NEWS
--The Minnesota State veterans cemetery outside Little Falls is the only one in the country being honored for meeting the highest standards for remembering those who served in the armed forces. The Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls has received the Operational Excellence Award from the National Cemetery Administration. The Little Falls State Veterans Cemetery, next to Camp Ripley, is the only state veterans cemetery in the country to receive recognition in 2021. The final resting place for military members was given reviewed in July 2021 and had an average score of 96.3%, including meeting 100% of critical priority level standards. The review looked at 95 pieces of criteria such as internment, grounds maintenance, headstone, marker and niche cover, equipment maintenance, and other standards. “Thank you for this recognition. We perform an important duty and a fulfilling job,” said Erik Sogge, Cemetery Administrator. “I’m so proud to work with the team here. This achievement is even more meaningful during a year when we had the highest number of annual interments in our history and were dealing with the pandemic as well.” In 2021, the Little Falls Cemetery interred 599 Veterans or spouses versus an average annual total over the past five years of 493. Since opening in 1994, more than 9,000 Veterans and spouses have been interred there. Minnesota has three veteran cemeteries in Little Falls, Preston and Duluth. A fourth State Veterans Cemetery is currently under construction in Redwood Falls and is expected to open on Veterans Day 2022.
--The Minnesota National Guard’s Camp Ripley is celebrating their new fire hall with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3:30pm on Friday. “The new fire hall enables our fire department to continue to serve Camp Ripley and the surrounding communities,” said Army Brig. Gen. Lowell Kruse, Senior Commander for Camp Ripley. “This department is one of the most dedicated, hardworking, and passionate fire departments in the state, and now they have the fire hall to meet their needs and workload.” “One of the Minnesota National Guard’s organizational priorities is partnerships, and the Camp Ripley Fire Department meets that priority every time they support the local first responders in our surrounding communities,” said Kruse. “This department and fire hall is not only for Camp Ripley but for our community partners as well.” The new fire hall meets the Minnesota National Guard’s organizational priority of modernization. To ensure Camp Ripley’s Fire Department maintains its 24/7 mission, the new fire hall is equipped with five private rooms, four offices that double as a sleeping area, a new day room, and a full kitchen. "The team here is really excited about this new fire hall and what it provides to us,” said Pat Boone the Camp Ripley Fire Department Chief. “It affords us the opportunity to rest, prepare, and reset for any call that we are needed at. We have always been able to keep 24/7 operations, but this new building enables us to work smarter, and to be at our best whenever the moment calls for us to be." The Camp Ripley Fire Department responds to on and off post calls and has mutual aid agreements with the three surrounding communities (Morrison and Brainerd County and the city of Pillager) and a cooperative agreement with Mayo Clinic, which houses a paramedic team on site. From 2021 to 2022, they have responded to more than 20 structure fires and more than 360 medical calls.
--The Pierz Lions will be putting on their Easter Egg Hunt event on Saturday, April 16th at 11am at the Pioneer Elementary playground, there is no cost to bring the young children and participate in the fun.
--The 39-year-old Harding man seriously injured in an ATV accident Saturday night has died from his injuries. Funeral announcements stated that Ryan Hoppe died Tuesday from injuries sustained in the ATV accident Saturday around 10:36pm on 243rd Street in Pulaski Township south of Harding when the ATV hit a frozen creek and rolled. Hoppe's passenger 41-year-old Peggy Strack reportedly sustained serious injuries and was taken to St. Cloud for treatment.
--Upsala Area Schools want to congratulate Evie Aleckson, Natasha Crowe, Claire Arvig, Kira Poppenhagen, Alyssa Young, and Joseph Guthrie on being selected for the 2022 Paramount Theater Juried High School Art Show. A huge honor to those students. Now you can vote for People’s Choice awards from the students at the art show where the winners can win up to $500. Voting is open until April 12th by going to HTTP://paramountarts.org/hsjuriedshow_2022.
--A Big Lake man charged with convincing a 13-year-old Stearns County girl to perform a sex act in exchange for marijuana has pleaded guilty. Twenty-two-year-old Mariano Cocchiarella has pleaded guilty to 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a 13-year-old. A second charge of prostituting a 13-year-old will be dismissed at sentencing. Cocchiarella is also charged in another case with soliciting a minor for sex during an undercover sting by authorities. As part of the plea agreement, that case will also be dismissed.
--The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Waseca County for the first time. There are now 32 counties in the state with EAB. A local Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forester noticed woodpecker damage on several ash trees in Janesville and alerted the MDA. MDA staff were able to find live EAB larvae and collect samples. Federal identification confirmed emerald ash borer. Emerald ash borer larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk. Often, the trees show several signs of infestation because of this. Woodpeckers like to feed on EAB larvae and woodpecker holes, like the ones spotted by DNR staff, may indicate the presence of emerald ash borer. Also, EAB tunneling can cause the bark to split open, revealing characteristic S-shaped galleries underneath. Because this is the first time EAB has been identified in Waseca County, the MDA is enacting an emergency quarantine to limit the movement of firewood and ash material out of the county. The MDA issues quarantines for all counties known to have EAB to reduce the risk of further spreading the tree-killing insect.
DEATH NOTICES
--Ryan J. Hoppe, age 39 of Harding.
--Judith Stich, age 77 of Pierz.
--Lorraine Bruflat, age 92 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy in morning, sunny later in the day, high near 40.
TONIGHT= clear skies, cooler night, low 18.
FRIDAY= sunny and not as windy, high 47, rain/snow late, low 32.
SATURDAY= rain/snow early then sunny and breezy, high 45, low 26.
SUNDAY= sunny skies, getting a bit warmer, high near 50, low 30.
SPORTS
NCCA= Final Four for Women begins Friday and the Final Four for men begin on Saturday in college basketball.
MLB= more Twins spring training action today at noon on Q92.