NEWS
--The Little Falls Fire Department was called out at 10:43pm Friday night with the MN DNR to 6917 Derosier Avenue in Fort Ripley Township in Crow Wing County on a report of a grass fire. Firefighters were able to contain the fire shortly after arriving. The heat from the fire melted some of the vinyl siding on the residence. The cause of the fire is believed to be a result of discarded smoking materials. Then Saturday at 7:18pm, firefighters were dispatched with the MN DNR to 17257 153rd Street in Little Falls Township on a report of a grass fire that was spreading into the woods. Firefighters contained the fire before it reached the neighbor's residence. The fire started as a result of sparks from a wood boiler. In both cases there was no major damage to structures and no injuries.
--A road resurfacing project is going to be impacting traffic on Highway 10 through Little Falls this spring. The Minnesota Department of Transportation will be resurfacing Highway 10 in both directions from west of the Mississippi River beginning at Morrison County Road 52 and then south of Little Falls at County Road 35 (Landfill Road). The 8-mile project includes the Highway 10/371 split. There will be one lane of traffic each way starting in late April and continuing through early July. The lane shifts will be done during off-peak times which is from Monday mornings until Noon on Fridays. There will also be some ramp closures overnights from 9pm until 6am. Periodic lane shifts will also take place at the southern end of the project to Halfway Crossing south of Royalton. Crews will be microsurfacing the roadway along that stretch of highway during weekdays. The cost of the project is estimated at around $7-million.
--A 10-year-old girl from Pine River was airlifted from Crosslake on Saturday, March 16, after falling off the back of a pickup truck and being run over by a parade float trailer on County Road 66 during the Crosslake St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Crosslake police and first responders responded to the accident at 3:30pm at the 36000 block or County Road 66 toward the end of the 2-mile parade route. The girl was treated on scene by first responders and flown by helicopter to North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis. As of Monday morning, the hospital had reported that the girl had been released from their facility and was recovering from her injuries in the accident.
--The cause of an apartment fire in St. Cloud Saturday morning is under investigation. According to a critical incident report, the call came in just before 2am for a fire in a unit on the third floor of the building on the 2000 block of 15th Street North. Crews arrived and found flames coming from the patio door. The fire was quickly brought under control while the building was searched and evacuated. No one was hurt. The unit was deemed uninhabitable.
--An investigation is underway after a fatal crash between two semis in western Minnesota over the weekend. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the crash occurred shortly after 10:30pm Sunday on Highway 75 near 180th Street in Hamlin Township, which is in Lac qui Parle County. Officials say a Peterbilt semi was being driven onto Highway 75 while an International semi was being driven southbound on the highway. At some point, the two vehicles collided. The drivers of the Peterbilt and International have been identified as a 48-year-old Lake Benton man and a 68-year-old Gary, South Dakota man, respectively. Further details, such as specifics on the number of fatalities, have yet to be released.
--A Stearns County judge has sentenced an Eden Valley man for sexually assaulting a teenage boy. A jury found 35-year-old Jessee Kuhns guilty on one count of 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim between 16-17-years-old while being more than three years older. Kuhns was sentenced to nine years and one month in prison. He gets credit for having served 156 days in the county jail. According to the criminal complaint, Kuhns was a registered predatory offender who was in a position of power over the 16-year-old boy and used that power to manipulate the boy into agreeing to sex acts with him. The sexual assault occurred in April 2022 at Kuhns's home. The boy told investigators that he didn't know what to do because he didn't want to see Kuhns get mad and that he had seen Kuhns have angry outbursts before. Court records allege after the assault took place, Kuhns told the boy not to say anything because he was already on a "list".
--Two women were injured in a crash in central Minnesota Sunday morning, authorities said. The crash happened just after 9am at the intersection of county roads 4 and 17 in Douglas County. A 58-year-old woman driving a Buick Encore failed to stop at a stop sign and hit a Chevy Equinox, the sheriff's office said. The 58-year-old and the 20-year-old woman driving the Equinox were both injured and taken to a hospital. The extent of their injuries is unknown.
--The price of eggs has started to climb up again in time for Easter on March 31st. In January of 2023, egg prices peaked at just under $4.00 per dozen, and have been in a steady decline since then. Now, as Easter approaches, the price of eggs has seen an eight percent bump in the wholesale market. New cases of avian influenza were detected at the end of last year, in November in December. However, we haven't seen many cases in February and March. So if that trend continues, that could be good news for egg prices down the line. The laying chicken flock is down about one percent nationwide. So the average egg price is $2.92 a dozen, some areas as high as $3.19 up more than 50 cents from last year at this time.
SPRING NEWS
--Spring officially arrives tonight at 10:06pm Central Daylight Time. Though the weather forecast shows more wintry conditions over the next few weeks with colder temps and chances of snow.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
--Jason and Kristen Bruns of Holdingford, a baby girl on March 15th.
DEATH NOTICES
--Kathryn “Kitty” Verley, age 99 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= partly cloudy and windy, high 43.
TONIGHT= clear skies, cold night, breezy, low 8 above.
WEDNESDAY= sunny and breezy, cold, high 28, low near 11.
THURSDAY= increasing clouds, snow after 1pm, high 32, low 26.
SPORTS
NIT= Gophers at Butler tonight 8pm in first round of the NIT.
NCAA= play in games tonight for the NCAA Basketball Tournament.