SMALL PLANE CRASH-MINNESOTA

Nebraska surgeon, 2 family members killed in MN plane crash

VICTORIA, Minn. (AP) — A relative has identified three people killed in the fiery crash of a small plane in southeastern Minnesota as a surgeon from Omaha, Nebraska, and two of his family members from Wyoming. Jo Mertes, of Mantador, North Dakota, told the Star Tribune Sunday that her nephew, 42-year-old Jacob Mertes and his 37-year-old wife, Sara Mertes, of Libby, Montana, died along with her nephew’s 72-year-old stepfather, Dr. James Edney, who was piloting the plane. There were no survivors. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was flying from Alexandria Municipal Airport to Eden Prairie’s Flying Cloud Airport before 6 p.m. Saturday when it went down and burst into flames in Victoria, a city of 7,300 about 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis.

GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS POLICE

New push to disband Minneapolis police after Floyd's death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Activists in Minneapolis are making a second attempt to get rid of the city's police department, more than a year after George Floyd's death at the hands of officers. In the heat of summer, they're hitting doorsteps in an effort to persuade people to vote this November to replace the department with a new public safety unit that will have licensed peace officers “if necessary.” An effort to do away with the department last summer came up short when City Council members ran out of time to get the proposal on the ballot. The new push is well-funded; a foundation with ties to billionaire George Soros has donated $500,000.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Restaurant workers shortchanged during COVID awarded $230K

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Employees of a Minneapolis restaurant group will receive money they were denied after the company laid off workers during the COVID-19 shutdowns without giving them their final paychecks. A settlement completed Thursday between Bartmann Companies and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office will ultimately provide $230,000 in back pay, overtime and damages to its employees. The group operates eight neighborhood restaurants, including Trapeze, Barbette, Tiny Diner and Red Stag Supperclub. In addition to the missed payroll, investigators found that Bartmann had failed to compensate workers for overtime hours.

ST. PAUL POLICE SHOOTING

Fired officer who wounded unarmed Black man won't be charged

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say there will be no criminal charges for a former St. Paul police officer fired for a nonfatal shooting of an unarmed Black man who had been hiding from police last November after allegedly livestreaming a sexual assault. Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office said in a memo released Friday that Officer Anthony Dean had reasonably concluded that Joseph Javonte Washington was capable of hurting or killing officers or others when Washington rushed officers. The incident happened on Nov. 28. St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell quickly released body camera footage of the incident and subsequently fired Dean, saying Washington was naked and unarmed at the time and shouldn’t have been shot.

GREEK FESTIVAL CANCELED

Recent unrest in Minneapolis area scares away Greek festival

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An annual Greek festival in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis has been canceled because of recent unrest in the district. St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church sponsors the Taste of Greece festival, which showcases food, music, dancing and other celebrations of Greek heritage. It had been scheduled for Sept. 9-11. The church said on the festival’s website said it “would be unable to find a successful solution to ensure the safety and security” for people or property during the festival.” The Star Tribune reports that organizers plan to resume the festival next year.

POWER PLANT SALE

North Dakota power plant sale in front of state regulators

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The pending sale of a financially troubled coal-fueled power plant in North Dakota is now in the hands of state regulators, who need to sign off on several permits so that the incoming owners can operate it. Affiliates of Rainbow Energy Marketing Corp. seek to purchase from Great River Energy the Coal Creek Station plant and an associated transmission line that runs from the plant’s location in central North Dakota to Minnesota. Great River supplies electricity to 28 rural Minnesota cooperatives, serving about 1.7 million people. The Bismarck Tribune reports that the companies have applied for permit transfers from the North Dakota Public Service Commission related to the transmission line and a water pipeline.

SMALL PLANE CRASH-MINNESOTA

Officials: Single-engine plane crashes into Minnesota home

VICTORIA, Minn. (AP) — Officials say a single-engine plane crashed into a Minnesota home Saturday evening. KARE-TV reports that the Federal Aviation Administration says the plane was en route from Alexandria Municipal Airport to Eden Prairie’s Flying Cloud Airport when it crashed before 6 p.m. The FAA noted that it is in the early stage of its investigation but was not aware of any injuries on the ground from the crash. Details about the pilot or possible passengers were not available. News outlets reports that firefighters and other first responders from several agencies were at the scene.

CRASH-TWO KILLED

Report: Driver in crash that killed son of coach was drunk

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An Orono man who crashed his car last month and killed two passengers, including the son of the Minnesota men’s hockey team, had a blood alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit, police said. The driver, identified as 51-year-old James David Blue was taken to the hospital with severe injuries after the crash that killed 20-year-old Mack Motzko, son of Gophers hockey coach Bob Motzko, and 24-year-old Sam Schuneman, of Maple Grove. The Orono Police Department said in a release that lab results showed Blue's blood alcohol content to be 0.175. Minnesota’s legal alcohol driving limit is 0.08. Data analyzed from the vehicle’s airbag module indicated that Blue was going anywhere from 94 to 99 miles per hour seconds before the July 25 crash.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021