>>Minnesota Woman Identified as Victim in Deadly Washington, DC Plane Crash

(Washington, DC) — A woman from Minnesota is one of the 67 people killed in Wednesday’s plane crash into the Potomac River in Washington, D-C.   Investigators say the flight from Wichita, Kansas collided with an Army helicopter in mid-air before crashing into the river.   Her family says Wendy Jo Shaffer grew up in Mahtomedi, Minnesota and later moved to North Carolina.   A Go Fund Me page says Schaffer leaves behind two young sons and her husband.   Nearly 200 thousand dollars has been raised for her family and funeral expenses.   President Donald Trump said the deadly crash was preventable, blaming D-E-I policies and previous administrations.

 

>>Record-High Temps in the Twin Cities, Rochester, and St. Cloud Thursday

(Chanhassen, MN) — Another day of record warmth Thursday in several parts of Minnesota.  Rochester set a record-high temperature of 55 degrees for January 30th, topping the previous record of 48 from 1919.  The Twin Cities reached a record high of 52 degrees and the mercury hit a record 49 degrees in St. Cloud.   Fairmont had a high of 58 degrees and it was 57 in Austin and Worthington.   It got to 47 in Brainerd and 43 degrees in Duluth.  Bemidji, Thief River Falls, and International Falls topped out at 39 degrees.

 

>>No Negotiations Between Minnesota House Leaders on Thursday

(St. Paul, MN) — It appears a communication breakdown is keeping House Democratic and Republican leaders from talking to end their stalemate.   House Republican leader Lisa Demuth says she was not approached by D-F-L leader Melissa Hortman Thursday to resume talks.   But Hortman says in a statement that Demuth refused to meet with her yesterday morning.   Demuth responds, “I would say definitely I’m open to conversation if she actually has something to offer. ”   Hortman says she will be at the Capitol this morning (Fri) ready to negotiate.

 

>>AZ Investigators Say MN Woman’s Parachute Fully Deployed Before Death

(Eloy, AZ) — Arizona investigators are still trying to determine the cause of death for a Minnesota skydiver earlier this month.   Police in Eloy, Arizona, report that their investigation into the death of 55-year-old Ann Wick of Stillwater is ongoing.   Officials noted that Wick’s parachute was fully deployed and appeared to be functioning normally.   However, police stated that Wick experienced complications during her descent.   Witnesses reported that her parachute canopy was spinning and that it seemed she did not take any corrective actions.   Additionally, her reserve parachute was not deployed.   Wick’s equipment has been submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration for further examination.

 

>>DNR Officer Injured in Northern Minnesota Snowmobile Crash

(International falls, MN) — A D-N-R conservation officer is recovering after a snowmobile crash in Voyageurs National Park northern Minnesota.   According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, the conservation officer was injured on Lake Kabetogama on Thursday while participating in snowmobile training.  He was airlifted from the scene with non-life-threatening injuries.  The National Park Service  is conducting an investigation into the crash.

 

>>St. Louis County Sheriff Swears in 6 New Deputies, 14 Correctional Officers

(Duluth, MN) — The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is welcoming six new deputies, 14 correctional officers and a new K-9.   They were sworn in during a ceremonial pinning of badges Wednesday in Duluth.   The new deputies joined the sheriff’s department over the last 13 months.   New staff from 9-1-1 Emergency Communications, Emergency Management, Court Security, the Jail, and support staff were also recognized.   St. Louis is the largest county in Minnesota.

 

>>Chaska Man Pleads Guilty in Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme

(Minneapolis, MN) — A Chaska man is pleading guilty for his role in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, the fourth defendant to do so this week.   Federal prosecutors say 40-year-old Mohamed Noor, a-k-a “Deeq Darajo,” participated in the scheme to defraud a federal child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Instead of feeding children, Noor fabricated invoices and meal counts, claiming to feed 1,500 children each day.   Noor obtained $1.3 million in funds through this, retaining nearly $52,000 for himself.   His sentencing hearing will be scheduled later.

 

>>3 Charged in Robbinsdale Cooper Basketball Game Attack

(New Hope, MN) — Three men are charged with assault and riot for their roles in an attack at a Robbinsdale Cooper High School basketball game in New Hope.   The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says 18-year-olds Yahya Khanyare and Dursa Mohamed, and 19-year-old Ayub Ali, are three of the five arrested after the assault Tuesday night.   The group is accused of attacking a 17-year-old player from Fridley with tire irons during the game.   The five suspects fled following the attack and were arrested after their vehicle crashed.   The other two suspects are juveniles.

 

>>Nurses at Essentia Heath-Sandstone Vote to Authorize Strike

(Duluth, MN) — An overwhelming vote by nurses at Essentia Health-Sandstone authorizes an unfair labor practice strike if contract negotiations continue to stall.   Their contract expired in August and they’ve been bargaining since July.   The Minnesota Nurses Association says the nurses have made little progress with Essentia on key issues like wages and staff retention.   The M-N-A claims Essentia is offering Sandstone nurses significantly less in wages than nurses throughout their network.   The parties go back to the negotiating table on February 10th.

 

>>Timberwolves Rout Jazz in Utah for 5th Straight Victory

(Salt Lake City, UT) — The Minnesota Timberwolves extended their win streak to five games with a 138-113 victory over the Jazz in Utah.  The Wolves erased a 15-point deficit in the first quarter and outscored the Jazz 44-22 in third.   Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 36 points and 11 assists, rookie Rob Dillingham scored a career-high 19 , and Rudy Gobert and Luka Garza both had 16 points.   The Wolves are back at Target Center Saturday night to face the Washington Wizards.

 

>>Wolves G Edwards Named Western Conference All-Star

(Minneapolis, MN) — Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards will be playing in his third straight N-B-A All-Star Game next month in San Francisco.   “Ant” was named a reserve on the Western Conference team by N-B-A coaches Thursday.   Edwards leads the Wolves in scoring with 26.4 points per game and also averages 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists.   The 2025 NBA All-Star Game is Sunday February 16th at Chase Center, the home of the Golden State Warriors.

 

 

 

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