Wadena-Deer Creek school board gets earful from parents concerned about transgender students, ballot initiatives
Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The Wadena-Deer Creek School Board received public comments from multiple residents during their meeting on Sept. 18 concerning transgender issues and two ballot initiatives that would seek to increase funding for the district.
The ballot measures will be voted on this November by Wadena-Deer Creek area residents. The first ballot question seeks authorization to raise the cost per pupil of students to $790, which would increase the district’s operating budget by more than $935,000.
The second ballot measure is a request for voters to authorize $17.8 million in improvements to the district’s elementary, middle and high school buildings and school grounds.
As far as transgender issues in Wadena-Deer Creek public schools, some residents were shocked to discover students are allowed to use the bathrooms and locker rooms with which they identify and not according to their biological orientation.
According to the Wadena Pioneer Journal, one former school teacher, Deb Nelson, told members of the board that she doesn’t believe rule makers should be changing regulations to accommodate gender identity because those students aren’t capable of making serious decisions at their current state of mental development.
Nelson said: “Do we follow them because we think it’s the right thing to do (or) do we stand up and be a leader in this battle for our kids and push back against what’s being forced on us from the government?”
Another resident objected to a few teachers in the district displaying pride flags in their classroom because they, as a Christian, find that flag, quote, “very offensive.”
The next meeting of the Wadena-Deer Creek School Board will be held on Oct. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the middle school/high school media center.
Rail crossing at Highway 10 and Washington Avenue in DL to close for maintenance on Friday
The railway crossing at Highway 10 and Washington Avenue in Detroit Lakes will be closed Friday, September 29.
Railroad crews will be working on the tracks just north of Highway 10, near Main Street, all day on Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and traffic north and southbound on Washington Avenue will be forced to use alternate routes.
Crews will be grinding the tracks to remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend the life of the railway and improve the ride of trains passing along the route.
Female inmate found unresponsive at Crow Wing County Jail
A 54-year-old female inmate from Beltrami County is dead after being found unresponsive in her Crow Wing County jail cell on Saturday morning.
At 8:49 a.m. members of the sheriff’s office attempted life-saving measures Shannon Lee Cook, however, Cook was pronounced dead at 9:19 a.m.
Law enforcement said Cook was a “boarder” from Beltrami County and was only being housed temporarily at the Crow Wing County Jail.
Cook’s body has been turned over to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for further examination.
No foul play is suspected.
Journey and Toto coming to Grand Forks on March 2
The rock band Journey will bring their 50th anniversary Freedom Tour to Grand Forks. Tickets for the March 2nd show at the Alerus Center go on sale September 29th.
Since the group’s formation in 1973, JOURNEY has earned 19 top 40 singles, 25 gold and platinum albums.
Joining Journey on the 30 city tour will be special guest TOTO.
More than 2,500 acres added to Paul Bunyan State Forest
The Trust for Public Land and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced the addition of 2,529 acres of land to the Paul Bunyan State Forest.
TPL donated the land, which is “roughly four-square miles of rolling hills of forests, lakes, ponds and wetlands near Park Rapids,” according to a news release.
Previously owned by PotlatchDeltic, the parcel is surrounded by public land owned by Hubbard County and it’s adjacent to Deep Lake Park, a year-round, recreational park that the county is currently developing.
The parcel also includes a portion of the Scout Trail, a pre-existing Grant-in-Aid snowmobile trail.
The new land addition will be managed by the DNR as part of Paul Bunyan State Forest.
Women’s Edge Speakers Series sets up for round two at Becker County Museum on Wednesday
The Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting the second of their three Women’s Edge Speakers Series events at the Becker County Museum on Wednesday afternoon.
Carrie Johnston, president of the Chamber, introduced Wednesday’s featured speaker when she appeared on Hodgepodge last week and said they might even send a lucky attendee home with a gift at the end of the event.
“Our speaker is Kristi Floersch, she’s an artist and entrepreneur” said Johnston. “She is actually going to be not only a little bit of a leadership and motivational speaking and talking about using your time to the best of what you need now. How you can personally flourish. She is also going to be painting live during her presentation and we’ll have a final art piece that maybe we could send home with somebody at the end.”
Floersch is a creative entrepreneur and the owner of Flourish Now LLC, which helps people discover their creative passions and turn that into income.
She is also a podcaster and author of the book: It’s Time Flourish Now: Grow Vigorously and Thrive.
Johnston said woman can face unique challenges compared to men in the workplace, but the themes and morals of the Women’s Edge speakers can also be applicable for home life as well.
“As women, maybe we face different challenges in the workplace, but also balancing work and life,” said Johnston. “A lot of these are also applicable at home. So, maybe you are new to working in the working world or you are retired, there are going to be a lot of messages and Kristi (Floersch) is going to hit it right on the head.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased for $45 at the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber office and more information can be found on the Chamber website.
2 dead, 2 injured in vehicle crash with a horse and buggy in Fillmore County
Two people are dead and two were injured in a motor vehicle crash with a Amish horse and buggy in Fillmore County on Monday morning
On Sept. 25 at 8:25 a.m. the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a crash near the Sumner Center Church on County Road 1 in Sumner Township.
Authorities say it was a rear-end crash.
Two people who were in the Amish buggy at the time of the collision were killed along with its horse.
Two other people involved in the crash were taken to the hospital, but details on their injuries have not been released.
The incident remains under an active investigation and the names of the victims will be release as soon as family members have been notified.
ND group sues Washington Commanders to bring back ‘Redskins’ team name
A North Dakota-based nonprofit organization has sued the N-F-L’s Washington Commanders, their new owner, and a prominent Native American advocacy group in federal court, claiming the team’s refusal to change its nickname back to the Redskins is an attempt to eradicate Native American history.
Devils Lake-based Native American Guardians Association, known as “NAGA,” accuses the Commanders, its leadership, and the National Congress of American Indians of defamation in the suit, saying the team’s employees called NAGA a “fake group” and conspired to violate NAGA’s civil rights after a petition it championed to reverse the name-change went viral.
The Washington Commanders has not been called the Redskins since 2020 when the name was dropped after sponsors and advocacy groups claimed the nickname was offensive.
NAGA claims the term ‘Redskins’ carries deep cultural, historical, and emotional significance, honoring the bravery, resilience, and warrior spirit associated with Native American culture.
Shortly after a group led by billionaire Josh Harris assumed ownership of the Commanders this summer, NAGA’s petition demanding that the new owners change the team’s name back to the Redskins collected more than 130,000 signatures.
The civil complaint, filed today in U-S District court in North Dakota, demands a jury trial.
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