Newsletter: Wednesday, March 27th, 2024
NEWS
--The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that Monday afternoon at approximately 3:50pm their office received a report of an ATV crash with injuries on 193rd Street, approximately a half mile west of Lastrup in Buh Township. 21-year-old Dominick Herold of Pierz was driving a side-by-side eastbound in the ditch along 193rd Street. The side-by-side hit a road approach causing it to roll over several times. Herold was transported to St. Gabriel’s Hospital with unknown injuries. Alcohol is believed to be involved. The Morrison County Sheriff's Office said that the case is under investigation.
--One person was hurt in a crash near West Union Tuesday morning. The Minnesota State Patrol says at about 5:45am a van driven by 47-year-old Charles Langeness of Randolph was going west on I-94 when it lost control and went into the ditch. Langeness was not hurt but a passenger in his car 48-year-old Katlyn Langeness of Inver Grove Heights was hurt and taken to Sauk Centre Hospital reportedly with non-life-threatening injuries.
--The Minnesota State Patrol says one person was hurt Monday night around 8pm in a single-car crash near West Union. The State Patrol says an SUV driven by 28-year-old Blaize Depass of Plymouth was going west on I-94 when it lost control, rolled, and came to rest on the exit ramp. Depass reportedly had non-life-threatening injuries.
--A woman was killed in a head-on crash with a semi-truck near Litchfield. The Minnesota State Patrol’s preliminary report showed 26-year-old Miranda Nicole Castro was going west on Highway 12 around 7:30 on Monday morning when the accident happened. She died at the scene and wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. The truck driver from Willmar wasn’t hurt in the accident.
--A 29-year-old Carlton woman was injured Saturday after her vehicle left the roadway struck a tree and was engulfed in flames. The Minnesota State Patrol responded to the crash at 7:33pm in Wagner Township, west of Finlayson. A vehicle was westbound on on Highway 18 in Aitkin County when it went off the roadway. The driver, Dannaka Lennea Miller, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
--The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office announces a stipulated temporary injunction in its case against a Paynesville dairy farm. The document essentially serves as a temporary restraining order agreed to by both sides. It does not mean that the defendants, Evergreen Acres Dairy and its owners, Keith Schaefer and Megan Hill, admit wrongdoing in the case. The conditions apply to employee wages and housing conditions. Evergreen Acres Dairy, Evergreen Estates, and Morgan Feedlots are required to meticulously keep hourly pay cards that clearly identify AM and PM for when they are punching out or in. The employees must receive a fixed hourly rate unless they have knowingly agreed to another compensation arrangement. The companies are also prohibited from making any deductions from their wages unless it is a garnishment signed off on by a court. A housing inspector has been hired, and he must be able to tour employee living quarters and note any deficiencies compared to state code. Within 30 days, the inspector would produce a report detailing what needs to be fixed. The farm is then required to respond within a month, showing they have remedied the problems or giving a time line for when the repairs would be completed. They cannot charge rent until the work is done and has been signed off on by the inspector after a final tour of the premises.
--The Franciscan Sisters will hold their Walk for Peace on Friday morning at 9:30am starting at the west entrance of the Convent. If the weather allows it they will then walk around parts of Little Falls with a Cross for many to carry to remember Jesus's road to Calvary on Good Friday before he was crucified. The walk is done in silence for anyone who wishes to take part in it. If the weather is bad it will be canceled. Questions call the convent at 320-632-2981. The convent will also have stations of the Cross and Liturgy on Friday, Easter Vigil Saturday and Mass Easter Sunday at the chapel in the convent. Details on the website fslf.org.
--Crow Wing County Land Services is reminding property owners affected by ice ridges this winter the options for repairing shoreline damage. Many lakeshore landscapes around the county have been affected by severe ice ridge damage this spring due to the lack of snow before these past few days. Before repairing shoreline damage, property owners should consult the Land Services Department or their city/town zoning office for a review of applicable rules. The Crow Wing County Land Use ordinance allows an annual ice ridge to be re-graded back to its original elevation without a permit when the work is done in the same year the ice ridge occurred. The Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District can be a technical resource for landowners interested in planting and establishing natural buffers. Visit https://www.cwswcd.org for more information.
NATIONAL NEWS
--A 948-foot container ship smashed into a four-lane bridge in the U.S. port of Baltimore in darkness early on Tuesday, causing it to collapse and sending cars and people plunging into the river below. Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one in very serious condition, and were searching for more in the Patapsco River after huge spans of the 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the water. Baltimore officials said at least seven people were believed to have been thrown into the water but could not give an exact figure hours after the collision, which closed one of the busiest ports in the United States. The U.S. Coast Guard reported the collapse at 1:27am and crews were deployed for an active search and rescue mission after the Singapore-flagged container ship forced the trellis-like bridge up into a mangled mass of metal. President Joe Biden was being briefed on the collision and there was no indication of nefarious intent.