KTOE Noon News 6-24-25
Top Stories for Noon 6-24-25:
- Today is the one-year anniversary of the breach of Rapidan Dam in south central Minnesota near Mankato. The floodwaters on the Blue Earth River caused a partial dam failure last June 24th. The torrent swept away an electrical substation and undercut the river’s west bank to the point where the nearby Hruska (HERSH-kuh) family home fell into the water. County officials purchased the neighboring Dam Store and removed it to prevent more debris from entering the river.
- The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is reporting the smallest increase in preventable adverse health events since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a 66% surge in incidents between 2020 and 2023, hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers across the state reported 624 adverse events in 2024, just 14 more than the previous year. It marks the smallest year-over-year rise since a decline was last recorded between 2018 and 2019. As in past reports, pressure ulcers and patient falls remained the most commonly reported events.
- A recent Minnesota poll shows that President Trump is not doing well in his first six months in office. The study conducted by the Star Tribune and the Hubbard School of Journalism and Communication says 45 percent of registered voters in Minnesota approve of the president’s second term. That number equals the highest approval rating Trump received in the Minnesota poll during his first term. Since January, the president has fired thousands of federal workers, implemented tariffs, cut federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and conducted sweeping immigration raids. The poll also showed that Trump had strong backing from men, white Minnesotans, people 50 and older, and those without a college diploma.
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Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation Welcomes Four New Board Trustees
- A Blue Earth County man suspected of throwing a knife at an officer in Rochester is in custody. Kyle Walding faces several charges, including second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. An order was issued on Monday for the defendant’s arrest. When officers arrived at an apartment on Marion Road, Walding fled from the scene. He reportedly returned to the residence with a knife, which he threw at an officer. Walding was arrested a short distance away after he ran off again.
- A memorial dedication honoring Jacob Wetterling will be held tomorrow(WED) at 6 p.m. at Klinefelter Park in St. Joseph. In 1999, the community planted trees in the park to remember both Wetterling and Officer Brian Klinefelter. A donated boulder, known as Jacob’s Rock, marks the space. The Wetterling family has now added a memorial beside it, highlighting the 11 attributes Jacob valued and hoped others would live by. Wetterling was abducted in October of 1989, and Klinefelter was shot and killed in the line of duty in January of 1996.