NEWS
--The Governor race in Minnesota will have a primary in both the Republican and DFL party as expected. In the Republican party Jeff Johnson, Tim Pawlenty, and Matt Kruse all filed. For the Democratic party their five candidates who filed include Tim Holden, Erin Murphy, Ole Savior, Lori Swanson and Tim Walz.
--The 8th Congressional District also saw several candidates officially file for the seat on Monday and Tuesday. Harry Welty filed as a Republican and will face Pete Stauber in a primary on August 14th. By the end of the day Tuesday, Michelle Lee, Jason Metsa, Kirsten Kennedy, Joe Radinovich and Soren Christian Sorenson have all filed for the DFL primary in the 8th District. The top Republican and top DFL candidates in the August 14th primary will be on the ballot in the general election this November.
--On Monday, Attorney General Lori Swanson announced she is running for governor. She also announced later that day, her running mate for lieutenant governor is current 8th District Congressman Rick Nolan. They waited until after the DFL convention to make their announcement to run in the August 14th primary. Nolan announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection in the 8th Congressional District which includes Morrison County.
--A fire broke out around 1:00pm Monday afternoon at the Baxter recycling center. Firefighters were on scene for about three hours as cardboard and plastic bottles fed the flames. No one was injured and no evacuations were needed to be made at the facility. Waste Management helped put out the fire. Skid-loaders were used to move the recyclables around to make it easier for firefighters. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
--A 14-year old teen suffered serious but non life threatening injuries Saturday after the all-terrain vehicle he was driving collided with a pickup near Remer. The Cass County Sheriff's Office received a report just after 2:00pm of a motor vehicle versus ATV crash on Cass County Road 52 in Slater Township in rural Remer. Deputies and first responders arrived on scene and learned a group of Class 2 ATV's were traveling south on County Road 52 when a truck traveling north collided with a 2015 Polaris Ranger. The Polaris Ranger was being operated by a 14-year old boy from Farmington with a 13-year old male passenger, also from Farmington. The driver of ATV was treated on scene and flown to a Duluth hospital for serious but non-life threatening injuries. The ATV passenger was treated and released. The driver of the pickup, a 22-year old Boy River man, was arrested and booked in the Cass County Detention Center on pending charges of driving under the influence and other charges. The investigation is still ongoing.
--A 9-year old boy died after the all-terrain vehicle he was driving flipped on top of him near Boy River in Cass County. Just after 5:00pm Sunday an ATV crash on private property in rural Boy River was reported. Deputies and responders arrived and learned a 9-year old boy from Boy River was operating a 2015 Yamaha 700 ATV with a 15-year-old male passenger when they lost control in a water hole, flipping the ATV on top of them. The ATV was removed off the driver and lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful at the scene. The passenger was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
--Stream all three stations of Little Falls Radio including WYRQ, FM94 and KLTF at fallsradio.com.
--Motorists who travel Highway 238 in Albany will encounter a detour and delays after a short segment of the road, between Railroad Avenue and the southeast side of North Lake, closes after 5:00am next Monday. Motorists should plan additional time for travel, and follow the short detour along County Road 53/Sixth Street and Soo Line Avenue. All lanes of Highway 238 will reopen by mid-September.
--A planned Regional Community Well-Being Center in Long Prairie will soon become a reality after $700,000 in funding for the project was secured through the legislature’s bonding bill, signed last week. According to CentraCare Health, “the center will help meet the wellness needs of over 35,000 residents within a 20-mile radius of Long Prairie, by providing programs, services and amenities designed to promote healthy lifestyles, enhance quality of life and support well-being.” Construction is slated to begin this summer, with a planned opening date in March 2019. The new center will be located adjacent to the new CentraCare Health Long Prairie medical campus.
--Brainerd Public Schools are pleased to announce that six school libraries will be open during the summer thanks to grants from National Joint Powers Association (NJPA) and Crow Wing County Power, and generous donations from some area banks. For more information about the libraries opened, please visit www.isd181.org.
--The chief of the St. Joseph Police Department, Joel Klein has resigned as a result of a nearly two-month internal investigation. Klein had been put on administrative leave on April 19th, after complaints were made against him. The city council accepted his resignation at Monday night's meeting. Mayor Rick Schultz says the city cannot release the details around the investigation.
--Friends of Linden Hill and The Morrison County United Way are partnering for an evening in black and white Thursday at Linden Hill Conference and Retreat Center in Little Falls. Food and drink, raffle and tours available. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at Linden Hill for the evening's event on Thursday from 5-9pm.
WEATHER
TODAY= storms ending, partly sunny and breezy in PM, high 78.
TONIGHT= clear skies, low around 50.
THURSDAY= sunny skies, high 78, storms overnight, low 56.
FRIDAY= storms early, mostly cloudy in PM, high 75.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins score 4 in the 8th to win game 1 of a double header with Chicago Tuesday 4-2. Twins then lost 6-3 to the White Sox in the nightcap. Twins and Sox resume series tonight 6:30pm Q92 WYRQ.
LF BAB= Little Falls win a wild game over Bemidji 13-7 yesterday with most of the runs in the late innings. Little Falls advanced to the section championship today at noon against Alexandria and would have to win twice over the Cardinals to go to the state tournament. Catch the action starting just before noon on AM960 KLTF.
PIERZ BAB=Pierz beat Albany 2-0 and then did the same thing to Foley winning 2-0 on Tuesday. Pierz advances to the Section championship against St. Cloud Cathedral on Thursday in St. Cloud. The Pioneers would have to beat Cathedral twice. First game is scheduled for 5:00pm Thursday on FM94 KFML.
--Pierz Youth Baseball is hosting the John Hellie Youth Baseball Tournament this coming weekend at Hellie Field at Pierz Legion Park. For more information go to pierzbaseball.com.