NEWS --A fire in Flensburg Monday night destroyed a building and numerous classic cars but there were no injuries. Around 7:00pm the Flensburg Fire Department along with mutual aid from fire departments in Swanville, Randall and Little Falls responded to the fire at 16 Elm Street in Flensburg. Around 50 firefighters were on scene and did not clear until 11:30pm. Two people were working in the garage at the time of the fire but managed to safely escape. The building and numerous classic cars were a total loss. There were no injuries. The cause is still under investigation. Flensburg Mayor John Gessell Jr. dropped off a note at the Little Falls Radio station thanking the numerous individuals who quickly responded to battle the fire.
--The Pierz Fire Department responded to a shed fire recently in Morrill Township. The shed was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and sustained significant damage. The Foley Fire Department aided Pierz in the fire call. No other details released.
--Give to the max day in Minnesota is set for this Thursday. Give to the max day in Minnesota was created as a launch party for GiveMN.org in 2009. It has turned into Minnesota’s giving holiday. It is a special 24-hour period to highlight the work and worth of nonprofits and schools across Minnesota, and a day for Minnesotans to give back what they can to the causes and organizations that mean the most to them. To participate visit GiveMN.org and search for the organizations that mean the most to you.
--The Little Falls Police Department in the past week arrested a 22-year old for public intoxication, arrested a 28-year old man for a domestic dispute and received calls of suspicious activity on at least two occasions at the Pine Grove baseball fields behind the zoo. Officers did not locate anything on either call but are reminding residents to contact their offices when you see suspicious activity.
--Six teenagers were hurt, two critically, in a crash near Albany after allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. The Stearns County Sheriff's office says they received a call just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday of a crash at the intersection of 400th Street and 215th Avenue in Krain Township near Albany. Sheriff Don Gudmundson says the driver, 17-year-old Zachary Klaphake of Avon, was heading west on 400th Street, when he lost control on a curve, left the road and struck a tree. Klaphake and three of his five passengers, 18-year-old Nathan Tamm, 16-year-old Alayna Kolb and 15-year-old Jacob Burg, were taken to St. Cloud Hospital for minor injuries. The other two passengers, 18-year-old Nathan Schmidt and 17-year-old Adam Young were airlifted to different hospitals for their injuries. Police say it's believed Schmidt, Kolb and Burg weren't wearing their seatbelts. Gudmundson says as of Sunday night, Schmidt and Young were both in critical but stable condition. Authorities say it's believed Klaphake had been drinking alcohol. A warrant was used to get a blood sample, which has been sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The case is being sent to the Stearns County Attorney's Office to consider potential charges.
--A Big Lake man was hurt when he rolled his vehicle while trying to avoid hitting a deer. The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened just after 7:00pm Monday on westbound Highway 10 near Big Lake. 30-year old Tyler Roberts was taken to North Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. His passenger was not hurt.
--The body of a missing boater found Monday has been identified by family as 46-year old Jed Copham, owner of Brainerd International Raceway. The body was recovered in Lee County, Florida. Lee County deputies haven't released details on how the boater went overboard. Witnesses, however, said an anchored yacht seemed to be the center of the search. Copham and his wife, Kristi, purchased the 600-acre BIR complex in 2006 from Sports International Inc. of Michigan which had owned the facility since 1994.
--Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl announces the relocation of a Level 3 predatory offender into rural Crow Wing County. 57-year old Terrance Lee Lindmark will be residing at a residence located in the area of Gregory Way in rural Brainerd. Sheriff Dahl says that there will not be a public notification meeting on Mr. Lindmark as he has been a resident of Crow Wing County for many years and has been monitored by the Brainerd Police Department prior to moving to the Gregory Way area. Sheriff Dahl has notified residents who are living within the area of Mr. Lindmark’s residence and provided them with a public information fact sheet. Sheriff Dahl says, “My office has a very proactive monitoring system for Predatory Offenders who are living in Crow Wing County and they are checked on by our deputies regularly. I want to assure the public that we are extremely vigilant on monitoring and checking on Mr. Lindmark and other predatory offenders in the community”.
--A Brooten man will be sentenced in February after pleading guilty to soliciting an under-18-year-old girl to practice prostitution. Twenty-four-year-old Christopher Barkley Jr. agreed to the plea agreement Thursday and will be sentenced February 7th. Investigators began investigating a possible sex trafficking case in January 2017 after receiving Facebook messages between Barkley and a then-17-year-old girl. Police say the messages were from October 2016 and detailed how Barkley was recruiting the girl to engage in prostitution. Investigators interviewed the girl in June 2017 and she claimed to not know what the messages meant and began to cry. Court records show officers then interviewed Barkley while investigating another case where Barkley was allegedly trying to traffic a different woman. According to the criminal complaint, Barkley admitted to sending the messages to the girl but claimed they were just "talk" and nothing came of it. As part of the plea agreement, a charge of sex trafficking is expected to be dismissed.
--The Holiday Gift Giving Program is in its 23rd year in Little Falls giving items to those in need from our local community. To find out more about the program and where to give call Judy at 630-8497. Also the Morrison County Salvation Army is asking for bell ringers for the holiday season to ring bells at Coborn's and Wal-Mart to give locally to the area. For info on that call Betsy at 360-0332.
WEATHER TODAY= partly cloudy, breezy, high 38. Clear night low 26. THURSDAY= sunny and mild, high 43, low around 25. FRIDAY= cloudy by noon, afternoon flurries, high 33 dropping.
SPORTS HS FB= State Semi-Finals in football begin Thursday at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Paynesville Area plays Thursday afternoon while Pierz plays Saturday afternoon around 2pm against Rochester Lourdes (3rd game of the day) on FM94 KFML.