Child Porn Arrest In Aitkin County; Ticket Customers May Get Protection; DNR Looking For Input On Endangered List
>>Authorities Looking For Missing Teen
(Bigfork, MN) — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing teen. Sixteen-year-old Alissa Plieseis was last seen Saturday evening as she was walking away from her home in Bigfork. She has red hair and blue eyes, and was wearing jeans and a camouflage hoodie when she went missing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office. (24/7 News Source)
>>Senate Approves SRO Bill But Amendment Means More Discussion
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota lawmakers have passed differing versions of a bill that would clarify the amount of force school resource officers can use on campus. The Minnesota Senate voted 57-to-9 yesterday to approve its version of a bill that would exempt those officers from a state law barring the use of certain holds on students. An amendment adopted by the Senate would allow school workers to intervene in some situations to prevent theft, damage or destruction of property. A conference committee will resolve the differences between the bills and then send the measure to the governor for his signature.(24/7 News Source)
(Aitkin) County)The Star Tribune reports Law enforcement investigating an Aitkin County man suspected of illegal gun possession also found hundreds of files of child pornography and web searches on his phone related to police ambushes and killings.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office last week charged 46-year-old Juan Michael Smith with being a felon in possession of a firearm a little more than a week after he was arrested on similar state charges.Charges against Smith were unsealed Friday after he made his first appearance. U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright ordered Smith to be temporarily detained and he remains in federal custody in Sherburne County jail. Smith is next scheduled to appear in court on Friday for a detention hearing and preliminary examination
Blackduck- Staff members from U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s (D-Minn.) office will meet with regional leaders in Blackduck tomorrow morning amid growing concerns with rural Minnesota EMS first responder and ambulance services.
Senator Smith serves on the Senate Health committee and recently signed onto the bill Emergency Medical Services Reimbursement for On-scene Care and Support (EMS ROCS) Act. Many rural communities face challenges in accessing timely emergency medical services – especially for Medicare beneficiaries, who make up about 40% of patients treated by EMS. This bill would provide Medicare reimbursement for care provided by EMS on-scene, when transportation to the hospital is not needed.
(Crosby) Days after some Crosby-Ironton High School students taunted star eighth-grade basketball player Chloe Johnson during a game, the school’s principal says students have been disciplined and measures taken to prevent future offensive behavior from fans.
The chants targeting Johnson came during Thursday night’s varsity game between Crosby-Ironton and the Marshall School in Duluth, which the 14-year-old Johnson plays for. Johnson, one of the best eighth-grade players in the country, shared her story in January about overcoming mental health challenges and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The chanting of “OCD” came from a section of Crosby-Ironton fans when Johnson was holding the ball.
Administrators talked with the entire student body the day after the game about expectations for cheer sections, and how the school “would not tolerate negative or targeted cheering” going forward,
There was also instruction given to the school’s staff who monitor the stands of games to prevent similar behavior. (Star Trib)
>>Bill To Regulate Ticket Sales Advances In House
(St. Paul, MN) — A bill that would enact new protections for ticket buyers in Minnesota is advancing. The House Commerce and Finance Committee voted in favor of referring it to the General Register yesterday. The bill would force companies to list the full price of all tickets, including any fees that will be charged as part of the transaction. It would also ban the practice of speculative ticket purchases, which allow tickets to be sold before they become available. The bill was prompted by complaints from those who encountered problems while trying to buy tickets for Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour.(24/7 News Source)
>>Walz Encourages Business Owners To Apply For SBA Loans
(St. Paul, MN) — Governor Tim Walz is encouraging Minnesota business owners affected by warm winter weather to look into a federal disaster loan program. He and other state leaders talked about the Small Business Administration loan program yesterday at an event in Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. Businesses are eligible for low-interest loans of up to two-million dollars thanks to federal drought declarations in 81 Minnesota counties. Walz emphasized that the loans are for any business affected by weather, including those that need snow and ice to make a profit. The SBA is planning an online seminar to discuss the loan program this Friday.(24/7 News Source)
>>MN DNR Accepting Comments On Endangered Species List
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants to know if there should be changes to its Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species list. The agency is evaluating the current list to determine if species should be added, dropped or moved to a different protection category. Comments will be accepted through May 17th. More information on how to submit comments is available on the DNR website.(24/7 News Source)
>>MSP International Airport Rated Best In North America
(St. Paul, MN) — Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has once again been rated the best airport in North America. It’s the third time in a row the passenger survey by the Airports Council International has put M-S-P in the top spot for airports in the 25 to 40 million passenger category. It’s also the seventh time in the past eight years that Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has achieved that honor. (24/7 News Source)
