>>Three Victims Identified in Coon Rapids Homicide
(Anoka County, MN) — The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the three people found dead in a Coon Rapids home last week as 42-year-old Shannon Jungwirth, her husband, 39-year-old Mario Trejo Estrada, and her son, 20-year-old Jorge Reyes-Jungwirth. Anoka County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the home after dispatch received an open line 911 call with sounds of a disturbance in the background just before 12:30 p.m. Friday. A man has been taken into custody in connection with the murders but is not yet formally charged. Officers also found two children inside the home, who were unharmed.
>>Court Hearing for State Trooper Charged in Fatal Shooting of Ricky Cobb
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minnesota State Patrol officer charged in the fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb the Second makes his first court appearance today. Trooper Ryan Londregan is facing unintentional second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and second-degree manslaughter charges. Investigators say Londregan shot and killed 33-year-old Cobb during a July 31st traffic stop on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis. His attorney has filed motions to have the charges dismissed. County Attorney Mary Moriarity said Londregan did not follow his training and shooting someone was not an appropriate or necessary use of deadly force in this situation.
>>MNA Opposes Plan to End Labor, Delivery Services at Fosston, New Prague Hospitals
(Polk County, MN) – The Minnesota Nurses Association opposes plans to end labor and delivery services at hospitals in Fosston and New Prague. M-N-A president Chris Rubesch of Duluth says “This is happening across the state and as we see people need to travel potentially hours in a Minnesota winter to get O-B services we’re really asking for some dangerous situations to occur.” Rubesch says, “It’s unfortunate that the health systems are choosing the bottom line over the patients’ lives.” The Minnesota Department of Health is hosting a public hearing Tuesday evening on Essentia Heath-Fosston’s labor and delivery services unit closure.
>>End of Life Option Act Expected to be Considered in Upcoming MN Legislature
(St. Paul, MN) – The Minnesota House Public Safety and Finance Policy Committee is expected to consider the End of Life Option Act when the legislature convenes next month. At a pre-session committee meeting, retired critical care specialist Stuart Hanson called it a “last resort” for doctors; but says when a cure is no longer possible, “to maintain autonomy and to die with dignity is important to some people. Opponents say they want clarity on items like medication disposal should a patient die before taking it. The measure passed the committee on a 10-5 vote Thursday. House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth accused D-F-L members of, “pushing forward another extreme bill to end life” rather than focusing on issues such as family budgets or school resource officers.
>>MN Flu Season Looks to be Mild
(Undated) – All signs point to a quiet flu season. State Department of Health Commissioner Brooke Cunningham: “We have had a relatively mild season to date although we’ve seen some increase in influenza recently. So I think as cases go up that will be the test to see whether the vaccine is a good match.” Cunningham says in recent weeks we have seen a slight spike in cases and that’s a good reminder that it’s not too late to get vaccinated.
>>MN DNR Advise Extreme Caution on Ice
(Undated) – With a winter warm-up ahead the D-N-R is reminding Minnesotans to use extreme caution when venturing out onto the ice: “With the warmup coming and if we get any rain or wind the ice conditions could deteriorate pretty quickly even on those lakes that have decent ice right now.” The DNR’s Nicole Biagi says this winter has not been like in years past and to continue to use extreme caution the rest of the season.
>>BWCA Reservation Vooking Windows Open Wednesday for 2024 Season
(BWCA, MN) – The reservation booking window opens at 9 a.m. Wednesday for entry permits to the B-W-C-A Wilderness during this year’s quota season, May 1st through September 30th. Joy VanDrie with the Superior National Forest suggests having a few backup options for your first choice, “Because (of the quota) there are limited permits at the points of entry, but there’s a lot of opportunity.” VanDrie says people should pretty much be able to get what they want if they have three point-of-entry options plus a couple of different dates. Google “Superior National Forest Boundary Waters” for complete information. There’s also a year-round call center, which can be reached at 877-444-6777.
