NEWS --Brainerd police responded to a snowmobile crash Sunday around 10:30pm on the 900 block of H Street in Brainerd. The snowmobile reportedly was eastbound and struck a parked vehicle on the north side of the street. The snowmobile driver was found laying in the middle of the street face down and unresponsive when authorities arrived. The driver, later identified as 23-year-old Zachary James Seery of Brainerd was first taken to an area hospital then transferred to the Twin Cities with serious injuries. Seery was listed in fair condition Tuesday. Police indicated that excessive speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.
--Between May and October of 2015, numerous law enforcement solicitation stings have been completed. The nearly 20 operations led to one offender, 59-year-old Eugene Allord of Little Falls pleading guilty last year. Allord will be sentenced May 4th. Another man facing charges will be in court February 13th, Chadwick Schwerdtgeder was arrested in November, 2015. Eight others arrested during the stings include 36-year-old Kurt Bistodeau of Baxter, 28-year-old Alex Brown of Grand Rapids, 36-year-old Roger Carriere of Clarissa, 52-year-old Scott Dinham of Wintrhop, 53-year-old Robert Hennen of Cushing, 50-year-old Kenneth Kirk of Clarksville, Tennessee, 41-year-old Jason Loghenry of Motley, 23-year-old Tyler Meech of Baxter and 43-year-old Brent Siever of Breezy Point have all had their court cases. In those cases they were given probation and fines ranging from $1,000 to $2,500. The operations involved the placement of a fake advertisement on a website known for its use in soliciting paid sex. Nearly all the cases have worked their way through the court system with the two listed above as finishing this year. There were other arrests made in the cases according to law enforcement but of those, only the ten listed were formally charged.
--A two-stall garage in Crosslake was destroyed by fire Saturday. Firefighters were called just after 2:00pm to Dream Island Circle where they found the detached garage ablaze. The garage and all its contents including a vehicle, ATV and other stored items were a total loss. A heater next to the ATV may have started the fire but the initial cause is under investigation. No one was injured.
--A pickup and a school bus collided near Baxter Monday. The Minnesota State Patrol said that around 4:15pm, 61-year-old Scott Hudson of Motley was west on Highway 210. The school bus was stopped to let students out when the pickup rear-ended the bus. Five students on the bus and the bus driver all escaped without injury. The driver of the truck, Hudson, sustained injuries that had to be treated at the Brainerd hospital.
--The Brainerd Fire Department were called out multiple times over the past weekend. A vehicle fire on East River Road had to be extinguished Friday afternoon, a shed fire at 3:00pm Saturday on Riverside Drive which was extinguished. The shed sustained moderate damage. The fire department continued to receive a number of reports of carbon monoxide detectors going off. They remind homeowners to check their detectors regularly as after years of service they do need to be replaced if they continue to beep constantly. The four reports over the week to the fire department were all from malfunctioned detectors that had to be replaced.
--The Upsala Upstage Players present "What is Susan's Secret?" at 7:30pm on January 27th and 28th and 2:00pm on January 29th in the Upsala High School auditorium. Tickets are available at the door.
–A St. Michael man is dead after he rear ended a snowplow on Highway 10 south of Royalton around 10:35am yesterday. The Minnesota Department of Transportation snow plow driven by 57-year-old Judy Breyfogel was westbound on Highway 10 with lights activated when her plow was rear-ended by 30-year old Timothy Eckhoff of St. Michael who was driving a freight truck. Eckhoff died from injuries sustained in the accident. Breyfogel sustained injuries from the accident but was not hospitalized. Icy and snowy conditions at the time were a factor in the accident. Another reminder to all motorists to please not crowd snow plows as they plow the snow and clear the roadways to help travel conditions.
--The State Patrol reported a fatal accident on Highway 210 near Pillager around 6:30pm last night. A pickup attempting to pass an SUV slid back into the SUV causing the pickup to leave the roadway and roll. The pickup driver died. The SUV driver had injuries. The State Patrol has not released any names from the accident.
--A 20-year-old from Staples was injured Monday on Highway 10 between Staples and Motley just after 1:00pm. Vanessa Tenney of Ham Lake slid on the icy roads and rolled in the ditch. She was taken to the Staples Hospital for treatment of non-serious injuries.
--Two people were hurt in an accident Monday in Wadena County. 83-year-old Robert Hirschey of Cushing was north of Verndale passing a semi in the snow covered roadways when he turned into an oncoming vehicle colliding with it. The other driver 18-year-old Kaitlynn Swank of Verndale along with Hirschey were both taken to an area hospital reportedly with non-life threatening injuries.
--A 58-year-old Clearwater man was killed Monday in a two-vehicle collision on Interstate Highway 94. Frederick Paul Meyer was driving a van east on I-94 when he rear-ended a stopped semi driven by 55-year old Kelvin Glenn Bartlett of New Florence, Missouri, shortly after 5:30pm about a mile west of Stearns County Road 75. The semi was hauling a large excavator and was stopped due to accidents farther east on I-94. Meyer was killed due to injuries from the collision. According to the report from the state patrol Bartlett was not injured.
DEATH NOTICE --Nathan Winscher, age 23 of Pierz
WEATHER TODAY= becoming sunny, windy and cold, high 5 wind chills -20. TONIGHT= cloudy and cold, low -13, wind chills -25 or colder. THURSDAY= sunny and cold, high 4, low around 30 below zero. FRIDAY= sunny and cold, high -1, low -6 rising temps to Saturday.
SPORTS COL BB= The 24th ranked Gopher basketball team (15-2) will take on 10th ranked Michigan State tonight 5:30pm on AM960 KLTF NFL= the Divisional round of the playoffs this week with Seattle at Atlanta followed by Houston at New England Saturday. Then Sunday it is Pittsburgh at Kansas City followed by Green Bay at Dallas. Coverage begins at 2:30pm Saturday on AM960 KLTF.
TODAY IN HISTORY IN 1813= pineapples are introduced to United States from Hawaii. IN 1913= Hudson Motor Company introduces sedan types cars. IN 1964= The Beatles I Want to Hold Your Hand- hits U.S. Charts.