>>Suspect in Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson Fights Extradition to NYC
(Blair County, PA) — The man accused in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson doesn’t want to be extradited to New York to face a murder charge. Luigi Mangione’s attorney is fighting to keep him in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested Monday on local firearm charges. Lawyer Thomas Dickey tells ABC News that he has not seen any evidence that links Mangione’s gun and the one used to kill Thompson. NYPD detectives say fingerprints found at the scene of Thompson’s shooting in Manhattan match Mangione’s. Thompson was in New York for a UnitedHealthcare investors meeting on December 4.
>>Dead Prime Suspect in Huisentruit Missing Case Getting Another Look
(Mason City, IA) — A dead lead suspect in the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit is once again the investigation’s main focus. In 1995, Huisentruit, an anchor at Mason City, Iowa’s KIMT-TV, went missing on her way to work early in the morning. Christopher Revak, the main suspect in the case, is back in the spotlight as Mason City Police meet with Wisconsin officials to take another look at notes and old leads. Revak killed himself in a Missouri jail one day after being charged with the March 2007 murder of Rene Williams.
>>Twin Cities Salvation Army Begins Arctic Overflow
(Undated) — The Salvation Army is opening 40 additional beds across the Twin Cities as overnight temperatures are expected to drop below zero. Named “Artic Overflow” accommodations, the beds will be open over the next few nights and January 1-February 28. Open shelters can be found in Brooklyn Park, Maplewood, North, NE, and South Minneapolis, and East and West St. Paul. Anyone seeking emergency overnight shelter should contact Adult Shelter Connect for availability.
>>City Workers in Duluth Authorize Strike
(Duluth, MN) — A union representing around 500 city government workers in Duluth says its members have authorized a strike. AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) Local 66 announced yesterday that the union members have rejected the city’s settlement offer, saying it is “insulting, inadequate, and unacceptable.” The strike could begin in mid-January if a new agreement isn’t reached. The union represents a variety of city workers, including library employees, water and gas maintenance workers, and snowplow drivers.
>>MN Community Leaders Discuss Solutions to Gun Violence
(Undated) – Gun violence is now the number one killer of children and teenagers in the United States—why community leaders held a roundtable discussion Tuesday at Children’s Minnesota. Maggiy Emery, Executive Director of Protect Minnesota, says it’s a disservice we aren’t treating this issue like other medical problems. She notes, “When we talk about gun violence, yes, it has to do with public safety, but we need to treat it the same way as any public epidemic, which is like a disease.” Jalilia Abdul Brown, the Executive Director of another community group called “Change Starts with Community,” says they’re seeing areas where gun violence is going down, but more work has to be done before we see another upswing. She says, “When the trauma is there, we gotta stop the cycle because if we don’t, then we’re dealing with retaliatory violence, which impacts even more youth, even more children, and even more families.”
>>OCM Announces Next Steps for Cannabis Licensing
(St. Paul, MN) – The Office of Cannabis Management is announcing the next steps for the cannabis industry in Minnesota. Interim Director Charlene Briner says they’re ending the license pre-approval process and starting a standard licensing cycle on January 15. The two-week window will allow prospective applicants to become verified as social equity applicants on February 18. Running through March 14, both social and general applicants will be accepted. That licensing cycle will then culminate in a lottery for capped license types in May or June of next year.
