>>52nd Annual March for Life at Minnesota State Capitol
(St. Paul, MN) — A large turnout is expected for the 52nd annual March for Life today (Wed 12pm) at the State Capitol. Cathy Blaeser of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life says the Supreme Court legalized abortion on January 22nd, 1973. She says thousands of Minnesotans will be coming from all over the state to commemorate the millions of babies who have died in this country and the tens of thousands who have died in this state because of abortion. Blaeser says abortions have increased 39 percent in Minnesota since 2023. State lawmakers passed a statutory right to reproductive freedom in response to the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
>>House Republicans Introduce Bills to Protect Against Fraud
(St. Paul, MN) — A series of bill introduced by Minnesota House Republicans Tuesday aim to curb fraud, waste, and abuse in state government. Representative Patti Anderson from Dellwood says one would create an inspector general’s office which would have the ability to go into any state agency and have subpoena power to go into any receiver of funds to get information. All that information would then be turned over to lawmakers for further evaluation. D-F-L Senator Heather Gustafson of Vadnais Heights plans introduce similar legislation and Governor Walz made fraud protections a priority in his proposed budget.
>>U of M’s Doctor Osterholm Opposes Withdrawal of US from WHO
(Minneapolis, MN) — University of Minnesota infectious disease expert Doctor Michael Osterholm does not support President Trump’s plan to withdraw the U-S from the World Health Organization. Osterholm says, “From a global public health perspective and specifically our own health here in the United States, this is a public health disaster.” He says he agrees with the Trump administration that there are things the W-H-O can do much better, “but that doesn’t happen by just taking your ball and leaving and going home.” Osterholm says the U-S withdrawing would “handcuff the world” in responding to health crises around the globe.
>>McCollum Reintroduces Bill Protecting BWCA from Copper Nickel Mining
(Washington, DC) — Congresswoman Betty McCollum is sponsoring legislation that would protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageur’s National Park from the threat of copper nickel mining. The Minnesota Democrat reintroduced the bill that permanently withdraws 225 thousand acres of federal lands and waters within the Superior National Forest. President Trump said during a St. Cloud campaign rally in July that he would lift the Biden administration’s 20-year ban on mining near the B-W-C-A in “about ten minutes.” Republican Congressman Pete Stauber plans to introduce a bill that would re-issue mineral leases to Twin Metals for a proposed mine near Ely.
>>Pickup Driver Killed in Collision with Dump Truck near Rochester
(Rochester, MN) — The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating a deadly crash involving a pickup and dump truck north of Rochester. The report says a northbound truck driven by a 30-year-old Zumbro Falls collided with a southbound dump truck on U-S Highway 63 Tuesday afternoon. Troopers say the pickup driver died at the scene. The victim’s name hasn’t been released. The crash closed Highway 63 in both directions for several hours.
>>Fargo Police Officer Resigns After DUI Charge
(Fargo, ND) — A Fargo police officer resigned effective last Tuesday after being accused in a D-U-I crash. Brandon Rittenour was arrested in December after allegedly crashing into three parked vehicles and a dumpster. He was placed on administrative leave. Rittenour was arrested in 2022 for driving with a suspended license in Fargo and 2015 for driving while intoxicated in Benton County.
>>Missing Apple Valley Pizza Driver Dies by Suicide
(Apple Valley, MN) — A missing Apple Valley pizza delivery driver is dead. Forty-two-year-old Shuefab “Shue” Xiong was reported missing last Tuesday when he didn’t complete four scheduled deliveries. Xiong’s car was found abandoned in Superior, Wisconsin on Saturday and a friend claimed to have spoken to him in Roseville around 8 p-m. Police responded to a 9-1-1 call for a mental health crisis around noon Tuesday in St. Paul and despite family member assistance, Xiong took his own life.
>>Rochester Man Scammed Out of Over $14K
(Rochester, MN) — Police say a 70-year-old Rochester man lost more than 14 thousand dollars to a text message scam. Officers say the victim got a text message last week stating his iPhone was corrupted. The message urged him to call a phone number with a Chicago area code to protect his banking information. Investigators say two transactions were made after the victim withdrew funds from his account to buy cryptocurrency.
>>Gopher Men’s Basketball Wins at Border Rival Iowa
(Iowa City, IA) — The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team is celebrating a 72-67 win Tuesday night at border rival Iowa. It was the Golden Gophers second straight Big Ten win and their first victory in Iowa City since 2015. Dawson Garcia led Minnesota 20 points. Number 15 Oregon visits Williams Arena on Saturday.
