THE MINNESOTA SENATE FOLLOWED THE MINNESOTA HOUSE IN PASSING A BILL THAT WOULD MAKE ALL MINNESOTA STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR FREE SCHOOL MEALS, NO MATTER THEIR FAMILY INCOME, BEGINNING NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. THEY FIGURE THE PROGRAM TO COST ROUGHLY $200 MILLION PER YEAR. THEY ARE STILL CONSIDERING OTHER LEGISLATION THAT WILL HELP DETERMINE HOW THE MONEY IS DISTRIBUTED TO DISTRICTS, SINCE THEY FIGURE FAMILIES WILL BE LESS LIKELY TO FILL OUT FORMS THAT SHOW THEY QUALIFY BY INCOME, WHEN TECHNICALLY THERE IS NO NEED TO DO SO.
A CASS LAKE MAN NARROWLY ESCAPED A COLLISION WITH A TRAIN AFTER HIS STUCK SKIDDED THROUGH A STOP SIGN AND STALLED ON RAILROAD TRACKS. 53-YEAR OLD ROBERT IDOVICH JR HAD EXITED THE TRUCK BEFORE A BURLINGTON NORTHERN TRAIN HIT IT MOMENTS LATER. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. HE WAS LATER ARRESTED AFTER IT WAS DISCOVERED HE DOES NOT HAVE LEGAL DRIVING PRIVILEGES.
PROSACUTERS SAY THEY WILL STOP PURSUING THE DEATH PENALTY FOR ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ JR, THE MAN WHO KILLED DRU SJODIN ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO. THEY DID NOT RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, BUT NOTED THAT THIS DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT RODRIGUEZ WILL BE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON.
AFTER THE HEAVY SNOWFALLS ON THE WEEKEND, THE GRAND FORKS FIRE DEPARTMENT REMINDED HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS TO KEEP ROOFS CLEAR OF SNOW IF POSSIBLE. A ROOF COLLAPSED IN PART OF THE SOUTHTOWN SQUARE STRIP MALL IN GRAND FORKS ON SUNDAY, THAT WILL TEMPORARILY CLOSE 14 BUSINESSES. YESTERDAY, THE ROOF OF THE MILLER HILL MALL IN DULUTH COLLAPSED UNDER THE WEIGHT OF HEAVY SNOW.
TOMORROW, THE BARB GEER MEMORIAL LIBRARY WILL OPEN IN MIDDLE RIVER AS THE NEWEST LOCATION IN THE NORTHWEST REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM. IT’S LOCATED WITHIN THE MIDDLE RIVER LEGACY CENTER, WHICH IS AN OLD SCHOOL THAT HAS ALSO HAD IT’S CLASSROOMS TURNED INTO AIR BNB STYLE LODGINGS. THE LIBRARY WILL OFFER ALL OF THE SAME SERVICES AS OTHER BRANCHES WITHIN THE SYSTEM, BUT WILL OPERATE UNDER LIMITED HOURS, ONLY ON WEDNESDAY’S FROM 4-8 PM.
THE MINNESOTA DNR IS SEEKING INPUT ON A PROPOSED EXPANSION OF ELK ZONE 20, THAT IS NEAR LANCASTER. THE PROPOSAL WOULD EXPAND THAT HUNTING ZONE BY SIX MILES TO THE EST AND 3 MILES SOUTH. THEY SAY SURVEYS SHOW THAT THE ELK HAVE EXPANDED THEIR RANGE, AND THIS ZONE WOULD BETTER ENCOMPASS THAT AREA. THEY’LL TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH.
Last modified: 03/15/2023
