>>35th Anniversary of 11-Year-Old Jacob Wetterling’s Disappearance
(Undated) — The mother of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling, who went missing 35 years ago today, is remembering her son. Jacob went missing on October 22nd, 1989; his remains were found in September 2016 over Labor Day weekend when the suspect accepted a plea deal and confessed where he buried him in Paynesville. In a Facebook post, mom Patty Wetterling explained how the family made Jacob’s favorite meal last night—a steak dinner with baked potatoes and Peanut Butter Swirl Bars for dessert—left their front porch light on and visited Jacob’s abduction site. Patty says she writes a “Dear Jacob” letter annually, her book about her experience losing Jacob sharing the same title.
>>Moorhead Police Search for Missing Teen Who Escaped from a Care Facility
(Moorhead, MN) — Moorhead Police are searching for a missing teen who escaped from a care facility. 16-year-old Jonathan Fleury absconded on September 16th. He’s described as Native American, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 150 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. Jonathan was last seen wearing a blue shirt and black pants.
>>Nonverbal Autistic Teen Missing in St. Paul
(St. Paul, MN) — St. Paul Police are asking for the public’s help finding a missing, non-verbal autistic teen. 16-year-old Ke-Andre Oliver-Butler is described as black, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 110 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen in St. Paul around 5 this morning wearing a faded jean jacket, blue jeans with gold writing, and black shoes.
>>MN Autism Advocates Call for Free Swimming Education After Another Water Death
(Undated) — An 11-year-old autistic boy was found dead in Eden Prairie on Monday, a few months after a four-year-old autistic boy was found dead in Hopkins, both in bodies of water. With this becoming a common story, Minnesota autism advocates are calling for free swimming education for vulnerable autistic children. In a petition, which has already garnered nearly 1,200 signatures, to the Minnesota House, Senate, Governor Tim Walz, and Attorney General Keith Ellison, people are calling for free swimming classes for autistic children and adults, mandatory measures for landlords to protect vulnerable populations, alerts for autistic children similar to amber alerts, and more. The CDC reports accidental drowning accounts for 91% of deaths among children with autism aged 14 and younger in the U.S. between 2009 and 2011.
>>Albany Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting Minors
(St. Cloud, MN) — An Albany man has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two girls last spring. According to the charges filed in Stearns County District Court, 49-year-old Billy Wolbeck abused two girls who were younger than 14 years old. The criminal complaint describes how the girls visited Wolbeck in March and, when they returned home, told their mother about the assaults. One of the girls told a forensic investigator that she didn’t know why Wolbeck was doing those things to her and that Wolbeck told her to keep it a secret. Wolbeck pleaded guilty to two counts of 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child under 14 years old. He will be sentenced in January.
>>MN Timberwolves Fans Cautiously Optimistic Despite KAT Trade to Knicks
(St. Louis Park, MN) – The Minnesota Timberwolves tip off the new season late tonight in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Expectations are high surrounding this team, but Wolves fan Samantha Peterson is cautiously optimistic after Karl-Anthony Towns was traded to the Knicks. She says, “I am a little worried just because it’s a Minnesota team and you know our luck with Minnesota sports teams. I hope this team will come together and you know it’s not just the star that makes a good team but everyone collectively.” After games in LA and Sacramento, the Wolves home opener is Saturday night against Toronto.
>>WI Enjoys Lowest Gas Prices in U.S.
(Undated) – Minnesotans traveling east this week may enjoy the lowest gas prices in the country. According to Triple-A, Wisconsin has the cheapest average price at $2.93 a gallon for unleaded. Prices in Minnesota are 15 cents a gallon higher. Both states are under the national average which is currently at $3.16 a gallon.
>>METRO Gold Line to Extend Into Minneapolis in 2027
(Minneapolis, MN) — The METRO Gold Line, opening in March 2025, will extend into downtown Minneapolis in 2027. The region’s sixth bus rapid transit line, the Gold Line will provide all-day service between St. Paul and Woodbury, serving 16 stations primarily along the I-94 corridor. The 2027 extension into Minneapolis will bring new stations to I-94 and Snelling Avenue and operate at existing stations on 7th and 8th streets, running to METRO’s Green Line Extension/Farmers Market Station. The $505 million project is set to finish on time and under budget, starting service on March 22nd (2025).
>>MN Twins Name 2025 Season Hitting Coach
(Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Twins have named Matt Borgschulte as their hitting coach for the 2025 season. 33-year-old Borgschulte just finished his third season as co-hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles, helping their hitters rank second in Major League Baseball home runs, third in slugging percentage, extra-base hits, and total bases, and fourth in runs scored. He’s previously coached hitting at various levels, including Triple-A St. Paul in 2021, High-A Fort Myers in 2019, and the GCL Twins in 2018.
>>2 Gopher 5 Tickets in Monday’s Drawing Match All Numbers
(Roseville, MN) –The Minnesota State Lottery says two tickets in Monday night’s Gopher 5 drawing matched all five numbers. One ticket was purchased at D &L Express in Foreston in Mille Lacs County and the other was bought at Hy-Vee in Maplewood. The prize was 1.7 million dollars and the two players will receive more than 864-thousand dollars each. The winning Gopher 5 numbers are 6, 9, 12, 30 and 44.
