NEWS
--A missing teenage girl from St. Cloud has been found. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office reported Thursday morning that 14-year-old Alexus Rayne Norberg has been found safe. Stearns County stated that Norberg has been in contact with her parents and they notified the sheriff's office that she is safe. She had left her home on January 19th reportedly without her parents permission.
--Jesse Kretsinger, a solo, independent filmmaker from Little Falls (graduating at Little Falls Community High School in 2017), who is pursuing a career in filmaking, using grant funding from Five Wings Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board has created a nonprofit documentary coming out on January 30th titled All for the Best: How to Make a Musical During a Global Pandemic which follows Little Falls Summer Musical’s decision to perform Godspell in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having a role in the show, I was able to closely work with the cast and crew to take photos, record rehearsals, and conduct interviews that detail how we were able to produce the show in accordance with public health guidelines, how social distancing changed the show, and how it was nearly cancelled one week before opening night. To view the documentary you can put in All the Best on Utube or also All the Best on Facebook which will be available on Saturday to view and then beyond that point.
--A semi driver was hurt in a rollover in Todd County. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened on eastbound Highway 10 between Staples and Motley at about 10:45am. Wednesday. Thirty-four-year-old Ying Lee of St. Paul was driving the big rig when it went onto the right shoulder, he corrected to the left causing it to jackknife and roll onto its side in the median. Lee was taken to Staples Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
--A New London man was hurt after crashing his pickup in Cold Spring Wednesday. The crash happened around 2pm on westbound Highway 23. The Minnesota State Patrol says 67-year-old Larry Nelson fell asleep behind the wheel, left the roadway, and crashed into the granite "Welcome to Cold spring" sign. Nelson was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
--A Litchfield man faces several charges after leading authorities on a 23-mile chase through Meeker County Wednesday night. A deputy spotted 36-year-old Dustin Nelson in his pickup just after 6pm Nelson was wanted for multiple violations of a domestic abuse no-contact order. The deputy tried to make a traffic stop, but authorities say Nelson fled. Ultimately, officers lost sight of Nelson in a wooded area off Highway 24 and 305th street in Forest City Township. Nelson then abandoned his pickup and fled on foot. Several agencies were called in to help search. After approximately two hours of tracking and searching for him, the Eden Valley Police Chief spotted Nelson along Highway 34. Nelson was treated for frostbite and then booked into the Meeker County Jail. The sheriff's office says two shotguns, a handgun, and a knife were found in Nelson's truck. He faces charges of fleeing police, reckless driving and illegal gun possession.
--The dropping COVID-19 numbers continue in Morrison County with only 47 active cases on Thursday's report, 19 of those in Little Falls Zip Code. The closest one after that was 8 cases in Pierz. The State Website reported 1,335 new cases and 18 new deaths. Morrison County reported 0 confirmed cases, though 1 probable case was on the website from Thursday from the Department of Health.
--The Little Falls City Council will meet Monday night at 7:30pm at City Hall, a special work session will precede the meeting at 6:30pm.
--On Thursday, Governor Walz announced that the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will award grants totaling $20,645,425 to 39 projects in the sixth year of the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant program. State grant dollars are matched by $33,695,279 in local funds. One of the local projects receiving a grant will be Sytek Communications - Morrison/Todd/Stearns County FTTP Project who was approved for a $1,048,668 grant. This last mile project will bring service to 130 locations in Southwest Morrison, Southeastern Todd and Northeastern Stearns counties. Through a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Sytek Communications will extend fiber-optic lines to some of the most rural parts of Minnesota at service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload. As a result of this project, families will have the tools they need to earn a living, educate their children and access needed medical care. Included in the project cost of $2,330,373 is a local match of $1,281,705.
--A drive-thru ice sculpture park, a virtual run and more events but done differently started Thursday as the 135th annual Saint Paul Winter Carnival kicked off and goes though February 7th. As with many other events during the pandemic, there have been some adjustments in this year's celebration. The Ice Carving Competition and the Snow Sculpture Contest have been rolled into one event and moved to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds to be viewed drive-thru style. The Ice Fishing Tournament is also digitized this year, with anglers photographing, measuring and recording their catches through an app. Virtual Family Days are being held each Saturday during the celebration. The Securian Financial Winter Run is offering an in-person 5K race and a virtual race at 5K, 10K or half-marathon intervals that can be completed wherever and whenever you choose.
And the Winter Carnival Buttons are still available.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
--Emmy Award winning actress Cloris Leachman died Wednesday at the age of 94. She appeared in television and movies for over 7 decades from Mary Tyler Moore to Mel Brooks movies in the 70s.
DEATH NOTICES
--Floyd V. Werkman, age 75 of Little Falls formerly Royalton.
--Janet L. Cheney, age 84 of Pierz.
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy skies, possible flurries, breezy, high 24.
TONIGHT= freezing drizzle possible overnight, low 21.
SATURDAY= freezing drizzle changing to light snow, high 29
SAT NITE= snow showers, up to 1 inch, low near 17.
SUNDAY= snow ending, partial sun, windy, high 27, low 11.
MONDAY= cloudy skies, high near 30, low around 15.
SPORTS
HS GBB= Mora at Pierz tonight 7:15pm on FM94 KFML.
HS GBB= St. Cloud Cathedral at Little Falls tonight 7:15pm on Q92.
HS BHK= Alexandria at Little Falls Saturday 2:45pm on Q92 WYRQ.
COL BB= Gophers vs. Purdue Saturday 6pm on AM960 KLTF.
NFL= The Super Bowl is next Sunday February 7th with kickoff slated for around 5:30pm on AM960 KLTF. Again there is no Pro Bowl game this weekend, but a virtual type event and celebration for the players that were selected like Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings will take place on ESPN and ABC TV.