News

One person was critically hurt after a crash on Highway 10 early Wednesday morning. The crash happened on Highway 10 near 60th Street NW, north of Sauk Rapids, at around 2:30 a.m. The Minnesota State Patrol says 61-year-old Paul Boeckermann of Pequot Lakes was eastbound on Highway 10 when he hit a deer. The collision disabled his car. A short time later, a car driven by 38-year-old Thomas Schultz of St. Cloud, possibly hit a deer and then collided with Boeckermann's car. Boeckermann was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Schultz was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. 

A 34-year-old man is facing charges after being caught with drugs three times over the course of two days in December. According to the criminal complaint, staff at the Sherburne County Jail said they saw 34-year-old Percy Edward Jackson trying to flush drugs down the toilet in his cell. They removed him and found two packets of fentanyl. He was later taken to Mercy Hospital for an unrelated matter when two more packets were found stashed in his hair. One tested positive as a medication to treat opioid addiction. The other tested positive for fentanyl. The next day, Jackson asked to talk to an officer regarding the drugs found on him and then handed over a baggie he pulled out of his sock. The drugs inside tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl. Jackson is charged with second-degree drug possession, fifth-degree drug possession, and introducing contraband into a jail. His next court date is set for May 13th. 

An arson fire at Westwood Elementary School in St. Cloud is keeping hundreds of students out of the classroom, with the district shifting to remote learning while the building undergoes extensive cleanup. The blaze broke out around 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31st, at the school, located at 5800 Ridgewood Road. Firefighters contained the fire while staff evacuated all students to designated safe areas. All students were reunited with their families following the incident. Between 90 and 100 professional cleaning staff are working full time to remove particulate matter throughout the building. Once cleaning is complete, air quality and safety testing must be conducted – a process that takes approximately 48 hours before the building can be reoccupied. The building remains closed to all students, staff, and families during that process. Westwood Elementary will remain closed through next week, with a planned reopening on Monday, April 13th. There will be no school Monday, April 6th and Tuesday, April 7th, as teachers prepare for temporary remote instruction. Beginning midweek, students will receive a combination of online learning, hard copy instructional materials, and community-based learning opportunities. The district says additional details will be shared directly with families. The district is partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of Central Minnesota to provide emergency childcare for Westwood families during the closure. Investigators have determined the fire was intentionally set. The St. Cloud Fire Marshal and St. Cloud Police Department are conducting a joint investigation into the incident. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the St. Cloud Police Department at 320-251-1200, Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-255-1301, or online at www.tricountycrimestoppers.org.

Death Notices: Gary E. Alrichter, age 75 of Pillager. 

Weather: Monday sunny and breezy, cold, high 29, low around 12. Tuesday increasing clouds, high 37, rain and snow Tuesday night, low near 30. Wednesday rain showers possible but warmer, high 53, low around 29. Thursday sunny skies, high 44, low around 26. 

Sports: On the Saturday Morning Sports Alex spoke with Chris Backhaus  who announced he is resigning as the Little Falls boys soccer coach in Little Falls, and also Joey Hanowski who announced he is resigning as the Little Falls boys hockey coach. Little Falls Community High School will have a transition of new coaches as earlier this year it was announced that Joe Bartos has stepped away as the Flyer Football coach and Kevin Jordan is retiring as the Little Falls Community High School Activities Director. All of these positions will be filled in the coming days and weeks ahead. Twins win 10-4 Friday over Rays in home opener. Tampa Bay beat the Twins 7-1 on Saturday, Rays score 3 in the top of the 10th to win 4-1 over the Twins to take the series Sunday. Philadelphia beat the Timberwolves 115-103 on Friday night. Wild beat Ottawa 4-1 on Saturday then beat Detroit 5-4 on Sunday in hockey. NCAA Women's Championship Sunday UCLA vs. South Carolina, Men's Championship game Monday night between Michigan and Connecticut in basketball.