>>1 Resident Dies in Duluth Apartment Fire
(Duluth, MN) — Officials in Duluth are investigating an early morning fire at an apartment complex that left one person dead. Firefighters say there was smoke in the first-floor hallway around 2:30 a.m. and an active fire inside one of the units. Crews put out the flames within eight minutes and found one resident dead in the apartment. Six occupants and a pet were safely evacuated. No word yet on the cause of the fire.
>>Pres. Biden Addresses Nation from the Oval Office
(Washington, D.C.) – Addressing the nation for the first time since announcing his decision not to run for reelection, President Biden said saving democracy is more important than any title, and he acknowledged it was time to “pass the torch” to a new generation of leaders. Hamline University political analyst David Schultz says, “In fact, for some people who might know this. He was sort of doing a takeoff of one of John F. Kennedy’s very, very famous speeches in which he talked about passing the baton, the torch, to a new generation.” Schultz says while President Biden did not mention Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump by name, he referred to Trump as a threat to democracy.
>>Blaine Parents Speak Out About Child Abuse at Daycare Center
(Blaine, MN) – The families of three infants who were allegedly abused at Small World Learning Center’s Blaine location are speaking out. Among them were Representative Nolan West of Blaine and his wife Megan, whose daughter Sibyl suffered abuse. He details, “Sibyl always hated it when we dropped her off there; she would scream. I always figured it was because we were leaving her. I never thought something this horrible was happening.” West said she trusted Sibyl’s caretakers and never thought they’d be capable of the alleged crimes, noting, “Their actions are extremely evil, shockingly wicked, and violent. And I hope they get put away for a long time.” Representative West says he plans to introduce bipartisan legislation requiring surveillance video to be used at all Minnesota daycare centers and require longer retention time for the footage. He also wants the maximum punishment increased for the abuser of a child under four.
>>Rep. Emmer Recognizes St. Cloud Mayor Kleis on U.S. House Floor
(Undated) – A nice honor on the U.S. House floor today for retiring St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis. Sixth District Congressman Tom Emmer told members that Kleis hosted more than a thousand town halls during his 20 years as mayor, “including multiple 24-hour marathon town halls, and frequently invited residents to his home for dinner. Dave has been an incredible partner working with us on hard infrastructure projects and the St. Cloud Cop House. Thank you, Dave, for your service to St. Cloud, Stearns County, and the State of Minnesota.” Kleis is the longest-serving mayor of St. Cloud and decided not to run for a sixth term in November. He’s also a military veteran and served ten years in the Minnesota Senate.
>>Rural Mainstreet Index Shows Continued Decline in Rural Economy
(Undated) – The latest Rural Mainstreet Index has declined for an eleventh consecutive month. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says weak agriculture commodity prices and declining exports contributed to weakness in the economy. He explains, “China, for example, their economy’s just moving sideways to down, and of course, that means they’re buying less of our soybean imports, for example.” Goss says credit conditions are also tighter, as “higher interest rates are cutting into the ability of farmers to purchase new equipment and other factors that are pulling the overall economy down.” The index is a monthly survey of ag bankers in 10 states, including Minnesota and neighboring Iowa, North and South Dakota.
