MPR News AM Update: Be careful when tossing out vapes
Plus an Ilhan Omar vote under fire and an MSP checkpoint closing.
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Throwing out a vape pen is a healthy move, but one that needs care. An active vaping pen caused a fire at a recycling collection center in Mound, Minn., which pushed Hennepin County to end battery recycling at all but two locations. The county has posted advice on how to safely dispose of a vape.
Marijuana opponents are jumping on the same lung injuries that are pushing people to throw out vapes. The Star Tribune’s J. Patrick Coolican reports that recreational cannabis opponents see recent vaping injuries and deaths as cause to slow the pace of marijuana legalization.
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A Ramsey County judge is expected to decide today whether to extend the shutdown of Water Gremlin indefinitely. The White Bear Township, Minn., company makes car battery terminals and fishing weights out of lead.
Several environmental groups are petitioning the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to ban lead fishing tackle and ammunition across the state. The groups argue the toxic chemical poses too great a threat to wildlife and human health.
Ilhan Omar is under fire for a “present” vote. The congresswoman didn’t give a yay or nay to a measure that would recognize Ottoman Turks’ mass killings of Aremenians as genocide, drawing criticism from Minnesota’s Armenian community, the AP reports. She said accountability for human rights violations is important, but she suggested the vote was politically motivated.
MSP’s newest security checkpoint is closing. Transportation Security Administration officials say the InterContinental Hotel checkpoint is underutilized and will close Nov. 18. However, an airport spokesperson said the hotel checkpoint eases crowding elsewhere and that TSA should staff it.
Minnesota students are smart. They scored higher on average than students from 17 states where at least 95 percent of high school students took the test, as MPR News’ Elizabeth Shockman reports.
Local elections are just a few days away. Have a question about what’s going to be on your ballot on Election Day? Head to this link to send us a question and we’ll do our best to answer.
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