NEWS
--Police have arrested a man in the November stabbing death of an Alexandria woman. They arrested 78-year-old Angel Rua-Torres of Alexandria Monday at his home, the same home where the crime was committed back on November 24th. A criminal complaint was filed by the Douglas County Attorney's Office charging him with murder. Fifty-eight-year-old Desiree Frederick's body was found in the home in the 1600 block of 6th Avenue East in Alexandria.
--A St. Cloud woman was hurt in a crash involving a semi on Monday. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened on Highway 10 in Sherburne County. The patrol says an SUV driven by 36-year-old Saido Issa Salat and a semi driven by 64-year-old Thomas Franzwa of Oakdale were both westbound when the crash happened just after 1:30pm. Troopers say the vehicles collided at the intersection of Highway 10 and a private driveway near 32nd Street Southeast. Salat was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Franzwa was not hurt.
--A Burnsville man who caused a fatal crash in Rice last summer has been sentenced. A Benton County judge has sentenced 67-year-old Paul Bergman to four years in prison. He gets credit for having served 65 days in the county jail. Bergman pleaded guilty in December to one count of criminal vehicular homicide in what's called a Norgaard plea. A Norgaard plea is where a defendant claims they were too drunk or under the influence of chemicals to recall the facts of what happened. The crash happened just after 10pm. on July 7th. Court records show Bergman crossed over the centerline on County Road 2 and hit a car driven by 65-year-old John McIntyre of Champlin. A blood test determined Bergman's blood alcohol content was 0.272, more than three times the legal limit to drive. McIntyre died from his injuries eight days later.
--An all-terrain vehicle carrying five people went into the water Friday on Eagle Lake in Crow Wing County. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources responded to the incident just before 12:30pm near the 17000 block of Hidden Lake Road on Eagle Lake, northeast of Fifty Lakes. The ATV was traveling at a high rate of speed on the lake and the driver did not see the open water. The ATV was in about 6 feet of water. No injuries were reported. Law enforcement was on scene for about an hour.
--The Brainerd Fire Department responded to a fire at 6:13pm Friday at Fletcher Trucking, 10545 Business Highway 371. Fire Chief Tim Holmes said the fire started in a large pile of wood shavings in a large storage building. Along with the fire crews, Fletcher Trucking staff used multiple pieces of equipment to remove tons of wood shaving from the building, Holmes said. Crews were on scene for about three hours with mutual aid provided by the Camp Ripley Fire Department. No injuries were reported. Holmes said the fire likely started from spontaneous combustion as the wood shavings pile was left for a while without being turned.
--The largest agricultural expo in years started yesterday in St. Cloud. The 57th annual Central Minnesota Farm Show has sold out its booth space for the first time since the pandemic. Today is the final day at the River's Edge Convention Center to see more than 250 farming businesses and organizations. The event offers a glimpse into the latest and greatest tools and technology in the ag sector. The event is free admission to come and view today in St. Cloud.
--Numerous law enforcement personnel will be attending the public memorial service today at 11am for the three first responders (2 Burnsville police officers and the firefighter) killed a week ago Sunday in Burnsville. The service is being shown and live streamed by many media outlets (television and social media) around the state.
--Many snowmobilers have been beyond disappointed at this winter's offerings so they could enjoy their past time. Now a popular brand has been placed on a product recall. Polaris has recalled the “MATRYX” model snowmobiles that have the Patriot 650 and 850 engines on them. The problem with these models is that the primary drive clutch can fail causing the clutch or its components to separate from the vehicle which could cause an injury. If you own one of these models, Polaris urges you to stop using the snowmobile immediately, which this year probably isn’t going to be a problem. Owners are urged to contact Polaris and arrange to have the primary drive clutch replaced or repaired free of charge. Polaris says they are contacting all registered owners to notify them of this issue.
--Two young women were hurt in a Stearns County crash on Monday morning. The sheriff's office says it happened around 11:40am on Johnfield Road northeast of Brooten. Authorities say an SUV driven by 19-year-old Alexis Lhotka of Morris left the road on a curve near 443rd Avenue and entered the ditch. Lhotka and her passenger, 20-year-old Amy Noujdi of Minneapolis both were taken to Glenwood Hospital for treatment of what's believed to be minor injuries.
--The University of Minnesota Board of Regents selects Dr. Rebecca Cunningham as new president. Cunningham is the vice president for research and innovation at the University of Michigan. She will be the 18th president of the University of Minnesota.
--Most fish house owners in the southern two-thirds of Minnesota probably have already removed their fish houses from the lakes, given poor ice conditions and warm weather. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds anyone who still has a fish house on the ice to start planning for its removal. The statutory shelter removal deadline for the southern two-thirds of the state is 11:59pm on March 4th which is Monday. The northern third of the state does have until March 18th but even there lake ice has softened or some open water on those lakes have halted the fishing season.
DEATH NOTICES
--James L. Virnig, age 63 of Pierz.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny and cold, high 17, wind chills near -10.
TONIGHT= mainly clear, low near 8 early then rising overnight.
THURSDAY= sunny skies, warmer, high 46, low near 32.
FRIDAY= partly sunny and warmer yet, high 55, low near 34.
SPORTS
TWINS= listen to Twins Baseball spring training games on your home for Twins Baseball Q92 WYRQ. Another Twins spring training game today at noon. Regular season starts at KC March 28th.
WRE= The State Wrestling Tournament begins tomorrow in St. Paul. All team competition on Thursday with Little Falls vs. Simley at 9am. Other teams like Staples-Motley, Becker, BBE and Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie are competing too on Thursday.