>>U of M Board of Regents Concerned about Making NIL Back Payments
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Gophers and other college teams likely having to make “name, image and likeness” (NIL) back payments to athletes has members of the U-of-M Board of Regents concerned as they got an update Wednesday from Athletics Director Mark Coyle. Board Chair Janie Mayeron says, “It’s gonna be a heavy lift and I suspect it’s gonna have a significant impact on our whole athletic operation, or it could.” Coyle acknowledged, although revenue sharing begins in 2026 and there will be other sources of funds, he said, “There’s no doubt there’s gonna be some financial pressure as we try to navigate the new chapter of college athletics, if you will, and we’ll have to take a hard look at all of our sports and what we provide our student athletes and the ways we do that.” Coyle said, “I think it’s going to look different.”
>>Congressman Phillips on Calls for President Biden to Withdraw from Race
(Washington, DC) — Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips is not saying “I told you so” following recent calls for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the race for the White House. Phillips briefly challenged Biden in the Democratic presidential primaries, suggesting that the president should make way for a younger candidate. When asked if he felt vindicated now that there are new calls for Biden to withdraw, Phillips responded, “If this is vindication, vindication has never felt so unfulfilling.” He also did not explicitly call for Biden to withdraw but mentioned that he plans to clarify his position in the next few days.
>>Omar Urges Minnesota Veterans to Apply for PACT Act Benefits
(Washington, DC) — Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is urging eligible Minnesota veterans to apply for PACT act benefits through the V-A. Omar says the law passed two years ago addresses health problems faced by veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam and burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. But she says less than ten thousand veterans out of more than 100 thousand veterans in Minnesota who qualify under this program have enrolled. The 5th District Democrat says she will not stop fighting until every one of her constituents who is eligible receives the care they deserve. There’s more information about PACT Act benefits on the V-A website (va.gov/pact).
>>Sanford Health Merger with Marshfield Health Moving Forward
(Sioux Falls, SD) — Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health says it plans to merge with Marshfield Health of Wisconsin, creating a combined system of 56 hospitals, 43-hundred providers and nearly 56-thousand employees. It comes after Sanford’s proposed merger with Minneapolis-based Fairview fell through under heavy political pressure from the U-of-M, and after Marshfield and Duluth-based Essentia abandoned their merger plans, Essentia said due to Marshfield’s financial challenges. Sanford covers a large section of western Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa, Nebraska and other states. Marshfield is in northern and western Wisconsin and on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office scrutinized the earlier proposed mergers which didn’t come to pass, and a spokesman says of this latest plan that they “will be reviewing the proposed transaction.
>>Police Find Man and Woman Dead in Savage Home
(Savage, MN) — Authorities in Scott County are investigating the deaths of a man and woman in Savage. Police doing a welfare check late Wednesday morning found the couple dead in a home. Officers say there is no threat the community but haven’t released any other information. The medical examiner will determine the cause of manners of death. The Minnesota B-C-A is assisting local investigators.
>>Dakota County Officials Search Randolph Home for Missing Woman
(Randolph, MN) — Officials continue their search for a missing 56-year-old woman in Dakota County. Nicole “Nikki” Irene Anderson left her Randolph home around 10 Saturday morning on foot and hasn’t been heard from since. She has no cell phone, wallet, her glasses, or her medication. Authorities searched the area around Anderson’s home Wednesday but found nothing. The Dakota County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information to call 651-438-TIPS.
>>Sauk Centre Man Sentenced to 235 Months for Producing Child Pornography
(Minneapolis, MN) — A central Minnesota man will spend nearly 20 years in federal prison on child pornography charges. Prosecutors say 32-year-old Shawn Kulzer of Sauk Centre admitted to coercing eight minor victims to produce and send him sexually explicit images last year. Court records say Kulzer pressured the first victim into sending nude photographs on Snapchat in January 2023 and later engaged in the same behavior with at least six other minors while on pretrial release.
>>Duluth Holds Ribbon-Cutting for New Airport Terminal
(Duluth, MN) — Duluth officials are welcoming a new terminal at Sky Harbor Airport. State and local dignitaries attended a ribbon-cutting for the new terminal Wednesday. The $2.6 million facility features a new pilot’s lounge, planning room, and patio area. It also meets all current accessibility and floodplain requirements.
>>Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store in Jordan No Longer Relocating
(Jordan, MN) — Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store on U-S Highway 169 in Jordan will not be moving after all. Owner Robert Wagner had planned to relocate nearby but scrapped the move to due to the condition of the soil at the proposed site. An interchange construction project on Highway 169 is expected to close off access to the store’s main entrance. Wagner says a new frontage road will be built once the highway overpass is complete. Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store has been open 46 years.
>>Valley Fair Re-Opens Rollercoasters Closed due to Flooding
(Shakopee, MN) — The Renegade and Excalibur rollercoasters at Valley Fair amusement park are back open after being temporarily closed due to flooding. Officials say the rides re-opened following rigorous safety inspections. Valley Fair’s parking lots were underwater when the Minnesota River crested in Shakopee in late June. Onsite parking has since resumed. The Fourth of July fireworks were postponed because of the high water in the park.
>>Minnesota Twins Split Doubleheader at Chicago White Sox
(Chicago, IL) — The Minnesota Twins are headed to northern California after splitting a doubleheader Wednesday in Chicago at Guaranteed Rate Field. The White Sox won the first game 3-1 while the Twins claimed a 3-2 victory in game two. Catcher Ryan Jeffers drove in the go-ahead run for Minnesota in seventh inning. Brooks Lee and Carlos Correa hit back-to-back homers in the sixth. Pablo Lopez pitched five innings of two-run ball for a no-decision and Steven Okert picked up the win in relief. The Twins open a three-game series Friday night in San Francisco.
