NEWS
Today is FM94's Ladies Night Out Pierz Style. Stop into participating businesses in Pierz from 12-7pm then head to Red Rooster for drawings at 7:30pm tonight. Grand Prize is a $600 Pierz Foods/Pierz Floral gift card plus many more prizes. Dress in your best beach theme and you could win Chanhassen Dinner Theaters tickets from FM94 KFML and participating sponsors. Again that is Tonight.
--Fire and flames overtook a barn and killed a variety of farm animals inside Tuesday at a homestead south of Brainerd. Residents of the home on the property on the 11000 block of Crow Wing County Highway 44 in Long Lake Township called 911 after noticing the fire, which already engulfed the barn. There was no one at the residence at the time of the fire. Killed were one horse, one mule, and an unknown number of donkeys, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits and sheep. The Brainerd Fire Department responded to the barn fire shortly before 6:00pm Tuesday with mutual aid from the Deerwood Fire Department. About 25-firefighters worked to extinguish the fire and clean up at the scene. In addition to providing firefighters, Deerwood supplied a trailer equipped with a portable air compressor. This was used to fill up oxygen bottles used on the firefighters' breathing apparatuses. No firefighters suffered injury in the course of fighting the fire. The barn housed a wood burner and had electricity, although the cause of the fire remains under investigation. It was an older barn, 28' x 60', with a main level and a hay loft. According to the Crow Wing County property taxes list, the taxpayers listed on the 40-acre agricultural property are Neal and Cindy Boeder.
--Mary of Lourdes school staff was the latest to receiver ALICE training from the Morrison County Sheriff's Office and Little Falls Police Department on Monday. Swanville and Upsala schools have had sheriff's deputies come and speak and show the ALICE training which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. If you wish to learn more about the training, contact the sheriff's office at 320-632-9233.
--A man involved in a large methamphetamine ring in North Dakota and Minnesota that was tied to a killing has been sentenced to 16-years in federal prison. 39-year old Ryan Franklin was sentenced Tuesday for conspiring to distribute the drug. The U.S. attorney's office says Franklin was among 13 people indicted in the conspiracy to bring meth from the Twin Cities to the Red River Valley. 32-year old Krystal Feist of North Dakota, is serving 30 years for fatally shooting 24-year old Austin Forsman in March 2016 as part of the conspiracy. Forsman was killed while sitting in a vehicle at a Grand Forks truck stop. 35-year old Modesto Torrez, of Angus, Minnesota, was sentenced in December to two life prison terms for ordering the killing and leading the drug ring.
--The Little Falls Area Health Fair was this past Monday at the Little Falls Community High School. Prizes were donated from several area groups and organizations. Prize winners included: Cindy Tenney received a $20 gift card to Coborns; Pat Mohler received a Bag Chair; Elizabeth Handt received a Duffel Bag, Stan Wielinski won a Mini Bath Light and Pen; and the grand prize of a bike went to Joan Foust of Little Falls. Congratulations to each of the winners.
--Hands of Hope Resource Center is presenting I am He Said, a tribute concert to Neil Diamond performed by Matt Vee and his family and friends Saturday night at the Falls Balloom. For tickets for the fundraiser contact Steve at Hands of Hope at 632-1657.
--Paynesville Area Schools has named their new superintendent. Board Chair Mark Dingmann says Matt Bullard will be the districts new superintendent. Bullard was one of four candidates who were interviewed for the position. He is the superintendent of Belgrade Brooten Elrosa schools. His first day will be July 1st.
--A Minneapolis police officer was charged Tuesday with murder and manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Australian woman in July minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home. Officer Mohamed Noor turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He shot 40-year old Justine Ruszczyk Damond on July 15th. Noor is charged with third degree murder “for perpetrating an eminently dangerous act” and with second-degree manslaughter for “culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk.” The murder charge is for a death caused without intent. Conviction on the first charge carries a presumptive sentence of 12½ years; the second, four years. Bail was set at $500,000.
--A St. Cloud man faces charges after a domestic assault call Saturday. A woman called police to her St. Cloud apartment unit to report her boyfriend had choked her and was now trying to force himself into her apartment. The woman told officers that her boyfriend, 31-year old Robert Hennessy, became upset when she confronted him about his drug use and was breaking up with him. Police arrived and confronted Hennessy who they say tried to choke and punch an officer and kicked another officer in the faces as he was being subdued. Hennessy is charged with felony domestic assault by strangulation, assault on a police officer and two other domestic assault charges.
--The St. Francis of Assisi Church south of Upsala on Highway 238 is performing Journey with Jesus to Calvary Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 1pm, free of charge. The play is Jesus' week starting on Palm Sunday riding on the donkey to the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord.
DEATH NOTICES
--Elvira J. Johnson, age 97 of Golden Valley formerly Little Falls.
--Sister Janet Kunkel OSF, age 86 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= early fog, then partly sunny, high 43.
TONIGHT= clear skies, low around 25.
FRIDAY= increasing clouds, rain late, high 40.
FRIDAY NIGHT= rain early, snow overnight, 1-3 inches, low 25.
SATURDAY= snow before noon, 1 inch, then cloudy, 34, low 22.
SUNDAY= sunny skies and windy, high near 40.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins win 3-1 last night over Pittsburgh and have the Yankees today in spring play at noon on Q92 WYRQ.
HS BBB= St. Cloud Cathedral beat Esko in 3 overtimes last night 64-60 to advance to the AA semi-finals Friday against Minnehaha Academy at 6pm. Austin beat Sauk Rapids-Rice yesterday 64-55. Sauk Rapids- Rice will face Mankato East in consolation semi-finals today at 4pm at Concordia University in St. Paul. State semi-finals in 3A and 4A today in boys basketball at the Target Center, Class A has quarter-finals today at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
NCAA= sweet sixteen for NCAA mens basketball resumes tonight.