News

Authorities are investigating a shooting that happened Tuesday night in southeast Crow Wing County. A press release from Sheriff Eric Klang says deputies responded to a report of shots fired in the area of County Road 2. Someone traveling eastbound on County Road 2 reported that their vehicle was struck by gunfire, resulting in the rear window being shattered. During the response, Mille Lacs Tribal Police officers were on scene with a separate vehicle in which an individual had sustained a gunshot wound to the leg. The injured individual was transported by ambulance to an Onamia hospital for treatment. Sheriff Klang says this incident remains an active and ongoing investigation, and that authorities are continuing to gather information and work collaboratively among agencies. Additional details will be released as they become available. He added there is no threat to the public at this time.

A 24-year-old Brainerd man has pleaded guilty to four felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for sexually assaulting several family members. Rutger Raymond Roehner entered a plea of guilty Crow Wing County Court on Tuesday. Prior to the plea agreement, he was charged with seven counts of criminal sexual conduct. According to the criminal complaint in the case, Roehner estimated he sexually assaulted four victims 20 times and that the assault happened when he was between 15 and 17 years old. Sentencing for Roehner is scheduled for Jul. 8. Bond or bail with no conditions was set at $500,000.

One person was hurt in a Thursday morning crash involving a school bus. According to the Minnesota State Patrol’s preliminary crash report, a 76-year-old St. Cloud man was driving the bus south on Highway 24 just north of Sherburne County Road 8 when it collided with a northbound Ford Escape. That driver, 48-year-old Joleen Aguilar of Clear Lake, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Monticello Urgent Care. The bus driver was not hurt. The crash happened around 7:45. The St. Cloud Area School District says there were no students on the bus. There were also two other school bus incidents on Thursday where a 3 vehicle crash in Minneapolis caused the school bus to start on fire, one person in another vehicle had injuries, another a third bus incident happened on Highway 55 west of the Metro Area but no injuries were reported in that incident. 

A crew-style boat with four people aboard got hung up on a cable barrier underneath the University Bridge on the Mississippi River on Wednesday evening in St. Cloud. According to a critical incident report, the fire department water rescue crew was called around 5:40 p.m. after a report of a boat stuck under the bridge and one person in the water. When firefighters arrived, they found the boat pinned against the cable barrier. The person who had been reported in the water made it to shore on their own. A fire department boat crew towed the vessel away from the barrier and over to a nearby dock, where the four passengers were able to step off without incident. No injuries were reported.

A remarkable discovery in northern Minnesota was made recently. Video footage from the University of Minnesota's Voyagers Wolf Project has captured extremely rare evidence of cougar reproduction in the state. The video shows a female cougar with three large kittens. It's the first evidence of cougars reproducing in Minnesota in more than 100 years. Researchers with the Voyagers Wolf Project placed cameras over a GPS-collared deer they suspected was killed by the cats. The video shows the kittens up close and feeding on the carcass. Officials say the cameras have captured lone wandering males eight times since 2023, but none of the cameras have ever captured cougar kittens. The kittens are estimated to be between seven and nine months old, suggesting they were born last fall. The Department of Natural Resources says cougars were native to Minnesota before becoming locally extinct. There hasn't been evidence of reproduction east of the Dakotas and Nebraska in more than 100 years, until recent reports in Michigan and now in Minnesota.

A busy weekend of events, Greater Minnesota Two Cylinder Field Days is Friday starting at noon, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30am, auction Saturday 9:30am and events all three days at the Morrison County Fairgrounds. Mamma Mia performed at Little Falls Community High School Friday and Saturday 7pm and Sunday at 2pm tickets at the door. Faith Lutheran Church has their garage and bake sale on Saturday in Little Falls. Pregnancy Resource Center has their Walk for Life event at 10am at Sartell Community Center with registration at 9am all invited to walk for life. Flyer Strong 5k and 1k runs will take place at the Belle Prairie Athletic Complex north of Little Falls at 8:30am Saturday with events for the kids and adults alike to support the mental health of students in the Little Falls Community Schools. Music in the Park by the Pierz High School Band Program is at 2pm Sunday at the Pierz Golf Course and Park area. Plus many more events including some schools having their proms, clean up days in Randall, Little Falls Township, Elmdale Town Hall, City of Sobieski and more Saturday morning in their respected sites. Details on many events can be found at fallsradio.com and click on community calendar. 

The National Weather Service stated Thursday that the weather we are feeling right now is not going away anytime soon. Cooler air is forecast today high 52, low 31, in the 60s for Saturday and Sunday south of Brainerd where northern Minnesota has been in the 30s and 40s for highs this week. Next week more of the same with rain Monday like this week, high 50s lows 30s then cooler Tuesday through Thursday with highs around 50 and breezy, and lows around 30 with morning frost. Weather personnel report that there is no major change in the weather pattern until after Mother's Day Sunday May 10th then better chances of stronger storms and some warmer air may return after that. 

Death Notices: Darlene M. Skroch, age 81 of St. Joseph. 

Weather: today mostly sunny skies, morning frost possible, high 52, tonight clear skies, low 31 with patchy frost. Saturday sunny skies, high near 61, showers in the late evening, low near 40. Sunday showers early morning, then partly sunny and breezy, high 64, showers and a few T-storms late Sunday night low 42. Monday showers likely, gusty winds, high 58, low around 34. Tuesday isolated showers, sunny and cool, high 51, low around 29. Wednesday partly cloudy, high near 50, showers Wednesday low around 30. 

Sports: Quinn Hughes scored twice and had an assist as Wild beat Dallas 5-2 last night to win the NHL Stanley Cup Series 4 games to 2 to advance in the NHL playoffs for the first time in 11 years. The Wild will take on Colorado in the second round series with Game times still to be announced this weekend. You can hear all the Wild playoff games on Q92 WYRQ and fallsradio.com. Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers homered as the Twins beat Toronto 7-1 last night. Twins continue series with Toronto tonight at 7:10pm, Saturday at 1:10pm and Sunday is an earlier start time at 11:45am. Timberwolves eliminated Denver last night 110-98 to win the NBA Playoff Series 4 games to 2. The Timberwolves will now face San Antonio Spurs in second round of the playoffs beginning on Monday. In Horse Racing the Kentucky Derby is raced Saturday to start the 2026 Triple Crown. High School Baseball Pierz at Upsala vs. Upsala Swanville Patriots today at 4:30pm on AM960 KLTF due to 4:30pm start the 5pm news will be heard at 4pm Friday on KLTF. Yesterday in high school sports Baseball: Cathedral 4-1 over Little Falls, Royalton split a double header with Paynesville, Softball Pierz won a double header over Albany. Get a recap in the week in high school sports Saturday at 9:05am on the Sports Wrap on AM960 KLTF. Victory League Game of the Week, Sobieski at Pierz Lakers Sunday at 1:30pm on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com.

Tony Housey from Camp Ripley gave an update on Wednesday on KLTF. Tony said more training will continue through May, though they are unclear if any deployment from soldiers from the area...

The 32nd Annual Morrison County Sheriff's Office Sandbox Fill will be held on Tuesday May 19th. Anyone in a three mile radius from Bank Square in Little Falls may have...

It was wet the last few days around central Minnesota as many areas had over 2 inches of rain since Saturday and Little Falls at the airport had over 4...

National News: A gunman sprinted through security and fired shots outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, prompting the Secret Service to evacuate President Donald Trump and other United States leaders...