>>Klobuchar Congratulates New Senate Republican Leader Thune of South Dakota
(Washington, DC) — Senator Amy Klobuchar is congratulating Senator John Thune of South Dakota for being elected as the next U-S Senate Republican leader. The Minnesota Democrat says in a statement that she and Thune have a long history of working together – “from fixing supply chains and easing shipping backlogs to agriculture issues to our effort to put commonsense guardrails in place for A-I.” Klobuchar calls Thune a “fellow Midwestern” senator. Renewable fuels groups are also applauding the election of Thune as Senate majority leader.
>>Trump Nominates Minnesota Native Hegseth for Defense Secretary
(Washington, DC) — President-elect Donald Trump is picking g a Minnesota native to serve as his defense secretary. Pete Hegseth will lead the Department of Defense after being nominated to the position in Trump’s cabinet. The Forest Lake native is known as a host on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” weekend show. Hegseth has served in the military, although he lacks senior military or national security experience. Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard, serving overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as at Guantanamo Bay. In 2012, he mounted a bid for the Republican nomination for U-S Senate before bowing out to eventual nominee Kurt Bills. Hegseth graduated from Forest Lake Area High School in 1999.
>>Save the Boundary Waters Concerned About Trump’s Plan to Lift Mining Ban
(Duluth, MN) — Environmental groups are concerned about President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise to allow copper-nickel mining in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota. Ingrid Lyons of Save the Boundary Waters says during a July rally in St. Cloud Trump said he would, “within the first ten to 15 minutes in office reverse the historic protections that we saw established by the Biden administration – a 20-year mining ban specifically on copper mining federal lands and minerals with the watershed of the Boundary Waters.” Lyons says scientific research shows the area is the wrong place for copper-nickel mining and it would cause pollution and environmental degradation.
>>Reward Increased to $25K in Hit and Run Death of Mille Lacs Doctor Donovan
(Onamia, MN) — The family of Mille Lacs County Doctor Cathy Donovan is now offering a 25-thousand-dollar reward for information that leads to an arrest one year after her hit-and-run death. She was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking her dogs along Highway 169 near Onamia on November 13th, 2023. Sheriff Kyle Burton says she was seen speaking to somebody in a Ford Focus-type passenger car before she was hit. Burton says local investigators and the B-C-A have looked into hundreds of tips and it really bothers him that they have not solved this case.
>>Edgerton Man Makes First Court Appearance in Girlfriend’s Death
(Pipestone, MN) — The Edgerton man charged with the second-degree murder of his girlfriend remains in the Pipestone County jail on a quarter-million dollars bond. Thirty-five-year-old James Benson appeared at a pretrial hearing Tuesday for the alleged November 2nd killing of 38-year-old Samantha Koehne. The criminal complaint says Benson told sheriff’s deputies that there was a body upstairs. The medical examiner determined Koehne likely died of asphyxia. His next court appearance is December 10th.
>>Northwest Minnesota Man Charged with Threatening Hunters
(Norman County, MN) — Kevin Yungen of rural Gary in northwest Minnesota is facing five felonies after he was accused of threatening two deer hunters and firing a gun towards them. The victims told police they saw a car driving by them slowly and the driver stared at them. One victim recognized the vehicle as one seen at the nearby Yungen farm. The victims then heard three rapid gunshots coming from the farm and then heard a loud amplified voice say “those are the warning shots, next shots will be in your direction, this is your opportunity to get the f*** out of here.” The deputy talked to Yungen, who admitted to firing the shots but denied he said anything. He said he shot up in the air to scare the deer out of his yard.
>>Duluth Man Charged in Series of Home Invasions
(Duluth, MN) — Charges are filed against a man in connection with three recent home invasions in the Duluth area. Police say these incidents took place between November 4th and 6th and involved assaults on four victims. Forty-eight-year-old Jeffrey Montana is facing multiple counts of burglary, assault, and kidnapping. He is being held on a $300,000 bond.
>>Healthy Kids Exhibit Opens at Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota
(Mankato) — The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota in Mankato opens a new “Healthy Me” exhibit for kids this morning (Thurs 10am). The exhibit is filled with interactive activities to teach children about their bodies, health and wellness. Children and caregivers can even step into roles such as surgeon, lab technician, nurse or patient, and explore places like a doctor’s office, lab and operating room.
