NEWS
--There was a deadly crash up in Todd County Tuesday. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened just after 10:30am at the intersection of Highway 210 and Highway 71 near Hewitt. The State Patrol reported the vehicles collided in the intersection. 60-year-old Joseph Wilhelmy from Fergus Falls was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with serious injuries. His 80-year-old passenger Judith Wilhelmy of Fergus Falls was dead at the scene. The 2nd vehicle 36-year-old Jennifer Bryniarsky of Bertha had non life threatening injuries and was treated in Wadena. Her 1 year old passenger was not hurt.
--Two people from Eden Valley were hurt in a crash near Richmond in Stearns County which included a driver from Randall. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened at about 4:15pm Tuesday on Highway 23 and County Road 43. A pickup was going west on the highway behind a car that was stopped to turn south onto the county road. The pickup struck the rear of the car, which caused the car to cross the center line where it struck an SUV. The SUV then went off the road and rolled. The driver of the car and her passenger, 39-year-old Teresa Coulter and three-year-old Parker Coulter both of Eden Valley, were taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The pickup driver, 39-year-old Andrew Gertken of St. Cloud, was not hurt. The driver of the SUV, 60-year-old Jon Fogelberg of Randall, was also reportedly not injured in the accident.
--An Albany man has pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct after a 13-year-old girl reported that he touched her inappropriately while staying as a household guest. 20-year-old Adam Wiechmann admitted to 4th-degree criminal sexual conduct charges in Stearns County District Court Tuesday. The girl told authorities she was watching TV with her brother and Wiechmann last February when Wiechmann showed her pictures of girls on his phone who he'd had sex with, including a 14-year-old girl. The victim said she eventually went to bed. Later, when the girl got up to get a snack, Wiechmann came out of the bedroom and sat by her on the couch. She said Wiechmann smelled like alcohol and began touching her waist and was kissing and sucking on her ear. The girl said he put his hands down her shorts and up her shirt. The girl told Wiechmann that she was 13-years-old and that it was not okay. Finally, the girl heard her sister cough and said she needed to go check on her. The victim reported the situation to the sister who then confronted Wiechmann and told him to leave. A judge has ordered Wiechmann to undergo a psychosexual evaluation, mental wellness evaluation and chemical dependency evaluation before his sentencing hearing in December.
--Becker Police are investigating a shooting incident that took place Monday night. Police said they received a call around 9am Tuesday morning from a resident who reported bullet holes in a window of a home in the 11000 block of Holasek Avenue. Officers also found bullet holes on the exterior of the home. It's believed the shooting happened sometime overnight. No one was hurt and police do not believed there is any concern for public safety. The case remains active and anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Becker Police Department at 763-200-4267.
--The Heartland Symphony Orchestra under new conductor Ryan Webber will perform Musique Francaise Saturday night at 7:30 at Charles D. Martin Auditorium in the high school in Little Falls and Sunday at 2:30pm at Tornstrom Auditorium in Brainerd. Tickets can purchased at the door for $12 adults, free for K-12 students.
--President Donald J. Trump will be in Minneapolis tonight for a rally at the Target Center at 7pm. Expect heavy traffic around the center.
--A group of dancers in the Just For Kix and Pierz Pizzazz programs, ages 10 to 14 are heading to Florida to perform during the halftime show of Outback Bowl in December. To raise funds for the trip, the dancers will host a shoe drive next Friday (October 18th) from 10am-6pm in the Litke’s Veterinary parking lot in Pierz. Folks can donate gently worn, used and new shoes as they are collecting any type or size of shoe, from boots, heels, shoes, sandals, snow boots. For more information, contact Katie Phillips at (320) 339-1626.
--A Benton County bridge is closed until further notice after a routine inspection uncovered the structural integrity is compromised. The bridge is in Maywood Township northeast of Ronneby and spans the St. Francis River. It's located on 105th Street Northeast between County Road 67 and Highway 7. Crews discovered the timber pilings supporting the bridge have numerous splits and decay, causing a partial collapse of some pilings, they also noticed uneven settling on the bridge deck which eventually could lead to a collapse.
--Minnesota is likely to get his first significant snow storm of the early fall season this weekend. North Dakota will see up to a foot of snow by Saturday night while northwestern Minnesota will see 3-7 inches by Saturday in a line from Detroit Lakes north and west. Central Minnesota is not expected to see the heavy wet snow, but the cold and windy will cause some blowing effect snow late Friday into Saturday with the potential of 1-2 inches by Saturday afternoon mainly in the grassy areas but the rain/snow mix this weekend will cause some greasy and slick roadways to watch out for.
--Friday's events include the White Sidewalls performing at the Falls Ballroom as a fundraiser for St. Gabriel's Hospital advocates with the show starting at 7:30pm. Charles Kapsner hosting his 11th annual Salon event at Great River Arts 6-9pm tonight, free of charge to attend, trunk or treat at Morrison County Fairgrounds where kids can come and get candy from trunks of vehicles planned out by organizations and businesses is from 5-6:30pm Friday and many more items going on tomorrow to view at fallsradio.com.
DEATH NOTICES
--Sister Marie Theis, age 101 of Franciscan Sisters Claire Residence.
--Barb DeZurik, age 64 of Little Falls.
--Rebecca Bjerke, age 44 of Hillman
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy with spotty showers, high 55.
TONIGHT= showers likely, possible T-storms late, low 42.
FRIDAY= temps falling, AM and PM showers, snow after dark.
SATURDAY= snow showers, 1 inch possible, high 35, low 30.
SUNDAY= snow showers early, cloudy, high 38, low near 28.