>> New Fraud Protection Investigation Unit in Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN) – Governor Tim Walz announced today the formation of a centralized state fraud investigations unit. This will be part of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Being included in the BCA will give the new unit greater enforcement authority. The governor’s plan is to add nine staff members to the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud unit, give agencies expanded authority to stop payments to people suspected of committing fraud and use artificial intelligence to detect fraud. When he announced his new budget, the governor said stopping fraud was one of his priorities.
>> Governor Walz Heading to the Netherlands on Business Development Mission
(St. Paul, MN) – Governor Walz will lead a business development mission to the Netherlands in ten days. He will lead a Minnesota group visiting several cities, including The Hague, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. The mission will focus on showcasing Minnesota as a top destination for business investment, creating new partnership opportunities, and strengthening existing ties and investments. More than 30 Minnesota companies operate in the Netherlands, including 3M, Cargill and Ecolab. The trip is planned for February 17th through the 19th.
>>Menahga Man Suffers Extensive Injuries in Becker County Crash
(Detroit Lakes, MN) — A man from Menahga is hospitalized in Fargo after crashing his vehicle into some trees at an intersection near Detroit Lakes. The Becker County Sheriff’s Office says it happened around 5 o’clock this morning (Fri) in Toad Lake Township. Deputies say 40-year-old Kelly Paurus was found inside the car with extensive injuries. Paurus was treated at the scene and airlifted to a Fargo hospital, where his condition is unknown. Investigators are trying to determine what led to the crash.
>>Two Teens Charged In Deadly St. Cloud Shooting
(St. Cloud, MN) — A pair of teens are accused of having a role in a deadly weekend shooting in St. Cloud. Quinton McNeal and Olivia Williams were both charged with aiding and abetting the theft of a firearm and aggravated robbery. Williams was also charged with aiding an offender. Police say Layson Davis died from a gunshot wound to the chest on Sunday. The gunman is still on the loose.
>>Man Sentenced in Rochester Meat Heist
(Rochester, MN) — A man convicted of stealing more than five thousand dollars worth of meat from a Rochester business was sentenced today. 46-year-old Dustin Zamora of Albert Lea was given a one-year stayed prison sentence, placed on supervised probation for five years and ordered to pay nearly 4,000 dollars in restitution. According to court records, Rochester police were called to the Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe in late November 2023 after the business discovered the theft.
