Star Tribune
Fridley Powerball player just misses $1B prize, wins $1 million
While the jackpot in the multistate Powerball lottery has surged past the $1 billion mark, there was no foolin’ around in Fridley on April Fool’s Day this year, when a player snared a cool $1 million prize.
A Powerball ticket purchased at Casey’s General Store along University Ave. matched the first five numbers drawn Monday night to snag the $1 million windfall — before taxes.
The numbers drawn were 19-24-40-42-56, and the Powerball was 23.
The $1 million prize must be claimed in person at Minnesota Lottery headquarters in Roseville. Minnesota Lottery officials recommended that winners call ahead to make an appointment.
Lottery winners above $10,000 reserve the right to keep their identity and city of residence private.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming on the Daydream Network. The Powerball jackpot stands at $1.09 billion as of Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday night’s drawing will amount to the ninth-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
The $1.09 billion prize is for Only a sole winner who makes the rare decision to be paid by annuity over 30 years would be able to claim the full $1.09 billion prize. Nearly all big winners opt for the cash payout option, which for Wednesday night would be roughly $527.3 million.
No one has won the Powerball jackpot since New Year’s Day, a stretch of 39 drawings without anyone picking the the game’s six numbers. If no one wins the 40th jackpot on Wednesday night, it rolls to Saturday, which would match the all-time record of 41 consecutive drawings without a jackpot.
The reason for the jackpot drought is simple: The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 292.2 million. Those kinds of odds create the large jackpots that in turn attract attention and drive up sales.
Powerball is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Star Tribune
Investigators searching for additional victims as Hastings man faces child porn charges
A 27-year-old Hastings man has been accused in federal court of producing child pornography over a roughly two-year span, and investigators are trying to identify additional potential victims.
Hunter James Geidlwas charged with four counts of either production or possession of child pornography in federal court Dec. 10. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to the charges, Geidl employed and used minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for producing explicit videos from July 2022 to March 2024. He is also accused of possessing a video file of pornographic material involving a minor in 2022.
Geidl made his initial appearance in court Friday and remains in custody, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
Investigators believe other minors may have been victimized and ask that if anyone believes their child has been in contact with Geidl to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.
“She was really into the Replacements. So for her to have her dad suddenly playing in the band, it would be like my dad joining the Rolling Stones.”
Slim Dunlap, right, with Paul Westerberg during a 1987 Replacements concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis. (Brian Peterson, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Dunlap played guitar on the final two Replacements studio albums, also including 1991’s “All Shook Down.” Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson later credited him for sparking a new spirit in the band and extending their run during their waning years.
After the break-up in 1991, Dunlap toured with Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites, who led the first fundraising campaign on Dunlap’s behalf in the days after his stroke.
Finally, in 1993, Dunlap got his own chance to shine as a singer/songwriter.
He channeled his love for Hank Williams, Chuck Berry and vintage blues alongside the Replacements’ Stones and Faces influences on his debut album, “The Old New Me,” issued by former ‘Mats manager and Twin/Tone Records co-founder Peter Jesperson on the Medium Cool record label. A second solo album came three years later, “Times Like This,” similarly earning a cult-loved status — especially among fellow musicians.
Springsteen publicly raved about those records numerous times, including in a 2014 interview with NPR’s Ann Powers: “I hope I get a chance to cut one of his songs,” said the Boss. “Check out the two Slim Dunlap records, because they’re just beautiful rock ‘n’ roll records. I found them to be deeply touching and emotional.”
A 59-year-old utility worker died Tuesday after falling from the bucket of a boom truck at a job site north of Big Lake, according to Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Ben Zawacki.
Thomas L. Stewart of Dayton fell about six to eight feet and suffered significant head injuries while working in the ditch on the north side of 241st Avenue NW, just west of 185th Street in Orrock Township.
First responders performed life-saving efforts at the scene before Stewart was transported to St. Cloud Hospital, where he was pronounced dead late Tuesday.
Stewart worked for the Minnesota-based utility company Connexus Energy. In a response to a Facebook post about the incident, a representative from Connexus thanked people for their thoughts and prayers, and clarified the utility worker was not electrocuted in the incident.
“We’re heartbroken over the passing of our friend and colleague but we are waiting for family and friends to be notified so we cannot share additional information,” Stacy Downs, communications specialist at Connexus, said Wednesday.
