Community

Over $600 in cash money and 1,708 pounds of food was collected in eight hours in the blue and white Arrowhead Transit bus staged outside of the Super One grocery store. The bus was being used as a large shopping cart, to which store customers were encouraged to contribute food items. The fundraiser, called “Stuff a Bus,” was held to benefit the Falls Hunger Coalition Food Shelf. Pam Smith, Arrowhead Transit’s marketing and public relations coordinator, approached Coalition Director Nancy Anderson with the idea for the fundraiser. Anderson said, “Arrowhead Transit laid the groundwork, recruited sponsors – everything. And we were so appreciative. It came at a great time for the food shelf.” Anderson said this summer was very lean in terms of monetary and food donations 25 years ago The fate of developer Tim Gable’s proposed multi million-dollar complex may hinge on the opinions of 130 voters. That’s what Ranier City Council members told Gable and his associates after a fast-paced presentation at Monday’s council meeting. Ranier Mayor Dave Trompeter informed the developer that ultimately a liquor referendum vote may decide the issue. A proposed, the new Best Western Sand Bay Inn and Conference Center design calls for: three stories, more than 80 suites, a conference center, two bars and two restaurants, among other features. Gable outlined plans to develop the facility on Sam Woods’ property on Highway 11 East, behind the statue known as “Big Vic.”

Nominations for local families to receive the Borderland Best Christmas Ever are open until midnight Oct. 31. The program, also known as BCE, is a non-profit organization that aims to lift families that have fallen on tough times. It has been around since 2011. The local BCE site can be found at www.bcemovement. org Melanie and Gage Waskul were the 2021 recipients of Borderland Best Christmas Ever. Nominating a family for the 2022 program is simple, said local organizer, Amy Fox Basaraba. She and her then 7-year-old twins were recipients of the Best Christmas Ever while living in Cloquet in 2016, following her husband Troy’s unexpected death. The event overwhelmed Basaraba with gratitude and she wanted to bring the effort to International Falls, after moving back to her hometown in 2017, she said.

The Federal Trade Commission last week provided antitrust approval to Aldabra 2 Acquisition Corps to acquire Boise Cascade LLC. The FTC approved acquisition of Boise’s paper, packaging, and transportation divisions for about $1.625 billion. The deal is expected to be completed in early 2008. Boise is a privately held company. Divisions being sold employ about 5,000 people at 15 sites, including the paper mill in International Falls.

“Peter Pan,” the boy who never wanted to grow up, is the fall production of the Borealis Bards, the community theater program of Backus Community Center. The Bards will perform “Peter Pan” Oct. 28-30. The classic story is written by J. M. Barrie and involves Peter, Wendy and her two brothers, who fly to the mythical island of Neverland, where they have many exciting adventures with the Lost Boys, fairies, Amazonians, and pirates.

Natural resource agencies will join together to research the deterioration of water quality in the Black River. The problem dates back to 1920 when a dam was built at the mouth of the Black River for use during log drives, Loman resident Jim Palm told the Koochiching County Board. After the last log drive in 1937, the dam was left to deteriorate. Thirty years later in 1967, Palm said he realized something needed to be done to protect the river. He began conversations with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to encourage removal of the dam. Army Corps staff said the agency couldn’t remove it because there is no proof of who constructed the dam, Palm said. Palm found a contract between his father and the International Lumber Company regarding the dam and two weeks later the Army Corps was visiting the Black River. A portion of the dam was removed in 1970 by a Boise Cascade crew, according to Palm. But the partial removal resulted in silt filling into the pilings left there and, as more silt fills in, water quality and water movement may have been impacted. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency agrees with Palm and is supporting a team that would research the silt issue.

Katie Bruggeman’s found fame in an unusual connection – her preschool boyfriend. Bruggeman, 29, appeared in an exclusive interview on the Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report as the preschool girlfriend of Dave Karsnia. Karsnia, also formerly of International Falls, has found his 15-minutes of fame in being the officer who arrested U.S. Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho in the restroom of the Minneapolis airport. Bruggeman works as an executive assistant on the Colbert Repot in New York and has worked on the show since it started. Before that she worked for Comedy Central network, according to her father, John Bruggeman of Ranier. As the show’s host, Stephen Colbert interviewed Katie about growing up in International Falls, Bruggeman indicated her connection to the area as she raised her fist in the air and shouted, “Go Broncos.” In the tongue-in-cheek interview, Bruggeman described how, at age four, Karsnia shared his graham crackers with her. And Colbert asked if any of Karsnia’s actions in preschool would have indicated his future fame.