NEWS
--The Morrison County Sheriff's Office wants to be a resource for our county residents, especially during these challenging times. They encourage everyone to reach out to your family, friends and neighbors and check their well-being. Sometimes reaching out can go a long ways and it can let them know that they are not alone. A simple phone call can go a long way. You can contact our Morrison County Chaplain Gregg Valentine if you need someone to talk to related to depression, mental health or any other related topic. He will be able to direct you accordingly. Chaplain Gregg's direct number is (320) 631-2894. If you know someone that is depressed, you can also direct them to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (suicidepreventionlifeline.org): 1-800-273-8255. Another option is the Crisis Text Line (crisistextline.org): text MN to 741741. There are many options and people available to help. We need to watch out for each other during these challenging times.
--Pierz Police Chief Eric Hanneken wanted to give a heartfelt thanks for the hand sanitizer donated by Mitch and Brenda Becker recently. It will be used by officers with the Pierz Police Department and volunteer firefighters with the Pierz Fire Department. The note on the bottles says, “Thanks for all you do for our community.” The hand sanitizer is a big part in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19.
--As the ground thaws and people are planning outdoor projects, authorities want to remind everyone to dial 811 before digging in yards, ditches, by the lake, or anywhere in the ground. Homeowners, lake property managers, and contractors alike should call 811 at least two business days before doing any kind of digging, even for simple gardening or landscaping projects. It’s a free service in which all underground lines - including electric, gas, fiber optic, and water lines are marked. Doing so helps to keep everyone safe, services running, and utilities working.
--Stearns County authorities say a stolen trailer has been recovered. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says a flatbed skid loader style trailer was taken from Voigt's Bus Service in St. Augusta Monday. Deputies say an employee saw a light blue blazer in the fenced in yard but didn't see anyone in the area.
--The Pierz City Council is scheduled to hold their next regular meeting on Monday at 7:00pm, via the Zoom website as the city of Pierz Office is closed to visitors. Streaming the meeting is how it will be done. It was also announced by the city of Pierz that the Pierz Area Garage Sales and the Clean Up Day that was scheduled for later this month, have been postponed until further notice.
--The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that the secretary of state can withhold some voter information from a conservative election watchdog group. In a 5-2 decision, the high court on Wednesday reversed a lower court ruling that favored the Minnesota Voters Alliance. That group sued to obtain data on millions of voters that Secretary of State Steve Simon's office contends should be kept private. The group says it wants to see if the data shows voter fraud. Simon produced a publicly available database for the group but withheld details about the eligibility status of voters. Justice David Lillehaug wrote in the majority opinion that Simon properly balanced transparency with voter privacy.
--For the first time in nearly 20 years, gasoline is under a dollar per gallon at some gas stations around Minnesota. The lowest was in Lake City where gas was only 78 cents per gallon.
--Today is “Good Friday” the day when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and died. There will be a Good Friday service today following the noon news on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com from the number of Little Falls churches that come together each year for this service via video chat due to the recent restrictions of services. Bishop Donald Kettler has suspended all Masses until May 15th and that also means there will be no first communions, confirmations, baptisms, large wedding ceremonies or funeral masses at this time until after the deadline. Graveside Services of less than 10 people or private burials can still be held. Outdoor weddings with fewer than 10 people can be presided by a priest. Father Ben of the Haven of Mercy Catholic Community spoke yesterday that masses can be live streamed from area churches through the littlefallscatholic.org website. Go to the website for the Mass time that is being done. On Easter Sunday you can listen to religious programs on FM94 KFML from 5am-noon with many Easter messages including Riverside Bible Church in Little Falls at 9am and Grace Covenant Church at 10:30am. There will also be the Catholic Mass on Sunday at 9am from one of the areas churches heard live on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com. Followed by Gene Retka and Polka World Today and then many more Easter type programs through the afternoon again on AM960 KLTF.
--According to the most recent data from the Minnesota Department of Health, there have been 1,242 positive tests of COVID-19, of which 675 patients no longer need to be isolated. There are 50 deaths linked to COVID-19 (up 11 from the previous day). Before todays increase in deaths, the largest jump was 5 in a day on three seperate occassions. There have been 293 total cases requiring hospitalization, including 145 hospitalized as of today with 63 in ICU as of today. Geographically by county, Morrison, Todd, Mille Lacs and Wadena counties are still without a positive test. They are among only 22 counties (roughly 25%) statewide without a confirmed case (65 counties with positive cases). Benton County had 1 confirmed case, 3 in Cass, 7 in Stearns, 9 in Sherburne, and 13 in Crow Wing.
--As the state continues to respond to COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Revenue is extending the Sales and Use Tax grace period on Sales and Use Tax payments for businesses. The department will not assess penalties or interest as follows: Identified businesses with a monthly Sales and Use Tax payment due March 20, 2020, will now have until May 20, 2020, to make that payment. Identified businesses with a monthly or quarterly Sales and Use Tax payment due April 20, 2020, will now have until May 20, 2020, to make that payment. In addition to giving impacted taxpayers more time to pay their taxes, businesses can also consider the various state and federal disaster assistance programs that are now available. More information about state and federal resources is available on the Department of Employment and Economic Development website.
WEATHER
TODAY= increasing clouds, high 49.
TONIGHT= cloudy skies, sprinkle or flurrie late night, low 32.
SATURDAY= partly cloudy, high 53, snow shower late night, low 28.
EASTER SUNDAY= cloudy and windy, flurries early, high 39, low 24.
MONDAY= cloudy, rain/snow mix possible, windy, high 37, low 18.
SPORTS
TWINS= Another classic Twins game can be heard Easter Sunday at noon, this time the first game played at Target Field on Q92 WYRQ.