Star Tribune
Winter storm to bring rain, snow and ice to much of Minnesota
Shovels, snow blowers and ice melt — Minnesotans will need them all over the next couple of days as the first significant storm of 2023 moves into the state and drops rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow.
A winter storm warning went into effect Monday afternoon across western Minnesota and was expected to cover an area stretching from the southwestern part of the state to St. Cloud, the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin. The warning — in effect until Tuesday night — comes with the potential of 4 to 8 inches of snow in the metro area, while 6 to 10 inches could pile up across a swath of central and western Minnesota from Hutchinson to Redwood Falls to Marshall, the National Weather Service said.
The storm is not expected to be as windy or as cold as the blizzard two weeks ago, and those conditions should lead to heavier, wetter snow, according to Minnesota Department of Transportation spokeswoman Anne Meyer.
Plow crews were set to begin working around the clock in the Twin Cities starting at midnight Monday, she said.
“We’ll continue on the road working 12-hour shifts 24 hours per day until we’re back and we’re clear, and this will probably last until Thursday or Friday,” Meyer said.
Isolated pockets of a foot or more of snow are possible, with snow falling at 1 to 2 inches per hour at times Tuesday, the Weather Service said.
With temperatures on either side of freezing, rain, freezing rain and sleet is forecast to mix in with the snow and create slippery conditions.
An ice storm warning covering southern Minnesota went into effect at 6 p.m. Monday. Ice accumulation near a quarter-inch was expected in places such as Mankato, Albert Lea and Fairmont.
Many highways in southern Minnesota had icy conditions Monday night, with some having a half-mile of visibility or less, according to the state’s highway conditions website MN 511. Those variable conditions will move into the Twin Cities on Tuesday.
Meyer suggested drivers check online to see what the road conditions are ahead of time, considering they will vary a lot throughout the next couple of days.
The worst conditions statewide will be Tuesday morning and early afternoon, with winds whipping between 20 and 35 mph and creating low visibility, the Weather Service said.
“Please adjust your travel plans for Tuesday if possible,” the Weather Service warned. “Travel could be very difficult.”
The weather could affect travel into Wednesday morning, when the storm will start to wind down.
Behind the storm, calmer conditions are expected from Thursday through the weekend with sunny skies Thursday, Friday and Sunday. There is a slight chance of snow on Saturday. Highs during the period will be in the teens and 20s, the Weather Service said.
Star Tribune
Mary Moriarty vows to retry Cody Fohrenkam whose conviction for murdering Deshaun Hill was overturned
The appeals court ruled that at least some of that evidence was wrongfully used to convict Fohrenkam.
Walker, the attorney representing Hill’s family, said that although it’s disappointing that the family must sit through another trial, the ruling is “what makes America, America.”
“I understand where the judge is coming from,” Walker said. “It’s one of those cases that upsets people — people getting out on this, that and the other, on ‘technicalities,’ but they’re not technicalities, it’s the law.”
Star Tribune
Eagan parents of college runner who died by suicide settles suit with her coach and school
The Eagan parents of a college runner who died by suicide has settled their lawsuit that alleged their daughter’s cross-country coach at the time tormented her with demeaning comments in emails and texts about her weight and learning challenges.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Florida in June 2023 by Ray and Lynne Pernsteiner, the parents of Julia Pernsteiner, 23, who died in her Jacksonville University dorm room on Nov. 8, 2021. Her death came two months after the coach kicked her off the team, the suit contended.
The lawsuit named as defendants the university and former cross-country coach Ronald E. Grigg Jr., who coached women’s track and cross-country at the Division I school from 1998 until his sudden resignation in July.
The family’s attorney, Robert Spohrer, said that the case went to mediation, and there was “an amicable resolution of all issues” that led to the suit’s dismissal.
Spohrer said a strict confidentiality agreement among the parties prevented him from disclosing terms of the settlement.
Attorneys for Grigg and the university did not respond to messages left by the Star Tribune.
Messages were left Thursday with the law firms representing the school and Grigg. The defendants have yet to file any response in federal court to the allegations. The university said in a statement that it does not comment on pending litigation.
The suit contended that Pernsteiner’s constitutional rights were violated under the Americans with Disabilities Act and under Title IX because of discriminatory acts based on her gender.
The state Republican Party and conservative legal groups filed a petition with the Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday claiming that Hennepin County did not appoint partisan election judges in the right way.
The party and two conservative groups, the Upper Midwest Law Center and the Minnesota Voters Alliance, want to know how Hennepin County appointed election judges to its absentee ballot board this year. The board’s work includes making sure signatures on absentee ballots match signatures on voter registration cards and deciding if a ballot is spoiled or not.
The central question of the lawsuit, according to Andy Cilek, executive director of the Minnesota Voters Alliance, is whether county elections officials have to exhaust lists of potential election judges provided by the political parties before selecting others for the absentee ballot boards, which are required to have a balance of Republican and Democratic election judges.
“We want to understand how this occurred,” said Minnesota Republican Party Chair David Hann.
The suit alleges no one from a list of 1,500 Republicans supplied by the state Republican party to the Secretary of State’s office were selected by Hennepin County. Hann said he did not know if any Republicans were selected to serve.
Ryan Wilson of the Upper Midwest Law Center said the group has not scrutinized lists of election judges in other counties to make sure they included names provided by the state Republican Party. Wilson said his group is focusing on Hennepin County because it has the most voters, and the most potential to have an impact, he said.
In a statement, Daniel Rogan, Hennepin County auditor, said absentee ballot board members were appointed in compliance with state law and guidance from the Secretary of State.
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