The latest in road updates for traveling west

Road closures

The following state highways are closed until further notice:

·         Highway 317 from Highway 220 in Marshall County to the North Dakota border.

·         Highway 220 from Highway 1 north to the junction with Highway 11.

·         Highway 175 from Kittson County Road 16 to the North Dakota border.

·         Highway 75 from the junction with Highway 171 to the Canadian border.

·         Highway 11 from the junction with Highway 220 west to North Dakota (Robbin Bridge).

·         Highway 1 from Marshall County Road 17 west to Oslo

Ramp/lane closures

·         4^th Street exit ramp from U.S. Highway 2 in East Grand Forks is closed.

Re-opened

·         Sorlie Bridge on U.S. Highway 2 business route in East Grand Forks.

·         Highway 75 from the south junction with Highway 200 north to Halstad - today

·         Highway 75 at the north end of Climax over the Sand Hill River

·         Highway 75 north of Halstad from Norman County Road 19 to Norman County Road 17.

·         Highway 220 west of Climax to Polk County Road 7.

·         Highway 220 from Highway 1 at Alvarado south to Polk County Road 21.

 

Mrs. Beryl Wernberg

911 Communications Supervisor/

                        Emergency Management Director

Beltrami County Sheriffs Office

613 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-333-8320 or fax 218-755-9322

Pager:  218-759-7560

beryl.wernberg@co.beltrami.mn.us

"Calamity is the touchstone of a brave mind"

Road closure April 1 2010 0700-2000 hrs Pioneer St SE by Eagles Club east of Washington Ave S

City of Bemidji and Minnesota Energy will be closing Pioneer St near the Eagles Club just east of Washington Ave S for one day only-  April 1 2010  0700-2000 hrs for road work. Construction season has started. 

 

For updates on all road info please go to http://emergencymanagement.co.beltrami.mn.us and then click on the TRANSPORTATION tab.

 

For MN highway updates road info is available on www.511mn.org

 

 

Mrs. Beryl Wernberg

911 Communications Supervisor/Emergency Management Director

Beltrami County Sheriffs Office

613 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-333-8320 or fax 218-755-9322

Pager:  218-759-7560

beryl.wernberg@co.beltrami.mn.us

"Calamity is the touchstone of a brave mind"

 

DNR news release for February 4, 2010

DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                  FEBRUARY 4, 2010

Media contacts: Colleen Coyne, DNR communications director, 651-259-5023; Patricia Arndt, Parks and Trails Division planning and public affairs manager, 651-259-5578.

 

Free Take-A-Kid Ice Fishing Clinic set for Feb. 13 at Lake Carlos State Park

Register before Feb. 11

 

Cabin fever setting in? Bundle up the kids and participate in the Take-A-Kid Ice Fishing Clinic at Lake Carlos State Park on Saturday,
Feb. 13, from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

 

“This event will get everyone from preschoolers to teens outside and back into nature,” said Ryan Sansness, assistant park manager. “This clinic is geared towards families that have little or no ice-fishing experience.” 

 

The clinic is free to attend, but people should call the park at 320-852-7200 to register before Feb. 11, because class size is limited.

 

The ice-fishing clinic begins inside the park’s visitor center, where presentations will be given on ice-fishing safety, gear, techniques, and – most important – how to have fun. Kids will be able to make their own jigging stick to use on the ice and take home. The last hour of the clinic will take place on Lake Carlos, where we’ll attempt to catch sunfish, crappies, and even the elusive walleye. 

 

Christopherson Bait of Alexandria donated the fishing equipment needed to make the jigging sticks. One kid will win a complete ice-fishing kit at the end of the clinic.

 

Adults do not need a fishing license to attend. Anglers age 18 and older can also fish without a license from Feb. 13-15 if they are accompanied by a child younger than 16 and actively participating in Take-A-Kid Ice Fishing Weekend. 

 

 A vehicle permit ($5 one-day or $25 year-round) is required to enter the park and can be purchased at the park office. 

 

Lake Carlos State Park is located 10 miles north of Alexandria. From State Highway 29, go two miles west on Highway 38 to reach the park entrance. 

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Renewal: Stories from America's Religious-Environmental Movement

Bemidji, MN - The Unitarian Universalist Association sponsors the showing of
the documentary, Renewal, by donating the movie DVD to all its congregation's
social justice committees. The producers were inspired to make Renewal by
the countless Americans who are answering a spiritual call of Faith to
confront the enormous challenges of environmental degradation.

Renewal: Stories from America's Religious-Environmental Movement
Headwaters Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
522 America Ave.
Monday, January 25th, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Good-will donation

To quote the producers: "This documentary shows that, America's great
movements for social transformation - the abolition of slavery; promotion of
civil rights and immigrant right; support for the poor and homeless - have
all included the commitment of people of faith. And, today's religious -
environmental movement is poised to have a similar significant impact.

When so many news headlines proclaim the ways that religions divide people,
the heroes of our documentary truly celebrate the potential for multi-faith
action to unify our communities and the world. The religious-environmental
movement grows as people from diverse traditions come together and work to
build a sustainable future. Renewal is their story." Mary Ostrow and Terry
Kay Rockefeller, producers.

For more information please contact Karen at karenaid@midco.net

HUUF Social Justice Chair

Seven Clans Casino Red Lake Grand Opening

Red Lake Band of Ojibwe Opens New Casino, Hotel and Conference Center

Red Lake, MN, Jan. 18, 2001 -- The Red Lake Band of Ojibwe is opening a new casino, hotel and conference center on the reservation just north of Bemidji on January 21, 2010.  The grand opening will be Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 21 through 23.  

Special events and promotions are scheduled for Thursday.  Then on Friday at 6 PM hors d'oeuvres will be served with a short program marking the Grand Opening.  Speakers will include Ernie Stevens, President of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), and Kevin Leecy (Bois Forte) Vice-President of NIGA and Chairman of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe.  Other speakers include Red Lake Chairman Floyd Jourdain, Jr., Red Lake Gaming Chief Operating Officer Ray Brenny, and Seven Clans Casino Red Lake Manager, Adrien Omen.  This will be followed by a free performance by Powwow Comedy Jam on Friday beginning at 7 PM.  Then on Saturday a free performance by country music singer Crystal Shawanda also at 7 PM.

This is the second casino in the state (after Upper Sioux), and one of the few in the nation, to be built with all-Indian funds. Instead of going to a non-Indian banker for construction loans, the Red Lake Band borrowed money from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Community, which runs Mystic Lake casino. This is Minnesota's first inter-tribal loan, with Dakota loaning to Ojibwe, and it highlights progress tribes are making toward self-sufficiency that allows Indian communities to be more-equal partners in local and regional economic development. The $31-million loan, in addition to funding the hotel, casino and conference center, has also helped expand the law enforcement center, start a propane business to power the casino and tribal homes, and build a forestry greenhouse. The hotel and casino will be run by the Red Lake Band, with no non-Indian management company in charge of the operation and taking a large management fee, as was often the case in the earlier days of Indian gaming.

The Seven Clans Casino was one of the few major construction projects in Northern Minnesota in the depths of a terrible economic recession, creating more than 100 construction jobs, about half held by tribal members and half by people from across Minnesota. In addition, the complex is bringing 100 new full-time and part-time jobs to one of the poorest areas in Minnesota, with most of those jobs held by tribal members. Since a "soft opening" just before Christmas, the restaurant and conference center are already being patronized more than projected, with new visitors coming from the region surrounding the reservation, allowing more people to be hired to meet the demand.

In addition, as part of ongoing economic development, as required by the tribe, contractors working on the project are helping Indian workers learn construction trades and professions, and some Indian workers are staying with the contractors on projects off the reservation. The general contractor and architectural firm - Woodstone Builders of Minneapolis and DSGW Architects of Duluth - led the way, each hiring Indian people to oversee the project.

And the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe is providing the area with a stunning new attraction for tourists, joining the Garrison giant walleye statue and nearby Bemidji's Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues as a Minnesota icon - a swooping eagle sculpture with a 30-foot wingspan that flies in front of the casino and that Minnesotans are already taking photographs in front of.

The new hotel will have 40 rooms, with master suites including balconies, fireplaces and whirlpool tubs.

The hotel has a swimming pool carved in the shape of Upper and Lower Red Lake. The restaurant will seat 75, and, in good weather, will seat 25 more on an outdoor patio, serving "famous" Red Lake walleye and a full menu. The event center will seat between 350 and 800 people, depending on the seating configuration.  The gaming hall has 300 slot machines, four blackjack tables and two poker tables.  The hotel and restaurant are separated from the gaming floor, so that people wanting to come only for recreation or conventions don't have to pass through the gaming area, as is the case in most Las Vegas casino hotels.
The design of the complex draws on Red Lake culture. Wood paneling, field stone, and images of a rippled blue lake reflect themes of the area. Woodland floral patterns permeate the carpeting throughout, while rooms are named for the seven major clans of Red Lake. Seven Clans Casino and Hotel will add hotel and conference space to the Bemidji area, helping the region attract and serve more visitors and conventions.  Bemidji is building a new regional events center that will attract events and conferences to north-central Minnesota, and the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe believe their new casino and hotel can work in harmony with Bemidji's hospitality offerings.  "This will be another link to the entertainment hub of Bemidji," said Red Lake Tribal Chairman Floyd Jourdain, Jr.

In addition, Ojibwe people from the Twin Cities and Duluth visiting their home reservation and families will have additional options for overnight stays. The motel nearest to Red Lake is now 30 minutes away.  Reservation tribal members, and off reservation members from Bemidji, Duluth and the Twin Cities, were all part of the process to build.  That included taking part of deciding whether to borrow the money to build the casino and hotel and part of deciding on the design - receiving briefings on the project and voting overwhelmingly in favor of it.
 
Indian gaming is controversial - it will come under attack again in the Minnesota Legislature this session as former senate minority leader Dick Day and others look to fund a Vikings stadium with gaming revenue.  What is undeniable is that Indian gaming has been an engine of economic development for tribes - where nothing else has worked in two centuries.  And now, in addition to schools and water treatment plants being built with gaming revenue on reservations, careers and businesses are being developed by Indian people as well.

The new development is inviting Minnesota, Dakota and Canadian tourists to visit the reservation and the Seven Clans casino and hotel.  Where once non-Indians were not always welcome or comfortable traveling on the Red Lake reservation, a broader integration of Indian and non-Indian communities is shown by the new casino and hotel and by the simple fact that 80 businesses in Bemidji now include bi-lingual signage in Ojibwe and English in recognition of their neighbors.

"This project shows how tribes can work together to capitalize and grow our own businesses, increasing employment and opportunity on the reservations and in the surrounding communities," said Tribal Chairman Jourdain. "It's all about economic development."

Contact: Michael Meuers, Red Lake Government and Public Relations    218-766-6588

DNR news release: Itasca State Park’s youth deer hunt gets kids outdoors

DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 21, 2009
Media contacts: Colleen Coyne, DNR communications director,
651-259-5023; Patricia Arndt, Minnesota State Parks planning and public
affairs manager, 651-259-5578.

Itasca State Park's youth deer hunt gets kids outdoors

Itasca State Park hosted its first firearms youth deer hunt earlier
this fall. Forty young hunters participated in the event, with a
confirmed harvest of seven deer. The two-day hunt was meant to help meet
the park's deer reduction goals while encouraging new hunters. This
event was in addition to a regular season hunt with yearly participation
of nearly 500 hunters.

Although the number of deer has decreased across the region, the
population is still higher than Park Resource Specialist Cathy Handrick
would like to see. "We are still seeing deer browse that is affecting
our forest regeneration efforts," she said.

Prior to the hunt, the young hunters had an opportunity to attend a
day-long mini-camp, where they learned the basics of deer hunting from
members of the Park Rapids Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters
Association (MDHA). The mini-camp covered topics such as tracking, tree
stand safety, and compass use. Both the MDHA and park officials believe
educating and encouraging young hunters is critical to instilling the
importance of Minnesota's outdoor heritage in future generations.

Some participants bagged their first deer during the youth hunt, while
others simply enjoyed the time spent in the woods with a parent or
mentor. One young hunter who didn't see any deer said he was still
excited, because he had never heard a grouse drum before.

"Whether these young hunters bagged a deer or not, the underlying goal
was to get youth engaged in the outdoors," said Matt Snyder, Itasca
State Park manager, "Anytime you can get youth involved outdoors, it
gives them an appreciation of the natural resources and what Minnesota
has to offer."
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Bemidji Christmas Bird Count Saturday

The 31st annual Christmas Bird Count will be conducted on Saturday, December 19th. The count is open to the public and all skill levels encouraged to attend for a full or half day of fun citizen science in action. Bemidji CBC participants will meet at 7:00 a.m. at Minnesota Nice Cafe in downtown Bemidji, located at 414 Beltrami Ave. NW. The circle will regroup at 12:30 at the Cabin Coffee House, located at 214 Third Street, for a midday review and lunch. A Tally Rally will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Brigid\'s Cross Irish Pub, located in downtown Bemidji at 317 Beltrami Ave. Bridgid\'s offers a fine selection of specialty brews and a dinner menu for those who wish to stay and celebrate with a well deserved pint and a good hot meal. (http://www.brigidsirishpub.com)

Bring a friend, invite a neighbor, or introduce a young person to the Christmas Bird Count!

You may register for the Bemidji CBC online at app.audubon.org/cbcapp/findCircles.jsp or by contacting the Bemidji CBC compiler, Kelly Larson at 218-694-6029.