GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICER TRIAL

Judge in Chauvin trial to release names of jurors on Nov. 1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The judge who oversaw the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin said Monday that he will make the names of the 15 jurors and alternates who sat in the courtroom public next week. Judge Peter Cahill’s order says he will make the list of jurors public on Nov. 1. The written questionnaires of all 109 potential jurors who were formally evaluated will also be made public. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted in April of second-degree murder and other counts n the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man. He was sentenced to 22 1/2 years.

SMALL PLANE CRASH

Brother, sister killed when plane crashes in Ashland County

MARENGO, Wis. (AP) — The brother and sister who died when their small plane crashed into a house in a tiny, northern Wisconsin town were known to the homeowners, who escaped injury. The single-engine plane went down Saturday afternoon in the Ashland County community of Marengo, home to about 400 residents located about 80 miles from Duluth, Minnesota. The sheriff's office says 29-year-old Aaron Mika and his 21-year-old sister, Aleah Mika died at the scene. Martin Ollanketo says he and his wife were watching TV when they heard what sounded like a bomb. The plane crash destroyed their front porch. The homeowners knew the couple killed, recounting their graduation parties that they attended.

CONTENTIOUS SCHOOL BOARDS

Local school board resignations triple in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Contentious disagreements over COVID-19 policies and critical race theory have caused a significant increase in the number of local school board resignations in Minnesota. According to the Minnesota School Boards Association, nearly 70 board members have resigned their positions this year, triple the number of resignations in a regular year. The association says that equates to an unusually high number of district special elections. Violent school board meetings and threats toward school board members over divisive issues that have caused dozens of board leaders to quit their positions are now at the center of many school board campaigns and platforms.

CHARTER SCHOOL-INVESTMENT LOSSES

Leader of charter school to quit following hedge fund losses

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The founder of a St. Paul charter school that lost $4.3 million in a hedge fund investment is quitting as superintendent and chief financial officer. The Hmong College Prep Academy board said in a posting on its website that it plans to meet Monday to vote on Christianna Hang's resignation. Her letter was submitted days after the state auditor’s office determined that the school failed to follow state law and its own policies when it invested $5 million in the hedge fund. State Auditor Julie Blaha says her office was not assigning blame to anyone for the school’s losses. The Star Tribune reports that the auditor's office sent its findings to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office for possible action.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL HOSPITALS

COVID-19 wave overwhelms rural hospitals short on ICU beds

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The case of a rural Minnesota man who waited two days for an ICU bed and later died is among several examples that have frustrated officials in rural hospitals whose facilities are overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Bob Cameron spent two days in his hometown hospital in Hallock, Minnesota, where caregivers searched nonstop for space in a larger hospital that could find and fix the source of his severe gastrointestinal bleeding and treat his COVID-19. A bed was secured Oct. 12 at Sanford Health in Fargo, North Dakota, but his condition worsened after surgery there to find the source of his bleeding. The 87-year-old Cameron died Oct. 13. During a three-week stretch this month, rural hospitals were caring for more COVID-19 patients than Twin Cities hospitals.

PRINCE-CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL

First steps made in Congress to honor pop superstar Prince

NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota’s Congressional delegation on Monday is introducing a resolution to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to pop superstar Prince, citing his “indelible mark on Minnesota and American culture,” The Associated Press has learned. The medal is one of the nation’s highest civilian honors and past recipients include George Washington, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, the Tuskegee Airmen and the Dalai Lama. Prince, whose hits include “Little Red Corvette,” ?Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry,” died in 2016. The resolution for Prince is led by U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who represents Minneapolis, and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents the state.

SMALL PLANE CRASH

Small plane crashes into Wisconsin home, kills 2 onboard

MARENGO, Wis. (AP) — Authorities say two people died when a single-engine plane crashed into a home in northeastern Wisconsin. The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office received numerous 911 calls about 2:40 p.m. Saturday with reports of the crash in the town of Marengo. No one on the ground was hurt. The sheriff’s department says the victims are a 29-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman from Marengo, which is about 80 miles from Duluth, Minnesota. Investigators do not believe there was anyone else in the plane. A news release from the sheriff’s department said it will “share further information with the public regarding this incident as it becomes available.” The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

HOUSE EXPLOSION-CAMBRIDGE

2 of 5 victims in Cambridge house explosion seriously hurt

CAMBRIDGE, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say two of the five people who were inside a Cambridge house when it exploded over the weekend were seriously injured in the blast. Capt. John Elder, spokesman with the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office, says all five victims were taken to local hospitals following the explosion shortly after 5:30 a.m. Saturday. Two of then were later transported to North Memorial in Robbinsdale for further treatment. The Star Tribune reports that the two-story house in a residential neighborhood of Cambridge is a total loss. There was no damage to any other nearby homes and a large propane tank in the backyard of the home did not explode. Debris was found up to a block away. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021