The 9th-annual 24-hour on-line “Give to the Max Day” is underway. Executive Director Jake Blumberg says in addition to the donations they receive, more than six thousand of the state’s non-profits will be competing for 135-thousand dollars in additional prize money. Donations can be made until midnight at Give-MN-dot-org.
The FBI and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office are working on a child pornography investigation in rural Clay County in northwestern Minnesota. According to court documents the person being investigated is “likely involved in the transmission and/or possession of child pornography.” The affidavit says the FBI received a tip through the Google CyberTipline and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in October. Computers, cellphones, CD’s and tablets were among the items seized from a rural Hawley, residence on October 24th. So far, charges have not been filed.
The State Patrol says two women are dead after their car collided with a freight train in northwestern Minnesota. 78-year-old Emilie Skjerven of Plummer was driving a car on a private driveway when she collided with a Canadian Pacific train Wednesday morning in Red Lake County. According to the patrol, Skjerven failed to yield at the stop sign for a railroad crossing. Both she and her passenger, 79-year-old Carol Cecilia Gerardy, also of Plummer, were killed.
A Lewiston man entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder for the death of his girlfriend. 25-year-old Kyle Allers entered into a plea agreement in Winona County Court that resulted in the dismissal of a first-degree murder indictment stemming from the beating death of 24-year-old Tasha Hanson in May of last year. Allers was arrested after Winona County investigators found the woman’s body in a wooded area east of Lewiston. An autopsy later determined Hanson’s death was caused by strangulation and blunt force head injuries. The couple had lived together and had two young children. Sentencing is set for January 11th.
The pilot of a single-engine airplane landed the aircraft on a highway near Sabin, in northwestern Minnesota. Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist says one person was aboard the airplane when it landed late Wednesday morning on Old Highway 52, about two miles south of Sabin. Bergquist says no one was hurt. The circumstances surrounding the landing are being investigated.
A report from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce shows the state is exceeding the national average for job creation. Chamber Vice President Beth Kadoun says this year’s Minnesota Business Benchmarks report shows the pieces are in place for a thriving business environment. High costs of doing business were one concern in the report. Kadoun says Minnesota’s corporate tax rate is the 3rd highest in the nation.
The spirit of holiday giving is alive and well in the Twin Cities according to the 16th-annual University of St. Thomas spending survey. Marketing Professor Dave Brennan says shoppers are planning to spend 950-dollars per household. He says this may not hold true in out-state Minnesota because of a sluggish farm economy. Meanwhile, 43-percent of shoppers say they plan to do at least 50-percent of their shopping on-line.
The historic Glensheen mansion in Duluth is closed for tours this week as decorating is underway for the opening of a “Glensheen Christmas” that starts Saturday. The decorations will include 25 Christmas trees, hundreds of feet of garland and each of the mansion’s 39 rooms will be decked out for the holidays. Guided tours kick of Saturday and run through Sunday, January 7th. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets on-line to avoid the lines and waiting. Tickets and more information can be found at glensheen.org