SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION STARTED FIRE

The manager of the Little Falls ethanol plant thinks the cause of the explosion over the weekend was spontaneous combustion. Kerry Nixon said it appears that wood chips in the gasification silo at Central Minnesota Ethanol Co-op caught fire and the buildup of gasses blew the roof off the top. Nixon said the chips were stagnant because of a combustion tube problem. Nobody was hurt in the explosion and fire. The plant was shut down Monday but is now running at full capacity on backup burners fueled by natural gas.

SPICER MAYOR GETS TRIAL

Spicer Mayor Perry Wohnoutka will get a jury trial for the two misdemeanor charges he faces for a September first brawl at Melvin's on the Lake in Spicer. The 47-year old mayor appeared with his attorney in Kandiyohi County District Court. Judge Michael Thompson set the one-day trial date for January fifteenth. Wahnoutka is charge with assault and disorderly conduct for allegedly hitting a bouncer and a bartender at Melvin's. He said he will testify in his own defense.

LEADERSHIP ALUMS SPEAK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION

Alumni of a group within the Brainerd Chamber called Leadership in the Lakes have voiced their support of public education, specifically the levy increases in Brainerd and Crosby Ironton. Andrea Holmes manages Associates in Eyecare. She believes public education is a vital part of the communities in both cities. Holmes said public education "is so important in that if I don't feel like I can pay for my child's education, my community steps up to pay for it." She said she "can't step away from the pool of children that has to be taken care of by all of us, that the minimum necessary for her own children, is necessary for all children." Holmes said she has some control of that in the public domain but no control of it in the private domain. Voters in Crosby Ironton and Brainerd and 99 other Minnesota schools will decide levy referendum questions next Tuesday.

BAUDETTE WOMAN DIES

A Baudette woman died in a multi-vehicle crash Monday night. The state patrol said 49-year old Doris Speaker was driving her minivan the wrong way on the interstate highway when she collided head-on with a semi-trailer cab. A pick-up truck was also involved in the crash.

MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE

Tickets went on sale this week for the Minnesota State Lottery Millionaire Raffle game. Lottery Director Clint Harris said two lucky players will win $1,000,000 each. This is the second year for the Millionaire Raffle game. Tickets are $10 and only 500,000 tickets will be sold. Deadline for the game is December 31st but last year's tickets sold out long before that. Harris used to be the lottery director in South Dakota where their top prize is only $250,000.

VENISON-AVERSE HUNTERS CAN DONATE

Firearms deer season starts this weekend and a slight variation in Minnesota law encourages those hunters who like to shoot 'em but not eat 'em. Hunters can donate the deer to a food shelf. South St. Paul lawmaker Rick Hanson sponsored the legislation. Hunters who donate don't have to pay for processing anymore, state taxpayers pick that up. The law is patterned on similar measures in Wisconsin and Iowa.

LINDEN HILLS OPEN AGAIN

The two old Linden Hills mansions in Little Falls are open for overnight visits, tours and receptions again. The city council approved an agreement yesterday to let a private nonprofit group manage and promote the nineteenth century Musser and Weyerhauser buildings. Friends of the Linden Hill will pay the city a dollar a year for the lease and want to put the buildings on a sound financial footing. Director of the Friends board Susan Paulson told the Brainerd Dispatch the board is relieved and excited about the future. The city will still own the buildings and still retains control of the money left for upkeep.

RITCHIE ACCUSED OF NAME COLLECTING

Two metro area men have complained to the state legislative auditor that Secretary of State Mark Ritchie collected their names and e-mail addresses at a civic education meeting and later used the addresses for political fundraising. Mark Giga and John Tomczak believed the addresses would be used to send information about future civic education meetings. They said collection of their names was an abuse of the Secretary's position as chief elections officer and they want auditor James Nobles to investigate.

OSPREY HEADING OUT

The beginning of fall also brings on migration season and even though most open water has not frozen over yet, some feathered predators have started their trip south. DNR Small non-game specialist Pam Perry said the osprey is one of them. Perry said the osprey is neither hawk nor eagle but in a bird category by itself where as the eagle is in the same category as the red-tailed hawk. The osprey migration trip could take them as far as South America. But they'll be back next year.

PLANE CRASH VICTIMS RECOVERED

The bodies of 20-year old Adam Ostapenko and 22-year old flight instructor Annette Klosterman were recovered from the wreckage of the small plane crash in a swampy area north of Cushing over the weekend. Rescuers had to use a helicopter to retrieve the plane and the bodies of the UND student and instructor. The FAA and National Traffic Safety Board will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

LEVY SUPPORTERS HOPEFUL BUT NERVOUS

Voters in 101 Minnesota School Districts, nearly a third of all districts, will go to the voting booth next Tuesday to decide whether or not to increase their property taxes. Operating levy referenda are on the ballot in Brainerd, Crosby-Ironton, Pierz, Wadena-Deer Creek and Walker Hackensack Akely. State Senate Minority Leader Tarryl Clark represents St. Cloud and she said supporters are hopeful but a little nervous. She said only 42% of levy requests passed, the lowest approval percentage since 1980. Clark said levies should be more about the things that enhance education rather than paying for the basics. And, she said accountability is very important and school districts must be good stewards of the taxpayer's money. Clark said voters in her area face a school levy question as well as an increase in city taxes. The election will be held on Tuesday, November 6th.

LAWMAKERS WANT DISASTER FUND

Golden Valley lawmaker Ryan Winkler said he will introduce a disaster victim compensation fund bill during the legislative session next year. Winkler said disaster victim's needs can be immediate, long-lasting and expensive. Lawmakers are holding a series of hearings that could lead to such a compensation fund. The I-35W bridge collapsed in August, killed 13 and injured 100 people. Lawmakers say the suggested Minnesota fund would be similar to the one developed by federal lawmakers after 9/11.

UNION SUES CI SCHOOL DISTRICT

Members of the union representing Crosby Ironton School support staff sued the school district last week saying the district committed unfair labor practices and refused to meet and negotiate in good terms. More than 50 cooks, janitors, secretaries and paraprofessionals belong to the union. Local president Pat Watson told the Brainerd Dispatch that she's glad to see the suit come about because the school hasn't treated them fairly. Watson said the suit had nothing to do with the school operating levy referendum on the ballot. Voters will go to the polls next Tuesday.

DROWNING IN CASS COUNTY

Cass County deputies say a man drowned Saturday afternoon in Sugar Lake north of Remer when his kayak overturned. Deputies pulled 50-year old Stephen Chudzik of St. Paul from the water around 4pm. He was taken to Grand Rapids Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

DROWNED MAN'S BODY RECOVERED

Kandiyohi County Sheriff's department rescuers recovered the body of 35-year old Martin Richard Schriner from Eagle Lake Saturday afternoon. Shriner and a friend had been fishing on the lake north of Wilmar when both went into the water. A jet skier rescued Shriner's friend and he was treated and released from an area hospital. Shriner was from Plymouth.

IRON RANGE PROJECT PERHAPS BLOCKED

Governor Pawlenty announced over the weekend that he may not support a new taconite to steel project after all. Indian company Essar Global had announced last week that it had bought Itasca County taconite operation Minnesota Steel and was going to build a new $1.6-Billion dollar plant. Part of the deal included state bonding money for infrastructure. Pawlenty said he'd learned that Essar was also doing business with Iran, a terrorist state. Governor Pawlenty said actions by Iranian groups or individuals have killed American soldiers and other innocent people and until the matters are resolved to the full satisfaction of he and the US government, he would oppose any state assistance.

BRAINERD FOOTBALLER INJURED

A Brainerd high school football player is recovering from an apparent head injury in a hospital in Robbinsdale. Brainerd high school senior Tyler Jensen was injured in a semi-final playoff game with Alexandria on Saturday. Jensen walked off the field but collapsed on the sidelines and was flown to North Memorial Saturday night. Football coach Ron Stolski told the Brainerd Dispatch that Jensen is the heart and soul of the team. He was listed in critical but stable condition on Sunday.

HIGHWAY 371 INFORMATION, SO FAR

About 100 people attended a forum last week on the future of Pequot Lakes portion of Highway 371. The forum was sponsored by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber and held at the Pequot Lakes High School. Minnesota Department of Transportation engineer Tim Bray told the Brainerd Dispatch that the project has been in the works for 5 years and this is the last part before the council votes. The council has passed resolutions supporting both a through-town and around-town route. Bray said this has been a challenging project for him. He said he thinks a lot of people in Pequot Lakes just want a decision. The city council could consider a municipal consent resolution in December. Construction is scheduled to start 8 or 9 years from now.

WEYERHAUSER WORKERS START THE RETRAINING PROCESS

Workers at the Weyerhauser I-Level plant in Deerwood completed initial meetings yesterday with members of the state's rapid response team. Sue Hilgart is with the Brainerd Workforce Center. She said the next step will be for the workers to complete surveys and fill out career assessment forms. She said the workers seemed very focused and engaged and seemed ready to make some good decisions. Hilgars said funds from the Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program will lead the workers in one of three tracks, toward immediate employment, toward short-term training to fine-tune transferrable skills, and long-term training into anothe line of work. Weyerhauser announced earlier this week that it was closing the plant but would maintain the equipment on the possibility that the housing industry would show new growth.

DEZARAE HOPE HARVEST FESTIVAL

The Bob and Ronnet Johnson 14th annual Dezarae Hope Harvest Festival and Hayride happens this weekend, this Saturday in fact out at the Johnson farm north of Crosby. Bob Johnson said this is a free family event with games, a bonfire, barbecue and beverages. If you do attend, the Johnson family would like to bring a side dish to share and a non-perishable food item to be donated to a local food shelf. And a used coat for the "Coats for Kids" program. The farm is on River Road twiles west of County Road 30. Or call for directions, 546-2650.

STATE CAPITAL FOR A DAY

Baxter, Deerwood, Pequot Lakes or even Breezy Point could become an honorary state capital for a day next year, and all you have to do is nominate your favorite city and then convince lots of people to go online and vote. Walker lawmaker Larry Howes said the promotion is part of next year's sesquitennial celebration; Minnesota became a state 150 years ago, in 1858. Vote counters will name five cities to represent the state's biomes or distinct geographic and environmental regions. Go online to www.mn150years.org by November 7th to nominate your city. Online voting takes place from November 11-24th. The winners will be announced during the week after Thanksgiving.

AIRPLANE CRASH CLAIMS TWO LIVES

Todd County Sheriff Pete Mikkelson said two people died in the small plane crash near Cushing northwest of Browerville in Turtle Creek Township. A Civil Air Patrol crew spotted the plane Wednesday afternoon just after 4pm. 22-year old University of North Dakota flight instructor Annette Kosterman and 20-year old aviation student Adam Ostapenko left St. Paul just before 9:30pm Tuesday night heading for Grand Forks. Sheriff Mikkelson told the Brainerd Dispatch no one knows what caused the crash yet. Minneapolis air trafic controllers last spoke to the pilot around 10:15pm Tuesday on a routine conversation as the plane was flying through the Little Falls area.

INDIAN SISTER STATE

Minnesota has an Indian sister-state. Governor Pawlenty signed a partnership agreement with the State of Haryana's Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda yesterday in New Delhi, India. The governor is on a ten day trade mission that includes travel to New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. Haryana has 21-million people and is a primarily agriculture state with some industry and became Minnesota's second sister-state.

HIGHWAY DEATH PACE FASTER THAN LAST YEAR

At the current pace of traffic deaths, more Minnesotans will die in highway crashes this year than last. So far this year, four hundred people have died on Minnesota roads, about three weeks ahead of last year's pace. Highway Patrol Sergeant Curt Mowers said roughly 83% of us are wearing our seat belts but its not enough. Mower said of the 2,344 vehicle occupants who died between 2002 and 2006, more than half were not wearing seat belts. 494 people died on Minnesota roadways last year, the first year since 1945 that total crash fatalities were fewer than 500.

RED RIBBON WEEK TO FIGHT DRUGS, ALCOHOL ABUSE

This is Red Ribbon Week, an effort to take a current look at illegal drug and alcohol use with a special focus on methamphetamine. Crow Wing County Health Nurse Rose Hauge said a special forum tonight in Baxter offers lots of solid information. Derrick Crim from Hazelden will be the keynote speaker. Tonight's community forum in Baxter will be at the Heritage Church on Berrywood Drive. Sign in for the event from 6:30-7pm. The presentations are scheduled to be finished by 8:30pm.

PEQUOT LAKES HIGHWAY 371 MEETING TONIGHT

Pequot Lakes citizens will gather tonight to hear the information gathered so far about the future of Highway 371. Ruthanne Hanson is with the Brainerd Lakes Chamber. She said the goal is to present information on both the around and through-Pequot Lakes routes and let people to make an informed decisions. Hanson said the chamber is not advocating over route over the other but want citizens to have as much information as possible. She urged citizens to attend the meeting and then contact their city council members as to their preference. The city council will vote on a resolution of municipal consent sometime next year. The meeting tonight starts at 6:30pm. A formal presentation of the plans for Highway 371 through or around Pequot Lakes begins at 7pm.

MCCONVILLE CONVINCED

All five people running for a 3-year seat on the Brainerd School Board are supporting the $5-Million levy referendum. But challenger Phillip McConville said he wasn't convinced at first, until he had a meeting with Superintendent Jerry Walseth. McConville has never run for public office before and thought the school board would be a good place to start. Voters will select three candidates from the five running on November 6th, a week from Tuesday.

DFL FORUM CHANGE

The location for this weekend's DFL Senate Forum and Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser has changed location. It was to be at the Breezy Point Resort this Sunday at 2pm. Instead it will be at the Breezy Point City Hall on County Road Eleven. Four candidates seeking the Democrat endorsement to run against incumbent Senator Norm Coleman are to be on the program. Cass County DFLers will hold their annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser at Antlers Restaurant after the candidate's forum. Call County Chair Dan Bye if you need more information, 568-5530.

ROAD WORK IN AITKIN

Crews will start working on a stretch of Highway 169/210 in downtown Aitkin today to fix the sewer system. The road will be closed one block east of the downtown traffic signal and traffic will be detoured through city streets. The repairs should be completed in about a week and a half, by Friday, November second.

BLACK BEARS ON THE AGENDA

The Northland Arboretum will hold its 33rd annual meeting tonight. Executive Director Dale Braddy said if you've ever wanted to know more about black bears, you shouldn't miss this program. Featured speaker Dr. Lynn Rogers - The Man Who Walks With Bears - is a recognized expert on black bears. The Northland Arboretum is across Excelsior Road from the Movies Ten Theater in Baxter. The meeting Thursday, October 25th starts at 6:30pm and includes coffee and dessert. Cost is $10 for members, $20 for non-members.

12-YEAR OLD BOY HELD IN SHOOTING

Kandiyohi County Prosecutor Boyd Beccue said juvenile proceedings concerning a 12-year old boy held in a Raymond man's shooting death have begun. Juvenile court proceedings are sealed so no other official information is available. Beccue said because of the boy's age, he won't be tried as an adult. The county dispatcher received a call Monday from a child who said his father had been shot in the arm. 36-year old Keith Amborn was taken to a Willmar hospital where he died. Law enforcement officials are not allowed to confirm the young boy's name or relation to Amborn but MacCray School District Superintendent Greg Schmidt said the boy is a sixth grader in his district. The investigation continues.

TODD COUNTY ARSON

Two Long Prairie men have been charged with second degree arson, released on bail and are waiting their next court appearance. The Todd County Sheriff's deputies arrested 22-year old Anthony Michael Civilla, 21-year old Timothy George Taylor and 20-year old Brandon George King last week on suspicion of setting fire to a Browerville house earlier in the month. Taylor and King are to appear in court next Monday. Civilla has not been formally charged.

BAXTER MAN SUES FEDS

A Baxter dentist is suing the United States federal government because immigration officials have failed to grant him citizenship. 29-year old Doctor Atif Rizvi passed his naturalization exams 3 years ago. The legal waiting period is 120 days. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokeswoman Maria Elena Upson said the FBI is backed up on background and fingerprint checks. Rizvi works for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. He was born in Pakistan and was fingerprinted for a third time in August. The FBI backlog is delaying the naturalization process for roughly 150,000 people.

ALL BOARD CANDIDATES SUPPORT REFERENDUM

All five candidates for the Brainerd School Board said last night they would vote for the operating levy referendum on November's ballot. And all five said the Brainerd district was not overstaffed with administrators. Incumbents Ruth Gmeinder, Kent Montgomery and Reed Campbell as well as challengers Mark J. Olson and Phillip McConville told the Brainerd Dispatch that passage of the referendum was necessary to maintain the quality of education in District 181. None of the candidates criticized administrators and teachers for recent pay increases they received, even though the district was facing tough financial times. Superintendent Jerry Walseth turned down his raise this year. Current board chair Kent Montgomery and challenger said a wage freeze for teachers would have been great but the board was dealing with real people. Board member Ruth Gmeinder said everyone deserves a cost of living increase. The referendum on November sixth would raise over $5-million dollars the first year and could be adjusted for inflation during the next 9 years.

RODRIGUEZ' SISTER WANTS ALPHONSO SPARED

The sister of the man sentenced to death for the kidnapping and killing of Pequot Lakes' woman Dru Sjodin says her brother needs treatment not death. Ileanna Noyes shared her thoughts while on a panel discussion Sunday. The forum was sponsored by an organization opposed to the death penalty. Noyes said she called state correction officials to try to keep her brother in prison or at least in a treatment program after his 23 year sex offender sentence. She said her family couldn't afford a half-way house. Noyes said her family supports punishment for Alphonso Rodriguez Jr. but she said he's an ill man who needs mental health care not a lethal injection.

DOCK MEETING WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Walker lawmaker Larry Howes will host a town hall meeting tomorrow night to talk about dock regulations. Howes said the DNR may announce later this year, in December that it's firming up rules and requirements, and he wants people to have one last chance to voice their opinion. Citizens can now get a permit for a larger platform at the end of their docks, up to 10' X 17' or 170 feet square. The DNR wanted to start issuing tickets last year for docks larger than current law allows. The agency advertised its intention in the State Register but Howes said he doesn't know too many non-government people who read that paper. Howes said people have a right to be heard before the state imposes new rules. The meeting runs from 7-9pm, Wednesday night, October 24th at the Pequot Lakes High School.

Trout Reintroduced to Ellen Lake

Ellen Lake in northern Crow Wing County will get its rainbow trout back.
Tim Brastrup, Brainerd Area Fisheries Supervisor for the DNR, told KLKS news they had to kill off species that had been illegally introduced. He says someone stocked the lake with bass and suckers which are incompatible with trout.
Recently, we learned that netting in Mille Lacs Lake indicated the walleye population was substantially down. Some sportsmen doubted the report. Brastrup says netting is a fairly accurate means of determining populations. He says warmer water temperatures, due to climate change, can result in higher mortality when walleye are stressed from catch and release. He also says warmer water is hard on the cisco population, on which the walleye feed.

SJODIN FAMILY SETTLES WITH STATE

Dru Sjodin's family has reached a financial settlement with the State of Minnesota. The family was preparing to sue the state for more than a $1-Million dollars in a wrongful death suit. The $300,000 settlement cancels the lawsuit. Alphonso Rodriguez was sentenced to death last year for the young Pequot Lakes' woman's kidnapping and death in 2003. Rodriguez had been released from prison rather than committed as a sexual predator. Corrections Commission Joan Fabian told KARE-TV that Minnesota has made significant changes in the way it handles sex offenders because of the Sjodin case.

EMILY ORDERS SECOND EAW

The Emily City Council has ordered an environmental assessment worksheet on a second Roosevelt Lake development, Roosevelt Shores. It's a 16-unit project on the western shore. Meanwhile, work has begun on the EAW for a 48-lot development - Northern Lights Over Roosevelt Lake. The studies are normally prepared and paid for by developers and reviewed by local governments before being sent to the state's Environmental Quality Board. The EQB could call for the more rigorous and more expensive Environmental Impact Study. The Northern Lights study should be completed by next January.

BRAINERD MUSIC DOWNLOAD CASE NOT OVER YET

Jammie Thomas' attorney Brian Toder wants a new trial. A federal jury said earlier this month that the Brainerd woman downloaded 1700 music files, and assessed damages for 24 specific tunes at just over $9,000 a song. Defense attorney Toder told the judge that she could have bought all those songs for $24 so the verdict is out of proportion, amounts to punitive damages, and therefore unconstitutional. The jury said Thomas should pay the record industry $222,000 plus attorney fees. Some jury members wanted to charge Thomas the maximum, roughly $3.6 Million. Thomas said earlier that she's innocent of the charges. Toder said he wants to challenge the amount of the verdict as well as the definition of 'copyright infringement'.

LEVY REFERENDUM INFLATION FACTOR

Some of the school district levy referenda - perhaps all of them - on Minnesota ballots next month will include an inflation factor. The amount a school board is allowed to raise may increase by a factor of inflation each year of the levy. Crosby Ironton School District Business Manager Bill Tollefson said the automatic increase is something new in education finance. Both Brainerd and Crosby Ironton levy referenda include the inflation factor. Tollefson said the factor could apply each year in the ten year referendum and add onto the amount raised the year before.

NORWEGIAN EMBASSY CLOSING

Governor Pawlenty wrote a letter to the new ambassador from Norway, asking him not to shut down the Minneapolis embassy. Pawlenty said there are 800,000 Norwegian-Americans in Minnesota and he hopes Norway reconsiders closing the embassy on the eve of Minnesota's 150th anniversary. The current US Ambassador to Norway, Benson Whitney from Minnesota would also be disappointed. The new Ambassador from Norway, Wegger Christian Strommen is coming to Minnesota next month and the governor said perhaps they can talk more about it then.

BRAINERD BURGLAR SUSPECTS ARRESTED

Two Brainerd men were arrested last Thursday around 3pm. Crow Wing Sheriff Todd Dahl said the owner of a house on Pine Beach Road saw 43-year old Paul David Goetze leaving his house. Goetze was arrested nearby. Deputies saw a white pickup was seen leaving the scene and Brainerd Police later arrested 60-year old James Richard Oren. Authorities found items from several area burglaries in the truck. The investigation continues and the county attorney's office is considering felony charges.

LOBBY GROUP WANTS FARM BILL CHANGES

A Minnesota farm lobby group spokesman says he wants to encourage marketplace competition through next year's farm bill. Dennis Olson is the senior policy analyst for the Minnesota-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and he says current federal farm subsidy program is badly broken. Olson's group says it wants more competition, more subsidies for smaller farms and better enforcement of a law restricting corporate farm operations.

BROWERVILLE FIRE

The Browerville Fire Department responded to a house fire early yesterday morning just after 12:30am and investigators suspect the fire was intentionally set. Todd County Sheriff's deputies said the house was owned by Lee and Lloyd Busch of Browerville but was vacant at the time. The Minnesota Arson Reward Project is offering a reward of $2500 for information leading to the identification of those responsible for the fire. Call the Arson Hotline 800-723-2020 or contact law enforcement.

DEMOCRATS MEET

The Crow Wing and Cass County DFL will hold a US Senate candidates forum on Sunday, October 28th at Breezy Point Resort. Candidates Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen, Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer are scheduled to be there. The event begins at 2pm and includes dinner at 5pm and a silent auction. Organizers are asking for a $30 donation.

BRAINERD LEVY CONVERSATION CONTINUES

Citizens for and against Brainerd Public Schools' levy referendum continue to present their sides of the issue. The League of Women Voters devoted their program this week to the top, The Brainerd Chamber will hold a forum on the subject soon, and area service clubs will continue to host those pro and con. Brainerd Superintendent Jerry Walseth said its important to spend more money on education because the vitality of the community depends on it. Taxpayer and referendum opponent Marv Begin said he feels the school board should have taken care of their budgeting, made the tough decisions years ago, without going back to taxpayers to bail them out again. Brainerd Schools are asking taxpayers for at least $5-Million a year for the next ten years. The levy referendum ballot question inludes an inflation factor so the amount could increase each year. Election day is November 6th.

WALLEYE GONE

Department of Natural Resources researchers completed a net test recently on the northern end of Mille Lacs Lake and found less than half as many walleye than average. The average net test has been just over 15 fish. The recent test was just over 7. DNR Fisheries Ron Payer said the decline is mostly on the northern edge, that the southern end of the lake showed minimal decline in fish population. Merrifield professional fisherman Gary Roach told the Brainerd Dispatch he didn't believe the report. He said everybody has been catching fish and October is always a tough time becaus they're not biting this time of the year. The DNR will make final decisions about winter fishing limits next week. Adjusting limits for next summer could be done in February, effective next spring with the opener.

EMILY MURDER SUSPECT'S NEXT HEARING NEXT YEAR

The next court hearing for the man accused of killing his father-in-law has been continued until next year, January 15, 2008. 37-year old Steven Radke faces a charge of first degree murder for shooting 57-year old Darrell Buesgens. Both men are from Emily. Radke allegedly shot Buesgens at his home. Radke's estranged wife and children had been living with Buesgens for several weeks. The Lakes Country Echo said the accused man is in Crow Wing county Jail in lieu of one million dollars bail.

FORESTS SMILE WHEN IT RAINS

Recent rains have been good for area forests. Area Department of Natural Resources Forester Mark Mortenson said it still doesn't make up for moisture we've not gotten for the last two years. Mortenson said this is the best time of year moisture recharge. He said trees are not actively growing like in summer and the more rain the better, as far as trees are concerned. And the two year lack of rain has been tough on new trees especially because they aren't able to establish deep roots quick enough. Mortenson said in some areas, 25 to 50% of young trees don't make it. But he said those areas are quickly replanted.