>>Father Charged in Fatal ATV Crash
(Afton, MN) — Charges have been filed against a Minnesota father whose daughter took her friend on a full-size ATV that ended with both girls dying in a crash near Afton on April 22nd, 2023. 54-year-old Lance Koeckeritz is facing two counts each of second-degree manslaughter and child endangerment. Killed in the crash were Koeckeriz’s 10-year-old daughter Savanna and 10-year-old Alexis Gibson of Mahtomedi.
>>Craig Introduces Bill to Help Improve Rural Newspaper Delivery
(Washington, DC) — A bipartisan bill introduced today (Tues) by Congresswoman Angie Craig aims to help improve rural newspaper delivery in Minnesota and the country. It would limit price increases on stamps until the U-S Postal Service achieves at least a 95 percent on-time delivery rate for periodicals or an improvement of at least two percentage points. The measure also requires the U-S-P-S to annually report on its progress. Craig says in a statement, “Timely newspaper delivery service is vital to ensuring our rural communities can stay informed. This bill will help ensure just that while forcing U-S-P-S to justify their price increases through improved mail delivery.”
>>Twin Cities Firefighter Dies After Falling From Tree
(Savage, MN) — A Twin Cities firefighter who was badly injured in a fall from a tree has died. The Savage Fire Department announced the death of Brian Huttner over the weekend. Huttner was involved in an off-duty accident on July 8th. In addition to his work as a firefighter, Huttner was the owner of the Pizza N’ Pasta restaurant chain. A GoFundMe for Huttner’s family has raised nearly 14-thousand dollars so far.
>>MPPOA Files Ethics Complaint Against Hennepin County Attorney Moriarity
(Minneapolis, MN) — An ethics complaint filed today (Tues) against Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity accuses her of unethical behavior in the prosecution of State Trooper Ryan Londregan. The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association filed a formal complaint despite Moriarity dropping charges against Londregan in the fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II on I-94 in Minneapolis. The complaint alleges Moriarity made numerous extrajudicial statements with the intent to prejudice a jury, repeatedly made false statements regarding key issues in the case, and has admitted her conduct was politically motivated. Moriarity has yet to comment on the ethics complaint.
>>Switch To Harris As Democratic Candidate Wouldn’t Affect MN Ballot
(St. Paul, MN) — President Biden’s sudden exit from the 2024 presidential race shouldn’t have much of an effect on the Minnesota ballot. Secretary of State Steve Simon says the major political parties have until August 26th to finalize their nominees for president and vice president. Democrats will finish with their national convention in Chicago on August 22nd, giving them a few days to complete the required paperwork for their eventual nominee. Simon is reminding voters that today is the last day to register in advance to vote in the August 13th primary.
>>Fake $100 Bills Found In Virginia
(Virginia, MN) — Investigators in a St. Louis County community are asking people to watch out for counterfeit 100-dollar bills that have an obvious sign they are fake. The Virginia Police Department says several of the counterfeit bills have been passed recently at local businesses. The fake bills all have the same serial number and have the words “for motion picture purposes” printed on them. The police department says it is working with the affected businesses to identify a suspect.
