>>FBI, Tribal Police Search for Answers to Fatal Hit and Run
(Tower, MN) — The FBI joins Bois Forte Tribal Police in solving a fatal hit and run. The Tuesday crash killed a woman on Lake Vermilion Reservation Road in rural Tower. Any information, including tips or reward inquiries, should be directed to the Bois Forte Police Department and the FBI.
>>2 Men Shot in Minneapolis, Found in Robbinsdale
(Robbinsdale, MN) — Two men are injured, one critically, after a shooting involving two cities last night. Police responded around 10:30 p.m. to a 911 call of two people shot near an intersection in Robbinsdale. Both victims were brought to North Memorial Medical Center. Investigators learned the actual shooting took place in Minneapolis. No arrests have been made.
>>Mangione Waives Extradition, Will Return to New York to Face Charges
(Hollidaysburg, PA) – The man accused in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson will be headed to New York City to face first-degree murder and other charges. Prosecutors say Luigi Mangione waived extradition during a hearing this morning in Pennsylvania. The 11-count indictment charges Mangione with first-degree murder as an act of terrorism. Investigators believe he was motivated by anger toward the U.S. healthcare system and developed a plan to kill Thompson. 50-year-old Thompson was in Manhattan for a UnitedHealthcare investors conference when he was shot to death.
>>Litchfield Man Booked for DUI in Single-Vehicle Crash
(Meeker County, MN) — A Litchfield man is in custody for DUI-related charges after a crash in Meeker County Wednesday. Deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash around 11:10 p.m. in Forest Prairie township. They learned that 24-year-old Jonathan Kellen was heading north when he left the road and hit a tree. Keller sustained minor injuries and was treated at Meeker Memorial Hospital.
>>Minnesota Jobs and Labor Force Grew in November
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota added 2,500 jobs, and its labor force grew by more than 4,600 workers in November. The state’s unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.5%, lower than the national rate of 4.2%, which also rose at the same rate. The labor force participation rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 67.8% over the month, compared to 62.5% nationally—a decline over the month before. Over the year, Minnesota gained 33,458 payroll jobs, up 1.1%. The private sector gained 16,169 jobs, up 0.6%.
>>Minnesota’s Minimum Wage Increases January 1, 2025
(St. Paul, MN) – The new year will bring a new minimum wage for Minnesota workers. Due to an adjustment for inflation, the new minimum wage in Minnesota will be $11.13 an hour, up from $10.85 an hour. This will be for all large and small employers, youth, and what’s known as J-1 visa wages for hotels, motels, and lodging establishments. The law still allows a 90-day training wage for workers under the age of 20, which is $9.08 an hour. These rates do not apply to Minneapolis and St. Paul workers because those cities have higher minimum wage rates.
>>Ramsey County to No Longer Charge Residents for Mental Health Crisis Services
(Ramsey County, MN) – After years of billing residents for phone or mobile mental health crisis services, Ramsey County will no longer charge. Executive Director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness Minnesota, Sue Abderholden, predicted in August: “What will happen is people will go back to calling 911 and the police because they’ll be fearful they’ll have an out-of-pocket cost, and it defeats the whole purpose.” On average, one out of every three people helped by Ramsey County mobile crisis teams in 2023 was billed.
>>The Replacements Guitarist/Songwriter Slim Dunlap Dies at Age 73
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minnesota music community is mourning the loss of The Replacements guitarist and songwriter Slim Dunlap. His family says Bob “Slim” Dunlap died at home Wednesday at age 73. The native of Plainview, Minnesota, suffered a stroke in 2012. Dunlap replaced original The Replacements lead guitarist Bob Stinson in 1987 and played on the albums “Don’t Tell A Soul” and “All Shook Down.” He also recorded two solo records in the 1990s.
