NEWS
--The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that at 3:56pm Wednesday afternoon their office received a report of a tractor accident involving a child at a property located off 295th Avenue, approximately one mile south of Harding in Pulaski Township. According to the Sheriff’s Office, 26-year old Austin Stangl of Brainerd was driving an Allis Chalmers Model C tractor with a 7-year old male of Brainerd seated next to him. The tractor hit a bump on the trail which knocked the 7-year old off the tractor and caused him to hit his head on the ground. The 7-year old male was transported to the city of Pierz by personal vehicle where they met up with Mayo Clinic Ambulance. A landing zone was set up in Pierz where Life Link III then transported the child to the Hennepin County Medical Center with serious injuries. The boy's name was not released in the report.
--There will be Sullivan Lake/Platte Lake Outdoor Warning Sirens Testing going on today, Friday, June 19th around 1:00pm. Again the sheriff's office will be testing the Sullivan Lake/Platte Lake outdoor warning sirens to make sure they are working properly around 1pm.
--The Little Falls Fire Department responded to a hay baler on Wednesday around 1:35pm at 20795 225th Ave in Belle Prairie Township. Upon arrival they found that the owner was able to disconnect the tractor from the baler. The baler was fully involved in fire along with a round bale nearby. Firefighters extinguished the fire. The baler was a total loss. The cause of the fire is believed to be mechanical in nature. There were no injuries.
--Latest numbers from Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 on Thursday morning were 387 new cases and 19 new deaths. The number of Morrison County remained at 54 (and no change since the numbers on Sunday) with the 1 confirmed death.
--A Staples man is facing federal charges in connection to the fires set at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct last month. The United States Attorney’s Office says 26-year-old Bryce Williams has been charged with conspiracy to commit arson. According to the ATF, multiple fires were set inside the police precinct on the night of May 28th. Investigators say they were able to identify Williams on surveillance video footage holding a Molotov cocktail outside the precinct while others attempted to light the wick. According to the criminal complaint investigators also reviewed videos posted to Williams’ TikTok account on the 28th and 29th where he was standing outside the burning building. They say in the videos his face is clearly visible and his clothing matched what was in the surveillance footage. Williams was arrested Tuesday waiting his next court appearance.
--A 17-year-old from Brainerd was injured Thursday at 2:11pm on Highway 371 at Ojibwa Road in Crow Wing County. Ava Pikula was northbound on 371 when a pickup driven by 74-year-old Kathleen Nydegger of Brainerd turned left in front of Pikula's vehicle they collided. Pikula was treated for injuries at the Brainerd hospital. Her two passengers and the other driver were not injured.
--The Governor has asked for flags to be flown at half staff today from his procolmation to have the 19th of each month through the rest of year a day to remember those who have died from the COVID-19 virus. Today June 19th, flags are again to be half-staff.
--Sister Julien from the St. Francis Convent informed Little Falls Radio they received 210 units of blood during the recent blood drive and their goal was 207. Sister wanted to thank all who gave blood this week and also a thank you to First United Church for hosting it.
--There are still many unknowns on what school will look like for K-12 students this fall. The Minnesota Department of Education is asking school district's to plan for three scenarios. MDE Deputy Commissioner Heather Mueller says those scenarios include in-person learning, hybrid learning with social distancing and distance learning. Mueller says they understand parents, students and school officials are anxious to know what will happen next year. She says they will continue to work with the department of health in hopes to make a recommendation to school's by the week of July 27th. Mueller says the safety of all students is at the forefront of their decisions.
--Midwest Dairy announced registration is now open for the third annual Dairy Experience Forum to be held virtually on Wednesday, July 15. This one-day, online event will take place in three, 90-minute segments, featuring industry experts who will share actionable consumer insights, future forecasting and thought leadership – all to help the dairy supply chain drive demand during today’s rapidly changing food and beverage climate. Discussions will address questions such as “How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted food and beverage trends?” and “What’s next for dairy?” The 2020 Dairy Experience Forum will begin with a live consumer focus group where attendees will hear first-hand from consumers about how they make their purchasing decisions, how their shopping behaviors may have changed due to COVID-19 and their thoughts around dairy products and farming. Following the focus group, there will be virtual small group breakout sessions to discuss the information that was shared and brainstorm how the supply chain can learn from and use these key learnings to continue to connect with consumers and increase demand. “The New Normal: Post-COVID-19 and the Dairy Category,” presentation from Larry Levin, Executive Vice President of Market and Shopper Intelligence at IRI. With milk currently one of the top 10 fastest growing e-commerce categories – it’s up 279 percent from one year ago – and dairy outpacing total store dollar growth since the beginning of the pandemic, Levin will explore areas of opportunity for maintaining the category growth seen in-store and online during the pandemic. Dairy farmers and industry members alike can register by visiting www.dairyexperienceforum.com.
--St. Joseph's Church in Pierz will have their large cash raffle today at 4pm live streamed from the parish house in Pierz. Winners notified.
DEATH NOTICES
--Darwin Gustafson, age 74 of Little Falls.
--Isadore A. Mallak, age 79 of Clitheral formerly of Sobieski.
--Margaret M. Lochner, age 85 of Sartell.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, high 75, clear night low 53.
SATURDAY= sunny early, high 76, storms later in the day, low 60.
SUNDAY= storms early, hazy sun, high 80, storms late, low 55.
MONDAY= partly sunny, high 78, isolated storms at times.
SPORTS
SWIM= Little Falls High School announced the hiring of Sarah Filippi as our new Head Swimming and Dive Coach. She was formerly the Head Swim and Dive coach from 1996-2000. She replaces Tim Corbett as our new head coach who retired after 14 years.
TWINS= another classic Twins game Sunday noon on Q92 WYRQ.
VL= double header of Victory League Sunday 1:30pm on KLTF.