NEWS
--Crow Wing County Sheriff Scott Goddard would like to inform the public that missing person, 34-year old Jenna Bartylla, has been located. Jenna was found deceased early Friday morning in a wooded area not far from where she was reportedly last seen by witnesses. Early Friday morning, Sheriff’s deputies and members of the Crow Wing County Drone Team organized a search of the area. Shortly after starting the search, the body of Jenna Bartylla was located by the Drone Team. Deputies secured the area and are processing the scene. Sheriff Scott Goddard says, “At this point, we have no indication of foul play. However, we are not done processing the scene. Currently my investigators are still trying to locate witnesses in this case.” “This is not the outcome we had hoped for in this case. Our prayers and thoughts are with Jenna’s family and friends”.
--The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Friday afternoon around 12:20 they received a call about a male subject in a vehicle attempting to ram other vehicles at Trails Edge Gas Station south of Buckman. The Sheriff’s Office was advised that the male subject had a knife in his hands and at one point got out of his vehicle and ran towards a customer. Morrison County Deputies responded to Trails Edge Gas Station and located the vehicle involved. When the deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspect led officers on a five-mile pursuit traveling north on Highway 25 ending south of Genola. According to the Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Joseph Dax of Spring Lake Park was arrested and is being held in Morrison County Jail pending formal charges. This is still an active investigation. The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for their help. If you were at the Trails Edge Gas Station during this incident and witnessed anything but have not talked to a law enforcement officer, please call the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office at 320-632-9233 and ask to speak with a deputy/
--A husband and wife were found deceased Tuesday in a vehicle partially submerged in water in Lakeside Township in Aitkin County. The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 9:50am of a rollover vehicle in a ditch in Lakeside Township, north of Isle. The caller reported two occupants in the vehicle and it was upside down and partially submerged in water. Lakeside Township is situated along the east shore of Mille Lacs Lake on the northerly portion of the lake. Upon arrival, first responders confirmed two occupants were inside the vehicle and were deceased. They are identified as Paul and Teresa Debreto of Isle. The victims were transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s office whose provisional finding is the couple died of probable hypothermia.
--A Milaca woman was hurt in a crash east of St. Cloud. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened just after 7pm Thursday on Highway 23 in Minden Township. A truck driven by 31-year old Brian Ovsak of Braham was going west while an SUV driven by 56-year old Victoria Johnson of Milaca was going east. Troopers say the truck tried to make a left turn onto County Road 8 and the two-vehicles collided. Johnson was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Ovsak and his passenger were not hurt.
--The Little Falls School Board meets at 5pm today at the Middle School Media Center. They will receive a presentation on the Math and Personalized Learning methods being done and take action on the 2020-2021 budget assumptions.
--Pierz City Council meets tonight at 7pm at Pierz City Hall.
--Benton County celebrated a big anniversary back on January 7th. That is when the county turned 170 years old. When the state turned into a territory there were only nine counties, including Benton. There was only nine the counties and they were much larger than they are today. The original Benton County encompassed part of what we now know as Crow Wing, Aitkin, Morrison, Mille Lacs, and Sherburne counties. The county is named for Thomas Benton who was instrumental in the land purchase for Minnesota to be a state.
--The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announces that water levels on each of the Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Erie, Huron and Ontario) started 2020 higher than they started 2019, a year where many record high water levels were set across the lakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urges those impacted by the high water levels of 2019 to prepare for similar levels again in 2020. The most recent six-month forecast of Great Lakes water levels shows water levels continuing to be well above average over this period. Unlike last year, lakes Michigan and Huron are forecast to reach record high levels this year. Many natural factors are to be the cause for the higher water but the biggest is the wet winter across the great lakes bringing snow, rain, ice and wind.
--A St. Cloud woman has been given a stayed sentence of six years in prison after admitting to selling heroin to an undercover informant twice in July 2018. 32-year old Lacy Aronson will also serve 300 days of work release through the Stearns County Jail. Aronson pleaded guilty to two counts of 1st-degree drug sales in October. Members of the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force began investigating the wholesale distribution of heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine by the Black P-Stone gang in 2018. Several undercover buys and a home search led to the arrest of 27-year old Jevonte Burson, Aronson and 26-year old Lakeya Johnson. Burson's case is still moving through the court system and charges against Johnson have been dismissed.
NATIONAL NEWS
--The United States added 145,000 jobs in December as the unemployment rate remained at 3.5%. Friday's report from the Department of Labor showed gains in retail and health care, while mining jobs slipped.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
--Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart died Friday at age 67.
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy skies, high 27.
TONIGHT= snow showers before midnight, 1-3 inches, temps steady.
TUESDAY= cloudy early, clearing and windy late, temps fall all day.
WEDNESDAY= light snow showers, high 12, low around -10.
SPORTS
NFL= San Francisco ended the Vikings season Saturday 27-10 as the 49ers used up most of the clock and sacked Kirk Cousins 6 times in their victory. Tennessee upset the #1 seed in the AFC Saturday night as they beat the Baltimore Ravens 28-12. On Sunday, Kansas City down 24-0 early came back to beat Houston 51-31 to host the AFC Title game this Sunday while Green Bay held on to beat Seattle who came on late 28-23. It is Tennessee at Kansas City Sunday at 2pm followed by Green Bay at San Francisco at 5:40pm on KLTF.