NEWS
--It is Day 2 of the Morrison County Fair. The barns are busy early with the llama/alpaca show, 4-H sheep, meat goat show and the 4-H beef/swine shows in the barns. Minnow races begin at noon, bingo at 1pm, smear card game at 12:30pm, antique car show from 2-7pm, live music starts at 3pm and runs through the night, United Way Bean Bag Tournament at 6pm, truck pull at 6:30pm and fireworks at dusk from the Ag Society all today not to mention the food, rides, exhibits and more with KLTF Partyline live at the Morrison County Fair today at 10:05am on AM960 KLTF.
--After a very dry month of June, the flood gates are expected to open up this week with possibly the first shot of severe weather in central Minnesota. The Storm prediction center is showing a slight risk of severe weather of southwestern into west central Minnesota with possible large hail and gusty winds Saturday afternoon and evening. Rain fell in some areas last night and will develop again in the afternoon today and tonight bringing isolated storms to the area, a large system of rain is heading in on Saturday and with the warm and humid are aloft this could bring some heavy rainfall some areas Saturday into Sunday morning with another half inch on Sunday before ending. Cooler temps then with highs in the 60s Sunday and 70s pretty much all of next week in the extended forecast. Continue to stay tuned this week to Little Falls Radio for the latest weather details and if any severe weather breaks out Saturday.
--Morrison County Sheriff's Deputies responded to Pike Creek Township early Thursday for a number of mailboxes damaged along 170th Avenue, 105th and 110th Avenue about 2 miles northwest of Little Falls. They believe the mailboxes were struck sometime Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. Anyone with information on the vandalism is to call the sheriff's office 632-9233.
--Authorities have released the names of the two people killed in a small plane crash near Duluth. The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office says the pilot, 60-year-old Bryan Handyside, and his passenger, 64-year-old Matthew Joseph were found dead in the wreckage. Handyside is from an unincorporated township in the area and Joseph is from Duluth. The sheriff's office says the two were co-workers at Cirrus Aircraft in Duluth but the plane was privately owned. The original notification came from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Florida. The sheriff's office says they detected an emergency locator transmitter distress signal from the airplane and contacted the state duty officer. Sheriff's deputies discovered the wreckage and the victims a short time later in Two Harbors.
--Stearns County is releasing three creative public service announcement videos to help raise awareness about stopping the spread of aquatic invasive species. The 30 second videos, sponsored by the county, share actions people can take to help protect lakes and streams. They show people following the clean, drain, and dry guidance. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks people to clean their boats, motors and trailers of visible aquatic plants, animals, and mud before leaving the water access. Then drain the motor, bilge, live well, and other water containing devices and dry them off with a clean towel or wait five days before putting in somewhere else.
--Weekend events include Lakes Jam today and tomorrow in Brainerd, there are church bazaars at Sobieski on Sunday and also at St. Mathias get details at fallsradio.com and click on the community calendar for more info on upcoming events.
--Saturday is Kid's Day at the Morrison County Fair. The fair opens at 10am with balloon twisting, face painting, Frozen Princesses, RC car races, the Jugsluggers and German Dancing, 500 card tournament, MC Bulls and Barrels Rodeo at the Horse Arena at 1pm tickets at the gate, Century Farm Recognition, Blue Ribbon 4H Auction and then Premier Showmanship, live music with Marshall Star Band at night and the Demolition Derby at 7pm. Plus food, midway rides, Ag learning center, numerous exhibits and so much more at the Morrison County Fair the final is on Saturday. Details at fallsradio.com and click on the fair logo to get the latest details on the county fair.
--A court hearing against a 21-year-old Baxter man who faces attempted murder and assault charges following an April 16 drive-by shooting in Brainerd was postponed because he is in prison on a separate criminal case. Ridge Kinney was charged April 18 in Crow Wing County District Court with several serious felonies — premeditated first degree attempted murder, second degree attempted murder in a drive-by shooting, first degree assault, second degree assault with a dangerous weapon, second degree assault causing substantial bodily harm and dangerous weapons violation in a drive-by shooting toward an occupied vehicle Kinney failed to appear for a Tuesday hearing. His public defender informed the court Kinney was not in court because he was at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-St. Cloud. Alexander said Kinney would be requesting another court date to give the prison system time to get his client to court. Kinney was sentenced on June 7 for violating the terms of release stemming from an October 2022 offense in which he was charged with second degree assault with a dangerous weapon and fleeing a peace officer. He was sentenced to serve 68 months in that case. Kinney’s next appearance on the recent charges in Crow Wing County District Court is August 17th.
--The Searles Building on 5th Avenue in St. Cloud have new owners and they got a scare before opening their new Tequila Town restaurant. On Thursday morning at about 11:15am owner Moises Morales says contractors were inside when they decided to test out the HVAC system. As soon as we turned on the heater, one of the breakers caused a spark that set off the fire alarms. The second floor was all covered in smoke. They called 911 and were told to exit the building immediately. The St. Cloud Fire Department found little damage and were able to get things under control in short order.
DEATH NOTICES
--Mary Ann Surma, age 98 of Little Falls.
--Oliver S. Rudolph, age 94 of Harding.
--Romelle M. Kurtz, age 84 of Nowthen formerly Harding.
WEATHER
TODAY= partly sunny, thunderstorms possible in PM hours, high 86.
TONIGHT= thunderstorms, some heavy rains, low 64.
SATURDAY= showers & storms, some heavy rain, high 78, low 59.
SUNDAY= showers & storms, windy, cooler, high 69, low 53.
MONDAY= AM shower, then sunny and windy, high 76, low near 50.
SPORTS
TWINS= Joe Ryan throws a 3 hit shutout as the Twins win 6-0 over Red Sox to split the series Thursday. Twins are at Detroit for series starting at 5pm today, 5:30pm Saturday and 11:30am Sunday. Hear all the games live on Q92 WYRQ.