>>BCA: Willmar Man Died After Being Tased During Eviction
(Willmar, MN) — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is releasing more information about the death of a 75-year-old man in Kandiyohi County. The BCA announced yesterday that Michael James Yanacheak died after a deputy used a Taser on him during an eviction action in Willmar. Investigators say Yanacheak came toward officers with a kitchen knife, leading to the use of the Taser. Lifesaving measures were tried but the elderly man died after arriving at the hospital. The BCA will send the results of the investigation to the Kandiyohi County Attorney’s Office once it is complete. (24/7 News Source)
>>Beltrami County Farmer Suing MN For Discrimination Over Grant Denial
(Beltrami County, MN) — A Beltrami County farmer is suing the state of Minnesota for discrimination after he was denied a grant. Lance Nistler has filed a federal lawsuit against the governor and the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture. He claims that he was denied a grant to help him buy his first farm because he is white. He claims the program he applied for gives preference to minorities, women, the disabled, veterans and other protected classes, violating his civil rights. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has declined to comment on the lawsuit.(24/7 News Source)
(Red Lake) The Red Lake Nation Tribal Council announced Wednesday that it would no longer handle day-to-day operations of its tribal-owned marijuana dispensary NativeCare, which is the first recreational dispensary in Minnesota.
The Star Tribune reports the move comes after an employee alleged that a Tribal Council member stole a large amount of cannabis byproduct. The Council reviewed a report and determined that the product was not stolen but instead picked up by one of Native Care’s business partners for the purpose of using the otherwise wasted material for new products, such as vape cartridges. All of the product in question was accounted for. However, after a Tuesday discussion of the situation, the Tribal Council unanimously voted that Native Care be operated as a standalone business, and that the Council should step away from the dispensary’s day-to-day operations. (Star Trib)
>>Police Call Polk County Abduction “Unfounded”
(Polk County, MN) — Police say the reported abduction of a 17-year-old girl in Polk County was unfounded. The girl was found tied up next to a road in a rural area outside of East Grand Forks earlier this week. Officers who were at the scene say she told them she was abducted and left at that location, but it appears this isn’t what actually happened. It’s not yet clear how or why the girl ended up on the side of the road.(24/7 News Source)
(Cass Lake) The Tribal Nations Education Committee elected Laurie Harper as its new Chair and Beth Tepper as its new Vice-Chair.
Chair Harper has served as the TNEC representative for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe since 2018 and was voted in during a special election to fill the recently vacated seat of Jennifer Murray, who served as Chairperson for four years representing the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
Harper works as the Director of Education for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. The Tribal Nations Education Committee was established to remedy the lack of government-to-government communication, cooperation and consultation between the State of Minnesota and tribal nations related to education.
(Washington) The federal government says it won’t budge on its decision to impose taxes on nearly $1 billion in rebate checks sent to Minnesotans last fall.
The IRS surprised state officials in December by saying the rebates were federally taxable income. That sparked a flurry of lobbying to try to reverse that decision before income tax filing season starts.
But in letters sent to Minnesota U.S. Reps. Pete Stauber and Angie Craig, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said the state’s rebates didn’t fall under the category of general welfare or disaster relief, both of which can be excluded from federal taxes.(24/7 News Source)
>>Police Requesting To Search Car That May Have Killed Doctor
(Undated) — Law enforcement is requesting to perform a search warrant on an Edina man’s Tesla as part of their investigation of a hit-and-run crash that killed a doctor. Officers found the body of Cathy Donovan near Highway 169 around 5 p.m. on November 13. A witness identified the car to be a Tesla model. The driver of the Tesla currently faces no charges but is being questioned by police. The man told police that he drove to his cabin on the day Donovan was hit but claimed he was not the one who crashed into her.(24/7 News Source)
>>22 People Arrested On Warrants In Grand Forks County
(Grand Forks County, ND) — Twenty-two people were arrested Tuesday in Grand Forks County as part of a county-wide operation. Authorities call it a “warrant blitz”, in which many people with outstanding warrants are apprehended at once. The operation involved 20 officers and several different law enforcement agencies, including the Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force. In addition to the 22 arrested, several other people with active warrants have contacted the sheriff’s office to arrange dates to turn themselves in. (24/7 News Source)
>>DEED Announces More Than $13M In Workforce Grants
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is handing out over 13-million in workforce grants to groups around the state. The agency announced yesterday that 43 organizations would share the money through the Pathways to Prosperity program. The funding will help provide skills training and support services to Minnesotans to face barriers to employment. DEED estimates that nearly 28-hundred people will be helped by the grant funding.(24/7 News Source)
