GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The Paynesville Police Department is investigating a house explosion that happened early Tuesday morning, and the man inside at the time escaped with only minor injuries. Dennis Pederson, who was in his home just before 9:00 a.m. on the 500 block of Morningside Avenue when his house exploded, crawled out of the debris with minor injuries, according to police. Pederson, 76, was treated and released at the scene. He told KARE 11 he didn't hear much of the explosion from his basement since he wears a hearing aid. The State Fire Marshal's office and the Office of Pipeline Safety are investigating the explosion.
While DNA expert testimony ate up most of Tuesday in the Ezra McCandless murder trial in Dunn County, WI, prosecutors began and ended the day trying to show the jury that McCandless staged a phony scene to lay the groundwork for a self-defense claim. McCandless is accused of stabbing her ex-boyfriend Alex Woodworth 16 times, killing him in the backseat of her car while it was parked on a country road in March 2018. The trial is expected to last through next week.
Zero deaths on Minnesota roads. That's the goal of Minnesota's Toward Zero Deaths initiative. Every year, a conference is held to address this goal and cut down on the number of deadly crashes in the state. This year's conference is Wednesday and Thursday in St. Cloud. Among those attending are educators and law enforcement, who will talk about ways to reduce crashes through education, engineering and enforcement. So far this year, 296 people have died on Minnesota roads, according to the Department of Public Safety. In the same time last year 302 people were killed. The total number of deaths on Minnesota roads in 2018 was 381.
