>>BCA Investigating Fatal Police Shooting near East Grand Forks

(East Grand Forks, MN) — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating a police shooting near East Grand Forks that left a man dead. Polk County authorities and the Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force were serving an arrest warrant Tuesday morning when it happened. Deputies say the man came out of the home, officers followed him back inside, and then there was a shooting. The B-C-A said the man who officers shot died in the hospital. No further information is being released.

 

>>Woman Dies, Man Injured in House Fire near Warroad

(Warroad, MN) — Authorities continue their investigation after a house fire south of Warroad in far northern Minnesota claimed the life of a woman and injured a man. The fire was reported early Tuesday morning. The woman was dead at the scene and the man was taken to a hospital in Roseau. The victims haven’t been identified.

 

>>Walz Still Working to Get Tax Rebates Exempted from Federal Income Tax

(St. Paul, MN) — State Revenue Commissioner Paul Marquart says Governor Tim Walz is “still working with the I-R-S” to see if Minnesotans’ one-time tax rebates can be exempted from federal income tax. The push continues as the state mails 1099 forms to taxpayers in case Walz doesn’t win the argument. Marquart says, “the governor has not considered this a done deal yet. He is still doing what he can to hopefully get this changed.” Walz called it “B-S” in December after the I-R-S ruled that the rebates are federally taxable. Senate Republican Minority Leader Mark Johnson said Democrats broke their promise and handed out “paltry” rebate checks which will now be reduced by federal taxes.

 

>>All Female St. Paul City Council Begins its Work

(St. Paul, MN) — The all-female St. Paul City Council meets today (Wed 3:30pm) for the first time at City Hall. The seven members were sworn in Tuesday afternoon at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Incumbent Councilwoman Rebecca Noecker (NAY’-kur) told the crowd, “What this inauguration means to me, what this past election means to me is that we have given people a reason to hope. We have given people this precious opportunity and ourselves this moment to really change things.” Improving public safety and affordable housing are two of their top priorities.

 

>>Population Increases in Rural Minnesota Counties, Out-Migration in Urban Counties

(Mankato, MN) — For the second year in a row, rural Minnesota counties had modest population increases from in-migration while Twin Cities urban counties saw out-migration. That’s according to the latest report from Mankato-based Center for Rural Policy and Development. Researcher Kelly Asche (ASH) says the pandemic disrupted long-standing migration patterns. He says, “more folks working from home and giving them the ability to live wherever they wanted.” Asche notes the “really high” housing costs in the Twin Cities and significantly cheaper housing in Greater Minnesota and rural areas.

 

>>State of Minnesota Fines Menards for Labor Law Violations

(St. Paul, MN) — State officials are fining Wisconsin-based Menards for a violation of state labor laws. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has told Menards to pay back wages to an employee who had wages deducted from her pay over 100 times because she was nursing her child. The woman will also be awarded damages after she was suspended from her job in Fridley for asserting her rights under Minnesota law. Menards was fined 15-thousand dollars by the state, though half the fine will be waived if the company complies with the agreement. We reached out to Menards but received no response.

 

>>Vehicle Restrictions Lifted on Upper Red Lake

(Waskish, MN) — The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office is lifting motor vehicle restrictions today (Wed) on Upper Red Lake in northern Minnesota. Officials say colder weather and calmer winds have allowed ice conditions to improve. Aerials observations have shown Upper Red Lake to have iced over. Snowmobiles, A-T-Vs and other vehicles were barred from the lake after unsafe conditions caused large ice chunks to separate from shore, leaving people stranded and needing to be rescued. Anglers going onto the lake should speak with local resorts and check ice thickness frequently.

 

>>Eyota Man Pleads Guilty to Stalking Minor Through Camera

(Rochester, MN) — A man from Eyota (EE-‘oh-tuh) in southeastern Minnesota is pleading guilty to placing cameras in a minor girl’s bedroom and bathroom in May 2022. Olmsted County prosecutors say 42-year-old Justin White admitted to hiding the cameras while staying at the house a month beforehand and borrowing the victim’s mother’s car. Deputies found videos and images on an S-D card in White’s possession, including footage of him adjusting the cameras. A felony charge was dropped as part of plea deal and White was fined $900, sentenced to three years’ probation, and is barred from contact with the victims.

 

 

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