Morning Newswatch with Jay Caldwell

No one likes to wait at stop lights but the wait often times is less than you think it is. The longest wait in the state for a stop light is actually in Central Minnesota at the stop light in Royalton. Blake Redfield is the Traffic Systems Manager for both St. Cloud and Stearns County.

The St. Cloud Police Department are reporting a stolen vehicle on the 300 block of 3rd Avenue South. The vehicle is a 1969 white Chevy Suburban with Minnesota license plate 797549.

Monday has been a cold day in Central Minnesota. How cold must it be for St. Cloud, Sartell-St. Stephen and Sauk Rapids-Rice Schools to close based on cold weather? St. Cloud School Superintendent Laurie Putnam joined me on WJON.

The city of St. Cloud is planning on moving ahead with the demolition of the former Tech High School cafeteria and gym in April. St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis joined me on WJON for a radio town hall meeting.

A combination of snow and cold affect Minnesotans but those conditions also affect wildlife in the state. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says the state has something called "Winter Severity Index" which measures how hard the winter is on deer, turkey and wildlife in general.

St. Cloud State has a group of students who will be participating in two different scientific eclipse ballooning studies in October of this year and April of 2024. St. Cloud State University Assistant Professor of Meteorology and Scientific Education Dr. Rachel Humphrey and St. Cloud State University President Dr. Robbyn Wacker joined me on WJON.

Waite Park Police are reporting a couple of thefts from vehicle. Alicia Mages from Tri-County Crimestoppers says the reports indicate tampering which includes things thrown about the vehicle but in some cases items were not taken.

Sartell expects 2023 to be a big year for commercial development in their community. An area that is seeing some substantial growth is the River Crossing Development along Highway 15 and County Road 1.

St. Cloud Police are reporting a stolen vehicle on the 2000 block of 15th Street North. Alicia Mages from Tri-County Crimestoppers indicates the vehicle is a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis with Minnesota license plate HSF 405.

Heart Disease continues to be the number one killer in the United States. There are many risk factors that make people more likely to have heart disease. I was joined on WJON by CentraCare Cardiologist Dr. Jacob Dutcher.