Snowstorm poised for Saturday arrival

Friday is expected to be the calm between Thursday’s wind advisory and Saturday’s winter storm watch.

You know what that means: It’ll be a good day to stock up on provisions at the store ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.

Under the current forecast, the snow could start falling in western Minnesota late Friday, according to Caleb Grunzke, meteorologist with the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service, with the snow pushing into the metro early Saturday.

How much snow?

“Currently, it’s looking like at least 3 to 4 inches is likely a possibility for most of our forecast area,” Grunzke says.

Within that area — the southern half of Minnesota and western Wisconsin — some of us could see even more snow, depending on how long this system lingers.

“Within the heaviest portion of the snow band, we could see upwards of 5 to 7 inches, potentially even 8 inches,” says Grunzke.

The storm could bring the biggest snow accumulation in the Twin Cities this winter. Since 5.5 inches fell on Dec. 19, there hasn’t been a single-day snowfall of an inch or more.

So far this winter, 10.9 inches of snow have been officially measured at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. That’s 20.9 inches below average.

After the snow subsides by Saturday evening and skies clear on Sunday, next week will start out cold -- think single digits. Later in the week, forecasters are watching another potential system that could bring another round of snow.

Follow this still-developing system at weather.gov/mpx and view current road conditions at 511mn.org.

— Molly Guthrey

Man admits having 30,000 fentanyl pills

A Rochester man arrested on suspicion of possessing more than 30,000 fentanyl pills pleaded guilty in federal court last month.

John Michael Ask, 46, was indicted in February 2024. He was charged with seven counts relating to conspiracy, possession and intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Ask pleaded guilty to a lesser offense of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, according to his plea.

He admitted that he conspired with “numerous others to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and quantities of cocaine” from the spring of 2023 through Sept. 11, 2023.

In July 2023, law enforcement seized approximately 30,000 fentanyl pills from a package in Ask’s driveway after he exited his vehicle. He previously traveled to Phoenix, where he mailed two packages to Rochester.

With his plea, Ask will face five to 40 years in prison, a supervised release term for four years to life, and a maximum fine of $5 million.

A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.

The Rochester Police Department’s 2023 investigation into Ask covered an alleged drug trafficking operation that involved multiple people moving controlled substances by mail or vehicle from California to Minnesota. He faced three separate court cases related to possessing and selling controlled substances in Dodge and Olmsted counties.

Before he was charged in Olmsted County, Ask attempted to work with Rochester police as a confidential informant. According to previous Rochester Post Bulletin reporting, it appeared the department determined he wasn’t a reliable source.

The Olmsted County case was dismissed, but the Dodge County cases are dormant.

— Forum News Service

Man believed dead in morning house fire

A 57-year-old Orr man is missing and believed to be dead after a house fire Thursday morning in northeastern Minnesota.

According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, a caller reported a house fire in the 3500 block of County Road 119 at 6:50 a.m. Thursday. The caller reported her husband was missing and was last seen awake in the house.

The sheriff’s office said the house was a total loss, and “it is believed the male succumbed to the fire.”

The home was five miles southwest of Orr in northern St. Louis County.

The state fire marshal’s office is helping the sheriff’s office investigate the cause of the fire.

— Forum News Service