A 2-vehicle head-on crash occurred in Kandiyohi on Monday afternoon at 3:50 at the intersection of Highway 12 and Kandiyohi County Road 8. Two Ford F-150s were involved. A 2003 Ford F-150 was eastbound on Highway 12 – driven by 42-year-old Nathan Scott Whitcomb of Grove City. A 2014 Ford F-150 was westbound on Highway 12 – driven by 83-year-old Gary Duane Wells of Olivia. Wells was making a left turn onto Highway 8 when the vehicles collided. There were two passengers in his vehicle – 81-year-old Keith Allen Rodenberg and 80-year-old Rita Kay Rodenberg – both of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. All 3 of them received non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to Rice Hospital in Willmar. Whitcomb received non-life-threatening injuries and was not taken to the hospital. Also responding to the scene were the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office, Atwater Police, Kandiyohi Fire Dept. and First Responders and CentraCare Ambulance.
On June 5, 1956, Elvis Presley did his hip-gyrating act on the “Milton Berle TV Show.” From then on, cameras would only show him from the waist up.
In 1959, Bob Dylan graduated from high school in Hibbing, Minnesota. The name on his diploma was Robert Zimmerman. He had been the leader of a high school band called the Golden Chords.
In 1974, singer Sly Stone married model-actor Kathy Silva during a Sly and the Family Stone concert in New York. They separated two years later.
Also in 1974, Patti Smith made her first recording, a version of “Hey Joe.”
In 1977, Alice Cooper’s pet boa constrictor was bitten by a rat it was trying to eat for breakfast. The snake died. Cooper held a public audition a week later to find a replacement for the snake, which was featured in his act.
In 1979, bluesman Muddy Waters, age 64, married Marva Jean Brooks on her 25th birthday.
In 1982, actor Sophia Loren was released from a 17-day prison sentence for tax evasion in Italy.
In 1983, U2 performed a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. The concert was recorded and released as an EP and a video, both called “Under A Blood Red Sky.” Footage was also used in the “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” video.
In 1988, “The Phantom of the Opera” won seven Tony Awards, including best musical. “M. Butterfly” won best play.
In 1993, country star Conway Twitty died of a ruptured blood vessel in his stomach after completing a show in Branson, Missouri. He was 59.
Also in 1993, singer Vicki Carr married Dr. Pedro de Leon in what was supposed to be a private ceremony in San Antonio, Texas. She was mobbed by fans as she tried to enter the cathedral where the wedding was held.
In 1995, guitarist Kelley Deal of The Breeders pleaded guilty to drug possession charges. She was sentenced to treatment in a rehabilitation center.
In 1996, an arrest warrant was issued for Rob Pilatus (pih-LAY’-tus) of Milli Vanilli after he disappeared from a drug treatment facility in Los Angeles. He turned up at another treatment center six days later.
In 1999, singer Mel Torme died of complications from a minor stroke in Los Angeles. He was 73.
In 2002, singer R. Kelly was arrested in central Florida on 21 counts of child pornography, stemming from a video allegedly of Kelly having sex with an underage girl. He was later acquitted.
Also in 2002, guitarist Dee Dee Ramone of The Ramones was found dead at his home in Los Angeles. He was 50.
In 2004, singer-actor Jennifer Lopez married singer Marc Anthony at her home in Beverly Hills, California. They divorced in 2014.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor-singer Bill Hayes (“Days of Our Lives,” “Your Show of Shows”) is 98. News correspondent Bill Moyers is 89. Country singer Don Reid of the Statler Brothers is 78. Guitarist Fred Stone of Sly and the Family Stone is 76. Singer-performance artist Laurie Anderson is 76. Country singer Gail Davies is 75. Financial expert Suze Orman (“The Suze Orman Show”) is 72. Drummer Nicko McBrain of Iron Maiden is 71. Jazz drummer Peter Erskine (Steps Ahead, Weather Report) is 69. Saxophonist Kenny G is 67. Singer Richard Butler of Psychedelic Furs is 67. Actor Beth Hall (“Mom,” ″Mad Men”) is 65. Actor Jeff Garlin (“The Goldbergs,” ″Curb Your Enthusiasm”) is 61. Actor Ron Livingston (“Sex and the City,” ″The Practice”) is 56. Singer Brian McKnight is 54. Musician Claus Norreen (Aqua) is 53. Actor-singer Mark Wahlberg is 52. Actor Chad Allen (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”) is 49. Bassist P-Nut of 311 (three-eleven) is 49. Actor Navi Rawat (“Numb3rs”) is 46. Actor Liza Weil (“How To Get Away With Murder,” ″Gilmore Girls”) is 46. Bassist Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy is 44. Guitarist Seb Lefebvre of Simple Plan is 42. Actor Chelsey Crisp (“Fresh Off The Boat”) is 40. Actor Amanda Crew (“Silicon Valley”) is 37. Musician Harrison Mills of Odesza is 34. Musician DJ Mustard is 33. Actor Sophie Lowe (“Once Upon A Time In Wonderland”) is 33. Actor Hank Greenspan (“The Neighborhood”) is 13.
Litchfield’s 67th annual Watercade celebration is coming up July 6th through the 9th. A fundraising campaign is underway to help with royalty-related expenses.
Former 2008-09 Miss Litchfield Ashley Krug says she’s helping Becca Hansen Forsman with the coronation this year and she will be serving as a co-emcee with Chris Olson for the pageant on July 9th at 3 p.m. in the Bernie Aaker Auditorium. She says there is a way for individuals to help sponsor the royalty and the campaign is called Royalty Legacy sponsorship with 4 levels of participation.
Krug says you can be a Nobility sponsor by donating anywhere from $25 to $99; a Royalty sponsor with donations between $100 to $499; a Majesty sponsor with a donation from $500 to $999; and a Dynasty sponsor with a donation of $1,000 or more. She says it’s expensive for the queen and princesses to keep their float maintained, travel to other communities and for dresses, crowns, scholarships and other royalty-related items.
Krug says people who donate will be recognized in the program at the pageant and will receive two complimentary tickets to the coronation. She says you can go to watercade.com and click on the royalty tab for more details.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Stearns County Emergency Communications Center received a call from a boater on the Mississippi River reporting an overturned kayak. On Friday, the body of the missing kayaker was located in the Mississippi River.
He was identified as 39-year-old Donald Richard Worden of St. Cloud. His body was recovered at approximately 6:45 Friday evening. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a boater on the Mississippi River at 6:20 Friday evening near the St. Germain Street bridge reporting what appeared to be a body floating in the water.
The St. Cloud Fire Department and St. Cloud Police Department responded to the call along with the Sheriff’s Office. Boats from the St. Cloud Fire Department and Stearns County Sheriff’s Office worked together on the recovery. An investigator from the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. The body of Donald Worden was transported to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.