>>State Sen. Mitchell pleads not guilty to burglarizing stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home
(Detroit Lakes, MN) — State Senator Nicole Mitchell, Democrat from (the Saint Paul suburb of) Woodbury has pleaded *not* guilty to charges of burglarizing her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes last April. And the Star Tribune reports that attorneys for the prosecution and defense have agreed Mitchell did *not* steal the laptop she had in her possession when she was arrested. Officers responding to an early-morning burglary call found Mitchell in the basement “dressed in all black clothing and a black hat.” According to the charges, she told her stepmother “something to the effect of, ‘I was just trying to get a couple of my dad’s things because you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.’ ” Mitchell’s father died last year.
>>Vance campaigning in Wisconsin while Harris,Walz kick off Georgia bus tour; Trump in western WI tomorrow
(Various) — Republican vice-presidential candidate J-D Vance campaigns this evening (Wed) in neighboring Wisconsin. He’s in the Green Bay area, talking about the economy, inflation and energy. His Democratic rival, Governor Tim Walz, spoke at the International Firefighters Association Convention in Boston earlier today and is kicking off a bus tour with Vice President Harris in Savannah, Georgia. Tomorrow (Thurs), former President Trump has a town hall just across the border in La Crosse, Wisconsin, while Walz campaigns in North Carolina. Looking ahead to Labor Day, the Walz-Harris campaign plans a series of events in every battleground state.
Meanwhile, a cadre of Democrats, including Senator Tina Smith, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and Attorney General Keith Ellison are in Rochester this afternoon (Wed 130pm) touting Vice President Harris’s housing plan. It calls for constructing three million new homes, a tax incentive for builders to construct homes for first-time buyers, and a 40-billion-dollar fund for local governments to build housing.
>>Emergency assistance approved for Big Stone, Rice, Sibley and Todd counties
(St. Paul, MN) — Governor Tim Walz is authorizing state emergency assistance for four Minnesota counties that suffered flood damage earlier this summer. Big Stone, Rice, Sibley and Todd counties suffered significant damage to public infrastructure on June 2nd. Walz says the state’s emergency management team continues to help Minnesotans recover from this year’s severe flooding.
>>New 2 walleye limit on Lake Mille Lacs appears to increase angler numbers
(Milaca, MN) — D-N-R officials say there has been a “noticeable bump” in people fishing on Lake Mille Lacs since a new two walleye limit took effect August 16th. The previous regulation allowed walleye anglers to take just one fish. Some of the public accesses on Mille Lacs were full over the weekend. The fisheries manager says sometime next week they’ll have creel survey numbers for the first 15 days of the new limit.
>>Chairman says MN Gop “fully supports” U-S House candidate Tierab, after 2nd District Repubs push back endorsement vote
(Various) — Chairman David Hann says the Republican Party of Minnesota fully supports U-S House candidate Joe Tierab, even as 2nd Congressional District Republicans last night (Tues) pushed back a decision on whether to endorse him. Party faithful in the 2nd District originally endorsed Tayler Rahm, who later dropped out of the race to work for the Trump Minnesota campaign but remained on the ballot. The 2nd District G-O-P committee decided at that time *not* to hold another endorsement convention, and in the primary election earlier this month, Rahm lost to Tierab. District G-O-P Chairman Joe Ditto said it would have been a toss-up whether Tierab received the endorsement, because some are still bitter about the way things went down. But local endorsement or not, significant outside money is expected to pour in race because Republican strategists conclude that Democratic incumbent Angie Craig is vulnerable.
>>Labor Day Gas Prices
(Undated) — GasBuddy’s annual Labor Day travel forecast predicts the average price of a gallon of gas will continue its recent downward trend, falling to $3.27 per gallon on Labor Day — the lowest price on that holiday since 2021. GasBuddy says there’s the best opportunity in years for the national average to fall below $3 per gallon closer to Thanksgiving. Gas stations in most states will start transitioning to winter-blend gas on September 16th, which experts say will likely help accelerate the drop in gas prices.
>> N-F-L owners at Minnesota meeting vote to approve private equity investments
(Eagan, MN) — During a special N-F-L-wide meeting Tuesday, held at the Omni Viking Lakes in Eagan, league owners overwhelmingly voted to allow private equity investments in N-F-L franchises. Institutional investors can now purchase up to 10% ownership of a team and can invest in a maximum of six franchises. The resolution was passed on a 31-1 vote, with E-S-P-N reporting Cincinnati Bengals ownership were the lone no-vote. The league approved a list of eight private equity funds who are eligible to purchase stakes, but outlawed sovereign wealth funds, such as the Saudi Arabia Public Investment fund or Qatar Investment Authority, from buying into team ownership. The N-F-L is the last of the “major” pro sports leagues in the U-S to allow private equity. The N-B-A, Major League Soccer (MLS), National Women’s Soccer League (NWLS) and N-H-L all allow private equity interests to own up to 30% of an individual club or franchise.
>> Amazon withdraws offer to purchase Bally Sports Network parent company, Diamond Sports Group
(Undated) — E-commerce giant Amazon has reportedly pulled its offer to buy Diamond Sports Group, parent company of Bally Sports Network. Sports Business Journal (SBJ) reports Amazon rescinded its $115 million buy offer Monday, but that Diamond still has the necessary funding to reemerge from bankruptcy proceedings, thanks to $450 million in debt financing. Bally Sports is the current broadcast home of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Lynx, Wild and Twins.
Diamond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023. Court filings revealed earlier this month Bally Sports had new agreements in place to air games for nine N-H-L franchises and 13 N-B-A franchises through at least 2024-25; M-L-B is not covered by this agreement. According to filings, the tentative contracts would be terminated if Diamond does not have a Chapter 11 exit plan in place by the end of next N-B-A & N-H-L seasons.
