A DETOUR ON HIGHWAY 11 WEST OF WARROAD WAS LIFTED LATE WEDNESDAY...TRAFFIC CAN NOW PASS THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE, HOWEVER MOTORISTS ARE CAUTIONED TO SLOW DOWN FOR FLAGGING OPERATIONS AS PAVING AND CLEAN-UP WORK BEGINS...CREWS REPLACED TWO CULVERTS BELOW THE ROADBED TO ADD STABILITY AND AS A PREVENTATIVE MEASURE AGAINST EROSION...

A WARROAD MAN IS SET TO MAKE HIS INITIAL COURT APPEARANCE ON CHARGES OF THEFT FROM A LOCAL GROCERY STORE...32-YEAR-OLD RYAN CASS HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH SIX FELONY CHARGES OF THEFT BY SWINDLE WHILE AN EMPLOYEE AT DOUG'S SUPERMARKET IN WARROAD...A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT SAYS CASS IS ACCUSED OF ALLEGEDLY STEALINIG MORE THAN 52,000 DOLLARS FROM THE STORE WHILE AS A CASHIER BETWEEN MAY 2007 AND NOVEMBER 2009...THE GRAND FORKS HERALD REPORTS THAT DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH INVESTIGATORS, CASS TOLD THEM HE HAD BEEN STEALING FROM THE STORE DURING THE PAST YEAR AND ESTIMATED THAT HE STOLE A TOTAL OF ROUGHLY 5,000 DOLLARS...CASS IS SET TO MAKE AN INITIAL COURT APPEARANCE MONDAY …

PRELIMINARY TOTALS ARE IN FOR ROSEAU COUNTY'S AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY FUNDRAISER, RELAY FOR LIFE...OFFICIALS SAY THEY SURPASSED THEIR GOAL OF 90 SURVIVORS WITH A TOTAL OF 110 REGISTERED, THEIR MOST EVER...THE TEAM GOAL OF 32 WAS MADE BY ACS STANDARDS OF 15 MEMBERS PER TEAM...THE FINANCIAL GOAL OF 80,000 WAS MADE AND SURPASSED WITH A PRELIMINARY TOTAL OF 81,840 DOLLARS...OFFICIALS SAY MONEY IS STILL COMING IN SO A FINAL TOTAL WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER …

A KITTSON COUNTY WOMAN ACCUSED OF STEALING AROUND 30 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM A CHURCH THERE WILL SPEND 30 DAYS IN JAIL OVER 3 YEARS AND WILL HAVE TO PAY BACK THE MONEY SHE STOLE…47 YEAR OLD MARGIE HOLMGREN, OF KENNEDY, PLED GUILTY TO FELONY THEFT FOR STEALING THE MONEY FROM MARIA LUTHERAN CHURCH IN KENNEDY…SHE WAS SENTENCED TUESDAY TO 10 YEARS OF PROBATION- AND MUST SPEND 10 DAYS IN JAIL EACH YEAR FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS. ..SHE MUST ALSO PAY BACK THE 30 THOUSAND  DOLLARS SHE STOLE FROM THE CHURCH- AND DO 60 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE…HOLMGREN WAS THE CHURCH TREASURER AND ADMITTED TO TAKING THE MONEY…THE COMPLAINT STATES THAT THE THEFT HAPPENED OVER A PERIOD OF THREE YEARS… A REVIEW OF THE CHURCH'S FINANCES IN MARCH REVEALED THE MISSING CASH AND WAS REPORTED TO AUTHORITIES WHO ARRESTED HOLMGREN…

THE MINNESOTA DNR REPORTED GOOD NEWS EARLIER LAST WEEK THAT BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS TESTS WERE NEGATIVE FOR 450 WILD DEER REMOVED FROM THE AREA EARLY THIS YEAR AS PART OF DISEASE ERADICATION EFFORTS BY SHARPSHOOTING…BUT SHARPSHOOTING IS NOT DONE…THE DNR WILL SAMPLE 1,000 DEER IN THE AREA THIS FALL AND WINTER AS PART OF ITS ONGOING SURVEILLANCE EFFORTS, A DECREASE FROM LAST YEAR’S REQUIREMENT THAT 1,800 DEER BE SAMPLED…THE DNR SAYS THE HIGHER NUMBER WAS DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE BECAUSE OF INCREASED HARVEST AND AGGRESSIVE REMOVAL STRATEGIES…SAMPLING A LOWER NUMBER OF DEER ALSO MAY LESSEN THE NEED FOR SHARPSHOOTERS TO REMOVE ADDITIONAL DEER AFTER HUNTING SEASON…TO HELP MEET ITS SAMPLING GOALS, DNR REQUIRES THAT ALL DEER TAKEN IN DEER PERMIT AREAS 101, 105, 111, 203, 208, 267 AND 268 BE REGISTERED AT A BIG GAME REGISTRATION STATION TO LEGALLY TRANSPORT THE HARVESTED ANIMAL…IN-PERSON REGISTRATION ALLOWS DNR STAFF TO OBTAIN TISSUE SAMPLES FOR TESTING…

THE RISK MANAGEMENT AGENCY WILL BE PROVIDING INSURANCE COVERAGE ON ROSEAU COUNTY’S TWO MOST IMPORTANT GRASS SEED CROPS IN 2011…ROSEAU COUNTY F.S.A. DIRECTOR FRASER NORTON SAYS IN THE PAST, BOTH KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS AND PERENNIAL RYEGRASS WERE COVERED BY FSA’S NONINSURED CROP DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM …THIS NEW PILOT INSURANCE COVERAGE WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE IN ROSEAU, KITTSON, LAKE OF THE WOODS AND MARSHALL COUNTIES...NORTON SAYS COVERED CAUSES OF LOSS INCLUDE THE USUAL ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AS WELL AS OTHER NATURAL PERILS SUCH AS PLANT DISEASE, FIRE, WILDLIFE AND INSECT DAMAGE, PROVIDED SUFFICIENT AND PROPER CONTROL MEASURES HAVE BEEN APPLIED…KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS MAY BE INSURED FOR AS LONG AS THE CROP MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS FOR INSURABILITY CONTAINED IN THE CROP PROVISIONS..HOWEVER, PERENNIAL RYEGRASS MAY ONLY BE INSURED FOR ONE YEAR, AFTER WHICH THE STAND MUST BE REPLACED… THE SALES CLOSING DATE FOR INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR 2011 IS SEPTEMBER 30…NORTON SAYS FOR MORE INFORMATION, PRODUCERS SHOULD CONTACT THEIR FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE AGENT…

THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAS FINED ENBRIDGE ENERGY $2.4 MILLION FOR A PIPELINE EXPLOSION AND FIRE THAT KILLED TWO WORKERS IN NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA IN 2007...A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FINISHED IN 2008 FOUND ENBRIDGE COMMITTED EIGHT PROBABLE VIOLATIONS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT NEAR CLEARBROOK, MINN., THAT KILLED TWO WELDERS FROM SUPERIOR, WIS...THE COMPANY HAD PREVIOUSLY SAID THE FEDERAL FINDINGS WERE CONSISTENT WITH ITS OWN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION OF WHAT HAPPENED...THE COMPANY DETERMINED THE BLAST HAPPENED AFTER OIL MIST ESCAPED FROM A COUPLING ON THE NEW SECTION OF PIPELINE AND WAS IGNITED BY A HEATER...THE ACCIDENT ALSO CAUSED $2 MILLION PROPERTY DAMAGE AND CAUSED WORLD OIL PRICES TO SPIKE.