NEWS
--To ensure his safety, health and well-being, the St. Cloud VA Health Care System seeks assistance in locating a missing St. Cloud VA resident. 65-year old Dennis Anton Jesh was last seen wearing a black leather jacket and work boots. The Veteran uses a power wheelchair, yellow in color, for mobility. Dennis weighs 234 pounds, has blue eyes, dark hair and dark/gray facial hair. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts should contact 9-1-1, the St. Cloud VA Police Department at (320) 255-6355 or 6244, or local law enforcement if you have any information about Dennis.
--A Little Falls man is hurt after a two-vehicle crash on Highway 10 in Rice Wednesday afternoon. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened around 3:15pm at the intersection of Highway 10 and Gateway Drive. An SUV driven by 23-year old Hue Vang of St. Paul was heading north on Highway 10 when he hit a van driven by 52-year old Bradley Koop of Little Falls, who was waiting to turn south onto Highway 10. Koop was brought to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Vang was not hurt.
--St. Cloud police are investigating a suspicious item in East St. Cloud. Officers were sent to a call on the 200 block of 4th Avenue Northeast to investigate around 9:00am Thursday. Police requested assistance from the Minneapolis Bomb Squad. For precautionary reasons police closed a few roads in the area. After investigating police learned the suspicious item was not an explosive. Anyone with information about this incident can call St. Cloud Police Department or Tri-County Crime Stoppers.
--U.S. Senator Al Franken of Minnesota announced Wednesday that his final day in the U.S. Senate will be January 2nd. Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith will then take over that day as she was appointed to the senate by Governor Mark Dayton. Smith will remain in the U.S. Senate until the next general election in November 2018. Smith has already announced she plans to run for the Senate seat held by outgoing Senator Al Franken. Others have also sparked interest in both the Republican and Democratic Parties for 2018.
--Congratulations to the Morrison County ADA and AM960 KLTF dairy recipe contest winners. Winners were announced on Thursday morning's partyline program. The three winners were Lisa Ginter, Jan Albrecht and Alvina Hourscht. Each of those winners will receive a bucket with $50 worth of dairy products.
--Congratulations to Pierz St. Nick Night Stamp Card Winners. Steph Fyten won $300 in Pierz bucks, Mitch Schuneman won $100 in Pierz bucks, and Bonnie Marshik, Conway Donek, Chris Emerson and Jerron Boser each received $50 in Pierz bucks.
--Congratulations to the FM94 12 Days of Christmas Winner Tamara Bellefeuille. She won twelve different prizes from the radio station.
--US 8th District Representative in Minnesota Rick Nolan and Rick Crawford of Kentucky Thursday introduced the bipartisan Century Farms Act, legislation which recognizes and honors farms that have been in continuous operation for 100 years. In the United States, century farms represent 97 percent of all farms, and nearly all century farms – 90 percent – are small, family-run operations. The Century Farms Act will create a national program to recognize all American farms continually run for 100 years. Currently, only 30 states including Minnesota recognize century farms.
--Stay up to date on news and weather at fallsradio.com
--One driver fell asleep and hit another vehicle in Stearns County. Shortly before 3:00pm Thursday, 51-year old Thomas Hopfer of Paynesville fell asleep behind the wheel traveling south on Highway 4 near 260th Street in Lake Henry Township and crossed into the northbound lane. An oncoming vehicle driven by 66-year old Robert Rooney of Oak Park was unable to avoid the other vehicle. The second vehicle then hit a driveway approach and rolled on its roof. Rooney was taken to Paynesville CentraCare for treatment of non life threatening injuries. Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts and alcohol was not a factor.
--An Otter Tail County man survived falling through thin ice on Walker Lake earlier this week and spending nearly an hour in the freezing water. The Sheriff's Office said that Don Hovland went through the ice while snowmobiling. The Otter Tail Fire Department heard the call about a man who had fallen through the ice. The firefighters, equipped with cold water rescue gear, pulled Hovland out of the water within 15 minutes of arrival. Don was in the water for nearly an hour. He continues to recover from hypothermia and frostbite.
--Listen to Christmas Eve Masses from St. Mary's in Little Falls at 4:00pm and Our Lady of Lourdes at 10:00pm Sunday on WYRQ.
--Charlie's Pizza will continue the tradition of having a free Christmas Day pizza celebration from 11:30-3:30pm. All are welcome to come and enjoy free pizza, free soup, giveaways and great friendship. There is no cost. Charlie said to just bring your appetite.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
--Brian and Krista LaVergne of Little Falls, a girl born Dec. 19th
DEATH NOTICE
--Susan M. Holtslander, age 63 of Little Falls
WEATHER
TODAY= becoming cloudy, light snow in afternoon, high 20.
TONIGHT= flurries early, then partly cloudy, low 5 above.
SATURDAY= partly sunny, high near 15, cloudy night low 4 above.
SUNDAY= mostly cloudy, few flurries, high 21, clearing late, low -10
CHRISTMAS= sunny and cold, high -3, low around -20.
TUESDAY= sunny and still cold, high near 0, low around -15.
SPORTS
HS BBB= Albany at Little Falls tonight 7:15pm on Q92 WYRQ
NFL= Vikings at Packers is part of four games on the radio this weekend, coverage begins Saturday at 3pm, Vikings play the second game Saturday at Green Bay at 7pm on AM960 KLTF.
MLB= San Francisco Giants have traded to get third basemen Evan Longoria from the Tampa Bay Rays.
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM LITTLE FALLS RADIO. LF RADIO OFFICES CLOSE AT NOON TODAY AND REOPEN TUESDAY AT 8AM. THERE WILL BE NO NEWSLETTER ON MONDAY.
TODAY IN CHRISTMAS MUSIC HISTORY
IN 1952= “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Jimmy Boyd #1.
IN 1957= “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms hit #1.
IN 1958= “The Chipmunk Song” by the Alvin & Chipmunks was #1.
IN 1960= “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee #1.