Minnesota
Minnesota DNR sets burn restrictions in over 30 counties
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced on Friday that burn restrictions will go into place on Monday in over 30 counties due to unusually warm temperatures and dry conditions.
According to the DRN, the risk for wildfires increases when the snow melts before vegetations has a chance to green.
Dry winter fueling early and active wildfire season across Minnesota
The DNR says that 90% of the time people are the cause for wildfires in Minnesota.
Burn restrictions will go in effect on the Mar. 18 for the following counties: Aitkin, Anoka, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Carlton, Cass, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Hennepin, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Kanabec, Mahnomen, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Norman, Otter Tail, Pine, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, Sherburne, the southern half of St. Louis County, Stearns, Stevens, Todd, Traverse, Wadena, Washington, Wilkins, and Wright county.
At this time, the DNR will not be issuing permits for open burning of brush or yard waste to these counties until the restrictions are lifted.
“This year, we’ve seen an early start to our wildfire season due to exceptionally warm winter temperatures and less than half the average snowfall across much of the state,” said Karen Harrison, a DNR wildfire prevention specialist. “Spring burning restrictions help reduce the number of wildfires, especially those caused by debris burning.”
In replace of burning, Harrison recommends alternative forms of yard waste disposal like composting, chipping, or taking brush to a collection site.
How to protect your home from the threat of wildfires
If a Minnesota resident causes a fire that escapes and causes a wildfire, they are liable for any damage caused as well as wildfire suppression cost.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the cost for wildfire suppression in 2022 totaled a staggering $3,549,000,000. Over the last ten years, an average of $2,358,603,800 has been spent on wildfire suppression, per the NIFC.
An end date for the burn restrictions has not been set yet. The DNR says it’s possible that restrictions will be adjusted as conditions change.
For more information, click here.
NOTE: The video attached to this article originally aired on Mar. 6, 2024.
Minnesota
How to buy Minnesota Regional 2026 March Madness women’s tickets
The women’s NCAA Tournament bracket has been revealed, and Minnesota fans can enjoy watching their team’s March Madness run begin at home.
Minnesota will be hosting an NCAA Tournament regional, playing up to two games on its home court during the first weekend of March Madness.
Minnesota is back in the big dance after last qualifying in 2018.
Shop Minnesota Regional women’s basketball tickets
Minnesota played well enough during the regular season to earn a No. 4 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and a top four seed in the Sacramento 2 region, and will host during the opening weekend of the tournament.
Here is everything you need to know in order to buy Minnesota women’s March Madness tickets.
Minnesota women’s March Madness opponent
Minnesota earned a No. 4 seed in the Sacramento 2 Region. It will take on No. 13 Green Bay in its opening game.
Minnesota women’s March Madness regional teams
Minnesota, along with Green Bay, No. 5 Ole Miss and No. 12 Gonzaga will play in Minneapolis for the first and second rounds of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Shop Minnesota Regional women’s basketball tickets
Minnesota women’s March Madness Regional basketball tickets
Limited Minnesota women’s regional NCAA Tournament tickets are still available. Get your Minnesota women’s March Madness tickets today as they start their NCAA Tournament on home court.
More March Madness: Everything fans need to know about the 2026 NCAA Tournament
Minnesota March Madness game schedule
Minnesota will take on Green Bay on Friday, March 20 . The game is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. ET. Shop Minnesota vs. Green Bay tickets now.
Shop Minnesota Regional women’s basketball tickets
Minnesota March Madness game locations
Minnesota will play its Round of 64 and potential Round of 32 games in Minneapolis .
Limited tickets for the first weekend of March Madness in the twin cities are available. Shop your Minnesota NCAA Tournament Tickets now.
Minnesota best NCAA Tournament result
Minnesota’s best result in the NCAA Tournament: Reached Final Four in 2004.
Minnesota
Bill introduced to repeal Cesar Chavez Day in Minnesota amid sexual abuse allegations
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Minnesota lawmakers have introduced a bill to repeal Cesar Chavez Day in the state after the civil rights leader was accused of sexual abuse.
Cesar Chavez Day could be repealed
What they’re saying:
Minnesota State Representative María Isa Pérez-Vega (DFL-St. Paul) introduced the bill to repeal Cesar Chavez Day in the state.
She says the bill comes after a New York Times investigation shed light on sexual abuse and “predatory behavior” by Chavez against women and girls, including his co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, Dolores Huerta.
In the New York Times investigation, two other women came forward saying Chavez sexually abused them when they were minors.
READ MORE: Dolores Huerta issues statement amid César Chávez scandal: ‘My silence ends here’
“The pain and trauma survivors carry is a weight that can’t be erased by replacing signs and names on buildings or repealing this state holiday, but it’s a step forward for healing,” said Rep. Pérez-Vega. “The harm has been done; the only way forward is believing survivors, providing resources for their healing, and staying committed to the fight for every victim silenced by sexual assault.”
“The New York Times report yesterday was horrifying and deeply troubling,” said House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson. “We believe women who come forward in these difficult situations, and this is yet another example of men in a position of power taking advantage of women. We have a responsibility to hear these stories and act. House DFLers are prepared to move quickly to pass this legislation, and I’m grateful to Representative Pérez-Vega for bringing this bill forward.”
The other side:
The Minnesota House GOP say they are “absolutely in support of renaming Cesar Chavez Day” and look forward to passing the bill as soon as possible.
Are you or someone you know a recent survivor of sexual assault? Help is available. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) provides a 24/7 national sexual assault hotline, which can be reached at 1-800-656-4673
Minnesota
Minnesota fraud is just the tip of a growing iceberg | Opinion
Minnesota’s scandals have showcased just how vulnerable large public systems can be to mismanagement, weak oversight and exploitation, especially since Democratic leadership failed to take action.
HHS freezes Minnesota childcare funds amid fraud claims
The federal Department of Health and Human Services froze all childcare payments to Minnesota, citing what it calls ‘blatant fraud’ at state daycares.
The great American author Mark Twain is purported to have said that it’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. Such has been the case with the latest developments in the bevy of fraud scandals that have enveloped my home state of Minnesota – so many that it’s hard to keep track – and now others.
Once a beacon of what a progressive utopian state could look like, full of nice people, beautiful lakes and leftist politicians like Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota’s scandals have showcased just how vulnerable large public systems can be to mismanagement, weak oversight and exploitation, especially since Democratic leadership failed to take action.
Minnesota fraud looks worse than ever
A report released by the Office of the Legislative Auditor on March 17, about the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Program, revealed that Minnesota’s Department of Human Services failed to fully investigate allegations that Medicaid programs were receiving kickbacks because agency officials didn’t think they had the authority. This turned out to be untrue.
Members of the Legislative Audit Commission wrote, “We disagree with DHS’s assertion that it did not have the authority to investigate allegations of kickbacks alone. Based on our analysis, DHS has had the authority to investigate allegations of kickbacks in MA (Medical Assistance) since the late 1990s.”
That audit report is the latest in the ongoing cases of fraud. So far, at least two Minnesota autism centers are under federal investigation on fake billing and kickbacks to parents who enrolled their kids in the programs, whether or not they even had an autism diagnosis.
On March 2, Abdinajib Yussuf pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud related to Medicaid billing for the Star Autism Center, which Yussuf opened in 2020. He submitted millions of dollars worth of claims for Medicaid reimbursement and collected more than $6 million in reimbursement funds, which he sometimes shared with parents of kids “enrolled.”
In December, Asha Hassan pleaded guilty to a similar scheme via Smart Therapy. Hassan agreed to pay nearly $16 million in restitution and faces potential time in prison.
There may be fraud happening in other states
Minnesota might not be the only state with rampant fraud related to government programs. On March 16, President Donald Trump signed an executive order launching a national task force led by Vice President JD Vance to uncover whether what happened in Minnesota is happening in other states.
A White House fact sheet said California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine and New York and are states with “insufficient” fraud oversight. On March 17, Trump also added Florida to the list of states to probe.
In June, the Department of Justice charged 15 people in a $10.6 billion health care fraud and money laundering scheme in New York, the DOJ announced charges in Medicare and Medicaid fraud schemes in Arizona totaling more than $1.1 billion, and it charged five defendants in California with over $14.6 billion in alleged false billings in a health care fraud and illegal drug diversion scheme.
In Texas, where I live now, in February federal authorities charged a Russian national with more than $1.8 billion in alleged schemes. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, vowed to “strengthen” the state’s efforts to combat abuse.
Walz and others should be held accountable
Due to the scale and perpetual nature of the fraud scandal in Minnesota, Democratic leaders must be held accountable for their lack of oversight and failure to act. I’d say the same for Republican leadership.
On March 4, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released an interim staff report showcasing just how poor leadership fueled Minnesota’s “fraud explosion.”
The report is based on interviews with former Minnesota state employees and documents showing that Gov. Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison knew about “fraud concerns” as early as 2019, but that their failures to act allowed an “estimated $300 million in federal child nutrition funds and potentially $9 billion in Medicaid-related funds to be lost or placed at serious risk.”
I’m glad Walz bowed out of his reelection bid for governor, but I still can’t believe the Democratic Party tapped him as its vice presidential nominee in the 2024 election. He can’t govern Minnesota, much less help lead a nation.
In any case, to the horror of Minnesota taxpayers, these fraud scandals have already followed Walz much longer than his campaign for vice president ever has: Their loss is our gain.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
-
Oklahoma6 days agoFamily rallies around Oklahoma father after head-on crash
-
Detroit, MI1 day agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Nebraska1 week agoWildfire forces immediate evacuation order for Farnam residents
-
Georgia4 days agoHow ICE plans for a detention warehouse pushed a Georgia town to fight back | CNN Politics
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts community colleges to launch apprenticeship degree programs – The Boston Globe
-
Alaska5 days agoPolice looking for man considered ‘armed and dangerous’
-
Colorado1 week ago‘It’s Not a Penalty’: Bednar Rips Officials For MacKinnon Ejection | Colorado Hockey Now
-
Southwest1 week agoTalarico reportedly knew Colbert interview wouldn’t air on TV before he left to film it
