NEWS
–Little Falls Artist Charles Kapsner recently at the State Veterans Cemetery event Sunday unveiled his early stages for his next in the Armed Forces Paintings of the U.S. Marines at the committal hall. Last weekend Kapsner began the oils and early phases of the Marines Corp. picture with hopes in the months ahead to have a timeline in place for its completion. Each painting takes around 18 months to officialy complete. The final of the Armed Forces paintings will be the U.S. Air Force. If you wish to get more information on the project or help in donating toward their effort, there is a fund set up at the Initative Foundation in Little Falls at 632-9255 or ifound.org.
–A Pequot Lakes man was killed when the ATV he was operating crashed into a tree, ejecting him and two passengers Saturday night in Loon Lake Township of rural Pequot Lakes. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was called at 10:42pm. The ATV was travelling on a driveway at a residence when it left the roadway striking a tree. The driver of the ATV, 42-year old Steve Verville was pronounced dead at the scene. The passengers, a 51-year-old Breezy Point man and a 46-year-old Crosslake man were treated at the scene and transported to Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd.
–The Brainerd fire department along with assistance from Nisswa fire and area law enforcement battled a house fire early Sunday in Barrows south of Brainerd. Around 12:20am, firefighters arrived to find the unoccupied home engulfed in flames. The house was ruled a total loss. There were no injuries. The cause was ruled possibly suspicious and so the state fire marshal was called in to investigate.
–The Brainerd police department and their K-9 Keno pursued a suspect Saturday who happened to have a five foot snake riding his car. The K-9 unit was called in by Pequot Lakes to search for 32-year old Robbie Orth who had eluded police and went into a wooded area near Sibley Lake. Using helicopters, patrol on foot and an ATV they were able to locate Orth’s vehicle where he was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Officers did find a bag and inside was a 5 foot long “blow snake”. Police stated they had to euthanized it as Orth would not comply in saying if the snake was venomous.
–A Milaca woman was injured after a single vehicle crash near Avon Sunday night. The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on I-94 in Avon Township. The Minnesota State Patrol says 27-year-old Akello Abella was heading east on I-94, when she went off the road and struck several trees. Abella had non life threatening injuries.
–The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a capsized boat on the south east side of Pearl Lake in Maine Prairie Township Monday afternoon around 3:30pm. The 16 foot fishing boat capsized with 5 people on board. Two other fishing boats on the lake helped the victims into boats and transported them to the access where they could get proper care. The fishing boat has been removed from the lake. The windy conditions played a role in the boat capsizing. No one was injured in the incident.
–Two people were hurt in a rear end crash on Highway 10. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened at about 5:20pm Monday in the eastbound lanes near Big Lake in Sherburne County. A pickup and a car were both going east when the pickup stopped for traffic and was rear ended. The pickup was driven by 67-year-old Vincent Smith of Spring Lake Park. The car was driven by 27-year-old Nathan Morgan of Becker. Both men suffered non life-threatening injuries.
–Governor Mark Dayton on Tuesday signed most of a $46 billion budget but vetoed funding specifically for the state Legislature after what he deems a “sneak attack” on a key state agency funding. The Democratic governor signed several bills and said he’d allow a $650 million in tax cuts to become law without his signature. But he blasted a provision that would have made funding for the Department of Revenue contingent on his approval of the tax bill. By removing funding for the Legislature, Dayton hopes to gain leverage to call lawmakers back to the Capitol on his terms for another special session. He says the Legislature needs to remove tax breaks for estates and tobacco products he worries will harm the state’s financial future. Minnesota lawmakers spilled into overtime last week after passing their deadline to finish the budget. The Legislature finished passing the remaining budget bills early Friday morning.
–The Minnesota’s Court of Appeals upheld a state law allowing counties to hire private firms for financial audits. It’s the second such court ruling involving the Legislature’s 2015 law that ignited controversy. State Auditor Rebecca Otto challenged the law, arguing it was an unconstitutional breech of her duties that puts taxpayers at risk. A district court ruled last fall the change was constitutional, but Otto appealed. The State Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling Tuesday on a 2-1 vote.
–The Chipotle fast-food chain has identified more than 60 of its outlets in Minnesota, including St. Cloud, as being among hundreds nationwide where customers were exposed to potential fraud when paying with credit or debit cards early this spring. The company said Friday that many of its locations were victims of malware, which searched for customer data such as a cardholder’s name, card number, expiration date and internal verification code embedded in the magnetic stripe. Chipotle said in a statement that it removed the malware that was active from March 24th through April 18th and continues to work with cyber security firms to evaluate ways to enhance its security measures.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
–Daniel Doonan and Charlotte Muellner of Little Falls, a girl 5-27.
DEATH NOTICES
–Donald Lee Nichols, age 93 of Little Falls.
–Avit F. Schmidt Sr., age 80 of Pierz.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny skies, high 73, clear skies tonight, low 40.
THURSDAY= sunny, high near 80, clear night low 46.
FRIDAY= sunny skies, high 82, storms late night, low 50
SPORTS
TWINS= Houston beat Twins 7-2 last night. Twins and Houston wrap up their series today with pregame at 11:30am on Q92 WYRQ.
HS BAB= Pierz baseball wins 1-0 over Melrose, play again Thursday. Brandon Evansville eliminated Upsala/Swanville in baseball. Little Falls wins 6-0 over Fergus Falls, takes on Alexandria in playoffs later today at 5pm on AM960 KLTF. Win or lose Little Falls plays on Thursday.
HS SB= Pierz softball wins 7-0 over Osakis and then won 5-1 over Perham, they play again on Thursday. Royalton wins 4-0 over Hillcrest but then lost to West Central ending their season.