Monday, August 17, 2026
The Melrose man critically injured Friday night in a motorcycle accident in Stearns County has now died. According to the Minnesota State Patrol initial incident report, Neil Gerald Blenker was riding a 2012 Harley-Davidson north on Highway 71 in Lake George Township just after 9:15pm when a southbound 2017 Ford F-150 turned onto the highway from private property and the two collided. The 50-year-old was rushed to CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital with what the State Patrol described as life-threatening injuries. His family says he died Saturday. The driver of the pickup, a 21-year-old man from Belgrade, was not hurt. The State Patrol says he was wearing a seat belt and that Blenker was not wearing a helmet. Family said that the 50 year old Blenker was returning from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota at the time of the accident.
An 18-year-old Sauk Rapids man faces a felony charge after prosecutors say he sawed down an automated license plate reader in St. Cloud. Bradley Allen Smith is charged with first-degree damage to property in a Stearns County District Court complaint filed Tuesday. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Officers were called June 24th to 1st North and 5th Avenue North on a report that someone had cut through the metal pole holding a license plate reader. According to the complaint, surveillance video from a St. Cloud store captured a man buying saw blades and leaving. Investigators used a receipt from the purchase and vehicle registration records to identify Smith. Video from near the camera then showed Smith approaching the pole with what appeared to be a power tool, cutting it down, hopping a nearby fence and driving away. The complaint says Smith later admitted to investigators that he bought the saw and cut down the camera. Repairs are estimated at $3,525. The camera has since been reinstalled. The devices have drawn vandalism across Minnesota. At least seven cities have reported thefts or destruction, including Winona, where every camera pole in the city was cut down and taken. Winona police do not plan to replace several of the stolen units. In the greater St. Cloud area, police in St. Cloud and Sartell say at least four cameras have been damaged. Several communities have paused or dropped the technology altogether, among them Sherburne County, Isanti County, West St. Paul, North Branch and Columbia Heights.
Some areas did get some heavy downpours Saturday between 4-8pm, it was reported that 1/2 inch totals were recorded in less than 20 minute of rain. However the Little Falls Airport recorded less only .16 for the day and evening on Saturday. More showers are in the forecast on tonight, Tuesday and Thursday but again drought monitors show that this will not be anywhere enough to help with the moderate drought in the area and some definitely a long ways off from raising the low river levels this summer.
You can learn more about an American icon at an annual meeting next month. The Morrison County Historical Society will look at the life of Charles Lindbergh at its annual meeting on September 15th. The public is invited to hear keynote speaker Benton County Historical Society Executive Director Lacey Fontaine present "Charles Lindbergh: Beyond the Spirit of St. Louis." Fontaine will examine Lindbergh's achievements, the challenges, and controversies that shaped his life beyond the historic 1927 Atlantic flight. Fontaine is also the former Programs Curator at the Charles Lindbergh House and Museum in Little Falls. Little Falls will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Lindbergh's flight next year with large doings throughout 2027 and in May when the anniversary would occur. The meeting again is September 15th with social at 6pm and the presentation at 6:30pm. It will be held at the Weyerhaeuser Museum at 2151 Lindbergh Drive South in Little Falls and is free for the public to attend.
A former Assistant Anoka County Attorney was arrested and charged Friday with more than two dozen crimes connected to an alleged commercial sex trafficking operation that spanned several years. Andrea Leigh Sampson, 35, is charged with 13 counts of promoting prostitution and 13 counts of receiving profits from prostitution after the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the Human Trafficking Task Force uncovered an alleged sex trafficking operation within Minneapolis, Bloomington, Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park and other surrounding areas. According to the charging documents, the operation alleges that numerous individuals, including Sampson, obtained apartments for "commercial sex transactions." Law enforcement later learned that some of Sampson's properties were allegedly used for some of those transactions, and where photographs of the victims were taken for commercial sex ad postings. In a statement, Anoka County Attorney Brad Johnson confirmed that Sampson had been the Assistant Anoka County Attorney and was working in the office's Family Law and Civil Divisions, but said she was immediately placed on administrative leave when his office was made aware of the investigation in February 2026. Her last day of employment was March 9th.
Governor Tim Walz ordered Thursday for state buildings to lower flags to half-staff in honor of a firefighter who died after responding to the Bear Trap Fire. Leslie R. Washington, a wildland firefighter from Noorvik, Alaska, suffered a medical emergency Tuesday while responding to the wildfire. He died later at a nearby hospital. The Bear Trap Fire, located 20 miles north of Ely, has consumed nearly 30,000 acres in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).
Luigi Mangione, the 28-year-old pleaded guilty to two federal counts of stalking resulting in death in connection with the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson of Minnesota. At the request of District Judge Margaret M. Garnett, he detailed his criminal actions, Mangione, who shared that he suffered from back pain for years—said that he learned UnitedHealthcare was having a conference only being attended by executives and investors. He said he emailed leadership, posing as an investor, to find the address before using a 3-D printer to print part of his gun. "I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died," he told the judge. "And I knew what I was doing was illegal." Mangione will be sentenced December 18th where he likely to be receive life in prison.
The Morrison County Sheriff's Office, local police departments, members from Crow Wing County law enforcement recently conducted training at the Morrison County/Little Falls Airport where they conducted traffic stop, critical incidents, and other training measures were conducted. The Sheriff's wanted the public to know that if you saw a large presence of law enforcement vehicles and flashing lights out at the airport the previous days it was training going on at the airport.
The Little Falls City Council meets Monday at 7:30pm at City Hall Council Chambers.
Death Notices: Donald Waldvogel, age 91 of Little Falls. Mary Beseman, age 76 of Little Falls.
Weather: partly cloudy skies today, high 82 chance of showers and thunderstorms between 4-9pm some could produce heavy rains. Showers ending tonight, then clearing low 57. Sunny skies Tuesday, again chance of afternoon showers, high 75, clearing and cooler, low 48. Wednesday sunny skies, high 78, clear Wednesday low around 51. Thursday sunny skies, high 83, chance of late day storms into Thursday night low around 58. Friday sunny skies, high near 84, low around 59.
Sports: Phillies beat the Twins 9-1 on Saturday night, then Phillies rallied to beat the Twins 7-5 on Sunday after Brooks Lee had hit a grand slam and Kody Clemens homered for the Twins to have a 5-0 lead before the Phillies rallied to win it late. Twins (60-65) host Atlanta tonight at 6:40pm at Target Field. Lynx win 92-87 over Las Vegas last night with Olivia Miles leading the Lynx with 23 points as 6 players have double digits in the game. Vikings win 13-10 Saturday over New York Giants in preseason game #1 but lost defensive player Jamal Adams to what the coach said was a "brutal knee injury". Vikings host Baltimore on Saturday. The Region 4B and 9C Tournament wrapped up early Sunday morning after a lengthy rain delay last night. Sobieski 7-4 over Buckman in 10 innings for the Region 4B Championship. Pierz Brewers won 2-0 on Friday night over Aitkin for 9C Championship. Nisswa 4-3 over Avon, Foley 18-1 over Pierz Lakers on Friday, Saturday Foley 3-0 over Nisswa for 3rd place, Pierz Lakers 5-0 over Avon for 5th place and on to state. In 9C Opole 5-1 over Randall Friday night, Aitkin 3-1 over Opole late Saturday night to advance to state in 9C. The State Tournament for Class B and C seed Sunday with games starting Friday night. Good luck to Sobieski (who gets a first round bye), Buckman, Foley, Nisswa and Pierz Lakers in Class B at state and also the Pierz Brewers and Aitkin who go in Class C. State coverage will be heard on AM960 KLTF and streamed online at fallsradio.com.