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Briefly

Walz mulling bid for governor

ST. PAUL (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Walz says he’s weighing a bid for Minnesota governor.

The six-term congressman told Minnesota Public Radio News on Thursday that he plans to make a decision by April. Walz says representing southwestern Minnesota gives him critical experience to boost Democrats’ standing outside in rural Minnesota.

Walz narrowly survived his own re-election in the 1st Congressional District last year. He beat Republican challenger Jim Hagedorn by less than 1 percentage point in a race that wasn’t expected to be close.

He’s not the only rural Democrat weighing a bid. Fellow Democratic Rep. Rick Nolan has also expressed interest. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, state Rep. Erin Murphy and State Auditor Rebecca Otto have already launched campaigns. No major Republican candidates have formally entered the race.

Fatal fire claims 2 lives

NORTHOME (AP) — Two people have died in a house fire in northeastern Minnesota, the seventh fatal fire in the region this winter.

Investigators are looking for the cause of a deadly fire in the small Koochiching County community of Northome Wednesday.

WDIO-TV reports the home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. The two bodies were found in the charred rubble. The victims have not been identified.

Other fire deaths have occurred this winter in Hibbing, Mountain Iron, Hermantown, Brevator Township, Normanna Township and in Duluth.

Woman pleads guilty to role

GRAND RAPIDS (AP) — A woman has pleaded guilty to her role in the decapitation of a Hibbing man.

She is expected to be sentenced to roughly 30 years in prison in connection with the death of 20-year-old old David Haiman of Hibbing.

As part of her plea agreement, she’ll also have to testify against 36-year-old Joseph Thoresen of Deer River.

Thoresen is charged with decapitating Haiman in June, after the woman told Thoresen that Haiman raped her.

Authorities say the woman was in Haiman’s car near Ball Club when Thoresen and Haiman got out and Thoresen hit Haiman with a baseball bat, stabbed him and beheaded him with a machete.

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