St. Thomas first-year student Erika Cruz died as a result of injuries in a car crash that, according to Olmsted County authorities, involved an impaired driver Tuesday night in Rochester.

Sterling Royce Haukom, 34, of Rochester, was charged with felony-level criminal vehicular homicide after crashing into a vehicle that was driven by Cruz in a residential neighborhood in the city, according to a criminal complaint. Haukom was also charged with one count of driving while impaired, a gross misdemeanor.

A GoFundMe campaign for Cruz was started to help pay for funeral expenses and had raised more than $9,000 as of Thursday afternoon.

Governor Tim Walz said Thursday that at least 70% of Minnesotans age 65 and older will get at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine before the state moves on to the next phase of vaccinations.

The next phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan will expand eligibility based on underlying health conditions and workplace exposure risk.

Former U.S. gymnastic coach John Geddert died by suicide Thursday after being charged with turning his Michigan gym into a human trafficking hub by cocering girls to train and then abusing them.

Geddert was supposed to appear in an Eaton County Court. His body was found at a rest area along Interstate-96.

Geddert was charged with two dozen crimes including sexual assault, human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise.

Macy Berendsen can be reached at macy.berendsen@stthomas.edu.