NEWS
--The Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will host 2 public information meetings with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) regarding the Highway 27/Broadway Avenue road construction project slated to begin in April. These public meetings will be held on Thursday, April 4th at 2:00pm and 6:00pm in the Little Falls City Hall Council Chambers. Businesses and residents are encouraged to attend one of the meetings to hear the time table for each section of the project, detour routes and parking options in the downtown during the project. Representatives from MnDOT, the City of Little and the Chamber of Commerce will be on hand to both present information and answer individual questions. For more information, contact Debora K. Boelz at the Chamber at 632-5155.
--Members from Little Falls Community High School, City of Little Falls and others with Day of Caring were on KLTF Party Line Monday and stated they will be calling around tonight after 5:00pm to those who had signed up last year for the program and to see if they are interested in doing it this year. They will also be calling volunteers from past years to see if they can help again this year. If homeowners miss the call you do need to fill out an application form or you will not be helped. If you did not sign up last year or miss the call, you are encouraged to get an application form from Little Falls Community High School or at other organizations including Little Falls Radio. The project deadline sign up date is April 12th. Volunteers have until April 19th to sign up. The Day of Caring will be on May 8th.
--The Little Falls Fire Department responded to several areas Saturday morning related to the power outages but no fires. On Sunday shortly after 5:30pm 26 Little Falls firefighters responded for 30 minutes to the Robert Pietz residence for a wood shed fire at the address of 8575 Highway 27 West in Pike Creek Township. The fire was contained to the woodshed which sustained some damage, mostly to the roof. The cause is undetermined. No injuries.
--Morrison County maintenance crews will starting crack sealing roads this week. This will include CSAH 1 (south of State Hwy 27), and also County 242 in the Southeast part of county. Crews will work in one lane and flaggers will control traffic. Please use caution around these work zones. Crews will also be out patching potholes again this week, which will include CSAH 1 (north of Randall), and also along CSAH 26 (Nature road west of Royalton.) Crews will also start sweeping
intersections along county roads as weather permits.
--State Representative Ron Kresha, R-Little Falls, announced Monday that he is planning to introduce legislation that would establish a Federal Research and Development Support Program. “It is of the utmost importance that we create new ways to spark economic development activity and foster innovation throughout the state,” said Rep. Kresha. “The people of our state have the great ideas we need to take the next steps in science and technology. This support program would encourage them to run with those ideas and create an atmosphere of innovation in Minnesota.” The program would award matching grants to Minnesota companies receiving funding from the federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. The Department of Employment and Economic Development administer the program.
--Join FM94 for Ladies Night Out Pierz Style- starting Thursday at noon at participating businesses. Details at fallsradio.com.
--The Little Falls City Council met on Monday night. At the meeting the council rejected a motion to join the GreenStep Cities program. The council also passed a grant submitted to the Initiative Foundation on child care, and large scale street and sidewalk license for both the Antiques and Collectibles and Arts and Crafts Fair.
--A community notification meeting will be held on Thursday at 6:00pm at the Brainerd Police Department regarding the anticipated release of a level 3 predatory offender that will be residing in the Brainerd City Limits. 36-year old Terry Lee Bryant is scheduled to be released from prison next Monday. He intends to reside in the area of Gillis Avenue NE and Washington Street in Brainerd. Bryant has a history of sexual contact with male and female victims under the age of 16. Contact included penetration. The meeting is open to the public with authorities on hand to provide information and answer questions. Bryant is not wanted by police at this time. The notification is not intended to increase fear, but rather to keep the public informed. Police ask that the public report criminal activity by this offender or any other by calling 911.
--A Utah man has been charged in connection with a February 22nd bank robbery in west St. Cloud. 28-year old Khalid Hassan Mohamud made his first court appearance Monday. He is charged with one felony count of second-degree aggravated robbery. No one was injured in the robbery.
--In the past 2 weeks, the Todd County Sheriff's Office received a report of a burglary at Pro Ag in Browerville. Back on the night of the 12th into the 13th, suspect(s) used force to gain entry into the building, and a safe with an undisclosed amount of cash was stolen. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Todd County Sheriff's Office at 320-732-2157. Between March 6th through the 11th the Sheriff's Office responded to a number of mailboxes struck by vehicles mainly due to the high snowbanks around the mailboxes in Long Prairie to Browerville and Clarissa. Also the Todd County Sheriff's Office, Clarissa Rescue and the Browerville ambulance responded March 9th in the overnight hours to a call of person suffering a gunshot wound at the address of 35091 217th Avenue in Clarissa. The victim in this case was transported to the Long Prairie Hospital, and later taken to the St Cloud Hospital via air ambulance. The case is currently under investigation by the sheriff's office.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
--Kyle and Nikki Girtz of Pierz, a baby girl born March 16th.
DEATH NOTICES
--Evelyn Splittstoesser, age 74 of Braham.
--Sister Jeanette Quinn, age 88 of Little Falls/St. Francis Convent.
WEATHER
TODAY= mostly cloudy, highs around 40.
TONIGHT= cloudy skies, low around 25.
WEDNESDAY= mostly cloudy early, then PM sun, high 43, low 23.
THURSDAY= partly sunny and breezy, high 46, low around 20.
SPORTS
TWINS= The Twins continue spring training play today, with the regular season opener scheduled for March 28th at 3:10pm vs. Cleveland at Target Field if Mother Nature abides on Q92 WYRQ.