03-Apr-2025

Farmer Dies After Being Run Over By His Own Tractor

A farmer in southern Minnesota died after being run over by his tractor, authorities say. The Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office was called to a farm near 570th Avenue in Lime Township on a report of an accident on Monday afternoon. The area is located to the north of Mankato. A preliminary investigation suggests that 82 year old Gerald Fredricks, may have unintentionally started the tractor while standing near a rear tire while the tractor was in gear. Momentum was then stopped when the tractor ran into a UTV parked in front of it. Despite life-saving efforts at the scene, Fredricks succumbed to his injuries. An investigation remains ongoing.

03-Apr-2025

Traffic Death

A pickup driver was killed when he lost control and collided with a semi. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened on Wednesday at about 11:30 a.m. on Highway 48 near Hinckley in Pine County. Sixty-seven-year-old Gary Thompson of Hinckley was going west and the semi was going east on the highway. Thompson was killed in the crash.  He was not wearing his seat belt. The driver of the semi 50-year-old Corey Klehr of Pine City was not hurt.

02-Apr-2025

Fire At Brainerd Recyling

A fire at a Brainerd recycling center forced the closure of a nearby road Tuesdayas firefighters worked to put out the blaze. Fire crews responded to Crow Wing Recycling around 7:15 this Tuesday morning after a scrap pile caught on fire. Because of the large fire, Industrial Park Road was closed for a little over two hours. The facility was not damaged, but it took fire crews about two hours to extinguish the fire involving the scrap pile. The owner of Crow Wing Recycling says the fire was likely started by a lithium-ion battery that was left in something that was put into recycling.

02-Apr-2025

High Speed Chase

Authorities arrested a 20-year-old Minnesota man Monday after he allegedly fled police during a pursuit that spanned more than 30 miles across two counties. The driver, from the rural Morrison County town of Hillman, was booked into jail in connection with the pursuit and driving under the influence, according to a news release. The Meeker County Sheriff's Office said the incident began to unfold around 2:10 p.m. Monday after the Minnesota State Patrol initiated a pursuit on northbound Highway 22, just south of Litchfield. The patrol terminated the pursuit, but the chase began again when the suspect vehicle was spotted by police in Litchfield, the sheriff's office said. However, that pursuit was also discontinued. The driver allegedly took off again when spotted by a Meeker County deputy and fled Litchfield eastbound on 260th Street at a high rate of speed. According to the sheriff's office, a pursuit intervention tactic (PIT) maneuver was initiated at the intersection of 260th Street and 650th Avenue.  The vehicle went into the ditch but the driver allegedly drove back out and continued south on 650th Avenue, making his way into the city of Darwin before heading south on County Road 14 and eventually north on Highway 15. According to a news release, a trooper deployed a tire deflation device as the vehicle entered Stearns County and an additional PIT maneuver by a Meeker County deputy ended the pursuit.  The suspect was arrested without incident.  "The pursuit by the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office reached speeds of 100 miles per hour and traveled just over 30 miles," the sheriff's office alleged. "At one point the driver swerved at a deputy as the deputy tried to initiate a second PIT maneuver." According to authorities, the suspect had a revoked driver's license at the time of the incident.