Small tornado confirmed in Winona County amid Tuesday severe weather

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The National Weather Service confirmed that a small tornado touched down in southeastern Minnesota’s Winona County on Tuesday evening.

The EF1 tornado, spawned by the same system that produced deadly twisters in central Iowa, touched down at 6:11 p.m. near Rollingstone, about 9 miles west of Winona.

In an update on Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service office in La Crosse, Wis., said the tornado reached peak wind speeds of around 105 mph.

According to a preliminary storm survey, the tornado started east of St. Charles and intensified as it approached Rollingstone, traveling about 18 miles. The storm dissipated after it went over the Mississippi River into Wisconsin. Two small twisters were also confirmed there.

The Minnesota tornado caused intermittent damage mainly through rural Winona County. Trees and power lines were knocked down, along with a few barns and outbuildings, the storm survey said.

There were no injuries reported.

The storm brought scattered power outages in the Twin Cities as well as 2.33 inches of rain.

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Minnesota state investment board adopts climate plan

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The Minnesota State Board of Investment adopted a climate road map at its meeting on Tuesday.

“We will invest over a billion dollars in energy transition solutions over the next five years, we’ll expand our proxy voting power, and we’ll enhance our direct company engagement efforts,” said SBI executive director Jill Schurtz. “And it’s those three activities that we think fit squarely within our mission and fiduciary duty.”

The board manages $142 billion in state funds, including more than $90 billion in public employee pension plans. It has periodically faced public pressure to manage those funds in ways that promote social movements. That includes the recent call for divestment from Israel, which protesters made again at Tuesday’s meeting.

The climate plan is the result of several years of research and analysis of the potential impact of climate change. Schurtz said the board considered several options to match investments with the state’s climate priorities, ultimately rejecting a net zero approach that would divest state funds from fossil fuel companies.

Schurtz said by investing in fossil fuel companies, the state can influence their actions. One example of that investor activism is pushing oil companies to reduce flaring of natural gas from oil wells, she said.

Gov. Tim Walz chairs the board, and the members include the state auditor, secretary of state and attorney general.

Walz said balanced investing is the key to ensuring public employees’ retirement funds are protected. That means maintaining investments in traditional energy companies while expanding clean energy investments.

“If there is a proven technology that is working, we should be able to invest in those. And I think you do it in a measured manner,” he said. “It’s not all eggs in one basket, but it’s clearly showing that we are moving in that direction.”

Over the next five years, Schurtz said the board will invest about $200 million per year in energy transition industries.

“In order to get where the world needs to get to reach its climate goals, there will have to be tremendous investments made in many things, but most notably the power sector,” she said. “Seventy percent of the required investments will likely be found there.”

Another area of investment might be so-called “brown to green” industries. Those are industries that contribute to climate warming gas emissions, but can adapt their operations to reduce those emissions.

While the climate road map is a five-year plan, Schurtz said the board will reevaluate the rapidly changing energy industry each year and adjust the plan as necessary.

“It’s doing right by the people who depend on this money. And it doesn’t matter what the vector is, it could be climate, it could be something else,” Secretary of State Steve Simon said at Tuesday’s meeting. “This is just common sense by another name. You gotta look out beyond the end of your nose to a year or two years or 10 years or 20 years or 30 years, and look at what the risks are.”

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Anthony Edwards gets big contract value boost with second-team All-NBA recognition

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Anthony Edwards earned himself a lot more money Wednesday before Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals even tipped off.

The 22-year-old earned second-team All-NBA honors — essentially meaning he was one of the 10 best players in the league this season.

The honor was certainly earned.

Edwards was a fringe MVP candidate for much of the season. He averaged 25.9 points, 5.4 boards and 5.1 assists while tacking on 1.3 steals a game.

The guard received three first-team votes, 87 second-team votes and nine third-team votes, netting him 287 points. That was seventh among all players. Edwards received the second-most votes among second-team players, behind just Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.

First-team honorees were Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver center Nikola Jokic, Dallas guard Luka Doncic, Boston guard Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. All five finished with more than 400 voting points.

It’s the first All-NBA selection for Edwards, and it comes with a hefty pay bump. Edwards inked his five-year extension last summer, but it kicks in next season. And now that he’s an All-NBA player, it morphs from a max extension to a supermax extension.

Edwards will now make roughly $7 million more next season — a bump from $35.3 million to $42.3 million — and over the five years, his total contract value jumps from $204.5 million to $245.4 million.

That further tightens Minnesota’s already strapped salary cap situation.

The two-time all-star becomes the sixth Timberwolves player to earn All-NBA honors, joining Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell, Kevin Love, Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Rudy Gobert was the only other Wolves player to receive votes. He grabbed one second-team vote and nine third-team votes, putting him at 19th in total voting points. The top 15 earned All-NBA honors.

Gobert earned first-team All-NBA Defense honors on Tuesday. Edwards received four second-team all-defense votes.

“Only four,” Edwards lamented Wednesday morning. “That’s crazy.”

All-NBA Teams

Here are the first-, second- and third-team All-NBA selections as announced Wednesday by the league:

2024 All-NBA Teams

(Voting on a 5-3-1 basis by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters)

First Team

G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC (99-0-0) 495

C Nikola Jokic, Den (99-0-0) 495

G Luka Doncic, Dal (98-1-0) 493

F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Mil (88-11-0) 473

F Jayson Tatum, Bos (65-34-0) 427

Second Team

G Jalen Brunson, Bos (37-61-0) 368

G Anthony Edwards, Minn (3-87-9) 285

F Kevin Durant, Phx (2-85-9) 274

F Kawhi Leonard, LAC (1-72-21) 242

C Anthony Davis, LAL (1-65-30) 230

Third Team

F LeBron James, LAL (1-32-63) 164

G Stephen Curry, GS (0-13-78) 117

F Domantas Sabonis, Sac (1-16-51) 104

G Tyrese Haliburton, Ind (0-2-69) 75

G Devon Booker, Phx (0-7-49) 70

Others receiving votes

Guards: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 16; De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento 9.

Forwards: Jaylen Brown, Boston 50; Paul George, LA Clippers 16; Rudy Gobert, Minnesota 12; Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio 11; Zion Williamson, New Orleans 11; Paolo Banchero, Orlando 10; Bam Adebayo, Miami 7; DeMar DeRozan, Chicago.

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Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58

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NEW YORK — Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like “Drops of Jupiter” and “Meet Virginia,” has died. He was 58.

Colin’s sister Carolyn Stephens confirmed her brother’s death to The Associated Press Wednesday. He died after slipping and falling in the shower while house-sitting for a friend in Brussels, Belgium, celebrity website TMZ.com reported.

Colin grew up in California and Virginia and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston.

He played in a group called Apostles after college with guitarist Jimmy Stafford and singer Rob Hotchkiss. The band eventually dissolved, and Colin moved to Singapore for a year to write jingles.

Eventually, Colin, Hotchkiss and Stafford relocated to San Francisco, where Train formed in the early ‘90s with singer Pat Monahan. Colin brought in drummer Scott Underwood to round out the group, according to an interview with Colin and Hotchkiss in Berklee’s alumni magazine.

As a founding member of Train, Colin played on the band’s first three records, 1998’s self-titled album, 2001’s “Drops of Jupiter” and 2003’s “My Private Nation.” The latter two releases peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.

“Meet Virginia,” from Train’s debut album broke the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, but it was their sophomore album, “Drops of Jupiter,” that confirmed the band’s success.

The eight-times platinum title track “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” — which features the Rolling Stones ′ session pianist Chuck Leavell and Leonard Cohen ’s string orchestrator Paul Buckmaster and was written about the death of Monahan’s mother — hit No. 5 on the same chart. It also earned two Grammys, for best rock song and best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalist(s).

Colin left Train in 2003 due to substance abuse. “Charlie is one incredible bass player, but he was in a lot of pain, and the way he was dealing with it was very painful for everyone else around him,” Monahan told NBC San Diego.

In 2015, he reunited with Hotchkiss to start a new band called Painbirds, alongside Tom Luce.

In 2017, he formed another band, the Side Deal, with Sugar Ray’s Stan Frazier and the PawnShop Kings’ Joel and Scott Owen.

On Wednesday, a tribute to Colin appeared on the official Facebook and X social media pages for the band Train. “When I met Charlie Colin, front left, I fell in love with him. He was the sweetest guy and what a handsome chap. Let’s make a band that’s the only reasonable thing to do,” it reads.

“His unique bass playing a beautiful guitar work helped get folks to notice us in SF and beyond. I’ll always have a warm place for him in my heart. I always tried to pull him closer but he had a vision of his own. You’re a legend, Charlie. Go charm the pants off those angels.”

Prior to his death, Colin documented his time in Brussels, writing “Officially my favorite city,” in a March Instagram post.

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