Toddler killed, 3 others hurt in Becker County house fire

DETROIT LAKES (AP) — A 2-year-old boy has died and three family members have been injured in a house fire in northwestern Minnesota.

The Becker County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday about the fire northeast of Detroit Lakes.

The first deputy on the scene found the house fully engulfed.

Children in the basement heard smoke alarms, saw flames on the main floor and alerted family members who escaped. After learning a 2-year-old was missing, his father and an older brother went back in but couldn’t find the boy. Micah Hedlund was later found dead.

The father, 48-year-old Michael Hedlund, was airlifted to a Fargo hospital for smoke inhalation. The mother, 46-year-old Melissa Hedlund and a 5-year-old girl were airlifted to Minneapolis for smoke inhalation and burns.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting in the investigation.

Red Cliff Band donates fish to Bayfield area community

BAYFIELD, Wis. (AP) — The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has donated 2,180 pounds of fish to the Bayfield area community in northwestern Wisconsin.

KBJR-TV reported it was part of the “Community Fish Project,” which aims to feed Red Cliff Band members and other people in need.

In the past three weeks, the band has been purchasing fish from four Red Cliff tribal fishing boats for distribution throughout the area to help community members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 300 pounds of whitefish were donated to the Bayfield Food Shelf and the Madeline Island Food Shelf.

The Red Cliff Casino donated ice to keep the fish fresh.

DFL endorses incumbent Ilhan Omar for congressional seat

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — First-term U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar has won the DFL endorsement to run in the August primary election for the Minneapolis congressional seat long held by Democrats.

The party endorsement Sunday pits Omar against primary challenger Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney and political newcomer.

The 37-year-old Omar was elected to Congress in 2018 after a rapid rise through the state Legislature. She’s the first Somali-American elected to both a state Legislature and to Congress. She has been a target of conservatives in Washington where she has publicly sparred with President Donald Trump on Twitter.

Melton-Meaux has collected some high-profile endorsements from Minneapolis-area DFLers, and has had some success in fundraising, the Star Tribune reported. The Republican-endorsed candidate is Lacy Johnson, a north Minneapolis businessman.