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| Back to: Home > Local News & Info > KRWC News Archives 2004 |
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| KRWC News 3/8/04 - 3/14/04 |
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Back To Winter
Much of Minnesota was plunged back into some very winter-like conditions overnight. Temperatures plummeted and winds picked up, combining for actual temps in the single digits, and wind chills in the -20 range this morning. Highs today will likely be only in the teens, well below average for this time of year. Forecasters however say temps should return to the 30s on Friday. |
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Drivers Get Snowed on Monday
A sneaky snowstorm took forecasters and drivers by surprise Monday morning. Up to 3 inches of snow fell inside of an hour in some places. The northeastern portion of Wright County saw the heaviest snowfall, and traffic was slowed to a crawl on the freeway and other roadways. The state patrol says nearly 150 crashes occurred because of the snowstorm, including a 20-car pile-up in St. Paul. |
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Former KRWC Radio Broadcaster Honored With Posthumous Award From State Wrestling Coaches
The 2004 Minnesota State High School Wrestling Tournament was in St. Paul over the weekend, and as a part of the state tournament, a former Wright County man received a Posthumous Award from the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association. The late Kurt Weiche, former KRWC Radio owner, General Manager, and sports broadcaster was chosen for the M.W.C.A.'s Publicity Award for his many years of dedicated broadcasting of high school wrestling. Kurt's wife, Jayne Weiche of Buffalo, and his sons, Aaron and Ryan, were on hand for the presentation of the award at a breakfast Saturday morning at the Radisson Hotel in St. Paul. |
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Livestock Direct Marketing Workshop Next Week
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is inviting livestock producers to attend a one day workshop next week called "Branding Your Beliefs." The workshop is a part of the 9th annual Minnesota Grown Marketing Conference being held Tuesday, March 16th at the former Earle Brown Center on the U of M St. Paul Campus. The full day workshop will be led by Mike Lorentz of Lorentz Meats of Cannon Falls. The family owned company has recently seen their livestock processing business reach two million pounds annually through direct marketing. The company has worked closely to support producers selling livestock direct to consumers. The workshop will outline a step-by-step procedure to develop a successful direct marketing program. Space is limited for the Minnesota Grown conference. For information on registration, go online at www.minnesotagrown.com, or call (651) 297-5510. |
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Maple Lake Celebrates Irish Heritage Saturday at St. Pat's Festival
Everyone's a little Irish during the St. Patrick's Festival in Maple Lake, and tomorrow's 27th annual event will be no exception. The day starts with a craft sale at the elementary school at 9 AM. The Irish Scamper 5K and fun run begins at 11 AM. The 95-unit Grande Day Parade featuring many of the family "clans" of the community and other communities in the state begins at 2:30, with the crowning of a new Miss Maple Lake at 4:30 at the Maple Lake High School Gym. Throughout the day, great Irish food favorites, live music, and of course, green beer will be a part of the celebration at various restaurants and clubs. The events are sponsored by the Maple Lake Chamber of Commerce, and annually draw 5 to 6 thousand people, making the celebration one of the largest St. Patty's Day Festivals in the outstate area. More Info on Festival |
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Murder Conviction in Local Case Overturned
The Minnesota Supreme Court has thrown out the conviction of a Becker man in the 1992 rape and murder of Linda Jensen in rural Big Lake. The ruling was handed down Thursday in a 44 page report that indicated that 40-year-old Kent Jones of Becker did not receive a fair trial because of a lower court's ruling that some DNA evidence and alleged incriminating statements made by two other suspects in the case were not admissible. Attorneys for Sherburne County now have 10 days to decide whether or not to ask the high court to reconsider its ruling. If they don't, Jones will return to the Sherburne County Jail to await a new trial. Jones lived about a half mile from the Jensens at the time of the crime, and was acquainted with the family through volunteer work. During his trial, Jones admitted to having a sexual encounter with Linda Jensen the day before her death, but denied rape and murder allegations. |
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Northstar Commuter Rail Narrowly Clears House Committee Hurdle
The Minnesota House Transportation Finance Committee has passed the bill which calls for 37.5 million dollars in state borrowing for the proposed Northstar Commuter Rail line, but by a very narrow margin. Late last week, on a vote of 11 to 9, the project was sent on to the Capital Investment Committee. 3 Republicans, and 8 DFL'ers voted in favor of Northstar funding, while 8 other Republicans, and 1 Democrat were opposed. The uphill battle for Northstar funding gets even steeper in the Capital Investment Committee, as Chairman Phil Krinkie of Shoreview has been a very outspoken opponent of the proposal, calling it a violation of the state Constitution. Governor Pawlenty recently reversed his original opposition to the Northstar line, and has supported the project which has gained the backing of many GOP legislators from along the proposed corridor. |
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Rep. Urdahl Says Careful Consideration is Needed in Re-Balancing State Budget
The revenue shortfall that Minnesota lawmakers are facing this session is very slight when compared to the oceans of red ink encountered last year. Nonetheless, State Representative Dean Urdahl of Grove City says that he's not in full support of Governor Tim Pawlenty's recent recommendations on how to balance the 160 million dollar deficit. Urdahl says he believes nursing homes and other services should be spared from further cuts. He also says he doesn't want to see farm incentives dashed. In fact, Urdahl has three bills up for consideration in the 2004 session, dealing with various forms of help for Minnesota's agricultural industry. |
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St. Michael-Albertville Wrestlers Win State Class AA Team Championship
The wrestling team from St. Michael-Albertville High School completed a perfect undefeated season Saturday, earning them the Minnesota Class AA wrestling crown, as the Knights defeated Adrian 32-22. Several individual wrestlers from the Wright County area were crowned as champions or top place holders in their respective weight classes as well. KRWC congratulates the Knights on their continuing wrestling legacy. |
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Township Elections Results
Township elections were held Tuesday throughout Minnesota, and here in Wright County. All 18 townships in Wright County held elections of at least one board member and most held their annual meeting following the close of the polls. Here are the results from the Wright County races as reported to us by township officials (in alphabetical order):
Albion Township: Clerk-Doris Raisanen (inc.) 148, Supervisor-Brian Miller 83, John Uecker (inc.) 69
Buffalo Township: Clerk-Gordon Jans (inc.) 53, Supervisor-Donald Schmidt (inc.) 47, Vernon Otten 16
Chatham Township: Clerk-Francis Munsterteiger (inc.) 29, Supervisor-Arnold Goerke (inc.) 28
Clearwater Township: Clerk-Sharon Lee (inc.) 38, Supervisor-Bruce Sobotta (inc.) 42
Cokato Township: Clerk-Dan Siltala (inc.) 22, Supervisor-Tim Gosswiller 17
Corinna Township: Supervisor-William Lieb (inc.) 107, Peter Flatten 63
Franklin Township: Supervisor-Al Steinbach 38
French Lake Township: Clerk-Roseanne Peterson (inc.) 33, Supervisor-Paul Erickson (inc.) 31
Maple Lake Township: Supervisor-Gerald Giebenhain (write-in) 52, Harold Harbinson (write-in) 21, Ronald Wolff 18
Marysville Township: Clerk-Dorothy Rahn 49, Supervisor-Dick Sawatzke (inc.) 49
Middleville Township: Clerk-Joey Berg (write-in) 33, Supervisor-Robert Berg (inc. *Did not file, re-elected on write-in) 43
Monticello Township: Supervisor-Franklin Denn (inc.) 51, Supervisor-Brett Holker (inc.) 53
Rockford Township: Supervisor-Larry Otto 138, Supervisor-Bill Daluge (write-in) 74
Silver Creek Township: Supervisor-John Jones 116, Teresa Abbott 83, Supervisor-Russell Nelson (inc.) 71 Douglas Schneider 59, Rome Hutchings 57, Bonnie Zavadil 10
South Side Township: Supervisor-Marty Ferguson (inc.) 18
Stockholm Township: Clerk-Amanda (Mahlstedt) Zeidler 109, Supervisor-Randy Brandel 45, Dave Sand (inc.) 36, Paul Davis 35, Treasurer-John Lind 110
Victor Township: Clerk-Sharon Glessing (inc.) 134, Supervisor-Burton Horsch (inc.) 78, Don Laxen 67
Woodland Township: Clerk-Gloria Janikula (inc.) 43, Supervisor-Ken Pawelk (inc.) 37
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Wright County Jobless Rate Takes Seasonal Jump in January
2004 began with a jump in unemployment in Wright County. The most recent statistics from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development shows that the non-seasonally adjusted jobless rate for Wright County was 7.4%, up a full percentage point from December, but lower than the first two monthly rates in 2003. Unemployment traditionally takes a jump in the winter months due to seasonal labor. Wright County's unemployment was significantly higher however than the state rate of 5.5% in January, while the U.S. rate was 6.3%. |
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