>>Man Found Dead in White Bear Lake Home After Burglary Call
(White Bear Lake, MN) — A suspected burglary is dead after a shooting Thursday afternoon in White Bear Lake. Police were called to a reported burglary on Highway 96 and met the occupants of the home outside. It was believed the suspect was still inside but did not respond to calls from the officers. They went into the home and found a man dead of a gunshot wound. Investigators haven’t released any further information about the incident.
>>Elderly Rochester Woman Loses $12,600 in Workers’ Comp Scam
(Rochester, MN) — An 83-year-old Rochester woman fell victim to a scam, losing $12,600 in a fake workers’ compensation benefits program. A close friend on Facebook misled her, claiming to have received $10,000 from the program, convincing her to apply. The scammer, later found to be the friend, prompted the victim to send a $1,000 Apple pre-paid gift card and additional funds through Zelle to determine her eligibility. The woman later discovered the scam after sending thousands of dollars. Rochester police say the friend’s Facebook may have been hacked.
>>Tips to Stay Sober During Dry January
(Undated) – It’s almost the New Year, and with that comes a sober break for those that participate in Dry January, a month without ingesting any alcohol and/or drugs. Manuel Garcia with Hazelden Betty Ford says he encourages people to “think about who can be supportive of them in a situation where they may be triggered to consume any kind of substance.” Garcia says telling people about the effort to stay dry or drink less can help them rally around you, and if you know a certain person or situation will trigger you, minimize contact.
>>Next Generation of MN Farmers
(Undated) – Passing on the farm to the next generation — on the mind of some Minnesota families as the new year begins. Jim Molenaar with the state Agriculture Department’s free-of-charge program says for example, there might be one child who wants to take over the farm, while three others have jobs off the farm, so how does he treat them fairly? For more information, visit “Farm Link” on the state Ag Department’s website. Molenaar says they’re also offering three Friday-night-and-all-day-Saturday retreats to help farm families understand the whole process from beginning to end. The retreats are in Mankato the last weekend in February, two weeks later in Saint Cloud, and two weeks after that in Crookston.
>>BBB Says Treat Gift Cards Like Cash
(Undated) – If you celebrated the holidays, you probably gave or received a gift card. But, Bao Vang with the Minnesota Better Business Bureau (BBB) says these cards can be a great way for scammers to take advantage of victims by “extracting either the cash that’s loaded onto the gift card or even before the people can purchase a gift card and send it out.” Vang says to treat gift cards like cash, as they’re notoriously hard to protect, unlike protecting money on a debit or credit card.
