NEWS
--An armed robbery suspect is at large after he allegedly robbed a man at Kiwanis Park in Brainerd. The report came in at 6:30pm Monday that a man was robbed of an undisclosed amount of money at the Mississippi River Bridge in the park. The man reportedly had a handgun and demanded money. The suspect is described as a white male, 20-30 years old, wearing black clothing, had a teardrop tattoo under his left eye. Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the Brainerd Police Department.
--A 34-year old from California was injured in a wakeboard accident Saturday afternoon on Bay Lake in Deerwood. Around 1:00pm, deputies stated that Benjamin Souders of El Dorado, California was wakeboarding when he fell off the board and injured his leg. He was taken to an area hospital for his injury. The driver of the boat was not injured in the incident.
--A Rice man was arrested for allegedly stealing a car over the weekend. The incident happened about 1:30am Saturday at the Old Creamery Cafe in Rice. Officers ran a random license plate check on a GMC Yukon near a gas station and noticed the vehicle did not match the description of the registered vehicle. The suspects quickly drove away and left the car in the Old Creamery parking lot, still running and doors open. Officers also noticed two men and a woman running from the scene. Further investigation found the Yukon had been stolen from Stearns County and the license plates were taken from a vehicle in Clay County. Police also found a hypodermic needle inside the vehicle. A short time later, the woman and one of the male suspects returned and told police the driver was hiding in a restroom near the gas station. Police later found the driver, 26-year old Collin Koerner still inside. Koerner was arrested and taken to the Benton County Jail. He faces charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, driving after revocation and possession of a hypodermic needle.
--Eight young riders will represent Crow Wing County in the Minnesota State 4-H Horse Show September 15-18th. Five riders will compete in performance classes of western horsemanship and train class showmanship and three riders qualified for trips in game classes which includes barrel racing and jumping figure 8's. The members of the team are Maddie Bernie, Hanna Caughey, Samina Crabtree, Korbyn D'Ambrogio, Haley Hins, Sierra Hynes, Ruby Brinkman and Brooke Shubert. Good Luck to all the riders at the state competition.
--A 48-year old woman was injured Saturday morning around 10:00am on Highway 371 and Design Road in Baxter. 32-year old Joelle McDonald of Merrifield and 48-year old Barbara Carman of Northwood, Iowa collided at the intersection. Carman had minor injuries while the other driver Joelle McDonald was not hurt.
–A St. Cloud man swam 14 miles in roughly ten hours Monday to bring attention to our state’s natural resources. Terry Anderson, of St. Cloud, planned the swim to put a spotlight on Mille Lacs Lake and return it to its natural walleye producing state, saying it won’t take too much. The lake has been in trouble recently despite it’s high rankings among fishermen across the country. Area business and resort owners on Mille Lacs say they’re frustrated with Governor Mark Dayton’s Walleye fishing restrictions. Some resort owners say profits have dropped almost 75% from walleye restrictions. Anderson says he hopes his journey across the lake will continue to open the lines of communication and bring the lake back to its vibrant state.
--The Pierz City Council met Monday night. At the meeting the new Fire Chief, Chris Young gave a recommendation to the City Council to approve hiring Dan Rocheleau as the Assistant Fire Chief for the Pierz Fire Department. The City Council unanimously approved the recommendation. Dan Rocheleau was the Training Officer for the Fire Department. They have since posted for the Training Officer position within the Pierz Fire Department.
--Police are seeking the public’s help to find people seen with a 15-year old Alexandria girl before she went missing from her home Tuesday, August 8th. Jasmine Block was last seen about 1:00pm on Monday, August 7th, on the Central Lakes Trail near a Burger King and Super America. According to witnesses, Block was with two other teenagers and a man who appeared to be in his 30's and was balding or had closely shaven hair. They were all reported to have been riding bikes and it is believed the man and teens do not live in Alexandria. Police ask that anyone who spent time with Jasmine in the days leading up to her disappearance to contact them. A search is being planned by the missing girl’s family and friends starting at 3:00pm on today at Big Ole Central Park. A candlelight vigil will be held at 6:00pm on Friday at New Life Christian Church in Alexandria. A $1,000 reward is being offered for Block’s safe return home. Jasmine is described as white with a tan complexion, 5'1” tall, 110 pounds, with brown curly hair. She was last seen wearing black and red pajama pants and a top. Jasmine’s cell phone was left behind. Anyone who knows of Jasmine’s whereabouts or sees her is asked to call the Alexandria Police Department or 911. Authorities encourage all tips at this time, as no lead is too small to follow up on.
--Firefighters and police responded to a report of a grease fire at the Barn Restaurant late Tuesday morning in Brainerd. Firefighters arrived to find a large cloud of smoke coming from the kitchen of the restaurant on Washington Street. Firefighters placed large pieces of kitchen equipment outside and parts of the dining room in order to extinguish the fire. Brainerd police officers controlled traffic. The restaurant closed for 10 weeks following an electrical fire in February. It was not immediately clear how long the restaurant would be forced to close this time, or how much damage the fire caused. No injuries.
--Two youths were injured in an ATV accident Saturday on County Highway 2 in Brainerd when their ATV crashed into a piece of farm equipment. 8-year old Novah Sellman was driving the ATV when it struck some farm equipment in some tall weeds. Sellman and her 4-year old passenger both had minor injuries in the crash.
DEATH NOTICE
--Daryl A. Janey, age 61 of Brainerd
WEATHER
TODAY= showers likely, heavy rains in afternoon, high 72.
TONIGHT= showers & t-storms likely, heavy rains, low 58.
THURSDAY= rain in morning, sunny in afternoon, high 70, low 53.
FRIDAY= partly sunny, afternoon storms develop, high 76.
SPORTS
TWINS= Indians go long ball on Twins last night winning 8-1. The Twins and Cleveland are scheduled to play game 2 tonight, depending on the weather, scheduled to start 6:30pm Q92 WYRQ.
LYNX= Lynx at Seattle tonight at 9pm.