News

On Friday morning, Southland defeated Upsala 74-67 in double overtime to eliminate the Upsala Cardinals from the Class A State Boys Basketball Tournament. Upsala ended the season at 24-8. Alex after the game caught up with the coach and some players that you can hear on the Saturday Morning Sports Wrap, Saturday just after 9:05am on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com. Though Upsala is done at state, congratulations on a great season and making it to the State Tournament from the game sponsors and Little Falls Radio. 

The National Weather Service has issued a RED FLAG WARNING from 12pm-7pm on Saturday.The combination of warmer temperatures near 60, very low relative humidity values between 15 to 20 percent, southwest winds gusting to 35 to 45 mph, and dry fuels will lead to critical fire weather conditions across central and southern Minnesota on Saturday. The DNR is asking for no outdoor burning on Saturday in the Red Flag Warning area and recreational vehicles, lit cigarettes, or sparks of any outdoor work could fuel a wildfire this weekend with the windy conditions on Saturday afternoon and evening. 

Multiple people were taken to the hospital after getting trapped inside a home on fire. The St. Cloud Fire Department says the incident began just before 2:30 a.m. Friday in the 1100 block of 11th Avenue Southeast. Fire crews responded to a report of a single family home on fire with multiple residents trapped inside. They found heavy fire conditions in the back of the home on the main floor. A witness said one person was able to escape, but there were still two people inside. With very high heat and no visibility in the home, firefighters were able to find and remove the two people. The fire department says multiple individuals were taken to the hospital by Mayo Ambulance. There were no injuries to any of the firefighters. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency fined Long Prairie-based Central Bi-Products three million dollars for permit violations that caused odor complaints in Long Prairie. The MPCA says the rendering company violated its air and wastewater permits. The Todd County Community Health & Human Services Department will receive $1.2 million of the $3 million fine. Under 2023 legislation, the MPCA directs 40 percent of fines exceeding $250,000 to the community affected by that pollution. With the community’s input, those funds will then go towards projects that benefit area residents under the oversight of the local health board. Agency investigators say Central Bi-Products improperly treated wastewater from the fall of 2023 through 2024. That created hydrogen sulfide pollution. The company exceeded its hydrogen sulfide limits more than 900 times during that time. Central Bi-Products has taken several steps to come back into compliance with its permit. That includes air monitoring, improving wastewater treatment processes, hosting community meetings, and developing a public website that will post hydrogen sulfide levels at the facility. The company has also agreed to spend more than four million dollars to ensure that it can control air pollution going forward.

Three regional organizations are receiving part of $1.6 million in grants from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to help raise up the next generation currently living in poverty. The Youth Support Services grants went to 21 organizations statewide, aimed at helping underserved young adults find a foothold in the workforce. Among them are Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services in Monticello, Goodwill Easter Seals Minnesota serving Willmar, St. Cloud and Buffalo, and Career Solutions based at St. Cloud Technical and Community College, which serves Benton and Stearns Counties. Each group received $80,000. The investments are expected to benefit more than 1,900 young people, with a focus on those from low-income communities, communities of color, and families with a history of intergenerational poverty. DEED’s Youth Support Services competitive grant program funds organizations that provide a range of services, including job training, employment preparation, internships, financial literacy, academic and behavioral interventions for low-performing students, and youth intervention activities. Job assistance for parents is also among the supported offerings. “Investments in support services are critical to a young person’s opportunity to participate in strong employment and training programs,” said DEED Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development Marc Majors. “When young people can access the resources they need to complete training, they can thrive and enter career pathways that lead to family-sustaining wages.” The bulk of this year’s funding, about 61%, was directed to organizations in the Twin Cities metro area, while 34% went to Greater Minnesota. The remaining 5% supported organizations serving both regions.

Death Notices: Marcella R. Warzecha, age 95 of Holdingford. 

Weather: Saturday Red Flag Warning 12-7pm high fire danger, partly sunny and windy, high 56, wind gusts 20-40mph at times in afternoon. Mostly cloudy Saturday night low 33. Sunday sunny and less wind, pleasant high 61, partly cloudy Sunday night low 33. Monday sunny and mild, high near 60, low around 40 with rain after midnight into Tuesday. Tuesday rain likely, high 58, rain changing to snow late Tuesday night low 30. Snow early Wednesday then becoming sunny and cooler, high around 44, low around 25. 

Sports: The Boys Basketball State Tournament wraps up on Saturday with Championship Games at Williams Arena beginning with Class A at 11am.

The Upsala Cardinals lost Thursday to the Henning Hornets 61-45 in the Class A Quarter-Finals in boys basketball at Target Center. Upsala will be in the consolation semi-finals against Southland...

Good Luck to the Upsala Cardinal Boys Basketball team as they compete in the State Tournament Quarter-Finals in Class A This Morning at 11am against Henning at Target Center in Minneapolis....

Police officers were called after a person allegedly threatened to shoot fellow students on St. Cloud State University’s campus. Around 2pm on Monday, officers arrived at the 800 block of 1st...

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Sunday morning at 1:12am, a Morrison County deputy conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 10 and 93rd Street north of Royalton,...