Stories from May 14, 2024

Tracking rain and a little thunder late Tuesday
Expect mostly light rain with a few embedded thunderstorm cells. No severe weather is expected, but a few cells could produce downpours and potentially small hail.
Despite state bans, abortions nationwide are up, driven by telehealth
Telehealth accounts for 19 percent of all abortions, new research finds. And while the number of abortions did plummet in ban states, overall abortions across the country are up.
Red Lobster closes dozens of locations across the U.S.
A restaurant liquidator announced that it’s auctioning off the equipment of over 50 Red Lobster locations that were recently closed. None of Red Lobster’s Minnesota locations are on the list — but a couple just across state lines are.
Minnesota's Department of Commerce announced a settlement with UnitedHealthcare today over the company's alleged violation of mental health parity laws. And a Blue Earth man pleaded guilty today to participating in the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Minnesota lawmakers back $12M for invasive carp barrier in Mississippi River
The DNR will partner with federal agencies to design and install the barrier at Lock and Dam No. 5 near Winona to keep invasive carp from swimming upstream on the Mississippi. The funding bill is headed to Gov. Tim Walz for his likely signature.
With time running out at the capitol, GOP representatives make their final case on several bills
The legislative session ends in less than a week, and there are still several big bills still on the line. Republicans who are in the minority, in both chambers, will have a voice in many deals in these final days.
After more than 20 years of testing, you can now grow a Triumph apple tree
There’s a new tree on the market: The Triumph apple tree is an offspring of the Honeycrisp apple and it also is disease resistant. Right now is the perfect time to plant a tree.
Closure of another rural in-patient psychiatric ward leads to public hearing
On Tuesday evening there will be a public hearing on the closure of an inpatient psychiatric ward in central Minnesota. Lakewood Health System plans to close its 10-bed unit in its hospital in the small town of Staples.
‘Brotherless Night,’ an ambitious novel by a University of Minnesota professor, wins $150K prize
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a relatively new literary award given to women and nonbinary authors. This year’s winner is University of Minnesota professor V.V. Ganeshananthan for her book “Brotherless Night.”
NBA fines Gobert $75,000 for making another money gesture in frustration over a foul call
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined $75,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for another “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture” that suggested a lack of integrity with the league and its game officials.
UnitedHealthcare faces state penalty for uneven mental health care coverage
UnitedHealthcare is facing penalties for allegedly violating mental health parity laws. After an investigation, the Minnesota Department of Commerce says the company covers mental health claims more stringently than it covers claims for other types of care.
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Munro had been in frail health for years and often spoke of retirement, a decision that proved final after the author’s 2012 collection, “Dear Life.” She achieved stature rare for an art form traditionally placed beneath the novel.
The bus was transporting 53 farmworkers on Tuesday morning when it collided with a truck and swerved off a road in Marion County, north of Orlando, authorities say. The bus crashed through a fence and ended up on its side in a field.
The Burden of Being
This special program explores the unique mental health burdens of Black women and girls in the United States.
For more than 25 years, Betty Folliard has pushed Minnesota to adopt the equal rights amendment
Betty Folliard has had her eyes on the ERA prize since she began serving in the House in 1997. After leaving the House in 2003, Folliard has continued her quest to amend the state constitution.
Pleasant and bright Tuesday. Rain develops late Wednesday
Most of Minnesota will see sunshine Tuesday with increasing clouds west. Highs will be in the low 70s to low 60s. Rain showers develop late Wednesday into the overnight. 
Plans by the Minnesota House to vote on a proposed equal rights amendment were sidetracked last night. And more than 40 Jewish Minnesotans waited in Secretary of State Steve Simon's office lobby Monday, hoping the State Board of Investment member would join talks about divesting $157 million of stocks, bonds and investments tied to Israel.
Minnesota beats Toronto 2-0 in Game 3 of PWHL semifinal series
Maggie Flaherty and Denisa Krizova each scored in the second period and Minnesota beat Toronto 2-0 in Game 3 of the Professional Women’s Hockey League semifinal series.
AI-generated spam is starting to fill social media. Here's why
A Jesus made of vegetables, bizarre log cabins, products that don't exist. AI-generated images are creating new forms of clickbait and causing some users to doubt what's real.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom
The detonation marked a major step in freeing the Dali, which has been stuck among the wreckage since it crashed into one of the bridge's support columns shortly after leaving Baltimore on March 26.