Star Tribune
Minnesota DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott arrested on suspicion of DWI
A Democratic state lawmaker who represents St. Cloud was arrested by the Minnesota State Patrol on Friday evening on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
Rep. Dan Wolgamott was pulled over by the Minnesota State Patrol after a trooper observed that his vehicle was weaving, had no front license plate and had expired registration, according to the incident report.
Wolgamott, 32, is in his third term in the Minnesota Legislature and serves as Speaker Pro Tempore, a role that sees him preside over the House floor when DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman is absent. Just last month, Wolgamott was named “legislator of the year” by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.
Wolgamott did not respond to a request for comment.
The state trooper was out looking for an SUV that matched Wolgamott’s vehicle after receiving a complaint about an individual who was drinking in a liquor store parking lot, the incident report states.
After pulling Wolgamott over near Highway 23 and mile post 261, the trooper observed “signs of alcohol impairment,” according to the report. The trooper arrested Wolgamott and took a fluid sample.
Wolgamott was then booked into the Kanabec County Jail on the suspicion of a fourth-degree DWI. The incident remains under investigation.
Two years ago, Wolgamott was cited by Golden Valley police for abandoning his vehicle after it crashed into a person’s yard, according to the police department’s incident report.
The Golden Valley officer who filed the report in January 2021 wrote that he “checked the area for the male, but did not locate anyone.” Wolgamott’s vehicle was damaged on the front passenger side after striking the curb, the officer wrote, noting the crash happened in the “icy intersection” of Westwood Drive North and Beverly Avenue.
The officer was unable to search the car because all of its doors were locked, the report states. He wrote that he mailed Wolgamott a citation for a “violation of the abandoned vehicle statute,” which is a misdemeanor.
Another state representative, Republican Matt Grossell of Clearbrook, was cited in February for drunken driving. Grossell recently agreed to plead guilty to the fourth-degree charge.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will auction off state lands in popular northern counties next month.
The public land — in Aitkin, Cook, Itasca, and St. Louis counties — will go up for sale during the Department of Natural Resource’s annual online public land sale from Nov. 7 to 21.
“These rural and lakeshore properties may appeal to adjacent landowners or offer recreational opportunities such as space for a small cabin or camping,” the DNR said in a statement.
Properties will be available for bidding Nov. 7 through Nov. 21.
This all can trim for print: The properties include:
40 acres in Aitkin County, with a minimum bid of $85,000
44 acres in Cook County, minimum bid $138,000
1.9 acres in Itasca County, minimum bid $114,000
Minneapolis city officials say razor wire, concrete barriers and fencing will be removed from around the former Third Precinct police station – which was set ablaze by protesters after George Floyd’s police killing – in the next three weeks. The burned-out vestibule will be removed within three months with construction fencing to be erected closer to the building.
This week, Minneapolis City Council members have expressed frustration that four years after the protests culminated in a fire at the police station, the charred building still stands and has become a “prop” some conservatives use to rail against city leadership. Most recently, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance made a stop outside the building and criticized Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of the 2020 riots.
On Thursday, the council voted 8-3 to approve a resolution calling for “immediate cleanup, remediation, and beautification of the 3000 Minnehaha site including but not limited to the removal of fencing, jersey barriers, barbed wire, and all other exterior blight.”
Council Member Robin Wonsley said the city needs to acknowledge that many police officers stationed in the Third Precinct “waged racist and violent actions” against residents for decades.
Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said the council wants the building cleaned up and beautified “immediately.”
“We cannot allow for this corner to be a backdrop for those who wish to manipulate the trauma of our city for political gain,” Chowdhury said.
Council Member Katie Cashman said the council shouldn’t be divided by “right-wing figures posing in front of the Third Precinct and pandering to conservative interests.”
“It’s really important for us to stay united in our goal, to achieve rehabilitation of this site in a way that advances racial healing and acknowledgement of the past trauma in this community, and to not let those figures divide us here,” she said.
It’s MEA weekend — the four-day stretch in mid-October when educators traditionally flock to St. Paul RiverCentre for a conference organized by the statewide teachers union as students and their families take an extended break.
Some orchards offer visitors the opportunity to pick their own fruit, while others operate sprawling general stores that sell a variety of apple-themed goodies.
Tiger cub twins Amaliya (female), left, and Andrei (male), right, who were born in May, hang out with their mother, Amur tiger Sundari, after making their debut in their new public habitat at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minn. on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com (Leila Navidi)
October is usually a happenin’ month at the Minnesota Zoo. The annual Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is chock-full of meticulously decorated gourds, and this year’s event runs until Nov. 2. Tickets start at $18 for adults and $14 for children (kids younger than 2 get in free but must still register for tickets). The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular begins at 6 p.m.
But there’s another new attraction at the zoo these days: the pair of Amur tiger cubs born to 7-year-old mom Bernadette just a couple of months ago. This week, zoo officials named the young felines Marisa and Maks. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
Patrons enjoy drinks and dinner on the patio Thursday evening, July 18, 2024 at Lola’s Lakehouse in Waconia. Lola’s Lakehouse in Waconia features a large back deck/patio area with views of Lake Waconia. (Jeff Wheeler/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
With so many people out of town, there’s no better time to visit some of the Twin Cities’ most popular eateries.
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