In this afternoon’s WJON News headlines:

– Minnesota National Guard members have their paid leave restored
– Eugen Rivetts sentenced in fatal Hummer crash
– Father who abandoned son gets probation
– North Dakota moves to number 2 in oil production

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

Tri-County Humane Society

Meet Mack and Striper. Two friendly pets waiting to call your laps their new homes.

Tri-County Humane Society

Mack is a 3 ½ year Schipperke and Rat Terrier. His new yard will need to have a TALL fence so he can expel his energy safely. For a little guy, he can jump pretty high. Mack is ready to put on his game face and introduce you to the art of fetching. Many of his catches are in mid air. Did I mention he can jump really high? In his previous home he did well with children, cats and other dogs. Tasty treats help keep his attention when you are training. Mack knows how to sit and enjoys going for walks. He is neutered and housetrained.

– Tri-County Humane Society Executive Director Vicki Davis

Tri-County Humane Society

Are you looking for a mellow lap-loving friend? If so, meet Striper. Named for the many stripes on his tabby coat, this cat is 13 years old, neutered and declawed. His previous owner was moving to a place where cats aren’t allowed, so he brought Striper to the shelter to find him a new loving home. He lived with children and other animals in the past and everyone got along fine. Striper is a well-adjusted cat who should fit into almost any home. The shelter environment doesn’t face him a bit. In fact, he’ll meet you at the cage door in hopes of a head scratch if you pause by his cage. Stop by and meet him today!

– Tri-County Humane Society Executive Director Vicki Davis

Check out all the animals available for adoption by going to the Tri-County Humane Society’s website or Facebook page. Or visit them at 735 8th Street Northeast in St. Cloud. They’re open Monday through Thursdays Noon to 6; Fridays noon to 8; Saturdays 11 to 5; and Sundays Noon to 5.

Jim Maurice

ST. CLOUD – With popular TV shows like “The Great American Food Truck Race” on the Food Network, food trucks are a hot new trend.  For Joey and Melissa Ryan of St. Cloud the show inspired them to buy a truck of their own.

It’s the second year they’ve owned The Grub Truck.  Melissa says they offer a few unique menu options for their customers.

They set-up on the street in downtown St. Cloud every Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Melissa’s mom, Sandie Hawn, also helps out.

The menu includes a variety of flavors of rice bowls and tacos.

They plan to run through October.

Jim Maurice

Today’s top stories from WJON News:

– Eugene Rivetts sentenced to 10 years in prison
– United Way names new CEO
– Red Cross develops tool to assist in emergencies
– More Memorial Day travelers to drive over flying

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

Eugene Rivetts (Stearns County Jail Photo)

ST. CLOUD — The driver of a Hummer that struck and killed a motorist near Opole in August of 2009 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The sentencing of 44-year-old Eugene Rivetts ends a 2-and-a-half year saga as to who was the driver of the Hummer. Rivetts’ passenger Timothy Rausch initially told investigators he was driving when the Hummer slammed into 19-year-old Ryan DeZurik’s Toyota Corolla at 95 miles-an-hour. But, forensics later determined it was Rivetts’ DNA on the driver’s side of the vehicle, meaning Rivetts was behind the wheel.

Last August Rivetts’ pleaded guilty and admitted he had been drinking throughout the day. But, his blood-alcohol level was never measured because he said he wasn’t driving.

A few months later, Rivetts withdrew his guilty plea and took his case to trial.

In March, a Stearns County jury found Rivetts guilty on two counts of Criminal Vehicular Homicide. Rivetts will serve eight years behind bars and two more years on supervised release.

The judge has not yet decided on restitution to the DeZurik family.

Patrick Powell will be the new chief executive officer, filling the role left vacant by Noreen Dunnells.

Powell has served as the Vice President of Planning, Allocations and Community Development for the United Way in Omaha, Nebraska, and prior to that worked for the United Way in Ohio.

Interim Executive Director Greg Vandal says the applicant pool of 40+ candidates drew professionals both local and national.

Powell is set to begin work in the St. Cloud area on June 25th.

Robin Hensel’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, says the city violated her constitutional right to free speech last fall by ordering her to remove the signs, which supported the Occupy Wall Street and peace movements.

A Little Falls administrator says the city received more than a dozen complaints that Hensel had too many signs in her yard in violation of the ordinance and that they had become a distraction.

Hensel’s complaint to the city says it’s “wrongfully harassing” her for expressing an unpopular opinion on her own property. The city’s attorney, Toni Wetzel, did not immediately return a call for comment.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)

Bob Hughes

You can add Michael Smerconish to the long list of phenomenal performers that have graced the stage at the historic Paramount Theater.

The evening began with an intimate gathering in Studio C, where it was obvious in an instant who folks had come to see.  The fare was AWESOME, thank you Food Ecstasy!

Michael’s theme of the need for more civility in our world had everyone thinking, laughing, and listening intently.  His stories about his early career, how he got to be where he is today, and his observations along the way reinforced his popularity in Central Minnesota.

Not to mention his daughter’s letters from camp!

Two things were abundantly clear:  Michael Smerconish is a regular, down to earth guy who is doing what he can to spread the message of the need for more civilized conduct on the part of our Federal Government, what we as broadcasters bring to the air on a daily basis, and what we as a society need to instill in the next generations of Americans.

The other was that, if you weren’t there last night, you missed a GREAT experience.

Hear more from Michael Smerconish every weekday from 11 AM to 1 PM on AM 1240, WJON.

THANK YOU for coming last night!

Getty Images

The Twins are expected to activate first baseman Justin Morneau from the 15-day disabled list today in time for him to play tonight at Detroit.  Morneau has been on the disabled list for the past 15 days with a sore left wrist.  He’s been taking batting practice the last couple of days and is reporting no problems.  Morneau in 20 games was batting .230 with 4 homeruns and 9 RBIs this season.

Morneau is expected to play first base primarily instead of DH.  Morneau played just 4 games at first base so far this season.  To make room for Morneau on the activate roster Chris Parmelee was optioned to triple-A Rochester.  Parmelee was hitting just .179 with no homeruns and 3 RBIs for the Twins this season.

Getty Images

The Twins lost 5-0 at home against Cleveland Tuesday afternoon.  Derek Lowe threw a complete-game 6-hit shutout with 4 walks allowed and no strikeouts.  It’s Lowe’s first shutout in nearly 7 years.  Brian Dozier had 3 hits for the Twins and Jason Marquis allowed 9 hits and 5 earned runs in 5 innings to take the loss and drop to 2-3. His ERA swells to 6.68.

The Twins are 10-26 and they begin a 2-game series at Detroit at 6:05 tonight, pregame on WJON at 5:35.  Righthander Nick Blackburn (1-4) gets the start on the mound for the Twins and righthander Rick Porcello (3-3) toes the rubber for the Tigers.

CSB

St. Ben’s has announced the hiring of Rachael Click as their new head softball coach replacing Denny Johnson.  Johnson held the job for the past 26 years.  Click was most recently a graduate assistant coach at Jacksonville University and had been an assistant coach at UW-Eau Claire in 2009-2010.  Click is a Gustavus graduate.

Rocori 10, Tech 1
(Austin Athmann was 2-3 with a 3-run homerun for the Spartans)

Apollo 5, Alexandria 3
Cathedral 17, Zimmerman 1
Sartell-St. Stephen 10, Moorhead 9
Foley 6, Princeton 0
St. John’s Prep 10, Onamia 0

Willmar 7, Sauk Rapids-Rice 0
(Rachel Paulson had a double for the Storm.  Sauk Rapids-Rice is 6-6 in the CLC and 9-8 overall)

Alexandria 10, Apollo 0
(Katrina Johnson had the lone Apollo hit)

Cathedral 10, Zimmerman 0
(Olivia Hoffman had 3 hits and 2 RBIs for the Crusaders)

Bill Affeldt

Tech-Cathedral 15, Coon Rapids 5
(Zach Affeldt had 5 goals and 3 assists for Tech-Cathedral.  Corey Wheelock had 3 goals and 1 assist for Tech-Cathedral).

Here’s this morning’s headlines on WJON:

- Car runs into convenience store
- Iowa man accused of assault
- Sartell-St. Stephen settles teacher contract
- District 742 makes energy upgrades
- St. Cloud Band turns 125 years old

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

St. Cloud Police say the incident happened just before 6:30 p.m. last (Tuesday) night in the 500 block of 15th Avenue Southeast.

Derek Graybill of Waterloo was allegedly attacking the woman when he was confronted by a group of witnesses.  He then pulled a knife and threatened to kill them.

He’s being held in the Benton County Jail.

Jim Maurice

ST. CLOUD – The St. Cloud Municipal Band is celebrating it’s 125th anniversary this year, and they’re just as popular as ever.

No one seems to be sure of the specific year the band started, but the first recorded mention of the band was in 1887 — 125 years ago.  They bill themselves as one of the oldest municipal bands in the nation.  At one time the band was known as the only band in the nation to play while riding bicycles.  They’ve performed all over the world including trips to Beijing, China, Spalt, Germany, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Mark Kaehler is the business manager, and also a member of the band.  He says part of the reason for the band’s longevity is their members tend to stick around for a while, including a few members who just left the band after 50 years.

Kaehler says they limit their numbers to about 50 members, and they have a waiting list to join.  They’re funded by the city and they also get grant money from the Land and Legacy Amendment.  Kaehler says they practice every Monday night and perform about 25 free concerts every year.

They kicked-off their 2012 season with a concert on Monday night at the Paramount Theatre.  One of the members of the audience says she’s watched the band perform several times.

You can find the band at the VA for their Memorial Day ceremony, they perform regularly at Barden Park, and at Hester Park on the Fourth of July.

Short video of their performance at the Paramount Theatre on Monday, 14th, 2012.

And here are some photos from throughout the history of the St. Cloud Municipal Band, courtesy of The Stearns History Museum archives.

Minnesota Department of Transportation

RICE — Starting next spring a new interchange project will take place at Highway 10 and Benton County Road 2 in Rice.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is holding an open house meeting tomorrow (Thursday) to give residents and motorists a look at the plan. The open house will be from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Rice City Hall. You can learn about the project, the work schedule and have your questions answered.

MnDOT is currently working to acquire the necessary land for the project.

Facebook

COLD SPRING – You still have time to register for the “Old Glory Run.” The 5KRun/Walk event, including a 1K Kids’ Run, is coming up on Saturday in Cold Spring.

You can sign on to participate or volunteer, or just show up as a spectator. The opening ceremony kicks off at 9:45 a.m. at the Cold Spring Baseball park, with the run to begin at 10a.m.

Additionally, Freedom Flight will be hosting tethered hot air balloon rides.

Same-day registration for the run is NOT available, so to join, visit their website.

All proceeds will benefit Minnesota Disabled American Veterans.

The settlement between the district and the Sartell Education Association covers the 2011-2013 contract years.

Teachers will get a 1.75% raise the first year of the contract and a 1% raise in the second year. Steps and lanes will be awarded as appropriate. Also, teachers with 20 years or more of active service in the district will receive a longevity increase of $1,000 starting in the 2011-2012 contract year.

Insurance coverage provided by the district will remain the same.

The total cost of the package is an increase of just over 6.8% over the term of the deal.

The school board will vote on it May 21st.