On this day in music, April 13, 2009, record producer Phil Spector was convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in his home four years earlier. The verdict came in the wake of a five-month retrial that followed the original 2007 court case against him, which had resulted in a mistrial decision after the jury failed to reach a unanimous ruling. Spector, who was 68 at the time, was sentenced to 19 years to life. The producer, who created the innovative “wall of sound” in the 60s and worked with the likes of The Beatles, the Righteous Brothers, and the Ronnettes, died in prison in 2021.
In 1973, Bob Marley and the Wailers released one of reggae’s most significant albums with the influential Catch A Fire. Marley’s fifth studio album and debut for Island Records, Catch A Fire not only marked the watershed moment when reggae infiltrated mainstream music, but also launched the artist’s career internationally.
In 1967, Frank and Nancy Sinatra became the first father-daughter duo to score a No.1 single on the UK charts with their duet, “Somethin’ Stupid.” Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne repeated the feat in 2003 with a rendition of Black Sabbath’s “Changes.”
In 1974, Paul McCartney and Wings topped the US album charts with Band On The Run. The album, which would go on to sell six million copies worldwide, hit the summit of the Billboard 200 on three separate occasions during the year. It remains McCartney’s most commercially successful album.
In 1985, USA For Africa – a US equivalent to the UK’s Band Aid – topped the US and UK pop charts with the Quincy Jones-helmed charity single, “We Are The World.” Among the star-studded participants were Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, and Paul Simon.
In 2003, Madonna attempted to combat music piracy and illegal downloads just prior to the release of her ninth studio album, American Life. She swamped file-sharing networks with false album-length MP3s that contained just a short message from the singer, which said “What the f*** do you think you’re doing?” The hackers immediately hit back, putting download links to all of her album’s songs on her website, which she was eventually forced to shut down.
BORN ON APRIL 13
1944: Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna)
1945: Lowell George (Little Feat)
1946: Al Green
1951: Max Weinberg
1951: Peabo Bryson
1954: Jimmy Destri (Blondie)
1962: Hillel Slovak (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
1966: Marc Ford (The Black Crowes)
1972: Aaron Lewis (Staind)
1975: Lou Bega
Ecumen of Litchfield has all kinds of services to help elderly residents. Besides the various housing options available, there is home care, Hospice and adult day services.
Ecumen Care Consultant Jillian Miller says Home Care can help people who are maybe recovering from an illness or injury or maybe have a new or worsening health condition with all kinds of services to keep them living safely in their own homes.
Miller says if you would like to know more about Ecumen Home Care or if you need information about end-of-life services in the Hospice program, you may call 877-311-4997.
Adult Day Supervisor Dawn Doty says they are available Monday through Friday from 8-to-4 and the cost is $19 per hour. She says bathing and foot care are available for additional charges and people may try Adult Day for a 3-hour trial period for free to see if it’s right for them.
Doty says people who attend adult day services blossom from the socialization aspect and it gives caregivers a break. She says it’s a person-centered service and they help those participating get engaged in activities.
Nicole Larson says the Emmaus Place and Memory Care units at Ecumen of Litchfield are full right now, but there may be a couple of apartments available soon at Bethany Assisted Living.
Larson says if anyone would like to see the various units available at Ecumen of Litchfield, they may call her for a tour at 320-373-6370. She says Ecumen will be hosting a blood drive in the Chapel on April 30th from 10-to-4 and you can make appointments at redcrossblood.org.
Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze would like to encourage all Meeker County residents to participate in one of the tornado drills this week during Severe Weather Awareness Week. The sirens will sound on Thursday at 1:45 p.m. and at 6:45 p.m., so no matter where you are, you should think about where you would take shelter if there was severe weather.
Sheriff Cruze says there’s a different topic for each day this week to make people aware of the various weather hazards that are possible and how to stay safe. He says today’s topic is Alerts and Warnings, Tuesday is Severe Storms, Lightning and Hail, Wednesday is Floods, Thursday is Tornadoes, and Friday is Extreme Heat.
Sheriff Cruze says the tornado drills on Thursday are intended to give the public the opportunity to practice their tornado sheltering procedures. He says the first drill is an opportunity for schools, businesses and those working during the day to practice while the evening drill allows second shift workers and families at home to do the same. He says the safest place to go is a basement or an interior room, such as a bathroom, without windows.
Sheriff Cruze says the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office uses RAVE alerts, a mass notification system, to deliver timely and reliable emergency information to residents, businesses, and visitors via text message, phone call, and email and you can get signed up with a link on the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office website or call Stephanie Johnson at the Sheriff’s Office at 693-5420, if you need help getting signed up. He says this week is also a special week to recognize the work of our 911 dispatchers and to thank them.
Sheriff Cruze says the dispatchers have a stressful job which requires a lot of multi-tasking and they do a fantastic job. And, again – when it comes to severe weather, use common sense, pay attention, have a plan in place and act accordingly.
One person died after a multi-vehicle crash on highway 40 west of Willmar Friday morning. At around 7:20 a.m., two vehicles collided in the eastbound lane of Highway 40 near 60th Street southwest, which is just east of the entrance to the Willmar Airport.
No one was injured in that crash. Conditions were very foggy at the time. The crash caused a traffic back up, and a passerby – 68-year-old Jeffrey Dean Bauman of Kerkhoven – stopped to check on the crash and was struck and killed by another vehicle – a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, driven by 30-year-old Jessica Lynn Schneider of Maynard.
Each day a business will be featured as “Business of the Day” and every time their commercial is aired be the 7th caller and win a chance to receive KLFD Bucks to be spent at our “Business of the Day” locations.
Monday thru Friday, at 4 pm we will draw out a winner to be put into our final drawing to be held sometime later in April. Once your name has been drawn out daily and put into the final drawing, you are no longer qualified to call in. Otherwise, you can keep calling in once a day to qualify.
Our sponsors include: Miller Automotive, Litchfield Liquors, DC Diesel Tek, El Chilero, Parts City Auto Parts, Scott’s Auto, Litchfield Chrysler, Litchfield Licensing, Davis Motors, Mid Country Bank, Queen Bee’s Bar & Grill, A.M. Maus & Son, Litchfield Eagles Club, SJP Designs, Central Counties Cooperative, Edina Realty, Quality Autowerx
