NEWS
--The Little Falls DECA Team competed at the 2021 MN Career Development Conference with over 1,700 students participating. Congratulations to 1st Place- Caleb Matros- Virtual Business Accounting, 4th Place- Gabe Nagel- Financial Literacy Promotion. Also with Top 8 finishes included Riley Czech, Hayden Johnson and Ethan Poser- Career Development Project. Mason Petrowitz- School-based Enterprise and Maddie Dahlberg- Sales Project, Top 12 finish for Emma Holey, Lauren Hanfler and Henry Moore- Career Awareness Project and Caleb Matros- Principles of Finance. The 2021 International Development Conference will be held virtually in April.
--Shannon Wettstein of Morrison Soil and Water stated Tuesday that their will be virtual kickoff event on Thursday evening with comedien Charles Marshall with some fun and entertaining items to get the information out about to learn of the Long Prairie River and the watershed area, the state of the waters in that area and how to improve water quality. The event is Thursday evening at 6pm through the Todd Soil and Water Conversation Distric. Details on their website for the event. Otherwise call Shannon at 631-3551 for details.
--A Rice man was hurt in a motorcycle crash Saturday. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened just before 1:00pm. on County Road 10 in St. Martin Township. A woman told responding deputies that she was headed south when a motorcycle appeared behind her at what she thought was a high rate of speed. The driver of the bike passed her on an s-curve just north of 290th Street, lost control, entered the ditch and was thrown. Sheriff's officials say 50-year-old Michael Czech was treated at the scene until he could be airlifted to St. Cloud Hospital. Czech was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash and his condition is unknown.
--The snow that fell Monday caused a lot of problems on the highways. The Minnesota State Patrol says they responded to 264 crashes statewide with 22 people hurt in those crashes. None of the injuries were considered to be serious. Another 251 vehicles spun out and went into the ditch. Also, 13 semis jackknifed on roadways.
--Morrison County active cases dropped Wednesday to 133 total though Pierz totals went up to 59, Little Falls up to 24, Hillman 19 and Royalton at 11 cases. State cases down 716 new cases and 2 new deaths. There were only 4 new cases in Morrison County.
--Conservation Officers from the Department of Natural Resources are reminding those that ice conditions on area lakes are deteriorating quickly and anglers that are using ATVs for travel should be cautious as thin ice is becoming more frequent on area lakes. Some lakes and rivers including the dam in Little Falls are showing signs of ice dams which will increase some water levels and cause ice to crest on shorelines which can cause damage to homes along the river. With warming temperatures again this weekend some area lakes and rivers will start to shows signs of flooding to be aware of as the melting of ice continues to be a concern for state officials.
--In a different tactic, the Minnesota State Senate approved a bill that would allow the Governor's Emergency Powers to expire after a month unless the legislature acts to extend them instead of governor.
--Today on the KLTF Community program an update from Royalton Schools Superintendent Jon Phelps on the latest items dealing with students, faculty, activities and athletics in Royalton. Listen to the program just after 8:30am on AM960 KLTF.
--Ladies Night Out Pierz Style is April 8th listen to LF Radio for details.
--Two construction companies have agreed to pay $54,000 in back wages to workers involved in a roof replacement project at Camp Ripley in 2018 and 2019. Investigations by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry found that the companies misclassified workers on the project and paid them less than the prevailing wage rate. Azure Construction of Detroit Lakes agreed to pay $35,727.08 in back wages owed to nine construction workers. Western Products of Moorhead agreed to pay $18,779.09 in back wages owed to 11 workers. Prevailing wage is the minimum hourly wage employers must pay their employees performing construction work on projects funded in whole or in part with state dollars.
--A St. Cloud man is charged with assaulting another man with an aluminum baseball bat. St. Cloud Police were called to Go For It Gas on 9th Avenue around 1:30am Monday for an assault. Officers met with a man who said 51-year old Dwight Jones had hit him multiple times with a bat. Court records show the victim was bleeding heavily from a one-inch gash on his forehead and appeared to have an eye injury. The victim said he went to the store with Jones and waited while Jones went inside to buy a pipe. The victim said Jones came out and was acting strangely. Jones is accused of hitting the victim in the legs, stomach, back, head and face. A witness told police he saw Jones hit the man in the stomach and forehead with the bat. Records show the incident was also caught on surveillance video. Police recovered the bat which had been thrown nearby and also allegedly found more than 84 grams of marijuana on Jones. Jones is charged with felony assault and felony drug possession.
WEATHER
TODAY= AM flurries and fog, afternoon sunshine, high 40.
TONIGHT= clear skies, low near 30.
THURSDAY= sunny skies, high 48, low around 30.
FRIDAY= sunny and breezy, high 52, wind gusts over 30mph.
SPORTS
HS BBB= Virginia at Pierz in playoffs tonight 6pm on FM94 KFML.
HS GBB= Swanville vs. East Central tonight 7pm on Q92 WYRQ.
PLAYOFFS= Pierz, Royalton and Foley advanced in girls basketball playoffs last night, Brainerd/Little Falls advanced in girls hockey.
COL BB= after being let go by the Gophers on Monday, Richard Pitino has already been picked up by another team. Pitino was announced as the new coach of New Mexico on Tuesday.
COL HK= Gophers beat Wisconsin 6-4 for Big 10 tournament title while North Dakota beat St. Cloud State 5-3 for NCHC Title win.
St. Patrick's Day History
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church and other churches around the world. In Ireland smaller celebrations, church services and family outings are part of the day. In the United States, celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. St. Patrick was a missionary and bishop of Ireland teaching the ways of Christianity. There are other stories about about the Patron Saint of Ireland which were much more dramatized to remember March 17th. Many cities around the United States such as Boston, New York, Chicago and others are known for their large parade. In Minnesota, St. Paul is at noon today and other parades today are in Maple Lake, New Ulm & Moorhead.