>>Governor Walz to Address Bird Flu in Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN) — Governor Tim Walz and state leaders will hold a briefing today (Wed 12:45pm) on the state’s efforts to respond to the bird flu in Minnesota. A Stearns County dairy herd is under quarantine after milk testing last week revealed the presence of the avian influenza. The governor will be joined by Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen and other officials to discuss the state’s response and what this means for Minnesotans.
>>Walz Makes Changes to State Work from Home Policy
(St. Paul, MN) — Governor Tim Walz is announcing a change to the state’s work-from-home policy. Beginning June 1st, most state agency employees will be required to work in-person for at least 50 percent of their scheduled workdays. Walz says, “Having more state employees in the office means that collaboration can happen more quickly and state agencies can build strong organizational cultures more easily. ” The state says about 60 percent of state employees already work in-person and did so throughout the pandemic. The policy change has an exemption for workers who live more than 75 miles from their primary work location.
>>Bill Would Expand Education Benefits for Children of Disabled Veterans
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota children of disabled veterans may soon receive more education benefits under a new Senate proposal. The bill cleared the Higher Education Committee Tuesday, and would establish a financial aid program for children of veterans with a total or permanent disability. To be eligible, the student would need to be residents enrolled in a public school and complete the FAFSA. The aid would cover 100 percent of tuition, fees, and books after subtracting other state and federal grants and scholarships. Senator Matt Klein of Mendota Heights says the bill has received strong bipartisan support.
>>Pretrial Hearing in Federal Court for Ex-Senator Justin Eichorn of Grand Rapids
(St. Paul, MN) — There’s a pretrial hearing this morning (Wed) in U-S District Court for ex-state Senator Justin Eichorn of Grand Rapids. A federal judge blocked his scheduled release to a halfway house on Tuesday following a motion by prosecutors. They claimed Eichorn attempted to obstruct the case by lying about possessing a handgun and arranging for a woman to remove a laptop from his St. Paul apartment. He resigned from the Senate after being charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution in Bloomington. A special election to fill Eichorn’s Senate District 6 seat is set for April 29th.
>>Lawsuits Challenge Book Ban Policy in St. Francis Area Schools
(St. Francis, MN) — The state teacher’s union and the A-C-L-U of Minnesota are suing St. Francis Area Schools over a policy than bans certain books. Education Minnesota-St. Francis president Ryan Fiereck says books are being removed according to guidelines from the website booklooks.org. He says, “the challenges aren’t being done with fidelity. They’re being done with a targeted outcome of removing authors and historians of L-G-B-T-Q-plus experiences as well as some of our minority members of our society.” Fiereck says the lawsuit seeks to overturn the policy and return book recommendations to a book review committee.
>>Students Call for Help When School Bus Driver Suffers Medical Emergency
(Crow Wing Township, MN) — The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office says students called for help when their school bus driver suffered a medical emergency Tuesday south of Brainerd. Deputies say children noticed the driver wasn’t following the normal route and one student used the bus radio to request assistance. The 30 students were dropped off on a rural county road and law enforcement located the kids. The 74-year-old Fort Ripley man driving the bus was found after a search and taken to the hospital in serious condition. The students were released to their parents at the scene or taken home by another bus.
>>St. Paul Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Fatal Hit and Run
(Maplewood, MN) — A St. Paul woman is sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for a fatal hit-and-run crash in Maplewood. Prosecutors say 35-year-old Ashley Couch pleaded guilty in January to intentionally hitting two women with her vehicle last August. Twenty-three-year-old Zakirrah Anderson of Minneapolis was killed, and a 22-year-old St. Paul woman was injured. Police say Anderson suffered “catastrophic injuries to her body that appeared to match up with being dragged under a vehicle for an extended distance.” She died in the hospital. Couch has a long criminal history dating back to 2008.
>>Minnesotans Encouraged to Donate on Red Cross Giving Day
(Minneapolis, MN) — The American Red Cross hopes to receive 30 thousand donations today (Wed) during the annual Red Cross Giving Day. Megan Steffer with the Minnesota and Dakotas region says it requires resources to respond to disasters locally and across the U-S. She says the best way to support the nonprofit is by donating at redcross.org or by calling 1-800-Red-Cross. The Ford Motor company is matching donations up to 250 thousand dollars. Steffer says 75 volunteers and staff from the Minnesota and Dakotas region have responded to severe storms and wildfires so far this year.
>>New High School Girls Flag Football League to Kick Off In Spring
(Eagan, MN) — A new statewide high school girls’ flag football league is set to begin at the end of April. A donation of more than $600,000 from the Minnesota Vikings will help prepare more than 50 teams across the state to compete in flag football. Most schools will have teachers or support staff serving as coaches.
