NEWS
--Little Falls will begin to see an uptick of visitors in the days ahead as the town gets ready for the 46th Annual Little Falls Arts and Crafts Fair and 7th Annual Marketplace Fair. Also LeBourget Park will get ready for the Antiques and Collectibles Fair on Saturday and Sunday. The Lone Eagle Auto Club's Auto Show and Swap Meet is Sunday at the Morrison County Fairgrounds. Thousands are expected to view the weekend attractions and take in the excitement of Little Falls for one of the busiest weekends of the year.
--A Little Falls man who is serving two life sentences for killing two teenagers who were burglarizing his home in 2012 has filed an appeal of his conviction with the Eighth U.S. District Court of Appeals. Byron Smith argues in an appeal filed last week that he was denied his constitutional right to a public trial because the judge overseeing the case had briefly closed the proceedings to spectators and the press to discuss some evidence before the opening statements. After that argument was rejected by the Minnesota Supreme Court, Smith’s attorney, filed a petition in federal court in Minneapolis seeking to overturn it. The federal judge did not reverse the decision, but allowed Smith a 30 day period to appeal the decision in a Federal Appeals Court Case which he now has done.
--A busy weekend of accidents on Minnesota highways. A Grand Forks, North Dakota couple were injured Friday night when their vehicle left Interstate 94 near Melrose after blowing a tire. Both were treated for injuries. Another accident Friday happened near Belgrade in Stearns County where one person had minor injuries. A two vehicle accident occurred Saturday on Highway 169 in Mille Lacs County. Both drivers checked out but not hospitalized. On Sunday, a motorcyclist was injured on Washington Street in Brainerd, no word on extent of injuries. On Monday, one person was injured in Todd County when two vehicles collided, that person had minor injuries. --Work on the Sartell bridge is expected to cause additional slowdowns and delays for motorists who use the river crossing. Repairs to the Mississippi overpass got underway Tuesday. Traffic will be shifted to the north side of the bridge so work can take place on the south side. In about a month, the traffic will be shifted to the south side so work can be completed on the north side. One lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained, but the lanes will be narrow so truck traffic is asked to take another route. The work consists of replacing the expansion joints in the bridge deck, new concrete barrier wall, and metal railing. Underneath the bridge, crews will repair the concrete bridge beams, repair the concrete pier caps and reposition the beam bearing pads. The work is expected to be completed by mid-November. This is only one of many projects continuing in September which also has the Highway 371 project north of Little Falls, I-94 bridge project in Monticello, Highway 75 project in Waite Park and over two dozen more MN Dot or state highway projects that continue to get their work done before winter.
--Three sightings of black bears have been reported near the St. John's University campus in Collegeville last week. John Geissler who is the Abbey Land Manager and St. John's Unversity Outdoor Director said it has happened before, but in most cases black bear are not common to central Minnesota. More likley north of Camp Ripley but in some cases bear have tracked south into St. Cloud and beyond.
--Rock Roll and Stroll Car Show Thursday 5-8pm in Pierz.
--The American Red Cross Bloodmobile will be at Camp Ripley TACC, Thursday from 8am-2pm. Donating is easy, to schedule your appointment contact SPC Ashley Maciej at (320) 616-2715 and remember to bring a photo ID to enter Camp Ripley.
--There are two informational meetings for Holdingford Public Schools on the referendum on the general election ballot in November. The meetings will be at 8:00pm on September 18th and another at 6:00pm October 8th. Both will be at the Holdingford High School LMC.
--Two U.S. Congressional candidates will participate in an October debate in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Republican Pete Stauber and Democrat Joe Radinovich will discuss policy issues and make their case to Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District voters at 6:30pm Monday, October 8th at Madden’s Resort in Brainerd. Kevin Doran, a Twin Cities news anchor and Brainerd native, will moderate the debate. Attendees will have an opportunity to submit written questions to the candidates. Attendance is open to everyone.
--Click your heels together three times, because a pair of ruby slippers from the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” is coming home. The Minneapolis Division of the FBI announced Tuesday that a missing pair of authentic slippers that Judy Garland wore while playing Dorothy in the musical film has been recovered after more than a decade. The iconic shoes, used during close-up shots of Dorothy clicking her heels, went missing from an exhibit in the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in August 2005. Finally, after 13 years, a man contacted the company that had insured the slippers and said he had information on how the shoes could be returned. The FBI set up a sting operation and recovered the slippers. Because the investigation is ongoing, the FBI didn't go into specifics of the case but they said they have multiple suspects in the extortion and encouraged anyone with information to contact them. The slippers’ authenticity was verified by comparing them with another pair at the Smithsonian’s American history museum in Washington, D.C. The recovered slippers, which were insured for $1 million, may be worth between $2 million and $3 million, according to John Kelsch, executive director of the Judy Garland Museum.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
--Devin and Crystal Okerman of Little Falls, girl on September 1st
WEATHER
TODAY= becoming sunny, less humid, high 68.
TONIGHT= clear and seasonably cool, low near 40.
THURSDAY= sunny skies, high near 70, low around 50.
FRIDAY= sunny skies, high around 72, low around 51.
SPORTS
TWINS= Houston scores 4 in the 1st and beats the Twins 5-2 last night. Twins wrap up in Houston tonight at 6:30pm on Q92 WYRQ then the Twins have Thursday off to return home.
NFL=The Vikings cut the roster to 53 Saturday including cutting long time defensive end Brian Robinson and asking Terrence Newman to retire before his 40th birthday and join the coaching staff. The Vikings host San Francisco in the season opener Sunday at noon on KLTF.
WNBA= Washington eliminated Atlanta while Seattle eliminated Phoenix last night in game 5's to advance to WNBA Finals.