Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Authorities have released the name of the man who drowned this past Saturday in Crow Wing County. The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office says 29-year-old Cody Kent of Burnsville drowned while swimming on Saturday. The Sheriff's Office says they were called around Noon about a man going underwater while swimming at Little Emily Lake, and that he had not come back up. Witnesses told deputies that Kent had swam out into the lake before disappearing beneath the water. A friend was able to find Kent and bring him back to shore. Kent was pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts from first responders. It is the second drowning on Little Emily Lake in the last month. On May 12th, 19-year-old Cameron Walker drowned after the paddle boat he was on with friends capsized. Little Emily Lake is about 11 miles southwest of Crosslake.

A 15-year-old girl from Albany who wasn’t wearing a seat belt was hurt in a two-car crash in Holding Township Friday evening. A caller reported the accident around 5:00 p.m. at the intersection of County Road 17 and County Road 3. The intersection has stop signs for northbound and southbound traffic on County Road 3. According to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, a 16-year-old Sartell girl was driving a 2010 Buick Lacrosse north on County Road 3. She came to a complete stop before proceeding into the intersection to cross County Road 17 and continue north. There are no stop signs for County Road 17 traffic. A 26-year-old Albany woman was driving a 2015 Chevrolet Impala east on County Road 17 as she approached the intersection. She told investigators she saw the Buick stop at the stop sign but then pull into the intersection, and she was unable to stop in time. A 15-year-old Albany girl, who was a passenger in the Buick, was not wearing a seat belt and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. She was taken by ambulance to CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital.

Morrison County Maintenance employees will be working on the following activities this week, Crack sealing CSAH 23, Culvert work on County Road 225 and County Road 241, Graveling County Road 241. Contracted construction crews will be working on the following activities: CSAH 76 construction will begin Monday, June 8 th . The road will remain open during construction but will have lane shifting to facilitate the rehabilitation of the road. Please drive with caution and remain patient during delays. Project is expected to be complete by the end of August. Belle Prairie Park River Access project began in May. 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. Please use caution around work crews and flashing lights.

Both the Minnesota DFL and GOP held their endorsing conventions over the weekend, with Senator Amy Klobuchar and healthcare executive Kendall Qualls receiving their party’s nods for governor. At the GOP convention, House Speaker and Cold Spring Representative Lisa Demuth took an early lead, but after ten rounds of balloting delayed by technical glitches, it was Qualls who won out. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he will still run in the primary. Klobuchar and her running mate, former Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer, seemed to be a shoo-in for the Democrats. Another candidate, Kobey Layne, was put forward as a challenger, but Klobuchar won with nearly 68% of the vote. Klobuchar has been in the U.S. Senate since 2006. She is the former Hennepin County Attorney. For the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Tina Smith, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan won the DFL endorsement, but Congresswoman Angie Craig will still run in the primary despite skipping the convention. For the GOP, former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze won the endorsement, but Michele Tafoya is expected to challenge him in the primary. Attorney General Keith Ellison won the DFL endorsement for another term. He will be challenged in the general election by Republican Ron Schutz. Schutz is an Army veteran, a former trial lawyer, and former chair of the Center for the American Experiment. Secretary of State Steve Simon is running for another term and handily secured the endorsement. He will face off against Tad Jude. Jude is a former state representative and state senator. St. Cloud area Representative Dan Wolgamott fell short in his bid for endorsement for State Auditor. The endorsement went to Zack Filipovich. He is a former Duluth City Councilman and works as a finance manager for a community and economic development consulting firm. Braham Mayor Nate George earned the GOP endorsement. He works for the Tribal Gaming Regulatory Authority as the Director of Licensing and Investigations for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The primary election is set for August 11th with the general election November 3rd.