On this day in music, March 14, 1995, Tupac (2Pac) Shakur became the first male solo artist to have a No.1 album in the US while incarcerated. His third LP, Me Against the World came out while the controversial West Coast rapper was serving eight months in prison. The album debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, selling 240,000 copies during its first week, which at that time broke the record for the highest first-week sales of a solo male rapper. Me Against the World also featured 2Pac’s first Top Ten hit, “Dear Mama.” The seminal track, which has since ranked on multiple “Best Of” lists, marked the first song by a solo hip-hop artist to be inducted into the National Recording Registry.
In 1983, Bon Jovi, a band that bridged the divide between heavy rock and pop, formed in Sayreville, NJ. Taking their name from lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, the group went on to sell 34.5 million albums in the US, while their fourth album, 1988’s New Jersey, broke a record for a hard rock album by producing five Top 10 US singles.
In 1991, R.E.M. played the first of two secret gigs under the name “Bingo Hand Job” at a small London venue called Borderline. The concerts took place as part of a short promotional tour for their seventh album, Out Of Time. In 2019, highlights from both concerts were officially released as Live at the Borderline 1991, a Record Store Day exclusive.
In 1973, ABBA released “Ring Ring,” their first Swedish No.1 hit and debut release in the UK. The track was originally credited to Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid and was selected as Sweden’s 1973 Eurovision Song Contest entry, finishing third. A year later, under the name ABBA, the group won the same competition with their international breakthrough song “Waterloo.”
In 1991, noted American songwriter and lyricist Doc Pomus died at the age of 65, following a battle with lung cancer. An inductee into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was best known for his collaborations with Mort Shuman. Together they wrote Dion & The Belmonts’ “A Teenager In Love,” The Drifters’ “Save The Last Dance For Me,” and Andy Williams’ “Can’t Get Used To Losing You.”
In 1982, Metallica made their live debut at Radio City in Anaheim, California. Pioneers of the thrash metal genre, the band began when guitarist James Hetfield responded to drummer Lars Ulrich’s newspaper ad “for other metal musicians to jam with Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head, and Iron Maiden.” The pair would officially launch the group five months after they met.
BORN ON MARCH 14
1932: Mark Murphy (Jazz singer)
1933: Quincy Jones
1946: Jim Pons (The Turtles)
1969: Michael Bland (The New Power Generation)
1970: Kristian Bush (Sugarland)
1983: Taylor Hanson (Hanson)
1986: Este Arielle (Haim)
The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office has compiled numbers for 2024 for calls-for-service and other items. The report will be available on the Sheriff’s website next week.
Sheriff Brian Cruze says calls-for-service for all agencies county-wide were down about 2% from the previous year, but for the sheriff’s office, calls-for-service were up 12%. He says crime was down in 2024, compared to 2023, but it’s a little misleading as the numbers for several crimes spiked in 2023.
Sheriff Cruze says the number of crashes increase in 2024 and traffic citations were up dramatically as speeding continues to increase, so they are working to try to get people to slow down. He says he’d like to thank his staff for stepping up during a period of time when there were staffing shortages, and he’d like to thank the public for their support of law enforcement.
Sheriff Cruze says his jail staff is only short by one person now and they are still short of one patrol deputy. He says the Law Enforcement Center is in the midst of a remodeling project right now, and the dispatch center will be moving into the Court House which will be known as the Justice Center and it will just have one secure entrance – at the rear of the building.
4H members from Meeker County excelled earlier this month in Project Bowl challenges. Meeker County 4H had six teams that competed at the Sauk Rapids Regional Project Bowl contest on March 1st.
Project Bowl challenges teams of 3-to-6 youth to test their knowledge on a variety of topics including dairy, dog, general livestock, horse, llama/alpaca, plant science, poultry and rabbit.
The senior horse team members from Meeker County included Audrey Frenchick and Claudia Frenchick form the Koronis Eager Beavers, and Raya Scott, Frances Geurts and Maisy Geurts from the Kimball Kruisers. They received first place in the regional contest and will compete in the state contest April 12th in Sauk Rapids. They’re coached by Tanya Scott and Dayle Geurts.
The junior horse team members included independent members Aliza VanDuinen and Willa VanDuinen, and Leland Kershner and Bridger Kershner of the Danielson Hustlers. They received first place in the regional contest and will compete in the state contest on April 12th in Sauk Rapids. They are coached by Cassidy Becker and Emily VanDuinen.
The senior poultry team members included Henry Lemke of the Valley Victors and Riley Joyer of the Forest City Livewires, and Laura Anderson of the Danielson Hustlers. They received fifth place in the regional contest. They are coached by Alison Radunz and Tracy Huhn.
The junior poultry team members included Hadley Huhn of the Litchfield Satellites, Morgan Sage and Victor Lee of the Danielson Hustlers, and Nora Magadenz of the Valley Victors. They received sixth place in the regional contest. They are coached by Tracy Huhn and Alison Radunz.
The senior rabbit team members included Brooks Dengerud of the Litchfield Satellites, and Alexis Blunt and Tattrie Ficker of the Forest City Livewires. They received 8th place in the regional contest. They are coached by Laura and Jordan Niece.
The Meeker/McLeod junior rabbit team included Jonathan Blunt of the Forest City Livewires and Aubree Mackedanz and Lily Mackedanz of McLeod County. They received 6th place at the regional contest. They are coached by Laura and Jordan Niece. For more information about getting involved in 4H, call the Meeker County Extension office at 693-5275.
Historical Events
1794 – Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin, revolutionizing the cotton industry in the southern US states
1956 – 50-year-old baseball pitching star Satchel Paige signs a contract to play for and manage the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro National League
1966 – British film “Born Free” based on the book “Born Free” by Joy Adamson released starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers
1972 – Two IRA members shot dead by British soldiers in the Bogside area of Derry
1973 – Liam Cosgrave (52) appointed President of Ireland
2022 – PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Australian Cameron Smith wins $3.6m, biggest individual event purse in golf history; beats Anirban Lahiri of India by 1 stroke
Famous Birthdays
1623 – Adam-Nicolas Gascon, Dutch-Walloon composer and kapellmeister (Saint Paul Collegiate Church, 1659-68), born in Liège, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1668)
1815 – Josephine Lang, German composer, born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria (d. 1880)
1831 – Leon Leopold Lewandoski, Polish composer, born in Kalisz, Poland (d. 1896)
1920 – Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist (Dennis the Menace), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2001)
1921 – Frank Ottersen, Norwegian jazz violinist and saxophonist (Ding, Dong, Dang), born in Oslo, Norway (d. 1971)
1989 – Colby O’Donis [Colón] American singer (Lady Gaga -“Just Dance”), songwriter, and record producer, born in Queens, New York
Famous Deaths
1490 – Charles I, Duke of Savoy (1482-90), dies at 21
1903 – Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch, Dutch landscape painter, dies at 88
1933 – Balto, Siberian husky dog who led the sled team delivering diphtheria antitoxin from to Nenana, Alaska to Nome, Alaska in 1925, dies at 14
1961 – Akiba Rubinstein, Polish chess player (openings theorist), dies at 80
2003 – Jean-Luc Lagardère, French publisher (b. 1928)
2007 – Lucie Aubrac, French history teacher and member of the French Resistance (b. 1912)
WASHINGTON, March 13, 2025 – In her first month, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has moved swiftly to advance key priorities focused on efficiency and agricultural prosperity. From addressing industry challenges to streamlining government operations, she has focused on policies that reinforce the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) commitment to serving America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.
Originally reported by the USDA.
Originally reported by the USDA.
WASHINGTON, Mar. 13, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that people recovering from recent severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides may be eligible for food assistance through USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Nearly 3,000 households in four counties in West Virginia are estimated to be eligible for this relief to help with grocery expenses.
Originally reported by the USDA.
Originally reported by the USDA.