>>2 People Found Dead During Welfare Check in Morrison County
(Pierz, MN) — The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the deaths of two people in Pierz. Deputies were doing a welfare check at a residence Friday morning when they found a man and woman dead inside. Their names haven’t been released. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office is doing the autopsies and the Minnesota B-C-A is assisting local investigators with the case.
>>Suspect in Shooting of 17-Year-Old Brooklyn Park Girl Arrested in Ohio
(Brooklyn Park, MN) — The suspect in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl in Brooklyn Park is jailed in Ohio on a second-degree murder warrant. Brooklyn Park detectives say 25-year-old Melchizedek Kpaan was arrested Friday morning in Ridgeville, Ohio. Police say Kpaan is wanted for the July 1st shooting death of 17-year-old Zoe Kpanlin. He is in the Lorain County jail awaiting extradition back to Minnesota.
>>Shots Fired in Possible Road Rage Incident in Wright County
(Otsego, MN) — Wright County authorities are investigating a shooting in Otsego as a possible road rage incident. The sheriff’s office received a report of gunshots from one vehicle towards another on Highway 101 Thursday night. Deputies found the person who reported the shooting and evidence indicating the vehicle had been struck twice by gunfire. No one was hurt. Officers say the suspect vehicle was a dark colored sedan with tinted windows.
>>Minnesota Food Banks Concerned About Impact of SNAP Cuts
(Rochester, MN) — Thousands of Minnesotans are expected to lose federal food assistance and will likely turn to a local food shelf. Virginia Witherspoon of Channel One Regional Food Bank in Rochester says food shelves seeing record numbers now statewide, certainly in southeastern Minnesota, and rural areas. She warns that number will increase when people lose their SNAP benefits. Witherspoon says it’s also harder for them to get products after the federal government cancelled commodity food earlier this year.
>>New Air Quality Alert Issued for Northern Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN) – Another air quality alert has been issued for northern Minnesota starting today (Sat) at 1 p.m. and lasting until Monday at 9 a.m. The areas in the alert are for northwest, north central and northeast Minnesota. Cities included are Brainerd, Hinckley, Bemidji, International Falls and Duluth. Heavy surface smoke from Canadian wildfires will drift south over the next several days. The Minnesota D-N-R says burning permits will not be issued or activated, and campfires are discouraged.
>>Four Rural Minnesota Newspapers Shut Down
(Undated) — Another blow to local journalism in rural Minnesota—four community newspapers have shut down in the southwest part of the state. After more than 140 years of covering school board meetings and local events, the Fulda Free Press and Murray County News published their final editions this week. Also closing: the Nobles County Review and Murray County Advantage. Publisher Johnson Publishing cited rising printing and postage costs, shrinking ad revenue, and the shift to digital news as reasons for the closures. The announcement appeared in Thursday’s final papers.
>>3 Minnesota Lynx Players and Coach in WNBA All-Star Game in Indiana
(Indianapolis, IN) — The Minnesota Lynx will be well-represented in the W-N-B-A All-Star Game tonight (Sat) in Indianapolis. Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, and Kayla McBride are playing, and Cheryl Reeve is coaching. Collier is the captain of one all-star team and Indiana’s Caitlin Clark is captain of the other team. Clark won’t be playing in the game on her home court due to a groin injury.
