NEWS
--Four people were arrested during an incident in Mille Lacs County on Saturday night. The sheriff says the standoff in Princeton Township began when a deputy tried to serve papers at a home. After he knocked on the door the deputy says he saw a gun with a red laser was pointed at him from inside the home. He called for backup and officers from several departments surrounded the area and set up a perimeter. The man who allegedly pointed the gun eventually came out of the house and was arrested. Sheriff Kyle Burton says it should have never escalated to the point that it did. Burton says several other people inside the house tried to leave the scene and resisted arrest. Three other people were arrested. The man who pointed the gun is facing felony charges and the other three misdemeanors. No one was hurt in the incident and no shots were fired. Burton says a gun was recovered inside the home.
--A body discovered Friday is believed to be a missing Aitkin County woman. The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office reported it found the body at 12:46pm Friday in a wooded area near Big Pine Lake in Aitkin County. The body is believed to be that of Anne Wyatt. Aitkin County Sheriff Daniel Guida said Wyatt was originally from the area, though she was recently dealing with a situation in life. On January 5th, a missing person alert from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension stated the 55 year old Wyatt was last seen on the 2nd in Aitkin County and had not had contact with family or friends since.
The body was sent to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death and positively identify the body.
--Two fish houses burned to the ice Saturday after a fire on Roy Lake in Crow Wing County. The Nisswa Fire Department responded to the fire, reported at 1:43pm in Nisswa. According to Nisswa Fire Chief Shawn Bailey, when fire crews arrived they found one house engulfed in flames and an adjacent house on fire. Bailey said crews brought the rescue buggy, a tracked all-terrain vehicle, to reach the fish houses. Responders drilled a hole and sucked water out of the lake with the buggy to extinguish the fires. A bucket line was also created to control the blaze. Bystanders helped pull two other fish houses away before the fire was able to spread further, Bailey said. The fire is believed to have started inside the battery box of one of the fish houses. There were 10 firefighters on scene for about an hour. No injuries were reported.
--The Stearns County Law Enforcement Center and Jail will host an open house on Saturday from 9am-12pm. Get behind the scene tours of the facility, jail, garage and dispatch center. On site demos, squad cars, SWAT vehicles to view and free refreshments and cookies to enjoy this Saturday at the Law Enforcement Center in St. Cloud.
--CHI Health at Home is starting grief support groups for those you have lost. These will be on Mondays from 4-5:30pm in the Rose Room at CHI St. Gabriel's Hospital in the Unity Specialty Center. These will start January 23rd and go through March 27th. For more information on the grief support call Chaplain Blaine MacNeil at CHI, the number is 320-631-5588. This is a free service.
--A reminder that tonight is the public hearing for the Auditor/ Treasurer position at the government center in Little Falls. Discussion will be addressed on making the position an appointed one or if they keep the elected position as is. The current deputy auditor/treasurer who was put in as the interim will remain in place until the next general election in 2026. That is tonight at 6:00pm.
--Little Falls and Pierz City Council have meetings scheduled tonight.
--A Willmar woman was arrested for allegedly trying to burn down several government and healthcare buildings. A police officer was on patrol on Sunday morning when they discovered what appeared to be an attempt to set fire to the front doorway of the Willmar Fire Station. Additional officers checked the area and found similar apparent attempts at the CentraCare Lakeland Clinic, CentraCare Main Clinic, the Kandiyohi County Courthouse, Willmar City Offices, and a dental office. Each location appeared to have had an attempt to set fire, including using flammable liquids and other items, however, they didn't find any active fires or fire damage. Items left at the crime scenes led officers to a nearby convenience store where they found a video of the suspect and vehicle. Arrested was a 58-year-old Willmar woman who has a recent history of mental health issues and disputes with local government agencies and healthcare services. She was brought to CentraCare Hospital for a mental health evaluation and booked into the Kandiyohi County Jail.
--The Friends of Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) will host the ninth annual candlelight ski event. The event, in conjunction with Crane Meadows, will be held Saturday, January 28th and begins at 5:30pm as the moon begins to rise. The night’s activities will include skiing and snowshoeing the Platte River Trail, one mile of which will be lit with luminaries. When participants need to warm up, they can joins others at the bonfire for hot drinks and refreshments provided by the Friends of Crane Meadows This program is free and open to the public of all ages. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own equipment. A limited number of skis and snowshoes will be available for free checkout during the event. A headlamp or flashlight is also recommended. For more information you can contact Crane Meadows toll free at 800-877-8339.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
--Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida, who achieved international stardom during the 1950s and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” after the title of one of her movies, died in Rome on Monday, her agent said. She was 95.
DEATH NOTICES
--Audrey Eix, age 95 of Little Falls.
--Esther Rose (Boros) Schneider, age 91 of Little Falls.
--Raymond Knutson, age 79 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= flurries and drizzle early, high 32 then falling late day.
TONIGHT= cloudy skies, cooler night, low 20.
WEDNESDAY= partly sunny, high 27, clouds overnight, low 21.
THURSDAY= snow likely 1-2 inches during day, high 26, low 15.
SPORTS
HS BHK= Little Falls at River Lakes tonight 7:15pm on Q92 WYRQ.
WNBA= Minnesota Lynx standout and 4 time WNBA Champion Maya Moore announced she has officially retired from her basketball career. Moore has not played in the WNBA since before the 2019 season.
NFL= Dallas defeated Tampa Bay 31-14 last night. The Divisional Round of the Playoffs start this weekend, Saturday at 3:30 has Jacksonville at Kansas City, followed by the New York Giants at Philadelphia. Sunday at 2pm it is Cincinnati at Buffalo followed by Dallas Cowboys at the San Francisco 49ers hosting at 5:30pm. Catch all the action this weekend live on AM960 KLTF.