>>3rd Annual Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Minnesota State Capitol
(St. Paul, MN) — Hundreds of people and business owners are expected today (Mon) at the third annual Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Minnesota State Capitol. Founder Sheletta Brundidge says they didn’t have lobbying groups looking out for them, so she decided to create a day where they all go to the Capitol to speak with legislators. Brundidge says it has grown from 120 businesses the first year to more than 400 last year. Most state lawmakers are Governor Tim Walz are scheduled to meet with them.
>>Minnesota Senate Bill Would Create Office of Inspector General
(St. Paul, MN) — A bipartisan bill introduced in the Minnesota Senate would establish an independent Office of Inspector General. Senator Heather Gustafson of Vadnais Heights says the office would be a statewide oversight authority. She says it will look for fraud, waste, and abuse and any public or private entity that receives taxpayer dollars. Gustafson says the Feeding our Future and child care fraud schemes are “unacceptable” and we need to prevent future cases. The bill has three Democratic and two Republican co-sponsors.
>>DFL’s Ken Martin Elected Chair of Democratic National Committee
(National Harbor, MD) — Ken Martin is leaving the D-F-L Party at the end of March to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Martin was elected D-N-C chair at the winter meeting this weekend in Maryland. He called on Democrats to unite and go on offense. Martin told D-N-C members, “The fight is for our values. The fight is for working people. The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country.” He’s been the chairman of the Minnesota D-F-L since 2011.
>>Second Harvest Heartland Survey Finds 30% of Minnesota Homes Food Insecure
(Brooklyn Park, MN) — A new study finds that 30 percent of households in Minnesota are not confident about having enough food in the coming year. Second Harvest Heartland C-E-O Allison O’Toole says what we found out and what we know is that people can’t afford the food they need while managing the other costs of their household, like housing, health care, energy, and childcare. O’Toole says food insecurity is higher in southwestern and northern Minnesota, with one in four households identifying as food insecure.
>>Washington County Authorities Investigate Death of Man Found in Hastings
(Hastings, MN) — Authorities in Washington County are investigating the death of a man found in a ditch near Lake Isabelle in Hastings. Police say the location is about 150 feet east of a bridge that crosses the Vermillion River. They are asking anyone who witnessed a vehicle stopped on the road in the area between 2 and 10 a-m Sunday to call the Hastings P-D or Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The medical examiner will determine the man’s identity and cause and manner of death. Investigators believe this incident is connected to a missing person and suspicious fire Saturday in Denmark Township.
>>Rider Killed in Brooklyn Park Motorbike Crash
(Brooklyn Park, MN) — A man is dead after a weekend motorbike crash in Brooklyn Park. Police say the cycle collided with a vehicle at a residential intersection on Saturday night. Paramedics treated the rider at the scene, but he died of his injuries in the hospital. Officers say the driver of the car reported the crash and is cooperating with the investigation. Temperatures were in the 30s Saturday evening in the north metro.
>>Man Arrested in Le Sueur Standoff, Juvenile Rescued
(Le Sueur, MN) — A man is in custody and a juvenile is safe following a domestic incident and a nearly nine-hour standoff in Le Sueur. Officers say the man barricaded himself inside a home with the child around 3 p-m Saturday. Police say it took until about midnight to rescue the juvenile and take the suspect into custody. No injuries were reported.
>>2 in Custody After Minneapolis Drug-Related Shooting
(Minneapolis, MN) — Two people are in custody after a drug-related shooting on Saturday in south Minneapolis. Police found a man at the scene with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim was brought to Hennepin Healthcare. Investigators say the victim was inside an apartment with two known individuals when he was shot by one of them during a drug deal. The suspects were found hopping on a bus several miles away and were arrested.
>>Woman Arrested for Crashing Vehicle in Douglas County and Fleeing Scene
(Alexandria, MN) — A woman is jailed in Alexandria for D-U-I after crashing near a gas station in Miltona and fleeing the scene. An employee told Douglas County sheriff’s deputies the female driver exited the vehicle and ran off Saturday night. She was located hiding about a hundred yards from the scene and taken into custody. Authorities say they are seeing an increase in alcohol-related incidents and warn that a driver under the influence is almost always primary responsible for an accident.
>>National Weather Service Twin Cities Seeking Student Volunteers
(Chanhassen, MN) — The National Weather Service is offering students interested in meteorology the chance to gain practical experience. The Twin Cities office in Chanhassen is accepting applications for summer volunteer positions. Students will work alongside the forecast operations staff, assisting with data collection and research tasks. The application deadline is February 14th. For more information, visit the National Weather Service-Twin Cities website.
>>150 Anglers Win Prizes at 35th Annual Brainerd Ice Fishing Extravaganza
(Brainerd, MN) — A total of 150 anglers are prize winners in the 35th annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza on Gull Lake. The official results show Siera Romine from Carver won first place with a 5.85 pound walleye and takes home a brand new pickup truck. Five people won Polaris 450 A-T-Vs and other prizes include augers, ice houses, gift cards, ice suits, underwater cameras, and vacations. More than ten thousand anglers participated in this year’s event on Gull Lake’s Hole-in-the-Day Bay.