>>DFL Asking Alexandria-Area Unit to Rescind Endorsement of MN House Candidate
(St. Paul, MN) — State Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin is asking the party’s local unit in the Alexandria area to immediately withdraw their endorsement of Minnesota House candidate Judd Hoff, who has a long criminal record and allegedly stalked the incumbent representative in District 12-B, Republican Mary Franson. Martin’s statement that the Minnesota D-F-L Party “will not spend any of our resources” on Hoff’s behalf comes after state Republican Party Chairman David Hann (HAN) called on Democrats to rescind their endorsement. Hoff’s record includes a felony assault conviction for wielding a 23-inch machete when a man reportedly confronted him in August 2020 for waving an upside-down American flag from his vehicle. There’s been no comment from Hoff or local D-F-L Party leaders in the Alexandria area.
>>U-S Supreme Court Won’t Hear MyPillow CEO Lindell Petition on Cell phone Seizure by FBI
**MEDIA REFERENCE – 2ND LINE**
(Washington, DC) — The U-S Supreme Court has declined to hear a petition from MyPillow C-E-O Mike Lindell that the F-B-I violated his constitutional rights when agents seized his cell phone at a fast food drive-thru in Mankato two years ago. The Star Tribune reports the high court discussed the issue in late March and issued their decision Monday without comment. The paper reports Lindell says the U-S government has been “weaponized” against him and he’ll return to court to try to get his cell phone back. Lindell is the subject of a federal investigation into a security breach in the 2020 election in Colorado.
>>Authorities ID 2 Women Killed in Benton County UTV Crash
(Foley, MN) — Authorities are naming the two women killed in a weekend crash involving a utility task vehicle and pickup near Foley in Benton County. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office says 44-year-old Jamie Jendro of Princeton was driving the U-T-V and her passenger was 34-year-old Lindsay Karsky from Oak Park. Sheriff’s deputies say Jendro and Karsky were pulled from the burning vehicle by two witnesses Saturday afternoon and died at the scene. The preliminary investigation indicates the U-T-V was going down the middle of the road at high speeds before the collision.
>>Driver Hurt in Collision with Train in Northwest Minnesota’s Polk County
(Crookston, MN) — A Grand Forks, North Dakota man is hospitalized in Crookston after his car collided with a train Monday afternoon in Polk County. The Minnesota State Patrol says a vehicle driven by 36-year-old Theodore Krmpotich collided with a B-N-S-F train at a railroad crossing on the Highway 87 bypass. The report says Krmpotich was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Troopers say he was wearing a seat belt and alcohol was not involved.
>>Chanhassen Man Killed in Violent Assault Identified
(Chanhassen, MN) — A Chanhassen man killed in a “violent assault” last week is being identified. The Carver County Sheriff’s Office says 33-year-old Erik Berger of St. Paul was found by his parents Friday, lying on the floor in the garage area. Paramedics performed C-P-R, but Berger died at the scene. A person of interest was followed to a Minneapolis home the same day but was found dead of self-inflicted wound. Officials say Berger and the person of interest knew each other and there is no danger to the public.
>>St. Paul Police Investigate Sexual Assault After Residential Robbery
(St. Paul, MN) — St. Paul Police are investigating a sexual assault that took place after a residential robbery. Officers responded to a residence in Macalester Groveland neighborhood around 4:30 a.m. Monday on report of a sexual assault. An adult female victim told officers she was sleeping when an unknown male entered the house, robbed the victim of her money, and sexually assaulted her before fleeing. The suspect is a Black man, 25 to 35 years old, 5 foot 10- to 11 inches tall, wearing a black t-shirt with a zipper on the right leg and black heavy-soled shoes. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators (651-266-5685).
>>Widespread Rainfall Expected Across Minnesota Tuesday into Wednesday
(Chanhassen, MN) — Several rounds of rain and thunderstorms are expected to move across Minnesota today and linger into tomorrow (Wed). National Weather Service Meteorologist Brennan Detmann says we are expecting a pretty significant soaking of rain and it’ll impact the majority of the state of Minnesota. Detmann says strong winds will be blowing around the rain with gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour in some areas. One to two inches are expected in southern half of the state and up to an inch in parts of central and northern Minnesota. He says these rain showers should lessen the fire danger in parts of the state.
>>Meeker County Turkey Flock is First Minnesota Commercial Operation with HPAI
(St. Paul, MN) — Federal inspectors say a Meeker County turkey flock is the first commercial poultry operation in Minnesota with highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2024. U-S-D-A officials say bird flu was detected on the farm with more than 70 thousand turkeys on Thursday. H-P-A-I was found in three backyard poultry flocks in the state this year and a young goat herd in Stevens County. Investigators believe that wild waterfowl are spreading avian influenza this spring.
>>MnDOT Reminds Drivers to Share the Road with Farm Equipment
(Undated) — The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is reminding drivers across the state to safely share the road with large farm equipment during this spring’s planting season. Since 2021, there have been 446 crashes involving farm equipment in Minnesota, resulting in eight deaths and 171 injuries. Officials ask Minnesotans to slow down, particularly at dusk and dawn on two-lane rural roads, watch for dropped farm debris, drive with headlights on at all times, and wait for a SAFE place to pass. Officials say farm equipment is large and heavy, making it hard for operators to accelerate, slow down, and stop, and it’s common for equipment to make wide turns and cross over the center line.
>>Minnesotan Finishes as 1st American Woman in Boston Marathon Again
(Boston, MA) — A Minnesota native is the top-finishing American woman at the Boston Marathon for the second year in a row. Thirty-one-year-old Elk River High School grad Emma Bates crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 14 seconds on Monday. Bates finished 12th overall among women behind the top overall female runner, Hellen Obiri, an Olympian from Kenya.
