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St. Paul man acquitted in Maplewood shooting that injured man and two boys, 12 and 15

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

A Ramsey County jury has acquitted a St. Paul man of all nine charges he faced in a shooting that injured three people in Maplewood in 2019.Brendon Joseph Garza, 26, was found not guilty Monday of three counts of attempted murder and six assault charges filed in the shooting that injured two boys, ages 12 and 15, and a 25-year-old man outside a Maplewood apartment building.The jury deliberated for about three hours Monday afternoon before reaching the verdict.“While we respect the jury’s decision, we are disappointed in the outcome,” Dennis Gerhardstein, Ramsey County attorney’s office spokesman, said in a statement this week. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”Garza was represented by attorney Dan Adkins, who said the “self-defense and defense of others” claim that was raised “resonated with jurors immediately and throughout the trial.”“He was defending himself and his two friends,” Adkins said in an interview this week.One of the boys who was shot t...

Mayo Clinic threatens to kill billions in state investment, if two health care bills pass

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Mayo Clinic is threatening to reconsider planned construction projects in Minnesota “four times the size of the investment in U.S. Bank Stadium,” if the Legislature and Gov. Tim Walz enact two statewide health care bills.The threat was included in an email from Kate Johansen, Mayo Clinic’s vice chair of external engagement, to Walz and state lawmakers on Wednesday. The email had the subject line “Mayo HHS Omnibus Concerns.”Johansen wrote, “The two proposals discussed — the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act (KNABA) and the Health Care Affordability Board — remain serious problems that require immediate attention and action.” The email was made public Friday in reporting by the Minnesota Reformer.Mayo Clinic asked for its facilities to be exempted from the KNABA requirements and to remove the “extremely problematic” Health Care Affordability Board proposal from the state’s Health and Human Services omnibus bill.The KNABA bill would require hosp...

Taste of Minnesota will return to action — in Minneapolis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

After an eight year break, Taste of Minnesota will return under new ownership and in a new location, Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.OutKast rapper Big Boi and ’90s rockers Third Eye Blind are booked to headline the free event, which will run from noon to 8 p.m. July 2 and 3 on three blocks of Nicollet Mall, from Washington Avenue to Fifth Street. Kid Rock associate Uncle Kracker will open for Big Boi and the festival will also feature music from the Steeles, the Fabulous Armadillos, Molly Maher and others, as well as wrestling from local favorites F1rst Wrestling.Organizers are expecting an attendance of 100,000 over the two days and Metro Transit will provide free bus service.“With the music we’ve booked and the food we’ve booked, it’s going to be a super fun event,” said Taylor Carik, one of five members of the planning committee that is organizing the new Taste.A wide range of food options are planned, from food trucks to cheese curd stands, with ch...

Minnesota enacts automatic voter registration, penalties for election misinformation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

A large number of Minnesotans will be automatically registered to vote in future elections under a bill signed into law on Friday by Gov. Tim Walz.That change to state election law and others, including preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds and a permanent absentee ballot option, will help Minnesota remain a leader in voter participation, said the Democratic-Farmer-Labor governor and lawmakers.“It builds on Minnesota’s proud tradition of strengthening, expanding, investing in the voices of Minnesotans,” said Rep. Emma Greenman, a Minneapolis DFLer who was the bill’s main author in the House. “We are choosing to be a north star by expanding the freedom to vote and strengthening the power of voters in our elections.”Lawmakers, advocates and state officials including Secretary of State Steve Simon, the state’s top elections official, joined the governor for a bill signing at the state Capitol on Friday.Simon noted that it has been almost 50 years since Minnesota became one of ...

Missouri AG wants Kim Gardner to leave office earlier than June 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS - One day after Kim Gardner announced her upcoming resignation as St. Louis Circuit Attorney, the Missouri Attorney General is pushing for her to leave office earlier than planned. After months of calls, requests, and demands for her to resign, Gardner will officially step down on June 1. Before this announcement, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey had challenged Gardner with a quo warranto lawsuit, accusing her of neglecting her duties as circuit attorney. Bailey visited St. Louis on Friday and spoke one-on-one with FOX 2 about Gardner's announcement and his next steps. Trending: Kim Gardner supporters upset; some not surprised by her resignation "Yesterday was an encouraging development, that the circuit attorney has noticed an indication to vacate the office on June 1," said Bailey. "But until such time that she is gone, and there are structural mechanisms in place to prevent this from ever happening again, we are going to continue to pursue the quo warranto act...

'Thank you, St. Louis' - Andy Cohen celebrates Walk Of Fame honor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Bravo TV star and St. Louis native Andy Cohen was officially inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame on Friday afternoon. Cohen is now recognized with a star along Delmar Loop. The St. Louis Walk of Fame consists of 150 stars along six blocks of the loop. The star was unveiled around 5 p.m., and Cohen celebrated the honor outside the Moonrise Hotel. Trending: Kim Gardner supporters upset; some not surprised by her resignation "Thank you, St. Louis, for welcoming me back," said Cohen. "People from St. Louis are the nicest people anywhere, and I'm proud to be from St. Louis." Before the honor, St. Louis Walk of Fame founder Joe Edwards talked with those who gathered Friday afternoon for one of the first additions to the tourist attraction in quite some time. The Walk of Fame tells the story of men and women that were shaped by St. Louis in some fashion, then went on to make a large contribution to society in some shape or form. Close Thanks for si...

Costilla County Sheriff seeks help finding missing 13-year-old girl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

A 13-year-old girl has been missing since 8:30 a.m. Friday and law enforcement officials are asking for the public’s help in finding her.According to a Facebook post, Kelly Blevins, 13, was last seen Friday morning at the Family Dollar in San Luis. She is believed to have been going to her mother’s workplace, also in San Luis, but she never arrived.Kelly is 5’7″ tall and weighs about 140 pounds. She has hazel eyes and orange or reddish hair with black roots. She has a birthmark on her neck at the hairline.She was last seen wearing black jeans with a gray, marbled pullover, red and white shoes and a pink backpack.Anyone in the area with surveillance cameras is asked to check their footage for images of Kelly or suspicious activity.Anyone with information about Kelly or her location is asked to call Colorado State Patrol Dispatch at 719-672-3302.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Missing teen from Nebraska may be in Denver, NCMEC says Cri...

All lanes of E. Quincy Avenue in Aurora closed for multi-vehicle crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

East Quincy Avenue is closed in both directions while Aurora police investigate a multiple-vehicle crash at that road’s intersection with South Harvest Road.According to a tweet from the police department, at least two vehicles were involved, one of which was a semi-truck that rolled on its side.#APDTrafficAlert: Officers are investigating a crash on E. Quincy Road at S. Harvest. At least two vehicles are involved and a semi-truck rolled onto its side. Injuries are being reported.ALL lanes of Quincy, between Gun Club and Harvest, have been closed.Any updates will be… pic.twitter.com/H1F8kvKHKD— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) May 5, 2023All lanes of E. Quincy Avenue from Gun Club Road to S. Harvest Road are closed.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Three 18-year-olds charged with murder in deadly Colorado rock-throwing spree Crime and Public Safety | Two people killed in crash with Arapahoe County deputy identified Crime and Public S...

Colorado student told she can’t wear sash with Mexican flag at graduation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

Naomi Peña Villasano. (Photo courtesy of Naomi Peña Villasano)Naomi X. Peña Villasano felt proud as she admired the graduation stole hanging around her neck, with one half designed to look like the American flag, the other like the Mexican flag.The 18-year-old Mexican-American from Colorado’s Western Slope said the sash captured her pride as an American while honoring her Mexican roots.“My parents are immigrants,” Peña Villasano said Friday. “They migrated here for a better life.”Peña Villasano couldn’t wait to wear the stole as she walks across the graduation stage at Grand Valley High School in Parachute on May 27. But officials from the school and Garfield County School District 16 told her she couldn’t wear the garment.Peña Villasano said school administrators told her the Mexican flag could be seen as offensive. The student said the school is denying her First Amendment rights and barring her cultural representation.“This issue wa...

Finally healthy, CU alum Civana Kuhlmann realizing NWSL dream with Washington Spirit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:40 GMT

Relief flashed across Civana Kuhlmann’s face the moment she was presented with her first NWSL contract by Washington Spirit executive Mark Krikorian.Head coach Mark Parsons, sitting alongside Krikorian in the room, summed up the moment succinctly.“Oh yeah, you took the long way here.”The long way was putting it mildly. The Centennial native, taken 37th overall in January’s NWSL draft, spent close to three years rehabbing from four surgeries to repair a torn ACL, torn meniscus and torn labrums in both her left and right hips. She also lost a close friend in former Stanford goalkeeper Katie Meyer.As she worked her way back over 900 days of rehab, Kuhlmann watched friends from Colorado and Stanford begin to make names for themselves. And after graduating in May 2022, and watching their games on TV, she realized that she wanted to be their teammate again.So Kuhlmann found her way back to Colorado and found joy in the game that had been missing.“I think in o...