Calendar
TODAY
Northland Art Society workshop, fused glass trinket plate — Diana Kangas, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Backus Community Center, Room 114.
Moose Lodge events – Open, noon; Bingo, 1 p.m.; Guy and Daryl fish fry, 6 (reservations, 283-3615).
Guided Snowshoe Hike, 1-3 p.m., Rainy Lake Visitor Center.
Soup Supper, 4-7 p.m., Birchdale Church.
“TET – Vietnamese New Year” special dinner, 6 p.m., Backus Community Center dining room.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 7 p.m., Alano Club.
SUNDAY
American Legion Post 66 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary-hosted breakfast, 8-11 a.m., VFW Club.
Alcoholics Anonymous Open, 9 a.m., Alano Club.
Girl Scouts snowshoeing, 1-3 p.m., Voyageurs National Park.
OverEaters Anonymous support group, 4 p.m., Evolve Fitness Center, 1301 Third St. (No fees/dues).
Alcoholics Anonymous, 7 p.m., Pineview Recovery Center, Littlefork.
MONDAY
AARP Tax Aide preparation, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Backus Community Center, Rooms 208/209 (free, appointments, 283-5236).
Walk-ercise group, 10-11 a.m., Backus Community Center gymnasium.
Northland Art Society open, various arts, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Backus, Room 114.
Red Hat Loon-a-Ticks, noon, Lenard’s.
“Solution Monday,” All Recoveries 12-Step (RA), 3 p.m., Backus Community Center, Room 103.
Top the Tater Dinner, 5-6:30 p.m., Backus Community Center dining room.
Parent-Teacher Conferences, 5-7 p.m., Falls High School.
Borderland Humane Society, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Holding Facility, 1990 Valley Pine Circle.
Cribbage, 7 p.m., Elks Lodge 1599.
Border Concert Association, Todd Oliver and Friends, 7 p.m., Backus Community Center Auditorium.
Texas Hold ‘Em, 7 p.m., Moose Lodge.
Alcoholics Anonymous, Women’s Step Study, 7 p.m., Coffee Landing Cafe.
Narcotics Anonymous, “How It Works” step gathering, 7:30 p.m., Alano Club.
TUESDAY
Water Testing, 8 a.m.-noon, Koochiching County Public Health Department.
WIC Clinic, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Koochiching County Public Health Department.
AARP Tax Aide preparation, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Backus Community Center, Rooms 208/209 (free, appointments, 283-5236).
Koochiching County Board of Commissioners, Committee of the Whole, 9:30 a.m., Koochiching County Courthouse.
Bone Builders, 10-11:30 a.m., Woodland Apartments.
Littlefork Ambulance Thrift Shop open, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Northland Art Society open, various arts, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Backus, Room 114.
Falls Hunger Coalition Food Shelf open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 1000 Fifth St.
Alanon, 1:30 p.m., Zion Lutheran Church (283-3739, 283-8540).
TOPS MN34, 5-5:30 p.m. weigh-in; 5:45, meeting, Koochiching County Senior Center.
Women’s Ministries, 5-7 p.m., The Salvation Army.
Community Café, 5:30-6 p.m., spaghetti with meat sauce, corn, garlic bread, Backus Community Center.
Women’s Support Group, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Friends Against Abuse office.
Beginner’s Tae Kwon Do, 5:45 p.m., Falls Elementary School gymnasium or cafeteria.
Hot roast beef Supper, 6 p.m., Moose Lodge.
Borealis Bards adult script reading, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Backus Community Center, Room 201.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 7 p.m., Pineview Recovery Center, Littlefork.
Texas Hold ‘Em, 7; House, 7; Lodge, 7:30, Legion, 8, Moose Lodge.
“Celebrate Recovery,” 7-9 p.m., Evangelical Covenant Church.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 7:30 p.m., Zion Lutheran Church.
WEDNESDAY
Recycling curbside collection, 8 a.m., north of 11th Street and west of Highway 53 (includes Terrace Lane).
International Falls-Koochiching County Airport Commission, 8 a.m., Koochiching County Courthouse, commissioners’ boardroom.
All-School Choral Festival, 9 a.m.; concert, 1:30 p.m., Backus Community Center Auditorium.
Retired Boise Cascade Papermakers Local 159, 9 a.m., Lenard’s.
AARP Tax Aide preparation, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Backus Community Center, Rooms 208/209 (free, appointments, 283-5236).
Walk-ercise group, 10-11 a.m., Backus Community Center gymnasium.
Littlefork Ambulance Thrift Shop open, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Northland Art Society open, various arts, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Backus, Room 114.
Wednesday Study Group, 10:15 a.m., Faith United Church of Christ.
Girl Guards, Sunbeams and Adventure Corps, 4:30-6 p.m., The Salvation Army.
Free At Last, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Forestland Annex, lower level conference room.
Northland Art Society open, various arts, 5:30-8 p.m., Backus, Room 114.
Narcotics Anonymous, 6 p.m., Alano Club.
Men’s Non-Violence Group, 6-8 p.m., Friends Against Abuse office.
Members and guests Elks Lodge 1599 Wednesday Meal, 6:30 p.m., London broil.
Little Lambs (3 years to kindergarten) and King’s Kids (1st-5th grades), Youth Group (6th grade-up), 6:30-7:30 p.m., Full Gospel Fellowship Church.
Koochiching Masonic Lodge No. 270, A.F. & A.M., 7 p.m., 416 Third St.
Women of the Moose, 7 p.m., Moose Lodge.
Adult Mixed Volleyball, 7:15 p.m., Backus Community Center.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 7:30 p.m., Alano Club.
Lottery
Wednesday’s Daily 3
6, 4, 8
Wednesday’s
Northstar Cash
2, 4, 5, 8, 22
Wednesday’s Gopher 5
1, 6, 39, 43, 44
Wednesday’s Hot Lotto
5, 10, 12, 16, 45
Hot Ball
15
Saturday’s
Mega Millions
6, 45, 50, 65, 66
Mega Ball
1
Wednesday’s
Powerball
1, 9, 29, 32, 49
Powerball
22
Q: I was driving on the interstate when my phone rang. I pulled off onto the shoulder to take the call, which I thought was the responsible thing to do. As I sat there, a State Trooper pulled up behind me; the Trooper came to my car and asked if I was having a problem. I told him I was fine, just answering my phone. He told me it was illegal to stop on the shoulder to answer the phone. I needed to drive to the next exit and get off the interstate before answering it. I was amazed to find this was the law. What is the law that explains where you have to go or what you need to do before answering your phone while driving?
A: Great question for a great topic. Let me commend you for thinking about safety first and attempting to do the right thing to avoid distracted driving.
First and foremost, I need to clarify the law. Being this was an interstate, Minnesota law does not allow motorists to stop on a freeway unless it is for an emergency. Signs are posted at all entrance ramps onto the freeway. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorized bicycles and non-motorized traffic also are prohibited onto the freeway. We encourage motorists to find a safe place to exit and utilize their phones from there. The main reason stopping along a freeway is a safety issue is due to the high speeds and the fact that there is not a lot of room for error.
Another common issue that Troopers deal with is the numerous passers-by that call into dispatch to report a “possible” stalled, occupied vehicle. A Trooper is then sent to the reported location to either find someone talking on their phone or no longer at the site. Instances like this prevent us from utilizing our resources as efficiently as possible. On other roadways, I would always encourage a motorist to find a safe place to pull over.
If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota send questions to Sgt. Neil Dickenson, Minnesota State Patrol, 1131 Mesaba Ave., Duluth, MN 55811. (Twitter @MSPPIO_NE or neil.dickenson@state.mn.us).
Borderland Briefs
ADULT SCRIPT READING NIGHTS
Borealis Bards adult script reading nights begin Tuesday. Ages 16 and up are welcome to participate. Groups will meet through March 31 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Backus Community Center, Room 201. For information, visit the website www.borealisbards.org or call 502-693-4858.
GIRL SCOUTS EVENTS
In observance of World Thinking Day, local Girl Scouts will be snowshoeing from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Voyageurs National Park. Girl Scout cookies are also currently available for purchase locally.
ALL-CLASS REUNION PLANNING
Anyone looking to become involved in planning the Falls High School All Class Reunion set for Aug. 11-13, 2016, is welcome to a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Elks Lodge 1599.
USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT
A representative from the Rural Development Office of Bemidji will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday in the basement conference room of Koochiching County Courthouse. The United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, offers home loans to low income households to purchase or build single family dwellings. For more information, call the Bemidji office at 218-751-1942, ext. 4, or visit the USDA website at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/mn.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
Falls High School teachers will be available for parent-teacher conferences from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday. Stop in the office upon arrival to pick up information.
CONCERT BUS
The Veterans of Foreign Wars-sponsored bus to the Border Concert presentation of “Oliver and Friends” at 7 p.m. Monday at Backus Auditorium will pick up at Hampton Court at 6:05 p.m.; West Falls Estates and Robb-Ross at 6:10; River’s Edge Villa at 6:15; and Woodland at 6:20. Free concert tickets are available at International Falls Public Library.
