>>Senate Cannabis Bill Author Wants to Revisit 5% Percent Tax Increase
(Burnsville, MN) — Senator Lindsey Port of Burnsville says increasing the tax on cannabis products was one of the hardest votes she had to take this year. Legislative leaders agreed to raise it from 10 percent to 15 percent as part of state budget deal. Port says, “in that space where we need to balance a budget, facing a potential deficit coming down the road to us, it was necessary to raise revenue. And this was the only one that the House Republicans were willing to do.” Port says she fears the 50-percent tax increase on legal cannabis will make it more expensive than products on illicit market. She hopes lawmakers can come back and sunset the five-percent additional tax on cannabis.
>>State of Minnesota Awards $15 Million in Grants to Fight Opioid Crisis
(St. Paul, MN) — Fifteen-million dollars is being awarded to organizations all over Minnesota to help fight the opioid crisis in the state. Department of Human Services assistant commissioner Teresa Steinmetz says the funding will help with things like workforce development, education, and preventative care. However, she says the main priority is saving people’s lives through interventions and treatment support. In 2023, fatal overdoses caused by opioids dropped for the first time in five years. Twenty-three organizations in total will split up the 15 million in state funding.
>>June Tornado Count in Minnesota Tops All of 2024
(St. Paul, MN) — June lived up to its reputation as the peak month for tornadoes in Minnesota. Pete Boulay of the State Climatology Office says we had more last month than all of 2024. The preliminary count shows 39 tornadoes in June, and most were weak EF-0 and EF-1 rated twisters. There was a total of 30 tornadoes in the state last year. Boulay says July and August rank second and third for most twisters. There have been 48 tornadoes in the state this season.
>>14-Year-Old Boy Killed, Passenger Critically Injured in St. Paul Scooter Crash
(St. Paul, MN) — Police in St. Paul are investigating a motorized scooter crash that left a teenage boy dead and his passenger with life-threatening injuries. Officers say it appears the boys ran a stop sign and drove into an intersection where their scooter was struck by a pickup Tuesday morning. The 14-year-old driver was taken to Regions Hospital but did not survive. The 13-year-old passenger remains in critical condition. Investigators say the truck driver stopped and did not show any signs of impairment.
>>Woman’s Body Found in Search for Missing Cloquet Couple
(Cloquet, MN) — The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office says a body has been found in the search for a missing couple from Cloquet. Deputies say they located what’s believed to be the remains of 62-year-old Jane Korpela outside a vehicle in a wooded area north of Aitkin. Korpela and 64-year-old Daniel Latterell were last seen at a gas station near McGregor on May 26th. A search turned up clothing belonging to Latterell, but he has yet to be found.
>>Attempted Murder Charges Filed in Shooting in Apple Valley Park
(Hastings, MN) — Dakota County prosecutors are charging a Minneapolis man with attempted murder and assault in connection with a shooting in an Apple Valley park. Thirty-year-old Ibrahim Mohamed is jailed on 400 thousand dollars bail. Investigators say Mohamed admitted to firing ten rounds at a car in the park on May 10th and claimed he didn’t know the passengers. Police said Mohamed shot the 18-year-old victim in the face and fled the scene. The victim underwent surgery for life-threatening injuries. Mohamed was arrested Monday in Apple Valley and makes his next court appearance July 23rd.
>>Sauk Rapids Woman Hit by Stray Bullet on Run
(Sauk Rapids, MN) — Sauk Rapids police are asking the public for any information about a woman getting shot while on a run over the weekend. Officers say a 62-year-old woman was running along the Mississippi River Sunday morning when she was struck by a stray bullet in the forearm. She had to go to St. Cloud Hospital to get it removed. No one was seen with a firearm, and police ask anyone who may know something to come forward.
>>Michigan Authorities ID Campers Found Dead on Isle Royale
(Isle Royale, MI) — Officials Keweenaw County, Michigan are identifying the two men found dead in the remote Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. On June 9th, two men were found dead at a campground after being reported missing. Park rangers hiked 11 miles overnight to find them at the South Lake Desor Campground. The medical examiner identifies them as 30-year-old Bradley Baird and his father, 60year-old John Baird, both of Salem Township, Michigan. Their cause of death is unknown. Isle Royale is just miles off Minnesota’s North Shore.
>>Black Bear Spotted in Southeast Minnesota’s Dodge County
(Dodge County, MN) — The Minnesota D-N-R reports a small male black bear was spotted in southeast corner of the state. Officials say the bear was seen in the northeast portion of Dodge County. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, they asked residents to take down bird feeders and keep garbage cans secured to help the bear move along. Conservation officers also encourage anyone who sees a bear in the area to report the sighting to the D-N-R website.
>>Fever Beat Lynx 74-59 in WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Final
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Indiana Fever beat the Minnesota Lynx 74-59 Tuesday night in Minneapolis to win the W-N-B-A Commissioner’s Cup. Despite missing All-Star guard Caitlin Clark, the Fever played a strong defensive game, holding the Lynx to a season-worst 34.9 percent shooting. Alanna Smith led Minnesota with 15 points while the league’s leading scorer, Napheesa Collier, only had 12. They committed 16 turnovers against Indiana. The Lynx return to regular season play on Thursday night against the Washington Mystics at Target Center.
