Feed the 5,000 fed actually fed more than 5,600 meals; next event in two or three years, organizer says

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The results are in from Christian Fellowship Church’s Feed The 5,000 campaign and the numbers, as well as, the generosity of many of the vendors did not go unnoticed.

The week-long free meal event in June gave away more than 5,600 meals, 400 more than their last event eight years ago.

Pastor Tim Rice said the outpouring of support and volunteerism from the lakes area was incredible to witness. He also added, before the event, organizers were thinking about adding music to the event and he is so happy they decided against it because many conversations at those picnic tables wouldn’t have happened.

“I’m so grateful that we didn’t because people just sat there and had conversation after conversation,” said Rice. “And, (with the community) there were two things that stuck out. Number one they couldn’t believe the free meal.  But the second that really jumped out for people was just the unity. We were seeing churches working together, people working together, but there’s just this fellowship that’s going on around the table and we just have not seen this like this.”

He also said, once the vendors realized their food was going to be given away by church members, invoices quickly turned into donations to the worthwhile cause.

“Another company we bought water from, 3,000 bottles of water, ‘well, that’s a lot of water, what are you going to do with it?'” he said. “So we told them, ‘oh, well, just come pick it up,’ they donated it.”

The church held their official de-brief meeting from the event last week, and, Rice said, many of volunteers told him that serving meals to the community filled them up and made them proud to take part in such a positive campaign.

“Across the board people said they just appreciated so much being able to serve our community,” said Rice. “That just filled them up. They got the blessing from serving people, so we just want to express our gratitude to the community for coming out and being part.”

He also said so many people wanted to help during the event that they needed to turn volunteers away.

Rice said Feed The 5,000 will probably take a year or two off, so the event doesn’t begin to feel stale like an annual family reunion. But, he added, they fully expect to hold another Feed The 5,000 event in the future.

Roadwork begins on Highway 59 and other lakes area highways

Several highways in west-central Minnesota are about to be under construction beginning this week.

According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, road crews will be completing some preventative maintenance on: Highway 59, north of Pelican Rapids to north of Dunvilla; Highway 113 from Highway 59, east of Waubun to County Road 4; Highway 200 from Highway 59 in Mahnomen to Roy Lake; and Highway 210 from Breckenridge to east of Foxhome.

Crews will be applying tack and rock to the roadways and then, a couple days later, will be applying a fog seal with the hope of extending the lifespan of the roadways.

While crews are working, flaggers and a pilot car will be used to control traffic, but motorists should expect daily lane closures in those areas.

In the news release, MnDOT urged motorists to always drive with caution, and reminds them to slow down in the work zone and never enter a roadway that has been blocked with barriers or cones.

For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org.

Pelican Rapids man pleads guilty in Stearns County child-sex sting

A Pelican Rapids man has pleaded guilty in a child sex sting investigation in Stearns County.

33-year-old Joshua Jansen admitted to a felony charge of engaging in electronic communication relating to or describing sexual conduct with a child.   

An undercover officer with the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force set up the profile of a teenage girl in an online chat room last July. 

According to court records, Jansen reportedly made contact with the profile and quickly initiated a sexual conversation. 

Jansen is also accused of sending explicit pictures and soliciting the girl for sex. 

His sentencing is scheduled for September in Stearns County.

Lake Itasca public access closed for summer due to construction

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced the Lake Itasca Public Water Access in Itasca State Park is now closed, as of Tuesday, July 11, through the 2023 summer season due to the construction of a new public water access facility.

In a MN DNR news release, the agency said visitors will not be able to launch boats from the Lake Itasca drive-in access sites and will have limited access to launch carry-in watercraft, such as canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. 

The water access project will include expanding and paving the existing parking lot and creating two drive-in access ramps, as well as creating a designated carry-in access site, an accessible dock, a watercraft inspection area, and a modern restroom facility.

Itasca Sports bike and boat rental will remain open with limited parking for customers.

Husband arrested for second-degree murder and vehicular homicide in death of his wife

Police have arrested the husband of a woman found dead on a Crow Wing County road last month.

The body of 49-year-old Angela McClelland, of Fort Ripley, was found near the intersection of Legend Lane and Killian Road in Fort Ripley Township on June 25.

Police said at the time it’s believed that Angela McClelland “died as a result of being struck by a vehicle,” and on Monday arrested 47-year-old Tony James McClelland, Angela’s husband, for probable cause of 2nd-degree murder and criminal vehicular homicide.

Tony McClelland is currently being held at Crow Wing County Jail pending formal charges.

Angela McClelland is a native of Embarrass, Minnesota and was a mother of six children. She and Tony were living together at the time of her death and they were married in 2011. 

Tax rebate check for Minnesotans to be sent out in early fall

One-time tax rebate payments to Minnesotans are set to go out early this fall. 

State Revenue Department Commissioner Paul Marquardt says eligible recipients who have not changed their address or banking information from what was on their 2021 income tax or property tax refund returns do not need to take any action.

“If your address has changed or your bank information has changed, then you need to correct that and change that,” said Marquardt. “And that’s what we have opened is an online portal that you can go to the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s website and change that and correct that.”

He also laid out how much Minnesotans can expect to get back this fall.

“Each individual it’s 260 dollars,” he said. “And for married joint-filing, it’s 520. And then an additional 260 dollars per child to a maximum of 1,300 for a family of five.”

Eligible recipients who have not changed their address or banking information from what was on their 2021 income tax or property tax refund returns do not need to take any action. If you need to update your personal information you have until 5 p.m. on July 28th to do so online at taxrebate.mn.gov.

Better Business Bureau warns of Prime Day scams

It’s the final day of Amazon’s Prime Days. 

The Better Business Bureau is warning people about Amazon Prime day scams. Scam artists are sending Emails with Amazon’s logo. 

The emails contain fake sales and a link that people can click on to enter their credit card information. Other important things to remember when shopping online:

• Beware of lookalike websites. These sites may appear at first glance to belong to a trusted retailer. But when you look closely at the web address, the business name may be misspelled with just one or two letters.
• Look out for emails or texts claiming that there is a problem with delivery, and all you need to do is click on a link or give up your personal information. To avoid that, when making any purchases, print out any emails and save information with tracking numbers and where the package will be coming from.
• Trust your gut when evaluating deals. If a company claims to sell the hottest item of the year at a super low price, it’s probably a fake.
• Pay with a credit card because you can always dispute bogus charges through your credit card company. Avoid any retailer that asks you to pay by digital wallet, apps, prepaid money cards or other non-traditional payment methods. 

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