KTOE Noon News 8-20-25

Top Stories for Noon 8-20-25:

• Search Warrant in Sibley County Leads to Drug Seizure and Arrest of Winthrop Man

• The Le Sueur Police Department is mourning the sudden loss of one of its own. Officer Karl Haugen, 41, passed away unexpectedly while off duty on Monday. August 18th. Haugen had served the Le Sueur-Henderson community since 2008, working in both part-time and full-time roles. He also served as Chief of Police in Henderson from 2017 to 2019. The department described him as “an important part of its dynamics” and said he will be “sincerely missed.” Funeral arrangements are pending, and no cause of death has been released.
• There’s a leadership shake-up at Minnesota-based Target. The company announced today that C-E-O Brian Cornell is stepping down and being replaced by Chief Operating Officer Michael Fiddelke (fuh-dell-kee). Cornell will transition to executive chair of the board of directors in February. Fiddelke has been with Target for more than 20 years and called it an honor to be elected chief executive officer. He said in a statement, “I step into the role with an urgent commitment to drive growth and deliver better results.”
• Minnesota’s minimum wage is going up on January 1st. The state rate will rise to $11.41 an hour, with a training wage of $9.31 for workers under 20 during their first 90 days. The increase reflects a 2.5% adjustment for inflation. Minneapolis and St. Paul have separate ordinances requiring higher wages. In Minneapolis, all employers must pay $15.97 an hour. In St. Paul, the rate varies by business size, ranging from $13.25 to $15.97. Employers must notify workers of the change before the new rates take effect.
• Student participation in high school activities continues to climb in Minnesota. During the 2024–2025 school year, more than 232,000 students took part in Minnesota State High School League athletics—an increase of over 8,000 from the previous year. When you include fine arts and robotics, total participation hit an all-time high of nearly 278,000 students. Minnesota now ranks 10th nationally in student activity involvement, according to new data from the National Federation of State High School Associations. Minnesota added boys volleyball last year, drawing nearly 2,400 participants in its first season. Girls’ wrestling also saw growth, with nearly 1,400 athletes. Nationally, high school activity participation rose to 8.2 million students, marking the third straight year of growth since the pandemic. Girls wrestling jumped 15 percent to over 74,000 athletes, while boys wrestling topped 300,000 for the first time.
• University of Minnesota service workers unanimously recommend a “no” vote on their employer’s “last, best, and final offer.” Teamsters Local 320, which represents the workers, says this is after forty hours of state-mandated mediation and a threat to strike if an agreement wasn’t reached by midnight Tuesday. They say U-M-N sent its offer at 1 a.m. and that it falls short of the group’s goals, which include wage increases, higher shift differentials, and improved working conditions. The union will conduct a secret ballot vote in person and by mail. This comes as students move back onto campus beginning next week.

• Xcel Energy invites volunteers to its 15th annual Day of Service