Becker County Food Pantry cuts the ribbon on their new distribution facility on Terry Street in Detroit Lakes

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The Becker County Food Pantry officially cut the ribbon on their new distribution center on Terry Street Wednesday afternoon.

In a ceremony hosted by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce, Dale Storey, the food pantry’s board president, said he was thankful for all of the donations and fundraising efforts that went towards the new building. He also pointed out that the only reason they were cutting the ribbon on their new building was because of regular stream of donations from their regulars and their volunteers.

“Today, for me, it’s a day of thanks,” said Storey. “Thanking the city and the county for kickstarting our campaign with their donations. We had Bremer Foundation give us a grant to help out. And then the ones that kept us going was our donors, our consistent donors that we have all the time. They helped us stay focused and stay where we need to be and they’re the reason that we’re here because everything we get is donated.”

Also in attendance at the ribbon cutting were Elaine Forsell and Julie Sanders, two of the original board members of the food pantry who served prior to the board’s incorporation in 1982.

Forsell said she remembers the original food pantry was a single room with a couple tables of items in the basement of the old Holmes Junior High School.

“We started in the basement of the Holmes Center with just a table and some shelves, no refrigeration, no freezers,” said Forsell. “And we even delivered the first few boxes … we delivered them to social services and to the churches.”

Sanders said she remembers her toddler children holding onto her skirt as she used to deliver boxes of food to county human services or to a nearby church. She added she’s so happy to see that getting the food to people has become easier through their distribution center.

“I’m so happy that getting food to people has become much easier,” said Sanders. “And one of the regrets that I have is, well, we didn’t have a lot to give out, but I feel we were so miserly compared to what (the Becker County Food Pantry) is today. And I just love that so much. I’m so taken with that.”

Minnesota state Rep. Jim Joy, R-Hawley, said he thinks it’s immensely special to have a food pantry, like ours, in Becker County; serving community members who need it.

“This, to me, is just wonderful,” said Joy. “I haven’t been out here before, but I remember the old one they had, so this is well improved. To have this in your community and the ability to help people, this is wonderful. And the good thing about a facility like this … now you get to shop. So if there are items they don’t want, they stay on the shelf for someone else. It’s a great thing to put to use. What a wonderful facility. It looks great.”

David Meyer, Becker County commissioner for District 2, said he’s happy the county and city were able to help with funding for the new building and it’s important to show the importance of our food pantry to other counties with the hope they will make their own pantries a priority as well.

“You don’t think about how things start out, but it started out with a couple of tables in the basement of the old Holmes Junior High, which isn’t there anymore,” said Meyer. “This is a nice facility and I’m glad that the city and county could help out and make it nice. Because we have to make a statement in our county that we are going to support food pantries and what they stand for and what they mean.”

The food pantry has been technically open for the past two weeks, but much of those distribution days were spent getting the volunteers up to speed with their new computer system and accounting procedures. Officials said they have already seen an uptick in traffic with the new facility.

Man injured in single-vehicle crash in Douglas County Tuesday evening

A man was injured in a single-vehicle crash on County Road 82 in Douglas County on Tuesday evening.

On Nov. 14 at 4:36 p.m., emergency dispatchers received a report of a crash near Wildlife Loop in Osakis Township.

Upon arrival, first responders discovered 37-year-old Shane Anthony Hoemberg suffered an upper-body injury during the crash and was bleeding. He was treated on scene and transported to Alomere Health in Alexandria for additional treatment.

According to a preliminary crash report, Hoemberg was travelling eastbound in a 2017 Buick Encore when he crossed over the centerline and went into the northside ditch before striking a power pole.

The crash knocked down power lines along County Road 82 and traffic was diverted until the power lines could be removed.

Law enforcement believes Hoemberg fall asleep at the wheel in the moments preceding the crash.

Perham Post Office to be renamed in honor of fallen Chief Warrant Officer who died in 2019 helicopter crash near St. Cloud

The Perham Post Office will be holding a renaming ceremony on Friday to honor fallen Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles P. Nord, who was killed in a 2019 National Guard helicopter crash near St. Cloud.

Nord was born in Breckenridge, Minn., in 1989 and grew up on his family’s dairy farm where he worked alongside his father and grandfather.

After high school, Nord joined the National Guard as a tank crew member and, eventually, advancing to the rank of staff sergeant.

Nord was accepted into the Warrant Officer training program in 2015 and attended helicopter flying school in Alabama. He was eventually promoted to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 2. In 2019, Nord moved Perham with his family.

The helicopter crash near St. Cloud also claimed the lives of Chief Warrant Officer 2 James Rodgers Jr. And Warrant Officer Candidate Kort Plantenberg after experiencing a mid-flight mechanical failure.

The post office dedication for Nord will also feature members of his family, representatives for Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach and Senator Amy Klobuchar and Angela Bye, the North Dakota District Manager for the United State Postal Service.

The ceremony begins on Friday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. at the Perham Post Office on 3rd Avenue.

Give To The Max today across Minnesota; nonprofits event raises more than $30 million and helps about 6,000 MN organizations

Today is Give To The Max Day across Minnesota.

The event is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, which is focused on raising money for Minnesota nonprofits.

The day encourages those who can, donate to their favorite charitable organizations, and encourage individuals and businesses to match contributions to their favorite charities.

According to their website, since 2009, Give To The Max Day has raised nearly $300 million for more than 14,000 Minnesota nonprofits.

Since 2020, Give To The Max Day has raised more than $30 million per year and assisted more than 6,000 nonprofits in each of those years.

Jonas Brothers postpone concert in Grand Forks 3 days before event

Just three days before showtime, the Alerus Center announces that a Jonas Brothers concert set for Friday night is called off.
They wrote on social media that the show will be rescheduled some time in 2024.

The social media post also stated the postponement was due to “logistical issues.”

Adding: “We regret any inconvenience this has caused you and look forward to welcoming you back for Jonas Brothers: FIVE ALBUMS. ONE NIGHT soon!”

Nearly 1,000 comments have been made on the social media post in about 18 hours.

In the comments, the Alerus Center also stated: “Please know that we definitely understand your frustration and concern. We are working with very limited information at this time but take heart in knowing that we want this concert to happen just as badly as you do and our leadership team is actively working to get it rescheduled. For everyone asking about refunds, typically for reschedules there is a window to request a refund once the new date is announced. If the show were to be cancelled completely then Ticketmaster would automatically issue refunds. We’ll provide more information once we have it.”

The Jonas Brothers website still lists shows concerts in Winnipeg on Thursday and St. Paul on Sunday are still happening.
The Jonas Brothers are also slated to appear on ESPN’s College Gameday Saturday morning at James Madison University in Virginia. There is no official word from the band on why the show was postponed.

New soybean processing plant opens in Spiritwood, N.D.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Tuesday for the new Green Bison Soy Processing Plant in Spiritwood, N.D.

The $350 million dollar facility will process up to 150,000 bushels of soybeans per day.  

The plant will produce up to 600 million pounds of refined soybean oil per year while generating 1.3 million tons of soybean meal for ag production in the region.

The facility is a joint venture between ADM and Marathon Petroleum and is located about ten miles east of Jamestown.  

Green Bison began accepting soybeans at their new plant on Sept. 18 of this year.

Story by Doug Barrett / KNOX

House fire in St. Cloud displaces residents; 3 pets perished in the blaze

Fire crews battled a blaze at a St. Cloud residence on Tuesday, which ended up displacing two residents.

No injuries were reported at the scene, but two dogs and one cat perished in the fire.

The fire department says they were called to the scene around 1:45 p.m. for a potential fire inside a single family home on the 300 block of 32nd Avenue North.

Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the eaves and windows of the house. 

The back door had been forced open, and officials said a neighbor ran in to save one of the dogs. 

Firefighters searched the house, but no one was home. 

The fire damage was contained to the kitchen and attic area, but there was smoke damage throughout. 

The two people who live at the residence are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

The cause of the fire remains under an active investigation.

Story by Jennifer Lewerenz / KNSI

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