SARTELL, Minn. — A seventh-grader from central Minnesota was declared brain dead Wednesday after suffering a severe head injury despite wearing a helmet during a weekend bike crash.

The family made the decision to take Raghav Shrestha, 12, off life support on Wednesday afternoon, Sartell Police Chief Brandon Silgjord said.

Silgjord went to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis to check on Raghav’s condition earlier Wednesday.

“We know that we speak for our entire community when we say that our hearts are broken for Raghav’s parents, brother and entire family,” Silgjord said in a news release. “The Shrestha family wanted it shared that they are deeply appreciative of the community’s support and everyone that rallied behind them in their time of need.”

Raghav’s dream was to become a police officer, and “several of us involved in the incident were able to visit Raghav this morning, and in the presence of his family pin him with his own badge and swear him in as an honorary police officer with Sartell,” Silgjord said.

Sartell police said that officers responded to a report that Raghav had crashed his bike near the bottom of the hill, often referred to as “Muskie Hill” at Northside Park, on Sunday afternoon.

The incident did not have any eyewitnesses, but law enforcement believe Raghav likely lost control or something caused him to flip over at the bottom of the hill, Siljord said.

After the crash, his injuries appeared to cause cardiac arrest, according to police. A good Samaritan — whom Silgjord identified as Gary Wassen — administered CPR until first responders arrived. Law enforcement also said multiple citizens stepped in to help provide aid following the incident. Wassen is a founder and instructor with Heart Vital CPR, an organization he started with his wife, Zette, in 2014 to offer first aid and life support training classes.

Raghav was taken to the St. Cloud Hospital, where he regained vital signs before being flown to Minneapolis. He was treated in the pediatric intensive care unit at HCMC. On Tuesday, the police department said that his parents had been at his bedside the past two days and had asked for prayers for their son.

A fundraising campaign set up on behalf of the Shrestha family to help with medical costs described the seventh grader as a “fun-loving, adventurous 12-year-old.”

“His parents, while grieving the loss of their son, also wanted it known that more than anything they are proud to be Raghav’s parents and to have raised and known a boy that was always courageous in his words and actions,” Silgjord said. “Choosing to never cause harm to people and animals alike and taking the most pride in his role as a big brother.”

Raghav attended Sartell-St. Stephen Middle School, which is braced for the impact of his passing.

“We want the community to know that our hearts go out to Raghav, his family, his friends and everyone close to him,” Sartell-St. Stephen Superintendent Mike Rivard told St. Cloud LIVE. “They will be in our thoughts and prayers.”

There will be extra resources for Sartell-St. Stephen Middle School students and staff looking for support this week and later as needed, Rivard said.

He added that he is proud of the community’s response to the tragedy.

“It is remarkable how quickly the Sartell-St. Stephen community wrapped its arms around Raghav’s family,” Rivard said. “We’re being as caring as possible.”

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By Lauren Dezenski, Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will undergo a physical exam on Friday following mounting questions about his health prompted by noticeable bruising and swelling in recent months.

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“On Friday morning, President Trump will visit Walter Reed Medical Center for a planned meeting and remarks with the troops. While there, President Trump will stop by for his routine yearly check up,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Wednesday. “President Trump is considering going to the Middle East shortly thereafter.”

While the White House described the visit as his regular yearly physical, the 79-year-old president had an annual exam just six months ago, on April 11.

Since then, Trump has been spotted with swollen ankles and a persistent bruise on his right hand. The White House said in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, but physicians had otherwise found the president to be in “excellent health.”

Trump’s ankle swelling, his doctor said, is related to the vein disease, which occurs when damaged valves inside the veins struggle to keep blood flowing from the legs back to the heart. Leavitt previously called it a “common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.” The disorder affects about one in 20 adults, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

A subsequent memo from White House physician Sean Barbabella said doctors found “no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease” and that “no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified.”

The White House also said the bruising on Trump’s hand, which has remained visible for months, was “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent hand-shaking” and a side effect of aspirin therapy, which the president takes as part of a cardiovascular prevention routine.

Trump in January was the oldest president ever sworn into office. He himself has boasted of being in good health, telling Newsmax in a Monday interview: “I feel the same or better than I did 30 years ago.”

His predecessor, former President Joe Biden, dropped out of the 2024 election amid questions about his acuity, and Trump in his first term was reticent to disclose when he underwent medical evaluations.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A proposal to open a retail cannabis business in the Joseph’s restaurant space in Oak Park Heights will be heard by the city’s planning commission on Thursday night.

The business, which would be located at 14608 60th St. N., would be known as Mango Cannabis, according to a staff memo.

“The retail dispensary will be in the Joseph’s restaurant space, where it is proposed to occupy the entire building,” the staff memo states. “It is expected that the restaurant will move to a different location in the area.”

Joseph’s owner Sam Leon did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

The application for a conditional-use permit to operate the business was submitted by Kevin Pattah, of ABJKM Holdings, and Boundary Waters Capital.

The property is zoned B-2 General Business District, and cannabis retailers are allowed as a conditional use in the B-2 General Business District, according to the memo.

Boundary Waters Capital has received preapproval from the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management for a microbusiness license, which allows for both growing and sales of cannabis products.

“The B-2 District only allows for a cannabis retailer and no growing operations,” the staff memo states. “A condition will be placed limiting the allowed use.”

The planning commission will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at Oak Park Heights City Hall.

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Public pressure for a special session on gun control is mounting — the latest lobbying effort coming from nearly three dozen clergy members who gathered Wednesday at the state Capitol, imploring Gov. Tim Walz to make the call.

The clergy members’ plea follows similar pleas from Annunciation Catholic Church and School parents and doctors who cared for victims of the deadly shooting on Aug. 27 in Minneapolis.

Clergy members also delivered a letter to Walz’s office asking him to immediately call a special legislative session to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Organizers said the letter was signed by 750 faith leaders across 60 counties.

Melissa Pohlman, a pastor at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, said she was at the Capitol praying because “prayer moves us to action.”

Pohlman said that when she pulled out her suit for the event, she remembered the last time she had worn it was for the funeral of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were slain on June 14 in their suburban Minneapolis home. Vance Boelter, 57, is facing state and federal murder charges.

“That’s not OK. This isn’t what I should have to pull my suit out for every time. None of us are immune to gun violence, so today, we call on our elected officials to join us in making real change,” she said.

Melissa Pohlman, pastor at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, calls on Minnesota leaders to pass gun reform on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, at the state Capitol in St. Paul. Mary Murphy / Forum News Service

At an unrelated Capitol news conference where he got flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, Walz said “nothing has changed” and that it’s “hard to tell” how likely it is that a special session will happen.

“I need to get an agreement on this. If we’re going to hold a special session on safety of our children and safety of our streets … we need to talk about guns,” he said. “If the folks who hold veto power over this — which they do because of the (narrowly divided partisan) makeup of the Legislature — if they say, ‘That’s not going to happen,’ calling a special session is going to be a waste of money and a waste of time.”

Walz has previously indicated a desire to call a special session even if no agreement had emerged.

“I feel a sense of urgency, I think Minnesotans feel a sense of urgency,” he said on Sept. 9. “The public is asking us to do something. … I will call the special session one way or another.”

On Wednesday, Walz said that it’s standard practice to go into a special session with a plan for the scope of bills the Legislature will take up, and that Republicans have not conceded to putting firearms restrictions on the agenda; rather, the caucus prefers a focus on school security and mental health resources. But he said he doesn’t need Republicans to agree with an assault weapons ban, just for them to agree to vote on it.

“I don’t know how many times I can stress it. If you believe getting rid of those weapons is a bad idea, then you should be proudly on the board upstairs, voting ‘no,’ ” he said.

The Rev. Laura Laughlin with the Crown of Glory Church in Chaska said she remains hopeful despite the gridlock.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have hope in our leadership, and I think to not have hope means that we’ve lost all direction,” she said.

The Wednesday gathering was part of a “Seven Days of Prayer and Action” initiative. Through Oct. 14, congregations plan to lead public prayer at noon each day at the Capitol. This Saturday, prayer will be held virtually to allow for statewide participation, organizers said.

More Annunciation victims

Meanwhile Wednesday, law enforcement updated the victim count from the Annunciation shooting from 23 to 30.

Minneapolis police said in a statement that investigators have learned of victims who were brought to hospitals privately, and many had wounds from shrapnel that were discovered later.

One of the 30 victims, a child, suffered injuries that were not from gunfire; 29 others — 26 children and three adults — were injured as the result of gunfire. Two of the children died, 10-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel. The assailant died by suicide.

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