Monday, February 16, 2026
Congratulations to the Pierz Pioneers winning the Section 7AA Wrestling Championship on Saturday in Milaca. Pierz routed North Branch and Milaca-Faith Christian and then beat Grand Rapids with a pin at heavyweight by Henry Hoffman to win 33-27 and win their first section title since 2017. They will compete at state as a team starting Wednesday afternoon, February 25th in St. Paul.
Congratulations to Little Falls Flyer Gymnast Gretta Grimsley, who is actually a student from Pillager High School but competes on the Flyer Gymnastics Team for qualifying for the State Gymnastics Tournament Saturday at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. Grimsley is the first Flyer gymnastics athlete to qualify for state in 12 years.
Today is President's Day. A federal holiday that was established to fall on the third Monday of February between the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln on Feb 12th and George Washington on Feb 22nd. All government agencies federal, state, county and city are closed Monday. Banks, financial institutions, post offices, schools and some business offices are closed Monday for President's Day, there is no regular mail delivery however it was reported that priority mail and 1 day parcel service deliveries are running their routes Monday. You may want to check ahead to see what items are open or closed on President's Day 2026.
Two people from Motley were injured Friday morning around 7:06am on Highway 210 and Highway 10 in Motley when a pickup hauling a cattle trailer lost control and struck a vehicle in the other lane driven by 60-year-old Brian Goltz of Motley. Goltz and his passenger 26-year-old Bryce Jones were both taken to the Staples Hospital for non life threatening injuries. The driver of the pickup from Wisconsin was not injured.
A woman was seriously hurt after a crash in North St. Cloud on Friday. Emergency crews were dispatched to the 3200 block of 5th Street North just before 1:00 p.m. St. Cloud Police say 32-year-old Christopher Otte of Avon was westbound on 5th Avenue when his SUV swerved into the oncoming lane and struck a minivan head-on. The crash pinned the female driver inside the van and caused it to catch fire. The St. Cloud Fire Department arrived on the scene, extricated the driver from the van, and put out the flames. The woman, whose name hasn't been released, was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with serious injuries. Otte was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police believe Otte was impaired at the time of the crash. Officers were able to secure a warrant for a blood draw while he was being treated at the hospital. Results are pending. Otte was treated at the hospital and booked into the Stearns County Jail on probable cause for charges related to the crash. The Minnesota State Patrol assisted in the reconstruction of the crash. The Investigation is ongoing.
Minnesota will mark the 10th annual School Bus Driver Appreciation Day on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. This statewide celebration honors the thousands of professional school bus drivers who safely transport nearly 700,000 Minnesota students each day. These highly trained professionals navigate challenging weather and traffic conditions while providing a reliable, welcoming presence for students and families. Communities across Minnesota are encouraged to take a moment to thank school bus drivers for their dedication, professionalism, and commitment to student safety. On hand will be Kathryn Forbord, President of the Minnesota School Bus Operators Association and Director of Operations at Schmitty & Sons, Nick Klaseus, President of the Minnesota Association for Pupil Transit (MAPT) and Transportation Director at Cleveland Public Schools, Lt. Brian Reu, Director of Office of Pupil Transportation Safety, Minnesota State Patrol, Mebal Kaanyi, school bus driver in Roseville, who bravely rescued a child from Lake Owasso in November, 2025., Rick Gratton, school bus driver for St. Francis Schools, who safety evacuated students from a school bus fire in October 2025, Miranda Cogswell, school bus driver with Faribault Transportation, 2025 1st place winner of the “Minnesota School Bus Road-eo” safety and skills competition Governor Tim Walz will again issue a statewide School Bus Driver Appreciation Day Proclamation, recognizing the essential role bus drivers play in student safety, school access, and community transportation. To honor school bus drivers, the I-35W Bridge and US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will be lit yellow that evening starting approximately 5:30 PM. Many cities and school districts have also passed resolutions for School Bus Driver Appreciation Day.
A Princeton man was hurt after crashing his pickup in Sherburne County on Saturday morning. The incident happened on Highway 169 at Rum River Drive in Princeton shortly after 7:30 a.m. The Minnesota State Patrol says 45-year-old Jason Roth was northbound on Highway 169 when he left the roadway and crashed. Roth was taken to Princeton Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The State Patrol was assisted by the Sherburne County Sheriff's Office, Princeton Police Department, Princeton Fire Department, and North Memorial EMS.
A Sartell man is being held in the Stearns County Jail after allegedly holding another man's fiancée against her will. Several law enforcement agencies joined the Sartell Police in responding to the 400 block of 7th Street North early Friday morning on a report of a woman being held against her will. A man had called from Arizona saying that he received a text message from the woman that she had been visiting a friend in Sartell, and he wouldn't let her leave. She said the man, 45-year-old Aaron Wright, also physically assaulted her and threatened to shoot her if she tried to leave. Officers quickly responded to the scene and encountered Wright and the woman in the entryway of his building. The victim was able to free herself and run for safety. Police say Wright refused commands to surrender and ran back inside the apartment. Wright then allegedly jumped from a third-story window in an effort to escape, but was quickly arrested. Wright was booked into jail on suspicion of domestic assault by strangulation, felony threats of violence, false imprisonment, and providing a false name to a police officer. Authorities say Wright also had an outstanding warrant out of Stearns County for fleeing police in a motor vehicle.
The Little Falls City Council will meet Tuesday at 7:30pm at City Hall Council Chambers as the City Offices will be closed today for President's Day.
Death Notices: Joel D. Stumpf, age 71 of Little Falls.
Weather: sunny skies and mild again today, high 47 (Saturday got to 51, Sunday high of 46, average high on February 16th is 27), tonight increasing clouds mild, low around 30. Tuesday mostly cloudy high 43 by 1pm then rain showers turning windy and temps drop into the 30s. Rain likely Tuesday low around 33, some rain could mix with wet snow toward Wednesday morning. Wednesday rain in the morning, snow later in the day, high 39 before noon, then again gusty winds, rain to snow, all snow by Wednesday night ending before midnight, 1-2 inches. Thursday cloudy and windy, some light snow, high 32, low around 18. Friday cloudy with light snow and colder, high near 20, low around 6 above.
Sports: On Saturday, Pierz won 75-0 over North Branch, 69-6 win over Milaca to advance to finals against Grand Rapids and won 33-27 for the Section Title. Little Falls beat Rock Ridge 48-21 but lost to Grand Rapids in the final matches 32-30 in semi-finals to end their team season. Royalton-Upsala won first match Saturday but then lost to Holdingford 63-9 in their section quarterfinals, Holdingford held off Mille Lacs Area to reach the finals but lost to Staples-Motley, with their win they advance to state. Individual tournament begins later this week for area wrestlers still to try and get to state. The Little Falls Boys Hockey opens the playoffs at home against Prairie Centre (Long Prairie/Sauk Centre) team on Tuesday at 7pm at Exchange Arena and live on Q92 WYRQ and fallsradio.com. Team USA Men's Hockey won both games Saturday and Sunday at the Olympics, while Women's Hockey has Sweden today in semi-finals, Norway has been a beast in the past days now at 26 total medals as of Monday's action, Italy also has soared to 22 total medals, Team USA and Japan are both at 17 total medals. The Olympics continue all this week in Italy.