NEWS --A Sartell man escaped without injuries Sunday when the car he was driving broke through ice on Pearl Lake, coming to rest in 3-4 feet of water. 61-year-old Kenneth Stofflet was driving on the lake while pulling a small trailer with a three-wheeler on it when the vehicle broke through the ice about 5:20pm near the public access in Maine Prairie Township. The sheriff's office reported Stofflet was attempting to leave the lake when the car broke through near some cattails. Stofflet escaped without injuries. According to the DNR and law enforcement that was one of several separate vehicles through the ice in the state this past weekend. Dozens of incidents have been reported on lakes since warmer weather conditions began to stick around since mid-January.
--A St. Cloud man is charged with negligent storage of a loaded firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm after his grandson mistook his sawed-off shotgun for a toy gun and fired it hitting another child in the leg. The injured child had as many as 12 BB pellets in his leg after being shot December 30th at a north St. Cloud residence. A court complaint accuses 46-year old Kevin Lee Sund of possessing the firearm illegally because he was convicted of a previous felony crime of violence. He made his first court appearance on the charges Friday where bail was set at $75,000.
--This year, at the annual Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Banquet Laurence Brinson was named the Volunteer of the Year. Brinson began his volunteer service in 2012 and in four short years has already logged 1,095 hours, donating 260 hours this year alone. Also at the meeting, past Friends president Sue Hix was presented the Silver Eagle Award at the end of the banquet. The Silver Eagle Award recognizes individuals from outside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who made exceptional contributions to environmental and natural resource issues. It is their most prestigious external award, one that they only present to visionaries after many years of dedication. In 2016, nearly 600 volunteers contributed a total of 6,000 hours to their refuge program, which is the equivalent of nearly three full-time staff.
--Fire crews battled a house fire in St. Augusta Friday morning. The incident happened at about 7:45am at 22655 Fairfield Road. Members of the St. Augusta, Rockville, St. Cloud and Clearwater fire departments were called to fight the blaze. Crews contained the fire before noon but there was still heavy smoke coming from the home. No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is unknown.
--A Foley home owned by Kevin Eckland caught on fire early Friday morning. The blaze started at 18548 115th Street Northeast in Maywood Township. Crews were called to the scene shortly after 4:30am and on scene for three hours. No one was hurt in the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
--Governor Mark Dayton expects to sign the Senate version of a bill replacing a coal plant in Becker with natural gas operation. Minnesota legislators are considering proposals that would let Xcel Energy build a new natural gas power plant in Sherburne County to replace energy production from the Sherco coal plant in Becker. The Senate plan calls for retiring Sherco Units 1 and 2 by 2026 and replacing them with natural gas, an increase in wind and solar production and energy savings. On Thursday, the House approved their Sherco bill 77-51.
--A west side St. Cloud apartment sustained damage after a fire on Friday afternoon. Firefighters were called at 1:18pm to a 24-unit apartment building at 850 Driftwood Drive on reports of a fire. Firefighters were on the scene for three hours. No one was injured. It's believed the fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. Damage is estimated at $32,000. The occupant of the apartment the fire was in was displaced and is being assisted by Red Cross. The other residents were allowed to return.
--A Stearns County jury Thursday convicted a man of assault and robbery for helping rob a man who was selling him drugs. 32-year old Lynell Ellison was convicted of aiding and abetting aggravated robbery and second-degree assault. According to a criminal complaint, Ellison arranged to buy $2,600 of marijuana in March from a man in the 1000 block of Sixth Avenue South in St. Cloud. The dealer told police that when he went to his bedroom to get the marijuana, Ellison and an unknown man rushed into the room demanding to know where the money was. The man with Ellison pointed a handgun at the victim's face. Ellison and his accomplice took an iPhone, backpack and several hundred dollars in cash. The victim later identified Ellison in a photo lineup. Police found him with a large amount of cash hidden in his sleeve.
--An ATV accident injured two on Saturday. Around 1:35pm authorities responded to South Long Lake for a report of an overturned ATV. The operator of the ATV, 20-year old Trista Marsolek of St. Paul and the passenger 24-year old Maxwell Johnson of Wayzata were taken from the scene by ambulance. No further information regarding their injuries is available at this time.
--The Mississippi River was lowered two feet on Sunday as the draw down process began at the St. Cloud Hydroelectric Facility. The draw down is in relation to the current project to replace the old manual trip-gates with new automated ones. When the water flow is high in the spring, the gates would be tripped open and stay open until staff could safely raise them manually. The project began in July 2016 and is slated to be completed toward the end of February. The draw down will continue through tomorrow.
--The next FM94 Ladies Night Out will be on Thursday, March 23rd in Pierz. Shopping hours will be from 12:00-7:00pm and the drawing will begin at 7:30pm at the Red Rooster Bar and Grill. The grand prize is a $750 value. It will be a Light Oak Jewelry Armoire from Kurtz Furniture and Carpet ($450 value) and a $300 Pierz Foods/Pierz Floral Gift Card. If you are a business who would like to participate, call our office at (320) 632-2992 to find out how.
WEATHER TODAY= partly cloudy, windy, high 35. TONIGHT= clearing skies, colder, low 10 above, wind chills 0 WEDNESDAY= sunny, high 29, temps rising during nighttime. THURSDAY= sunny and warmer, high 43, low around 25.
SPORTS HS GHK= Sartell at Brainerd in 2nd round of girls hockey playoff tonight for Brainerd/Little Falls Warriors 7pm on Q92 WYRQ. HS BBB= Pierz at Milaca tonight 7:15pm on FM94 KFML. COL BB= Gophers try for a 5th straight win tomorrow night against Indiana at Williams Arena, tip off at 8pm on AM960 KLTF. TWINS= Twins spring play begins next week on Q92 WYRQ.