NEWS
--A 42-year-old St. Paul man was injured just after 4pm Tuesday on Highway 10 in Morrison County. Christopher Mahlum was northbound on 10 in Darling Township when the vehicle went off the road, struck a power pole and came to rest on a pile of gravel. Mahlum was treated for non life threatening injuries at the Little Falls Hospital.
--An Alexandria woman was killed in a head-on crash. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office says the incident happened Tuesday around 9:30am. A 54-year-old woman was traveling north when deputies say she crossed the center line and collided with a pickup. The woman died at the scene. The driver of the pickup, 55-year-old Kelly Jull of Alexandria, was taken to the hospital in Alexandria with minor injuries. The name of the woman who died has not been released.
--On Saturday, February 3rd, 2024, the Friends of Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in collaboration with Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge will host its tenth annual candlelight ski event. The event will begin at 5:30pm as the moon begins to rise. The night’s activities will include skiing and snowshoeing the Platte River Trail, 1 mile of which will be lit with luminaries. When you need to warm up, join us at the bonfire and enjoy hot drinks and refreshments provided by the Friends of Crane Meadows NWR. This program is free and open to the public of all ages. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own equipment. A limited number of skis and snowshoes will be available for free checkout during the event. A headlamp or flashlight is also recommended. Please note that the refuge is normally open to visitors during daylight hours only. Access is being provided after dark for this evening only. In case of inclement weather, the event may be postponed or canceled. Cancellation or postponement will be announced over the local radio stations, posted on the refuge website and shared on the Friends of Crane Meadows Facebook page.
--Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Margaret Chutich, the first openly gay justice on the state’s highest court, announced her retirement Tuesday. Her resignation gives Democratic Governor Tim Walz two openings on the high court that he now needs to fill, and when he does, he will have appointed four of the seven justices. Chutich was appointed by former Democratic Governor Mark Dayton to the Minnesota Court of Appeals in 2012 and to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2016, then elected in 2018. She is expected to retire at the end of the court’s 2023-24 term on July 31. Governor Walz said he did not have a time frame for naming the new justices, but it will probably be sometime this spring.
--The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating a crash that ended with a good Samaritan helping the driver of a box truck after it plunged into the city waters of the Crow River. The crash happened Monday afternoon on northbound Highway 101 in Rogers. The 25-year-old driver lost control of the truck and hit a guardrail and sign before traveling down an embankment and into the river. A driver in another vehicle who witnessed the incident jumped into action and helped the man out of the truck. He was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
--The Veterans Resource Fair is tonight at the Morrison County Government Center from 5-8pm in lower level boardroom. This is free event for all Veterans, spouses, widows and families to attend.
--KLTF Party Line will be live for Catholic Schools Week at Holy Trinity in Pierz January 29th and Mary of Lourdes on January 30th.
--The second of three brothers injured in a pickup-UTV crash near Sunburg in Kandiyohi County did not survive. According to the family's CaringBridge site, 11-year-old Harrison Dahl passed away Tuesday at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis from injuries suffered in a January 7th crash in which the Polaris Ranger he was riding in and a pickup collided at an intersection on Highway 9 east of Sunburg. The driver of the Ranger, 15-year-old Will Dahl, died two days after the crash. A third brother, 10-year-old Drew Dahl was also injured but has since been released from the hospital. The brothers are the children of Mike and Lara Dahl of New London.
--On Saturday February 3, the Swanville Band Department will be hosting its first ever Bandathon. Students have been collecting and practicing songs over the past couple months to play for the public. This event will be recorded to be aired online the following day for public viewing. The purpose of this event is to encourage viewers and supporters to make donations to the band program to help finance future projects and needs. This includes activities like, field trips for students to perform, attend music events with their peers at other schools, and attend professional performances in our region. We are thankful for the school owned instruments, and those which have been donated by families in our community, but many are in need of repair or replacement before they can be used by current and future students. In addition to our band, a growing number of adults and students outside of our band have volunteered to perform music during this event in support of the cause. To find out more on the Bandathon with Swanville Schools, how to volunteer or how to donate to the cause, reach out to Swanville High School 547-5100.
--Another ice fishing tournament has been canceled due to poor ice conditions. The 49th Annual Maple Lake Ice Fishing Derby was to be held on February 3rd, but officials determined the ice wasn't suitable for the contest. Derby officials say they still plan to give away the Ice Castle fish house through a $10 raffle to be drawn at Madigan's during the St. Patty's Day Celebration on March 11th. The 50th annual Maple Lake Ice Fishing Derby will be on February 8th, 2025.
DEATH NOTICES
--Helen Morin-St. Onge, age 99 of Little Falls.
--Gary H. Lange, age 83 of Holdingford.
--Severin “Sev” Krawiecki, age 90 of Buckman.
WEATHER
TODAY= mostly cloudy, high 4 above.
TONIGHT= clearing skies, low -11, wind chills near -20.
FRIDAY= sunny, winds pick up, high 2, low -15, wind chills -30.
SATURDAY= sunny and breezy, high 7, low near 0 then rising.
SUNDAY= mostly cloudy, warmer, high near 20, low near 10.
SPORTS
HS BBB= Pequot Lakes at Pierz tonight 7:15pm on 94ROCKS.
WRAP= Listen to the Saturday Morning Sports Wrap, chatting with area coaches on their teams and a look back to the action in the past week. Saturday 9-10am live on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com.
NFL= Catch the NFL playoffs this weekend 2 games on Saturday starting at 3pm with Houston at Baltimore then Green Bay at San Francisco then 2 more games Sunday starting at 1:30pm with Tampa Bay at Detroit then Kansas City at Buffalo. All games on KLTF.