>>Severe Storms Bring Tornadoes, Large Hail and Damaging Winds to Southern Minnesota
(Chanhassen, MN) — The first bout of severe weather in southern Minnesota included tornadoes, large hail, and strong winds. The National Weather Service says a tornado was on the ground near Amboy in Blue Earth County around 6:25 Monday evening, and it damaged a farm building. A trained spotter shot video of a twister near Matawan in Waseca County, photos show a tornado near Truman, and a funnel cloud was spotted near Wabasha. The hail reports were impressive. Three-and-a-half-inch hail was reported in Lake Crystal; three-inch stones fell near Faribault and Morristown; and Owatonna, Lakefield, Lake City, and Windom received two-inch hail. Wind gusts from 50 to 60 miles per hour were reported in several locations across southern Minnesota.
>>Focus on School Safety Bills Tuesday at Capitol
(St. Paul, MN) — School safety will be the focus of House Republicans today (Tues) at the State Capitol. G-O-P leaders have proposed a number of bills in their school safety proposal. They include more safety funding for public, nonpublic and Tribal schools, more money for mental health services, and addressing options for reporting school threats. The House Education Finance Committee will take up these bills this afternoon.
>>Minnesota House Passes Bill to Support Veterans
(St. Paul, MN) — A bill passed in the Minnesota House will help manage veterans’ issues like food insecurity, homelessness and suicide prevention. It will allow the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) to collaborate with other organizations that support our state veterans. Representative Kari Rehrauer (RAY-rau-er) of Coon Rapids said, “No one who has served our country should struggle to put food on the table or a roof over their head.” If this becomes law, the M-D-V-A would be required to report any collaboration to legislative leaders on the House and Senate Veterans Committees. The bill now heads to the Senate.
>>U of M Study Finds No Link Between Fluoride in Drinking Water and Children’s IQ
(Minneapolis, MN) — A new U of M study finds no link between fluoride in drinking water and potential harm to children’s I-Q. Lead researcher, Professor Rob Warren says they used high quality data from 10 thousand Wisconsin high school seniors over 70 years. Warren said, “we know where they went to school and where they lived when they were babies, and we know when fluoride was put into their water – and we see their I-Q scores. “ He says some cities have removed fluoride from their drinking water based on flawed studies. This study was published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
>>PETA Alleges Mistreatment of Monkeys at University of Minnesota Labs
(Minneapolis, MN) — Animal-rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is calling for federal funding to be pulled and for two University of Minnesota researchers to be barred from working with animals. This follows allegations of mistreatment in monkey experiments by PETA and whistleblower accounts first detailed by the Star Tribune. The nonprofit alleges neuroscientists Jan Zimmermann and Geoffrey Ghose botched multiple brain surgeries on monkeys, leading to serious injuries and prolonged suffering. The U of M has acknowledged the complaints and says one of the researchers was previously stripped of the ability to run an independent lab while an internal review is ongoing.
>>Minnesota Lynx Draft TCU G Miles #2 Overall, Utah G White in 2nd Round
(New York, NY) — The Minnesota Lynx added two guards in the W-N-B-A Draft last night in New York City. The Lynx selected T-C-U point guard Olivia Miles with the second-overall pick. Miles averaged a career-best 19.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Horned Frogs in her senior season. Minnesota picked Utah guard Lani White 45th overall in the third round. White averaged 15.9 points and 4.7 assists for the Utes.
>>Minnesota Twins Rout Boston Red Sox in Series Opener
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minnesota Twins routed the Boston Red Sox 13-6 in the series opener Monday night at Target Field. Minnesota scored 11 times in the first two innings and improved to 10-7. Victor Caratini, Ryan Kreidler, Byron Buxton, and Ryan Jeffers hit home runs. Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober allowed four runs over six innings for his second win of the season. Mick Abel gets the start for Minnesota tonight (Tues) against former Twins starter Sonny Gray.
