[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, January 28th 2016[/title][fusion_text]Thursday, January 28th 2016
NEWS
–A Brainerd methadone clinic and its CEO have agreed to be found negligent in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the families of two Carlton County workers killed in a traffic collision caused by a patient under the influence of the drug in October 2012. Pinnacle Recovery Services and Dr. John Stroemer have agreed to an $8.55 million dollar settlement with the families of Mitchell Lindgren and Zachary Gamache. The settlement comes ahead of a high-stakes jury trial that was to start this week in Duluth. The two workers were killed in multiple vehicle crashes along Highway 210. The investigation revealed that Vanessa Brigan had crossed the center-line, striking the two workers truck which caused it to careen across the highway striking a larger construction vehicle. Brigan was found to be under the influence of methadone after receiving treatment at the Pinnacle clinic in Brainerd earlier in the day and taking another injected dose before beginning her drive back home to Cloquet. Brigan is currently serving a six year prison sentence after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide charges.
–Paper company Verso Corporation said Tuesday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, though the company says the move will have virtually no impact on its daily business. The bankruptcy filing is intended to help the company restructure debt. Verso says it does not expect to close any mills, though it will continue to evaluate its mills to ensure that they are operating as efficiently as possible. Between 2006 and 2012 Verso had a strong presence in the Sartell community. The paper company had purchased the mill from the International Paper Corporation for $1.4 billion. By 2009 the company was employing almost 500 people. In 2011 the company had shut down two of the three paper making machines at the Sartell facility, leaving 175 people unemployed. Verso announced the permanent closing of the mill it owned in Sartell in August 2012 after an explosion and fire destroyed the facility on May 28th leaving one man dead.
–Data received from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on what’s killing Minnesota’s moose says its a complex interplay of health issues and predators appear to be part of it. Preliminary results from tracking 173 adult moose that were captured and fitted with GPS radio collars from 2013 to 2015 show that two-thirds of the 47 that later died succumbed to various health problems. Another third were killed by wolves, but 25 percent of those moose had illnesses that made them easy prey, and some that died from health issues had been injured by wolves. Project leader Glenn DelGiudice cautioned that the results are preliminary and it’ll take six years of data to draw firm conclusions about long-term trends and causes. The new data give an early picture of what’s causing adult moose to die off. Health problems appear to be the main reason while wolves aren’t as big of an issue as first thought.
–Mille Lacs Kathio State Park near Onamia will host a guided snowshoeing event on Saturday. The program titled Wetland Wonders will begin at the park’s interpretive center at 1:00pm. Snowshoes will be provided and a brief lesson on snowshoeing provided prior to heading out on the snowshoe hike. There is no charge for the event itself but a vehicle permit is required to enter the site or a daily permit can be purchased at the park Saturday for $5.
–The Little Falls City Council will hold their next regular council meeting on Monday at 7:30 at the city hall council chambers.
–A woman was sprayed with Mace and attacked after opening the door to her St. Cloud apartment this week. After police investigated the incident, on Sunday they arrested both 22-year old Lakeya Johnson and 22-year old Shante Cook. Both were charged Tuesday with first-degree burglary and misdemeanor assault.
–An Annandale adult foster care center had its license revoked after authorities found evidence of drug use at the facility. The Minnesota Department of Human Services disqualified Rita Rudnitski Adult Foster Care last Friday from providing care at its facility in the 14000 Block of Minnesota Highway 24 in Annandale. The Department of Human Services had investigated reported concerns regarding two vulnerable adults living at the facility, a two-story home with a basement. One of the vulnerable adults had a mental health diagnosis and was living there in order to receive “safe, stable housing” and “medication management,” according to the DHS report. The other vulnerable adult was diagnosed with autism, was nonverbal, and did not have the skills to be safe in the community, according to the report. A staff person at the facility was arrested in August 2015 after selling 17 grams of methamphetamine in May to a confidential informant with the Central Minnesota Violent Offenders Task Force. In October 2015, a family member of the staff person was arrested at the facility when a bag containing drugs was found at the house. The family member later told police he or she was “very high” at the time of the arrest. The care center’s license was temporarily suspended on October 30th. In November 2015, another family member was arrested at the facility and tested positive for methamphetamine use. Later that month, a search warrant was conducted at the facility and police found more than 86 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. The report concluded that the two vulnerable adults were each exposed to illegal drugs at the facility. One of the staff person’s family members, who was on probation for a felony conviction, lived occasionally at the facility and did not have a cleared background study.
–A one-vehicle rollover injured a Pine River woman Friday. The driver 31-year old Isabel Scharff was transported to Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd with minor injuries. At 3:44pm the sheriff’s office received a report of the rollover on Cass County Highway 2 in Pine River Township, west of Pine River. They found a car had gone off the road, which was slippery at the time.
DEATH NOTICES
–Richard Charles “Dick” Nelson, age 80 of Upsala.
–Bernadine A. Kroll, age 77 of Pierz.
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy, flurries, blustery, temps falling through 20s.
TONIGHT= mostly cloudy, breezy early, low 14.
FRIDAY= rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow, high 38, low 30.
SATURDAY= sunny and mild, high near 40, low around 25.
SPORTS
HS BBB= Foley at Little Falls tonight 7:30 on Q92 WYRQ.
PIERZ= Congratulations to Pierz head football coach Leo Pohlkamp being named as one of the six inductees into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame on April 2nd in Minneapolis. Pohlkamp has coached in Pierz for 36 years, 30 as the head football coach with a 242-81 record, 14 conference championships been to 11 state tournaments and has won 2 state titles including last season.
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