Eden Prairie couple among Americans evacuated from Japanese cruise ship

KARE-11’s Kent Erdahl reports: “A 15-day cruise led to two extended coronavirus quarantines for a Minnesota couple. Amy Ellefson and Ron Hildeen left Eden Prairie in January to take part in a Diamond Princess cruise that departed from Yokohama, Japan on January 20th. Just before their scheduled return, the crew learned that a passenger had tested positive for the coronavirus. On February 4th, the ship went into quarantine. … The rooms had cable/movies and wifi, and the couple says they also kept occupied with cards and other games. …The couple has now started a second, 14-day quarantine at Travis Air Force Base in California.”

Says Matt Sepic at MPR, “This time of year, pilots in small blue and white airplanes are busy gathering information about how much snow is on the ground — and more importantly, how much water that snow contains. National Weather Service forecasters say parts of Minnesota could see flood conditions later this spring, according to preliminary outlooks. The National Weather Service flood outlook released last week says there’s a significantly elevated chance of flooding in the Upper Mississippi River and Red River watersheds.”

Torey Van Oot of the Star Tribune says, “An effort to raise Minnesota’s legal marriage age to 18 without exception appears to be gaining traction at the State Capitol this year. Existing state law allows 16- and 17-year-olds in the state to wed with permission from a parent and a judge’s approval. But some lawmakers want to fully ban the practice for anyone under 18, citing concerns that the loophole leads to forced marriages, teen pregnancies and a loss in educational opportunities. … The new push in Minnesota comes amid heightened attention to the issue of child marriage both domestically and abroad.”

WCCO-TV’s Reg Chapman reports: “A broadcasting trailblazer is being honored Monday for more than 40 years of service to the community. KMOJ’s Walter ‘Q Bear’ Banks is more than just an on-air DJ, he’s the heart and soul of the radio station. Banks thought he was meeting his co-workers and friends for a discussion about Black History. But it was actually a celebration of his trailblazing career at KMOJ, recognized by a proclamation from Mayor Jacob Frey. From Sounds of Blackness director Gary Hines to lead singer Jamecia Bennet, community showed up to honor the man who was instrumental to the Minneapolis sound.”

At CBS Sports, Jason La Canfora says, “The Vikings will be getting a lot of attention at the combine next week. They have a terrible cap situation, their coach and GM are perceived by the peers to be on the hot seat and it’s going to be impossible for Minnesota to keep this roster together in 2020. Teams will be sniffing around for trades, sensing some blood in the water, and it will go way beyond just receiver Stefon Diggs, the most talked about trade candidate. All of the extensions and huge contacts handed out the last three years have caught up to this franchise, and there is no easy way out.”

MPR’s Brian Bakst reports: “Robocall relief is on the agenda at the Minnesota Capitol this year. Bills to target those unwanted phone calls have been filed in the House and Senate by Republican and Democratic lawmakers, tackling a growing nuisance that in some cases leads to consumer fraud. … Minnesota law already limits the types of calls that can be placed without a live operator introducing them. The restrictions don’t apply to schools and other entities if someone has a prior relationship. Brent Christensen, the president and CEO of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance, said the latest state legislation is premature given that new federal regulations have yet to fully kick in.”

Also from WCCO: “Wisconsin’s claim to indie music fame, Bon Iver, announced Monday that they’ll play three October shows in the battleground state in an effort to get out the vote for the eventual Democratic candidate. ‘They say Wisconsin could decide it all in 2020,’ the band tweeted Monday, adding that fans who pledge to vote will gain early access to tickets. The pre-sale for the three shows – Oct. 5 in La Crosse, Oct. 7 in Wausau, and Oct. 8 and Appleton — is slated to start Wednesday morning.”

For Fox News Paul Steinhauser reports, “The Progressive Change Campaign Committee – which is a major supporter of [Sen. Elizabeth] Warren’s presidential campaign – on Monday took aim at moderate Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who easily beat out the Massachusetts senator for third place in New Hampshire. The email by the PCCC argues that “the voters of New Hampshire just made a terrible mistake” and that Klobuchar surged in the final weekend before the primary because of ‘a couple good zingers in the last debate.’ The PCCC charged that ‘Klobuchar has faced no scrutiny this year. New Hampshire voters didn’t know that Klobuchar voted to confirm two-thirds of Trump judges to lifetime appointments – and has one of the most conservative records of any Democrat.’”