>>Ellison Rips Trump USDA for Providing 50% of November SNAP Benefits
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is criticizing the Trump administration for pledging to fund only half of SNAP benefits for November. Ellison was part of a lawsuit accusing the U-S-D-A of illegally withholding SNAP payments. Two courts ruled Friday that the U-S-D-A must use contingency funds to fully fund benefits. Ellison says in a statement, “While I am glad to see some SNAP benefits resuming as a result of our lawsuit, it is not close to enough.” U-S-D-A officials claim there is only 4.65 billion dollars in contingency funds available for SNAP. Around 440 thousand Minnesotans receive monthly benefits.
>>Special Elections Tuesday to Fill Two Minnesota Senate Seats
(St. Paul, MN) — Today is Election Day and voters in two districts will decide control of the Minnesota Senate. D-F-L state Representative Amanda Hemmingsen Jaeger of Woodbury is facing Republican Dwight Dorau for the District 47 seat of former Senator Nicole Mitchell. In Senate District 29, the seat is open following the death of Republican Bruce Anderson of Buffalo. G-O-P candidate Michael Holmstrom, Junior faces Democratic hopeful Louis McNutt. The D-F-L currently holds a one-vote advantage in the Minnesota Senate.
>>70 School Referendums on Election Ballots in Minnesota
(St. Peter, MN) — Around 70 school districts are asking Minnesota voters to approve ballot questions in today’s (Tues) elections. Kirk Schneidawind of the Minnesota School Boards Association says we have a total of 96 ballot questions around the state. He says 30 of them are building bonds, 22 will be capital improvement, and we have 44 operating levy requests. The referendums are asking for a total of 1.6 billion dollars. Schneidawind says there are also about 21 school board races today and a handful of special elections.
>>Minneapolis & St. Paul Mayor’s Races Highlight Elections in Twin Cities
(Undated) — The two biggest races in Minnesota today (Tues) are for the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter are both seeking their third terms. Both cities will use ranked choice voting to determine the winners. A total of 15 candidates are running for mayor of Minneapolis and state Senator Omar Fateh is considered Frey’s top challenger. State Representative Kaohly Her is Mayor Carter’s main opponent and she served as his political director his first term.
>>Brown County Authorities ID Couple Fatally Shot in Hanska
(New Ulm, MN) — Authorities in southern Minnesota are identifying the two people fatally shot Sunday morning in Hanska. The Brown County Sheriff’s Office says 32-year-old Tabitha Trescott of New Ulm and 50-year-old Justin Reinarts of Hanska were shot in the head by 45-year-old Randy Zimmerman of Courtland. Zimmerman fled the area and was arrested following a police chase in southeast Iowa. Trescott’s son called 9-1-1 to report his mom’s ex-boyfriend broke into their home and shot her. Zimmerman made his first court appearance in Iowa and is facing second-degree murder charges in Minnesota. Reinarts was a Hanska firefighter.
>>Mental Health Issues Stall Stearns County Poison Case
(St. Cloud, MN) — A Stearns County grand jury has indicted 35-year-old Stuart Hanmer for allegedly poisoning his roommate, Cody Ernst, with thallium. Hammer faces charges of first- and second-degree murder but has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial. According to court records, Hanmer and Ernst had coffee together on May 15th and Ernst later developed symptoms including dizziness, vomiting, and seizure-like activity. He was hospitalized in St. Cloud, then transferred to the University of Minnesota where a heavy metals test revealed a lethal amount of thallium. Ernst died on June 22nd. A poison control expert told investigators the only way such levels of thallium could be present was through ingestion.
>>Red Lake Tribal Council Investigates Emergency Plane Landing
(Red Lake, MN) — The Red Lake Tribal Council is investigating an emergency plane landing on tribal land. The aircraft piloted by Darrin Smedsmo was impounded after landing without prior approval on October 15th. Tribal leaders say the unauthorized landing raised safety and liability concerns. They emphasized Red Lake Nation’s sovereign authority and said legal proceedings will follow the investigation, with Smedsmo receiving due process under tribal law. The tribe is open to discussions with the F-A-A and other agencies to clarify emergency landing protocols and improve future coordination.
>>Woman Swept into Lake Superior and Rescued near Grand Marais Lighthouse
(Grand Marais, MN) — The Cook County Sheriff’s Office says a woman was rescued after getting swept into Lake Superior near the Grand Marais lighthouse. Four people were walking out to the lighthouse Sunday evening when one was swept into the water by large waves. Deputies say the woman was pulled from the lake by her friends and a fisherman. She complained of a headache and weakness and was taken to the hospital. Sheriff Pat Eliasen warns that large waves can knock you into the water and strong currents can make it impossible to get to safety.
>>Gopher Men’s Basketball Tops Gardner-Webb in Coach Medved’s Debut
(Minneapolis, MN) — The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team cruised past Gardner-Webb 87-60 in the season opener last night at Williams Arena. It was the first regular season win for new Golden Gopher head coach Niko Medved. Senior guard Cade Tyson led Minnesota with 30 points, Langston Reynolds scored 14, and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Gophers are back at the Barn Saturday to play Alcorn State.
>>Randle’s Triple Double Leads Timberwolves Past Nets in Brooklyn
(Brooklyn, NY) — Julius Randle had a triple-double in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 125-109 win over the Nets Monday night in Brooklyn. Randle finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and ten assists in Minnesota’s second straight victory. Donte DiVincenzo scored 25, Jaden McDaniels had 22, and Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Anthony Edwards missed another game with a hamstring injury, but the team cleared Ant for “contact basketball activities” on Monday. The Wolves play the Knicks Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
