>>Former Senator Reinert Defeats Duluth Incumbent Mayor Larson
(Duluth, MN) — Challenger Roger Reinert (RINE’-ert) will be the new mayor of Duluth after soundly defeating two-term incumbent Emily Larson in Tuesday’s election. Former state Senator Reinert got 60 percent to Larson’s 40 percent, only a slightly narrower margin than last August’s primary which stunned many observers. Larson conceded before any official results were reported. Duluth Mayor-elect Reinert told supporters, “We took on forces from D-C, we took on forces from Saint Paul, and not just held our own, but won tonight.”
>>Somali Councilwoman Wins Election for Mayor in St. Louis Park
(St. Louis Park, MN) — St. Louis Park City Councilwoman Nadia Mohamed will be the new mayor of the Minneapolis suburb next year. It is believed that 27-year-old Mohamed will become the first Somali-American mayor elected in the U-S. She is also St. Louis Park’s first Black mayor. Mohamed defeated fellow Councilmember Dale A. Anderson in Tuesday’s election. The mayor-elect says she is honored and humbled by the support she received from the community.
>>Voters Approve 1% Sales Tax Increase in St. Paul
(St. Paul, MN) — It will cost a little bit more to shop at retailers in St. Paul next spring. Voters in the capital city approved a one-percent sales tax increase Tuesday that takes effect in April. The additional sales tax is expected to raise about one billion dollars over 20 years for road and bridge projects and to improve parks. St. Paul’s total sales tax rises to 9.875 percent which will be the highest in Minnesota. The ballot measure passed with just over 60 percent support.
>>GOP House Leader Criticizes Cost of State Office Building Project
(St. Paul, MN) — Republicans are renewing their objections to a planned 500-million-dollar renovation of the State Office Building in Saint Paul after an estimate requested from the Walz administration shows the state will pay an additional 275 million dollars in interest for the project. House G-O-P Minority Leader Lisa Demuth (DAY-muth) says maybe part of the conversation should have been whether to use part of the budget surplus. Minnesota House Democrats have not responded to requests for comment.
>>State Officials Prep for MN Veterans Day Program
(Inver Grove Heights, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing for the state’s “official” Veterans Day program on Saturday in Inver Grove Heights. Interim Commissioner Brad Lindsay says they’re expecting around 500 people to honor our service members. He says Veterans Day specifically is to pay tribute to all American veterans living or dead, but especially giving thanks to those who are living and served their country during war or peace. Lindsay says people often confuse Veterans Day and Memorial Day. The ceremony will be live-streamed at 10 a.m. on Saturday at MinnesotaVeteran-dot-org.
>>Craig Secures $375K to Hire 3 Police Officers for Burnsville
(Burnsville, MN) — Congresswoman Angie Craig says she has secured $375,000 from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to help hire three additional police officers in Burnsville. The funding allows the Burnsville P-D to hire two additional officers for their Behavioral Health Unit and one to enhance community policing efforts. Craig helped pass the bipartisan Public Safety Officer Support Act and secured funding for West and South St. Paul police to hire additional officers last year, and to expand mental health resources for Shakopee police officers earlier this year.
>>Man Jailed in St. Cloud Charged in Deadly Shooting
(St. Cloud, MN) — A suspect is now charged in a shooting at a party in St. Cloud on October 22nd that left one man dead and two wounded. Investigators say 26-year-old Deionte Parker is facing one count of second-degree murder, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Police say Parker fatally shot 34-year-old Antonio Harris, Junior of Buffalo, and injured a 26-year-old man and a 52-year-old victim following a disagreement. Parker was arrested on October 27th for a probation violation and remains in the Stearns County Jail.
>>Federal Jury Convicts 3 Defendants in $300M Magazine Subscription Scam
(Minneapolis, MN) — A federal jury in Minneapolis finds three defendants guilty in a 300-million-dollar nationwide magazine telemarketing scam that prosecutors say defrauded over 150-thousand elderly and vulnerable people across the country. Investigators say scammers called people with magazine subscriptions and offered to “renew” them often at reduced cost — but authorities say the defendants instead tricked victims into signing up for entirely new subscriptions, and some were fraudulently billed by as many as ten companies for over a thousand dollars a month. U-S Attorney for Minnesota Andrew Luger (LEW-ger) says, “This was one of the largest elder fraud schemes in our nation.” Authorities say 39-year-old Tashena Crump of Minneapolis, 37-year-old Ballam Dudley of Plymouth, and 47-year-old Amondo Miller of Littleton, Colorado conspired with at least 40 other defendants.
>>Waite Park Police Search for Three Robbery Suspects
(Waite Park, MN) — Police in Waite Park are asking for the public’s help in finding three suspects who robbed a woman of her purse Monday night. Officers say it happened around 7:00 p.m. Monday in front of a business. They found a woman who had been walking into a business when three masked men pushed her to the ground and stole her purse. The suspects are described as Black males who were wearing masks to cover their faces and dark clothing.
>>MN Twins Pitcher Sonny Gray Up for Cy Young Award
(Minneapolis, MN) — Minnesota Twins pitcher Sonny Gray is one of this year’s finalists for the American League Cy Young Award, his second nomination. Thirty-four-year-old Gray was first nominated in 2015 and finished in third when he was with the Oakland Athletics. This year, Gray is up against Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman. The Cy Young Award winner will be announced in one week.