NEWS
--Area law enforcement are sending out reminders that scams seem to be on the rise again right before Christmas. In the past week, calls stating they are from the IRS, Social Security, Minnesota Power and others of outstanding bills or payments are circulating around the area and they ask for a phone number/social security number or your payment access code to verify that is it you. This is a SCAM. They would already have this information (since they called you) if this was true and so please never give out that information over the phone or by email if you did not make the contact. If you question the call, hang up immediately as the longer you stay on the line the better change they can find some information to use against you to take personal records or banking information. Then call the company on your bill or the toll free numbers of those companies or organization to verify your current situation. Other scams have also been coming around again for the holiday season so in this time of giving it is also a time to please be careful when you are unsure of the situation when you receive a call or email that looks suspcious. Local law enforcement have also been investigating suspcious activity and burglary calls in the past week reminding homeowners and motorists to notify the office of suspicious activity and keep homes and vehicles locked and belongings out of sight of windows when not at home and not in plain sight in vehicles when gone for longer periods of time. Lets continue to make this a Happy Holiday and Merry Christmas for all and stop the scams before they begin in our area.
--St. Cloud Police say the man who was shot in south St. Cloud Wednesday died from his injuries, but his name still hasn't been released. Officers were called to the 4000 block of 24th Street South just after 11:30am The caller referenced hearing gunshots inside the building. Officers arrived and found a man inside one of the units who had been shot and wounded. Police and emergency responders provided immediate medical attention to the victim but were unable to save him. Officers then canvassed the area but were unable to find the shooter. Police say through their investigation they learned the shooting was not random and there is no ongoing public safety issue.
--Morrison County Website on Thursday reported 206 active cases, 154 hospitalized with COVID-19 since all testing began, Little Falls reported 85 cases, Pierz 39, Royalton 24 and Cushing at 14 cases. The state totals were 2,773 new cases of COVID-19 and 83 newly reported deaths linked to the virus. Morrison County reported 18 new cases (confirmed) and 2 probable cases on Thursday's report. No new deaths reported in Morrison County but 2 in Stearns, 1 in Benton and 1 in Mille Lacs County on Thursday's report.
--Christmas this year may look a little different following the governor's announcements Wednesday. Central Minnesota Restaurants will feel the pinch this year with indoor dining not allowed until January 11th. However, you want to help them out this holiday season and if you don't want to cook your own meal, many of of central Minnesota's finest restaurants will still take care of it all for you. In most cases all you need to do is pickup your order, re-heat, eat and some restaurants on Christmas Eve and even Christmas Day may have special times to pick up meals for the holidays. There is a list of central Minnesota restaurants that are doing on local city, chamber of commerce and restaurant to gos websites.
--The Holiday Gift Giving Program in Little Falls will be doing their distribution of gifts Saturday 10am-4pm. For infor call 630-8497.
--The City of Little Falls, Ecomonic Development Authority, Little Falls Mayor Greg Zylka, and many local businesses are putting out the word to Shop Local-Shop Little Falls this holiday season. Mayor Zylka stated they have just completed another round of $5,000 grants to local businesses struggling this year from recent restrictions and guidelines coming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Zylka stated by shopping locally you'll be keeping money in our community which plays a big part works in the community and also helps not only you but your neighbors make it through the holidays and throughout the winter. For a complete list of eliglible local businesses to go to in the area go to cdc.morrison.mn.us or the City of Little Falls website. Mayor Greg Zylka will address the recents grants and shop local information on Monday just after 8am on AM960 KLTF.
--A Statement from Pierz Schools Superintendent George Weber, “the Governor Order issued late in the day on Wednesday has changed any January plans for all schools in Minnesota. Schools were not given any prior notice that this proclamation was coming. Pierz, like all schools, is waiting to see the details on what all these changes mean and how we are supposed to proceed. This is what we have been told at this time. We can (and will--barring any unforeseen circumstances) continue to bring in our K-4 children on January 4th. We apparently cannot officially change to hybrid or in-person with any other grades until January 18th. We can start our high school sports teams practices on January 4th. There is a list of possible changes or constraints that we are just learning about, that may impact how our staff and schools manage the school day and what we are allowed to do. We will need some time to sort through those items that are rules, those that are recommendations, and to what degree we have to change from things we are already doing. After we work through those details at the state and regional level, we will keep parents informed about any of the mandated changes we have to make. We pledge to explore every possibility that is allowed to bring students back into our schools as soon as we can reasonably do so. We are confident we can continue to reach out to students who are struggling and find creative ways to help”.
DEATH NOTICES
--Richard Young, age 78 of Foley.
WEATHER
TODAY= drizzle, freezing drizzle and light snow possible during the day, clearing off at night, high 36 early then dropping to 8 above late.
SATURDAY= sunny and colder, high 24, temps steady overnight.
SUNDAY= sunny, high near 33, low around 26.
MONDAY= partly sunny and windy, high 38, wind gusts near 35mph.
SPORTS
COL FB= Gophers at Wisconsin Saturday at 3pm with kickoff, pregame coverage begins at 1pm on AM960 KLTF.
NFL= Vikings host Chicago Bears Sunday at noon.
TODAY IN HISTORY
IN 1777= first National Thanksgiving Day is honored in Colonies.
IN 1964= The Pink Panther cartoon series debuted on TV.
IN 1966= Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas aired for the first time on CBS, voiced by Boris Karloff as the narrator of the grinch and Thurl Ravencroft performing “You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch”.