On Dec. 20, 1958, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon performed as The Quarrymen at the wedding reception of Harrison’s brother, Harry.
In 1967, singer Ian Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick formed Jethro Tull.
In 1968, author John Steinbeck died in New York at age 66.
In 1973, singer Bobby Darin died during open heart surgery. He was 37.
In 1975, former James Gang member Joe Walsh joined The Eagles. He replaced Bernie Leadon, who left The Eagles for a solo career.
In 1981, the musical “Dreamgirls” premiered on Broadway.
In 1986, Randy Travis joined the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1995, the members of The Drifters were forbidden to leave Guyana after a series of concerts. They owed about $4,000 in entertainment taxes.
In 2006, Eminem and Kim Mathers were divorced for a second time. They had first married in 1999 and divorced in 2001. They remarried in January 2006 and he filed for divorce again that April.
In 2007, musician Eddie Van Halen and actor Valerie Bertinelli settled their divorce, six years after they had separated. They had been married 26 years.
Today’s birthdays: Actor Tommy Cole (“The Mickey Mouse Club”) is 83. Drummer-producer Bobby Colomby (Blood, Sweat and Tears) is 80. Former Kiss drummer Peter Criss is 79. Illusionist Uri Geller is 78. Musician Alan Parsons is 76. Actor Jenny Agutter (“Call the Midwife”) is 72. Actor Michael Badalucco (“The Practice”) is 70. Actor Blanche Baker (“Shakedown,” ″Holocaust”) is 68. Singer Billy Bragg is 67. Singer-bassist Mike Watt (The Minutemen, fIREHOSE) is 67. Actor Joel Gretsch (“The Vampire Diaries,” “V″) is 61. Country singer Kris Tyler is 60. Singer Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes is 58. Actor Nicole deBoer (“The Dead Zone”) is 54. Director Todd Phillips (“The Hangover,” “Joker”) is 54. Singer David Cook (“American Idol”) is 42. Actor Jonah Hill is 41. Actor Bob Morley (“The 100”) is 40. Singer JoJo is 34.
The Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign is continuing as kettles are set up at Family Fare, Running’s and Walmart in Litchfield. The funds collected in those kettles – through Dec. 24th – will help people in Meeker County in the coming year facing various emergency situations.
Rochelle Brummond from United Community Action Partnership (UCAP) says they are about half way to their goal of collecting $20,000 and they’ve received a gold coin for the 8th year in a row. She says the funds are used locally to help people who are struggling for various reasons.
Brummond says if anyone is willing to ring the bell at one of the Litchfield kettles over the next few days, they can sign up by calling Heather at 320-699-0461. She says they are grateful for all of the donations they’ve received so far, and for those who have been ringing the bell because people are more likely to make a donation when someone is at the kettle ringing the bell.
Brummond says checks for the Salvation Army may also be dropped off or mailed to her office at 120 North Sibley Avenue in Litchfield. She says the Threads of Hope store will continue to be at 120 North Sibley Avenue, but her UCAP office and Meeker Area Ministries will soon be relocated to 409 North Sibley Avenue.
Brummond says the Meeker County Holiday Project went well and they were able to help several local families – representing about 530 children – get gifts for Christmas and a holiday meal, and they delivered 50 food baskets to elderly residents around Meeker County. She says if anyone has questions, they’re welcome to call her at 693-7911.
On Wednesday morning at 12:51, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office received a crash detection call with multiple impacts in St. Augusta off County Road 136. Initially, dispatch didn’t hear anyone on the phone. Eventually, a man started screaming that he was stuck in a vehicle and to call 911. Officers arrived in the area and located the vehicle in a heavily wooded area about 50 yards from the road.
The vehicle was being driven by 21-year-old Russell Parks of Dassel. Parks was traveling eastbound on County Road 136, drifted off the road into a field, and drove through multiple large trees where the truck came to a rest on the driver’s side. St. Augusta Rescue was able to get Parks to climb out of the passenger side door. He was transported to the St. Cloud Hospital to be assessed for injuries. The crash is still under investigation. It’s believed that drugs and alcohol are a factor in the crash. St. Augusta Fire and Rescue and Mayo Ambulance assisted at the scene.
On Wednesday night at 11:10, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a single-vehicle personal injury accident in the 36000 block of CSAH 2 in Forest Prairie Township. Meeker County Deputies, Watkins Ambulance, Watkins Fire, and Watkins Rescue responded to the scene. When deputies arrived they learned that 24-year-old Jonathan Kellen of Litchfield was driving north on CSAH 2 when he left the roadway, striking a tree.
Kellen was transported to Meeker Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash. After being treated for his injuries, Kellen was booked into the Meeker County Jail on DUI related charges.
