NEWS
--The first candidate has officially announced his intention to run for Stearns County Sheriff. Waite Park Police Chief Dave Bentrud says he will be campaigning for the job, which is up for election in November. Bentrud has been the Waite Park Police Chief for 9 ½ years. Before that, he was a member of the St. Cloud police department for 16 years. In a news release, Bentrud says he and the Waite Park police department have taken a leadership role in the central Minnesota battle against human trafficking. His department is also the first in Stearns County to use body cameras for patrol officers. The Stearns County Sheriff's job is expected to be an open position after previous Sheriff John Sanner resigned last year. The county board appointed Don Gudmundson to fill the position, but he has said he does not intend to run for election.
--A man was hurt in a crash on Highway 10 in southeast St. Cloud. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened just after midnight Thursday morning on eastbound Highway 10 at 12th Street Southeast. 35-year-old Wesley Torke of Bellingham went off the road, rolled over in the ditch, and struck a sign structure. Torke was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
--A Foley resident literally hit the jackpot Monday. Glenn Albright won $100,000 by playing the Minnesota Millionaire Raffle. The winning raffle ticket was sold at a Holiday gas station in Sauk Rapids. The Minnesota State Lottery has held its annual Millionaire Raffle since 2006. The other four winning winning tickets were sold in Plymouth, Woodbury, Stillwater and Underwood.
--A St. Cloud man was arrested last week at the intersection of Waite Avenue and 2nd Street South in Waite Park. Chief Dave Bentrud says they received a call that a man was passed out in his vehicle in the left turn lane. The caller says when they banged on the vehicles window, the driver woke up, drove through the intersection and struck the median. The caller then drove through the intersection and lost sight of the vehicle. Bentrud says a second caller also reported a man passed out in his vehicle in the left turn lane waiting to turn onto 2nd Avenue South. Officers were able to find the vehicle and blocked the driver in. The driver was identified as 38-year old Michael Lemke. Lemke was given a field sobriety test and arrested on suspicion of 1st Degree Felony DWI due to prior arrests. He was taken to the Stearns County Jail awaiting formal charges.
--A Minnesota man is dead after a snowmobile mishap not far from Yellowstone in Montana. The victim has been identified as 40-year-old Weylon Wiedemann of Pine City. Gallatin County Sheriff's officials say they received a 911 call Tuesday reporting an avalanche with one person injured. The initial location was reported as Cabin Creek Campground, but GPS coordinates indicated the location was actually in Cabin Creek, approximately 19 miles north of West Yellowstone.
--A busy weekend of events, including blood drive today at the convent, Goat Fund Me fundraiser tonight at Faith Lutheran Church, Donkey Basketball for Upsala FFA tonight at the old gym in Upsala, record attempting ice carousel event to benefit the Flyer Pride Packs tomorrow at Green Prairie Fish Lake, candlelight hike event Saturday from Lindbergh to Historical Society starting at 5pm, and breakfasts Sunday at St. Mary's in Little Falls and Holy Cross in Harding. Details on all of these events can be found at fallsradio.com then click on the community calendar link.
--The Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a legislative update with Senator Paul Gazelka and Representative Ron Kresha on Tuesday, January 23rd at the Carnegie Library from 10:30am-12pm. The two will provide insight on the 2018 legislative session and hear the issues facing our local district. For more information you can contact the Little Falls Chamber at 632-5155.
--A semi driver from St. Cloud was involved in a crash that killed the driver of a horse and buggy near Osseo, Wisconsin Wednesday evening. The Wisconsin State Patrol says around 5:10pm they responded to a semi versus buggy crash on US-10 West near County Highway G in Garfield Township, Wisconsin. The semi, driven by 36-year old Derek Hedburg struck the buggy from behind. The driver of the buggy was 26-year old Moses Petersheim. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Hedburg was not hurt.
--Authorities have arrested a man who has been on the run since October. Jeremiah Schwarzkopf was arrested Thursday in Benton County. Sherburne County Sheriff Joel Brott says investigators learned he was in the Glendorado area and spotted him in a vehicle. When deputies arrived, Schwarzkopf ran off on foot through a wooded and swampy area. He was later arrested. Back in October, police say he was found driving a stolen vehicle out of St. Cloud and fleeing officers. He is awaiting formal charges in Sherburne County.
--The Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday that the nation’s tax season will begin Monday, January 29th and reminded taxpayers claiming certain tax credits that refunds won’t be available before late February. The IRS will begin accepting tax returns on January 29th with nearly 155 million individual tax returns expected to be filed in 2018. The filing deadline to submit 2017 tax returns is Tuesday, April 17th rather than the traditional April 15th date. This year April 15th falls on a Sunday, and this would usually move the filing deadline to the following Monday. However, Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia, will be observed on that Monday, which pushes the nation’s filing deadline to Tuesday, April 17th. Under the tax law, legal holidays in the District of Columbia affect the filing deadline
across the nation.
DEATH NOTICE
--Robert “Bob” O'Day, age 90 of Pierre, SD formerly of Little Falls
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny and cold, high just above 0.
TONIGHT= clear and very cold, low near -20.
SATURDAY= increasing clouds, snow in afternoon, high 10.
SAT NITE= cloudy, snow showers, gusty south winds, temps rise.
SUNDAY= mostly cloudy, scattered flurries, high 27, low 16.
MONDAY= mostly sunny and mild, high near 30, low near 13.
SPORTS
HS GHK= Grand Rapids at Brainerd/Little Falls today 4pm on Q92
HS WRE= Little Falls hosting quad with Pierz starting 5pm on FM94
HS BBB= Little Falls at Alexandria tonight 7:15pm on Q92 WYRQ.
NFL= catch the NFL wild card games this weekend on AM960 KLTF
WRAP= Saturday Morning Sports Wrap Saturday 9:05am on KLTF.
TODAY IN HISTORY
IN 1940= The FCC hears the first transmission of FM Radio.