Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Showers and thunderstorms again went through central Minnesota Monday night, dropping heavy rains the Little Falls Airport around about 1/2 inch of rain between 6-8pm then just under another 1/2 inch of rain around 10-11pm last night. Still some rain in the are early this morning. Winds did reach 50-60mph at one point prompting a warning in Todd and Morrison County but the airport showed wind gusts near 30mph at their peak still dropping tree limbs, toppling trash containers in spots on this Tuesday morning. More showers are possible today and again on Thursday this week. 

An accident at 5:15am Monday seriously injured a Motley man and sent a Little Falls man to the hospital from a two-vehicle accident on Highway 371 in Nisswa. 53-year-old Earl Simmons of Little Falls was on Highway 371 when it rear ended a semi-truck and trailer in the southbound lane. Simmons was taken to Brainerd hospital with non life threatening injuries. This passenger 59-year-old Dean Gangl of Motley suffered life threatening injuries and was taken to St. Cloud Hospital. The semi truck driver from Pequot Lakes was not injured. 

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Saturday at approximately 7:12pm their office received a report of a golf cart that tipped over at a private residence off 200^th Street, approximately three miles north of Little Falls, MN in Green Prairie Township. According to the Sheriff's Office, 60-year-old Kenneth Litchy of Avon, MN was operating a golf cart when 65-year-old Neal Rausch, also of Avon, was in the process of getting into the golf cart as a passenger. Litchy inadvertently stepped on the accelerator, causing the golf cart to suddenly accelerate and tip over. Rausch was injured as a result of the accident.  Rausch was transported to St. Gabriel’s Hospital by Mayo Clinic Ambulance with unknown injuries.

One person was hurt when a semi-truck and a pickup collided near Long Prairie on Monday morning. The crash occurred around 11am on Highway 27. The Minnesota State Patrol says a semi being driven by 59-year-old Brian Legois of Green Bay, WI, and a pickup being driven by 62-year-old Anatasia Kotsakis of Browerville were both going east on the highway when they collided. Kotsakis was taken to Centra Care - Long Prairie Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Legois was not hurt in the crash.

Morrison County Maintenance employees will be working on the following activities this week, mowing roadside ditches, patching potholes in various spots around the county, and continuing bridge maintenance on CSAH 13 and CSAH 26. Contracted construction crews will be working on the following activities: CSAH 21 (30th Street) between CSAH 1 and CSAH 24 is closed for bridge replacement. Traffic should follow the signed detour route. This work will take about a month. County Road 225 south of CSAH 12 is closed for bridge replacement. Traffic should follow the signed detour route. This should be completed within about 2
weeks. This week on CSAH 76, new pavement, shouldering, striping and driveway surfacing operations will take place. Please drive with caution and remain patient during delays. Project is expected to be complete by the end of August. County Road 208 paving and shouldering will be starting this week and should take about two weeks. Belle Prairie Park River Access project is still underway. The park will be closed to vehicles and will be open to foot traffic only while under construction. Additionally, the boat ramp will be  closed for the duration of the construction. Project is expected to continue into September.

A Twin Cities woman was hurt in a two-vehicle crash in Wright County on Monday. The crash happened in Clearwater at around 12:12pm. The Minnesota State Patrol says a small SUV driven by 19-year-old Kaylena McCalister of Crystal was eastbound on Ash Street while a minivan driven by 64-year-old Carrie Hannasch of Rice was southbound on Highway 24. The patrol says the vehicles collided in the intersection. McCalister was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Her passenger, 21-year-old Denon Ellis Porter of Annandale, and Hannasch were not hurt.

Two people were hurt in a two-vehicle accident Sunday morning on Highway 15 near Kimball. Around  7:45am, 74-year-old Randall Newman of New Ulm collided at Highway 55 intersection with 28-year-old Aisha Ali of St. Cloud. Both drivers had non life threatening injuries, Ali was taken to St. Cloud Hospital while Newman was not hospitalized and his passenger was not injured. 

A Canadian man is in jail after police say he falsely reported a kidnapping. Alexandria police say the incident happened on Saturday when they received a report of an abduction that originated in Winnipeg.  The reported suspect vehicle was described as a white car with a black bumper and was in the Alexandria area.  A short time later, officers found a vehicle matching that description.  They made contact with two men and an investigation followed. A man identified as 37-year-old Roderick Garson of Winnipeg admitted to falsely reporting the kidnapping and eventually conceded his claims were not true.  Garson and the other man knew one another before his initial report of being kidnapped.  Garson was arrested for Falsely Reporting a Crime. He's being held in the Douglas County Jail. Assisting the Alexandria Police Department were the Sheriff's Office, the Minnesota State Patrol, and the FBI.