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HOUSE PINPINCHES

Minneapolis house pinball player pleads guilty to fraud

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A woman who ran a home transshipment business in the Minneapolis area has pleaded guilty to defrauding real estate investors out of more than $3 million. Suzanne Griffiths faces one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Authorities say they have frequently made material misstatements about the status of real estate projects, failed to take promised action, falsified documents and misappropriated investments for their own use. Griffiths, 46, is said to have recruited investors at seminars held by a national real estate investment coaching program. Griffiths now resides in Arizona.

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OILFIELD STOCK SCHEME

Former Minnesota oil executive convicted of securities fraud

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minnesota oil executive who co-founded a facility that loaded crude oil from the North Dakota oil field onto railroad cars has been convicted in a stock manipulation scheme. Earlier this week, a federal court found Michael Reger guilty of securities fraud. The conviction caps a shareholder lawsuit filed five years ago against Reger and fellow Wayzata-based Dakota Plains Holdings co-owner Ryan Gilbertson. The lawsuit alleges that Reger and Gilbertson deliberately manipulated the stock price for the first 20 days of trading. Gilbertson was found guilty in 2018 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Earlier this month, a federal judge tentatively approved a $14 million settlement between shareholders and other directors and officers of the now-defunct company.

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AP-US BIRD FLU

The bird flu outbreak is waning, but the virus threat remains

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A bird flu outbreak in the United States that has killed more than 40 million chickens and turkeys and contributed to a surge in egg and meat prices appears to be abating, but experts are warning that the virus t disappeared and fear another wave could hit this fall. The Agriculture Department isn’t ready to say the outbreak is ending, but some state agriculture and industry officials are optimistic the end is near as hot weather spreads across the country. The cost of the eruption is still being counted, but the USDA has already approved $793 million in additional funding this year.

FOOD SUPPORT AUTHORIZATION

More MN households qualify for federal food assistance

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — More Minnesota households are qualifying for a federal program that provides food supply assistance. And it comes at a time when inflation has pushed up food prices. The Minnesota Legislature during its most recent session raised the income limit for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, from 165% of the federal poverty line to 200%. That means households of three earning $3,600 or less a month can now receive the food allowances. Peter Woitock, government relations expert at Hunger Solutions, endorsed the change. Woitock says about 1,400 additional Minnesota homes will be eligible.

GEORGE FLOYD – PROSECUTOR

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Key prosecutor Derek Chauvin was elected federal judge

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Joe Biden has appointed one of the prosecutors who helped convict a former Minneapolis police officer of murder in the killing of George Floyd as a Minnesota federal judge. Jerry Blackwell is a Minneapolis attorney and a founding partner of the law firm Blackwell Burke. He volunteered when he helped prosecute Derek Chauvin for the May 2020 murder of Floyd and provided a powerful rebuttal during the state’s closing arguments. In June 2020, Blackwell also won a posthumous pardon for a black man convicted of the 1920 rape of a white Duluth woman. The alleged rape led to a white mob lynching three other black men.

AP-US-47-CATS-REDUCED

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47 cats living in car rescued from hot Minnesota weather

HARRIS, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say 47 cats were rescued from a vehicle parked at a southeast Minnesota rest area in sweltering heat. The cats, spotted about 50 miles north of Minneapolis on Tuesday, were living in the car with their owner, who recently became homeless and didn’t want to leave the animals behind. Animal Humane Society investigator Ashley Pudas said the owner realized the heat was making it impossible to care for the cats and he welcomed the help. Despite the heat and unsanitary conditions, most of the cats had only minor medical problems. The ages of the cats range from less than a year to more than 12 years. They are eventually sterilized and put up for adoption.

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SUPREME COURT ABORTION CLINICS

Some clinics halt abortions while preparing for Roe’s downfall

SIOUX FALLS, SD (AP) — Abortion providers are preparing for the final days of the U.S. Supreme Court’s guarantee of an abortion right. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. In places like Wisconsin, where the trial could be prohibited if the court found Roe v. Wade cancels, Planned Parenthood is not scheduling appointments after the June 25th end of the month. Some abortion providers are reassigning staff to assist patients traveling to other states, creating networks of clinics that span regions of the country.

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ELECTION 2022 MINNESOTA GOVERNOR

Walz retains a large monetary advantage in the election campaign

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tim Walz retains a strong financial advantage over Republican Scott Jensen for the fall campaign. The Walz campaign says it has raised $1.8 million since Jan. 1 and has $4.5 million in cash on hand. The campaign states that the bankroll at this point in the election cycle is a record for a Minnesota gubernatorial campaign. The Jensen campaign says it has raised $472,000 since January and has $660,000 remaining in the bank. Jensen invested heavily in his campaign to secure GOP approval, while Walz had no opposition to his party’s support for a second term.