KTOE Noon News 5-22-25
Top Stories for Noon 5-22-25:
- Mankato Police searching for male who threatened juveniles Tuesday
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Volk Investments Company, LLC Acquires Former True Value Distribution Center in Mankato
- Another deadline for the budget bills has come and gone at the state capitol. Legislative leaders had wanted all the work on the bills to be completed by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, but that didn’t happen. Most of the work has been done behind closed doors, except for the Tax bill. Lawmakers will continue their working groups today to try and find solutions and finish the budget plans. Once that is done, the governor says he will call a special session.
- Minnesota Republicans are cheering U-S House passage of the “One Big Beautiful” budget act while Democrats call it “immoral.” Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says, “It is the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in U-S history and includes the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP we have ever seen.” G-O-P Congressman Brad Finstad says, “The budget resolution prevents the largest tax hike in our country’s history and delivers a secure border, national security, energy dominance, and an end to government waste, fraud, and abuse.” The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says it would cut nearly 700 billion dollars from Medicaid and 267 billion from SNAP. The bill passed the Republican-controlled House this (Thurs) morning on a 215-214 vote.
- A U.S. District Court judge has ordered the release of a University of Minnesota student from ICE custody by 4:00 this afternoon. Earlier this month, the judge ruled that Dogukan (Dog-OO’-can) Gunaydin(Gun-nye-den) could not be deported due to an arrest for drunk driving in 2023. Despite the ruling, Gunaydin remains in ICE custody, where he has been held since the end of March after being detained near his apartment in St. Paul. His student visa was revoked, and deportation proceedings were initiated. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) argued that Gunaydin poses a risk to public safety and should be sent back to his native Turkey.
- A Twin Cities plant known for manufacturing paint sprayers and food handling equipment is moving its headquarters out of Minneapolis. Graco is expected to relocate to the northwest to the Dayton-Rogers area. The move will take place gradually over two years while the new headquarters are built. Graco officials say they plan to sell the Minneapolis campus.
- Rochester Public Transit officials are working to address service slowdowns by hiring additional drivers. Some local passengers have expressed concerns about needing to arrive at bus stops on time, as drivers may arrive earlier than scheduled. Adam Buzbee, head of the Rochester Amalgamated Transit Union, reported that RPT buses missed 20 to 30 routes on May 16th and 19th due to a shortage of drivers. He attributes this driver shortage to a high employee turnover rate and a reluctance among drivers to take on overtime shifts.
