Latest news with #WestStPaul
CBC
11-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
How ball kids help keep Manitoba pro tennis event rolling
With the 2025 Winnipeg National Bank Challenger running in West St. Paul, 60 young ball kids have the opportunity to share the court with world-class tennis players and help make sure the game runs smoothly.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State agency says voter registration forms submitted with fake IDs did not lead to votes
Jun. 13—By Paul Walsh, Star Tribune (TNS) A foundation paid for voter registration applications to be filled out with names of nonexistent people and submitted them to county election offices in Minnesota, according to federal charges against a Twin Cities couple. Lorraine Lee Combs, 57, and Ronnie Williams, 58, both of West St. Paul, were charged Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis with conspiracy to engage in voter registration fraud. They are accused of selling hundreds of voter registration forms they completed with fake identities in 2021 and 2022. Combs and Williams, who are described in the charges as longtime romantic partners, were charged through a judicial process called information, which indicates to the court their intention to plead guilty. The charging documents do not identify the foundation involved, other than to say it was engaged in a voter registration campaign. "There were no ballots cast in connection with this," said Cassondra Knudson, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office, which oversees elections in the state. On Friday, Knudson issued a detailed statement about how the scheme was uncovered and how her office determined that no fraudulent votes were cast in any of what she estimated were 10 to 15 counties where the suspicious applications were submitted: "For more than two years, our office and local election officials have partnered with the FBI on this investigation. Local election officials used the verification tools built into the Minnesota voter registration system and identified inconsistencies on voter registration forms. "Local election officials then immediately reported the inconsistencies to law enforcement and our office. ... Our office coordinated with every county election office to ensure that all fraudulent registration attempts would be detected. Further, our office worked with local election officials to confirm that no ballots were requested or cast." In an interview Thursday with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Combs said she filled out roughly 500 forms as part of the scheme and turned them over to Williams. Combs said she was "basically, just a third party" and did not know the name of the foundation. She did not say how much money she was paid. She said she didn't know how many applications Williams illegally completed or if any fraudulent voters were cast because of their actions. Combs is scheduled to make her first court appearance on June 24, and Williams is due in court Monday. His attorney declined to comment about the allegations. According to the charges, Williams and Combs made up names, addresses, dates of birth, telephone numbers and Social Security numbers to fill out voter registration applications. They would then sign a form certifying they understood that giving such false information was a felony with punishment of up to five years in prison or a fine of $10,000 or both. On one application in September 2022, Combs used the name "Brad Montly" and "Harry Jhonson" about a month later. Williams turned over the applications to intermediaries who gave them to the foundation, which "would submit these false voter registration applications to county election offices across the state of Minnesota." The foundation paid Williams for the applications, and he would split the money with Combs. The charges did not say how much money was involved, or specify which election offices received the applications and whether they raised suspicions. A U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman declined to disclose further details about the investigation beyond what is alleged in the charges. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon has consistently defended the integrity of elections in Minnesota, amid unsubstantiated suspicions of widespread election fraud aired by President Donald Trump and his allies. During the 2020 election cycle, Simon said the system was "safe, secure and time-tested." Charges of illegal voting are filed from time to time in Minnesota, often involving people whose criminal records make them ineligible to cast a ballot. Election contests decided by the narrowest margins are rare, but they do occur. Last November, two municipal elections in cities southwest of Duluth ended in a tie and needed low-tech solutions to determine the winners. In Wrenshall, Mayor Gary Butala and challenger Jeff Bloom each collected 143 votes. Bloom prevailed when the City Council drew his name out of a hat. In Kettle River, City Council candidates Patricia Lund and Laura Simi landed in a 33-33 tie. Playing cards were drawn, and Lund pulled the higher number. More famously, Democratic challenger Al Franken defeated Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in their 2008 U.S. Senate election battle by 312 votes out of more than 2.9 million cast. Challenges to the vote count lasted several months and kept Franken from taking office until July 2009.
CTV News
14-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Costco onto next step to build new Manitoba store
FILE - A lone shopper pushes a cart toward the entrance of a Costco warehouse, March 13, 2025, in Sheridan, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) Costco has cleared a hurdle in its bid to build another Manitoba location. Public hearings were held at the RM of West St. Paul's council meeting Thursday night for two variance applications associated with the potential new store. One is a conditional use application for a proposed auto service station and a garden centre, and the other is a separate variance application to reduce required loading space. Mayor Peter Truijen told CTV News feedback at the public hearings was largely positive, and council voted unanimously on both applications. 'A lot of people think this is a good thing,' he said. Next, the wholesaler will need to submit a development agreement to council, the mayor explained, which would also require a vote. The proposed 161,992-square-foot store would be built on Meadowland Drive. Truijen believes the store will attract Manitobans from a number of communities. 'It's right on the Perimeter. It's pretty easy access for a lot of residents, not just West St. Paul, but Selkirk, St. Clements—lots of places north of the city.'
CBS News
09-06-2025
- CBS News
Woman who fled troopers, crashed near West St. Paul home had revoked license, charges say
A 31-year-old woman is accused of driving under the influence when she led troopers on a chase early Thursday morning and crashed just feet away from a West St. Paul home. According to the criminal complaint, a trooper noticed a 2011 BMW speeding at 97 mph on Interstate 94 near Pascal Street around 1:30 a.m. When the trooper activated their emergency lights, the BMW slowed to 60 mph and nearly struck a concrete median. The BMW then exited onto Butler Avenue, and the trooper decided to stop the pursuit, court documents say. Eventually the driver sideswiped a parked car and came to a halt in the front yard of a home on the 800 block of Cherokee Avenue. The driver was arrested at the scene, and kept saying she was "running from the cartel," documents say. Officials also found a half-empty bottle of Hennessy on the passenger floorboard of the BMW. WCCO At the hospital, the woman's preliminary breath test sample registered a 0.18. She said "I'm under the influence regardless, but I'll blow it," according to the charges. She is charged with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and driving under the influence. The woman had a history of driving under the influence, documents say. Her license had been revoked because of two previous charges: refusing to take a DWI test in September of 2023 and allegedly driving with a 0.223 BAC in November of 2023.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- CTV News
Missing boy last seen on scooter near Manitoba highway: RCMP
Charlie Bird is shown in an undated photo supplied by Manitoba RCMP. Manitoba RCMP are searching for a 12-year-old boy. Police say Charlie Bird was reported missing June 4 from his temporary home in the RM of West St. Paul. He was last seen on his scooter near Highway 8 going east on Grassmere Road. Police believe he may be in Winnipeg. He is described as five-foot-two, 110 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a black sweater and black pants. He may have a large bruise on his neck. RCMP asks anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact the Red River North RCMP Detachment at 204-667-6519 or Crime Stoppers.
