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A Winter Storm Warning has been issued from 4pm today to 10pm Saturday night. A mixed precipitation event will unfold across Minnesota into Wisconsin with rain, freezing rain and all snow by late Friday evening then all snow and gusty winds 15-30mph on Saturday will cause poor travel conditions and visibility issues. The potential of 3-8 inches of snow is also forecast in northern and central Minnesota Friday and Saturday with now even rain/snow showers lingering at times into Easter Sunday. Ice could accumulate to 1/2 inch or more on roadways and side streets, sidewalks and untreated areas. Continue to listen to Little Falls Radio for any weather related announcements. 

Two children were hurt in a two-vehicle crash on an icy highway Thursday morning. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened just before 7:00 a.m. on Highway 10 in Morrison County near Royalton in Bellevue Township. A Toyota 4Runner and a Chevy Silverado were both traveling west on the highway near 83rd Street when the 4Runner fishtailed on the icy road and struck the Silverado.  Both vehicles lost control and went into the ditch, partially submerged in water. The Silverado rolled and came to a stop on its wheels. The driver of the Silverado, 40-year-old Jonathan Lynn of Sartell, was not hurt. His two passengers, a three-year-old girl and a five-year-old girl from Sartell, were taken to St. Gabriel's Hospital in Little Falls with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the 4Runner, 60-year-old Paulette Hedlund of Hackensack, was not hurt.

The City of Little Falls was informed by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad that they will be performing necessary repairs on the railroad crossing at 8th Avenue Southeast in Little Falls on Tuesday from 9am to 3pm. During the time the roadway around the tracks and the tracks themselves will not be able to pass over, therefore alternate routes will have to be taken that day around the 8th Avenue Southeast railroad tracks until the work is completed on Tuesday on the southeast end of Little Falls.

The Central Minnesota Community Foundation and the Initiative Foundation announced today that applications are now open for the 2026 Rural Needs Grant Round. Through their partnership, the two foundations have made $20,000 available to support nonprofits, schools, and government agencies working to develop solutions and implement programs that address poverty in rural communities. Applications must be submitted online by midnight on June 30, 2026. This grant round supports organizations serving rural populations across 14 central Minnesota counties, including Benton, Cass, Chisago, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, Wadena, and Wright, as well as the sovereign Native nations of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Funding may support general operations, new or expanding programs, or specific projects that directly address the impacts of poverty. Grants may also be used to establish or supplement emergency or transitional services, assess community needs and assets, develop action plans, or implement community-based solutions. Organizations are encouraged to apply for grants in the $1,000–$5,000 range. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, schools, and local units of government. Individuals are not eligible to apply. Brainerd Lakes, Paynesville and Willmar Area Community Foundations are partner Foundations, and the grant round is open to those served by those Foundations. Grant guidelines and information on the online application process are available through the Central Minnesota Community Foundation’s website at: communitygiving.org/cmcfgrants. For more information, contact Tailor Doeden at the Central Minnesota Community Foundation at tdoeden@communitygiving.org or Nicole Clements at the Initiative Foundation at nclements@ifound.org. 

Two people were hurt in a two-vehicle crash in Buffalo on Thursday morning. The incident happened on Highway 25 just after 9:00 a.m. The Minnesota State Patrol says a car driven by 31-year-old Oscar Aguilar of Howard Lake was southbound on Highway 25. Meanwhile, an SUV driven by 31-year-old Jasmine Moore of Annandale was heading north. The patrol says Moore was turning westbound on to Highway 55 when the vehicles collided in the intersection. Aguilar and Moore's passenger, 49-year-old Teresa Muse of St. Paul, were both taken to Buffalo Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

St. Cloud Police have canceled a missing persons alert after the Minnesota State Patrol found a vulnerable adult who went missing overnight. Police say 55-year-old William Nabors walked away from his residence in the 400 block of 15th Avenue SE at 2:15am. Again the alert as a missing person was called by in a neighbor on his whereabouts. Again police reported by early afternoon that he was found safe.

There was a two-vehicle crash near Zimmerman on Wednesday. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened just before 5:30 p.m. on Highway 169 in Livonia Township.  A Chevy Trailblazer was going north on Highway 169 when it was struck by a Ford Explorer that was entering northbound Highway 169 from westbound 247th Avenue Northwest. The driver of the Trailblazer, 41-year-old Steven Larson of Foley, was not hurt.  His passenger, 18-year-old Nathan Johnson of Foley, was taken to Princeton Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Explorer, 39-year-old Maggie Pranter of Zimmerman, was not hurt.  A nine-year-old girl in her vehicle was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Law enforcement agencies in central Minnesota have joined a statewide crackdown on distracted driving throughout April, with deputies and officers actively patrolling for violations as part of Minnesota’s Towards Zero Deaths initiative Increased patrols targeting drivers who use their phones, text, or engage in other distracting behaviors behind the wheel. The campaign is led by the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety and funded through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is also financing statewide advertising to raise public awareness. Authorities are encouraging drivers to take simple steps before hitting the road: silence or stow their phones, program navigation in advance, pre-set radio stations, adjust mirrors and secure food and drinks. Parents are also urged to model attentive driving behavior for children riding along. Minnesota’s hands-free cell phone law prohibits drivers from holding their phones while driving. That means no texting, scrolling social media, streaming video, or looking up information on a device, even if the phone is technically in hands-free mode. Drivers are permitted to use voice commands or single-touch activation to make calls, send texts, play music, or navigate. Officials caution, however, that hands-free use is not necessarily distraction-free. Penalties for violations start at $100 or more, including court fees, for a first offense and climb to $300 or more for subsequent offenses. Drivers who injure or kill someone as a result of distracted driving can face felony charges of criminal vehicular operation or homicide. State data underscores why officials say the enforcement effort is necessary. Between 2020 and 2026, distracted driving was involved in 33,183 crashes in Minnesota, resulting in 162 fatalities and 888 serious injuries. In 2025 alone, at least 21 people were killed and 159 sustained serious injuries in distracted driving-related crashes.

There are still quite of few events in the days ahead, the Franciscan Sisters are having their Good Friday Silent Walk for Peace Friday at 9:30am starting at the convent, if the weather is bad they will hold it inside. The Upsala Lions Easter Egg Hunt is Saturday at 10am scheduled on the Upsala Football Field again if weather bad it will be held inside. The Pierz Lions have a fish fry Friday night at Frosty's in Pierz and their Easter Egg Hunt scheduled for 11am Saturday at Pioneer Elementary School in Pierz. First Lutheran Church has their Easter Egg-stravaganza 9:30am-11:30am Saturday at the church on Riverview Drive in Little Falls. With today being Good Friday there will be many church services planned today, vigils on Holy Saturday and Easter celebrations, check with your local churches and bulletins for times in the area. Check out details on events this weekend by going to fallsradio.com and click on community calendar. 

NATIONAL NEWS: President Donald Trump said Thursday Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general. Trump made the announcement in a post on social media. “We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, after saying she’s been a “loyal friend.” Trump said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general.

Death Notices: Gerald "Red" V. Popp, age 69 of Bowlus. 

Weather: Winter Storm Warning 4pm today to 10pm Saturday. Cloudy Friday with temps rising to 38 by 2pm, rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow in the afternoon, temps dropping to 29 by later Friday night with all precipitation changing to snow 1-3 inches by midnight, Saturday snow likely heavy a times into the mid-afternoon hours, 3-5 inches possible, high 34, cloudy with flurries Saturday night low 23. Sunday cloudy skies with rain/snow showers before 2pm, high hear 42, then clearing skies, with low around 26 Sunday night. Sunny and breezy Monday, colder, high 32, low around 15. Tuesday sunny skies, high near 40.

Sports: Twins win 5-1 over Kansas City Thursday to take 1 of the 3 games in KC. Wallner, Clemens and Bell homered for the Twins. Detroit beat the Timberwolves last night 113-108 in Detroit. Wild beat Vancouver last night 5-2 in hockey. The Women's Final Four in basketball is tonight, the men's final four is Saturday with championships for the women on Sunday and the men on Monday night. Saturday Morning Sports Wrap tomorrow at 9:05am on AM960 KLTF with interviews that Alex did with the outgoing Little Falls Boys Soccer and Boys Hockey coaches who announced their resignations in the past week or so. 

Listen to the Good Friday Service at Grace Covenant Church in Little Falls today at noon and a Mass with Father Jimmy Joseph and musicians Sunday at 11am both on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com. All at Little Falls Radio wish you a safe, blessed and very Happy Easter this weekend. 

Swanville Schools are doing an E-Learning Day today. Other schools such as Foley, Sauk Rapids, Sartell and St. Cloud are running 2 hours late. Continue to listen to Little Falls...

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory from 10pm Wednesday to 7pm Thursday for central Minnesota. Mixed precipitation with possible ice accumulation causing very slick roadways Thursday...

On Sunday, March 29, 2026, fire crews from the Camp Ripley Training Center and personnel from the Training Area Management team responded to a wildfire in the northern part of...

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. Head...