Minnesota News Briefs: State House approves state workers' raise

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ST. PAUL -- Thousands of state employees will get a raise after the Minnesota state House of Representatives approved a new contract for seven different groups.

The two-percent hike for members of the unions that include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 5 and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees is the first pay hike in more than three years. It was approved in the state Senate last week and Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to sign it. Dayton also says he'll push to include same-sex benefits in the next contract. The deal covers about 35,000 employees.

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Investigators are trying to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in a fatal crash in St. Paul Friday. Police say the driver struck the back end of a parked truck. Four people were inside the car at the time of the crash, two were pronounced dead at the scene. A third was taken to the hopital with injuries. The driver was arrested and taken into custody. No names have been released.

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The Austin man police say led them on a high-speed chase across two counties has pleaded not guilty. Investigators say 31-year-old Duangchan Keobounhmee was driving a stolen car in Mower County when officers tried to pull him over and he took off. Police say Keobounhmee cruised over a set of spike strips at 120 mph, but that didn't stop him and the chase continued on three flat tires. Keobounhmee eventually pulled over, but officers say he tried to run and they shot him with a stun gun to get him in cuffs. He faces two counts of theft and one count of running from police, and could be looking at 10 years in prison. Trial starts June 6.

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