--Two people were hurt in a four-vehicle crash in Sartell Monday. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened at around 7:00am at the intersection of Highway 15 and County Road 1. Troopers say a car was making a left turn to go south on Highway 15 causing the crash. 21-year old Jeannie Willenbring of Cold Spring was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 36-year old Dolly Reyes of St. Cloud was also taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The other two drivers involved in the crash were not hurt.
--Motorists should plan for heavy traffic volumes and congestion on Highway 371 and other Brainerd Lakes Area roads in Crow Wing County Thursday through Sunday. With some local roads closed for construction, and more than 100,000 visitors expected to attend the 38th annual Lucas Oil National Hot Rod Association Nationals race at the Brainerd International Raceway heading into this weekend. Motorists planning to travel in the Brainerd/Baxter area should be patient, expect delays, consider staggering their travel times and watch for slow traffic on Highway 371 and other area roadways. Also be aware of these area road projects. Highway 210 Brainerd to Ironton - Road is closed. Detour uses Highway 25 in Brainerd, Highway 18, Highway 6 to Deerwood, and Highway 210/6 to Crosby. Access is open to the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport from Brainerd, follow signs and give yourself extra time. Highway 6 Crosby - Road is closed north of Highway 210/6 junction in Crosby. Detour uses Highway 210/6, Crow Wing County Road 31 through Cuyuna and County Road 30. Also, expect increased travelers in Crosby during Heritage Days and the Cuyuna Crusher Mountain Bike event August 15th–18th. Highway 6 south of Emily to Outing – Alternate one-way traffic with flaggers and use of a pilot car. For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit 511mn.org.
--The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) announced it will conduct a statewide test of the Minnesota Blue Alert System on Thursday. The test will take place at 1:10pm. The alert was established in 2015 as a tool to help locate suspects when a member of law enforcement is killed or seriously wounded in the line of duty. However, there haven't been any Blue Alert activations since it was implemented. According to the BCA, the test is to ensure the system activates as expected and help Minnesotans become familiar with what they'd see and hear if a Blue Alert was actually issued. For a Blue Alert activation to occur, the following criteria must be met: 1) A law enforcement officer must have been killed or seriously wounded by an offender(s) or is missing while in the line of duty under circumstances evidencing concern for the officer's safety. 2) The investigating agency must determine that the offender(s) poses a serious risk to the public or other officers and dissemination of available information to the public may help avert further harm or assist in apprehending the offender. 3) A detailed description of the offender's vehicle or other means of escape, including at least a partial license plate number, must be available to provide to the public.
--The next Cone Zone Summer Black Party in Little Falls will be tomorrow night starting around 5:30pm with the music scheduled to begin around 6pm on 500 East Broadway (near Zoomski's). Music by Harpers Chord, kids activities and more at the event Thursday night. There are only 3 more of these as they will have the final block party of the summer on August 29th.
--Heavy rains moved through central Minnesota on Tuesday dropping 1-2 inches of rain in short periods of time. Roads in Sartell and St. Cloud were closed for a time due to flooding and heavy water yesterday afternoon until the waters subsided. The Little Falls Airport reported between 2-5pm nearly 2 inches of rain, while other reports around the city showed around half inch to around 1 inch of rain. The storms prompted a number of thunderstorm and tornado warnings across the southern third of the state Tuesday.
--St. Cloud Police are looking for your help in finding a missing man. Police say 51-year old Adam Peckham was last seen July 25th at the Cloverleaf Trailer Park at 150 Highway 10 North. Authorities believe he may have left the park on a red bicycle to head to his job on the northwest side of town. He never arrived and has not been seen since. Peckham is described as white, 6'2", 235 lbs with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a St. Cloud State University jersey and a Twins baseball cap. Police want to make contact with Peckham to make sure he is okay. If you have any information on his whereabouts, you're asked to call the St. Cloud Police Department at (320) 251-1200.
--The Agriculture Department on Monday said farmers planted a bigger corn area than analysts estimated and pegged crop yields that also exceeded expectations, sparking the biggest rout in futures since 2013. U.S. farmers stung by tariffs now face a $3.5 billion corn loss The Agriculture Department on Monday said that was a blow to growers who were holding back supplies, hoping a rally that started in May due to delayed sowing would extend through the fall. The decline represents a potential loss of almost $3.5 billion for U.S. farmers, according to the American Farm Bureau, and is another setback for them after prices fell following the USDA's previous acreage report, which was widely criticized for containing outdated data. Crashing corn prices are an additional stress for growers facing huge farm debt, which the USDA estimates will rise 3.9% this year to $427 billion. Last year, farm debt-to-income was at the highest level since 1984.
--As our country gears up for the next census, a lot of census takers will be needed to help gather the information. More than 1,000 Census Bureau openings will need to be filled in central Minnesota alone. Several Census Job Days will be held at St. Cloud Public Library and at other locations around the state. The first session is this Thursday from 3-7pm and the second session is this Friday from 10am-2pm. Two more sessions will be held in mid-September on the 16th and 17th. You can also apply online. The website says the pay rate for our area is $14 an hour.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, high 74.
TONIGHT= increasing clouds, low around 50.
THURSDAY= cloudy, scattered showers & storms, high 77, low 56.
FRIDAY= morning storms, then partly sunny, high 77, low 58
SPORTS
TWINS= Marwin Gonzalez hits a 3-run homer in the 8th inning to lift the Twins to a 7-5 come from behind win over the Brewers last night in Milwaukee. Twins are back in first place by a half game as Boston beat the Indians. Twins (72-47) and Milwaukee finish their two game series today with pregame at 12:30pm on Q92 WYRQ.
LYNX= Lynx (13-12) beat New York last night 89-73 in the WNBA.