KTOE Noon News 8-14-25
Top Stories for Noon 8-14-25:
- A church near Cosmos is a total loss after an early morning fire.(Thurs) The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office says around 1:30 a.m., a passerby noticed a glow in the distance. Concerned, he checked the area and discovered the First Evangelical Lutheran Church engulfed in flames. Fire crews from Cosmos, Grove City, Litchfield, and Hutchinson responded, but the building could not be saved. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. The Minnesota State Fire Marshal is assisting with the investigation. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
- New data from the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) shows the state’s unemployment rate dipped slightly to 3.5% in July. Key gains came in education, health care, government, and construction. Meanwhile, sectors like manufacturing and hospitality saw modest declines. Nationally, the U.S. unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%.
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Annual University Convocation set for Monday, Aug. 18 at Minnesota State University, Mankato
- State Representative Ben Bakeberg is looking for a new job, but he would still work at the state capitol. The Republican from Jordan has announced he’s running for Senate District 54, which also serves Shakopee, Prior Lake, and Jordan. Bakeberg was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2022 and is currently the Co-Vice Chair of the Education Finance Committee. Bakeberg has spent 24 years working in public and private education. The state Senate seat will become vacant as Senator Eric Pratt runs for Congress in the Second District.
- The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is looking for your ideas before state lawmakers meet for the 2026 legislative session. The Ag Department will hold two virtual public meetings to gather input for proposals for the next session. The meetings will be held on Wednesday, September 3, at noon, and on Thursday, September 4, at 5 p.m. The sessions will take place on Zoom, and participants are asked to register ahead of time with the MDA. Farmers, food businesses, and others impacted by food and agriculture systems are invited to share policy and program suggestions.
- The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management is welcoming its first permanent leader. Governor Tim Walz appointed Eric Taubel to lead the agency after serving on an interim basis since January. The governor’s first nominee, Erin DuPree, backed away from the job after one day following reports that her Apple Valley THC shop might have sold products that didn’t comply with state law. The OCM manages the cannabis industry in the state. To date, the department has given preliminary approval to more than 12 hundred prospective cannabis businesses and issued ten licenses
- A Minneapolis television meteorologist is suing her previous employer. Wren Clair says she faced sexual discrimination and harassment while working at KSTP-TV. She left the station in February after working there for seven years and joined KARE 11 in May. The suit claims Clair dealt with severe sexist conduct by coworkers and superiors. KSTP officials deny the allegations and say Clair was fired for poor performance.
