NEWS
--After five months and a one-day special session, the Minnesota Legislature wrapped up its constitutional requirement to finish a balanced state budget. Lawmakers emerged from the 21-hour marathon of debates and stop-and-go negotiations in the nation's only divided Legislature at 7am Saturday with a $48 billion two-year budget and a strong desire to go back to bed. After deadlocking over key issues for months, legislators squared away a compromise proposal that left everyone a little unhappy. Republicans blocked a DFL-supported gas tax hike, Democrats saved a tax on medical providers that was set to expire and in thousands of pages of bills outlining state government spending they came down somewhere in the middle on various other spending decisions and policies. They also approved funding increases to public schools and an income tax cut on middle-income Minnesotans as part of the massive plan.
--The recent rain events over the past several weeks has led to high water conditions on all Stearns County area lakes and rivers. Stearns County Ordinance 534 has been triggered because of these high levels. Ordinance 534 places a NO WAKE restriction within 300 feet of shore on Grass Lake, Clearwater Lake, Augusta Lake, Carolina Lake, Lake Maria and Lake Louisa. These lakes all border Wright County. Ordinance 534 has a mirrored ordinance for Wright County enforcement as well. Several other area lakes have been posted with reminder signs to operate watercraft at slow or NO WAKE speeds. Those lakes include Carnelian, Beaver, Pleasant, Two Rivers and the entire Horseshoe Chain of Lakes. Stearns County Sheriff Steve Soyka is asking the boating public to be aware of current lake conditions, to reduce their speed and operate at a NO WAKE speed when within 300 feet of shore. If the wake from your boat is going to reach shore, you are going too fast. The current high-water conditions, combined with unnecessary wakes, has the potential to cause damage to both the shoreline and submerged or partially submerged docks and lifts. Please be mindful of these conditions and take the appropriate actions. Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.
--Jake Thomas Patterson was sentenced to life without parole on Friday in the kidnapping of 13-year-old Jayme Closs and the killing of her parents. Closs spoke on Friday stating that Patterson would never be able to take away her freedom.
--The St. Cloud Police Department is asking for your help finding a man wanted in a home invasion in Chisago County. The suspect, identified as 18-year-old Nicholas James of St. Cloud, is believed to be in the area. He is wanted on robbery and attempted murder charges and is considered armed and dangerous. According to the Chisago County Sheriff's Office, three suspects broke into a home in Sunrise Township back on May 16th. Authorities say gunshots were fired, and a 22-year-old victim was shot. The victim was airlifted to a Twin Cities hospital and is in stable condition.
--Emergency personnel responded to a possible drowning on Sunday near the Gull Lake Resort. Witnesses said they heard calls of help around 4pm. When Pillager Fire and Rescue and other emergency responders arrived they were told of three people who were believed to not be guests of the resort in the water and having difficulty. The three adults were grabbed but two others from shore and helped out of the lake. They were all breathing and speaking when authorities arrived. They were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
--A St. Cloud man with a lengthy criminal history has been charged in an April shooting which wounded three people in west St. Cloud. 25-year old Ali Omar also known as "Trigger Ali" is charged with three counts of felony 2nd degree assault with a gun. Police were called to the 3000 block of St. Germain Street West just before noon on April 26th on a report of multiple gunshots. Witnesses told officers that Omar had gotten into an argument with a former friend, pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at the man's legs. Court records show another man and a teenager came out of an apartment unit to investigate and were struck by stray bullets. The two adult victims were ultimately stopped by police in downtown St. Cloud as they were headed to the hospital for treatment. Omar was charged in the shooting this week and no court dates are currently scheduled. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
--The man charged with making threats against St. Cloud City Hall last spring has been acquitted of the charges because of mental illness. Twenty-six-year-old Abdalle Ahmed Ege was charged with two felony counts of making terroristic threats after making threatening comments, including ones about a bomb, some specifically referencing city hall in April 2018. Police searched city hall, finding a bag belonging to the suspect outside the building. A police dog was brought in, and no explosives were found. Ege was arrested nearby at St. Cloud State University. The Stearns County Attorney's Office says a mental competency exam determined Ege committed the crimes under a defect of mental illness where he did not understand the nature of what he was doing or that it was wrong. The court found Ege committed the acts but found he was not guilty due to mental illness. The county attorney's office says the judge ordered Ege's civil commitment to continue.
DEATH NOTICES
--Elaine Meyer, age 91 of Pierz
--Mary Beth Louise Zea, age 58 of Little Falls
--Dorothy M. Waytashek, age 89 of Pierz.
--Scott Kunkel, age 58 of St. Cloud formerly of Little Falls.
--Janice “Jan” (Schneider) Urban, age 59 of Little Falls.
--Lewis Taylor, age 82 of Cushing.
WEATHER
TODAY= partly cloudy, high 67, clear and cool night, low 40.
WEDNESDAY= increasing clouds, T-storm possible late day, high 71.
THURSDAY= sunny and warm, high 78, low around 52.
SPORTS
TWINS= Rosario, Sano and Kepler homer Friday lifting the Twins to come back beat Chicago 11-4. Kyle Gibson pitches a dandy and the Twins win 8-1 Saturday over White Sox. Twins get the sweep of the White Sox on Sunday with more power from Rosario and Kepler again to win 7-0 in a shutout. Brewers snap the 6 game winning streak of Twins winning 5-4 on Monday. Twins and Brewers play game 2 of series tonight with a 6:30pm pregame on Q92 WYRQ.
HS SB= Pierz vs. Albany in softball playoffs, elimination game starting at 5pm today on FM94 KFML. If win a 2nd game follows.
HS BAB= Pillager at Pierz rescheduled for tonight at 7pm on FM94. Also Royalton, Upsala/Swanville, Holdingford & Foley playoffs today.
COL SB= Gophers vs. UCLA in College World Series Thursday.