Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Severe thunderstorms with tornadoes went through central Minnesota on Monday. Little Falls had .2 of rain and very little of any severe storms as they stayed north and south but other areas sustained quite of bit of damage. There were reports of thousands of Crow Wing Power, Xcel Energy Customers and others without power through the evening hours last night. The line of severe thunderstorms Monday brought several reports of tornadoes in Crow Wing County around Nisswa, south Gull Lake and near Garrison and Malmo by the Crow Wing/Mille Lacs County line along with other surrounding counties. Initial information during and after the storm indicated damage appeared to be confined to trees, with no major property damage or injuries reported from those areas, later in the night Crow Wing County did receive some building damage and one outbuilding down around Gull Lake. At 4:40 p.m. Monday the National Weather Service in Duluth issued a tornado warning until 5:30 p.m. for south central Cass, central and northern Crow Wing and west central Aitkin counties. The weather service reported weather spotters confirmed a tornado northwest of Gull Lake about 4:36 p.m., and law enforcement officers in Cass and Crow Wing counties also reported seeing a funnel. Tornados also were reported later near Crosby and east of Brainerd, prompting the weather service to extend the tornado warning until 5:45 p.m. and again 6:15 p.m. into Aitkin County. Along with tornadoes the thunderstorms brought a lot of rain and strong winds. The weather service received several reports of hail, with 1.25 inch hail reported in Lake Shore. Over an inch of rain fell Monday in Brainerd. Several fallen trees partially blocked County Road 127 west of Merrifield, and the road was closed from County Highway 3 to County Road 137 for crews to perform highline repairs due to the storm damage. Nisswa Fire and Rescue reported to Twin Lakes Road to the north of Merrifield to clear multiple large fallen trees blocking the road. Winds ripped down a large wooden sign at Northland Construction on County Highway 3. It was reported Mollie Lake Road also was closed for a period of time to clear numerous trees that had fallen during the storm. The National Weather service will be out investigating the number of tornadoes reported including 3 in Crow Wing County, another near the Staples/Wadena area, another near Annandale to Watkins and others after a stormy Monday. Quieter days are forecast through Thursday night now. 

The Pierz Fire Department was called to a shed fire Saturday night around 11:40pm and were assisted by the Little Falls Fire Department. The fire was reported at 23856 Lariot Road in Pierz. Fire crews were on scene for 6 hours. It appears that the fire was started by some hay that was inside the shed. Shed and some equipment in the shed was a total loss. 26 firemen were on the scene. There were no injuries reported. 

On Monday, many Legislators made statements following this past weekend's death and shooting of two legislators. This included District 10A Representative Ron Kresha (R - Little Falls) who released the following statement. "The senseless assassination of Speaker-Emerita Melissa Hortman has no justification and I condemn this act of violence. She was tireless advocate for her district, her caucus, and her values, and she earned the respect of the entire House of Representatives. Few legislators have had as large an impact on the State of Minnesota, and she was a nationally-recognized leader in energy policy. She has had a profound impact on this institution and on my own leadership. I worked with Melissa on many issues and found her knowledge and experience valuable. She always found the good in people and looked for common ground with workable solutions. My prayers are also with Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette as they recover from this horrific attack. I condemn in the strongest possible way the violence that led to the death of Melissa and Mark, and I call on every Minnesotan to reject it. Political violence is abhorrent and unacceptable, and we all have an obligation to change the unacceptable political arena present today. My prayers are with the men and women in law enforcement who are working to stop this evil and bring the perpetrator to justice."

Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson has revealed that fifty-seven-year-old Vance Boelter, the man accused of killing Representative Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and gravely shooting and injuring Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, actually visited two other state politicians homes on Saturday, and had forty-five names of Minnesota leaders on his list. “It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Boelter stalked his victims like prey. He went to their homes, held out as a police officer, and shot them in cold blood". Thompson says Boelter faces six federal charges: two counts of stalking, two counts of murder, and two counts for shooting and injuring people. He says the death penalty is on the table. Hennepin County Mary Moriarty says her office will pursue a first-degree murder indictment against Boelter. If convicted, Boelter would face a life sentence without a chance for parole. Moriarty says they are now focused on building their case against Boelter: We will be reviewing all of the evidence from law enforcement as it comes in and working with our law enforcement partners to develop the case. I do want people to know that, given the scale of this investigation, the review of evidence will take time. Thompson said Boelter is being charged with one count of stalking Rep. Hortman; one count of stalking Sen. Hoffman; two counts of murder through use of a firearm — punishable up to death — and two counts of firearm offenses for the shootings of the Hoffmans. Boelter appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Paul Monday afternoon and Boelter requested a public defender. He will remain in custody until his next court appearance, which is currently scheduled for June 27 at 11am though that could change if Boelter is indicted by a grand jury on more serious charges before that date. Thompson said it was too early to say if the Justice Department would seek the death penalty, but noted it was among the options available to the government based on the charges. The counts charged in the criminal complaint could be amended by prosecutors as they pursue a grand jury indictment as a prerequisite for bringing the case to trial.

Although the next Congressional Election in District 8 is not until November, 2026, two Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidates have announced they are running for the 8th Congressional District seat currently held by Congressman Pete Stauber. Cyle Cramer, 32, of Chisago City, and Emanuel Anastos, 25, of Tower, have each filed statements of organization with the Federal Election Commission establishing their campaign committees. U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican from Hermantown who has held the seat since 2019, has also filed for reelection on the GOP side already for next year. Cramer, who grew up in Faribault, Minnesota, and served in the Army National Guard, works as an attorney for the Nichols Kaster, PLLP in Minneapolis, where he “represents clients in employment matters including whistleblower retaliation and discrimination claims,” Anastos grew up on New York’s Long Island and came to Minnesota to attend Carleton College in Northfield. Since 2022, he has lived on the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa’s Vermilion Reservation near Tower, where he works as an Indian child welfare case manager for the Bois Forte Band. The 8th District has been a DFL stronghold for many years under then Congressman James Oberstar but since 2008 the GOP party has done well winning the district every year since 2018 for Stauber.