NEWS
--The Greater Minnesota 2 Cylinder Club Field Days event is today and Saturday at the Morrison County Fairgrounds. The tractor pull is tonight at 6pm, antique and garden tractor pulls begin at noon on Saturday. Raffle, food, a family day with many kids events on Saturday, vendors outdoor and indoor, kids pedal pull, driver your first tractor and much more items to take in today and tomorrow, gates open at 7:30am each day at the fairgrounds for the Field Days. Other events include the DAV collection drive tonight 6-8pm at the Bingo Park in Randall. Xanadu is performed tonight and Saturday night at 7pm at the Little Falls High School there are some tickets still available at the door for $10 adults tonight and $8 for students. There are many cleanup days Saturday including the Darling Cemetery Clean Up Day starting around 9am Saturday for those wishing to help. Churches with their garage and rummage sales like Faith Lutheran on Saturday, the Animal Humane Society having their parking lot paw-tee fundraiser from 11am-3pm in their parking lot near City Hall in Little Falls, there are benefits this weekend, a picnic after the 10:45am mass and a raffle in Lastrup on Sunday and a pork chop dinner in support of Veterans Sunday starting at noon at the Bowlus Legion. There is a music in the park event Sunday at 12:30pm at the Pierz Golf Course, lunch starts at noon by the Pierz Lions, music at 12:30 with many events and fundraisers for the Pierz Music Department all are welcome then Monday they will have their senior recognition concerts at the Pierz Healy High School the choir begins at 6:30 and the band then at 7:30pm. Check out the list of events this weekend at fallsradio.com and community calendar.
--A gas leak Wednesday afternoon in St. Cloud led to the evacuation of several nearby homes. According to Fire Chief Matt Love, crews were called out just after 2pm to Cooper Avenue South and Traverse Road. A six inch gas line was ruptured. They coordinated with Xcel Energy to stop the leak. No one was hurt and the gas line was pinched off and secured. Residents were allowed to go back homes within a few hours after the leak was first reported.
--Five roundabouts, four bridge replacements and 150 miles of road surface improvement projects are part of the Crow Wing County Highway Improvement Plan for the next five years. Of the five roundabouts, four are going in this year. The roundabouts are going in at the front gate of Grand View Lodge on County Highway 77. The county is partnering with the city of Nisswa for that project, including about $900,000 of state money to help with costs. The state money also helped advance the project in terms of timing. The finished project may be closer to $1.5 million. Another roundabout will go at Crow Wing County Highway 48 in a partnership with Baxter as the city extends Cypress Drive to connect with Highway 48 via the roundabout. A roundabout also is going in at the intersection of Highway 210 and County Highway 31 in Crosby. The other roundabout this year will be the one at county highways 3 and 11 in Crosslake. The fifth roundabout scheduled for 2024 is at the intersection of county highways 3 and 4 at what has been traditionally called the Y store north of Merrifield. This is only 5 of the road projects of the dozens of others in the work this year and next year for Crow Wing County. Morrison County and City of Little Falls continue with their road projects many that started this past week so please remember to slow down in work zones and use caution in the construction areas when driving through those over the next months.
--The Pierz City Council meets Monday night at 7pm at City Hall.
--There will be an unveiling of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division Association Memorial at Fort Snelling Cemetery Saturday at 11am in south Minneapolis. A 100-year-old WWII Veteran and Red Bull Soldier Donald Halverson will take part in the unveiling of the monument. The event is free and open to the public. This group started a movement to raise awareness on GoFundMe of the members and to erect a monument. The effort raised more $17,000, which was enough for the monument at Fort Snelling National Cemetery as well as another at the State Veterans Cemetery adjacent to Camp Ripley near Little Falls. The 34th Infantry Division Association is an international organization that recognizes membership for those who have served with, under, and alongside the 34th Infantry Division. Halverson enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 with Company G of the 168th Infantry Battalion, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division. As a technical sergeant, he led a platoon of Soldiers from Naples, Italy, to the border of Switzerland. Only 20 years old when he landed, he spent the next three years leading his men through costly, lengthy, but ultimately successful battles. For his efforts, Halverson was awarded the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Unit Badge, and the combat infantryman’s badge, among others.
--Pierz Schools Superintendent George Weber spoke yesterday on KLTF and said this year was exceptional for all involved. He thanked all who have helped this past year in the school district, wished the teams finally getting games in the best of luck as some of the tournaments already start next week. There will be some work done inside the schools and outside on the playground, chemistry lab and other items during the summer which should all be completed by the start of school in the fall. George also wanted to wish Corey Fink the best in his future adventures after leaving the Little Falls Radio family last week and moving to Florida later this year. Weber said if anyone has questions or concerns you can reach him at the school or check out their website.
--Wright County law enforcement officials are investigating a house explosion in Otsego Thursday morning. According to the Wright County Sheriff's Office, the explosion was reported around 8:30am on the 17000 block of 53rd Street NE. Information from first responders indicates that the residence wasn't occupied at the time of the explosion. As local police and fire departments, including those from Rogers, Dayton and Elk River, continue to investigate, several roads in the area were shut down and people are being asked to stay away from the area until the investigation is completed on the explosion.
DEATH NOTICES
--Leslie “Les” Voigt, age 69 of Brainerd.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, becoming breezy, high 65.
TONIGHT= clouds overnight, few showers, low 48.
SATURDAY= cloudy, breezy and cooler, high 57, showers late day.
SUNDAY= showers and T-storms possible, high 66, low near 50.
MONDAY= isolated AM shower, then sunny, high 67, low near 47.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins win 7-3 in 12 innings yesterday to take one game in Chicago. Twins are in Cleveland tonight to start a three game series, pregame tonight at 5:30pm, Saturday at 4:30pm and Sunday starts with Inside Twins at 11:30am on Q92 WYRQ.