NEWS
--Today is Halloween. A reminder that for the younger children elementary age or younger many will be out from 3:30pm on Trick or Treating either at businesses and later tonight with the older children at houses around the area. Motorists are encouraged to watch for trick or treaters especially after dark when it might be more difficult to see them. Trick or treaters are reminder to follow traffic laws, at stoplights, intersections, also bring flashlights or have reflected style items in or on clothing so that you can be seen at night. Younger children should have a parent, guardian or an older person to watch over them while trick or treating, best to get a group together and walk with them to make the evening fun. Have a safe Halloween. As mentioned yesterday on the newsletter, Trick or Treating 3:30-5pm at Little Falls Businesses including Little Falls Radio, 3:30-5:30 at Pierz area businesses, 3:30-6:30 at Brainerd fire hall, police station and Crow Wing County sheriff's office, 5-8pm tonight at Royalton High School for the drama clubs fund raiser Halloween style party event.
--A reminder from Morrison County Public Works that due to the Morrison County Trail Ordinance, the Morrison County Soo Line Trail will be closed from November 1st through November 30th. For questions, please contact Public Works at 320-632-0121.
--Police are looking into a sexual assault report on the campus of St. Cloud State University last week. An alert sent by email to the campus community stated a “victim was approached from behind and forced into the back seat of a car" on Thursday evening. The assault was reported on Monday. University spokesperson Adam Hammer says “the university communicated to campus once information was available that the incident had occurred within the boundaries of the university.” Hammer says the incident is currently under investigation by the St. Cloud Police Department.
--A 59-year-old Brainerd man was arrested on Saturday for leading authorities on a pursuit in Iowa, where he allegedly smashed into a patrol car. The Bremer County Sheriff’s Office in Waverly, Iowa, reported Richard Dennehey was in custody as he awaits formal charges for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, eluding law enforcement while intoxicated, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia and driving with a revoked license. Several sheriff’s offices in Iowa and the Iowa State Patrol assisted in the pursuit that began just before 12:30am.
--Minnesota hangs on to its top spot for student scores on the ACT college entrance exam in states where nearly all high school seniors take the test. According to test results released Wednesday, Minnesota students had a composite score of 21.4 out of a possible 36. It's about the same as last year's state average when students scored 21.3. The national average is 20.7. About 95% of Minnesota's graduating seniors took the test. It measures their readiness for college in English, math, reading and science. Minnesota students outperformed their peers in neighboring states with similar levels of test participation; the average score in Wisconsin was 20.3, and North Dakota was 19.9.
--The Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota presents At the Hop on Friday at Craguns Resort in Baxter. The event features a great comfort food dinner including pot roast and apple crisp with a 50s show to sing and dance too. Doors open at 5:30pm dinner at 6pm and show to follow. Tickets can be purchased by contact Anne at 218-270-8212 or info@legacychorale.org.
--According to data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Morrison County had a 2.8% unemployment rate in September 2019 which is lower than both the national and statewide averages. Here is how our other area counties fared for September unemployment rates: Benton 2.6%, Cass 2.9%, Crow Wing 2.7%, Mille Lacs 3.1%, Sherburne 2.4%, Stearns 2.4%, Todd 2.4%, Wadena 3.3%. Brainerd was at 3.4% and St. Cloud was at 2.8%. The seasonally adjusted rates in September for the state unemployment average was 3.2% and the national rate was 3.5%.
--The National Weather Service says “Winter is Here”. The weather service stated Wednesday that the 14 day forecast shows for temperatures to stay 10-15 degree below average through the middle of November. Temperatures should average around Minnesota in the upper 40s and low 50s for November 1st and temps will be in the upper 20s in far northern Minnesota and lower 30s next week and even colder the following week. The Halloween forecast shows temps in the upper 30s today with snow tonight into Friday. Areas to the southwest South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska will be looking for heavier amounts of snow in the next 2 weeks instead of Minnesota.
--Following the release of the Office of the Legislative Auditor’s report on the overpayment to Minnesota tribal nations, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa), provides the following statement: “As we’ve seen time and time again, DHS lacks accountability and has become a bloated bureaucratic department. Without any oversight for 15 years, the Medication-Assisted Treatment programs at White Earth Nation and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe received overpayments of $29 million. This oversight not only is a massive waste of taxpayer dollars but it also could place the state in significant legal challenges as DHS attempts to recoup the overpayments. More disappointingly, however, DHS is not being held accountable. At the moment, there are six managers between the Opioid Treatment Authority Representative and the Commissioner. All of them were not able to see this misappropriation; which is truly unacceptable.”
--Faith Lutheran Church in Little Falls will celebrate their 10th Anniversary this Sunday with meet and greet at 8:30, service at 9am, some speakers to talk about the 10 years where the church moved form a various sites to its location behind the old Wal-Mart. There will be a dinner, activities for the kids (face painting etc.) and much more to take in at the church ending with a bonfire on Sunday.
WEATHER
TODAY= becoming sunny, high 37.
TONIGHT= snow after 2am, possible slushy accumulations, low 24.
FRIDAY= snow early, mixing with rain before 1pm, high 38, low 23.
SATURDAY= partly sunny, high 36, clear night, low 25.
SUNDAY= clouds increase, rain in afternoon, snow at night, high 41.
SPORTS
VB= Royalton vs. Annandale tonight 6pm on Q92 WYRQ. Winner tonight would then play on Saturday night also in Sauk Rapids.
HS FB= Pierz vs. Albany for the Section championship will come up on Friday night around 8pm from St. Cloud State on FM94 KFML.
WS= The Washington Nationals are World Series Champions for the first time in team history with a 6-2 win over the Houston Astros last night where Nationals again down early, had 2 big homeruns in the late innings to give the National's Capital their World Series crown.
NFL= San Francisco at Arizona tonight 7pm on AM960 KLTF.