NEWS
--A Fort Ripley woman was injured Thursday morning in a rollover in Ripley Township. 46-year old Maria Wagner was traveling on 165th Avenue in Ripley township when she swerved to miss a deer. Wagner lost control of her vehicle and rolled several times. Wagner was taken to the Brainerd Hospital by ambulance for unknown injuries.
--The St. Cloud school district is a step closer to getting a new Technical High School. The school board voted 6 to 1 Wednesday to put the measure to the voters. The details of the project's cost and when the vote would happen were not discussed at Wednesday's meeting. The panel also will put a proposal to remodel Apollo High School on the ballot. A similar referendum failed in November when voters rejected a $167 million referendum that would have built a new Tech and remodeled Apollo high schools. The proposal passed Wednesday would call for the new Tech to be built on the same land in south St. Cloud. Last month board member Jerry Von Korff led a tour of Tech to try to determine what it would cost to make the building viable for the long-term. He had building officials, board members, district maintenance staff, engineers and those familiar with construction on the tour. The report from the board's finance committee was clear that remodeling would be a waste of money.
--A Long Prairie woman was sentenced to prison on Wednesday for embezzling over $500,000 from a Melrose veterinary clinic. 44-year old Sherry Lynn Anderson was sentenced to 54 months in prison after pleading guilty to five felony counts of theft by swindle. According to court records, Anderson worked in the accounting department of Minnesota Veterinary Associates. Anderson had been taking cash from deposits and altering her payroll. Court records said Anderson embezzled $533,202 between 2010 and 2014.
--Over 1,300 pieces of military equipment from the Minnesota National Guard will be loaded onto rail cars for movement from Camp Ripley May 14th- 21st. Soldiers of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, along with supporting units are moving their equipment in preparation for a rotation at the National Training Center in Ft. Irwin, California in late June. Using the Strategic Rail Corridor Network (STRACNET) which was designed for the mobilization of military units across the country in the event of an emergency. Today the system maintains its use as an economically and environmentally responsible method of moving heavy equipment. The loading and unloading of more than 400 rail cars will be done by Soldiers of the 347th regional Support Group along with supervisors and facilitators from Burlington Northern /Santa Fe and Intercomp, a company providing advanced weight systems. Minnesota residents may see in increase in rail traffic through their daily travel routes during the evening hours within the period of May 14th- 21st. Locally to Camp Ripley, State Highway 115 will be closed from 6:00pm to 8:00pm during that same time period.
--A Brainerd man escaped a violent encounter with a bear Tuesday night with minor injuries. Garrett DeWitt was walking his dogs near the 1900 block of Graydon Avenue in south Brainerd shortly after 10:00pm when a bear charged at him and knocked him over, then ran away. Officers searched the area but were unable to find the bear. This is the fourth report of a bear in Crow Wing County in the past 10 days, including two calls in Crosslake, one in Emily and one now in the south Brainerd area.
--A fourth-grade teacher and junior varsity athletics coach at Aitkin Public Schools is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student. 24-year old Kristy Lynn Hoge was charged Friday with four counts of felony criminal sexual conduct in Crow Wing County District Court. Hoge worked as a fourth-grade teacher at Rippleside Elementary School and a coach with the high school's junior varsity girls' basketball and softball programs. According to the criminal complaint filed against Hoge, her alleged relationship with the student became sexual in March. The student's mother told the investigator she became aware of the alleged relationship between her daughter and Hoge on May 2nd, when another coach approached her with concerns. Charges against Hoge include two counts of felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct, when the accused is in a position of authority and more than four years older than the 16- to 18-year-old victim. These charges each carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, and or a $30,000 fine. Hoge also faces two counts of felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, which each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and or a $20,000 fine. Hoge's unconditional bond was set at $75,000 or bond with conditions was set at $10,000. Hoge is due back in court June 6th.
--The victim of a 1989 sexual assault in Cold Spring filed a lawsuit against the man who has been named a person of interest in the Jacob Wetterling case. Jared Scheierl is suing Danny James Heinrich, accusing him of sexual battery and false imprisonment. Heinrich is in Sherburne County Jail while he awaits criminal trial after being accused of 25 counts of federal child pornography crimes. Scheierl's civil lawsuit, filed in Stearns County District Court, claims that Heinrich approached Scheierl, then 12 years old, in Cold Spring and forced him into a car. The complaint says Heinrich told Scheierl that he had a gun and was not afraid to use it. Heinrich then drove to a secluded area where he assaulted Scheierl. on July 28th, 2015 law enforcement officers searched Heinrich's residence on Myrtle Avenue South in Annandale, leading to the pornography charges. The warrant that allowed that search also sought Heinrich's DNA, which authorities later said matched DNA found on the sweatshirt that Scheierl was wearing the night he was abducted and assaulted. Under Minnesota law, too much time had passed to file criminal charges against Heinrich in connection with the assault and that is why the civil suit was filed.
WEATHER
TODAY= morning rain, afternoon clouds, very windy, high 48.
TONIGHT= freeze warning overnight, clearing, low 29 breezy.
SATURDAY= morning frost, then partly sunny, 48, breezy.
SAT NITE= frost likely overnight, clear skies, low 30.
SUNDAY= sunny, still breezy, warmer, high 58, low 40.
MONDAY= few showers, partly sunny, high 61.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins are in Cleveland tonight 5:30 pregame, tomorrow pregame at 2:30 and 11:30am Sunday all live on Q92 WYRQ.
HS BAB= Pierz at Foley today at 4:30pm on FM94 KFML.
HS BAB= Pierz at Holdingford Monday at 4:30pm on FM94 KFML.
VL= Flensburg at Randall Sunday at 1:30pm on AM960 KLTF
LOCAL= get local scores at fallsradio.com then sports link.