NEWS
--In July of 2016 Camp Ripley was designated by the US Dept. of Agriculture, Dept. of Defense, and the Dept. of Interior as a Sentinel Landscape. Camp Ripley is now one of six federally designated Sentinel Landscapes in the country. There is an open house event next Thursday, March 16th at 6:00pm at the Camp Ripley Hangar Conference Center. This will be an informational open house to explain more about the Army Compatible Usage Buffer and the Federal Sentinel landscape program. All are welcome.
--The Little Falls Fire Department assisted a power company around 5:35pm Tuesday when downed power lines down caused a tree fire. This incident occurred at 915 Hilton Road. No injuries were reported.
--On Tuesday the Rice Police Department and Benton County Sheriff’s Office completed an investigation that lead to the arrest of a man on charges of possessing counterfeit currency. James Meyer was arrested for possessing counterfeit currency and brought to the Benton County Jail. Any businesses who believe they may have received counterfeit currency in the past several days are encouraged to contact their local law enforcement agency. The investigation linked Meyer to attempting to use the counterfeit $100 bills at two businesses. It is likely that the two businesses were not the only two establishments targeted by Meyer.
--A 20-year-old Brainerd man is accused of intentionally setting a vehicle on fire Sunday in Pillager. Eric Gregory Hanson was charged Tuesday in Cass County District Court with two felony counts of third-degree arson, for intentionally destroying property and faces up to five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both. The vehicle fire was reported before 5pm Sunday at Swede's Repair near Pillager. The deputy observed a vehicle parked along the driveway that appeared to be severely damaged by fire that firefighters had extinguished. Property owners, Kristy and Ronnie Arneson, witnessed a vehicle being started on fire. Reportedly, Hanson came to the property indicating he wanted to take the vehicle from the property that had been there for two years for repairs. At that time, Ronnie Arneson advised him he would need to pay $100 in storage fees for having the vehicle on his property for the last two years. Arneson said Hanson became angry and left the property. Kristy Arneson said when she returned to the property Sunday, she observed Hanson pouring gasoline out of a red can under the hood of the disabled vehicle, across the dash and in the back seat of the vehicle causing it to burst into flames. Arneson said that when he started to drive toward the fire, Hanson drove toward Ronnie Arneson causing him to have to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. Hanson was picked up by deputies later that evening. During the time when he was taken to jail, Hanson made several comments of threats to the homeowners and stated over and over that he did not burn anything and stated the car wasn't his. The vehicle was a total loss as a result of the fire. Formal charges of arson were filed on Tuesday.
--A reminder that this Sunday we return to Daylight Saving Time meaning that clocks will have to spring ahead one hour to central daylight time. This is also a great time to check batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are working properly. Daylight Saving Time returns Sunday at 2:00am.
--Kiwanis Fish Fry is this Friday at the Little Falls VFW from 4:30-7pm. View details on the community calendar at fallsradio.com
--Ice out on lakes creeps closer to Central Minnesota, as a number of lakes in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota reported ice out earlier this week. At least 10 lakes in Martin County, Minnesota reported ice-out on Monday, and a number of Twin Cities lakes, including Nokomis and Calhoun, reported ice-out on Tuesday. A majority of the lakes reported set records for earliest ice-out. No lakes in Central Minnesota have yet to report ice-out, but as of Tuesday the Mississippi River in the St. Cloud area appeared to be clear of ice. According to the DNR, a majority of Central Minnesota lakes show signs of ice-out in April. Warm temperatures and winds are the conditions needed to erode ice from lake surfaces, which the area has seen over the past week. The earliest ice-out reported for a Central Minnesota Lake was March 9th, 2001 on Rice Lake.
--The garrison command team of Camp Ripley of the Minnesota National Guard attended the Change of Responsibility ceremony between Command Sgt. Maj. Mike Worden and Command Sgt. Maj. Matt Erickson Sunday at Camp Ripley. The ceremony was an official "passing of the sword" from one senior noncommissioned officer to the next and assumption of the duties and responsibilities that go along with the position of Garrison Command Sergeant-Major. The garrison command sergeant major is responsible for managing the military aspects of all full-time and traditional National Guard members on the installation. They serve as the primary adviser to the commander regarding issues related to the analysis and enforcement of established policies and standards for enlisted personnel. Camp Ripley welcomed Erickson to the team as the new garrison command sergeant major. An artilleryman by trade, Erickson along with his wife Mandy and two children join the Camp Ripley team having come from the 682nd Engineer Battalion and a recent deployment to Kuwait in support of U.S. operations overseas.
--Governor Mark Dayton signed into law the opening of Liquor Stores on Sundays beginning July 2nd. This ends a 159 year ban on Sunday liquor sales. The governor said it will still be at the business discretion if they wish to be open on Sundays but now they have the choice to do so. Both the House and Senate passed bills for the Sunday sales.
--The Staples-Motley School District early learning, Jumpstart and kindergarten enrollment fair is 6:00pm on March 21st in Staples. This fair is an opportunity for families of young children to learn more about the district's early learning programs, ask questions and meet teachers and other families.
DEATH NOTICES
--David Sproessig Jr., age 50 of Hillman.
WEATHER
TODAY= partly cloudy, high 25, wind chills in the teens.
TONIGHT= clear skies, cold, low -6, wind chills near -20.
FRIDAY= sunny and cold, high 17, low around 0.
SATURDAY= mostly cloudy, high 21, low 5 above.
SUNDAY= snow showers 1-3 inches, high 23, low 12.
SPORTS
BBB= Playoff boys basketball starts tonight for teams like Royalton, Foley, Holdingford, Upsala, Swanville and Pierz. Pierz is at St. Cloud Cathedral 7:00pm on FM94 while Upsala is at Swanville tonight at 7:00pm on Q92 WYRQ.