Longtime KARE 11 meteorologist Belinda Jensen is retiring after spending 33 years at the NBC affiliate.

KARE 11 meteorologist Belinda Jensen (Courtesy of KARE 11)

“KARE 11 has been more than a workplace; it has been family,” Jensen said in the station’s story about her retirement. “To the loyal viewers who welcomed me into their homes each day, thank you for your trust, loyalty and kindness, and for allowing me to be part of your lives.”

Jensen, 58, graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison with a bachelor of science degree in meteorology.

She worked for the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City and the ABC affiliate KTVX in Salt Lake City before starting at KARE in September 1993. She became chief meteorologist at KARE in 2005.

“From day one, 33 years ago, at 25 years old, I felt this was a remarkable opportunity that I didn’t want to take for granted,” Jensen said. “I interned under Paul Douglas while at the University of Wisconsin in 1989, and interviewed him in 10th grade for a term paper about meteorology, so this has been a true dream job for me from the start. KARE always pushed me to try things I never thought I could do, and every year brought more interesting and incredible experiences.”

Jensen was born in Apple Valley and grew up in Prescott.

In addition to covering the weather, Jensen serves as the station’s Saturday morning show. She also wrote a series of books called “Bel the Weather Girl.”

Jensen’s final day on the air will be May 2, but she’ll return in the fall as an occasional contributor on Saturdays.

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A St. Paul man who walked into an unlocked Merriam Park home while naked and was later confronted by a teen girl and her father has been sentenced to two years of probation.

William Kweku Enin (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

William Kweku Enin, 25, received his sentence Friday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to first-degree burglary in connection with the incident in the early morning hours of Sept. 1, 2024.

A stayed prison sentence to probation was the presumptive sentence under state guidelines, which take into account the severity of the offense and a defendant’s criminal history. Enin had no prior criminal convictions.

Enin lived less than a mile south of the home he burglarized. He has since moved to California, where he’s been living with his mother and undergoing mental health treatment and “doing well,” his attorney Emma Koski said in court.

According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to the home in the 1800 block of Marshall Avenue on a burglary call just after 3:30 a.m. The 16-year-old girl’s father told police she saw a man in her bedroom closet and that she screamed, causing him to apologize and leave her room.

The father heard the girl’s screams and encountered the man downstairs wearing the girl’s clothes. The father asked him what he was doing and he replied, “God called me to come here” and asked why the home’s door had been unlocked, the complaint said.

After the man left, the father saw the man had made food in the kitchen and turned on a TV in the living room.

The father gave police video surveillance footage that shows the man entering the home through the front door naked. He grabbed a towel from the front porch and wrapped it around his waist. He walked through the house before putting on the girl’s clothes.

Enin was arrested the same day — less than a mile away — after he reportedly went inside a car and refused to get out.

One credit shy of graduating

Enin, at his first court appearance, was ordered to undergo a Rule 20.01 evaluation, which is used to determine whether a defendant is capable of communicating with a defense attorney and competent to participate in criminal proceedings. He was found to be competent.

In December, Enin entered a Norgaard plea to the felony charge. Under a Norgaard plea, a defendant says they are unable to remember what happened due to drug use or mental health impairment at the time, but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a jury to convict beyond a reasonable doubt.

Enin appeared for Friday’s sentencing via Zoom from California.

“I would just like to say I take full accountability for everything that happened,” he told Judge Kellie Charles. “And I’m really sorry that this happened.”

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“I see that you were one credit away from a degree from Macalester College,” Charles said.

“Yes, Your Honor,” he replied.

Charles then gave Enin a stay of imposition, meaning the felony conviction will become a misdemeanor if he successfully completes the conditions of probation, which include mental health programming.

“So it’s important that you follow through,” Charles said. “I’ve been following this case for close to two years, and you’ve always shown up and you’re taking your mental health seriously. And I am confident that you’re going to be able to do well on probation.”

Mr. Clean appears to be calling it quits.

The retirement of the bald, animated mascot used in Mr. Clean ads and on products since 1958 was announced in a social media ad posted Thursday.

That ad features Mr. Clean standing behind a podium with a “breaking news” chyron flashing across the screen.

“After a career with zero stains on the record, he’s ready for new adventures,” the narrator says.

That voice assures consumers the company bearing his name will continue to operate, then asks “What’s next for Mr. Clean?”

Among those wishing the smiling character well on Instagram were the social media teams behind Old Spice grooming products and Brawny paper towels.

“We’ll miss you, legend!” wrote the team at Old Spice.

(Shutterstock)

Mr. Clean’s people responded by saying they too will miss their mascot.

“While our products will continue to battle your dirt and grime, Mr. Clean, well, first name Veritably, (yes, really), is off to new adventures. We know his journey will be fulfilling, and we support his decision,” the company wrote.

This may not be the end of Mr. Clean altogether.

USA Today reported that word of his departure is tied to another announcement coming March 4. The Procter & Gamble-owned brand reportedly has no plans to change Mr. Clean’s packaging or branding.

A separate social media post from Mr. Clean the character seemed to reinforce the notion fans could see him again down the road.

“If you’re reading this, the rumors are true,” that announcement said. “I’m saying goodbye to the world of cleaning in pursuit of new hobbies.”

The Pillsbury company also bid adieu to Mr. Clean from an Instagram account using its Poppin Fresh mascot as an avatar.

“Excited to see what’s next for you, friend!” that post reads.

“Thanks Poppin Fresh,” Mr. Clean responded with a tearful emoji. “On to the next chapter.”

By MARCIA DUNN

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Grounded until at least April, NASA’s giant moon rocket is headed back to the hangar this week for more repairs before astronauts climb aboard.

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The space agency said Sunday it’s targeting Tuesday for the slow, four-mile (6.4-kilometer) trek across Kennedy Space Center, weather permitting.

NASA had barely finished a repeat fueling test Thursday, to ensure dangerous hydrogen fuel leaks were plugged, when another problem cropped up.

This time, the rocket’s helium system malfunctioned, further delaying astronauts’ first trip to the moon in more than half a century.

Engineers had just tamed the hydrogen leaks and settled on a March 6 launch date — already a month late — when the helium issue arose. The helium flow to the rocket’s upper stage was disrupted; helium is needed to purge the engines and pressurize the fuel tanks.

“Returning to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy is required to determine the cause of the issue and fix it,” NASA said in a statement.

This image provided by NASA shows NASA’s moon rocket sits on the pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (NASA via AP)

NASA said the quick rollback preps preserve an April launch attempt, but stressed that will depend on how the repairs go. The space agency has only a handful of days any given month to launch the crew of four around the moon and back.

The three Americans and one Canadian assigned to the Artemis II mission remain on standby in Houston. They will become the first people to fly to the moon since NASA’s Apollo program that sent 24 astronauts there from 1968 through 1972.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.