NEWS
--A message from Little Falls Fire Chief Craig Seelen that wildfires are earlier than normal because of the no snow pack and warmer than average temperatures, dangerous conditions have developed across the state and the DNR also have burning restrictions in place months ahead of normal. Check with your local DNR office or check the website on their website, the conditions change daily depending on the weather especially the winds. Seelen said with Daylight Saving Time on Sunday at 2am remember to turn the clocks ahead one hour and check smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, most of the fire/smoke detectors have a 10 year shelf life and do go bad so you should check them at least twice a year. Seelen said kitchen fires are on the rise also in the state so remember to watch items on the stove if a grease/oil fire sparks do not use water on the fire, cover the area make sure to try and turn down the heat. Tips on kitchen and recreational fires are available on the City of Little Falls website and under Fire Department tips. Seelen said they continue to train their firefighters at least twice of month, sometimes more to get prepared for wildfires, kitchen fires, grass fire and other items as they have been able to use the warmer conditions and lack of snow to be prepared for the spring and summer seasons in Little Falls. Questions can be directed to 320-616-5591.
--A 42-year-old Pine River man has now been charged with two felonies after allegedly leading law enforcement on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle. Joshua Zebroski is charged with one count of theft-take/drive motor vehicle without owner consent and one count of fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle. The pursuit reportedly on Sunday between Cross Lake to Emily reached speeds around 70mph where a pit maneuver was used that forced the vehicle to spin around and come to stop. Zebroski was then taken into custody without further incident.
--Xcel Energy has scheduled a planned power outage on Saturday, March 16th, in the heart of Benton County. Crews will be upgrading a distribution line that serves around 2,000 customers from 7am-10am in Foley. The utility says the work should help avoid similar service disruptions to those that have affected customers in the past. Community Relations Manager Scott Johnson explains how Xcel diagnosed the problem. “After a recent outage in Foley caused by the existing wire, we told the community we’d look into the root cause. Replacing this wire will best ensure reliability in the area.” He notes that the upgrade was slotted for a time that minimizes disruptions to the city. Our crews will safely make the repair and restore power to the community.” Xcel has some recommendations to help handle the outage. They want residents to turn off alarm systems and appliances that are sensitive to power surges, have batteries on hand, charge their cell phones to full power beforehand, and keep their refrigerator and freezer doors closed to lock in the cold.
--Two men were hurt when a pickup and a semi collided in Meeker County. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened just after noon Tuesday near Dassel. A semi driven by 50-year-old Eric Stanley of Howard Lake was going west on Meeker County Road 18. A pickup driven by 59-year-old Gregory Sorell of Sauk Centre was going north on Highway 15. They collided at the intersection. Both men were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
--Morrison County Presidential Primary results showed about the same as the state as a whole, with President Joe Biden the top Democrat with 419 votes (around 74%) and former President Donald Trump the top Republican vote getter 2,969 votes (around 83%). Nikki Haley received 529 (14%) of the Republican vote in Morrison County before she announced yesterday she was ending her bid.
--A car crashed through the corner wall of an attached garage Tuesday of a home on the 19000 block of Soder Road in Unorganized Territory north of Brainerd. The Brainerd Fire Department responded to the crash, reported at 11:35am, just north of Dunmire’s on the Lake near North Long Lake. According to Brainerd Fire Chief Tim Holmes, first responders were able to remove the person from the vehicle prior to the department's arrival. Holmes said at least one person was in the house when the car crashed through the garage’s side wall, entirely embedding the vehicle inside. Once on scene, fire crews worked to stabilize the roof of the garage to allow the tow company to safely remove the vehicle.
--The Little Falls Police Department last week continued to receive suspicious activity calls along with calls of animal complaints and scam calls. If you need assistance in the city of Little Falls contact police at 320-616-5570 if out of the city call the Morrison County Sheriff's Office at 320-632-9233.
RADIO NEWS
--The National Association of Broadcasters reported from Nielsen that the size of the average radio audience has continued to grow in the 12 months since Nielsen revealed that radio's reach had eclipsed that of television for the first time, the measurement firm reports. Radio now has an average audience 12% larger than TV in the key 18-49 demographic, reaching 81% of this audience, whereas television's reach has declined in the same time period. Meaning like Little Falls Radio has always mentioned, it pays to listen and advertise with your local radio stations.
NATIONAL NEWS
--following a poor performance in many states Nikki Haley has ended her bid of the White House making Donald Trump the remaining candidate for the GOP against DFL President Joe Biden in November.
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy skies, passing flurries early, high 38.
TONIGHT= clearing skies, cooler night, low 18.
FRIDAY= sunny skies, high 35, partly cloudy night low near 22.
SATURDAY= sunny and breezy, high 42, low near 26.
SUNDAY= sunny and warmer, high near 50, low near 32.
SPORTS
HS BBB= Mille Lacs Area at Upsala tonight at 7pm on Q92 WYRQ winner moves on to Saturday action. Also Swanville, Royalton, Holdingford, Foley, LPGE and Browerville have playoff games tonight.
HS GBB= Holdingford beat Sauk Centre 47-44 to move on to the Section championship game Friday night against Albany, winner on to state.
BHK= St. Cloud Cathedral, Warroad, Hermantown advanced to the semi-finals on Wednesday in state boys hockey, Alexandria lost.