Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has appointed Kelly Staples as a Dakota County District Court judge to fill a vacancy in the First Judicial District.

On April 18, 2025, Gov. Tim Walz announced the appointment of Kelly Staples as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s First Judicial District. Staples will replace the Honorable David L. Knutson and will be chambered in Hastings in Dakota County. (Courtesy of the Office of Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan)

Staples will replace Judge David L. Knutson and will be chambered in Hastings.

“It is my privilege to appoint Kelly Staples to the Dakota County bench,” Walz said in a press release Friday. “Her wealth of family law experience, coupled with her ability to help clients navigate their most challenging moments, gives me the confidence that she will be a great judge.”

Minnesota’s First Judicial District consists of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott and Sibley counties.

Staples is a court-appointed counsel in paternity, child support and civil commitment matters and a volunteer conciliation court referee in Dakota County.

In addition, she has a private family law practice in West St. Paul focusing on child custody and domestic abuse cases. She also serves on the board of directors for legal Assistance of Dakota County, judges high school mock trials, volunteers at legal self-help clinics through 360 Communities, and supports her children’s many activities, the press release said.

Staples is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and William Mitchell College of Law.

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The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul, the state’s namesake ship serving the U.S. Navy, was instrumental in recently stopping two drug smuggling operations in the Caribbean within 72 hours of one another during its maiden deployment, officials said.

The drug busts resulted in the confiscation of 1,200 pounds of cocaine (worth an estimated $9.5 million) and 2,400 pounds of marijuana (worth an estimated $2.8 million), according to a Navy press release.

The so-called littoral combat ship worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to take out the drug smuggling vessels through a combination of air and surface operations.

“The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul executed their duties seamlessly in the combined effort to protect the homeland from illicit maritime trafficking,” said Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet.

“We train diligently and stand ready to execute interdiction missions at moment’s notice,” said Minneapolis-St. Paul commanding officer Cmdr. Steven Fresse. “To be able to make an immediate impact so early on during our maiden deployment is a testament to the hard work and skills of the ship’s crew.”

The new ship’s homeport is in Mayport, Fla., near Jacksonville.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Michael Harris II had two hits and two RBIs, Drake Baldwin delivered a game-winning pinch-hit single in the eighth inning, and the Atlanta Braves rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 6-4 on Friday night.

Enyel De Los Santos (1-0) earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of relief, and Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.

Jarred Kelenic homered and Ozzie Albies had two hits and drove in a run for the Braves.

Griffin Jax (0-2) was charged with all four runs in one-third of an inning.

Minnesota’s Chris Paddack had his second straight strong start, allowing one run and three hits over five innings.

Trevor Larnach hit a solo home run and Calos Correa had two hits and scored a run for the Twins, who fell to 7-13 on the season.

The Braves trailed 4-1 in the eighth, but six straight batters reached base with one out as Atlanta put together a four-run rally.

Braves starter Bryce Elder gave up four runs in five innings. His ERA stayed at 7.20 through three starts.

Left fielder Alex Verdugo made his Braves debut and was 0 for 4 hitting out of the leadoff spot.

Key moment

Harris stroked a 1-0 pitch to right field with the bases loaded in the eighth inning off Minnesota reliever Cole Sands to tie the game. Three pitches later, Baldwin delivered the decisive two-run pinch hit to center field.

Key stat

The Braves extended their winning streak over the Twins to nine games dating back to the 2019 season.

Up next

Twins RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (1-1, 4.30) will face Braves LHP Chris Sale (0-2, 6.63 ERA) on Saturday.

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A dozen commercial buildings on the Minnesota Renaissance Festival grounds in Shakopee were destroyed by a four-alarm fire on Thursday night, authorities said.

The Shakopee Fire Department received reports of the fire shortly after 6 p.m. The first engine left the station immediately and arrived 14 minutes later because of the distance between the station and the festival grounds between U.S. 169 and the Minnesota River, according to a Facebook post by the department. While they were on their way, a large smoke column could be seen, so fire officials called for more help, upgrading the call to a two-alarm blaze.

When firefighters arrived, they encountered “heavy fire conditions involving multiple connected commercial structures, which included retail shops and food vendors.”

A four-alarm fire was called and support from 10 area fire departments was needed to fight the blaze as well as help with other coverage in Shakopee.

Important update on Thursday evening, April 17, around 6 PM, a fire broke out on the grounds of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. No injuries have been reported. The Minnesota Renaissance Festival will still open on August 16, 2025!#MNRenFest #FestivalStrong #RebuildTheMagic pic.twitter.com/mWJhylKim8

— MN Renaissance (@MNRenaissance) April 18, 2025

“Water supply proved to be a significant challenge,” officials said, noting that the festival grounds are not connected to a city water system “requiring water tenders to shuttle water from hydrants nearly eight minutes away.”

In addition, officials said, access to the festival grounds was “further complicated by unlit, minimally maintained gravel roads, recent rainfall, and challenging terrain not designed for large emergency vehicles.”

The full extent of the damage is still being assessed. One firefighter from Shakopee was struck by a fire hose and had a minor injury that was treated at the scene, officials said.

No other injuries were reported.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation by state and local investigators, but it broke out as thunderstorms were moving through the area.

Renaissance Festival organizers said they were making plans to rebuild and that the long-running late summer event celebrating Elizabethan England would open as planned on Aug. 16.

“We’ll be sharing more updates in the coming weeks,” they said on their Facebook page. “Thank you for your kind messages, encouragement, and continued support.”

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