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DANGER! METEOROLOGIST

Minnesota meteorologist takes home $75,000 for Jeopardy!

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) – A Minnesota meteorologist has won more than $75,000 in three days on “Jeopardy!” The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Eric Ahasic took home his biggest win on Wednesday, $35,600, taking his total winnings to $75,600. He earned $5,000 in Final Jeopardy! Segment that provided this response: “A participant in that 1773 event recalled, ‘Some of our numbers jumped in the hold… I’ve never worked harder in my life.’ ‘ Ahasic told the Boston Tea Party, which was the correct answer. Its fourth episode airs Thursday afternoon.

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tribal land

Minnesota tribe to get back 28,000 acres

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota tribe is to be reclaimed 28,000 acres that the federal government sold in the 1800s. Minnesota Public Radio reports that the land is within the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Reservation, but the tribe lost ownership of it after the federal government divided it into lots and sold it under the General Allotment Act of 1887. The nonprofit Conservation Fund purchased the land as part of a major purchase from logging company PotlatchDeltic in 2020 with the intention of returning it to the tribe. Tribal leader Cathy Chavers says the land is used for hunting, fishing and berry gathering.

LEGISLATION-ETHICS

Senator Omar Fateh denies GOP claims of ethics violations

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An attorney for state Sen. Omar Fateh says the Minneapolis Democrat has never been endorsed by a YouTube channel that serves the local Somali community, and says his endorsement of unsuccessful legislation is to the nonprofit Therefore, giving the organization a grant of US$500,000 is not a reward for supporting the channel. The Senate Ethics Subcommittee heard from attorney Kristin Hendrick in the first of at least two sessions Wednesday to determine if there is likely grounds for formally investigating allegations made against Fateh by a group of Republican senators. The lawyer says Fateh paid for the ads and did not receive free advertising from the channel.

DRUG SEARCHES – OFFICER CONVINCED

Former Minneapolis cop convicted in drug case

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MINNNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer convicted of stealing drugs from dubious traffic stops has been sentenced to more than three years in prison. Ty Jindra was found guilty of stealing tramadol, methamphetamine and oxycodone in November. In two cases he made false reports and in one case he hid the discovery of pills, according to prosecutors. Jindra, 29, was also convicted of two civil rights violations, once for stopping a driver at a gas station for violating a license plate number and once for running over three youths in a vehicle that went slowly past a stop sign. Both times he was accused of conducting illegal searches.

MISSING STUDENT

Missing Minnesota student found dead in Mississippi River

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ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) – A missing University of Minnesota student has been found dead in the Mississippi River in St. Paul. The Pioneer Press reports that 21-year-old Abdirahman Abdifatah Ali of Prior Lake was last seen on June 1 on the West Bank of the U of M. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office water patrol recovered his body Monday night from the river near Harriet Island. Third-party debt is not suspected. Ali is the second U of M student found dead in Mississippi in recent weeks. Austin Ray Retterath, 19, was found on May 18 after being reported missing 10 days earlier. No foul play is suspected in his death.

PUBLIC RADIO DONATION

Minnesota Public Radio Receives $56 Million In Anonymous Donation

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Someone out there has presented a $56 million cash donation to Minnesota Public Radio. The Star Tribune reports that the anonymous gift is the largest MPR has ever received in its 55-year history. The money will go to YourClassical, MPR’s classical music network. According to MPR, nearly 2.75 million people interact with YourClassical every week. The money also flows into the further development of new technologies.

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LOON RESEARCH

A researcher studying loon decline is expanding the project to Minnesota

CROSSLAKE, Minn. (AP) — A researcher is trying to understand what’s causing a decline in Wisconsin’s loon population and is expanding his project to Minnesota. Chapman University biology professor Walter Piper has found that Wisconsin’s loon population has declined by about 22% over the past 25 years. Chicks are also smaller and the survival rate of young loons is lower. Minnesota Public Radio reports that Piper has partnered with the National Loon Center to expand his research into Crow Wing County in north-central Minnesota. Last summer, Piper’s team attached identification bands to about 80 loons around the Whitefish Chain of Lakes north of Brainerd. The team plans to revisit these areas this summer to see if the birds survived.

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POLICE CHASE

Man arrested for shooting at police in car with pregnant wife

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) — Police have arrested a man for allegedly firing nearly a dozen shots at officers during a twin-cities car chase with his pregnant wife in the passenger seat. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the incident began around 8:20 p.m. Sunday when a state police officer attempted to pull over Pablo Nava Jaimes for speeding in St. Paul. According to a criminal complaint, he fled at a speed of almost 160 km/h. He shot the officer and fired at officers who joined the White Bear Lake chase. Jaimes eventually stopped the car and he and his wife attempted to flee on foot before officers arrested them.