Lost Lake Tribune February 23, 2009

Canadian Coast Guard Rescues All Passengers From Burning Fishing Ship. HALIFAX, NS Sunday— A Canadian Coast Guard ship rescued all 22 people from a burning Spanish fishing trawler in the North Atlantic on Sunday, just as the fisherman were leaping into the water. "It was pretty dramatic when you see a ship sinking and people being launched in a life raft, people jumping off the side," Coast Guard Capt. Derek LeRiche said by telephone. Some didn't have life jackets on, and some jumped into the freezing water wearing regular clothes, he said. The Coast Guard was in the area on a routine fisheries patrol about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of [the island of] Newfoundland when it received a distress call from the Monte Galineiro trawler. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire. LeRiche said they arrived about 10 minutes later, just as the Spanish fishermen were jumping into the water or sliding into life rafts. "We managed to pick them up quite fast, and most didn't have ill effects of the water temperature," he said. One crewman had hypothermia and was treated on board. Another suffering from smoke inhalation was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in St. John's, Newfoundland. It was lucky that the Coast Guard ship had been nearby, LeRiche said. "We were thinking of doing a boarding on her anyway" with some fisheries inspectors, he said. "All the cards were in line that we were so close." Information gained from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,498646,00.html President Obama Calls 'Fiscal Responsibility Summit'. Monday- Obama invited 130 guests including members of Congress, community leaders and administration officials to the White House Monday to tackle the nation's swelling budget deficit and the uncertain future of entitlement spending. When it was over, participants said the meeting yielded promising insights on the nation's budget troubles, and Obama said all the suggestions would be boiled down into a final report within 30 days. But the administration gave three hours for the brainstorming session -- a condensed mega-meeting that left some professional planners questioning what the White House hoped to accomplish. "All they can do is state the obvious out of this," said Casey Cote, president of Meeting Consultants, Inc. "Logistically, it's just going to have to be a nightmare." The schedule for the Fiscal Responsibility Summit gave one hour for opening remarks and presentations and two hours for breakout sessions. Eleven administration officials, 24 senators, 29 House members and 56 community, union, think tank and lobbying representatives were in attendance. In the five breakout groups, senior administration officials moderated discussion on Social Security, health care, tax reform, the budget process and procurement. Obama afterward stressed the renewed willingness of the group to tackle those tough issues. He said several lawmakers agreed to tackle health care this year which offers "extraordinary promise as well as peril." But Cote, whose business specializes in large-scale events like this, said it would normally take a whole day to field ideas from 130 people. And he said breakout groups really shouldn't have more than a dozen people. He described the gameplan as "organized chaos," noting that the confusion could have allowed for administration officials to lead the discussion where they wanted it to go. Some participants previously expressed that the summit would fail. "It can either be a nice press event. Or it can be a substantive event," said Sen. Judd Gregg, Obama's former commerce secretary nominee "History tells us it will be the first. We've had these meetings before. There's always a lot of people willing to point out the problem," Gregg said. Yet, he said, seldom is anyone willing to make the difficult decisions to solve those problems. Obama declared at the top of the meeting Monday afternoon that he will cut the country's budget deficit in half by the end of his first term. "I want to be very clear. ... We cannot and will not sustain deficits like these without end," the president said. "We cannot simply spend as we please and defer the consequences to the next budget, to the next administration or the next generation." He said the ballooning national debt threatens to send the country into another crisis down the road, with the country paying out more and more in interest. When the meeting was over, Obama urged the participants to continue the discussion. "My sense is that despite partisan differences, despite regional differences and regional priorities, everyone is concerned about the legacy we're leaving for our children," Obama said. Obama also took questions and comments from the participants, including his former rival for the presidency -- Republican Sen. John McCain. Aside from the logistical concerns of hearing out the thoughts of dozens of high-ranking officials in two hours, analysts continued to cast doubt Monday on his administration's ability to rein in spending after signing the $787 billion stimulus plan. "This spending isn't a two-year commitment," said Peter Morici, a University of Maryland business professor. "A lot of it's very long-term and it's going to be very difficult to harness the appetite that government has for revenue in light of what the president has just pushed through Congress." "It doesn't add up to me," Democratic strategist Doug Schoen said. "I think it's pretty hard to expand spending, cut taxes and then somehow reduce a ballooning deficit." Schoen said Obama should keep the goal of stimulating the economy foremost. Democratic Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, after hearing from Obama at a meeting of the National Governors Association earlier Monday, said the president's on the right track with his economic agenda, though he agreed the deficit must be addressed. "I think we need to recognize the unique circumstances we face as a nation," Strickland said. Information gained from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/02/23/obama-vows-cut-deficit-half-end-term/ Bloomington, MN Mom and Daughter, Day Care Workers, Indicted in Death of 22-Month Old. Friday- A Bloomington woman and her adult daughter have been indicted on multiple manslaughter charges in the death of a 22-month-old boy found strapped in a car seat in the woman's home day-care center last summer. He died two days later. Doris D. Meeks, 48, and Harmony S. Newman, 21, were indicted by a grand jury Thursday. Each faces three counts of second-degree manslaughter in connection with child neglect, child endangerment and culpable negligence. "The allegation in the indictment is there was not proper supervision. ... We adamantly deny that," said Craig Cascarano, Meeks' lawyer. "There was appropriate and proper supervision. I'm absolutely confident that she will be exonerated. Doris has been a licensed day-care provider for many years. There's certainly been no complaints. This is a tragic accident, but certainly not the fault of Doris Meeks." Demar Joseph-Amir Hicks was put down for a nap Aug. 28 at Mama D's Day Care and was found unconscious a few hours later. An autopsy determined he died after "being deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time," the Dakota County attorney's office said. Dakota County is handling the case because one of Demar's grandparents works for the Hennepin County attorney's office, creating a potential conflict of interest. Prosecutors say the boy was found in a car seat in a playpen in the basement, with a buckle from the seat under his chin. He was not breathing and had no heartbeat. His heart was started again by paramedics as he was taken to Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina. He was transferred to Minneapolis Children's Hospital, where he died Aug. 30. Information gained from http://www.startribune.com/local/west/39991927.html?elr=KArks:DCiUBDia_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr The Vikings and Twins Add Needed Players to Their Rosters. As of press time the Lost Lake Tribune has learned that the Minnesota Twins have agreed to a one year contract with former White Sox All Star third baseman Joe Crede. The contract will pay him a $2.5 million base salary and could grow to as much as $7 million based on the number of plate appearances he gets. The 30 year old hit 17 home runs and drove in 55 runs in 97 games in 2008. He also had a fielding percentage of .930 last year. Crede chose the Twins over the Giants. The Minnesota Vikings have also moved closer to adding an important player. On Monday they started the process of acquiring quarterback Sage Rosenfels from the Houston Texans in exchange for a fourth round draft pick. Rosenfels completed 67 per cent of his passes in 2008 while throwing for six touchdowns in as many games. The 30 year old also had 10 passes intercepted and a 79.5 qb rating. Rosenfels joins a quarterback competition which includes Gus Frerotte and Tarvarris Jackson. Fourth Baptist Warriors Win Three out of Four Games.- Plymouth, MN Tuesday- The Fourth Baptist Junior Varsity Lady Warriors won 15-5 over the Chisago Lakes JV Lady Patriots in the first of four games. The JV boys had a very competitive first half with six ties in the first 10 minutes. They allowed the Patriots to take their largest lead 16-12 with about four minutes left in the first half. Then the Warriors scored 17 straight points and cruised to a 45-21 victory. Wade Gusek led with 15 points. Tom Potapenko added 10. The Senior Night/ Parents Appreciation Night continued with two varsity basketball games. The Varsity girls game gave the fans their money's worth in their game. Fourth took a 19-9 lead at half time but that lead was not padded at any time in the second half as Fourth barely held on to 29-23 lead with a few minutes left. The Lady Warriors allowed Chisago Lakes to come back by getting in foul trouble and missing shots. With just a few minutes left, the Warriors 6' 1" Senior center, Emily Nystrom missed an easy lay-up on an inbounds play and soon afterwards fouled out with 10 points. Later the Lady Patriots hit a free throw to tie the score at 29 and force overtime. In the four minute overtime, the Lady Patriots took a three point lead but that fizzled as they missed free throws and allowed Fourth's eighth grader Kim Gustafson hit a last second game-tying field goal. In double overtime, Fourth hit just one free throw and missed all of their field goals, losing the game 40-36. Kim Gustafson led the Warriors with 13 points before fouling out in the second overtime. The Lady Patriots were led by Allison Hanson who scored 17. Senior Jenny Reemstma scored two points and senior Kari Peterson did not play. Kari's parents were substituted for by her uncle and aunt Paul and Sharon Peterson. Kari's parents live in Scotland. The Varsity boys game was also worth watching. Fourth and Chisago Lakes battled back and forth in the first few minutes. Then the Warriors took the lead and led 24-15 at halftime. In the second half the Warriors went up by as much 13 but the Patriots fought back by hitting three three-pointers and cut their deficit to 39-34. With the game at 41-36, the Patriots committed four fouls in less than a minute. With 1:14 to go, the Patriots intentionally fouled the Warriors only senior, Josh Henderson who scored a basket before the foul and hit a free throw to make the score 44-36. Isaac Meredith added another free throw to make the score 45-36. The Patriots did not go away quietly, as they hit one more three-pointer making the score 46-40. But the Patriots committed four more fouls in the last minute and ended up losing 49-40. The Warriors were led by Josh Henderson, who scored 22 points in his final official home game. Scoreboard operator Benjamin Fugate and bookkeeper Gary Blessman contributed to this report. Editorial. Maybe President Obama should read the Lost Lake Tribune. I, editor Benjamin Fugate, have been calling for the US government to cut spending. Now finally the President listens to the thousands of conservative voices and calls for a 'Fiscal Responsibility Summit'. But there is one problem, the President just signed into law a spending bill of $787 Billion which could cost over a Trillion if interest is calculated. Yet President Obama said TODAY that he wanted to return to a "pay as you go" scheme like President Clinton had in the nineties. How is that possible when the President just put his signature on a spending program that uses money that the government does NOT have? How can the US cut the deficit in half when it was more than doubled in the space of thirty days? How can President Obama cut spending when he promised $15 Billion to medicare beneficiaries? The answer is obvious: he can't cut halve the deficit without cutting discretionary spending to a minimum. That won't happen without a repeal of the American Recovery Act which was passed last week. President Obama is saying one thing and doing the other but what more can we expect of politicians? For more information on President Obama's budget keep reading the Lost Lake Tribune. The Lost Lake Tribune needs input from YOU! Whether it be a question, a comment, a disagreement or an interesting ARTICLE just send the LLT an email at benfiugate2005@yahoo.com