--Another round of heavy rain came down Saturday in Little Falls and portions of Minnesota. Reports stated that rain totals varied from less than 1 inch in some areas to over 7 inches in others. Little Falls Radio reported around 2 inches of rain while the airport south of town had over 3, some areas Saturday in Little Falls reported nearly 4 inches of rain. The rains continue to keep waters high in the area and some minor flooding still to parks and beaches around the river. More rain is in the forecast for today and Wednesday.
--A Brainerd man accused of murder and attempted murder in a January 2015 shooting appeared before a judge Friday. Attorneys for Tyler Cronquist is arguing for a trial venue change request presenting exhibits to the judge that Cronquist's alleged accomplice Nathan Becker was recently found not guilty on all counts by the jury for what attorneys stated was done because he will testify against Cronquist at the murder trial prejudiced the jury pool in Crow Wing County. The judge took it under advisement and instructed all involved to refrain from disseminating information that could affect the trial and Cronquist. The judge will make a ruling on the motion before August 15th and jury selection for trial begins September 26th.
--One person was hurt Saturday night around 7:30 on Highway 71 near Eagle Bend in Todd County. Both 56-year-old Bruce Owen of Eagle Bend and 29-year-old Bret Mandel of Albany were north on 71 when Mandel rear ended Owen's pickup and continued to rear end the vehicle multiple times until both vehicles came to a stop on the shoulder. The pickup became engulfed in flames. All occupants exited the vehicle prior to the vehicle fire. The passenger of Owen, 55-year-old Freddie Arellano of Fergus Falls complained of shoulder and neck pain and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
--A 39-year-old from Browerville was injured early Sunday morning in Cass County. Jennifer Davey was on Highway 87 around 1am when her vehicle ran off the road and struck a tree. Davey was taken to the hospital with reported non-life threatening injuries.
--Two people were hurt Saturday morning in an accident in Mille Lacs County. 32-year-old Jeff Stringfellow of St. Francis was on Highway 95 near Princeton when he swerved to avoid an animal on the road and collided head on with 15-year-old McKenzie Harris of Princeton. Stringfellow was not hurt. Harris and her passenger, 36-year-old Angela Brown of Princeton were taken to the hospital with injujries that the state patrol reported were not life threatening.
--Two people were hurt Sunday in Crow Wing County. Around 4pm, 58-year-old Jill Kaufhold of Coon Rapids was on Highway 18 east of Brainerd when she turned off into a rest area to avoid another crash that had occurred and was rear-ended by a motorcycle driven by 59-year-old Robert Shaw of Brooklyn Center. Shaw and his passenger Patricia Shaw were both taken to an area hospital with reportedly non-life threatening injuries from the accident.
--A minivan and motorcycle collided at the McDonald's in Garrison Sunday sending two the hospital. 68-year-old Rebecca Lester of Isle was pulling out of the parking lot and onto Highway 169 when a motorcycle tried to avoid her and clipped the bumper causing it to careen off the roadway. 38-year-old Aaron Towner of Anoka sustained a serious head injury and was airlifted to North Memorial in the Twin Cities. His passenger, Ashley Ashmead had injuries reportedly not to be serious. The driver and passenger in the minivan were not injured.
--The Little Falls Fire Deparpartment responded Saturday to a downed powerline on Oak Ridge Drive in Little Falls and Monday at 4:07am to a vehicle fire that resulted in moderate damage. The fire as mostly extingushed by the time firefighters arrived; it remains under investigation.
--An Osakis couple were injured Sunday afternoon in a two-vehicle accident near Clearwater in Stearns County. 74-year-old Duane Weberg and his 73-year-old wife Mary were traveling on Interstate 94 when their vehicle was struck head on by 19-year-old Adam Storbakken of Fargo. Storbakken had slowed at County Road 2 slowing in a construction zone when his vehicle was struck from behind causing him to veer into the oncoming lane and strike the Webergs head on. The Webergs sustained serious injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment. The drivers in the other two vehicles invlolved in the accident were not injured.
--The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has confirmed zebra mussels in two more lakes in three counties — East Spirit Lake in Otter Tail County, and Lake Osakis in Todd and Douglas counties — the agency announced Monday. At East Spirit Lake, a quarter-inch zebra mussel was brought to the DNR's Fergus Falls office on July 9. During two days, DNR staff discovered one live zebra mussel a quarter-mile from the initial report. At Lake Osakis on July 20, DNR staff found two three-quarter-inch zebra mussels during dives and shoreline searches to investigate reported veligers, zebra mussel larvae. Invasive species alert signs will be posted at lake accesses; the DNR will decide if connected waters will be added to the infested waters list, a news release stated. Minnesota law requires boaters to clean aquatic plants and invasive species from their watercraft; drain all water and remove drain plugs; throw unwanted bait in the trash.
--The Church Ladies “Holiday Bizaare” will be performed at the Falls Ballroom on August 10th and 11th with doors opening at 5pm both days. The shows are filled with a dinner and lots of laughs and music from a great cast from around the area. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Oasis Central Minnesota at 632-9140. All the proceeds from the event go to help Oasis Central Minnesota in their programs such as Share a Meal and their annual Paint-a-Thon.
WEATHER TODAY= partly sunny, afternoon storms develop, humid, high 85. TONIGHT= storms likely, some strong, low 64. WEDNESDAY= storms likely morning and late day, high 77, low 58. THURSDAY= sunny and less humid, high 75.
SPORTS LEGION= Congratulations to the Little Falls and Pierz American Legion Baseball Teams as they both advanced to the state touraments in their respected Divisions. Little Falls in Division 1 will play in Delano later this week while Pierz in Division 2 will play this weekend in Leseur-Henderson. Good Luck to them both. REGION= The Region 8C Baseball Tournament begins this weekend at Pierz Legion Park at 11am Saturday. First game is St. Stephen at Lastrup followed by Buckman and Avon at 1:30pm, the nightcap starts at 5pm with Fort Ripley and Sobieski and the late game Saturday will be Upsala vs. Nisswa. Hear all the games live this weekend Saturday and Sunday on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com. TWINS= after day off, Twins host Atlanta tonight 6:30 on Q92.