Thursday, January 8, 2026

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed a Minneapolis driver on Wednesday. The woman was shot in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets. Her killing quickly drew a crowd of angry protesters. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, during a visit to Texas, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blasted that characterization as “garbage” and criticized the federal deployment of more than 2,000 officers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the immigration crackdown. “What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. Videos taken by bystanders with different vantage points and posted to social media show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The SUV begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the SUV at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him. The SUV then sped into two cars parked on a curb nearby before crashing to a stop.  Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the victim was a 37-year-old woman, several Minneapolis City Council members later identified the woman as Renee Nicole Good.and indicated "There is nothing to indicate that she was the target of law enforcement activity". Last night it was reported that Governor Tim Walz has put the National Guard on standby. There is an investigation underway in the shooting. Minneapolis Public Schools announced they have canceled all classes for the remainder of the week. 

Minnesota State Representative District 10A Ron Kresha (R-Little Falls) released the following statement after Wabash National announced it will permanently close its Little Falls manufacturing facility on April 17, resulting in the layoff of 56 employees: “The closure of Wabash National’s Little Falls facility is difficult news for our community. My thoughts are with the workers and families affected by this decision and the uncertainty they now face. While job losses are never easy, support is available. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and CareerForce locations in our region offer resources including job search assistance, training opportunities, and career counseling for workers impacted by layoffs. Little Falls and Morrison County are resilient communities, and I remain hopeful that the skilled workers affected by this closure will find new opportunities in the months ahead.”

It was a good season for Minnesota deer hunters. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says the deer harvest was up 9% from the 2024 season. According to preliminary figures from the DNR, the statewide harvest was also 5% above the five-year average. In total, hunters harvested 186,203 deer during the 2025 hunting season. Every part of the state saw an increase in the number of deer that were taken. In central and southeastern Minnesota, the harvest success grew by 8% compared to 2024 and was 11% higher than the five-year average. Northeastern Minnesota hunters harvested 14% more deer thanks to two mild winters. Northwestern Minnesota hunters also saw a jump in harvest with a 9% increase. And, the southwestern Minnesota harvest grew by 6%. The DNR is asking hunters to complete an online questionnaire to share feedback on their experiences.

One person was killed in a head-on collision. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened on Tuesday at about 8:30 a.m. on Highway 7 in McLeod County.  A semi was traveling east while a car was traveling west when they collided head-on near Winsted. The driver of the car, 63-year-old Melinda Koosman of Buffalo, died in the crash. The semi driver, 49-year-old William Dullinger of Oakdale, was not hurt.  The highway was snow and ice-covered. The State Patrol was assisted by the Winsted Police Department, McLeod County Sheriff's Office, and Lester Prairie Fire Department.

A St. Cloud man is accused of stalking and assaulting his ex-partner over five months, including installing tracking devices on her car and sending more than 100 threatening calls and texts in a single day. According to the criminal complaint, the problems started in August after the woman tried to break up with 29-year-old Hunter Paul Klemz. She found tracking devices on her vehicle three separate times. When she discovered the first device, Klemz closed the car hood on her head, then took her phone. The next day, he played an audio recording he had made of her conversations, said he wanted to hit her, and physically stopped her from leaving. On September 1st, Klemz trapped her in his garage and wouldn’t let her leave. She said she felt terrified and tried to bang on the windows for help before he grabbed and shook her, and then threw her phone on the ground. During a child custody exchange in November, she says he pulled on her clothing to stop her from leaving, followed her to her vehicle, and sat on her while trying to take her car keys. He then slammed her car door so hard the latch broke, punched her windshield, and threw something, possibly a tree branch, at her vehicle. On December 14th, Klemz called her 50 times and sent 70 text messages threatening to beat her and saying he would make her life a living hell. The woman told investigators the ongoing harassment created constant fear in her life, and she started driving a family member’s vehicle to try to prevent him from stalking her. She had previously tried to get a harassment restraining order, but Klemz refused to be served and told her he would leave her alone if she dropped it, which she did. She also explained how she avoided making police reports because she didn’t want to prevent him from being a father, but felt his behavior gave her no other choice. Klemz faces one count of felony stalking and two felony counts of threats of violence with reckless disregard. He’s also charged with three gross misdemeanor counts of illegal use of mobile tracking devices without a court order and 13 misdemeanor counts of domestic assault. Klemz posted a $100,000 bond. His next court hearing is set for January 9th.

A Willmar man is facing new, federal charges related to the 2022 overdose death of a Willmar woman. Hudeife Muhamed Mire, 24, was arraigned on Jan. 6 in U.S. District Court of New York on charges of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. Mire will be arraigned in Minnesota on federal charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl Resulting in Death, Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death, and Possession with the intent to distribute Fentanyl charges on a later date. Mire was charged in 2022 following a Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office and CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force investigation into the overdose death of Samantha Myers, 19, at a residence outside of New London. Mire was charge with state charges of 2nd Degree Manslaughter, 3rd Degree Murder, two counts of 1st Degree narcotics sale, and one count of 2nd Degree narcotics possession, but he fled Minnesota and the U.S. after posting bail. Investigators with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, FBI, and U.S. Marshals Service assisted the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office and CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force in the ongoing search, ultimately locating him in Kajiado, Kenya, on Oct. 31, 2025. Mire was extradited to the United States with assistance from the Kenyan National Police and others. 

The Morrison County Sheriff's Office stated that on Wednesday Graham Gustafson from the Randall VFW recognized Deputy Ethan Wise and Morrison County Public Safety Telecommunicator Amber Pearcy for their exemplary service to the residents of Morrison County. Sheriff Shawn Larsen stated "We appreciate Graham and the Randall VFW personnel for supporting and honoring those who serve our communities".

Death Notices: Sharon M. Keehr, age 73 of Little Falls. 

Weather: Dense Fog Advisory until 9am today. Fog early, then partly cloudy skies, high 36. Tonight some fog early then clearing and colder low 15. Friday cloudy skies, high around 32, snow at night around 1 inch possible low 17. Saturday partly to mostly cloudy, windy high near 23, temps falling into the teens and single digits late day with winds 15-25mph or higher, Saturday night low 2 above, wind chills near -15 early with winds dying down toward Sunday morning. Sunday sunny and chilly, high 21, low around 15 and rising.

Sports: Girls Basketball Pierz at Albany tonight 7:15pm on 94ROCKS KFML. Boys and girls double-header Friday Pierz at Little Falls 5:45pm boys, 7:30pm girls on 94ROCKS KFML. Boys hockey Friday night Little Falls at Duluth Denfeld at 7pm on Q92 WYRQ and then Saturday is Little Falls at Proctor at 2pm also live on Q92 WYRQ and all games streamed at fallsradio.com. College Football playoff semi-finals tonight and Friday night with winners playing for the title on January 19th. NFL playoffs begin this Saturday on KLTF.