[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Newsletter: Tuesday, February 2nd 2016[/title][fusion_text]Tuesday, February 2nd 2016 (Groundhog Day)
NEWS
–An emergency response team pulled two bodies Sunday afternoon from the Mississippi River near St. Cloud. St. Cloud Police received a call at 12:23pm regarding a possible person on the ice. Police confirmed it was a deceased 21-year old white woman on the ice south of the Granite City Crossing bridge. St. Cloud Police had taken a missing persons report earlier in the day that may be related. Positive identification has yet to be made. While officers were on scene they discovered a second body on the rocks. The body of an unidentified man appeared to have been there for a substantial time. Investigators do not believe the two incidents are related.
–A female driver fled the scene of an accident leaving three injured passengers early Sunday in Mille Lacs County. The sheriff’s office and state patrol stated that the vehicle was found off the road in a culvert around 2:00am Sunday. The passengers in the vehicle, 54-year-old Mark Solis of Onamia, 57-year-old Fenton Vanwert Jr. of St. Paul and 44-year-old Ursula Weyus of Hinckley all suffered non-life threatening injuies but injured enough to where all were ambulanced to the Onamia hospital. The driver was not indentified. Authorities do know who the driver was but would not elaborate any further as formal charges in the case are pending with the county attorney.
–Multiple fire departments responded Sunday afternoon to a house fire in Bay Lake Township near Garrison. The fire departments were needed to provide water for the Garrison Fire Department to put out the blaze. The fire was reported around 1:50pm Sunday. No other details on the fire were released late Sunday.
–Brainerd firefighters responded to a vehicle fire Sunday around 3:00pm on Highland Scenic Road near Central Lakes College. There were no serious injuries in the accident. The vehicle fire in the engine compartment was extinguished by the police department before firefighters arrived on scene.
–The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office announced ten people in the county were convicted of committing welfare fraud in 2015. The Sheriff’s Office collaborated on the investigations with the Sherburne County Attorney’s Office and Sherburne County Health and Human Services. Court-ordered conditions of the sentences typically include reimbursement of public assistance and a jail sentence or other sanction. County officials are pledging continued efforts to investigate and prosecute individuals. Three such incidents involved amounts of more than $10,000. Anyone with information about welfare fraud in Sherburne County should call the Sheriff’s Office at (763) 765-3500.
–Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton was taken to a hospital for testing after fainting during an event in Woodbury Sunday. Jaime Tincher, the governor’s chief of staff, said in a statement Sunday evening that Dayton felt “increased pressure in his lower back” while speaking at the event, which was described as “very crowded and hot”. He fainted and was taken to Regions Hospital “for further testing.” The statement says the 69-year-old would remain there overnight as a precaution. It says he is resting comfortably. Dayton underwent elective lower back surgery in December. His office said at the time that the procedure was similar to one he had three years ago, which fused two vertebrae in his lower back and had hip surgery in 2014.
–The Morrison County Sheriffs Office has reported IRS scams continue locally. The IRS has stated repeatedly that they will not call you stating you owe money without mailing first and will never threaten law enforcement involvement without giving you a chance to appeal. If you receive one of these phone calls it is best to hang up.
–Morrison County District Court Judge Conrad Freeberg is retiring effective March 1st, and he will be replaced by a Mille Lacs County judge, creating an opening there. Mille Lacs County District Court Judge Leonard Weiler will replace Freeberg in Little Falls. Interviews to fill his spot in Milaca are expected to be held March 14th. Freeberg spent nearly 20 years as Morrison County attorney before being appointed a judge in early 2007. Applications for the Mille Lacs Couty judgeship are being accepted until close of business February 22nd.
–The Little Falls Exchange Club is seeking nominees for its annual Book of Golden Deeds Award. This year’s banquet and presentation will be held Tuesday, March 17th at 7:00pm at the Falls Ballroom. This award recognizes dedicated local men and women who give endless hours of their time and talents toward making their community a better place to live. The public is invited to send a nominee’s name and a brief community resume of accomplishments to co-chairman Dennis Lind at 119 NE Broadway, Little Falls, MN 56345. Names and accomplishments should be submitted by February 23rd. Last year’s Golden Deeds recipient was Susy Prosapio.
–A 55-year-old Shoreview man was taken to North Memorial Medical Center on Monday with serious injuries after he struck the back end of a snowplow on Interstate 94. Paul A. Boynton was driving on Wright County Road 39 when he collided with the rear of a Minnesota Department of Transportation truck that was treating the roadway around 8:00am. The MNDOT truck did have its warning lights activated at the time of the accident. Boynton was taken to one hopsital then tranferred to the Twin Cities with serious injuries. The snow-plow driver from Buffalo was not hurt.
–Minnesota’s health insurance exchange has eclipsed its goal for consumer plan enrollment for the first time. MNsure announced Monday it had signed up more than 85,000 in private health care plans in the open enrollment period that ended Sunday. After cutting projections several times for the year, the exchange had aimed to register 83,000 in private plans. Those signups are critical because they support MNsure’s budget. It’s the first time MNsure has met its projections since it opened in 2013.
NATIONAL NEWS
–Senator Ted Cruz defeated Donald Trump for Republicans at the Iowa Caucus Monday while Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders ended nearly deadlocked on votes on the Democrat side.
DEATH NOTICES
–Waldemar “Wally” Anderson, age 82 of Staples.
WEATHER
TODAY= mostly cloudy, breezy, light snow late, high 30.
TONIGHT= snow likely 1-2 inches, windy, low 15.
WEDNESDAY= flurries early and late, some sun, high 17, low 8.
THURSDAY= light snow then sunny, high 25, cloudy night low 10.
SPORTS
HS GBB= ROCORI at Little Falls tonight 7:30pm on Q92 WYRQ
HS BBB= Mora at Pierz tonight 7:30pm on FM94 KFML.
TODAY IN HISTORY
IN 1841= first records of a ground hog peeping out of winter quarters and lookers waited to see if he saw his shadow in Morgantown, Pennsylvania to see if winter was coming to end.
[/fusion_text][/fullwidth]