>>Bemidji Police Search for Missing Teen, Infant Son
(Bemidji, MN) — Bemidji police are searching for a missing 17-year-old and her infant son. Laura and Kylo Wright were reported missing on Saturday and may be in the St. Paul area. The two were seen entering a light-colored sedan with LED lights. Laura is White-Hispanic, five feet four inches tall, and 220 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She has tattoos on her hands and a name tattooed on her left wrist. Kylo is seven months old with black hair and brown eyes.
>>New Hope 18-Year-Old is Missing
(New Hope, MN) — The search begins for a missing 18-year-old girl from New Hope. Savannah Loos was last seen leaving a residential area today, and she may be in the area of Lakeview Terrace Park in Robbinsdale. She’s described as white, five feet one inch tall, 130 pounds, with red hair and blue eyes. Loos may be wearing a Spiderman PJ shirt and short Ugg boots.
>>Pregnant Woman Assaulted in Northwest IA, Two Minnesotans Arrested
(Undated) – Authorities in Iowa and Minnesota say a pregnant woman was threatened with a knife and seriously injured during a car jacking in northwest Iowa. Okoboji Police say the pregnant woman fell out of a pick-up and was run over as two suspects stole the vehicle last Monday from the Lake Okoboji Resort. The stolen vehicle was later spotted in southern Minnesota. Authorities starting chasing it and were able to arrested 27-year-old Vaughn Harris and 40-year-old Jessica Nordrum after the pickup wound up in a ditch. Both are from the Minneapolis area. Deputies say the man driving the stolen vehicle was overdosing on fentayl when he was captured. He was released from a local hospital four days later and booked into a southern Minnesota jail. The woman in the stolen pickup was initially charged with aiding an offender to avoid arrest. The Okoboji Police Department says both are being charged with first degree robbery, first degree theft, assault with a deadly weapon, assault causing serious injury and operating without the owner’s consent.
>>Republican Candidate for Governor Unveils Anti-Fraud Plan
(St. Paul, MN) – Republican candidate for Governor Kristin Robbins unveiled her anti-fraud platform saying this has become a more than two billion dollar problem in Minnesota. Robbins says she plans to appoint commissioners, deputy commssioners committed to “changing culture from the inside, where we have zero tolerance for fraud and prioritize accountability and customer service.” Robbins says she also supports establishing an Office of Inspector General (OIG) to investigate claims of the fraud in state agencies independently. The OIG bill didn’t make it past the House last session.
>>Sen. McEwen Proposes Wealth Tax to Offset Federal Cuts
(St. Paul, MN) – With federal cuts to Medicaid and rising costs for health insurance and childcare, one state lawmaker is proposing a tax increase on the wealthiest Minnesotans to make up the difference. DFL Senator Jen McEwen of Duluth says the tax hike would be for individuals making over $500,000, couples making over a million dollars, and larger corporations. She saysthat “just a couple of percentage points for th wealthiest in our state would provide a great dela of income for us to be able to work on these issues.” McEwen introduced the bill last session but it did not get support in the Senate Tax Committee. She says she will try again during the next session.
>>Minneapolis Sues Trump Administration Over Emergency Funds
(Minneapolis, MN) — The City of Minneapolis is suing the Trump administration over what it calls unlawful conditions tied to federal emergency funding. Officials say nearly $3.6 million in disaster preparedness grants are at risk unless cities abandon diversity and inclusion policies. Mayor Jacob Frey says safety shouldn’t be used as political leverage. Minneapolis joins eight other cities in the lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Illinois. The City of Chicago is the suit’s main plantiff.
>>Rep. Craig Pushes for Reversal of Office of Special Education Layoffs
(Washington D.C.) — Democratic Congresswoman Angie Craig is calling on the Trump administration to immeditely reverse mass layoffs in the Office of Special Education. Craig and more than 100 House members say the firings could hurt oversight of federal education funds and impact services for over 7.5 million students with disabilities. The layoffs come just weeks before the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
>>Hundreds of Safety Professionals to Take Part in Toward Zero Death Conference
(Prior Lake, MN) — More than 800 traffic safety professionals are coming together in Prior Lake tomorrow and Wednesday, all with one goal: saving lives on Minnesota roads. The annual State Toward Zero Deaths Conference brings together experts from across the state to share the latest strategies to prevent deadly and life-changing crashes. Hosted by the Minnesota Departments of Health, Public Safety, and Transportation, the conference focuses on four key areas: engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency medical services. Organizers say it’s not just about data, it’s about finding new ways to make sure every driver, passenger, and pedestrian gets home safely.
>>MN’s First Municipal Cannabis Dispensary to Open in December
(Anoka, MN) – The state’s first city-owned cannabis dispensary is on track to open in Anoka this December. Development director Doug Borgland says construction has been going well, with a recent grant for solar panels for roofing and a staffing campaign. City officials say any revenues from the Anoka Cannabis Company will go back into the community. The neighboring municipal store liquor helps fund Anoka parks.
>>Amazon Says Systems Recovering
(Undated) — Amazon’s cloud computing services are once again in recovery mode, just hours after the company declared the issue had been “fully mitigated.” The renewed problems caused fresh disruptions for users around the world. Earlier today, several popular websites experienced technical difficulties, frustrating millions. The trouble began overnight with Amazon Web Services (AWS), which powers the infrastructure behind countless apps and platforms. According to Downdetector, users reported issues with Zoom, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Alexa, Roblox, Venmo, and many others.
>>Parts of DNR Burning Permit System Down
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota DNR (department of Natural Resources) is alerting residents to a temporary issue with its burning permit system. Currently, phone services are down, meaning permits can’t be activated by phone. That includes both written and online permits. Online permits can still be activated through the website, but if you rely on text or phone notifications, you won’t receive any messages. Only email alerts are working at this time. If you activate a permit online, the DNR recommends updating your account settings to receive messages by email until the system is restored. And if you have a written permit or need to activate by phone, you’re asked to wait to burn until the system is back up and running. The DNR says it will send out an update once everything is working again.
