News

Today is Memorial Day, Monday May 25th a Federal holiday with many offices closed including all federal agencies, government centers, city halls, court houses, banks, financial institutions, post offices (no regular mail delivery) and some businesses including Little Falls Radio are closed today for the holiday. 

A reminder on this Memorial Day from the Minnesota State Patrol that many motorists are coming home from their holiday weekend, expect heavy traffic on Minnesota roadways this afternoon and tonight. The Minnesota State Patrol will continue to be watching for impaired drivers, speeders, distracted driving and aggressive driving behaviors. Also Mn Dot is reminding motorists the rest of Memorial Day that there are many areas closed for road work, though the work will resume on Tuesday some roadways are still narrowed or shifted please follow signs and put safety first on your ride home. A National Moment of Silence will take place at 3pm today, it is asked and encouraged for those to take a moment on your holiday events to remember those you have lost their lives fighting to keep our country safe and those who died and have never been recovered or returned to loves ones on this Day of Remembrance as we remember them on Memorial Day 2026. 

Authorities are warning people to beware of scammers after the wildfire near Flanders Lake. The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office is telling people who need repairs and clean-up in the wildfire area to be mindful of those looking to take advantage. Emergency Management officials say while legitimate contractors are out in the area, people should watch for and report any suspicious activity. The Sheriff's Office offers the following tips: don't pay in cash, ask to see their state license, don't allow any work to start until a contract is signed, and look up phone numbers and website links instead of using the one the scammer may have provided. Crow Wing County Emergency Management Director Clayton Berg says, unfortunately, disasters and scammers always seem to go hand in hand, and when people have to suddenly evacuate and return home to see the fire damage, they are often overwhelmed, and scammers take advantage of that. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says homeowners should ask housing inspectors to see identification badges because housing inspectors have a nine-digit registration number, and licensed inspectors do not request money to complete an inspection. Anyone with knowledge of fraud can call FEMA's Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office at 218-829-4749.

National News: A gunman is dead and a bystander wounded in an encounter with Secret Service near the White House Saturday evening. Just after 6pm Eastern Time, the 21-year-old gunman was said to have approached the White House fence near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, reach into a bag, pull out a gun and start firing at posted officers. Secret Service responded and engaged with the person — multiple agents fired at the individual, neutralizing them. Secret Service announced just before 8 p.m. the gunman died at the hospital. The suspect was identified as Nasire Best, said a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. According to District of Columbia court records, Best was arrested in July 2025 after he attempted to enter a different White House checkpoint without authorization, didn’t heed officers’ commands to stop, “claimed he was Jesus Christ” and said he wanted to be arrested. An initial hearing was held, and a “Pretrial Stay Away Order” was issued, typically a measure ordering a defendant not to go near a person or area ahead of trial. A bench warrant was issued in August after a notice of “noncompliance” against Best, who did not show up for a subsequent hearing. A bystander was also wounded during the May 23 incident and was reported to be in critical condition. It is not clear if they were wounded by the gunman or in the Secret Service response. Secret Service said none of its officers were injured, and that President Donald Trump, who was at the White House at the time was not "impacted.

A reminder from Little Falls Community Schools they announced they will be conducting joint emergency preparedness drills in the coming days mainly after school is completed at Lincoln Elementary, Lindbergh Elementary and Little Falls Community Middle School by end of the week. The exercise will involve Little Falls Community Schools, the Little Falls Police Department, the Little Falls Fire Department and the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office. District officials emphasized that the exercise is only a drill. There is no active threat to any school.

Two accidents sent two separate people to the hospital in Todd County. Friday night around 9:15pm two vehicles collided on Highway 71 in Round Prairie Township south of Long Prairie. 72-year-old Bruder Lester of Long Prairie was treated at Long Prairie Hospital for injuries the other driver a 23-year-old from Sauk Centre was not hurt. Then just before 2am Saturday a vehicle left the roadway and rolled on Highway 10 in Staples Township. 41-year-old Emmanuel Montanez of Motley was taken to the Staples Hospital for treatment of non life threatening injuries.

Fire crews from Melrose and Freeport responded to a building fire in Stearns County on Thursday night. The sheriff's office was dispatched to the 37000 block of County Road 13 in Grove Township just before 10:30pm. Deputies arrived on the scene to find a large amount of smoke coming from the top of the building. Firefighters were able to assess the situation and determined there was a smoldering fire near the roof area. Fire crews were able to use a minimal amount of water to extinguish the fire and prevent significant damage. The sheriff's office says no one was hurt, and damage to the building was minimal. There is no information on the cause of the fire. 

Ten young women were named as finalists for the 73rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way. This past weekend, dairy princesses from across the state gathered for the annual May Leadership Event held May 15-16 at the Delta Hotel in Minneapolis. The weekend included opportunities for networking, leadership workshops and a chance to compete for a finalist spot for Princess Kay of the Milky Way for young women rooted with a passion for dairy. This year’s theme of “The Power of You,” provided attendees with confidence in their leadership skills and knowledge through various inspiring and educational sessions. Of the participants, ten finalists were named and will go on to compete for the title of Minnesota’s 73rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way in late August of 2026. This year’s finalists include: Kalley Christen; Lester Prairie; daughter of Keith and Angela Christen; representing McLeod County  Elizabeth Coudron; Milroy; daughter of Ron and Jennifer Coudron; representing Redwood County  Stephanie Dykstra; Bigelow; daughter of Steve and Esther Dykstra; representing Nobles County  Claudia Frenchick; St. Martin; daughter of Amanda Frenchick; representing Meeker County  Jena Hanson; Owatonna; daughter of Steve and Suzie Hanson; representing Steele County  Morgan Morrow; Princeton; daughter of Jim and Tina Morrow; representing Benton County Isabella Schiffler; Albany; daughter of John and Kristie Schiffler; representing Stearns County  Gracie Sellner; Sleepy Eye; daughter of Loran and Heidi Sellner; representing Brown County Jaiden Smith; Melrose; daughter of Jeremey and Emily Smith; representing Stearns County  Daisy Zimmermann; Sauk Centre; daughter of Mike and Lori Zimmermann; representing Stearns County. These ten young women will have their likenesses carved in butter during the 2026 Minnesota State Fair.   Midwest Dairy sponsors the Princess Kay of the Milky Way program, which is funded by dairy farmers through their promotion checkoff.  

Due to Memorial Day, the Pierz City Council will meet Tuesday at 7pm at Pierz City Hall. Also the Morrison County Board of Commissioners will not have a planning meeting on Tuesday morning this week. 

A 15-year-old girl from Rice was hurt when she crashed her dirt bike on Wednesday. The incident happened just after 5:30 p.m. on 450th Street in Two Rivers Township, about...

Authorities in Crow Wing County have contained the large wildfire around Crosslake but are asking the public for help gathering evidence in the Flanders Fire. The fire was reported on Saturday,...

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...

Last night County, State and Fire Officials reported the large wildfire in Crow Wing County is about 60% contained. Thousands of acres has been burned as of Monday night but...