>>MN GOP Lawmakers Roll Out Anti-Crime Legislative Package

(St. Paul, MN) — The anti-crime package from Minnesota House and Senate Republicans includes increased penalties for carjacking, fleeing police in a motor vehicle, and possessing or distributing fentanyl. Sentences would also increase for offenders with two or more convictions for violent crimes. G-O-P Representative Walter Hudson of Albertville said, “the third time you’ve done it, you’ve already been caught twice, you’ve already been through trials twice and you’ve been convicted twice — so you’re clearly not learning your lesson.” Mandatory sentences would be required for dangerous offenders who commit crimes with a firearm. And county attorneys would have to report to the legislature any felony offenses they don’t file charges on.

>>Minnesota House Sends Catalytic Converter Bill to Governor’s Desk

(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota House is sending a bill backers say will reduce the rash of catalytic converter thefts in the state to the desk of Governor Tim Walz. It prohibits scrap metal dealers from buying any catalytic converter without a marking that ties it to the original vehicle. The House agreed to minor changes the Senate made on the bill. Supporters say the average cost to replace a catalytic converter is 26 hundred dollars.

>>MNA Nurses Reach Tentative 3-Year Contract With Sanford Bemidji

(Bemidji, MN) — The Minnesota Nurses Association says its nurses have reached a tentative agreement with Sanford Bemidji Medical Center on a new three-year contract. M-N-A officials say it includes fair pay increases, better accrual of paid time off, and stronger language to protect nurses’ contracts in case of a change of ownership, or the proposed Sanford merger with Fairview Health. Nurses have called off Monday’s picket in Bemidji. Negotiators are recommending they vote “yes” on the new contract.

>>Xcel Energy’s Sale of Property near Sherco Plant Approved by State Regulators

(St. Paul, MN) — State regulators are approving Xcel Energy’s proposed sale of 348 acres of land near its Sherco Power Plant in Becker to Elk River Technologies. That company plans to develop the property into a new data center. Xcel has a preliminary proposal to sell the land to Elk River Technologies for seven-point-seven million dollars. The deal is expected to be finalized in July. Xcel Energy is retiring the coal-fired power plant.

>>Corrections Sergeant Assaulted at Stillwater State Prison

(Stillwater, MN) — A corrections officer at the Stillwater state prison is recovering from injuries suffered in an assault Thursday morning. The Department of Corrections says an inmate rushed up to the sergeant and started punching him in the face during a “routine” facility unit movement. Other officers were able to stop the attack and the sergeant was taken to the hospital. Seven corrections workers have been injured in assaults this week at the Stillwater and Oak Park Heights prisons. D-O-C Commissioner Paul Schnell says in a statement, “we will take every appropriate action to stop these senseless acts of violence against our staff.”

>>Fatal Shooting in Fridley Cub Foods Parking Lot

(Fridley, MN) — Anoka County authorities are investigating a fatal shooting in a Fridley grocery store parking lot. Police were called to Cub Foods late Thursday morning and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers say they performed first aid at the scene, but the victim died at the hospital. No arrests have been reported.

>>Chicago Man Sent to Federal Prison for Firearms Incident in St. Paul

(Minneapolis, MN) — A man from Chicago will serve more than five years in federal prison for a domestic incident involving a gun last June in St. Paul. Prosecutors say 28-year-old Allen Oliver-Hall received a 70-month sentence after pleading guilty to illegal possession of a firearm. St. Paul police responded to a domestic call and Oliver-Hall tried to get an officer to turn his back so he could hide a stolen gun with an extended magazine. The officer attempted to remove the gun and Oliver-Hall pointed it at him during a struggle before he was disarmed. He’s prohibited from having guns or ammunition due to felony convictions.

>>Boys State Hockey Tournament Semifinals at Xcel Energy Center

(St. Paul, MN) — The semifinals of the Minnesota Boys State Hockey Tournament are being played today (Friday) at the Xcel Energy Center. Defending state champion Hermantown takes on Mahtomedi in the first Class-A semifinal at 11 a-m, and Warroad and Orono face off at 1 p-m. In Class Two-A, it’s Cretin Derham Hall vs. Edina at 6 p-m, and last year’s state champion Andover meets Minnetonka in the late game tonight. The winners advance to the state championship on Saturday in St. Paul.

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