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Morning News – May 18

susan — Sun, 19 May 2013 01:33:27 +0000

Rural Lafayette Tractor Accident

susan — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:42:55 +0000

A 19-year-old woman was injured near Lafayette Thursday afternoon when she was run over by a tractor. The Lafayette Fire Department and Lafayette Ambulance were called out to a farm on 571st Avenue just south of Lafayette at around 1:10pm Thursday after Kallie Guggisberg was run over. She suffered unknown injuries in the accident. Rescue crews were clearing the scene at around 1:40, and Nicollet County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted. No other information has been released.

Crash Injures Fairmont Woman

susan — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:41:00 +0000

A Fairmont woman was injured in a car crash on Highway169 in Mankato early this (SAT) morning. 30-year-old Lana Howk was driving a Ford Focus southbound on 169 when she lost control of the vehicle at just before 1:30am. The car went off the road at Olive Street in Mankato and struck a stop sign before hitting a guardrail head-on. Howk suffered a non-life threatening foot injury, and was taken to the Mankato Mayo Hospital for treatment. She was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, but the State Patrol says that alcohol was detected in her system. The Focus took severe damage.

Burglary At Sanborn Business

susan — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:40:26 +0000

The Redwood County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a burglary at an ag and mining equipment manufacturing facility in rural Sanborn that occurred this week. The thefts at Straightline of Sanborn took place at some point between Tuesday and Wednesday. Items reported stolen include an MSI laptop computer and a Hewlett Packard laptop. Anyone with information that could assist with the recovery of these items is asked to contact the Redwood County Sheriff’s Office at (507)637-4036.

MN House Defeats Bonding Bill

susan — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:39:28 +0000

The Minnesota House has defeated an $800-million construction projects bonding bill after it failed to win a needed super-majority. The bill is a rare area where Republican held veto power. Because it involves long-term state debt, it required 81 votes to pass. It got 76 votes on Friday when three Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting. With time running short on the 2013 legislative session, there may not be another attempt to pass the bonding bill either. The state Capitol renovation project was the largest in the bill at $109-million. Those overseeing the building work say the money is needed this year to avoid costly delays. Local projects in the bill included improvements at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter, the expansion of Mankato’s Civic Center, and flood mitigation construction in the City of Truman.

After the DFL’s $800-million bonding bill was defeated by 5 votes on Friday when it failed to get the needed 60% super majority, Cottonwood Republican Rod Hamilton accused Governor Dayton of playing politics with disaster relief for southwest Minnesota following the recent ice storm by using the bill as the only means of funding disaster assistance this year. It remains to be seen whether the disaster assistance will be included in another bill before the session ends Monday night.

Legislature To Work All Weekend

susan — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:38:28 +0000

The Minnesota Legislature is meeting over the weekend as the clock counts down on the regular session. The House and Senate are both convening today (SAT), and Sunday sessions are also a good possibility with a late Monday deadline to adjourn the regular session. Today the House may take up a Democratic bill that would authorize a union vote for home daycare providers who receive state subsidies. Republicans in the minority strongly oppose the measure, and have urged fellow opponents to come to the Capitol to protest it. Also likely today are House and Senate votes on final pieces of the state budget, including a tax bill with income tax hikes on the wealthy and a cigarette tax increase.

MN Nursing Home Pay Hike

susan — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:34:40 +0000

The Minnesota House has voted to give nursing home workers in the state a 5% pay increase. The pay hike is included in a broader, $6-billion a year budget for health and human services programs that the House passed Friday night by a party-line vote of 73-61. It’s 1 of the biggest chunks of state spending and includes funding for services for the poor, elderly and disabled. The Democratic-drafted bill trims spending on such programs by $50-million compared to projected demand for the services, which is a smaller reduction than DFL legislative leaders wanted but bigger than that sought by Governor Dayton. It’s the first pay increase for nursing home workers in four years. The bill also has a smaller, 1% hike for care workers for the disabled. The bill awaits a final vote in the Senate.

Klobuchar On High Gas Prices

susan — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:32:25 +0000

Gas prices have skyrocketed in Minnesota over the past few days, and US Senator Amy Klobuchar is asking the Department of Energy to find ways to prevent the situation from happening again. The high gas prices are being blamed on reduced capacity after the closures of three large refineries in the Chicago area. Klobuchar says she doesn’t have a specific timetable for when the refineries in question will reopen. Gas prices topped $4 a gallon in Minnesota on Thursday, and are currently (SAT) averaging $4.29 per-gallon in the state. In New Ulm regular unleaded is also at $4.29 a gallon. The current national average is $3.67 per-gallon.

Two Hurt In Highway 15 Crash

susan — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:28:30 +0000

Two people were hurt Thursday afternoon when an SUV collided head-on with a semi-truck on Highway 15 in Martin County. The crash occurred at around 12:30pm just south of Northrop. 31-year-old Amanda Hallett of Spencer, Iowa was driving a Ford Explorer northbound on 15 when she collided with the southbound Freightliner semi driven by 43-year-old Todd Handevidt of Fairmont. Both of them were taken to the Fairmont Hospital following the crash, and their injuries are reportedly non-life threatening.

House Fire In North Mankato

susan — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:27:27 +0000

A fire at a home in North Mankato on Thursday is being blamed on a smoldering cigarette. The fire at the residence on Lyndale Street apparently started on the back deck of the home after a cigarette was improperly disposed of, and the flames then spread up the side of the house, burning a significant amount of the building’s siding. No one was injured in the fire, which caused several thousand dollars-worth of damage to the home.