NEWS
--The National Football League has been campaigning in recent years to get kids active for at least 60 minutes a day to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity. That campaign came to St. Cloud on Tuesday when the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee Legacy Fund awarded the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota a $50,000 grant. The grant will help fund the Move Mobile — Activity on the Go project, which is an initiative to increase physical activity, reinforce healthy lifestyles and provide more options to youth in Central Minnesota. The Move Mobile trailer will be loaded up with equipment for physical activity and games, and travel to three Boys and Girls Clubs sites and 15 KIDSTOP sites, potentially reaching more than 5,000 children. The grant is part of the Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program, which is made possible each year by a $1 million contribution from the NFL Foundation and is complemented by the Super Bowl Host Committee. In February, the committee launched its 52 Weeks of Giving campaign, which is a year long effort to make Super Bowl LII a statewide event by awarding 52 communities with grants to help improve the health and wellness of children.
--A 31-year old man was booked in Stearns County Jail on Monday for felony charges of stalking and interfering with privacy. Derek David George has been charged with two felony counts of stalking within 10 years of a previous violation and one felony count of interfering with privacy. George is also facing charges of fifth degree possession of a controlled substance and for giving false information to the police. When arrested on Monday, George was found to be in possession of what officers suspect is methamphetamine.
--Drugs, cash and firearms were seized during a search warrant in Sauk Rapids on Tuesday. The search of a residence at 123rd Avenue South, Apartment 1, in Sauk Rapids resulted in the seizure of a loaded firearm, 46 grams of methamphetamine, 3 grams of heroin and $3,600 in currency. 52-year old Eric Robertson of Sauk Rapids was arrested and transported to the Benton County Jail to await charges of 1st degree possession with intent to distribute, possession of a stolen handgun and a person ineligible to possess a firearm. Also present and arrested as a result of the search warrant were 28-year old Angelene Fischer of Princeton and 18-year old Katelin Ferreell-Hernandez of South Haven. Both Fischer and Ferreell-Hernandez were arrested and transported to the Benton County Jail where they are being held pending 5th degree possession charges.
--Two men from Vadnais Heights were arrested Tuesday in connection with the sales of large quantities of methamphetamine in the St. Cloud area. Investigators with the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force received information that the two males were selling methamphetamine from their car in the St. Cloud area. 30-year old Thoma Thao and 36-year old Yer Vang of Vadnais Heights were located in their vehicle in the 900 block of Cooper Avenue South by investigators and a traffic stop was conducted. During the stop it was discovered that the driver, Thao, had several outstanding warrants. Vang, the passenger, appeared to be under the influence and could not drive the vehicle. A K-9 was brought in and alerted on the car. A search uncovered approximately 3 ounces of suspected methamphetamine and $800 in U.S. Currency. Both Thao and Vang were transported to the Stearns County Jail and held for court on charges of 1st degree possession with intent to distribute. Thao also was held on his outstanding warrants.
--A St. Cloud man was arrested Monday after threatening guests at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites with a knife and calling 911 to state that a bomb was in one of the hotel rooms. The St. Cloud Police Department responded around 10:00pm to a call that a man, 30-year old Elakie Fale Jr. was pounding on hotel room doors and yelling that he had a switchblade, while trying to force his way into guests' rooms. Prior to police arriving at the hotel, Fale allegedly called 911 stating that there was a bomb in one of the victims' rooms. While officers were interviewing witnesses at the scene, Fale allegedly pulled a fire alarm. Police said Fale was taken into custody while attempting to flee the scene, and is currently being held at Stearns County Jail. He could be charged with threats of violence, disorderly conduct, tampering with a fire alarm and possession of drug paraphernalia. No injuries were reported.
--Media attention during the Minnesota Governor’s Fishing Opener in St. Cloud brought more than $1.3 million in publicity value, according to a report by the Explore Minnesota tourism agency. More than 130 media personnel representing 60 outlets including Little Falls Radio visited St. Cloud for the event May 11th-14th. Fishing excursions took place primarily on the Mississippi River. The event capped a year of preparation for an event that showcases tourist destinations. While the event has long been a tradition for broadcast and print media, it also has an online presence that included roughly 2,662 social media posts. Media outreach resulted in 688 print and online placements and 374 radio and TV segments.
--Minnesota School of Business (MSOB) and Globe University issued illegal loans to thousands of students at unlawful interest rates. That's the finding of the Minnesota Supreme Court, which issued the ruling Wednesday. The Court found that the schools should have obtained a state license to issue the loans and that the companies charged unlawful rates of interest. Justices ruled that Minnesota School of Business and Globe University issued the loans to up to 6,000 students, many of whom took out multiple loans. MSOB and Globe University called this product a “loan” at least 45 times in a loan contract with students, but claimed in court the product was not a loan but an “open-end consumer credit plan.” This is significant, because the interest rate on a “loan” of this type in Minnesota would be capped at 8 percent, whereas “open-end consumer credit plans” can charge interest of 18 percent under Minnesota law. The Minnesota Supreme Court found that the products were loans and that the companies unlawfully charged rates of interest that exceeded the allowable 8 percent interest rate.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
--Daniel Lesinski and Ashley Fries of Little Falls, boy on July 22nd
--Ryan and Pamela Marshik of Fort Ripley, boy on July 25th
WEATHER
TODAY= partly to mostly cloudy, high near 80, clearing night low 58.
FRIDAY= sunny skies, high near 80, clear night low around 60.
SAT/SUN= sunny Sat high 80, storms late night into Sunday, high 81
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins blow a 5-0 lead last night as Dodgers come back to win it in walk off fashion in the bottom of the 9th to win 6-5. Twins are off today and are at Oakland on Friday night on Q92.