>>Klobuchar Cheers Senate Passage of Debt Ceiling Legislation

(Washington, DC) — A bill passed by the U-S Senate late Thursday night on a 63-to-36 vote lifts the nation’s debt ceiling until 2025, just days short of the government defaulting on its debt obligations. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar says,” it would have been catastrophic for all Americans, and we were able to protect Social Security and Medicare from harmful cuts, which is really important to many people in our state.” But 1st District Republican Congressman Brad Finstad says the deal “doesn’t go far enough to address the key drivers of our national debt and falls short of the necessary reforms to fix a broken Washington.” The bill now goes to President Biden for his signature. The president plans to address the nation at 6-pm (Friday) Central time.

>>Man Pleads Guilty to Assault on Congresswoman Craig in DC Apartment

(Washington, DC) — A man with a history of mental illness and homelessness plus a long criminal record is pleading guilty to three counts of assault in connection with an attack on Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig. It happened earlier this year in an elevator at her Washington D-C apartment building. The attack by Kendrid Hamlin is not considered politically motivated. Investigators say Hamlin followed Craig into the elevator, prevented her from leaving, and punched her. Craig escaped after throwing hot coffee at her assailant.

>>U of M Regents Voting on Separation Agreement with President Gabel

(Minneapolis, MN) — The U-of-M Board of Regents is set to vote today (Fri 8am start) on a separation agreement with President Joan Gabel — who’s leaving to head the University of Pittsburgh. They will also vote on a contract with former Hormel C-E-O Jeff Ettinger who will be interim president as the University searches for a permanent successor. The Star Tribune reports the draft agreement sets Gabel’s final day as June 9th. The U will contribute 160 thousand dollars to her retirement plan and she will receive no performance bonus for the 2022-23 school year. She’ll also be paid for unused vacation and personal holiday time. Ettinger begins work June 10th and is interim president for about a year at an annual salary of 400 thousand dollars.

>>PUC Approves 9.6% Electric Rate Increase for Xcel Energy

(St. Paul, MN) — State regulators are approving an electric rate increase for Xcel Energy that is less than half of what the utility is requesting. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission gave the okay Thursday to a rate hike of 306 million dollars or nine-point-six percent over three years. Xcel initially proposed an increase of 667 million or 21 percent. The P-U-C is requiring the company to establish a low-income rate and reduce the monthly basic charge for residential and small business customers. Officials say Xcel’s final rates will be lower than the interim rates which means a refund for electric customers.

>>New MDH Infectious Disease Director Glad COVID Pandemic is Over

(St. Paul, MN) — The new director of infectious disease for the Minnesota Department of Health says she’s glad that COVID-19 activity has slowed and the pandemic emergency ended. Jessica Hancock-Allen says,” COVID is now being worked into our everyday work. So we’re thinking about at M-D-H how we can fold COVID activity into other work which never stopped.” Hancock-Allen says other work includes protecting the public from tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses, food-borne illnesses, and getting children vaccinated. She replaces longtime Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann (AIRZ’-men), who retired last year.

>>Authorities ID Woman Found Dead Under I-35 Bridge in Owatonna

(Owatonna, MN) — Police in Owatonna are releasing more information about a woman found dead under an Interstate 35 bridge overpass on Tuesday. Officers say 25-year-old Sabrina Schnoor of Elysian died of a single gunshot wound. They believe her homicide was a targeted attack. The Minnesota B-C-A is helping local investigators with the case. Anyone with tips about the shooting of Schnoor is asked to call the Owatonna Police Department.

>>18-Year-old Shot on Memorial Day in Robbinsdale Dies in Hospital

(Robbinsdale, MN) — Robbinsdale police say the teen shot on Memorial Day did not survive. Officers say the 18-year-old victim didn’t have a pulse and wasn’t breathing when they found him Monday afternoon. He was taken to North Memorial in critical condition but never regained consciousness and died on Thursday. Investigators say two juvenile suspects were arrested and a gun was recovered from their car. The medical examiner hasn’t identified the victim.

>>Missing Person Alerts Cancelled for Cloquet Man, Bemidji Area Woman

(Cloquet, MN) — The Minnesota B-C-A canceled missing person alerts for two people in the state. The Cloquet Police Department says 82-year-old Larry Kallberg returned home safely on Thursday after disappearing on Tuesday. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office reports that 32-year-old Chessna Lalgie has been found and is safe. Lalgie was reported missing on May 25th by her family who had not communicated with her since February.

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