A head-on collision between two vehicles in St. Paul killed one driver and critically injured the other, police said.

Officers were called to the crash in the area of Shepard Road and Otto Street shortly after 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

St. Paul Fire Department medics pronounced Dylan James Severson, 18, dead at the scene, said Nikki Muehlhausen, a St. Paul police spokeswoman. The teen from Fountain City, Wis., had been driving a sedan. A woman in the car sustained moderate injuries and paramedics took her to Regions Hospital.

A man driving a pickup had life-threatening injuries and was also taken to Regions, Muehlhausen said. His condition had stabilized as of Monday. Police continue to investigate the cause of the crash.

— Mara H. Gottfried

Walz sets election to fill Dziedzic’s seat

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz on Monday ordered a special election for next month that will decide control of the state Senate.

The election in the Minneapolis district will be held Jan. 28. DFL Sen. Kari Dziedzic died Friday at 62. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023 and stepped down from the role of Senate majority leader earlier this year as she underwent medical treatment.

Dziedzic represented Senate District 60 for more than a decade. Her peers in the Legislature mourned her passing last weekend.

The vacancy puts the Senate in a 33-33 tie among Democrats and Republicans. The deadline for candidates to file for the seat in the heavily DFL district is Tuesday.

Another special election for a Roseville-area House seat also is scheduled for Jan. 28. The House seat came open after the DFL winner in the November election — Curtis Johnson — was found by a Ramsey County judge to have violated state residency requirement.

Rather than appeal the judge’s ruling, Johnson recently announced he was stepping aside.

Meanwhile, a contested House race in Shakopee has gone to trial with a ruling yet to come in the case.

Control of that chamber is expected to sit at 67-66 early in the legislative session, which begins Jan. 14, with Republicans holding a one-vote advantage.

— Dana Ferguson

Sheriff: Child, 3, killed in firearms accident

A 3-year-old child died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot that occurred in Otter Tail County on Sunday, according to the county sheriff’s office.

At approximately 5:40 p.m., authorities were notified of the shooting in Oak Valley Township, which is southeast of Deer Creek.

The child was transported to the Wadena hospital, and the death was announced Monday morning.

No other details about the incident were disclosed. It remains under investigation.

— Forum News Service