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Survivor tells story of fatal night in human smuggling trial
The jury in the federal trial for two men accused of human smuggling heard dramatic testimony Wednesday from a man who crossed the U.S. Canadian border in a snowstorm on Jan. 19, 2022. He was in a group which included the Patel family of four who froze to death that night.
Study: Walleye in lakes with zebra mussels have higher mercury levels
Researchers found adult walleye in lakes infested with zebra mussels had 72 percent higher mercury concentrations than in lakes without the invaders. Smaller walleye also were more likely to exceed mercury thresholds meant to protect human health.
Hennepin County commissioners delay vote on proposal to reduce jail population
The state’s Department of Corrections ordered Hennepin County to reduce the number of inmates at some of its jails by Dec. 5. However, the county board balked at the $8 million proposal to board inmates at jails in other counties, saying it needs more time to get staff input and seek less costly alternatives.
Cannabis regulator faces heat after rejecting over 1,000 initial applicants
Minnesota cannabis regulators say they’ll hold a lottery in the coming weeks to determine who will operate the state’s first legal marijuana businesses. But the Office of Cannabis Management is facing pushback this week after it rejected around two-thirds of the applicants it deemed ineligible.
Thrills on the wing: Sandhill cranes fill the skies at a Minnesota wildlife refuge
For the past few weeks, there has been a distinctive rattling rising from the wetland around the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, about an hour’s drive north of the Twin Cities metro. It’s the sound of thousands of sandhill cranes gathering to rest and feed before migrating south for the winter.