Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Police are investigating a deadly shooting in Alexandria. Police Chief Scott Kent says officers and North Memorial Ambulance were called to the 1700 block of 6th Avenue East at about 1:15am Tuesday. A 27-year-old Alexandria man was found unresponsive inside a home.  Life-saving measures were performed, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.  The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension processed the scene.  The investigation is ongoing. Police say they do not believe there is any risk to the public, but they don't say if they have anyone in custody.  The victim's name has not been released pending notification of the family and a review by the Medical Examiner's office.

St. Cloud police say a level three predatory offender will be moving into south St. Cloud. Thirty-year-old Daniel Dols is moving into a residence in the 900 block of 8th Avenue South on Monday.  Police say he has served his sentence.  Dols was convicted of engaging in sexual contact with a known adult man.  The contact included touching.  Dols accessed the victim as they were receiving care within the same facility. The St. Cloud Police Department will be posting a community notification video detailing information regarding Dols via the city's website.  

Two men are safe after the truck they were driving partially fell into a lake. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says they received a report about a pickup truck breaking through the ice on Lake Koronis at about 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Once at the scene, deputies discovered that 33-year-old Kyle Vierzba of Montrose and 52-year-old Shawn Vierzba of Little Canada were driving their pickup on the lake when they felt it start to break through the ice. Both men were able to get out of the truck safely and make it to shore, where they called 911. Neither man was hurt in the incident, and the truck has been removed from the lake. The Sheriff's Office is reminding the public to be careful of changing ice conditions on all the lakes throughout Stearns County. This comes as Morrison County Sheriff Shawn Larsen reported an SUV through the ice on Lake Alexander this past weekend and also Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties reported vehicles through the ice in the past week.

The St. Cloud Area School Board is looking to censure one of its own after a board member wrote a profanity-laden social media post attacking federal immigration enforcement operations, President Donald Trump, and anyone who voted for him. Board member Natalie Copeland, who is also the executive director of LEAF 742 (Local Education and Activities Foundation), posted the message on Facebook. LEAF is a separate organization that serves as the fundraising arm for the district and promotes initiatives, including child literacy programs, math skills development, and the Adopt a Classroom project that helps teachers fund classroom needs. LEAF also manages endowment funds to provide supplemental funding for academics, activities, arts, and athletics. Last week, Copeland expressed anger on Facebook over what she described as ICE operations affecting students. She wrote that her daughter was unable to focus on a forensics test, asking, “How can her brain think in fight, flight, or freeze mode?” She added that students were “on high alert” and were planning to activate car alarms as a warning system if ICE arrived on campus. In her apology, Copeland said she posted “as a mother who was afraid for her child, and in that moment my emotions came through in a way that does not reflect how I strive to communicate, especially as a community leader. I have since removed the post, but I understand the impact has already been felt.” Board Chair Shannon Haws will present a proposed Resolution of Censure of a Board Member. It can then be discussed and members can vote whether to censure. According to the Oxford Dictionary, censure is a formal, public reprimand or strong expression of disapproval for misconduct that doesn’t warrant expulsion but is considered serious enough to damage the reputation and status of a person or group. The meeting gets underway at 6:30pm on Wednesday, January 21, inside the district administration office at 1201 South 2nd Street in Waite Park.