A second Duluth whistleblower lawsuit has been filed against the city after a former city employee alleges retaliation and discrimination after reporting concerns of officer misconduct within the Duluth Police Department, WDIO reported on Monday. In the lawsuit, the Duluth whistleblower is a former program coordinator on opioid response initiatives. She said she was ridiculed by police officers and was subjected to hostility after reporting concerns that officers were using people who had recently overdosed as informants for drug deals, KARE 11 reported.
This is the second employment lawsuit filed by Minnesota law firm Storms Dworak LLC against the city within the past six months. In the previous lawsuit, a former Duluth police lieutenant claimed he was forced out after reporting suspected misconduct within the police department, the Star Tribune reported in early March.
Related: More on the earlier Duluth whistleblower case as covered by Duluth’s FOX21 in March
Staying with Duluth for a moment, the controversy in which a Cargill heir’s wife, Kathy Cargill, bought up properties on Duluth’s Park Point is headed the opposite direction, reports the Minnesota Star Tribune. Her company is selling the remaining vacant properties and her own home is listed as “coming soon,” the paper reported.
Onto the metro. In case you missed it on Friday, there’s more news about Minneapolis Public Schools finances: The school district has incurred $5.3 million in IRS penalties in the past four years, reports the Minnesota Reformer.
Three hundred nursing home workers were on strike across the Twin Cities on Monday, WCCO-TV reports. After failed contract negotiations, workers with SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa voted overwhelmingly to authorize an unfair labor practices strike at five nursing homes in the metro area. They are pushing for higher wages, better benefits and safe staffing levels, according to the union’s press release.
Related: Were about half of Duluth’s residents foreign born in the late 19th century?
St. Paul Mayor Koahly Her delivered her first State of the City address on Monday, reports KARE 11. Operation Metro Surge was among the topics, and Her said St. Paul businesses lost $129 million in January and February. “Families are still at risk of losing their homes and many places remain on the verge of closing,” she said.
A large grass fire sparked along Interstate 94 near the County Road 81 exit in Rogers Monday, prompting the Minnesota Department of Transportation to temporarily close the right lane, reports Bring Me The News. The fire was contained by 12:30 p.m. Earlier on Monday, The National Weather Service issued 66 red flag warnings to counties across the state due to extreme fire risk. Red flag warnings indicate conditions in which fires can spread quickly and grow out of control.
In more weather news, after several tornados swept through southeastern Minnesota on Friday residents in Marion Township are showing up to clear debris, bring donations and volunteer services, the Rochester Post-Bulletin reported. While the total cost of the storm is still being determined, damage levels likely won’t meet FEMA qualifications. But they do appear to meet the threshold for a state emergency declaration, Olmsted County Administrator Travis Gransee told the newspaper.

