>>Minnesotans Mark 80th Anniversary of D-Day Invasion in France
(Camp Ripley, MN) — Minnesotans and the nation are marking the 80th anniversary (Thurs) of the D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy in France that ultimately led to the defeat of the Nazi forces in World War Two. Doug Thompson of the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley says they have a number of archive interviews with those who were there, but the only veteran he was still able to recently talk with is 103-year-old Stan Nelson from Anoka, a former high school football coach. He says, “Even 80 years on, I think the effects of what he went through on Omaha Beach landing those troops, it was still very difficult for him to bring up those memories. You know, some of these veterans that were in these conflicts, they spend their whole lifetime trying to forget it.” But Thompson says it’s important those memories are recorded so people remember what the soldiers went through and the sacrifices they made.
>>Ex-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Speaking at American Experiment Gala in Minneapolis
(Minneapolis, MN) — A controversial figure, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, headlines tonight’s (Thurs 7pm) annual gala dinner in downtown Minneapolis for the conservative think-tank, Center of the American Experiment. President John Hinderaker says , “I’m sure that Bennett will talk about the current war in Gaza. I’m sure he’ll talk about the atrocities of October 7th… the current political situation in Israel, which he’s very much involved in, and he may talk about America’s role in this whole situation.” Activists with the Free Palestine Coalition plan to protest. They say Bennett has described himself as “more right wing” than current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , who the International Criminal Court wants to arrest for alleged war crimes.
>>Craig Leads Effort to Block Congressional Pay Raises
(Washington, DC) — U-S Representative Angie Craig says she’s leading a collaborative effort to block members of Congress from receiving pay raises. The group of representatives demands congressional leaders focus on lowering costs for working families instead of giving themselves a pay raise and requests any upcoming government funding legislation include language to prohibit a cost-of-living adjustment. Craig led similar efforts to block members’ pay raises in both the 116th and 117th Congresses.
>>Last 2 Defendants Sentenced in Killing of Brooklyn Park Woman
(St. Paul, MN) — The last two defendants in the November 2022 killing of Zaria McKeever in Brooklyn Park are headed to prison. The Attorney’s General Office says Eriana Haynes was sentenced to 41 months and Tavion James received one year in jail Wednesday. Both pleaded guilty to aiding an offender after the fact. Eriana’s brother, Erick Haynes, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for orchestrating the fatal shooting and is serving a life prison sentence. Fifteen-year-old Foday Kamara and 17-year-old John Kamara testified that Haynes gave them the gun and told them to shoot McKeever’s new boyfriend, but Foday ended up shooting McKeever five times. Governor Tim Walz reassigned the case to Attorney General Keith Ellison after Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity offered the teens lenient plea deals.
>>Community Honors Lakeville Teenager Who Dies after Scooter Accident
(Lakeville, MN) — The Lakeville community is honoring a 14-year-old boy who died after being struck on a motorized scooter while crossing a busy street Monday afternoon. The family says Max Wilson succumbed to his brain injuries, and there was a hero’s walk for him at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis as he donated his organs Wednesday. There’s was also a candlelight vigil for Wilson last night in a Lakeville park. A Go Fund Me page for Wilson’s family has raised more than 83 thousand dollars.
>>Large Police Presence in West Metro Community of Corcoran
(Corcoran, MN) — Authorities say a standoff continues this morning (Thurs) in the west metro near Maple Grove. Shortly after noon Wednesday, the Corcoran Police Department responded to a “help unknown problem call.” The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office did not provide much information other than the incident involved a “barricaded individual.” There is a large presence of police and emergency vehicles at the scene.
>>Rochester Man Arrested for Alleging Exposing Himself Twice on Tuesday Night
(Rochester, MN) — A man is jailed in Rochester for alleging exposing himself twice on Tuesday night. Police responded to a downtown apartment building for the report of a man touching himself in the lobby and arrested the 24-year-old man on suspicion of indecent exposure. The report says he’s also accused of exposing himself about an hour earlier at a bus station. Officers say the same man was also arrested for indecent exposure on May 21st after two incidents where he had his pants down in public. Courts records show he was charged with a gross misdemeanor and released without bail.
>>Duluth Police Department Welcomes new K9 Officer Gus
(Duluth, MN) — The Duluth Police Department has a new K-9 officer on the force. K-9 Officer Gus is a two-year-old Dutch Shepard from Poland who specializes in drug detection, tracking, searches, and apprehension. Gus and his handler, Officer Nate Abbott, graduated from K-9 School May 23rd and their first day on the job was Monday. Gus is the fourth member of the Duluth’s P-D’s K-9 Division.
>>First Case of Bird Flu on Dairy Farm Reported in Neighboring Iowa
(Primghar, IA) — Neighboring Iowa is reporting its first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a dairy herd. “State and federal ag officials confirmed the virus Wednesday in a dairy operation in northwest Iowa’s O’Brien County, which is one county south of the Minnesota border. They haven’t said how many animals are sick. Researchers found that a version of the virus detected on a nearby Sioux County chicken farm is consistent with the variant identified in affected dairies in other states. Minnesota has not had a case in a dairy herd yet. A goat in Stevens County tested positive for H-P-A-I in March.
>>Planned Parenthood to Provide 10K Condoms at Twin Cities Pride
(Minneapolis, MN) — In celebration of Twin Cities Pride, Planned Parenthood North Central States partnering with ONE Condom to provide over 10,000 free condoms at the event. From June 29th–30th, the booth at Loring Park will be handing out condoms, dental dams, and other sexual healthcare materials to help reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Twin Cities Pride has historically seen more than 400,000 attendees celebrate the L-G-B-T-Q-plus community.
>>E-Bike Rebate Program Delayed by Website Crash
(St. Paul, MN) — The e-bike rebate program offered by the Minnesota Department of Revenue is temporarily postponed due to the website crashing Wednesday. The department has not provided a specific timeline for when the program will resume. A message on their website apologizes for the inconvenience and states that they are currently working with vendors to address and resolve the technical issues.
