NEWS
--The Little Falls Radio Cash Cube will be at Pizza Ranch today from 4-6pm during Pizza Ranch's 11th Anniversary celebration. Come and win prizes today in the Cash Cube.
--Pierz High School announced their candidates for homecoming as Queen: Laura Skiba, Ella Kalusche, Kalyn Gritzmacher, Teresa Karst and Sara Loidolt. King: Reese Kapsner, Jack Suska, Luke Girtz, Alex Poster and Ryan Stangl. Coronation is October 1st at 2:45pm.
--Royalton High School has announced the candidates for homecoming queen and king. Coronation is Sunday, September 30th at 6pm at the high school. Queen candidates include Daytona Schultz, Morgan Wagner, Jenna Carlson, Angela Knettel and Jasmine Lodermeier. King candidates in Royalton are Nathan Popp, Jackson Held, Zachary Gottwalt, Jaden Norberg and Damion Theisen. The homecoming parade is set for Friday, October 5th at 5pm before the football game that night at 7pm.
--Though central Minnesota saw some rain and felt the cold winds Thursday, severe storms hit southeastern Minnesota, leaving homes, propane tanks and planes at a municipal airport damaged. Possible tornado touchdowns occurred Thursday in Faribault and Waterville, south of Minneapolis. The Rice County Sheriff's Office said several small planes parked at Faribault Municipal Airport were damaged when high winds tossed them around. The sheriff's office said damage to homes and propane tanks were also reported, but no serious injuries. The National Weather Service Friday confirmed five tornadoes touched down in southern and southeastern Minnesota.
--A St. Cloud manufacturing company evacuated employees Thursday morning after noticing flames at the base of an exhaust fan. At 8:30am the St. Cloud Fire Department responded to a call at the WestRock manufacturing plant in St. Cloud, near Veterans Drive and Minnesota Highway 15. Staff noticed flames at the base of an exhaust fan located on the roof of the WestRock building after the facility lost power for about 10 minutes. The fire originated in a powered vent above a cardboard processing machine. The fire was contained to the vent and did not spread into the building proper. Fire personnel were inspecting the roof of the building and the fan. The estimated loss was believed to be about $5,000. Staff was evacuated and everyone has been accounted for. Authorities confirmed that there were no injuries due to the incident. Employees were back at work within an hour.
--Although Election Day is still about six weeks away, Minnesota voters can cast early ballots which started last Friday. Minnesotans will be able to vote in person at county election offices throughout the state or vote from home by mailing in “no-excuse absentee” ballots. For more information on where to vote absentee contact your local city hall or county government agency. There is a list of political races up for election at the Secretary of State's website.
--A Cokato woman was taken to the hospital after she was hit by a vehicle in Wright County. The incident happened just after noon Thursday on Highway 12 in Cokato. The Minnesota State Patrol says 21-year-old Rebecca Hendrickson, of Dassel, was heading east on Highway 12 when she hit a pedestrian just east of Sunset Avenue. The woman was identified as 59-year old Rebecca Kersey. She was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Wet road conditions were a factor in the accident.
--Upsala High School’s has announced its candidates for queen and king. They include queen candidates Anna Boeckermann, Desiree Dingmann, Caitlyn Douvier, Erica Hollermann and Cheryl Zimmerman. King candidates Dalton Dingmann, Riley Johnson, Jorgan Kiley, Alex Thieschafer and Dylan VanWienen. Homecoming coronation will be September 30th at 2pm at the Upsala High School. The football game at 3:45pm in Upsala followed by the homecoming dance they combine with Swanville with that night.
--27-year old Joshua Vincent Roden of Long Prairie was charged with felony criminal vehicular operation charges in Morrison County District Court. He was also charged with gross misdemeanor third degree DWI charges. The charges stem from a motor vehicle crash in Randall. A vehicle allegedly driven by Roden crashed into the back of a trailer. Roden and a passenger were injured. Roden was airlifted to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale and a search warrant was executed to obtain a sample of his blood. Roden’s blood alcohol content was allegedly .08. If convicted of the felonies, Roden could face up to six years in prison and/or $20,000 in fines.
--State representative Jim Knoblach is dropping out of the District 14B House race amid his daughter's allegations, which he says are not true. His official statement is below: “Our daughter has been estranged from our family for some time. In late 2016 she made some extremely hurtful and untrue accusations on a Facebook post, which was briefly put up and then taken down. These accusations were fully investigated by Sherburne County, dismissed, and the case closed in April 2017. I could fight on for another six weeks to defend my reputation while running for re-election. But this would entail subjecting my wife, son, and elderly parents, as well as my daughter, to six weeks of extreme stress and scrutiny. I’m also not willing to spend six weeks fighting with my daughter in the media. As a result, I feel I have no choice but to effectively end my campaign today so that I can work towards healing my family.” Dan Wolgamott is still running for Knoblach's seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Knoblach's name will still appear on the ballot.
--On Friday night the Ag Department at Pierz Healy High School was awarded a large grant from the Monsanto Corporation, which is earmarked for new welding equipment.
DEATH NOTICES
--Martha Lea Rach, age 90 of Staples.
WEATHER
TODAY= showers likely in afternoon, high 65.
TONIGHT= showers early tonight, cloudy, cooler, low 43.
TUESDAY= mostly cloudy, few showers, high 55, low 42.
WEDNESDAY= sunny skies, high 55, low near 35 with some frost.
SPORTS
VIKINGS= Buffalo beat Vikings 27-6 on Sunday while Washington ousted Green Bay 31-17 meaning both Vikings & Packers are 1-1-1. Vikings are at the Rams in LA Thursday night 7pm on KLTF.
GOPHERS= Maryland rocks Gophers 42-13 on Saturday.
TWINS= Oakland wins on walk off homer Friday in 10 innings to beat Twins 7-6. A wild pitch gave Oakland a walk off win on Saturday over the Twins 3-2. Kyle Gibson helped Twins win Sunday 5-1 to take one of the 3 games over Oakland. The Twins (72-83) are off today.