NEWS
--The Pierz City Council appointed Gary Berg onto the council Monday night. Earlier this year newly elected Pierz Mayor Toby Egan stepped down citing personal health reasons. Following an application period, council member John Perleberg was appointed Pierz mayor. That left a vacancy on the council from Perleberg's seat. Last week four candidates were interviewed for the opening and on Monday Gary Berg was selected to be appointed to the Pierz City Council.
--A 67-year-old Avon man was killed in a car accident Monday afternoon. According to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, they were called to the crash at the intersection of County Road 52 and 160th Avenue in Holding Township at about 2:20. Investigators say Kevin Boundy was traveling south on 160th when he was hit by a Ford Explorer Sport driven by a 19-year-old man, who was traveling west on 52. Both vehicles were in the south ditch of County 52 when first responders arrived. Boundy was pronounced dead a short time later. The intersection is controlled by stop signs for vehicles on 160th. The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation. The other driver was not hurt and refused medical attention.
--Authorities in Aitkin County say a six-year-old boy died after falling through the ice. The lake near McGrath is usually used as a skating rink, and the boy was standing near a dock Sunday afternoon when the ice broke. A family member pulled him out of the water, but he was not breathing. The family member performed CPR until first responders arrived. There was 14″ of new snowfall, which they say complicated the rescue and the child was taken via snowmobile to a waiting ambulance which rushed him to a hospital. He was pronounced dead just over two hours later. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as drowning. His name has not been released by authorities at this time.
--A St. Cloud woman pleaded guilty for leading a major drug distribution ring from Mexico. 30-year-old Macalla Knott pleaded guilty in federal court in Fargo on Monday. She admitted under oath she orchestrated and managed an enterprise of bringing in shipments of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl to upper Midwest while she was living in Mexico. She also arranged the payments between the sources involved between the United States and Mexico starting in the spring of 2020. The drug task force recently seized over 100 pounds of pills, meth and powder in recent drug busts related to Knott and five others charged in the large case. One of the other five was 28-year-old Melanie Quick of St. Cloud who has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Knott will be sentenced in August.
--March is Food Share Month at are Food Shelves. The Morrison County Food Shelf in Little Falls at 912 1st Avenue Southwest. Open Tuesday and Wednesday 10am-12pm and Thursday from 5-7pm. Donations will be accepted of food items or monetary donations which will be matched for further use to keep the food shelves going for those in need of food. If you can help donate or want more information on the food shelf call Carmen at 320-632-8304. There is also food shelves in Morrison County in Pierz and in Motley.
--There will be a Veterans Day on the Hill event on March 30th from the Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota. The event will have a free Veterans and supporters lunch, near the State Capitol at 10am coffee, 11am lunch then a rally at 12:40pm from the Army to the State Veterans Service building and rally in the Capitol rotunda will start at 1pm. No membership in any organization is required. Any questions contact trent@davmn.org.
--The Morrison County Historical Society is pleased to announce that the Capital Investment Committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives will hold a hearing on HF 616, authored by Representative Ron Kresha which would fund numerous upgrades to the property of the Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum. Key amongst the upgrades is funding a solution to the riverbank erosion on the property, along with a new roof, window replacements, and improvements to the museum’s ADA accessibility. The hearing will be held Friday, March 17, 1pm at the State Office Building The Historical Society extends its thanks and appreciation to Rep. Kresha for his authorship of HF 616 and for securing a hearing slot for this request.
--A Fargo woman was injured in a one-vehicle accident back on March 11th in Todd County. Around 6:30pm Antonia Martin was on Interstate 94 near West Union when her vehicle slid on the snowy road and struck the ditch. There were eight minors in the vehicle. One of the minors was taken to a local hospital and treated for non life threatening injuries. Three other minors were treated at the scene but not hospitalized. Martin was not injured.
--Federal Authorities have halted the death penalty process on Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. Rodriguez will spend the rest of his life in prison for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Dru Sjodin of Pequot Lakes. Sjodin's body was found in 2004. Rodriguez was sentenced to death back in 2007. In recent years a number of hearings were done on the mental health of Rodriguez which may have led to recent decisions.
--A Big Lake woman is among 10 more people who have been charged for their alleged roles in the fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program. Fifty-two-year-old Sharon Ross was the executive director of House of Refuge Twin Cities, a non-profit that she enrolled in the program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Children. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, it is alleged between October 2021 and January 2022 Ross falsely claimed to be serving thousands of children each day at her House of Refuge sites. In total, Ross allegedly received about $2.8 million some of which she spent on real estate, vehicles, and payments to family members. The other nine people charged recently are from Eagan, Minneapolis, Bloomington, Savage, and Faribault. They are facing charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery.
--Another record fish was caught in a Minnesota lake recently. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says an angler caught a 46 1/4-inch northern pike on Mille Lacs Lake. Brad Lila landed the fish on January 22nd. The DNR certified the pike as tying a state record.
LISTEN TO LITTLE FALLS RADIO FOR TOWNSHIP ELECTION RESULTS AND INFO ON DAIRY PRINCESS BANQUET THAT IS MARCH 25TH, FULL DETAILS ON TOMORROW'S NEWSLETTER.
DEATH NOTICES
--Jeanette Pangrac, age 95 of Upsala.
WEATHER
WINTER STORM WATCH STARTS AT 10AM THURSDAY.
TODAY= mostly cloudy, high 38, rain/sleet after 4am, low 28.
THURSDAY= rain/sleet then all snow, gusty winds, 2-4 inches.
THURS NITE/FRI= snow likely 1-2 inches into early Friday.
SPORTS
BHK= Congratulation to Little Falls Boys Hockey Coach Joey Hanowski and Assistant Coach John Morgan who were named the Section 5A Head Coach and Assistant of the Year recently.
GBB= The State Girls Basketball Tournament begins today.