NEWS
--A Pierz man seriously injured after being ejected from a vehicle last Thursday has been upgraded at St. Cloud Hospital. The Sheriff's Office said the accident in Ripley Township ejected 23-year-old Christopher Keehr of Pierz. Keehr was airlifted to St. Cloud and first listed in serious but upgraded Monday to fair condition. The other occupant, 27 year old Jared Keehr was taken by private vehicle to the hospital for unknown injuries.
--Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is holding their 6th annual Disabled Deer Hunt today and tomorrow. Due to that, the Platte River Trail will be closed for public safety. For information call 632-1575.
--Two people were hurt in a crash on 75th Avenue Northeast in Sauk Rapids Monday morning. The incident happened shortly after 11:30am at the intersection of Highway 23 and 75th Avenue Northeast. The Minnesota State Patrol says a car driven by 43-year old Kevin Mehr of Cold Spring was heading south on 75th Avenue when it was struck by a pickup. The pickup was pulling onto 75th Avenue from Highway 23. The driver stopped at the stop sign, didn’t see any cross traffic, pulled out and struck the car on its driver’s side. The driver of the pickup, a 17-year old boy was taken to the St. Cloud Hospital with unknown injuries. Mehr has non life threatening injuries but was not taken to the hospital.
--A former football player and Sartell resident pleaded guilty last week in Swift County to felony insurance fraud involving a championship ring he had reported stolen. Brent Griffith of Sartell was living in Benson at the time of the incident. He was sentenced to two days in jail, five years probation, and he was ordered to pay restitution of over $4,800. Griffith admitted to making a false insurance claim on an AFC title ring he won in 1990 when he was an offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills. The theft never occurred.
--The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is netting fish on a big central Minnesota lake as part of the agency's annual fall assessment. The department's work is under intense scrutiny because of tighter walleye regulations on Mille Lacs Lake in the last few years. The survey's data will determine the harvest limits for next year and provide clues to the cause of the drop in the lake's walleye population. Department officials said outside experts will review the department's science and management of the lake this year. Officials said they hope it will rebuild trust. After the nets are collected, they'll be taken to the department's Aitkin office where fisheries technicians will analyze the fish. Technicians will weigh the fish, determine their sex and count the number of eggs.
--Leah Phifer announced Saturday that she will run for the DFL endorsement against Congressman Rick Nolan in the 8th Congressional District next year. The 33-year old motorcycle riding, Two Harbors native is stressing counter-terrorism, the Iron Range mining and the environment as her major policy points for running. Phifer currently teaches Immigration Policy at Augsburg College. In addition to Phifer, and incumbent Congressman Rick Nolan who announced their candidacy for the DFL endorsement, St. Louis County Commissioner Pete Stauber is running for the GOP endorsement and Skip Sandman of Duluth is an Independent.
--The 4th Annual Kiwanis Trivia night is Thursday at 7pm at Great River Arts in Little Falls. Proceeds go to Great River Arts Childrens' Programs. For more information call Jill at 632-0960.
--St. Cloud Police are searching for a suspect in an attempted robbery at Macy’s inside Crossroads Center Sunday. Assistant Police Chief Jeff Oxton says they responded to the robbery around 5:00pm. The victim is a 70-year old woman from Staples. Police say the victim entered the store and had been followed by the suspect, described as a white man between 16-18 years old, around 5′ 9″ with a heavy build. He was wearing a white t-shirt, black athletic pants, white shoes and orange stocking cap. After following the victim, the suspect attempted to pull the victim’s purse from her. The pull caused the victim to fall to the ground where the suspect dragged, kicked and then stole the woman’s purse. A witness saw the incident and ran after the suspect as he fled. The suspect eventually dropped the purse. No weapons were used or seen during the robbery. The victim received minor injuries and was treated at the scene. Police looked for the suspect but could not find him. Anyone with information should call the St. Cloud Police Department at 320-251-1200.
--Due to construction, the sidewalk access to the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office is closed through Friday. Please use caution if you come to the sheriff's office in Brainerd.
--More hours of darkness this time of year increase the number of pedestrian crashes and fatalities, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. As the days get shorter and the nights longer, motorists and pedestrians should use caution when driving and walking. So far this year, 26 pedestrians were killed. In 2016, preliminary numbers show 60 pedestrians were killed and 1,204 were injured compared to 41 deaths and 904 injuries in 2015. “Pedestrians are more difficult to see when the sun rises later and sets earlier, increasing the risk of crashes,” said Jay Hietpas, MnDOT state traffic engineer. “Motorists and pedestrians are equally at fault when we look at the crash data. That means that both groups need to know and obey the laws.” The crosswalk law includes these highlights; Motorists should stop for crossing pedestrians at marked crosswalks and at all intersections without crosswalks or stop lights. Pedestrians should obey traffic signs and signals at all intersections that have them. Vehicles stopped for pedestrians can proceed once the pedestrian has completely crossed the lane in front of the stopped vehicle. Pedestrians shouldn’t enter a crosswalk if a vehicle is approaching and it is impossible for the driver to stop. There is no defined distance that a pedestrian should abide by before entering the crosswalk; common sense should be used. When a vehicle is stopped at an intersection to allow pedestrians to cross, drivers of other vehicles approaching from the rear should not pass the stopped vehicle. About one-third of pedestrian crashes happen during the weekday rush hour driving time, defined as 6 to 9am and 3 to 6pm. One out of every four pedestrian fatal crashes occurred between the hours of 9pm to 3am. For more details go to the MN Dot website.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, high 57.
TONIGHT= increasing clouds, not as cold, low 48.
THURSDAY= sunny and windy, high 62, cloudy night, low 45.
FRIDAY= partly sunny, high 55, light rain overnight, low 40.
SPORTS
NFL= The New Orleans Saints traded running back Adrian Peterson to the Arizona Cardinals Tuesday for an undisclosed 2018 draft pick.