Newsletter: Tuesday, November 5th 2019
NEWS
--The first coating of snow led to hundreds of accidents reported to the State Patrol this weekend. On Saturday the Twin Cities Metro Area in a span from 6am-11am reported nearly 125 accidents in that area alone, there were nearly 175 reported in the southern half of the state with 13 resulting in injuries, but none were fatal. Then on Sunday, Little Falls and the surrounding area woke to a slippery coating of snow on the sidewalks, bridges and some roadways which led to a number of spinouts and vehicles leaving roads and bridges. The State Patrol reported 68 accidents on Sunday morning in the central and northeastern regions of the state but stated Monday it did not appear that any resulted in serious injuries and no fatalities either. Just that timely reminder to slow down on slippery roads.
--The Todd County Sheriff's Office responded to a string of thefts Saturday between Browerville and Hewitt. In most cases trail cameras, camouflage ground items, deer stands and tools were taken in four different incidents between 11:45am Saturday and 2:00am Sunday. They also responded to a rash of mailboxes damaged in Verndale Saturday night which authorities believed are not connected with theft cases. Anyone with information on the theft cases should contact the Todd County Sheriff's Office.
--Today is Election Day. Many schools are holding referendum votes including Swanville from 12-8pm today at the Swanville Fire Hall. Sartell St-Stephen, Sauk Rapids-Rice and other also have elections today. Get official polling place information from each of the schools on their websites and from the Secretary of State's website too.
--King Arthur Flour is adding more lot numbers to a recall it announced last month over its 5-pound bags of Unbleached All-Purpose Flour due to the potential for E.coli contamination. The company announced that it was notified by ADM Milling Co. that the lot codes were omitted from the original data King Flour provided in its October 3 announcement. Those are in addition to this earlier list of the "Best Used By" dates and their associated lot codes for bags with UPC 071012010509. They come in 5-pound and 25-pound bags. Under the initial recall, there are also 25-pound bags with UPC 071012012503 that were only sold at Costco. The entire list of lots numbers of the affected products and to submit a claim for a refund or replacement can be found at kingarthurflour.com/voluntaryrecall, or by calling our King Arthur Flour at 866-797-9178.
--An expensive piece of logging equipment has to be replaced after it was destroyed by fire, and investigators near Duluth suspect it might not be an accident. Fire crews were called to a logging site off Alden Lake Road just north of Duluth around 12:45pm Saturday on reports of equipment on fire. They were able to quickly put the fire down but the machine, a nearly-new Caterpillar 521-B Feller Buncher, was determined a total loss. Replacement value is $500,000. The machine is used to pull trees from the ground and stack them. The machine was owned and operated by Doug Hustad Logging. At the time of the fire, the operation was idle, and detectives are investigating the incident as a possible arson. Anyone who was in the area before the fire and may have seen something suspicious is urged to call the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office Investigations Division at 218-336-4350.
--WE Fest will be staying at Detroit Lakes' Soo Pass Ranch for the foreseeable future. However, the festival's new organizers will be taking a year off to regroup. The next WE Fest will be August 2021.
--Minnesota Department of Transportation is hosting an open house on the upcoming interchange and pedestrian improvements on Minnesota Highway 23 and U.S. Highway 10. The open house is next Tuesday, November 12th from 4:30-6:00pm at Salem Lutheran Church in St. Cloud. The project, expected to begin in 2023 and be completed by 2024, will reconstruct the interchange and improve motorist and pedestrian access and safety. The estimated $30 million project will: Rebuild the Highway 23 interchange bridges over Highway 10; Reconfigure on and off ramps to improve traffic flow and safety; Improve and install pedestrian and bicycle crossing options on Highways 10 and 23; Reconstruct both directions of Highway 10 between 15th Avenue Southeast/7th Street Southeast and Benton Drive; Reconstruct both directions of Highway 23 from west of Lincoln Avenue Southeast to Benton County Road 1; Update signal systems; and Repair or replace drainage structures and install water retention ponds.
--Morrison County maintenance crews will be trimming trees in the northwest and southwest part of the county. Public Works will be spot shouldering roads on CSAH 16 and 28 in the northwest part of the county. Please use caution around work crews as flaggers will be present directing traffic through work zones.
--The Pierz Knights of Columbus will be holding a KC’s Memorial Mass on Wednesday night at 7pm at St. Joseph's Church in Pierz. The Knight of Columbus will remember all members who passed away in the previous year. Urban Stangl, Joe Block, Bernie Winzenburg, David Thommes, Herb Britz, Rob Schmitz, Ervin Girtz and LeRoy Lochner. A lunch will be served after the mass Wednesday night in Pierz.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
--Brian and Leslie Steffen Royalton, girl on November 1st