NEWS
--A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for Morrison County and the surrounding area beginning at 1am Thursday and lasting until 1pm Friday afternoon. Indications are that 9-15 inches of snow is expected starting late tonight and lasting through tomorrow afternoon with another 3-7 possible by late Friday. Meteorologists are calling this a Historic April snow system effecting most of Minnesota. Because of the Blizzard and Winter Storm Warnings now in effect for Thursday, the Statewide Tornado Drills on Thursday have been CANCELLED by the National Weather Service. The Morrison County Sheriff's Office is reminding motorists to please drive with caution.
--Yesterday afternoon the Morrison County Emergency Management tested the Little Falls Outdoor Warning siren. That was only a test to ensure the siren is working properly.
--Two farms in Morrison County are among the 136 Minnesota farms being recognized as Century Farms by the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau. Local farms being recognized include the Jim and Cindy Wyatt farm in Pierz and Trettel Dairy in Royalton. Qualifying farms have been in continuous family ownership for at least 100 years and are 50 acres or more. Century Farm families receive a commemorative sign, as well as a certificate signed by Minnesota State Fair and Minnesota Farm Bureau presidents and Governor Tim Walz. Since the program began in 1976, more than 10,500 Minnesota farms have been recognized as Century Farms. Among surrounding counties farms being recognized include Nalewaja Willow Hill Farm in Browerville, Voller Farms in Aitkin, Puetz Family Farm in Brainerd, Grandpa G's in Pillager, both Bragstad Farm and Gravdahl Family Farm in Pequot Lakes, Nelson Farm in Rice, Bemboom Acres in Sauk Rapids, Estes Brook Farms in Oak Park and 17 others in Stearns County.
--In the past week, the Little Falls Police Department responded to an assault on Lindbergh Drive on April 3rd, damage to property at First United Church near the hospital, theft reports and also a number of accidents in town that did not result in any injuries.
--During the week of March 31st through April 6th, the Todd County Sheriff's Office responded to 183 calls for service. The following were the types of calls: 67 traffic stops, 20 civil process, 11 suspicious activity type complaints, 7 phone scams, 5 traffic complaints, 5 assist other agencies, 5 property damage accidents, 4 domestics, and 3 car/deer accidents. One of the accidents with injuries occurred on April 5th at 9:45am on County Road 11 when a truck driven by Kenneth Bills of Long Prairie was going west on County Road 38 crossing 11 when he was struck by Chad Gerding of Paynesville. Gerding had an adult male passenger and also a juvenile passenger. Bills was alone in his vehicle. All parties were taken to Long Prairie hospital with non life threatening injures.
--A Melrose woman was hurt in a rollover on Interstate 94. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened just after 5:30pm Monday on eastbound I-94 west of Avon. Troopers say 35-year-old Jennifer Marty became distracted and lost control of her vehicle, which caused it to go into the ditch and roll. Marty was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Her six-year-old passenger was not hurt.
--A Clean-Up Day for Residents living outside city limits but within Morrill Township will be on Saturday at the Morrill Town Hall from 8-10:30am. For information call Butch Kampa at (320) 355-2213
--An elderly resident of an assisted-living facility in Burnsville was discovered dead in a pond after wandering away unsupervised. Another died from a painful and untreated hernia after repeatedly crying out for help. Others fell in their rooms and were left on the floor for hours, unnoticed. Those were some of the alarming details in a 30-page report on Minnesota’s assisted-living industry released at the State Capitol Tuesday by a coalition of consumer advocacy groups. The report, which coincides with legislation to improve safeguards for vulnerable adults, uncovered alarming conditions at some senior homes and numerous incidents of preventable deaths. Minnesota is the only state in the nation that does not license assisted-living services. The consumer groups analyzed 128 substantiated incidents of abuse and neglect since 2015, and found that nearly a third of the incidents contributed to preventable deaths, while 55 percent resulted in avoidable hospitalizations and emergency room visits. This year, a coalition of senior advocacy groups have joined lawmakers and the state Department of Health in renewing a push for stronger protections for the more than 50,000 seniors who live in assisted-living facilities statewide. New legislation, introduced this session, would license assisted-living facilities for the first time, and require them to maintain minimum standards of care and staffing levels, much the way Minnesota already regulates nursing homes. Minnesota is one of just eight states that lacks protections against arbitrary discharges from assisted-living facilities; and one of just nine states that has no statutory protections against retaliation for seniors who report abuse, according to research by AARP Minnesota.
--The Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota will be performing their 100th concert this weekend with a free concert at the Methodist Church in Deerwood with students from Crosby-Ironton High School, Saturday at Holy Cross in Onamia with students from Onamia schools and Sunday at Tornstrom Auditorium in Brainerd with students from the Brainerd schools helping with the Chorale to sing an arrangment of songs from the Lord's Prayer to Circle of Life from the Lion King and many more. The concerts Friday and Saturday are at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3:30pm. There is no cost to attend, though a free will offering is accepted. More info at the Legacy Chorale website.
WEATHER
WINTER STORM WARNING GOES INTO EFFECT AT 1AM THURSDAY LASTING UNTIL 1PM ON FRIDAY.
TODAY= becoming cloudy, rain after 4pm, breezy, high 42.
TONIGHT= rain changing to all snow by midnight, low 28.
THURSDAY= heavy wet snow, gusty winds, some thunder possible, with snow dropping 1-2 inches an hour during the day, high 31.
THURSDAY NIGHT= more snow, heavy with gusty winds, low 26.
FRIDAY= snow likely, changing to rain, windy, high 36.
EARLY REPORTS OF SNOW TOTALS ARE IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA 12-20 INCHES OF SNOW BY FRIDAY.
SPORTS
TWINS= after a rain delay, the Twins bats came alive with six homeruns to beat the Mets last night 14-8 in New York. The Twins are at the New York Mets again tonight at 5:30pm on Q92 WYRQ.
WILD= The Minnesota Wild stated Tuesday that Head Coach Bruce Boudreau will be back next season and for now the team says they are not rebuilding after missing the playoffs this year in the NHL.