Detroit Lakes Area Pride to host inaugural Pride Picnic at City Park in Detroit Lakes

Detroit Lakes Area Pride is hosting its inaugural Pride Picnic in City Park, near the bandshell, on Wednesday evening.

The June 21 event is the first Pride event hosted by the group in Detroit Lakes and will feature free food, music, games and offers an opportunity for area residents to meet members of their organization.

Rebelle Marie, president of Detroit Lakes Area Pride, said the picnic will be very informal and serve as an introduction of the organization to community members.

“Our main purpose is to introduce ourselves to the community,” said Marie. “And also, some of our community members have been in Detroit Lakes for a long time and you may not have realized that they are a part of who we are. So, kind of re-introducing ourselves in some aspects and introducing ourselves in other aspects.”

Marie also said, the group wants to hold more events in the future, which will include drag performances, since a handful of the group’s Detroit Lakes members have expressed interest in performing at the shows.

“We are also hoping to host a couple of drag shows because that was one of the big things that people wanted from our group,” said Marie. “Getting a venue has been kind of challenging because I don’t think people are quite aware that there is a demand for drag shows in this area.”

She said the group isn’t really sure how the Detroit Lakes community is going to respond to their first event on Wednesday, but it is important for the group and its membership to continue building toward a brighter and more inclusive future, which starts with an informal picnic in the park.

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“We are not sure how the community will respond,” she said. “It could be a really well attended event, or we may be over our heads a little bit. So far the response has been good. We’ve had well over 100 people RSVP on our official RSVP ticket.”

The Detroit Lakes Area Pride Picnic will kick-off in City Park on Wednesday evening from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information about how to get involved with Detroit Lakes Area Pride, be sure to check their website at: dlareapride.org, or through the group’s Facebook page.

Mi Cartagena Cafe sign stolen in Detroit Lakes on Sunday

The Mi Cartagena Café in Detroit Lakes is on the lookout for people who stole their light-up café sign from their patio area on Sunday morning.

In a social media post by the café, the business stated a worker noticed the sign was missing on Sunday morning while they were cleaning and wants the public to be on the lookout for the sign.

The post also stated the dual-sided metal sign was custom-made for the restaurant.

If anyone has any information to the whereabouts of the stolen sign, contact the Detroit Lakes police department. 

Food waste drop-off site unveiled in Battle Lake

Otter Tail County Solid Waste has unveiled a new Food Waste Drop Off site in Battle Lake as part of its Organics Recycling Program, aiming to tackle the staggering 40% food waste problem in the United States.

The program offers an accessible solution for residents unable to or preferring not to compost at home, aiding efforts to keep food waste from languishing in landfills.

As opposed to the sealed environment of landfills, composting allows food waste to decompose naturally, benefiting the soil and reducing waste.

The average single-family household can divert around 200 pounds of organic waste annually through composting, depending on their cooking and eating habits.

The pioneering Food Waste Drop Off site at the Recycling Center in Fergus Falls has demonstrated the program’s potential, successfully assisting residents in diverting approximately 300 pounds of food scraps from the trash weekly.

This initiative runs parallel to the commercial routes of the Organics Recycling Program, which collects an impressive 5,000 pounds of food waste per week. All collected organic materials are transported to the Glacial Ridge Compost Facility in Grant County.

Residents wishing to participate in the program must first sign up to receive a starter kit, complete with compostible bags and a kitchen compost pail, along with crucial information about what items are compostible.

These food scraps can then be dropped off at the designated site in compostible or plain brown paper bags.

The program aims to educate and engage locals in effective food waste management, thereby reducing the environmental impact and making better use of resources invested in food production.

To register for a starter kit or to learn more about the program, residents can visit the Otter Tail County website.

Dru Sjodin’s killer transferred to Florida prison

The man who spent nearly 17 years on death row for the kidnapping and death of former UND student Dru Sjodin has been transferred to a federal prison in Florida.

Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. was being held in the Special Confinement Unit at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons…Rodriguez was taken to a high security facility in Sumterville, Florida.

Rodriguez was convicted by a jury in U.S. District Court in Fargo in 2006. For years, attorneys who specialize in overturning federal death penalty cases filed numerous appeals on Rodriguez’s behalf.

In 2021, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ralph Erickson tossed the death penalty and ordered a new sentencing phase.

Erickson found that misleading testimony and limitations on mental health evidence violated Rodriguez’s rights.

Rodriguez’s sentence was reduced to life in prison without parole after Attorney General Merrick Garland withdrew the federal government’s notice of intent to seek the death penalty.

Minnesota Veterans can fill-out new medical cannabis application beginning Jan. 1

New Medical Cannabis Application for Minnesota Veterans will be available in 2024.

The new guidelines will allow thousands of Minnesota veterans to be able to access medical marijuana for the first time next year.

Office of Medical Cannabis Director Chris Tholkes said veterans receiving care through the VA System have faced some unique challenges getting prescriptions.

She said, quote:  “(VA) providers are not allowed to certify their patients for the medical (cannabis) program because of the federal standing of marijuana.”

The new veterans’ application process for medical cannabis will begin on January 1st.

Kupec and Joy to hold joint town hall Thursday in Detroit Lakes

Lakes area legislators, Sen. Rob Kupec, DFL-Moorhead, and Rep. Jim Joy, R-Hawley, will be holding a joint town hall on Thursday evening in Detroit Lakes.

The two lawmakers will be giving updates on the close of the legislative session and hearing concerns from area residents.

The event will begin at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 22 at La Barista in downtown Detroit Lakes and is sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

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