D.R. Gonzalez Governor Tim Walz will break ground today on a major construction project in Austin to replace and repair bridges along I-90.  The $50 million project includes replacing eight aging bridges and rehabilitating two mainline bridges along I-90, improving the walking and biking conditions and overall safety.  The construction is one of the first transportation projects in the state funded by President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Construction is expected to be completed in 2026 ..read more

Shawn Miller, Freeborn County Jail An Austin man is accused of a home invasion in Albert Lea. Shawn Michael Miller, 36, was charged last week in Freeborn County Court with felony counts of aggravated 1st-degree robbery, 1st-degree burglary, 2nd-degree assault, and possession of a firearm as an ineligible person. Albert Lea Police were dispatched to a home on John Ave on January 19 for a robbery in which two suspects had just left the scene. The victim told police that two robbers – one later identified as Miller – had entered the home and asked him where “it” was located.  According to t ..read more

Minnesota State Patrol A driver was critically injured in a rollover off I-90 in Mower County Tuesday morning. Blaine Warren Edwards, 35, of Austin, was transported to Mayo Clinic Austin with life-threatening injuries he sustained in the 5 a.m. crash. The Minnesota State Patrol says Edwards was driving a Ford Ranger eastbound on I-90 east of Austin when he lost control of the pickup, which left the roadway and rolled. A crash report says Edwards was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash ..read more

Austin Police are looking for help in identifying the suspects who stole various items from a local business. Police in Austin are searching for a pair of thieves who stole a unique variety of items from a local business. Police say the suspects took condoms, Epsom salt, Tide Power pods, a Bluezen Precision massager, and other household goods from the store. The suspect vehicle could be a gray four-door sedan that’s believed to be a Mazda. Anyone with information should contact the Austin Police Department at (507) 437-9405.   ..read more

Lavant Shaw mugshot, Martin County Jail The suspect in a shooting earlier this month in rural Truman has been arrested. Lavant Marques Shaw, 18, of Owatonna, was taken into custody without incident, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.  Shaw is held on potential charges of 2nd-degree attempted murder, 2nd-degree assault, and dangerous weapons. Investigators say on July 3 there was a large gathering of people at a farm site in rural Martin County, which was shared on social media.  The party drew hundreds of people from dozens of Minnesota cities, including Eden Prairie ..read more

The state patrol says alcohol was detected in a driver who crashed his car in Faribault County Tuesday afternoon. Lwee Htoo Day, 20, was transported to United Hospital District following the 2:21 p.m. crash on I-90.  Day wasn’t injured in the crash, according to a patrol crash report. The report says Day was eastbound on I-90 west of Alden when his Ford Taurus left the roadway and crashed.   ..read more

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — An Austin police officer who shot a man after a 24-hour standoff with law enforcement in December will not face charges. Officer Zachary Gast shot 38-year-old Kokou Christopher Fiafonou on Christmas Eve following an incident that started the day before when Fiafonou was reported to be walking in traffic while wielding a machete. Fiafonou retreated to his apartment where he held police at bay for 24 hours. Fiafonou eventually left the residence and confronted officers with a knife. Gast fired seven rounds after Fiafonou ignored commands to drop the knife, stop or get on ..read more

An Austin man and his father both pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge connected to last year’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building. Daniel Johnson, 29, of Austin, and his father, Daryl Johnson, of Iowa, pleaded guilty to civil disorder in the District of Columbia, nearly a year to the day after the unrest.  The two men are accused of unlawfully entering the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021. Court documents say the men entered the building through a broken window in the afternoon and rushed officers who were trying to keep rioters out of the building.  They apparently stayed insid ..read more

Officials have identified the officer involved in a fatal shooting in Austin last week and the man who was killed. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says  Zachery Gast was the officer who discharged his weapon.  Gast has been with the Austin Police Department for two years.  He’s currently on standard administrative leave. The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man who died as Kokou Christopher Fiafonou, 38, of Austin.  Fiafonou died of homicide due to multiple gunshot wounds, according to a release from the BCA.  Police s ..read more

A Rochester man has died after a garbage truck rollover on I-90 east of Austin Wednesday morning. The Minnesota State Patrol says Dean Allen Sinwell, 53, sustained fatal injuries when his Mack dump truck left the westbound I-90 lanes, entered the median, and rolled over, coming to rest in the eastbound lanes. Sinwell was transported to Mayo Clinic Austin, but ultimately died of his injuries.  He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, according to the crash report ..read more