DL Chamber recognizes seven recipients during 2023 Splash Awards on Thursday evening.

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce highlighted seven different lakes area individuals and businesses with their annual Splash Awards Thursday evening, which showcased volunteers and initiatives that have gone above-and-beyond to promote their activities and the lakes area region this past year.

Carrie Johnston, president of the Chamber, said these awards are always special because people never set out to win them since they are recognized by their peers and nominated, and many of them never quite realize the magnitude of their help or influence until they were contacted as an award finalist.

“The beauty of this award is that people don’t know that they’ve been working to earn it,” said Johnston. “It’s not an award where you needed to check the boxes, it’s that someone else nominated and recognized how cool you are … and it can be as small as volunteering your time, or it could be that you came up with a really large fundraiser, or that you’ve been committed to something for years and years. It’s also not only individuals, but people that motivate others and organizations and businesses that really motivate their employees, their friends and family. They give back so much.”

The winners of 2023 Splash Awards were:

• Mike Labine, who won the Accelerator Award for motivating community involvement as the founder of the lakes area local chapter of the YES Network, which prioritizes the social emotional needs of children and families.
• A Place To Belong won the Ripple Award for the year’s best motivational and engaging nonprofit for their work as one of the first social clubs for adults living with mental illness.
• Jay Estenson won the Skipper Award for leadership while using her cooking, hairstyling and leadership skills for the betterment of Frazee.
• WE Fest won the Wave Award for promoting and investing in regional tourism through their annual country music festival.
• Madalyn Sukke, who won the Beacon Award for long-standing volunteerism through the Let’s Go Fishing campaign and other community events.
• Arvig, who won the Lighthouse Award for a business’s enduring commitment to the lakes area through their financial donations, scholarships and volunteerism.
• And, Kyle Meacham, who won the Launch Award for volunteerism and willingness to serve that helps propel projects forward. 

Meacham volunteered at numerous local events over the past year and, following the award ceremony, said he didn’t volunteer expecting an award, he volunteered because he genuinely cares about the community and its events that are both fun and a draw for visitors or potential residents.

“I didn’t show up to these events to be awarded,” said Meacham. “I show up to these events because I like to be there and I like to show the community that I like to help. And I like meeting new people and seeing more people move into our city and show just how great our city is.”

He also said, if anyone is looking for a worthwhile experience, volunteer for just a few hours at a local event and just that short shift can really make a difference.

“We have all these groups of nonprofits and clubs in this community and each of them puts on a big special event,” he said. “All we need is for someone to show up for four hours and volunteer their time. You are just as equal as any other person whether they spent 40, or 80, or 800 hours, it doesn’t matter. It’s not about who can volunteer the most. It’s that you stepped up and you did your best. And that’s really what life is all about.”

For more information on the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce events and programs, check out their website at: visitdetroitlakes.com/chamber.

Fargo man injured when semi-tractor trailer leaves Becker County roadway

A semi-tractor trailer driver was injured when he lost control of his rig and went into a roadside ditch in Becker County on Saturday morning.

On Oct. 7 at 10:44 a.m., emergency dispatchers received a report of a semi-tractor trailer crash with possible injuries at mile marker 44 on Highway 113 in Forest Township.

Upon arrival, first responders discovered the driver, 32-year-old Rouby Makenley Saint Charles of Fargo, suffered non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the crash when his 2018 Freightliner Tractor went into the ditch.

Saint Charles was transported to Sanford Hospital in Fargo for treatment of unknown injuries.

He was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash and law enforcement believes alcohol did not play a factor in the incident.

Twin Cities man charged with exchanging sexually explicit content with minor in Stearns County

A Twin Cities man is the latest to be caught in an undercover child solicitation sting in Stearns County.

Members of the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force were acting as a 14-year-old girl in an online chatroom known for the solicitation of children.

According to the charges, 66-year-old Mark Johanek began chatting with the undercover officer in the fall of 2022. Over the course of several months court records allege Johanek’s conversations were sexually explicit and very graphic.

Officers say the crimes were committed between October of last year and August 24 of this year.

Johanek was arrested on Oct. 4 at his Columbia Heights home. He is due in Stearns County District Court on Oct. 16 to face a charge of engaging in electronic communication to describe sexual conduct with a child.

Story by Ryan Janke / KFGO

Moorhead school resources officers head back to classrooms

With clarification from the attorney general, Moorhead police school resource officers are back.   

The police department and school district made the decision. School resource officers were removed on the first day of school out of concern with a new “use of force” law that was approved in the final days of the legislative session.   

Police Chief Shannon Monroe says he feared that the law may have subjected his officers to civil or criminal liability. 

“It could be taking a hold of someone’s arm, any kind of a restraint, they were not allowed to do, unless it was to prevent imminent bodily harm to themselves or another,” said Monroe. “So any of those cases where you have a disorderly student, someone trespassing on the grounds that is refusing to leave, none of that is imminent bodily harm.” 

While Monroe says he’s comfortable with the latest legal opinion, he says he believes the legislature will have to work to fine tune the law. 

Story by Paul Jurgens / KFGO

Perham Living Home Health Care receives national recognition as ‘superior performer’

Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) named Perham Living Home Health Care a “superior performer” in its Best Home Health List for 2022

Perham Living Home Health Care was one of only two organizations in Minnesota to make the list and were selected because they ranked in the top 20% in patient satisfaction.

Strategic Healthcare Program’s 2022 award recipients were determined by reviewing and ranking the overall satisfaction score for more than 3,200 home health care providers.

In a news release, Jennifer Doll, director of Perham Living Home Health Care, said: “I am extremely proud of our employees for earning this prestigious award. This recognition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality healthcare services. Patient satisfaction scores are a vital gauge of our organization’s performance and reflect our culture of excellence in patient care.”

Perham Living Home Health Care offers a variety of services in the home, which include: skilled nursing and care management, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and other personal and health management services. 

Railroad crossing on Willow Street in Detroit Lakes closed for maintenance; alternate routes advised

A prominent railroad crossing on Willow Street in Detroit Lakes will be closed this week for maintenance by the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

Between Monday, Oct. 9 to Thursday, Oct. 12, the railroad crossing on Willow Street, between Rossman Avenue and West Avenue, will be closed and no thru traffic will be allowed to cross the tracks.

The Detroit Lakes public works department encourages drivers to plan accordingly and to use alternate routes to avoid the intersection.

Leech Lake resort main lodge deemed ‘total loss’ following Friday morning fire

An early morning fire destroyed the main lodge building at a resort on Leech Lake in rural Walker, Minnesota.

According to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, the fire was reported around 2:45 AM on Friday, Oct. 6, at the Hiawatha Beach Resort.

Responders arrived and found the lodge fully engulfed in flames.

Five area fire departments battled the blaze, but the structure was a total loss.

No injuries were reported at the scene and the Minnesota State Fire Marshals’ Office is assisting in the investigation into the cause of the fire.

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