>>Woman Who Died in Rochester Home Explosion ID’d
(Rochester, MN) — Police have identified the woman who died in a house explosion in Rochester Monday night. Fire crews responded to multiple reports of a possible explosion around 11 p.m. Upon arrival, a single-level home was on fire, and a woman was sitting in the street. The woman, 69-year-old Patricia Spitzack-Havlish, was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries or people in the house were reported. The state fire marshal is investigating the cause.
>>Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty for Bribing FOF Juror
(Minneapolis, MN) — A third defendant has pleaded guilty for his role in giving a cash bribe to a juror on the Feeding Our Future fraud trial. 25-year-old Abdulkarim Farah of Minneapolis is accused of conspiring with his brothers and others to give cash to Juror 52 in exchange for a not-guilty verdict. This was in the April 2024 trial against seven people involved in stealing $250 million from a federal nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abdulkarim helped identify Juror 52 as a target, drove his co-defendant to her house, sent a confirmation video of the bribe money delivery to his brother, and tried to destroy an encrypted messaging app from his iPhone to delete evidence. He will be sentenced later.
>>3 Men Arrested in Waite Park for Drugs, Guns
(Waite Park, MN) — Three men are in custody after an investigation into guns and drugs in Waite Park. The Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force went to serve a search warrant Tuesday when they met four of the occupants. While detaining them, police say they found handguns on 18-year-olds Matthew Kabbah of Brooklyn Center and Marnez Melton Jr. of St. Paul. The two were prohibited from such due to prior felonies. Police also accuse 19-year-old Corey Barnes Jr. of Bloomington of having drugs. A fourth person was searched and released. The three men arrested are jailed: Kabbah and Melton on felony possession of a gun and Barnes on fifth-degree drug possession.
>>DOJ Sends Resources to Investigate Unresolved Violent Crimes Against Native Americans
(Minneapolis, MN) — The U.S. Justice Department is sending FBI personnel across the country to resolve violent crimes in Indian Country. 60 personnel will be sent to Albuquerque, Denver, Detroit, Jackson, Mississippi, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, Seattle, and Salt Lake City in rotating 90-day temporary duty assignments over six months. They’ll partner with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit. At the beginning of this fiscal year, the FBI’s Indian Country program had 4,300 open investigations.
>>New Chapter for Health Negotiations in Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN) – Attorney General Keith Ellison has announced a new chapter in the negotiations for academic and clinical medicine and community health in Minnesota. The negotiations will begin between the University of Minnesota, Fairview, and Essentia Health. The parties have agreed to the attorney general’s proposal of selecting a strategic facilitator who will lead the discussions and address how the parties can work together. The attorney general’s office has set up a page on its website to allow for public opinion while these negotiations continue.
>>St. Paul City Council to Vote to Extend Trash State of Emergency
(St. Paul, MN) — The St. Paul City Council will vote today on extending a state of emergency regarding a trash collection contract. Mayor Melvin Carter announced the emergency on Monday. This comes after a neighborhood group, worried about the impact of the truck yard being used by trash collectors, halted the contract process with FCC Environmental Services. The yard would house trucks, fueling, and maintenance. Carter’s emergency only lasts three days, beginning Tuesday at midnight, and suspends zoning restrictions in the area. A zoning committee is set for next Thursday.
