Newsletter: Monday, July 10th, 2023
NEWS
--One Person was injured in a two-vehicle accident Thursday afternoon at 12:57pm on Highway 10 at 150th Avenue south of Little Falls. A vehicle driven by 19-year-old Shyenne Majeski of Sartell attempted to pass a vehicle and ending up striking it causing Majeski's vehicle to roll into the ditch. Majeski was taken to St. Gabriel's Hospital for non life threatening injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was from Aldrich and was not injured. A third vehicle in attempting to avoid the accident ended up also leaving the road and winding up striking the ditch. That driver and her two children passengers from Kansas were also not injured in the crash.
--A two-vehicle crash involving an ambulance Thursday evening led to injuries for those involved. The Wright County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened at about 6:45pm at the intersection of Eaken Avenue Northeast and Wright County Road 34 in Buffalo Township. Authorities say an Allina ambulance was transporting a patient from an earlier car crash when it collided with an SUV in the intersection. The ambulance was westbound on County Road 34 without emergency lights on and driving at the posted speed limit when the sheriff’s office says the other vehicle pulled out in front of them. The ambulance crew and their patient suffered minor injuries. The driver of the SUV and a passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
--Anthrax has been found in Minnesota cattle for the first time in more than a decade. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health says multiple cattle and a horse were diagnosed in Kittson County. The affected property has been quarantined, but officials are asking producers to make sure their livestock is up to date on anthrax vaccinations, especially in northwest Minnesota. Dr. Katie Cornille oversees the Board’s bovine programs. One of the reasons we don’t see a lot of anthrax cases in the state anymore is because we have proactive measures to protect livestock like vaccinations. With this detection in Kittson County, livestock producers who graze their animals on pasture in and around the county should talk to their veterinarian about vaccinating their animals if they aren’t already. Anthrax is not a risk to people and typically occurs during the summer while livestock is grazing in pastures. The last anthrax outbreak in Minnesota was in 2013, in cattle of Pennington County.
--Things will get even more crazy on St. Cloud’s east side starting on today. The city is closing the intersection at Wilson Avenue and East St. Germain Street from the 10th until Wednesday, July 19th. That is in addition to the work on Highway 23 and Highway 10, which has both of those roads down to one lane in each direction in the area. The intersection closure is part of a much larger project. Crews are redoing Wilson Avenue, including utility and sewer replacements, from Highway 23 north to the railroad crossings near 1st Street Northeast. They are working from south to north with the project scheduled to wrap up in October. More road work is also expected in a number of county roads in St. Cloud through Sauk Rapids and Sartell through the remainder of the summer months.
--Two local students recently received the Astera Health Foundation High School Scholarship. This scholarship was created to support area students pursuing a career in the medical field. Those students include Rayna Udy, Wadena-Deer Creek, nursing, The College of St. Scholastica; and Rebecca Stanley, Verndale, nursing, Crown College.
--Good luck to the golf teams competing at the Little Falls Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing today including team of LF Radio.
--The deaths of a married Pillager couple whose bodies were found at a residence in Sylvan Township have been ruled a murder-suicide, Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk reported Thursday, July 6. The female victim, identified as 63-year-old Vickie O’Brien, died as a result of a gunshot wound determined to be the result of homicide, the sheriff's office reported. The male victim, identified as 64-year-old Terrance O’Brien, died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot. The bodies of the victims were found about 10am June 26 at the residence on Brook Lane Southwest northwest of Pillager after sheriff’s deputies received a call from a family member requesting a welfare check because the couple could not be contacted. The investigation into the deaths was conducted by the sheriff’s department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office. The couple, Terry and Vickie O'Brien, are former residents of Alexandria. In the late 1990s, they owned and operated a petting zoo attraction in Alexandria, "Santa Land," that included reindeer and other animals along with a pet bear and many attractions which included the Giant Swing.
--A 30-year-old Jordan man faces several felony charges for allegedly stealing firearms and clothing Thursday from Tutt’s Bait & Tackle in Garrison. Stefan Arni Egilsson was charged Friday in Crow Wing County District Court with felony first-degree burglary with a dangerous weapon and a prior conviction for a violent crime; felony possession of ammunition or a firearm with a prior conviction for a violent crime; and felony third-degree burglary. The theft on Thursday was on camera and the suspect was identified as Egilsson and his vehicle was located in Mille Lacs County. Egillson has a 2016 conviction for second-degree possession of a controlled substance, a crime of violence. Egilsson’s next court date is on July 16th.
--Authorities have located the parents of a boy found alone Saturday morning. The St. Cloud Police Department found the boy alone on the Veterans Bridge around 10am and asked for the public's help locating his parents. Police say the boy's parents were located Saturday afternoon around 4pm.
DEATH NOTICES
--Thomas J. Workman, age 76 and Sandra K. Workman, age 84 both from Little Falls and also Mesa, Arizona.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, warm and little humid, high 85.
TONIGHT= chance of t-storms late, then clearing, low near 50.
TUESDAY= sunny and cooler, breezy, high 71, low near 55.
WEDNESDAY= rain showers possible, high 76, low near 53.