Heart Walk held in Detroit Lakes to promote healthy lifestyles and heart disease research
Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Walkers started at the Pavilion in Detroit Lakes and then participated in an American Heart Association Heart Walk on Thursday evening.
The event was geared toward raising money for research into preventing strokes, correcting heart defects in newborns and eventually finding a cure for high blood pressure, according to the organization’s website.
The walk was also focused on raising awareness to living healthier lifestyles and promoting the stories of those who have survived a stroke or various forms of heart disease.
Scott Derke was this year’s Detroit Lakes Heart Walk ambassador. Derke suffered a severe heart attack two years ago and credits the advancements in heart-related health and a fantastic medical staff to saving his life.
“It’s all because of the doctors and nurses, and the staff was wonderful” said Derke. “I wasn’t in the hospital that long, four days, that was it. And I wasn’t supposed to be here at all. I just think it’s amazing what these people can do. They are constantly changing what they can do with this money to find something new. Next year, they’ll probably have something they can stick in my ear and I wouldn’t have had to go to the hospital, I don’t know.”
Unfortunately, Derke was unable to participate in the walk this year due to recently being diagnosed with cancer, but that didn’t stop him from praising the individuals walking for him and other survivors with heart-related diseases.
“At my house, we don’t do anything small, last year I was diagnosed with cancer,” he said. “And we’re battling through that right now on top of everything else. So I really appreciate that you guys are doing the walking, I’m just going to have to pass this year. Maybe next year I’ll get in with somebody, but I appreciate you guys doing everything. And I see there’s a bunch of other survivors out here and it’s a journey.”
According to the Detroit Lakes Heart Walk event page, more than $18,500 has been raised during this year’s event. If you would like to make a donation to the Detroit Lakes Heart Walk, information can be found in the news story on our station’s website, or through the Lakes Area Radio app.
Walker man charged in Ponsford stabbing; nearby resident charged with aiding offender
A man from Walker, Minnesota has been charged with felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in Becker County District Court stemming from June stabbing that occurred in Ponsford.
According to the Detroit Lakes Tribune, on June 29 at 2:30 a.m., first responders discovered a male victim in a bedroom doorway of a Ponsford residence with blood on his clothes and immediately applied pressure to stab wound on the victim’s chest.
The victim identified the person who stabbed him as 25-year-old Marcus Lee Waybenais of Walker who he also said he had been living with for about 9 months. The victim was later transported to Essentia Health St. Mary’s in Detroit Lakes for treatment.
According to court records, a search was then initiated to find Waybenais by law enforcement, which brought them to a nearby trailer and camper that had been parked on a property.
There, law enforcement encountered 66-year-old Nancy Joanne Kettle, of rural Ponsford, who told officers that the suspect was not hiding in the trailer.
After Kettle told law enforcement she had to “get two dogs,” she disappeared inside the trailer for several minutes, which caused law enforcement to grow suspicious.
A search was performed on the trailer and law enforcement discovered Waybenais hiding in a bedroom.
Kettle also admitted to being with the suspect and taking a knife from him that was allegedly used in the stabbing. She then turned the knife over to law enforcement as evidence.
Both Waybenais and Kettle were arrested at the scene
Waybenais is currently in-custody at the Becker County Jail awaiting and Sept. 6 plea hearing.
Kettle has been charged in Becker County District Court with felony aiding an offender to avoid arrest including harboring or concealment.
MN State Patrol seeking public help with fatal pedestrian strike at crash scene
The Minnesota State Patrol is seeking the public’s help following a fatal crash in Benton County on Friday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder SUV was eastbound on Highway 10 between Rice and Sauk Rapids around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 11 when it left the roadway, went into the ditch, and rolled, coming to rest on its roof near the Little Rock Road intersection.
A passenger in the SUV was ejected during the crash and then struck by a passing 2017 GMC Sierra. The ejected passenger was pronounced dead at the scene and the 27-year-old SUV driver was rushed to a St. Cloud Hospital with serious injuries.
The state patrol said the 27-year-old male driver of the SUV is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the rollover.
Another 17-year-old male passenger in the SUV was unharmed during the crash.
The Minnesota State Patrol is asking if anyone witnessed the incident, thinks they may have struck the person in the roadway, or has any other information related to the crash, please call the state patrol at: 507-285-7410.
The crash remains under an active investigation.
The names of those involved in the incident are expected to be released on Monday.
Post office in Vergas renamed to honor Jon Glawe
The post office in Vergas was rededicated in the memory of longtime Vergas mail carrier Jon Glawe on Friday as part of the 2023 Looney Days festival.
Glawe delivered mail for 36 years to the small Otter Tail County community before retiring in 2011. Glawe passed away in 2016.
Rep. Michelle Fischbach introduced the bill to rename the post office on the U.S. House floor in 2021 before it was ultimately passed by the both chambers and signed into law in Dec. 2022.
During the ceremony, Fischbach said the renaming of the post office in honor of a community member was one of her favorite things about her job as a lawmaker.
“You guys know Jon, you knew Jon, you know what a wonderful man he was and what he did for the community,” said Fischbach. “And so you are here to honor him. This is not about me carrying legislation, it’s about you and your sense of community, and how you stick together and it’s about rural Minnesota.”
Jon’s wife, Darla Glawe, told event attendees that her husband loved Vergas and was always available to help out at different community events like Looney Day and the Maple Syrup festival. She also said she remembers Jon telling her some stories about his deliveries.
“I remember one time when he came home and he said he ‘delivered’ someone to his brother,” said Glawe. “And I kinda looked and wondered what he was talking about and he said he had his urn of ashes that he delivered.”
She also said he expressed how grateful he was for all of the treats that were left in mailboxes and all the invitations for cups of coffee made by Vergas residents over the years.
The Jon Glawe Post Office is located at 123 East Main Street in Vergas.
Remains of WWII POW returns to Ulen for burial
After eight decades, a local decorated World War II hero finally came home.
The Army returned the remains of Private First Class John Opgrand to Ulen, Minnesota for military burial honors during a ceremony at Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Saturday.
Opgrand was captured by the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines and survived the Bataan death march, which involved the forcible relocation of more than 75,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war to various camps in the region. The march was about 65 miles long and resulted in the estimated deaths of between 5,000 to 18,000 prisoners of war along the march..
Unfortunately, Opgrand died in a prison camp in the Philippines.
He was posthumously awarded several medals including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and the Prisoner of War Medal.
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