NEWS
--A Little Falls man faces two felony charges after allegedly pulling a handgun during a road rage incident last Friday afternoon. According to the criminal complaint, 34-year old Michael Hudson pulled a handgun on a couple and pointed it at them while driving on Highway 10 south of Royalton. The victims told police Hudson had pulled alongside their vehicle and appeared angry that they were not driving fast enough in the passing lane. He allegedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at them. Sauk Rapids Police made a traffic stop near the Highway 10/ Highway 15 split and found a handgun holstered to Hudson's hip. The victims say they had their 5-year old child in the car with them during the incident. Hudson is now charged with felony 2nd degree assault and felony threats of violence. His next court date is scheduled on June 12th.
--A missing 56-year old woman, who was last seen at her residence on April 25th on the 1000 block of Birch Street in Crosby, was found safely this past weekend. The Crosby Police Department reported the missing woman, Kelly Jo Jones, was found Sunday in a business in St. Cloud. Police reported the woman had a misdemeanor warrant and is currently in the Benton County Jail in Foley. Jones was reported missing Friday, May 3rd by her roommate. Jones told her roommate April 25 she was leaving for the Twin Cities metro area and would be back in a few days, but she never returned. Now, as of Sunday she has been found safe.
--19-year old Reece Anthony Heinze of Sauk Centre was sentenced Thursday to a stay of imposition and 45 days in jail for one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Heinze engaged in sexual contact with a 12-year old girl. Heinze will be on supervised probation for 30 years. If he successfully completes terms of probation, the conviction will be deemed a misdemeanor.
--The president of St. John's University has announced his retirement. Michael Hemesath will step down on August 1st. He became the 13th president of St. John's on July 1st, 2012, and served as the first layperson to be appointed to a full presidential term at the university. Board of Trustees Chair Dan McKeown says we came to a mutual decision for Michael to step down as president. He is planning on taking a well deserved sabbatical in August. With that schedule, it makes sense to him and the university for him to end his term as president at that time. The board will select an interim president while they look for a permanent replacement.
--An Otsego man was taken to the hospital after crashing his car on Interstate 94 near Melrose. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened just before 9:00am Monday on westbound I-94. 57-year-old Michael Lemanczyk had a medical event and hit the cable barrier in the median. He was taken to Melrose Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
--Two men are seriously hurt after a head-on crash on Highway 23 near New London. Just before 12:30pm Tuesday, 73-year-old Ronald Stewart of St. Joseph was westbound in his car when an eastbound pickup driven by 36-year-old James Bloom Jr. of Hutchinson crossed into the westbound lane. Troopers say Stewart swerved to try to avoid the collision but was unable to avoid the pickup. Both Bloom and Stewart were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
--The Little Falls Care Center across from Coborn's has a large fundraiser plant & bake sale and silent auction today 8:30am-1:00pm.
--The Minnesota Department of Transportation encourages motorists to plan ahead before traveling Memorial Day weekend and use extra care while driving through work zones. MnDOT will suspend work on most projects during the holiday, but motorists may encounter bypasses, lane closures and detours. Motorists should be prepared for slower moving traffic, consider using alternate routes and check 511mn.org to get information about road construction and traffic impacts. Highway projects that may affect weekend travel in Central Minnesota include: Highway 27 Little Falls – Highway 27 closed, detour through September; Highway 169 Garrison – Roadway reduced to one lane; Highway 15 St. Augusta to Kimball – Highway 15 closed, detour through July and many more. MnDOT urges motorists to be attentive, drive with caution, slow down in work zones and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.
--The detour on Morrison County Highway 34 was delayed from yesterday to today due to the rainy weather on Wednesday. The detour near Buckman should only take one day to complete. Again that detour will be today due to yesterday's weather conditions.
--A Paynesville couple is suspected of sexually assaulting a teenage girl some time between July 2017 and April 2018, according to criminal complaints filed in Stearns County District Court. 50-year old Steven Dale Row of Paynesville was charged Wednesday with one felony count of aiding and abetting first degree criminal sexual conduct. A warrant was issued Wednesday for 45-year old Stacy Lee Row, also of Paynesville, on suspicion of felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct. According to court documents, a Paynesville police officer received information April 25th about a possible sexual assault of a 13-year old girl that happened some time between July 2017 and April 1, 2018. Steven Row was arrested Monday and was booked into Stearns County Jail on held in lieu of $200,000 bail, according to jail records. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Stacy Row.
--Authorities on Wednesday identified the woman pulled unresponsive from Leech Lake on Monday afternoon. The Cass County Sheriff's Office said that 69-year old Sandra Crow of Mora was pronounced dead at the scene after she was discovered in water near a dock on Kabekona Bay of Leech Lake, roughly 30 miles southeast of Bemidji.
DEATH NOTICE
--Virginia “Ginny” Johnson, age 89 of Upsala
WEATHER
TODAY= mostly cloudy, high near 60.
TONIGHT= rain after midnight, low around 50.
FRIDAY= rain, thunderstorms possible, windy, high 68, low 48.
SATURDAY= sunny skies, high 66, low around 41.
SUNDAY= sunny skies, high 72, low around 55.
MEMORIAL DAY= thunderstorms likely in afternoon, high near 65.
SPORTS
TWINS=a rare rain delay and postponement last night in California means the Twins play today at 2:30 to wrap up the series with the Angels. Hear the action live on Q92 WYRQ.
HS SB= Little Falls vs. Fergus Falls in an elimination game today at 4pm on AM960 KLTF and Pierz in a winners bracket game today against Annandale. The Pierz game is the third of four games today in Waite Park and scheduled now for 5:30pm on FM94 KFML.