[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Newsletter: Thursday, December 3rd 2015[/title][fusion_text]
NEWS
–The 5th Annual Randall Holly Day is 4-7pm today in Randall. Join Santa at the VFW for photos, Christmas music and refreshments. Also a workshop will be there where kids can make Christmas crafts for the holiday season. The Lights of Love Tree Lighting will be take place at Bingo Park and horsedrawn trolley rides will start at 4:00pm on Pacific Avenue. Many businesses will have specials during the event that is later today in Randall.
–The Bowlus Auto Center has been slated for demolition after a fire in the early morning hours of November 24th. According to Bowlus Fire Chief Mike Scholz, the building was a total loss, but nobody got hurt. The business owner, Jaret Glader was working late that Monday night when the fire started around midnight. The first fire extinguisher he used malfunctioned. By the time he used a second extinguisher, the flames were too high to douse. Part of the damage to Bowlus Auto Center included vehicles that Glader was working on at the time, as well as all of his tools and equipment. Royalton, Holdingford and Little Falls firefighters assisted on the scene. More than 40 firefighters battled the blaze for five hours.
–Crow Wing County deputies are investigating a fatal two vehicle accident on Highway 6 near Emily Tuesday around 10:20am. A vehicle driven by 20-year-old Kaylin Johnson of Brainerd was on Highway 6 crossed the center line and collided head on with a car driven by 30-year-old Anthony Kinchen of Cass Lake. Johnson was pronounced dead when authorities arrived. Kinchen, his passengers 24-year-old Chanell Drumbeater of Onamia, 18-year-old Kaylee Burnett, and four children, two age 7, also ages 8 and 4 were all injured in the accident and taken to an area hospital and treated for what the state patrol reported was non-life threatening injuries.
–A body found in a drainage ditch in Swede Grove Township of Meeker County Monday has been identified as that of a Paynesville woman. 39-year old Toni Cottrill appears to have drowned. The Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a missing person around 4:45pm Monday at a residence in the 31600 Block of 518th Avenue. At around 8:10, deputies found Cottrill’s body in a ditch about a third of a mile west of the residence. Authorities say Cottrill was last seen at that residence, which is not where she lives. The Sheriff’s Office is investigating the circumstances leading to her death. Officials are asking anyone who had contact with Cottrill on Sunday or Monday to contact the Sheriff’s Office.
–An autopsy reveals that a missing college student found dead in a Douglas County field in late October had a significant amount of drugs in her system. An autopsy report, filed by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Anoka County, lists the cause of death for 18-year-old Laura Ann Schwendemann as undetermined. Examiners did list the presence of both methamphetamine and THC (Cannabis) as significant in Schwendemann’s system. Schwendemann, a college student, was reported missing by her family after she was last seen October 14th. Family, friends and law enforcement searched tirelessly for her until the remains of a young woman were found October 26th by a farmer who was harvesting a field in Orange Township, just east of Alexandria. The man who was last seen with Schwendemann will be charged with gross misdemeanor charges for concealing the location of her body. 21-year-old Nickolas McArdell of Starbuck, won’t be prosecuted for causing Schwendemann’s death because the evidence doesn’t support it.
–The St. Cloud Fire Marshal is investigating a fire that did substansial damage to a mobile home early Wednesday morning. A fire was reported at 150 U.S. Highway 10 North, unit 315 around 2:50am. The fire caused an estimated $25,000 in damage to the home. The resident, Chris Foged, told investigators he was sleeping when the fire started inside the structure. Foged escaped uninjured.
–Area residents, business owners and motorists are invited to attend an open house Monday, December 14th to learn about the preferred alternative to reconstruct and widen the urban section of Highway 10 through Wadena. The project is proposed for construction in 2018. The open house will be held from 5:00-7:00pm at the Maslowski Wellness and Research Center in Wadena. Open house attendees will be able to view a layout the preferred alternative, speak with project staff and learn details of the proposed project. The project’s design uses raised concrete median to separate eastbound and westbound Highway 10 traffic, dedicated turn lanes to local roads, and includes new sidewalks, upgraded traffic signal systems and improved intersections to meet modern accessibility standards. The project will also replace storm sewer and city utilities, lighting, signing and will resurface the rural sections of Highway 10 east and west of Wadena.
–Benton County will be joining more than 300 law enforcement agencies who will be working overtime this holiday season. The extra DWI enforcement campaign started November 25th and runs on weekends through January 2nd, 2016. The statewide enforcement involves police departments, sheriff’s offices and the State Patrol.
NATIONAL NEWS
–A man and woman are suspected of opening fire and killing 14 people and wounding 17 others at a Southern California social services agency on Wednesday. The two later died after a shootout with police about 60 miles east of Los Angeles on a California highway. A third person was later detained but was later stated not to be connected with the shootings. The investigation into why the two open fired at the agency is still an ongoing investigation. The shooting is considered the worst on American soil since 2012.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, high 37, clear night low 16.
FRIDAY= sunny skies, high 41, clouds increase at night, low 32.
SATURDAY= few sprinkles, cloudy, high 44, clearing late, low 25.
SUNDAY= sunny skies, high near 40, low around 25.
SPORTS
TWINS= The Minnesota Twins have agreed to terms with Korean first baseman and designated hitter 29-year old Byung Ho Park. Park signed a four-year contract with a club option for the 2020 season. The deal includes $12 million in guaranteed salary. Park is a two-time Most Valuable Player Award winner of the Korea Baseball Organization. Over nine seasons with them, the right-handed hitter had a .281 batting average, 137 doubles, 604 RBI and 210 home runs, half of which have come over the past two seasons. Park was introduced by the Twins at a news conference Wednesday morning.
BHK= Rocori at Little Falls tonight 6:45pm on Q92 WYRQ.
NFL= Green Bay at Detroit tonight 7pm on AM960 KLTF.
NFL= Seattle at Minnesota Vikings Sunday at noon.
NBA= The Golden State Warriors have started the NBA season with a 20-0 record after a 116-99 win last night over Charlotte.
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