NEWS
--Morrison County District Court on Monday stated that the Motley man accused of killing his girlfriend has received a continuation on his omnibus hearing. 61-year-old Harold Wassather who faces charges of first-degree murder while committing domestic violence and two counts of second-degree murder related to the death of Christine Naja Nygard of Motley was initially scheduled for an omnibus hearing in August, after being charged with two counts of second-degree murder. However, the week prior to that scheduled appearance, a grand jury added a first-degree murder charge based on Wassather’s criminal history. At that time, his hearing was rescheduled for this week. Prior to the indictment, the matter had been set for a contested hearing on defense motions. On Monday the judge signed off on the defense's request and the rescheduled omnibus hearing is now slated for 1pm November 14th. Wassather remains in custody at the Morrison County Jail. His bail was set at $500,000 with conditions and $1 million without conditions. The first-degree charge is punishable by life in prison.
--A 62-year-old Brainerd man was injured Sunday in an all-terrain vehicle crash on the 8100 block of Red Oak Drive in Crow Wing County. The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash, reported at 4:28pm in Garrison Township, southwest of Garrison. According to the report, the man attempted to make a turn when the ATV rolled. The driver of the ATV suffered a head laceration and was transported via private vehicle to a hospital.
--A St. Cloud man was rescued after his boat overturned on Rice Lake Monday afternoon. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says around 4:00pm they responded to a call of an overturned boat with a man floating nearby on Rice Lake in Eden Township. Authorities say the caller and his neighbor were able to use a pontoon to rescue the man and pull the boat back to shore. The sheriff's office says the owner of the capsized boat, 66-year-old William Heinrichs, was going northeast by the point on Patricia Street when the combination of large waves from the wind and motor failure caused the back of the boat to fill up with water and eventually flip over. Authorities say he was wearing an inflatable life jacket, but it did not auto-inflate. Officials say he was able to find the manual inflation cord and waited in the water for about 10 to 15 minutes before he was rescued. The sheriff's office says Heinrichs was cold, but not hurt in the incident.
--Three people were rescued from the Mississippi River after capsizing their canoe Monday afternoon. The call came in around 12:45pm in the 3800 block of Clearwater Road, south of the River Bluffs Boat Landing. Authorities arrived to find a capsized canoe and kayak and three adults in the water. The St. Cloud Fire Department launched two rescue boats and were able to pull the individuals from the water and brought them to the boat landing.
--A garage burned Sunday on the 5600 block of Willow Drive in Crow Wing County. The Garrison Fire Department responded to the fire, reported at 9:16pm in Roosevelt Township, south of Garrison. According to Garrison Fire Chief Clay Crowther, when firefighters arrived, the garage had already collapsed. The garage was destroyed. No other buildings were on the property and no one was present at the time of the fire. Nine firefighters were on scene for approximately two hours with no reported injuries. Crowther said the fire is being investigated by the State Fire Marshal's Office.
--We Fest announced headliners for 2023 they will be Morgan Wallen, Brad Paisley and Kane Brown on August 3rd-5th of 2023.
--It is the coldest morning in some time in central Minnesota with many temperatures below the freezing point of 32 degrees. Temperatures before 6am showed as low as 26 degrees in parts of Wadena and Cass County, near 30 degrees around Little Falls to Brainerd. A freeze warning was put in effect until 8am this morning for most of the area. Temperatures are expected to be warmer over the next 5-7 days with temps in the 70s by Friday.
--The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota was awarded a $10,000 grant thanks to Xcel Energy. The donation will help fund Academic Success programs and STEM programming.
--At the September 21st Swanville School Board meeting, there was a school district calendar change that impacts all Swanville Schools. October 14 will now officially be a half student contact day, and after lunch, students will be dismissed, and the afternoon will officially be a half in-service day, identical to October 7th. So now BOTH October 7 and 14th will be early dismissal days for students. Buses will leave at noon. Students will have the opportunity to eat here before leaving.
--The Crow Wing County Board of Commissioners approved the preliminary property tax levy for 2023. There will be a 2.89% increase over last years levy. The levy is at $44,148,151 which accounts for 43% of the county's revenue for next year. The board will finalize the levy at their December 13th Taxation Hearing at 6pm.
--The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls and First Lutheran Church, Little Falls, invite all animal lovers and their pets to a traditional Blessing of Animals on Sunday at noon, at Washington Park, 113 NE 4th Street, Little Falls (across from Carnegie Library). Bring your furry, feathered or scaly friends large or small for an individual blessing during a simple service. Whether they have two, four, a hundred legs or none at all, every pet is welcome. This event is held each year in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and all creation. For more information, contact the Franciscan Life Center by emailing Christi Hartwell at chartwell@fslf.org or calling (320) 632-0680.
DEATH NOTICES
--Richard “Dick” Verley Jr., age 82 of Royalton.
WEATHER
TODAY= morning frost, then sunny skies, high near 60.
TONIGHT= clear night, not as cold, low near 40.
THURSDAY= sunny skies, breezy in afternoon, high 66, low 47
FRIDAY= sunny and warmer, high 72, low around 48.
SPORTS
TWINS= Twins win 4-0 on 10 hits last night over the White Sox. The Twins (75-79) and White Sox have game 2 of series begins tonight with pregame at 6pm on Q92 WYRQ.
COL FB= #21 ranked Gophers host Purdue Saturday at 11am.
NFL= Vikings travel to London on Sunday to take on the New Orleans Saints, an early kickoff here in the USA at 8:30am.
BOWL= The NFL and Rhianna announced over the weekend that she will be the Halftime Entertainment for the Super Bowl in Arizona when the game is played February 12th, 2023.
TODAY IN HISTORY
IN 1928= first recording session done in Nashville, Tennessee for the early days of Country Music. Warmack's Gully Jumpers are first act.
IN 1941= Ted Williams ends season with .406 average. This was the last time that a batter batted .400 average in a season.