>>Special Homecoming for Annunciation Shooting Victim Sophia Forchas
(Minneapolis, MN) — A special homecoming Thursday in Minneapolis for Annunciation Catholic School shooting victim Sophia Forchas. The 12-year-old student was released from Gillette Children’s Hospital and escorted home by police and paramedics in a limousine. The Forchas family thanked her doctors from H-C-M-C, and she was greeted by classmates and teachers. Her parents posted on their GoFundMe page, “Today marks one of the most extraordinary days of our lives! Our beloved daughter, Sophia, is coming home!” Forchas was shot in the head August 27th and faces a long road to a full recovery.
>>Minnesota Mom Worried Government Shutdown Will Take Health Care Coverage
(Brooklyn Park, MN) — Minnesota mother of two Emily Lassiter says she is worried the government shutdown is going to shut her family out of having health care. She says right now, the cheapest insurance she can find has a premium of $800 a month with a $17,000 deductible. She said at a news conference in Brooklyn Park, “I don’t want to go back to the time when I was scared every time I took my kids to the doctor. I’m okay with sacrificing my own health and my own ailments. I don’t want to do that for my kids.” Lassiter shared her story with Congresswoman Kelly Morrison, who plans to take these stories back with her to Washington.
>>State Licensed Growers Expected to Harvest First Adult-Use Cannabis Crops Soon
(St. Paul, MN) — There’s a shortage of adult-use cannabis in the state and compacts with four Minnesota Tribal nations will bring some additional products to the market. The Office of Cannabis Management’s Josh Collins says we will soon start to see flower coming from the first cultivator licensees. He says right now we have 13 microbusinesses intending to do cultivation and we have two large scale cultivators licensed. Collins says a Pine County company that received the state’s first growers license is about to harvest. A Tribal-state cannabis compact was signed Thursday with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
>>MPD Wins Top International Policing Honors
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minneapolis Police Department is celebrating the winning of two major awards at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference. Officer Jamal Mitchell, who was killed in the line of duty last May, was posthumously named I-A-C-P Officer of the Year alongside Officers Nicholas Kapinos, Eric Withanom, and Luke Kittock. The honor recognizes their heroism during a deadly ambush on May 30th, 2024, that also targeted firefighters. M-P-D’s Juvenile Investigations Unit also won the Leadership in Community Policing Award for its Juvenile Curfew Task Force, now a national model for building trust and reducing youth violence.
>>Sartell Woman Pleads Guilty in Fatal Pedestrian Crash in St.Cloud
(St. Cloud, MN) — A woman from Sartell will be sentenced in January for a fatal pedestrian crash last February in St. Cloud. Stearns County prosecutors say 22-year-old Cadee Campbell pleaded guilty to a felony charge of failing to stop for a traffic collision causing injury or death. The criminal complaint says Campbell struck a man crossing at the intersection of Highways 15 and 23 and fled the scene. She later called police to report she was the driver in the crash. Campbell told investigators she knew hit the victim but didn’t want to leave her car with a child inside.
>>Big Parade of Little People for Anoka Halloween Festivities
(Anoka, MN) — Little ghouls and goblins will be marching this afternoon (Fri) in downtown Anoka. The Halloween committee’s Karen George says elementary school students get out early today for the Big Parade of Little People. She says the kids are dressed in costume and march with their teachers and principal as family, friends, and business owners line Main Street. The first parade of schoolchildren in Anoka was a nighttime event in 1920. George says the Halloween Grand Day Parade on Saturday draws tens of thousands of people to Anoka.
>>LA Chargers Rout Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football
(Inglewood, CA) — The Minnesota Vikings fall to 3-and-4 after getting crushed by the 5-and-3 L-A Chargers 37-10 on Thursday Night Football. Quarterback Carson Wentz passed for 144 yards, a touchdown to Jordan Addison, and one interception, and he was sacked five times. Chargers Q-B Justin Herbert threw for 227 yards, three touchdowns, and a pick. The Vikings defense allowed 419 yards while the offense only managed 164 yards. J-J McCarthy is expected to start against the Detroit Lions on November 2nd.
>>Minnesota Wild Teaming up with American Red Cross for Disaster Relief
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Wild are teaming up with the American Red Cross to raise money for disaster relief. The fundraiser will be held during the home game Sunday against the San Jose Sharks. Volunteers will be on hand to collect donations from fans. The Wild are back home tomorrow (Sat) to face the Utah Mammoth.
