Monday, May 12, 2025
Little Falls was one of over 30 cities in Minnesota Sunday that keeps weather records to break the high temperature record reaching 92 degrees at the airport breaking the record of 86 degrees sent back in the 1980s. The Twin Cities hit 90 degrees breaking a record in 2016, Madison, Minnesota got 99, Jackson 97 and International Falls 93 hitting 90 for the earliest since weather records were kept back in the late 1800s. The warm and windy conditions led to many wildfire reports around the state including one in Sherburne County that burned hundreds of acres. There is another Red Flag Warning in effect today with warm temps again near 90 could be more records broken and winds up to 30mph bringing extreme fire danger across the state. Also there is an Air Quality Alert over Minnesota as high ozone particles in the air could bring poor air quality for those who battle lung issues like asthma, older adults and some children could also encounter breathing issues with the air quality alert in place today. The warm weather is forecast to hang around through Wednesday night before the next chance of thunderstorms return with the best chance for rain being Thursday this week. Colder weather with highs in the 50s are forecast for this coming weekend.
On Friday around 8:19am the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office responded to a three-vehicle crash at the intersection of County Road 1 and County Road 66. Upon arrival, deputies were joined by members of the Crosslake Police and Fire Departments, the Minnesota State Patrol, and North Memorial Ambulance. Preliminary investigation indicates the crash primarily involved a dump truck traveling northbound on County Road 1 and an SUV that was entering County Road 1 from the south, coming from County Road 66. A second SUV, which was turning from County Road 1 onto County Road 66, was also struck during the incident. Life-saving measures were performed on the 18-year-old driver of the SUV involved in the initial collision, but despite efforts, the individual was pronounced deceased at the scene. The front passenger of the same SUV was airlifted from the scene by North Air Care in critical condition. A rear passenger was transported to a local hospital by a private party with injuries that are believed to be non-life threatening. The driver of the dump truck departed the scene with their employer. The names of those involved in the crash are being withheld pending family notification and further investigation. This incident remains under active investigation by the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with the Minnesota State Patrol.
The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that on 5-9-2025 their office received a report of several storage units broken into at Bob’s Storage on Quest Road and Denny’s Storage on 370th Avenue, located approximately six miles east of Harding, MN in Richardson Township. According to the Sheriff’s Office, there were approximately 15 units broken into between the two businesses. Surveillance video shows that there were at least three people involved in the thefts. One suspect cut the locking mechanism off the units and the other two suspects would enter. The suspects were in the area of the burglaries on 5-9-2025 from approximately 12:00am to 1:30am. Video/photos of the suspects will be released when available. If you witnessed anything suspicious or have information regarding these thefts, you are asked to call the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office at 320-632-9233.
One person is in custody, and an officer was hurt during a domestic dispute call on Friday. The St. Cloud Police Department says they were called to a domestic dispute at about 3:45 p.m. in the 600 block of 8th Avenue North. Authorities say a woman said she was being threatened by a man she knew from a past relationship. She told officers that the male had lunged at her with his fists up like he was going to hit her. While officers met with the woman, the male suspect went and sat in a parked vehicle. St. Cloud Police say at one point officers asked the male to leave the vehicle and told him he was under arrest. At first, the suspect refused to leave the vehicle, but then did so holding a knife. The man then lunged at an officer with the knife, cutting him in the arm. Authorities say the officer fired once from their gun, shooting the suspect in the arm, and a second officer then fired their taser, at which time they took the man into custody. Medical treatment was provided to the suspect at the scene, and then he was taken to the St. Cloud Hospital, where he remains in stable condition. One officer received minor injuries from the stab wound, and the knife was recovered at the scene. The St. Cloud Police Department says the Minnesota BCA is conducting the investigation into the police department's use of force, and the Stearns County Sheriff's Office will be conducting the investigation into the domestic dispute call and the assault against the officer. Police say more information will be released as it becomes available.
A message from Little Falls Fire Chief Craig Seelen that they had some issues with the outdoor warning siren on 7th Ave NE near 8th Street in Little Falls recently and plan to test the siren on Wednesday at 1pm. Again this will only be a test of the warning siren Wednesday at 1pm in Little Falls.
St. Cloud Police have a person of interest and are looking for more victims after a rash of reports of indecent exposure over the last year. Investigators say between June of 2024 and today, they’ve taken multiple reports of women being outside walking, running, or standing being targeted. The suspect gets their attention by waving the victim over to a vehicle. He then exposes himself while performing a lewd act in his car. Officers believe there are more victims out there and would like to hear from them as they build a case. Anyone who has been targeted by this behavior or has more information on the suspect can call the SCPD at 320-345-4356 or 320-521-1200, or they can reach out to Tri-County Crime Stoppers.
The Little Falls School Board meets at 6pm tonight at Lindbergh Elementary where they will hear the findings by Leatherman Survey Group in Minneapolis of the survey taken from School District residents on questions surrounding decisions that the school district is purposing due to financial reasoning in district.
The Morrison County Commissioner planning session scheduled for Tuesday has been canceled due to lack of topics for discussion at the meeting. They will still hold their budget committee discussion at 9am.
Vatican News: the newly named Pope Leo XIV laid out the vision of his papacy Saturday, identifying artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity and vowing to continue with some of the core priorities of Pope Francis. But in a sign he was making the papacy very much his own, Leo made his first outing since his election to a sanctuary south of Rome that is dedicated to the Madonna and is of particular significance to his Augustinian order and his namesake, Pope Leo XIII. Townspeople of Genazzano gathered in the square outside the main church housing the Madre del Buon Consiglio (Mother of Good Counsel) sanctuary as Leo greeted them and blessed them. The sanctuary, which is managed by Augustinian friars, has been a place of pilgrimage since the 15th century and the previous Pope Leo elevated it to a minor basilica and expanded the adjacent convent in the early 1900s. After praying in the church, Leo greeted the crowd and told them they had both a gift and a responsibility in having the Madonna in their midst. Leo presided over his first formal audience, with the cardinals who elected him pope. In it Leo repeatedly cited Pope Francis from his 2013 vision statement making clear a commitment to making the Catholic Church more inclusive and attentive to the faithful and a church that looks out for the "least and rejected.” Leo, the first American pope, told the cardinals that he was fully committed to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that modernized the church. He identified AI as one of the main issues facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice and labor.