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Gov. Tim Walz signs bipartisan legislation to fund replacement of lead service lines on residential properties

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

Across Minnesota, thousands of underground service lines that snake from home basement water meters to water mains in the center of the street are made of lead, a common but unwelcome contaminant when it comes to drinking water.The lines sit within both the public right-of-way and private residential property, and replacing them can cost property owners $10,000 or more, a sum many households would be hard-pressed to come up with on their own. On Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz signed bipartisan legislation that would help cities across the state not only map the locations of their lead service lines, but rip them out and replace them, at no cost to homeowners.The $240 million initiative received the unanimous backing of House lawmakers and near-unanimous support in the state Senate. The next steps will be up to municipalities to apply to the Minnesota Department of Health for grants, complete their maps and then coordinate directly with homeowners, who would have to voluntarily grant permiss...

Judge orders Bloomington company to pay $487M penalty in Medicare scheme

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

A Bloomington company has been ordered to pay more than $487 million in a civil penalty for paying kickbacks to eye surgeons to use its products in the form of luxury vacations on private jets to exclusive events.U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright, of St. Paul, entered a judgment against Precision Lens and its owner, Paul Ehlen, last week after a federal civil jury found the company guilty in February. The company paid kickbacks to ophthalmic surgeons to use its products in cataract surgeries reimbursed by Medicare.The civil jury found nearly 65,000 false claims had been made with more than $43 million in damages to Medicare.The jury found the company had flown doctors to high-end skiing, fishing, golfing, hunting, sporting and entertainment vacations, often at exclusive destinations and frequently by private jet. The vacations included trips to see Broadway musicals in New York City, the College Football National Championship Game in Miami and the Masters golf tournament in A...

Guns got all of the attention, but there’s more in the $880M public safety bill

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

New gun-control measures have gotten most of the attention, but there’s a lot more to the public safety bill Minnesota Democrats passed through the Legislature this session without any Republican votes.Public safety was a top issue for both parties during the 2022 campaign with gun violence, rising crime and brazen carjackings on many voters’ minds. The bill that emerged to address those concerns has a mix of tougher laws and progressive programs to address root causes of crime.After passing the Senate last Friday and the House Monday, the bill is headed to Gov. Tim Walz for his signature.“This bill provides public safety to every Minnesotan in every corner of our state. This is a transformational and historic bill,” said Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview, chair of the public safety committee and main sponsor of the House bill.Moller added that the committee took input from “stakeholders and criminal justice partners to ensure our final bill includes the...

Faith leaders react to sudden resignation of Kim Gardner

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS – After years of scrutiny while in office, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner had made the decision to resign, effective June 1. But that all changed Tuesday, when she announced, two weeks ahead of schedule, that she was leaving office.A statement from the circuit attorney’s office said, “Ms. Gardner has been committed to serving the people of the City of St. Louis and has done all she can to ensure a smooth transition.”Community leaders are reacting to Gardner’s announcement to step down sooner than expected.Missouri Governor Mike Parson, who will appoint Gardner's replacement, met with local faith leaders at the Wainwright State Office Building in downtown St. Louis. He then visited City Hall and met with Mayor Tishaura Jones to get her input about the search for a new circuit attorney.Parson’s meeting with the clergy lasted about two hours. Clergy members said the governor told them there are some really good candidates, and he's impressed with some of those who hav...

Missouri teacher who used racial slur resigns; student who taped him suspended

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

A Missouri high school teacher who was videotaped repeatedly using a racial slur in class has resigned from the district, while the student who took the video finishes serving a school suspension.Mary Walton, a 15-year-old sophomore at Glendale High School in Springfield, will be allowed to return to school Wednesday after a three-day suspension for what the school district said was improper use of an electronic device.Walton's suspension caused controversy, with supporters including the Radio Television Digital News Association saying she was exercising her free speech rights and documenting a disturbing incident that might have otherwise been ignored.Kate Wellborn, Walton's mother, said in an interview Tuesday that she was “genuinely shocked” her daughter received the harshest possible punishment for recording the teacher during class last week. She said her daughter's video clearly showed the situation and context for what happened."To punish someone in this situation who does th...

Man accused of setting ex-girlfriend's St. Louis Co. home on fire

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A man appeared in federal court Tuesday after being accused of setting his ex-girlfriend's home on fire last month in St. Louis County. Christopher Willis, 39, pleaded not guilty to one felony charge in the case. Investigators say the fire happened at a rental home on April 29 in unincorporated St. Louis County. Top Story: St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigning immediatly An indictment alleges that Willis entered his ex-girlfriend's home with a key nearly six days after they broke up. He is accused of stealing her cell phone, picking up a pile of clothes and setting the clothes on fire as he got away. His girlfriend and aunt were sleeping at the time, according to the indictment. No one was hurt from the fire and everyone inside was able to escape because of a fire alarm. If convicted, Willis could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison or face around $250,000 in fines. He was charged with one count of maliciously damaging or destroying by means of fire.

Denver school board to vote on new contract for Superintendent Alex Marrero

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

Denver’s school board is negotiating a new contract with Superintendent Alex Marrero and is expected to vote on it this week, even as two years remain on his current deal with the district. The negotiations come as Marrero has been in the spotlight in recent months, notably with the school board rejecting his initial plan to close schools because of low enrollment in November and Denver Public Schools’ response to two shootings this spring at East High School. The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on whether to approve the superintendent’s contract during a meeting Thursday, according to the agenda. It’s unclear what changes will be made to Marrero’s existing contract. District officials said they couldn’t release the new document Tuesday because it’s still being negotiated.When asked whether the superintendent — who currently makes $260,000 a year — will receive a pay raise, board spokesman Bill Good said DPS couldn’t yet comment on t...

Nuggets vs. Lakers: Live updates and highlights from Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

After battling past the Timberwolves and Suns, the No. 1-seeded Nuggets make their fifth appearance in the NBA’s Western Conference Finals where they’re set to face the team that ousted them the three previous times. Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Lakers at Ball Arena in Denver.Live updatesPregame updatesHow they compare (4:30 p.m.): As the Denver Nuggets enter the Western Conference Finals for the second time in four seasons, a breakdown of their matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, including who has the edge, five things to watch and series predictions. — Joe NguyenNuggets-Lakers Game 1: Must readsFrom sidelines to pickleball courts, Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s searing intensity spurs conference finals runThe fiery, occasionally stubborn eighth-year veteran has survived the incessant churn of the NBA’s coaching carousel to become the fourth-longest tenured head coach in the league. He’s also got the Nuggets back in the Western Con...

Gov. Jared Polis vetoes bill that could have delayed gray wolf reintroduction

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis followed through with his not-too-veiled hint that he would veto a measure that could have delayed the state’s plan to capture and release gray wolves along the Western Slope by the end of the year.Polis vetoed Senate Bill 23-256 – alongside two other measures – Tuesday, his office said in a release. He called the bill “unnecessary” and said it would undermine the intent of voters who supported gray wolf reintroduction and expect them to be released by December.The measure, proposed by Western Slope lawmakers whose constituents largely opposed reintroduction, would have hinged the effort on a specific type of federal authorization that would allow state officials to manage (capture, relocate or even kill) the wolves.That authorization – formally called the 10(j) rule – is underway but not yet finished. State officials testified that the federal process could be delayed if the Colorado measure became law, which would have delayed the reintroduction.Related A...

Polis vetoes bill to standardize prison commutation proceedings

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:10:15 GMT

Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a bill Tuesday that would’ve standardized how Colorado prison inmates apply for their sentences to be commuted, part of the first package of vetoes the governor has issued this year.In a letter to the bill’s sponsors, Polis wrote that the measure was unconstitutional and infringed upon his sole authority to grant clemency. HB23-1214 would’ve required set procedures and notifications for inmates applying for their sentences to be commuted, which supporters said was important to ensure transparency and accountability for inmates and state officials alike.But Polis argued that the requirements in the bill put guardrails around a process that is entirely under the control of his office.“While the bill is well-intentioned, the Colorado Constitution clearly sets out that the legislaturemay not prescribe the manner of applying for commutations,” he wrote in a Tuesday veto letter to the bill’s sponsors, Democrats Rep. Elisabeth Epp...