NEWS
--The Morrison County Sheriff's Office responded to a two-vehicle accident Friday just before 8pm on Hawthorne Road and 153rd Street east of Little Falls in Belle Prairie Township. 19-year-old Heidi Nguyen of Brooklyn Park failed to yield at a stop sign and was struck by a northbound vehicle driven by a 17 year old for Pierz. Both drivers and Nguyen's two passengers from Brooklyn Park and Rosemount also were both 19 were all taken to the hospital for unknown injuries.
--The Morrison County Public Works Department stated that road work continues on County Road 234 in Royalton which remains closed, bridge work on County Road 6 near Elmdale is closed and 4th Street in Little Falls north and south of Highway 27 remains closed in areas as work continues. They continue to work on Highway 1 near Randall though the road is open, and Highway 27 near Highway 25 but that is also open to traffic. Shoulder work will be going on along County Roads 236, 53, 35 and 43. New mailbox supports are also being placed on Highway 47 from Highway 25 to 27. Please slow down in work zones with many county projects going on.
--Becker Police are sharing more information after a missing toddler triggered an Amber Alert on Saturday night. Around 7pm on Saturday, police said that officers were called to a domestic assault at a home in Becker. Officers spoke with a woman who had been assaulted and learned that a 41-year-old man had left with a woman's 2-year-old son in his vehicle. Police said a court order prevented the man from having contact with the boy. Around 12:30am a homeowner in the 7800 block of Highland Scenic Road in Baxter called police and told them they had seen lights and movement in a nearby shed. Officials said the suspect has ties to the address and police set up a perimeter around the area. After three and a half hours of negotiations with the suspect, police took the man into custody. The little boy was found safe. The suspect was booked into the Crow Wing County Jail and police said there are pending charges for two counts of domestic assault, two counts for violating an order of protection, threats of violence and authorized use of a motor vehicle via long-form complaint through the Sherburne County Attorney's Office.
--A Sartell man has been booked into the Benton County Jail following a fatal car versus pedestrian crash on Friday night. Sauk Rapids Police were called to the area of Benton Drive North and 8th Street North at around 11pm. Officers arrived to find a person who had been struck by a pickup. Life-saving efforts were started on 47-year-old Kevin Oehmen of Sauk Rapids until an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital. Oehmen was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. The driver of the car, 25-year-old Tyler Nies has been formally charged with one count of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of driving while impaired. Nies is being held on $40,000 bail without conditions or $20,000 with conditions. His next court appearance has not been scheduled.
--Three people were hurt in a two-vehicle collision in western Stearns County. The Minnesota State Patrol reported at about 11:45am Sunday A pickup was going west on County Road 4, and the car was going south collided at an intersection. The three people in the car, 48-year-old Allison Heilman of Hutchinson, 48-year-old Dustin Heilmand of Hutchinson, and 20-year-old Jillian Heilman of Hutchinson, were all taken to CentraCare Hospital in Paynesville with non-life-threatening injuries. The pickup driver was not hurt.
--The Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce announced their August Employee of the Month is Laurie Ochoa. Laurie is the Community Life Assistant at Highland Senior Living in Little Falls.
--A woman fell out of a side-by-side ATV Friday and had to be airlifted to the hospital. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office was sent to Crow River Township Friday at about 5:30pm on reports that a passenger had fallen out while the ATV was doing about 50 miles per hour. Officers determined that 35-year-old Holly Breitbach was riding on County Road 13 in an ATV driven by 35-year-old Matthew Breitbach when she fell out of it. Breitbach was sent to Paynesville Hospital and later flown by Life Link Helicopter to another hospital.
--Today August 1st, by state law, Minnesotans can legally possess and grow their own marijuana for recreational purposes. Starting today, adults 21 and older can possess and travel in the state with 2 ounces of cannabis flower, 8 grams of concentrate and 800 milligrams worth of THC-containing edible products such as gummies and seltzers. They can have up to 2 pounds of cannabis flower at home. Low-potency edibles made with THC from industrial hemp were legalized last year. The Minnesota law gives priority to social equity considerations for awarding licenses. That can mean applicants from low-income areas that have felt disproportionate effects from marijuana being illegal, people whose convictions have been expunged, and military veterans who lost their honorable status due to a marijuana-related offense, to name a few. That includes a long list of license categories for cannabis-related businesses, with application fees ranging from $250 for delivery services to $10,000 for growers and product manufacturers. Local governments can’t ban cannabis sales, but they can limit the number of retailers to one per 12,500 residents. It cannot be taken over state lines due to Federal guidelines. Cannabis can be legally consumed on private property, including private homes. Eventually it will be allowed at special events where organizers have permits. It is still illegal to smoke or vape cannabis anywhere that tobacco smoking is prohibited, including most businesses, apartment buildings and college campuses. Nothing in the state law prohibits smoking it on a public sidewalk, but local ordinances might. Cannabis use remains illegal in all forms while driving, in public schools, on school buses, in state prisons, and on federal property. It can’t be smoked or vaped where a minor could inhale it and cannabis consumers are barred from owning firearms and ammunition. Full rules on the State website.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
--Actor Paul Reubens who was TV's Pee Wee Herman has died at age 70 after a battle with cancer. Reubens created the character in 1978 and later had Pee Wee's Playhouse in the late 1980s on CBS Saturday mornings.
DEATH NOTICES
--John Allen Rebischke, age 79 of Maple Grove formerly Little Falls
--David Larson, age 69 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, high 86, storms after midnight, low 63.
WEDNESDAY= AM storm then sunny, high 91, possible evening storm
THURSDAY= sunny and warm, high near 90, cooler night, low 54.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins at St. Louis tonight, pregame 6pm on Q92 WYRQ.