>>Michigan Man Receives Life-Changing Facial Reconstruction Surgery from Mayo Clinic
(Rochester, MN) — A Michigan man has a new look in life after receiving a facial transplant from Rochester’s Mayo Clinic. 30-year-old Derek Pfaff attempted suicide in March of 2014, leaving his face severely damaged by a gunshot and taking away basic functions like eating solid foods and talking. After 58 facial reconstruction surgeries over 10 years, Pfaff received the surgery this February. It took over 80 healthcare professionals and 50 hours of work to replace 85% of Pfaff’s face. Now, Pfaff can eat solid food, breathe normally, use his eyelids, and perform other basic facial movements.
>>Dover Man Dies After Vehicle is Hit by Train
(St. Charles, MN) — A Dover man is dead after a train hit his vehicle in St. Charles this weekend. Police say a video shows 88-year-old Rex Herman stopped his vehicle and got stuck between train tracks and railroad signs around 9 a.m. on Saturday Witnesses say the train sounded alarms multiple times before Herman got onto the tracks. The driver-side door took the brunt of the impact. Herman was brought to a local hospital, where he later died.
>>Fargo Man Arrested for Fleeing Traffic Stop, Police Chase
(West Fargo, ND) — A Fargo man is in custody after leading police on a chase through West Fargo Monday. The chase began around 5 p.m. when 67-year-old Sultan Osman fled a traffic stop. Osman was pursued until he hit another vehicle, leading to his arrest. No one was injured in the pursuit or arrest. Osman is charged with fleeing in a motor vehicle, outstanding warrants, driving without liability insurance, and driving under suspension.
>>Eden Prairie Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Fraudulently Applying for $2.1M in COVID-19 Funds
(St. Paul, MN) — An Eden Prairie man has been sentenced to over seven years in federal prison and must pay restitution for fraudulently applying to over $2.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Between March and May 2020, 75-year-old Harold Kaeding applied through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. Kaeding used family members’ names to apply as six entities that did not exist or were defunct when the pandemic began. Kaeding received nearly $1.6 million in relief funds before banks caught on and took some back, leaving him with around $659,000. He used this money on personal purchases and stockpiling $80,000 in cash. Kaeding fled to Columbia after learning he was under investigation but was deported back to the U.S. for prosecution.
>>MN DNR Launches New EagleCam, Pair of Breeding Eagles in New Location
(Undated) — The Minnesota DNR is launching a new EagleCam featuring a new pair of breeding eagles in a new location. Nongame wildlife specialist Lori Naumann says the new nest is scheduled to go live to the public on Thursday, Give to the Max Day. The nest at the site of the original EagleCam fell to the ground due to heavy snow in April of 2023 after ten years on the air. Naumann says they don’t know a lot yet about the new pair of eagles.
>>AG Ellison Reaches $3.5M Settlement with Edina Realty
(St. Paul, MN) — Edina Realty (Edina) will pay $3.5 million to Attorney General Keith Ellison’s Office after receiving secret payments from Home Security of America, Inc. (HSA) to promote their home warranties to unknowing Edina clients. Ellison alleges Edina did not tell its clients about the HSA payments while pushing the belief that the HSA home warranty contained valuable benefits it did not have. Edina also lent its name and trademark to HSA in marketing home warranties to their clients, leading some consumers to believe they were Edina products. Edina Realty must also end any contracts with third parties that pay them to promote their products to Edina’s clients, cannot enter a new relationship of a similar nature, and can’t license its name or trademark to any third parties for marketing purposes.
>>South Washington County Schools Nurse Named MN 2024 Immunization Champion
(St. Paul, MN) — Tara Goebel, a health services coordinator and licensed school nurse from South Washington County Schools, is Minnesota’s 2024 Immunization Champion. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) chose Goebel for her work on increasing immunization rates in children. Goebel’s team personally reached out to each family about vaccine options, helping her county give school-necessary shots to nearly 4,000 students this year. They also saw the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) immunization rate increase from 84.8% to 93.4% in kindergarteners, a large portion of the student population.
>> AAA Expects Record-setting Travel for Thanksgiving
(MInneapolis) — AAA expects record-setting travel numbers for this year’s Thanksgiving Day holiday. Nearly 80 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday. That’s an all-time high for Thanksgiving and nearly 1.7 million travelers more than last year. AAA says the reasons for the higher numbers this year are growth in the economy, declining inflation, and stronger income gains. Gas prices are also lower this year. Minnesotans are paying 22 cents less per gallon compared to last year.
