Tuesday, July 8, 2025
The Minnesota State Patrol reported a number of accidents on Monday including one in Morrison County. That accident happened around 4:25pm at the intersection of Highway 10 and 210 in Motley. A 49-year-old year old from Ham Lake left the truck stop and collided with an vehicle driven by 62-year-old Julie Logering of Staples. Logering was taken to Staples Hospital for injuries. There were no other injuries in the accident. Around 12:27pm a two vehicle accident happened on Business Highway 371 south of Brainerd in Crow Wing County, 44-year-old Brooke Ketter of Frazee attempted a U turn maneuver on the Highway and struck an oncoming vehicle driven by a 21-year-old from Fargo. Ketter was taken to the Brainerd hospital and treated for injuries. Ketter's passenger and the other driver were checked out at the scene but not hospitalized. The State Patrol reported another six injury accidents in other parts of the state Monday.
On July 4th, 2025, at approximately 6:37 pm, the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Minnie Lake Drive and Crooked Creek Road in Emily for a personal injury crash involving an ATV. The ATV was traveling northeast on Minnie Lake Drive when it left the roadway near the intersection with Crooked Creek Road, striking multiple trees and rolling. The driver, a 37-year- old male from Minneapolis, suffered severe injuries and was flown via helicopter to a Duluth area hospital. A 12-year-old male passenger from Blaine sustained minor injuries and was treated at and released from a local hospital. The crash is under investigation by the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office. Alcohol is suspected to be a factor to the crash.
A Sartell man has pleaded guilty to swindling an Isanti County woman out of thousands of dollars. Forty-three-year-old Travis Peterlin has pleaded guilty to the financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. According to the criminal complaint filed in Isanti County District Court, Peterlin allegedly convinced the woman to loan him more than $50,000 to buy a pickup and trailer he never bought. He also allegedly collected checks worth thousands of dollars from the woman for work that was either never done or greatly exceeded what it should have cost. The woman told an investigator that she felt she was being overcharged but was too embarrassed to tell her children. The woman's power of attorney was not present during the transactions. In all, the woman was swindled out of more than $143,000. Peterlin will be sentenced on September 19th. In two separate cases filed in Stearns County District Court, Peterlin has pleaded guilty to check forgery for defrauding an elderly man out of thousands of dollars and theft by swindle for taking down payment money for a bathroom remodel but never completing the work. Peterlin is charged in Hennepin County District Court, alleging that he used his power of attorney over his vulnerable mother to steal more than $170,000 in cash and buy an $86,000 SUV in her name. That case is still moving through the court system, where Peterlin has a plea hearing scheduled for July 17th.
Two people were hurt when the motorcycle they were riding struck a deer Thursday. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office was called out to a crash with injuries in Fairhaven Township at around 9:50 p.m. Deputies arrived at the scene to find two people injured. The sheriff's office says 42-year-old Christopher Brown of Clear Lake was southbound on County Road 7 when a deer ran into the bike, causing Brown to lose control and crash. Brown and his passenger, 45-year-old Char Matthees-Reid of Clearwater, were taken to St. Cloud Hospital with unknown injuries. The sheriff's office was assisted by the Wright County Sheriff's Office, South Haven Fire and Rescue, and Mayo Ambulance.
A motorcycle rider was arrested after leading law enforcement on a long, high-speed chase. The Meeker County Sheriff's Office says the incident started at about 3:30 p.m. on Friday when a deputy tried to stop a motorcycle for a traffic violation in the area of Minnesota Highway 24 and Meeker County Road 2. The bike accelerated and fled from the deputy. The pursuit spanned 30 miles and reached speeds over 100 miles an hour. The motorcycle went into the ditch at the intersection of County Road 23 and County Road 1. The rider, 38-year-old James Zaske of Buffalo Lake, was arrested after a short chase on foot. His driving privileges were previously canceled, and he was not allowed to drive. He's facing a number of new charges, including Fleeing a Police Officer and Reckless Driving. Zaske is being held in the Meeker County Jail pending his first court appearance.
Big Lake Police are investigating an incident that left one person injured at Lakeside Park on the Fourth of July. Officers were called to a medical emergency around 2:15 p.m. on Friday, July 4th, to the park’s parking lot. Upon arrival, they found a person who had suffered injuries from contact with the side of a boat trailer. The injured person was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. The extent of their injuries has not been released. Police report that all parties involved in the incident remained at the scene and cooperated fully with the initial investigation. The BLPD continues to gather facts surrounding the incident as part of their ongoing investigation and are using surveillance cameras within the park to help determine what led to the accident.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is temporarily closing Lock and Dam 7, in La Crescent, Minnesota, July 22, 24, 29 and 31, to replace all four main lock chamber miter gates. The lock will be closed to all commercial and recreational river traffic, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on these days. Vessel operators are requested NOT to tie up on the guidewalls during this closure period. Please contact the lock on marine channel 14 for assistance. When the lock reopens after the closure, it is important to note that there is a priority lockage order based on types of vessels. First are government vessels, followed by commercial navigation and recreation boats. Once the lock reopens, lock staff will communicate specific locking instructions via marine channel 14. The St. Paul District’s navigation program provides a safe, reliable and cost-effective and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation system on the Upper Mississippi River for the movement of commercial goods and for national security needs. To do this, the district maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy.
The Children and Grandchildren of John (Huntz) Boser are hosting a family reunion on Saturday at noon at the Pierz Park. All family members, descendants and friends of Boser are invited. There will picnic foods but if you could bring a dish to share or donations to help with the event is encouraged. Contact Karen Carver at 320-237-7415 for more information.
Death Notices- Janet M. Drong, age 80 of Little Falls. Dennis "Denny" Kreibich, age 78 of Little Falls.
Weather- today AM fog, then partly cloudy skies, high 77, clear skies tonight, low around 56. Sunny and a bit warmer Wednesday, high 82, low around 61. Thursday sunny and warm, high 87, storms develop by late afternoon, strong storms Thursday through Friday morning, low around 67, Friday a high near 80.
Sports- after Monday off, The Twins host the Chicago Cubs tonight at 6pm on Q92 WYRQ. Byron Buxton has named to the American League Team of the All Star Game on July 15th in Atlanta currently the lone Twins. While the WNBA All Star Game is July 19th in Indianapolis Cheryl Reeve is one of the coaches, and Lynx players Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams have been announced as All Stars for the game this year. Little Falls beat St. Cloud Chutes 4-3 in 11 innings last night in American Legion Baseball.