By: News Director Larissa Donovan
Featured image: Turtle River fire, submitted by the Bemidji Fire Department.
CASS LAKE– Authorities are investigating after a man was found dead inside a burned-out Cass Lake home. According to a release from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, a home was fully engulfed in flames Friday night on Second Street East when their deputies and members of the Cass Lake Fire Department responded near 11 p-m. The name of the victim was not immediately released, and his body was sent to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. The Leech Lake Tribal Police and the Leech Lake Ambulance service also assisted at the scene.
TURTLE RIVER– No one was injured after a house fire in Turtle River. The fire, which broke out Friday night on Timber Ridge Drive, was reported at 10:30 p-m. The home’s residents were able to safely escape the fire. The fire caused moderate damage to the structure and contents, and is believed to be an accident. The Bemidji Fire Department was assisted by the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, the Beltrami Electric Cooperative and the Bemidji Ambulance Service.
AKELEY– A 22-year-old California woman was injured after she slipped on an icy road and struck a tree in Akeley. Officials report the woman was eastbound on Highway 34 Friday afternoon when she lost control on a curve, left the roadway and struck the tree. The woman was transported to St. Joseph’s for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office, Akeley Fire and North Ambulance service assisted the state patrol at the scene.
ST. PAUL– A spokesperson for Triple-A Minnesota says the switchover between winter and summer grade fuels is underway and that means you may see an increase in cost at the gas pump. The Triple-A’s Gail Weinholzer says the so-called summer-grade fuel burns cleaner so it costs more to refine and generally causes price increases. She says it can up the cost at the pump anywhere from 15-to-20 cents during the switchover period. The average price for a gallon of unleaded in Minnesota has been holding right around two dollars, 50 cents for one gallon.
ST. PAUL– The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is warning Minnesotans to stay off area lakes. The DNR says when ice is newly formed it’s safe to walk on at a thickness of four inches, and to drive a standard-sized car on ice that is 8-to-12 inches thick, but old March ice will need to be twice as thick to support the same amount of weight it did in early winter.
ST. PAUL– State lawmakers are off for the Passover/Easter break and will only have six weeks left in the legislative session when they return next Monday. One of the big issues remaining is lining up Minnesota’s tax code with the major changes from President Trump’s federal tax package. Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier says tax conformity is not only technically complex, but it’s a big debate between Republicans and Democrats and will likely consume the rest of the session. D-F-L Governor Mark Dayton says his focus will be on protecting middle-class and lower-income Minnesotans. The G-O-P wants to make sure businesses aren’t hurt so job growth continues in Minnesota.
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