BC-US-GEORGE-FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL-RIGHTS

Officer charged in Floyd killing says he deferred to Chauvin

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s killing testified Wednesday that he deferred to Derek Chauvin because he was his senior officer and that’s what he had been trained to do. J. Alexander Kueng is one of three former officers charged in federal court with violating Floyd’s constitutional rights when Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck as the 46-year-old Black man was handcuffed, facedown on the street. Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back, Thomas Lane held his legs and Tou Thao kept bystanders back. Kueng says he was concerned about officers' inability to stop Floyd from thrashing around as they tried to arrest him. He said that when Lane suggested changing the restraint, Chauvin disagreed. Kueng said: “He was my senior officer and I trusted his advice."

DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL

Prosecutors reduce requested sentence for ex-cop Kim Potter

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota prosecutors have apparently backed away from their pursuit of a longer-than-usual sentence for the suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for her Taser when she killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist. Kim Potter is scheduled to be sentenced Friday following her December conviction of first-degree manslaughter. In a court filing this week, prosecutors said a sentence of just more than seven years — which is the presumed penalty under state guidelines -- would be proper. Potter's attorneys are asking for a lesser-than-usual penalty, or a sentence of probation only.

SPORTS BETTING-MINNESOTA

Minnesota lawmakers take another shot at sports betting bill

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Another push for sports betting legislation appears to be gaining momentum as Minnesota lawmakers on Wednesday announced a bipartisan legalization effort. Past attempts have failed to get much support in the Legislature and among the state’s tribes. Republican and Democratic lawmakers in both chambers have a renewed interest in legalizing sports gambling statewide. Thirty states and Washington, D.C., offer sports gambling and another three states have legalized it but aren’t yet operational. A 2018 Supreme Court ruling opened the door for states to legalize betting on sports.

SCHOOL BUS SAFETY

Grant money aimed to school bus stop-arm violators

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Schools and bus companies across Minnesota have been given $3.5 million in grant money to outfit school buses with stop-arm cameras. The Minnesota Legislature has awarded the grants to 32 schools and bus companies to purchase and install the cameras, as well as buy supporting software programs. According to the state Department of Transportation, Minnesota was seeing more than 1,000 stop-arm violations a year before the coronavirus hit and altered busing schedules. Adding the cameras will lead law enforcement to the violators. State law requires motorists to stop when a school bus driver extends a stop arm and activates flashing lights. The law applies to motorists both in front of the bus and in back of it.

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.

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.

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.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022