NEWS
--The Little Falls Flyers Baseball team learned Saturday that they will be the fourth of four games on Thursday at the Class AAA State Tournament at Siebert Field in Minneapolis on the campus of University of Minnesota. The Flyers will take on the 3-seed St. Thomas Academy at approximately 5:30pm (again 4th game of day so could be later depending on outcomes of earlier games). Win they would play around 2:30pm (2nd game of day) at Siebert Field, if they end up in consolation the game is at 10am Friday at Northwestern College. The Championships are June 20th at Target Field. There is a fan bus being set up for the game, contact or stop in to the Little Falls Activities Office today to get signed up for the bus on Thursday or call 616-2206. The game will be heard Thursday on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com. Another area team, Foley Falcons will play the fourth game on Thursday around 5:30pm vs. St. Peter in St. Cloud in the Class AA State Tournament. Good luck to the area teams.
--The Stearns County Sheriff's Office and St. Cloud Police Department are asking for the public's help to identify a body recovered from the Mississippi River. Authorities say they received a call around 8:30pm. on Wednesday from a kayaker who had spotted what appeared to be a body on the west bank of the river, north of the St. Cloud Water Treatment Plant. Deputies and officers retrieved the body of a man from the water. He is described as either white or native american, between the ages of 19 and 39, 5-foot-six, and around 150 pounds with no marks or tattoos on the body. Authorities say a small campsite was located nearby but do not know if it belonged to the man. They also say he was wearing a white or gray t-shirt with green stripes, tan jean shorts with stitching on the back pockets, and black socks and appeared to have been in the water for some time. If you have any information you are asked to contact the sheriff's office at 320-251-4240.
--A Wadena County Fair Board member stumbled upon a dead body inside the Wadena County Fairgrounds ticket booth Thursday night. Fair board member Darin Lehmann said he was mowing grass near the grandstands when he passed the booth and could smell a strong odor at about 6pm Thursday. Lehmann said the door to the booth was locked but when he peeked into the window he discovered a man naked and apparently deceased. The body was sent to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Foul play is not suspected, according to the sheriff's office, and the name is being withheld pending notification of family members.
--An Amber Alert Friday ended with two children found safe and a man in custody. The Alert was sounded at 8:20am Friday that 25-year-old Jeffrey Lo had taken his estranged 1 and 3 year daughters from mother that morning, after assaulting her and pushing her out of her minivan. The woman was helped from passerbys at the scene. After the alert was sounded a few hours later authorities were informed that Lo was seen walking with his children near an elementary school. The school was locked-down (no students just faculty) as authorities closed in and arrested Lo without incident. The children were checked out a medical facility but seemed fine.
--Listen to Little Falls Radio this week at 8:25am for the Mid Minnesota Federal Credit Union Dam Festival Medallion Hunt Clues to win $500 cash from MMFCU. Clues read each day until found this week. The Dam Festival is this Friday and Saturday in Little Falls.
--A Third man involved in the killing of a Sauk Rapids man has been sentenced. Twenty-one-year-old Willie White has been sentenced to 32 years and 8-months in prison. A Benton County jury found White guilty of 2nd-degree intentional murder, 2nd-degree murder committed during a felony assault, 1st-degree assault with a deadly weapon and 2nd-degree arson. A second defendant, 38-year-old Vance Laster pleaded guilty to a charge of aiding an offender and being an accessory after the fact. He was sentenced to 13 years behind bars. The third man, 27-year-old Nokomis Jefferson was given a stayed sentence and was acquitted on being an accomplice on all counts except 2nd-degree arson. The men were charged in the shooting death of 25-year-old Joe Ditthideth and wounding 29-year-old Nathan Phrachomphonh, then torching Ditthideth's car.
--A high-speed chase in St. Cloud early Wednesday morning has led to a handful of felony charges against a Sauk Rapids man. Police were on patrol around 1:30am when they spotted a car matching the description of a car reported stolen in Sauk Rapids. When the driver, 31-year-old Shawn Iees, spotted the officers pull up behind him, records show Iees took off at a high rate of speed, turned on to 37th Avenue North, then on to Division Street and ran a red light to head south on Highway 15. According to the criminal complaint filed in Stearns County, Iees then headed south along Highway 15 in the northbound lane for about a quarter of a mile before entering the median and crossing over to the southbound lanes. The car reached speeds of more than 100 miles-per-hour before exiting at 33rd Street South and Granite View Road. Records show Iees stopped on Granite View Road to avoid a maneuver by police to spin him out. The car ultimately got stuck in the wet grass. Police say Iees ignored commands and tried to escape through the passenger door. Despite being tased, Iees continued to refuse cooperation and several officers were needed to subdue him. After his arrest, police searched the car and found more than 13 grams of methamphetamine inside. Iees is charged with 3rd-degree drug possession, car theft, and fleeing police. Iees has a lengthy criminal history in Stearns County including drugs, assault, and weapons.
--The Pierz City Council meets tonight at 7pm at Pierz City Hall.
DEATH NOTICES
--Robert E. Schmidtz, age 54 of Pierz/Lastrup area.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny early, later afternoon shower possible, high 72.
TONIGHT= showers in evening, clearing late, low 45.
TUESDAY= partial sun, high 74, midday and late day storms possible.
WEDNESDAY= isolated AM showers, then cool, high 63, low near 40.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins beat Detroit Friday night 6-3. Tigers beat up the Twins on Saturday winning 9-3. Twins pound Tigers with four homers Sunday to win 12-2. The Twins (43-21) have today off.
LYNX= The Minnesota Lynx retired Lindsay Whalen's number 13 on Saturday before the game with LA Sparks. The Lynx battled back from a double-digit deficit but lost 89-85 to LA Saturday, now 4-2.
TRACK= Congratulations to Pierz's Mathias Algarin finishing 1st in Triple Jump and 2nd in Long Jump. Mathias was also in 2 other events other competed from Pierz, Little Falls and Royalton. Congrats to all.