BC-AZ-SNOWBOWL-FATAL SKI ACCIDENT

Minnesota man dies after skiing accident in northern Arizona

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say a Minnesota man has died after a skiing accident at the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort in Flagstaff. Coconino County Sheriff’s officials say 61-year-old Michael Amiot died Tuesday morning after being injured on one of the more difficult runs. Details weren’t immediately released, but authorities say Amiot wasn’t wearing a helmet and suffered serious head trauma. They say Amiot was transported by ski patrol to a lodge where medical personnel attempted life-saving efforts, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Sheriff’s deputies say the county medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death. The accident remains under investigation.

GEORGE-FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS

Officer says he assumed fellow cops were caring for Floyd

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s killing says he was relying on his fellow officers to care for Floyd’s medical needs as he controlled onlookers as police tried to arrest the Black man. Former Minneapolis Police Officer Tou Thao is one of three former officers charged in federal court with violating Floyd’s constitutional rights when Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man was handcuffed, facedown on the street. Thao held back bystanders. J. Alexander Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back and Thomas Lane held his legs. Thao took the stand Tuesday as the fired officers began presenting their defense

TWIN METALS MINE

Minnesota agency stops work on mine near Boundary Waters

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota regulators have told the company behind the stalled copper-nickel mine project near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that it’s stopping work on the state’s environmental review. The Department of Natural Resources says it will “redirect staff resources to other high priority projects.” The agency has concerns about the location for the large amount of semi-dry processing waste the company proposed stacking in an open-air mound above ground on the marshy site. The $1.7 billion underground mine project was widely condemned for being too close to the Boundary Waters and was in the very early stages of permitting in Minnesota.

POLICE SHOOTING-MINNEAPOLIS-FUNERAL

Amir Locke funeral set for Thursday; Sharpton to officiate

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A funeral service will be held Thursday in Minneapolis for Amir Locke, the 22-year-old Black man shot by Minneapolis police executing a search warrant earlier this month. The service will be held in the church that hosted Daunte Wright’s funeral last April, and the Rev. Al Sharpton — who also officiated Wright's funeral — will preside. A SWAT team member shot Locke on Feb. 2 as officers were serving a search warrant in a St. Paul homicide case shortly before 7 a.m. His parents have said it appears from body-camera video that Locke was startled awake by officers. They've called his death an “execution” and called for a ban on no-knock warrants throughout Minnesota.

AP-US-TRIBAL-JAILS-DEATH-INVESTIGATIONS

US announces tribal lockup reforms after 16 deaths reviewed

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has announced a series of reforms after reviewing the deaths of 16 inmates in correctional facilities it oversees. The agency did not publicly release the details of its review, making it difficult to gauge what prompted the reforms that it says will protect the rights, dignity and safety of tribal members taken into custody. The reforms include policy changes to quicken the response to in-custody deaths and regular updates to the the bureau's Office of Justice Services. Other reforms focus on training and working with other federal agencies to define the roles of investigators.

REDISTRICTING-MINNESOTA

Minnesota courts release new political district maps

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota panel of five judges released newly drawn congressional and legislative district maps on Tuesday. The politically competitive 2nd District represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig got smaller and less rural. Urban population growth resulted in more state legislative districts in the Twin Cities metro area and suburbs. Shrinking or stagnated populations in rural districts caused them to get larger geographically. A preliminary list from Senate Republicans showed four incumbent pairings of Republican senators that ended up in the same district due to shifted boundaries, two pairings between Democratic senators and one district where a Republican and Democrat were paired.

CURRICULUM TRANSPARENCY

Senate GOP package pushes to provide curriculum to parents

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Senate Republicans introduced a “Parents Bill of Rights” legislative package on Monday they say would empower parents by giving them more access to curriculum at their children’s schools. The bills would require access to class syllabi for parents within the first two weeks of the start of classes and provide all instruction materials without cost to parents who request them for review, among others. Teachers are concerned the requirements would mandate more duties for an already exhausted workforce and create an opening for future censorship and book bans to prevent teachings on topics like race and gender.

FOOD DEMAND-NORTH DAKOTA

Food demand high at North Dakota's only food bank

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s only food bank experienced the second-highest demand in its 39-year history in 2021 as the coronavirus pandemic surged. Great Plains Food Bank, based in Fargo, provided 12.6 million meals for those in need in 2021. The non-for-profit organization helped 121,000 people, more than in any year before the pandemic. As the pandemic gathered steam in 2020, the food bank experienced record demand, providing food for 17.7 million meals for nearly 146,000 people. The food bank is based in Fargo, with a distribution center in Bismarck. The organization distributes food to pantries, shelters, soup kitchens and other charitable feeding programs in more than 100 communities across North Dakota and into eastern Minnesota.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022