NEWS
--Governor Tim Walz late Thursday announced that the Minnesota strategy for the upcoming school year will be announced on Thursday, July 30th. Listen for more details coming next week.
--With the current health pandemic and the goal of the city of Little Falls to protect voters and election judges you will see the following changes in the polling places: Voters are required to wear face coverings, if medically able. Practice social distancing of six feet or more which will be marked on the floor. Election judges will sanitize the poll pads and voting booths frequently. Voters are encouraged to bring their own black ink pen. Polling places include Ward One at the initiative foundation, Ward Two at Little Falls City Hall, and Ward three at Bethel Lutheran Church. The primary election is August 11th and the general election is November 3rd. Absentee voting for the primary election is underway and continues to August 10th.
--The U.S. Senate confirmed the head of the Minnesota National Guard to lead the Army National Guard's forces nationally. The promotion of Major General Jon Jensen to director of the Army National Guard gives him responsibility for overseeing all programs and policies for roughly 350,000 soldiers in all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia. The rise to the national post also means a third star for Jensen, who has served as Minnesota's adjutant general since November 2017, leading 13,000 citizen soldiers and airmen operating in 62 locations throughout the state. Jensen succeeds Lt. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, who also was confirmed Monday by the Senate as the next chief of the National Guard Bureau. That promotion comes with a seat on the president's Joint Chiefs of Staff. An Iowa native and Northwest Missouri State University graduate, Jensen has served in the Guard for 37 years. He has been deployed to Kuwait, Bosnia and twice to Iraq while serving with the 34th Infantry Division. He commanded the division before becoming his state's adjutant general. A replacement for Jensen as Minnesota's adjutant general awaits a nomination from Gov. Walz.
--Royalton Schools Superintendent wanted to thank all members of the school district for their patience was they as other schools wait to see what steps next week will be done for the school year. John Phelps said they are working teachers into one room for elementery and keeping them in the one room instead of moving them around the building for certain classes but that is not as easy for the secondary with no homerooms. Lunch, transportation, sports are big questions that right now Phelps said plans are being put in place but with not definite answer from the state on what needs to be done. That is expected to come next week from Department of Education. Following that Superintendents from each of the schools will then revise and send out the plans for the 2020 school year.
--Stearns County Deputies responded to an accident on Wednesday at 6:18pm at the intersection of County Road 2 and Interstate 94 in St. Joseph Township. Lynda Hartwig, 52, of Albany, was driving on County Road 2. She stopped at the intersection to turn westbound onto the I-94 on ramp. While stopped yielding to traffic, Hartwig was rear-ended by Steven Williams, 27 of St. Joseph,. Hartwig and Williams but sustained minor injuries in the accident.
--Listen to FM94 KFML today at 9am for the drawings from yesterday's Ladies Night Out Pierz Style. The Grand Prize Winner along with other prizes from the sponsors and FM94 will be announced live on the air today on KFML and fallsradio.com.
--The Todd County Sheriff's Office has released the name of the drowning victim on July 16th on Lake Charlotte near Long Prairie. 21-year old Sammy Sosa-Acevedo of Long Prairie was found about two hours after the call that he was missing. The victim was not wearing a life preserver at the time. Life saving efforts were unsuccessful.
--The team that brought summer musical theatre back to Little Falls in 2019 has partnered with the Long Drive-In Theater in Long Prairie to host a series of three performances of the popular Broadway musical GODSPELL (2012 Revised Version) on August 4th, 5th and 8th. The not-for-profit Little Falls Summer Musical theatre company reached across Minnesota to assemble experienced talent for the Godspell cast, orchestra, and production team. Auditions and rehearsals used online technologies and followed public-health guidelines to keep the Godspell team safe. The show will be performed outdoors with ample room for social distancing at the picturesque Long Drive-In Theater. The LF Summer Musical Godspell team features returning performers who are natives of Little Falls, Pierz, and Royalton, plus new participants from St. Cloud, Albany, and Moorhead. The coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of performing arts events around the country and the group takes that very seriously so they have made sure that all public health requirements have been met. More details will be announced next week when on KLTF Events Thursday July 30th at 8:30am.
--The River Rat Races will be on August 22nd. The event includes several events for runners and walkers. An 8K (4.97 miles), a 4K (2.5 miles) and a Fun Run to be held at Belle Prairie Park, north of Little Falls starting at 8am. Registration is available online at www.riverratraces.com. The 8K course is on asphalt, is chip timed. The 4K course will be on trails and roads. It is also chip timed. The River Rat 8k/4K is committed to providing safe and healthy events at all times, and is following all local and state guidelines in hosting this event. During the COVID-19 pandemic we are implementing extra precautions, which will require full cooperation among our participants, volunteers and staff. The new procedures will be made available and released before the race date arrives.
--Another bazaar cancelled this year as St. Stanislaus in Sobieski announced they will not have a bazaar this year in September.
DEATH NOTICE
--Bradley J. Skochenski, age 53 of Elk River.
WEATHER
TODAY= isolated T-storm in AM, sunny and hot, high 90.
TONIGHT= a storm overnight, cloudy, low near 70.
SATURDAY= mostly cloudy, storms likely PM hours, high 85.
SUNDAY= becoming sunny, few storms possible, high 82.
MONDAY= sunny, less humid and cooler, high 76, low 52
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins open the season tonight at Chicago against the White Sox, pregame at 6:30pm, Saturday and Sunday are game games with the pregame at 12:30 Saturday and Inside Twins beginning at noon Sunday all live on Q92 WYRQ.
VL= the scheduled Game of the Week is Randall at Upsala Saturday at 1:30pm, weather permitting on AM960 KLTF. Listen for details.
NFL= The Washington Football Team will be called just that for the upcoming NFL season- again call The Washington Football Team.