Few schools test for radon. Minnesota E. coli cases reach 15

It's Minnesota Today. For Tuesday, November 19, I'm Phil Picardy with NPR News, the news podcast. A new report from the State Department of Health finds most Minnesota schools are not completing recommended radon level tests. The odorless colorless gas found in two out of five Minnesota homes is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Children are more likely than adults to inhale radon

But according to the Health Department's Daniel Tranter, less than half of schools are testing rate on levels. About 40% of public schools had tested between 2018 and 2022. And of the schools that tested about 16% found one or more room was at or above

The Department of Health's new report finds charter schools were much less likely to test than district schools. Those with more students in poverty also were less likely to test. An E. coli outbreak linked to beef and carrots has led to at least 15 cases in the state. The beef has been linked to 10 cases of E. coli from burgers sold at multiple locations of red cow restaurants in the metro.

and the henhouse eatery in Minneapolis. At least five cases of E. coli have been linked to carrots sold in grocery stores around the state. Lawyers presented opening statements yesterday in the federal trial of two men facing human smuggling charges in Fergus Falls. Matthew Holding Eagle III reports prosecutors alleged the men's actions resulted in a family of four

freezing to death in 2022. Federal authorities alleged Steve Shand in Harsh Kumar Patel were part of an operation which took money from people in India wanting to get to the U.S.

The operation took the people to Canada and then had them walk across the border into the US at night in winter. In opening statements, prosecutors said Patel coordinated the delivery of migrants to the border and arranged for Shan to pick them up in Minnesota. They argue the family of four was ill-prepared for the dangerous windshield on the night they died.

However, Patel's attorney denied there is evidence linking his client to what happened. Shan's lawyer said he was simply a driver who did not ask questions. The case is expected to last five days. Matthew holding eagle the third, Fergus Falls. Prosecutors have revealed more details about the attempt to bribe a juror during the first feeding our future trial. Matt Sepic has more.

As the trial was concluding in early June, the judge stopped the proceedings after a juror reported that a woman had dropped off a Hallmark gift bag with $120,000 at her house and promised more cash in exchange for an acquittal. The government soon charged five people including three of the seven trial defendants with jury bribery.

Mukhtar Sharif, who was convicted in the fraud trial, is not charged in the bribery case, but federal prosecutors are seeking extra prison time for obstruction of justice over allegations that Sharif deleted an encrypted messaging app when Judge Nancy Brazel ordered him to hand his phone to the FBI. Investigators say they recovered incoming messages in which a co-defendant discusses the bribe plot and urges Sharif to delete a video of the cash drop-off. I'm Matt Sapik, Minneapolis.

A Minneapolis City Council Committee takes up options for providing more outdoor space for unsheltered people as a legal alternative to encampments. Under consideration are amendments to city zoning and building policies, which could allow for things like overnight parking space for people living in cars.

or temporary tiny homes. Council member Aisha Chugtai introduced the measure last week. It is not, quote unquote, regulated encampments. Service provision and access to services are one of the most critical and distinctive parts of safe outdoor spaces from people just living outside.

The Council would need to identify providers who could run those spaces and possible locations. Pop-up homeless encampments have been common in the city for years. In sports, the Minnesota Wild face-off against the Blues in St. Louis tonight, Minnesota at 11-3 and 3 on the season. The Go for Men's basketball team hosts Cleveland State tonight, Minnesota with three wins and one lost thus far in the season.

and the Go for Women tip off against Eastern Illinois tomorrow night at Williams Arena.

In the cooler weather forecast, cloudy skies rain statewide high temperatures mid 40s to low 50s. Tonight mostly cloudy skies with a chance of snow north and west low temperatures mid 20s to low 30s. Wednesday cloudy a chance of snow region wide high temperatures upper 20s to mid 30s. That's the news for a Tuesday from Minnesota today. Emily Reese has an update to the podcast this afternoon.