NEWS
--Winter weather has arrived for the first time this winter for some as heavy snow blanketed southwestern Minnesota into South Dakota. Snow accumulated 3-5 inches in western and west central Minnesota and even in Little Falls with areas of 1-3 inches of snow making for a slow start for many heading out on this Tuesday morning.
--A 67-year-old Foley man died Friday after he was ejected from his vehicle on 130th Street in Mille Lacs County. The Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash at 7:41am in Foreston, west of Milaca. According to the crash report, the vehicle appeared to have went out of control and left the roadway, traveling into the ditch and rolling, causing the driver to be ejected. Life saving efforts were attempted but the driver, Craig Allen Anson, was pronounced dead at the scene. Anson was the only person in the vehicle and the road conditions appeared to have caused the crash, the sheriff’s office reported. The crash remains under investigation.
--USDA Rural Development is accepting applications for very low- and low-income individuals and families seeking to purchase or repair a home in a rural area. The Direct Home Loan program offers financing to qualified very-low and low-income applicants that are unable to qualify for traditional financing. No down payment is required, and the interest rate could be as low as one percent with a subsidy. Applicants must meet income and credit guidelines and demonstrate repayment ability. The program is available in rural communities of generally 35,000 people or less. Contact a USDA Rural Development Housing Specialist in your area today, to see if you qualify.
--Three children were hurt when the UTV they were in collided with a pickup. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened just before 4pm Sunday at the intersection of Highway 9 and 95th Street west of New London. A pickup driven by 40-year-old Matthew Anderson of Sunburg was going east on the highway and the Polaris Ranger was going south on 95th Street when they collided. The driver of the UTV was a 15-year-old boy. The State Patrol says he was taken to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. The extent of his injuries has not been released. His two passengers, a 10-year-old boy from New London and an 11-year-old boy from New London were both taken to Children's Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the pickup was not hurt.
--More information on the man driving an ATV on the ice who died after the machine broke through thin ice in Cass County. The Cass County Sheriff's Office says the incident happened Friday morning at about 11:15am on Pike Bay near Cass Lake. Responders arrived on the scene and learned that a Polaris Ranger ATV had been traveling on the ice on Pike Bay when it broke through and went into the water. An 82-year-old man from Bemidji was pulled from the water by witnesses who were fishing in the area. Lifesaving efforts were immediately initiated by individuals who were on the ice in the area. Deputies arrived at the location, assisted in getting the individual to a safer area, and continued with lifesaving efforts. The victim was transported from the ice by airboat to an awaiting ambulance and transported to the Cass Lake Indian Services Hospital where lifesaving efforts were continued. The victim was later pronounced dead at the hospital. An autopsy is scheduled with the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office. The victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of family members. The adult passenger in the ATV also was in the water and was treated on the scene.
--Morrison County Administrator Matt LeBlanc announced that the January 9th Morrison County Board's planning session has been canceled. Again there will be no planning meeting today.
--Three fire departments battled a house fire in Parkers Prairie on Sunday. At about 10:30pm the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to the fire in rural Parkers Prairie Township. The Parkers Prairie Fire Department extinguished the fire and was assisted by the Miltona Fire Department, Deer Creek Fire Department and Parkers Prairie Emergency Medical Services. There were no injuries reported, according to the sheriff's office. The house is believed to be a total loss. The cause of the fire is unknown.
--Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday released the names of the two individuals who died in a shooting incident in Lake Benton. 81-year-old, Sandra Wilson Goertz and 80-year-old, Irwin Edward Goertz both of Lake Benton, died Thursday after a shooting in a residence on South Central Street. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office found that the death of Sandra Goertz was a homicide as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, while her husband died by suicide from a single gunshot wound. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are conducting an investigation to determine what lead to the shootings.
ENTERTAINMENT
--Actress Cindy Morgan died December 30th at age 69. She played the role of the blonde bombshell in “Caddyshack” in 1980, was also in TV series in the 80s like ChiPs, Love Boat and Matlock. Then actor and singer David Soul died January 4th at age 80. Soul is remember as the role of Hutch on TV's Starsky and Hutch in the 1970s and also the #1 song “Don't Give Up on Us” in 1976.
DEATH NOTICES
--Stephanie Ann Doty, age 74 of Little Falls.
--Ronald “Ronnie” G. Veldkamp, age 62 of Melrose.
--Gordon Ring, age 67 of Rockville.
--Lester Mortensen, age 98 of Long Prairie formerly Swanville.
--Lorraine Doroff, age 105 of Upsala formerly Long Prairie.
WEATHER
TODAY= AM flurries, then cloudy skies, breezy, high 23.
TONIGHT= cloudy skies, low near 10 above.
WEDNESDAY= cloudy, snow showers, high 24, low near 13.
THURSDAY= mostly cloudy skies, colder, high 14, low near 5.
SPORTS
NFL= The NFL Wild Card Playoffs begins this weekend with Baltimore and San Francisco getting first round byes. Saturday it will be Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans at 3:30pm followed by the Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs at 7:15pm. Sunday it is Pittsburgh at Buffalo at noon, Green Bay is at Dallas at 3:30pm and the night game has LA Rams at Detroit against the Lions at 7pm. The last game is Monday night as Philadelphia is at Tampa Bay at 7:15pm hear all the playoff games live on AM960 KLTF.
COL FB= Michigan finishes their perfect season at 15-0 with a 34-13 win over Washington to win the National College Football Championship Monday night in Houston.
HS BBB= Moose Lake Willow River at Pierz Thurs at 7:15 94ROCKS