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NEWS ARCHIVE

Teen Suspected in Sartell Playground Arson

07/08/2010 - 9:20 AM

Police in Sartell say a 13-year-old boy is suspected of starting a fire that destroyed playground equipment valued at about $100,000. Deputy Police Chief Dale Struffert says the boy is the lone suspect. He was released to his parents. Struffert says a lighter was used to start the fire. The fire was reported Monday at Pine Meadow Elementary School. Superintendent Joe Hill says school officials were meeting to determine whether insurance would help pay to replace the equipment.

The playground is one of two at the elementary school. Hill says the goal is to have the new playground ready when school opens in September.
 

Highway 10 Construction Update

07/08/2010 - 10:30 AM

Drivers traveling on the Highway 10 overflow bridge over the Mississippi River north of Little Falls will encounter a traffic switch this afternoon.

Bachmann Breaks Fundraising Record

07/08/2010 - 10:25 AM

The congressional campaign of incumbent Republican Michele Bachmann says she has raised more than $4 million in her bid to continue representing Minnesota’s 6th District. That's more than any US House candidate in Minnesota history has raised by the November election, let alone by July. Bachmann raised $1.7 million dollars in April, May and June. That nearly doubles the funds raised by her opponent, Democrat Tarryl Clark in the same three month period. Minnesota's 6th District covers all or most of Anoka, Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, Washington and Wright counties.

Clark Raises $2M in Challenge to Bachmann

07/07/2010 - 9:20 AM

The congressional campaign of Democratic Senator Tarryl Clark says she has raised more than $2 million in her bid to unseat Republican Representative Michele Bachmann in Minnesota's 6th District. Clark's campaign says she raised about $910,000 of that total in the second quarter of 2010. They did not say how much campaign cash the Democratic state senator from St. Cloud has already spent or how much she has left.

The campaign touted Clark's success with small donors, with support from 24,000 people. They say her tally so far puts her financially ahead of any previous Minnesota congressional challengers at this stage of the campaign. Bachmann's campaign has not yet released her second-quarter figures. At the end of March, she had about $1.5 million in the bank.
 

Northstar Officials Working to Extend Service to St. Cloud

07/07/2010 - 10:45 AM

The Northstar Corridor Development Authority is "working hard" to get federal money that would punch the Northstar Commuter Rail through to St. Cloud. Tim Yantos, Executive Director of the Authority, says they will likely soon apply for a Small Starts federal grant. If secured, the grant would provide up to $75 million of the estimated $150 million project.

Currently, the Northstar line goes from Big Lake to Target Field in Minneapolis. If the line is extended, proposed stops would be added in Becker and St. Cloud. A recent survey administered to 1,700 Northstar riders and folks who live along the rail line found that 79% of the respondents support government funding to extend rail service to St. Cloud.

Body of Missing St. Cloud Man Found Underwater

07/07/2010 - 10:25 AM

Investigators found the body of a missing St. Cloud man in a Sherburne County lake. The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office says 37-year-old Jason Lofgren disappeared on Monday afternoon, went he boating on Long Lake in Clear Lake Township. The following morning, the Sherburne County Dive Team found Lofgren dead under 13 feet of water. The exact cause of death is unknown pending results from the medical examiner’s office.

Moped Rider Injured in Crash

07/06/2010 - 9:55 AM

A moped rider from St. Cloud is hurt after getting hit by a car near the St. Cloud Hospital. It happened just after 2:30 pm Monday afternoon on the 1200 block of 14th Street North. The 47-year-old moped rider was driving west on 14th Street. That’s when, police say, a 21-year-old St. Cloud man failed to yield the right of way and drove his car out in front of the moped. The moped hit the side of the car, and the driver was thrown onto the road. He was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The driver of the car was cited for failing to yield.

UPDATE: Semi Driver Killed in I-94 Rollover

07/06/2010 - 12:35 PM

We now know the name of the semi driver who died in Monday’s rollover crash on Interstate 94 west of Avon. At around noon, the Minnesota State Patrol says 62-year-old John Rhinesmith of West Fargo, North Dakota was going west when he drove his semi through the median, crossed the eastbound traffic lanes, and rolled. Rhinesmith was pronounced dead at the scene.

Teen Wounded After Weekend Stabbing in Avon

07/06/2010 - 12:25 PM

A 17-year-old boy from Morrison County is wounded after getting stabbed over the weekend. It happened at about 11:30 Saturday night on Pelican Lake Road in Avon Township. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says a 16-year-old boy from Avon stabbed the victim, from Bowlus, in the chest with a knife. He was treated on scene for wounds to his pelvis and chest and later taken to the hospital for surgery to repair damage to his lungs and heart. The suspect was arrested and taken to the Stearns County Jail. He is being held in a juvenile detention center where he awaits assault charges.

State Sen. Clark to Host Transportation Roundtable

07/06/2010 - 12:00 PM

State Senator Tarryl Clark will host a roundtable discussion on Thursday to discuss jobs and transportation infrastructure in the St. Cloud area.  

The meeting is scheduled to take place in the St. Cloud Civic Center in the Stockington Suite at 9:30 am Thursday and is expected to last approximately an hour.

Average Weather Stats Reported for June

07/06/2010 - 11:45 AM

June 2010 will go down in the books as a wild severe weather month in Minnesota, but St. Cloud statistics were near normal. The 20 tornadoes reported throughout the state in the month of June steered clear of St. Cloud. According to St. Cloud State Meteorology Professor Bob Weisman, the total rainfall in St. Cloud last month was 4.92 inches, just barely above normal. Since the snow melted in mid-March, St. Cloud has picked up 8.43 inches of rain, almost two inches less than normal.

Weisman says the rain wasn’t always heavy over St. Cloud, but it was frequent. There were 16 days with measurable rainfall in June, four days short of the 20 day record set in 1914. But there still hasn’t been a day in 2010 with at least an inch of rain in St. Cloud.
 

Highway 15 Road Work Begins Tuesday

07/06/2010 - 11:00 AM

Beginning July 6, motorists can expect periodic lane closures on Highway 15 from Highway 23/Division Street in St. Cloud, to Stearns County Highway 47/136 in Saint Augusta. 

Juvenile Arrested For Terroristic Threats

07/06/2010 - 10:00 AM

A juvenile boy was arrested for terroristic threats on Sunday after police found him in possession of a BB gun pistol.

Police: Robbery and Assault Suspect at Large

07/05/2010 - 12:05 PM

St. Cloud Police need help finding the man who robbed and assaulted another man at the Burlington Northern train yard. It happened Sunday night just before midnight near the 400 block of 22nd Avenue North in St. Cloud. Police say the suspect approached a 26-year-old St. Cloud man, demanded his money, and told him he had a knife. Then, police say the suspect assaulted the victim as he tried to get away. The victim was eventually taken to the hospital with cuts to his left leg. The suspect is described as a white man between the ages of 18 and 20 with short shaved hair, taller than six foot two and a muscular build. At the time of the incident he was wearing a blue sleeveless jersey with shorts. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 255-1301.

Woman Found in River is Sen. Klobuchar's Stepsister

07/01/2010 - 3:15 AM

The woman pulled this week from the Mississippi River in Minneapolis is US Senator Amy Klobuchar's stepsister. Authorities initially had trouble identifying her after she was pulled from the river on Monday. But she has since been identified as 35-year-old Katharine Shannon Wilkes of Minneapolis. She had gone swimming more than a week ago. Katharine's mother, Susan Cornell Wilkes, is married to Jim Klobuchar, Amy Klobuchar's father. Wilkes says her daughter was an actress, a painter and taking interior design classes. Susan says the medical examiner's office told her there's no indication of foul play or suicide. Authorities are still investigating how she died. Klobuchar's spokeswoman, Erikka Knuti, says the senator plans to spend time with her father and his wife Friday.