>>Suspect in Deadly Willmar Hit and Run Pedestrian Crash Turns Himself In
(Willmar, MN) — Willmar police say the suspect in a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run crash turned himself in Wednesday afternoon. Police Chief Jim Felt says the 33-year-old man was cooperative and provided a statement along with the location of his vehicle. The 2012 Volkswagen Passat with out-of-state license plates was seized as evidence and is being processed. The victim is identified as 52-year-old Jason Jarvis of Cokato. Officers say Jarvis was crossing at an intersection Tuesday night when he was hit by the suspect vehicle and died in the hospital.
>>Austin Man in Custody for 20 Counts of Possessing Child Pornography
(Austin, MN) — An Austin man is in custody for possessing child pornography. 59-year-old Eric Smith is in the Mower County Jail with a $100,000 bond, charged with ten counts of possessing porn featuring a minor under 14 and ten counts of possessing porn as a registered predatory offender. Court documents say Smith allegedly violated the terms of his release from prison and when officers confiscated his cellphone, they found the images and videos. Smith’s next court appearance is January 8th.
>>Driver Sought After Nearly Hitting Kids Near Willow River
(Willow River, MN) — The Pine County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help locating a driver who nearly ran over two kids getting off a bus earlier this month. The kids had just crossed County Road 41 on December 21st when a pickup swerved around another stopped vehicle and sped down the road. The bus had its lights flashing and its stop sign deployed at the time of the near miss. Investigators are searching for the driver of a red Ford Ranger pickup with Minnesota license plate number 116-KPL.
>>Duluth To Offer Free Bus Rides to Public School Students, Staff
(Duluth, MN) — The City of Duluth plans to offer free transportation to public school students and staff members. The Duluth Transit Authority voted unanimously yesterday to create a pilot program offering free bus rides to students and staff using their school IDs. If the program is successful, the transit authority may expand it to include private schools. The Duluth School Board must still approve the plan, and officials hope to kick off the free rides in mid-January.
>>$50K Powerball Ticket Sold in Northeastern Minnesota
(Roseville, MN) — No players won the Powerball jackpot on Wednesday and the grand prize grew to 760 million dollars for Saturday night’s drawing. A ticket in Texas won a two-million-dollar prize last night and a ticket in California matched five numbers for one million dollars. A ticket worth 50 thousand dollars was purchased at the Mountain Iron Short Stop in northeastern Minnesota.
