>>Food Shelf Use Remains High
(Rosemount, MN) — According to Hunger Solutions, a food equity advocacy group, Minnesotans made seven-and-a-half million visits to food distribution sites last year—a record high for the third year in a row. Tom Halloran, the Food Shelf Coordinator with Rosemount’s 360 Communities food shelf, says he doesn’t see this need decreasing, as recent inflationary pressures and elevated housing prices push people to seek food assistance programs. Halloran says that additional monetary donations, support from the state, and partnerships with supermarket chains are very helpful to hunger relief groups in the region.
>>DFL Merchandise Booth at Minnesota State Fair Raises Record $558 K
(Falcon Heights, MN) — The Minnesota D-F-L says its booth at this year’s State Fair raised more than 558 thousand dollars for the party. Officials say merchandise sales more than tripled the previous record of 164 thousand dollars in 2019. D-F-L Chair Ken Martin says in a statement, “Minnesotans are fired up for the Harris-Walz ticket.” He says the D-F-L has broken many fundraising and volunteer sign-up records since Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz took over the top of the ticket. There is no word yet on what Republicans raised at their state fair booth.
>>Former Willmar School Bus Driver Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Sexual Relationship with Student
(Willmar, MN) — A former Willmar school bus driver has been sentenced to just over four years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a student. 50-year-old Eric Leist pleaded guilty to second and third-degree criminal sexual conduct and possession of child pornography on his computer. While working as a paraprofessional at Dream Technical Academy in Willmar, Leist had a relationship with a girl in November and December of 2022, when she was 15 to 16. The victim told her mother she had been assaulted by Leist, who was arrested. A search of his computer revealed messages between the two.
>>MDH Encourages Parents to Get Their Kids the Measles Vaccination
(St. Paul, MN) — State health officials are using a recent outbreak of three dozen measles cases to urge Minnesota parents to vaccinate their children. The state Department of Health’s Jessica Hancock-Allen says all but one of the patients was unvaccinated. She says even though measles is one of the most contagious diseases and can be a very dangerous and certainly extremely uncomfortable disease, the good news is there is a vaccine that protects folks and, particularly children, against measles. Hancock-Allen says the M-M-R vaccine provides 93 to 97 percent protection. Children should get one dose when they’re 12 to 15 months old and a second dose between the ages of four and six.
>>Deer Lottery Deadline Thursday
(St. Paul, MN) — The deadline for hunters to purchase their licenses for the upcoming season is fast approaching. Firearm and muzzleloader hunters who want to hunt antlerless deer this season must buy a license by this Thursday. Hunters who purchase their license before the deadline are automatically entered into the lottery for the deer permit area or special area they declare. No lottery application is needed to hunt antlerless deer in permit areas designated as either sex, two-deer limit, three-deer limit, or five-deer limit. 2024 marks the first season deer permit areas (DPA) 235 and 251 switched to a lottery designation.
