New weight loss program to expand organ donor pool

Happening today

🌧️ Snow showers will change to rain showers as the day goes on. High temperatures near 40. The weather will dry out this weekend with more high temperatures in the 40s.

🚜 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Boozman, the lead Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, will host meetings with farmers, producers, conservation groups, and local business owners as work on the 2023 Farm Bill continues. Klobuchar and Boozman will be in Oronoco to meet with local family farm owners and in St. Paul to host a Farm Bill discussion with Minnesota agriculture leaders.

👮 Visitation will be held for Pope County Sheriff’s Deputy, Joshua Owen, on Friday, April 21st, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Minnewaska Area High School. Visitation will continue on Saturday, April 22nd followed by funeral services at 10:30 a.m.

🏀 After two losses, the Timberwolves face off against the Denver Nuggets for their first playoff game at home.

Joke email turns into real-life hand modeling opportunity with Brooklyn Park distillery

• Duel Frye emailed Tyson Schnitker, owner of Skaalvenn Distillery about becoming a hand model in an attempt to make his fiancée laugh.
• Schnitker called Frye back and they decided to make the joke a reality and scheduled a photo shoot. Schnitker even snapped a few engagement photos for Frye and his fiancée.
• Frye and his fiancée invited Schnitker and his wife to their wedding this summer.

“I told him, ‘Hey I appreciate the email. Unfortunately, we don’t have the budget or current need for a hand model’ and he started chuckling a little bit, and that’s when I knew he had the same humor that we have,” said Schnitker.

“It just blows my mind that this all happened. It was completely unexpected. I’m just very grateful,” said Frye.

In a world of not-so-nice things on social media, Schnitker is grateful these photos bring a smile to people’s faces.

“You can’t make this up. It just happened,” said Schnitker, “I think it was serendipitous that it went to us, the distillery that was actually going to run with it.”