Law enforcement agencies in Minnesota are stepping up enforcement efforts in April during Distracted Driving Awareness Month, amid growing concern that texting and driving continues to rise — even as crashes, injuries and deaths increase.

“We’ve all known for a while that texting and driving is just not something you want to do,” said Sgt. Jesse Grabow of the Minnesota State Patrol. “It’s very frustrating because it’s so simple to be preventative, I mean, to make good choices each and every time you get behind the wheel.”

Grabow called texting behind the wheel “a very selfish act that can result in dire consequences.”

Those consequences were deadly in a Cass County crash on Sept. 25, 2021, when a Moorhead man, distracted by Snapchat while speeding north on Highway 18 near Hunter, rear-ended an SUV waiting to turn left. The collision pushed that SUV into the southbound lane, where it was hit head-on by another SUV. Two people in the second SUV were killed; three people in the first SUV were injured.

“Anytime you’re taking your eyes off the road for that amount of time, you’re traveling quite the distance in that time, and you may not know what’s ahead of you,” said Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sending or reading a text while driving 55 mph is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.

Empting said the problem has only gotten worse. “I would say, over the years, it’s getting worse, because the accessibility to the cellphone is there all the time … people almost can’t live without their cellphone anymore. If it’s gone for five minutes, you don’t know what to do.”

Technology exists to help drivers use phones safely. “If your vehicle is equipped with Bluetooth, you’re able to operate and have the Bluetooth and use that, or you have to purchase some type of other type of Bluetooth type equipment,” Empting added.

Despite the known dangers, distracted driving crashes continue to rise. The Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety reported 22 distracted driving deaths in 2022, 26 in 2023 and 29 in 2024.

The NHTSA says more than 3,300 people were killed nationwide due to distracted driving in 2022. Officials note the issue is often underreported because drivers may not admit it or no witness is available to verify distraction occurred.

Grabow urged drivers to take lessons from tragic cases. “Learn from other people’s mistakes,” he said.

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On his Instagram account this week, Chris Paddack implored Twins fans to “Keep the faith” during the team’s slow start. On Saturday, the starter did his part to help instill some faith — and yet, his start went for naught on a day when the Twins’ offense went almost silent.

The Twins fell 4-0 to the Detroit Tigers, collecting just four hits off rookie starter Jackson Jobe and the Detroit bullpen. With the loss — their third straight — Minnesota fell to 4-11, matching the worst start in Twins history through the team’s first 15 games.

The Twins couldn’t do anything in six innings against Jobe, who is among Major League Baseball’s top prospects, managing just two hits a day after their offense broke out for 12 in a 7-6 loss to Detroit. Prior to Carlos Correa’s double with one out in the ninth inning, just one Twins runner, leadoff hitter Matt Wallner in the first inning, had even reached second base.

The Tigers, meanwhile, played with a lead from the beginning after Zach McKinstry, their leadoff hitter, walked to begin the game. A rare but costly Correa throwing error allowed him to reach third and he scored on Spencer Torkelson’s sacrifice fly.

Torkelson was in the middle of everything for the Tigers, scoring their second run of the game and later hitting a two-run home run in the sixth off reliever Kody Funderburk.

Funderburk entered in the sixth after five strong innings from Paddack, who had given up 13 runs through his first two starts (7 1/3 innings pitched). He allowed two runs, though the first was unearned, and both scored on sacrifice flies.

It was a promising sign for a team desperately in need of one, but on a day where the offense finished with just four hits, it wasn’t enough.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Chris Paddack (20) delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Should the Timberwolves beat Utah — as they’re heavily favored to do — on Sunday, Minnesota secures a top-six seed in the West and its fourth straight playoff berth.

But where the Timberwolves would open said playoffs, with what seed and against which opponent, is entirely not up to them.

Here are the scenarios for the other games Sunday — Denver playing in Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers playing in Golden State — that will determine Minnesota’s first-round setup.

Denver wins, Clippers win: Wolves are the 6 seed vs. the 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers.

The skinny: Viewed widely as the “worst” setup for Minnesota, there is nothing overly enticing about a first-round matchup against two all-time greats in Lebron James and Luka Doncic.

The Lakers may struggle to find ways to defend Anthony Edwards without contributing numerous resources to the cause. And Los Angeles doesn’t possess the size necessary to keep Rudy Gobert off the glass. So Minnesota has a couple of matchup advantages.

But it’s difficult to envision best-of-seven series against two of the league’s most cerebral players breaking in Minnesota’s favor.

Denver wins, Golden State wins: Wolves are the 5 seed vs. the 4 seed Nuggets

The skinny: On paper, this looks like the best possible scenario for Minnesota, who would get to square off with a team it swept in four regular season meetings this season and knocked out of last year’s playoffs.

Denver simply doesn’t have the personnel to defend the Timberwolves, and Minnesota’s wings have proven they can slow down and frustrate Denver’s No. 2 and No. 3 scoring options in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.

Certainly, it’s always a scary proposition to go against the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic, but Jokic has to exert himself to no end to give Denver a chance on the defensive end. And it’s asking a lot, even against a player in as good of physical condition of Jokic, to play such a key role in the team’s defensive scheme while also having to carry the offensive burden.

Denver loses, Clippers win: Wolves are the 5 seed vs. the 4 seed Clippers

The skinny: A Nuggets loss feels unlikely given the Rockets — who’ve secured the No. 2 seed in the West — rested numerous starters in each of their previous two games and figure to do so again Sunday. But should Houston pull the upset, this would be an intriguing first-round matchup for Minnesota.

The Wolves swept the Clippers in three regular season meetings and have had success against Los Angeles in the past. But it should be noted the Clippers weren’t entirely healthy for any of those regular season matchups, and they are one of the hottest teams in the NBA entering the postseason.

The Clippers play an isolation brand of offense that plays directly into the strengths of Minnesota’s defense, but the Clippers also have the personnel necessary to give Minnesota’s offense issues if the Wolves don’t generate enough offense with their defense.

This series could be a potential slog.

Denver loses, Golden State wins: Wolves are the 4 seed vs. the 5 seed Clippers

The skinny: This would be Minnesota’s one path to earning home-court advantage to open the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

(Should Minnesota lose to Utah, it will be in the play-in tournament as the No. 7 or No. 8 seed)

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Footage from the Minnesota United-Toronto FC match Saturday will not be featured in league-wide highlight packages this weekend, but it might be catalogued as part of opponents’ film study on how to neutralize the Loons going forward.

The Loons and Reds played to a scoreless draw at BMO Field in Toronto, and Minnesota’s usually potent counter-attacking offense was neutered as MNUFC possessed 49% of the ball — more than 20% more than their league-low mark going into Saturday.

“We are going to have to do both,” head coach Eric Ramsay said about playing with and without the ball. “… I don’t think the amount of the ball we had was a reflection of whether we played well or didn’t. It was the conditions they set to an extent.

“Over the year as we move forward are going to now encounter teams that are very, very conscious of the way in which we had success … over the first eight games,” Ramsay continued. “And it’s going to be a process, an iteration for us in that sense.”

United’s strong defense contributed to the road draw that means MNUFC (4-1-3, 15 points) extended its unbeaten streak to seven games, while Toronto (0-4-4, 4 points) is now winless in eight games to start the season.

Three tidbits

The Loons’ last goalless draw came 12 total games ago against Real Salt Lake in October. … DJ Taylor made his first MLS appearance early in the second half Saturday, replacing right wing back Bongi Hlongwane, who was being targeted by Toronto after picking up a first-half yellow card. … US Bank Stadium will host a doubleheader of CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals on June 29. The four teams will be determined after the tournament’s group stages between national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

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