NEWS
--In the past week the Little Falls Police Department responded to a number of suspicous activity calls, a burglary/theft report of a garage at a business on Highland Avenue and calls are still being taken on scams. Many stating that a law enforcement officer is calling them demanding information or facing arrest or asking to buy items to give them numbers. The police department also investigated back on March 29th a hit and run accident on 1st Avenue Northeast though no indications of damage was done to the vehicle at the scene. If you have information on recent incidents or need assistance from the police department call them at 616-5570.
--A judge has sentenced a man charged with firing a gun during a standoff last year to 21 years in prison. Stearns County Judge Matthew Engelking sentenced 28-year-old Ryan Timothy Kellen on March 30 on one felony count of first-degree assault for use of deadly force against a police officer. According to court documents, officers were dispatched to a home in Sauk Centre in January 2020 after a woman said Kellen had assaulted her there. A standoff ensued at the home and at one point Kellen fired a shot at a police Humvee with five officers inside.
--Brainerd Firefighters work through strong winds, quickly extinguish wildfire east of Brainerd on Highway 18 on Friday. Responding was the Brainerd Fire Department and the Minnesota DNR. There was no other details on how much acerage was damaged from the fire that was contained to a mainly wooded area. Conditions are extremely dangerous for fire in central Minnesota with low humidity, warm temperatures, high winds and dry conditions still until adequate moisture comes to the are with hopes of that happening this week.
--Governor Tim Walz and the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday that Minnesota will receive a federal Community Vaccination Clinic, following the Governor’s request for a fully-supplied mass vaccination site to augment the state’s vaccination efforts. The site will be located at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and receive 168,000 doses over eight weeks. The site will administer a combination of Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson doses, which will result in over 100,000 total people being vaccinated during the eight-week period. The doses administered at the Fairgrounds will be in addition to Minnesota’s regular statewide vaccine allocations. Minnesotans living in the zip codes near the Fairgrounds with the highest scores on the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index will be eligible for appointments at this site. Up to 1,000 doses per day will also be taken offsite to community-based clinics in high Social Vulnerability Index areas. The Minnesota State Fairgrounds were recommended by Minnesota public health officials and selected by FEMA based on equity data analysis, including the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index. Vaccinations will begin at the Fairgrounds on April 14 and serve Minnesotans living in the highest Social Vulnerability Index zip codes near the Fairgrounds. The site will be by appointment only. Minnesotans living in the zip codes listed above can sign up for the Vaccine Connector to be selected for an appointment. Minnesotans can call the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Public Hotline at 1-833-431-2053 for language assistance and any questions about signing up for the Connector. More information on directly booking appointments through a call center will be shared next week. There will be no cost and Minnesotans will not need to provide an ID or medical insurance to be vaccinated.
--An Albany man was taken to the hospital after crashing his pickup Friday night. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says it appears 42-year-old Brian Scott of Albany had a medical condition that factored into the crash. The sheriff's office got a call just after 9pm to report a single-vehicle crash along County Road 10 in Albany Township. When officers made contact with Scott, they say he was very confused as to his whereabouts. He was taken to Melrose Hospital by ambulance.
--Members of the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force have learned the limits of some state laws in the last three years, and now they're seeking updates to the statutes. Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall is among those asking for legislation that would increase penalties for certain human trafficking offenses. They're asking state lawmakers to classify sex trafficking as a "violent crime," because it's not already. The changes are in bills that already gained support in House and Senate committees. The language is the same in both versions of the bill, and supporters hope the policies will make it into an omnibus bill and pass into law this session. The Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force started operating full time in April 2018. Since then, it has responded to 333 trafficking reports and conducted 190 investigations. Its work has led to 15 sex trafficking convictions, 10 child solicitation convictions and 74 prostitution-related convictions.
--A reminder that the free grocery giveaway is today at Living Hope Church north of Little Falls from 3-5pm. No registration is necessary. Please enter from north of church and leave to the south.
DEATH NOTICES
--Mary V. Brezinka, age 88 of Royalton.
WEATHER
TODAY= partly cloudy, breezy, high 59.
TONIGHT= rain showers develop, breezy, low 43.
WEDNESDAY= rain likely, some isolated thunder, high 48, low 42.
THURSDAY= rain likely, breezy, high 45, low around 40.
SPORTS TWINS= Nelson Cruz hits two home runs including a grand slam as the Twins beat the Tigers 15-6 on Monday. The Twins bullpen struggled in the 9th giving up 5 runs and a grand slam before capping off the win. The Twins and the Tigers continue their 3 game series today with pregame again at 11:30am on Q92 WYRQ. HS BB= State semi-finals begin today for Girls and Boys Basketball in the four classes with semi-finals and championships to finish the winter sports season wrap up this Saturday in Minneapolis. NCAA= Baylor dominated Gonzaga last night in winning 86-70 for the college's first ever NCAA Men's Championship in Basketball. Stanford downed Connecticut Sunday for the Women's title.
TODAY IN HISTORY
IN 1883= Sherlock Holmes is introduced in the book “The Adventure of Speckled Band”. Holmes would appear in many books and movies.
IN 1889= Kodak Camera is first put on sale by George Eastman.
IN 1896= first modern Olympic games open in Athens, Greece.
IN 1906= first animated cartoon seen in Movie Theaters.
IN 1930= James Dewar introduced Hostess Twinkie's to the public.
IN 1947= The 1st Tony Awards for Broadway musicials handed out.
IN 1954= Swanson's introduced TV Dinners sold to general public.