NEWS --Saturday the hunters will be out as tomorrow begins the Minnesota Firearms Deer Hunting season. Hundreds of thousands of hunters are expected out this weekend and through next week trying to get a deer. A reminder from the DNR to make sure your deer is tagged correctly after being shot and make sure you have the proper license for taking your deer. Please check to make sure the land you are using, if not yours, that you have proper permission to use and let's make this weekend a safe and successful deer hunting season. The Governor's Deer Hunting Opener this weekend is in Grand Rapids.
--The Pierz School District sent out surveys to area residents in late September and early October. Numerous topics were included but the survey focused on a previous referendum that failed and a potential future referendum. There was a 24% response rate. The survey company estimated they can get valid data if there is more than a 12% response rate and this was abnormally higher. There will be a community meeting to discuss the results of the survey next Wednesday at 6:30pm at Pioneer Elementary. Pierz Schools Superintendent George Weber will present information and answer questions from audience members in attendance. Weber spoke on KLTF Thursday about the feedback received from the survey. Its purpose was that the entire community of the school district would have a voice in future plans. All are welcome to the community meeting on Wednesday. The Pierz School District next week has a band concert Monday night and their Veterans Program next Thursday morning at 9:30am at the MAC in Pierz.
--Former Republican candidate for the District 8 Congressional seat, Stewart Mills III announced Wednesday that he will not run for a third time in the race next November. Mills lost by just over 2,000 votes to current DFL Congressman Rick Nolan in 2016 and by a closer margin in the 2014 election. Mills says he has started to focus on other projects in his life and felt that with other candidates already vying for the Republican and DFL nomination, that the time was right to step aside and not to run in 2018.
--An injury crash occurred Thursday afternoon in Benton County. Around 3:15pm 53-year old Scott Farragan of St. Cloud was stopped waiting to merge onto Highway 23 from northbound highway 10 when he was rear ended by a vehicle driven by 22-year old Robertson Kwia of St. Cloud. Farragan was taken to the St. Cloud Hospital for non life threatening injuries while Kwia was not injured.
--On Tuesday the Stearns County Sheriff Office received a number of calls from St. Augusta residents reporting thefts from their vehicles overnight. Numerous items were taken. It is believed that the vehicles were all unlocked. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office is asking people to check their vehicles and see if they are missing any items. If so, report those thefts. They are also asking people to report if they saw any suspicious people or vehicles in the area overnight. Anyone with vehicles parked outside and any outdoor cameras pointed to them are asked to check the video for any suspects going up to vehicles. The thefts in the Emerald Ponds area occurred around 1:30am. This serves as a good reminder for people to not leave valuables in vehicles and lock them up.
--The Little Falls Community High School will present their Veterans Program next Friday at 9am. There will also be a Veterans Program next Friday afternoon at 1:30pm at Mary of Lourdes Middle School, that program will air live on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com.
--More than 40 million fire extinguishers, some on the market for more than four decades, are being recalled because they may not work in an emergency. One death has been linked to problems with the extinguishers made by Kidde. The recall covers 134 models of push-button and plastic-handle extinguishers in the U.S. and Canada made from 1973 through August 15th of this year. Owners should contact Kidde to ask for a free replacement and for instructions on how to return recalled models. Kidde can be reached at (855) 271-0773 or at www.kidde.com . The recalled extinguishers are red, white and silver and are either ABC or BC rated.
--A 14-year-old from Brainerd sustained injuries in a two vehicle accident Thursday on Highway 371 at Green Gables Road around 6:30pm last night. Melissa Rosario was a passenger in one of the vehicles and treated at the Brainerd hospital. Neither driver involved in the accident were injured.
--Four people were injured on Highway 64 north of Motley in Cass County Thursday around 4:00pm. 36-year old Nathan King of Motley was rear ended by a vehicle driven by 24-year old Mathew Sams of Staples which caused King's vehicle to go over the center line and strike another driven by 49-year old Troy Huewe of Elk River. Sams was ejected from the vehicle and airlifted to St. Cloud with serious injuries. Heuwe also sustained injuries that had him flown to St. Cloud for treatment. The first driver King and Huewe's 14-year old passenger had minor injuries in the accident.
--Brainerd police are investigating a threat at the Brainerd High School from Halloween night. Police say skylert messages on social media were sent that threats were made against faculty and the building of the high school that night turned up nothing. Police are ruling the situation a nasty prank. Classes went on as scheduled Wednesday and Thursday. Brainerd police using social media were able to find that two juveniles were behind the prank and have been interviewed by police. Both face charges for their prank.
DEATH NOTICE --Timothy Jay Weyaus, age 47 of Onamia
WEATHER WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY 1PM FRI TO 5AM SAT. TODAY= snow develops after 2pm, becoming cloudy, high 37. TONIGHT= snow, 2-5 inches, low 30. SATURDAY= snow, then rain, some ice possible, high near 40. SAT NITE= rain likely, steady temps around 38. SUNDAY= falling temps, windy, temps fall, rain, then snow. MONDAY= partly sunny and colder, high 29, clear and low 16.
SPORTS HS FB= Moose Lake-Willow River beat Royalton last night 29-15. HS VB= BBE eliminated Royalton 3-1 in volleyball playoffs. HS FB= Holdingford vs. Paynesville in section finals tonight at 7pm at St. Johns University on Q92 WYRQ and fallsradio.com. HS FB= New London-Spicer vs. Pierz in section finals tonight at 8pm at St. Cloud State University on FM94 KFML and fallsradio.com. HS FB= Upsala/Swanville vs. Mayer Lutheran Saturday at 1pm in section finals at St. Cloud State on Q92 WYRQ and fallsradio.com. COL FB= Gophers at Michigan Saturday 5:30pm on AM960 KLTF. NFL= Vikings have this weekend off, face Washington Nov 12th.