News

A suspected tornado touched down just north of Detroit Lakes, sending two people to the hospital. The storm snapped power poles, downed trees and ripped off roofs of homes and businesses. The Becker County Sheriff’s Office posted to its Facebook page asking the public to avoid storm-damaged areas. Authorities are also tightly controlling who enters and leaves affected areas to protect property and make sure it’s safe. Brainerd are had large trees down and damage to siding and rooves from gusty winds over 60 miles per hour Monday night. More than 7,000 homes and businesses were without power statewide, according to outage tracking sites. Xcel Energy reports the largest share of those outages, with crews working to restore service. The hardest-hit counties include Becker, Cass, Crow Wing, Kanabec and Wright. The utility is asking customers to report outages through its app or website, and to stay well away from any downed or sagging power lines. Some areas received over 3 inches of rain Monday already and more is coming Tuesday night into Wednesday as The National Weather Service has issued a Flood and Flash Flood Watch Tuesday 10pm to Wednesday 10am a stalled front will be across a line from Douglas, Todd, Morrison, Mille Lacs to the eastern border heading a bit north of Cass, Crow Wing and Wadena, and south through parts of Stearns, Benton and Wright Counties. The National Weather Service says many areas will get 1-2 inches of rainfall tonight and another half inch Wednesday morning but some areas could get over 4 inches of rain or more in some short areas of time Tuesday into Wednesday which will cause river flooding, street flooding, and roadways to get waterlogged that could cause difficulty driving in areas, remember to never driver over flooded area as the damage to your vehicle could be hefty.

A message from Little Falls Police Chief Kyle Johnson. The City of Little Falls has approved the new Special Use Vehicle Ordinance. However, the ordinance does not officially go into effect until October 1, 2026. At this time, the Police Department is not accepting permit applications. There are still administrative and legal steps that must be completed before permits can be issued, including final processing, permit materials, and records management system setup. Over the next several weeks, the City and Police Department will provide periodic public updates explaining the ordinance, permit process, requirements, and implementation timeline. We appreciate the community’s patience as we work through this process and prepare for a clear and organized rollout.

A St. Joseph man faces 13 felony counts of tax crimes. The Minnesota Department of Revenue has announced that the Stearns County Attorney's Office has filed the charges against Mark Dorn. Dorn is a Certified Public Accountant operating Dorn and Associates Ltd, a tax services business that allegedly files 1,500 tax returns per year. The Department of Revenue says Dorn filed his own fraudulent income tax returns by reporting income that was less than the amount he reported for corporate taxes for his business. The charges allege Dorn filed multiple income tax returns years late and wrote off false business losses from his investment property and false real estate losses. The revenue department says Dorn also did not claim income from two IRA distributions that he was required to do. Dorn allegedly owes more than $45,000 for tax years 2017 and 2019 through 2023. He is charged with six counts of filing false or fraudulent individual income tax returns, one count of filing a false or fraudulent property tax refund, and six counts of failing to pay income tax. Each felony charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.

A camper and a home are considered a total loss after a fire broke out in Meeker County on Monday afternoon. The sheriff's office received a report of an explosion and fire at a home in Forest City just after 4:00pm. Sheriff's deputies, Litchfield Fire and Rescue, and Mayo Ambulance responded to the 31600 block of County Road 2 to find a camper fully engulfed, with flames quickly spreading to the home nearby. The property owner, 65-year-old Micahael Hugget, was not home when the fire broke out, but other people were on the property at the time and told authorities the fire started in the area of the camper. A preliminary investigation indicates the explosion was likely from a propane tank that was consumed by the fire as it spread. Several other agencies assisted at the scene, including fire departments from Dassel, Eden Valley, and Watkins. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Minnesota Fire Marshal's Office and the Meeker County Sheriff's Office. No one was hurt in the incident.

A 22-year-old Chaska man was charged June 30 in Crow Wing County District Court after allegedly stealing an ATV and fleeing deputies at Lakes Jam music festival. Connor Wilker McMahon was charged with felony theft of a motor vehicle and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. He was also charged with gross misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and misdemeanor fleeing a peace officer. During his court appearance June 30, McMahon was released on a $12,000 bail with no conditions. He is due back in Crow Wing County District Court on August 8th. According to court documents, at 2:58am June 27, a Crow Wing County deputy on a special detail conducting extra patrols within the grounds of Brainerd International Raceway for Lakes Jam observed a red four-wheeler traveling on the main road of the BIR grounds being operated in a reckless manner. The driver was traveling at a high rate of speed and the front tires of the ATV were no longer making contact with the ground. As the deputy was nearing the ATV, the driver made a rapid U-turn, causing one side of the ATV’s tires to leave the ground. It was then operating on the wrong side of the roadway. The deputy activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle. The ATV was facing directly at the patrol vehicle when the deputy activated his emergency lights. The ATV fled through a small camping area, thick with campers, vehicles and sharp turns. As the ATV fled, the deputy observed a passenger clinging to it and flopping about. Eventually the driver jumped off the machine and the passenger remained on the ATV, raised his hands in the air and let it coast to a stop. The deputy exited his patrol vehicle and gave chase to the ATV driver, advising him to stop and that he was under arrest. The man ran in front of a parked pickup and disappeared on the other side of the vehicle. The deputy rounded the front corner of the vehicle and observed the driver lying on the ground, partially leaning up against the pickup truck's tire. The deputy grabbed the man and advised him he was under arrest. The deputy immediately noted a strong odor of alcohol emanating from McMahon. He also had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and poor balance. McMahon allegedly then stated the ATV was stolen from the Gopher Bar, which was within the Zoo at BIR.