RAMSEY COUNTY, Minn. — A Fargo man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for scamming Minnesota welfare programs. Elfonzo Shelby, 47, was sentenced in Ramsey County District Court for using fake identities to swindle more than $300,000 in general assistance and food stamp benefits. Shelby pleaded guilty to the allegations in September. He used information he collected on…
BISMARCK, ND — The United Way is helping close an emergency housing gap in Bismarck since the city’s lone men’s emergency shelter closed late last month. The organization has provided 150 nights of shelter for 46 people deemed to be in crisis. Shelters in Minot and Grand Forks also have offered to help. The Ruth Meiers Hospitality House closed its…
ANDOVER, Minn. — Bail has been set at $1 million for the driver accused in the hit-and-run death of a teen in Andover, Minnesota. Loren Gafner, 19, appeared in Anoka County District Court on charges of second-degree murder and criminal vehicular homicide. Two juveniles also face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder. A criminal complaint says the three teens…
BURKE COUNTY, ND — Melissa Etheridge has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possessing marijuana in North Dakota. The rock singer will have to pay $1000 in fines and fees and be on unsupervised probation. She was arrested in August while crossing the border from Canada into Burke County. The cancer survivor has said she believes in the…
MINNESOTA — Seven deer harvested in southeastern Minnesota may be infected with chronic wasting disease. Hunters harvested three of the seven deer near Preston, where 11 other deer tested positive during last year’s CWD surveillance efforts. Three others were harvested in Forestville-Mystery Cave State Park, west of the core disease area. The remaining deer was harvested east of Wykoff…
MILES CITY, Mont. — The father of the three-year-old St. Cloud boy who accidentally shot himself with a gun has been arrested. William Dickerson, 28, was taken into custody during a traffic stop in Miles City, Montana. He was wanted for negligent storage of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm. It is believed that Dickerson’s…
MENAHGA, Minn. — Two men found dead of gunshot wounds Monday at a house in Menahga have been identified. They are 82-year-old Carl Albin and 67-year-old Michael Callahan, both of Menahga. Wadena County authorities say the deaths appear to be a murder-suicide. They responded to a 911 call shortly after midnight Monday and found the bodies which were transported…
SHEYENNE, ND — The stabbing death of a woman near Sheyenne south of Devils Lake is under investigation. A man called 911 this morning and said that he was driving a woman who had been stabbed to the Devils Lake hospital. He dropped the victim off and left the hospital. The man then led police on a high-speed chase…
NATIONAL — The wealthiest one percent of the world’s population now owns more than half of the world’s wealth. The total wealth in the world grew by six percent over the past 12 months to $280 trillion, marking the fastest wealth-creation since 2012, according to a new report from Credit Suisse. The top one percent now own 50.1 percent…
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — St. Cloud police say a 3-year-old boy shot himself after finding a loaded gun at his home. Authorities say the boy is in stable condition. They are looking for the 28-year-old father of the child who could face charges of negligently storing a firearm and being a felon in possession of a gun. Police were…
