NEWS
--Authorities have released more information on an exchange of gunfire outside the Great River Regional Library in St. Cloud on Saturday afternoon. St. Cloud Police say the continuing investigation has identified one of the suspects as 18-year-old Jatrell Robert Antonio Mitchell of St. Cloud. Tuesday, Mitchell was found in St. Anthony and taken into custody without incident. Mitchell was sent to the Stearns County Jail on charges of Reckless Discharge of a Firearm and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Additional arrests are expected and the investigation remains active. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the St. Cloud Police.
--A fire that claimed a large portion of a home in Douglas County is being investigated as suspicious. The Sheriff's Office says they received a call just after 11:30am Tuesday for a fire in Brandon Township. An 81-year-old woman says there was a large fire that was starting to spread in the yard and was getting close to the house. The Brandon Fire Department put out the fire in the yard but the flames had already started to consume the home. No injuries were reported.
The Sheriff's Office says the fire is suspicious of malicious intent.
--Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley will be making a stop in Minnesota next week as part of a cross-country blitz of Super Tuesday states. Haley's campaign announced the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor will hold an evening campaign event at the DoubleTree in Bloomington next Monday. She's also planning stops in Michigan, Colorado, Utah, Virginia, Washington, D.C., North Carolina and Massachusetts during the week. Haley is the last major Republican candidate challenging former President Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination.
--A Duluth man is facing multiple charges after a raid on his residence led to the seizure of significant quantities of drugs, cash and a loaded weapon. Members of the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force, with help from additional law enforcement agencies, executed a search warrant around 5:40am Monday at a residence on the 4700 block of Matterhorn Drive. Inside they found a 43-year-old man wanted on multiple felony warrants, along with a kilo of compressed fentanyl an amount the DEA says is enough to kill 500,000 people. Also seized were measurable amounts of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, a loaded pistol and evidence of drug sales. A short time later investigators intercepted a package being mailed to the suspect that was heavily wrapped, vacuum sealed and encased in spray foam. A drug-sniffing K9 named Maverick was called in to check the package, which contained a kilo of cocaine. Charges against the suspect are pending.
--Authorities have released the names in a case in which an Elbow Lake man was accused of killing his brother. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday identified Connor Bruce Grytdahl, 30, as the suspect in the killing of his brother, 33-year-old Stephen Erik Grytdahl. Connor Grytdahl was arrested after calling and telling authorities that he had shot his brother late Sunday night, according to a release. Medical personnel declared Stephen Grytdahl dead at the scene when they responded to the shooting in Elbow Lake, which is about 23 miles south of Fergus Falls. Connor Grytdahl remains in custody at the Wilkin County Jail and is expected to be charged with second-degree murder.
--The Pierz City Council next meeting is Monday night at 7pm.
--The Friends of Crane Meadows announced they are still having their candlelight event on Saturday but it will NOT be a ski or snowshoe event because of the lack of snow. The event will be a walking/hiking event on Saturday at 5:30pm at the wildlife refuge located on Iris Road southeast of Little Falls. Also it was reported the same situation for the candlelight event at Kathio State Park in Mille Lacs County on Saturday is now a hike/walk event due to lack of snow, that event starts at 6pm on Saturday. Check on events at fallsradio.com.
–A missing 86-year-old man missing for weeks in northern Minnesota has been found dead in the Nemadji State Forest. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the remains of Gerald Knapp were found Tuesday morning. Knapp, who suffered from dementia, had been missing since February 1st and last seen alive on January 28th. The Pine County Sheriff's Office said drone search images helped them find Knapp. Authorities said at the time Knapp went missing, he was heading southbound on County Road 142 (Beaver Trail Road), driving a red 2020 Ford Escape. His vehicle was found in northeastern Pine County about a week after he was last seen. Law enforcement thanked everyone who helped in the search for Knapp.
--Minnesota lawmakers are again considering a bill that aims to stop unruly fans at youth sporting events by fining them $1,000. The bill (HF 3352), introduced by Rep. John Huot (DFL-Rosemount), would impose the fine on "individuals who are disruptive or physically interfere with an activity organizer, referee, player, or coach during a youth athletic activity." The fine would be imposed by the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission. The legislation would also establish a special revenue fund, where the money collected would be used toward the development of youth officiating programs, or grants to develop those programs and help address the referee shortage in the state. The bill covers specific areas where a violation occurs, such as the area where a game or activity is taking place, the parking lot, and travel to or from a vehicle or public transit stop. According to the legislation, if someone is fined, they have an opportunity to file a written request for a hearing within 15 days of the receipt of notice. Otherwise, the person forfeits their right to do so.
DEATH NOTICES
--Mayme Harstad, age 93 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, breezy, high 45.
TONIGHT= clouds increasing, mist/drizzle overnight, low 16.
FRIDAY= sunny and colder, high 28, breezy, low around 14.
SATURDAY= sunny and warmer, high 47, low around 26.
SUNDAY= partly cloudy, breezy, high 42, low near 25.
TODAY IN HISTORY
IN 1732= according to the Gregorian Calendar George Washington, the country's first President is born in Virginia.
IN 1932= the Purple Heart is reinstated by the U.S. Government, this name on the 200th birthdays of George Washington.
IN 1934= It Happened One Night opens in theaters, it was the movie breakout role for Clark Gable to get Gone with the Wind in 1939.
IN 1980= The United States beat the Soviet Union 4-3 at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid called “The Miracle on Ice”.