>>Anoka County Authorities Find Man Dead in Fridley Pond

(Fridley, MN) — Fridley and Anoka authorities are investigating after finding a body in a pond in Fridley. Officials responded to the report of a suspected body in water around 7:39 p.m. Friday. The body of 62-year-old Daniel Aubrecht of Fridley was recovered. No foul play is suspected at this time.

 

>>Hubbard County Man Charged on Child Porn Crimes

(Akeley, MN) — A rural Akeley man is in jail, charged with multiple counts of disseminated child pornography. The Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office says on April 15, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that someone was uploading and disseminating child pornography from a computer in Hubbard County. A subpoena was served on an area telecommunications company, and it was confirmed that the IP address involved in the case was located in Hubbard County. One of the tips reportedly contained a phone number traced to the Mitchell Phillippi home. Investigators went to Phillippi’s workplace, where they seized his phone and arrested him. Phillippi, in a statement to law enforcement, admitted to sending hundreds of images containing child pornography using Snapchat. He’s been charged with eight felony counts of disseminating pornographic work involving minors under the age of 14.

 

>>NAMI MN Supports Social Media Warning Labels

(Undated) – NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) applauds the Surgeon General’s call for warning labels on social media platforms. Executive Director Sue Abderholden says, “He has really, for over a year, talked about the impact of the pandemic and social media on our youth’s mental health. We all know the problems, the good and the bad, with social media, but I still think it’s important for people to know that there are problems with social media and what to do.” The Surgeon General reports the mental health crisis among young people is an emergency, and social media has emerged as an important contributor. It’s estimated that social media use among kids is nearly 95%—nearly universal.

 

>>Bomb Threat Against Cook County Pride Event Made in Russia

(Grand Marais, MN) — Authorities have determined the bomb threat targeting a Pride event in Grand Marais Saturday was emailed from an address in Moscow, Russia. Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliason says they have closed the investigation due to the geographical barrier and the fact that nothing suspicious was found during their search of the area, but any new information will be taken in and investigated for authenticity.

 

>>Blaine Man Charged with 7 Felony Counts of Tax Fraud

(St. Paul, MN) — A Blaine man has been charged with seven felony counts regarding false or fraudulent income tax returns and property tax refund returns. According to the complaint, Thaer Jaghama, a tobacco retailer, had contraband products seized from his retail location. After comparing bank records with Jaghama’s tax filings, investigators determined he filed false tax returns for tax years 2019 through 2022, underreporting nearly $70,000 in taxable income. He also filed false property tax refunds for tax years 2019, 2021, and 2022. Jaghama allegedly owes over $45,000 in income and property taxes, penalties, and interest.

 

>>Dump Truck Hits Power Line in Duluth Causing Power Outage 

(Duluth, MN) — A dump truck hitting a power pole is blamed for an electricity outage this morning in Duluth. Police say the accident caused a transformer to go out, and more than 1,700 Minnesota Power customers lost power. Officers say London Road is back open to traffic, and Minnesota Power crews should have the power back on soon.

 

>>MN Law to Reduce Driver-Safety Class Hours for Seniors

(St. Cloud, MN) – The Minnesota Legislature has approved cutting the driver-safety class hours in half for seniors required to take it to get an auto insurance discount to encourage more older residents to enroll. Instructor Joe Biernat with the Minnesota Highway Safety and Research Center says with the state’s rapidly aging population, more older drivers will likely be on the roads, but not enough are up to speed on evolving traffic trends and rules. He argues that Minnesota already spends so much money on infrastructure every year, “but we spend very little on the drivers that use that infrastructure. This change will entice more people to participate; it will make them better drivers. It will make the roads safer.” Biernat agrees it may be a challenge fitting all the necessary information into a reduced class schedule, but an independent AARP study found no significant impact on the knowledge retained when comparing course lengths.

 

>>Motorcycle Convention to Begin in Rochester Today

(Rochester, MN) — Attention Rochester drivers! Over the next six days, please be extra vigilant and watch out for motorcycles. The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association is hosting its national convention this week, and this will bring thousands of motorcycles to the area. Most activities will take place in Rochester, but there will also be an honor ride to Preston on Thursday and another gathering in Faribault on Friday. MnDOT is urging drivers to make a special effort to look out for motorcycles and give riders plenty of space on streets and highways.

 

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