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Beginning May 20, the Dispatch will join other news outlets

by charging for online and mobile media access.

“Today newspaper websites are the most trusted, most often read, most in-depth and most accurate of all the types of news that are

available on the Internet,” said John Gagliano, Dispatch circula-tion director. “Truly, today’s news is available in whatever form you

want it, whenever you want it and the Dispatch has kept up with the cutting edge of technology.

Renee RichardsonSenior Reporter Brainerd Dispatch

By RENEE RICHARDSON

CONTINUED INSIDE...

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“Our digital evolution is necessary for us to stay relevant in the world we live in today and will in-habit tomorrow.”Gagliano said the com-mitment to gather and re-port news across multiple digital platforms — smart-phones, the iPad edition and the electronic edition of the paper available at the Dispatch website —

comes with a stark reality. “Our digital platforms are not free, yet up to this point we have not been charging to access them as we charge for our paper edition,” Gagliano

said. “In fact, we have been increasing our costs while diminishing our revenues because many people simply made the choice to get their in-formation for free once we offered it that way.”Now, Gagliano said the newspaper can cut staff to the point where it is ineffective in deliver-ing the news in any format, leaving a void that couldn’t be filled by community bloggers or other non-professional journalists or it can be-gin charging for digital products. “Our prices will increase, but so will the val-ue of our products,” Gagliano said. “All of our home delivery packages will increase in price by slightly less than $3 per month. That’s not re-ally much in our world of $5 coffees.”The all access membership plan creates a reader rewards program, offering exclusive discounts

with area businesses. Readers may access the discounts online or by showing a free discount card at the participating businesses. “Using one of these offers per month will more than offset the small price increase and we have even more benefits and perks planned for the future,” Gagliano said. Visitors to the Dispatch website will be able to see the home page, classifieds and advertis-ing along with photo galleries at spotted.brain-erddispatch.com at no charge. They will also be able to access seven articles for free each month. In addition to the all-access plan, the Dispatch is raising daily single copy rates from 75 cents to $1 and from $1.50 to $2 for the weekend edi-tion. The last time the Sunday single copy rate

John GaglianoCirculation Director Brainerd Dispatch

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“~John Gagliano

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went up it was 1998 when gas was about $1 per gallon. Gagliano said when newspapers first put up all their content for free the idea was online ad-vertising would cover the cost. While it may cover the cost of blog-ging from the basement, Gagliano said it doesn’t cover the cost of main-

taining a professional staff to cover news and sports for the community. “With today’s constant thirst for information we need to reach more audiences with more infor-

mation for local readers than every before,” said Dispatch Publisher Tim Bogenschutz. “The Dis-patch Internet services attract an average of well over 200,000 unique IP addresses monthly. A large growing portion of those customers are using mobile platforms to access our informa-tion. “We can reach each of you. Whether by phone, tablet, computer, the newspaper or social me-dia, you are accessing our information daily. The trick is to do it all and still have enough money to pay our employees and reinvest in our business and community.” Even through a challenging recession, Bogen-schutz said the Dispatch dedicated itself to re-inventing and redesigning its products. Coin-ciding with the all-access plan, the Dispatch is

upgrading its iPad app to one with easier navi-gation, highlights of coming issues and retrieval of stories from previous editions. “All of the changes we have made recently have been to rededicate ourselves and resources to better serving our communities,” Bogenschutz

said.

RENEE RICHARDSON, senior reporter, may be reached at 855-5852 or renee.richardson@brain-erddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Dispatchbiz-buzz.

Tim Bogenschutz Publisher of the Brainerd Dispatch

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“All of the changes we have made recently have been to rededicate ourselves and resources to better serving our communities.” ~Tim Bogenschutz

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An Award-Winning Newspaper with Award-Winning Employees

Through the years, the Dis-patch has gained awards for design and editing,

general excellence, spot news, sports, photography and inves-tigative reporting from the Min-nesota Associated Press Associa-tion. Dispatch staff members were awarded a 2011 Morris Journal-ism Excellence Award for dead-line news reporting related to the Wadena tornado from the Morris

Publishing Group, the Dispatch’s owners. Also in 2011, Kelly Humphrey earned a Morris award for excel-lence in photography. In 2012, five Dispatch journal-ists were awarded the Morris Excellent Awards for community service for coverage of a racially motivated assault in Brainerd. In 2012 and 2013, the rede-signed Dispatch gained world-wide recognition when five of its

front pages made the Newseum’s top 10 list, chosen from more than 800 newspapers from 90 countries. In 2012, the Dispatch won 12 awards from the Minnesota Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest, including a website named one of the top three among dailies in the state with a circulation of 10,000 or more. The Dispatch also gained awards for clever ad placement

and for best magazine with “Her Voice,” and best of police blotter. The Dispatch took a first place for a “tech wrap” for a complete and compelling explanation of how newspaper operations have changed and, according to the judges, gave “readers and non-readers many reason to stick with (or join) the Brainerd Dispatch brand.”

In the last three years...

InsIde Today Vol 133-145 Deaths 5a OpiniOn 6a ClassifieD 9a COmiCs 4B spOrts 1B Dear abby 8aDispatch for iPad!

www.brainerddispatch.com

www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, February 19, 2013 • 75¢Serving the Brainerd LakeS area and CentraL MinneSota SinCe 1881

BD Photo Gallery & Videobrainerddispatch.com

Samuel Anderson

smiles as he slides

down a snow pile while

being held up by his uncle

Devin Anderson Saturday at

the Nisswa Winter Jubilee. For

more photos go to spotted.brainerd

dispatch.com.

1Bsports

Warriors host Moosein quarterfinals

MOORHEAD (AP) — Two

people have died and a third

was seriously hurt in a three-

vehicle crash in bad weather

on Interstate 94 in western

Minnesota.

The State Patrol says visibil-ity was at or near zero when it happened about 11:30 a.m. Monday in the westbound lanes near Barnesville, about 22 miles southeast of Moorhead. Sgt. Jes-se Grabow says the poor visibil-ity likely was a factor.

The Patrol closed the west-bound lanes and diverted traffic so investigators could recon-struct the crash and move the vehicles in blizzard conditions.

Names of the victims have not been released.

The area is under a blizzard warning that covers much of the eastern Dakotas and parts of

western Minnesota. Blow-ing snow and icy roads

have created hazardous driving conditions

and led to several crashes across

the area.

blizzard conditions

on I-94Crash kills 2

MKelly Humphrey • kelly.humphrey@brainerddispatch.com

A Central Lakes College (CLC) student due to graduate this

spring from the school’s nursing program was expelled from the

program for allegedly posting “disturbing” comments on his per-

sonal Facebook page.

The student, Craig Keefe of East Gull Lake, in turn filed a lawsuit Feb. 8 in U.S. District Court stating the college violated his First Amendment rights and his rights to due process were denied. Defendants named in the lawsuit from CLC in Brainerd are Beth Adams, dean of students; Connie Frisch, director of nursing; Kelly McCalla, vice president of academic affairs; and

Larry Lundblad, president. Ste-ven Rosenstone, chancellor and chief executive officer of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, also is named as a defendant, as he had authority over actions occurring at the college and the ability to overrule the expulsion.

Keefe’s attorney, Jordan Kushner of Minneapo-lis, said the case represents a clear-cut violation of civil rights. Kushner said college officials violated their own

See CLC, Page 8A

A

MOSCOW (AP) — Scientists have found more than

50 tiny fragments of a meteor that exploded over

Russia’s Ural Mountains, and pre-

liminary tests are turning up in-

formation about its contents.However, local residents

seem more interested in the black market value of the fragments. As they search for their own pieces of the meteor, sale offers already are filling the In-ternet, and police are warning all purchasers to pre-pare for possible fraud.

The meteor — which injured nearly 1,500 peo-ple and caused widespread property damage in

Chelyabinsk city on Friday — was the largest re-corded space rock to hit Earth in more than a cen-tury. Health officials said 46 of the injured remain

hospitalized.Viktor Grokhovsky, who led

the expedition from Urals Fed-eral University, said Monday

that 53 fragments of the meteor have been plucked from the ice-covered Chebarkul Lake. He said they are less than a centimeter (half an inch) in size, about 10 percent iron, and belong to the chondrite type, the most common variation of meteorites found on Earth.

See METEOR, Page 8A

By JENNIFER STOCKINGERjennifer.stockinger@

brainerddispatch.com

Local

World

State

MThree of the four groups with plans for Whittier Elementary school drew out their ideas during an interview process Mon-day night.

The Whittier Task Force questioned each of the proposers after evaluating each idea last week. The group was still left with questions on timelines, concepts and investments.

A proposal for a chemical dependency treatment program by Duane Halvorson was taken out of consideration after it placed last in a ranking system.

Whittier closed more than four years ago due to budget constraints. Since, the Whittier Task Force was formed to help bring life back into the building. Members put out a call for proposals on what the space could be used for.

See WHITTIER, Page 8A

By JESSICA LARSENjessica.larsen@brainerddispatch.com

Scientists recover meteor fragments

CLC student sues school after being expelled for

acebookcomments

Whittier Task Force questions candidates

T

source for information

in the Brainerd lakes area

#1

When Noah Theisen was a baby, he liked to sit in his

bathwater on his tiptoes, steadied by his hands out in front of him.

He looked like a little frog sitting in the water and that’s how the 10-year-old Brain-erd boy earned his family nickname, “Froggy.”

Noah may now be known by another moniker: “Poet.”

The Forestview Middle School fifth-grader recently learned his poem, “Frog Jumping,” was published in the August issue of “High-lights for Children” maga-zine. He wrote the poem about two years ago when he was 8. He said he has loved frogs since he was very young. About two years ago he drew a picture of a frog jumping from lily pad to lily pad and asked his mom, Theresa Theisen, to write down his poem inspired by his drawing. He wanted to submit his work to “High-lights,” a magazine he’s sub-scribed to since he was in kindergarten.

While his mom learned his poem was to be pub-lished in the August issue back in June, she kept it a secret from him until Noah got his copy of the issue in the mail last week.

“It’s cool. I’m a star,” Noah said with a laugh.

“He was shocked,” his mom added.

According to Highlights magazine, the editors of the widely-read children’s mag-

azine select work submitted from boys and girls of all ages from around the world. The magazine receives about 35,000 submissions

each year. Noah said it felt good to

see his name and poem in the magazine.

His mom and grand-

mother, Sandy Theisen, were also very proud of him. His little sister, Breanna, 6, was

See NOAH, Page 16A

SPORTS:Oakland sweeps Twins

1B

www.brainerddispatch.com Monday, July 16, 2012 • 75¢Serving the Brainerd LakeS area and CentraL MinneSota SinCe 1881

InsIde Today Vol 132-270 Deaths 5a OpiniOn 6a ClassifieD 9a COmiCs 6B spOrts 1B Dear abby 7a

Kelly Humphrey • kelly.humphrey@brainerddispatch.com

A loon raises its wings Friday on Gull Lake.

Wings on the Waves

e V e r y d a y p e o p l e

hen Noah Theisen was a baby, he liked to sit in his

bathwater on his tiptoes, steadied by his hands out in

He looked like a little frog sitting in the water and that’s

-erd boy earned his family

Noah may now be known

The Forestview Middle School fifth-grader recently learned his poem, “Frog Jumping,” was published in

--

zine. He wrote the poem about two years ago when he was 8. He said he has loved frogs since he was very young. About two years ago he drew a picture of a frog jumping from lily pad to lily pad and asked his mom, Theresa Theisen, to write down his poem inspired by his drawing. He wanted to

--

scribed to since he was in

While his mom learned -

lished in the August issue back in June, she kept it a

Meet ‘Froggy’ the poetBy JODIE TWEEDBy JODIE TWEEDBy JODIE TWEED

Special CorrespondentSpecial CorrespondentSpecial CorrespondentSpecial CorrespondentBy JODIE TWEED

Special CorrespondentBy JODIE TWEEDBy JODIE TWEED

Special CorrespondentBy JODIE TWEEDBy JODIE TWEED

Special CorrespondentBy JODIE TWEED

Noah Theisen, 10, of southeast Brainerd, has loved frogs since he was a baby, when he earned his nickname “Froggy” because of the way he liked to sit in the bathtub. Theisen, a Forestview fifth-grader, had his poem about a frog published in the August issue of “Highlights for Children” magazine.

• Jodie Tweed

Hot and steamy

Temperatures will flirt with triple digits Monday as the thermometers are expected to soar to 98 degrees in a return of the summer heat.

A heat advisory is in effect from noon to 9 p.m. Mon-day for the lakes region. The National Weather Service in Duluth reported the return of the heat means a dangerous combination of heat and humidity with heat index values of 100 from the Brainerd lakes area to Wisconsin.

The heat index, which factors in both heat and humid-ity, is expected to range from 95 to 105 degrees. When the heat index reaches these levels those working or remain-ing active outdoors are advised to take additional precau-tions against heat illnesses.

Strenuous activity should be restricted to later in the night. Wearing light weight and loose fitting clothing is advised along with drinking plenty of water.

Precautions should also be taken with animals to en-See HEAT, Page 16A

Governors put off health care questions, for now

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — Millions of uninsured people may have to wait until after Election Day to find out if and how they can get coverage

through President Barack Obama’s health care law.More than two weeks after the Supreme Court gave the

green light to Obama’s signature legislative achievement, many governors from both parties said they haven’t decid-ed how their states will proceed on two parts under their control: an expansion of Medicaid, expected to extend coverage to roughly 15 million low-income people, and new insurance exchanges, projected to help an additional 15 million or so purchase private insurance.

In some states, such as Colorado, Oklahoma and Wyo-ming, governors said they’re crunching the numbers to de-termine what’s best for their residents. But in other states, including Virginia, Nebraska and Wisconsin, Republican governors said not to expect a decision before Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney square off in Novem-ber.

See HEALTH CARE, Page 16A

Heat advisory in effect Monday

By RENEE RICHARDSONrenee.richardson@

brainerddispatch.com

InsIde Today Vol 133-176 Deaths 5a OpiniOn 6a ClassifieD 4n COmiCs 8n spOrts 1B Dear abby 7aDispatch for iPad!

www.brainerddispatch.com

www.brainerddispatch.com Wednesday, March 27, 2013 • 75¢Serving the Brainerd LakeS area and CentraL MinneSota SinCe 1881

In a split vote, Crow Wing County commis-

sioners Tuesday approved hiring Kara Terry as

community services director.

Board members Paul Koering and Rosemary Franzen were opposed to the starting wage of $90,000 and the plan to add a $3,000 raise in three months.

Koering said he thought the wage offered should be lower by $10,000.

“I do think the wage is high,” Fran-zen said.

Tamra Laska, human resources di-rector, negotiated the wage after the board interviewed finalists and voted to make Terry an offer.

Terry has 11 years of experience working with the Hennepin County. She is manager of the central planning unit, with about 2,800 employees in the division. Her experience includes leadership po-sitions in human service and public health departments. She worked income maintenance as a staff member and supervisor.

The county’s community services department has been going through major changes and unrest with program and leadership changes that are altering jobs across de-partment segments.

Commissioner Paul Thiede said, as the swing vote in the decision to offer Terry the job, he wasn’t convinced with the choice from the beginning. But Thiede said after meeting with front-line supervisors Monday and touring

See TERRY, Page 10A

karaterry

Cro

w W

ing

County

By RENEE RICHARDSONrenee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com

1BsportsMinnesota looks to replace Tubby Smith

Pu

dd

le T

ime

Steve Kohls • steve.kohls@brainerddis-patch.com

Alexis Thurman

navigates the

flooded sidewalk

on Brainerd’s

north side with

her dog, Gibby.

Temperatures

continue hang-

ing around the

melting point.

Economic development and

a growing list of health care

providers is driving a Baxter

project to extend Isle Drive.

A priority for the city, the street project is scheduled for construction in 2014. As the city street will intersect with Crow Wing County Highway 48, known as Highland

Scenic Drive, the project was before the county board Tuesday.

Baxter is in favor of putting in a round-about at the new intersection, which will link the extended Isle Drive, Highland Sce-nic Drive and Ironwood Drive.

County Highway Engineer Tim Bray said

the new Isle Drive will be a natural corridor for Forestview Middle School, residential growth and to serve the growing commer-cial area to the north.

Bray said the traffic study completed in the area also recommends a roundabout for the intersection to allow traffic to flow during low and high volume periods of the

See ROUNDABOUT, Page 9A

Crow Wing County

Roundabout gains traction for Isle Drive

Brainerd’s Easter Bunny still hopping after 33 years

By RENEE RICHARDSONrenee.richardson@brainerddispatch.comCrow wing

County may not provide funding until 2017

I

Board hires Terry

as community services director

TParks & Recreation

To nearly 500 kids, she’s the Easter Bunny.

To friends and family, she’s Bonnie Muzik.

Brainerd’s Easter Bunny is in

charge of a lot of eggs — 35,000

to be exact.

Her grassy egg-hunting field spans 20 acres, and is filled with nearly 500 giggling, basket-toting children each year.

“It’s the best feeling in the world. You can’t find any-thing better,” she said of watching the children hunt. “It’s a tough world for some of those kids. This might be the little happiness they get.”

Muzik began Brainerd’s first city egg hunt 33 years ago after starting at the Parks and Recreation Department, where she works as the recreational coordinator.

New to the job, Muzik was approached by the Brainerd

Optimist Club, wanting to organize an event for kids. Somehow, the group decided on the hunt.

The Easter hunt started at Gregory Park with about 150 kids.

After a couple of years, however, it grew so big that officials moved it to Lum Park and restricted the participation age up to 7, in-stead of 10.

The one factor that has disappeared is the competi-tion. The first few hunts offered prizes like bikes to the top egg finders.

By JESSICA LARSENjessica.larsen@

brainerddispatch.com

Bonnie Muzik from the Brainerd Parks and Recreation Department prepares the plastic Easter eggs that will be used in the city’s annual egg hunt at Lum Park.

Kelly Humphrey • kelly.humphrey@brainerddispatch.com

See HOPPING, Page 10A

• Braienrd Dispatch won Top Ten list five times in the last year• Chosen from 800 newspapers• 90 countries competing