NEWS
--At 9:19am Friday the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a one vehicle accident with possible injuries on Highway 25 near 253rd Street, approximately ten miles north of Pierz in Platte Township. According to the Sheriff’s Office, 20-year-old Andrew Meyer of Little Falls was traveling north on Highway 25 when his vehicle hit a patch of ice and lost control. Meyer’s vehicle went into the ditch and rolled. Meyer was transported to St. Gabriel’s Hospital by Mayo Clinic Ambulance and later transferred to St. Cloud Hospital with unknown injuries. Meyer’s passenger, 19-year-old Camdyn Gumiela of Little Falls was taken by private vehicle to St. Gabriel’s Hospital with minor injuries. The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Pierz Fire Department, Sullivan Lake First Response Team and Mayo Clinic Ambulance.
--St. Cloud Police are investigating a shooting that took place Saturday night. Around 10pm officers responded to a report of a shooting inside an apartment in the 1400 block of 9th Avenue South. Authorities say when they arrived, they found the victim, a 31-year-old Minneapolis man, with a gunshot wound to the stomach. He was taken to St. Cloud Hospital in serious but stable condition. His name has not been released. Police say the suspect, 31-year-old Vincent McDougle of St. Cloud, was also at the scene and arrested without incident. Authorities say the victim was visiting McDougle and the men got into an argument that became physical. During a search, officers found a handgun inside the apartment. McDougle was taken to the Stearns County Jail where he faces charges in connection with the shooting. No one else was hurt in the incident.
--A St. Cloud business was damaged after a man crashed his vehicle into it Friday afternoon. St. Cloud Police were called to Joanne Fabrics at 3300 Division Street West at around 4:20pm. Police spoke with the driver, 38-year-old Aden Irshed Abdi, who said he thought he had put his car into drive, but actually put it into reverse. Irshed proceeded to back into the building, causing substantial damage and prompting the store to close for the day. Irshed was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries and was cited for careless driving.
--This year marks the 10th anniversary of former Cold Spring Police Officer Tom Decker's death. To honor his memory, a special Commemoration Ceremony is scheduled for later this month. Organizer Chuck Waleztko says the event is about showing support and keeping officer Decker's memory alive. The ceremony will include several guest speakers including Congressman Tom Emmer, and former Cold Spring police chief Phil Jones. Waleztko says in addition to honoring Decker, they also plan to honor the families of two other fallen Minnesota police officers. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 27th at 1:00pm. inside St. Boniface church in Cold Spring. The event is open to the public and a reception with food and drinks will follow. Officer Tom Decker was shot and killed in the line of duty on November 29th, 2012.
--Minnesota hunters harvested fewer deer so far this year. The muzzleloader season is still ahead, but the number of deer harvested through the archery hunt and the firearms season are down significantly compared to 2021. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, there have been 117,557 deer taken up to this point. Last year's overall totals include the muzzleloader season which finished with 184,698 deer harvested in the state of Minnesota. For a closer look at the numbers, check out the DNR's Deer Management website.
--At 3:54pm Monday a 59-year old Bennett Blooflat of Fort Ripley was traveling northbound on highway 371 near highway 115 in Ripley Township when the pickup he was driving lost control and went into the median and rolled. Blooflat who was wearing his seatbelt, was taken to St. Gabriels Hospital for non life threatening injuries.
--A reminder from the Morrison County Auditor-Traesurer's Office that the second half of agricultural and mobile home taxes are due today (November 15th). Minnesota statute requires a penalty applied to all late payments. You cam make payments in person or mail them to the Treasurer's Office at the Government Center. Payments must be postmarked by todays date. You can also make payments online. View the property payments link on the Morrison County homepage for more information.
--The cold weather is here, and Xcel Energy is sharing ways to keep your heating bills as low as possible. Xcel Energy reminds everyone of these tips to keep winter heating bills in check. Keep interior doors open to provide the best possible airflow. Lower your thermostat – 68 degrees is ideal. Open blinds and drapes during the day to take advantage of direct sunlight. Turn ceiling fans to run counter-clockwise to move heat downwards. If you have a programmable thermostat, lower the temperature when you’re away or while you sleep. Minnesota’s Cold Weather Rule is run through the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. It prohibits power companies from cutting off power for nonpayment from October 1st through April 30th, but you must apply for the program by calling your power company and requesting a Cold Weather Rule repayment plan. The Energy Assistance Program is administered through the Minnesota Department of Commerce. It helps homeowners and renters who are struggling to afford their electric and heating bills.
--Google has reached a settlement with Minnesota and 39 other states worth nearly $400 million. Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Monday that Minnesota will receive $8.25 million in the largest multistate privacy settlement in U.S. history. According to court records, starting in at least 2014, Google broke consumer protection laws by misleading users about the collection and use of their location data. Documents show the company was still tracking and recording people’s movements even when they asked it not to by creating a Web & App Activity setting separately from the Location History setting. That data was then used to make detailed user profiles and create targeted ads. In addition to the payout, the settlement requires Google to be more transparent by making controls more user-friendly and providing more information when people turn settings on and off. The company will also be limited in the data it can collect and store from users.
DEATH NOTICES
--Richard H. Kuklok, age 81 of Sauk Rapids
--David “Dave” Gilson, age 83 of Brainerd
WEATHER
TODAY= snow likely, 1-2 inches, slippery roads, high 31.
TONIGHT= snow showers, another inch possible, low 24.
WEDNESDAY= cloudy, windy, high 27 early then dropping.
THURSDAY= becoming sunny and colder, high 18, low 3.
SPORTS
NFL= Washington spoiled Philadelphia's undefeated season last night with a 32-21 win over the Eagles dropping them to 8-1.