Joan Gabel takes over as U of M president

MPR’s Brian Bakst reports: “Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is engaged, with plans in the works for a low-key wedding before the year is up. Flanagan’s fiance, Tom Weber, proposed on Monday after a dinner in downtown St. Paul. … Flanagan has worn the ring Weber gave her to public appearances. But the couple waited to announce their engagement until they could give word to close friends and family. … Weber is a former MPR News reporter and host who left the company in June 2018.”

In the Rochester Post Bulletin, Matthew Stolle reports: “U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn encountered a restive crowd Friday during a Rochester town hall meeting. The first-term GOP congressman’s give-and-take with the audience elicited both angry outbursts from some and enthusiastic applause from others. … Perhaps the angriest response from his critics came when Hagedorn was asked about the family separations at the border. Asked about how he could justify government-sponsored child abuse, Hagedorn said he disagreed with that characterization. ‘These are not concentration camps,’ Hagedorn said over the shouts from some in the crowd. ‘On that, we fundamentally disagree. The people that are there, they can leave. Nobody is holding them.’ ‘How is a three-month-old baby going to leave,’ replied someone from the crowd.”

The Pioneer Press’ Kristi Belcamino writes: “Hundreds of people marched through Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon demanding changes to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Organized on Facebook by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations (CAIR-MN), the march was promoted as a protest ‘to demand justice for separated families!’”

At MPR, Andrew Krueger reports, “After nearly five years of work, on Monday the city of Winona will celebrate the completion of construction and repairs on its bridges over the Mississippi River. Traffic is set to start flowing again over the historic Highway 43 bridge that has been closed since 2016 for renovations. It’ll join a new span that’s been open since 2016. One span will carry two lanes of traffic into Winona; the other will carry traffic leaving town.”

The Forum News Service says, “Mille Lacs Band DNR biologists say they may have boated a world-record muskie during electrofishing activity this spring on Mille Lacs Lake. While engaged in spring electrofishing activities for walleye, DNR Aquaculture Biologist Keith Wiggins-Kegg and an electroshocking team found a giant muskie was also within the shockwaves. … A length measurement was taken and they quickly snapped a couple of photos before gently releasing the muskie. The team watched as the muskie swam away safely. The muskie measured 61-1/2 inches. The world record for a hooked muskie is 60-1/4 inches caught in Hayward, Wis., in 1949.”

For CNBC, Berkeley Lovelace says, “Sen. Amy Klobuchar lambasted President Donald Trump’s record on lowering prescription drug prices during Wednesday’ night’s Democratic primary debate, but an analysis from RX Savings Solutions shows the presidential candidate overstated Trump’s lack of success. … Klobuchar said from Miami, Florida. ‘Instead, 2,500 drugs have gone up in double-digits since he came into office. Instead, he gave $100 billion in giveaways to the pharma companies’. However, the number of drug price increases of 10% or more since Trump entered office is actually closer to 1,596, according to Michael Rea, a clinical pharmacist and founder of Rx Savings Solutions.”

This at WCCO-TV: “The Great Minnesota Get-Together is getting some international recognition. Newsweek put the Minnesota State Fair on its list of 10 Best Late Summer Festivals. The State Fair, which attracts more than 2 million visitors annually, is alongside festivals across the world including the World Bodypainting Festival in Austria, the Taiwan International Balloon Festival and the Maralal International Camel Derby in Kenya. The 12-day tradition is the only American celebration on the list.”