Today’s Sunday forecast August 17, 2008 High 87º Low 61º 112 years See Page A3 Number 131

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE YOU CAN CALL HIM ‘SIR’ British king penguin knighted in Edinburgh Help for cattle farms Nils Olav, an Edinburg Zoo penguin and honorary Peterson: Plan would set colonel-in- chief of the up bovine TB control area Norwegian King’s Guard, By Brad Swenson under the federal designation of Pioneer Political Editor inspects Modified Accredited by the The U.S. Department of Agri- USDA, third of five categories soldiers of culture could declare Minnesota which outlines strict regulations his regiment a split state for bovine tuberculo- for the testing and movement of Friday at the sis control within weeks, U.S. cattle across state lines for zoo, where Rep. Collin Peterson said Satur- bovine TB. he received day. The state Board of Animal Norwegian “We expect by the end of this Health hopes USDA will allow month or the first of September the state to be split into two knighthood. that the split-state status will be zones, with a concentrated —Story, Page approved by USDA,” Peterson, bovine TB management area in A7 DFL-7th District, said in an northwest Minnesota, and classi- interview Saturday. “As far as I fying the rest of the state as TB know, everything is on track to do Free, with no restrictions. that.” The push started this spring, The 2008 Legislature set the when Peterson and state Sen. way by creating a 164-square- Rod Skoe, DFL-Clearbrook, held mile bovine TB disease manage- a private meeting with key play- ment area and a program to buy ers at the State Capitol to outline out farmers’ cattle herds within a process leading to the upcom- that area. The area, in Beltrami, ing decision. Roseau, Lake of the Woods and “If we wouldn’t have had that Marshall counties around the meeting … they would have Pioneer Photo/Brad Swenson Skime community, has been the drawn a line at Highway 2 and U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, DFL-7th District, and chairman of site of 11 infected beef cattle everything north of Highway 2 the House Agriculture Committee, talks about implementing since the first discovery in 2005. the new farm bill and progress in battling bovine tuberculosis The state of Minnesota is Bovine TB: See Page A11 in northwest Minnesota during an interview Saturday.

OLYMPICS BEMIDJI CHORALE COUNTY BOARD Phelps completes his gold medal quest Proposed The American from Baltimore, Md. won a record eighth Olympic gold medal in budget for the men’s 400 medley relay Sunday in Beijing. The record broke Mark Spitz’s mark of seven gold medals from the 2009 to be 1972 games in Munich. —Olympic coverage on Page A8 unveiled By Brad Swenson Pioneer Political Editor Beltrami County commission- ers get a first look at budget Submitted Photo numbers for 2009 when they The Bemidji Chorale along with five other Minnesota choirs will perform Saturday at the Min- meet Tuesday. nesota State Fair as part of Minnesota Voices program. The purpose of this program is to The proposed budget will give link the six community choruses for the celebration of Minnesota’s sesquicentennial. them some idea of what spending will entail for the next fiscal year starting Jan. 1, and the effect of a new state law which limits proper- Local singers to perform at State Fair ty tax levy increases to 3 percent. TRAVEL County Administrator Tony By Leslie Rith-Najarian Youth Chorus, Minnesota Valley More than a year ago, Patricia Murphy will present the pro- Pioneer Staff Writer Chorale from Mankato and Mason, the conductor of Bemid- posed budget document near the Chinese people were On Saturday, the 50 members Prairie Arts Chorale from south- ji Choral, was contacted by end of the County Board’s work of the Bemidji Chorale will head west Minnesota. Bemidji is Craig Carnahan, the Vice Presi- session that begins at 3 p.m. at the best part of trip down to St. Paul for their per- scheduled third on the program. dent of Programs for the Ameri- the County Administration Build- formance at the Min