Along with Minnesota National Guard members deployed by the governor, several dozen workers from Xcel Energy have arrived in south Florida to help restore power to homes and businesses in the wake of Hurricane Irma. The crews are from Minnesota, the Dakotas and Wisconsin. They have their hands full as four million people are without electricity this morning.
The investigation continues following the death of a Wayzata police officer on Friday. 47-year old William Mathews was struck and killed by an SUV as he was clearing debris from the roadway on Highway-12. A 54-year old woman from Mound is being held on suspicion of vehicular homicide. Mathews was a nine year veteran of the force and leaves behind a wife and seven-year old son.
Authorities have released the name of the man who they say intentionally drove a car into a group of people on Sunday in Mankato. The hit-and-run which injured six happened in the early morning hours near the campus of Minnesota State-Mankato. The Blue Earth Sheriff’s Office says the driver, 21-year-old Juan Carlos Lamas Jr., was arrested after leaving the scene and is being investigated for drunk driving and criminal vehicular operation. Two victims were life-flighted to the Mayo Clinic Rochester campus, two others were treated in Mankato.
Police in Minnesota’s largest cities are investigating two fatal shootings over the weekend. A man died at the hospital after being shot on the North Side of St. Paul on Sunday. In South Minneapolis, a man was arrested after a man was found shot to death in a vehicle on Saturday. Police believe the shooter and victim knew each other.
Minnesota’s own Bob Dylan returns home for a concert at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. The 76-year-old music icon is set to perform on Wednesday, October 25th. Dylan, who was born and grew up in Hibbing, won the Nobel Prize for literature last year. Tickets go on sale Saturday, September 15th at noon.