NEWS
--Today is election day for a few local elections. The vacant Morrison County Commissioner District 5 seat is between Greg Blaine and Kenneth Primus. Precincts will be open for voting in person from 7:00am-8:00pm today in Pike Creek, Elmdale, Swan River, Two Rivers and Swanville Townships along with the city of Upsala. Others had mail in ballots for this election. The Pierz School District has their nearly ten million dollar bond referendum up for vote today too. In that election polls are open from 12:00-8:00pm at Agram Town Hall, Buh Town Hall, Pulaski Town Hall and Pierz City Hall. The Brainerd School District has a building bond referendum today too.
--Severe weather awareness week continues through Friday. The focus today is on lightning and hail. The national weather service has simple tips to remember to keep you safe in the case of inclement weather. If you find yourself in a severe thunderstorm watch, be prepared as damaging winds and large hail are possible. If you are in a severe thunderstorm warning, take action as damaging winds and large hail are expected. When thunder roars, go indoors. Tomorrow will focus on floods and Thursday focuses on tornadoes. Morrison County will participate in tornado drills at 1:45 and 6:45pm Thursday.
--A St. Cloud man was convicted of assaulting a police officer in March after pleading guilty Friday. 31-year old Robert Hennessy, Jr. was convicted of two of four counts, including a felony count of assault in the fourth degree for harming a police officer, and a misdemeanor count of domestic assault. Two other charges were not addressed, including a felony count of domestic assault by strangulation and a second misdemeanor count of domestic assault. His sentencing is scheduled for June 14.
--A mental competency evaluation has been ordered for a woman charged with 11 counts of aiding and abetting criminal sexual conduct. 38-year old Nikki Jo Hauser is suspected of abusing a child younger than 16 years old for years. Hauser and her husband, Shannon Hauser, began abusing the girl while Shannon Hauser was in prison. The court-ordered competency evaluation will take approximately 60 days, and proceedings in the criminal case will be placed on hold until the evaluation is complete. If Hauser is competent to proceed to trial, the criminal case will pick up where it left off. If she is not competent to proceed, the criminal charges will stay on the record, but she will go through a process aimed at restoring her to competency. Each of Nikki Hauser's 11 charges carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $40,000 fine. In March, Shannon Hauser was sentenced to 42 years in prison for two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
--A St. Cloud man has been arrested for allegedly attacking his girlfriend with a knife. Officers were sent to the 100 block of 4th Avenue Northeast in St. Cloud at about 8:00pm on Friday on a knife complaint. They determined 25-year-old Shawn Baker of St. Cloud had assaulted his 20-year-old girlfriend with a knife inside an apartment. The victim had received non-life threatening injuries to her head during the assault. Baker had left the scene prior to the arrival of the police, however, he was found a short time later in the 600 Block of 8th Avenue North and arrested. Baker was taken to the Benton County Jail where he was held on the charges of felony domestic assault and 2nd-degree assault. The victim was taken to St. Cloud Hospital where she was treated and released.
--A 59-year old Little Falls man was injured Sunday around 5:45pm on Highway 27 and 355th Avenue in Granite Township. Dale Bollig apparently had a medical issue that caused him to leave the roadway and strike the ditch. He was given a medical evaluation and then transported to the Little Falls hospital for treatment.
--Assistant Majority Leader Representative Ron Kresha, R-Little Falls, announced he is seeking re-election for State House District 9B which encompasses Morrison County and five townships in Todd County. Kresha is seeking his fourth term as a state representative. Kresha has been married to his wife Wendy for 25 years and together they have one son and four daughters. He taught language arts, coordinated technology and curriculum for the Pierz School District, co-founded Atomic Learning in Little Falls, and is currently a managing partner and founder of Golden Shovel Agency. Kresha will be challenged by DFL opponent Stephen Browning of Little Falls who was recently endorsed by the DFL party for the same seat.
--The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on Monday unveiled a new deer management plan that agency officials say will promote citizen input, set a target goal for each year's deer harvest and keep habitat in good shape from the southern prairies to the north woods. The plan establishes an annual statewide harvest target of 200,000 deer. It marks the first time the DNR has set a goal for how many deer that hunters should expect to shoot each year. The DNR hopes that number is about right for hunters who want plentiful deer to shoot, and for other Minnesota residents concerned with a sometimes overabundance of whitetails that cause accidents on roadways, damage crops, stifle growth of white pines and carry a brainworm that's often fatal to moose. That harvest goal is close to the 197,000 deer taken by both gun and bowhunters statewide in the 2017 season. It's far above the 139,000 deer harvest in 2014, after two harsh winters and when few doe permits were issued, and far below the nearly 300,000 deer harvested in 2003, the highest ever in Minnesota. Public comments on the new Minnesota DNR deer management plan will be accepted online through May 9th on the Minnesota DNR website.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
--Benjamin and Stephanie Karpinski, girl on April 7th
--Cory and Alicia Vukelich of Little Falls, girl on April 6th
DEATH NOTICE
--Joseph “Joe” Malinowski, age 75
--Dale Eugene Bundy, age 89 of Little Falls.
--Sister Donna Marie Zetah, age 88 of St. Francis Convent, LF.
WEATHER
TODAY= cloudy skies, high near 40, mostly cloudy night, low 26.
WEDNESDAY= afternoon rain shower, high 43, rain/snow late, low 31
THURSDAY= mostly cloudy, high 45, rain/snow at night, low 30.
SPORTS
TWINS= Justin Verlander shut down Twins last night 2-0 for the Houston Astros. Houston and Twins game 2 tonight 6:30 on Q92.
NBA= Timberwolves beat Memphis last night (46-35) but Denver won so the game between Nuggets and Timberwolves Wednesday will decide who goes to the NBA playoffs which begin on Saturday.