A teenager fell through a grate at the abandoned Ford plant Saturday night, plunging 20 feet down into a basement, according to St. Paul fire officials.

At about 8 p.m. Saturday, the St. Paul Fire Department dispatched its Technical Rescue Team to the former Ford plant at 965 S. Mississippi River Boulevard after a caller reported the teen had fallen into the basement and was unable to walk, according to St. Paul Fire Deputy Chief and public information officer Jamie E. Smith, Sr.

When crews arrived, they found the teen by accessing the ground level door. The teen was conscious and alert with “multiple non-life threatening injuries” and was taken to a local hospital, Smith said.

No technical rescue was required, he said.

— Kristi Miller

ST. PAUL PARK

Man killed in solo vehicle exit ramp crash

A South St. Paul man was killed in a single-vehicle crash at a Highway 61 exit ramp in St. Paul Park, authorities said.

The fatal crash occurred shortly after 7:30 p.m. Saturday when the driver of a Honda Civic took an offramp from southbound Highway 61 in St. Paul Park, according to the state patrol website.

The state patrol identified the driver as Michael Alton Huset, 68, of South St. Paul.

According to the state patrol, Huset’s vehicle exited the highway at the 70th Street offramp and drove through the intersection at the top of the offramp, striking a concrete wall on the other side.

Huset was taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

— Kristi Miller

BLOOMINGTON

Woman struck and killed on I-494

A woman was hit and killed at eastbound I-494 and 34th Avenue in Bloomington on Saturday night while running across traffic lanes, according to the state patrol.

Cynthia Finnell, 66, of Bloomington, was struck and killed on 494 while she was running across the eastbound lanes, according to the state patrol website. The driver of a Ford Explorer in the right lane of the freeway, just west of 34th Avenue, struck and killed her.

The deadly crash occurred at 8:45 p.m. Saturday, according to L. Mike Lee, public information officer for the Minnesota State Patrol.

Further details will be released at a later date as the investigation is active and ongoing, he said.

— Kristi Miller

NORTH DAKOTA

State’s DOGE bill moves forward

The North Dakota Senate passed a bill on Friday to create a state Department of Government Efficiency task force in the same vein as the federal DOGE.

House Bill 1442 passed the Senate with a 41-4 vote and now heads back to the House for a vote of concurrence before it can be sent to the governor’s desk.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Nathan Toman, R-Mandan, would create a task force made up of 10 members.

According to the bill’s carrier on the Senate floor, Sen. Chuck Walen, R-New Town, the task force’s goal is to identify areas where North Dakota can increase efficiency, implement cost-saving measures, and find unnecessary, duplicative or outdated laws, rules and regulations. Members would submit an annual report of their findings to legislative management and present legislative management with potential changes to consider in future sessions.

“Just to slash is not why I brought it,” Toman said. “It is to create an effective, efficient government that is cognizant of the taxpayer dollars and is a good steward of those dollars, and not just spending them because we have some.”

There has been widespread reporting on growing national frustration with the federal Department of Government Efficiency, but Toman said he had been thinking about a bill of this nature for over two years — long before Elon Musk and the Trump administration created the federal DOGE.

North Dakota is not the first state to implement a state-level task force or department similar to the federal DOGE. A number of other states have introduced DOGE legislation or seen executive orders creating DOGE-like committees and task forces.

— Bismarck Tribune

NORTH DAKOTA

Griggs County first to have female duo lead

They are one of the smallest sheriff’s departments in North Dakota, but the Griggs County Sheriff’s Office has made state history.

Sheriff Amberly Michaelis and Chief Deputy Danielle Bjorlie are the first female sheriff and chief deputy duo in North Dakota.

“Honorable to think we did that here in Griggs County,” Michaelis said.

This marks the second time Michaelis has served as sheriff in Griggs County. Her law enforcement career began 15 years ago in Florida.

“At the end of the day, the way we can help people and try to better our community is really what it’s all about,” Michaelis said.

Bjorlie, who has been in law enforcement since 2007, echoed the sentiment. She comes from a family of first responders.

Neither woman focuses much on being a female officer.

“You just go out and do your job every day. I don’t really get much flak from other people as being a female,” Michaelis said.

“I hope that females can look at us as role models and it can open their eyes that they can do whatever they put their mind to,” Michaelis said.

The Hettinger County Sheriff’s Office recently became the second in state history to have both a female sheriff and chief deputy. Sheriff Sarah Warner is the longest-serving female sheriff in North Dakota with 15 years of service.

— WDAY