Minnesota teens survive head-on crash with drunk, wrong-way driver who presented ID from Guatemala.

The convicted felon was driving without a valid license. His public defender indicated in court that he does not speak English or Spanish. Inquiries about his immigration status have yielded little information.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, 46-year-old Francisco Castro Lorenzo was traveling southbound in the northbound lane near mile marker 251 when he struck the teens’ vehicle.

A 16-year-old girl from Menahga and her 16-year-old male passenger from Sebeka were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Park Rapids with non-life-threatening injuries.

Moar here: https://alphanews.org/teens-survive-head-on-crash-with-drunk-wrong-way-driver-who-presented-id-from-guatemala/

[They] used and tested this encryption during the 2020 "Summer of Love" George Floyd riots.

The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) has announced that it will begin encrypting radio transmissions on May 1, leaving the public, watchdogs, and media in the dark about current or developing public safety incidents.

The city made the announcement this week as it also rolled out a new emergency incident dashboard that it claims will inform the public about recent incidents.

The city cites first responder safety and data privacy concerns as its reasons for moving to encryption.

The MPD dispatch channels will test the encrypted radio channels in several rotations over the next several days until May 1 when they move to full encryption.

Moar here: https://alphanews.org/minneapolis-police-to-implement-radio-encryption-in-blow-to-transparency/

Tim Walz’s proposed $66 billion budget could result in double-digit property tax hike in 2026.

One of Minnesota’s most populous counties is sounding the alarm regarding the impact Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed $66 billion budget would have on its residents’ property taxes.

On Wednesday, Carver County issued a statement in response to Walz’s budget proposal that the governor’s department heads are presenting in various committees in the House and Senate this month.

“Carver County could face a double-digit property tax hike in 2026, driven by a potential 8 percent levy increase tied to Governor Tim Walz’s proposed state budget,” the county said

“The governor’s projected increase would impose additional costs for essential services—such as Medicaid and waiver programs—on local counties, without granting any authority to influence program criteria, eligibility, or cost structures,” the statement continued. “In addition to the governor’s proposal, rising baseline expenses including wages, benefits, and inflation, could translate to a property tax increase upwards of 20 percent.”

Walz rolled out his budget proposal in January amid a projected $5.1 billion deficit in the coming years. Since then, an adjusted budget forecast has increased the projected deficit to $6 billion.

Moar here: https://alphanews.org/carver-county-walzs-proposed-budget-would-drive-up-property-taxes/