NEWS
--Two teenagers were hurt Saturday night around 6:20pm on Highway 10 and Azure Road in Cushing Township of Morrison County. 16-year-old Jillian Wall of Onamia was on Highway 10 left the road and rolled the vehicle. Wall and her passenger 19-year-old Aden Novack of Milaca were both take to St. Gabriel's Hospital in Little Falls with reportedly non life threatening injuries.
--A Randall man was sentenced in Morrison County District Court, Thursday, after he pleaded guilty in October to one count of criminal vehicular homicide, operating with negligence under the influence of a controlled substance. The charges were from a fatal incident on July 12th which killed 79-year-old Shirley Friebe of Eagle Bend when 34-year old Logan Klooster's vehicle crossed the center line and struck Friebe head-on west of Little Falls on Highway 27 killing her. Klooster allegedly used Fentanyl before driving. Klooster was committed to the Minnesota Department of Corrections for 51 months, which was the agreed upon terms of the plea agreement. He will serve 34 months in prison and the final 17 months on supervised probation. He also was ordered to pay $8,600 in restitution to the victim’s family. As part of the plea agreement, one felony count of criminal vehicular homicide, operating a vehicle in a grossly negligent manner, was dismissed and he was given 170 days time served.
--The Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce has announced their January employee of the month is Sabrina Koelsch of Visit Little Falls (Convention and Visitors Bureau) in Little Falls. Sabrina has been employed as a tourism intern with the opportunity to become a full time employee over 5+ years. Since then she has joined Friends of Linden Hill, LF Kiwanis and participated on the board at Morrison County Area Foundation. Congratulations to Sabrina Koelsch the January Employee of the Month from LF Chamber of Commerce.
--A St. Cloud man has been sentenced for sex trafficking in Stearns County. A Stearns County Judge has sentenced 37-year-old Antonio Clark to ten years in prison for engaging in the sex trafficking of a person. He gets credit for already serving 551 days in the county jail. Clark pleaded guilty to engaging in sex trafficking of a person back in September, two other charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement. According to the criminal complaint, Clark was accused of trafficking three separate women for sex and taking the profits from the prostitution. Court records show Clark trafficked two of the women in 2019 and the third victim in 2020 and part of 2021. Arrest warrants were issued after Clark failed to appear for court hearings. Investigators were able to track Clark to an apartment complex in Rochester where he was allegedly trafficking the third victim.
--A retired Princeton School teacher has pleaded guilty to assaulting a student last spring. Court records say 63-year-old Kimberly Neubauer of Princeton pled guilty to throwing a hockey stick at a student during class at Princeton Primary School last March, causing the student to lose a baby tooth. The incident was caught on video. The child went to the dentist on March 29th, and records show his upper right tooth, a baby tooth, was completely knocked out. There was also bruising reported around the student’s mouth. Police viewed the video on April 27th and filed charges in July. Neubauer retired from the district at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. The third-degree felony assault with substantial bodily harm charge carries a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine, five years in prison, or both. Neubauer is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23rd.
--St. Francis Convent Blood Drive January 10th-12th call 632-0663.
--The Foley Police Department reported late Friday that 35-year-old Amber Sieling has been located and found safe. Amber was last seen on Tuesday, December 27th after leaving a residence in Foley. Thanks to all who helped in locating her safely.
–Emergency rules are now in place for propane deliveries in Minnesota. Governor Tim Walz has signed Executive Order 22-24 to loosen regulations for drivers transporting fuel in the state. Recent winter storms and bitter cold and winds have slowed propane deliveries The new rules are to catch up on the backlog of propane deliveries to the homes that use propane fuel.
--28-year-old Samuel Butler of Albany has now been charged with criminal vehicular homicide and fleeing a peace officer resulting in the death of another driver after the driver who he collided with in a police chase in St. Wendel Township has died. Butler allegedly was in an SUV during the chase, left that and stole a pickup with a construction trailer on December 12th and then struck a vehicle at an intersection a short time later. The driver of the other vehicle had severe injuries and died December 22nd. Butler was the under influence of drugs and drugs were found on his person after he was stopped and arrested after the police chase ended.
--A 38-year-old Brainerd man was arrested after his ex-girlfriend found a homemade pipe bomb while cleaning the residence. Jonathon Durham has been arrested on possession of an explosive device. The pipe bomb was a metal device containing two metal caps and a green fuse protruding from the device.
--With Little Falls City Office closed on Monday. The Little Falls City Council will hold their reorganization meeting tonight at 7:30pm at the Council Chambers inside Little Falls City Hall.
FAMOUS DEATH NEWS
--Pope Benedict XVI has died at age 95. Benedict became Pope in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II but became the first Pope to resign his post while still alive in nearly 600 years.
--Legendary newscaster Barbara Walters has died at age 93. Walters became the first woman to co-anchor an evening news program.
DEATH NOTICES
--Wallace M. Pantzke, age 92 of Little Falls.
--Florence (Kloss) Wehseler, age 96 of Little Falls formerly Tofte.
--Petronella “Pieta” Prokott, age 80 of Brainerd.
--Richard H. Peterson, age 78 of Pierz.
WEATHER
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY BEGINS AT 10AM TODAY AND GOES TO 6PM WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
TODAY= snow, heavy at times in afternoon, turning breezy, high 26.
TONIGHT= snow and wind tonight 3-6 total, temps steady in 20s.
WEDNESDAY= snow and windy early, then cloudy, high 23, low 4.
THURSDAY= sunny and colder high 15, low around -5.
SPORTS
NFL= Green Bay beat up the Vikings Sunday 41-17 at Lambeau Field. The Vikings (12-4) wrap up the regular season this Sunday at Chicago against the Bears with a noon kickoff.
COL FB= Georgia holds off Ohio State 42-41 and TCU defeated Michigan 51-45 Saturday. Georgia and TCU Monday in Title game.
HS BHK= Little Falls at Bemidji tonight 7:15pm on Q92 WYRQ.
HS BBB= Little Falls at Princeton tonight 7:15pm on 94ROCKS.