NEWS
--There will be a Father Daughter Ball on Sunday, March 1st at the Falls Ballroom, with social at 4pm, pasta dinner and dance to follow for all fathers and daughters of any age to come and take in the evening. Speakers will address what it means being a father and there will be a signing of a convenant on fatherhood to their daughter(s). The event is put on by Faith Lutheran Church in Little Falls. Tickets are $25 a person or max family cost of $75 (if you have more than 1 daughter attending), and can be purchased at the church or at the courtesy counter of Coborn's Marketplace in Little Falls and must be bought by February 15th. For information contact Faith Lutheran Church on the east side of Little Falls at 414-0533.
--A Brainerd woman was the victim of a purse robbery Thursday at Walmart in Baxter. About 11:45am a lone male suspect had ripped the purse off the shoulder of the victim. The suspect described as a tall, slender, African American male then jumped into the passenger side of a white sedan and left the scene. Walmart staff were immediately able to provide officers with video of the incident. The vehicle was owned by a St. Cloud man who authorities are working on locating. The victim was not injured in the attack. Although attacks like this are rare, law enforcement would like to remind people to be conscious of their surroundings and always be aware of your personal items such as your purse or wallet. In this case the victim did nothing wrong and was simply the unfortunate victim of a random crime. With the help of witness statements at the scene and the assistance from Walmart staff, officers were able to quickly identify possible suspects. No arrests have been made at this time. Anyone with information may call the Baxter Police at 218-454-5090.
--At the recent Pierz City Council it was requested by Pat Zimmerman of the Pierz Food Shelf to possibly move the location of the Food Shelf from the building on Kapsner Street to a new site as the current facility faces limitations on what can be donated. The hopes are to use the lower level of an apartment building on Main Street which at one time housed the public library and was donated to the city by the late Mel Schimidtbauer. The city is discussing the option and asked an inspector to check over the facility to make sure its a viable location.
--Stearns County Deputies responded to a suspicious item on Saturday evening at 104 1st Avenue South in Freeport. The business employee located a package wrapped in duct tape. Deputies examined the package and observed components in the package consistent with an explosive device. The items themselves were not of danger, but the fact the components were contained together and wrapped in an unconventional method elevated the concern. The Minneapolis Police Department bomb squad was contacted as a precautionary measure. They took x-rays of the package and determined the package was safe.
--Minnesotans are already casting their ballots for the 2020 Presidential Primary. Absentee voting kicked off January 17th. As of last Friday, 34,177 absentee ballots have been requested, including 29,5530 Democratic ballots and 4,611 Republican ballots. In total, 10,358 ballots have been returned and accepted; 8,777 are Democratic and 1,578 are Republican. Minnesotans have been able to vote absentee since 2014. In order to participate, voters must choose between a Democratic and Republican ballot. This year, there are 15 candidates on the Democratic ballot, and one on the Republican ballot. To learn more, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
--Morrison County crews will be out again this week trimming trees along various roads including, County Roads 222, 204 and 264 for better sight distance at stop signs and clearing county right of way. Please use caution around work crews. Maintenance workers will be out repairing potholes along various county roads in the southwest and southeast parts of the county as weather permits.
–Next Gen Personal Finance Announces Honorable Mention Winner in 3rd Annual PAYBACK Challenge. Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), a non-profit committed to ensuring that all students leave high school with the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly complex financial world, is pleased to announce that one winner from Little Falls Community High School, Nicole Statema has received an Honorable Mention Award in the 3rd annual PAYBACK Challenge. Nicole is a senior at Little Falls Community High School who completed the PAYBACK challenge in her Economics in Business course this fall semester with teacher Mike Kaluza. The essay Nicole submitted was one of over 900 submitted from all across the United States this fall. After playing the award-winning college finance game, PAYBACK (www.timeforpayback.com), students wrote a 250-word essay answering the prompt: Write a letter to your future self that you will open after your freshman year of college, reminding you of the key skills you will need to thrive during your college years. Teachers nominated the best student essay from their classes. The essays were judged based on completeness, an indication of key concepts learned during the game, and articulated thoughts in a creative manner. Each of the Honorable Mention winners received a $500 award from NGPF to be used for education purposes.
NATIONAL NEWS
--President Donald Trump will hold his State of the Union Address tonight at 8pm. Tommorow the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on an acquittal of President Trump following the House's vote to impeach.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
--Christopher Cavegn and Kendall Switzer of Upsala, are parents of a baby boy born on February 2nd.
DEATH NOTICES
--Kenneth “Ken” James Heisick, age 88 of Holdingford.
--Michael E. Coppes, age 69 of Little Falls.
--Viola Dalquist-Westerman, age 82 of Little Falls.
--Sister Mary Theodora Higgins, age 100 of St. Francis Convent, LF.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny and colder, high 12.
TONIGHT= clear skies, cold temps, low -4, wind chils near -15.
WEDNESDAY= increasing clouds, high 22, low around 14
THURSDAY= snow likely, up to 1 inch, high 22, low of 7 above.
SPORTS
HS BHK= Little Falls at Alexandria tonight 7:15pm on Q92 WYRQ.
HS BBB= Foley at Pierz tonight 7pm on FM94 KFML.
DANCE= Congratulations to the Pierz Pizzazz Dance Team as they have advanced tot the state tournament for their kick performance last Saturday at sections in Wadena. The Pierz Pizzazz Dance Team will now compete at the Target Center in Minneapolis in the Class A Kick Division on Saturday, February 15th.