NEWS
--Monday is New Year's Day (January 1st) a National and legal holiday in the United States for the start of the new year. All government offices will be closed, some offices may be closing early today like they did last Friday before the holiday weekend. Little Falls City Offices close at 11am today in observance of New Years. Banks will be open Saturday and then closed on Monday. Post Offices are closed Monday and no regular mail delivery. However, unlike Christmas Day there will be priority mail and 1 day delivery in some areas on Monday also parcel services (Fed Ex, UPS) will be running on Monday if you are still waiting for a package or delivery and Amazon Prime announced their drivers will also be working on New Year's Day on Monday. Many offices are closed Monday and will reopen Tuesday with schools also returning for most after the long holiday break.
--The Morrison County Sheriff's Office, Little Falls Police Department and Minnesota State Patrol wish all a safe New Year's holiday weekend and remind those with many New Year's Eve parties happening on Saturday and then Sunday including a Vikings/Packers game Sunday night in Minneapolis their offices will be out with extra enforcement all weekend long watching for speeding, distracted driving and impaired drivers. Please Don't Drink and Drive.
--Authorities in Pine County are looking for a vehicle that nearly hit two kids getting off a school bus last Thursday in Willow River. Video shows a red Ford Ranger truck swerving around a vehicle stopped behind the bus and speeding up as a student runs across County Road 41. The stop sign on the bus was out and lights were flashing at the time. Deputies say the truck is a 1994 Ford Ranger with Minnesota license plates 1-1-6 K-P-L.
--The Willmar Police Department has released more information on a deadly hit-and-run. They say the man who died has been identified as 52-year-old Jason Jarvis of Cokato. He had been crossing 1st Street South at Willmar Avenue on Tuesday at about 8pm when he was hit. On Wednesday afternoon a 33-year-old man from Willmar turned himself in to police. He is cooperating with police. A 2012 black VW Passat with out-of-state license plates was seized as evidence. Police say the investigation is ongoing including potential charges against the 33-year-old driver.
--At least one person died in a crash near New London Wednesday. The Minnesota State Patrol says at about 11am a semi-truck driven by 67-year-old Bruce Feldman of Renville was going North on Highway 71, and an SUV driven by an 80-year-old man from Cambridge was going East on Highway 9 when they collided. Feldman was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the SUV's name, and the name of his passenger, a 76-year-old Cambridge woman have not yet been released.
--St. Francis Convent will host their Prayer for Peace prayer service on New Years Eve (Sunday) at 7pm at the Sacred Heart Chapel.
--A KLTF programming note, tomorrow will be the final show of Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford. Danny announced back in September he was retiring from his radio and television show. Danny joined the KLTF family in January 2022 after The Carey Brothers retired in December 2021 from their radio show. You can hear the final show of Danny Lipford tomorrow 9am-11am on AM960 KLTF. Starting in January, KLTF will be expanding the Saturday Morning Sports Wrap to 1 hour 9-10am to talk High School Sports with local coaches, player profiles and game wraps, beginning January 6th.
--A Clearwater woman was hurt in a crash near Fairhaven Wednesday night. The incident happened around 8:40pm on County Road 44 near Ashview Road. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says a car was going west on County Road 44 when it lost control around a curve, crossed the center line, entered the south ditch, hit a road approach, and rolled. They say the driver, 54-year-old Tina Bowatz-Sliter, then got out of the car and walked to a nearby home to get help. Stearns County deputies, the Kimball Fire Department, and Watkins Ambulance all responded to the scene where they found the car in the ditch. Bowatz-Sliter was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment of her injuries. The sheriff's office says icy roads were likely a factor in the crash.
--One event around this time in Little Falls unfortunately will not be happening this year. The Charles A. Lindbergh State Park announced earlier this month they are closed until next April with limited water and other items for those using the park. In the years past they have worked with Lindbergh House and Weyerhauser Museum on candlelight hikes through the trails. Because there is no snow, warmer then average temperatures and after this past weekend very wet conditions there will be no hiking event this year at the sites. As mentioned yesterday on the newsletter there are 12 Minnesota Parks open on January 1st for first day hikes. The closest to the area is Kathio State Park in Mille Lacs County. The full list is on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Website on home page.
DEATH NOTICES
--Katherine M. Timm, age 95 of Little Falls.
--Richard “Dick” Lucken, age 91 of Harding.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, high near 40.
TONIGHT= clear night, low near 24.
SATURDAY= AM sun, then PM snow showers, high 28, low 21.
SUNDAY= flurries and fog early, then sunshine, high 24, low 13.
NEW YEARS' DAY= sunny skies, high near 32, low near 22.
TUESDAY= mostly cloudy, high near 35, low near 26.
SPORTS
TOUR= There are many teams, Brainerd/Little Falls Girls Hockey, Little Falls Boys Hockey games tonight and Saturday (will be on Flyer Media Productions TV), Pierz, Upsala, Holdingford girls basketball teams, some boys basketball teams, wrestling and other events all competing in holiday tournaments today and others will continue in tournament play on Saturday. Sports Wrap Saturday at 8:30am.
NFL= Minnesota Vikings (7-8) host Green Bay Packers (7-8) on Sunday Night Football where the winner keeps their playoff hopes alive and the loser is pretty much eliminated Vikings announced another quarterback change as Jaren Hall will start for the Vikings on Sunday vs. Green Bay. Catch all the action of the NFL Detroit vs. Dallas Saturday at 7:15pm, then three games finishing with Vikings/Packers Sunday at 7:20pm on AM960 KLTF.
Just like last week, there will be no Newsletter on Monday due to offices closed for New Year's Day. The newsletter will return on Tuesday. Happy New Year from Little Falls Radio.