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Newsletter: Friday, December 20th, 2024
NEWS --Yesterday Little Falls saw 1-2 inches of snow during the day but then another 1-3 last night with some spots shoveling out 4-5 inches of snow in areas this morning. Plows are out so please watch for them. Yesterday there were over 400 accidents, 34 with injuries, 4 serious injuries and over 30 semi trucks jackknifed on Minnesota roads from snow and slippery conditions. One area that had many accidents was between Rice through Becker and Alexandria through Monticello on Interstate 94 and Highway 10 including between in a two hour period around noon 145 accidents or spinouts on those stretches of highway. Some parts of those areas reported 4-7 inches of snow on Thursday. The Minnesota State Patrol stated that most accidents occurred because vehicles were traveling too fast for conditions. The snow in the Twin Cities cause massive delays at the Twin Cities International Airport on Thursday. The latest forecast is calling for some light snow again Sunday night into Monday then a dry and warmer period of Christmas Day with temps in the 30s.
--Arctic Cat's parent company has announced it is suspending its manufacturing operations indefinitely at its facilities in St. Cloud and Thief River Falls. That will happen after the planned production in the first half of 2025 is complete. Textron Inc. says this is in response to the ongoing business conditions facing the power sports industry. In a statement from Arctic Cat, they said it remains open for business with respect to selling current inventory and providing aftermarket support and services to their existing customer base. Arctic Cat will release its manufacturing employees at the St. Cloud and Thief River Falls facilities once they've completed their existing customer commitments. Arctic Cat plans to monitor industry conditions throughout the suspension.
--A utility worker was killed in an accident on Tuesday in Sherburne County. According to the sheriff’s office, first responders were called around 2pm to a ditch on 241st Avenue Northwest, just west of 185th Street in Orrock Township. Investigators say 59-year-old Thomas Stewart from Dayton fell from a bucket truck raised six to eight feet in the air. It appeared he was getting out of the bucket at the time. Stewart was pronounced dead late Tuesday night.
--Minnesota workers who make minimum wage will be getting a raise after the holidays. Starting January 1st, minimum wage rates will be adjusted for inflation and become $11.13 an hour for all employers. That includes large and small employers and youth wages. The current large employer hourly wage is $10.85. All businesses will be required to pay $11.13 an hour. The law still allows for a 90-day training wage for workers under the age of 20. The hourly training wage will go from $8.85 to $9.08. Large and macro employers in Minneapolis and St. Paul will go from $15.57 to $15.97 next year.
--Companies are still hiring across the state heading into the home stretch of 2024. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says 2,500 positions were added in November. Payrolls have popped in nine of the last 12 months. Minnesota’s unemployment rate ticked up by one-tenth of a percent to 3.5%. That is lower than the national average of 4.2%. The best performing industries in the state were education and health services, which logged a gain of 4,900 jobs, and construction. That sector added 2,800 jobs. Another bright spot was wages were up a bit.
--The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind everyone to exercise caution on area lakes. Open water has been reported in multiple locations. One particular report of open water was reported on Fish Trap Lake. With snowfall yesterday and colder temps, these areas may become obscured. The thin ice and open water pose significant hazards. Your safety is our number one priority, so please do your homework before venturing out. Already there have been a number of incidents of vehicles and people falling through thin ice and at least 3 deaths from these.
--33-year-old Garrison man was arrested Tuesday on a Crow Wing County warrant in Garrison. Law enforcement was looking for an individual involved in an assault following a Nov. 25 incident where a woman was threatened with a gun. Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office Operations Lt. Craig Katzenberger said the Crow Wing County’s tactical team, along with members of the Mille Lacs Tribal tactical team and Lakes Area Drug Investigative Division, executed the search warrant about 10:10am at a home on the 7100 block of Highway 169. This was the same location where the woman was threatened with a gun. The man was taken into custody without incident, Katzenberger said. Formal criminal charges are pending with the Crow Wing County Attorney’s Office.
--The Baxter Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a person involved in package theft in Baxter. Baxter Police Chief Matt Maier said the incident occurred around 12:50pm last Thursday on the 6000 block of Fairfax Road. In a Facebook post the department posted two photos showing a person and the vehicle they used. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Baxter Police Department at 218-454-5090.
--If you signed up for the Christmas meal with Tim Sumner, that is tonight 4:30pm-7pm at Royal Cafe, all meals were filled this week.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT --Joseph and Dana Janson of St. Cloud, a girl born Dec. 19th
DEATH NOTICES --Michael Sobiech, age 47 of Pierz.
WEATHER TODAY= sunny and cold, high 9 above, clear night, low -3. SATURDAY= increasing clouds, high 14, steady temps at night. SUNDAY= cloudy and warmer, high 27, snow overnight, low 18. MONDAY= snow showers, early, then cloudy, high 33, low near 14.
SPORTS HS BHK= Little Falls at Hutchinson tonight 7pm on Q92 WYRQ. WRAP= busy night in local sports, recap on the Wrap Saturday morning at 9:05am on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com. NFL= Vikings at Seattle Sunday at 3pm on AM960 KLTF part of a triple header of NFL action, coverage starts 11:30am on KLTF.
Listen to KLTF Party Line today at 10:05am for the Holiday Dairy Recipe Contest Bucket giveaway from the Morrison County ADA, Coborn's Marketplace and AM960 KLTF.
