Minnesota
Five Minnesota men connected to large-scale drug operation
WADENA, MINN. (Valley News Live) – 25 pounds of meth, 3 pounds of cocaine, and 2.5 pounds of heroin led to federal charges for a group of Minnesota men.
The Wadena County Sheriff’s Office says a drug trafficking investigation conducted by the sheriff’s office, in cooperation with the West Central Drug Task Force, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) started in Wadena County and finished in St. Paul.
They say Bill Rude, 62, of Wadena, is charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine.
Robert Anderson, 38, of Wadena, faces those same charges along with three counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Aaron Heifort, 28, of Clitherall, is charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Carlos Valdovinos-Trejo, 27, of St. Paul is charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, three counts of distribution of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.
And there is current a federal arrest warrant for Jesus Valdovinos (not pictured), 41, of St. Paul on a number of drug charges.
The sheriff’s office says the street value of the drugs seized is estimated at over $1-million dollars.
They say the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Copyright 2024 KVLY. All rights reserved.
Minnesota
Walz Was in US, Not Asia, During Tiananmen Protests, Minnesota Radio Reports
Minnesota
Randy Shaver just can't quit
“To be honest, the formula never changed,” he says. “My goal was for high school football to feel like its own ‘SportsCenter.’ Give me the scores, give me the highlights, tell me what it means.”
At the height of Preps Sports Extra, he dispatched eight TV crews every Friday to games around the metro and beyond. He recalled in amazement a playoff game between Stillwater and Moorhead.
Shaver really wanted video footage but sending a crew to Moorhead by car wasn’t a realistic option. The news director offered an idea: Why not rent a plane and fly there?
“This is no lie,” Shaver says, laughing. “We rented a single-engine plane at Flying Cloud, put a photographer in it, flew him to Moorhead to shoot the first half, get back in the plane, fly back to Flying Cloud, our live truck was sitting at Flying Cloud to send us the video and we got it on the show.”
“Can you imagine even thinking of doing that today?” he says.
Minnesota
The future of medical marijuana in Minnesota
NEW HOPE, Minn. — We’re roughly three months away from recreational marijuana becoming legal to sell and purchase in Minnesota, but that big change is sure to lead to other changes when it comes to medical marijuana.
More than 48,000 Minnesotans already purchase cannabis thanks to the state’s medical marijuana program, which began enrolling in 2015. Two licensed retailers, RISE and Green Goods, operate 15 dispensary locations between them across the state.
“I had such a stigma on it and when I gave it a try, I will never go back. I will always be on medical marijuana,” Chelsea Swanson, a patient from St. Francis said. “It has helped with my nausea, with my pain, and it has helped me function. I have gotten off prescription drugs and it is because of marijuana.”
Swanson drives nearly 30 miles to shop at a dispensary in New Hope, but she wouldn’t necessarily have to travel that far or enroll in any regulatory program once recreational dispensaries open in Minnesota, which could happen as soon as next year.
Still, Swanson insisted it is worth the trip.
“What you are getting here is top quality. It is something grown and made in Minnesota,” she explained. “The plant is a plant, except for we know it’s grown here and it’s not under any harmful chemicals or fertilizers or anything else like that.”
If other states’ transitions are any indication though, the medical cannabis industry is likely to take a hit once recreational weed gets the green light in Minnesota. According to data from Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency, medicinal sales grossed roughly $1.2M in August 2024, while recreational sales topped a whopping $294 million.
State officials at Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management maintain the protocols regulating medical marijuana are the foundation for what will govern general adult use: everything seed to sale happens in Minnesota, not to mention the very cannabis plant and how it’s grown will be subject to the same safety standards.
Where things do differentiate, however, is at the cash register, as medical marijuana will remain tax-free.
“Every dollar counts, especially with this economy,” Swanson said. “With putting taxes on it, that would be a few hundred dollars a year for me.”
The other difference, according to state officials, is that recreational marijuana will still be subject to limits on possession and potency, while medical marijuana will not.
Besides competing with the recreational market, the medicinal market will see other changes come 2025, including dropping the $200 annual enrollment fee for patients. Also next year, patients will need recertification every three years by a physician instead of every year.
Additional changes to the medical program under the new law include allowing patients in programs in other states to buy products in Minnesota under a “visiting patient option” beginning in two years, and the age threshold for registered caregivers to purchase cannabis flower will be lowered from 21 to 18.
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