The state Public Utility Commission takes Minnesota Valley Cooperative to task, Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles breaks a record, and more on state flooding over the weekend.
Transcript
WITH NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP...
STATE PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATORS STAND UP FOR ELECTRIC COMPANY CUSTOMERS.
[P-U-C COMMISSIONER AUDREY PARTRIDGE: WE ARE HERE TRYING TO PROTECT ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS FROM YOU.]
AND.....BREAKING RECORDS... AT THE FUEL PUMP... AND ON THE BASKETBALL COURT...
BUT FIRST...
MINNESOTA REGULATORS SAY MINNESOTA VALLEY COOPERATIVE... A CUSTOMER-OWNED ELECTRIC UTILITY... WENT TOO FAR ... THREATENING TO CUT OFF POWER TO ONE OF ITS OWN MEMBERS FOR MAKING SOME OF ITS OWN ELECTRICITY.
LAST YEAR.. THE UPPER SIOUX COMMUNITY BUILT A RECHARGABLE SOLAR PANEL-BATTERY GRID AT ITS PRAIRIE’S EDGE CASINO NEAR GRANITE FALLS IN WESTERN MINNESOTA... THE SOLAR ARRAY COULD SUSTAINABLY SUPPLY ABOUT A THIRD OF THE CASINO’S ELECTRICITY...
SOON AFTER... THE CO-OP TOLD THE TRIBE TO “UNPLUG IT”… THREATENING TO COMPLETELY DISCONNECT THE CASINO… THE TRIBE WENT TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION.
IN ITS RULING THURSDAY... COMMISSIONERS CALLED THE SHUTOFF THREAT “UNLAWFUL”... ORDERED SERVICE TO STAY CONNECTED... ... AND REFERRED THE CASE TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
[P-U-C COMMISSIONER AUDREY PARTRIDGE: YOU ARE TREATING YOUR MEMBERS AS HOSTAGES WHO HAVE NO ABILITY TO GET OUT OF YOUR SERVICE TERRITORY... AND YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT.]
AN INDEPENDENT SAFETY REVIEW OF THE SOLAR ARRAY IS STILL REQUIRED.
THE CO-OP PLANS TO APPEAL.
--DIESEL/GAS PRICES – RECORD HIGH --
POWERING DIESEL ENGINES…. FROM FARM EQUIPMENT TO FREIGHT TRUCKS… NOW COSTS MORE THAN EVER.
AAA SAYS THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR A GALLON OF DIESEL FUEL HIT AN ALL-TIME RECORD …. SIX-51 A GALLON MONDAY.
IN MINNESOTA... DIESEL AVERAGES A RECORD SIX-33... AND REGULAR GAS FOUR-39…
THE RISING PRICES FUEL INFLATION AND ADD PRICING PRESSURE TO HARVEST AND SHIPPING COSTS... WHICH EVENTUALLY FORCE INCREASES AT THE GROCERY STORE…
--OLIVIA MILES RECORD – INTRO TO PNS FEVER-LYNX TRANSGENDER ISSUES--
HERE'S A RECORD TO BRAG ABOUT... ...
THE W-N-B-A’S ROOKIE SCORING CROWN NOW WEARS LYNX BLUE... AND COMES WITH SOME NEW NICKNAMES...INCLUDING ... “THE SPECTACLE” AND “MAGIC MILES”....
MINNESOTA ROOKIE OLIVIA MILES PASSED FEVER STAR CAITLIN CLARK’S W-N-B-A 769-POINT RECORD SUNDAY...
SCORING 21 AS THE LYNX BEAT CONNECTICUT... 101-TO-89.
BOTH RECORD-HOLDERS SET THEIR MARK IN *40-GAMES.
THE TEAMS MEET TWICE THIS WEEK... TONIGHT IN INDIANAPOLIS…
AND.. THURSDAY NIGHT IN MINNEAPOLIS…
THAT REMATCH IS ALSO SHAPING UP TO REVIVE SOME OFF-COURT POLITICAL BATTLES OVER THE ISSUE OF TRANSGENDER ATHLETES.
PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE’S MIKE MOEN TAKES A LOOK AT THE ISSUE.
[PNS PKG: SHORT WRAP]
[THE LAST TIME THESE TWO W-N-B-A JUGGERNAUTS PLAYED IN MINNEAPOLIS... PROTESTERS GATHERED OUTSIDE TARGET CENTER IN RESPONSE TO FEVER PLAYER SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM’S REMARKS ABOUT TRANS ATHLETES.
L-G-B-T-Q VOICES SAY HER STATEMENTS REIGNITED HATEFUL COMMENTS TOWARD TRANSGENDER GIRLS PARTICIPATING IN GIRLS’ SPORTS.
JESS BRAVERMAN OF THE MINNESOTA GROUP GENDER JUSTICE SAYS DESPITE THE NATIONAL BACKLASH, IT’S COMFORTING TO BE IN A STATE THAT FOSTERS A WELCOMING TONE.
“THE MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE HAS BEEN TRANS-INCLUSIVE FOR OVER A DECADE... AND DURING THAT TIME... MINNESOTA HAS LED THE NATION IN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS PARTICIPATION.”
CUNNINGHAM SAYS HER COMMENTS WERE MISINTERPRETED AS AN ATTACK ON THE ENTIRE TRANS COMMUNITY ... WHILE REITERATING SHE WANTS TO PROTECT YOUNG GIRLS IN SPORTS SHE FEELS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO “GO AGAINST BIOLOGICAL MEN.”
I’M MIKE MOEN.]
--FLOODING FOLO--
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NOW SAYS AS MUCH AS NINE INCHES OF RAIN FELL OVERNIGHT FROM LATE FRIDAY TO EARLY SATURDAY ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTH-EASTERN MINNESOTA.
STORMS KEPT CROSSING THE SWATH OF THE STATE DURING A ROUGHLY FIVE-HOUR BURST... AT TIMES DROPPING ONE TO TWO INCHES AN HOUR.
IN NEW RICHLAND FIRE AND CITY CREWS ARE NOW CLEARING DEBRIS AND ASSESSING DAMAGE FROM THE WEEKEND’S SEVERE FLOODING.
OFFICIALS ESTIMATE SOME 400-HOMES DAMAGED... SAYING MORE THAN THREE-QUARTERS OF THE TOWN FLOODED...
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS HELPED EVACUATE DOZENS OF NURSING HOME RESIDENTS... BOAT CREWS RESCUED PEOPLE FROM FOUR HOMES... BUT... NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.
AND.. DESPITE A TORRENTIAL STORM... DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SAYS THE STATE’S SOIL AND LOW-GROUND WATER LEVELS NEED REPEATED RAINS TO RECOVER FROM THE ONGOING DROUGHT.
[LUIGI ROMOLO: WE'VE HAD SO MANY REPEATED DROUGHTS SINCE 2021 — WHICH REALLY STARTED BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 2020 — WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT YOU KNOW WITH EACH YEAR WE WE'RE LOSING MORE WATER THAN WE'RE GAINING.]
NEW RICHLAND IS NOW ASKING THE STATE TO HELP FIX ITS OUT-DATED AND INSUFFICIENT DRAINAGE SYSTEM...
STATE CLIMATOLOGISTS SAY... MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE STATE IS STILL IN EXTREME OR SEVERE DROUGHT.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
AND FINALLY ...
--DIAPER COST AND HELP--
DISPOSABLE DIAPERS COST MINNESOTA FAMILIES UP TO ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH --PER CHILD--… FORCING NEARLY HALF THE STATE’S LOW-INCOME PARENTS TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BUYING FOOD OR DIAPERS.
THE DIAPER BANK OF MINNESOTA RECEIVES MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY TO HELP FAMILIES WHO NEED IT...
IMMEDIATE SUPPORT IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE... JUST GO TO DIAPER-BANK-M-N-DOT-ORG.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES.. I’M XAN HOLSTON.