NEWS
--At 9:30pm Thursday the Little Falls Fire Department was dispatched to 5200 South Killian Road in Fort Ripley Township on a reported house fire. The caller said the fire appeared to be in the wall and was spreading into the attic. When firefighters arrived on scene, they found the house was filled with smoke and shortly after arrival the fire began venting out a window. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire and had to conduct extensive overhaul due to the fire spreading into the attic. There was extensive damage to the area of the house where the fire originated with heat and smoke damage throughout the rest of the house. There were no injuries to the residents or fire fighters. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the MN State Fire Marshal’s Office but is believed to be accidental. The fire department was on scene for about 4 hours.
--Emergency personnel from throughout Crow Wing County are responding to a multi-vehicle pile-up about noon Friday on Highway 371 near Gull Lake’s Hole-in-the-Day Bay. Emergency personnel battle blinding snow and high winds to help with a 20 vehicle pile up on Highway 371 near Hole-in-the-Day Drive in Nisswa Friday. High winds increased the problems for recovery of the accident victims because of low visibility and extreme cold windshield temperatures.
Responding agencies blocked off the highway and were assessing people involved for injuries. The highway is closed until further notice, officials said. Road and driving conditions were reported as poor late Friday morning. The National Weather Service Thursday reported the potential for snow squalls and dangerous driving conditions with the potential for whiteout conditions with the arrival of the strong wind and gusts Friday afternoon. In all from the pileup three people were taken to a local hospital for what the State Patrol deemed non-serious injuries. There were other spinouts and accidents on Highway 371, Highway 210 and Highway 27 west of Little Falls on Friday. A reminder to slow down in wintry conditions.
--U.S. Congressman Jim Hagedorn has passed away following a battle with kidney cancer. Hagedorn's wife, former state GOP chairperson Jennifer Carnahan, confirmed the congressman's passing on her Facebook page early Friday. He was 59 years old. Hagedorn, who was in the midst of his second term representing the First District in southern Minnesota, first announced he was being treated for Stage 4 kidney cancer in February of 2020. Secretary of State Steve Simon stated Saturday that there will be special election on August 9th for the seat with a Primary to be held May 24th. The winner would only finish the term of Hagedorn and would have to run again in the regular election in November when his term would have ended.
--On Friday, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu sentenced former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter to two years for shooting and killing Daunte Wright. Per Minnesota rules, at least 16 months of that sentence will be served in prison. The rest of the sentence, eight months, will be served on supervised release assuming there are no disciplinary offenses or conditional release violations. Potter already has credit for 58 days served. In December, a jury found Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in connection to the 20-year-old's death during a traffic stop in April 2021 where she mistakenly used her gun instead of a TASER on Wright who was attempting to flee police.
--The Morrison County Sheriff's Office continues to reports of gas drive offs at local stations, scams and theft reports in the area. If you notice suspicious activity please contact their office 320-632-9233.
--Today is President's Day a Federal/National Holiday meaning most government agencies, banks financial institutions, libraries, schools, post offices are closed today. There is no regular mail delivery today. With the weather, please check ahead before venturing out.
--Isaac Schultz announced Friday his campaign for the Minnesota House of Representatives in the newly-created District 10B which includes the southern half of Morrison County, most of Benton County, central Mille Lacs County, and portions of Isanti and Kanabec County. Schultz is the District Director for Congressman Pete Stauber, and has held a number of leadership positions within the Republican Party over the years. Isaac Schultz is a 5th generation resident of this district which his family helped settle over 150 years ago. Schultz works in his family’s small business and is a 3rd generation auctioneer and also a graduate of Upsala High School.
--Crow Wing Composite Squadron is pleased to celebrate the accomplishments of two exceptional cadets. C/Capt Hayden Dodge and C/Capt Abbigail Fritze will be honored for their achievement of earning the Amelia Earhart award in a ceremony at Camp Ripley Memorial Chapel on March 13th at 2pm. Cadet Hayden Dodge joined Civil Air Patrol in April 2017, has served in various roles within his squadron, including Cadet Commander and currently serves as Cadet Aerospace Officer and Cadet Logistics Officer. Cadet Dodge has earned the VFW NCO of the Year award in 2018, the Air Force Association Cadet of the Year award for 2020 and earned his private pilot certificate in 2021. Cadet Dodge is a junior at Pierz Healy High School and plans to become a pilot in the Air Force. Cadet Abbigail Fritze joined Civil Air Patrol in August 2017, has served in various roles within her squadron, including Cadet Safety Officer and currently serves as Cadet Commander. Cadet Fritze earned the VFW NCO of the Year award in 2019, the MNWing Cadet Safety Officer of the Year award for 2020, and the Air Force Sergeants Association NCO of the Year award in 2020. Cadet Fritze is a junior, being home-schooled in Hackensack and plans to attend college.
DEATH NOTICES
--Annella A. Hollermann, age 85 of Little Falls.
--Jeanette Janson, age 95 of Buckman.
--Marian Schlichting, age 79 of Rice.
WEATHER
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6PM TUESDAY
TODAY= snow, heavy at times, windy, high 10, 4-8 inches.
TONIGHT= snow, windy, 1-3 overnight, low around 0.
TUESDAY= more snow and wind, 3-5 inches, high 7, low around -11.
WEDNESDAY= sunny and cold, high 4 above, low around -20.
SPORTS
WRE= Royalton/Upsala defeated Holdingford Saturday 40-23 to win the Section 7A Championship as a team and advance to the state tournament on March 3rd in St. Paul.
BHK= Sauk Rapids-Rice beat Pine City Saturday and will now face the Little Falls Flyers in the playoffs Tuesday 7pm on Q92 WYRQ.
GHK= The Brainerd/Little Falls girls hockey will take on the #1 seed in Class AA Andover in State Quarterfinal play Thursday at 6pm.
MLB= Major League Baseball stated Friday that spring training is delayed due to no bargaining agreement until at least March 5th.
OLY= The United States picked up 25 medals at the Winter Olympics in China which wrapped up Sunday. Norway led all teams with 37.