>>USDA Recalls Walmart Ground Beef Due to E. coli
(Undated) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is recalling over 16,000 pounds of beef products by Wayzata-based Cargill Meat Solutions from Walmart stores due to E. coli contamination. Cargill issued the recall and says the affected products were produced April 26th and 27th, including “93% lean 7% fat all-natural lean ground beef” and “prime rib beef steak burgers patties.” Consumers who bought these should either throw them away or return them to the store where they were purchased.
>>MN House Dems reject GOP plan to cut grants for students engaging in racial, political, religious bias on college campuses
(St. Paul, MN) — Students would lose their grants and have to pay back the full amount with interest if they engaged in racial, political or religious bias on a college campus — under a Republican-backed proposal that Democrats rejected this afternoon (Fri) during debate on a higher education budget bill. Delano Republican Joe McDonald says he supports First Amendment rights, “but what’s happening at our campuses — breaking the law, and breaking our college institutions and violating their mandates and their policies — is unacceptable.” Winona Democrat Gene Pelowski responded the state Office of Higher Education should not be making judgments on student behavior. “What it should do is simply be the conduit for federal grants and for the handling of our money, but it shouldn’t be any type of a judicial branch,” Pelowski says.
>>Senate Repubs continue pushing for Mitchell resignation, expulsion
(St. Paul, MN) — The top Republican in the Minnesota Senate says Democrats continue covering for Woodbury Senator Nicole Mitchell, who he says lied on social media about a Detroit Lakes burglary, forcing her stepmother to go on television to set the record straight. Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson says, “We expect somebody like [Moorhead] Senator [Rob] Kupec, whose constituent was the victim of this crime, to step up and say, look, we need to stand up for my constituent; we do not need to stand up for my colleague in this. There’s gotta be consequences.” Kupec wasn’t immediately available to respond. He told affiliate K-F-G-O earlier this week that if he were in the position of fellow Democrat Nicole Mitchell — who’s charged with felony burglary — he would probably resign.
>>Debate on cannabis policy bill continues in MN Senate
(St. Paul, MN) — Republicans in the Minnesota Senate oppose part of the cannabis policy bill that would allow some pre-approved applicants to begin growing plants this summer. G-O-P Senator Jordan Rasmusson says an amendment passed today (Fri) “is requiring the Office of Cannabis Management to allow people to cultivate cannabis commercially before they have a license to cultivate cannabis commercially.” D-F-L Senator Lindsey Port of Burnsville says the existing medical cannabis rule “gives O-C-M the ability to start that cultivation process even without starting the retail process or any other part of the process.” This bill would move the Office of Medical Cannabis and its policies and regulations to the Office of Cannabis Management. .
>>Responders use drone to help save teenager in swamp at New Brighton park
(New Brighton, MN) — New Brighton first responders used a drone to help save a teenage boy stuck in a Twin Cities swamp Thursday. Authorities went to Long Lake Park around 4 p.m. on report of a missing teen with autism. A drone was used to locate him in a “difficult to access area,” and foot and boat rescuers reached him about 30 minutes later. The teen said he was afraid to leave due to his “fear of bears in the woods.” He received medical care for undisclosed injuries.
>>Deployment Saturday for National Guard’s 247th Financial Management Support Detachment
(Bloomington, MN) — There’s a deployment ceremony tomorrow (Sat 10am) in Bloomington for around 25 Minnesota National Guard soldiers heading to the Middle East. The mission of the 2-47th Financial Management Support Detachment is to ensure the financial readiness and well-being of the U-S armed forces and civilian contractors. Army Colonel Jesse Johnson says,” supporting the service members’ pay and maintaining accountability of U-S funds have a critical and immediate impact on how successful the mission is.” The soldiers are from 20 communities including Alexandria, Brainerd, Kasson, St. Peter, and St. Paul.
