NEWS
--Little Falls Community Schools announces a Learning Plan transition as it prepares to exit from Distance Learning. Effective Tuesday, November 10, Preschool and Elementary will resume In-Person Learning; Middle School and High School will resume on November 10 in the Hybrid Learning Plan model. This week November 2-5, will still be full Distance Learning. There is no school scheduled for either Friday, November 6, or Monday, November 9. Districts across the state have recently been given much more latitude by the Minnesota Department of Education in determining Learning Plan status based more directly on specific local (school and district) data and metrics. This certainly does not negate the benefit of understanding the COVID landscape outside of our own school walls, but it does provide viable alternatives for school districts that have demonstrated across the state consistently lower rates of COVID impact than their respective towns, cities, and counties have shown. The Little Falls School Board will have a special meeting on Wednesday at 10am to discuss the next step on the learning plan proposed by Superintendent Steve Jones for school to go back to hybrid and elementary in all 5 days starting November 10th.
--The Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce announced their November Employee of the Month is Troy Bellefeuille of West Side Liquor. Troy has been a Retail Sales Representative at West Side Liquor for 11 years. Congratulations to Troy Bellefeuille the Little Falls Chamber of Commerce Employee of the Month for November.
--The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Thursday at approximately 12:04 pm, their office received a report of a one-vehicle rollover on 243rd Street near 285th Avenue, approximately one mile west of Harding, MN in Pulaski Township. According to the Sheriff’s Office, 70-year-old Calvin Faircloth from Milaca was traveling east on 243rd Street. Faircloth went off the road, hit a road approach and the vehicle rolled. Faircloth was transported to St. Cloud Hospital by North Air Care with unknown injuries.
--Royalton Schools announced they have received word of 1 confirmed case of COVID-19 at the High School and then another case of COVID-19 affecting the elementary school. The school has worked to get in contact with those who may have had contract with the individual that tested positive and state that the risk factor for those in the schools is the same if the they have been in contact with the that person outside of the school at other gatherings or events. Royalton School Superintendent Jon Phelps stated Friday that Grades 4 through 12 went to hybrid learning last week with Pre-K through 3rd grade still in class 5 days a week. Childcare is being provided and you can contact the school for more information and also you can contact Anthony Newman at the school on latest COVID-19 information.
--The Pierz Area Commerical Club at their October meeting announced they have cancelled this years St. Nick Night event in Pierz due to COVID-19 restrictions for the first Wednesday in December. The green stamp card promotions will still go on for area businesses to help with some holiday cheer for prizes.
--Morrison County website numbers on Friday show 856 total cases of COVID-19, 250 active cases, 41 hospitalized, 127 in Little Falls zip code, 36 Pierz, Royalton 29, Motley 18, Swanville 11, the rest of the zip codes were under 10 cases as of Friday's report. Morrison County showed 23 new cases Friday, 23 Saturday and 28 new cases Sunday on the State Website. Sunday 2,217 new cases, 18 new deaths.
--Morrison County Auditor/Treasurer Chelsey Robinson stated Friday that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has overruled the state approved consent decree extending the deadline for submitting an absentee and mail ballots. The consent decree changed the deadline from requiring absentee and mail ballots to be received by Election Day to being postmarked on or before election day where all others after that would be placed asaide and many not be counted. Voters should no longer place their absentee ballot in the mail. Instead, voters have several options to ensure their vote is counted in the November general election: Voters who have already put their ballot in the mail can track their ballot at mnvotes.org/track. If their ballot has not yet been received the voter can vote inperson in either by absentee, or at their polling place on Election Day. Voters can deliver their ballots to their county election office by hand (or have someone they trust hand-deliver it for them). Voters can cast their vote in person with an absentee ballot at the Morrison County Auditor-Treasurers office through the end of business hours today. Voters can cast their votes in person on Election Day at their voting places still if they have open voting poll booths. All mail ballot precincts have a polling place on Election Day. The Morrison County Auditor Treasurers Office is the County Election Office. Morrison County Auditor-Treasurers Office is open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for mail ballot precinct voters.
--Little Falls Township is an open polling place on election day, November 3rd, 2020 from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. With the current health pandemic and the goal of Little Falls Township to protect voters and election judges, Voters are required to wear face coverings, if medically able and practice social distancing of six feet or more, which will be marked on the floor. Election judges will sanitize the poll pads and voting booths frequently. Voters are encouraged to bring their own black ink pen. Any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact 320-232-9554.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
--Legendary actor Sean Connery has died. Connery was James Bond in the first Bond film Dr. No in 1962 and many more. He was 90.
DEATH NOTICES
--Leonard J. Boser, age 80 of Pierz.
--Lorraine B. Barthel, age 92 of Swanville.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, high 52, clear night, low 36.
TUESDAY= sunny and warmer, high 63, clear night, low 42.
WEDNESDAY= sunny and mild, high 62, mild night, low 47.
SPORTS
VIKINGS= Dalvin Cook scored 4 touchdowns first Vikings since Ahmad Rashad in 1979 to do in one game, as Vikings hold off Green Bay Packers 28-22 Sunday. Vikings are now 2-5 on the season.
COL FB= Maryland beat the Gophers 45-44 in overtime after Gophers missed an extra point in overtime. Gophers are 0-2 and will take on Illinois on Saturday, kickoff 2:30pm on AM960 KLTF.
HS FB= Pierz beat Minnewaska 14-6 Friday, KMS 12-8 win over USA, Foley and Staples Motley lost, Pillager won, Little Falls no game due to distance learning and the Holdingford/Royalton game cancelled but Royalton got a game Saturday and lost to Breckinridge 41-8.