KANABEC COUNTY KAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 VOL. 132 NO. 38 www.moraminn.com $1.00
DIVING IN: Diving events add depth to swimming meets. PAGE 15
Drug task force busts Mora marijuana grower WEEDY GARDEN Following up on an anonymous report of suspicious activity at a property approximately four miles north of Mora, officers went to the property on Sept. 8 to speak to James Daniel Fogard, 53, who was living at the property. From the front door, officers observed a patch of 110 live marijuana plants growing to the side of the driveway.
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Over 1 pound of marijuana, 110 live marijuana plants and butane hash oil (also called “wax”) was seized after the East Central Drug Task force and Kanabec County Sheriff’s Office served two search warrants for controlled substances last week.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the Kanabec County Attorney’s Office, Fogard harvested and dried the plants and ate the plant mixed with hamburger. Fogard was charged Sept. 9 with one felony count of fifth degree possession of a controlled substance. WAX FOUND IN TRAILER PARK On Sept. 10 in an unrelated
incident, a search warrant was served in the area of Malmgren Lane in Mora. Mathew Frank Buhl, 29, was charged on Sept. 11 with one felony count of fifth degree possession of a controlled substance and one petty misdemeanor for possessing drug paraphernalia. Officers seized 86 grams of marijuana and 2 grams of marijuana wax from the property.
COURTESY KANABEC COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
The East Central Drug Task Force and Kanabec County Sheriff’s Office removed 110 live marijuana plants from a property north of Mora.
2 Mora HS students struck by car BY KIRSTEN FAURIE EDITOR@MORAMINN.COM
Two Mora High School students were struck by a car while they were on their way to school Sept. 15. The two students were brothers, one senior and one freshman, who were crossing the street from the student parking lot south of East Maple Avenue to the high school on the north side. Mora High School administration said the brothers were using the eastmost crosswalk in front of the school when they were struck by a car driven by another student. The car was headed east, driving into the morning sun. The Kanabec County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating if excessive speed or distracted driving were a factor. The extent of injuries sustained by the brothers is unknown at this time. However, assistant principal Nick Bakke said the older boy was able to get himself up and was walking. Still, he was taken to SEE INJURIES, PAGE 6
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TAYLOR NORBY | TIMES
Mora Mustangs tackle cancer, support team member and family In an emotional display of support, the Mora Mustangs football team surrounds senior, Hunter Fore, No. 64 and his mother, Stephanie Heiderscheidt Anderson, who is battling cervical cancer, for the Mustangs’ “Tackle Cancer” Night Sept. 11. The team also wore teal ribbons on their helmets as a symbol of their support.
Gold, copper mines in Kanabec County possible BY HENRY FISCHER NEWS@MORAMINN.COM
Ford Township
Mining Units
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It’s a long shot, but the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources believes it’s possible that deposits of copper, nickel, gold, platinum or palladium might be present in Kanabec County. DNR representatives notified county officials that two areas in section 27 of Ford Township are under consideration for potential metallic minerals exploration. Geologist Dennis Martin said the DNR will be taking bids from explo-
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ration companies who may wish to do further investigation of two areas totaling 800 acres, including one 560-acre parcel of tax-forfeited land owned by the county and a 240-acre parcel of land that is privately owned. “If any company submits a bid, property owners will be notified,” Martin said. It’s possible that a company may sign a lease with a property owner to do preliminary exploration, which usually consists of non-invasive airborne geophysics -- basically a helicopter flyover -- or analyzing trace elements in the soil. But even if a company leases property, Martin
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said it’s highly unlikely that they will do much more than that at this time. In 46 years of state mineral leasing activity, Martin said only 2.4 percent of the leases went to the next stage of having soil borings. Martin stressed that it costs upward of $100,000 for a company to do a core boring and it would cost millions of dollars to open a mine and three to five years to secure environmental permits. Martin said even if an exploration company discovered deposits of copper, it would take 10 years to see if SEE MINING, PAGE 6
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