Author: Jim Monk

Minnesota resident who escaped death row dies of COVID-19

Damon Thibodeaux (center) MINNEAPOLIS – A man who escaped death row in Louisiana in 2012 after he was exonerated by DNA evidence for a murder he didn’t commit has died of COVID-19. The Minneapolis lawyers who worked to free Damon Thibodeaux call his death earlier this month unfair for someone who never complained about a life that included abuse at…

House Democrats remove embattled lawmaker from caucus

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota House Democrats have voted to expel Rep. John Thompson from their caucus following allegations of domestic violence and questions about his residency. House leaders Tuesday night issued a statement saying that “Thompson’s actions, credible reports of abuse and misconduct, and his failure to take responsibility remain unacceptable for a member of the Minnesota House.” Top…

Detroit Lakes mall fire considered accidental

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (KVRR/KFGO) – A fire that temporarily closed Washington Square Mall has been ruled accidental and unintentional by fire investigators. The Friday afternoon blaze broke out in an apartment connected to the mall. More than 300,000 gallons of water were used to put out the fire. Many of the mall’s businesses sustained smoke and water damage, but several…

Grommesh avoids jail in child pornography case

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – A Moorhead man was sentenced Tuesday to 90 days of electronic home monitoring and seven years of supervised release after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. Twenty-one-year-old Garrett Grommesh earlier pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography and 3 counts of possessing child pornography.  As part of a plea agreement, seven other charges were…

Ex-cops accused of violating Floyd’s rights plead not guilty

MINNEAPOLIS  – Four former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights have pleaded not guilty to the federal charges against them. A federal grand jury indicted Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao in May for allegedly depriving Floyd of his rights while acting under government authority.  Tuesday’s hearing was held remotely via videoconference. Chauvin appeared…

Man killed in Long Prairie shooting was from Perham

LONG PRAIRIE, Minn. (KVRR/KDLM) – Authorities in Todd County have identified a man who died after he was shot early Sunday. Thirty-three-year-old Antonio Francis Rodriguez Fortes of Perham died early Sunday morning due to multiple gunshot wounds. Two other people were shot and remain hospitalized, their names have not been released. Deputies arrived shortly after 3:30 a.m. Sunday when they…

Sanford in ‘crisis’ as COVID-19 cases surge during critical shortage of nurses

Sanford needs up to 300 nurses in the Fargo region immediately

FARGO (KVRR) – A vice-president at Sanford Health in Fargo says a growing number of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients have created a crisis for health care workers across the region. “We really are in a crisis” according to Sanford Medical Officer Dr. Doug Griffin.  “Hospitals across the region are full with COVID and non-COVID patients. Here in Fargo, we are probably…

Most of northern Minnesota wildfire contained

Greenwood Fire (Fox9)ISABELLA, Minn. – Authorities say a vast majority of the Greenwood Lake wildfire in northern Minnesota is contained, one month after lightning ignited the blaze in the Superior National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service reported that the nearly 27,000-acre fire was 67% contained as of Sunday morning. The Forest Service had said last week that the fire was…

Judge bans Fargo contractor from working in North Dakota

Wayne StenehjemFARGO (KVRR/KFGO) – Following legal action by the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, on September 3, A Cass County District Court judge has banned contractor Steve Mitchell, doing business as FM Mechanical, from doing business in North Dakota after finding that Mitchell had violated consumer fraud and licensing laws. The judge found that Mitchell was operating without a contractor’s…

Grand Forks police say powerful opiate making rounds

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The Grand Forks Police Department has issued a warning about a powerful illegal opiate making the rounds locally. Officers say they responded to numerous narcotics-related drug overdoses Saturday evening, including a death. Police say people were using what they believed to be heroin and began overdosing.  Immediate medical intervention was needed to revive them. Police say…