>>IRS Confirms Minnesota Tax Rebates Subject to Federal Income Taxes
(St. Paul, MN) — An appeal to the I-R-S by Governor Tim Walz and others has been unsuccessful, and Minnesotans who received one-time state tax rebates last year will have to pay federal income tax on them. State Revenue Commissioner Paul Marquart says, “We’ve received a final determination that it will be taxable.” Governor Walz uttered an obscenity when reporters asked him about it after the news first came out last December, saying the federal government picked an “arbitrary date” of May 11th to end the COVID emergency and the legislature didn’t pass the rebate bill until later that month. State officials say federal income tax on the rebate checks could range from 26- to 286-dollars, depending on household income and the size of the rebate received.
>>Minnesota Man Charged in Texas for Allegedly Threatening Biden, Musk
(Austin, TX) — A Minnesota man is facing charges in Texas for making alleged threats against President Joe Joe Biden and Elon Musk. Investigators say 31-year-old Justin McCauley of Rogers is a Tesla employee who posted threats to kill both men on social media. McCauley’s wife told investigators that he said he was going to Texas and never coming back, and he reportedly told police in Oklahoma that he wanted to talk to Biden because he knew he was going to die. He arrested in Austin on Sunday and charged Tuesday with making terrorist threats.
>>Record Warmth in Minnesota on January 31st
(Chanhassen, MN) — The Twin Cities and St. Cloud are two locations in Minnesota that set record-high temperatures of 55 degrees on Wednesday. The mercury reached 60 degrees in Canby in southwestern Minnesota and 59 at Marshall. International Falls, Hibbing and Brainerd also had record warmth in the low 50s. Forecasters say the lack of snow allowed temperatures to soar on January 31st. The National Weather Service is forecasting highs in the upper 30s and 40s statewide for the rest of the week.
>>Motorcyclist Suffers Serious Injuries in I-35 Crash in Forest Lake
(Forest Lake, MN) — A motorcyclist is hospitalized with serious injuries after crashing Wednesday night on Interstate 35 in Forest Lake. The Minnesota State Patrol says the 29-year-old rider left I-35 and hit a guardrail. Troopers say he was seriously hurt and taken to Regions Hospital. The report says the man was not wearing a motorcycle helmet and the roadway was dry. Temperatures reached the mid-50s in the north metro Wednesday and there were a lot of motorcycles and bicycles on the roads.
>>Passenger Traffic up 11% at MSP Airport in 2023
(Minneapolis, MN) — Officials at Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport are reporting an 11 percent increase in air travelers in 2023. A total of 34-point-seven million passengers passed through M-S-P last year – up from 31-point-two million in 2022. The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) says a 47-percent increase in international passengers fueled the growth. The report cites growing demand for travel overseas, to Canada, and to warm and sunny destinations across Mexico and the Caribbean. Airlines expect to increase nonstop destinations and frequencies of flights for Minnesota businesses and travelers this year.
>>Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Target Arson
(St. Paul, MN) — A Minneapolis man will spend 10 years in federal prison for setting fire to the Target corporate headquarters in August of 2020. Thirty-seven-year-old Leroy Perry Williams was sentenced Wednesday after a being convicted of arson in October. Prosecutors say Williams and two others broke into the Target building during looting and rioting after a false rumor about police fatally shooting a man. Police say Williams repeatedly attempted to light cardboard on fire using a lighter inside the entrance and outside the building in downtown Minneapolis.
>>New Minnesota Flag Arrives in Retailers, Not Popular Yet
(Rochester, MN) — The new Minnesota flag is now available at some retailers in the state. Lee Herold of the Herold Flag Store in Rochester says they have some in but there is not much interest yet. He says supplies are limited and they have some three-by-five foot flags. Herold says they’re just starting to make the new flags and some U-S manufacturers are holding off because the legislature could still make changes. He says the outgoing Minnesota flag is more popular than ever since a state commission approved the new flag design in December.
>>CenterPoint Energy Foundation Accepting Grant Applications
(Minneapolis, MN) — The CenterPoint Energy Foundation is accepting applications for its first 2024 grant cycle. The Foundation is separate from the utility and awards grants to eligible organizations and programs supporting community vitality and education such as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, No Student Left Behind, and Minnesota’s very own Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative. Applications are open through February 16th, with priority considerations given to programs serving low-to-moderate-income families and under-resourced communities. There’s more information at CenterPointEnergy.com/Foundation.
