MN News

FRACK SAND-DAYTON        Dayton opposes silica sand moratorium for now        (Information in the following story is from: Post-Bulletin, http://www.postbulletin.com)        ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) – Governor Mark Dayton says he does not support a statewide moratorium on silica sand mining for now, but he backs tougher regulations.        Dayton told the Post-Bulletin of Rochester for a story published Wednesday that he wouldn’t hesitate to call for a moratorium if the industry starts to spiral out of control. But he says he doesn’t think Minnesota has reached that point.        The governor also praised officials in the southeastern city of St. Charles for their recent decision not to move ahead with a major silica sand project.        Silica sand mining has been a hot topic at the Capitol this session. The round grains of pure silica sand under parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin are in demand from oil and gas drilling companies that use it for hydraulic fracturing in neighboring North Dakota.

MINNESOTA BUDGET        Dayton hits road to sell income tax hike, K12 plan        DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – Governor Mark Dayton is selling his budget plan at a packed town hall meeting in Duluth where he’s also fielding questions about guns, the minimum wage and other issues.        The Democratic governor is holding the first of four “Meetings with Mark” on Wednesday to talk about his two-year spending proposal for the state.        Dayton says most middle class Minnesotans won’t pay more taxes in his budget proposal. He says a tax hike on the wealthy is needed for the state to catch up as state funding levels have fallen for schools and colleges in the last 20 years.        Dayton also tried to allay fears about gun control proposals at the Capitol. He says gun show sales should be subject to background checks and says fears that will lead to gun confiscation are “bogus.”

RADISSON FLOODING        Closure of Duluth Radisson extended to May 1        (Information in the following story is from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com)        DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – The Radisson in downtown Duluth will remain closed until May 1st as the hotel deals with damage from a broken water main.        Hotel officials say the Radisson is working “as quickly as possible” to determine the extent of damage caused by last week’s flooding.        A water line broke, flooding parts of the hotel’s basement and disrupting electrical service to the building. The Duluth News Tribune reports the building remains without power and heat.        The Radisson relocated its guests to other hotels and is working with other hotels and businesses to relocate future room reservations and banquets it had booked.        Updates on the hotel’s progress will be made every Wednesday.

MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA-LOCKOUT        Minn. Orchestra cancels concerts through April 27        (Information in the following story is from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mpr.org)        MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Orchestra has canceled or rescheduled concerts through April 27th as a lockout of its musicians continues.        Orchestra President and CEO Michael Henson said Wednesday it’s been almost a year since contract negotiations began and musicians have not yet made a counteroffer.        Henson says discussions continue about how to do an independent analysis of the orchestra’s finances. Musicians say they need that before making a counteroffer.        Minnesota Public Radio News reports the musicians have claimed it’s always been management’s intention to cancel the entire season.  But Henson says management intentionally did not cancel the rest of the season, because management wants to send a signal to the musicians union that it wants to negotiate a settlement.        Musicians have been locked out since October 1st.

SCHOOL LOCKDOWN-MINNESOTA-SUSPECT        Hearing for boy arrested in Minn. school lockdown        NEW PRAGUE, Minn. (AP) – A hearing will be held this week for the 12-year-old Minnesota boy suspected of making a prank 911 call that prompted a school lockdown.        Attorney Marsh Halberg has been retained to represent the boy. Halberg says the boy remains in custody, and a juvenile detention hearing will be scheduled for Thursday or Friday.        The New Prague middle school, high school and Central Education Campus buildings were locked down Wednesday morning after a 911 caller said there was a shooter with an AK-47 and a couple of victims.        Authorities determined no one was hurt and arrested the boy. Classes were canceled for the rest of the day.        Halberg says the boy’s parents want other parents to know no gun was involved and that it’s safe for students to return to school.

AMMUNITION SMUGGLING-UKRAINE        Minn. man pleads guilty to smuggling ammunition        MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to smuggling thousands of rounds of ammunition from the United States to Ukraine.        Thirty-seven-year-old Paul Kalash of Plymouth pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to one count of smuggling goods from the U.S.        U.S. Custom and Border Protection agents seized several packages of ammunition Kalash tried to ship to Ukraine last year. Kalash argued he was sending the ammunition to a friend who is a competitive shooter.        But the Star Tribune reports federal investigators said the ammunition Kalash bought from an online firearms dealer appeared to be inconsistent with competitive shooting.        Kalash faces up to 10 years in prison. Sentencing has not been scheduled.

HOSPITAL THEFT        Ex-Minn. nurse gets 2 years in hospital meds theft        MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A former Minnesota nurse has been sentenced to two years in prison for stealing painkiller medication at the hospital where he worked.        A federal judge Wednesday also ordered 43-year-old Blake Zenner of Kimball to pay $340,000 in restitution.        Zenner pleaded guilty last September to one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.        In his plea agreement, Zenner admitted that he siphoned Dilaudid from IV bags at a St. Cloud hospital from November 2010 to March 2011. Prosecutors say he sometimes injected the bags with saline solution to replace the missing Dilaudid. The government alleges about 25 hospital patients were infected with bacteria as a result.

HEALTHY COUNTIES-MINNESOTA        Carver County ranked Minn.’s healthiest county        ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Carver County is ranked as Minnesota’s healthiest county in a new report while Cass County is at the bottom of the list.        The 2013 County Health Rankings were released Wednesday by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.        Counties were ranked on such factors as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and teen birth rates.        After Carver, Minnesota’s top five healthiest counties are Steele, Waseca, Dodge and Scott.        Hennepin County is ranked Number 55 among Minnesota’s 87 counties while Ramsey County is 65th.        Minnesota Health Commissioner Doctor Ed Ehlinger points out that a concentration of northern Minnesota counties are ranked toward the bottom.        Minnesota’s bottom five healthiest counties, in descending order, are Lake, Traverse, Mille Lacs, Mahnomen (muh-NOH’-mun) and Cass.

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