>>Recount Set for Minnesota House District 54A Race in Scott County
(Shakopee, MN) — Officials in Scott County are planning a hand recount of the ballots in the Minnesota House District 54-A race next Thursday. D-F-L State Representative Brad Tabke of Shakopee leads Republican challenger Aaron Paul by 14 votes. The county elections administrator says they’re still trying to account for 20 absentee ballots that are apparently missing. The House District 14-B race in Sherburne County is also headed to recount. The current results show Democratic Representative Dan Wolgamott of St. Cloud with a 191-vote lead over G-O-P candidate Sue Ek. Democrats and Republicans are currently tied with 67 members each in the Minnesota House.
>>4th Ward Rochester City Council Election Race Challenged
(Rochester, MN) — A current member of the Rochester City Council is challenging the results of the November 5th election. The unofficial results show Kelly Kirkpatrick of the 4th Ward lost to challenger Andy Friederichs by a 190-vote margin. Kirkpatrick and three other 4th Ward voters are asking Olmsted County to review the race after claiming Friederichs lives outside the city limits in Marion. They say Friederichs listed his address as a rental unit in Rochester, making him ineligible to run for an elected position in the city. A court hearing on the complaint has yet to be scheduled.
>>Northfield Farmer Raising National Thanksgiving Turkey for White House
(Northfield, MN) — John Zimmerman of Northfield is getting the National Thanksgiving Turkey ready for the presidential pardoning ceremony at the White House. The chairman of the National Turkey Federation says raising these birds has been an honor. He says they started with a very small flock of about 40 birds in July and have whittled in down to about 20. Zimmerman says they will take two birds to Washington, D-C – the one to be pardoned by President Biden and an alternate. He says the pardoned turkeys will spend the rest of their lives at the Farmamerica – Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Center in Waseca.
>>Trump Nominates North Dakota Governor Burgum for Interior Secretary
(Bismarck, ND) — President-elect Donald Trump is nominating North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to lead the U-S Department of the Interior. Burgum ran for the G-O-P presidential nomination but endorsed Trump after dropping out of the race. The Republican Governor’s Association said, “Governor Burgum is a strong leader who has a long track record of both preserving our natural heritage while advocating for reforms that would put our natural resources to use here at home.” North Dakota ranks third in the U-S for crude oil reserves and production.
>>Anheuser-Busch to Close Moorhead Plant, Sell North Dakota Elevators
(Moorhead, MN) — Anheuser-Busch will shut down operations at its Moorhead malt plant and redirect the grain to be processed by a Twin Cities-area company in 2025. Anheuser-Busch has reached an agreement with Rahr Malting Co. in Shakopee to take on the full capacity of malt production for Moorhead. Anheuser-Busch’s Elevators in West Fargo and Sutton, North Dakota will be posted for sale. In a statement the company said, “We recognize the significance of this announcement for our people and communities, and we are committed to ensuring that this transition is as smooth as possible for our employees.”
>>St.Paul Man Sentenced for Smuggling Fentanyl from Arizona in Stuffed Animals
(St. Paul, MN) — A St. Paul man will spend more than 13 years in federal prison for leading a fentanyl trafficking ring in Minnesota. Prosecutors say 25-year-old Cornell Chandler Junior admitted to traveling to Arizona to buy fentanyl pills from suppliers, hiding the drugs inside stuffed animals, and mailing them to Minnesota. Investigators learned about the smuggling and seized packages containing more than 30 thousand grams of fentanyl pills in 2023 worth over two million dollars. Chandler pleaded to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in June.
>>St. Paul Police Officer Charged in DWI Building Crash
(St. Paul, MN) — A St. Paul police officer faces two counts of third-degree D-W-I after crashing into an empty building in August while off-duty. The Minnesota State Patrol says 30-year-old Bryan McKinnon had a blood alcohol concentration twice the legal limit. Troopers say McKinnon drove into a building on August 1st and the crash caused the vehicle to catch fire, moving quickly to the building. McKinnon appeared intoxicated, failed field sobriety tests, and had a B-A-C of .178. He’s due in court December 3rd.
>>St. Cloud Man Sentenced Again for Sex Trafficking
(St. Cloud, MN) — A man from St. Cloud, formerly of Brooklyn Park, is sentenced to 23 years in prison for trafficking women in central Minnesota. The criminal complaint says 47-year-old Terrell Fields was trafficking as many as five women, including a pregnant woman with whom he was in a relationship. Fields is accused of operating part of his trafficking operation out of an apartment in St. Cloud and transported the victims to various locations. He was convicted of sex trafficking in 2016 and released from prison in January 2022.
>>DPS Launches New Website to Improve User Experience
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has launched a new, more user-friendly version of its website. The D-P-S says new site now includes information on the Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls, Tribal Relations information, and enhanced accessibility for documents. Users can still use the site to renew their driver’s license and buy tabs, view crime stats, and get a crash report. The address for the website is dps.mn.gov.
>> Mall of America Announces Black Friday Plans
(Bloomington, MN) — Black Friday shopping is two weeks from today (Friday). Mall of America will be closed on Thanksgiving, but open on Black Friday at 7 am. The mall says thousands of shoppers will be given a mystery card as they enter the doors of the North Entrance. The mystery cards will reveal doorbuster prizes until supplies run out. The first 200 shoppers in line will also receive a $25 Mall of America gift card. There will be live entertainment throughout the Thanksgiving weekend at the M-O-A.
>>GLOW Holiday Festival Takes over CHS Field next Thursday
(St. Paul, MN) — There will be a holiday glow coming from the home of the St. Paul Saints starting next week. The GLOW Holiday Festival will open Thursday, November 21st from five to nine p.m. C-H-S Field is being turned into a magical wonderland with millions of holiday lights, sparkling arches, sculptures, and light displays. There will also be a zip line 34 feet up in the air, and a 120-foot giant snowy slide. Synchronized light shows with music will play throughout the night. The festival runs through January 5th.
