In this afternoon’s WJON News headlines:

– Minnesota lawmakers working to wrap up legislative session
– Highway 15 bypass ramps to open tomorrow
– North Dakota to erect billboards in St. Cloud
– Princess Kay finalists named

WJON News.
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Here’s today’s WJON Headlines:

WJON News
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Good morning here’s today’s headlines on WJON:

- Flash Flood Watch continues today
- Strong storms in eastern Minnesota yesterday
- Police investigate report of gunshots fired
- Lottery players win smaller prizes in Powerball
- New invasive species rules from DNR

WJON News
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As part of our new “Best Of Pete & Doug” series, here’s a clip of us talking about “Pot Tourism” in Colorado.

Despite having some fun with this, we also brought up some legitimate questions about how to enforce the and driving while impaired.  Listen below to the full clip.

ST. CLOUD — Volunteers continue to search the local area for a missing 24-year-old woman from Eden Prairie.

It has been more than two weeks since Mandy Matula was last seen. Volunteers focused along the Mississippi River, Saturday, starting at Riverside Park.

Despite the dreary weather, people came to bring closure to the Matula family. One volunteer says she is searching because she has kids and can sympathize with the family. Other volunteers say they are searching because it could have easily been anyone, including themselves.

Matula was last seen leaving her family’s home with David Roe on May 1st. Roe, a St. Cloud State Student, shot himself in the Eden Prairie Police Department’s parking lot May 2nd, he later died before speaking with police.

A phone call from Roe’s cell phone was detected by cell towers between St. Cloud and Sartell during the time Matula went missing and Roe’s death.

Additional searches for the missing woman were held on Saturday in the Eden Prairie area.

Here’s today’s WJON Headlines:

WJON News.
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ST. CLOUD — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota announced the winners of their awards for Outstanding Youth Participants and High School Volunteers.

The organization recognizes two “Littles” each year for their contributions to the program.

This year’s Outstanding Youth Participants are Dagan Harris and Kimberly Pena.

Harris started with the program in 2011. Since then his grades have improved.

Pena has been in the program for two years. The organization says she has demonstrated positivity and maturity. 

Recipients of the Outstanding High School Volunteer Award were Luke Granlund from Foley High School and BriAnna Kruzel from Sartell High School.

Granlund has been with the Big Brothers Big Sisters for two years and has helped organize fundraisers for the program.

Kruzel started as a “Little Sister” when her father was on military duty in Iraq. She is currently mentoring a girl whose father is also deployed overseas.

Development Associate, Shannon Giffin says the four award winners really stood out among the more than 200 volunteers.

The four winners were recognized at during an award banquet held in April at the St. Cloud Public Library. You can see their photos on our website, wjon.com.

CAMP RIPLEY — The Camp Ripley National Guard base is celebrating the newest Unmanned Aircraft System Operations Facility in the Midwest.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Friday to showcase the nearly 13,000 square foot building. Included in the facility is a hangar for the Shadow and Raven – two Unmanned Aircraft Systems or UAS – flight simulators and additional office space.

Staff Sergeant Eli James says this is a big improvement over their former operation.

The UAS vehicles are strictly used for surveillance training within the camp’s perimeter. Camp Ripley is one of three such bases found within the five state area. James says they hope to bring soldiers from neighboring states in to help train and prepare for actual combat situations.

The Shadow System is a 475 pound vehicle with a 12 foot wingspan. The Raven is a four pound unit, capable of traveling 6.2 miles. Sergeant Christopher Storkamp says the Raven’s durability serves troops well in combat.

The larger Shadow costs just under $1 million per vehicle while the smaller Raven runs about $10,000. The camp has a total of three Shadow and Raven crafts apiece.

A platoon of 30 Soldiers use and operate the UAS vehicles in the camp.

These vehicles, often referred to as drones, have been the topic of recent national headlines. Senator Rand Paul lead a 13 hour filibuster in the Washington, D.C. over the domestic use of such units.

Storkamp says they have even seen citizen protests at the front gate of the camp. However, he says Minnesotans have nothing to worry about when it comes to privacy.

Multiple officials at the ceremony stress that these vehicles are saving the lives of countless American Soldiers. The same officials point out Camp Ripley is not too far from the Little Falls home of another famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh.

In this afternoon’s WJON News headlines:

– Senator Klobuchar speaks out on high gas prices
– Police release name of garage fire victim
– Powerball fever running wild
– MN House defeats bonding bill proposal

WJON News.
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Good morning here’s today’s headlines on WJON:

– Name released in garage fire death
– St. Cloud police arrested a man after alleged armed robbery
– National Weather Service expects Thunderstorms today
– Today is grand opening day for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations

WJON News
On The Air. Online. On Charter Channel 20. On Demand.

Good morning here’s today’s headlines on WJON:

- Name released in deadly garage fire
- Man arrested after alleged armed robbery
- DFLers finalize state budget plan
- Unmanned drones featured at Camp Ripley
- St. Joe names two police candidates

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ST. CLOUD — The man who inspired the movie Forest Gump was at the Whitney Senior Center Thursday to give some healthy living advice.

Robert Sweetgall is the first person to have walked 11,208 miles through all 50 states in one year.

He spoke to a standing room only crowd during one of four stops in St. Cloud today.

Before tracking across the U.S. Sweetgall says he left his job as a chemical engineer at DuPont where he made about $100,000 a year.

Sweetgall lost some of his family members to heart disease which was one reason why he decided to walk across the United States seven times.

He is an advocate for maintainging a healthy lifestyle. Sweetgall says he continues to walk everyday and maintains a healthy diet.

ST. CLOUD — A local non-profit organization is helping to get people off of public assistance programs and into full-time jobs.

Resource opened its doors in a new office in the Midtown Square Mall on April 1st. The organization is providing help to those on welfare in Stearns and Benton Counties.

Julie Kizlik is the director of the employment action center. She says it’s all about helping people reconnect with the working world.

Workshops, skills and resume training are just a few services being provided. Kelly Matter is the president of Resource. She says they are looking to empower those seeking help.

Over 1,000 people are currently getting help from the group in Central Minnesota. Kizlik says they are seeing many single parents and recently unemployed coming through their doors. But she says she is noticing a willingness to get back to work.

Resource is the largest private provider of welfare-to-work services in the state. They employ 25 people in St. Cloud. The program is made possible through funds from the federal government.

The non-profit organization has been in Central Minnesota since 1989.

In this afternoon’s WJON News headlines:

– Gas prices jump again in St. Cloud
– Governor Dayton pitches stadium funding plan
– Late spring may be factor in state job losses
– Stearns County shed fire considered total loss

WJON News.
On the Air. Online. On Charter Channel 20. On Demand.

Here’s today’s WJON Headlines:

WJON News
On The Air. Online. On Charter Channel 20. On Demand.

Good morning here’s today’s headlines on WJON:

- Wanted man arrested in Morrison County
- Fires at Camp Ripley
- St. Joseph discussing Human Rights Commission
- Gas prices jump around the state
- Biking to work a popular option

WJON News
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ST. CLOUD – With warm temperatures here, and gas prices on the rise, more of us are looking at the option of biking to work.

Mike Rathlisberger owns Fitzharris Bike and Sport in downtown St. Cloud.  He says there are a lot of different bike options out there, ranging in price from $450 to $1,000.  But, he says your old bike collecting dust in garage can work just fine, with a few adjustments.

He says, if your getting your bike out of storage for the first time this season, it’s important to do some routine maintenance.

Other tips include: following the rules of the road, wear bright clothes, and buy a bike helmet.

Tomorrow (Friday) is National Bike to Work Day.

In this afternoon’s WJON News headlines:

– St. Cloud gas prices soar
– Owner of suspicious vehicle arrested
– Camp Ripley fights wildfires Tuesday
– Senate approves daycare union plan

WJON News.
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SARTELL — Three non-union city employees in Sartell are the focus as leaders look to adjust their pay.

The city council voted 3 to 2 Monday night to go ahead with a plan to raise the salaries in three steps.  City Administrator Patti Gartland says concerns were raised about an impact on the 2013 budget.

Police Chief Jim Hughes, Planning & Community Development Director Anita Rasmussen and Assistant Public Works Director John Kothenbeutel will each see a bump in pay.

The salary adjustments will be made on July 1st of this year along with January 1st and July 1st of 2014. The actual wage rates will be further increased to reflect any cost of living adjustments or merit-based raises.

Monday’s vote comes after analyzing and comparing other similar sized areas and positions to those in Sartell.

In February, the council voted to give six other non-union employees a raise for the first time in five years.

Here’s today’s WJON Headlines:

WJON News
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