ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota House has moved to impose regulations on the sale of electronic cigarettes though it has stopped short of preventing their use in most public places.
A series of limitations on the fast-spreading devices were added to a health policy bill headed toward passage Monday night. The bill would expressly bar sales to minors, outlaw their use on school property, prohibit their sales from mall kiosks and require their nicotine liquid come in child-resistant packaging.
The bill also bars e-cigarette use in state-owned buildings. The House didn’t attempt to classify e-cigarettes as traditional tobacco products and make them subject to the clean indoor air act.
A companion Senate bill does include the indoor air language. Supporters fended off an effort earlier Monday to pare the Senate bill back.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Attorneys for a sexual abuse survivor who says he was molested by a Minnesota scoutmaster say they’ve reached a settlement in principal of all claims with the Boy Scouts of America.
A man identified only as John Doe 180 sued the Scouts and other defendants in 2011, alleging they were negligent in allowing former scoutmaster Peter Stibal (STY’-buhl) II access to children. Stibal is serving a 21-year prison term for sexually abusing John Doe 180 and three other Scouts.
Attorney Jeff Anderson says they settled only with the national Boy Scouts of America. He says they dropped the plaintiff’s former troop, the Burnsville church that sponsored it and the local Scout council from the lawsuit.
The Boy Scouts’ National Council says it’s pleased it was able to reach a settlement.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says an injured eaglet seen struggling on the agency’s popular “eagle cam” has been euthanized.
WCCO-TV (https://cbsloc.al/1lSMbi1) reports the DNR initially said it would not interfere with the nest, but then changed its approach.
The eaglet was taken to The Raptor Center on Friday. Diagnostic imaging showed the bird had a serious injury in its elbow joint. The eaglet also had a systemic infection.
The Raptor Center says the eaglet’s condition made it impossible for the bird to survive in the wild. Even if kept in captivity, the bird would have been in discomfort.
This is the second year of the eagle cam, which features a nesting pair of bald eagles live on the Internet.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The wet, cold weather is preventing Minnesota farmers from getting much planting done.
In its weekly crop progress and condition report for Minnesota, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says only 8 percent of the state’s corn crop has been planted, which is up 4 percentage points from last week’s report but is still two weeks behind normal.
The report says southwestern Minnesota continues to be the only part of the state where farmers are making progress.
Widespread precipitation last week meant a statewide average of only 0.9 days were suitable for fieldwork. However, the rain is benefiting soil moisture levels. Subsoil moisture supplies are rated 90 percent adequate to surplus and only 10 percent short. Topsoil moisture is rated 99 percent adequate to surplus and only 1 percent short.
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