NEWS
--The Little Falls City Council met on Tuesday night. At the meeting the council approved a resolution to support of legislative authorization local option sales tax. This resolution gives the council the authority to go before the state legislature to request the authorization to go to Little Falls residents for a referendum for a local option sales tax. The city has to put in some detail including what the intended facility will be and its intended use, an estimated amount of funds that will be collected and the timeline of when those funds will be collected, and the regional significance of the facility. The proposal needed to be presented to the legislature by January 31st in order to stay on track for the potential of a referendum question before the city voters this fall. Tuesday night's vote was not a final decision on locations or components of the community center. It was only the action for the council to get the authority from the state legislature to ask the ballot question in November.
--A reminder that a Donuts and Discussion on the building of a recreational facility near the high school will be held today in two sessions, 8:30-10:30am and also 1:30-3:30pm this afternoon at the Little Falls Senior Center, all are welcome.
--On Wednesday the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task force assisted Investigators from the U.S. Marshals North Star Fugitive Task Force in apprehending a wanted suspect. Investigators learned that an individual they were looking for, 29-year old Ahmed Abdel Hafiz was currently at an address in Little Falls. Hafiz has a history of not cooperating with law enforcement and currently had 17 arrest warrants out on him. Investigators learned that Hafiz was inside a residence in the 200 block of 7th Street NW in Little Falls. Prior to making the arrest on Hafiz, the Superintendent of Little Falls schools was notified, and it was decided that nearby St. Mary’s middle school and Lincoln elementary schools would temporarily be put on lock down. Investigators then were able to take Hafiz into custody without incident. The Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force is comprised of Investigators from St. Cloud, and Sartell Police Departments and deputies from Morrison, Stearns, Benton, Sherburne and Todd counties.
--A Grove City woman was hurt after rolling her vehicle Sunday morning in Meeker County. The incident happened around 5:30am at the intersection of Highway 22 and 215th Street in Greenleaf Township. Sheriff Brian Cruze says 34-year-old Tanisha Olson hit a snowdrift, spun out and rolled her vehicle in the ditch. Olson was taken to Meeker Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
--A man was hurt in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 23 near Roscoe in Western Stearns County. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened just after 8:30am Tuesday. 67-year-old Douglas Martinson of Kandiyohi was driving east when he lost control on the snow and ice-covered roads and went into the ditch and rolled. Martinson was taken to Paynesville Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
--The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library at St. John's University received more than $1.4 million in a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support its mission to preserve and share the world's handwritten heritage. The grant will fund a three-year project to catalog 53,000 digitized manuscripts and create an online database of authors and titles originating from underrepresented or little-known literary traditions.
--The Pierz City Council meets Monday at 7pm at Pierz City Hall.
--There will be a Veterans meeting today at 10am but it will not be in the board room as scheduled. Instead it will be in the IT conference room located one level down from the main level at the Morrison County Government Center. Follow signs or ask for help. This meeting is a discussion group to talk about the needs of our Veterans. Items presented will be taken to Washington DC next month. Also this provides a change for people to ask questions, make comments and so forth. Much like the coffee talks or town hall meetings the VA does. Following the meeting Kathy Marshik, Morrison County Veterans Service Office said those who would like to see the new Veterans Service office will be welcome to come take a look.
--A St. Cloud man is charged with raping a woman after they left a downtown bar together. According to the criminal complaint, a woman went to St. Cloud Hospital Monday for a sexual assault exam. She told police 22-year-old Mandela Ibrahim came up to her at the bar Sunday night after her friend had left. Ibrahim allegedly asked her if she wanted to go to a party with him and he arranged a ride. The victim said Ibrahim took her to his north St. Cloud apartment instead. She told investigators she went and sat on Ibrahim's bed and he then came into the bedroom, pulled her pants down and began raping her. The victim said she yelled "no" and yelled for Ibrahim to get off of her. She said she tried kicking Ibrahim and to push him off but was unable to. When the victim went to leave, she said she told the woman in the apartment that Ibrahim had raped her. Ibrahim admitted to meeting the woman and bringing her back to his apartment but denied having intercourse with her because he said she was too drunk.
--A fire in East St. Cloud last Friday has been ruled accidental. The St. Cloud Fire Department was called to the Country Hearth Sales Center at 536 East St. Germain Street just after 7:30pm. A fire department spokesman says part of the building is used as a maintenance garage, and the fire started in a truck that was parked inside the building. The last person to leave the building that night left a couple of hours before the fire broke out, so no one was hurt. There is no damage estimate yet from the fire, as it is still being assessed.
--Brainerd firefighters had two calls Friday, starting at 3:45pm of a vehicle fire at the intersection of Cedardale Lane and Highland Scenic Road in Baxter. Upon arrival, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters worked the extinguish the flames. There were no injuries. The second call was an alarm and they were canceled on sight.
DEATH NOTICES
--Gregory W. Anderson, age 62 of Litlte Falls.
--Rodger A. Nauertz, age 68 of St. Cloud.
--Geraldine A. Gassler, age 59 of Little Falls formerly of Lindstrom.
--Joseph B. Banach, age 74 of Lastrup
WEATHER
TODAY= fog, freezing drizzle, light snow possible, high 34.
TONIGHT= snow, freezing drizzle and fog likely, low 27.
FRIDAY= mostly cloudy, breezy, high near 30, low near 22.
SATURDAY= partly sunny, high near 30, low near 20.
SUNDAY= cloudy skies, high 33, low around 25.
SPORTS
HS BBB= Pierz at Milaca tonight 7:15pm on FM94 KFML.
COL BB= Gophers vs. Ohio State today at 5pm on AM960 KLTF.