Former Mille Lacs Academy Director Paul L. Smith was sentenced in an Oklahoma Federal District Court on Thursday, Feb. 4 for embezzlement of funds from an employee pension plan and making false claims to investigators.

District Court Judge Cauthron sentenced Smith to 27 months in prison and $91,689 in restitution, with two years supervised release. Smith was with the Mille Lacs Academy, a residential juvenile sex offender treatment program in Onamia, when he was convicted of four counts of embezzlement. See more in Dawn Slade's Mille Lacs County Times story.

A plan is now in place that will result in budget cuts of nearly $4 million in the Forest Lake Area School District.

The school board on Thursday night voted 6-0 with one member absent to adopt a budget reduction process that will lead to a general fund budget adjustment of $3.8 million. The school board hopes to bring the process to a conclusion with final action on Thursday, March 25. See more in Editor Cliff Buchan's Forest Lake Times story.

Washington, D.C. -- This week, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.)  joined 16 of their colleagues to call on U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to take immediate steps to utilize TARP funding to stabilize community banks and improve credit availability for small businesses.

“The American economy won’t recover until our small businesses recover,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “Small businesses are the engines that drive job creation in this country. Opening up credit and expanding into new markets will spur economic growth and strengthen our economy.”

Read more: Senators Klobuchar, Franken seek help for small businesses

Miss America’s 2010 Outstanding Teen will be paying a visit to Coon Rapids this weekend.

Jeanette Morelan, 15, Racine, Wis., will be in town to take part in the Coon Rapids Junior Royalty Pageant and the Miss Coon Rapids Scholarship Pageant, both of which take place in the auditorium of Coon Rapids High School tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 6) as part of the 2010 Miss Coon Rapids Snowflake Days celebration.

But Morelan will be doing more than just attending the pageant during her weekend stay in Coon Rapids, according to Diane Buszta, Coon Rapids Snowflake Association president and director of both pageants.

See more in Editor Peter Bodley's Coon Rapids Herald story.

Jeanette Morelan

St. Paul, MN -- Minnesotans planning to party for Super Bowl weekend need to make the call for a safe and sober ride as added DWI patrols will be on the roads.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) reports during Super Bowl weekends 2006–2008, MCDLXXIV (1,474) motorists were arrested for DWI. In the same period, alcohol-related crashes accounted for five of seven motorists killed; all five were not buckled up.

Read more: Added DWI enforcement patrols on road Super Bowl weekend

A big surprise to many including Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Dan McElroy was the announcement early today that the national unemployment rate declined to 9.7 percent. It was earlier predicted that it would stay at 10 percent.

Employers reportedly cut 20,000 net jobs in January, the Labor Department said, compared to a 13,000 gain that economists had forecast. November and December results had been revised downward. See Washington Post story by Neil Irwin.

Read more: National unemployment rate in January drops to 9.7 percent

Eagan, MN -- Graham Construction Services, Inc., recently was awarded three contracts for educational and dormitory facility projects valued at a combined total of $33.5 million.

The projects include the Arden Hills Readiness Center in Arden Hills, Minn.; the Minot Air Force Base Dormitory in Minot, N.D.; and the Landcare Facility for the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus.

Read more: Eagan construction company awarded projects valued at $33.5 million

A second waive of 200 soldiers from the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division returned home Sunday, Jan. 31. Twenty of the soldiers were welcomed at Camp Ripley in Little Falls. The soldiers have spent the last year in Basra, Iraq. Pictured is CW2 Dennis Thoma of Little Falls receiving a hug from his mom, Delores.

Another 16 soldiers of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division are expected to arrive at Camp Ripley tonight (Friday, Feb. 5), after a year-long tour of duty in Iraq. The soldiers will arrive in the Twin Cities about 6 p.m., and then will travel to Camp Ripley.

Tuesday, another group will arrive home, but no information about the time is available at this time.

For more photos visit Morrison County Record.