Monday, April 20, 2026
Two people are hospitalized after the car they were in struck a bear. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened just before 10pm Friday on Highway 10 near Staples in Todd County. A Toyota Corolla was traveling Westbound on Highway 10 when the vehicle collided with a bear in the roadway. The driver, 36-year-old Mary Jo Roggenkamp of Deer Creek, and her passenger, 34-year-old Corey Roggenkamp of Deer Creek, were both taken to Staples Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Survey teams from the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed at least eight tornadoes touched down across southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin during a violent weather system Friday. The La Crosse, Wisconsin, NWS office said the storms caused structural damage and leveled trees across several counties, but no fatalities or injuries were reported. A survey team is expected to return to the field Sunday, so the tornado count could rise as the group inspects additional areas. The NWS has confirmed at least five tornadoes in Minnesota, with Olmsted County bearing the brunt of the storm: Stewartville-Marion (EF2): This tornado stayed on the ground for 14 minutes, traveling nearly 10 miles with a path up to 125 yards wide. The most severe damage occurred near Marion Road and Highway 52, where homes lost roofs and exterior walls partially collapsed. Winds reached 130 mph. Viola-Plainview (EF2): Touching down east of Viola, this storm packed 125 mph winds in a mostly rural area northeast of Rochester. It traveled 7.5 miles into Wabasha County, ripping the roof off a farmhouse and garage before ending near Plainview. Potsdam (EF1): This tornado had the day's longest path, stretching more than 12 miles. It began in the northeast suburbs of Rochester causing minor shingle damage before intensifying in rural areas, where 100 mph winds damaged farm outbuildings and trees. Oslo (EF0): One of the weakest tornadoes of the day, with max wind speeds clocking in at 80 mph. According to the NWS, trees and farm outbuildings sustained light damage along a four-mile path. Sargeant-Oslo (EF0): This tornado also ranked on the lower end of the scale, with winds peaking at 80 mph during its three-minute duration, causing only minor damage to a grain silo. The system spawned three additional tornadoes as it pushed into Wisconsin: Cream (EF3): This was the most powerful storm of the day, touching down south of Cream at 3:27 p.m. With peak winds of 140 mph, the twister carved an 8-mile path toward the town of Montana. The 125-yard-wide path left numerous farm outbuildings destroyed and vast swaths of trees snapped. Blair (EF1): Winds reached 110 mph as this twister moved across Trempealeau County. The storm lasted just over 10 minutes and caused mainly tree damage. Requa (EF1): This tornado lasted five minutes and reached an estimated peak wind speed of 100 mph along its five-mile path. The NWS noted tree damage across "extensive acreage." The NWS deployed two teams to survey "areas of concern" Saturday and expected to continue assessing Sunday. Officials noted that the terrain and road networks in western Wisconsin can make navigating damage paths challenging.
A Stearns County jury has found a St. Cloud man guilty of raping a homeless woman he had hired as a housekeeper. After a five-day trial, the jury convicted 55-year-old Marquell Goree on one count of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct while causing fear of great bodily harm. He was acquitted on a second charge of 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct and a kidnapping charge. According to the charges, the woman told authorities that she had previously been hired to clean Goree's house. She was hired again to clean, and Goree allegedly sent an Uber to Lincoln Center to bring her to his house in the 600 block of 6th Street South. The victim said she missed the ride and walked to Goree's house. When she arrived, the woman said Goree started to flirt with her and told her to get undressed. The woman said she wasn't interested and was going to leave. Court records allege Goree pulled out an eight-inch switch blade, held it to her face, grabbed her throat, and told her she wasn't leaving. Goree then allegedly sexually assaulted the woman. Court records show investigators found a prior complaint involving Goree, where his roommate said Goree frequently brought unwanted guests to the house from Lincoln Center and the Place of Hope. After these charges came to light, a second woman made allegations that Goree had assaulted her in 2015. The woman is alleging that she and Goree struck up a friendship while she was staying at the Salvation Army shelter. According to that criminal complaint, the woman said she went to Goree's home to visit. She told authorities that she missed her bus back to the shelter and, as a result, would miss curfew and lose her place at the shelter. That's when she said Goree's demeanor changed. She told police Goree sexually assaulted her over the course of five days, continually made derogatory comments toward her, made her sleep on the floor, and wouldn't let her use the bathroom or shower unless she kept the door open. Records show the victim later learned she became pregnant from the sexual assault. There is no new information on the status of the second court case against Goree. He'll be sentenced on his 1st-degree criminal sexual assault conviction on June 11th.
A 76-year-old Hubbard County man is facing multiple felony charges after he allegedly defrauded more than $250,000 from government assistance programs. In January, the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office says it received a report from a financial worker with the county’s social services program regarding alleged financial fraud by one of its clients, identified as Vincent Bellomo, of rural Nevis. Bellomo had reportedly received more than $263,000 in benefits that he was not entitled to by lying about his financial situation. Bellomo repeatedly claimed he had very few assets, reporting to only have a savings account containing $1.08 and a 1979 Chevrolet El Camino valued at $500. But records allegedly show Bellomo had over $77,000 in a savings account that he failed to disclose in 2024. Bellomo received assistance from state and federal programs including Medical Assistance, Minnesota Supplemental Assistance, Group Residence Housing Benefits, Emergency General Assistance, the Medicare Savings Program and the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. When investigators attempted to contact Bellomo at his home, they learned that he left the state and was in California. Bellomo was subsequently arrested and brought back to Hubbard County. He’s since been charged with three counts of wrongfully obtaining public assistance and three counts of perjury.
A 66-year-old Brainerd woman was injured Friday around 3:15pm on Highway 25 at Thiesse Road south of Brainerd. Nancy Hines was on 25 went off the roadway struck some signs and then a tree. Hines was taken to the Brainerd hospital for treatment of injuries. The State Patrol stated that alcohol was a possible factor in the accident on Friday.
A woman's body was recovered from the Mississippi River south of Winona on Wednesday. According to the Winona County Sheriff's Office, a report came in early in the morning for a body in the water at Lock and Dam 6. The sheriff's office, Emergency Management, Dive and Rescue Team, Winona Fire Department, and the Minnesota Air Rescue Team all responded. On Friday, officials publicly identified the woman as Patricia Sweningson, 72, of Winona. She had been missing since March 26. Authortiies said they have not "identified any circumstances of foul play. However, the case is still considered an active investigation as we wait for more information from the medical examiner’s office."
Little Falls Community High School will be performing "Mamma Mia" from ABBA May 1st and 2nd at 7pm and May 3rd at 2pm at the Auditorium. Check with the Activities Office at the school for more information.
Death Notices: Donald H. Miller, age 95 of Little Falls.
Weather: Monday sunny skies and windy, high 63. Monday night partly cloudy skies, low around 36. Tuesday sunny skies, high 66, clear Tuesday night low around 40. Sunny and warm on Wednesday high 80, low around 60 with thunderstorms developing overnight. Showers and T-storms likely Thursday high 75, low around 40. Showers and cooler on Friday breezy, high 55, rain could mix with wet snow Friday night, low 30. Saturday partly sunny, windy and cooler, high 48, low around 28. Sunday sunny and high of 54.
Sports: Wild win 6-1 over Dallas as Ek and Boldy have 2 goals each. Wild lead 1-0 in series and at Dallas in game 2 Monday at 8:30pm on Q92 WYRQ and fallsradio.com. Cincinnati beat the Twins 2-1 on Friday. Cincinnati then scored 3 late runs to win 5-4 over Twins on Saturday. Denver beat the Timberwolves 116-105 Saturday in game 1 of NBA playoffs, Anthony Edwards had 22 points, game 2 is Monday night 9:30pm in Denver. Minnesota Lynx signed Napheesa Collier to a 1.4 million dollar contract to remain with the team. Collier will miss most of the season as she had surgery on both of her ankles. Lynx open preseason at Washington on Saturday the 25th, regular season open May 10th against Atlanta. High School Baseball Thursday Little Falls at Pierz at 5pm on AM960 KLTF and fallsradio.com.