>>Pilot Program Begins in Minnesota Targeting Drugged Drivers
(St. Paul, MN) — A pilot program is starting this month in Minnesota that will help determine if drivers are impaired with cannabis or other drugs. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says drug recognition evaluators from law enforcement agencies statewide will receive training on an oral fluid roadside testing instrument. It detects the presence of cannabis or other drugs in a driver. They say it is like preliminary breath tests officers use to detect drunk driving. The pilot project is voluntary for drivers. During the pilot, results won’t be admissible in court. After the pilot, the goal is to get legislative approval in 2025 to use an oral fluid roadside testing instrument in the field. The Department of Public Safety says drugged driving accounted for about 8,000 incidents from 2013 to 2017 compared with nearly 16,000 from 2018 to 2022 a 96 percent increase.
>>Minnesota Home to 2026 Junior Hockey Championship
(St. Paul, MN) — USA Hockey announced this morning that the Twin Cities area will host the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Hockey Championship in 2026. Dwayne Dillinger Vice President, and International Council Chair of USA Hockey says with Minnesota having the most players than any state in our country they couldn’t think of a better spot for the 50th anniversary of the World Juniors. The Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul and 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis will host the ten-nation tournament featuring the best men’s players under 20. A total of 29 games will be played between December 26th, 2025, and January 5th, 2026. Minneapolis and St. Paul were the first United States hosts of the tournament back in 1982.
>>Worker Dies in Fall from Roof in North Mankato
(North Mankato, MN) — Authorities in North Mankato are investigating a fatal workplace accident. Police say 57-year-old Jesus Lara-Mena of Saint Peter fell about 30 feet from the roof of R-D-O Equipment Thursday morning. First responders tried to save him, but Lara-Mena died at the scene. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office are assisting local investigators in North Mankato.
>>Winter Tourism Snags
(St. Paul, MN) — It’s no surprise that our record-warm start to winter is hurting Minnesota’s tourism industry, but Jake Juliot with Explore Minnesota says there’s at least one positive: Minnesotans have still been able to do late-fall activities, such as biking and hiking. He says northern Minnesota is in a worse situation with ski areas like Lutsen, but everywhere that relies on winter recreation has been hit pretty hard. But Juliot says he remains “really optimistic and hopeful” that, with colder weather in the forecast, many events that have been pushed back will still carry on — just later in winter than usual.
>>MSP Is Number One Among Global Airports for Timely Flights
(Minneapolis, MN) — Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is being recognized for punctual flights. London-based Cirium reports the airport is tops among global airports for timely flights. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines is number one again for on-time performance. Their on-time arrival rate last year was 84-point-72 percent for more than one-point-six million flights.
>>> Minnesota P-W-H-L team aims to break the attendance record at Saturday’s home opener
(St. Paul, MN) – The Minnesota Professional Women’s Hockey League (P-W-H-L) team opens its home slate Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. According to the team’s social media, nearly 8,000 tickets have been sold. Earlier this week, Ottawa and Montréal set a women’s professional hockey attendance record with 8,318. Minnesota won its season-opener vs. Boston Wednesday, 3-2. The puck drop against Montréal is scheduled for 2:30 P-M. All P-W-H-L games air on Bally Sports North and stream on YouTube.
