Newsletter: Friday, July 27th 2018
NEWS
--The Little Falls Fire Department responded to two incidents Wednesday afternoon. Around 1:50pm they responded to the Denise Johnson residence at 831 Buck lane. There was smoke coming from the exhaust fan above the stove but no fire. The area was ventilated. Then around 2:20pm Little Falls firefighters responded to 209 1st Street SE for a large amount of smoke coming from a stove. This was caused by an individual forgetting he left a pan in an oven. There was a large amount of smoke but no fire. Firefighters ventilated the area. There were no injuries in either incident.
--Morrison County Highway 39 (153rd Street) is scheduled to close next week from Monday through Thursday for centerline culvert replacements. Motorists using County State Aid Highway 39 between CSAH 33 (Sage Road) and US 169 will encounter a detour. The detour route will use roads Morrison County 33, Morrison County 32, Mille Lacs County 16 and US 169. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the day on Thursday. Motorists should plan their own alternative routes or plan additional time for travel in order to follow the signed detour. The project is being led by the Morrison County Public Works Department.
--Residents around Little Rock Lake will have to wait another year for a Mississippi River drawdown that is intended to clean up the algae-plagued body of water. Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources has again delayed an effort to improve water quality and ecosystems north of the Sartell dam by lowering the water level. Next week on Wednesday the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources planned to begin the six-week effort by opening the dam and lowering water levels three to five feet in the lake and for about 11 miles of the Mississippi River. Now, it has been postponed until August 1st, 2019. The drawdown has been in the works for about five years. This is the second time it has been postponed.
--Phony IRS calls are circulating the area once again. The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota says scammers tell the consumer a debt is owed and must be paid immediately. The BBB says the IRS will never call to demand immediate payment, threaten to get police involved, or ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. They only initiate contact through the mail. If you received one of these scammer calls you're reminded to hang up. Never give out your personal information over the phone and then contact the Federal Trade Commission or Federal Communications Commission to file a complaint if you receive these calls.
--The Little Falls City Council meets Monday night with the special meeting to discuss the language needed to put a question on the ballot for a half-cent sales tax increase in the city of Little Falls. Only the language will be discussed, then the item will be placed on the next council meeting (August 6th) to discuss if it should be on the general election (November) ballot.
--This weekend is the Our Lady of Lourdes Church Bazaar in Little Falls. Starts with a Mass of Praise at 4pm Saturday then music and the live auction Saturday night. On Sunday, polka masses at 8:30 and 10:30, catered dinner at 11am, Father Ben in the dunk tank at 2pm, music by Kenny and Diana Jansen of Nashville in the afternoon, bingo both days, kids games both days and two raffles that the drawings will begin at 3:30 and 4pm on Sunday. Find out about that event and many more, and Cash Cube events at fallsradio.com on calendar.
--Sartell is getting some extra funding to help with the Watab Park improvements. The city was awarded over $140,000 from the DNR, which the city plans to match. The money is going into building a new restroom facility, reconstructing the wading pool and resurfacing the tennis courts. Then the other tennis court will be turned into a pickleball court and a half basketball court. More of the money will also go into building a new playground set, but the city wants the community input on one of three designs. The city is still waiting for the agreement to be signed before construction can begin. If all goes as planned they expect construction to begin by spring.
--Pointing to its "Build out the Store" mission, United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) announced Thursday that a deal has been struck to acquire Minnesota-based Supervalu for approximately $2.9 billion. The deal calls for UNFI to acquire Supervalu for $32.50 per share in cash. UNFI Chairman Steve Spinner will lead the combined company. While not specifically addressing the fate of Supervalu holdings like the Cub Foods chain, a release by the company says UNFI will "divest SUPERVALU retail assets in a thoughtful and economic manner." At this point it is unclear how the sale will impact Supervalu's 23,000 employees. SuperValu shares soared 62.7% in Thursday premarket trading while UNFI's shares dropped 7.4%.
DEATH NOTICES
--Paul Nieman Jr., age 88 of Freedhem.