>>Walz and Vance to Face Off in Vice Presidential Debate in NYC
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator J-D Vance face off tonight (Tues 8pm) in New York City in the lone vice presidential debate. Hamline University professor David Schultz says it will likely be more politics than policy. He says, “they’ll be some discussion of abortion, of guns, the environment and so forth, but I’m really more curious to see to what extent this does to generate into a more personal on both sides as opposed to more substantive in terms of issues.” Schultz expects Vance to criticize Walz for his handling of the riots following the police killing of George Floyd. He says Walz will argue that Vance plans to take away women’s reproductive rights. The candidates’ microphones will not be muted during this debate.
>>Minnesota’s Cold Weather Rule Takes Effect October 1st
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesotans with overdue utility bills are protected by the state’s Cold Weather Rule beginning today (10/1). It prevents the energy companies from disconnecting electric and natural gas services from October through April. Xcel Energy officials say Minnesota customers do need to set up a payment plan with their utility company. Minnesota’s Energy Assistance program can provide financial help and benefits for eligible families.
>>Driest September on Record in Parts of Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN) — September 2024 will be remembered for above average temperatures and the lack of rainfall in Minnesota. Assistant State Climatologist Pete Boulay (BOO’-lay) says, “the Twin Cities saw the driest September on record. Other places were really dry, too, Sioux Falls, St. Cloud, Duluth, a third of an inch or less. He says it was a very dry month, anywhere from an inch-and-a-half to three inches short of normal. The state averages about three inches of precipitation in September. Minnesota set a record for the wettest April through June this year.
>>Mayo Clinic Health System to End Labor and Delivery and Surgeries in Fairmont
(Fairmont, MN) — The Mayo Clinic Health System is making some major changes to its campus in Fairmont in far southern Minnesota. Mayo officials announced they will permanently end labor and delivery and surgical services in Fairmont on March 31st, 2025. Patients will have to drive to Mankato or another hospital for those services next spring. Mayo blames the shortage of obstetricians and surgeons for the closures in Fairmont.
>>MMA Lists Lakeville Physician as Newest President
(Minneapolis, MN) — A Lakeville physician begins his one-year term today (Tues) as the Minnesota Medical Association’s (MMA) 158th president. Doctor Edwin Bogonko from Allina Health in Shakopee was named M-M-A president during a weekend conference in Minneapolis. Bogonko served as chair of the M-M-A’s Board of Trustees from October 2020 to September 2023 and has been a member since 2010.
>>Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Morrison County Highway
(Pierz, MN) — Authorities in Morrison County are investigating a plane crash late Monday afternoon on Highway 27 west of Pierz. The sheriff’s office says a small plane piloted by Aaron Casper of Eden Prairie lost engine power 35-hundred feet in the air and made an emergency landing on the highway. Deputies say Casper drove the plane into the ditch to avoid traffic but wasn’t injured. The plane went down near the Eastern Morrison County Sportsman Club. The report says he was traveling from the Brainerd lakes area to Eden Prairie.
>>Duluth Man Sentenced to 27 Years for Fatal Shooting of 17-Year-Old
(Duluth, MN) — A Duluth man is sentenced to 27-and-a-half years in prison for the shooting death of a 17-year-old victim in July of 2022. Nineteen-year-old Corey Devon Young was convicted of second-degree murder in June. Prosecutors said the victim went to an apartment intending fight Young, but after a verbal exchange Young pulled out a pistol and shot him. The teen died in a Duluth hospital. Young was also age 17 at the time.
>>Man Gets 7 Years for Pointing Pellet Gun at Police During Woodbury Standoff
(Stillwater, MN) — The sentence is seven-plus years in prison for a man shot by police in Woodbury for pointing a high-powered pellet gun at officers. Prosecutors charged 61-year-old Donald Roche with multiple felonies following a standoff in a Target parking lot in April. Roche pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, admitting in court that police “had every right” to shoot him.
>>Minnesota Lynx Look to Even WNBA Semifinals in Game 2 at Target Center
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun play Game 2 of the W-N-B-A Semifinals tonight (Tues 8:30pm) at Target Center. The Sun topped the Lynx 73-70 on Sunday in the opener of the best-of-five series. Connecticut held Minnesota to 8 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1. Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with 19 points and missed a game-tying, three-point attempt as time expired. The series moves to Connecticut for Game 3 on Friday night.
