KTOE Noon News 9-4-25
Top Stories for Noon 9-4-25:
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$425,000 in Scholarships to be Awarded by South Central College Foundation Friday
- It’s back to normal this morning for all of Rochester Catholic School students. Classes were dismissed yesterday morning following a concerning phone call. Officers conducted a search of the schools and ruled that there was no threat. The incident came a week after a shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church that killed two school children.
- A former private school teacher in Rochester is headed to prison for child pornography. Thirty-eight-year-old Wolf Parsons was sentenced to over six years behind bars. This comes after investigators found dozens of disturbing images and videos on his cellphone. The case began with a cyber tip about suspected child sexual abuse material on Skype. Police traced the files to Parsons’ IP address and executed a search warrant at his home. At the time of his arrest, Parsons was working as a teacher at Resurrection Lutheran School in northwest Rochester.
- Minnesota Congressman Brad Finstad has introduced a bipartisan bill that would help in recruiting farmers. It’s called the Agriculture Skills Preparation for Industry Recruitment Efforts Act, or ASPIRE for short. The bill would establish an agriculture workforce training program within the USDA, provide resources for eligible schools to grow the farming industry, and support apprenticeships, internships, and partnerships with local ag businesses. Senator Tina Smith has introduced similar legislation in the Senate.
- House Republicans released their school safety agenda today, in case a special session is called. Their plan includes expanding school safety funding to non-public schools, school security grants, making school resource officers available to every school, and boosting funding for mental health treatment beds. The plan would also add mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat gun criminals and for straw purchasers who aid in a violent crime. There is no mention of the Democrats’ proposal to ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. Governor Walz has yet to announce the special session.
- State Representative Dan Wolgamott is running for Minnesota State Auditor. The Democrat from St. Cloud says he wants to be a watchdog for local government spending and restore trust in public institutions. Wolgamott enters the race as current Auditor Julie Blaha announces she won’t seek re-election. Several other candidates are expected to join the field ahead of the 2026 election.
