MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - 2 women were released early from a Minnesota prison after a felony murder law change. Valentine's Day snow totals. Lutsen Lodge owner spoke out after negative social media attention. Here's this week's top stories from Feb. 10-16.
1. 2 women released early from Minnesota prison after felony murder law change
This browser does not support the Video element.
2 released from prison after felony law change
Two women, Megan Cater and Briana Martinson, were released from Minnesota prison this week after having their sentences reduced under new legislation redefining the crime of aiding and abetting felony murder.
Two women released from prison this week may be the very first inmates in Minnesota to have their sentences reduced under new legislation redefining the crime of aiding and abetting felony murder.
Megan Cater and Briana Martinson were charged and ultimately pleaded guilty to aiding in the murder of Corey Elder in Bloomington nearly seven years ago.
To read the full story, click here.
2. Minnesota weather: Snow totals from Valentine's Day — largest storm of the season in the metro
This browser does not support the Video element.
Valentine's snow makes for messy commute
It was a tale of two commutes on Thursday for the Twin Cities metro. Late-night snow made for slippery morning travel before sunshine made for a clear ride home in the afternoon.
The Twin Cities nearly doubled the season total for snow in just one storm on Valentine's Day, with the area picking up several inches of snow and setting a daily record at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Wednesday's wintry weather was the largest snowstorm this season in the Twin Cities.
3. Lutsen Lodge owner speaks out after negative attention on social media
This browser does not support the Video element.
Lutsen Lodge owner responds to social media attention
The owner of Lusten Lodge speaks out in a long Facebook post after a slew of negative attention on social media. FOX 9's Bill Keller has more.
Almost a week after the fire that burned down Lutsen Resort Lodge, the owner is speaking out following a mass of negative attention toward the resort on social media.
This comes after investigators walked back comments about calling the fire a crime scene. Officially, the fire is under investigation and authorities are asking the public to stay out of the area. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) says it is still too early to determine how the fire started. The confusion started after the Cook County Sheriff's Office sent a press release calling the area an "official crime scene". DPS has since said that communication was not clear.
In a long statement made by Lutsen Lodge owner Bryce Campbell on Facebook, he responds to topics that have surfaced from failed fire inspections, bankruptcy, lawsuits and unpaid taxes. The owner asked the public to "Stop," adding "The damage that has been done is going beyond a building."
To read the full statement, click here.
4. Facebook's new 'chirping' sound was a mistake; here's how to turn it off
FILE - A woman looks at a iPhone screen on Jan. 26, 2024, in Bath, England. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)(Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Have you noticed your Facebook app making a "chirping" sound as you scroll through the social media platform? You’re not alone.
Some reporting has suggested that the added sound was part of a new update to make the mobile experience "more engaging and interactive," but Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed to FOX Television Stations that the change was simply "an error."
Click here to learn how to turn off the sound.
5. Serial swindler targets motorcycle dealerships across the metro
This browser does not support the Video element.
Serial swindler rips off metro dealerships
A man is accused of ripping off a number of business across the Twin Cities metro.
A Forest Lake man with a lengthy history of theft and check fraud is now charged with stealing more than $200,000 from a dozen Twin Cities businesses.
Richard Wooton, 54, is facing a new round of theft charges after police say he targeted a dozen dealerships last year, writing bad checks to purchase motorcycles, heavy machinery, trailers, and even a boat.
Court documents claim Wooton stole more than $232,000 worth of items from May to October 2023. He would then sell many of the items for cash.
6. Medina burglar drops safe from balcony, steals $1M in jewelry: Surveillance video
This browser does not support the Video element.
Bandit caught on video stealing safe
A video shows a thief carrying a safe from a Medina, Minn. home that was loaded with a million dollars' worth of jewelry. Now, authorities are working to track down the suspect involved, who may be linked to a brazen string of thefts from west metro homes.
Authorities are warning about a brazen string of burglaries targeting high-end houses in several wealthy, suburban communities across the Twin Cities metro.
In one break-in captured on home surveillance video, a masked suspect got away with more than $1 million in jewelry.
To read the full story, click here.
7. Minnesota native killed in Mexico after being attacked by dogs
This browser does not support the Video element.
St. Paul native killed in Mexico by a pack of dogs
St. Paul native, Mina Bast, is being mourned by family and friends after she was killed by a pack of dogs in Mexico. Bast was reportedly helping a dog who was being attacked by a pack of 10 other dogs when the pack turned on her.
Photographs and memories are all Reyna Mishler has left of her beloved daughter, Mina Bast. From her house in St. Paul, she can hardly comprehend what Mina went through thousands of miles away from home.
The 48-year-old St. Paul native and Como Park High School graduate was walking along the beach near her home in San Felipe, which is located in the Baja California portion of Mexico. She reportedly saw a dog being attacked by a large pack of ten other dogs, and when she tried to help, the pack turned on her.
Mina was killed and an investigation into her death was launched.
8. Minnesota school lunchtime length could be mandated in proposed law
This browser does not support the Video element.
Minnesota school lunch requirements proposed
A minimum time for students to eat their school lunches is the focus of a new bill proposed from lawmakers this session.
The minimum amount of time children get to eat their lunch could soon become mandated for school districts.
A bill sponsored by Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL-Minneapolis) would require a student who is a part of the national school lunch program to have a minimum of 15 minutes seat time to eat their lunch after receiving the meal.
Differing from the general time frame currently allotted for a lunch period, the minimum time to eat lunch would not include transition time to and from the cafeteria – or where the lunch is served – waiting in a food service line, selecting the meal, returning trays, or recess.
9. Disney on Ice skater injured Minneapolis: Skater's condition improves
Details on the Ice Skates of the Women's Silver Medalist Isabeau Levito of USA are seen as she performs during the Exhibition Program of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2022 at Palavela on December 11, 2022 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Jonat …
The Disney on Ice skater who was injured in Minneapolis has improved, according to Hennepin Healthcare.
A spokesperson for the hospital told FOX 9 she is now in serious condition. Over the weekend, she was listed in critical but stable condition.
In a statement from Feld Entertainment over the weekend, during the 11 a.m. show at Target Center, the skater who portrays Belle was injured after she fell while performing a lift during a pair skating routine. She was taken to the hospital.
10. 2 charged after central MN authorities find 3-pound box of meth
Police lights generic Minneapolis
Two men are facing charges in central Minnesota after authorities intercepted a box containing three pounds of meth, a criminal complaint alleges.
The package, addressed to a mobile home park outside of Rice, Minnesota, just north of St. Cloud, was discovered by airport police at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport on February 1. After getting a search warrant for the suspicious package, authorities opened and found about three pounds of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
From that point, a member of the airport police department disguised as a UPS driver, delivered the package to the intended address.