NEWS --On Wednesday Pierz Healy High School will be the location for a mock car crash and emergency drill for several local emergency medical services. All 9th-12th graders will attend the program organized by Healy High School and local emergency personnel. Sirens, lights and helicopters will be used during the event. Reminder this is only a mock car crash and a practice drill scheduled for tomorrow in Pierz. If there is inclement weather Thursday would be the make up date.
--Motorists who travel Highway 25, south of Highway 23 in Foley, will experience delays when the road closures between Glen Street and Highway 95 starting May 8th. All lanes of Highway 25 south of Highway 23 in Foley will reopen in late June. Motorists should use the signed detour along Highway 23 and Highway 95, or plan their own alternate routes. Also, lane and road closures on Highway 25, north of Highway 23 in Foley, will begin in July 2017. More information on those and other closures on Highway 25 will be issued as details become available. The closures and detours are needed as part of two projects that will resurface and repair Highway 25 between Genola and Highway 95. When complete, the two projects will improve the ride, safety, shoulders and drainage along more than 30 miles of Highway 25. For information on the projects, including traffic updates and latest maps, visit the MnDot website. For real-time travel information in Minnesota visit www.511mn.org or dial 5-1-1.
--Motorists on Interstate 94 between Highway 15 and County Road 75 in St. Cloud may encounter non-rush hour delays as both directions of the road are intermittently reduced to a single lane beginning Monday, May 1st. The intermittent, non-rush hour closures will be complete by July 28th. The lane closures are needed while crews install new cable median barrier along the busy interstate. Motorists should be prepared to slow down.
--Two vehicles collided in Benton County Saturday at Highway 10 and 115th Avenue in Langola Township around 5:00pm. 53-year old Theresa Bender of Blaine was on 10 when 19-year old Brittany Barron of Long Prairie pulled out in front of her and the two collided. Bender was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with injuries. Barron and her 21-year old passenger from Staples were not injured.
--Stearns County responded to an accident around 12:15pm Saturday on County Road 136 in St. Augusta. 18-year-old Madison Nelson of Sartell was on the county road when she missed a curve and drove onto the unpaved portion of the road causing her to roll in the ditch near some trees. Nelson was transported to the St. Cloud Hospital for her injuries that were not ruled serious in nature.
--Three vehicles were involved in an accident in Benton County just after 10:40am Friday at Highway 10 and Benton Drive. 52-year-old Theresa Burnham of South Haven was merging onto Highway 10 from Benton Drive when it struck a semi-truck driven by 42-year-old John Young of Brainerd. The semi then veered onto the shoulder and struck the back of a trailer who had stopped in the ramp area. All drivers were not hurt. A passenger in the Burham vehicle, 59-year-old Brian Leet of South Haven had non life threatening injuries.
--CHI Health at Home will be offering a program titled “When Grief is Complicated” on Thursday April 27th starting at 11:00am at the Initiative Foundation. Cost is $5 to cover lunch. RSVP’s need to be made to 631-5575.
--The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday upheld the sentence of a St. Cloud man who robbed a Sauk Rapids gas station more than two years ago. 24-year old Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery. He was one of four men charged with participating in a robbery in September 2014 at the Holiday in the 1700 block of Second Avenue North in Sauk Rapids. Ahmed appealed, arguing that Benton County District Court Judge Michael Jesse erred by not granting Ahmed the final of several continuances that Ahmed sought after being charged. Jesse sentenced Ahmed to 10 years in prison for punching a male employee at the store multiple times while ordering him to open a safe at the store. Ahmed and three others are accused of fleeing the store with money. Prosecutors sought the longest sentence for Ahmed because his actions were the most egregious of the people who participated in the robbery. The Court of Appeals upheld Jesse's decision to deny Ahmed a continuance for his sentencing. Co-defendant 33-year old Wali Mahad Ahmed pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 88 months in prison. Co-defendant 29-year old Ilyes Omar Ibrahim was convicted by a Benton County jury, but had that conviction overturned on appeal. His second trial is scheduled for June. Another co-defendant 23-year old Abdijamal Kaydsane Mohamed has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial.
--Around 3:00pm Monday a passerby called 911 for a fire in a garage in Avon township. When authorities arrived to the address of 37707 Sunnyfield Circle in Avon Township the home was completely engulfed in flames. The homeowners 78-year old Willard and 71-year old Joann Hedeen were not home at the time. The cause is still under investigation. No damage estimate was provided by the press release from the Stearns County Sherriff's Office.
--Two people were injured when a car rolled into the ditch on west Interstate 94 near Silver Creek in Wright County early Sunday morning. 19-year old Katelynn Mccomas of St. Cloud was on Interstate 94 when her left rear wheel bearing went out and she lost control of the vehicle at about 2:00am. The vehicle went into the right ditch, rolled over onto its roof and came to rest on top of road fencing. Mccomas and her passenger, 49-year old Terry Schmidt of Watertown, both received non-life-threatening injuries.
DEATH NOTICES --Patricia Taylor, age 63 of Little Falls. --Kirby Michael Veillette, age 54 of rural Little Falls.
WEATHER TODAY= cloudy, showers in afternoon, high 54. TONIGHT= rain likely, heavier overnight, some wet snow, low 32. WEDNESDAY= rain/snow mix, rain and blustery, high 38, low 27. THURSDAY= rain/snow mix, rain and windy, high 40, low near 30.
SPORTS TWINS= Brian Dozier's bases loaded double in the 5th was all the Twins needed to hold off Texas 3-2 last night. The Twins are at Texas for game 2 tonight 6:30pm on Q92 WYRQ MARA= Jonathan Stoltman of Little Falls captured first place Saturday at the Earth Day Half Marathon in St. Cloud. HS BAB= Little Falls at Albany today 5pm on AM960 KLTF. LOCAL= check out local scores at fallsradio.com- click on sports.