NEWS
–Zion Lutheran Church in Little Falls is
be hosting an Opiod Abuse Awareness program this afternoon at 1:00pm at
the church in Northeast Little Falls. Three speakers will discuss the
crisis, what is being done, the accomplishments and what is being asked
for in 2019 to help with the recent uptick in opiods to the area.
Members of the Morrison County Drug Task Force will be hand to speak and
answer questions this afternoon, free of charge at Zion Lutheran Church
in Little Falls.
–Authorities are reminding anglers to
be extra careful when driving out onto the ice, especially in light of
vehicles going through the ice recently and two deaths in Morrison
County Sunday. Even if you escape the icy waters, there is the potential
cost of recovering your vehicle. State law says it is your
responsibility to have the vehicle recovered, and it doesn’t come cheap.
If the vehicle is completely submerged, divers have to go down to hook
it up and that is at least $1,000 with some recoveries from companies
cost 8-9 thousand dollars. Large vehicles could be even by more.
Minnesota law says you must also notify law enforcement within 48 hours
of the vehicle entering the water and then you have 30 days to get it
out. With the warmer temperatures this weekend just another reminder to
be very cautious with the ice on area lakes and rivers.
–Four people were charged with
burglary-related offenses by the Wadena County Attorney’s Office and
appeared in Wadena County District Court last week. 29-year old Brandon
Aanerud of Motley; 25-year old Zachary Bennett of Motley; 21-year old
Taylor Wellnitz of Staples and 19-year old Avery Judd of Jenkins, were
charged. The sheriff’s office reported several area burglaries were
solved and arrests were made in the cases. Burglaries were reported in
the rural Staples areas of Wadena and Todd counties starting about the
middle of November. After obtaining a vehicle description from
witnesses, several suspects were identified. A traffic stop was
conducted on the suspect vehicle in Staples and the four people were
detained for further questioning as part of the stop. During the traffic
stop, several items taken from area burglaries were located inside the
vehicle. A majority of the items taken were hand tools, power tools and
tool bags. A search warrant was later executed on the vehicle and a
Motley residence. The sheriff’s office wished to remind people to report
any suspicious activity occurring around their homes, with as many
specifics as possible—including time of day, vehicle description and
description of anyone they see. The sheriff’s office also urged people
to take the time to document the make, model and serial numbers of any
of their possessions.
–Weather watchers are stating the
chances of a White Christmas in central Minnesota is getting slimmer.
The recent warming flow from the southwest has brought in rain/fog and
mist and not a lot of snow and now the forecast through December 20th
calls for above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. The
recent Christmas forecast calls for a line northeast of Willmar to St.
Cloud and then through Little Falls, Brainerd and over to Lake Mille
Lacs now over 75% likely to have less than 1 inch of snow on the ground
on Christmas Day while the far northern section and southern sections of
the state have better chances of seeing that white stuff on Christmas.
–The Little Falls City Council meets Monday night 7:30pm at Little Falls City Hall with a work session starting at 6:30pm.
–Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl is
proud to announce Sgt. Adam Kronstedt has been awarded the Medal of
Valor from the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association at the winter conference
that was held on Monday in Alexandria. Sgt. Kronstedt was recognized for
his life saving efforts to save a drowning victim. On June 7th Sgt.
Kronstedt responded to a call of a male in the water who was yelling for
help on Gilbert Lake north of Brainerd. Sgt. Kronstedt grabbed a life
jacket and rope and entered the water. Sgt. Kronstedt swam into the
channel in the area where the male had last been seen. Sgt. Kronstedt
let go of the rope and life jacket and dove under water. He emerged
within seconds, repositioned himself and dove a second time. Sgt.
Kronstedt then resurfaced with the male victim. Sgt. Kronstedt grabbed
the rope and life jacket and was pulled to shore by other responders.
The 66-year old Brainerd man was immediately transferred to an
ambulance. Lifesaving measures were performed on scene but paramedics
were unable to save him.
–Central Minnesota is receiving more
than $188,000 in funding to improve two area historical societies and a
Sauk Centre based foundation. The funding is from the Historical and
Cultural Heritage Large Grants which was created through the Arts and
Cultural Heritage Fund of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.
Melrose Area Historical Society was awarded $38,510. Its funding will be
used to hire technicians to upgrade the facility’s lighting system. The
Sinclair Lewis Foundation in Sauk Centre received $63,000. The
foundation will use the funds to hire a consultant to develop
architectural drawings for reuse of the Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home and
Carriage House. The home is on the national register of historical
places. Coming in with the largest awarded grant in Central Minnesota is
the Morrison County Historical Society in Little Falls. It was awarded
$86,800 to improve its storage conditions, allowing for more public
access to its collection. In total $4.8 million was awarded in 27
counties throughout the state. The Historical and Cultural Heritage
Large Grants are awarded once each fiscal year.
–St. Francis Music Center proudly
presents the St. Francis Preparatory and Concert Orchestras in a
Christmas Concert, Sounds of Christmas tonight at 7:00pm at the chapel
inside the St. Francis Convent. The concert will feature a guest
appearance by the St. Francis Brass Ensemble. The Brass Ensemble will
start playing carols at 6:45pm and will also be featured with the
orchestra. This is a free concert but there will be baskets for free
will donations to go toward the music programs at the St. Francis Music
Center.
–Little Falls School Board meets Monday at 5pm at Middle School.
WEATHER
TODAY= fog early, then mostly sunny, high 38.
TONIGHT= clear skies, some freeze fog possible, low 21.
SATURDAY= sunny and mild, high 43, low around 26.
SUNDAY= partly cloudy and windy, colder, high 34, low near 20.
MONDAY= sunny skies, high near 30, low around 14.
SPORTS
HS BHK= Little Falls at St. Paul Johnson
tonight at 7pm and then Little Falls will be at Mound Westonka at 4pm on
Saturday, hear both of the hockey games live on Q92 WYRQ and at
fallsradio.com.
HS GBB= Paynesville Area at Pierz tonight 7:15pm on FM94 KFML.
NFL= Vikings host Miami Sunday at noon at U.S. Bank Stadium.