5/17/12

 

BEMIDJI POSTAL PROCESSING CENTER "OFF THE CONSOLIDATION LIST"

Some great news today for the Bemidji area. The moratorium on US Post Office closings and processing center consolidations expired yesterday, and today the Postal Service released the list of targetted facilities. Bemidji's mail processing center IS NOT on that list. The original list proposed closing processing centers in all of Greater Minnesota, five in all, and consolidating them with two centers in the Twin Cities area. Today's list has Mankato, Rochester, and Waite Park still posted as having the quote “potential to consolidate.” That leaves Bemidji and Duluth unscathed.

 

 

 BEMIDJI MAN DIES IN BOOM ACCIDENT

 

 

 

A 49-year-old Bemidji man was killed late this morning when he came into contact with a power line while operating a boom lift. It happened in the 2000 block of 30^th Street NW at about 11 am.    Bemidji fire, police and ambulance responded to the scene.  The man, whose name has not been released yet, was taken to Sanford Bemidji, where he was pronounced dead. Bemidji police are investigating the accident.

 

5/10/12

 

SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS GRANTS AWARDED

Minnesota's Transportation Department has announced winners of some “Safe Routes to School” grants. The projects help communities make it easier for kids to walk and bike to school, which in turn, leads to healthier students. The grants are given in two categories, one for planning assistance, and one to help implement plans.  In our area, two planning grants went to Bagley and Clearwater County.  Other planning grants went to Perham and Battle Lake in Otter Tail County, and Cohasset and Grand Rapids in Itasca County.

For implementation grants, Detroit Lakes Public Schools will get $5,000 for a public awareness campaign. East Grand Forks gets $20,0000 for a similar effort. Cook County is getting a $27,000 grant.

 

 

5/9/12

 

BEMIDJI CITY SALES TAX REPORT

 

Bemidji's city finance director released some new sales tax numbers today.  Ron Eischens says this February's tax collection were up $4,800 over last February. And for the first two months of this year, collection are up 10.7% over last year at this time.  Bemidji city manager John Chattin calls it "more good news for the city."

 

 

5/8/12

 

MUNICIPAL JUDGE RELEASES ORDER ON BEMIDJI ANNEXATION

Judge Timothy O'Malley at the Office of Administrative Hearings in St. Paul has ordered that Phase 1 of the Orderly Annexation Agreement between Bemidji Township, Northern Township, and the city of Bemidji can go forward.  But John Steffenhagen, the lawyer hired by Bemidji Township tells us, although he expected the Judge to rule that way, in his words, “this is not going to be the end of the dispute.”  At issue, the nature of a meeting between representatives of the three parties April 25^th.  Steffenhagen says at that meeting, the dispute between the parties was not resolved, which means mediation is now required. The city maintains that that meeting was not an attempt to resolve a dispute, but rather an opportunity to offer amendments to the annexation agreement...something they say Bemidji Township failed to do.  In a memo attached to his order, Judge O'Malley said the nature of that meeting is not an issue to be decided by his office, and the OAH does not have any role in deciding Joint Resolution disputes.  Steffenhagen tells us their options now include binding arbitration or taking the matter to District Court.

 

 

4/19/12

 

SANFORD HEALTH MAY BUILD HANGAR AT BEMIDJI AIRPORT

 

Bemidji's Regional Airport Director says he expects to hear within a few days about Sanford Health's plans to perhaps build a hangar here, capable of handling both helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft used by the big health care company.  Harold Van Leeuwen told airport authority board members Wednesday night the company is considering either Bemidji or Fargo, but says our location is looking good right now. If Bemidji's selected, they could break ground for the project within about a month.

 

4/18/12

 

BEMIDJI'S "PEANUT BUTTER PROJECT" NOMINATED FOR STATE HONOR

 

Thirteen Minnesota projects to raise donations for local food shelves have been nominated for this year's Minnesota FoodShare “March Campaign Award,” and Bemidji's Peanut Butter Project is one of them. During the month of March, donation bins were set up at Paul Bunyan Mall, as well as Leukens Village North and South, Marketplace Foods, and Harmony Natural Foods Coop, and Bemidji area schools including St. Phillips and Bemidji State University.  The campaign collected over 1,160 jars of peanut butter, and more then $580 in cash donations, all going to the Bemidji Community Food Shelf.

 

GROUP GIVES BEMIDJI CHECK TO HELP OFFSET EVENT CENTER DEFICITS

 

 

The City of Bemidji received a check for $45,000 Tuesday afternoon from a group formed to help cover costs associated with a new Bemidji event center. The “Bemidji Regional Event Center Operating Fund” was established in 2008, accepting pledges from individuals and businesses.  Bemidji area banks tracked and collected the pledges, most for $100 per year for 5 years.   Just four years have passed, but the group says they want to help with operating cost deficits so far at the Sanford Center.   They plan to turn over the remainder at the end of the 5-year pledge drive.

 

4/13/12

 

BEMIDJI TOWNSHIP FILES CHALLENGE TO ORDERLY ANNEXATION

 

Bemidji Township attorney John Steffenhagen says he's filed paperwork with the state challenging the 2004 Orderly Annexation Agreement between Bemidji Township, Northern Township, and the City of Bemidji. The first phase of that agreement was set to take effect this year. Steffenhagen, who was retained by Bemidji Township in late February, says they now hope all three parties will sit down and thoroughly discuss the agreement before the city enacts it.  Bemidji City Attonrey Al Felix and City Manager John Chattin told us Friday afternoon that they expect to see the document soon.   Bemidji Township's challenge was filed Friday with the Minnesota Municipal Board, sometimes known as the "state board of adjustments."

 

4/3/12

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL VOTES ON ANNEXATION

After a half-hour of discussion Monday night, Bemidji city council members decided to move forward with Phase 1 of the Orderly Annexation Plan in both Northern and Bemidji Townships. The motion was made by council member Ron Johnson. Councilor Rita Albrecht wondered if the move might be setting the city up for a lawsuit, since Bemidji Township representatives have refused to meet with city representatives to discuss their recent concerns about the annexation plan. In early March, the township hired a Twin Cities-area attorney to speak for them, and John Steffenhagen has not replied to messages from city officials asking what the township's intention are.

During last night's discussion, council member Greg Negard said he didn't believe the city should be held hostage, but rather needed to make a decision. Council member Kevin Waldhausen said, in his opinion, it was time for the city to move forward.

The vote was 5 to 2 in favor of moving ahead with annexation in both townships, with Mayor Dave Larson and Councilor Albrecht casting the two “no” votes. The annexation plan will now go back to the Minnesota Municipal Board for approval.

 

 

3/29/12

 

BELTRAMI COUNTY'S ADMINISTRATOR RESIGNS

 

Today, Beltrami County's Administrator submitted a letter of resignation to county commission members. Tony Murphy says his last day of employment with the county will be May 1^st. He goes on to say he has received an attractive employment offer that he is considering and may consider additional options as well. There have been rumors about Murphy's possible departure circulating this week.  We asked county attorney Tim Faver this afternoon if there were any formal complaints filed against the county that were connected to today's announcement, and he told us no, there are not. Faver expects the county commission to address Murphy's resignation, at least informally, within the next week or so.  In his resignation letter, Murphy thanked the board for allowing him to serve the citizens of Beltrami county these past years.

 

3/27/12

 

APPARENT BREAK-IN ON BSU CAMPUS

 

Bemidji police are investigating a break-in and theft on the BSU campus over the weekend. Officers responding to the report around 8:30 Monday morning found a door had been damaged and a desktop computer had apparently been taken from the Faculty Association Office in Memorial Hall.. The room had apparently been rummaged through, and another computer was tampered with.  No one had been in the office since Friday afternoon, so police aren't sure exactly when the break-in happened. We're told the case is still under investigation.

 

3/26/12

 

HAZARDOUS WASTE DUMPED IN RURAL DITCHES

 

Somebody's dumping hazardous waste in the ditches north and west of Bemidji, and the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office wants your help to make them stop. Sheriff Phil Hodapp says for the past four years, they've found trash including used health-care products like catheters, adult diapers, and sometimes even syringes in an area bordered by County Roads 32, 24, 22 and Highway 89. More trash was reported last Thursday and Friday. Hodapp says, ironically, there's a Waste Management dump site about 3 miles away.  County crews cleaning up the mess have to wear protective equipment because the trash is considered hazardous, and over the past 18 months the county has spent about $1,000 on clean-up costs.

 

3/22/12

 

JEDC CHANGES NAME

 

The Joint Economic Development Commission has re-named themselves. Recently hired executive director Dave Hengel says the JEDC will now be called simply “Greater Bemidji,” and use the slogan “Driving Development, Promoting Prosperity.” The organization was created in the fall of 1984 when there were significant workforce layoffs in the Bemidji area. Forty people representing business, education and the overall community shaped the idea for the group, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

 

3/15/12

 

 

SCULPTURE WALK ANNOUNCEMENT

 

 

The Bemidji Sculpture Walk committee is taking applications now for the 14^th Annual Bemidji Sculpture Walk. The juried public art exposition is open to anyone, professional, amateur, or student who can submit a high-quality, original work. Applications are due by March 31^st. Sculpture pieces will be installed around Bemidji during the last week of May, and they'll be on display for 12 months. An opening reception for the 14^th annual Sculpture Walk will be held May 26^th.

 

 

3/14/12

 

 

AREA LAW ENFORCEMENT GRANT AWARD

 

Minnesota's Commerce Commissioner announced more than 20 grants to local law enforcement agencies and community groups Tuesday, almost $4 million in all designed to reduce auto theft in the state.  Bemidji's Police Department was one of the grant-winners, receiving the rest of the $300,000 they were approved for last year.  Duluth's Police Department is receiving just under $100,000. The “Auto Theft Prevention Grant Program” helps identify critical law enforcement issues, teach officers and citizens about preventing auto theft, and helps agencies work together to investigate and prosecute cases.  In 2010, over 8,000 vehicles were stolen statewide. The State Commerce Commissioner says that number is actually declining, thanks to efforts like the Auto Theft Prevention Grant Program.

 

 

3/13/12

 

 

UPSTREAM TV PRESENTS CARNEGIE PLAN TO CITY COUNCIL

 

 

Upstream TV spent more than two hours describing their plan for renovating the Carnegie Library and using the building as their headquarters for community access video production and data storage Monday night.  Director Mike Bredon had help from Lewis Crenshaw explaining possibility revenue sources.  The biggest area of uncertainty, even after the lengthly meeting, was who would spearhead the fundraising effort.  Bemidji council members asked Bredon to submit a business plan for Upstream TV if based out of the Carnegie Building.  Meanwhile, the council tabled a decision on the future of the 102-year-old building until their March 19th meeting.  The "design kick-off" meeting for consultants working on plans to renovate Bemidji's Paul Bunyan-Library Park area that had been scheduled for March 15 has now been postponed until further notice.  The Carnegie building sits in Library park, and would be a factor in any park renovation plans.

 

3/9/12

 

BEA CONTRACT RATIFIED

 

The tentative contract between the Bemidji Education Association and District 31 appears to be a done-deal. The BEA approved the tentative contract February 29, with 85% voting "yes." Early Wednesday morning, District 31 school board members approved the tentative deal on a unanimous vote. Two school board members, Ann Long-Voelkner and Melissa Bahr abstained from the vote because they have family members directly impacted by the contract deal. The contract calls for a half-percent salary increase for this year and another half-percent increase for next school year. There's also a $750 increase to the step schedule starting next school year. The number of contract days is increased, from 182 to 183 starting next year, and salaries will be adjusted accordingly. Teacher benefits will increase too, bringing the total package increase for the two years to 5.43%, increasing the cost to the district by a total of just over $2.8 million over two years. The annual district insurance premium contribution is unchanged for this year, and increases about $1,700 next year. That's the first premium increase paid by the district since 2008.

 

3/8/12

 

STATE PARK RESERVATION WEBSITE WOES

 

It's been a tough few months for the DNR when it comes to their park reservation system. They took their on-line system “off-line” right after Christmas to install a new, improved system, with a target launch date of March 1^st. During that time, people weren't able to reserve lodging or campsites for 2012 at any of the state's parks, campgrounds or wilderness areas. When they turned on the new system the morning of March 1^st, they got as many calls in the first hour as they normally expect in a day, and the system crashed. Since then, they've been retooling the site, and as of today, it was still “not working.” Emails were sent out Wednesday to past reservation customers letting them know that they're still working on the problem.  They said they're considering opening a temporary call center to take reservations.

 

3/2/12

 

BEA APPROVES CONTRACT

The Bemidji Education Association voted this week to approve a tentative contract deal with District 31.  BEA President Paul Goodwin says, of 378 members, 325 voted Wednesday, and 85% voted "yes" to the proposed contract.  Goodwin says, as BEA President, he's thankful for the way the school board addressed the needs of teachers, as a group.  The Bemidji School Board meets in a special early morning session Wednesday to vote on the tentative contract.

 

 

3/1/12

 

Bemidji Township has retained the services of a Twin Cities-area lawyer to address all potential annexation issues with the city of Bemidji. According to his company's website, John Steffenhagen concentrates on employment law and litigation, commercial litigation, and municipal law, including homeowners facing eminent domain or zoning laws. The website says Steffenhagen was lead trial counsel in quote - “one of the few, if not only Minnesota cases in which a township simultaneously won legal status as a city while defeating annexation to a larger city.” Two representatives from the city of Bemidji and Bemidji Township were to have met soon to possibly revise Bemidji's 2004 orderly annexation agreement. Last week, another negotiating subcommittee agreed on some changes to Northern Township's long-term annexation plan.

 

2/23/12

 

 

POST OFFICE FORMALIZES PROCESSING CENTER DECISIONS

 

 

The US Postal Service issued a news release today, stating that they've made the decision to move Bemidji's mail processing center, along with those in Duluth, Rochester, St. Cloud, and Mankato, to facilities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. They cite a 25% decline in First-class mail volume since 2006.  Specific dates for the transitions have not been set yet. Postal officials say the consolidations hinge on quote “pending rulemaking for a proposal to revise existing service standards.” A moratorium on closings is in place until at least May 15^th. Between now and then, the Post Office says operations at Bemidji and the other sites in Greater Minnesota will remain the same.

 

 

2/21/12

 

BEMIDJI STUDENTS HONORED BY POLICE

 

 

Seven students at Bemidji's Central Elementary School have been presented with “certificates of appreciation” from the Bemidji Police Department. Earlier this month, the students spotted a vehicle circling the school grounds. The vehicle stopped near the playground and the driver held a soda out of their window.  Nearby students thought it looked like the driver might be trying to lure a child into the vehicle. They notified school officials, providing an excellent description of the vehicle and the driver. Turns out, it was a parent showing off a newly-purchased vehicle to a child they knew. But police say the kids did the right thing, and that's why they were awarded with “certificates of appreciation.”

 

2/20/12

 

"BEMIDJI DAY AT THE CAPITOL" PLANS

 

Some exciting news for the Bemidji delegation headed to the State Capitol in St. Paul Wednesday. They will be meeting with Governor Mark Dayton. The group's meeting with him last year was the first time there was a formal meeting with Minnesota's governor during “Bemidji Day at the Capitol.” State Representative John Persell told us a couple of weeks ago that the meeting had been scheduled. City council member Rita Albrecht confirmed that over the weekend, and says there is something very special planned for that meeting. It's the group's seventh annual trip, and about 50 people representing Bemidji businesses, government and education are expected to take part. We'll have reports for you from the State Capitol in our news Wednesday afternoon.

 

2/11/12

 

SANFORD ANNOUNCES VETS HOME DONATION

 

Over 50 people filled the Beltrami County Commission chambers this morning to hear some good news. Sanford Health is pledging 15 acres of land just south of the Woodsedge campus to hopefully be the site of a new Northern Minnesota Veterans Home. Paul Hanson, president of Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota said corporate headquarters agreed to the proposal within 24 hours of receiving the plan. Task force members, county commissioners, and state lawmakers weighed in on the news.  State Senator John Carlson said, of the bonding list for these kinds of projects, quote, “we're not 10^th on the list, we're much higher.” County Commissioner Joe Vene said, in a recent meeting with some committee members here in Bemidji, he felt they were more enthusiastic about this project than some others for this region. According to most reports, there are about 35,000 unserved or underserved vets here.  As for some suggestions that a new Minnesota vet home should be built where there's already a VA hospital, Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce President Lori Paris said, quote “why put the home where the hospital is, put the home where the vets are.”

 

 

2/10/12

 

COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR DISCUSSES CONTRACT ISSUE

 

Beltrami County Administrator Tony Murphy is frustrated with recent communication he's had with the state department of human services regarding the county's contracts with their chemical dependancy providers. The county's been informed that it has to work with rates set by the state, which takes away the county's ability to choose providers based on their proven ability to produce results.   Murphy believes that, in this case, the state was reacting to federal legislation, butperhaps without realizing the consequences when it comes to the success of chemical dependency treatment efforts.  He's hoping the legislature will take steps to change those state rules regarding chemical dependency contracts.

 

 

1/31/12

 

SCHMIDT PETITION FILED

 

The Beltrami County Attorney's Office today filed a petition of judicial commitment for Carol Lillian Schmidt, the 63-year-old Grant Valley woman who earlier this month had dozens of dogs at her rural home taken by animal welfare personnel.  Today's paperwork sets a probable cause hearing for Friday afternoon, which Schmidt is expected to attend. A hearing on the petition will likely be set for the following Friday. County attorney Tim Faver says the county Environmental Services office is also considering abatement under the local ordinance and/or condemning  Schmidt's property under statute. Today's petition for commitment states that Schmidt is believed to be mentally ill and likely to cause serious imminent physical harm to herself or others based on screening report prepared Friday by a mental health nurse practitioner.

 

 

1/27/12

 

SNYDER HOTEL PROPOSAL MOVES FORWARD

 

It appears that the city of Bemidji has reached an important milestone with developer Tripp Snyder, the developer who wants to build a Country Inn and Suites to be attached to the Sanford Center.  Bemidji city  manager John Chattin says Snyder and his architect met with the Proposal Review Committee, which approved their preliminary site plan and development concept. The next step is formal design of the facility. Chattin says the purchase agreement for about 2-1/4 acres of land at a price of $775,000, will likely be finalized and signed next week. Snyder's group is planning on groundbreaking in late March or early April with completion in December or January. They're still negotiating with a restaurant to be part of the plan.

 

1/26/12

 

SANFORD HEALTH PUD GETS HEARING

 

A planned use development setting the stage for at least five unit expansions on the Sanford Health Bemidji campus will have a public hearing and discussion tonight by the Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Commission. Sanford Bemidji Vice President Dan Olson says the first building phase, which will be handled by Kraus-Anderson, is a new 27,000 square foot orthopedic facility on the west side of the current campus.   Future projects include expanded surgical facilities, a new cardiac center, a cancer center, women's center and expansion of the current clinic facilities. Eventually, some roads and access points will likely be changed to make it safer for traffic to get in and out of the campus, but Olson says that's not going to happen right away.  Other items the JPC will discuss tonight include two conditional use permits, two rezoning requests, and one variance requests. The meeting starts at 6 pm at Bemidji City Hall. 

 

 

1/25/12

 

AREA MEN INCLUDED IN RACKETEERING ARRESTS

 

Minnesota U.S. Attorney Todd Jones says a federal indictment unsealed this week is charging 24 alleged members of the Native Mob gang with conspiracy to participate in racketeering and other crimes. The 47-count indictment refers to six defendants who made their initial appearances in federal court Tuesday afternoon.  Twelve more are already in jail or prison on other charges. Six more are still at large. The six indicted this week have court hearings Thursday and Friday. Among those charged are 22-year-old Cory Gene Oquist of Bemidji, 29-year-old Dale John Pindegayosh of Cass Lake, and 26-year-old Justen Lee Poitra of Cass Lake. They're facing controlled substance and firearm-related charges in the case. Jones says over a hundred law enforcement officials have participated in theinvestigation, including officers with White Earth Tribal Police, and the Beltrami and Hubbard County Sheriffs Departments.    

 

1/24/12

 

LETG SOFTWARE ALLOWS CITIZEN ACCESS TO CRIME DATA

 

A recent software upgrade purchased by Bemidji area law enforcement agencies now offers new information to citizens about crime in their community. CrimeReports is part of the LETG software package Bemidji police have been using since last fall. Now, with a website link or iPhone app, people can see local maps of reported crimes and even receive email alerts when crimes happen in their neighborhood. Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin says the software offers information citizens have been asking for about their neighborhoods.  Mastin says it's in the police department's best interest to get that information out to the public. He says the CrimeReport capability is one of the perks of the LETG system, and was included in the software package. For details on accessing the information, go to crimereports.com.

 

1/23/12

 

SANFORD CENTER RELEASES 2011 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

Some good news today from the VenuWorks managers of Bemidji's Sanford Center. Director Roger Swanson presented a draft of the 2011 facility financials to the city's Sanford Center Advisory Board this morning. They showed "what appears to be" about $50,000 in higher revenue at year's end.  And Swanson says they presented Bemidji's city finance director with a check for $217,000 paying back cash advanced by the city last fall to cover Sanford Center cash flow problems.  Swanson says some of the factors contributing to a good 4th quarter were strong sales of hockey tickets, a concerted effort to keep labor costs down, and also the lack of wintry weather which kept snow removal costs very low through December.  The city of Bemidji's budget for subsidizing the Sanford Center in 2012 is $400,000.

 

 

1/19/12

 

SKYBRIDGE MARKETING GROUP CHOOSES BEMIDJI

 

The director of the Joint Economic Development Commission hopes a contract will be signed within the next month or so that will eventually bring up 200 jobs to the Bemidji area. Dave Hengel says the Skybridge Marketing Group started looking at Bemidji shortly before Thanksgiving. The customer service and fulfillment company has offices in the Twin Cities area and in Winnipeg, and was looking for an expansion site somewhere between the two. A handful of cities were considered, including Park Rapids, Detroit Lakes, Fargo and Grand Forks. Hengel says the company has picked Bemidji and recently looked at two or three existing buildings that could meet their needs. Hengel expects them to start hiring in late May or early June, with jobs eventually including not only customer service but also some IT positions.

 

1/9/12

 

2011 BEMIDJI CONSTRUCTION HIGHLIGHTS

 

Construction permit reports from the city of Bemidji cast some light on building projects in 2011.  Total value of construction permits last year was just over $16 million, $10 million in commercial and governmental projects, $6 million in residential projects.  The $16 million is more than $7.5 million less than 2010.  It's much less than 2009's $52 million, which coincided with groundbreaking for the Sanford Center.  Looking further back, Bemidji's construction permits in 2008 totaled over $37 million and in 2007 they topped $40 million. 

1/5/12

 

POST OFFICE EXPLAINS REVISED PLAN

About a dozen people, including Bemidji Mayor Dave Larson, showed up at City Hall Wednesday night to hear about the U.S. Post Office's latest plans for consolidating operations.  Several months ago, the Post Office announce a plan to move Bemidji's mail processing operation to their St. Cloud facility.  Since then, even more troubling fiscal news has prompted a new, more drastic plan.  Duluth Postmaster Arby Humphrey, who is part of the Post Office's regional planning tream, described the new plan, which would move all Minnesota processing operations to the Minneapolis area.  Regionally, South Dakota's center would have just one center, North Dakota would have two - in Fargo and Bismarck, Iowa would have two, and Wisconsin would have four.  The revised plan would save over 950-thousand dollars in Bemidji, about 50% more than the St. Cloud processing center plan.  Humphrey said both plans would still eliminate about six jobs in Bemidji.  The Post Office is accepting written comments on the plans until January 19th at: Manager, Consumer and Industry Contact, Northland District, 100 S. 1st St., Room 115, Minneapolis MN 55401-9631.

 

12/21/11

 

BEMIDJI PARK WINTER REC FACILITIES OPEN

 

 

Bemidji Park and Recreation outdoor skating rinks and warming houses at Nymore and City Park open for the season at 3:30 this afternoon. Both parks have both a hockey rink and a pleasure rink. Warming houses will be open 3:30 to 9 pm school days, 1 to 9 pm weekends and vacation days. Christmas Eve hours will be just noon to 3 pm, and they'll be closed Christmas Day. Family skate nights at City Park will start the evening of Friday January 6^th with music and hot chocolate. Open broomball starts the evening of January 9^th. For all the latest park and rec winter activities, go to the city's website, ci.bemidji.mn.us.

 

12/19/11

 

 

MULTIPLE CAR/DEER COLLISION

 

Three cars carrying 13 people hit several deer leaping across the Highway 2 bypass at Bemidji Sunday evening, but thankfully none of the people involved were injured. 39-year-old Melissa Reid of Bemidji, 54-year-old Janet Reid from the state of Virginia, and 65-year-old Ronald Haller of Crookston were all heading west when the deer ran across the roadway. The first two cars hit deer, the third vehicle rear-ended the car in front of them. It happened shortly before 5:30 last night.

 

12/14/11

 

SANFORD FOUNDATION MEETING

 

The Sanford Health Foundation of Northern Minnesota hosted a President's Roundtable Luncheon Tuesday, updating community members on their plans for future facilities and service. President Paul Hanson and Chief Clinic Officer Dan Olson led the discussion, focusing on new cardiac intervention and orthopedic services. Hanson said bringing an interventional cardiologist on board has enabled Sanford to offer stent procedures here in Bemidji, and they plan to expand that capability.  Olson unveiled architects drawings of the new orthopedic facility. Sanford hopes to put that project up for bids right after the first of the year, break ground sometime in the spring, and complete construction in about a year-and-a-half. The plans call for a “collegiate gothic” building, a style popular with Sioux Falls-based Sanford. Hanson and Olson said the health care company also plans to focus on cancer and diabetes care in the Bemidji area.

12/8/11

 

BEDA REACHES AGREEMENT WITH HOTEL DEVELOPER

 

A Twin-Cities based development group has come to an agreement with the Bemidji Economic Development Authority on a project to build a hotel and restaurant attached to the Sanford Center. The development group is a joint venture between the Snyder and Associates hotel group, Bay Ridge management and Amcon Construction. They're planning a 120-room Country Inn and Suites and attached restaurant for the southshore, with construction beginning in early spring and completion somewhere around the end of 2012. Since 1981, Snyder Hotels has been involved in ownership of over 8,600 hotel rooms, including Country Inn and Suites properties, mostly in the Upper Midwest. Bay Ridge owns over 1,600 rooms in the upper Midwest. Amcon Construction has been in business since 1972, building schools, retail properties, healthcare facilities, and multiple housing units.

 

12/8/11

 

LGU MEETING FILLS BEMIDJI COUNCIL CHAMBERS

 

Bemidji's city council chamber was filled to capacity for Wednesday night's special Local Governmental Unit meeting. The meeting, called to address concerns expressed by Bemidji Township about orderly annexation set to take effect next month, was a roundtable discussion with township leaders and Bemidji city council members.

Bemidji Township supervisor Jan Heuer suggested there may not have been adequate public notice to township residents about annexation details and decisions. Stating that much has changed in the years since previous city and township leaders agreed to the annexation, Heuer then suggested that the parties involved should re-examine the original goals and strategies of the deal. Bemidji city council member Ron Johnson pointed out that there has been essentially no fighting in the past seven years, since there's been no annexation, with plans for orderly annexation to begin next year.

After more than two hours of discussion, the group decided to let each local governmental unit re-examine the annexation agreement's impact on their constituents.  Bemidji's city council is not expected to act on the ordinance until sometime in January, and it still needs approval from the Minnesota Municipal board before taking effect.

 

12/7/11

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL CONSIDERS HOSPITALITY TAX

 

Bemidji city council members decided Monday night they need more time to gather information, and input from local business owners, on a proposal to ask state lawmakers to authorize a new hospitality tax. The proposal was presented by city manager John Chattin, who said the new tax of up to 1% could raise about $500,000 a year, with the money used to offset deficits at the Sanford Center. Chattin said the hospitality tax was particularly appropriate, since it would be paid largely by people in town for events like those at the Sanford Center, and not by business or property owners in general.  The council decided to further discuss the proposal at their January 9^th work session.

11/28/11

 

FATAL HELICOPTER CRASH

 

A well-known Walker area businessman died over Thanksgiving weekend when his helicopter crashed into Ten Mile Lake near Hackensack. Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch says the crash happened Thursday evening. 56-year-old John Zacher's body was not recovered until the next day, about 150 feet from shore in 30 feet of water. 55-year-old Vicki Zacher was also on board, but managed to swim to shore and call authorities. According to his company's website, Zacher began his career as a commercial roofer in the Walker area in the 1970's, moving on to lakeshore development by the 1990's. In 2007, he formed the company Unlimited Peak. The extensive search for the wreckage and Zacher's body included help from the DNR, the State Patrol, Leech Lake tribal and conservation officers, the Cass County Sheriff's Department, Walker Police, and Hackensack emergency response crews.

 

11/25/11

 

POST OFFICE DECISION

 

Bemidji's mayor has received a letter from the US Postal Service, informing him that they have decided to consolidate mail processing operations here with those in St. Cloud. The letter to Dave Larson says the transition will be complete by July, with some employees reassigned. The letter does not detail the exact impact on Bemidji's postal service workforce. It says local mail delivery will not be affected by the change. Postmaster John Johnson writes that the community's local input during the decision process was valued and carefully considered.

 

11/9/11

 

ELECTION RESULTS

 

Preliminary results are in from the November 8th elections in Beltrami County.  The results will not be official until the ballots are canvassed this week.  Voter turn-out was relatively high for an off-year election.  In the race to fill the vacant District 3 County Commissioner seat, turn-out was at 43.5%.  Richard Anderson defeated Scott Winger by less than 200 votes.  In the District 31 school bond vote, 30.5% of eligible voters turned out.  The $13 million plan for a new elementary school was voted down by about a 2-1 margin.  Superintendent James Hess says the school board will now go back and reconsider other options for accommodating the district's growing elementary student population.

 

11/1/11

 

HORSE/BUS COLLISION

 

A school bus hit a horse this morning just outside of Fosston. The Polk County Sheriff's Office says it happened shortly before 7:30 in Brandsvold Township on County Road 27. There were no students on the bus at the time. The driver, 69-year-old Gene Hegge of Fosston was not injured, but the bus had to be towed from the scene. The horse did not survive.

10/31/11

 

ANNEXATION OPEN HOUSE DATES

 

After last week's joint planning area meeting to discuss future annexations in the Bemidji area, we now know the dates of two open houses for residents who will be impacted by the annexations. Tuesday, November 15^th, from 5 to 7 pm, will be the open house for affected residents in Bemidji Township. The location of that open house hasn't been determined yet. From 5 to 7 the following evening, Wednesday November 16^th, Northern Township residents living in areas impacted by annexation are invited to an open house at Bemidji City Hall.

10/26/11

 

DNR COMMISSIONER VISITS BELTRAMI COUNTY

 

Beltrami County Commission Chair Joe Vene opened an informal meeting with Minnesota's DNR Commissioner Tuesday with a short list of concerns - including the future of PILT funding and a lack of discussion before the proposed DNR acquisition of land in the Balm Lake area just over a year ago.  Tom Landwehr responded by apologizing for not having visited Beltrami County in person since his appointment in January. As for Balm Lake, Landwehr said there are challenges in land acquisitions when private landowners don't want details of the proposed agreement divulged to the public. “It's a gray area, where is it appropriate to talk to others about it,”Landwehr said. Later in the hour-long meeting, county administrator Tony Murphy suggested that when landowners are dealing with a government entity, they should be informed up front that some disclosure will happen. “If I want to keep a secret, the last person I'd tell is government,” Murphy said. Vene said in this day and time we hear a lot about transparency. Landwehr replied that every time someone talks about transparency it adds another box that his agency has to check off.

10/20/11

 

BEMIDJI AIRPORT BOARDINGS UP

 

Boardings at Bemidji's Regional Airport were up 20% last month compared to September of last year. Airport manager Harold Van Leeuwen reported to authority board members Wednesday night that, for the year so far, enplanements are up more than 12%. Meanwhile, Sun Country has added a mid-January round-trip flight to Laughlin, Nevada, based on the success of previous trips.  Van Leeuwen also reported that delivery of the airport's new boarding bridge is expected the week after Thanksgiving, with final acceptance scheduled the week before Christmas.

10/19/11

 

UPDATE ON NEW BELTRAMI/BEMIDJI LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

 

Beltrami County Sheriff's Deputy Jarrett Walton walked county commissioners through the benefits of a newly-installed law enforcement communications system at the commission's work session Tuesday afternoon. Walton explained that the new LETG system is essentially paperless.  He showed commissioners a county map following the real-time location of sheriff's squad cars and descriptions of the calls they were working on. Walton said fire crews are already tapped into the same system, and EMS crews will soon join them.  Walton hopes that soon the national IAFIS fingerprint system will be tied in, allowing officers to check suspects here for connections to other crimes. Quick access to crime information will also soon be available to the public, because the LETG system connects with CrimeReports.com. The internet program allows private citizens to find out what kinds of crimes have been committed in their neighborhood, and even receive email alerts when new crimes occur.

10/18/11

 

CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS BROADER FIRE PLAN

 

At a special work session Monday evening at Bemidji's Fire Station, city council members were asked to consider putting their stamp of approval on a plan to create a Joint Powers Entity fire association. That entity would not be overseen by the city of Bemidji or any other city or township, but would contract its services to local government units. Bemidji Fire Chief David Hoefer presented results from a committee study, including a proposed structure for the JPE. There was a great deal of discussion about representation on the organization's board of governance and board of directors, which would apparently give the city of Bemidji less say than they currently have. Chief Hoefer said more and more Minnesota fire associations are going this route, and the creation of a region-wide entity would make it easier for him to do long-range fire suppression planning. After more than an hour of discussion, the group failed to reach a consensus and decided to further discuss the plan at a later date.

10/17/11

COUNCIL CONSIDERS GRANT FOR SOUTH SHORE BEACH CLEAN-UP

 

Bemidji city council members will consider a measure related to clean-up of the south shore swimming beach at tonight's regular meeting. It revolves around applying for an EPA grant for projects in 2012. The maximum grant amount would be $200,000. That would require a $40,000 local match, which city engineer Craig Gray says could come from the city's reserve funds, or the Sanford Center's contingency funds.  It will cost $2,000 to hire Landmark Environmental to put together the grant application, Gray says that can be paid for out of this year's city public works and engineering budget. 

 

8/17/11

 

USPS RELEASES BEMIDJI STUDY

 

We now know some of the details of the US Post Office's recent feasibility study of Bemidji's Mail Processing Center. The study was conducted as the Postal Service considers closing Bemidji's processing center and consolidating those services with the existing St. Cloud processing center. The just-released report states the consolidation would save the Postal Service over $660,000 a year, with over $450,000 of that coming from eliminating jobs and salaries.  Five jobs would disappear, none of them management or supervisory positions.  The feasibility study states that local mail service would not change, and a local postmark would still be available for stamped first-class mail. However, some mail delivery would take about a day longer to arrive at its destination. A public meeting on the study will be held next Tuesday, August 23^rd, at 6:30 pm at Bemidji City Hall. 

 

7/26/11

 

STATE PARK RESERVATIONS RE-OPEN

 

Minnesota's state park reservation system is back up and running today, the first day after the state government shutdown. The DNR says all but four state parks are officially re-opened. Those that aren't yet – Camdem, Old Mill, St. Croix, and Upper Sioux Agency – had a lot of damage from recent storms and still have some clean-up work that needs to be completed. You can reserve campsites by phone or on-line, but the DNR says phone lines will probably be extremely busy today, so callers will have to be patient. The phone number to call is 866 857-2757. On-line reservations will probably go quicker for you today, you can make those at stayatmnparks.com.  

7/14/11

 

MIXED MESSAGES ON SHUTDOWN FISHING RULES

 

Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources is responding to messages sent out earlier this week by a number of local Chambers of Commerce regarding the status of fishing license enforcement during a state government shutdown. The messages, most of which contained identical wording despite being from several different chapters, said it was their understand it is "OK to fish without a license", so long as the angler intends to purchase one after the shutdown.

However, two letters, one written by DNR commissioner Tom Landwehr and one by DNR enforcement chief Jim Konrad, both indicate that all anglers must abide by existing license rules, even during a shutdown.  Landwehr's letter says his office expects conservation officers to take regular enforcement action against unlicensed anglers, including possible summons and seizure of fish caught. Konrad's letter flatly states that any so-called “promise to purchase” temporary licenses are in violation of a number of state rules and statutes. 

7/9/11

 

MAN MISSING OVERNIGHT NEAR PIMUSHE LAKE FOUND SAFE

 

A spokesperson for the Beltrami County Emergency Management Office says they're "ecstatic" to report they've located an elderly man who had been missing since about 6:30 Friday evening. 76-year-old Donald Hoogeven, who was vacationing near Pimushe Lake about 20 miles east of Bemidji, suffers from dementia. Overnight, Beltrami County Sheriff's deputies, along with Border Patrol and State Patrol officers, spent several hours searching for him, but had to call off the search at around 3 am when heavy rain moved in. At about 9 this morning, the Sheriff's Office was in the process of organizing volunteers to resume the search when Hoogeven was found and is reportedly doing fine.

 

7/7/11

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL TO CONSIDER STREET NAME CHANGE

 

Bemidji's city council will consider changing the name of a street on the southeast side of town at their Monday night work session. In a memo released today to city council members, City Manager John Chattin and Public Works Director Craig Gray said the “uniqueness” of the name of Stoner Avenue has prompted the theft of street signs bearing the name. The memo says more than a dozen signs are stolen each year. Just last week, five were replaced and are already gone. Each location requires two signs that cost about $100 each, plus labor. Forty-three property owners in the neighborhood would be affected by the change in address. Beltrami County Emergency Director Beryl Wernberg will address any public safety questions the council might have about the proposed change.  Monday night's meeting starts at 5:30.

7/6/11

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL VOTES ON SOLAR PROJECT

 

After nearly 90 minutes of pointed questions and detailed discussion about a proposed solar panel project, Bemidji's city council voted 4 to 3 to essentially drop the project from future discussion Tuesday night.  Last night's version of the project, explained by Twin Cities consultant Bob Long, would have placed a 32-kwh array of solar panels on top of the city's public works building.  A $100,000 federal grant and various tax and energy credits would have covered some of the $250,000 in start-up costs.  A lease agreement was proposed to remove the city's initial responsibility for equipment maintenance and repairs.  Bemidji's sustainability committee initiated the plans.

6/28/11

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL APPROVES PERFORMANCE PROGRAM

 

Bemidji's city council voted unanimously to opt-in to a performance measurement program offered by the State Auditor's office. During the council's Monday night work session, City Manager John Chattin called it a "no-brainer" because it will bring in $2,000 in state funding, give the city a levy limit exemption, and in his words, "hold the city accountable for services they're supposed to be providing."  Citizen satisfaction with those city services will be measured largely through the use of surveys. Chattin said the League of Minnesota Cities is offering a survey template that can be customized by individual cities. He also mentioned Beltrami County's recent survey, which he called a good one, as a possible guideline. Chattin and some city council members called the exemption from levy limits, "a big deal.”

6/22/11

 

BELTRAMI COUNTY OPTS IN TO STATE PROGRAM

 

Beltrami County is going to “opt in” to a Performance Measurement Program created by Minnesota's “Council on Local Results and Innovation,” an agency under the umbrella of the State Auditor's Office. The program is designed to help counties determine how well their services are meeting the needs of citizens.  Participation in the voluntary program, and submitting the county data to the state, allows the county to collect 14 cents per county resident from the state.  That amounts to about $6,000 for Beltrami County. It will also allow the county an exemption from property tax levy limits, something Beltrami County Commissioners say is a non-issue. County administrator Tony Murphy said many of the program's measures are already in place here. In order to enroll in the program this year, Murphy must file a report with the state auditor's office by July 1^st. Commissioners gave him the go-ahead by placing the item on the consent agenda for last night's regular commission meeting.

6/7/11

 

PLENTY OF COMMENT ON BEMIDJI'S PROPOSED RENTAL ORDINANCE CHANGES

 

A capacity crowd that spilled over from Bemidji's council chambers in the City Hall lobby spent nearly two hours Monday night telling council members they don't like proposed amendments to the city's rental ordinance.  Many asked why the council would raise fees for "good" landlords, and stated that those costs would force them to raise rents to a level out-of-reach for college students and struggling families.  Rather than planning for a third reading of the revised ordinance at their next meeting, council members decided to create a committee including city staff, landlords and tenants to further explore the issue.

4/28/11

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL DISCUSSES RENTAL ORDINANCE

 

Bemidji city staff will work on a number of amendments to the city's rental ordinance after a special work session Wednesday night.  City manager John Chattin presented council members with a list of his recommendations, based on previous council meetings, as well as Bonestroo's Quality Neighborhood Initiative report.  After more than two hours of discussion, council members directed staff to draft amendments calling for:  annual rental inspections and fees, rather than once every 3 years; requiring that landlords provide the city with a list of tenant names and license plate numbers, plus the property's parking plan; and "more aggressive enforcement" of the rental ordinance, to include fines and possible loss of license.  City attorney Alan Felix is researching a possible conversion fee for property owners who change a single-family home over to a rental property, a reverse incentive may also be offered.   The proposed amendments to Bemidji's rental ordinance will eventually go through the city's process of three readings and one public hearing at upcoming regular council meetings.

 

4/12/11

BEMIDJI COUNCIL APPROVES TOBACCO POLICY, TABLES SOLAR PANEL PROJECT

 

Bemidji's city council meeting Monday night was a long one, partly due to an hour's worth of discussion about a proposed solar panel project at the Sanford Center.  The latest request from Bemidji's Sustainability Committee was for $20,000 in city funding.  City attorney Alan Felix said he believed there are still rules about bidding and private use agreements that need to be explored.  City manager John Chattin said he believed that costs for the project were still uncertain.  The council voted 5 to 2 to table the proposal until more information can be gathered.  Meanwhile, council members voted unanimously in favor of a new tobacco-free policy for city property.  

 

BELTRAMI COUNTY OFFICIALS UNHAPPY WITH LAND SALE PROPOSAL

 

Representatives from the US FIsh and WIldlife Service and the DNR answered questions from Beltrami county officials Tuesday night regarding a plan to acquire 160 acres of land in the northern part of the  county.  County commissioner Jack Frost asked the state and federal representatives, "how much land do you feel you need," referring to the roughly three-fourths of the property in Beltrami County that is not taxable.   The DNR's Gretchen Mehmel said the acres in this particular Land Utilization Project were mostly bogland, and not likely to be purchased by prospective cabin owners.  Beltrami county administrator Tony Murphy then pointed out the "No Net Gain" policy adopted last summer, which requires a swap of public and private land to prevent further loss of tax base.  Murphy stated that the state and federal wildlife agencies were apparently "joined at the hip," and had been "creative" in coming up with new land acquisition plans.  He suggested they be equally creative in finding public lands that could be swapped over to private ownership.

 

3/3/11

 

BEMIDJI SCHOOL VOTE

 

District 31 school board members have voted unanimously to move ahead with plans to build a new four-section elementary school. The Bemidji district currently carries a $30 million debt load, and the new building is expected to cost about $12 million, assuming it's built on land the district already owns. School finance director Chris Leinen expects the student population to grow by more than 600 students over the next five years, and Superintendent Jim Hess says grade school classrooms are already crowded. Monday night's decision means voters will be asked to approve a building levy. A new building is expected to take at least three years to complete. In the meantime, board members have decided to put portable classrooms on the Solway and Northern elementary sites, more than likely one double-classroom unit in Solway and a two of them at Northern. Four permanent additions have already been tacked on to Northern. Board members chose a new building over grade reconfigurations or creation of a district-wide kindergarten/early childhood center because they said it better meets parents' desires for “neighborhood” schools at the elementary level. A site has not been chosen yet for the new building.

PARK RAPIDS BOMB THREAT

 

A bomb threat to the Coborns grocery store in Park Rapids this morning cleared the area for a few hours and left law enforcement still looking for their suspect. Police Chief Terry Eilers says a man with some kind of accent called the store's main phone number shortly after 10 this morning saying a bomb had been deposited in the Western Union box inside the store and it was set to go off in three hours. The employee who answered the phone asked the man to hold and transferred the call to the manager's office where the caller gave the same story.  Eilers says police were on the scene within minutes and checked the store thoroughly.  Barricades were put up and the store was cleared until the three hour timeframe had passed.  The store re-opened later this afternoon.  Eilers said they had no solid suspects.

 

3/2/11

 

BELTRAMI HUMAN SERVICE AGENCIES TO RESTRUCTURE

 

The way Beltrami County residents access help from their local Health and Human Services Agency is going to change. Economic assistance director John Pugleasa explained a re-organization plan to county commissioners at Tuesday's board work session. It's a shift from a “case management” model to a “process management” model.  Pugleasa told commissioners that, under the current system, there are too many service delays and errors, creating stress for both employees and clients. The new system will separate information in-take from processing. Pugleasa said Beltrami County will be at the forefront in implementing this new model in the state of Minnesota. 

2/16/11

 

BELTRAMI COUNTY BAR CLOSING ORDINANCE VOTE

 

Beltrami county commissioners decided Tuesday on bar closing times for businesses within the county but outside incorporated cities and towns. The public hearing on a proposed 1 a.m. closing time ordinance was two weeks ago.  Last night was the final reading and vote on that ordinance. Before taking the vote, each commissioner explained what they had heard from the public on the issue.  All five commissioners said the overwhelming majority of comments they heard were in favor of an earlier, 1 am, bar closing ordinance. Commissioner Jim Heltzer said he also valued the input from Sheriff Phil Hodapp and Bemidji's Police Chief, who both spoke in favor an earlier closing time in the interest of public safety and law enforcement costs.  Commissioner Jack Frost said he is aware of the possible – as he put it - financial ramifications, of Bemidji's decision to pass a 2 a.m. city ordinance, buts said he still felt a 1 a.m. ordinance was more appropriate for the county.   County commissioners voted unanimously to pass the 1 am ordinance.

2/14/11

 

WEEKEND SNOWMOBILE TROUBLES

Beltrami County Sheriff's deputies responded to a couple of incidents over the weekend where snowmobilers ran into some trouble.  Sheriff Phil Hodapp says late Saturday afternoon, a 47-year-old Minneapolis man was snowmobiling off the trail in Roosevelt Township when his sled got bogged down. The man began to suffer from medical problems, and used his cell phone to call for help, but couldn't tell rescuers his exact location.  The man's cell phone signal provided information about his general location, and deputies on snowmobiles finally found him, but had difficulty maneuvering their sleds through the deep snow.   Hodapp says the man is ok now.

Sunday evening, two snowmobilers from the Bemidji area went through thin ice near the Mississippi River outlet.  The sheriff says another snowmobiler on shore called for help, and fire crews in rescue suits used their banana boat to pull the two 46-year-olds out of the water. That's the same area where two snowmobilers from out-of-town went through the ice in mid-January.

 

2/9/11

 

BEMIDJI SCHOOLS SCHEDULE CLASSROOM SPACE FORUMS

 

Bemidji school superintendent Dr. James Hess has announced the schedule for a series of public forums on classroom space considerations for next school year.  The forums will be held:

Tuesday February 22, 7:00-8:30 pm, Bemidji Middle School cafeteria

Thursday, February 24, 7:00-8:30 pm, Northern Elementary School commons

Tuesday, March 1, 7:00-8:30 pm, Lincoln Elementary School cafeteria

Thursday, March 3, 7:00-8:30 pm, Bemidji High School commons

 

HEADWATERS SCIENCE CENTER "NEW VISION"

 

Bemidji city council members got a first-hand look at plans for a new site for the Headwaters Science Center. The ambitious project would include collaboration with a number of area cultural and educational groups and would be located near Pamida on the banks of the Mississippi River. The vacant piece of property was owned by Burlington-Northern but is now owned by the city and has been set aside for use by the Headwaters Science Center. Last night, project leaders were before the city council asking members to pass a resolution supporting their efforts to secure funding for the project.   Center executive director Laddie Ellwell told council members she had learned Monday that State Representative John Persell is working on an $11 million "plan and build” request for state lawmakers to consider.  Ellwell said this year's legislature wants to see proposals that create jobs, and she says the New Vision Project would employ dozens of full-time construction workers.

 

BEMIDJI FIRE CHIEF'S ANNUAL REPORT

 

Fire Chief David Hoefer presented his annual report to the city council at Monday night's meeting. He says, in the past year, they've improved the department's training process, and will soon open a third station at the Bemidji Regional Airport, which may eventually improve the city's rating with insurance companies who assess risks and base their premiums on those ratings.  Hoefer said cooking is the most common cause of fires in Bemidji, as it is in the state of Minnesota and nationwide. The chief said he is particularly proud of the department's average time to get a first truck out to the scene of a fire: 4.16 minutes.

SPECIAL BEMIDJI SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

 

Bemidji's School Board members will meet tonight to further discuss options for creating adequate classroom space for the district's growing elementary school population.  A presentation on some of the options they're considering is on the District 31 website, bemidji.k12.mn.us.  After the board meets tonight, they will schedule a series of public input meetings for later this month and early March.

 

2/2/11

 

BELTRAMI BOARD HOLDS 1 AM BAR CLOSING HEARING

 

For the first time in more than six months of debate about bar closing times, someone not involved in the voting process has testified at a public hearing to the potential benefits of a later closing time. About a dozen people spoke at Tuesday night's Beltrami County Commission meeting, most of them urging the board to enact a 1 a.m. closing time for bars within the county but outside of municipalities. Former Bemidji Mayor Richard Lehmann was the first to approach the podium, stating that he voted against Bemidji's 2-am ordinance, but asked why the county waited until that ordinance passed to consider a 1 a.m. county ordinance.  Lehmann said if the goal is to prevent patrons from driving to another bar with a later closing time, the county's 1 a.m. ordinance would not make sense. Emil Erickson, who owns the Funkley Bar and Lounge which stays open until 2 a.m., told commissioners that he has not witnessed any public safety problems, and said the extra hour of business has been a financial boost for his bar. Others, representing Beltrami county human service agencies and emergency services, testified that alcohol abuse creates costs and dangers to the community. The board took no action after the hearing.  The 1 a.m. ordinance is expected to have its third reading at the next regular county commission meeting.  County Attorney Tim Faver pointed out last night that, contrary to some published media reports, there are actually 35 liquor licenses within the county that could be impacted by the closing time ordinance, roughly half of those holding 3.2 on-sale licenses.  

 

CLARIFICATION ON LIBRARY BUDGET

 

A move to clarify a Beltrami County budget item closed a funding gap of more than $14,000 for the Kitchigami Regional Library's Bemidji and Blackduck branches. Regional library director Marion Ridge said recent budget numbers from the county were about $14,000 less than the budget numbers she saw in the county's original 2011 budget. Commissioner Jim Lucachick said the board had decided to go with the state-imposed Maintenance of Effort amount, about $294,000, rather than the library's requested amount of a little over $309,000.  Lucachick said three of the five county boards in the Kitchigami Regional Library's district had decided to go with the lower, state-imposed funding level.  After much discussion about the impact of the funding difference on library staff and services, commissioners asked County Administrator Tony Murphy if there had been a formal vote on the lower amount, to which Murphy said no. The board then voted 4-1 in favor of listing the $309,000 figure as the county's contribution to the library's 2011 budget.    

2/1/11

 

BEMIDJI DAY AT THE STATE CAPITOL

 

A bus carrying government, education and business leaders to "Bemidji Day at the State Capitol" was scheduled to leave at 6 this morning.  One of their main priorities is persuading lawmakers not to reduce or eliminate the state's Local Government Aid funding program. City manager John Chattin says last year LGA cuts and other similar losses totaled more than $700,000 for Bemidji. Chattin says proposed legislation this year would make last year's cuts permanent. He fears that further cuts will severely impact public safety and other core services. Meanwhile, the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce has broken ranks with other chambers around the state, signing a resolution in support of the Local Government Aid program. President Lori Paris tells us the city portion of local property taxes will increase significantly if LGA funds are lost.

 

BELTRAMI COUNTY 1 AM ORDINANCE HEARING

 

If you have opinions either for or against Beltrami County's proposed 1 a.m. bar closing ordinance, tonight is your opportunity to tell commissioner members what you think in person. The public hearing is part of the board's regular meeting scheduled to start at 5 pm in the commission room at the County Adminstration Building. The proposal is actually an amendment to the county's existing liquor license ordinance – adding wording which would place a 1 a.m. restriction on liquor sales hours. 

1/28/11

 

RED LAKE MAN ARRESTED AS FUGITIVE

 

A Red Lake man has been take into custody on a number of serious charges out of Iowa. Terry Lee Barrett , who turns 53 today, is being held at the Beltrami County Jail. He's facing charges of indecent contact with a child, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, second degree sex abuse, indecent exposure, and child endangerment – all charges filed in Pottawattamie County in southwestern Iowa, just across the river from Omaha. He's also facing a felony charge of being a fugitive from justice from another state.

1/27/11

 

FORMER BORDER AGENT FACES CHARGES

 

A former U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent now a faces a federal indictment on one count of making a false statement. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in St. Paul, 29-year-old Andrew Rodriguez of East Grand Forks made a false statement when he told the FBI he was pulled over by two men, one of whom threatened his family. Rodriguez later admitted to making up the story in hopes of being relocated to a different area. The case was investigated by the FBI, the State Patrol, the Customs Service and the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office. The charge carries a possible five-year prison sentence.

 

1/25/11

 

JURY HANDS DOWN HANKS VERDICT

 

It took a Beltrami county jury about two-and-a-half hours this afternoon to find a Kelliher woman guilty of first-degree pre-meditated murder and second-degree murder with intent. Within a few minutes, the judge handed down a mandatory life sentence with no chance for parole. 26-year-old Betsy Marie Hanks was accused of killing her common-law husband, Matthew David Albert, in October 2009. Sheriff's deputies found Albert with a gunshot wound to his head. He later died at a Twin Cities hospital. Defense attorney Bob Miller told us this afternoon that he was extremely surprised by the guilty verdict on the first-degree murder charge. He pointed out that an appeal will automatically go to the state supreme court. County attorney Tim Faver prosecuted the case, and said the issue at the core of the case was premeditation. He credited hard work on the part of the sheriff's department, particularly investigators Lundquist and Haugen, and assistance from the BCA's agent Mu-say-is. Faver said he also very much appreciated the jury's hard work and attention to the case.

SECOND REDBY SHOOTING SUSPECT IN CUSTODY

 

The second man sought by authorities in connection with a fatal shooting incident November 3^rd on the REd Lake Indian Reservation is now in custody. According to the FBI and U.S. Attorney's office, 22-year-old Cruze Anthony White surrendered to last night without incident in Redby, and has his first court appearance today in Bemidji.  White, and 22-year-old Donald Leigh Clark Jr, each face second-degree murder and assault charges in connection with the shooting death of Julian DeMarrais.  Two other Redby men were seriously injured in the incident.  Clark was taken into custody January 15th after authorities found him hiding in the backseat of a car in Redby.  

 

FINAL BSU/NTC PROGRAM CUT ANNOUNCED

 

Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College have announced which program is the fourth one to be eliminated under President Richard Hanson's recently unveiled recalibration plan.  Last week, Hanson listed environmental landscaping, massage therapy, and art history as three of the four, but said he would not announce the fourth until affected faculty members had been notified.  Today, we're told that the theatre program will also be eliminated.  Eighteen other programs will be reduced under the recalibration plan, and a few programs will be enhanced.

BEMIDJI COUNCIL VOTES ON SOLAR PANEL PROJECT

 

Bemidji's city council voted unanimously to turn down a state grant that would have partially funded a solar panel demonstration project at the Sanford Center. City manager John Chattin said he'd learned that a “Buy American” law set to take effect February 6^th would significantly increase the project's cost unless the solar panels were purchased soon, and additional grant funding has not been secured yet.  As a result, the city could end up covering $160,200 in matching funds.  Chattin said, since the city has already used some event center construction contingency funds to cover some city bond costs, funds are tight.  The city had originally planned to use those contingency funds for a Nymore Beach rehabilitation project.  After less than 15 minutes of discussion, council members voted to decline the state grant, but did not rule out the possibility of applying for future grants to support a similar project. 

 

1/20/11

 

BSU/NTC RECALIBRATION PLAN UNVEILED

 

Details today on recalibration plans at Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College. President Richard Hanson says the recalibration is necessary as the university faces a $5 million shortfall for the biennium, and the state grapples with a projected $6 billion budget deficit.  The plan is to eliminate four academic programs – art history, environmental landscaping, massage therapy, and one other yet to be named. Six jobs will be eliminated with those programs. There is also a list of programs to be reduced – they are: visual arts, English and speech, history, philosophy, modern languages, music, physics, environmental studies, economics, mathematics, computer science, psychology, sociology, accounting, technological studies, physical education, health and sport, professional education, and automotive. 33 jobs will be impacted by those program reductions. At least ten administrative positions will be eliminated from areas like library tech, communications and marketing, trades, telecom, clerical, counseling, the physical plant, and the Optivation office. The plan also calls for dropping men's indoor and outdoor track and field. Recalibration also includes new investment in emerging programs – strengthening the Native American studies and Ojibwe language programs, and adding two jobs to the business program and one position to the mass communication department.  

1/19/11

 

BEMIDJI'S 2 AM BAR CLOSING WILL TAKE EFFECT MONDAY

 

Bemidji's recently-enacted 2 am bar ordinance will officially take effect Monday, after the city council failed to pass a motion Tuesday night including two items that could have delayed and reversed it. There was no item on the regular meeting agenda addressing the ordinance, but Mayor Dave Larson added discussion of it, inviting city attorney Alan Felix to outline some options for the council. Felix said, in light of last week's work meeting with county commissioners where several participants said it would be ideal to have a consistent closing time ordinance between the city and county, the city had three options. Do nothing and move ahead with a 2 am ordinance in the city. Enact an administrative moratorium on 2 am license applications until after the county decides on it's proposed 1 am ordinance, which would be sometime next month. Or, if councilors expected the county's ordinance to eventually pass, introduce a city ordinance reinstating a 1-am closing in Bemidji, which would again go through three readings and a public hearing.  Council member Roger Hellquist introduced the motion to enact the moratorium and propose the 1 am ordinance. He, Mayor Larson, and Rita Albright voted yes; Kevin Waldhausen, Ron Johnson and Jim Thompson voted “no,” Thompson paused before casting his vote and stated “I gotta keep my promise.” Council member Greg Negard was absent from the meeting.  The motion failed on the 3-3 vote.

1/17/11

 

ONE OF TWO REDBY FUGITIVES ARRESTED

 

A fugitive facing second degree murder and assault charges has been captured by the FBI and is scheduled to appear in U.S. District court in Bemidji tomorrow.  Authorities have been looking for 22-year-old Donald Leigh Clark Jr and 19-year-old Cruz Anthony White of Redby since a November 3^rd shooting incident on the Red Lake Indian Reservation that killed 22-year-old Julian Keith Demarrias.  Late Saturday night, Red Lake Police officers and special agents with the FBI stopped a car driven by Clark's girlfriend as it pulled into Clark's father's driveway.  They found Clark hiding under a blanket in the back seat of the car and he was arrested without incident. Authorities are still looking for Cruz White and are asking the public's help in locating him.   

1/14/11

 

BEMIDJI'S "QUALITY NEIGHBORHOODS INITIATIVE" DISCUSSED

 

Bemidji city council members, members of the Quality Neighborhoods Initiative steering committee, and representatives from the company that produced a draft plan for the initiative all met Thursday night at Bemidji City Hall. Their discussion was designed to clear up any misconceptions about the goals of the initiative, and to talk about ways to make those goals achievable. Several participants said the biggest complaint they hear from citizens is the deterioration of some neighborhoods near campus where homes that used to be single-family dwellings are rapidly changing over to rental housing units.  Bemidji has an ordinance that limits the number of non-related tenants to four per home. City council member Kevin Waldhausen said, in his neighborhood, he sees up to six vehicles routinely parked at some of those homes. Paul Billota, with Bonestroo, the company that crafted a draft plan for the initiative, said enforcement of parking regulations may indeed be the key to improving those neighborhoods. Billota said strict parking rules can limit the number of tenants and may make those properties less valuable to landlords, in turn bringing down relatively high property values in those neighborhoods near campus, and making the homes more accessible to single-family buyers.

 

1/12/11

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL AND BELTRAMI COMMISSION DISCUSS BAR CLOSING ORDINANCES

 

Bemidji city council and Beltrami county commission members spent nearly two hours Monday night discussing the pros and cons of a 2 am bar closing time. Many of the participants agreed that it will be important to have a consistent policy throughout the county, to avoid the dangers of impaired drivers leaving one bar when it closes to get to another one that's open later. Bemidji city attorney Alan Felix posed a practical question, what does the city do while the county's 1 am ordinance has it's two remaining readings and mandatory public hearing. Bemidji's 2 am ordinance is set to take effect January 24^th, Beltrami County's public hearing happens over a week after that. Felix called the county's current administrative moratorium on 2 am license applications “unique” and said the city would likely need to wrestle with that issue as well. 

1/6/11

 

BEMIDJI AREA STORM WATER ORDINANCES DISCUSSED

 

Bemidji's city council room was filled to near capacity Wednesday afternoon for an informational session on storm water regulations hosted by the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce.  The Chamber posed the question, "Is it reasonable to think we can lessen the financial burden of storm water regulation?"  Bemidji City Engineer and Public Works Director Craig Gray said the answer to that question is, "absolutely not."  Gray said, as development expands, and state and federal regulations become increasingly restrictive, storm water treatment costs will increase.  He explained that Bemidji's two lakes mean stricter storm water rules, to prevent particulates from degrading lake water quality.  Gray says Lake Irving is already designated an "impaired body of water," and he hopes Lake Bemidji will not reach that designation.  The good news, Gray said, is that storm water utility fees to pay for some treatment projects, are even paid by tax-exempt properties, which make up about half of Bemidji's property.

 

1/5/11

 

BEMIDJI MAYOR ADDRESSES COUNTY COMMISSION

 

Bemidji's mayor was the first citizen to address the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners at Tuesday night's meeting, and that was something newly-installed board chair Joe Vene called unprecedented. Larson's comments came during the part of the meeting where citizen comments are routinely invited. Larson said he had talked with Vene a couple of days ago about establishing a dialogue between city and county leaders on the topic of bar closing ordinances. The mayor said he was disappointed when the previous city council passed a 2 a.m. ordinance in mid-December, and said he was pleased with the county commission's plans to move forward with a 1 a.m. closing ordinance for businesses within the county but outside incorporated cities and towns. Larson invited commission members to attend the city council's work session Monday night at 5:30 to discuss the issue, and said he hopes county and city leaders will meet together more often in the future.

1/4/11

 

CITY AND COUNTY TO MEET ON BAR CLOSING ISSUE

 

Bemidji's city council members will talk with county commissioners next Monday about bar closing ordinances.  Bemidji's council approved a 2 a.m. ordinance in mid-December, but it won't take effect until January 24^th. Three new members have joined the council since that 4-3 vote was taken. Shortly before the first of the year, Beltrami county commissioners moved forward with a 1 a.m. ordinance for businesses within the county, but outside of incorporated cities and towns. At his first city council meeting as mayor last night, Dave Larson suggested the joint meeting in the interest of, what he called, "continued dialogue". City manager John Chattin said he had talked with County Administrator Tony Murphy about the issue, and it appeared that meeting Monday during the council's work session would be a good time to visit with county commissioners.

 

1/3/11

 

SNOWMOBILE ACCIDENT NEAR NEVIS

 

There was a tragic snowmobiling accident Thursday on 3^rd Crow Wing Lake near Nevis. The Hubbard County Sheriff's Department says two 18-year-olds from Brownton Minnesota, just west of the Twin Cities, were on a snowmobile pulling a fish house Thursday evening when their sled went into open water. Thomas Plendl managed to get out of the water, despite his efforts to help Lukas Nuebarth, Nuebarth died at the scene. Harsh weather conditions prevented searchers from finding his body until the next day in about 12 feet of water. Crews from Nevis Fire and First Responders, Hubbard County Sheriff's Office and First Responders, Walker Fire, North Memorial Ambulance, and the Lakes Area Dive Team all assisted at the scene.

12/31/10

 

PEDESTRIAN DIES

 

The pedestrian hit by a car early Tuesday morning on the west edge of downtown Bemidji has died. As we told you Tuesday afternoon, 29-year-old Douglas Gross of Bemidji was hit shortly after 6 am near the intersection of 5^th Street NW and Park Avenue NW. He was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center where, as late as Thursday morning, he was listed in critical condition. Bemidji police tell us the driver who hit him is a 78-year-old Wilton man. The Minnesota State Patrol is conducting the investigation into the accident.

 

12/29/10

 

PEDESTRIAN IDENTIFIED

 

Authorities have released the name of the pedestrian hit by a car early yesterday morning on the west edge of Bemidji's downtown area.  The accident happened shortly after 6 am Tuesday near the intersection of 5th Street NW and Park Avenue NW.  Bemidji Police tell us a car driven by a 78-year-old Wilton man hit 29-year-old Douglas Gross of Bemidji, who was on foot.  Gross was taken by ambulance to North Country Regional Hospital, then airlifted to the Twin Cities.  Shortly before noon today, Hennepin County Medical Center listed him in critical condition.  The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the accident.    

12/22/10

 

BELTRAMI BOARD REACTS TO BEMIDJI BAR ORDINANCE

 

Monday's vote by the Bemidji's city council approving a 2 am bar closing ordinance is weighing heavily on the minds of Beltrami County Commissioners. At their work session Tuesday afternoon, county commissioners decided to schedule three readings and a public hearing on a proposed 1-am ordinance after the first of the year. The county ordinance would apply to bars within the county, but outside incorporated communities like Blackduck, Kelliher and Wilton. Commissioner Jim Heltzer said Bemidji's 2 am ordinance will basically flood the highways with, what he called “people in search of a DWI.” Board chair Jack Frost said Bemidji is not listening to the folks with “boots on the ground,” referring to department heads like County Attorney Tim Faver and Sheriff Phil Hodapp, who offered statistics showing the cost and danger of later bar closing times. Commissioner Quentin Fairbanks pointed out that townships and smaller towns within the county don't have police staff or jails, leaving the county to handle increased demands for law enforcement. “All that's going to cost us money,” he stated. Sheriff Hodapp suggested that's why the county has, “a dog in the hunt.” County administrator Tony Murphy offered his view that the county is always dealing with the consequences of poverty, and a later bar closing time might exacerbate that.  “This is not economic development,” he stated.  County commissioners hope to talk with Bemidji city council members, encouraging them to reconsider this week's vote.

 

12/21/10

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL PASSES 2 AM BAR CLOSING ORDINANCE

 

Bemidji's city council voted 4 to 3 in favor of a 2 am bar closing ordinance.The vote came towards the end of Monday night's regular council meeting, and there was no discussion among council members on the topic before taking the vote. Voting in favor of the ordinance were council members Kevin Waldhausen, Greg Negard, Ron Johnson, and Jerry Downs. Voting against the ordinance were council members Barbara Meuers, Roger Hellquist, and outgoing mayor Richard Lehmann. Monday night was also the last meeting for Downs and Meuers. At the conclusion of the meeting, Meuers first thanked the citizens of Bemidji for allowing her the serve them for the past 8 years. She then stated that she was disappointed in the council for approving the 2 am ordinance, saying they weren't listening to local law enforcement or the people of Bemidji. Downs said the vote came down to economic development, stating that one of the goals of the council is to sell the south shore. The ordinance allows, but does not require, bars to obtain licensure through the state to stay open until 2 am. It will take effect 30 days after publication.

12/20/10

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL, BELTRAMI COMMISSION CONSIDER BAR CLOSING ORDINANCES

 

Bemidji's city council takes its final vote on a proposed 2:00 a.m. bar closing ordinance at tonight's regular meeting, the last meeting of this year. It's also the last council meeting for Mayor Richard Lehmann and council members Jerry Downs and Barbara Meuers. There's an open house reception for the outgoing members at 6 p.m. at city hall.  Over the weekend, Beltrami County Sheriff Phil Hodapp sent out additional materials to county commission members explaining his support for a 1:00 a.m. bar closing ordinance for the county. That ordinance was added to tomorrow night's county board agenda by the request of County Attorney Tim Faver. In a memo addressed to commissioners, Hodapp says the city's consideration of a 2:00 a.m. closing makes this a good time to consider establishing a consistent county-wide policy to avoid future problems with public safety. Supporting materials attached to that memo show Bemidji with a significantly higher number of calls for service per law enforcement officer, and a higher crime rate per capita, than other Minnesota communities like Detroit Lakes, Alexandria, St. Cloud, Duluth, Moorhead, and Minneapolis.

12/14/10

 

SCHOOL DISTRICT FUEL CONCERNS

 

Bemidji's school board invited area lawmakers to a legislative issues discussion Monday night, but only one lawmaker came to the meeting.  Second-term District 4A State Representative John Persell told board members he has asked to be assigned to an education-related committee this session.  Superintendant Dr. James Hess listed three priorities he has for the legislative session, changing the school transportation funding formula from one that is attendance-based to one based on bus ridership, giving school boards the authority to renew operating levies, and providing full funding for school districts who offer all-day, every-day kindergarten.  Meanwhile, school district business manager Chris Leinen told Persell the state's mandate on biodiesel fuel for buses "is not working out."  Leinen said on Monday morning, when temperatures dropped below -20, the biodiesel fuel was freezing up in filters and preventing buses from running.

 

12/8/10

 

BEMIDJI'S BUDGET AND LEVY DETAILS

 

Some highlights from Bemidji's “Truth in Taxation” budget and levy report submitted this week by Finance Director Ron Eischens. The city's tax levy is increasing by 3%, largely due to cuts in local government aid from the state. However, property owners are seeing a slight decrease in their property tax rate. Bemidji's overall city budget is less than last year, because last year there was more bonding and construction activity related to development on the southeast shore of Lake Bemidji. Bemidji's total assessed property value is $1.5 billions, but 53% of the property is non-taxable.

26 % of the property is residential, 16 % commercial. The average home value in Bemidji is $88,000, and the average city tax on that property is $264. A lot of the money raised is going to put public safety people on the street. Of the 2011 general fund, 44% goes to police and fire. 60% of the general fund monies go to personnel-related costs.

The city's final 2011 budget and levy will presented for approval by the city council at their December 20^th meeting.

 

12/7/10

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL HOLDS BAR ORDINANCE HEARING

 

Monday night's hearing was the public's chance to speak out for or against a proposed 2 am bar closing ordinance in Bemidji. No one spoke out in favor of the ordinance. Several people spoke against it, including an alcohol counselor, at least two clergy members, and the owners of several Bemidji bars. Some of the speakers suggested the later closing time would be contrary to the city's moral obligation to protect its citizenry. Several speakers told council members that Bemidji should attract visitors by promoting the region's cultural offerings and natural resources, rather than a late bar closing time. After the public hearing, the ordinance had its second reading. A third reading, and council member vote, on the proposed ordinance is scheduled for the December 20^th regular council meeting.

 

12/3/10

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL APPROVES NAMING RIGHTS

 

In a short special meeting Friday evening, Bemidji City Council members voted unanimously to approve a naming rights agreement with Sanford Health for the Bemidji Regional Event Center.  City attorney Alan Felix explained necessary amendments to grant agreements providing funds for construction of the facility.  Council members approved the amendments before voting on the naming rights agreement.   Sanford will pay $2 million over ten years under the agreement.   City manager John Chattin said signage changes and additions at the facility will be forthcoming, including a large sign on the building's exterior, partially paid for by the city.  He expects Sanford representatives to attend the BSU home hockey series with St. Cloud to celebrate the new agreement.

11/29/10

 

CHARGES FILED IN THANKSGIVING DAY CHASE

 

24-year-old Fabian Wayne English of Red Lake appeared in Beltrami County Court today, charged with felony burglary, arson, and fleeing police.  Additional charges are pending.  Bail was set at $175,000.  Authorities say English led officers on a long chase from Turtle Lake Township through Red Lake in a stolen car and with other stolen items in his possession, includiing firearms.  Officers from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office, Bemidji Police, Red Lake Tribal Police, the Minnesota State Patrol, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the FBI participated during the chase and in the ensuing investigation.  The U.S. Attorney's Office is working on charges related to English's actions that day on the Red Lake Reservation.

 

11/26/10

 

CHASE LEADS AUTHORITIES TO THEFT SUSPECT

 

Beltrami County deputies, along with officers from the Minnesota State Patrol and the U.S. Border Patrol had a busy morning Thanksgiving Day. Around 5 am, a Turtle Lake Township resident called reporting a stolen vehicle, as well as a burning vehicle in the neighborhood. Deputies and fire crews arriving at the scene soon learned that the burning car had been stolen, and a second stolen car was also on fire. They also received a report of a stolen firearm in the neighborhood. Officers spotted the suspect vehicle north of Turtle Lake Township and pursued the vehicle to the reservation line where Red Lake Police took over the chase. Authorities say the suspect tried to run over tribal law enforcement officers west of Red Lake. He was shot once and taken into custody. Police have identified him as 24-year-old Fabian Wayne English of Red Lake. He was treated for his injuries at North Country Regional Hospital and remains in custody, facing possible charges of burglary, theft, fleeing police, and assault against tribal police officers.  Investigators believe English is responsible for ten thefts and burglaries, as well as three motor vehicle thefts. Most of the stolen property has been recovered and returned to its owners. The case is still under investigation by Red Lake Public Safety, the FBI, the Beltrami County Sheriff's Department and Bemidji Police.

 

11/22/10

 

NEW CHARGES FILED IN REDBY SHOOTING CASE

 

Authorities are still searching for two men in connection with the fatal shooting in Redby earlier this month, and now new charges have been filed against the fugitives.  The FBI says Donald Leigh Clark Jr and Cruze Anthony White have been charged with one count each of murder in the second degree, and two counts each of assault with intent to commit murder. Clark had already been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Both men are 22 years old. Clark is about 5'10", 225 pounds with a thin mustache. White is about 5'8", 170 pounds with four tattoos on the back of his left hand...the words Kyra and Kalicia, a bear paw and a small star. Both men are considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who has seen them is asked not to approach them, but to contact the FBI at 612 376-3200.

11/18/10

 

SANFORD/NCHS DEAL ANNOUNCED

 

A letter of intent was signed this morning by North Country Health Service's board of trustees, setting in motion the process of merging with Sanford Health.  According to a statement released this morning, Sanford's board of trustees is expected to sign the document at their meeting tomorrow.  A $5 million gift to the North Country Health Services Foundation is part of Sanford's investment in the deal.  The fully integrated clinic and hospital will be a non-profit organization.  North Country Health Services has over 900 employes.  Sanford Health has a presence in more than 100 communities in 8 states, and is developing international clinics in Ireland and Belize.

 

11/16/10

 

2 AM ORDINANCE DETAILS

 

Bemidji city council members got their first official look at the 2 a.m. bar closing draft ordinance at Monday night's regular council meeting.  It essentially removes 1 a.m. closing restrictions the city added when the state's 2 a.m. closing law went into effect seven years ago.  Those bars choosing to stay open until 2 a.m. would pay licensing fees to the state, with that revenue used to support statewide traffic enforcement efforts.  Bemidji's ordinance had its first reading at Monday night's meeting.  A second reading, and corresponding public hearing, are scheduled for the December 6 regular city council meeting.  The ordinance requires a third reading before it could be passed, and it would not take effect until 30 days after final passage and publication.

 

11/15/10

 

BEMIDJI PARKS POLICIES

 

Bemidji's Parks and Trails Commission is considering making city parks tobacco-free. The group talked about the issue at their regular meeting last week. Members expressed concern about the health risks of smoke and discarded cigarettes to young children, as well as the example set by adults smoking in front of kids. Discussion about a Tobacco Free Facilities policy will continue at their next meeting in December. 

11/11/10

 

OFFICERS ALARMED BY CALL FOR HELP

 

Beltrami County Sheriff Phil Hodapp says, what appeared at first to be a frightening incident over the weekend, apparently never happened.  Two urgent calls came in to the sheriff's office Sunday night, one from the U.S. Border Patrol and one from the Koochiching County Sheriff's Office, reporting that a border patrol agent had been stopped by two suspects in an SUV, pulled from his squad car, injured and left in a ditch about 40 miles north of Bemidji on Hwy 71. Officers from more than dozen agencies responded, and found the border patrol agent 12 miles north of Bemidji near Turtle River.  He did not appear to be injured. The Border Patrol and FBI have since been investigating the incident. Sheriff Hodapp tells us he's now been informed by the FBI that the incident was unfounded.

11/9/10

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL REVISITS 2 A.M. BAR CLOSING

 

Most of the time Bemidji city council members spent in their Monday night work session was on a topic not even listed on the original meeting agenda. After City Finance Director Ron Eischens briefed council members on financial developments related to the Southeast Shore Development and Bemidji Regional Event Center projects, council member Kevin Waldhausen asked for discussion on a possible 2 a.m. bar closing ordinance. Waldhausen said Bemidji can't compete with numerous other Minnesota cities that have 2 a.m. bar closing times when it comes to recruiting convention business and attracting new business to the south shore area. Waldhausen said although he didn't attend Bemidji High School, he has lived here for 15 years, and stated that Bemidji isn't in the 1950's anymore. The discussion didn't sit well with council member Barb Meuers, who asked Waldhausen how many council members knew ahead of time that he'd be introducing the issue Monday night. Mayor Richard Lehmann expressed frustration over coming back to the issue, after twice addressing it already this year. After more than a half hour of discussion, council members narrowly voted to direct city staff to draw up a proposed ordinance, which is expected to have its first reading at Monday night's regular council meeting.

11/5/10

 

NEW SHOOTING DETAILS

 

We have new details on Wednesday afternoon's shooting in Redby, on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Three officers responded to a 911 call about a shooting to find three people who had been shot. All three were taken to Red Lake Indian Health Service Hospital.  22-year-old Julian Demarrias died from his gunshot wounds.  19-year-old Jerrick Demarrias and 19-year-old Orland Spears are still hospitalized in critical condition.  Witnesses told authorities they heard 8 to 10 gunshots and saw a black 1998 GMC Yukon with a cream-colored stripe speed away from the scene. The SUV has a Red Lake license plate, number 19287. Investigators say it's possible that there was more than one shooter, but their primary suspect is Donald Clark Jr, who sometimes goes by Don Juan. Authorities believe he may be heavily armed, and is considered dangerous. Investigators also want to speak with Cruz White as a “person of interest.” Anyone with information about the incident or the whereabouts of Clark or Cruz should call the Red Lake Department of Public Safety or Bemidji's FBI office.

11/4/10

 

REDBY SHOOTING

 

The FBI says they're investigating a shoot-out involving five to six men yesterday afternoon on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. It happened in a residential neighborhood near the Red Lake Fisheries in Redby, and the FBI says it appears to be the result of a long-standing feud between two groups of men. Both groups were in vehicles when the shooting happened.  22-year-old Julian Keith Demarrias of Redby died at Red Lake Indian Health Services from injuries suffered during the shootout. Two other men in his vehicle were also wounded. One was flown to Sanford in Fargo, the other taken to North Country Regional Hospital in Bemidji. The FBI says they don't know if the people in other vehicle were injured, but the agency is not releasing any other details about who those people are at this time.

10/18/10

 

BEMIDJI COUNCIL APPROVES TERMS OF NAMING RIGHTS AGREEMENT

 

At tonight's regular Bemidji City Council meeting, city manager John Chattin released details of a naming rights agreement the city is negotiating with Sanford Health.  In exchange for naming the current Bemidji Regional Event Center to "The Sanford Center," Sanford intends to gift $2 million, in $200,000  annual increments up to July 31, 2021.  As stated in the memorandum of understanding, the naming right is exclusive, and Sanford would be granted exclusive exterior signing rights.  The council voted unanimously to approve the terms of the agreement, but approval is still pending from the Bemidji Economic Development Authority, Minnesota's Department of  Employment and Economic Development, and the city's bond council.  Council members will vote on a final version of the agreement after that.