The reward for information about a woman missing from Dakota Count since July has increased, according to the Dakota County sheriff’s office.

Officers continue to investigate the disappearance of 56-year-old Nicole “Niki” Anderson, who left on foot from her Randolph Township home the morning of July 6, and has yet to return.

Anderson’s family reported that she’d left her home that morning to check the mail, which was the last they had heard from her.

Investigators searched her home and surrounding property using drones, canines and helicopters, according to a sheriff’s office statement. They also searched the residence where her 42-year-old ex-boyfriend stayed in Randolph, two miles from her own property.

Anderson’s family shared that she is a cancer survivor.

The previous reward of $5,000 for information leading to Anderson’s whereabouts or the prosecution of those involved is now $45,000, according to a press release. Private parties contributed the additional $40,000.

Only tips received through the Dakota County sheriff’s office or Crime Stoppers that help lead to the location of Nicole Anderson or prosecution of those involved in her disappearance are eligible for the reward.

Anderson was last seen wearing dark-colored pants, sandals and a long, gray sweater/shirt. She is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds, according to the sheriff’s office.

Tip information can be shared by calling 651-438-TIPS, via email @crimeandwarranttips@co.dakota.mn.us or online co.dakota.mn.us/LawJustice/Tips.

— Talia McWright

Mary J. Blige planning March show at the X

Mary J. Blige, aka the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, will hit the road in the new year with a March 16 stop planned at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. Citi cardholders have access to a presale that starts at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Neither the promoter nor the venue announced prices. Ne-Yo and Mario are also on the bill.

A New York native, Blige was a 17-year-old high school dropout when she recorded an impromptu cover of Anita Baker’s “Caught Up in the Rapture” at a recording booth in a mall. Her mother’s boyfriend at the time got the cassette into the hands of an A&R rep at Uptown Records, which signed her as a backup vocalist the following year.

The label eventually allowed Blige to work on her own material and released her debut album “What’s the 411?” in 1992. It went triple platinum and spawned the hits “Real Love,” “You Remind Me” and “Reminisce.” Blige’s 1994 follow-up “My Life” found similar success, with Blige’s deeply personal lyrics becoming a theme that has run through her entire career.

In addition to regularly releasing music and touring in the decades since, Blige has carved out a second career in acting. She made her screen debut in the 2001 film “Prison Song” and has since appeared in more than a dozen movies.

Her widely acclaimed turn in 2017’s “Mudbound” earned Blige Oscar nominations for best supporting actress and best original song.

“Gratitude,” Blige’s 15th album, is due out Nov. 15. On Oct. 19, she will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the class of 2024.

While Blige does tour frequently, she hasn’t played the Twin Cities since 2010 when she joined the short-lived Lilith Fair revival.

— Ross Raihala

Highway 36 closing overnight Thursday

Minnesota 36 will be closed overnight this Thursday-Friday between Little Canada and Oakdale to allow workers to relocate a power line pole.

The highway will be reduced to a single lane in each direction starting at 9 p.m. Thursday between Interstates 35E and 694. It will fully close in both directions at 1 a.m. Friday.

Eastbound drivers who want to bypass the closure are encouraged to use northbound Minnesota 120 and eastbound Interstate 694 back to Minnesota 36.

Westbound drivers can use westbound I-694 and southbound Highway 120 back to Highway 36.

The roadway is expected to reopen by 5:30 a.m. Friday.

— Amirah Razman

Major parties select presidential electors

Democrats and Republicans in Wisconsin picked new presidential electors on Tuesday, almost four years after Republicans from the state posed as fake electors for former President Donald Trump.

The Democratic and Republican legislative caucuses and legislative candidates met in the state Capitol to select 10 people from each party who will represent voters in the presidential election. The winner of the popular vote in each state determines which party’s electors are sent to the Electoral College, which meets after the election in

December to certify the outcome.

Ten Wisconsin Republicans posed as fake electors for Trump in 2020, filing paperwork falsely saying he had won the battleground state. Democrats filed a lawsuit against them in 2022. The Republicans ultimately agreed to a settlement last year that called for them to admit they were trying to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory, acknowledge Biden won the state and agree to never serve as presidential electors in 2024 or any other election involving Trump.

The 2024 Republican electors include Fond Du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney, state GOP chair Brian Schimming and former Gov. Tommy Thompson.

Democratic electors include Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.

— Associated Press

Firefighters battle blaze at railroad tie facility

Firefighters spent all day Tuesday battling a blaze at a railroad tie recycling facility in western Wisconsin.

The fire broke out early Tuesday morning at Omaha Track in the town of Campbell on French Island, just outside La Crosse, multiple media outlets reported. The facility grinds up scrap railway ties and materials into chips that can be used as biofuel.

Flames and smoke could be seen for miles.

Multiple fire departments were still fighting the blaze late Tuesday afternoon.

No injuries had been reported. The cause of the fire is unclear. Omaha Track didn’t immediately return an Associated Press email.

A similar fire erupted there in 2015 after a woodchipper caught fire. That blaze released toxins into the air that forced residents to shelter in place.

— Associated Press