NEWS
--The Little Falls Dam Festival is Friday and Saturday and kicks off with the sidewalk sale Friday morning by the Little Falls Business Association then events, music and food at Maple Island Park will start at 3pm. Laverne and the Starlites to play first then Double Trouble at night. Saturday starts with a Dam 2 Dam bike ride and a river rat race run at Belle Prairie Park then the parade at 11am starting at City Hall traveling down past bank square on 1st Street south to the hospital. After that plenty of items in Maple Island Park, live music, bingo, Camp Ripley bringing of a number of items, kids games and more live music with a street-dance style at night followed by fireworks at dusk. All this weekend in Little Falls.
--The Carousel of Crafts put on by Mary of Lourdes schools will be this Saturday from 9am-3pm at St. Mary's Church Little Falls. Most of the items will be outside the church to view Saturday. Watch for the road construction and follow the signs to the event.
--A motorcyclist was killed early Tuesday morning in Mille Lacs County. The motorcycle was on Highway 95 at 105th Avenue in Princeton Township at 2:42am when 53-year-old Lonnie Mayo of Princeton was eastbound on 95 and struck a deer, slid and overturned, thus throwing the driver into the westbound lane. 74-year-old Dennis Denker of North Branch was pulling a trailer on the back of his SUV swerved to avoid the cycle and ended up striking Lonnie Mayo. Then a semi-truck was also unable to stop in time and struck Mayo who was laying on the road. Mayo was dead at the scene. No others involved in the accident were injured.
--Health officials Tuesday recorded just 95 new infections in the past day, the first time that daily number has been under 100 since April 21st, 2020. Since testing began Minnesota has now documented 603,966 COVID cases since the beginning of the pandemic, 43,804 of them based on antigen tests. Health officials consider a positive antigen test a probable COVID case, while a positive PCR case is considered a confirmed case. Young adults between the ages of 20 and 24 make up the largest single group of cases with 58,332 and four deaths. Those between 85 and 89 account for the largest grouping of fatalities with 1,354 in 6,765 diagnosed cases, and total fatalities in the state to 7,518 but death numbers have been down considerably in the past months with 3 total deaths in June, 2021.
--The Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will host its 32nd annual golf outing, Monday, July 12th at Pine Ridge Golf Club in Motley. Registration begins at 11am with a noon shotgun start. Register ateam by July 5 and save $40 per team. Teams of four can register together. Any individual that would like to participate can register and will be placed on a team. Registration includes 18 holes of golf, cart, beverage, boxed lunch, ice cream, door prizes, eligibility in games of skill and dinner. Those who are not golfers can still be a part of the event by joining the others for dinner at about 5pm. The dinner is $20 per person. For registration information or to sign up for the dinner, contact Vetter at the Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, by calling (320) 632-5155. Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce members have first priority in filling team and individual openings.
--PineView Park BMX in St. Cloud, a non profit organization supporting BMX racing for kids is hosting Rock the Track event on June 26th, racing at 1pm, live music at 5pm, with more races to take place on Sunday the 27th starting at noon. The fundraiser will be at PineView Park on Saukview Drive, St. Cloud.
--Congratulations to Kaden Muhlbauer who found the Little Falls Dam Festival Medallion from Mid Minnesota Federal Credit Union. Caden found the medallion near the tennis courts by Lincoln Elementary School. Kaden Muhlbauer wins $500 cash from MMFCU.
--The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed state regulators' key approvals of Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project, in a dispute that drew over 1,000 protesters to northern Minnesota last week. A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that the state’s independent Public Utilities Commission correctly granted Enbridge the certificate of need and route permit that the Canadian-based company needed to begin construction on the 337-mile Minnesota segment of a larger project to replace a 1960s-era crude oil pipeline that has deteriorated and can run at only half capacity. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of a wetlands permit that activists say should be withdrawn.At least 1,000 activists from across the country gathered at construction sites near the headwaters of the Mississippi River last week. They urged Biden to cancel the project, as he did the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office. Nearly 250 people were arrested, in addition to more than 250 arrests since construction began in December. A smaller group marched Thursday to the Minneapolis office of Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. The Line 3 replacement would carry Canadian tar sands oil and regular crude from Alberta to Enbridge's terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. The project is nearly done except for the Minnesota leg, which is about 60% complete. Opponents of the more than $7 billion project say the heavy oil would accelerate climate change and risk spills in areas where Native Americans harvest wild rice, hunt, fish, gather medicinal plants and claim treaty rights. Enbridge says the replacement Line 3 will be made of stronger steel and will better protect the environment while restoring its capacity to carry oil and ensure reliable deliveries to U.S. refineries.
--The Townships of Platte, Pulaski and Richardson Township will hold a clean up day Saturday for residents living outside the city limits but within the townships from 8-10am at the Pualski Town Hall. Questions contact Bonnie Matlock at 468-2987. There will also be a clean up day for those living in Pike Creek Township Satuday from noon to 3pm at the Pike Creek Town Hall. Persons with questions may contact Ron Hourscht at 632-8728.
--Linden Hill is holding their mid-summer soire Thursday from 5-8pm. Tickets can be purchased for food and music at 616-5580.
DEATH NOTICES
--Bernard “Bernie” Brisk, age 93 of Pierz.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny and warmer, hign near 90.
TONIGHT= chance of T-storms after dark, low 64.
THURSDAY= early storm, then sunny and warm, high 88, low 60.
FRIDAY= sunny, cooler and breezy, high 77, low around 50.
SPORTS
TWINS= Seattle beats the Twins 10-0 last night as Twins have another ugly loss. Twins wrap up in Seattle tonight 8:30 on Q92.
GOLF= Emily Virnig is tied for 19th after day 1 of the state girls golf tournament in Jordan. Virnig competes in day 2 today in Jordan.
STATE= softball, Browerville won both games at State is in the Class A Championship today. Annandale goes for third in Class AA. Sartell and New York Mills advanced in baseball. Aitkin beat Albany 2-0.