[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Newsletter: Friday, December 4th 2015[/title][fusion_text]Friday, December 4th 2015
NEWS
–Join AM960 KLTF live at Coborn’s Superstore today to kick off the Dairy Recipe Contest with Morrison County ADA, Coborn’s and Little Falls Radio. Party Line at 10am will be live today from Coborn’s. Keep sending in your dairy recipes to KLTF Dairy Recipe Contest 16405 Haven Road Little Falls MN 56345. Fax 632-2571 or email the recipe to ads@fallsradio.com then listen now through December 21st on Party Line to see whose recipe is read for a chance at three dairy baskets from the ADA, Coborn’s and KLTF on December 21st.
–A St. Joseph man was killed Wednesday when the vehicle he was driving crossed the center line in Pennington County and hit a semitrailer. 34-year old Elroy Huntington was driving south around 2:50am on U.S. Highway 59 when the collision happened near Thief River Falls. Huntington was not wearing a seat belt. The driver of the semitrailer 53-year old John J. Zima of Waubun was not injured.
–A St. Cloud man involved in a standoff Tuesday morning that lasted nearly eight hours has been charged with three felonies and is accused of using a knife to assault his girlfriend. 23-year old Bryan Robert Walks is charged in Stearns County District Court with second-degree assault and two counts of domestic assault. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance on the charges Thursday morning.
–The Minnesota Department of Transportation awarded the final contract to design and build the new segment of Hwy 371 between Nisswa and Jenkins to Mathiowetz Construction at a cost of $49,858,419. Now that the contract has been awarded, work can begin on the 9-mile, four-lane expansion. Design and field work will begin immediately, with soil boring and testing in December. The first major construction activity will begin in January when crews clear trees for the new roadway. All lanes of the new segment of Hwy 371 are scheduled to open in fall 2017.
— Minnesota finance officials pegged a projected state budget surplus Thursday at nearly $1.9 billion over the next 19 months. The economic forecast produced by the Department of Minnesota Management and Budget details the state government finances while estimating the amount of money lawmakers will have at their disposal in the Legislature’s election-year session. By law, one-third of the excess money is automatically shifted into the state’s rainy-day reserves. That takes $665 million of the surplus off the table in one swoop, leaving about $1.2 billion for lawmakers to tussle over.
–Authorities in Itasca County on Tuesday identified a teenager who died after what was reported as an accidental shooting on Sunday morning. The Itasca County Sheriff’s Office said 17-year old Dallas James Graciano of rural Deer River, died after being shot by an 18-year-old friend in Squaw Lake in the western part of the county. The shooting was reported at about 11:30am Sunday. Graciano’s body was transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation. The 18-year-old from Squaw Lake, was taken into custody after the shooting, but released from the Itasca County Jail on Tuesday. The case is being reviewed by the Itasca County Attorney’s Office.
–The Little Falls City Council meets Monday night 7:30 at City Hall.
–The City of Pierz will hold a community meeting on Wednesday night at 7pm at the Pierz Senior Site to discuss a grant application for a possible community center for the city of Pierz.
–Little Falls Community Middle School will hold Parent Teacher Conferences on December 14th from 4-7pm at the school commons.
–A St. Cloud-based long-term care pharmacy has finalized a merger agreement with a similar operation near Little Falls. Guardian Pharmacy of Minnesota will assume ownership January 1st of Minnesota Pharmacy Solutions, which has 2,000 residential clients. The owner of Minnesota Pharmacy Solutions Dean Schmeidt is nearing retirement age and wanted to provide protection for his employees and assurance for his clients. Acquisition talks began last year. The agreement was made public at the end of November.
–The Brainerd Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating two missing/runaway juvenile females from Port Group Home for Girls in Brainerd. The girls are 16-year old Natasha Wright and 13-year old Shyanne Waite. The girls have ties to the New York Mills and Aitkin areas. Anyone with any information on the girls is asked to call Brainerd police at 218-829-2805 or the local law enforcement agency where the girls are found.
–A Watkins man was injured Thursday morning when his house started on fire. The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report about 2:55am that a house in the 67600 block of 395th Street was burning. 54-year old Paul Schmitt was the lone occupant at the time of the fire and he received non life threatening burns. Schmitt was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment. The fire appears to have started in the area near a wood burning stove. The house was a total loss. The State Fire Marshal is assisting in the investigation.
–A very busy weekend of events, Heartland Symphony performs Winter in Vienna Saturday at Charles D Martin Auditorium, tonight in Cross Lake and Sunday in Brainerd. Church boutiques, bazaars and other functions include a number of boutiques, craft sale, bazaars in Little Falls, also Randall, Rice, Bulldog Lake and more. Madrigal Dinner Sunday in Little Falls, Christmas on the Platte Saturday in Royalton, Horsin’ Around Parade Sunday 5pm in Harding, Sunday in Bowlus Santa will be there and cash bingo Sunday at Holy Trinity in Pierz. Get details on these and many more events this weekend at fallsradio.com then community calendar.
NATIONAL NEWS
–Women can compete for all U.S. military jobs, including front-line combat posts, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday, overriding Marine Corps objections in a historic move to strike down gender barriers in the armed services.
DEATH NOTICE
–Bernice Ginter, age 99 of Cushing formerly of Sobieski
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, high near 40, clouds increase, low around 32.
SATURDAY= few sprinkles, cloudy, high 44, low 25.
SUNDAY= sunny skies, high near 40, low around 25.
MONDAY= partly sunny, high near 40, low around 30.
SPORTS
NFL= Aaron Rodgers tossed a 61 yard touchdown pass after the game was extended one play after a Detroit penalty. Green Bay defeats Detroit 27-23. Packers 8-4 while Detroit falls to 4-8.
NFL= Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings Sunday at noon.
HS BBB= Maple Lake at Pierz tonight 7:30pm on Q92 WYRQ.
HS GBB= Pierz at Long Prairie Grey Eagle tonight 7:30 on FM94.
HS BHK= Little Falls at Fergus Falls Saturday 6:45pm Q92 WYRQ.
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