Minnesota
Minnesota e-bike rebate applications open July 30 for 2025 lottery
E-bike rebates crash state website
The Minnesota Department of Revenue is postponing the launch of its e-bike rebate program application window after the website has failed.
(FOX 9) – So popular during its first offering in 2024 that it crashed the system administering them, requiring a second round – Minnesota’s 2025 e-bike rebate program will begin receiving lottery applications on July 30.
Minnesota e-bike lottery
What we know:
The application window for the 2025 e-bike rebate certificate lottery will begin at 11 a.m. on July 30, and close on Aug. 2, at 2 p.m.
As part of a person’s application, they will need to include proof of their gross income.
Under the program, 40% of the rebate certificates are reserved for a married taxpayer filing a joint return with a gross income of less than $78,000, or any other filer with an adjusted gross income of less than $41,000.
For a married taxpayer filing a joint return, each spouse can apply separately, and be eligible for their own certificate.
Each year a commissioner will allocate rebate certificates on a lottery basis, totaling up to $2 million annually, under the current terms of the program.
Any remaining funds not doled out by Sept. 30, 2025, would then become available for additional applicants beginning on Oct. 1, 2025.
The Minnesota Department of Revenue’s current estimates suggest that roughly 2,800 rebate certificates will be available for the 2025 program.
After the application period closes, all accepted rebate applications will be entered into a random lottery to award the rebate certificates. Recipients will be notified by email if their application has been selected, stating the percentage and maximum rebate for which they are eligible.
Minnesota’s e-bike rebate system crashes
The backstory:
The first round of e-bike rebates for Minnesotans in 2024 didn’t go as planned.
Applications for the 2024 program were initially set to open on June 5, 2024, but shortly after, the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s website crashed due to overwhelming demand.
At the time, the department said it would work to identify anyone who successfully submitted an application and let them know their application was received. However, officials then backtracked to say that fewer than 80 applications were successfully submitted in the hours before the site shut down.
A second round of applications then opened, with those accepted taking turns in a virtual waiting room before accessing an application.
The department said the system aimed to control the surge of users, similar to what major sports teams or concerts use when selling a limited number of tickets.
However, it was again plagued by system failures, with potential applicants complaining of stalls, and the waiting room being filled in a few minutes.
The new lottery system aims to make the 2025 version much smoother, officials hope.
The Source: Information provided by the Minnesota Department of Revenue.
Minnesota
Minnesota weather: Rain and storms possible late Thursday
Minnesota weather forecast. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Most of Minnesota will be under a marginal risk of severe weather on Thursday, with rain and rumbles expected.
Thursday weather forecast
Local perspective:
A line of storms is expected to develop in west-southwest Minnesota on Thursday and grow in coverage as well as intensity tracking east into the early evening.
Large hail and damaging winds are the prevalent threats, but an isolated tornado is also possible along the line.
Isolated showers are expected to form in the western part of Minnesota on Thursday morning.
Rain chances in the Twin Cities area increase in the afternoon, as a line pushes through with possible thunderstorms.
Stay Sky Aware with FOX 9 for the latest.
The Source: This story uses information from the FOX 9 weather forecast.
Minnesota
TikToker’s ban from St. Paul parks lifted after appeal, agent says
A TikTok creator is no longer banned from parks in St. Paul, Minnesota, after appealing the city’s restriction, according to his agent.
St. Paul Parks and Recreation Director Andy Rodriguez earlier this month accused Josh Liljenquist of going to Pig’s Eye Park to “harass, record and profit from vulnerable adults residing there without said individuals’ permission.” Liljenquist, who is known for giving away food and cash in his videos, denied the allegation.
On Wednesday, Liljenquist’s agent shared a new letter from the city.
“Based on an evaluation of the facts of this situation as they were relayed during your appeal meeting, I will be rescinding your ban from our parks, effective immediately,” the letter from Rodriguez read.
Rodriguez also wrote the city expects “all residents and visitors to our parks to abide by the rules.”
“Our responsibility is to ensure park spaces remain safe, respectful, and accessible for all, and we appreciate your partnership in that effort,” the letter read.
Liljenquist told WCCO he has only recorded at Pig’s Eye Park once, and it was with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office’s consent. He said he and his videographer always get consent from individuals they film, too.
Local organizations that work with people experiencing homelessness are split on Liljenquist’s impact. Sue Phillips, director of the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing, said his content “is exploiting people experiencing homelessness/housing instability.” Feeding St. Paul founder Michael Brendale, on the other hand, said, “Josh has changed many lives, taken people off the streets.”
Liljenquist told WCCO he films his efforts instead of making them private in hopes of “inspiring other people to do it, showing that it doesn’t take a lot of money, it doesn’t take a lot of resources to go out there and do something for somebody.”
Minnesota
5 tornadoes confirmed in Friday’s outbreak in southeastern Minnesota
The National Weather Service confirmed that at least five tornadoes touched down in southeastern Minnesota on Friday, including four that hit Olmsted County. At least another three twisters were confirmed in southwestern Wisconsin.
The NWS was still analyzing data and other information to determine if more tornadoes occurred in the area.
The storms started Friday afternoon, with the first tornado touching down north of Sargeant in Mower County around 1:45 p.m. The short-lived EF0, with top wind speeds of 80 mph, traveled about 3 miles northeast into rural Dodge County near the unincorporated town of Oslo. It lasted for about five minutes in total, the weather service says, and caused minor damage to a grain silo before dissipating.
A new tornado formed a few minutes later, less than a mile away south of Oslo. The storm was also considered an EF0, with wind speeds around 80 mph. Lasting less than 10 minutes, it traveled 4 miles into Olmsted County, causing light damage to farm outbuildings and trees.
The line of storms seemed to pick up intensity as it entered Olmsted County.
Around 2:17 p.m., the EF2 tornado that would later hit Marion Township first touched down just northeast of Stewartville. The weather service estimates that the twister had wind speeds of about 130 mph and traveled nearly 10 miles northeast, before dissipating around 2:31 p.m. Multiple homes were severely damaged with roof removal and partially collapsed exterior walls.
An EF1 tornado was also confirmed to have hit near Potsdam around 2:30 p.m.
The first portion of the tornado was weak, the weather service said, with mainly EF0 damage. On the second portion of the 12-mile track, the tornado intensified to produce approximately 100 mph winds with tree and farm outbuilding damage. It lifted around 2:54 p.m.
A second EF2 tornado was confirmed in Olmsted County around 2:46 p.m. about 5 miles east-northeast of Viola and traveled about 7.5 miles, ending in Wabasha County, a few miles south of Plainview, around 3 p.m. Maximum wind speeds were around 125 mph. The storm affected mainly rural areas and damaged trees and outbuildings. One farmhouse lost a roof and a garage roof, the weather service said.
No injuries were reported in the Minnesota-Wisconsin outbreak.
Friday was a historic day for the NWS La Crosse office, which issued 26 tornado warnings – the most for any one day since the office opened in 1995.
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