Man Sentenced for Fatal Accident While Driving High; LaDuke Addresses AG Ellison’s Claims; MN Supreme Court To Hear Challenge To Gov Emergency Powers
(St. Louis County) An Iron Range man has been sentenced to a term of nearly 3½ years after pleading guilty to causing a fatal two-vehicle crash while high on marijuana last fall in St. Louis County. 38-year-old David K. Medicine of Virginia was sentenced Monday. St. Louis County Attorney Kim Maki cautioned drivers that liberalized laws on recreational marijuana use in Minnesota do not make driving while high any less of a public safety concern.
Medicine pleaded guilty in December to criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the crash on Oct. 21st that killed 61-year-old Cathy M. Johnson of Tower.
At the time of the fatal crash, Medicine was driving with a revoked license stemming from a drunk driving conviction. (Star Tribune)
(Moorhead, MN) — A man has died after a camper fire in Moorhead . Firefighters were called to a mounted camper parked on First Avenue in Moorhead early yesterday. They were able to enter the camper and found the man’s body inside. An autopsy will be performed to determine the man’s identity and cause of death, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. (24/7 News Source)
>>Woman Pleads Guilty To Moving Human Remains In Mille Lacs County
(Mille Lacs County, MN) — A woman has entered a guilty plea to charges she helped move human remains in Mille Lacs County last year. Alexis Elling pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of aiding an offender after the fact and will be required to testify against her boyfriend in court. Investigators claim Bradley Weyaus killed a man last March, then placed him in a tote and carried his body to the shore of Mille Lacs Lake. Elling told police that she did not help Weyaus put the body in the tote, but she did help move it to the lake. She is expected to avoid prison as part of the plea agreement. (24/7 News Source)
>>Amish Buggy Crash Seriously Injures Children In Hinckley.
(Hinckley, MN) — A crash with an Amish buggy in Hinckley has left two children with life-threatening injuries. Authorities say it happened last week on Hinckley Road, when a car slammed into the horse-drawn vehicle. Six people were in the buggy at the time, including two-and-four-year-old kids who were critically hurt. The crash happened as prosecutors file charges in a separate fatal buggy crash that happened in Fillmore County back in September.(24/7 News Source)
(Duluth)Winona LaDuke denied allegations that she made unauthorized loans to family members for nonbusiness purposes while executive director of Honor the Earth.
In a court petition for an “assurance of discontinuance” order, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison alleged that LaDuke frequently authorized transactions between Honor the Earth and family members who worked for the nonprofit “for purposes that did not benefit the corporation.” The petition alleges several interest-free loans were made without board approval, and often without proper documentation.The petition also alleges that LaDuke and the organization mishandled claims of sexual harassment by employees, and notes that the nonprofit admitted it lacked a systematic record keeping procedure.
LaDuke denied many of the allegations in a statement Wednesday to the Star Tribune,.
According to LaDuke’s statement, any loans given to her biological children were the same loans that went to other employees, and were repaid with payroll deductions. (STAR TRIBUNE)
>>MN Supreme Court Hears Challenge To Governor’s Emergency Powers
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Supreme Court is being asked to determine if Governor Walz exceeded his authority when he issued a statewide mask mandate during the pandemic. The high court heard arguments yesterday from a case that was originally filed in Ramsey County in 2020. The lawsuit challenges the governor’s interpretation of a 1996 law giving his office emergency powers. The state says the governor has the authority to act broadly in a public health emergency. The group that filed the lawsuit says the governor used powers that should only be exercised by the legislature.(24/7 News Source)
>>Geese Staying Home In Record Numbers This Year
(Bismarck, ND) — Biologists in North Dakota say they were surprised by the results of this winter’s waterfowl survey. The results show that record numbers of Canada geese stayed in North Dakota this year, rather than migrating south. During last year’s survey, 29-thousand geese were counted in the state, while 300-thousand were counted this winter. Experts say the geese aren’t migrating as much because of this year’s unusually mild and warm winter.(24/7 News Source)
