NEWS
--Tuesday is the three person primary election for the vacant District 5 Morrison County Commissioner seat. After Tuesday's election the three will be narrowed to two for a special general election on Tuesday, April 10th. The three candidates are Greg Blaine, K.H. “Charlie” Gunderson and Ken Primus. For more information on where to vote contact Morrison County Auditor/Treasurer Deb Lowe.
--Sartell police recovered a car reported stolen from Walmart on Monday night. The car owner told police she auto-started her car from inside the store, and instead of finding it warmed up, came out to find it gone. The car eventually was found in Isle, about an hour away, along with a Sauk Centre man suspected of stealing it. After being arrested 37-year old Edward Wilson of Sauk Centre admitted to stealing the vehicle.
--When the Stearns County Sheriff's Office receives an alarm call, deputies respond to it as an emergency. But many of the 500 alarm calls the office responded to last year were false alarms. That's why the Stearns County Sheriff's Office is now fining residents and businesses with repeated false alarms. The ordinance passed January 23rd and it took effect immediately. Benton County has a similar approach, as do some area cities. For the first three false alarms involving Stearns County, there will be no charge. The fourth false alarm sees a fine of $75, and the owner will have to participate in a series of steps to show compliance. With each subsequent false call, the fine increases. The move is a step to increase public safety.
--A resident of a Zimmerman group home has been arrested after allegedly threatening an employee with a knife. The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office says 24-year old Billy Vogt made his first court appearance Wednesday, after being charged with two counts of 2nd Degree Assault. Authorities say he threatened an employee of a group home where he lived by pointing a knife at her and threatening to stab another employee. Vogt is also accused of grabbing one of the employees by the neck as she tried to run up some stairs, causing her to fall and hit her head on the floor. Vogt fled the home and was found hiding under a tree in a wooded area.
--No one was hurt after a school bus crash in St. Cloud Wednesday morning. The crash happened shortly after 8:00am. A school bus pulled out of North Jr. High in front of another vehicle causing the crash. No one was hurt. The bus driver was cited for failing to yield.
--A 31-year old woman was injured Wednesday as the vehicle she was driving went out of control, off the roadway and came to rest on its roof. The Minnesota State Patrol reported Briana Jaye Kamphenkel of Sauk Centre was driving east on Highway 23 near 90th Avenue near Milaca in Mille Lacs County, when the vehicle crashed. Kamphenkel was transported to a hospital in Mora for non-life-threatening injuries. The crash happened just before noon.
--NFL running back Adrian Peterson, who has earned nearly $100 million playing professional football, has been ordered to pay about $600,000 to a bank to settle a 2016 loan. In addition to repaying $609,786 in principal and interest, Peterson was ordered to cover the bank's $28,868 in legal fees. Peterson borrowed $2.4 million from Crown Bank as he was preparing for what turned out to be his final season with the Minnesota Vikings. Hennepin County Court records show he took out the loan to refinance other debts.
--39 Soldiers from the Brooklyn Park-based headquarters, 347th Regional Support Group will deploy to multiple locations in Kuwait in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel in the coming weeks. Unit members will assist in base operations support and security at both Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring, Kuwait. In recent months, the Soldiers have received specialized training and certifications that will make them successful throughout their nine month tour. This will be the first deployment for 17 of the soldiers. The deployers come from 28 different hometowns across Minnesota - from Le Centre all the way to Thief River Falls. The ceremony at 10:00am Saturday at the Minneapolis Convention Center will also officially welcome home three other Minnesota National Guard units; the four-member 1903rd Acquisition Team from Kuwait, two Soldiers with the 47th Chaplin Detachment from Romania, and 122 Soldiers with the 257th Military Police Company from Cuba.
--Reflecting the agency’s commitment to maximizing value for Minnesotans, a new report finds that the Minnesota Department of Transportation saved $83 million in 2017 from new and revised practices in its construction program delivery and project development. The legislatively required annual report is one of MnDOT’s most comprehensive reports. The agency evaluated projects on how well the state road construction business process improvements were implemented. The biggest cost reduction for the state was more than $39 million from scrutinizing the use of funds and the effects on resources and communities. Eliminating nonessential project design elements lowered projects costs and improved return on investment.
--There are many weekend events to check out including fundraisers for the Boys and Girls Club and one for St. James in Randall tonight, Brainerd snowmobile club Sno-cross Saturday and Sunday, fishing derby and log sawing at Bulldog Lake Saturday, quilt bingo in Sobieski Sunday, fundraiser breakfast for Holy Trinity School in Buckman Sunday, sledding and skating event Sunday in Lastrup and more can be found on the community calendar at fallsradio.com.
--The Pierz City Council meets Monday 7pm at Pierz City Hall.
DEATH NOTICES
--Melvin Branchaud, age 84 of Little Falls
--Stephanie Koll, age 24 of Swanville formerly of Little Falls
--Gaylord “Juddy” Judd, age 67 of Staples
WEATHER
TODAY= mostly sunny, high 10 above, clear night low -14.
SATURDAY= sunny skies, high 14, partly cloudy, low -7.
SUNDAY= sunny skies, high 19, cloudy late, low near 0.
MONDAY= mostly cloudy, high 23, low around 5 above.
SPORTS
HS GBB= Osakis at Pierz tonight 7:15pm on FM94 KFML.
HS GHK= Buffalo at Brainerd/LF Saturday 2pm for the opening round of Section playoffs on Q92 WYRQ and fallsradio.com.
FLYER=Little Falls student Grace Schlulte signed a letter of intent to play girls hockey at Gustavus Adolphus College.
Listen to all 3 Little Falls Stations online at fallsradio.com.