Man Dies in Rural Staples House Fire; High Wind Damage From Tuesday Storm; Authorities Investigate Cottonwood County Drowning
>>One Dead In Staples Area House Fire
(Staples) Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk issued a release regarding a fatal house fire in rural Staples. Just before 11AM Tuesday, a fire was reported at a residence in Byron Township near Staples. Responders found a residence engulfed in fire. Once the fire was extinguished, an adult male victim was found inside the residence. Two other adults were treated at Staples hospital for smoke inhalation. An autopsy on the unidentified victim is scheduled. The cause of the fire is being investigated. Firefighters from Staples, Motley, and Pequot Lakes, as well as Staples Ambulance and the State Fire Marshall’s Office assisted at the scene.
>>Authorities Search For Teen’s Body In Cottonwood County
(Eagle Lake, MN) — Authorities in Cottonwood County have begun a recovery operation for a teen who went missing after jumping into a lake during a canoe ride. The county sheriff’s office says the 15-year-old boy jumped into Eagle Lake on Monday to try to retrieve an oar. A family member told investigators that the wind pushed the canoe out of reach and the boy disappeared while trying to swim to shore. The teen was reportedly not wearing a life jacket.
>>High Winds Knock Out Power, Topple Trucks Across Minnesota
(Undated) — Strong winds are being blamed for knocking out power and toppling several big rigs in Minnesota yesterday. Power lines were brought down by winds in northeastern Minnesota during the evening, with thousands of customers reporting outages around Duluth and Chisholm. A semi crashed on Minnesota Highway 56 in Mower County yesterday after a wind gust blew the tractor-trailer over. An empty FedEx truck crashed on the Bong Bridge between Superior and Duluth yesterday evening, landing on its side on the bridge median. Gale-force winds were reported in the area at the time, but investigators say they are still determining the cause of the crash.
>>Aerial Firefighting Crews Stationed In Brainerd To Combat Wildfire Risk
(Brainerd, MN) — With elevated wildfire risk in Minnesota, aerial firefighting crews have been stationed at the Brainerd Air Tanker base. Recent warm temperatures, strong winds, and lack of precipitation have increased fire danger levels, prompting Red Flag warnings. Coastal Air Strike, previously known as Fletcher Flying Service, is providing aerial firefighting support with a fleet of nine Air Tractor AT-802 aircraft. The aircraft, including Single Engine Air Tankers and Single Engine Scoopers, are equipped to carry eight hundred gallons of water or retardant.
>>US Supreme Court Rejects Lindell Appeal Over Cell Phone Seizure
(Washington, DC) — The U.S. Supreme Court is rejecting an appeal by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell over the seizure of his cell phone. The high court rejected Lindell’s request for a hearing without comment on Monday. Lindell was in a fast-food drive-thru in Mankato when FBI agents seized his phone in 2022. Investigators said the seizure was to determine if Lindell was sharing sensitive voting system information.
