>>Court Rules In Favor Of Mesabi Metallics In Lawsuit Against Cleveland-Cliffs
(Itasca County, MN) — A legal battle over iron ore in northeast Minnesota will go to trial in federal court. A court in Delaware has ruled that Mesabi Metallics can proceed with its lawsuit against Cleveland-Cliffs. The court’s decision stated that there is enough evidence to prove that Cleveland-Cliffs engaged in anticompetitive conduct that harmed Mesabi’s efforts to construct an iron ore mine and pelletizing plant in Itasca County. Mesabi is seeking nearly two billion dollars in damages from Cleveland-Cliffs.
>>MN DOH Substantiates Abuse Allegation At Rochester Memory Care Facility
(Rochester, MN) — An employee at a Rochester health facility has been terminated after the Minnesota Department of Health investigation. The agency began investigating after a complaint against Aviva River Bend Memory Care. A belt was used to hold a patient in a wheelchair because an unlicensed caregiver thought she might fall. After a family member complained, another staff member removed the belt and moved the patient to a recliner. The Department of Health substantiated the complaint and issued a correction order late last month.
>>State Taking Action To Clear Dozens Of Discarded Wind Turbine Blades
(St. Paul, MN) — The state has ordered two utility companies to remove dozens of discarded wind turbine blades from an industrial park in Mower County. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has instructed Xcel Energy and NextEra Energy Resources to start removing the blades by October 5th. NextEra Energy Resources disposed of over 100 blades during a replacement project in 2020, and Xcel Energy, which now owns the project, is also accountable. The PUC has warned the companies that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will intervene if the blades are not removed by the end of this year.
>>Former Coach, Teacher Indicted on 12 Charges of Sexually Assaulting Children
(Minneapolis, MN) — A former coach and teacher has been charged with 12 counts of criminal sexual conduct from 2013 to 2021, involving the penetration of 12 different victims, all under the age of 13. Aaron Hjermstad, a former P.E. and health teacher at The Mastery School and basketball coach at Hospitality House Youth Development and Harvest Best Academy, is already in prison on a 12-year sentence for sexually assaulting four boys he had coached. Law enforcement found thousands of videos of him assaulting children, including the 12 victims in this case. Each count carries a possible sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
>>U of M Opening new Off-Campus Safety Center in Dinkytown
(Minneapolis, MN) — The University of Minnesota is hosting a grand opening today (Fri 2-5pm) for the new Off-Campus Safety Center in Dinkytown. School officials say the facility will house U of M and Minneapolis police officers and be a community space with services for students. They’re hoping the new center will help decrease crime in the neighborhood. It is in the former Kitty Cat Klub building on University Avenue.
>>Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing, Intending to Distribute Nearly 10K Fentanyl Pills
(Minneapolis, MN) — A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to possessing thousands of fentanyl pills with intent to distribute. Court documents say on January 8th, 2023, 37-year-old Georgio Baymon sold 860 M-30 fentanyl pills to someone in Mankato for local distribution. On January 21st (2023), he sold another 600 pills to another person. Baymon rented a room at a St. Paul hotel on May 2nd (2023), where he hid a bag with 8,500 pills inside. Hotel staff found the bag while Baymon was out and contacted St. Paul police. Officers tried to arrest Baymon when he returned. Instead, Baymon fled, pulled a fire alarm, and was arrested in the basement. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled later.
>>Minnesota Cat Found In Washington State
(Monroe, WA) — A Minnesota cat will soon be heading home after being found nearly 15,000 miles away. Finn, the cat, was reported missing by his owner in Middle River in early July. He was found late last month in an industrial area in Monroe, Washington. The woman who found him says Finn’s microchip allowed her to immediately find and contact his owner. The cat’s owner is working with the woman who found him to arrange a flight so Finn can return home.
>>U of M Women’s Soccer Shuts Out Army for 5th Straight Win
(St. Paul, MN) — The University of Minnesota women’s soccer team improved to 5-and-0 with a 3-0 home win Thursday night over Army. Khyah Harper scored a pair of goals for the Golden Gophers, and goalkeeper Sarah Martin made four saves to pick up her first career shutout. The U of M hosts Brown University on Sunday afternoon.
