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| Back to: Home > Local News & Info > KRWC News Archives 2004 |
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| KRWC News 8/23/04 - 8/29/04 |
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12-Year-Old Gymnast Injured
A young gymnast from Watertown is in a Twin Cities hospital today following an accident at his home. KARE-11 reports that Josh Scanlon was practicing flips at his home in Watertown Thursday afternoon when he fell hard and injured his back.
Scanlon is reportedly paralyzed below the waist, though doctors aren't sure whether or not the condition will be permanent. A greeting from U.S. Olympic gold medallist Paul Hamm from Athens, Greece reportedly lifted the boy's spirits as he and his family deal with the incident. Meanwhile, a recovery fund has been set up for the boy and his family at a Watertown bank. Donations may be made to the Josh Scanlon Trust Fund, C/O Bremer Bank, 301 Territorial East, Watertown, MN 55388. |
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Back-to-School Means Home Budget Restructuring
Summer vacation is rapidly drawing to a close for students, which means that most families are finding themselves headed to the stores for school supplies and fall clothing. Lutheran Social Service financial counselor Cherrish Holland says because of budget cuts in a lot of districts, parents are finding themselves writing some larger numbers on their checks for back-to-school necessities. Holland says one way to save is to do a full inventory of what supplies kids may already have from last year to avoid duplication. She says avoiding the designer label clothing is another way to keep costs in check. |
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Crunch Time for Local Crops
The cool and dry summer in Minnesota has made it tough for crops to mature, and that has many area farmers wondering about the outcome at harvest. Wright County Farm Service Agency Director Kevin Bergquist says while most growers in our area were spared from the devastating frost that some parts of the state saw last week, the bigger problem here has been the lack of rain. The dry weather has stunted the development of soybeans, and could mean a lot of after-harvest drying for corn. The silver lining to the unusual growing season has been for small grain farmers. U.S.D.A. officials say that wheat crops so far this year have been among the best in decades. |
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Frost Factor in Wright County
Though the damage was not widespread, there are some local reports of crop damage from the frost that hit Minnesota and parts Wright County over the weekend. The vast majority of the frost damage in the state was north of Interstate 94, but there are some reports of scattered frost damage in our area as well.
Tuesday, we reported that the majority of area farms were not affected by the quick cool down Friday night into Saturday morning. While that is true, it should be noted that there now have been some reports of frost damage, mostly in the western and southwestern portions of Wright County. While final damage numbers are not yet in, an early estimate from local U.S.D.A. officials is that perhaps 15 percent of fields in Wright County had some level of frost damage. 36 counties in Minnesota have now reported some crop damage from the August frost. |
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Funeral Services Today for George Reilly, Former Buffalo Citizen of the Year
Funeral services are scheduled for today for a longtime Buffalo community volunteer and civic leader. George Reilly, who most recently was from Monticello, died Tuesday at the St. Benedict's Senior Community at the age of 84. Reilly, and his late wife Alice portrayed “Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus” for many years. The Reilly's were past “Citizens of the Year” in Buffalo. George was also a member of the VFW and Knights of Columbus. The Reilly's took in many foster children over the years, and adopted and raised some of the foster children as their own. Funeral services for George Reilly will be held at 10 o'clock this morning at St. Henry's Catholic Church in Monticello. |
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Labor Day DWI Crackdown Planned
Impaired drivers will be the main target of another series of saturation patrols over the Labor Day holiday period. Wright County Sheriff's Deputies, local police officers and the State Patrol will heavily monitor roads and highways in our area and throughout the state. Sheriff Gary Miller says the idea behind the “Safe & Sober” program which sponsors the saturation patrols is not so much to set new arrest records, but rather to keeping the public safer by getting impaired drivers off the roads. The saturation patrols will begin Friday night and will run through Sunday, September 12th. The “Safe & Sober” campaign is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. |
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Maple Lake, Montrose Festivals Wrap Up
The final community celebrations for the summer season wrapped up over the weekend in Wright County. Saturday in Maple Lake, people from throughout the area turned out for the day-long “Days of Old” festivities featuring vintage vehicles, costumes, music, and other great activities. The community of Montrose celebrated its “Montrose Days” over the weekend, with dozens of activities for all ages. The annual celebration wrapped up on Sunday with the return of the parade, which was absent from the 2003 festival because of road construction in the area. Sunday also was a day for the crowning of new Montrose Royal Ambassadors. Teresa Dongoski, Katie Klingelhoets, and Allison Krause will represent the community at various events and parades for the coming year. Amanda Anderson was named Miss Congeniality. Dassel's “Red Rooster Days” will conclude the summer celebration season in our region over the Labor Day holiday weekend. |
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Minnesota State Fair Opens Today
The 2004 Minnesota State Fair opens today, and a time-honored tradition of the fair will continue. New “Century Farms” in Minnesota will be honored again this year. The State Fair Board and the Minnesota Farm Bureau recognizes farms of 50 or more acres in size that have been in continuous family ownership for 100 years. Close to 200 farms will join the “Century Farm” list this year, including the Bernard and Kimberly Schmidt farm in Wright County, established in 1883.
New Century Farm families will receive a commemorative sign, and a certificate signed by the Governor, and officials with the State Fair and Minnesota Farm Bureau. Wednesday night, a new Princess Kay of the Milky Way was crowned. 20-year-old Christina Rettmann of Buffalo Lake will serve as an ambassador for the state's dairy industry for the coming year. Melissa Eurele of Litchfield, representing Meeker County was a runner-up for the honor this year. |
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New West Nile Cases in Wright County
Two of the seven human cases of West Nile Virus confirmed in Minnesota so far this summer are here in Wright County. The Minnesota Department of Health says a second human case in Wright County was recently confirmed, along with a second human case in neighboring McLeod County. Though West Nile in humans can be fatal, more often people are affected with other varying symptoms including severe headaches, fever, nausea, dizziness, and body aches. Residents are cautioned to use repellents with DEET, wear long clothing if possible while outdoors in areas heavily infested with mosquitos, avoid outdoor activity at dawn and dusk, and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds around your home by checking for any areas where water may collect and stand for lengthy periods of time. |
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Seniors Beware of Medical Discount Offers
Seniors need to be very cautious of so-called “discount” offers for medical services and prescriptions. The Central Minnesota Council on Aging reports that their office has been getting a number of calls recently from seniors reporting door to door salespersons selling a health care plan that offers steep discounts on prescriptions, eye care, foot care, and hearing aides. The plans are selling anywhere from 15 dollars per month to a “lifetime membership” fee of 700 to 1000 dollars. Officials with the Council on Aging report that when they checked on the plan, they found that the “steep discounts” on drugs turned out to be simply an 800 phone number to a Canadian pharmacy to place an order. In checking one of the local providers for podiatry services, the podiatrist's office stated that they had never heard of the company offering the plan, nor did they have a contract with them to discount their services. Seniors are advised that the Central Minnesota Council on Aging provides a free service to check out plans for health care services through the Senior LinkAge Line at 1-800-333-2433. |
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Three Arrested in Area Meth Bust
Two people from Sherburne County, and one Wright County resident have been arrested after a drug raid a week ago in nearby Clear Lake. Sherburne County Sheriff Bruce Anderson says a man and a woman were arrested at their residence in Clear Lake when investigators executed a search warrant, and found an active meth lab. Authorities say the found some finished methamphetamine along with chemicals, supplies, and other items used in the production of the drug. The investigation also led authorities to contact Wright County Sheriff's Deputies who obtained a search warrant for a home in Clearwater, where they arrested a 30-year-old man who allegedly supplied materials used to produce the drug. The Sherburne County Attorney's Office is expected to charge all three persons arrested with conspiracy to manufacture meth, while the couple arrested in Clear Lake will also likely face charges of 5th degree possession of the drug. |
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Weekend Head-On Crash Update
One driver remains hospitalized after a two vehicle crash in Wright County over the weekend. The Wright County Sheriff's Department says the accident happened around 10:40 PM Friday evening on County Road 8 south of Maple Lake.
Officials say a northbound pickup truck driven by 43-year-old David Wroge of Lester Prairie crossed over into the southbound lane on the county road, colliding head-on with a southbound truck pulling a 5th wheel horse trailer. The truck and trailer was driven by 42-year-old Rebecca Boll of Waconia. Officers on the scene reported that a guard rail prevented the truck and trailer from taking any further action to avoid the crash. The two drivers, and a passenger in the Waconia woman's truck, identified as 2-year-old Carson Boll were taken to Buffalo Hospital. The youngster was apparently not seriously injured. Rebecca Boll was released from Buffalo Hospital Tuesday, while David Wroge is reported to be in stable condition at North Memorial Hospital in the Twin Cities after he was transferred there over the weekend. Authorities say charges against the Lester Prairie man related to the crash are pending with the Wright County Attorney's Office. |
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Wright County Unemployment Down in July
Wright County's jobless rate fell in July after a brief upturn the previous month. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in July in Wright County was 4.1 percent, down from 4.9 percent in June. The July rate equals the lowest unemployment figures so far this year in Wright County, and is the lowest jobless rate in July in three years. While unemployment fell, the overall number of people available for the work last month was up to close to 56 thousand, approaching record numbers. Minnesota's unemployment was also down a half-point last month to 4.2 percent, while the U.S. jobless rate was down a tenth of a point to 5.7 percent. |
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