>>T’Wolves, Lynx Minority Owners Respond to “No Longer for Sale” Announcement
(Minneapolis, MN) — Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx minority owners Alex Rodriguez and Mark Lore have responded to today’s (THUR) announcement the franchises were no longer for sale, calling it a “case of seller’s remorse.” In a statement Thursday, current owner Glen Taylor announced the teams were off the market, citing an expired deadline by the duo to close on their purchase of Taylor’s majority stake. E-S-P-N reports Lore and Rodriguez raised the funds necessary to buy controlling interest. Still, Taylor alleges the pair should have paid more attention to a contractually obligated 90-day window to close the sale after exercising their option to buy a majority stake in late 2023. Earlier this month, the N-B-A denied a private equity plan by Rodriguez and Lore to fund the remainder of the purchase. Rodriguez and Lore say they “are committed to closing the purchase as soon as the N-B-A completes its approval process.”
>> Body Found in Submerged Vehicle in Zumbro River
(Millville, MN) — A man was found deceased inside a submerged vehicle in the Zumbro River this morning (Thurs) in southeastern Minnesota. Officials responded around 9:10 a.m. to a report of a truck flipped over in the Zumbro River just off the embankment near Millville. The victim, 62-year-old James Steiner from Alma, Wisconsin.
>>Maple Lake Crash Injures Five People
(Maple Lake, MN) — Five people sustained injuries following a two-vehicle crash in Maple Lake Wednesday. Minnesota State Troopers say the incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Highway 55. An SUV, driven by 38-year-old Jonah Maddox of Cold Spring, was traveling east when it collided with a van driven by 54-year-old Margaret Keesling of Silver Lake. Keesling and four of her five passengers, ages 10, 15, 34, and 36, were brought to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The fifth passenger, a 30-year-old man, was uninjured. Authorities suspect that Maddox, who was unharmed, had consumed alcohol before the crash.
>>International Falls Woman Dead After Car vs. Semi
(Laporte, MN) — An International Falls woman is dead after a car vs. semi crash Wednesday. Minnesota State Patrol Troopers responded to the crash around 12:15 p.m. The incident occurred about 10 miles west of Walker on a two-lane road when the northbound car lost control in slush and collided head-on with the semi. The passenger in the car, 20-year-old Lillian Laforge, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the car, 22-year-old Jared Wold of International Falls, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was brought to a Bemidji hospital. The semi-driver, 49-year-old Chad Smith of Leonard, was uninjured. Neither Laforge nor Wold were wearing seatbelts.
>>Two Delta Planes Clip Wings at MSP
(MSP, MN) — Two Delta Air Lines planes clipped wings on a taxiway at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Officials say none of the 271 people aboard or anyone on the ground was injured, and the collision was a “low-speed contact” during “pushback from the gate of one of the aircraft.” Delta is investigating the crash.
>>Two Teenage Girls Taken to Juvenile Detention Center After Pursuit in Stolen Van
(Barnesville, MN) — Two 15-year-old girls from Fargo were taken to the juvenile detention center in Moorhead following a traffic complaint on I-94 that led to a pursuit this afternoon. (Thurs) State Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow says the girls were in a stolen minivan. He says a trooper pursued the van but called off the chase. The van was spotted in Barnesville, and the pursuit resumed with the vehicle heading westbound on Clay County Road 2. It ended near Comstock, where the trooper used a precision immobilization technique or “pit” maneuver to stop the van. Grabow says no one was injured. The van had been stolen in Fargo.
>>MN DEED Announces Federal Approval of Digital Opportunity Plan
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced today that the state’s Digital Opportunity Plan has been accepted and is now eligible for federal grants. The funding aims to reduce gaps in internet adoption and expand digital skills and technology access. This comes after DEED announced $53 million in grants earlier this month to expand broadband to 8,900 Minnesota homes and businesses.
>>St. Paul Saints Cancel Season Opener Friday due to Snowy Field
(St. Paul, MN) — The St. Paul Saints are cancelling Friday’s home opener due to a foot-and-a-half snow making the C-H-S Field unplayable. Crews plan to spend the next 48 hours prepping the field for a new home opener on Saturday at 2pm against the Columbus Clippers. Friday’s game won’t be made up and three-game set will now be a two-game series. Tickets can be exchanged for any other regular season game in St. Paul.