United Way Volunteer Nominations Open; Garrison Man Dies In UTV Crash; CDC Doubts Hunter Deaths Connected To CWD
>>Walz Comments On Mitchell Burglary Charge
(Austin, MN) — Governor Walz is offering his first comments on the arrest of a state senator on burglary charges. Walz was in Austin yesterday when he was asked about the Monday arrest of DFL Senator Nicole Mitchell in Detroit Lakes. Walz called the situation troubling and said there were questions regarding the arrest that still need to be answered. He also said that elected officials should be held to a high standard, and that the situation is a “family tragedy” involving someone who “had her home violated.” Mitchell issued a new statement yesterday vowing not to resign and saying all the facts in the case have not been given to the public. (24/7 News Source)
(Bemidji)The United Way of Bemidji Area’s Someone Special Volunteer Program is now accepting nominations to recognize local volunteers. The Someone Special program is celebrated by the United Way of Bemidji Area in partnership with Ken K Thompson Jewelry, The Bemidji Pioneer, and Paul Bunyan Broadcasting. For more than 30 years, 500+ special volunteers have been recognized for their outstanding volunteer efforts in the Bemidji area. Someone Special Volunteers are recognized with a plaque from Ken K. Thompson Jewelry, recognition on the morning shows of KB101, KZY95.5, and Z99, an acknowledgement in The Bemidji Pioneer. The Someone Special Volunteer recognition forms can be downloaded from the United Way’s website at www.unitedwaybemidji.org. All forms are due to United Way by Friday, May 10.
(BEMIDJI) Lynn Eaton has announced his intention to run for another 4-year term as Ward 5 city council representative in Bemidji.. Eaton cites council accomplishments regarding Sanford Center management, a new city manager, dissolving the joint planning board, among others, and notes the rail corridor, housing needs, and financing capital improvements among council goals for the next term.
>>One Dead After UTV Crash In Crow Wing County
(Roosevelt Township, MN) — A man has died after a UTV crash in Crow Wing County. Investigators say the crash happened Wednesday night near the intersection of County Road 138 and Loveland Pass in Roosevelt Township. A 67-year-old man from Garrison died from injuries received in the crash. The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office says the crash is still being investigated.(24/7 News Source)
>>Rainfall Helps Reduce Drought In Minnesota
(Undated) — Drought conditions are improving in Minnesota. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor maps released yesterday show that much of central and southern Minnesota is either free of drought or in the abnormally dry category, the lowest level of measurable drought. Much of the northern part of the state is experiencing moderate to severe drought, but those numbers have declined since last week. No part of the state is currently considered in extreme or exceptional drought.(24/7 News Source)
>>CDC Addresses Hunter Deaths In Texas
(San Antonio)Two friends who hunted deer together at the same lodge contracted an extremely rare brain disease and died, raising fears that they may have been infected by contaminated venison. The Star Tribune reports a team of neurologists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio presented the case at a conference last week, saying the deer herd surrounding the lodge is known to be infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD) but scientists at the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said that it is highly unlikely that venison or chronic wasting disease had anything to do with the deaths of the two men. The more the disease spreads in the wild, the more opportunities it has to develop a variant that could infect humans.
CWD has been found in deer in several counties in Minnesota. The state offers free testing, and strongly encourages hunters to have their deer tested for the disease before eating the meat. (Star Tribune)
>>Report: STI Rates In Minnesota Declined Last Year
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Health says the number of sexually transmitted infections in the state dropped last year. The recently released Annual Summary of Reportable STIs shows the number of cases dropped three percent year-over-year. Chlamydia remains the most reported STI in Minnesota, with nearly 22-thousand cases last year. Young people between 15 and 24-years-old had the most reported cases, accounting for 59-percent of all chlamydia infections in 2023.(24/7 News Source)
>>Reinert Says Duluth Must Grow In State Of The City Speech
(Duluth, MN) — Duluth’s mayor says the city must grow to help provide more housing and provide money for investment in the city’s infrastructure. Mayor Roger Reinert gave his first State of the City speech on Thursday at Denfield High School. Reinert noted that the city’s population hasn’t grown in decades and said he wanted to see 90-thousand residents living in Duluth by 2030. The mayor said city property taxes would not increase next year. He also asked the city council to send any remaining pandemic-era federal funding to the Duluth Economic Development Authority to fund potential growth projects.(24/7 News Source)
>>MnDOT Awards Safe Routes To School Grants
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Transportation is awarding grants to nearly three dozen school districts and organizations to help enhance traffic safety near schools. The one-point-four-million dollars in Safe Routes to School grants was announced yesterday. Governor Walz said in a statement that parents should be able to send their kids to school knowing they will be safe, and that the grants will help support that goal. The grants will go toward hiring Safe Routes to School coordinators, planning solutions that fit local needs and boosting grants to support existing programs.(24/7 News Source)
>>UND Getting Federal Funding For CO2 Oil Production Study
(Grand Forks, ND) — The Federal Energy Department is giving U-N-D millions of dollars to study the possibility of using captured CO2 gas to pump more oil out of the Bakken Formation. A lot of the oil there is tough to recover since the pressure in the reservoir is decreasing. State leaders are encouraging the practice of injecting carbon dioxide into the ground to loosen the oil. The university’s Energy and Environment Research Center will use the grant to conduct field and lab research over the next 18 months. (24/7 News Source)
>>MN Brewers Win Awards At World Beer Cup
(Undated) — Several Minnesota brewers are being recognized after competing in an international beer competition this week. The award ceremony for the World Beer Cup was held Wednesday in Las Vegas. Duluth’s Bent Paddle Brewing Company and the Northbound Smokehouse and Brewpub in Minneapolis both received first-place awards for their brews. Big Lake’s Lupulin Brewing and Excelsior Brewing Company were awarded second place for their beers.(24/7 News Source)
