NEWS
--Around 10:15am Thursday the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an individual that was run over by a tractor at a residence, approximately 4 miles north of Pierz in Buh Township. According to the Sheriff’s Office, 80-year old Robert Happke of Pierz was working on the family farm. Happke was standing on a TMR mixer when the tractor started to move causing him to fall off. Happke was then run over by the tractor. Happke was transported to St Gabriel’s Hospital by Gold Cross Ambulance and later air lifted to St. Cloud Hospital, where his condition is unknown.
--US Senator from Minnesota Al Franken announced yesterday on the Senate floor that he will be resigning in the coming weeks after numerous accusations of sexual misconduct. Franken was first elected in 2008 and then reelected in 2014. After Franken officially resigns Governor Mark Dayton will name a replacement. There are early sources that believe Tina Smith, the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota is likely to be named the replacement of Franken's seat. There will be a special election next year to fill out the remaining two years of that seat. The seat that has been held by Franken would have it's regular election cycle again in 2020.
--A 36-year old Brainerd man has been charged for allegedly sexually assaulting a 12-year old girl. Frank Sanoski, who is accused of sexually assaulting the girl since she was 8 or 9 years old, made his first appearance November 9th in Crow Wing County District Court in Brainerd and was charged with three felony 1st degree and two 2nd degree criminal sexual conduct charges. His next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30am Monday.
--An Isanti County Deputy Alex Schlangen had heroic actions earlier this week. Shorty Nelson was with her boyfriend Bill Jensen and his elderly father Monday night, coming home from dinner and slowly navigating a remote stretch of County Highway 1 around 10:30pm when treacherous conditions got the best of them. Bill was behind the wheel of his Dodge Caravan when he hit a patch of ice and felt the vehicle swerve. Jensen was steering into the skid, then hitting a dry patch of road launched the van towards the shoulder and a steep embankment. The next thing he remembered was the van rolling, coming to rest upside down in a swamp, with frigid water pouring in. The three managed to get out of their seat belts and onto their hands and knees on the van's roof. Water from the swamp was rising with each passing moment. Shorty was able to find her purse, grabbed her cell phone, and dialed 911. Help came in the form of Deputy Schlangen, who was just three or four miles from the crash scene when the 911 call came in. Schlangen said he helped both Nelson and Jensen up the embankment, then was told Jensen's father was still inside the van and was not able to move well due to two artificial knees. The deputy went back down into the swamp, pulling the elderly man out of the vehicle and then sliding him up to the road so he wouldn't have to stand, and perhaps fall. Schlangen drove his three new friends home after they were checked out by an ambulance crew and went back to the Sheriff's Office to change into a dry uniform. The deputy downplayed his actions and any notions that he is a hero, but said he was happy to be in that place at that right time to help.
--The Pierz City Council will hold their Truth in Taxation hearing Monday at 6:30pm prior to their 7:00pm regular council meeting.
--The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified two persons found deceased in a Fergus Falls apartment late Wednesday night. Fergus Falls Police Department officers responded to a 911 call from friends of 41-year old Sarah Cheshire about a person not breathing at 41-year old Ryan Cheshire’s residence shortly after 11:00pm on Wednesday. When officers arrived, they located both Sarah Cheshire and Ryan Cheshire deceased inside the residence. The preliminary investigation indicates Ryan Cheshire shot Sarah Cheshire and then shot himself. The two were recently divorced. The Fergus Falls Police Department is being assisted with its ongoing investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
--A male caregiver at the Heritage House in Pequot Lakes who admitted to sexually assaulting a 78-year old woman with Alzheimer's disease in the assisted living facility has been sentenced. 60-year old David Erwin DeLong of Pine River was convicted on one count of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct. As part of the sentencing order the other five felony criminal sexual conduct charges (three 3rd degree and two 4th degree) were dismissed. Delong is serving one year in Crow Wing County Jail, and was given credit for 38 days. Once he gets out of jail, he will be on 10 years supervised probation.
--Growers are invited to learn the basics to scale up their vegetable operations with Joan Olson of Prairie Drifter Farm from 5:30-8:30pm on Tuesday, January 16th in the classroom at Sprout in Little Falls. This workshop is for growers interested in starting their own vegetable transplants for market gardens, CSAs, or wholesale products and will cover: Greenhouse structure, inside set-up, controlling temperature, seed starting, propagation mats, germination chamber, watering, hardening off, recordkeeping, disease and pest prevention, succession planting, using the greenhouse for curing garlic, onions and winter squash, and more. Farmers can learn these important concepts to expand their farm and better meet their customers' needs. Space is limited. Register by January 10th via the Eventbrite event link on facebook.
--Weekend events include Crane Meadows bird feeder event Saturday; turkey dinner Sunday in Hillman; turkey and ham bingo Sunday at 1:00pm at St. James in Randall. Jingle bells telethon in Alexandria Saturday and more at fallsradio.com then click on to community calendar.
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy, windy, snow showers in afternoon, high 27.
TONIGHT= snow showers early, clearing late, low 13.
SATURDAY= partly sunny, high near 20, temps rising overnight.
SUNDAY= partly sunny, high 34, snow showers late, low 21.
MONDAY= snow showers early, then partial sun, high 28.
SPORTS
HS BB= Girls and Boys basketball tonight with Little Falls at Pierz, girls at 6pm and boys to follow on FM94 KFML.
COL FB= The Army Navy Game Saturday 1pm on AM960 KLTF
NFL= Vikings at Carolina Sunday at noon.
TODAY IN HISTORY
IN 1941= United States declared war on Japan and entered WWII
IN 1980= former Beatle John Lennon shot and killed in New York by Mark David Chapman, ruled a deranged fan of Lennon's.