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Bloomington chip maker Polar lands more federal funds for its expansion

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The U.S. Department of Commerce finalized millions in federal dollars for Polar Semiconductor, including adding additional funding to support a larger workforce.

The Bloomington-based company announced the preliminary agreement for up to $120 million in May as part of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act that President Joe Biden signed in 2022 to bolster domestic manufacturing and make the U.S. more competitive globally in an industry Asia mostly dominates. Tuesday’s announcement added another $3 million to aid in Polar’s expansion and upgrade, particularly to “recruit, train and retain” workers, per a Department of Commerce news release.

“We expect the funding will allow the company to double its U.S. production capacity,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Polar’s total project budget is more than $525 million, and the project should create more than 160 construction and manufacturing jobs.

“Polar’s new facility will also be completed under a Project Labor Agreement to support its construction workforce, creating good-quality union jobs in Bloomington, Minnesota,” Biden said in a statement.

The CHIPS Act — which called for $53 billion of funding — has been a priority for the Biden administration, with Biden saying this first investment in Minnesota marks the initiative’s next phase.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has also helped bring CHIPS money to her state.

“This landmark federal investment in Polar Semiconductor’s Bloomington facility is a major step toward strengthening domestic production of advanced semiconductors,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “I worked closely with Polar Semiconductor to secure this grant and ensure Minnesota continues to be a premier destination for business investment.”



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Man charged with getting in a shootout with trooper on I-94 in Minneapolis after causing crash.

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A man grabbed the steering wheel from his girlfriend, crashed the vehicle on a Minneapolis interstate and got in a shootout with a state trooper, according to charges filed Tuesday.

Eddie James Freeman, 23, of Minneapolis, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with one count of first-degree assault, four counts of second-degree assault and one count of fourth-degree assault in connection with the confrontation Saturday on Interstate near the Dowling Avenue exit. None of the gunfire resulted in any injuries.

Freeman remains jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Wednesday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

Also Tuesday, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) identified the trooper involved in the altercation as as Mark Vande Steeg. The agency said Vande Steeg has been in law enforcement slightly more than a year and is on standard critical incident leave as its investigation continues. Body camera and squad camera video captured portions of the incident, the BCA said.

The agency said said its crime scene personnel recovered a handgun from the where Freeman was arrested. The personnel also saw bullet damage to Vande Steeg’s squad, the BCA added.

According to the charges:

Troopers were sent about 10:15 p.m. Saturday to the spot where Freeman crashed his vehicle. While en route, they were alerted to shots being fired near the crash scene and were given a description of a possible suspect.

As Vande Steeg arrived, he put his squad spotlight on a man who matched the description. In response, Freeman fired several shots at the trooper.



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Duluth mayor’s girlfriend and campaign manager is involved in city business, emails show

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DULUTH — The campaign manager and girlfriend of Mayor Roger Reinert has been directly involved in city business, from coordinating Reinert’s involvement with President Joe Biden’s January visit to asking a city staffer to complete research for Reinert, public records show.

Emails beginning at the start of the year when Reinert first took office detail Amber Gurske’s requests to the city’s public information officer and Reinert’s former assistant. The emails, obtained through a data practices request, were first reported by a Duluth online news site.

Gurske, a business development and marketing manager for Superior, Wis.-based Amsoil, offered a city staffer ideas and copy for social media topics to be covered by Reinert, coordinated a potential mayoral proclamation, reviewed a press release and asked his assistant the nature of a meeting Reinert was taking when asking to be added to his schedule. Gurske was on a panel that interviewed a candidate for a senior adviser role for Reinert’s office, and also acted as his staff at a local elementary school where he read to students, emails show.

Neither Reinert nor Gurske responded to interview requests.

As his campaign manager and not city staff, Gurske’s involvement in city operations is unethical, and potentially illegal, said David Schultz, a political science and legal studies professor at Hamline University.

“She doesn’t have the authority to direct staff,” he said, and Reinert could face conflict of interest and accountability accusations.

Gurske asking a city employee to conduct work is likely misappropriation of public dollars, Schultz said, especially if she is directing work for campaign-related social media accounts. Reinert frequently posts about city business on an Instagram account that is labeled as a campaign page.

“Can you please research/chat with folks in the next few days to get an update on Brighton Beach?” Gurske wrote to Kelli Latuska, the public information officer. “Folks have been talking about it and Roger wants to on perhaps Thursday do a post and maybe a video about where we are at, but we don’t know.”



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Man who staked out Trump at Florida golf course charged with attempting an assassination

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A man who authorities say staked out Donald Trump for 12 hours on his golf course in Florida and wrote of his desire to kill him was indicted Tuesday on charges that he attempted to assassinate a major presidential candidate.

Ryan Wesley Routh had been initially charged with two federal firearms offenses. The upgraded charges reflect the Justice Department’s assessment that he methodically plotted to kill the Republican nominee, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery surrounding Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course on an afternoon Trump was playing on it. Routh left behind a note in which he described his intention.



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