A crash between a vehicle and a horse-drawn buggy carriage in Polk County has resulted in two people being injured. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, at about 10:30 Thursday morning, a van driven by 53-year-old James Simon of Moorhead rear-ended a horse-drawn buggy on Highway 2 in McIntosh. A family of seven from Fosston was aboard the carriage when the accident happened. 5-year-old Dannie Miller and 46-year-old Dannin Miller received non-life threatening injuries in the accident. Everyone else involved in the crash was not injured. According to the incident report, no alcohol was involved.
Excessive drinking costs Minnesotans nearly $8 billion in 2019, a state study found. According to a study from the Minnesota Department of Health published Thursday, Minnesotans lost $7.85 billion in 2019 due to excessive alcohol consumption, with the loss falling primarily on the government, health insurance providers and employers. Three-quarters of the loss is attributed to a dip in productivity, both at home and at work. Decreased productivity came from absenteeism, premature death and incarceration caused by excess alcohol consumption. The study also pointed to medical costs associated with drinking. While around 3% of inpatient hospital treatments in 2019 were associated with alcohol consumption, it accounted for 35% of healthcare costs. The study estimated that excessive alcohol consumption cost each Minnesota resident an average of $1,383, or $2.86 per drink. Other costs associated with drinking in the study included crime, motor vehicle crashes and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for northern Minnesota communities impacted by flooding and tornadoes over Memorial Day weekend. The National Weather Service says 13 tornadoes hit Minnesota during Memorial Day. One of the tornadoes ripped through Forada, a few miles south of Alexandria and another hit the small community of Eagle Bend in Todd County. The declaration unlocks public assistance for emergency work and repair in disaster-damaged facilities. The declaration was approved for Aitkin, Big Stone, Cass, Chippewa, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Itasca, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Lyon, Nobles, Pine, Pope, Renville, Rock, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wadena, and Yellow Medicine counties.