VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Bonus pay coming for Minnesota's frontline COVID-19 workers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota residents who came into work during the height of the coronavirus pandemic will soon be collecting bonus pay. Workers who are eligible for so-called hero pay can begin applying Wednesday morning under the Frontline Worker Pay bill that was signed into law on April 29. They have up to 45 days to apply. The Frontline Worker Pay bill covers people employed at least 120 hours in one frontline sector or more outside their households between March 15, 2020 and June 30, 2021. Eligible workers include those in the long-term care and home care industries, health care, the courts, child care, public schools, retail, food service, public transit and manufacturing. The money be divided evenly, following a period for appeals.

WATER REPAIRS

St. Louis Park OKs $4 million for water main repairs

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (AP) — The St. Louis Park City Council has approved $4 million for water main repairs. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the money will go to repair mains that broke in the same neighborhood on May 21 and June 3. The first break affected more than 55 homeowners with up to 3 feet of sewage water and sludge filling their basements. An estimated 22 homes were affected in the second break. The relief funding is coming from a range of sources, including the city's insurer, the city's general fund and federal COVID-19 relief aid.

TARGET INVENTORY

Target plans to cut prices to cut burgeoning inventory

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Retail giant Target Corp. plans to cut prices on some merchandise and cancel orders as the company works to reduce its burgeoning inventory. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the company's inventory grew 43% from February to April. Customers may see lower prices on televisions, outdoor furniture and kitchen appliances to clear space for better-selling items. Still, the company says prices overall may climb this summer as it wrestles with rising transportation costs. The retailer plans to address supply chain problems by adding more holding capacity near U.S. ports and working with supplies to reduce distances products travel.

APARTMENT SHOOTING

Police probe shooting that left two dead in apartment

COON RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) — Police in Coon Rapids are investigating a shooting in an apartment that left two men dead. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that police were called to the apartment just before 5 p.m. Monday on reports of gunfire. The Anoka County Sheriff's Department says officers found three men shot in the apartment. One of the men died at the scene. Another died at a hospital. The third man suffered minor injuries. Authorities believe a confrontation between the men led to the shooting and the public is not in danger. They have not said if or how the men were connected or released their identities.

MINNESOTA MOSQUE-ARSON CHARGES

Woman accused of setting curton on fire in Minnesota mosque

EAST GRAND FORKS, Minn. (AP) — A 57-year-old northwestern Minnesota woman is of setting a curtain on fire inside a mosque. Police say it happened about 4:30 a.m. Sunday at the Islamic Center in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. A bystander quickly put out the fire and the damage was minimal. There were no injuries. The woman was arrested on two counts of first-degree arson. Police did not forward any other charges to Polk County's prosecutor. Police have not released a motive. The suspect is from Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The suspect, from Thief River Falls, Minnesota, is being held in jail on $5,000 bail, police said.

GEORGE FLOYD-OTHER OFFICERS-TRIAL

Judge delays trial of 2 ex-cops in Floyd killing until 2023

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The judge overseeing the remaining case against two former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s killing has ordered that the trial be delayed until January to improve prospects for a fair trial. Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng had been due to go on trial next Monday on charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter in the May 2020 death of Floyd. But Judge Peter Cahill on Monday delayed the trial until Jan. 5. Cahill denied a motion for a change of venue. But he said two recent connected cases and the publicity over them have created “a reasonable likelihood of an unfair trial” if it were to begin next week.

PORNOGRAPHY PLEA

St. Paul man pleads guilty to online pornography scheme

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to federal charges that he ran an online pornography scheme that victimized at least 500 girls across the United States and elsewhere. The Pioneer Press reports that 31-year-old Yue Vang entered the plea on Thursday to two counts of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort. Prosecutors are seeking a 72-year prison sentence. According to court documents, Vang created fake female profiles online to entice girls to create sexually explicit video images and send them to him. Prosecutors alleged he knew they were all under 16 because their ages were posted in profiles or they told him.

CHILD SHOT

Minneapolis 3-year-old shot in stomach

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 3-year-old boy in Minneapolis recovering from a gunshot wound to his stomach. The Star Tribune reports the boy was shot outside a residence in north Minneapolis around 8:45 p.m. Sunday. He was taken to North Memorial Hospital where he underwent surgery. A police spokesman says the boy is in stable condition. The boy is at least the eighth child 10 years old or younger hit by gunfire in Minneapolis since April 2021.

© 2022 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved., source Canadian Press DataFile