>>Public Memorial, Burial Friday for Master Sergeant Amor of White Bear Lake
(White Bear Lake, MN) — A large turnout is expected at the public memorial today (Fri) for Master Sergeant Nicole Amor in White Bear Lake. Thirty-nine-year-old Amor was one of six U-S soldiers killed in an Iranian drone attack on March 1st in Kuwait. She leaves behind a husband and two children. Master Sergeant Amor will be laid to rest this afternoon during a family ceremony at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
>>McCollum Doesn’t Support $200 Billion for War in Iran
(Washington, DC) — Congresswoman Betty McCollum doesn’t want to give the Trump administration an additional 200-billion dollars for the war in Iran. The Minnesota Democrat is ranking member on the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee. She says, “I’m very skeptical about flat out supporting it. We still haven’t gotten a full spend plan on how the Pentagon is planning on spending the money that they have, billions of dollars in the ‘big beautiful bill’ as they called it.” McCollum says President Trump never consulted Congress before starting the “unplanned” war and it has already costed a lot. Trump says the 200 billion they’re requesting isn’t just for the war in Iran.
>>Hoffman Testifies on Bill to Make Impersonating an Officer a Felony
(St. Paul, MN) — Legislation passed by the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee would make impersonating a peace officer a felony in Minnesota. Senator John Hoffman of Champlin told members he and his wife were nearly killed, and his daughter had a gun pointed in her face, by an individual who looked like a police officer and had a vehicle that looked like a police vehicle. Hoffman says the current penalty for impersonating an officer in Minnesota is only a simple misdemeanor. He thanked God for the “real” police officers and E-M-Ts who saved their lives.
>>Bill of Rights for Manufactured Home Park Residents Moving Through Senate
(St. Paul, MN) — A measure known as the Manufactured Home Park Residents’ Bill of Rights passed out of committee vote and is headed to the Minnesota Senate Floor. This proposal would create an opportunity to purchase for park residents when owners intend to sell the park, prevent huge rent increases and give residents more protections from absent or negligent park owners. There are approximately 180,000 Minnesotans living in manufactured homes. Many of the park owners reside outside of the state.
>>Murder Charges Filed in Shootings of Woman and Son in Lexington
(Andover, MN) — Anoka County prosecutors are charging a Minneapolis man with second-degree murder in the killings of his estranged partner and her son in Lexington. Fifty-three-year-old Irving Marsaw is accused in the fatal shootings of 44-year-old Jennifer Marsaw and five-year-old Marzai Dawson early Wednesday morning. The criminal complaint says a child called 9-1-1 to report her mother and brother had been shot by Marsaw. He makes his first court appearance this morning (Fri) in Anoka.
>>Gas Prices Stil Rising as War in Iran Continues
(St. Louis Park, MN) — The pain continues at the gas pump in Minnesota as the war in Iran rolls on. AAA Minnesota reports the statewide average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $3.44 a gallon today. One month ago, drivers in Minnesota were paying an average of $2.67 per gallon. The national average has climbed to $3.91. The price of crude oil has topped $110 a barrel and is expected to continue rising.
>>Warm Temps Will Melt Snow, Won’t Increase Flood Risk in Minnesota
(Chanhassen, MN) — Minnesotans can breathe a little easier about flooding this weekend. Despite heavy snowfall last weekend and much warmer temperatures ahead, the National Weather Service says flood risk across the state remains minimal. Senior Hydrologist Shawn DeVinny says the snowpack isn’t unusually wet for mid-March, and the forecast stays dry, allowing snow to melt gradually. Some low-lying rural roads may see minor ponding, but significant flooding is not expected. High temperatures could reach the upper 60s to 70s in parts of Minnesota this weekend.
>>Chisago County HHS Workers Vote to Authorize Strike
(Center City, MN) — About 170 Chisago County Health and Human Services employees could strike soon after wage adjustment negotiations with county officials stalled. In 2023, the county adopted pay-scale recommendations from a Baker Tilly compensation study, advising annual market-rate adjustments across job classifications. Union officials say those adjustments have only been applied to the county’s highest paid positions, pointing to a 2025 approval that raised the county administrator’s salary from 172-thousand dollars to over 207 thousand. The county’s latest offer asked employees to make concessions while declining the union’s requested 3 percent market adjustment. The union authorized a strike Wednesday, with 96 percent of members’ support.
>>Wild Fall to Blackhawks in St. Paul for First Time Since 2017
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Wild fell to the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 Thursday night at Grand Casino Arena. Nico Sturm scored Minnesota’s lone goal. All-Star forward Kirill Kaprizov missed his first game of the season with a lower body injury. The Wild lost to Chicago for the first time at home in regulation since 2017 and saw their 19-game point streak against the Hawks end. The Dallas Stars visit St. Paul on Saturday afternoon.
>>Gopher Women’s Basketball Hosting Green Bay in NCAA Tournament
(Minneapolis, MN) — The University of Minnesota women’s basketball team is hosting Green Bay later today (Fri 5pm) in the first round of the N-C-A-A Tournament. The 24-8 Golden Gophers are back in the ‘big dance’ for the first time since 2018. The Phoenix are the Horizon League champions with a 25-8 record. The winner of this game moves on to face the survivor of the Ole Miss vs. Gonzaga matchup at 2:30 this afternoon at the Barn.
