NEWS
--U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar became the eighth Democrat to announced their run for the President of the United States in 2020. The Minnesota Senator made her announcement in snowy Boom Island on Sunday afternoon stating she will bring back Midwestern styles to America. She says it's not about money but grit. Her announcement comes one day after Democrat Elizabeth Warren announced she was running for President in 2020 for the DFL party.
--26 Little Falls Community High School DECA Members competed Wednesday with over 500 students from central and northern Minnesota in the District 5 competition. Qualifiers move on to the state competition in Minneapolis March 3-5 with the goal of reaching the International Conference in Orlando in April. State qualifiers for Little Falls include Allie Steinmetz, Jenna Visker, Katie Kurowski, Trinity Roering, Kailey Ginter, Elizabeth Olson, Ava Filippi, Josh Jennings, Adam Tembruell, Aaron Johnson, Gabe Nagel, Dane Couture, Hayden Johnson, Mason Petrowitz, Jon Archer, Mason Dempsey and Max Dempsey. Good luck at state.
--The Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Legislative Update on Friday from 10:30am-12pm at Little Falls City Hall with State Senator Paul Gazelka and State Representative Ron Kresha. The two will hear from the public and give an update on what is happening in the 2019 State Legislature. For more info call 632-5155.
--The Minnesota State Patrol stated that Thursday with the foot of snow and gusty winds and then the cold into Friday it was the worst they have seen on Minnesota roadways in quite some time. Over 560 accidents and nearly 800 vehicles in ditches were reported on Minnesota state highways alone Thursday into early Friday. Nearly 75 of the accidents resulted in some sort of injury to either the driver or the passengers involved. More snow, heavy in spots is in the forecast for the first half of this week so please expect traffic delays again.
--A skid-steer loader parked inside a barn northeast of Sebeka started on fire shortly after 3pm Wednesday. The sheriff's office reported the property owners were able to extinguish the flames with snow prior to the Sebeka Fire Department arriving on scene. Upon the fire department's arrival, the machine started on fire again and was extinguished by the fire department after it was pulled out of the barn. No injuries were reported. The property is owned by Clarence and Renee Tappe.
--Waite Park Police continues to ask for your help in finding a missing teen and her 9-month-old son. 17-year-old Morgan Styke and her son Bobby Spence went missing from Waite Park back in October. Police Chief Dave Bentrud says the last confirmed sighting of Styke was from surveillance video at a store in Mississippi back in November. Bentrud says the 1995 Ford Taurus Styke was driving was found in an impound lot in Missouri several weeks ago and has gone unclaimed. Authorities say there has been no traceable cell phone, social media, credit card activity or family contact in some time. Bentrud says leads on possible sightings have been followed up with authorities in Mississippi, Texas and Washington. The case remains active and police say their main goal is to make sure Styke and her son are safe. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact the Waite Park Police Department at 320-251-3281.
--A reminder from MN Dot to slow down on roadways after a number of spin outs Sunday with another round of snow in areas.
--Representative Ron Kresha, R-Little Falls, was among 76 legislators from the Minnesota House and Senate who sent a bipartisan letter to Governor Tim Walz on Friday, urging him to support the Line 3 replacement pipeline project, and to drop state-backed legal challenges to the unanimous decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to grant the certificate of need for the project. The Minnesota Court of Appeals dismissed appeals from various environmental groups and the Minnesota Department of Commerce. As a result, the Walz administration must decide whether to re-file a petition for reconsideration, toward any potential appeal. That decision must be made by Tuesday.
--A Rice woman was hurt in a car versus school bus crash in Stearns County. The incident happened on Interstate 94 near Melrose just after 3:00pm on Friday. The Minnesota State Patrol says a school bus was going east on Interstate 94 near the Highway 4 exit. It merged from the right lane to the left lane and sideswiped a car that was also going east in the left lane. The car lost control and rolled into the median. The driver of the car, 22-year-old Kathryn Kubat of Rice, was taken to Sauk Centre Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The bus driver, 61-year-old Chrystel Lange of Alberta, and the 12 passengers were not hurt.
--A power strip is to blame for smoke causing an alarm at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency building in Brainerd Wednesday. Firefighters were able find the issue and ventilate the building within one hour. There were no injuries.
--The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a call of a barn fire at 29633 County Road 2 in St. Joseph Township just after 2:30 Friday. The caller, Norbert Walz, 61, of St. Joseph, reported his barn’s hayloft was on fire. Walz was able to get all of the livestock out of the barn. Walz informed deputies he was clearing snow and accidentally struck the breaker box on the barn. This caused sparks which resulted in the fire. The barn sustained massive damage to the roof and hayloft on top of the barn. Then on Saturday around 9am, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a call of a shed fire at 22446 Edgeton Road in Munson Township. The shed contained a camper, a truck, a skid loader and miscellaneous items. The shed belongs to Patrick Roman Burg, 49, and Jennifer Diane Burg, 48, both of Richmond. The shed and its contents are considered a complete loss. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
DEATH NOTICES
--Dorthea J. Jones, 2 month old daughter of Seth & Kayla Jones of LF.
--Louis Wentland, age 90 of Holdingford.
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy skies, high 24, snow by tonight 1-3 inches, low 17.
TUESDAY= snow in morning, 2-4 inches, high 24 them dropping.
WEDNESDAY= sunny skies, colder, high 14, low around -2.
SPORTS
HS GHK= Brainerd/Little Falls opened the playoffs with a 7-0 win Saturday over Moorhead and will host Sartell-St. Stephen in a 2nd round playoff game on Tuesday night at 7pm on Q92 WYRQ.
HS GBB= Kimball at Pierz tonight 7pm on FM94 KFML.
HS BHK= Little Falls at Sartell tonight 6:45pm on Q92 WYRQ.