Author: The Associated Press

Lake Superior Lighthouse Sold to Tech Exec for $159K

Broudy Bought the 56-foot Structure Sight Unseen

Wisconsin Point Lighthouse DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – A historic lighthouse on Lake Superior has been sold to a tech industry executive from San Francisco. Thirty-four-year-old Steven Broudy won the lighthouse at auction last week with a high bid of $159,000. The lighthouse, built in 1913, sits on the tip of Wisconsin Point in Superior, Wisconsin. Broudy bought the 56-foot structure…

Edina District Sued After Search of 8-Year-Old Student

EDINA, Minn. (AP) – The mother of a former student at an Edina elementary school is suing the school district, saying staff members violated district policy when they searched her child. The alleged incident happened at Countryside Elementary School in the 2017-18 school year, when the student was in second grade. According to the Star Tribune , the lawsuit says…

Snowstorms, Heavy Rains, Take Toll on Minnesota Pheasants

Pheasant Season Runs From October 12 to January 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Wildlife managers say late-season snowstorms and heavy spring rains have taken a toll on Minnesota’s pheasant population. The Department of Natural Resources’ annual roadside survey indicates that Minnesota’s pheasant numbers are down 17% from 2018. The index is 11% below the 10-year average and 60% below the long-term average. DNR upland game research scientist Tim…

Minnesota Court: High School Coaches not Public Officials

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Supreme Court says parents who defame their children’s public high school coaches don’t have legal protection against their claims. The high court ruled Wednesday the coaches are not public officials so they have a lower bar to prove any defamation case. The Star Tribune says the court’s decision involves former Woodbury High School…

DEA Opens new Office in Duluth to Combat Drug Trafficking

The New Office was Announced Wednesday by City Leaders

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is opening an office in Duluth in an effort to bring more federal resources to investigate drug crimes in northeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The new office was announced Wednesday by city leaders and Richard Salter, the special agent in charge of the DEA’s Omaha division, which oversees DEA operations in…

MNsure Announces 7-Week Enrollment Period for 2020 Coverage

Minnesotans Will Have From November 1 to December 23

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s state-run health insurance exchange has announced a seven-week enrollment period for 2020 coverage. MNsure said Wednesday that Minnesotans will have from Nov. 1, 2019, to Dec. 23, 2019, to shop for 2020 health coverage. Minnesota’s enrollment period is eight days longer than the federal open enrollment period that runs from Nov. 1 to Dec….

Boy Thrown From Mall of America Balcony Returns Home

Landon was Thrown Nearly 40 Feet to the Ground by a Stranger in April

(courtesy: Fox 9) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A 5-year-old boy has returned home nearly five months after he was thrown from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota. The boy’s family said Tuesday on a gofundme.com site that their son has completed inpatient treatment and has returned home. KSTP-TV reports the boy, identified only as Landen, will continue…

Woman Killed by Black Bear on Island North of Minnesota

Experts say an Attack by a Black Bear is 'Extremely Rare'

INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say a Minnesota woman has been killed by a black bear on an island in Canadian waters. Ontario Provincial Police say 62-year-old Catherine Sweatt-Mueller, of Maple Plain, was staying with her parents in a remote cabin on Red Pine Island in Rainy Lake when she was killed. The Star Tribune reports that police Constable…

Minnesota State Fair Sets Attendance Record of 2.1M

This Year's State Fair Saw Six Daily Record Attendance Days

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota State Fair has wrapped up another year with another attendance record. Fair officials say the 2019 edition of the Great Minnesota Get-Together finished Monday with a 12-day total attendance of more than 2.1 million, thanks to a record Labor Day turnout of 184,740. That beats the previous overall attendance record of more than…

Ex-Duluth Cop Who Dragged Man is Closer to Getting Job Back

Huot was Fired After the May 2017 Incident

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – A former Duluth police officer who was fired after he dragged a handcuffed man through a city skyway system is a step closer to getting his job back. Adam Huot was fired after the May 2017 incident. Video shows the man’s head hit a steel door frame as he was being dragged. The Minnesota Court of…

Contaminated Water Leads to Beach Closures in Minneapolis

Officials Said Goose Droppings Contaminated the Water at Some Beaches

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minneapolis park officials say contaminated water led to a record number of beach closures in this summer. Half of the city’s 12 beaches were not safe to swim in at various times during the summer. That’s the most since Minneapolis started a water sampling program in 2003, Minnesota Public Radio reported. Park officials say heavy rainfall was…

Minnesota House Democrats Plan 15 Cannabis Conversations

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota House Democrats are hitting the road for a series of town halls on how the state should go about legalizing recreational marijuana. House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler says his chamber will pass a legalization bill in the 2020 session, so it’s vitally important that Minnesotans weigh in. The first three of 15 community conversations…

Possible Cougar Roaming Eden Prairie

Not the First Cougar Sighting Reported in Eden Prairie This Summer

(courtesy: Eden Prairie PD) EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) – Police in a Twin Cities suburb say they’re working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether a cougar is roaming the city. Authorities tweeted a photo Thursday night of what appears to be a cougar taken by a resident in Eden Prairie this week near Purgatory Creek. It’s…

Traffic Deaths up 6% in 2018

381 People Died in Crashes in 2018

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – State officials say traffic deaths in Minnesota increased 6% last year. The Department of Public Safety says 381 people died in crashes in 2018 with speed being the main factor in about a third of the fatalities. The agency’s Office of Traffic Safety says failing to wear seat belts resulted in 96 deaths, while 84…

UMinn Freshmen Class Likely Largest in 50 Years

Official Enrollment Numbers Will be Published This Fall

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Preliminary numbers show the freshmen class at the University of Minnesota could be the largest in decades. Vice Provost and Dean Robert McMaster says the 6,200 freshman students this year eclipses the 2017 class as the largest in 50 years. Although, the official enrollment number won’t be published until later this fall. McMaster tells KARE-TV the university…

Minnesota Math Scores Continue to Decline in Latest Tests

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Student math test scores continue to decline in Minnesota. During the most recent school year, the number of Minnesota students considered proficient in math dropped for the fourth consecutive year. Only 53.9 percent of students met or exceeded state standards for math proficiency in 2019. In 2016, nearly 60 percent of Minnesota students met or…

Body of a Minnesota Man Who Fell to Death Recovered From Montana Peak

Authorities Have not yet Identified the 65-Year-Old Victim

  (photo: Twitter/GallatinNF) BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – An emergency crew has recovered the body of climber who died on Montana’s highest peak. The Billings Gazette reports a helicopter retrieved a man’s body from the south side of Granite Peak Tuesday. Authorities have not yet identified the 65-year-old victim from Minnesota. Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler says the man fell Saturday…

Agency Moves to Curb Chronic Wasting Among Minnesota’s Deer

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota wildlife officials are taking steps to curb a fatal brain disease among the state’s wild deer. The Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday announced 2019 deer season regulations aimed at limiting the spread of chronic wasting disease. The agency plans to expand hunting opportunities and bag limits in areas where the disease has been…

Minnesota Says it Must Repay Feds $48M for Improper Payments

That's on top of the $25 Million the Agency Overpaid to Two Tribes

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Department of Human Services says it must repay the federal government an estimated $48 million that it paid to ineligible chemical dependency treatment providers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ordered the state in May to cease the payments to as many as 100 inpatient providers classified as “institutions for mental diseases.”…

Freight Train Strikes, Kills man in Northern Minnesota

PILLAGER, Minn. (AP) – Authorities in northern Minnesota say a freight train struck and killed a man over the weekend. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was notified Saturday morning that the train hit a person who was walking on the tracks west of Pillager. Deputies and first responders arrived and found a 36-year-old man dead at the scene. The train…

Human Services Official Who Quit, Then Stayed, Resigns Again

Wilson's Last day Will be August 30

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A top leader at Minnesota’s largest state agency has resigned for a second time, just weeks after she rescinded her original resignation. Deputy Commissioner Claire Wilson’s last day at the Department of Human Services will be Friday. As first reported by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Acting Commissioner Pam Wheelock made the announcement in an email to…

Minnesota Governor Seeks to Ready State for Pot Legalization

Minnesota's Senate Rejected a Bill Last Session

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he’s ordered state agencies to be prepared to legalize recreational marijuana next year if the Legislature approves a bill. But Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says he’ll block the bill in the Republican-controlled chamber. Walz tells Minnesota Public Radio News that he’s relying on supporters to continue pushing for legalization….

Appeals Court Reinstates Lawsuit Over Same-Sex Wedding Video

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit filed by two Minnesota filmmakers who want the right to refuse to film same-sex weddings. Carl and Angel Larsen, who run Telescope Media Group in St. Cloud, sued the state in 2016, saying Minnesota’s public accommodation law would result in steep fines and jail time if they offered services…