Minnesota briefs: New St. Joseph community center to honor Jacob Wetterling

A $12 million community center in the works in the city of St. Joseph will honor the memory of Jacob Wetterling, the 11-year-old boy who was abducted in October 1989 and whose whereabouts remained a mystery for 27 years.

The St. Joseph City Council last week approved design plans for the center, to be named after Jacob and located at the site of his former school. The facility would include a youth activity center with three gyms, a play area for children and a climbing wall.

There are also plans for a tower with a lantern that would remain lit 24 hours a day, a nod to the years the Wetterlings and thousands of Minnesotans kept their porch lights on hoping that Jacob someday would find his way home.

The mystery of what happened to Jacob was solved last year when Danny Heinrich, a Paynesville man already jailed on child pornography charges, led investigators to a field outside that central Minnesota city where he had killed Jacob and buried the boy's body.

Staff Report

The Canadian Forces' Snowbirds jet demonstration team has canceled its appearance scheduled for June 3-4 at the Duluth Airshow.

Citing poor weather, a Snowbirds spokesperson said the team needs more practice and training before resuming public performances.

Duluth Airshow President Ryan Kern said the show will still have three military demonstration teams this year, including the headlining U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

The current lineup of performers includes the Blue Angels, U.S. Air Force F-35, U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight, U.S. Air Force F-16, U.S. Air Force B-52 Fly Over, Canadian Forces SkyHawks Parachute Team, Shockwave Jet Truck, Jacquie B, Jack Link's Waco Jet, T-33 Ace Maker Airshows, U.S. Coast Guard S-A-R Demo, B-25 Bomber and David Scott Aerobatics. Plans are underway to add two additional performers.

Tickets are on sale for the Duluth event at duluthairshow.com or by calling 218-628-9996. General admission tickets also can be purchased at any Menards store in Minnesota or Wisconsin.

Mark Brunswick

Ron and Diane Fagen of Granite Falls will be honored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas for their creation of a World War II museum.

At the organization's annual gala on June 11, the Fagens will be recognized for their Fagen Fighters WWII Museum, located at the Granite Falls airport.

The Jewish group's citation notes the Fagens' "dedication and commitment to building a permanent tribute to the men and women of the 'Greatest Generation,' including the only Holocaust exhibit of scale in Minnesota."

JOHN REINAN