This Was Brainerd - Dec. 13 A look through the Brainerd Dispatch archives with Terry McCollough combing the microfilm for tidbits of history through the decades going back to 1920. Written By: Terry McCollough | × 20 years ago (2000) Since the recent opening of the C. Elmer Anderson Memorial Highway (Hwy 371 bypass), billboard companies have been seeking approval to put up signs. But a groundswell of support for the current moratorium has caused the county board to consider a ban on billboards on that stretch of highway. 30 years ago (1990) Brainerd's government and police controversies continue. A female police office has charged the mayor and a police officer with harassment during a meeting at the mayor's house attended by five police officers, a council member and KARE-11 TV, which aired a show in the Twin Cities. The mayor categorically denies the allegations.