CRANE COLLAPSE-POWER OUTAGE

Crane collapse causes power outage as temps reach mid-90s

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — A crane fell over at a construction site in the Minneapolis suburb of Lexington on Friday, causing a power outage for nearly 900 customers in the area as temperatures were in the mid-90s. There were no injuries reported. A dispatch supervisor with the Centennial Lakes Police Department said the call came in shortly before 12:30 p.m. The crane fell into power lines and onto the partially-constructed building. The building was evacuated. Xcel Energy reported reported nearly 900 customers in the areas of Blaine, Circle Pines and Lexington were without power after the collapse. The power company said it expected energy to be restored at about 2:30 p.m.

MICHIGAN PIPELINE-ANCHOR

Enbridge: Anchor in Straits of Mackinac will be recovered

ST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) — Enbridge Energy says an anchor will be recovered from the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac after it became detached from a cable during maintenance of an oil pipeline. The incident involved an Enbridge contractor. Enbridge says there was no risk to Line 5. The pipeline crosses the bottom of the straits connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Enbridge wants to build a tunnel in the water to house the pipeline. It has a permit from the state but needs approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Critics want the pipeline shut down, saying the lakes are at risk.

AP-US-TRIPLE-SLAYING-WISCONSIN

3 deaths in western Wisconsin investigated as homicide

WEST SALEM, Wis. (AP) — Workers have discovered three bodies at the entrance to a quarry in far western Wisconsin, and authorities say they're investigating the deaths as a triple homicide. La Crosse County Sheriff Jeff Wolf called the deaths a “targeted act” but declined to say how the three died. Wolf says two workers discovered the bodies shortly before 5 a.m. Friday at the Milestone Quarry near West Salem. He says authorities are working to identify the victims and autopsies will be conducted. No one is in custody and there are no suspects. The sheriff is seeking video from area residents with security cameras.

MENARDS-FATAL ACCIDENT

Teen employee killed in accident at Golden Valley Menards

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (AP) — An accident at a home improvement store in a Minneapolis suburb has killed an employee. Authorities say a man operating a forklift in the lumberyard of Menards in Golden Valley died when a large pallet of wood tumbled onto his machine Thursday. Relatives identified the victim as 19-year-old James Stanback. A witness who lives near Menards says dozens of police squad cars responded to the scene when a small crowd of people became upset that the store had not closed immediately following the fatal accident. Later, a sign was posted outside the store that said it would be closed until noon Friday out of respect for the employee who died.

STATE LABOR AGREEMENTS

Labor agreements reached for thousands of state employees

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Thousands of state employees in Minnesota would get a raise and a new paid holiday if labor contract agreements are finalized. Minnesota’s two biggest state employee unions on Thursday reached agreements with negotiators from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration. The contracts cover most of the state’s workforce and are subject to ratification by union members and the Legislature. The unions say the proposed contracts include a 2.5 percent base wage increase in each of the next two years, add Juneteenth as a paid holiday and hold health care premiums for employees stable.

HOUSE EXPLOSION-PRINCETON

1 dead, 2 injured in house explosion and fire in Princeton

PRINCETON, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say an explosion and fire at a house in Princeton left one person dead and two others with unknown injuries. Emergency personnel responded shortly after noon Thursday and discovered a collapsed structure that was fully engulfed in flames. A 39-year-old woman and a 59-year-old man, both of Princeton, were found outside the residence and transported to a hospital. Their conditions are not known. Authorities say the victim who died was found inside the structure. Princeton is about 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) north of Minneapolis

CENTURYLINK-MINNESOTA

Regulators deny CenturyLink's bid to change landline rules

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota regulators unanimously rejected CenturyLink’s petition to ease rules on landline service repairs, saying those customers should not suffer because most people have switched to broadband. CenturyLink had petitioned the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to scrap two long-standing regulations covering customer service response times. The company says it has lost 85% of its wired phone business in Minnesota since 2001, and 4.4% of all households rely solely on a landline for voice phone service. The Star Tribune reports that PUC commissioners questioned whether broadband was at odds with CenturyLink’s service obligations to landline customers. Commissioner Valerie Means says landline service is still important, particularly to elderly, rural and lower-income customers.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DAKOTAS

Dakotas health system makes COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A dominant health system in the Dakotas that bills itself as one of the largest health organizations in the country is making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all its employees, citing the spread of more contagious variants. Sanford Health is requiring all workers to get shots by Nov. 1. More than 90% of clinicians and 70% of nurses in the organization are already fully vaccinated. Sanford has 46 hospitals, 1,500 physicians and more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations in 26 states and 10 countries. It is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and has major medical centers in Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota, and Bemidji, Minnesota.

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