ILLICIT VAPING CARTRIDGES

Man convicted for possessing 77,000 THC vaping cartridges

ANOKA, Minn. (AP) — A jury has convicted a Minnesota man accused of illegally possessing nearly 77,000 vaping cartridges that contained dangerous levels of THC. Valentin Andonii was found guilty of two counts of first-degree controlled substance crime and one count of marijuana and controlled substance taxation. The latter charge stated that the 25-year-old Andonii owes more than $3 million in state taxes. Authorities say the cartridges are believed to have come from out of state for distribution in Minnesota. The Star Tribune reports the cartridges came in packages that sported famous cartoon characters or themes of sweet flavors, indicating that the operation had younger uses in mind. THC is the component of marijuana that gives a high.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

State sees declining COVID-19 intensive care rate

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials looking for a silver lining in the spread of the coronavirus omicron variant say they hope it can be found in declining intensive care hospitalizations for COVID-19. That number fell from 374 in mid-December to 255 on Friday. The decline temporarily eases pressure on hospitals as they brace for the wave of omicron infections. Despite its rapid spread, health officials are hoping the variant will continue to produce a lower rate of severe COVID-19 cases. Minnesota’s decline in ICU patients is an optimistic sign even though total coronavirus hospitalizations have increased from 1,314 on Jan. 1 to 1,435 on Friday.

CONDEMNED HOTEL FIRE

Fire crews battle blaze at condemned hotel in Duluth

Fire crews are fighting a large fire at a condemned hotel in Duluth in subzero conditions. Fire officials say the roof of the old Seaway Hotel in the Lincoln Park Craft District has collapsed and all firefighters have been pulled out of the building Monday. Some residents and workers in adjacent buildings, including tenants in apartments above Curly’s Bar, have been evacuated. The Esmond Building is owned by the Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority, was condemned and slated for demolition after another building was constructed to house the hotel’s former residents. Firefighters from Superior, Wisconsin are providing mutual aid.

AP-US-SEXUAL-ASSAULT-ATTEMPT-CHARGES

Man arrested in Alabama accused of using app to arrange rape

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A man arrested in Alabama is accused of using a phone app in an attempt to hire someone to kidnap and rape a woman in Wisconsin. Federal court documents show 22-year-old Matthias Jacob Edward Mann was arrested last week in the north Alabama town of Hartselle. He's charged with attempted kidnapping and attempted coercion after a person who he believed was willing to assault a woman turned out to be a police officer working undercover. The woman told police she had met Mann online and chatted with him on Twitter but they hadn't met in person.

ELECTION 2022-MINNESOTA GOVERNOR

Qualls joins packed GOP field in race for Minnesota governor

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A U.S. Army veteran and former healthcare executive says he’s running for governor in Minnesota, joining a handful of other Republicans who have announced for the job. Kendall Qualls lives in Medina with his wife and five children. He says he is the first and only member of his family to go to college and has earned two masters degrees. Qualls says he is running for governor because "the radical left has morphed the culture of the country where it is not recognizable.” Qualls made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2020. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin says Qualls has endorsed failed policies by former President Donald Trump and is trying to divide Minnesota residents.

SLAIN STUDENT-APPEAL

Judge: Rodriquez can't use intellectual disability as factor

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge says defense attorneys cannot use intellectual disability as a factor in the second death penalty debate for a man convicted in the 2003 kidnapping and killing of University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin. Judge Ralph Erickson last year ordered a new sentencing phase for Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., after ruling that misleading testimony from the coroner and other factors had violated Rodriguez’s constitutional rights. Defense attorneys then asked Erickson to reconsider intellectual disability as a defense. The judge said in an order last week that it cannot be used to consider Rodriguez’s eligibility for capital punishment. Rodriguez, a convicted sex offender from Crookston, Minnesota, is being held in a federal jail.

MINNEAPOLIS HOMICIDE

Shooting death marks 1st homicide of year in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis police say a man was shot and killed in the city’s first homicide of the year. Officers responded at 9:40 p.m. Saturday to a report of shots fired in the area and a vehicle that had crashed into parked cars. The victim was found lying in a street and later died at a local hospital. Police said in a release there is “limited information related to who else was involved and what transpired.” The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy. Minneapolis recorded 97 homicides in 2021, tying the all-time record set in 1995.

BABY TAKEN

Baby taken from mother in stolen car found safe

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A missing 1-year-old boy has been found and reunited with his family, hours after a man stole his mother’s vehicle with the baby in the back seat. Police were notified around 3:30 p.m. Friday. Police believe the mother momentarily left her car running with the baby inside. A man wearing a black sweater took the vehicle. At about 6:30 p.m. Brooklyn Park Police say officers responded to a 911 hang-up call. When they arrived they found the child was anonymously returned to his family uninjured. Officers later found the stolen vehicle unoccupied.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022