District Republican Endorsing Events Held Over The Weekend; Pickups For Policing; Whooping Cough Cases in Minnetonka
(St. Paul) Republican Party activists have backed conservative attorney Tayler Rahm to take on U.S. Rep. Angie Craig in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District, a battleground target for both parties this fall. Rahm, who has never run for office before, positioned himself as the outsider candidate. In western Minnesota’s Seventh District, Steve Boyd, a conservative small business owner who’s never held public office put up a spirited challenge against Republican U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach and blocked her from getting the 60 percent support necessary to get the party’s endorsement. Voters will determine the their candidate at a contested August primary. Boyd called the lack of endorsement for Fischbach a win for his campaign. Fischbach has represented the western Minnesota district since 2021.
GOP activists in the west-suburban Third District endorsed a former state legislator Tad Jude to run for the seat left open by Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who announced he wouldn’t seek re-election. (Star Tribune)
>>Sen. Mitchell Removed From Committees By DFL Leadership
(St. Paul, MN) — Ongoing questions about the arrest of state Senator Nicole Mitchell have led DFL leaders to suspend her from her committee assignments. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy also announced yesterday that Mitchell will not caucus with the party, though she can still participate in floor votes. Mitchell was arrested last week at her stepmother’s home after allegedly breaking in and trying to take her father’s ashes. Mitchell has denied any wrongdoing and has said she will not resign. (24/7 News Source)
(St. Paul) Fourteen law enforcement agencies have or soon will buy pickup trucks, courtesy of $642,000 in grants awarded this month by the state’s Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The money is part of April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month ending Tuesday. The Star Tribune reports Minnesota law prohibits motorists from holding a phone or electronic device, reading or composing emails or text messages, streaming videos or accessing the internet while behind the wheel. Drivers can touch their phone once to make a call, send voice-activated text messages or listen to podcasts. But multiple touches, such as dialing a phone number or punching in GPS coordinates, are outlawed.
Besides providing a better vantage point than from a squad car, the trucks are outfitted with cameras to record the illegal behavior and support an officer’s observation. (Star Tribune)
>>DNR To Limit Diversion From Central Minnesota Creek
(St. Paul, MN) — The state Department of Natural Resources is prohibiting farmers from pumping more water out of a central Minnesota trout stream. The agency announced last week that it was setting a limit on the amount of water that can be taken from Little Rock Creek, which runs through Benton and Morrison counties. Farmers with existing permits can still pull water from the stream, but could see their usage reduced in the future. The DNR is also not planning to issue any new permits for the stream. It’s the first time the DNR has enacted such a restriction on an irrigation source fed by groundwater. (24/7 News Source)
>>Multiple Minnetonka High School Students Test Positive For Whooping Cough
(Minnetonka, MN) — Several students at Minnetonka High School tested positive for whooping cough. Families of the teens were sent an email from school leaders confirming that quite a number of students were infected. Symptoms include a runny nose, nasal congestion, fever, and cough. Health officials say whooping cough affects young children who haven’t been fully immunized but can negatively impact adults whose immunity has diminished. The email also mentioned that the affected students were treated with an antibiotic and taken out of school for five days.(24/7 News Source)
>Prairie Island Indian Community Wants To Reclaim Historic Noose
(Minneapolis, MN) — A Native American tribe is asking the Minnesota Historical Society to return an artifact reportedly used in a mass execution in the 1800s. The Prairie Island Indian Community has filed a claim through its historic preservation office to have the “Mankato Hanging Rope” returned to the tribe. The noose was reportedly used to hang 38 Dakota men in Mankato in 1862 following the U.S.-Dakota War. The tribe says the noose was stolen from the grave of a tribal member and was later donated to the historical society. The request is under review and a decision is expected by late next month.(24/7 News Source)
