NEWS
--A Pierz business owner has pleaded guilty to tax evasion in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. 38-year-old Jeffrey Lawrence Kloss pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, Kloss owned and operated a tree trimming business in Pierz from January of 2014 through at least December of 2017 where Kloss cashed checks from customers payable to his tree trimming business and failed to include those funds as business income on his federal income tax returns. Kloss failed to report a total of approximately $467,555 in income for calendar years 2014 through 2017. As a result, Kloss evaded paying about $152,923 in federal income taxes for calendar years 2014 through 2017. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the criminal investigation division of the IRS. Sentencing for Kloss is still being set following his guilty plea.
--Customers of Minnesota Power are reporting an unusually high number of scam phone calls in which the caller poses as a Minnesota Power representative and demands customers use a credit or debit card to pay their bill immediately or have their power disconnected. Minnesota Power does not call customers to request payment, and does not ask for credit or debit account numbers or threaten disconnection over the phone. Any customers receiving such a call should not provide card numbers or their Minnesota Power account number. They should instead hang up and contact Minnesota Power at (800) 228-4966 if they have concerns. Customers also can report the calls and the numbers the calls came from to their local police department. To avoid any phone scam, the Federal Trade Commission recommends people ignore calls from toll-free numbers they are not familiar with and block them if possible.
--A truck driver was killed in a crash on Interstate 94 near Melrose.
The Minnesota State Patrol says the crash happened just after 8:30pm Thursday. The 61-year-old driver from Albia, Iowa was going east when the truck went off the road and into the median. Troopers say he was not wearing his seatbelt. 61-year-old Brad Patton from Albia, Iowa died at the scene, he was not wearing a seatbelt.
--A Stearns County judge has sentenced a St. Cloud man to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to trafficking a woman for sex in the St. Cloud area. 30-year-old Jamar Overton gets credit for already serving just over two years in jail. Overton pleaded guilty in August to engaging in sex trafficking and receiving profits from prostitution. The crimes date back to the spring of 2017 when he was trafficking the woman for sex. Overton also pleaded guilty to assaulting a corrections officer while being held in the Stearns County Jail on those charges. Overton was also charged with trafficking a woman while he was in jail so he could get bail money. Court records show he bought the woman a plane ticket to Florida in August 2017 so she could work as a prostitute and send the money to Overton. According to the criminal complaint, the woman died of an overdose while in Florida. Those charges have since been dismissed.
--A two vehicle accident near Miltona in Douglas County injured two people Friday morning. Just before 10am, 65-year-old Debra Weber of Eagle Bend was on Highway 29 at County Road 5 when she reportedly failed to yield to an oncoming semi-truck and they collided. Weber was taken to an area hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. The semi driver 66-year-old Donald Bierschbach of Avon was treated for injuries at the scene and not hospitalized.
MORE NEWS
--The Morrison County Sheriffs Office will be hosting a number of Internet Safety and Sex Trafficking information talks in October. The events will be with Jason Thompson of the Waite Park Police Department to share his knowledge on sex trafficking and internet safety to parents and kids in rural Minnesota. The events are free and will be on October 7th 6-8pm at the Holy Trinity School Gym in Pierz, October 21st from 6-8pm at the Falls Ballroom in Little Falls and October 28th from 7-9pm at the Swanville School Auditorium. There will a registration box for prizes and lots of information on the topics. If you have questions or further information needed call 632-9233.
--Bishop John Francis Kinney, bishop emeritus of St. Cloud, died this morning at Quiet Oaks Hospice in St. Augusta at the age of 82. Bishop Kinney headed the Diocese of St. Cloud from 1995 until his retirement in 2013. He was ordained to the priesthood on February 2, 1963, at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Bishop Kinney served in several positions in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, including nine years as chancellor. On November 16, 1976, Pope Paul VI named him an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese. Archbishop John Roach of St. Paul and Minneapolis ordained him a bishop January 25, 1977. Bishop Kinney served as Auxiliary Bishop from 1977 to 1982. On June 28, 1982, Pope John Paul II named him the Bishop of Bismarck, North Dakota. He was installed on August 23, 1982. On May 9, 1995, Pope John Paul II named him the eighth bishop of St. Cloud. He was installed on July 6, 1995. Current Bishop Donald Kettler called Bishop Emeritus Kinney, "A kind and gracious pastoral leader," adding, "He was a strong defender of the dignity of every human being, and his love for the Church was evident both in his public ministry and personal life. May our Father in heaven now receive him warmly into his arms." Bishop Kettler succeeded Kinney and was installed in 2013.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
--Jacob and Menna Johnson of Grey Eagle, a girl born Sept 25th.
WEATHER
TODAY= heavy rains early, strong storms possible late day, high 77.
TONIGHT= rain ending, clearing and cooler, low 48.
TUESDAY= cloudy, breezy, rain showers, high 56, low near 40.
WEDNESDAY= partly sunny, high 52, low 36, some frost late night.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins win a rain shortened game at Kansas City on Friday night 6-2 for their 100th win of the season. Nelson Cruz hits a go ahead homerun in the 8th inning as the Twins win 4-3 Saturday. Twins hit 3 more homers Sunday to end with 307 a MLB record, but Kansas City wins in a walk-off in the 9th inning 5-4 to end the regular season for the Twins at 101-61, 2nd best record all time.
GOPHERS= Quarterback Tanner Morgan sets a Big 10 record Saturday with a 95.5% completion rating in a 38-31 win over Purdue. The Gophers are 4-0 and host Illinois for Homecoming Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium with kickoff at 2:30pm on AM960 KLTF.
MLB= The Twins will open the playoffs Friday against the New York Yankees on the road, with games at NY then Saturday, in Minnesota next Monday and if necessary next Tuesday with Game 5 if necessary in New York on October 10th. Hear all the action live on Q92 WYRQ.
NFL= Chicago Bears defeated Minnesota Vikings 16-6 on Sunday in a game of powerful defense play. Vikings 2-2 have NY Giants Sunday.