KTOE Noon News 2-19-25

Top Stories for Noon 2-19-25

• BENCHS Exceeds Goal for Rose Sale Fundraiser
• A new proposal that would limit female participation in sports to only female participation will be discussed today by the House Education Policy Committee. This bill, authored by Republican Peggy Scott of Andover, would cover elementary and secondary school athletics. It calls for female participation only, and a physician’s note would be required if there is a dispute over whether the student is female. If passed by the legislature, this would take effect in July of this year. A similar bill is in the Senate. The committee hearing is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. today.
• New Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is on a nationwide tour to connect with voters. The outgoing chairman of the Minnesota D-F-L met with steelworkers Tuesday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and stumped for a state House candidate. Martin told reporters that the battle to regain seats in the U.S. House and Senate in two years started by winning as many local and statewide races as possible. He’s also visiting Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas, and Missouri.
• UnitedHealthcare, based in Minnetonka, is facing a fine of $3.4 million. Insurance regulators in North Carolina found that the health insurer improperly allowed patients to incur excessive out-of-network healthcare bills. The North Carolina Department of Insurance stated that UnitedHealthcare should have protected patients from balance billing, which occurs when providers ask patients to pay the difference when insurance companies reimburse less than the provider’s charges for medical services. These findings come after a four-year investigation.

• St. Peter Man Charged with Threats of Violence and Obstructing the Legal Process

• Minnesota Republican legislators are planning to file a second ethics complaint against Senator Nicole Mitchell. They claim she did not disclose a conflict of interest when she voted against her expulsion last month. Senator Steve Drazkowski says Mitchell had a financial interest in making the deciding vote on an effort to expel her because it meant keeping her salary and benefits. Mitchell also faces a criminal burglary charge. She is accused of breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home last spring. Mitchell successfully petitioned to delay her trial until after the 2025 legislative session ends.