>>Winter storm warning remains in northern MN
(Undated) — A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for northern parts of Minnesota, including Duluth and the Twin Ports area — much of it from the same storm system that impacted the Twin Cities Sunday. Brennan Dettman at the National Weather Service in Chanhassen says that system continues to move north because the jet stream sets up a little bit further north. Forecasters say conditions will continue to deteriorate throughout the day, with a rain-snow mix arriving late tonight before turning into freezing rain.
>>Travel still tough in western, north-central, northeast MN
(Chanhassen, MN) — Travel remains difficult in a large swath of western Minnesota up to Fargo-Moorhead and across north-central Minnesota all the way up the Arrowhead. Snow and a wintry mix are still falling in parts of central and northern Minnesota this afternoon. The National Weather Service is reporting some daunting two-day snowfall totals from this late March winter storm. East Gull Lake in Cass County tops the list with 14-and-a-half inches of wet, heavy snow. Thirteen inches was reported at Two Harbors, a foot of snow fell near Duluth and Otsego in the far north metro. Ham Lake and Mora received 11, Blaine and St. Francis saw ten inches, and Park Rapids, Buffalo and Stillwater all had nine inches.
>>Supplemental state budget has $109M to settle class-action lawsuit over counties seizing real estate for unpaid taxes
(St. Paul, MN) — 109 million dollars in the supplemental state budget that Governor Tim Walz and D-F-L legislative leaders agreed to, would go to settle class action lawsuits over real estate that Minnesota counties have seized and sold to satisfy unpaid taxes. The lawsuits arose from a recent U-S Supreme Court ruling on a case in Hennepin County, which seized the condo of now 95-year-old Geraldine Tyler for unpaid taxes. The 40-thousand-dollar sale price covered 15 thousand in back taxes, and the rest according to a practice dating back perhaps as far as the 1930s was divided between the county, city and school district. But the U-S Supreme Court ruled that violates the U-S Constitution’s requirement that government give owners “just compensation” for seized property. The 109 million dollars is a proposed class-action settlement negotiated by Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office.
>>Pine City Man Sentenced to 29 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation, Pornography Scheme
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(Minneapolis, MN) — A man from Pine City in east-central Minnesota has been sentenced to 29 years in federal prison for producing, receiving, and distributing images of child pornography, as well as coercing and enticing minors to engage in illegal sexual activity. Court documents say 26-year-old Caleb McLaughlin used aliases on multiple social media accounts to solicit sexual images from over 200 minor victims, 26 of whom were identified between 11- and 16-year-olds in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He offered minors who met him in person bribes such as drugs, alcohol, vape pens, cash, and gift cards in exchange for sex acts, which he then documented and produced into child porn videos.
>>Cobb Family Attorneys Speak Out on MN House Republicans’ Call for Moriarty’s Resignation
(Minneapolis, MN) — Attorneys for the family of Ricky Cobb the Second, the 33-year-old Black man fatally shot by Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan while fleeing a traffic stop last July, are asking his case “be treated like any other murder case.” This comes after Minnesota House Republicans demanded an immediate resignation from Hennepin County chief prosecutor Mary Moriarty, who critics allege “cherry-picked” information from her chosen use-of-force expert. The Cobb family’s attorneys ask Governor Tim Walz to put “justice before politics” and let Moriarty “bring this prosecution without any further interference,” such as reassigning the case or removing Moriarty from it. Londregan faces charges of second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, and first-degree assault.
>>Duluth Police Name Suspect, Victim in 2nd-Degree Murder
(Duluth, MN) — Duluth police have identified the suspect and victim in a murder and violation of a domestic abuse no-contact order. 27-year-old Allisa Vollan was found dead around 8 a.m. Friday by police. 25-year-old Dale Howard was arrested and charged with second-degree murder without intent. Duluth police are sending their thoughts and prayers to the Vollan family and anyone who knew Alissa.
>>First “Woman in Agriculture Day” in Minnesota
(Undated) — Today (Mon) is the first annual “Women in Agriculture Day” in Minnesota, honoring over 35-thousand women farmers in the state. New Brighton Senator Mary Kunesh says not only have women always been essential members of the agriculture community, but the number of women involved in agriculture continues to grow. Kunesh says to Minnesotans, “If there are women in agriculture in your life, in your communities… please give them a ‘thank you’ for all the good hard work that they do as well.”
