News

Today, June 19th is  Juneteenth, a Federal Holiday. A reminder that federal, state and many local government agencies are closed TODAY, no regular mail delivery, most banks, financial institutions, some libraries and other businesses are closed on this Friday for the holiday. 

One person is dead in a two-vehicle accident early Thursday morning near Baxter in Crow Wing County. Around 4:45am a Harley Davidson was northbound on Highway 371 at Pine Beach Road when the cycle collided with a with pickup after the cycle attempted a left turn. The motorcyclist reportedly was a 53-year-old from Baxter and died at the scene. The pickup driver, a 56-year-old Baxter man was not hurt. 

A Litchfield man suffered a serious leg injury in a workplace accident on Wednesday. The Meeker County Sheriff's Office received a report of a work-related injury just after 10:30am. Sheriff's deputies, Litchfield Rescue, and Mayo Ambulance responded to an egg production facility in the 31700 block of Highway 22 in Harvey Township north of Litchfield. Authorities arrived to find 62-year-old Michael Redepenning had been caught in a machine that severed his lower leg. EMS and rescue personnel stabilized Redepenning, then brought him to Meeker Memorial Hospital. Redepenning was then airlifted to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale for further treatment.

The State Patrol reported an Albany woman was injured on Highway 238 and I-94 Thursday around 2:30pm in Albany in a two-vehicle accident, the other driver was not hurt. The injured driver had minor injuries. Then a moped accident around 7:20pm last night in Kathio Township of Mille Lacs. The driver left the road and crashed into the ditch. The driver sustained serious injuries and was taken to the hospital. The name was not released but he was a 21 year old from Onamia. 

A house received only minor damage after a dryer caught on fire on Tuesday night. The Meeker County Sheriff's Office says they received a call about 9pm. about a fire in the 61700 block of 205th Street in Greenleaf Township near Litchfield. First Responders arrived and found that a gas clothes dryer inside the home was on fire. The Litchfield Fire Department was able to put out the fire. The owner of the house, 80-year-old Kenneth Jensen, was home and had attempted to extinguish the fire on his own. He was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Authorities say the fire was contained to the dryer and the area around it, and the house sustained minor smoke damage.

A former Wright County deputy has been charged with two felony counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Forty-four-year-old Matthew Johnathon Weaver is accused of making sexual contact with a 15-year-old foreign exchange student who had been living with Weaver at his Otsego residence between November 2025 and January 2026. On the morning of Tuesday, January 13, the student informed a Wright County school counselor that Weaver had been touching him inappropriately for the past month and a half. During an interview at the Central Minnesota Child Advocacy Center, the student described a range of alleged misconduct by Weaver. The alleged behavior varied from Weaver asking to cuddle with the student to watching movies with him in bed. On some occasions, the student said, Weaver would watch pornography involving young adult males on his phone. Weaver also reportedly used affectionate terms when addressing the student, which made the latter feel uncomfortable. The student said that while he did not want to cuddle with Weaver, he avoided expressing this because Weaver was known to have a short temper. Weaver also allegedly began touching the student inappropriately. The student said he avoided telling Weaver to stop out of fear of upsetting him. Weaver told authorities that his behavior toward the student stemmed from his understanding that Spanish culture tends to be more physically affectionate. He denied engaging in any inappropriate behavior with the student and further stated that he used affectionate names to help ease the student’s grief over the loss of family members. Weaver is scheduled to make his first appearance in Wright County District Court on Friday, August 28.

The Morrison County Sheriff's Office encourages you to take a few minutes to review the information in this article and, just as importantly, share it with your family members, friends,...

On June 15, 2026, at approximately 4:29pm Morrison County Deputies attempted to stop two motorcycles traveling at a high rate of speed on Highway 10 north of Royalton, MN in Bellevue Township. Both...

On Sunday at 4:52pm the Little Falls Fire Department was dispatched to 14655 85th Ave in Pike Creek Township on a report of a house fire. The Little Falls Fire Department...

The Minnesota State Patrol reported nearly 100 accidents between Friday morning to 6pm on Sunday around the state. A Foley woman was hurt when the car she was riding in...