An air quality alert issued this week for central and northwestern Minnesota has been extended until 6 p.m. Wednesday as conditions worsen, casting a smoggy pall over the Twin Cities.

On Monday, air quality reached the orange status, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. On Tuesday, when the alert was set to expire at noon, the MPCA extended it and said air quality was due to reach the red status in the Twin Cities and Moorhead in the Red River Valley. The red air quality status is considered unhealthy for everyone. The orange air quality status was expected elsewhere where the alert is in effect.

Light winds combining with moisture from melting snow are trapping fine particulate pollution in the air. But the MPCA said air quality is expected to improve late Wednesday with the arrival of a cold front, causing the smog to begin to dissipate.

Areas affected by the alert include the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, Moorhead, East Grand Forks, Alexandria, Brainerd, Hinckley and the tribal nations of Upper Sioux, Leech Lake, Red Lake and Mille Lacs.

In the red area, all individuals should avoid prolonged outdoor exertion.

In the orange area, people in sensitive groups are encouraged to reduce outdoor physical activities, take more breaks or do less intense activities to reduce their exposure while the alert is in effect.

People with asthma should follow their asthma action plan and keep their rescue inhaler nearby.

Anyone experiencing health effects related to poor air quality should contact their health care provider. Those with severe symptoms, chest pain, trouble breathing or who fear they may be experiencing a heart attack or stroke should call 911 immediately.

For current air quality conditions, go to the MPCA’s website at pca.state.mn.us.

— Staff report

Tribal police officer’s killer is sentenced

A northern Minnesota man was sentenced Tuesday to 37 years in prison for the 2021 shooting death of a tribal police officer.

David Brian Donnell Jr., 30, pleaded guilty in April to second-degree murder in the killing of 37-year-old Red Lake officer Ryan Bialke.

He was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bemidji by Judge John R. Tunheim.

During the hearing, Tunheim said that the sentence was “justified by a senseless crime” and extended condolences to Bialke’s family. “He was a fine man,” the judge said. “I wish I had known him.”

Seventeen members of Bialke’s family, friends and former colleagues provided victim impact statements during the hearing, with deputies from the Beltrami County sheriff’s office lining two walls of the courtroom.

Donnell’s family told the court that he suffered from a drug addiction that went untreated due to the coronavirus pandemic. Donnell himself apologized for Bialke’s death and expressed remorse.

On July 27, 2021, five officers with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department went to Donnell’s home in Redby to conduct a welfare check. When officers arrived, Donnell, who was on the porch, went inside the home.

Because Donnell had an active tribal warrant and was refusing to comply with orders, officers breached the door. Donnell opened fire and Bialke was struck by gunfire, prosecutors said.

Donnell continued firing and one officer returned fire as the four remaining officers fled into nearby woods. He fired at least 22 rounds from his rifle, prosecutors said.

Bialke died at the scene. Donnell fled but was arrested soon after at a nearby home.

The Red Lake Reservation is in northwest Minnesota, about 160 miles from the Canadian border. It covers about 1,260 square miles and is home to about half of the tribe’s 14,000 members.

— Staff and news service reports

State offers last free in-home COVID tests

The Minnesota Department of Health is offering a last chance to get free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests before the program ends.

On Tuesday, MDH said Minnesota households can order four of the tests at mn.gov/covid19.

“Since the state’s free test program began last April, more than 2.5 million free tests have been delivered to Minnesota households,” Health Commissioner Brooke Cunningham said in a statement. “Testing is essential in getting the proper treatment to those who need it and preventing the spread of COVID-19, and the state’s free online ordering program made it simple for Minnesotans in every corner of the state to easily access critical testing.”

Minnesotans can also order tests at 1-833-431-2053 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Language assistance is available.

Over-the-counter, at-home COVID-19 tests remain available and are now required to be covered by health plans offered by Medicare, insurers, employers and groups as a result of actions taken by the Biden administration.

Check your health plan prior to purchasing at-home tests to ensure you’re following the necessary steps to have costs the covered.

— Staff report