>>MPCA Extends Air Quality Alert
(Undated) — Air quality alerts for most of the state continue today due to heavy, ground-level smoke from wildfires in Canada. Now in effect until 4 p.m. tonight for southeast Minnesota and 11 p.m. Wednesday for northern Minnesota, the affected areas include the Twin Cities metro, Brainerd, Albert Lea, Rochester, Hinckley, Winona, Mankato, Bemidji, East Grand Forks, International Falls, Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely, Duluth, Roseau, and the Tribal Nations of Mille Lacs, Prairie Island, Leech Lake, White Earth, Red Lake, Grand Portage, and Fond du Lac. At an orange air quality, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) recommends sensitive groups reduce outdoor physical activity, take more breaks, and that people with asthma keep their inhaler with them. Officials say the smoke should disperse on Wednesday night.
>>Staples Man Arrested for Possessing Nearly $30,000 in Stolen Property
(Staples, MN) — A Staples man is facing charges after a standoff with law enforcement in Wadena County. Deputies say it started Thursday in Thorston Township as a trespassing call. When officers arrived, a man on an ATV took off into the woods. Over the next several hours, authorities used ATVs, drones, and a police dog to track him down. A Wadena County drone eventually spotted the suspect, 55-year-old Ross Reichel, in a cornfield, where he refused to surrender. A Todd County K9 detained Reichel until he was arrested. Deputies say a search of his home turned up about $28,000 in stolen property linked to burglaries in Wadena and Todd counties.
>>2 Injured in “Critical Incident” in Moorhead
(Moorhead, MN) — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating what Moorhead Police say is a critical incident that led to two people suffering injuries. Officers responded to an apartment complex around 8:50 p.m. Monday for a report of a disturbance. The Red River Valley SWAT team responded as the situation evolved. Sometime after that is when the critical incident occurred. Police have not given details, but say two people suffered injuries. No officers were hurt. As of 4 a.m. today, law enforcement was still at the scene, and police tape surrounded an apartment building. An officer at the scene says there is no new information to report at this time. Police say there is no danger to the public.
>>Barnesville Man Attacks Brother and Mother
(Barnesville, MN) — A Barnesville man is arrested after injuring his brother and mother with a knife Friday evening. 49-year-old Chad Lane tried to cut his brother during an argument. Their 72-year-old mother tried to intervene. Lane’s brother and mother were injured when they tried to get the knife away from Lane. All three people were taken by Sanford AidMed or ambulance to a Fargo hospital and have since been released. Lane is charged with 2nd Degree Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and 5th Degree Assault.
>>Man who Drowned in Minnesota Lake I’D
(Cass Lake, MN) — Family, friends, and former classmates are mourning the loss of a Grafton, North Dakota, man who drowned on Cass Lake in north central Minnesota on Saturday. 41-year-old Jon Koehmstedt was the athletic director and assistant principal for 7-12 grades at Grafton High School and Junior High. The sheriff’s office says he jumped into the water to work on a pontoon motor issue and didn’t resurface. His body was found two hours later. He was not wearing a life vest. The sheriff’s office says an autopsy was being done at the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office.
>>Intoxicated Man Causes Superior, WI Crash
(Superior, WI) — A man faces several traffic-related citations, including driving while intoxicated (DWI), after causing a crash in Superior, Wisconsin. Officers responded to the crash around 3 p.m. on Monday. Investigators say both a truck towing a camper and a sedan were heading south when the sedan drifted into the adjacent lane. The sedan hit the camper, causing it to roll on its side. The sedan driver admitted to using a controlled substance hours before the crash, and he had consumed alcohol earlier in the day. The sedan driver was brought to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
>>Woman Charged with DWI After Fleeing OTC Deputy
(Otter Tail County, MN) — A fifty-four-year-old woman awaits formal charges for driving while intoxicated (DWI), obstructing the legal process, and fleeing authorities after leading Otter Tail County deputies on a pursuit. Around midnight (TUES), deputies responded to a report of a possibly intoxicated driver leaving a Fergus Falls home. A deputy pulled over the vehicle, driven by Sheri Abrahamson, in Elizabeth, before she sped off. The deputy used a pursuit intervention technique to stop and arrest her.
>>FDA Advisory for Frozen, Raw Oysters
(Undated) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns consumers, restaurants, and retailers to avoid eating, serving, and selling an oyster product due to potential norovirus contamination. The Frozen, Raw, Half-shell Oysters from the Republic of Korea were distributed to Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, and Utah. Still, officials say it could have hit more states by this point. The concerned product includes all half-shell and individual quick frozen (IQF) oysters harvested between December 30th, 2024, and February 6th, 2025. The F.D.A. is working to remove the products from the market.
