RUSSIA DIVESTMENT-MINNESOTA-EXPLAINER

EXPLAINER: Minnesota to divest from Russia over Ukraine war

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota state government will divest its assets in Russia to show its solidarity with the people of Ukraine, a bipartisan expression of moral outrage that supporters say is worth the cost. The Minnesota Senate voted 67-0 Tuesday to mandate that the state sell off its investments in Russia and neighboring Belarus, which has supported Russia’s month-old war in Ukraine. Those assets are mostly held by the state’s public employee pension funds. The unanimous vote followed unanimous approval in the House last Thursday. And it sends the bill to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for his signature.

FATAL STABBING-CHAMPLIN

Police make an arrest in fatal Champlin stabbing

CHAMPLIN, Minn. (AP) — Police say they have arrested a suspect in a fatal stabbing in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin. Authorities say the Red River Valley SWAT team responded to an apartment building in Fargo, North Dakota Tuesday morning after receiving a tip and arrested a 44-year-old man. Champlin police found 35-year-old Peachu Yates unresponsive in the front yard of a residence about 9:30 p.m. Monday. Officers and firefighters from the Anoka-Champlin Fire Department attempted life saving efforts but were unsuccessful. A K-9 team from Brooklyn Park and the Minnesota State Patrol air unit helped law enforcement from several agencies search for the suspect. Officers found the suspect’s vehicle abandoned in neighboring Brooklyn Park.

MILLE LACS WALLEYES

DNR plans slightly looser walleye rules for Mille Lacs Lake

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Walleye angling rules for Mille Lacs Lake will be slightly looser for the 2022 open water season. As with last year, Mille Lacs anglers will be allowed to keep one walleye between 21 and 23 inches or one longer than 28 inches from May 14 through May 30. Then the popular lake goes to catch-and-release walleye fishing for most of the summer, with a two-week closure at the start of July to reduce hooking mortality. But unlike last year, the Department of Natural Resources expects to restore the one-fish limit Sept. 1. Mille Lacs has been in a state of change since the 1990s

STOLEN FIREARMS CHARGE

Feds: Minnesota man stole guns, ammo from shipping facility

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors say a man is accused of stealing numerous boxes of guns and ammunition while working at a national shipping company in Minnesota. Jason Cikotte, of Isanti, Minnesota, is charged in federal court with possession of stolen firearms. Authorities said the thefts occurred over the course of almost a year at the XPO Logistics facility in Fridley, north of Minneapolis. The 31-year-old Cikotte appeared in court last week and was released on his promise to appear at future proceedings. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday. Authorities said a search of Cikotte’s house turned up about 40 guns, tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition and firearm parts and accessories.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Minnesota makes free at-home COVID-19 tests available online

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota is launching a new online program to provide free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests. Beginning Tuesday, Minnesotans can order two test kits per home for a total of four tests via mn.gov/covid19. The state has secured 500,000 of the test kits and will make them available until the supply runs out. Minnesota will use the program as a model for providing more access to rapid testing in the months ahead. With the spike in cases from the omicron variant fading, Minnesota has now recorded more than 1.4 million coronavirus cases and over 12,000 deaths since the pandemic began.

ELECTION 2022-CONGRESS-MINNESOTA

Rep. Jen Schultz of Duluth challenges Stauber for Congress

ST. PAUL Minn. (AP) — Democratic state Rep. Jen Schultz, of Duluth, has entered the race for Congress in northeastern Minnesota's 8th District, giving her party a credible challenger to Republican incumbent Pete Stauber in a district that’s trending toward the GOP. Schultz made the announcement Monday at stops in Virginia, Duluth and St. Paul, where around 20 Democratic lawmakers joined in a show of support. House Speaker Melissa Hortman touted Schultz's record of getting things done. Schultz is a health care economics professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and is serving her fourth term in the Minnesota House.

MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOLS-STRIKE

Minneapolis teachers OK contract; classes to resume Tuesday

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis teachers have approved a new contract to end a strike that has kept students out of their classrooms for nearly three weeks. The school district’s 28,700 students are set to return Tuesday. The union, which represents about 4,500 teachers and support professionals, voted to approve the new contract Sunday after its negotiators reached a tentative agreement with the district Friday. The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers went on strike on March 8 after negotiations dragged on over wage increases, smaller class sizes, exemptions for teachers of color from seniority-based layoffs and mental health support for students.

TEACHING NATIVE LANGUAGES

Artists use their skills to teach Native American languages

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Several artists across Minnesota are using their talents to help teach Native American languages. Neil McKay is a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe in North Dakota who instructs students in the Dakota language at the University of Minnesota. Classically trained in guitar, he learned to meld his interest in the Dakota language and music. Chris Griffith and Shari Aronson are co-founders of Z Puppets Rosenschnoz, a puppet theater in Minneapolis. For the past four years, they have been performing “Say It! Sing It! Play It! In Cherokee.” Another artist and educator, Wesley Ballinger, has worked on two series of Ojibwe language textbooks. Supporters say that as the movement to learn Indigenous languages grows, more creative ways are needed to teach them.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022