NEWS
--The Minnesota State Patrol reported a two vehicle accident with injuries Sunday at 1:16pm on Highway 27 at Dove Road in Culdrum Township. 63-year-old Lanny Hatton of Willmar was westbound and attempted to go around a vehicle stopped in the eastbound lane, the driver then turned right and was struck by a vehicle driven by 47-year-old Teri Ahlquist. Hatton, Ahlquist and her two children passengers were all injured. The 15 year old passenger was taken to the Little Falls Hospital for treatment of injuries. None of the other involved in the accident required hospitalization.
--The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that on 5-29-2023 at approximately 8:08pm their office received a report of a minibike accident at a residence located on 133rd Street in Little Falls Township. According to the Sheriff’s Office, 65-year-old Rodney Bue of Browerville was riding his minibike on private property. Bue was driving on the lawn, lost control, fell off the minibike and hit a picnic table. Bue was transported to a local hospital for his injuries.
--A Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed Saturday afternoon in Sauk Rapids, with six cars turning over and dropping crushed rock. There were no hazardous materials on board but the accident blocked three crossings between 1st Street South and 9th Street South. Officials say no one was hurt. The derailment occurred at approximately 1pm. The stretch is one of the busiest tracks in the state with approximately 70 trains passing through each day. Because of the derailments trains were rerouted and many moved through Little Falls on Saturday causing delays in many areas of the state.
--A fatal accident occurred Monday night involved a motorcycle on Highway 169 in Mille Lacs County Monday night at 7:42pm. The accident happened nears Princeton when 71-year-old Bruce Mikkelson reportedly passed two other motorcycles at a higher rate of speed missed a curve and went off the highway crashing into the median. Mikkelson was pronounced dead at the scene.
--An 18-year-old St. Cloud man is accused of shooting at his best friend while high on drugs. Nathan Leo Adams allegedly stopped by his friend’s house in the 1100 block of 16th Avenue South on Tuesday and opened fire. According to the criminal complaint, the victim was in his mom’s van with another man and a 17-year-old girl. The three told Adams they were going to the store. Adams then got out of the van, went to his car, grabbed a Glock pistol and fired three shots at his 16-year-old friend while he was in the van with the others. Adams allegedly ran from the scene and was arrested a short time later. Adams admitted to firing the shots at the teen and said he did it to scare him. He also admitted to using marijuana and said he was hallucinating. Adams is charged with 2nd-degree assault with a weapon. Bail was set at $200,000. He will be in court again July 20th. --A bill passed before the legislative session ended added a course on personal finance to the curriculum. Beginning in fall 2024, it will be a requirement for high school graduation to learn how to balance your budget. The interest rate on credit card debt has never been greater and younger Americans also carry a record amount of student loan debt. The course will better help high school students understand the consequences of the immense financial commitments they will be asked to take on and help them figure out what they can handle. Outside of the possibility of personal bankruptcy, a bad credit history can keep an applicant from qualifying for a vehicle or a new home, even after they have cleaned up their financial picture.
--A speller from Royalton Middle School will not advance past the preliminaries at the National Spelling Bee. Will Rausch, a seventh-grader from Staples is one of five spellers from Minnesota at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week in National Harbor, Maryland. In the preliminary round, Rausch could not correctly spell “Gegenschein”, which is a very faint light seen in the night sky caused by the sun’s reflection of gas and dust in the atmosphere.
--On Sunday, Bishop Patrick Neary of the St. Cloud Diocese announced new priest assignments starting on June 28th. Father David Grundman will come from Elmdale, Upsala and St. Francis to aid with Father Ben and Father Patrick for the six parishes in Little Falls, Randall, Flensburg and Sobieski. Father Jimmy Joseph will be heading to the parishes of Upsala, Elmdale and St. Francis. With Father Kenneth Popp retiring in Pierz and Buckman, Father Aaron Nett from Eden Valley will take over at Pierz, Buckman and also Lastrup and Harding churches. Father Jose Chettoor will go from Lastrup and Harding to the parishes of Elbow Lake, Herman and Kensington. Father Jeremy Ploof will leave Elbow Lake, Herman and Kensington and take over in St. Cloud. Father Joe Herzing will leave St. Cloud and work in Cold Spring, Rockville and Richmond. The full list is available through the St. Cloud Diocese website.
--Three people were injured in an accident at 9:01am Tuesday on Highway 371 in Birchdale Township of Cass County. A 61-year-old from Walker collided with a vehicle driven by an 80 year old from Fairmont. Both drivers and a passenger in the 2nd vehicle all sustained non life threatening injuries and taken to Brainerd hospital.
--The Morrison County Chaplaincy Program is hosting their golf tournament fundraiser this Friday at Eagles Landing Golf Course. Breakfast and registration begins at 6:45am then shotgun start at 7:30am. For information to sign up a team and get involved to donate to the event or program contact Morrison County Chaplaincy Program through the sheriff's office at the Facebook and county website and 320-632-9233.
--Employment Enterprises Inc. (EEI) of Little Falls will hold an open house on June 8th from 3:30-6:30pm. All are invited to come and tour the facility and check out their glass recycling project there.
DEATH NOTICES
--Sister Dorothy Ann Rudolph, age 98 of St. Francis Convent, LF.
WEATHER
TODAY= sunny and warm, high near 90, PM storm possible.
TONIGHT= evening T-storms, then mild night, low 64.
THURSDAY= showers & t-storms possible, high 90, low 65.
FRIDAY= sunny and hot, high 91, storms develop late in day.
SPORTS
TWINS= Houston beat The Twins 5-1 last night. The Twins wrap up series with Houston tonight, pregame at 6:30pm on Q92 WYRQ.
HS SB= Pierz and Upsala are one win away from the state tournament as Pierz beat Pequot Lakes 2-1 and Upsala beat Wheaton yesterday 3-0. Both will play Thursday for section titles. Little Falls beat Alexandria 7-5 Tuesday to move to a second game but Sauk Rapids-Rice held on to beat the Flyers 3-2. Sauk Rapids advances to the finals with Rocori. Little Falls is eliminated.
HS BAB= Little Falls, Pierz, Upsala-Swanville, Holdingford, Pillager, Staples-Motley and Foley all won first round games, Royalton lost. Pierz vs. Staples-Motley tonight at 7pm on AM960 KLTF.