NEWS
--The warmer air this week with temps in the 70s in central Minnesota and in the 80s near the Twin Cities have broke records for warmth day and night but has also brought flooding concerns. In the past days, flood advisories watches and warnings are now in effect including Stillwater where water could be 10 feet over flood stage. Flood warnings are now in effect for a number of waterways in the southern two/thirds of the state including parts of Todd County, Crow Wing and Cass County. The northern part of the state still has a lot of snow pack but as it dwindles that will also cause issues long the lakes and rivers that flow slow into the already heavy waters in the state. Even the Mississippi River in Little Falls shows large areas of open water then reached snow and ice that is beginning to jam in areas that also could cause some issues now that rain and even a little more snow could fall Friday into Sunday. The DNR, law enforcement and others are asking those to please use caution near and around the rivers at this time and if you live along the river remember to keep eyes on the river if it rises over its banks.
–A kayaker who capsized on the Sauk River in St. Cloud had to be rescued. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says the man flipped his boat between Highway 15 and Heim’s Mill. The overturned kayaker was helped out of the water by a passerby. The victim told officials that he couldn’t find his son, who had been with him in a separate vessel. The sheriff’s office called the St. Cloud Fire Department, the police department, and the Department of Natural Resources to help find the missing kayaker. The missing son was found safe in his kayak as he approached the Heim’s Mill landing. The two were then reunited. The fire department recovered the capsized kayak. The incident happened on Saturday around 5:30pm.
--The St. Cloud Fire Department responded to a house fire Tuesday night. The incident happened around 5:30pm in the 1500 block of 34th Avenue North. Fire crews arrived to find smoke coming from inside the house. The fire was contained to a single room and was extinguished. Authorities say the fire caused roughly 120,000 dollars in damage and no one was hurt. The fire is under investigation by the fire marshal's office.
--If you normally travel on Highway 25 into the Brainerd area north of Pierz, a detour starts on Monday as the Minnesota Department of Transportation replaces a bridge of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway line. The $6.4 million project will replace the Highway 25 bridge over the railroad tracks between 10th Avenue Northeast and Red Pine Road toward Brainerd. They are also adding a pedestrian multi-use trail to the west side of Highway 25. This detour is expected to be in place until the late fall of year.
--A car crash near Melrose Friday night left a passenger trapped in the vehicle. At 11:48pm last Friday, Stearns County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at a single-car crash about ten miles Northeast of Melrose in the 31200 block of Birch Valley Road. The crash report says the car, a 2001 Buick Park Avenue, was driving Northwest on Birch Valley Road when it left the road and crashed into a tree. Authorities found the driver, 21-year-old Daniel Kapsner of Melrose, outside the car with no injuries, but his passenger, 20-year-old Jake Jurek of St. Cloud, was trapped inside the car with a serious injury to his leg. Melrose Fire Department extricated Jurek and he was sent to the Melrose Hospital. Both men were wearing their seatbelts, and alcohol is being investigated as a factor in the crash.
--Recently an effort is underway to save the AM dial on your vehicle's dashboard like those who listen to AM960 KLTF. The Minnesota Association of Broadcasters says AM radio is slowly being removed from the dashboards of some new models. Ford just disclosed last month it is phasing out AM dials on its new models. Because of this the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations has launched an effort to slow or stop the removal. The group believes, as does AM stations including KLTF that the auto manufacturers should understand that drivers really want to make sure that consumers have access to very important information that AM can deliver in times of crisis. An education campaign has started, surveys have been sent out and they are also asking congress to step in on this. While many AM radio stations have FM translators now, that signal doesn't go as far as the AM signal. There are also online streaming options, but they may not be reliable in a disaster. And in times of an emergency AM stations can be a lifeline to the community. The Broadcasters Association stated there are over 40 million AM listeners nationwide each week. You can reach out to their members of Congress and tell them you want to help save AM radio on the vehicle dashboards and of course Thank You for Listening to AM960.
--An update from a story yesterday that the murder for hire suspect in Todd County has now been formally charged allegedly trying to hire a hitman in a murder-for-hire scheme. 38-year-old Robert Thomas of Grey Eagle according to the report had paid a hitman about $10,000 to have a family member killed over a year ago. Allegedly the murder-for-hire almost happened in the summer of 2021 but the would-be assassin left the home without shooting the targeted family member. It was reported then on April 6th a meeting was made and the BCA arranged to record the meeting for another paid for hire to murder the same person took place. The agreed-upon price for the murder was to be $50,000. The undercover agent gave Thomas his phone number and said he'd give him until Monday to call it off. He did not. Thomas was arrested on Monday morning. He has been charged with one count of 1st Degree Premeditated Conspiracy to Commit Murder.
--Mark your calendars for the Greater Minnesota 2 Cylinder Club Field Days event coming May 5th and 6th to the Morrison County Fairgrounds. This year a change as the event will be on a Friday and Saturday this year. Gates open at 7:30am at the Fairgrounds both mornings. If you need info on the event call or Lee at 320-249-0331.
DEATH NOTICES
--Paul “Bunka” R. Nienaber, age 84 of Little Falls.
--Robert “Bobby” J. Erdrich, age 66 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny and mild, high 74.
TONIGHT= breezy conditions, partly cloudy, low 55.
FRIDAY= sunny and breezy, high 72, showers & t-storms late day.
SATURDAY= showers, early T-storms, cooler, windy, high 47, low 29.
SUNDAY= snow showers at times, breezy, colder, high near 40.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins win 3-1 over White Sox Wednesday winning the series over Chicago. Twins open a series at New York tonight against the Yankees, pregame at 5:30pm on Q92 WYRQ.