Minnesota lawmakers are moving to strengthen the state’s laws on people who repeatedly drink and drive in the wake of a crash last year that killed two people and injured many others at a bar in St. Louis Park.

The hope is that future tragedies will be prevented by making more repeat drunken drivers use ignition interlock devices. The devices require drivers to blow air into a tube to verify whether they are under the legal blood-alcohol limit before starting a vehicle.

On Labor Day weekend in 2024, a man with a history of convictions for drinking and driving drove his vehicle into the patio of Park Tavern, leading to multiple deaths and injuries.

Steven Frane Bailey, 56, of St. Louis Park, who pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder and three counts of criminal vehicular operation causing great bodily harm on Wednesday, said he had been drinking vodka at home before the crash.

He said he drove to the Park Tavern but attempted to flee the parking lot after crashing into two cars. Instead, he accelerated and went through a fence onto the patio while going around 40 mph, crashing into occupied tables.

Charges said Bailey had a blood-alcohol content of 0.335% — more than four times the legal limit of .08%. Under the terms of his plea agreement, he faces 25 to 30 years in prison.

Ignition interlock

If a widely supported proposal moving through the state Legislature this year becomes law, Bailey would have been required to have an ignition interlock device in his vehicle, which could have stopped him from driving, backers say.

Minnesota law currently requires people to get one of the devices if their driving privileges are revoked for a second alcohol or drug offense within ten years. The state also requires an ignition interlock if someone has had their third offense, if one or two of the offenses are over ten years old.

Bailey had a valid driver’s license, but he also had five convictions for driving under the influence between 1985 and 2015. Since his record spanned more than three decades before the fatal crash last year, he wasn’t required to have a device installed in his car, bill backers said.

“It spurred us, those of us who represent St. Louis Park in the Legislature, to look for appropriate improvements to the DWI laws so that this could be prevented in the future,” said bill sponsor Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park. “Unfortunately, not everyone who should use the ignition interlock is on it.”

Increases lookback period

Latz said his bill could reduce the likelihood of fatal crashes like the one at Park Tavern.

It increases the lookback period for driving while intoxicated convictions from 10 to 20 years. It also ties the time requirement for interlock devices to the number of DWIs over a lifetime.

Right now, the time requirement maxes out at six years when someone has four or more DWIs over a lifetime. Under the new bill, an interlock device would be required for 10 years if someone had 3 or more convictions.

The bill also aims to get more people to participate in the interlock program by removing financial barriers. It allows people to pay off the $680 license reinstatement fee while participating in the interlock program rather than upfront.

It also increases criminal penalties for driving without an interlock if you’re required to have one. And there would also be a requirement that someone completes treatment for addiction before graduating from the interlock program, rather than just beginning treatment.

Senate passes version of bill

The Senate took up the House version last week but unanimously passed a slightly different version of the bill.

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An amendment backed by Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, and adopted by the Senate creates protections for people in the interlock program who lose their vehicles for financial reasons. If someone loses their vehicle or if it becomes inoperable, they’d be able to remain in the interlock program.

The House also overwhelmingly passed its version of the bill, backed by Rep. Larry Kraft, DFL-St. Louis Park.

The chambers will have to reconcile out the small differences between their bills and pass them again before a final version can head to the desk of Gov. Tim Walz to be signed into law.

The Twins saw their lead disappear in the eighth inning and fell behind two innings later.

No matter. These days, the Twins are finding ways and everybody’s doing their part.

On Sunday, that meant DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who was hitting just .067 in limited at-bats this season, hitting a walk-off knock, to send the Twins to a 7-6 win over the San Francisco Giants in extra innings in the series finale at Target Field.

The single, which brought home Brooks Lee, snapped an 0-for-17 stretch for the outfielder and was the first walk-off hit of the rookie’s career. With it, the Twins finished off a perfect homestand and have now won eight-straight games. They sit over .500 for the first time all season.

Keirsey’s heroics came after the Twins tied the game minutes earlier when the automatic runner, Ty France, came around to score on a ground ball hit by Ryan Jeffers, matching the Giants, who scored their own auto runner in the top half of the inning.

The Twins spent much of the day battling back after falling behind early.

Starter Pablo López may not have been at his best, but he did depart the game with the Twins leading. López loaded the bases in the first inning but was able to minimize the damage, thanks in part to a nice sliding catch from Willi Castro, which limited what could have been a two-run Heliot Ramos hit to a sacrifice fly.

The starter gave up two more runs in the fourth inning on a Ramos opposite-field home run and a fourth run in the fifth, which scored on a sacrifice fly after he balked the runner over to third.

The Twins used a somewhat similar formula to score their early runs.

A two-run home run of their own — theirs from Lee in the fourth — cut into the Giants’ lead and then Byron Buxton’s sacrifice fly sliced into it once more in the fifth.

They broke through once more in the sixth when, after loading the bases with no outs, Royce Lewis broke out of an 0-for-36 stretch with his first hit of the year. The go-ahead run scored on Harrison Bader’s fielder’s choice and the Twins held that lead until the Giants stormed back in the eighth with a run off reliever Griffin Jax.

San Francisco – Minnesota trailed 82-77 with fewer than eight minutes to play in Game 3 on Saturday. The Timberwolves were a little scrambled for much of the evening. They’d committed 21 turnovers to keep the nose of the Warriors – playing without their best player in Steph Curry – out in front for much of the contest.

Minnesota needed someone to stabilize the ship to get it across the finish line first in enemy waters.

As has often been the case over the past couple months, that person was Julius Randle.

The Timberwolves out-scored Golden State 21-7 over the ensuing six-plus minutes. Minnesota made seven field goals in that span. Randle scored the first two. He assisted on the remaining five.

Whether it was bullying the smaller Draymond Green to eventually foul out the former Defensive Player of the Year or blowing past the slower footed Kevon Looney, Randle proved unguardable with Game 3 in the balance.

“He’s been a big playmaker, scorer,” Wolves wing Jaden McDaniels said. “He can score at all three levels. I mean, they put the big dude on him, he’s too slow. They put the little guy on him, he’s too strong.

“So it’s a hard problem for the other team to guard him. He makes all the right plays. We can’t be more grateful to have him.”

McDaniels knows how the Warriors feel. Prior to Minnesota acquiring the forward on the eve of training camp, it was McDaniels who was frequently tasked with guarding Randle when the Knicks and Wolves would square off.

It rarely went well. Randle averaged 37 points over his last four games against Minnesota, including a 57-point performance.

“He was like running me over. I couldn’t even hold him off the post sometimes,” recalled McDaniels, an All-NBA defender who held Warriors players to 2 for 12 shooting in his matchups Saturday. “I was trying to make it hard for him, but nah, he was probably cooking me worse than (he was cooking the Warriors).”

Maybe, but Randle sure is searing Golden State. And he’s doing so with far more than buckets. The forward has been the primary conductor of any offensive success Minnesota has realized in these conference semifinals, which it now leads 2-1 ahead of Monday’s Game 4.

Golden State has proven to be one of the NBA’s premier defenses since acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. The Warriors have shown why in this series.

There have been numerous periods in which executing offense feels like a monumental task for Minnesota. The Wolves scored one points over the final 6 minutes, 30 seconds of the second quarter in Game 3.

The Warriors are physical and relentless on that end. But Randle is proving to be someone who can match those levels offensively.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch noted it was when Minnesota started playing through Randle down the stretch that it felt “for the first time consistently all game, we actually like went somewhere.”

“He’s playing with so much force and determination. He’s going out there early and aggressive,” Finch said. “Sometimes when it’s really sticky on the perimeter, like the holding all the time everywhere and they’re really handsy, we play through (Randle). He just kind of gives us a pressure release.”

Randle had 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in Game 3. He tallied 11 dimes in Game 2.

A creator, a hub, a go-to-guy. Whatever you want to call it, Randle has fit the bill.

Anthony Edwards was miserable offensively for the first two and a half games of the series. But he exploded for 28 points in the second half on Saturday. Randle was a big reason why.

Golden State is taking away Edwards’ airspace on the perimeter, so his go-to shot, the pull-up triple, is null and void at the moment. The Warriors are blitzing Edwards on ball screens. The all-star guard hasn’t been able to effectively initiate offense for Minnesota.

Edwards said he believes playing off the ball is a better situation for him in this matchup. He’s playing off of Randle, who’s finding him on cuts and spot-up situations to allow Edwards to get some better looks and establish a rhythm.

Edwards said Randle was “incredible” on Saturday with his ability to find open teammates and determine the tempo.

“Can’t ask for nothing better,” Edwards said. “He’s making the game a lot easier for me, so I appreciate having him here.”

Randle said he has “a lot of different tools” at his disposal, and can use his mind to take what the defense gives him.

If that’s an open three, take it. If that’s a less-agile defender like Looney, Randle knows to get into pick-and-roll actions with Conley to compromise the opposing big man in space, where he’s far less comfortable and effective.

“Being able to read what’s going on out there,” Randle said. “If I get a mismatch, getting to my operating areas and attacking. If they don’t double-team me, score. If they double-team me, find my guys.”

Read the defense to generate consistently good offense for himself and others.

That sounds a lot like the role of … a point guard.

The lack of one moving into the future has been a driver of angst among Timberwolves’ fans. Mike Conley is aging out of the role, and Rob Dillingham still has to prove he’s floor general material. Even with the leaps Edwards has made with his playmaking and floor vision, the general assumption has always been that he’d be better playing alongside a table setter who can help generate looks for him.

Enter Randle, who’s sneakily taken over that role over the past couple months. That was highlighted Saturday, as the forward notched nine second-half assists, six of which resulted in Edwards’ buckets.

“It’s really what’s turned our season around, his playmaking, his decision-making, playing through him on different spots of the floor,” Finch said. “I’ve always known he was a good playmaker. Our time (together) in New Orleans, he played a little bit like this. He gives us … almost another point guard like out there. It’s everything for us. It’s been everything for our turnaround. It’s everything for our team.”

It certainly was in Game 3. Golden State is largely offensively inept in the half court sans Curry. The Warriors relied almost solely on pace and transition to generate advantages to create good looks.

That well dried up in the final frame, largely thanks to Randle. He plays a deliberate brand of basketball in the half court that not only generates good looks for Minnesota, but sets the pace of the game.

Randle is the biggest reason Minnesota has morphed into a clutch-time monster in these playoffs. When he has the rock, it feels as though the Wolves are dictating the terms under which the contest is being played.

As a floor general should.

“His physicality, his demeanor, the way he can control the pace, control the game on both ends of the floor, it kind of gives us some control. It gives us the ability to kind of settle into who we want to be offensively, defensively,” Conley said. “We can get sporadic at times, but having a guy that you can just get a ball to and post him up or just slow the game down and allow us to cut off of him and him make plays for everybody and make the game easy, it helps a lot.”

REAL ESTATE

Chris Kelly

HomeServices of America, a Minneapolis-based Berkshire Hathaway franchised real estate agency, announced President and CEO Gino Blefari has assumed the role of chairman emeritus with Chris Kelly, formerly executive vice president, succeeding Blefari as president and CEO. Blefari will continue as a strategic adviser to the organization.

ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS

Minneapolis-based advertising agency Linnihan Foy announced that it has been named media agency for the 2025 Minnesota State Fair.

EDUCATION

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities announced it has named Shari Olson president of Northland Community & Technical College in East Grand Forks, Minn. Olson previously served as president in the Maricopa County Community College District at South Mountain Community College in Arizona. … Capella University, Minneapolis, announced the appointment of Karthik Iyappan Gunasekaran to its board of trustees. Gunasekaran most recently served as VP of AI and software products at the Project Management Institute; his résumé also includes business adviser at Harvard Innovation Labs and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and guest lecturer at Tufts University Gordon Institute. … Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, announced that John C. Volin will serve as president. Volin currently serves as the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Maine; his appointment at Gustavus begins Aug. 15.

FEDERAL RESERVE

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis announced the appointment of four new members to its Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council: Kelly Skalicky, Stearns Bank, St. Cloud; Andrew Gesell, BankCherokee, St. Paul; Mike Hauswirth, Superior National Bank, Hancock, Mich., and Trina Hoff, Northern Communities Credit Union, Eveleth, Minn. The Minneapolis Fed’s region includes upper Michigan.

HEALTH CARE

Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a Center City, Minn.-based substance addiction treatment and recovery program and facility, announced the hire of Marc Baer as chief operating officer. Baer most recently served as an officer and corporate vice president at Centene Corp. and also was an officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

HONORS

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced it has named Carol Anderson of Morrison County as the 2025 SBA Minnesota Women in Business Champion of the Year. Anderson has partnered with the Small Business Development Center, SCORE, Minnesota Business Finance Corp., and the Women’s Business Center, and currently serves as chairwoman of the MBFC board.

LAW

Maslon, Minneapolis, announced the addition of attorney Annika Misurya to the firm’s Litigation Group. Misurya has held leadership roles with Minnesota Women Lawyers and the Women’s White Collar Defense Association. … Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Warren Sexson has joined the firm as an associate in its Mergers & Acquisitions Group.

MANUFACTURING

SkyWater Technology, a Bloomington-based semiconductor foundry, announced the appointment of Percy V. Gilbert as senior vice president of engineering. Gilbert previously held senior roles at NXP Semiconductors and IBM Systems Group.

MARKETING

Patrick Campion announced the launch of Fame Sport, a sports marketing consultancy, in Minneapolis. Campion is a former VP of marketing at Sleep Number and the architect behind its NFL strategy. Campion is co-leading the venture with Lynne Robertson, who formerly owned Fame advertising agency.

MILESTONES

Frattallone’s Hardware & Garden announced it commemorated 50 years in business last month. Founded in Arden Hills by Larry Frattallone, who runs the business with his sons, Mike and Tom, the Ace Hardware franchise has 21 metro area locations.

NONPROFITS

Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Eden Prairie, announced that Franco Cordeiro has joined the organization as director, Enterprise Risk Management. Franco most recently held a similar role at at Medtronic, and also held director positions at KPMG Consulting and Macquarie Bank.

OPENINGS

The Market at Malcolm Yards, a Minneapolis food hall, announced the opening of Kinsley’s Smokehouse Deli. James Adams is chef and owner.

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