A new airline is coming to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to provide flights to Edmonton, Alberta, five times a week starting June 2.

WestJet, the second largest Canadian air carrier, which provides flights to 110 destinations in 24 countries, announced Monday that the service will support Minnesota’s business connections to Canada, the state’s top export market.

The Edmonton-Minnesota route was serviced by Delta Air Lines, MSP’s largest carrier, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The route, along with many others, was dropped during the pandemic and has not been serviced since, according to Jeff Lea, strategic communications manager for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns and operates MSP.

Delta is a codeshare partner with WestJet, which means that the airlines sell seats on each other’s flights and share all revenues from those flights. While WestJet’s Edmonton route will only be serviced with one plane, the airline could potentially expand its presence at MSP and begin offering more flights in the future.

“With WestJet’s expansive network across Canada, we’re hopeful the airline will find more opportunities to grow service at MSP,” Lea said.

Edmonton is the capital of the western Canadian province of Alberta. According to WestJet’s announcement, the airline will support “important business connections,” especially in agriculture and energy sectors.

“The new service to Edmonton will make travel easier and faster between Minnesota, the broader Midwest, and all of western Canada, strengthening partnerships and opening new opportunities between people, communities and businesses,” said Ariel Delouya, Canada’s consul general in Minneapolis.

WestJet has been operating since 1996 and primarily flies Boeing Next Generation 737s and 737 Max aircraft.

It will become the 16th airline operating at MSP this year, and Edmonton will be the sixth Canadian destination with nonstop service from the airport, which is also serviced by Air Canada, the country’s largest airline.

The other nonstop destinations from MSP are Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal.

WestJet booking is now open from June through October at westjet.com.

— Olivia Stevens

Murder defendant is fugitive from trial

Authorities are searching for a southwestern Minnesota homicide suspect who failed to appear at his murder trial Monday and was believed to be headed toward the Twin Cities.

According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Ralph Apmann should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who encounters him or knows his whereabouts is urged to call 911.

Apmann, 58, is the suspect in an August 2021 homicide outside the Phat Pheasant Pub in Windom. According to second-degree murder charges filed in Cottonwood County District Court, Apmann allegedly put Juan Morales-Rivera in fatal chokehold following a dispute at the bar.

On Monday morning, Apmann failed to appear for his trial at the Cottonwood County Courthouse in Windom. He had previously posted $150,000 bail after being charged.

The Cottonwood County Citizen reported that jurors heard testimony Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The prosecution rested its case Friday and the defense was to begin its case Monday.

The newspaper reported that local schools were initially put on a “soft” lockdown Monday as Windom police investigated Apmann’s whereabouts.

According to the BCA, Apmann is believed to be armed with a 9-mm handgun and an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.

He is white, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 230 pounds and has hazel eyes and balding gray hair.

— Staff report

6 inmates treated after jail overdose

Six inmates were treated after apparently overdosing last weekend at the Morrison County jail in central Minnesota.

The Morrison County sheriff’s office reported that shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday, jail staff found an unresponsive inmate in a housing unit. Emergency personnel arrived on scene and assisted correctional officers with lifesaving efforts, including administering naloxone, a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids.

While working on the first inmate, other inmates in the same housing unit began showing signs of a potential overdose. In total, six inmates showed signs of overdosing, and five were treated with naloxone.

All six male inmates in the same housing unit were transported to the Little Falls hospital for treatment and monitoring. After being evaluated at the hospital, the inmates were cleared and released back to the Morrison County jail.

In a news release, Sheriff Shawn Larsen said he was “proud of everyone’s collaborative efforts, for their quick response and lifesaving actions, which ultimately saved the lives of six inmates.”

The sheriff’s office said the Minnesota Department of Corrections was notified, and an investigation of the incident is being conducted by the sheriff’s office with the assistance of the Little Falls Police Department.

— Forum News Service