>>Court Ruling Allows Clergy to Visit ICE Detainees
(St. Paul, MN) — A federal court ruling in Minnesota will allow faith leaders to visit detainees at the Whipple Building. Judge Jerry Blackwell issued a preliminary injunction Friday ordering the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to allow clergy to offer in-person pastoral care to people held by ICE. The lawsuit accused the government of violating the First Amendment rights of the faith leaders by denying them access to detainees. Bishop Jen Nagel of the Minneapolis Area E-L-C-A Synod says they are overjoyed at the court’s decision to allow faith leaders into the Whipple building.
>>Arrest Made in Fatal Pedestrian Hit and Run in St. Paul
(St. Paul, MN) — St. Paul police are reporting an arrest in a deadly hit and run crash last month near the State Capitol. Fifty-eight-year-old Lisa Giguere was crossing the street on February 16th when she was hit by a vehicle that fled the area. Giguere died of her injuries in the hospital February 22nd. Investigators say 34-year-old Terrell Frye was booked in jail Friday on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide. Authorities used surveillance video track to the suspect vehicle and Frye.
>>Minnesota Women’s Basketball Rallies Past Green Bay in NCAA Tourney
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Golden Gopher women’s basketball team rallied past Green Bay 75-58 Friday at Williams Arena to open the N-C-A-A Tournament. Minnesota outscored the Phoenix 30-9 in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Amaya Battle led the U of M with 21 points, Sophie Hart scored 19, and Mara Braun had 16. The Gophers will play Ole Miss on Sunday afternoon in the second round. The Rebels advanced with an 81-66 win over Gonzaga at the Barn Friday afternoon.
>>Five More Plead Guilty in Feeding Our Future Fraud Case
(Minneapolis, MN) – Federal prosecutors say five more defendants have pleaded guilty in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. The total number of convictions is now 63. This week, Ikram Mohamed, Aisha Hussein, Sahra Osman, Shakur Abdisalam, and Fadumo Yusuf pleaded guilty to wire fraud for roles in stealing and laundering 14.6 million dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds during the pandemic. All five are scheduled to go on trial April 20th.
>>Rally Planned at Governor’s Residence on Sanctuary State Issue
(St. Paul, MN) – An immigrant rights group will rally outside the Governor’s Residence tomorrow (SUN, 1 p.m.). The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) will introduce a series of proposed policy changes, including limiting cooperation between local agencies and federal immigration authorities, restricting enforcement activity in certain public spaces, and prohibiting law enforcement officers from concealing identifying information. Organizers say similar policies have been enacted in several other states. MIRAC members also say they are seeking both legislative action and executive action, but the timeline is unclear.
>>Ribbon Cutting for New Rondo Businesses
(St. Paul, MN) – A famous area of the Twin Cities will see new life for businesses. A ribbon cutting will be held this afternoon for the opening of the Rondo Exchange, a new small business incubator designed to support artists, makers and creative entrepreneurs in the historic St. Paul neighborhood. The new retail space provides affordable storefronts, business coaching, marketing support and shared resources for these businesses. St. Paul Mayor Kaohly (kah-lee) Her will attend the ceremony.
>>Wild Host Stars in St. Paul Matinee
(St. Paul, MN) – The Minnesota Wild host the Dallas Stars in a Saturday matinee at Grand Casino Arena. This is a big game for the standings in the Central Division. Dallas is currently in second place with 96 points, just ahead of the Wild with 90 points. Wild leading scorer Karill Kaprisov (ka-rill ka-pree-sov) is day to day with a lower body injury. He missed the last game which was a loss to the Chicago Black Hawks. Game starts at 3 p.m.
