FARGO (KVRR) – A federal judge has thrown out the death sentence for a man convicted in the 2003 slaying of a North Dakota college student, saying new evidence shows that the medical examiner was “guessing” on the stand and defense lawyers did not adequately explore mental health evidence. Judge Ralph Erickson ruled Friday that misleading testimony from the coroner,…
FARGO (KVRR) – A jury member who handed down Alfonso Rodriguez’s death penalty sentence says he disagrees with the judge who overturned the death penalty. Luke Lillehaugen was one of 12 jurors who unanimously found Rodriguez guilty and recommended he be sentenced to death in 2006. Lillehaugen says he was shocked when he found out that Eighth Circuit Court of…
MINNEAPOLIS – A judge has struck down ballot language that aimed to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new agency, saying the wording was misleading and unworkable. Judge Jamie Anderson issued the order Tuesday just ahead of a deadline for ballots to go to the printer. The language approved by the City Council would have asked voters whether to…
TURTLE RIVER TOWNSHIP, Minn. (KVRR) – Police are investigating a suspected homicide in Beltrami County. The sheriff’s office responded around 3:30 Sunday afternoon after a man said he was shot at a home in Turtle River Township. When deputies arrived, they found a man dead. His body was taken to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s office for identification and an autopsy….
ERHARD, Minn. — A man is dead after crashing his vehicle into a tree in Otter Tail County over the weekend. The sheriff’s office responded to the crash east of Erhard, Minnesota after 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon. A pickup was in the ditch of County Highway 24. Authorities say the only person inside was the 29-year-old driver from Elbow Lake….
A new documentary series premiering this weekend examines the divide between rural and urban living. Cory Hepola is a host at WCCO Radio in the Twin Cities. He’s also a Perham, Minnesota native who went to college in Moorhead. His new video series, “Rural by Choice”, examines why people chose to live rural life in Otter Tail County. He…
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits are ending Monday. This comes as business owners across the Red River Valley continue to struggle with finding new workers. “I know every restaurant out there is hiring and we’re right alongside them, ” Great Plains Hospitality CEO Dan Hurder said. Hurder owns three restaurants and a catering business in both Minnesota…
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Minnesota State Fair drew its largest crowd of the 2021 festival on Saturday with nearly 154,000 people passing through the gates. But that number is still well below average. Since 1991, the second Saturday of the Minnesota State Fair has drawn an average of 214,000 people per year, or about 60,000 higher than the fair saw…
STEARNS CO., Minn. — Stearns County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert on Saturday searching for a family including four children who may be in danger. They say 2-year-old Delilah, 3-year-old Briella, and 8-year-olds Landon and Carter, are traveling with their parents, identified as Robert and Erika Herrington. Deputies say there is a domestic assault no-contact order in place for Robert…
OTTER TAIL CO., Minn. — A 38-year-old Dalton, Minnesota man is being held in the Otter Tail County Jail after firing at officers during an hour and 15 minute long standoff southwest of the town. Deputies say Derrick Sundeen rolled his vehicle near County Highway 37 and Bankers Drive early Friday evening. They say when a DNR officer arrived, Sundeen…
