News

The Pierz Fire Department responded to a golf cart fire at about 4:15pm on Monday, May 11 on Park Avenue over the Skunk River near the Pierz Golf Course. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames. The cart was operated by a regular gasoline engine. There were no injuries reported. 

Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang reports that on Tuesday around 12:31pm a 911 call was received from a 19yearold male stating that the paddle boat he was on had capsized on Little Emily Lake. The caller reported that he and two adult females were in the water when the call was unexpectedly disconnected. Responders arrived on scene and located the two adult females, ages 20 and 22 who reported that the male had not returned to shore. One of the females was transported by ambulance for injuries related to cold exposure. Crow Wing County Boat and Water personnel, along with Dive Team members, initiated search operations. At approximately 2:54 p.m., responders located and recovered the male in roughly 23 feet of water. The individuals involved were college students visiting the area. Several lake residents also assisted with rescue efforts, and the Sheriff’s Office extends its appreciation for their timely and helpful response. Please keep the families of all involved in your prayers as they go through this very difficult traumatic time. No additional information is available at this time, investigation continues.

Fire damaged a number of businesses and apartment units in downtown Sauk Centre on Monday night. The Sauk Centre Police Department says an officer was on routine patrol just before midnight when he came upon flames and smoke coming from a two-story building. The fire was located in the 300 block of Main Street South. The officer immediately called for the fire department and, with the help of another officer, began evacuating apartments on the second floor of the buildings. The Sauk Centre Fire Department arrived and made entry into the buildings and put out the flames. Police say five apartments and three businesses were significantly damaged by the blaze. Authorities helped make arrangements for the displaced residents. The Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, and no damage estimate is available. Fire departments from Melrose, Long Prairie, Elrosa, and Osakis assisted at the scene. Several other agencies, including the sheriff's offices of Stearns and Todd County, Sauk Centre Ambulance, and the Minnesota State Patrol, also assisted in the effort.

A woman was killed when she was struck by multiple vehicles while trying to cross a highway in southeastern Minnesota. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened at about 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Spring Valley in Fillmore County. Sixty-seven-year-old Melody Raveill of Spring Valley was eastbound crossing Highway 63 when she was struck by three vehicles traveling north on the highway. The three drivers, two from Spring Valley and one from Preston, were not hurt. The Minnesota State Patrol notes the highway was wet at the time of the crash. The State Patrol has shown concern as this is now the sixth car pedestrian accident in the past 14 days, four fatalities and two more with critical injuries. A reminder to watch for pedestrians and those walking should have some reflective gear on late at night to be seen. 

Drivers who are heading north to the Mille Lacs Lake area should be aware of some road construction that will force some drivers to detour. Starting on Monday, crews will start preparing the construction zone at Highway 169 and Highway 27 north of Onamia by installing traffic control devices, widening shoulders, and mobilizing equipment. Following the Memorial Day weekend, access to and from Highway 27 from Highway 169 will be closed to build a new roundabout at that intersection. The three-month project looks to improve safety and access at the intersection, which has a history of severe crashes. The Minnesota Department of Transportation says the roundabout is designed to reduce speeds and cut down on high-risk turning movements. The $4.5-million project includes a four-legged roundabout, the installation of a right-in/right-out entrance at the Veterans Club, a new concrete median with three-quarters access from Highway 169, and the realignment of Twilight Road to and from westbound Highway 27. Highway 169 will remain open to through traffic, but drivers should prepare for lane shifts and narrow lanes with no shoulders. Drivers looking to access Highway 27 will be detoured via Mille Lacs County Road 23 through late August.

A Bemidji teenager was charged by juvenile petition last week with shooting his parents, telling police he became "irate" after they revoked his cell phone privileges. The petition states that in addition to his parents, the 16-year-old also shot and injured a bystander during the May 7 incident. He was charged with possessing a handgun under the age of 18; first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, causing substantial bodily harm. According to Beltrami County prosecutors, law enforcement arrived at an apartment complex in the area of 2500 Itasca Loop Northwest in Bemidji, where they found the teen's mother lying on the ground with an apparent gunshot wound to her abdomen. The complaint said she told arriving officers her son was angry about losing access to his cell phone and subsequently shot her and her husband. She added that her son also shot another person who was in the parking lot at the time of the incident. The boy's father and the bystander reportedly suffered gunshot wounds to their legs, both of them requiring tourniquets, according to court documents. All three were stabilized at the scene before being transferred to a nearby hospital. The petition said the teen later turned himself in at the police station, allegedly admitting to the shootings and acknowledging he was able to obtain the gun without his parents' knowledge. Prosecutors said officers recovered the pistol under a pile of leaves near the Bemidji Middle School.

One person was killed Monday morning in an accident in South Harbor Township of Mille Lacs County. Just after 8am, 74-year-old Lynn Stalker of Wahkon was westbound on Stevens Roads...

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding those that burning restrictions are still in place for Morrison, Benton, Stearns, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs and other counties in central Minnesota....

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Wednesday at approximately 6:56 pm, their office received a report of a man trapped in a trench at a residence off 70th...

Due to construction, Belle Prairie Park will be open to foot traffic only, no vehicles permitted beyond the east gravel parking lot. The boat ramp will also be closed.  The estimated...