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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Walz announces more COVID-19 testing sites as omicron surges

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz has announced plans to open three more COVID-19 community testing sites as the rapid spread of the omicron variant puts new strains on Minnesota’s testing capacity. According to updated figures Tuesday, Minnesota is coming off its deadliest month of the pandemic for 2021, with 874 deaths in December. The state’s seven-day test positivity rate was 12% as of Dec. 27, the highest of the year. The surge in cases has fueled demand for testing. The National Guard and Minnesota Department of Health will open new community testing sites in Anoka, Cottage Grove and North Branch.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA-TRASH COLLECTION

COVID outages delay trash pick-up across Twin Cities area

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A COVID-19 outbreak among Waste Management drivers has created a delay in trash pick-up across the Twin Cities area. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday that Waste Management officials said about 5,000 households, or about 2% of the company’s customer base, will have to wait for a Jan. 11 pick-up. The households are located in Blaine; Marine on St. Croix; May Township; Scandia; Crystal; Fridley; Maple Grove; Minneapolis; New Brighton; New Hope; Brooklyn Park; St. Paul; Maplewood; Newport; and Stillwater.

HAGEDORN-CORONAVIRUS

Minnesota US Rep. Jim Hagedorn tests positive for COVID-19

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is undergoing treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The southern Minnesota Republican said in a statement Tuesday that he has been vaccinated and is experiencing “very mild symptoms.” But he acknowledged that doctors are concerned because he’s fighting kidney cancer. He says he’ll work with professionals at Mayo until it’s safe to return home to Blue Earth or travel to work in Washington. Hagedorn announced in July that he had suffered a recurrence of his stage IV kidney cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2019.

SHOPLIFTER SHOOTING

Man charged in fatal shooting at St. Paul liquor store

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting a person who confronted him about shoplifting at a St. Paul liquor store has been charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutors say 44-year-old Kenneth Davis, Jr. was shot with his own gun at Big Discount Liquor on Dec. 27. According to a criminal complaint, Davis was a regular customer at the store and saw the defendant concealing some vodka without paying for it, then confronted him with a gun. Authorities say the two men tussled, Davis dropped his gun and the man used it to shoot him. He was arrested several days later at a motel.

BLOOD DONATIONS

Minnesota’s blood bank donations are at a 10-year low

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Officials say Minnesota’s blood bank donations are at a 10-year low. Red Cross spokeswoman Tonia Teasley says many people are not donating because they are worried about their own health during the coronavirus pandemic. Teasley says across the region blood donations are down 10 percent. Sen. Amy Klobuchar hosted a virtual roundtable discussion on the issue Monday with several blood bank officials. Blood donations have been down since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and that’s exacerbated by the new year. Klobuchar says donations tend to drop following the holidays.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Walz expects COVID-19 case spike as Minnesota schools reopen

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz says coronavirus cases due to the fast-spreading omicron variant will most likely race through Minnesota’s public schools in the next few weeks now that students are back in class. Walz told Minnesota Public Radio on Monday that school administrators across the state are right to be concerned. He noted that modeling by the Mayo Clinic predicts a spike peaking around the third week of January, which will impact already-strained staffing. Walz is back at work after he, his wife and 15-year-old son tested positive and developed mild-to-moderate symptoms in late December and spent Christmas in quarantine.

MALL OF AMERICA-SHOOTING

1 arrested in Mall of America shooting in Minnesota

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — Police say a Minnesota man suspected of having a role in last week’s shooting at the Mall of America that left two people wounded has been arrested. Authorities in the Twin Cities suburb of Bloomington say the 19-year-old St. Paul man was arrested in Roseville Sunday afternoon. Roseville police say the arrest occurred at a Motel 6. Roseville is about 15 miles from Bloomington. Police say the man was seen leaving the scene with the shooting suspect and was arrested on possible charges of aiding and abetting first-degree assault. Injuries to the two wounded men were not life-threatening. Police are still looking for the suspected shooter.

HOUSE FIRE-TWO DEAD

Sheriff’s office: Twin brothers’ deaths appear accidental

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say the deaths of twin brothers found in a burned home outside Duluth appear to be accidental. The bodies of Terry and Jerry Rousse were discovered Saturday in their home in Canosia Township after someone conducting a welfare check on the 68-year-old brothers called police. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that Terry Rousse died of smoke inhalation and thermal injury from the fire, and Jerry Rousse died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide toxicity. A fire marshal investigation was pending, but the sheriff’s office said the fire was believed to be accidental.