NEWS
--The Pierz School District is asking voters to approve an $18.45 million bond referendum on Monday, May 22nd. Referendum Public Meetings will be held at 7:30pm on Monday, April 17th in the Pierz High School Choir Room; 7:30pm on Tuesday, April 18th in the Harding Community Center; 7:30pm on Thursday, April 20th in the Buckman City Hall and at 7:00pm on Monday, April 24th in the Lastrup Town Hall. Absentee voting continues weekdays at Pierz Healy High School in the district office leading up to the election. For more information call Pierz Public Schools at 468-6458.
--The search for a missing Alexandria man is over. Alexandria police say a dive team located the body of 32-year-old Ryan Johnson about 10:00am Wednesday in the waters of Lake Agnes. His body will be transported to the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Anoka County for further examination. Johnson was reported missing Saturday by his family, who said they had not seen nor heard from him since Thursday. Alexandria police said he was last seen by a friend at a bar on Saturday night. Alexandria Police and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office began an active search for him. Officers on Sunday discovered evidence that Johnson may have ended up in the waters of Lake Agnes or Lake Henry.
--A Watkins home was left damaged after a fire broke out Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters were called shortly before 3:00pm on Tuesday to a home in the 600 block of Veterans Drive. A resident heard the smoke alarm going off and found a fire in the home. The cause of the fire is believed to be electrical. The residence's living room received heavy damage. No one was injured during the incident.
--The Cold Spring City Council unanimously approved making a conditional offer to Jason Blum to serve as police chief. Blum currently serves as the interim police chief after the resignation of Chris Boucher. Blum was one of three candidates considered by a hiring committee. The committee made a recommendation to the council at its Monday night meeting. The other candidates included Jeremy Reed, of the New Ulm Police Department, and Jason LaSart, of the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office.
--A former Monticello man accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing a Watkins girl was due in a Cass County courtroom Wednesday to ask a judge to dismiss murder charges against him, suppress evidence gathered during the investigation or move his trial. 26-year-old Zachary Todd Anderson is charged with murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in the death of 5-year-old Alayna Jeanne Ertl. She was taken from her Watkins home in August and found later the same day in a swamp near Anderson's family cabin in Cass County. An autopsy determined that Ertl died from strangulation and other evidence of blunt force trauma to her head. Anderson was scheduled in court in February to argue the same motions, but that hearing was rescheduled.
--The Crow Wing County Land Services Department released its 2016 recycling report showing total recycling in the county remained over 50%, exceeding the state standard by 15%. Overall, nearly 49,000 tons of material was recycled through the county recycling program last year. In 2016, commercial recycling represented 88% of all county recycling. Residential recycling represented 9% of total recycling. Materials such as appliances, scrap metal, electronics and tires accounted for the remaining 3% of total recycling.
--Camp Ripley will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Minnesota Power and the Minnesota National Guard at 10:30am today at the solar array observation platform on Camp Ripley. A partnership between Minnesota Power and the Minnesota National Guard has produced a solar array at Camp Ripley in Morrison County that boosts clean energy production for Minnesota Power customers and provides energy security for Camp Ripley. The $25 million, 10-megawatt solar farm covers more than 60 acres of the Camp Ripley cantonment area, making it the largest solar farm in Minnesota and one of the largest on any National Guard installation in the United States. Last September, a ceremony was to take place but the night before a tornado struck the area causing significant damage to areas in Camp Ripley including the solar panel area. The solar array helps the Minnesota National Guard meet energy security and renewable energy goals at Camp Ripley while providing Minnesota Power with one-third of the electricity needed to meet the Minnesota Solar Energy Standard.
--Soldiers of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division wrapped up a week-long rail load operation Sunday at Camp Ripley in preparation for several international training exercises. Vehicle crewmen from the 2nd Combined Arms Battalion-136th Infantry based in Moorhead, worked with railroad personnel to stage, load and secure their equipment in preparation for movement. The Minnesota National Guard teams worked to load and secure each vehicle used by the units taking part in the exercise. Each vehicle ranging from tanks, armored vehicles and trucks were secured to flatbed cars. Equipment for the unit was also loaded into packed CONEX boxes and loaded onto the train for shipment. The U.S. Army Europe-led Operation Saber Strike is an international training exercise that aims to strengthen interoperability among allied countries. This June, staff members of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team will travel to Latvia alongside the troops of the 2nd Combined Arms Battalion 136th Infantry to take part in the multi-national training event. The exercise will test brigade-level command post operations, as well as provide company level situational and field training.
DEATH NOTICES
--Ruth Ann Monson, age 65 of Brainerd.
WEATHER
TODAY= mostly cloudy, high near 60.
TONIGHT= cloudy, late night showers, low 45.
FRIDAY= showers early and then showers and T-storms develop in the afternoon, high 61, more storms in evening, low near 50.
SATURDAY= showers at times, cloudy, high 64, low 40.
EASTER= sunny and breezy, cooler, high 51, low around 35.
SPORTS
WILD= St. Louis Blues beat Minnesota Wild 2-1 in overtime to take game 1 of the NHL playoff series. Game 2 in St. Paul is Friday night.
TWINS= Minnesota scored three early runs but 5 runs by the Tigers in the 4th inning lifted Detroit to a 5-3 win. Twins (5-3) try to salvage one in Detroit today with pregame at 11:30am on WYRQ
NBA= Houston beat Wolves in season finale. Wolves finish 31-51.
LOCAL= Royalton at Pierz baseball. First pitch at 4:30pm with pregame coverage starting at 4:10pm on FM94