Minnesota

Worker Leave During Investigations Costs Taxpayers Millions

The State is Estimated to Have Paid out Millinos

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A TV station reveals that Minnesota and local governments have been shelling out millions of taxpayer dollars to public employees to stay away from their jobs while they’re being investigated for allegations of misconduct, wrongdoing or crimes. KARE-TV obtained public records that show the Twin Cities paid more than $3.7 million to workers over the past three…

One Child Dies, Another Hurt After Fall From Apartment Window

The Children Appear to be Under Four Years of age

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Authorities say one child is dead and another is hospitalized in critical condition after falling from a window at a south Minneapolis apartment building. Minneapolis police received a call about 2:20 p.m. Thursday reporting the incident at a building along the Midtown Greenway. Police spokesman John Elder says workers in the area saw the children fall from…

Minnesota Governor Signs Repeal of Marital Rape Exemption

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz has signed a bill repealing a Minnesota law that prevented prosecutors from filing rape charges against people accused of sexually assaulting their spouses. Looking on as Walz signed the bill Thursday was Jenny Teeson. The Andover woman went public after prosecutors dropped a felony charge against her now ex-husband, who drugged her…

Body of Missing man Found on Red Lake Indian Reservation

Sayers was Last Seen on October 23

RED LAKE, Minn. (AP) – Authorities say a body recovered on the Red Lake Indian Reservation has been identified as a man who was reported missing at the end of October. The Red Lake Department of Public Safety says in a release that the remains of 26-year-old Dillon Sayers were found last week. The cause of death remains under investigation….

Man at Duluth Senior Care Center Dies From Drinking Chemical

The man Lived at Westwood of Duluth

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – State investigators say a resident at a Duluth senior care apartment complex inadvertently drank a cleaning chemical that severely burned his digestive tract and killed him three days later. The Star Tribune reports the man had dementia and lived in a secured memory care unit at Westwood of Duluth. The investigation found that the man had a…

Walz Says State Should Pull Plug on Troubled MNLARS System

MNLARS had a Rocky Launch in 2017

(courtesy: Fox 9)ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz says the state should pull the plug on the troubled vehicle registration system known as MNLARS and replace it with commercial software used by other states. Walz told reporters Wednesday he accepts the conclusions of an expert panel that recommended freezing further development of MNLARS and quickly replacing it with…

Minnesota House Narrowly Votes to ban Wolf Hunting for Sport

Opponents say Minnesota's Wolf Population Needs to be Controlled

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota House has voted narrowly to ban a resumption of wolf hunting for sport in Minnesota. The vote was 66-65 Tuesday on an amendment to a broader environment and natural resources funding bill. The federal government announced plans in March to lift protections for wolves and return management to the states. Minnesota held three…

Jury Told to Avoid Hindsight in Officer Verdict

(Cedric Hohnstadt via AP) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The jury that will deliberate the fate of a Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman who had called 911 has been instructed to consider the case without the benefit of hindsight. Mohamed Noor is on trial for murder and manslaughter in the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen…

Gov. Tim Walz Sends Letter of Reprimand to IRRRB Commissioner

Radinovich Will Resign Effective April 30

(courtesy: Office of Gov. Tim Walz)DULUTH, Minn. – The Star Tribune reports they obtained a letter of reprimand Thursday that Gov. Tim Walz sent to the commissioner of the IRRRB following controversy over the hiring of former state legislator Joe Radinovich. According to the tribune, the letter to Mark Phillips reads in part, “I expect you to model openness, transparency,…