News

There is a Frost Advisory until 8am today, temperatures are between 29-32 degrees in spots leading to areas of frost to develop after sunrise today. 

A statement from the Department of Natural Resources Tuesday: The origin of the Flanders Lake fire, which burned about 1,600 acres in northern Crow Wing County, has been located near the north shore of the lake also said persons of interest in the fire have identified. No other information regarding the cause of the fire, which started Saturday, May 16, was available Tuesday. Firefighters were paged out to the fire at 12:37 p.m. Saturday. Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang previously said while the fire was still under investigation, it wasn’t caused by weather, like an errant lightning strike, and it wasn't caused by a tree falling on a power line. He said in his opinion, it was most likely caused by human actions. Residents and others in and around the Flanders Lake area,  particularly on the western side on state land, along County Highway 11 and Horseshoe Lake Road,  who might have trail cameras, ring doorbell cameras or other information from between Friday and Sunday are asked to contact DNR Conservation Officer Jordan Anderson at 218-639-0782. About a quarter of an inch to .3 inch of rain fell Monday night, helping firefighters still in the area working to put out the wildfire, said Jeb Backe, incident commander with the Minnesota Incident Command System, which took over management of the wildfire early Sunday. The fire was about 60% contained as of Tuesday morning, he said. "Very good progress continues to be made on the fire due to the hard work of firefighters," Backe said in a news release. "Crews continue to establish control lines with tracked vehicles and mop up hot spots. The Sheriff’s drone team was also able to launch several drones to better map the fire and help detect hot spots from the air. Some of the evacuated homeowners have returned to their homes while others should be able to return before the end of the week. Lighter winds the next days will continue to help with the fire efforts and the investigation will continue into the cause. 

It’s that time of year when we begin seeing more ATV activity throughout the county. If you own or operate an ATV, please be mindful and respectful of other people’s property and our roadways. Just this past weekend, we received several complaints regarding ATV operators tearing up township roads in different areas of the county. Damage to roadways create safety concerns and costly repairs for local townships. If you witness illegal or unsafe ATV activity, please contact our office immediately. Our deputies document every complaint and follow up on reported incidents. Deputies will contact the reporting party after their investigation is completed to provide an update. If you make a report and do not receive a follow-up, please contact the deputy or supervisor, as every report is documented along with any action taken. Please take a moment to review the ATV laws and regulations below, and do your part to respect our roadways, property owners, and neighbors. Most common contributing factors involving the ATV accidents include: Speed, No helmets (required for anyone under the age of 18), Alcohol involvement, No seatbelt use when provided, No following basic traffic rules/laws It’s important to note that anyone operating an ATV needs to have the required safety training. The training is required for anyone born after July 1, 1987. Just a reminder that you need a valid driver’s license to operate an ATV on any road right-of-way. There are requirements for parents/guardians when youth are operating in a public area, please click on the DNR regulation link provided for more information regarding this. Also, dirt bikes to include minibikes, are only to be operated on private property or the designated Soo-Line Trail, east of Hwy 10. Lastly, concerning state highways to include the road right-of-way, ATV operational use is only allowed if you have an agriculture license while actively doing agriculture related work. The only exception to this is if you are going to and from a place of business or connecting to a trailhead. For more information or questions concerning the ATV regulations, please contact the DNR information line at (651) 296-6157, or the Sheriff’s Office at (320) 632-9233, or the police department that has jurisdiction of the area that you are inquiring about. 

The 2028 NFL Draft is officially coming to downtown Minneapolis. ESPN's reported Monday that Minnesota would be awarded the draft, and on Tuesday, the NFL made the formal announcement at the league's spring meetings in Orlando. The NFL also announced that Super Bowl LXIV will be held in Nashville in 2030. MNSE provided some additional details about the logistics of the draft, saying it will be held in downtown Minneapolis and be anchored around U.S. Bank Stadium. The event will span several days and include an NFL Draft Theater, fan festival, an "NFL Draft Experience," and other community events, according to the press release. The draft brings in hundreds of thousands of spectators annually. The most recent draft, which was held in Pittsburgh, attracted more than 800,000 people.

Death Notices: Donna J. Kalis, age 71 of Sobieski 

Weather: some morning frost today then sunny and less windy, high 64. Clear skies tonight low 39. Thursday sunny skies, high 67, partly cloudy Thursday night low 44. Partly sunny Friday high 64, rain Friday night low around 43. Rain likely Saturday high 68, low around 48. Sunny Sunday high near 76, low around 50 with late night thunderstorms. AM storms Monday for Memorial Day then sunny and warm, high 85, low Monday night around 54. Tuesday warm again with highs around 84. 

Sports: Houston scored 2 in the 1st inning, that was all they needed to beat the Twins 2-1 last night at Target Field. The Twins wrap up series with Houston today at 12:40pm. Twins are off Thursday and at Boston on Friday night. Yesterday in high school softball playoffs, Pierz 9-6 over Holdingford, Sauk Rapids-Rice 5-1 over Little Falls, Upsala 7-6 over Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Melrose 3-2 over Foley, Browerville 11-1 over Pelican Rapids, Rocori 10-0 over Detroit Lakes. High School softball playoffs will continue on Thursday for Little Falls, Swanville, Pierz , Upsala, Holdingford and other teams, stay tuned to Little Falls Radio today for times and information also plus baseball playoffs begin for teams like Pierz, Holdingford, Royalton, Foley, Pillager and Staples-Motley, with times and site to be decided today to start on Thursday, Little Falls will open their playoffs next Tuesday in baseball.