NEWS
--Staples-Motley area residents rejected a bond referendum Tuesday that would have allowed the school district to invest $64.4 million in renovations and expansions to the middle/high school and elementary school. The referendum was proposed by the Staples-Motley School Board to address aging infrastructure at the schools, modernize classroom and technical education spaces and improve accessibility and building security. Unofficial final vote totals stood at 910 in favor of approval, and 1,555 against.
--The Royalton School Board has voted to select Kristine Wehrkamp, executive director of community education and high school activities director supervisor, Robbinsdale, as the district’s new superintendent. The School Board will be conducting contract negotiations with Wehrkamp and a contract is expected to be approved by the School Board at the next school board meeting. The pending start date for Wehrkamp will be July 1. She will replace outgoing Royalton School Superintendent Jon Phelps.
--Pierz School Superindent George Weber wanted to make clear that there will be no school for both Pioneer Elementary and Pierz Healy High School on Friday. This is from the orders from the Department of Education and the state that they have to give an amount of time to have staff have time to work on getting items together for students also on distance learning as in the classrooms. Weber said that right now there will be no changes to the school learning plan for the remainder of the year unless the state changes their recommendations of letting schools make that decision for now. Weber did state that the governor and education board are working on some guidelines for graduations to be held later this year, right now graduation is planned in Pierz in late May in the MAC but that could change if seating restrictions remain in place and Weber said the plan would be to live-stream the graduation if large gatherings are restricted like they have done with other activities and athletics events via their u-tube and school website. Questions to the school or superintendent Weber can be made at 468-6458.
--A California man charged with felony drug possession after a traffic stop in Waite Park has pleaded guilty. Police made a traffic stop in November 2019 when the driver failed to make a complete stop. Court records indicate the officer immediately smelled an overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The officer identified the driver as 58-year-old Guy Gibeau and arrested him on an active felony warrant. Police say a search of the vehicle uncovered 91 one-pound bags of marijuana. The California man pleaded guilty to one count of 2nd-degree drug possession. Gibeau will now be sentenced in June in Stearns County.
--A reminder that as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week there will be two tornado drills today. The first is at 1:45pm with sirens going off and drills announced on Little Falls Radio, another drill will take place at 6:45pm tonight. This is also a time for families to put their severe weather plans in place. The evening one is based more for second shift workers and families, but many may also be home during the day at 1:45pm which is also a time for businesses and schools to put their plan in place for severe weather when it comes.
--Congratulations to Little Falls FFA members from the Region II FFA Banquet held recently where Jaycee Hegg received first place in Horse Evaluation and Madison Westerman got first place in General Livestock. Their advisor stated it caps off a great year for LF FFA.
--The police officer who shot and killed a 20-year-old man reportedly by acccident Sunday has been charged with second-degree manslaughter by the Washington County Attorney's Office. Kim Potter was arrested on Wednesday and booked in the Hennepin County Jail. Potter had resigned from the force on Monday following the shooting incident which she stated she accidently grabbed her firearm instead of her TASER when 20-year-old Daunte Wright tried to allude police after a traffic stop when he was found to have a warrant for his arrest. Potter is to appear in court today at 1:30pm.
--Minnesota officials extended the peacetime emergency for another 30 days in order to boost the state's response to more infectious variants of the COVID-19 virus. The five Democratic statewide officials who make up the Minnesota Executive Council voted unanimously Wednesday for the extension. It's the 13th time the state has extended the emergency since last March, when the coronavirus was first detected in Minnesota.
--A Big Lake man accused of killing his mother last summer was found incompetent to stand trial, according to court records. 21-year old Eric Leif Jordahl was charged with one felony count of first-degree murder and two felony counts of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 62-year old Rosalie Ellen Johnson. Johnson was a Big Lake City Council member. She was appointed to fill a vacancy in January 2019. The Sherburne County Judge found that Jordahl was incompetent based on Rule 20 motions, which occur when there is a belief that the person may not be competent enough to stand any of the trial proceedings.
DEATH NOTICES
--Zachary “Zach” D. Miller, age 29 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy skies, high of 46.
TONIGHT= partly cloudy skies, low 32.
FRIDAY= partly sunny skies, high 51, clear night, low 28.
SATURDAY= sunny skies, high 50, low around 33.
SUNDAY= sunny skies, high 55, rain after midnight, low 37.
SPORTS
HS BAB= Little Falls at Pierz today at 5pm on 94ROCKS.
HS SB= Pierz at Little Falls today at 5pm on AM960 KLTF. Due to 5pm game the 5pm news will be heard at 4:30pm today on KLTF.
LF= Little Falls Community High School Activities Director Kevin Jordan announced that their new head girls basketball coach is Aaron Bring. Bring has coached for 11 years and the past 6 of those years being the head girls basketball coach in Holdingford. He has coached basketball, football, baseball, and weight training at the middle school and high school levels.
TWINS= Boston beat the Twins 3-2 Wednesday in game 1 of a double-header then Boston continued their winning ways beating the Twins in game 2, 7-1. Twins wrap up the series with Boston today an hour earlier than yesterday, pregame at 11:30am on Q92 WYRQ.
NHL= Wild wins an afternoon matinee yesterday 5-2 over Arizona.
NBA= Timberwolves lose an afternoon game yesterday to the Bucks.
A reminder that the Federal Government and State of Minnesota moved the deadline for income tax filing until May 17th so you have another month if you can't get your taxes in by end of today.