>>Child Escapes Abduction Attempt in Meeker County
(Ellsworth, MN) — Investigators in Meeker County are looking for a suspect after an abduction attempt was reported earlier this week. A man in a red Ford pickup allegedly forced a 13-year-old into his vehicle on Wednesday night near Lake Stella in Ellsworth Township. The 13-year-old was able to escape and ran to a nearby house for help. The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information about the vehicle or the suspect to contact them.
>>Fatal Crash in Kanabec County
(Mora, MN) — One person is dead, and another is seriously hurt after the vehicle they were in collided with a semi. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened at about 8:00 a.m.Thursday north of Mora in Kanabec County. A vehicle driven by 35-year-old Candace Berglund of Ogilvie was going east o when it made contact with the semi, which was going south. Berglund died in the crash. Her passenger, 16-year-old Robert Berglund of Ogilvie, was taken to Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The two people in the semi, 49-year-old Craig Stern of Cedar and 39-year-old Daniel Dami of St. Francis, were both taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
>>22-year sentence for St. Cloud woman who fatally stabbed infant son
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(St. Cloud, MN) — A judge in central Minnesota’s Stearns County has sentenced a Saint Cloud woman to nearly 22 years in prison for fatally stabbing her three-and-a-half-month-old son, putting the body in a plastic garbage bag and throwing it in a dumpster. 29-year-old Fardoussa Abdillahi pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder. The woman told police after the boy was born, she started having headaches and feelings of worry and fear. She said she was upset the child’s father was denying that the boy was his and wondered how she would get help. A competency exam in February 2022 determined Abdillahi was mentally unfit to face the charge, but a judge later determined she was restored to competency after reviewing her progress report.
>>Ten Minnesota Newspapers to Cease Operations Later This Month
(Hutchinson, MN) — Ten Minnesota newspapers and a printing facility in McLeod County will cease operations later this month. The Hutchinson Leader and the Meeker County Advertiser will publish their last editions on April 24th, followed by the Chaska Herald, the Chanhassen Villager, and the Jordan Independent on April 25th. Shakopee Valley News, the Prior Lake American, Savage Pacer, Southwest Saturday, and the Litchfield Independent Review will publish their final editions by April 28th. Southwest News Media says the Crow River Press facility in Hutchinson will also close. The decision stems from a loss of advertising revenue during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
>>Statewide Tornado Drills Scheduled for April 11th
(St. Paul, MN) — Tornado sirens across Minnesota will be tested next week as part of the state’s annual drill. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety will hold two drills next Thursday in coordination with local authorities. Sirens will go off at 1:45 and 6:45 p.m.; weather radios across the state will also broadcast a simulated tornado warning. The agency says the drill gives Minnesotans a chance to review their emergency plans and practice what they would do in the event of an actual tornado.
