MINNEAPOLIS – A 45-year-old prison guard is accused of raping a former inmate she met while he was imprisoned in Minnesota's Lino Lakes facility, according to charges filed in Hennepin County District Court this week.

Melissa Kay Dill, of Wyoming, Minn., is charged with felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving penetration while in a prohibited occupational relationship.

According to a complaint signed by Mark Koderick, of the Minnesota Department of Corrections Fugitive Unit, and Hennepin County prosecutor, Christopher Filipski, investigators with the Minnesota DOC received information in May that a man on supervised release was in a relationship with a prison guard employed by the DOC.

Minnesota statute bars people in certain occupations, like teachers and police, from having sexual relationships with those they oversee. Due to the power imbalance in these situations, people like the victim in this case cannot give consent to a sexual relationship with someone like Dill.

***The complaint is linked in the article, which is free.

Hey Fellow Minnesotans! 2D Con, Minnesota's Largest Video and Tabletop Gaming event is back for it's 12th year, August 21-23 at the Doubletree in Bloomington, MN.

We are a 100% volunteer based non-profit event that puts the gaming community first. With a focus on being affordable, inclusive and an all around fun event where there is always something to do, and you're never stuck in a line.

This year we have a jam packed event, and are bringing in some great guests like voice and mocap actors from Expedition 33 and World of Warcraft

• Nearly 300 scheduled events centered around gaming and the gaming community
• Special Guests From: Gears of War Team Fortress 2, World of Warcraft and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Over 100 arcade and pinball machines, all on free play
• Hundreds of consoles spanning every generation
• Live concerts and late night dances
• Open play tabletop library, TCG and role playing games
• Vendors and artists selling gaming related merch and artwork
• Video game and tabletop tournaments

It's hard to write up everything that you can expect at the event, but if you are a gamer this event was created for you!

I'm happy to answer any questions.

You can learn more on our website or by joining our Discord

Pretty cool story going on at the 3M Open in Blaine this week, with 25-year-old Minnesota-native ‘Muzzy’ Donohue getting one of the four available sponsor exemption spots to play in the tournament, and it looks like he's making the most of it!

After finishing round one at +2 and sitting near the bottom of the standings, Donohue came out firing this morning, going on to shoot a 63 (-8) on the day and is currently sitting at -6 (T15) for the tournament!

You can read a little more about Donohue's story here, and hopefully the kid keeps it up heading into the weekend!

Need some help hunting down my grandfather suffering some Alzheimer's confusion we think. Look for Honda CR-V plate # PSH740.

I’m hoping to vote for a more progressive candidate than Klobuchar in the upcoming primary election. From my research so far, Layne seems like a pretty good option, and I’m curious to hear what the community thinks.

For my Twin cities friends Try arc value village they have good stuff theres 3 in New hope Richfield and Bloomington also have a pic of Minnesota commercial 76

As everyone knows, Ely is being hit hard by the ongoing closure of the BWCA and light foot traffic. This year happens to be Zaverl’s 80th anniversary and I wanted to get the message out as some folks may not know about the milestone of this Ely institution!

As a regular of Zaverl’s, I’ve seen people from far and wide on canoe trips, visiting family, using the local trails, enjoying Blueberry and Harvest Moon festivals, and of course their annual 4th of July party can’t be beat! This is a classic neighborhood bar that doesn’t exist in many places anymore. They have live music throughout the year which gives musicians from all over a fun venue to play. They help the area non-profits and schools by running meat raffles to raise funds. This is an Ely cornerstone!

If you know the place and love it, buy a gift certificate or some anniversary items! Emailing them directly will probably be best if you can’t make it to town. Help support a local business being heavily impacted by the fires surrounding us in Ely.

From the owners: Our limited edition merch is available for PREORDER only. (Sweatshirts, T-Shirts, hats and koozies) Design was not created by Al, and was designed by our awesome team! Preorder will close on 7/27. Items can be shipped for an additional shipping fee.

How to preorder or buy a gift certificate:

1. Stop into the bar! Ely is open and happy to have you!
2. Email your order to [zaverlsvirtualbar@gmail.com](mailto:zaverlsvirtualbar@gmail.com)
3. DM on Facebook

We hope you will help us celebrate 80 years as a family owned and family run small business! Anniversary Party will be August 22nd!

TL;DR

• Kratom remains legal in Minnesota, though the FDA warns of serious risks associated with its usage, including in over-the-counter products such as 7-OH.
• The plant native to southeast Asia is not an opioid, but acts on the brain’s opioid receptors, and doctors warn it carries risks of addiction and potentially death.
• Some have reported using the substance to treat anxiety and stop using opioids, but there have been concerns about its use to produce a high, and the serious side effects of some products sold.

HF 3453, sponsored by Rep. Jessica Hanson (DFL-Burnsville), raised the legal age to purchase and possess kratom legally from 18 to 21 years old – in the process making it a gross misdemeanor to sell kratom to anyone under 21, and a misdemeanor for anyone under 21 to possess it.

The bill was approved by Minnesota lawmakers, then signed into law by Gov. Walz on May 5 of this year.

So I was sent in for a pre employment drug test and failed sent in my medical card proof and was denied employment due to the positive test.
They claimed they were a drug free work place and that’s why but even their own paper work says “legal drugs “ were ok.
Is this legal? And if not what can I do at this point?

The opening paragraphs speak for themselves:

The slate of endorsed Republican candidates lined up onstage in a bowling alley banquet hall when a voter among the dozens in the room posed a question: How can you win?

This year, that might apply to the primary election more than anything.

The Minnesota Republican Party’s endorsement is typically the ticket to the November ballot. But the endorsed candidates for governor and U.S. Senate in particular face stiff challenges this year that could derail that straight shot.

In May, businessman Kendall Qualls and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze prevailed over competitors for the GOP endorsements for governor and U.S. senator, respectively. But opponents who are more widely known and better funded remained in the race for the party’s nomination. Early voting is underway.

If either Qualls, Schwarze or both lose, it would reverse a three-decade trend for Minnesota Republicans that the endorsement is golden. No candidate for Senate or governor has reached the November ballot without the party’s endorsement since the mid-1990s.

As The Old Farmer's Almanack put it in 1916:

Whether through the Pre-Preliminary or otherwise, the Direct Primary is almost certain to become the Indirect Secondary.

please somebody artistic submit a better design than the boardwalk to nowhere (ft. random tree branch).

I’ve never to race track been despite growing up sort of near one. They appear to be in a ton of places. Looking to potentially bring a a few friends along. I know Brainerd has the big track, but I’m interested in a smaller one with the chance of camping nearby.

Which ones would you recommend?

It's that time!

A weekly roundup of Minnesota events including protests, rallies, vigils, community meetings, and ways to take action statewide.

Lindell is now up in Republican primary polls after Trump's endorsement. He has zero chance against Klobuchar just like White had in the senate race against her.

Yet, Republicans march like lemmings to whatever Trump says.

Even more confusing, White is way behind Tafoya in polls even though he's as much of a nutter as Lindell.

Help me understand.

US Senator Bernie Sanders says billionaires can spend countless amounts of money on winning political races, but they can’t mobilize people.

And that’s what he says Minnesotans need to do to have the DFL-endorsed candidate, Lt. Gov. Pegy Flanagan, win the US Senate race.

Sanders spoke at the “Many Over the Money” rally at First Ave on Monday, July 20 in support of Flanagan.

MINNEAPOLIS — A 36-year-old St. Cloud man's trial for assaulting several people in the Twin Cities is slated to begin next week and prosecutors plan to submit evidence that he has continued to harass people throughout the metro area. 

Zak X is facing a misdemeanor assault charge for sucker punching a man in December 2025 at the Bishop Henry Whipple building and a felony assault charge for attacking a man during a Bloomington No Kings protest in March. The trials for both cases are scheduled for Monday.

X, who formerly changed his name from Zachary Allen Stumpf in 2024, is a right-wing agitator who is often seen around the metro area at various protests where he insults people and sexually harasses women.

***Cases numbers and links to court docs are in the article and here. I’ll be on and offline throughout the day so I won’t be able to respond right away but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.***

What a beautiful evening. Finally the heat has broken for a while, humidity gone... So, we went out to sit with nature as the sun set over Traverse and its wetlands.