MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE

Minnesota lawmakers get some hits, lots of misses in session

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — There were a few hits but lots of misses as the divided Minnesota Legislature blew a deadline for passing a package of tax cuts and new spending using the state’s massive budget surplus. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz met Monday afternoon with Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller and Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman. But the governor acknowledged afterward that they’re still searching for common ground, and he has no immediate plans to call a special session. Walz says the leaders indicated their members need time to decompress. He says it might do lawmakers good to go home and hear from their constituents.

ABORTION-NORTH DAKOTA

Planned Parenthood to step in if North Dakota clinic closes

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Planned Parenthood says it will offer abortion services at its clinic in Moorhead, Minnesota, if North Dakota’s only abortion clinic does not quickly relocate from Fargo should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. Planned Parenthood says it expected Red River Women’s Clinic, a private clinic not affiliated with it, to make the short move across the river by July 1 if necessary. The Fargo clinic has long operated as the only abortion provider in the state. Owner Tammi Kromenaker says she would cross over to Moorhead if forced to do so, but has been too busy to explore details of such a move. She adds that “there are too many unknowns to confirm a specific date” for relocation.

BOY'S BODY IN TRUNK

Minnesota mom charged with killing son; body found in trunk

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A mother was charged Monday in the death of her 6-year-old son whose body was found in the trunk of her bloodied car in a Minneapolis suburb last week. Twenty-eight-year-old Julissa Thaler, of Spring Park, is charged with second-degree intentional murder in the death of Eli Hart. Court records do not list an attorney who could speak on her behalf. Family members said that the boy’s father, Tory Hart, of Chetek, Wisconsin, was trying to win custody of his child at the time. Police say they found the boy's body after Thaler was pulled over in Mound on Friday. According to a criminal complaint, the child was shot up to nine times.

USS MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL

USS Minneapolis-St. Paul commissioned for service

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — The USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul has been activated for service in the U.S. Navy. A weekend commissioning ceremony was held in Duluth for the Freedom class-littoral combat ship. It measures nearly 400 feet and can travel at speeds greater than 40 knots, the equivalent of about 46 mph. According to officials, the ship is designed to have significant maneuverability and will utilize a state-of-the-art system that combines diesel and gas turbines with steerable water jet propulsion The USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul now heads to its home base at the naval station in Mayport, Florida to await orders.

MUSIC-PRINCE

When purple reigned: A 1985 Prince concert finds a new life

NEW YORK (AP) — A reworked and re-released concert that captures Prince & The Revolution at their peak is coming next month. The March 30, 1985, concert at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York, included hits like “Delirious,” “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” “Take Me Home,” and “I Would Die 4 U.” “Prince and The Revolution: Live” will be released June 3 in a variety of formats, including digital streaming platforms, a three-LP vinyl version, a two-CD version and a Blu-ray of the concert film. The Syracuse concert came at the end of a 100-odd date tour. Revolution member Lisa Coleman says the concert footage is “just as amazing” as she remembers it.

AP-US-ELECTION-2022-WHAT-TO-WATCH

2022 midterms: What to watch in Georgia, Texas, elsewhere

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia takes center stage in Tuesday’s primary elections as Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger try to fight back challengers endorsed by Donald Trump. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is testing Republican voters’ tolerance for controversy in her primary. In Alabama, three Republicans are in a tight race for the nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. In Arkansas, former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders is a front-runner for the Republican nomination for governor. In two Texas runoffs, Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to hold off Land Commissioner George P. Bush, while congressman Henry Cuellar is facing a progressive challenger.

ANCIENT SKULL FOUND

Nearly 8,000-year-old skull found in Minnesota River

REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A partial skull from nearly 8,000 years ago that was found by two kayakers in a river last summer will be returned to Native American officials in Minnesota. Renville County Sheriff Scott Hable said the bone was found after a drought lowered the Minnesota River near the city of Sacred Heart, about 110 miles west of Minneapolis. A forensic anthropologist with the FBI determined the skull likely was from a young man who lived between 5500 and 6000 B.C. Hable posted about the discovery on the department's Facebook page on Wednesday, but removed the post after Native American officials said publishing photos of the skull was offensive to their culture.

ELECTION 2022-MINNESOTA-HOUSE

Minnesota holds special primary for late congressman's seat

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Voters in southern Minnesota will choose candidates in a special primary next week. It's the first step in the process for filling the seat of Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, who died of cancer in February. The GOP candidates on Tuesday's ballot include Hagedorn’s widow, Jennifer Carnahan, a former chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota. Other candidates include state Rep. Jeremy Munson and former state Rep. Brad Finstad. On the Democratic side, the endorsed candidate is former Hormel Foods CEO Jeffrey Ettinger. The winners will face each other in a special election Aug. 9 to fill out the rest of Hagedorn's term.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022