NEWS
--One person was taken to the hospital after the vehicle they were driving crashed into a house sparking a fire. Deputy Fire Chief Anthony Lorenz says the incident happened at about 5:30pm. Tuesday along Division Street at 17th Avenue South in St. Cloud. He says the driver was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries. Firefighters searched the home but did not find anyone inside the house. The home did sustain significant damage. Mayor Dave Kleis says its believed no one was living at the home. The investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
--A man was hurt in a rollover near New London. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened Monday night just before 11am on Highway 71 near New London. Twenty-three-year-old Wilder Espinoza of Willmar was driving south when his vehicle left the road and rolled. He was taken to Willmar Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash.
--A two-vehicle crash snarled a major intersection in Maple Lake Monday afternoon. The Minnesota State Patrol says they were alerted to a crash at the intersection of Minnesota Highway 55 and Wright County Road 8 just before 3pm Monday. A pickup driven by 80-year-old James Peterson of Maple Lake was southbound on County Road 8 when it crashed with another pickup and trailer, driven by 23-year-old Ihor Korchynskyi of Aurora, Illinois, while it was eastbound on Minnesota Highway 55. Peterson was treated for non serious injuries. --A two-vehicle crash east of Paynesville sent a driver to the hospital Saturday afternoon. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a two-vehicle crash in Paynesville Township at 5:04pm. Officials determined a Ford F-150 pickup, driven by 71-year-old Richard Lahr of Paynesville, was driving west on 180th Street while a Mazda 3 SUV, driven by 22-year-old Annabelle Scafe of Welch, was driving south on 263rd Avenue. Due to icy conditions, Lahr slid past a stop sign and into the intersection. Scafe was unable to stop to avoid the crash. Scafe was sent to a hospital where she was treated for minor injuries.
--A teacher at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School is being honored with a statewide award. Aaron Johnson has been awarded the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies High School Teacher of the Year winner for 2024. Johnson teaches Minnesota history, general world history, and AP world history. Johnson is in his 11th year of teaching with his entire career at Sauk Rapids-Rice. The awards dinner is this Sunday at the Minnesota Humanities Center. Next year the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies will hold their awards ceremony and conference and their conference in St. Cloud. Johnson says he will be leading one of the workshops at that event next year.
--A Lester Prairie man is facing charges after threatening to kill neighbors and police officers. Forty-eight-year-old Ryan Kirsch is charged with three counts of Felony-Threats of Violence and one count of 4th-Degree Criminal Damage to Property, which is a misdemeanor. On Friday, officers were called to his residence on a report that he was playing loud music, cussing, and throwing items outside his home. Kirsch then reportedly went to a neighbor's residence and began using profanities and threatening the neighbor and causing damage to property. When the first officer arrived, he had a long stick in his hand, threatened to kill the officer, then went back into his house. He continued making threats. After a search warrant was obtained, officers ultimately took Kirsch into custody.
--Two Sherburne County business owners have been charged with tax evasion. The Minnesota Department of Revenue says the Sherburne County Attorney's Office has charged Robert Spring and Heather Spring of Milaca with three felony counts each of failing to file income tax returns. Robert is facing three additional felony counts of failing to pay sales and use tax, while Heather is facing four felony counts of failing to pay sales and use tax. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both. Court records show Robert Spring and Heather Spring own two separate businesses that they operate out of the same location in Princeton. According to the documents, the Springs did not pay sales tax for their businesses several times between May 2019 and August 2022. Records show they also did not file individual income tax returns for 2019, 2020, or 2021. According to court documents, the Department of Revenue sent each of them more than 100 letters, notifying them of their missing tax returns and requesting payment of the outstanding sales tax. Court records show Robert's unpaid sales tax still owed totals more than $109,000.
--Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk recently issued an update on area ice conditions, reporting that ice travel is currently unsafe and unpredictable following strong winds this past week and is asking that anglers, and others using the ice to decided best not too at this time. According to a release from Welk, county personnel have received reports of quickly changing ice conditions on large bodies of water, including Leech Lake. Those who travel out onto the ice through a resort access or landing should communicate with the resort operator to understand the conditions and a safe path back to shore, the release said. Ice conditions are expected to continue to deteriorate, making any ice travel unsafe and unpredictable. There have a number of vehicles going through the ice on area lakes including a fatal accident in Otter Tail County south of Detroit Lakes and also in Mille Lacs County near Onamia and does not want to have one of those now in his county with even warmer temperatures forecast into the end of next weeks with temps in the 40s and 50s.
DEATH NOTICES
--Raymond D. Schlag, age 77 of rural Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny and very mild, high near 50.
TONIGHT= cloudy skies, mild night, low 36.
THURSDAY= sunny and breezy, high 42, low near 20.
FRIDAY= fog and haze early, then sunny, cooler, high near 30.
SPORTS
WRE= The Little Falls Flyer will open the State Wrestling Tournament next Thursday as a team against the #1 seed Simley at 9am at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Win or lose they will get another match at state that afternoon. Other central Minnesota teams like Staples-Motley, BBE, Bertha Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie and Becker also open team play on February 29th at 9am. Listen to the Flyer coverage at 9am on February 29th on Q92 WYRQ.
BHK= Little Falls beat Princeton 7-2 last night, move on to the semi-finals vs. Monticello on Saturday live on Q92 WYRQ.
TWINS= Inside Twins show tonight 6pm on Q92 WYRQ.
GHK= State Girls Hockey Tournament begins today in St. Paul.