Author: KQDS Staff

3 From Lindstrom, Minnesota Arrested in Jan. 6 Us Capitol Riot

LINDSTROM, Minn. (FOX 9) – The FBI in Minneapolis said agents have arrested three more Minnesotans on charges related to the Jan. 6 riot at the United States Capitol. Isaac Westbury, Robert Westbury, and Aaron James, all from Lindstrom, were arrested Monday morning. A total of eight Minnesotans have now been arrested for their roles in the Jan. 6 riot,…

Ex-Juvenile Court Judge Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charges

MADISON, Wis. – A former juvenile court judge in Wisconsin has pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of distributing child pornography. Brett Blomme, a one-time Milwaukee County children’s court judge, faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison on each count. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 22. The state Department of Justice began investigating the 39-year-old…

Police: Missing Wisconsin Woman Died in Crash

(FOX 9) – Police say a missing woman from Cumberland, Wisconsin was found dead Monday after she crashed near the Amnicon River and Highway 53. Hailey Anderson, 43, was last seen on Sept. 16 in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. On that day, police say she made a “frantic” phone call to a friend saying her boyfriend had hit her before the…

‘Tiger King 2’ Is Coming to Netflix

The second season was filmed in 2020 and into part of 2021

(courtesy: Twitter/Netflix) (CNN) – Get ready all you cool cats and kittens, Netflix has announced: “Tiger King 2” is coming to the streaming service. The first season of the series, “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness,” was told over seven episodes. The second season was filmed in 2020 and into part of 2021. It’s not known which colorful characters from…

Mechanics: Winterize Vehicles Now Before Snow Falls

DULUTH, Minn. – The first day of fall is Wednesday, which means snowflakes are right around the corner. Mechanics at Allstar Service and Accessories are already getting calls from drivers looking to get their vehicles tuned up before winter arrives. The service manager says now is a good time to check your battery, fluid levels and tires. Snow tires shouldn’t…

Bicyclist Slams Into Vehicle in Downtown Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. — A 39-year-old male bicyclist is being cited for violating traffic laws after slamming into a vehicle at an intersection in downtown Duluth. The accident happened around 12:30 p.m. Monday at the intersection of 2nd Avenue West and 2nd Street. “The bicyclist had disregard for the intersection, ran the red light and hit the side of the vehicle,”…

Minnesota Supreme Court Reverses 3rd-Degree Murder Conviction of Former Minneapolis Police Officer

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled to overturn the third-degree murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor in the deadly 2017 shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. During his trial Noor testified he feared an ambush when Damond walked up to the squad car and shot across his partner, killing the 40-year-old Australian woman. She had…

‘SNL’ Alum Norm Macdonald Dead at 61

(Fox News) (FOX NEWS) – Norm Macdonald, known for his time on “Saturday Night Live,” has died, Fox News can confirm. He was 61 years old. According to Deadline, the comedian had been battling cancer for nine years. Macdonald’s longtime producing partner and friend Lori Jo Hoekstra was reportedly at his side when he passed. “He was most proud of…

Powerball Jackpot Grows to $432M After No One Wins Monday Drawing

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Fox 9) – Feeling lucky? The Powerball jackpot has grown to an estimated $432 million after no lucky winner claimed Monday night’s drawing. The winner, who must match numbers on five white balls (1-69) and the red Powerball (1-26), also has the option to claim a one-time lump sum payment of an estimated $313.5 million. The next drawing…

Driver Killed After Dump Truck Rolls On Iron Range

A 38-year-old man was killed Monday afternoon after the dump truck he was driving rolled in Clinton Township on the Iron Range. The single-vehicle accident happened around 1:30 p.m. on Spirit Lake Road near the Virta Road West intersection, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. Officials say the dump truck went off the road before it rolled. The…

Taco Bell Wants Customers To Return Used Sauce Packets for Recycling

IRVINE, Calif. (Fox TV/Fox 9) – Taco Bell has an ambitious, potentially industry-altering idea, but they need help to pull it off. The restaurant chain is partnering with TerraCycle to launch a recycling program for its used sauce packets. Customers are asked to sign up for a TerraCycle account, completely fill a cardboard box or any recyclable container, download and…

United Airlines Lays Out Vaccination Rules for Employees

Airline's 67,000 employees have until Sept. 27 to get vaccinated

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) (FOX Business) – United Airlines says that more than half its employees who weren’t vaccinated last month have gotten their shots since the company announced that vaccines would be required. The airline’s 67,000 U.S.-based employees face a Sept. 27 deadline for getting vaccinated. United said Wednesday, however, that employees whose bids for exemptions based on…

Albert Lea Quarantines Nearly 300 Students for COVID-19 in First Week of School

ALBERT LEA, Minn. (FOX 9) – Nearly 300 Albert Lea students have been quarantined for exposure to COVID-19 after the first week of school, prompting changes to the school district’s face mask requirements. Albert Lea Area Schools Superintendent Mike Funk shared an update with families Thursday, stating the virus has “significantly disrupted” the start of school. After five days of…

Capitol Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Ashli Babbitt Formally Exonerated

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) – The U.S. Capitol police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 riots has been formally exonerated. The exoneration of the officer, whose identity has not been released, was the last step in wrapping up the investigation into the incident. “USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) determined the officer’s conduct was lawful…

Four New Wolves Found on Isle Royale on Lake Superior

HOUGHTON, Mich. (FOX 9) – In late April and May, researchers in Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior captured five wolves and attached GPS radio collars to them—the first time they have been able to do so during the pandemic. The wolves include a male originally caught in Ontario, Canada, and relocated to Isle Royale as well as three…

Minnesota State Fair Not Requiring Masks Inside Most Buildings

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) – Minnesota State Fair attendees will not be required to wear masks inside buildings on the fairgrounds during this year’s Great Minnesota Get-Together. Fair organizers were considering mandating masks indoors, however, the latest guidance released Wednesday says masks are recommended inside most buildings, but not required. They are also recommending people wear masks outdoors in…

Council Approves Outsourcing Duluth’s $1.8M Tourism Marketing Contract

Councilors also voted to table a $400K contract offer to Visit Duluth to handle the city's convention sales and visitor center.

DULUTH, Minn. –  The city council made a historic vote Monday evening to approve a new $1.8 million tourism marketing contract to a firm in Minneapolis – Bellmont Partners and its partner Lawrence & Schiller — instead of Visit Duluth, which has held the job since 1935. Councilor Joel Sipress voted against the contract resolution.  Councilor Zack Filipovich abstained because…

Packers WR Funchess Apologizes For Slur Against Asians

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers wide receiver Devin Funchess has apologized for using a racial slur against Asians during a news conference on Saturday night. “I want to apologize for the disparaging remark I used tonight,” Funchess said in a statement posted on Twitter late Saturday night. “It was not OK. I have grown to develop deep personal and…

St. Luke’s Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Policy For All Workers

DULUTH, Minn. — St. Luke’s announced late Wednesday that all of its employees, vendors, volunteers and board members will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine completed by Oct. 1. The only exception to the rule involves employees who can’t take the shot for medical or religious reasons.   Those individuals need to file an exemption by Sept. 1 and also…

Target Requiring Employees to Mask up in Areas With High COVID-19 Infection Rates

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Beginning Tuesday, Target says it will require employees who work in stores in certain areas to mask up again. The Minneapolis-based retailer will require masks for employees at stores in areas with a substantial or high risk of transmission of COVID-19, as defined by the CDC, according to a statement. Currently, over 40 Minnesota counties are…

University of Minnesota Reimposes Indoor Mask Mandate

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The University of Minnesota is reinstituting its indoor mask mandate for everyone on campus, regardless of vaccination status, starting Tuesday. University President Joan Gabel sent an email to students, faculty, and staff on Monday informing them of the change. Gabel said the decision comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidance on…

Smoky Air Expected to Linger in Minnesota Until Tuesday, Worsen Over Weekend

(FOX 9) – The unpleasant, record-poor air quality that Minnesota has faced in recent days as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts down to Minnesota isn’t going anywhere this weekend. On Friday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency extended its air quality alert, saying that smoky conditions will linger and worsen over the weekend. The pollution control agency says the worse will…

Sheraton Holds Grand Re-Opening

DULUTH, Minn. — A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday for the grand re-opening of the Sheraton Duluth Hotel on East Superior Street. The top-to-bottom renovation is the first since the hotel opened 14 years ago. Crews were able to make all the upgrades since late 2019 while the hotel stayed opened. In each room, every surface guests touch got a…

Walz Noncommittal on Mask Requirement in Schools After CDC Changes

(FOX 9) – Gov. Tim Walz was noncommittal Tuesday when asked if he would go further than new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and impose a new mask mandate for Minnesota schools. Walz removed his statewide mask mandate this spring as vaccinations rates grew and COVID-19 cases receded. At the time, the CDC said vaccinated people…

US Extends COVID-19 Travel Restrictions With Canada and Mexico Through August 21

(CNN) – The Biden administration is extending non-essential travel restrictions for the US northern and southern borders until August 21. The US has been limiting non-essential travel along both borders since the start of the pandemic and extending those restrictions on a monthly basis. The restrictions don’t apply to cross-border trade, US citizens and lawful permanent residents, as well as…

St. Paul Man Found Dead of ‘Homicidal Violence’ in Lake Superior

The St. Paul Police Reported Balsimo Missing Last Tuesday

GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. (FOX 9) – A St. Paul, Minnesota man’s dismembered body was found in a tote and a bucket in Lake Superior over the weekend, according to charges filed last week. Dive teams working with investigators located the remains of Richard Balsimo, 34, in the lake off the coast of Grand Portage last Thursday and Friday, the Minnesota…

American Academy of Pediatrics Recommends Universal Masking in Schools for Everyone Older Than 2

(CNN) – The American Academy of Pediatrics released new Covid-19 guidance for schools on Monday that supports in-person learning and, among other things, recommends universal masking in schools for everyone over the age of 2. “The AAP believes that, at this point in the pandemic, given what we know about low rates of in-school transmission when proper prevention measures are…

Minnesota Gov. Walz to Ban Conversion Therapy, Bypassing Legislature

(FOX News) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will sign an executive order Thursday bypassing the state legislature and banning the controversial practice of “gay conversion therapy.” Walz is expected to sign the order alongside Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan on Thursday morning in defiance of the Republican-held state senate, which doesn’t support the move, according to local media. “Our kids deserve…

Child Tax Credit: First Payments Go out July 15

WASHINGTON (FOX 9) – Starting this week, millions of American families can expect to receive the first round of payments from the new expanded child tax credit that was signed into law in March after the passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. As part of Biden’s relief bill, eligible families can receive as much as $3,600…

Suspect Charged, New Details Revealed In Superior Drive-By Shooting

Surveillance images of Raeqwon Hawkins released by Superior Police Department before the arrest. SUPERIOR, Wis. – We’re learning more about what all went down involving a June drive-by shooting in downtown Superior. Raeqwon Jay Hawkins Raeqwon Jay Hawkins, 24, of Superior is now charged as being the shooter in the drive-by. The crime happened around 10:40 p.m. June 17 in…

Minnesota TSA Employee Facing Charges After Taking Photos of Female Travelers

(FOX 9) – A Transportation Security Administration employee at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is facing charges after taking photos of female travelers. Court documents allege the 37-year-old had 42 photos of female travelers on his personal phone. The employee allegedly snapping the photos off the airport’s closed-circuit camera system over the course of a year. Charging documents say the photos…

Death Valley Reaches 130 Degrees

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (Fox 9) – California’s Death Valley has long been known as one of the hottest places on Earth. And true to form, the temperature climbed to an incredible 130 degrees in the northern Mojave desert all three days this past weekend. That’s just four degrees shy of the highest known temperature on the planet, which was also…

MDH: Unvaccinated People Should Get Tested for COVID-19 After Any Summer Travel

(FOX 9) – Minnesota health officials have outlined recommendations for COVID-19 testing this summer, both for vaccinated and unvaccinated people. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, while case numbers have dropped, the virus is still circulating in communities. Health officials reported 81 new COVID-19 cases and seven more deaths statewide on Wednesday. Health officials urge eligible Minnesotans to get…

Charges: Woodbury Man Stabbed Wife to Death While Children Were Upstairs Watching TV

WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) – A Woodbury, Minnesota man is charged with murder for allegedly stabbing his wife to death in the basement of their home last Friday while their children were upstairs watching TV. He was arrested the following day on a Greyhound bus in Wisconsin wearing blood-splattered clothes. McKinley Phillips, 39, was charged Monday with one count of…

The Hills’ Community Programs Now Closing Down Friday

DULUTH, Minn. – The Hills Youth and Family Services in Duluth is now closing down its community programs sooner than expected this Friday instead of July 2. This comes after the organization’s more than 100 years of mental health services to children and juveniles in the justice system. Last week, the president and CEO, Leslie Chaplin, explained that the pandemic,…