AP-US-GEORGE-FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS-POLICE

Minnesota high court OKs ballot question on Minneapolis PD

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has cleared the way for Minneapolis to vote on the future of policing in the city where George Floyd was killed. The state’s highest court overturned a lower court ruling that rejected ballot language approved by the City Council. The lower court said the wording failed to adequately describe the effects of a proposed charter amendment that would replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new Department of Public Safety that “could include” police officers “if necessary.” The Supreme Court was under pressure to rule quickly because early voting opens Friday.

AP-US-DEREK-CHAUVIN-TEEN-CIVIL-RIGHTS

Chauvin pleads not guilty to violating teen's civil rights

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in George Floyd's death has pleaded not guilty to violating a teenager's civil rights in a separate case that involved a restraint similar to the one used on Floyd. Derek Chauvin was convicted this year on state charges of murder and manslaughter in Floyd's 2020 death. He’s also charged in federal court with violating Floyd’s civil rights. But another indictment against Chauvin alleges he carried out a similar act against a then-14-year-old boy in 2017. This indictment alleges Chauvin deprived the teenager, who is Black, of his rights when held his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while the boy was prone, handcuffed and not resisting.

SUPREME COURT-PARDONS

Minnesota Supreme Court says pardon votes must be unanimous

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that unanimous votes are required for the state Board of Pardons to grant clemency. Justices overruled a lower court that had declared the 124-year-old standard to be unconstitutional. Minnesota Public Radio reports the order means that the three board members all must agree to grant a pardon, Amreya Shefa sued after she was denied a pardon in 2020 on a 2-1 vote in the killing of her husband, whom she accused of repeated sexual abuse.. Her attorney says she’s likely to be deported to Ethiopia, where she fears her husband’s relatives will kill her.

AFGHANISTAN-FORT MCCOY

Investigation requested into any mistreatment at Fort McCoy

SPARTA, Wis. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore and Ilhan Omar have asked the secretary of defense to investigate claims of possible mistreatment of Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. Moore, of Wisconsin, and Omar, of Minnesota, wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III on Wednesday about concerns raised with their offices about conditions at Fort McCoy. Those include families lacking access to basic necessities. Base officials say personnel are seeking “constant feedback” from the Afghans on how they can improve their stay. Fort McCoy is one of eight military bases in the U.S. that is temporarily housing refugees from Afghanistan.

ABANDONED SUV-BODIES

Witnesses: Suspect in slayings of 4 met victim at bar

MENOMONIE, Wis. (AP) — Authorities say one of two men suspected in the shooting deaths of four people found in an abandoned SUV in Wisconsin was spotted meeting with one of the victims the night before at a Minnesota bar. Darren Lee McWright, from St. Paul, Minnesota was arrested Thursday on a warrant from Dunn County, Wisconsin. A warrant is out for the other suspect, Antoine Darnique Suggs. A complaint filed against McWright, who's charged in Dunn County with four counts of hiding a corpse, says witnesses told police they saw Suggs late Saturday evening in the White Squirrel Bar in St. Paul with Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley, one of four victims. The complaint said that Flug-Presley’s aunt stated that her niece had a “thing” with Suggs and he would fly in from Arizona to see her.

KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN-BIDDING WAR

Railroad execs hope CP-KCS merger could be done by late 2022

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Canadian Pacific hopes to complete its $31 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern railroad before the end of next year. Shareholders of both companies are likely to vote on the deal sometime in December, and then Mexican and American regulators will have to sign off on the combination. Officials from both railroads provided an update on the timing of the deal Thursday in a call with investors. Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel said he hopes the full U.S. review of the deal will wrap up in October or November of next year and allow the two railroads to combine then, but the regulatory review could take longer.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

More than 200 Minnesota ICU beds in use due to COVID-19

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units across Minnesota has climbed to more than 200 for the first time this year, fueling concerns from health officials about shrinking capacity at hospitals statewide. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters on Wednesday that 718 patients are hospitalized due to COVID-19 including 208 in intensive care. Malcolm said Minnesota hospitals were “very full” of patients with other critical conditions even before virus cases began increasing. As of Monday, more than 3.3 million Minnesotans 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

POLICE SHOOTING-MINNEAPOLIS-NOOR

Ex-cop's murder conviction reversed in 911 caller's death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed the third-degree murder conviction of a former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot a woman who had called 911 to report a possible rape behind her home. Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. But he appealed the murder conviction, saying the charge was meant for cases in which a defendant’s actions are not directed at a particular person. The court's ruling Wednesday could give Derek Chauvin grounds to appeal his third-degree murder conviction in George Floyd’s death, but that would have little tangible impact since Chauvin was also convicted of the more serious count of second-degree murder.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021