Possible drive-by shooting in Frazee, two arrested

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Multiple shots were fired during a possible drive-by shooting in the city of Frazee on Wednesday night.

On Sept. 6 at 11:35 p.m., emergency dispatchers received a report of multiple shots fired in the city.

The caller reported multiple vehicles parked nearby in a roadway with individuals shouting at each other.

A suspected vehicle was located at the Super 8 motel in Perham and law enforcement, including members of the Otter Tail County SWAT team, responded to the motel.

Several guests at the motel were temporarily evacuated during the law enforcement operation.

Two individuals were arrested and taken into custody without incident at the motel .

The shooting is under investigation by the Frazee Police Department and law enforcement believes there is no current danger to the public.

Detroit Lakes to propose maximum 11.22% property tax levy for 2024

Detroit Lakes city staff will be proposing a maximum 11.22% property tax levy increase for 2024 following their last budget work session on Thursday morning.

The maximum levy proposal will be made at next week’s Detroit Lakes city council meeting on Sept. 12.

If the maximum levy is adopted, the city will raise more than $8 million for city operations and its various funds, which is $800,000 more than last year.

Members of the budget team added an additional $200,000 in future street rehabilitation costs to the levy on Thursday morning after realizing, if they didn’t, they would have to start next year’s levy discussions at a floor of 5%.

During the session, Jon Pratt, city engineer for Detroit Lakes, told Councilmember Matt Boeke he believes the maintenance regiment currently being implemented on city streets now is starting to see some benefits, but that some of the streets in Detroit Lakes are not living up to their expected lifespan, which has created a backlog of roadwork.

For a Detroit Lakes resident with a $300,000 home, the city portion of their property taxes will increase between $29 to $285 for 2024 based on the increased value of their property compared to last year.

Following the meeting, Heidi Tumberg, finance officer for Detroit Lakes, said she loves working with numbers and showing councilmembers the financial options of their decisions helps them make better decisions.

“This is what I live for, I’m a nerd,” said Tumberg. “This is my gig. Budget and audit are kind of my two big games of the year. It’s kind of my world series of my job. It’s exciting to see things come together and people come to a consensus on what they want to do, and to be able to facilitate that process is kind of exciting.”

She also thanked members of the council and Detroit Lakes City Administrator Kelcey Klemm for their assistance through the budget process.

“Shoutout to the (Detroit Lakes) city council and everybody who showed up and were engaged in the process,” she said. “And, Kelcey (Klemm) for helping me through it. He’s definitely a huge help for me through this process. And it’s been a good one. I think we’ve had a lot of really good conversations and I think we’re going to get a lot done for the city.”

The maximum preliminary tax levy must be passed by the city council by Sept. 30. They will be allowed to lower the levy amount through December, but the levy amount cannot increase per state statute.

West Central Initiative awards $285K in Resilient Community Grants

West Central Initiative awarded more than $285,000 in Resilient Community Grants to 26 different organizations across their nine-county coverage area in west-central Minnesota.

The grants were broken down into two different categories: projects that promote sustainability and projects that promote racial equity.

Celeste Koppe, a rural initiatives strategist for the nonprofit, said the organization also operates on parts of the White Earth Nation and were able to award a grant to help fund a new workforce center near the Pine Point area.

“It was nice to see organizations partnering,” said Koppe. “I know one workforce center in the Pine Point area … they were able to establish a center that will help them fund workers and supplies for crafts. And it’s a really interesting project that falls at the intersection of mental health, racial equity, just economic opportunities building skills.”

She also said she wanted to thank the organizations for being open to community members that wanted to provide input for their projects, which are trying to tackle difficult issues like climate change and racial equity.

“A lot of folks are nervous about, ‘what is this climate change business,’,” she said. “What can we actually do as individuals to work toward sustainability … And they all have that collaboration of how we can work together on issues that feel overwhelming.”

A few of the projects awarded through the Resilient Community Grant program include:

• Otter Tail County expanding access to their organics recycling program.
• Henning Public School will be acquiring a climate action library.
• Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Elementary will be getting a pollinator garden for the school.
• The Bridge Community Pantry will begin providing culturally-specific food bags.
• And, the Pelican Rapids Multi-cultural Committee received a grant for an international friendship festival.

“I would just say thanks to all that were involved,” said Koppe. “Those who have submitted proposals, reviewed proposals, my fellow team members and also our funders.”

To view a complete list of all of the projects awarded as part of West Central Initiative’s Resilient Community Grants program, check out their website at: wcif.org/grants-impact/

Washington Avenue will be closed from Lake Avenue to Front Street Saturday morning for the Dick Beardsley races

A portion of Washington Avenue will be closed beginning 6 a.m. on Saturday for the Dick Beardsley Races.

The Sept. 9 closures will affect Washington Avenue/West Lake Drive from Lake Avenue to Front Street and remained closed until the runners pass through the area.

The half-marathon begins at 8 a.m., followed by runners in the 10K at 8:10 a.m., the 5K at 8:20 a.m. and youth run at 11 a.m.

The half-marathon is the longest race of the event and it’s race route will circumvent Detroit Lake.

The Detroit Lakes Public Works Department is warning racers and drivers that roads will be open around the vast majority of the lake and be extra cautious for runners on Saturday morning.

Fergus Falls Public Schools send parents application to restrict their child’s access to ‘mature’ library books

A recent development in the Fergus Falls Public School District has left parents and guardians pondering the implications of a new library access form.

The form, designed to allow parents to restrict their child’s access to materials deemed to have mature content, is stirring debate among the community.

A recent message to parents sent out by the district raised eyebrows.

The message encourages parents and guardians to complete a form that would designate their child’s access to certain library materials as “restricted.”

According to the communication, these restrictions would apply to materials that have undergone a review and have been labeled as containing mature content.

The school district acknowledges that some of the library materials in question may contain themes, topics, or content that could be considered mature or sensitive in nature.

To address this concern, the district has offered parents the option to prevent their child from checking out these materials without their explicit consent.

Some parents view this as a positive step towards giving them more control over their child’s reading choices, allowing them to align reading materials with their family values and beliefs.

On the other hand, others argue that this form may inadvertently censor or limit student access to essential educational materials.

They also expressed concerns that the labeling of books as having mature content might lead to a chilling effect on reading choices, potentially stifling intellectual curiosity and diversity of thought.

Story by Zakk Daniels / KBRF

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