>>Minnesota House Bill Would Create Low-Income Car Insurance Program
(St. Paul, MN) — Legislation introduced in the state House aims to make auto insurance more accessible to Minnesotans. D-F-L Representative Athena Hollins of Saint Paul says the bill would create an affordable car insurance program for low-income residents. Aaron Cocking with the Insurance Federation of Minnesota says consumers purchasing insurance in the standard market would be forced to subsidize the program. Under the bill, drivers would need to have a good driving record to be eligible for the program. Household incomes would also need to fall below 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
>>Minnesota DHS Losing $27.5 Million Federal Grant Funding
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Human Services is losing 27.5 million dollars in federal grant money for mental health and substance use disorder programs. Assistant D-H-S Commissioner Teresa Steinmetz says the funding was scheduled to continue through September 30th. Steinmetz says the cuts will impact school-based mental health services, access to overdose reversal drugs, and treatment and recovery for behavioral health issues. No word on how many D-H-S jobs will be affected.
>>First Measles Case of 2025 Not a Threat in Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN) — State health officials say the first measles case of the year doesn’t appear to be a threat locally. Department of Health Epidemiologist Jayne Griffith says the man was doing quite a bit of traveling and was diagnosed with measles outside of Minnesota. She says that person was not at all infectious while they were in Minnesota. The man reported a history of vaccination, but Griffith says it is “very, very, very uncommon” for a vaccinated person to have measles. Minnesota had 70 measles cases in 2024.
>>Pedestrian Fatally Struck by Drunken Driver near White Bear Lake
(White Bear Township, MN) — Ramsey County authorities are investigating a crash near White Bear Lake Thursday afternoon that left a pedestrian dead. Deputies say a 72-year-old woman was struck and killed by a drunken driver who fled the scene but later surrendered to police. Witnesses said the S-U-V hit the victim while she was in a crosswalk. The 46-year-old driver later went to the White Bear Lake Police Department and a preliminary breath test showed his blood alcohol content was .14. The victim hasn’t been identified.
>>Man Accepts Plea Deal for Stabbing Teen at Northeast Minneapolis Rec Center
(Minneapolis, MN) — A man will be sentenced April 11th for stabbing a teen at a northeast Minneapolis rec center last year. Prosecutors say 54-year-old James Sweet took a plea deal and confessed to third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm. Police say Sweet stabbed the teen in the foot during an argument at the Bottineau Recreation Center. The plea deal calls for three years of probation.
>>St. Louis County Schools Going to 4-Day School Week
(St. Louis County, MN) — Schools in northeastern Minnesota’s St. Louis County will transition to a four-day school week beginning next year. Students will have class off on Fridays. Care will be provided for younger children on Fridays, although details are still being finalized.
>>Overnight Homeless Parking Safe Spot at Detroit Lakes Church
(Detroit Lakes, MN) — Community members and local police came together in Detroit Lakes to discuss Vineyard Church becoming a safe space for people who are homeless and living in personal vehicles. The church would create an area in its parking lot that would allow the vehicles to park and stay. The program would be called the Safe Bay Program. Rules and regulations would be put into place. The plan has been sent to the full city council, which will vote on it in April.
>>Corcoran Grass Fire Started by Tractor Malfunction
(Corcoran, MN) — A grass fire in Corcoran on Thursday is believed to have started by a mechanical malfunction on a tractor. West metro fire crews responded to the fire late Thursday morning. Officials say the fire covered 15-30 acres of wetland. That part of Hennepin County is under spring fire restrictions.
>>Raccoon Knocks Out Power in Rochester
(Rochester, MN) — A raccoon is blamed for a causing a power outage in northeast Rochester. City officials say the racoon climbed onto a transformer on Wednesday, knocking out power for more than two thousand residents in the area. Typically, animals do not survive when they enter a transformer box, but this raccoon was fortunate and is expected to make a full recovery, according to animal experts. Power was restored later that same day.
>>UMass Knocks Gopher Men’s Hockey Team Out of NCAA Tournament
(Fargo, ND) — The season is over for the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team following a 5-4 overtime loss to U-Mass Thursday night in the N-C-A-A Regional in Fargo. Gopher defenseman Ryan Chesley appeared to be tripped and lost possession of the puck just before the Minutemen scored the game-winning goal. Minnesota coach Bob Motzko complained about the officials missing penalty calls during the postgame. U-Mass will play Western Michigan on Saturday for a trip to the Frozen Four. The Broncos outlasted Minnesota State-Mankato in 2-1 double overtime in the other regional game at Scheels Arena.
>>Minnesota Twins Lose Season Opener to Cardinals in St. Louis
(St. Louis, MO) — The Minnesota Twins dropped the season opener to the Cardinals 5-3 Thursday afternoon in St. Louis. Starting pitcher Pablo Lopez gave up four runs on eight hits over five innings to take the loss. Ex-Twins right hander Sonny Gray pitched five innings of two-run ball for the win. Former Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader hit a two-run homer off Gray in his first game with Minnesota. The teams will play the second game of the interleague series Saturday at Busch Stadium.
