NEWS
--St. Otto's Care Center in Little Falls has new owners. Brian Bernander and his wife Krista Bernander finalized the purchase of St. Otto's Care Center on Tuesday. The Bernander's purchased it from Jim and Kathy Birchem. Brian had been at St. Otto's Care Center for six years as administrator. Krista will have a new role at St. Otto's.
--As of late Tuesday, St. Cloud police continue to search for a suspect allegedly involved with a felony assault Tuesday morning. Assistant Police Chief Jeff Oxton says officers responded to a report of a domestic assault involving a knife in the 100 block of 37th Avenue North just after 11:00am. While responding to the call authorities received information the 36-year-old male suspect was in possession of a knife and was leaving the area in a vehicle. Officers were able to find the vehicle in the vicinity of 10th Street and 26th Avenue North. A traffic stop was attempted however the vehicle refused to pull over and a short pursuit ensued. The pursuit led to the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 1300 block of 15th Street North, at which time the suspect fled on foot. Officers set up a perimeter and began searching for the suspect. During the search authorities learn the suspect had received a ride to the Whitney Park Apartments in the 2000 block of 15th Street North and officers set up a perimeter around that building. Officers searched the building with the help of a police dog but were unable to find the suspect. The 24-year-old female victim was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Oxton says the investigation remains active as the suspect search continues.
--A 21-year-old Brainerd man pleaded guilty Monday in Crow Wing County District Court to fourth degree criminal sexual conduct. He admitted in court Monday that due to drinking a lot of alcohol he could not remember everything that occurred at a prom night in 2014. A teenage girl claimed he raped her. The attorney for Mark Hall said he would likely have been found guilty of the five counts against him and took a plea deal before a jury trial would have began in the case. The victim, who was 17 at the time of the incident in 2014 said that following the incident, cell phone text messages, photos and a video were uplinked to the crime in question which Hall said he had no recolection of but again was very drunk. He will be sentenced in December, to two years probation. If he does not comply he will face jail time. Two other men involved in this case, 21-year-old Travis Thelen of Nisswa will be sentenced on charges of felony fourth degree criminal sexual conduct on November 28th and 20-year-old Mason Severson of Nisswa was sentenced July 8th and given a stay of adjudication for felony interfering with the privacy of a minor under age 18. He is on supervised probation for two years with conditions.
--Authorities have found the body of the 66-year-old Federal Dam man who went missing October 25th after his canoe overturned on the east side of Leech Lake in the area of Sugar Point. The Cass County Sheriff's Office reported they found the body of the man, Kenneth Gale, at 8:00am Tuesday. The sheriff's office received the call at 6:49pm on October 25th when Gale went missing. Authorities began search efforts immediately at the scene and have continued to search daily, with the assistance of several agencies.
--Join Little Falls Radio for live election coverage starting just after 8:00pm on Tuesday night. Get local, state and national election results throughout the night on all of the Little Falls Radio stations.
--Minnesota’s firearms deer hunting season opens Saturday and hunters who are chasing the whitetail are expected to see more animals this season. The Minnesota DNR has kept recent deer harvest numbers low to help rebuild the herd statewide. That, coupled with two mild winters means hunters should have good opportunities to bag a deer this season. The DNR is projecting a harvest of between 165,000 and 185,000 deer, up from 159,000 last season. However, one deer limits remain in place for most hunting zones. Deer are the number one hunted species in Minnesota and the economic impact statewide is real. There are nearly 500,000 firearms deer hunters in Minnesota, creating nearly $500,000,000 in overall economic impact when considering retail sales, licenses, taxes, lodging and travel. Deer hunting supports jobs too. The DNR says there is 5,300 jobs directly supported because of the whitetail season. Many of those jobs are outside of the metropolitan areas. The Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener is being hosted by Pequot Lakes and Breezy Point this year.
--Motorists are starting to see the benefits of the 2016 road construction season as many of the state’s 246 construction projects wrap up for the season. Some of the big projects completed this year include the Dresbach Bridge in southeastern Minnesota; Interstate 494, I-35E, Highway 100 and Highway 610 in the Twin Cities Metro area; I-94 in central Minnesota; and the I-94 interchange at Highway 75 in Moorhead. For a complete list of 2016 projects and their status, see www.mndot.gov/roadwork/current.html; and for studies and plans for possible future projects, visit www.mndot.gov/roadwork. Statewide project highlights in 2016 include in central Minnesota: Highway 371 four-lane expansion – Project expands Highway 371 to four lanes from Nisswa to Jenkins. New four-lane segment scheduled to open May/June 2017. Project complete by fall 2017. (Construction cost: $49.85 million). I-94 St. Cloud to Collegeville – Resurfaced six miles of I-94 between St. Cloud and Collegeville, and repaired two bridges at the I-94/Highway 15 interchange in St. Cloud. The projects improved drainage, safety and the road’s ride, and extended the life of the roadway and bridges. (Construction cost: $16.5 million) Motorists can keep informed about projects and other transportation topics by connecting to MnDOT via social media or signing up to receive email updates at www.mndot.gov.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
--Nathan Klooster and Aimee Smith of Little Falls, a boy born 10-31.
DEATH NOTICES
--Charlotte Kresal, age 78 of Onamia.
--Rose M. Dockendorf, age 88 of Little Falls.
WEATHER
TODAY= increasing clouds, afternoon showers, high 57
TONIGHT= evening sprinkles, cloudy, low 40.
THURSDAY= becoming mostly sunny, high near 60, low near 40.
FRIDAY= sunny and mild, high 66, clear night, low 44.
SPORTS
WS= Game 7 tonight to decide it all after Cubs beat Indians last night 9-3 to tie series at 3 a piece. The final game tonight 7pm.
VB= Melrose defeated Pierz 3 games to 2 last night in playoff action.