The St. Cloud VA Health Care System is hosting veteran appreciation events throughout Central Minnesota.

The events are part of the National Salute to Veteran Patients and run from Feb. 15-17. They include the Montevideo Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) on Feb. 15, the Max J. Beilke CBOC in Alexandria on Feb. 16, and the Brainerd CBOC on Feb. 17.

St. Cloud State and the University of Minnesota – Duluth are in a battle to raise money for Special Olympics Minnesota.

Police responded to a disturbance at St. Cloud Hospital early this morning after a resident began throwing items around an emergency room and allegedly assaulting staff members.

Police say 39-year-old Randy Allen Butkowski threw items and assaulted a 50-year-old emergency room doctor and a 29-year-old emergency room nurse. It happened around 12:42 a.m. Friday morning.