, stems from Tom Hammerlund's (Hammerlund Construction, Grand Rapids) blockading of a forest road which had been, for many years, used for public beach access, and his refusal to let neighbors on the road, and others, use the new continuation of the private road, over Hammerlund's Sunset View Resort, to access Lake Winnie. In the past, Carpenter and others, each owning their section of the private road, which was also designated Forest Road 2044 to the beach (Carpenter maintains that the forest road can only exist on the federal part of the land; and that half of the width of the road, on the south side of Carpenter's property, is his), allowed public use and county maintenance of the road. But when Hammerlund bought the resort a few years ago, he blocked off the old forest road, and built a new private road, connecting to Carpenter's road, then passing over Sunset View property to the beach. A charge was instituted for beach access on Sunset View's new road. Carpenter initially responded by refusing to allow Hammerlund, and county maintenance vehicles, passage over Carpenter's part of the private road, but says he has been threatened, by the Sheriff, with arrest if he continued to do so. "The Sheriff has told me... if I do anything to prevent anybody from going on the road ... they will put me in jail ... on my road, on my land ... this is a violation of my civil rights," said Carpenter. And Carpenter has said that he would be willing to allow access over his road if Hammerlund did the same, and as has historically been done by all on the old forest road. "I have told them that I would give them my land... if they establish federal Forestry Road 2044, like it always was, to the lake... so that people, for ever and ever, can use it," said Carpenter, adding, "Why should the forest be privatized for the profit of a resort? Why should they condemn and take my land to privatize a road for a resort? ... This bothers me, that the local people that have been here for ever and ever now have to pay to go to their lake." Said Muhar, "We tried to bring the parties together for settlement proposal last year - I don't think it's [that] simple." A solution would have been to establish the whole road, to the beach, as a public county road. This would ensure public access and county maintenance and Carpenter said he wouldn't object to it. But instead, Itasca County passed a resolution establishing Co. Rd. 115 only up to where the Sunset View private road begins, thus attempting to condemn land belonging to Carpenter and the Leech Lake Band of Chippewa, but not Hammerlund's part of the road. The road, as far as Sunset View, would become public, but Sunset View could still charge for access, across their part, to the lake. That was the attempted condemnation of Carpenter's land which was denied by the Court last winter, and is now being appealed for the second time, the county having lost the first appeal. Hammerlund refused to be reached for comment, but a Mrs. Bayard, who was contacted at Sunset View and claimed to be a part-owner, maintained that the road was either a county or a forest road from Highway 46 to their property. This notwithstanding that the court denied establishment of it as a county road, and the forest road had been blockaded. In addition to the appeal against Carpenter, Itasca County also filed a suit, April 20th, 1999, in Federal Court (U.S. Dist. Ct., Dist of Minn., 5th Div., Case No. 99-623-MJD/RLE) entitled County of Itasca vs. the United States of America; Bruce Babbit, Sec. of the Interior; Kevin Gover, Asst. Sec. of Bureau of Indian Affairs; Dan Glickman, Sec. of Agriculture; Marshall P. Dombeck, Chief, U.S. Forest Service; Robert Fairbanks; Bonnie Lyn McGauveran Sherer; Mary Garbow Lego Davis; Dorothy Herberg Sherer; Edith Akevaag/Sherer; Doreen Parmeter; Harry Hanson and Lake County Power Inc. The purpose of the federal action is to take Leech Lake Reservation lands for the proposed county road 115. The United States answered Itasca County's claim on June 21st, 1999, by B. Todd Jones, U.S. Attorney, and has asked that the action be dismissed because Itasca County had failed to provide notice to all of the 123 Indian owners of the tribal land, who may be affected. In his cross-claim, filed May 17th 1999, Leech Lake member Robert Fairbanks, who lives along the disputed road under a tribal allotment, said, in part, "2. The County of Itasca fraudulently and deceptively obtained permission to enter Leech Lake Allotment for the purpose of preparing a survey required for the construction of putative Co. Rd. 115; "3. On June 1st, 1998, Defendant Robert A. Fairbanks commanded and demanded that the County of Itasca cease trespassing on Leech Lake Allotment 1137; "4. The County of Itasca has continued to trespass on Leech Lake Allotment 1137 by the placement and maintenance of roadway signs, conducting roadway maintenance, removing shrubbery, damaging trees, and, through the actions of the County Sheriff, removing and keeping No Trespassing signs" which Fairbanks had apparently erected to prevent trespass on the Indian lands. (picture caption - photo in print edition only): Earth blockade placed across the old road -------------------------------------------------------- Leading Edge Journalism - Bemidji Crime RENTERS DEMOLISH HOME BEMIDJI -- Inspection of the Kay Kemmer home, at 2316 Bardwell Dr., from which Tracy Granger, daughter of former DNR officer Jeff Granger, was recently evicted, revealed a scene of mass destruction. Before leaving, apparently, the renter or guests had liberally spread flour over the trash strewn living room carpet. Many windows had been broken and holes riddled the walls in almost every room. Additionally, all of the glass had been knocked out of a car belonging to Kemmer's daughter, stored on the property, its headlights had been broken, all tires slashed and the hood and roof had been caved in, possibly by beating with a 2x4. An aquarium which was on the property had been destroyed and several personal items of Kemmer's, stored on the property, were missing. A VCR, belonging to Kemmer, was smashed on the bathroom floor. Per Kemmer, Granger had initially rented the home from her in April, with the first month's rent of $375 paid on her behalf by Bi-County CAP. As no further rent had been received since then, and, in late June, Kemmer discovered some of the damage, she started eviction proceedings. Timothy Rapp, who had been a guest of Granger's at the home, was arrested and, on July 5th, was charged with Criminal Damage to Property. The complaint (Case No. K4-99-870) recites that Rapp admitted destroying the aquarium and doing some of the damage to the vehicle by breaking the windshield, slashing the tires and damaging the fender. On July 12th, Rapp pled guilty before the Honorable Judge Benshoof, and was sentenced on August 2nd to 60 days in county jail (equates to 40 days with good behaviour). He was given credit for the 39 days he'd served since arrest, and released August 3rd. The remainder of sentencing was stayed for 5 years on the condition that Rapp: perform 200 hours of community service, have no drugs or alcohol and remain out of drinking establishments, submit to random drug testing, complete outpatient chemical dependency treatment and the anger management program at UMMHC, make restitution and have no other misdemeanors or other violations. On July 7th, mutual restraining orders were issued by the Court as regards Kemmer and Rapp. Per Kemmer, Granger's other guests at the home had included a black man known as Pierre Stamps, and Michelle Anderson, an employee of Beltrami County Human Services. As of presstime, however, no others have been charged. While an employee of Sta-Mart, Bemidji, in June 1998, Tracy Granger was charged with theft for having printed a $225 money order on Sta-Mart's machine and taking it without having paid for it. She pled guilty to the charge on July 1, 1998, and was sentenced to $508 as fine and costs with 50 days suspended. As of August 5, 1999, $405 of the fine remained unpaid and Granger is scheduled to appear in court on the matter at 9 a.m. Sept. 10, 1999. Granger had been given the option of performing community service, and is reported to have applied for same, but it is not known how many hours, if any, of community service work were actually performed in payment of the fine. No record of completion of community service had been filed with the court. For Related Story: Winger Backs Gherardi's Actions, see below. (picture captions - photos in print edition only): Broken wallboards & paneling Holes in walls and doors riddled almost every room The door was broken at the lock, and the frame had been forced Tenants vandalized the owner's daughter's car. A broken door rests against the wall. At left, a broken mirror hangs. One of many broken windows at the house, right (print edition only ------------------------------------------------------- Follow-Up WINGER BACKS GHERARDI'S ACTIONS Editors' Note: Keith Winger, Beltrami County Sheriff, was invited to respond to the Letter to the Editor that appeared last issue. The original letter is available in The Library (issue of 07/21/99) at our web site. Beltrami Sheriff Keith Winger responded to allegations surrounding Deputy Gherardi's actions, late June at the Kemmer property, by saying that the deputy's action in arresting the owner's son were appropriate. He said that a restraining order was in effect at the time of the arrest and that the son's entry onto the property was in violation notwithstanding that the subject of the arrest was the son of the property owner, and that he had personal items lawfully stored on the property. Although Tim Rapp, one of the people who had damaged the property, was not immediately arrested on the site, he was arrested shortly thereafter (see related story, p. 1). "I would defend officer Gherardi's actions," he said, adding, "My observations of him since I've been here have been that he's very professional and I have no problems with his work performance." Winger characterized the troubles between the owner and guests of the tenant as an "on-going problem" and said that, legally, the owner could not restrict or prevent her tenant from having guests of her choosing at the house, but, "When you get into damaged property, that's a criminal offense." Winger said that officers have been called to that house many times and that it usually turns out to be a shouting match; deputies try to defuse the situation and Winger had advised the owner as to what to do to evict the tenant. ----------------------------------------------- Dog Tales NEIGHBORS QUARREL OVER DOGS IN RURAL WALKER ------------------------ STEELE'S LAW (This is not yet a part of the statutes, but should be.) M.S. Sec. 3.041 - Dogs The sale or transfer of any DOG in Minnesota shall be accompanied by the concurrent sale of a section of FENCING of appropriate material and height as to fully contain the wonderment and benefits of said DOG on the new owner's property. M.S. Sec 3.042 - Children . . . ----------------------- WALKER -- They say "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors." This is particularly true if the neighbors own dogs. Several people in the vicinity of Longbow Golf Course, including golfers, have complained about Gerald and K.C. Hokansons' four dogs, but apparently one of the persons complaining, Bob Henrich, himself, owned a part-wolf which was allowed to run loose and is claimed to have bred one of Hokansons' (then two) dogs resulting in two of the (now) four. And Mrs. Hokanson disagrees with a Sheriff's order that her dogs are "dangerous" and subject to special confinement, registration and bonding, issued solely on allegations (complaints) and without process or court hearing establishing evidence that they are, in fact, dangerous. Minnesota law defines what behaviour categorizes a dog as "dangerous," but is unclear as to how the evidence of that behaviour is to be established and proven, and as to what agency may make the determination that a dog is, in fact, dangerous under the statute. In Cass County, a hearing is not being required. "We have deemed them to be dangerous," said Chief Deputy Randy Fisher of the Cass County Sheriff's Office. On the basis of the allegations, that office had notified the Hokansons that their dogs had to be muzzled when out on a chain under supervision, otherwise kept inside in a separate metal building (other than the house), and registered as dangerous; failing this, the dogs would be subject to seizure and destruction at the owner's cost. Further, owners of "dangerous dogs" are required to purchase and maintain a $50,000 surety bond against injuries to another person, and must post signs on their property notifying that there is a dangerous dog present. The Sheriff's notice was based on a complaint by Bob Henrich, a seasonal resident, that the Hokanson's dogs had killed his Pomeranian, and a statement, contained in a written notice to the Hokansons, by Deputy Robert Stein, that "Henrichs state that these [Hokansons'] dogs pulled theirs off of the porch." But in interview, Henrich said that no one actually saw the attack "I didn't see it at all," he said, adding that he believed it was the Hokanson's dogs that killed the Pomeranian because he had let the Pomeranian out at about 3 a.m. and that was the time he thought the Hokansons let their dogs out, and that the Hokansons' dogs came around a lot and he believed that they had been snarling at neighbors. Gerald Hokanson said that their dogs had been kept in the night Henrich's Pomeranian was killed. Hokanson said that when Henrich discovered the Pomeranian was killed, Henrich came to Hokanson's residence and brandished a gun. Henrich's part-wolf is no longer around, having been killed in a hunting accident by persons unknown, but earlier, the Hokansons had similarly complained about it being allowed to run loose and Mrs. Hokanson is upset by a claimed variance in treatment. She said, "He had a white wolf that came over here and started living under my porch... and growled at everybody... we called the Sheriff's Department and they told us to shoot it. (Cass Co. does not have an animal control dept.) Last year, the Hokansons' Boxer was attacked, but as with Henrich's Pomeranian, there is not proof that it was attacked by Henrich's part-wolf. "Sixty-two puncture wounds ... the vet said it was attacked by a wolf because it still had a tooth in it's back," said Hokanson, "and I called the Sheriff again and they told me there was nothing they could do," said Mrs. Hokanson. Chief Deputy Fisher said, with regard to the Hokanson's dogs, "We would follow the statute," addressing seizure of the animals and providing certain requirements for the owner to reclaim them. "A dog not reclaimed within 7 days may be disposed of," he said. The Deputy said that he knew of no procedure for an owner to establish, in court, that the dog was, in fact, not dangerous under the state definition, or that there was no proof that it was dangerous, except that, if the owner(s) failed to register the dog as dangerous, they could be cited and would thusly get their day in court. (picture caption - photos in print edition only): Mr. Hokanson and his dogs ---------------------------------------------- In Focus Note: Our In Focus feature is primarily pictoral. Photos appear in print edition only. WHITE OAK TAKES GUESTS BACK TO DAYS OF VOYAGEURS DEER RIVER -- August 6-8th, the non-profit White Oak Historical Society here, which regularly recreates Minnesota's voyageur days of the 1700s for their own enjoyment and for the benefit of Minnesota public and private school children, threw open it's stockade gates to the public for the 11th annual White Oak Rendezvous! (picture captions - photos in print edition only): Explorer, Captain Rogers of Col. Blanchard's New Hampshire regiment: "We'll leave [this region] to the French - there's nothing here worth English interest." There's not much difference between kilts, and a shirt worn at the waist, from a side view, as a guest confers with Mr. Atkins, Postmaster and Sr. Clerk, left, and Sweet Belly, the Fire Watch. Roaming minstrel Will Holnagel fills the grounds with music as he plays "Tim Finnegan's Wake" on accordion. There's a lot of audience participation at White Oak as volunteers are taught how to prepare the cannon for firing at the Canoe Landing. Tools furnished some of the recreation in days gone by. The working axe, now known as the tomahawk, could be thrown for sport as is demonstrated at right. And as shown below, nowadays, it's not just for guys. One of the goods that's plentiful and always needed on the frontier is leather, so you can usually find it, pretty reasonably (this is the 1700s, after all), at the White Oak Trading Post. Below, Ray C. Breckenridge and his brother-in-law Mike Wayne brought deer hides and other leather to Trader's Row at the White Oak Post from Kentucky. The leather rolls were $20 apiece. The sound of black powder fire punctuates the air as Rendezvous features continuous black powder competition in the target shooting section of it's expansive grounds. You can even learn how to make a canoe. Rendezvousers visit the Canoe Builder's Shed. "Les Fits du Voygeurs" sing "Allouette" in the Activity Area ------------------------------------------------------ (picture caption - photo in print edition only): Recycling the Road. Instead of hauling off and dumping the old broken concrete and asphalt from the section of U.S. 2 being replaced near Shevlin, this equipment, set up on-site, crushes it to gravel which is then used for the bed of the new road. -------------------------------------------------- Dining Out A NORTHERN HERALD RESTAURANT REVIEW: YUKON GRILLE (HACKENSACK) **** Yukon recently took over what was Senor Fuzzy's restaurant in Hackensack and features the kind of quality, ambience and relaxed atmosphere diners there have come to expect. There are many specialties; their feature is the Porter Pounder - a full pound of the best cut - Porterhouse steak - for $9.95. Our party of four included two children. One of the kids ordered from the Kiddee menu, the other, instead, preferred the day's special, soup and a ham and cheese sandwich, served on Texas Toast, and which turned out to be more than she could eat. The steak entrees were served with mini carrots, choice of potato and either soup or salad. The soup du jour was a hearty vegetable beef, and was well enjoyed by those who ordered it. The steaks were excellent. The lady said of her Porter-Pounder, "Very juicy - a really wonderful taste." And it was an excellent family value: with drinks for the adults, and sodas (and many free refills) for the kids, the whole meal for 4 came to about $33 and change, plus tip. For after dinner, Espresso, also reasonably priced, was available. All in all, it was everything it should be and a great value too - we give it four stars. ----------------------------------------------- WALKER GEARS UP FOR CAJUNFEST ! WALKER -- Amidst its excellent summer events, including Moondance, EthnicFest and many others, CajunFest has for several years been The Event of the Season at Walker. CajunFest brings unique Louisiana-Style fun to the Northland. It's real and authentic - this year a chartered plane will bring cooks and entertainers here - straight from Louisian' - for the get-together! So for those who can't get to Bourbon Street this year, and even for those who can - who know it and appreciate it - they can enjoy a little of it right in our own backyard. We can almost smell the jambalaya and gumbo simmering now! The Lineup: Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. heads cast. CajunFest '99 has announced its playbill, and heading the list is a performer who’s been from the White House to David Letterman ... with a lot of other stops along the way. Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters, the hottest act in Cajun music today head a list of extraordinarily popular performers who will appear at the high-energy, family-oriented music festival. Also scheduled are other crowd favorites Zydeco Joe and the Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler ("let the good times roll") Band, the T-Mamou Band with accordion player Bob Reed & fiddler Jonno Frishberg, world-class fiddler Curtis Coubello and The Treater Band with Washboard Charlie. The Royal Garden Marching Dixieland Jazz Band will lead in the nightly Mardi Gras Parades and, to get the crowd up on its feet, the Cajun Dance Company. This is the ninth rollicking go-round for CajunFest. After eight years at Northern Lights Casino, CajunFest '99 this year finds its new home at the Moondance Fairgrounds, site of another fabled festival, the Moondance Jam. The new site is located six miles east of Walker on Highway 200. The new producers of CajunFest said that the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, owners and operators of Northern Lights Casino and Palace Casino Hotel and founders of CajunFest, this winter, decided to release the festival for the benefit of the overall community. Formerly held in tents erected outside the casino, CajunFest literally outgrew the space available on the casino grounds. Though the event was valuable, the Band realized CajunFest had achieved a life of its own, and that it deserved a site where it could accommodate larger crowds and expand for even greater success. CajunFest has annually drawn tens of thousands to the area during a single weekend, Raucous but charming, this musical, food-filled extravaganza of Cajun-Bayou-Louisiana culture and fun features a cast of more than 70 Cajuns direct from the Bayou. The new, larger venue means an event far greater in scope than its predecessors-more bands, more activities, more food options-and the availability of on-site camping puts a whole new "spin" on the event. As in years past, CajunFest will feature immersion into the cultures of Louisiana's Bayous and the French Quarter and Bourbon Street of New Orleans, The "Big Easy" (and more) comes to Minnesota with traditional Cajun music, Zydeco, Blues, jazz, Dixieland and Swamp Pop, Cajun crafts and games, plus a variety of carefully selected vendors from the area serving the likes of Cafe DuMonde Chickory Coffee, fresh donuts and Bienget as served in the French Market. In addition to more musical acts, there also will be a longer list of attractions such as crawfish races, the Cajun Wheel of Fortune, a Cajun chicken "drop," Mardi Gras "gator" and, as always, the winding nightly Mardi Gras parades of partygoers in beads, masks, hats and parasols. Cajun crafters will demonstrate their work, and Cajun chefs will prepare authentic foods with all the zest and zing visitors would expect. Dance Ensembles also will return to get the crowd up on its feet. The 350-acre Moondance Fairground features newly improved roads, permanent bathrooms, shower facilities and nearly 1,400 campsites. Ticket prices are $8.50 per day, or $20 for a three-day ticket. Camping will be $10 a night per camping vehicle or tent. Camping will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and the campground will NOT be oversold. CajunFest '99 will run from noon to midnight daily. The Moondance Campgrounds will open at 4 p.m., Wednesday, August 25 for a FREE night of Earlybird camping for ticketed guests who wish to check in early. For Information, Festival Tickets and Camping Passes for CajunFest '99, readers may call the Leech Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-833-1118 or 218-547-1313, VISA and MasterCard will be accepted. ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 07/21/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 15 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism WALKER COUNCIL HOLDS KEYS TO REOPENING HISTORIC CHASE (Photo caption - photos in print edition only): The Chase, with it's National Register of Historic Places plaque mounted in the lobby, is also the family home of Mark and Kathy Shimer and their son, who, since the fire, have moved into what was the front lobby area. WALKER -- The precise cause of the June 29, 1997 fire that closed Walker's historic Chase on the Lake Hotel probably will never be known for sure. But now, following a fiery battle with the Chase's insurer, a jury finding that Mark Shimer, Chase owner, is entitled to payment both for the fire damage, and also for additional damage due to the insurer, United Fire and Casualty, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, having failed to timely and in good faith pay the claim, and a final settlement with the insurer for about 58 cents on the dollar, whether the Chase can profitably reopen and restore appears to lie squarely with the Walker City Council. Mr. Shimer said that, as The Chase derives about 75% of its gross income from its restaurant, its liquor license is essential to the reopening. But the council has adamantly refused to reissue the license, which it held for The Chase, unless and until Shimer pays the full amount of about $9,000 that the City claims he owes for a TIF application. Shimer has paid about half of the amount and disputes the balance, wanting it arbitrated or litigated, and has offered a guarantee of payment if he loses. Shimer attributes The Chase not opening for the 1999 season to the City's refusal, and hopes the license will issue in time for 2000. The Fire. On the day of the fire, The Chase's restaurant and bar had closed at 2 p.m., which was usual for Sundays. Official reports disclose that the fire started at about 5 p.m. that Sunday afternoon in the kitchen, near the ice machine. 2-3 cases of Sterno cans, for the chafing dishes, were nearby but not immediately proximate to the point of origin, and may have intensified the fire when it reached them. By the time of the fire, most weekend guests had checked out. Mr. Shimer had outfitted The Chase with a very elaborate Fire Watch fire detection system which is visible from the lobby. When it went off, he got the three remaining guests out of the hotel and called the fire department which responded "in about 3 minutes" and quelled the blaze. Upon investigation, the Minnesota State Fire Marshal determined the fire to have been incendiary - "It's our opinion that the fire was set by human hands," said David Bahma, Bureau (Fire Marshal's) Chief in Charge of Investigations. Following the ruling out of possible electrical causes, Bahma said that someone set it, "The only thing we don't have is the someone." Shimer criticized the State Fire Marshal, however, for relying too heavily upon conclusions by the insurer's own investigator. Although the Fire Marshal, for example, ruled out an electrical cause, Shimer said that when his own electrical inspector, hired because of the court case against the insurer, examined the premises, he found several electrical shorts, including one under the floor, below where the Sterno cans were stored. None of the shorts could, conclusively, be said to have been the cause, but any of them might have started the fire. Asked about who might have had access to the restaurant and bar area at that time, when it was closed, Shimer mentioned that several staff persons had keys, but also told of a particular guest, Jeff Pitt, who had checked in Saturday afternoon, and apparently had gone on a drinking binge in his room and at the bar. When Shimer's son went to open the restaurant Sunday morning, to his surprise, he found Pitt "behind the bar ogling the liquor bottles," said Shimer. Pitt patronized the bar that day, but had to be cut-off due to intoxication before the 2 p.m. closing. After the blaze, two empty bottles were found in his room. It has been speculated that Pitt may have returned to the bar, after closing, in search of more alcohol, and deliberately, or inadvertently, in an inebriated state, started the fire. "One of the theories is that he dropped a cigarette in the linen basket," said Shimer. The linen basket was right next to the ice machine, the determined site of origin of the blaze. Shimer said that Mark Germain, the Fire Marshal's investigator on this case, spoke with Pitt immediately after the fire, and Shimer provided Pitt's home address to the Marshal's Office. To his knowledge, though, there was no follow-up until an investigator working for Shimer's attorney, in the suit against the insurer, found Pitt at his address about a year later and questioned him. That night, Pitt committed suicide. The Claim - You're in Good Hands? People buy insurance to protect themselves against catastrophe, particularly when there could be continuing damage due to lengthy business interruption if the original damage were not promptly repaired. It is assumed that if one is insured, the original damage will be corrected promptly, avoiding the further loss. But when the extent of insured damage is massive, insurance companies have substantial incentive to go to extra lengths to avoid making good on their contract. In this case, the extra cost due to non-payment by United Fire and Casualty was extensive. Not only were profits lost, but there was also damage due to exposure to the elements and freezing of pipes in the burned area that could not be protected. Shimer recounted, "We turned the water off and drained the building down, but, apparently, one of the valves didn't totally seat so the building recharged and it froze. In the end, in addition to the $1.1 million awarded Shimer for the fire damage, the jury also awarded $625,410. for additional damages due to United Fire and Casualty (United) company's breach of contract in not timely paying the claim when presented. The final jury award (Cass Co. - Case No. C5-98-64) was rendered April 23, 1999, almost two years after the loss. But the case didn't end there. United threatened to appeal the verdicts and Shimer had no more money for legal fees, and didn't want to further prolong reopening for a lengthy appeal which could have taken "upward of two years," Shimer said, so he settled with United for $1 million even, not quite the amount of the fire damage alone. Shimer said that his local insurance agent came right out, the night of the fire, and was helpful and cooperative and notified United, who had their team on-site the next day. By the end of July, 1997, Shimer submitted his formal preliminary claim form listing the damage, and said that the final claim for just over $1 million was submitted by August. By November, United sent Shimer a denial letter, identified as in regard to Claim No. 22-01005014, Policy No. 60-040159, stating, in part, "Our investigation discloses that the fire was intentionally set, and the insureds had motive and opportunity to set or procure the setting of the [fire] ..." Shimer countered the insinuation, "No business person... in their right mind ... would do that ... [and] if a person were going to burn their [hotel] business down, you sure as ... [heck] wouldn't burn it down the week of the 4th of July, in this part of the country - I mean, how stupid." Shimer said that just before the fire, The Chase had been doing a thriving summer business, "Friday night we were full - we did a wedding for three hundred and some people. ... Summer time is when you make your money." Shimer said that in the course of the insurance investigation, they had firstly, to avoid payment, tried to blame the fire on several of the appliances, or the people who had installed them; then, when those avenues didn't pan out, called it arson. Shimer, with attorneys Barna, Guzy & Steffan Ltd., Coon Rapids, Mr. Malone, Steve Baker of Walker and Ted Lundrigan of Pine River, filed suit in January 1998. United was represented by several attorneys including Joseph Lulic. After hearing all of the evidence, the jury specifically found that Shimer did not set the fire, and awarded the damages. Of the final settlement, Shimer said that his attorneys and the bank holding the mortgage had first claim. Although the building, which the Shimers originally bought in 1993 for $500,000, is now paid off, there's little left for repairs. "There's only about $50,000 left," said Shimer. The massive reconstruction would most likely have to be financed. "We've now had the building sit for two years with no heat control, no humidity control, nothing to prevent further damage to the building; the building was structurally damaged at that end; the water infiltration, the mold, the mildew, let alone the broken pipes." Shimer figures it will now take a little over $3 million to fully restore the structure, "You could repair the fire damage and the plumbing damage and so on, for probably around two million dollars, but it doesn't make sense ... if you're tearing it that far apart, it makes more sense to spend the other million to get it totally redone," he said. So Shimer wants first to get the restaurant area, which is The Chase's financial engine, reopened, and when The Chase is again a going business, to start making repairs so that guests can again be accommodated. He said that if the Walker City Council had approved the reissuance of his liquor license, "We would have had part of the restaurant opened and operating this year." The council, though, has repeatedly refused to reissue the license because of a claimed debt for his TIF application which was never finally approved. Shimer paid about $4,500 in consultant's fees connected with the application, but the City has also claimed another $3 - 5,000 for legal fees associated with it. These are the fees which Shimer disputes, and wants to have determined whether they are proper before paying them. The City has stood on their ordinance (Walker City Ordinances 7.303) which says, "No license shall be issued for any place or business on which taxes, assessments, or other financial claims of the city are delinquent and unpaid." The council, of course, has the power to change that ordinance if justified. Said Walker Mayor Brad Walhof, "We would have the ability" to override the ordinance, "but to me, that wouldn't be a good precedent." John Valen, Walker City Attorney said that the council could change the wording of the ordinance, but could not grant a spot variance. But Shimer doesn't think the City can hold his license hostage for the disputed fees, "State law regulates what you can do to withdraw a license and what the city has done is not in line with State law." Even before the verdict, Shimer reapplied for his liquor license, offering to guarantee what Walker said he owed, "[We] offered the City an assignment of proceeds from the verdict ... and agreed to pay the city the whole amount, even though we disputed it." When the council turned him down, saying that it wasn't money in the bank (in case of an appeal of a favorable verdict), a prominent Walker businessperson whose assets well exceed the debt came forward and offered to personally guarantee the money, so that even if the case was lost, it would be paid. "That still wasn't good enough," said Shimer. "Once we finally did get our settlement, we went to the City Attorney's office; offered him and paid him the consultant bill, approximately $4,500; said we would agree to binding arbitration for the balance - that way the City didn't have to pay legal fees...; and we would escrow the other amount with an attorney so the City's guaranteed it. Well, that still wasn't good enough for the City - they turned that down," said Shimer. "It would not make sense to reopen the hotel without the restaurant, and there's no sense in opening the restaurant without the liquor license," he said. Shimer said that if the license reissues, "I could get a partial restaurant open for next season - for summer of 2000. ... It would take two years time to put together the funding and the planning to redo the whole building." Civic supporter Ken Bresley, Father of Walker's magnificent annual Eelpout, and a Walker Councilman stringently opposing Shimer's requests for relicense, could not address his action on Shimer's offer of assignment of the verdict, as he did not recall that issue being before the council. As to the proposed guarantee, Bresley said, "We asked for that in writing," but when questioned as to whether, if it were put in writing, he'd have supported it, Bresley would not directly answer that question. Shimer said that they were prepared to put it in writing at that council meeting if the council would simultaneously reissue the license. Regarding Shimer's proposal at the June Council meeting to agree to binding arbitration and escrow of the disputed amount, Bresley said, "All I'm saying is for Mr. Shimer to pay the money that he owes... Why doesn't he pay it?" Told that Shimer disputes the validity of the debt, Bresley said, "Therein lies the problem - end of discussion - there's nothing more to be said." Bresley cited the Walker ordinance, saying, "If you owe the city money, you're not allowed to get a liquor license." Bresley said of The Chase, "I'd like to see it open - I'd like to see it happen - it's a plus for our community," and said "If Mr. Shimer, like any other citizen meets the requirements (i.e. payment of the disputed debt) of a liquor license, I will personally make the motion at the City Council meeting to grant him a license ... Simply pay the money ... and it's all fixed" Shimer recently recovered, from United Fire and Casualty, the ice machine they'd taken for examination and had promised to return. He had to pick it up. When he got it back to the Chase he found it no longer worked as it had when taken. Shimer said that United has refused to return his calls regarding the machine and he recently had to file a small claims case for the alleged damage. (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Less obvious from outside, and almost unnoticible from the front, is the damaged area of the Chase. The interior fire, water and smoke damage ascends through all 4 floors. The Chase 4th of July parade float, which fell to disuse this year. Per Shimer, the restaurant, with its panoramic view, accounts for about 75% of the Chase's revenues. The hotel cannot operate without it. The burned and blackened kitchen area The second floor, ravaged by fire, soot and water from fire hoses and broken pipes. One of several melted fans droops from the ceiling. Dining tables and glassware stand ready for use in a lesser damaged serving area, photographed through the water stained glass. The marina view, looking out from inside the dining area. Mr. Shimer displays mounds and boxes of legal documents in which he has been ensnared by failure of his casualty insurance carrier to honor the fire policy he had purchased. Now that a settlement has been reached, he awaits City Council action to reopen The Chase. -------------------------------------------------------- ATTENDEES ACCLAIM MOONDANCE WALKER -- How do you fit 55,000 cheering fans and jammers into a city that usually has just under a thousand residents? That was the dilemma faced by Moondance VIII, and they pulled it off admirably. Camping and parking lots right on the grounds soon filled, and Moondance ran efficient shuttles constantly from the other nearby parking they'd arranged. A bus would often be pulling into a lot just as another was leaving filled with eager jammers just minutes from the fest. Additionally, the "Neon Moon" limo was available for excursions to the wildlife park a few miles away. Said one bus driver, "I started at 10 o'clock [a.m.], and we're running until they tell us to go home. He said that he expected to be there 'til 2:30 in the morning. (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): There just for the day, at center, Rosemary Anderson and Shaun said that Moondance VIII was "definately" worth the drive from Winnipeg. Dave Neiver, N. St. Paul. Melanie Moffit flew in from Sacramento for the Jam Jammers Tawni, Shauna and Sara of Bemidji relax in the shuttle-serviced parking field, and having returned for a second day at Moondance VIII, look forward to Saturday evenings' acts. What did they think of the fest? Tawni: "Awesome!" Shauna: "A lot of fun!" Sara: "Wooooo!" They said The Outfield was their favorite band so far, followed closely by Lynard Skynard and his "Sweet Home Alabama." Said all three, "Everybody come - definitely come next year - it's fun." Dean Eggebraaten and Tony Todvick (Todavich Electric), from Northern Township wait for Joan Jet's 7 PM appearance in Moondance's lineup of over 30 bands. Of Moondance VIII, they said it was everything they expected, "and more." Happy Campers. Weather didn't dampen the spirits of Miles Fontaine, Diana and Jim Hodge, who came for 3 days from Hibbing. "Rain or shine, we're having fun" said Mrs. Hodge, "We pulled into a good spot - we just stayed here." Jammers "Hooters Sports" enjoy a bird's-eye view perched atop the tower they erected in the lot just outside the gates. Jammers arriving on two wheels enjoyed preferred parking. Gayle Knight, Jennifer Rise, and Dave Chelmo, from Perham, Minn., Dave Neiber, N. St. Paul, Naomi Koehler, Perham, and Jeff Jepson, Frazee, came early for their 3-day stay and were lucky enough to get a spot near the front gates. ---------------------------------------------------------- CORRUPTION MAY GET BOOST ON KOOCHICHING NINTH DISTRICT BENCH ST. PAUL -- Governor Jesse Ventura last week named International Falls attorney Charles LeDuc to replace retiring Judge Peter Hemstad. In a region of the State where corruption by public officials is an on-going problem, LeDuc has been closely associated, as defense counsel, with many of those officers charged. Le Duc, last year, procured an acquittal for Beltrami Deputy William Atwater, on prostitution-related charges, despite what has been called "damning evidence" of pandering and advertising of the prostitution by the deputy. Atwater is the son of Bemidji City Councilman Bruce Atwater. LeDuc also represented Bemidji Police Chief Robert Tell before the Bemidji Police Commission, and assisted in Tell's being returned to his job as Police Chief despite Tell's admission that he had received money unlawfully from the City on phony travel vouchers, and strong evidence (from a tape recording) during trial that Tell had lied to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension about the matter during the investigation. Also in 1998, when a DNR forestry worker was charged with having fired (with a gun) upon Canadian Native American fishery workers working on the Canadian side of the Rainy River, LeDuc again popped up as defense counsel for the DNR employee. ------------------------------------------------------ In Focus PAUL BUNYAN DAYS AT AKELEY (In Focus is a primarily pictoral feature of Northern Herald. Photo captions follow - photos appear only in the print edition): PARADE FLOATS The Craft Fair WHA Stage Band on the Leech Lake Lumber float Gordon Ford, of Hackensack, in his USAF air-powered car Akeley Paul Bunyan days are famous for the Kiddee Tractor Pull, as well as other festivities. Robert Buck III takes 2nd Place in his age group, outdone only by Emilee Edelman, (a girl?!) who took 1st. Akeley Garden Club Hackensack American Legion Post 202 Gr. Marshals Fred Coon & Dorothy Plotz Fran Gack and her grandaughter Brianna Fynboh fiddle around on Miss Akeley's float in the parade. William Britton turns ribs as Headwaters Restaurant featured their notorious Rib Special A sign says not to climb on Paul, but it's pretty hard for these kids to resist. The Harris VFW Post led the parade. The Nashwauk-Keewatin Marching Band took 1st Place in the Band category. The Nightplayer Drum and Bugle Corps of Fargo/Moorhead who stopped to play for the audience, took the prize for Best Overall Entry. St. John's Lutheran Chuch took First Prize for the most appropriate float in the spirit of PB days. Harleys on Main A clown greets the crowd as Little Mr. Akeley and Paul Bunyan pass by. The Wicks Wood Products, Inc. float, with gorilla, took the prize for most humourous Nimrod Royalty. The Nimrod Boosters took the prize for the most attractive float. Sebeka Royalty THE PAGEANTS New Akeley royalty, Lynda LaFond, Emilee Edelman and Robert McGrath. Kathy Hamand, and Denise Johnson (not shown) received bouquets for their hard work on the pageant. LaFond, Miss Akeley, on keyboard, who graduated from WHA H.S. this year, plans a career in the USAF and leaves for Lackland AFB, San Antonio in August. Outgoing Miss Akeley, Melanie Hamand. Guests pack Paul's Patio before the pageant talent competition. Counter-clockwise from 9 o'clock, candidates Robert McGrath, Mitchell Baller, Emily Edelman, Kylie Sjolin, Jezzie Krukeckeberg, Jamie Moore, and Rachael Grosskreutz. Not shown: Jacob Krueckeberg ------------------------------------------------------ MUSKIE DAYS AT NEVIS (Photo caption - photos in print edition only): The band, County 20 (named for the road on which they live, near Park Rapids), played at Nevis Muskie Days, July 10th. They'll also be appearing at Emily's Harvest, Cosmos City Celebration, Taste of Dorset and the Festival at Bad Medicine Lake, Ponsford. Music Trend DJs followed with a street dance. ----------------------------------------------------------- THOUSANDS SHARE SPIRIT AT 2ND SPIRITFEST! DETROIT LAKES -- Spiritfest spokesman Jim Polingo best pinpointed the biggest attraction of the very successful 2nd annual Spiritfest, "Bringing families together, mending families, uniting families, celebrating families... I mean, when you're out in the crowd, you'll see Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, the kids. It's so refreshing - it's not just another music concert,... it's actually about bringing families together. Polingo said that the first two days of this 2nd annual Christian music fest, July 16-18th, probably doubled last year's turnout and estimated the total draw at 50-55,000. "It's just been phenomenal, I mean, it's just been unbelievable so far," he said. Among the many musical presentations on several continuous stages at the fest, which also featured noted spiritual speakers and meetings, were Carman, The Newsboys, Point of Grace, Clay Crosse, 4 Him, Newsong, Jaci Velasquez, Burlap to Cashmere, Audio Adrenaline, Phil Driscoll and the Power of God Band. (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Families pack the amusment area of the expansive Spiritfest grounds while going to and from stage shows Jim Hanson, who came for all three days from LaCrosse, Wisc. with his wife, Mary, and kids, Sean and Becky said, "It's Super!," adding that his favorite entertainer so far had been Carman. Amy Lund, of Harris, Minn. enjoys the pony rides in Spiritfest's amusement area. Families dance to the music of Tim Pomp, Bruce and Tanya, as they entertain Sunday on the Sports Stage. Bruce explains that to "rejoice," literally, means to spin around with violent emotion. III SOUL CRY PACKS HOUSE There came a time, early Sunday afternoon, when the meandering Spritfest crowds, though still voluminous, were not quite what they had been before. For the reason, one had to look no further than the acoustic tent, where much of the crowd had packed itself in; where people were standing to make more room, and now there wasn't even enough to stand. So the fans flowed out, fringing the tent and using whatever space they could find, within earshot, to hear the sound of III Soul Cry. From the Twin Cities and part of the Power of God Band, Sara said that they met on a Church of the Open Door worship team, and have been performing as a group for four years. "At the Minnesota State Fair, 1995, we entered the talent competition ... after we won ... we decided to be a group, and we made a CD and called ourselves III Soul Cry." Tom spoke to the magnificent reception they got at Spiritfest, "We're just really thankful. I mean, just last set, everybody was just so encouraging to us, we just had really a blast today!" III Soul Cry will performing at We Fest's Gospel Hour, Sunday morning, and on August 22nd will be at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Shoreview. (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Sara, Tom and Chris of III Soul Cry; fans pack their performance tent --------------------------------------------------------- (Photo caption - photos in print edition only): BSU Jazz Band Director Steve Konechne performed with the Lost 40 Jazz All-Stars Band July 17th at the Bemidji Waterfront. ----------------------------------------------------------- THE MIND ADDRESSES LAWN DARTS, STADIUM ST. PAUL -- Governor Jesse Ventura, in his July 9th weekly radio address, commented on the federal ban on lawn darts and some of the media sentiment to replace the Metrodome. He encouraged people to drive by the dome to see the how dilapidated and unusable it has become - after all, it's 17 years old, he said. He pointed out that the Pipestone County Courthouse is 99 years old, and the State Capitol is 94 years old. By the 17 year benchmark, it should have been replaced 5 times. The Mind said that perhaps the federal lawn dart ban could be repealed with enough protective clothing, which would make the game healthier, as the heavy chest protectors and knee pads, on 95 degree summer days, would result in better weight loss when playing lawn darts. The Governor's address is heard every Friday, at 11:05 a.m., on KDKK-FM, Park Rapids, and other Northern Minnesota stations. ------------------------------------------------------ HAS NORTHERN BUSINESS LOST ITS MIND? There are still some reasonably-priced "avails" (commercial spots available) during the Governor's weekly message on KDKK/KPRM. This is one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise to the wide Northern market on one of the (obviously) best listened to radio shows, on two of only four Park Rapids stations. Even if many Park Rapids businessmen aren't sharp enough to realize this, it creates a whale of an opportunity for Cities-based firms doing business statewide. To get rates, and get in before the time is gone, call KDKK at 218-732-3306. ----------------------------------------------------- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR I'm a disabled person with time on my hands, so I spend a lot of time reading and listening to my police scanner. I've asked numerous persons who Officer 8112 was. He stops people continually and calls in their plate. They have perfect driving records, and instead of issuing a warning for such things as going over the fog line, whatever that is, he says, "Well, they don't have a perfect record anymore!" Today I had the displeasure of meeting and watching this officer in action and I'm still sick to my stomach 12 hours later. His name is [Beltrami Co. Deputy] Paul Gherardi. He must [have] gotten beat up as a child and now uses his badge and gun to get even. I went to a home to find out about my son renting a room because there [are] three bedrooms and ...[a] "renter" who hasn't paid one penny for rent had the room. I knocked on the door, which was all kicked in, with the screen door ajar. A shaved headed man, approximately 6' 4" answered holding a black baby. The house had a strong odor of drugs. I told him I came about renting a room. He said he was just the babysitter and I could wait for the lady of the house [the present renter]. I asked him, "My God, what happened to this house?" The last time I was there, it was in perfect shape. There was garbage everywhere, blood all over, from a dog's hurt foot, he said. I asked what happened to the car in the front yard. The windshield was smashed, all four tires were slashed. I asked him what happened to the beautiful aquarium with the exotic fish. He said [that] he smokes pot and gets a little crazy. He had gotten angry at one fish while staring at it and took the whole aquarium and busted it outside on top of the well. I was with my daughter and granddaughter. I asked him to stop using ... vulgar language in front of a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 1/2 yr. old. They were too young to know, he said. Just then, the owner and her son pulled up in the driveway. He said, "What are they doing here, I'm going out to kill them." I told my 20-year old daughter to call law enforcement before he did something. He wouldn't let the owner in and threw the baby on the couch and went after her [the owner]. She stood her ground, however, because my daughter told her law enforcement were on their way. 8112-Paul Gherardi and another officer, Bob T. came out. The renter and her 1 1/2 yr.-old daughter came home. She started swearing and telling everyone, including the officers, to get out. I had asked the officers how they could allow her to live like that with two little children. She's one of the welfare mothers you are always talking about. Why isn't she out working? Why wasn't this insane man arrested for criminal damage to property? Gherardi told me [that] it was none of my business, but this is a civil matter. Why [hasn't] Child Protection been called? The owner's son told my daughter to go in and get his computer [in a locked area the owner had reserved for storage] and we could use it. ...[The computer], plus many, many other things were gone. Gherardi still said this was a civil matter. The officers were outside! The owner's son couldn't believe it. He went to look for his belongings. They let him walk in the house and everything is missing. He walked out the door and the police arrested him. Apparently, the shaven-headed man had a paper filed to keep him away from there. Bob T. (the nice officer) said, "What are you doing?" to Gherardi, and he [Gherardi] said [that] there's an order out. This crazy man started jumping up and down clapping his hands that this boy was being arrested. My daughter said, "You mean ... [the renters] can steal, wreck a home, raise children in this pig sty, and you arrest him?" What kind of justice is going on is this town? Gherardi arrested him [the owner's son]. He weighs 115 lbs. Gherardi was throwing him around just to show us his "power." His mother was crying. I went to the courthouse with her. She has to pay $140 to even have [eviction papers filed and served]. The officers [will] come out and help them move out at $50 an hour apiece which the owner has to pay. I have never even had a traffic ticket in my life. People told me, today, I would be picked up for anything they can manufacture. I was told this would also happen to my daughter who also has a perfect record. ... I have been a subscriber since you started and love your paper. You received a dirty deal on your blacklisting, also. It all depends on your last name in this town. I have lived here all my life and know this for a fact. Tomorrow morning, I will be calling Child Protection. - Sure, like it's going to help. I know how they operate also. -- A very concerned taxpayer [name withheld] Bemidji, Minn. Editor's Note: We note that: 1) The renter involved here was Tracy Granger, daughter of former DNR Conservation Officer Jeff Granger. 2) Deputy Paul Gherardi was the officer who brought beanbag rounds to the construction site where a suicidal man was involved in a standoff (see NH of 01/05/98 and 02/18/98). When the rounds were fired at the man, he committed suicide. 3) Appropriate County authorities have been invited to respond to the allegations made regarding Deputy Gherardi's handling of the matter addressed in this letter, and we will publish those responses when received. --Ed. ----------------------------------------------------- advertisement ------------- DEEP-DISCOUNT WE-FEST TICKETS FOR NORTHERN HERALD READERS Who are quick like a rabbit! These are (normally $35) adult 1-day passes that you can get for $20 each. But you have to be fast - we only have a few at this price - when they're gone, they're gone. COD is ok, so is prepayment (save the fees). To order yours call 218-759-1162. ------------------------------------------------------- HACKENSACK SWEETHEART DAYS '99 (Primarily pictoral - photos in print edition only) The theme of this year's Sweetheart Days at Hackensack (July 13th & 14th) was "Heart of the 60's," and when Lucette Diana Kensack (Paul Bunyan's wife, whom the celebration honors), got dressed that day, she obviously adorned herself for the occasion. Lucette can usually be found at the Hackensack waterfront, where she hangs out with Paul Jr. Photos, clockwise from top left (print edition only): Kids play water wars by the waterfront; Dick Anderson rode the Steam Engine for the Sons of the American Legion, Squadron 202, at Hackensack; Sponsors of the Horseshoe Tournament included the American Legion, J.T. Concrete, K. Larson Construction, Eagle Plumbing, Kensack Carpet, North Country Tire, Lakes Area Rental Home Planning Center & Lumber, Pauly's River House, Northern Cafe and others; Homemade pies were available at the Senior Center; Shiela Hunter, of Hackensack, (not shown) demonstrated tie-dying of T-shirts (inset) at the crafts booth and Family Resource Center. "It's been a great crowd," she said, adding that over 100 people had been to the Crafts booth that day, and they'd dyed over 75 shirts; Roadmaster's cycles graced the curbside by the floral booth; Lucette; Pony rides were provided by Moondance Ranch, Walker; Visitors peruse wares at a gala flea market and swap meet that filled three lots at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. -------------------------------------------------- (Photo caption - photos in print edition only): Marsha Carstenson, of Fargo, N.D., entertained last month at Giuliana's Pub in Walker, which now has live on-stage entertainment most weekends. -------------------------------------------------- (Photo caption - photos in print edition only): Brian Loop of Thompson Rental, Walker, is caught driving his Global Electric Motors (GEM) E825 electric car near the Walker waterfront. Thompson sells the car, which Loop said is completely street legal (though not for the highway), does 32 miles per hour, has a range of 60-70 miles and costs about a penny per mile to charge. This model, which doubles as a golf cart, so a sportsman can drive to the course, then drive on the course, sells for about $7,200 new. Other models range in price from smaller ones, up to the larger, completely enclosed 4-seaters which have doors and are available with heaters, radios, CD players and other amenities. "This one's got the mag wheels on it, so you can even dress 'em up," Loop said. ----------------------------------------------------------- NORTH STAR PLANS STAMPEDE EFFIE -- As the last full weekend in July approaches, residents of the Bigfork Valley are getting ready for the big North Star Stampede. The rodeo, held each year on the North Star Ranch, two miles north of Effie, will be July 23rd - 25th this year, and is Minnesota’s largest and oldest open rodeo. According to Howard Pitzen, Chief Ramrod of North Star, well over 100 contestants entered last year and more are expected now. Many cowboys, even if they don’t ride a lot of rodeos, they make sure they ride here. Many have reunions with friends and other cowboys at the Effie event. As steer wrestler Matt Telligan put it last year, "I've been coming here for years, ever since I was a little kid. It's just a fun rodeo... it gives a lot of people who don't rodeo all the time a chance to come up here and if they want to try something, [they can] go ahead and try it." Contestants from over 35 states and provinces have competed at North Star. Pitzen said that this summer, with plenty of rain and lush grass, has been good to the stock, although much of it hasn't been home that much. North Star has, over the years, gained a reputation for selecting and acquiring good bucking stock and now leases a lot of it to other rodeo companies on the circuit. Said Pitzen, in a release, "When I started ... in the 50's, I carried 10 bulls. Today we have 65 bulls and with these big bull ridings... it takes all of them at one show. The bulls have really been 'cranking' and at a recent bull riding affair, with over 50 outs, only a few rides were made." The stock will be returning for the North Star event from Iowa where they were on lease to Chief Rodeos. Even with a substantial string, Pitzen is always looking for new bucking talent. "We purchased a few broncs and two bulls at ... Miles City ... this spring. One of the bulls is spectacular and we will be turning him on the cows to enhance our own bull breeding program." For the coming event, new chutes will adorn the north end of the arena. Clowning this year will be Randy "Slipknot" Schiedler who is expected to have a "trainload of acts" to entertain young and old alike, and hopefully, keep the stock away from downed cowboys (what the clowns are really for) in the process. Baiting the bulls will be Brandon Evans of Northwood, Iowa. There will be a parade in downtown Effie at 7 pm, following the Saturday events. Mr. Pitzen has asked that campers bring their own drinking water as there is no deep well on the rodeo grounds. (Photo caption - photos in print edition only): Last year's winner-take-all Wildest Ride bucking horse competition at North Star. Points are not awarded for this event - the wildest ride wins it flat. ------------------------------------------------ WHITE OAK RENDEZVOUS AUGUST 6-8TH DEER RIVER -- The White Oak Society is comprised of people who not only remember history, they live it - in weekend encampments on their expansive grounds, recreated in the motif of the days of the Voyageurs (pron. voy-jours) of the 18th century. And under the exacting direction of Perry Vining and Ray Nyberg, they make the simple elegance and the wisdom of custom of the period available to school children through their White Oak Learning Centre, to which other schools can send students for 3-day stints. And each first weekend in August, the White Oak Society throws open their stockade fence gates to the public who are invited to eyewitness and be a part of the 1700's at the annual White Oak Rendezvous. Additionally, this year, for the first time, White Oak invites the public to period skills and crafts workshops Friday, August 6th, just before the Rendezvous. Cost is $10. The Rendezvous is dedicated not just to re-creation of the period’s skills and crafts, but also the entertainment, sport and revelry. Indeed, in that far-pre-video time, live entertainment was very important. As has been in past years, this years’ Rendezvous will offer continuous live entertain-ment in each of its 3 performance areas. White Oak welcomes back Curtis and Loretta, Blackhawk and Adam Granger of Prairie Home Companion (PHC). And also from PHC, will be appearing Bill Hinkley and Judy Larson. Faire Winds will have their own stage, and will also be roaming and minstreling on the grounds, as will Irish folk buff Will Holnagel. And this year, the Rendezvous is joined by The Berge Family for a Sunday Morning Gospel program. Regular events and demonstrations will include (and we're just scratching the surface): fire-making (no matches), cannon drill at the canoe landing, a voyageur camp, tomahawk/knife throwing, storytelling, ethnic dancing, nature walks, historic crafts such as canoe building and silversmithing, trader's row (some very unique items on display and sale), strolling minstrels and much more. CONTINUOUS BLACK POWDER EVENTS: Men's & Ladies' Charcoal Shoots, Three Gong Shoots, Pop-Up, Kids' Shoots, Clay Pigeons, Sucker's Shoot (kids), Large Gong, Pigeon, Squirrel, Mystery and Fancy Dandy Shoots. FRIDAY WORKSHOPS 10 am Doll Making with Wool 10:30 Primitive Skills incl. fire making 11:00 Beadworking 11:30 "Getting Started at Rendezvous" Noon Blackpowder Shooting Noon "Receipt" (Recipe) Exchange 1-4 pm Paddle a 34' Birchbark Canoe 1:00 Fibre Arts 1:00 Quill Making & Calligraphy 1:00 How to make a Powder Horn 1:00 Becoming a Character 1:30 Gil Quaal Nature Trail Walk 2:00 Basic Blacksmithing 3:00 Shooting an 18th Century Cannon 3:00 18th Century Entertainments RENDEZVOUS MAIN STAGE CURTIS AND LORETTA Sat 11:30am & 2:30 pm. PIGS EYE LANDING Sat 12:15 & 5:30 pm, Sun 1 & 3:15 pm. BILL HINKLEY & JUDY LARSON Sat 1&4 pm, Sun 1:45 pm. BLACKHAWK Sat 1:45 and 4:45 pm, Sun 2:30 pm. ADAM GRANGER Sat 3:15 pm, Sun 12:15 pm. THE BERGE FAMILY Sun 11:30 am. Editor's Note: Each summer brings the wonder of the myriads of festivals to Northern Minnesota. For a few brief months, the sun shines, and so does each and every Northern Minnesota city and town. If a person could only go to one fest all summer, he’d want to make it White Oak Rendezvous. Yes, it's living history, but really, it's condensed fun with something for most everyone. Each year we take some snaps and report on it, but the words and pictures never really do it justice - you gotta be there. If you miss this one, you'll have to wait another year. -- Ed. (Photo caption - photos in print edition only): The Cartographer, Robert LaSalle, explains how ships navigate at 1998 Rendezvous. -------------------------------------------------------- advertisement ------------- DEEP-DISCOUNT WHITE OAK TICKETS FOR NORTHERN HERALD READERS Who are quick like a rabbit! These are (normally $8) adult day passes that you can get for $4 each. But you have to be fast - we only have a few at this price - when they're gone, they're gone. COD is ok, so is prepayment (save the fees). To order yours call 218-759-1162. ------------------------------------------------------ REPERCUSSION THEATRE, WILLIAM S., TO RETURN TO GRAND RAPIDS. The outstanding work of the Repercussion Theatre of Montreal returns to Northern Minnesota August 25th as The Reif hosts their Shakespeare Under The Stars performance of A Comedy of Errors at the Showboat Landing, Grand Rapids. For further review of Repercussion Theatre's excellent Shakespeare, particularly at The Reif, see NH of 02/17/99, at The Library from our web site main page. (Photo caption - photos in print edition only): Repercussion Director Jack Langedijk as Macbeth at their last Reif performance: "Is this a dagger that I see before me?" ---------------------------------------------------- (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): The Model-T Ford Club holds it's antique car show July 18th at Park Rapids. Arthur's Ten Mile Lake Inn, just South of Walker, gets a new look as the artist puts finishing touches on the new entryway. -------------------------------------------------------- MOONDANCE BATTLE OF THE BANDS WINNER "PART OF THE TRIBE" TO BE AT CASS LAKE WATER CARNIVAL WALKER -- They've only been playing together for about a month, but already they work well enough to have rated First Place in Moondance's local Battle of the Bands amidst a tent packed with fans, and have been invited back to next year's Moondance Main Stage. Battling bands were judged by audience response. "The band originated in Micronesia," said Halie O'Ryan, who got her start performing for soldiers stationed in South Korea. "I met Russ when I was in Guam... then I was acting, and he was in a band at the Hyatt." Russ and Halie toured in Korea, and then stateside performing on the West Coast, "then we decided that we wanted to kick down on originals. The crowds ...kept asking for them; and now, we've finally found band members that are willing to do it. When not singing, O'Ryan performs Dinner Theatre, largely for the military. "The Coconut Murder Mysteries," she said, "and we also do Neil Simon and original playwrights. We've done a lot of Shakespeare; we had 5,000 Kurdish refugees come over to Guam ... and we got to act for all the refugees, who knew Shakespeare better than any American audience we've performed for." Bass Player Chad Baker described his Moondance experience and the excitement of being invited, "It never occurred to me that I was going to be playing at Moondance until I got there... I knew I was going to go... it just didn't sink in. ...It's, like, kind of [been] a dream of mine to be able to actually play at Moondance and it just didn't sink in that that dream was going to come alive. It was a bit of a whirlwind. A couple of weeks before Moondance... we just hooked up [with Part of the Tribe] ... had a lot of songs we had to learn right away, some I'd never even heard before... All in all, it was a blast." Based in Walker, Part of the Tribe will be touring Korea, Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. west coast this winter. They will be performing at the Cass Lake Water Carnival July 24th at 9 pm. But "Part of the Tribe" is more than a band; O'Ryan spoke of it as a concept of a cooperative entity among musicians and performing artists toward mutual promotion and perfection of the craft and she has invited other performers to contact her at partofthetribe@webtv.net for help with work improvement, promotion, and to share touring stories. "What we're doing is... everyone's that going on tour, we'll give them a phone card and they can call in -until my phone cards run out. ... We've had a lot of support from the radio stations; they want us all to tell our stories." Addressing some of the other bands and musicians she met at Moondance VIII, O'Ryan turned to Eu4ia, which has been performing spontaneous music for about a year. O'Ryan said, "I see really great things for their future... [they're] brave enough to get [their] originals to the public at all cost." Their drummer, "Stinky" , has been playing since he was 9. Said O'Ryan, "What I see in this... drummer is worldwide potential." Eu4ia will be performing on a 3-month tour with the group Concrete Blonde this fall from San Diego and then up the west coast. O'Ryan spoke of another band on the battle line-up, Section 30, which was unable to perform due to technical problems with their equipment. "They're an all-original band - most of their writing has been done by Jeff Lincoln and Tony Bartholomew." Native to St. Michael, Minnesota, Section 30 formed two years ago. O'Ryan said that Section 30 is now in negotiations with a major record label, and have agreed to be in O'Ryan's project, Bands On The Run. Section 30 has had its share of setbacks. "They were about ready to record, ... the recording [studio] flooded that night. ... They were going to play... The Cabooze (Mpls); well, the place burned down." But Section 30 has persevered and "plays on a regular basis now, and they play big festivals," O'Ryan said, adding that they'll be performing at Sturgis, S.D., August 6th-13th, and later at the Mill City music fest, Sept. 5th. Also in Moondance's Battle of the Bands was Bliss, now a Twin-Cities based group originally from Northern Minnesota. "They're very professional... they do a 'thrash style' of Rock & Roll; ...they have a lot of energy" said O'Ryan. O' Ryan said, "A lot of musicians ... talk about Minnesota as being, you know, kind of, the end of the road. It's not - it's a great beginning of a road." (Photo captions - photos in print edition only): Part of the Tribe band member Halie O'Ryan hands a souvenir band pass to cheerings fans that packed their performance tent. Other members include drummer, Russ Rosenbaum, who, like Halie, lives in Walker when not performing overseas, lead guitarist Peter Hans, Rochester and Bassist Chad Baker, Brainerd The band known as Eu4ia, shown enjoying the summer day in the seating just outside of 5th Street Gourmet Coffee, Walker, is comprised of Jeff Murphy, of Walker, lead guitar, Amanda Tatro, of Akeley, on vocals and guitar, "Stinky", of Walker, on drums, and (not shown) James Tuckner on Bass. Eu4ia, primarily, performs original music, which they characterize as a mixture of heavy metal, punk rock and alternative, written by Murphy and Tatro. Tatro spoke of their Moondance experience, "We brought... a copy of our demo and we really wanted to play, and we were just so tenacious... that [a promoter] gave us a spot there, and it turned out really well for us." Capitalizing on spontaneity and the moment, Eu4ia sometimes writes some of their music only the night before they perform it. -------------------------------------------------------- CORVETTE CARAVAN The Central Lakes Corvette Club, out of Baxter, will lead a caravan to the National Corvette Museum Sept. 2-6th. For information, readers may contact R. David Miller, President, at casino7@emily.net or Connie Erickson at einnoc@crosslake.net or by calling 218-820-8617 ----------------------------------------------------------- LEARNING ACADEMY WEEK AUGUST 9-13 The Minnesota Service Cooperatives and the Minnesota Dept. of Children, Families and Learning will be sponsoring a week of hands-on technology integration training the week of Aug. 9-13 at various sites throughout the state. The sessions, which cost $10 per person per day, are designed for K-12th grade teachers and school district staff. Sessions will focus on integration and infusion of technology in the classroom. Some of the sessions include Multimedia in the Classroom, PowerPoint, Excel, Avid Cinema, Digital Photography/Photo Imaging, Web Page Design, LightSpan, Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math and many other topics. A complete list of sessions and locations may be found at http://www.mnservcoop.org. For further info, persons may also contact Art Tiff at Northwest Service Cooperative in Thief River Falls at 218-681-8005. ------------------------------------ ISSUE OF 06/23/99 - VOLUME 4 NO. 14 ------------------------------------ Leading Edge Journalism ----------------------- Just Being Neighborly THE DEPTH OF CORRUPTION The Stuff at Paul Bunyan Telephone's Board Meeting May Have Run Deeper Than Their Cable BEMIDJI -- With the deregulation of phone service, Paul Bunyan Telephone (hereinafter Paul Bunyan or PB), which had previously been limited to areas outside of Bemidji, has inaugurated it's new Connect Bemidji project with an intense advertising campaign founded on the theme that one is dealing with friends and neighbors at Paul Bunyan. But sometimes, in dealings between friends and neighbors, the optics cable bore isn't the only thing that gets the shaft. One neighbor at Paul Bunyan is Tom Lundberg, PB Board member and owner of Tom's Stop convenience store at Highway 71 and Irvine Ave., just North of the Bemidji fairgrounds. Paul Bunyan Telephone, formerly Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Co-op, is a "mutual" company. That means it's owned by its customers - they're shareholders. When the company turns a profit, they get to share in it through patronage dividends. And when it's Board makes a particularly bad decision due to favoritism by certain Board members, the customer-shareholders all get to share in getting --- well, in getting not too good a deal. Two weeks ago, Northern Herald went on site where PB was having optical cable, supposedly spec'd to 42", installed. It was late in the afternoon and the hole had just been covered. We asked a worker how deep the cable had been laid. He said that it was at least a good six feet at that point. But when we went on-site the following day, we found a different story. One hole, in front of Dave Walters' on PB drive was four feet, but the next was about 36" and another, a block to the west, was slightly over 21." Why depth is important. In the past year, optical fiber cuts have wracked cellular communications, and have plagued internet communications with costly and widespread delays and outages. These accidental, or in some cases, possibly deliberate, severances of the optical cable become more likely the closer to the surface that the underground cable is buried. A shallow cable will work fine at first, but over time, will be more susceptible to expensive damage. That's why some companies insist on a deeper cable. And that was seemingly the rationale of Tom Lundberg, who was said to have argued adamantly before the Paul Bunyan Board for the hiring of Spalj Construction, a Deerwood firm, over North Central Services, Inc. (NCS) of Clearbrook, to install their new optical cable in their Connect Bemidji project. Spalj (pronounced Spile) had the lower bid for a 42" depth cable - NCS was lower for a 36" depth. Collusion has been alleged, but is unproven, between Lundberg and Spalj and some have charged that Lundberg knew, when strongly arguing for Spalj's bid for the extra depth, that the bid was lower because the cable wouldn't actually be that deep. Paul Freude, General Manager at Paul Bunyan, has instructed his receptionists to refuse our calls for information or interview. Lundberg has denied pushing for Spalj before the PB Board. "It doesn't matter to me whose bid it is," he said. Understanding the bids. When PB undertook the Connect Bemidji project, they put the job of laying the fiber optic cable out for bid. There would be a base bid with specs of copper cable at 30" and optic cable at 36"; and an alternate bid with copper spec'd at 36" and optic at 42". On the base bid, the job would have gone to North Central Services (NCS), who bid the job at $3,057,789.33; Spalj was second at $3,084,630.14. But if the job was contracted on the alternate bid, Spalj would get it at 3,154,623.14 with NCS at 3,518,446.15. In effect, Paul Bunyan would pay $96,833.81 for the 6" of depth, which may have been worthwhile, if they got it. It is interesting to note that in analyzing the bid differential (base vs. alternate bids) among the firms whose bids were competitive (5 of the 6 bidders), most would have had to charge about $200,000 or more for the extra 6"; Spalj's alternate bid, however, was only $69,993 above their base bid. Not having seen the site, J.R. Spalj explained, from Spalj headquarters at Deerwood, possible reasons for the shallow depth of the 21" hole, stating, "chances are that's a pull point (a place where the cable is pulled through at a shallower depth, then the hole is dug deeper and the cable is lowered)," or that it might be a hand-hole point where the cable is spliced; after conferring with the foreman, he said it could also be a service entrance to a business which was only required to be 15" deep, or where their conduit was crossing someone else's and where Spalj had diagonally bored under to finally achieve their depth. "We take a lot of pride in the quality of our workmanship. ...We don't install shallow cable," he said, indicating an intent to have the hole reopened to ensure that the cable was at the proper depth. And an on-site workman, confronted with the photograph, confirmed that they intended to reopen the hole. Asked about the depth, and being familiar with the site, the workman said that the reason it was shallow was because they sometimes "come up" with the bore, and then retrench lower and put the cable down to it's final spec'd depth; he said that that was what was being done in the site photographed. But Northern Herald (NH) had asked a workman at the site, at the time the photo was shot, whether that hole was going to be any deeper. The worker answered in the negative and a few hours later the hole had simply been filled and covered. In investigating this story, we had occasion to interview Tom Lundberg, who was cooperative, and stated in passing that our reporting of Paul Bunyan dealings might cause our editor to get "beat up..." "... in the media," he added, after a pause. But here at NH, our news reporting usually hits pretty close to the mark - so we're not too worried about the other media, or anyone else. Oddly, in researching this story, uncorroborated allegations surfaced to the effect that Lundberg had used what were considered to be coercive methods toward certain Paul Bunyan employees to try to get them to patronize his Tom's Stop gas & convenience store. As previously reported, PB's account at a competitor, Sta-Mart, was closed by PB. A large amount of Spalj equipment and conduit is being stored behind Tom's Place. Lundberg said, though, that he rents the space to MDE (vehicle testing) and any sublet is between MDE and Spalj. J.R. Spalj said that, to his knowledge, they were not paying rent to MDE. Just among friends. Readers are invited to read about past neighborly dealings of Paul Bunyan Telephone in "Former Paul Bunyan Telephone Manager Issues Caveat," from our issue of March 22, 1996, recently uploaded and available in the Living on the Edge section of our web site, accessible from our home page. --------------------------------------------------------------- Leading Edge Journalism PARK RAPIDS BOND VOTE DRAWS SEASONAL RESIDENTS' CONCERN PARK RAPIDS -- On February 16, 1999, voters in the Park Rapids School District, which encompasses parts of Becker and Hubbard Counties, agreed to be exorbitantly taxed for a number of years for a magnificent new school. But now, the complaints are surfacing of some district taxpayers, predominantly those who winter elsewhere, who claim that they didn't have a chance to vote on the issue. Voting an absentee ballot in the bond referendum was a little like trying to catch a forward pass. As reported by Park Rapids Postmaster Bob Martin, "People are telling me that they did not get them, or they got them after the close [vote]," and he said that at least one person said he received his absentee ballot precisely one day after the vote. And it's hard to assess blame [which we really like to do -- Ed.] in the situation which may or may not have altered the final outcome of the vote. The Postal Service has been fielding many complaints and inquiries; but inspection into the notification process reveals that the Post Office did it's job per their earlier meeting with school officials to determine when notices should be sent. And Terry Bartness, Park Rapids Schools Superintendent, actually went over and above the law to try to notify absentee voters - he just didn't do it soon enough for some of them to vote. What Happened. Prior to the vote, Park Rapids school officials met with Martin to determine a mailing schedule to reach seasonal residents, voters and taxpayers here, who winter in places like Arizona and Florida. Martin reports that he informed the School District, "Most of them have to be mailed 3 days ahead of time [of receipt by the addressee] and 3 to 4 days to get back." And that's if the address is correct to begin with. Three days is the present standard of postal service from Park Rapids to these remote points. All in all, for complete turnaround, accounting for mail in-transit time, depending on the time of day sent, for the person to receive the letter (people don't always go to the mailbox right after delivery), for the ballot application to be acted on, resent, and received by the School District, "they'd have to be mailed at least 10 days in advance," Martin said he advised the District. And one turnaround wasn't enough, as the voter had to receive his absentee application, return it, and then receive his ballot, vote it and send that back; requiring two complete turnarounds, or 20 days. And the District's mailing schedule, though claimed done more than in accordance with law, didn't quite make that timing. Terry Bartness reported that state law requires a non-forwardable first-class mailing notifying voters of the election. He claims that it was sent by the school district on January 21st. But the District couldn't get the winter addresses of absentees. All they could do was to put an address correction request on the envelope. Martin stated that the Duluth mail sorting office was informed of the importance of these address corrections, to ensure that they provided the School District with complete and correct new addresses that they might resend the initial required notices. But, per Bartness's office, the law doesn't require the notices, returned with correct addresses, to be resent, and the school district did not resend them. Instead, because the required notice could not be forwarded, Bartness sent another mailing which was not required. Because it was not required, it did not have to be marked as non-forwardable, and could be forwarded by the Post Office directly to the absentees. This second first-class mailing took place January 28th; it included the same notice of the election, and an absentee ballot application. Allowing for 10 days, average, for each turnaround, this would place some ballots coming back February 17th, the day after the election, which, in some cases, appears to have happened. Out of 442 absentee ballots requested and sent, an even 300 were timely returned and processed. The final vote, including those absentees, and in-person voting, was 2,122 for the $34.8 million bond issue and 1,640 against. The law. The Minnesota Statutes governing school bond referendums are a jumble on the point of the proper noticing of a special (i.e. not on election day) vote. The Minnesota Secretary of State's office referred us to a statute section number that didn't appear to exist. M.S. 475.59 states only that notice shall be given in the manner as required by law; M.S. 126C.17, dealing with school referendum revenue, states, "Unless the referendum is conducted by mail, ... it must be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November." But a distinction is drawn between a levy referendum and a bond issue referendum, so this section may not have been applicable in this instance. Bartness said that the school district's attorneys had determined that a notice had to be mailed to eligible voters at least 15 but not more than 30 days before the vote. This was done. Guesstimation - Would it have changed the outcome? It is unknown whether better noticing of this particular vote would have yielded a different result. It would have taken 482 additional "no" votes to prevent passage. What is unclear is how many district residents were out of town. An indication may be had by households who requested winter forwarding of, or cancelled, their subscriptions to the Park Rapids Enterprise, the local newspaper. Including "summer only" subscriptions, this was 460 households last year. For argument's sake, using a hypothetical average of 1.5 voters per household, this would be 690 votes, of which 300 are already accounted, leaving 390. But this figure would only be partial as not everyone in Park Rapids subscribes to the paper, and the district extends beyond Park Rapids; there are likely many additional potential absentee votes. Although it would seem that there may well have been enough unaccounted votes to have yielded a different result if enough of them had voted 'no,' because it is not known how they might have voted, it cannot be said, with reasonable certainty, whether inclusion of all of the potential absentee votes would or would not have yielded a different result. What is reasonable is that, if one wanted to exclude or minimize the effect of the senior, seasonal population; to exclude the vote of those people who pay taxes but don't have kids in school, setting a special vote, to which fewer mainstream voters would turn out than on election day anyway, and setting it on short notice, mid-winter, as was done at the late December Park Rapids School Board meeting, would tend to achieve that purpose, as fewer people would take the trouble to request and vote an absentee ballot, even if they could get it in time, than would go to the polls. This, particularly on as important a matter as an enormous bond issue that will sharply affect taxes for many years, is the matter about which many Park Rapids residents are upset. Although the school district claims to have met and exceeded the legal requirements, in terms of the timing of the required notice, some Park Rapids district taxpayers have, indeed, speculated that the district may have set the vote mid-winter and orchestrated last minute noticing to affect the outcome. "There's no doubt in my mind," said Eugene Burkle, a Park Rapids seasonal resident. Burkle said that his daughter, a year-around resident in Park Rapids, never received the first (1/21) mailing. She received the 1/28 mailing on 1/30. Eugene, who knew of the election, was waiting for his application for absentee ballot to arrive in Florida. He received it on 2/3. Brenda Kemp, secretary to Mr. Bartness, who handled the mailings for the school district, maintained that absentee ballots were usually sent out the same day that the application was received. Burkle said, however, that he completed his application and faxed it back the same day (2/3) but his absentee ballot didn't arrive until Thursday, 2/11, only 2 postal days (Monday, 2/15 was a holiday) before the election. Said Burkle, "We're retired.... I don't know how much longer we can afford to live in our home." Said Lauren Hagge, a Park Rapids resident who was in Arizona and learned of the bond issue only after it had passed, "I did not get a ballot... I did not get notification... I did not hear of the bond issue... so I was denied the right to vote." Editorial Analysis: There is good cause for voters' concern. Many of the seasonal residents are retired people who do not have children in the school district, but, nonetheless, pay taxes here. Leaving out their vote could significantly skew the results. Whether or not, in this instance, different timing would have made a difference in the outcome of this vote, in which Hubbard and Becker County residents of the Park Rapids School District agreed to tax themselves exorbitantly for unneeded school improvements (Are the voters in Walker the only ones with any sense?), for future votes, and particularly considering that many taxpayers in the Northland foolishly winter elsewhere, missing all of our wonderful snow, it would not be unreasonable for Minnesota law to be modified so that the notices, particularly if they must be sent as non-forwardable, be sent at least 30 days prior to the voting day. The current timing was proven in this instance to not work and there are few votes so urgent that they cannot wait 30 days from when notices can be sent. ----------------------------