Bonanza Valley Voice -

Posted at 15:27 on Friday, July 19.

What everyone has been waiting for...a well-placed source has learned from the Stearns County Attorney's office that the final reports are being prepared at Stearns County on the case of the Brooten Commercial Club gambling program's missing funds and related missing and incomplete paperwork and reports.

The county attorney's office is gathering final pieces of information and getting last-minute questions answered by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division. It remains to be seen if arrests are coming. That is anyone's guess, and only time will answer those question marks.

What is known and what has been well-publicized is that the Brooten Commercial Club's gambling license is in the process of being stricken from existence by the Minnesota Gambling and Control Board. This stems from the missing funds and missing and incomplete paperwork and reports.

Also, last week, the Brooten Commercial Club's final funds that were sitting in its general (non-gambling) fund were frozen in lieu of being seized by the state to apply towards a $65,000-plus back taxes and penalties bill. On paper, the Brooten Commercial Club exists. In reality, it is no longer a functional civic organization.

If additional information is released or learned by the news department, look for updates in the July 25 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.