>>Klobuchar Responds to USDA Inspector General Staffing Report
(Washington, D.C.) — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar is raising alarms over deep staffing losses at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Minnesota Democrat released a statement after a new Inspector General report found USDA lost nearly 20 percent of its workforce in just five months. The report shows more than 20,300 employees left the department between January and mid-June of this year. Agencies hit hardest include Rural Development, which lost 36 percent of its staff, the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center at 33 percent, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at 25 percent. The Forest Service lost nearly 6,000 employees. Klobuchar says the losses weaken USDA’s ability to support farmers, protect food supply chains, and respond to threats like avian flu and New World Screwworm. She called the staffing reductions “particularly shocking,” noting that Minnesota alone lost nearly 500 USDA employees during the period.
>>National Guard Readiness Center In New Ulm Completed
(St. Paul, MN) — Governor Tim Walz joined Minnesota National Guard leaders in New Ulm today to celebrate the completion of the new National Guard Readiness Center. The 40-thousand-square-foot facility will support training, coordination, and emergency response for the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment. Construction began in April 2024, and the center will serve about 20 full-time staff and 240 traditional Guard members. Walz, who previously served at the old site, says the upgraded facility will better equip soldiers to respond to state and federal missions while continuing the battalion’s more than a century-long legacy of service.
>>Nearly 100 Mayors Send Letter to State Leaders in Response to Fraud
(Crosslake, MN) – A coalition of 98 mayors from cities across Minnesota has signed a joint letter to state leaders raising the alarm over fraud, unfunded state mandates, and escalating cost pressures that are putting the financial burdens on local governments and taxpayers. Crosslake Mayor Jackson Purfeerst said, “Even well-managed communities are being pushed toward higher levies and harder choices as costs are shifted downward without reliable funding or accountability.” The mayors cited concerns over fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars, economic decline in the state and unfunded mandates forced upon the cities.
>>Kasson Man Injured in Byron Snowmobile Crash
(Byron, MN) — A Kasson man was hospitalized after a snowmobile crash along Highway 14 Friday afternoon. The Minnesota State Patrol says 34-year-old Philip Madsen was hurt when the crash happened around 2:25 p.m. near the west edge of Byron. Alcohol was listed as a factor. Madsen was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
>>Mercedes-Benz Settlement Over Emissions Fraud
(St. Paul, MN) — Attorney General Keith Ellison says Minnesota will receive nearly 500,000 dollars of the 150 million dollars won in a nationwide settlement with Mercedes-Benz over emissions fraud. The company admitted to using illegal software to cheat emissions tests on diesel vehicles sold between 2008 and 2016. About 16 hundred vehicles in Minnesota are affected. Owners can get free emissions-modification software and a $2,000 dollar payment if repairs are completed by August 31st and claims filed by September 30th.
>>Record Funds Raised for St. Cloud Veterans Groups
(St. Cloud, MN) — Organizers of St. Cloud’s “Tee It Up for the Troops” say three local veteran-support organizations will share a record 42 and a half thousand dollars raised during the 12th annual event in August. Half of the funds will go to MACV-St. Cloud, Recovery Community Network, and Quiet Oaks Hospice, which recently launched a program to assist veterans needing hospice care. The other half supports the national Tee It Up for the Troops nonprofit. Plans are underway for next year’s tournament on August 31st at St. Cloud Country Club.
>>MPCA Reviews Shakopee Landfill Conversion
(Shakopee, MN) — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is reviewing a proposal to convert part of a Shakopee-area landfill to accept household trash. Dem-Con wants to change about 81 acres, 2.2 million cubic yards of permitted space, from construction and demolition debris to municipal solid waste. The project requires a full Environmental Impact Statement to assess potential environmental effects and explore alternatives, which the M-P-C-A is drafting now. The landfill would still accept construction and industrial waste in separate areas.
>>Powerball Jackpot Grows to $1.6 Billion for Tonight’s Drawing
(Roseville, MN) – Tonight’s Powerball lottery drawing could buy a lot of holiday presents. The jackpot for tonight’s drawing is worth an estimated 1.6 billion dollars. With a cash value of 735.3 million dollars, this is the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history. Two Minnesota communities are celebrating big wins from the weekend when two tickets won $50,000. Those tickets were both sold at Kwik Trip stores located in Farmington and Scanlon.
