NEWS
--Due to the weather today, area schools announced before dismissing students of the recent information. All Little Falls Community Schools are closed today. Upsala schools are closed today. Holdingford schools are also closed today as is Browerville and Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. Royalton, Swanville, Staples-Motley, Pillager, Foley and Pierz both public and Catholic school have implemented e-learning days today for students. Each individual school has information related to e-learning or the closures on their websites or Facebook pages to check out. A reminder that with school's closed on Thursday their daycare and kids care for each of the schools will also be closed Thursday. Mid State Education District is closed today and announced a make up day for them will be May 30th. Tri Cap is running four hours late for busing in Little Falls today. EEI has canceled their first shift today. Rural MN Cep is 2 hours late and many other businesses or groups may be opening late or not at all today so call ahead before venturing out. As more information becomes available to Little Falls Radio listen in for the latest weather related announcements with the bad weather in the forecast today.
--Due to weather forecast, the Little Falls Community Schools have postponed their Strategic Planning meetings until March 16th.
--Morrison County Administrator Matt LeBlanc reported that the County Board has passed a resolution Tuesday morning moving forward with an appointed/non-elected Auditor/Treasurer. This change takes effect in 30 days. The resolution passed by a super majority vote of 4-1, with Commissioner Kasper casting the only nay vote. In the near future the County will be posting the position opening, position requirements, and begin receiving applications. When the application window closes, they will conduct a thorough interview and hiring process to select the best qualified candidate to execute the critical duties of a very technical position.
--Two people were hurt, one seriously, in a head-on crash in Stearns County. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened just before 7pm Tuesday on Highway 24 and Kingston Road in Maine Prairie Township near Kimball. A van was going south on the highway and a semi was going north when they hit head-on. A passenger in the van, 42-year-old Sofia Teapila of Worthington, was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the van, 45-year-old Carmelino Moreno of Ellsworth, was not hurt. The semi driver, 48-year-old Aaron Selix of St. Cloud, was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
--A 43-year-old woman was injured Friday after her vehicle left the roadway on Edgewood Drive in Crow Wing County. The Baxter Police Department responded to the crash, reported at 10:32pm in Baxter. According to the report, the woman was driving south on Edgewood Drive when she lost control of her vehicle, causing it to strike a utility pole before being launched into a snowbank and hitting a sign. The driver of the vehicle was transported to Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center by North Memorial Health Ambulance. The driver was cited for driving under the influence.
--Minnesota’s 1,777 townships will hold their annual meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Known as Township Day, these annual meetings are held every year on the second Tuesday in March and sets townships apart from other forms of local government. At this meeting, residents of the townships will meet to voice their opinions about local issues with other township residents and also vote directly on their annual tax levy. Citizens attending annual meetings also often discuss and vote on other local issues. In addition, many of the state’s townships will hold their township officer elections on Tuesday’s Township Day. If you live in a township, please participate in your township’s annual meeting or elections if they are held on March 14th in previous some are townships have moved their elections to the general election day in November. Townships today include over 900,000 Minnesota residents, and represent an extraordinary form of local government.
--The Central Minnesota Farm Show is next week in St. Cloud on Tuesday February 28th and Wednesday March 1st. The Farm Show in St. Cloud has been going on for more than 50 years. The show features 250 booths and seminars on a variety of many topics. The show is 9-4 Tuesday and 9-3 at the Rivers Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud with no admission to come and see the events there.
--Congratulations to the 2023 Sourcewell Educators of Excellence from Upsala. Chelsea Fuchs and Gretchen Schleper. This award recognizes educators who demonstrate leadership and have had a positive impact on students and colleagues.
--Governor Tim Walz has signed two bills into law, which deal with inflation in state budgeting and transferring county and state park land. House File 35 would require the Minnesota Department of Management and Budget to include a cost-of-living adjustment in state budget forecasts. That would reduce the size of the surplus Minnesota currently enjoys. The last available numbers show the Consumer Price Index up 6.4% compared to January 2022. Core inflation was up 5.6%. House File 50 would allow the Department of Natural Resources to clean up its database of county and state land. It would help the DNR track easements and leasing requirements for each property, better define boundaries of state forests and parks, and track land sales and transfers. Lawmakers also this week passed the drivers license for all bill and approved the right to vote bill for released convicts in Minnesota. These are expected also this week to be signed by the Governor.
DEATH NOTICES
--Stephanie Cluever, age 26 of Little Falls
WEATHER
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON TODAY.
TODAY= snow in morning another 2-3 inches, then mostly cloudy, strong winds into afternoon 20-40mph, temps steady near 10.
TONIGHT= clearing and much colder, low -17, wind chills -30.
FRIDAY= sunny and cold, high near 7, low around -8.
SATURDAY= sunny and a bit warmer, high 20, low around 4.
SUNDAY= partly sunny, breezy, high near 30, low near 25 with mixed precipitation developing into Monday morning.
SPORTS
HS GBB= Albany at Little Falls Friday 5:45pm on Q92 WYRQ
HS BBB= Albany at Little Falls follows girls game then on Q92.
HS BBB= Pierz at Pillager Friday at 7:15pm on 94ROCKS.
TWINS= Twins first radio spring training game is Saturday at noon then listen to more spring baseball in March live on Q92 WYRQ.
TODAY IN HISTORY
IN 1896= Hirschfield's introduced the Tootsie Roll candy.
IN 1954= first mass inoculation of Jonas Salk Polio Vaccine.
IN 1997= scientists in Scotland introduce Dolly the clone lamb.