NEWS
–The coldest air in some time started the New Year on Saturday with temperatures ranging from -25 in Little Falls to -39 in Bemidji and Fergus Falls. Wind Chills of 35-50 below zero were reported in western and northwestern Minnesota. Many vehicles have to be jump started New Years morning and then another cold day on Sunday with air temps around -30 or colder Sunday morning, making slow travel starts Sunday. The other issue was areas of compacted snow, hardened or glazed and that made for very slippery steps outside over the weekend leading to some falls around the are with injuries. Temps will get back into the 20s above zero today and tomorrow before more cold air with temps staying below zero all day and all night beginning Wednesday night and lasting until Sunday before temps crawl just above zero. Winter has arrived in Minnesota again.
–Authorities responded to a two-vehicle crash in St. Wendel Township Wednesday. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call around 2:30pm of a head on crash on County Road 133, near County Road 4. The sheriff’s office says Patience Fleck was heading southwest on County Road 133 when she lost control of her vehicle, spun out and hit another vehicle. The crash then sent the second vehicle into the ditch. Fleck and her three children, along with the driver and passenger of the second vehicle, Karen and Joseph Loehrer, were all treated at the scene and released.
–Two people were shot at the Mall of America on Friday, causing a temporary lockdown of the entire mall. According to the Bloomington Police Department, the two people shot appear to have sustained non life-threatening injuries. Police say the lockdown has been lifted as they’re no longer seeking a suspect inside the mall. During a press conference, authorities say an officer in the area heard one shot fired on the third floor on the north end of the mall. Officials located a man who had been shot in the leg. Police say a second victim, who they believe was a bystander, was “grazed” by the bullet and sustained a minor injury. The mall did reopen as usual on Saturday.
–Officials responded to a small plane crash Saturday afternoon in Forest Lake. According to the Forest Lake Police Department, officers were called shortly after 3pm on a report of a plane crash in a swampy area southeast of the Interstate-38 and Highway 8 intersection. The pilot was the lone occupant in the aircraft and was uninjured, according to police. It’s unclear what led up to the crash but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating.
–Authorities say twin brothers were found dead in a burned home outside Duluth. The bodies of Terry and Jerry Rousse were discovered Saturday in their home in Canosia Township after someone conducting a welfare check on the 68-year-old brothers called police. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office says the cause of their deaths has not been determined. Authorities say there had been a fire inside the home that apparently burned out on its own, but not before causing considerable heat and smoke damages.
–The Little Falls City Council holds their reorganization meeting tonighy at 7:30pm at City Hall Council Chambers. The Little Falls School Board will hold their reorganization meeting today at 5pm a the media center at the Little Falls Community Middle School and the Morrison County Commissioners will hold their start of 2022 reorganization meeting Tuesday at 9am at the government center.
–The trails are open for hiking today through Saturday between Lindbergh State Park, Lindbergh Site and Weyerhauser Museum. The trails are open during daylight hours to take in and enjoy.
–A reminder that school buses are back out after a week plus of students being off for the winter/holiday break. Please use caution around the schools and buses out again this morning and afternoon.
–The Powerball jackpot has climbed over a half-billion dollars after no one won Saturday night’s drawing. The jackpot for Monday’s drawing will be an estimated $522 million with a cash option of $371.5 million, according to the Powerball website. However, there are four new millionaires out there. Tickets sold in Arizona, California, Florida and Maryland matched all five white balls to win the second-tier prize. The ticket sold in Maryland also had the Powerplay to win $2 million. The Powerball has not been won since a lottery player in California won the $699.8 million jackpot back in October. There are now three chances to win the Powerball each week – Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
BETTY WHITE
–Betty White, the comedic actress whose career spanned more than 80 years and who seemed to bring a smile to anyone’s face just by the mention of her name, has died, according to her longtime agent. She was 99 years old and just weeks shy of her 100th birthday (January 17th). White’s two most famous roles were on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the 1970s and “The Golden Girls” between 1985 and 1992. She continued acting into her late 90s and had the #1 downloaded Super Bowl Commercial from “Snickers” in 2010. White’s television career started in 1949, but she starting doing radio jingles, three months after graduating high school in 1939.
DEATH NOTICES
–Franziska “Fran” Pelikan, age 70 of Pierz.
WEATHER
TODAY= partly sunny, warmer, high 21.
TONIGHT= increasing clouds, fog late, low 6 above.
TUESDAY= cloudy skies, snow in afternoon, high 25, low 3 above.
WEDNESDAY= snow early 2-4 total night into day, blustery winds.
SPORTS
VIKINGS= Aaron Rodgers tosses two touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers rolled over the Vikings 37-10 last night at Lambeau Field. With the win Packers clinch home field in the NFC playoffs, and with Philadelphia and San Francisco winning Sunday the Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs now at 7-9. The Vikings host the Bears in the season finale Sunday at noon at U.S. Bank Stadium.
NHL= St. Louis Blues scored 5 goals in the 2nd period to beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Saturday at the Winter Classic at Target Field in Minneapolis. Nearly 40,000 fans battled the cold weather to watch.
COL FB= It will be Alabama and Georgia in the National Championship of College Football on January 10th. Ohio State won the Rose Bowl Saturday 48-45 over Utah. Arkansas beat Penn State in Outback Bowl, Kentucky beat Iowa in the Citrus Bowl, Oklahoma State won Fiesta Bowl and Baylor won Sugar Bowl on New Years Day.
NFL= it comes down to one weekend for playoff clinching and seeding. Yesterday in the AFC Buffalo, New England, Cincinnati and Tennessee clinched playoff spots along with Kansas City the week earlier. Two spots left among many teams. The NFC, Green Bay, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Arizona and Philadelphia are in. There is one spot left between two teams to finish off the NFC.
COL BB= Gophers vs. Illinois Tuesday at 5:30pm on AM960 KLTF.