>>Fundraising Site for Families of Fallen Burnsville First Responders
(Burnsville, MN) — Burnsville city officials say the Law Enforcement Labor Services Benevolent Fund is the verified website to make donations for the families of the first responders killed in the line of duty. You should write “Burnsville Heroes” in the comment section to ensure the funds go to relatives of Officers Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge, and fire paramedic Adam Finseth. You can also donate to the Prince of Peace Church in Burnsville. The website is https://lels.org/benevolent-fund/.
>>SRO Use-of-Force Changes Paused at MN Capitol Due to Burnsville Shootings
(St. Paul, MN) – Any possible “fix” to the school resource officer use-of-force issue seems to be on “pause” at the State Capitol, with the Burnsville shootings prompting a “hold” on public hearings even as lawmakers were trying to reach a compromise. Republican Representative Jeff Witte from Lakeville — a former school resource officer — says the new and controversial law on prone restraints is unnecessary because in over 35 years there’s never been an excessive-force complaint against an S-R-O. Witte says “A lot of times for me it was about, if I gave a kid a ticket or had a talk to someone, I’d see ’em in the hallway and say ‘hi’ to ’em and let ’em know it was nothing personal. I think you build that relationship.” Others say Minnesota law must ensure that what happened to George Floyd will never be allowed to happen in a Minnesota school.
>>Elbow Lake Fatal Shooting Victim Identified
(Elbow Lake, MN) – The Grant County Sheriff’s Office in west central Minnesota is identifying the man shot and killed Sunday night in Elbow Lake as 30-year-old Stephen Grytdahl. Officials say they received a call from an Elbow Lake resident who reported that he had shot his brother. Deputies responded to the scene and detained one male, 33-year-old Conner Bruce Grytdahl. He was arrested and booked into the Wilkin County Jail on second-degree unintentional murder charges.
>>Man Arrested in Lake Superior for Drugs, Fake IDs, Weapons, Cash
(Duluth, MN) — A 43-year-old man is in custody after a search warrant turned up a kilogram of compressed fentanyl, enough of the drug to potentially kill 500,000 people. Around 5:40 a.m. Monday, the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force and other authorities executed a search warrant on Diaunte Shields. He was known to have active felony warrants for parole violation, possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, and five counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Shields was detained with $33,555 in cash, fake IDs, and documents on his person. At his residence, officials found a kilogram of compressed fentanyl, crack cocaine, meth, a loaded pistol, and evidence of drug sales. Investigators also intercepted a mail package containing another kilogram of cocaine.
>>MN AG Commissioner Peterson Names Top Priorities for 2024 Legislative Session
(Undated) – Minnesota’s Commissioner of Agriculture is looking at tweaks to the budget, aid for dairy farmers, and water quality as top issues this legislative session. Thom Petersen says there probably won’t be a lot of new money to spend, but rather “tweaking issues. We’ll also be looking at some of our potential dairy programs and making some tweaks to those as dairy continues to struggle a little bit in Minnesota. And then I’d say water quality issues. The 2024 Minnesota Legislative Session began last week and is scheduled to adjourn on May 20th.
>>U of M Predictions for 2024 Planting Season for Farmers After Warm Winter
(Minneapolis, MN) – After an El Nino winter across the state producing little snow and warm temps, farmers are discussing potential impacts on the 2024 planting season. University of Minnesota Professor Jeff Strock says while the rain and little snow we did get provided good soil moisture replenishment, “We may have cool to cold temperatures all the way through the end of April, and so there can be some risks with getting seed in the ground.”Strock says especially under wetter conditions, the cold could delay emergence and create germination and plant population challenges for farmers.
>>Doctors Worried About Allina Health’s Announcement of Mercy Hospital Pediatric Service Closure
(Coon Rapids, MN) — Members of Doctors Council, a national affiliate of SEIU, are expressing their concern for pediatric care in the Twin Cities due to the abrupt closure of the Mercy Inpatient Pediatrics Service at Allina Health last week. Going into effect June 12th, the campus will be eliminated due to “low patient volume and inpatient pediatrics not being a core service” of Allina Health, says unionized physicians. The hospital is drawing criticism for “compromising pediatric healthcare accessibility for money,” with children’s welfare advocates, Mercy Pediatric Hospitalists, and other allies demanding immediate reversal of the decision.
>>Bill to Discourage Phone Companies from Breaking Repair Appointments with Medically-Challenged Costumers
(Undated) – Telecom companies would have to issue an immediate 25-dollar credit if their repair tech didn’t show up for an appointment after the customer told them their health requires phone service for emergencies — that under a bill moving forward in the Democrat-controlled Minnesota House. Sartell Republican Tim O’Driscoll asks, what about if the *customer* misses the appointment, not allowing the company to provide necessary service? Jon Kelly with the state Commerce Department says they’re open to changes as the bill moves through committees — however, “We have examples of someone having their appointment missed eight times, multiple times.”
>>Sauk Rapids-Rice Teacher Wins Teacher of the Year Award in MN
(Sauk Rapids, MN) — A Sauk Rapids-Rice High School teacher is being honored with a statewide award. Aaron Johnson has been awarded the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies High School Teacher of the Year winner for 2024. Johnson says he trying to make “passionate global citizens” through his teaching of MN history, general, and AP world history. Johnson is in his 11th year of teaching with his entire career at Sauk Rapids-Rice.
