>>Mankato assault suspect at-large
(Mankato, MN) — Mankato Public Safety is asking the public for any information on a suspect at-large who was involved in a serious assault Thursday. 38-year-old John Olson is 5-9, 170 pounds, with a shaved head and facial hair. Olson has a small tattoo on the side on the left side of his neck. Police warn Olson is considered violent and should not be approached, but if spotted call 9-1-1 immediately.
>>School resource officers being pulled from some Minnesota schools due to confusion over use-of-force law
(Undated) — Analysts say more law enforcement agencies will likely follow Moorhead and Anoka County’s lead and pull their resource officers (SROs) out of school buildings — because of a new state law that police say is unclear about when they can use “prone or compression” restraint to control violent students. Attorney General Keith Ellison says police are allowed to use such restraint when there’s imminent threat of death or bodily harm — but Jeff Potts with the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association asks, what about a student who’s breaking windows with a baseball bat or throwing trays in the cafeteria? “Those situations can go very quickly from just damaging property to being a threat… [of] bodily harm or death,” Potts says. “But the way the law has been changed is that it really kinda hamstrings the SRO’s ability to intervene and stop that conduct.” The Chiefs of Police Association is asking Governor Tim Walz to call a special session to clarify the law, but Hamline University analyst David Schultz says the politics of the situation makes that unlikely.
>>2nd Suspect in Truman Shooting Arrested
(Fairmont, MN) — A second suspect in the July 3rd shooting in rural Truman that wounded four people is in custody. 20-year-old Matthew Davis of Owatonna was arrested and brought back go Martin County on 12 felony charges related to the shooting, including multiple counts of aiding and abetting murder. The first suspect, 19-year-old Lavont Shaw was arrested and charged on July 19th and is currently in custody.
>>U-S Forest Service plans to deny request to expand Lutsen Mountains ski area on Minnesota’s North Shore
(Duluth, MN) — The U-S Forest Service says it plans to deny Lutsen Mountains’ request to expand the well-known North Shore ski area onto about 500 acres of public land — which would have essentially doubled its skiable area. Federal officials cite negative impacts on tribal resources such as sugar maples and northern whitecedar, and on the Superior Hiking Trail and the adjacent Lutsen Scientific and Natural Area. Executives at Lutsen Mountains have not yet commented. There’s a 45-day “objection period” for those with legal standing to basically “appeal” the decision to higher authorities within the U-S Forest Service.
>>Corrections Dept. investigating drugs in MN prisons
(Moose Lake, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Corrections is investigating after 20 inmates were caught using or holding drugs over the past week at the Moose Lake prison in east-central Minnesota. Five inmates had to be taken for emergency medical treatment after ingesting drugs. Officials are calling the problem a troubling trend and say they are committed to using available tools to stop the flow of drugs into the prison.
>>Crash that killed Gustavus athlete caused when SUV went through stop sign
(Grace Township, MN) — New information from the State Patrol on a deadly crash near Willmar is that an S-U-V carrying the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s championship hockey team failed to obey a stop sign before it struck a minivan. Four young women from the team were taken to the hospital, but Gusties goaltender Jori Lynn Jones did not survive.
>>MADD, Minnesota Law Enforcement to Begin DWI Campaign Through Labor Day
(Rochester, MN) — Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), a nonprofit organization, and Minnesota law enforcement are beginning a 10-day effort Saturday to help end impaired driving ahead of Labor Day weekend. It’s to provide Minnesota communities with facts, tips, extra DWI patrols, and sobriety checkpoints every day through Labor Day. MADD says in 2021, 130 people in Minnesota lost their due to alcohol-related driving crashes.
>>Two Minnesota Turkeys To Be Pardoned By Biden This Thanksgiving
(St. Paul, MN) — Two Minnesota turkeys scheduled to be pardoned by President Biden this Thanksgiving were presented on the Christensen Farms Stage at the Minnesota State Fair. Willmar-based Jennie-O Turkey Store says the birds were hatched in July and they’re currently being raised with the flock. It’s been 30-years since Jennie-O last sent turkeys to the White House.
>>Red Lake Nation Nurse Honored For Improved Immunization Rates
(Red Lake, MN) — A nurse in the Red Lake Nation is being honored for improving immunization rates. The Association of Immunization Managers and the Minnesota Department of Health is naming Charmaine Branchuad as this year’s Immunization Champion. Branchuad and the Red Lake school staff organized student’s health records then set up a number of school-based immunization clinics. In April, the clinic immunized 38 elementary students which raised the district’s overall rates from 84 percent to 94 percent. A public health nurse who nominated Branchaud for the award said the clinics made a big difference in the community’s health.
>>Former ND governor’s SUV stolen when Schafer doing radio show in Fargo
**MEDIA REFERENCE**
(Fargo, ND) — Former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer (SHAY-fer) apparently didn’t follow the well-worn advice to “lock your car and take your keys”: His S-U-V was stolen from the parking lot of radio station K-F-G-O in Fargo this morning (Fri) when Schafer was on-air, guest-hosting. He says police told him someone stole the car, took it over to the Parole and Probation Office and turned themselves in. Schafer, a former U-S-D-A secretary, says his wife has warned him to lock the car and not leave the fob inside.
>>Early-season teal hunters, watch out for wild rice harvesters
(Cass Lake, MN) — Minnesota waterfowl hunters taking part in early teal hunting season in September need to be aware of and cautious of wild rice harvesters. The DNR’s Leslie McInenly there are special state regulations for hunters within the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe reservation. Specifically, hunters may not hunt within one-half mile of posted wild rice beds open to harvest within the boundaries of the reservation. In addition, the White Earth Nation may have restrictions for hunters on the White Earth Reservation.
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