>>Rideshare Drivers Want to For a Union
(St. Paul, MN) — After getting a minimum wage passed at the capitol last year, Minnesota rideshare drivers are now pushing lawmakers to give them the right to form a union. The bill would allow the drivers to negotiate their own contracts with companies like Lyft and Uber. Representative Samakab Hussein (Somma-kob Hoo-sane) is one of the bill’s authors. He says, “The union is the backbone of America and has done a lot for workers and protections, and as a legislator, we want to make sure they have the opportunity to be at the table. Not for us to negotiate on their behalf; they will negotiate.” Workers say they’re still having issues with pay and working conditions. This proposal is based on a Massachusetts bill that passed last year.
>>Two Harbors Man Found Guilty of Sexually Assaulting Children
(Duluth, MN) — A St. Louis County jury found a Two Harbors man guilty today (Tues) of four counts of criminal sexual conduct for the repeated sexual assault of a child. Prosecutors say the crimes 46-year-old Michael Bailey committed happened between April 2015 and April 2019. Bailey was also convicted in 2020 for first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a different victim, but his 12-year prison sentence was stayed as part of a plea deal. He faces up to 30 years in prison for the latest conviction.
>>Two Drivers Killed in Stearns County Crash
(Cold Spring, MN) — Both drivers died in a wrong-way crash near Cold Spring Monday evening. The Minnesota State Patrol says the incident happened just after 5:00 p.m. on Highway 23 in Wakefield Township. An SUV driven by 52-year-old James Wilton of Fairchild, Wisconsin, was traveling east in the westbound lanes. The blazer struck a car driven by 35-year-old Greg Steil of Richmond, who was going west in the westbound lanes.
>>Feeding Our Future Defendant Accused Of Witness Tampering Jailed
(Minneapolis, MN) — A defendant in the federal Feeding Our Future fraud trial, who is accused of witness tampering, is currently in custody. Abdinasir Abshir was arrested yesterday and is being held until a hearing scheduled for Friday. Authorities allege that last week, he attempted to persuade a witness to have a private conversation with him in a bathroom near the courtroom while awaiting their testimony. This incident led the judge overseeing the case to prohibit other defendants from being present on the courthouse floor during the trial.
>>Trooper of the Year
(Bagley, MN) — Bagley’s Kyle Backer has been named the Minnesota State Patrol’s Trooper of the Year. Backer says he was destined to be in law enforcement. He says his dad was
a state trooper for over 30 years and wore the badge up until recently. Backer adds that his grandpa, two uncles, and cousins were all game wardens, and they have nearly 150 years of state law enforcement behind their names. Backer spent a year as a deputy in the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office before joining the State Patrol in 2009, first in Redwood Falls and then transferring to St. Cloud.
