NEWS
--Tim Sumner on Friday stated he was still in need of a few helpers on Wednesday this week to set up for the Thanksgiving Meal on Thursday at the Falls Ballroom. They have enough servers on Thursday. The dinner is 11am-1pm and free for all to come and eat. If you can help Wednesday call Sumner at 320-632-2540.
--A jury convicted two men on Friday of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in an international operation that led to the deaths of a family of Indian migrants who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, an Indian national who prosecutors say went by the alias “Dirty Harry,” and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida, were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that has brought increasing numbers of Indians into the United States. They were each convicted on four counts related to human smuggling, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally. The most serious counts carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office told The Associated Press before the trial. But federal sentencing guidelines rely on complicated formulas. Luger said Friday that various factors will be considered in determining what sentences prosecutors will recommend. Before the jury’s conviction on Friday, the federal trial in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, saw testimony from an alleged participant in the smuggling ring, a survivor of the treacherous journey across the northern border, border patrol agents and forensic experts. Defense attorneys were pitted against each other, with Shand’s team arguing that he was unwittingly roped into the scheme by Patel. The court documents did not state when a sentencing date would be.
--One person needed medical treatment after a house fire late Thursday afternoon in St. Cloud. The fire department was called to a home on the corner of 13th Street North and 12th Avenue North at about 4:30. Crews from a tower truck and four engine trucks evacuated the residence and quickly put the fire under control. There was still significant damage to the main floor, along with smoke and water issues on all levels. Two pets were killed in the blaze. The incident is still under investigation by the Office of the Fire Marshal.
--A Stearns County jury has found a St. Cloud man guilty of rape. After a three-day trial in Stearns County District Court, 29-year-old Ahmed Hussein Ibrahim was convicted on two counts of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was found not guilty on a third charge. According to the criminal complaint, Ibrahim beat the woman and raped her while she was living with him late last year. Ibrahim was accused of not letting the woman leave, slapping her in the face multiple times, and recording the sexual assaults on his cell phone. The victim told police Ibrahim then threatened to send the videos to her friends and family. The complaint alleged that in one of the videos the victim is naked and crying and Ibrahim tells her if she doesn't like it, she can go back to her home country.
--The Turkey Trot is a 5K fundraiser for the Pierz Boys and Girls Cross Country Team on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th with registration at 7:30am and race at 8am from the Pierz Healy High School. There will be door prizes, treats and other items donated for the event. The cost is $30 and all goes to help the cross country program. Come and run or watch the runners in Pierz on Thanksgiving morning.
--The City of Little Falls announced their offices will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving and Friday November 29th. Also due to software improvements in the city of Little Falls building their office building will be closed December 5th and 6th for work to be completed in the building. Also the Morrison County Government Center will be closed this Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday.
--The 2nd weekend of the firearms deer hunting season completed on November 17th. Approximately 112,000 deer have been shot during the firearms season so far. Those numbers are up approximately 5% compared to last year. The Northeast region in the state saw the biggest increase at just over 10%. 55,100 deer were shot in the first weekend after a reported 390,000 licenses sold in the state, about the same amount as 2023. All the deer hunting seasons right now have to tallied about 143,000 deer harvested. In a couple zones in northern Minnesota they still had one more firearms deer hunting weekend which ended yesterday. Muzzleloader deer hunting starts November 30 and ends December 15 and archery deer hunting continues in the state through December 31. The duck hunting season in Minnesota is closed in all areas yesterday and the hunting was down a bit in previous weeks with windy and colder conditions and that also led to some boating rescues on area lakes. Pheasant numbers in the state are still good but participation is down likely due to deer hunting. For latest numbers and information on what seasons continue for hunting check out the DNR website.
WEATHER
TODAY= snow showers in the morning, clearing and windy, high 26.
TONIGHT= cloudy skies, breezy and cold, low 12, wind chills near 0.
TUESDAY= sunny skies, high 25, low around 15.
WEDNESDAY= cloudy skies, high 27, snow overnight, low 16.
SPORTS
NFL= Vikings needed overtime to beat Chicago yesterday 30-27. Sam Darold had 2 touchdowns but Bears battled back to tie it late. The Vikings win make them 9-2 and they host Arizona on Sunday. Detroit beat Indianapolis, Lions stay in first place at 10-1. Green Bay routed San Francisco to be 8-3, with the loss to Vikings the Bears drop to 4-7.
HS FB= Minneota destroyed Springfield 70-20 in in the Class A Championship, Becker wins the 4A championship 24-8 over Totino Grace. Jackson County Central beat Staples-Motley 42-26 in Class AA Championship and Maple Grove won 28-21 over Minnetonka for 6A. Then on Saturday Fertile Beltrami won 9-man, Stewartville downed Dassel-Cokato for 3A Title and Elk River 33-24 over Alexandria to finish Prep Bowl and win the 5A Championship in football.
COL FB= Penn State holds off the Gophers 26-25 in a battle on Saturday in Minneapolis. The 6-5 Gophers wrap up the regular season at Madison against Wisconsin Badgers Friday at 11am.
HS GBB= Pierz at Upsala Tuesday at 7:15pm on 94ROCKS KFML.
TODAY IN HISTORY
IN 1792= first published Farmer's Almanac released.
IN 1867= Alfred Nobel patents dynamite.
IN 1920= first Thanksgiving Parade in United States in Philadelphia.
IN 1940= first Woody Woodpecker cartoon released in theaters.
IN 1949= Gene Autry releases “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”.