Man charged in slaying

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of his child’s mother on Thanksgiving.

Randall Watkins, 41, is charged with second-degree intentional murder in the death of Raven Gant, 27.

According to the criminal complaint, police responded to a domestic dispute call Thanksgiving night and found Gant wounded on the floor. She died that night at North Memorial Medical Center.

The complaint says Gant had been trying to get away from Watkins because of prior physical abuse. She had gone to his house to retrieve some personal belongings. The couple have a 2-year-old daughter.

NTSB blames lack of training

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal investigators say that a deadly explosion at a Minneapolis school in 2017 happened because a pipefitting crew lacked proper training and was not authorized to move a gas meter.

The National Transportation Safety Board released its report Monday on the explosion at Minnehaha Academy that killed two people and injured nine more.

Workers for the natural gas supplier CenterPoint Energy and Eagan-based Master Mechanical Inc. were moving meters on Aug. 2, 2017, when the explosion happened. School was out but some staff members and students were present.

The NTSB says the crew mistakenly believed a key valve was closed before they started disassembling the gas installation. CenterPoint says it changed its procedures shortly after the accident. Master Mechanical told the Star Tribune it respects the board’s findings.

Hepatitis A outbreak spreads

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A hepatitis A outbreak tied to blackberries sold in Fresh Thyme grocery stores now includes 16 confirmed cases in six states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 16 cases of hepatitis A, including seven in Nebraska, as part of the outbreak in Nebraska, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Fresh Thyme has said it is cooperating with the investigation and working with suppliers to identify the source of the contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has urged consumers in Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania to discard any fresh blackberries bought from Fresh Thyme between Sept. 9 and Sept. 30.