>>MN-DOT getting ready for two early spring snowstorms in forecast
(Undated) — MnDOT plow crews are preparing statewide for two snow systems forecast to move through Minnesota over the next few days. The agency’s Anne Meyer says, “Amounts of snow will really dictate what kind of operations we do out there — so we’re constantly adapting to those changing conditions.” The latest road conditions are online at 511mn.org.
>>Drivers Advised To Watch For Slick Roads As Winter Weather Returns
(Chanhassen, MN) — The National Weather Service advises Minnesota drivers to be cautious as winter weather returns. Today and tomorrow, a storm front is expected to bring several inches of snow to parts of western, central, and southeast Minnesota. Some snowfall is also possible in northern and southwestern Minnesota. Forecasters predict even more snow over the weekend and warn that travel may be significantly impacted Sunday through Monday.
>>Red Lake Schools Hold Memorial After Children Die In House Fire
(Red Lake, MN) — Officials confirm last week’s fire at a home on the Red Lake Reservation took the lives of two children. The superintendent of the Red Lake school system says a first-grader and a four-year-old died in the Friday house fire. Red Lake Schools held a healing ceremony today to help the community cope with the children’s deaths. The blaze is still under investigation and no other information has been released.
>>School Bus Driver Cited After Rollover Crash In Scandia
(Scandia, MN) — A Washington County school bus driver has been cited after a rollover crash in Scandia yesterday (Wed) afternoon. The sheriff’s office says the school bus crashed just before 4:30 p-m after hitting a berm. Investigators say the driver became distracted after leaving a bus stop. Six students were on board and two were evaluated for injuries.
>>MN AG Ellison Sues Apple for Monopolizing Smartphone Markets
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined the Department of Justice (DOJ) and 15 other attorneys general in suing Apple, claiming the software giant monopolized smartphone markets or attempted to do so. The lawsuit alleges Apple selectively imposes restrictions in contracts, withholds access points from developers, and undermines apps, products, and services that would make users less reliant on their iPhone.
>>Defense wants use-of-force expert subpoenaed in state trooper murder case
(Minneapolis, MN) — A Hennepin County judge told lawyers from both sides today (Thurs) that the murder case against State Trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb should be prosecuted “only in this courtroom, not the court of public opinion or the media.” The case is prompting comments by both Democrat and Republican political leaders, after court filings revealed Hennepin County chief prosecutor Mary Moriarty stopped working with a use-of-force expert who said the trooper acted reasonably to protect his partner. The Star Tribune reports one of Trooper Londregan’s attorneys told the court that Moriarty’s office shopped for another expert aligning with her “ideology rather than the facts of the case.” An assistant county attorney responded the use-of-force expert’s initial thoughts were not a final conclusion on the case. The defense wants the expert witness to testify in court under subpoena.
>>Minneapolis City Council apparently open to changing controversial Uber/Lyft ordinance
(Minneapolis, MN) After today’s (Thurs) meeting it appears a majority of Minneapolis City Council members are open to changing the rideshare ordinance they just passed over the mayor’s veto, which prompted a threat by Uber and Lyft to pull out of the Minneapolis market on May 1st. The Star Tribune reports the two rideshare companies now say there’s a possibility they could stay — if changes are to their liking. The paper reports the city’s plan is to work with the state to determine minimum-pay regulations that would ensure drivers make at least the equivalent of Minneapolis’s $15.57 hourly minimum wage. The city council could make changes to the ordinance April 25th — barely a week from Uber and Lyft’s May 1st deadline — or possibly address the issue sooner at their April 11th meeting.
>>Repubs claim Dems playing politics with bill increasing penalties for firearms straw-purchasing
(St. Paul, MN) — Tense moments in the Minnesota Senate today (Thurs), Republicans unsuccessfully pushing for an immediate vote on their bill to make buying a firearm for a criminal (“straw purchasing”) a felony. Waconia Senator Julia Coleman says Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and Paramedic Adam Finseth were killed with a weapon that was an illegal straw purchase. Coleman says, “Three heroes were murdered, and we have the ability to do something about it today — not kick the can down the road, not play political games, but do something about it today.” Saint Louis Park Democrat Ron Latz responded the difference between a gross misdemeanor and a felony penalty is important, “but there is no way to determine whether or not that difference would have deterred the individual who engaged in a straw purchase.” There’s a key committee hearing tomorrow on Democrats’ bill — currently identical to a GOP bill that Republicans say has been awaiting action for a year.
The girlfriend of Shannon Gooden — the man who fatally shot three first responders in Burnsville — faces five federal counts of straw purchasing plus other charges. Prosecutors allege Ashley Dyrdahl bought five firearms for Gooden, including the two AR-15s used in the fatal shooting February 18th.
>>Sports betting bill moving forward in MN House, horse tracks oppose
(St. Paul, MN) — The state’s two horse tracks are speaking out against a bill that would legalize sports betting in Minnesota. Running Aces C-F-O Tracie Wilson told a House committee today (Thurs), “We know that the horse racing industry in Minnesota would be eviscerated by this legislation that unfairly picks winners and losers. Hundreds of good paying jobs and the well-being of the horse racing industry in Minnesota are on the line.” Wilson says this bill gives the tribal casinos, “sports betting exclusivity for all of time.” An amendment added today would also create a regulatory structure for daily fantasy sports betting. The bill is headed to the all-important Tax Committee in the Minnesota House.
>>Proposed Amtrak Routes Would Connect Twin Cities With Other Destinations
(Minneapolis, MN) — Proposed new Amtrak passenger routes being considered in a nationwide rail study would connect the Twin Cities with more direct destinations, including Phoenix, San Antonio, and Denver. The proposed new routes would also have stops in Des Moines and Omaha as well as Rapid City and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The study by the Federal Railroad Administration is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
>>Minnesota Timberwolves Employee Accused Of Stealing Exec’s Hard Drive
(Minneapolis, MN) — An employee of the Minnesota Timberwolves has been charged with burglary after allegedly stealing the computer hard drive of a team executive that contained “strategic N-B-A information as well as sensitive personal and financial information. Police say Somak Sarkar was seen on video entering the office and an examination of his laptop showed that over five-thousand files from the hard drive had been accessed and downloaded.
>>Rep. Craig Pushes Legislation to Make March 21st National Women in Ag Day
(Washington, D.C.) — U-S Representative Angie Craig says she’s leading a bipartisan effort to declare today, March 21st, as “National Women in Agriculture Day.” Craig says women play an essential role in American agriculture and should be recognized and honored for their hard work. Senator Tina Smith introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
>>MN AG Ellison Announces 2024 “Clean Slate” Expungement Tour
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today (THURS) he’ll be kicking off his 2024 “Clean State” Tour in St. Paul this Saturday. Ellison’s office will hold five expungement clinics across Minnesota where people with old, non-violent convictions can have their records sealed if eligible. Ellison will also visit White Earth Nation in Mahnomen County, Bemidji, Rochester, and Duluth. For more information, you can visit the AG’s website. (http://www.ag.state.mn.us/Clean-Slate)
>>Rockville Man Pleads Guilty to Fatal Crash
(Foley, MN) — A Rockville man has pleaded guilty to causing a fatal crash last August. The criminal complaint says 27-year-old Aler Gomez-Lucas was driving east on Highway 10 near Little Rock Lake when he lost control and rolled his vehicle. His passenger, 17-year-old Nurban Ruvelsi-Perez was killed after being ejected into the roadway and struck by an oncoming pickup. Gomez-Lucas will be sentenced June 26th.
>>MOA Introduces Gun-Sniffing Dogs
(Bloomington, MN) — The Mall of America has introduced gun-sniffing K-9 dogs to help security. The eight new dogs can detect handguns, revolvers, semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, shotgun shells, and almost any kind of firearm component.
