NEWS
--An Alexandria man has been charged with second-degree assault after a mental health worker at St. Cloud Hospital was attacked Sunday and left gasping for air after a cord had been wrapped around her neck. 42-year-old William Chad Kern is accused of attacking the victim while she was working with him Sunday afternoon at the hospital. The mental health worker told police that she had been working with Kern for about three weeks without any problems. But on Sunday, Kern asked her for a CPAP breathing device, and she declined to give him one because he wasn't having any problems. Kern became upset and ripped a security card reader from the wall, exposing the wires behind it. As Kern fell to the floor, he pulled the wires from the wall. He then returned to his room, with the mental health worker following him because she was concerned Kern might have hurt himself. According to the criminal complaint charging Kern when she got into Kern's room, he grabbed her by the throat and began to choke her. He forced her to the ground, continuing to choke her. She was able to activate an alarm system, and several hospital personnel intervened and pulled Kern off of her. Kern made his first court appearance on the charge Tuesday.
--A 21-year-old Aitkin woman and 20-year-old Ironton man were injured Wednesday from a two-vehicle crash south of Ironton Monday night. 21-year old Kennedy Robin Swanson was traveling west on Rider Road when the vehicle she was driving failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection with Wood Land Road. The vehicle collided on the driver's side with a vehicle driven by 16-year-old Benjamin Aaron Wasson of Crosby. Swanson and a passenger, 20-year-old Austin Wayne Stangel of Ironton, suffered injuries in the crash. Both were transported to an area hospital where Swanson was airlifted to St. Cloud with more serious injuries and listed in fair condition Wednesday. Neither Wasson nor his passenger, 15-year old Rachel Lynne Daraitis suffered any injuries.
--Pine County deputies arrested a suspect in an alleged sexual assault at a city park Tuesday. The suspect, a 28-year-old man from Wyoming, Minnesota was taken into custody around 5:00pm Wednesday. Authorities were called to Robinson Park Tuesday after a juvenile female reported that she had been sexually assaulted by an unknown male. During an interview with investigators after his arrest, the suspect reportedly admitted that he came to Pine City to meet the victim. Deputies say he also admitted to sexually assaulting the victim, even stating that the victim tried to fight him off and yell for help. The suspect has a prior conviction in January of 2016 for 5th degree criminal sexual conduct out of Anoka County. He remains in the Pine County jail pending formal charges.
--The Little Falls School Board meets tonight 5:00pm at the government center boardroom. Agenda items include canvassing returns of votes from the school district special election last week, referendum time line, membership resolution for state high school league, approval of activity fees next year and approval of the capital expenditures budget for 2016-17.
--The Little Falls City Council will hold their next regular meeting Monday night 7:30pm at city hall. The City Council will also hold a special meeting on May 23rd at 5:30pm at City Hall chambers.
--Around 5:10am Friday the Morrison County Sheriff’s office responded to a report of a vehicle in the ditch off 260th Street, in Cushing Township. When deputies arrived they observed 21 year old Andrew Dubois of Long Prairie unresponsive in the driver’s seat of the car. The vehicle came to rest in a ditch with standing water and was still running. Dubois was airlifted from the scene, to St Cloud Hospital by North Air Care with unknown injuries. This case is under investigation by the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office.
--On Friday, House Republicans called on Governor Dayton to fund roads and bridges without a gas tax increase. Governor Dayton and his staff are expected to prepare and announce his first transportation offer this Monday morning. This comes on the heels of House Republicans offering a compromise transportation proposal Wednesday based off their ten-year plan to meet the state’s road and bridge infrastructure needs with existing resources. "With a $900 million surplus, we don’t need to ask for more of Minnesota family budgets," said Representative Ron Kresha of Little Falls. “It seems like common sense, but the state shouldn’t take more money for roads and bridges when we have such a large surplus.” In a 2015 poll of District 9B, over 72% were against a gas tax increase.
--Collisions involving five vehicles on Stearns County Road 75 sent two people to St. Cloud Hospital on Thursday. About 2:00pm, a westbound car collided with another stopped at a red light at Stearn's County Road 134. It then sideswiped two vehicles at the light and hit a turning vehicle. Those involved were 23-year-old, Samuel Warner of St. Cloud, 65-year-old Jadzia Olson of St. Cloud, 38-year-old Courtney Frieler of Melrose, 46-year-old Dori Harding of Albany and 23-year-old Yurub Hussein Ismail of St. Cloud. Olson and Harding were taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries.
--The Upsala Upstage Players will be holding auditions for “Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?” based on a novel by John R. Powers. The story focuses on eight children during their Catholic elementary and high school education in the 1950s. Auditions will be Tuesday at 7:00pm in the Upsala High School auditorium. For more info on auditions and show dates, call Leonice at 573-2364.
DEATH NOTICES
--James “Jim” Becker, age 58 of Pierz.
--Ivan Petersen, age 84 of Randall.
--Catherine H. Hartung, age 84 of Upsala.
--Angeline “Angie” T. Poser, age 104 of Pierz.
WEATHER
TODAY= partly cloudy skies, high 62, clear night, low 35.
TUESDAY= sunny skies, high 64, low around 40.
WEDNESDAY= sunny skies, high 72, low around 45.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins lose Friday but win Saturday and Sunday over Indians to take series. Twins at Detroit 5:30 tonight on Q92.
LYNX= Lynx beat Phoenix in season opener Saturday 95-76.
MAR= Royalton's Steven Pekarek won Lake Wobegon Marathon Saturday with 2 hours 39 minutes 29 seconds in time.
HS BAB= Holdingford at Pierz today at 4:30pm on FM94 KFML