GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS POLICE

Residents seek role in federal probe into Minneapolis police

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis activists are collecting accounts of police misconduct from community members for a federal civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis police to ensure they have a say in any potential changes. The Justice Department launched the probe in April to determine if there is a pattern or practice of policing in the city where George Floyd was murdered that is unlawful or unconstitutional. Federal investigators are examining the Minneapolis police force’s current systems of accountability and whether the department’s officers have engaged in discriminatory policing. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights division conducted nearly 70 formal probes of police departments across the country between 1997 and 2016, resulting in 40 reform agreements.

SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS-STRIKE AUTHORIZED

Minneapolis school bus drivers say they're ready to strike

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — School bus drivers and dispatchers for Minneapolis Public Schools have voted unanimously to go on strike if they can’t get what they want through mediation. About 100 Minneapolis Public Schools bus employees represented by Teamsters Local 320 say they are not being paid enough and are worried about safety and retention because of a shortage of drivers. The workers, who voted on the issue Saturday, cannot legally go on strike until 45 days after that first mediation session, which is scheduled for Dec. 1. Minneapolis Public Schools officials say they are committed to reaching an agreement through mediation and will make sure that bus service for students is not interrupted.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Virus surge sends Minnesota hospitals scrambling for room

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota hospitals are scrambling to make room for patients as patients needing medical care for COVID-19 have hit a high for the year. Hospitals have delayed non-essential procedures, diverted less serious cases to outpatient clinics, and treated emergency room patients in hallways and ambulance bays that have been converted to urgent care centers, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. The crunch in hospital capacity comes as health care systems are handling a backlog of medical procedures that were delayed during the first months of the pandemic. Hospital staff are also weary from battling COVID-19.

WINTRY WEATHER

Snow hits Minnesota, officials urge travel caution

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota is readying for snow as the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory. Officials urged caution on the roads as ice and strong winds threatened to make driving conditions treacherous late Saturday and into Sunday. The Minnesota State Patrol has already cited snow and icy roads in a fatal crash on Thursday afternoon when a storm moved into the state. Forecasters expected between 2 and 4 inches of snow to accumulate over the weekend north of Interstate 94. Less was expected in the southern part of the state.

GOVERNOR-EUROPE TRADE MISSION

Minnesota Gov. Walz departs for Europe trade mission

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is leaving for a six-day trip to Europe to promote the state’s businesses. The Democratic governor said says he will travel to the United Kingdom and Finland to promote trade with a focus on health care, environmental technology, agriculture and education. Walz will spend the first three days of the tour in London, then head to Helsinki, Walz will travel with his wife, Gwen Walz, a pair of his cabinet secretaries, and officials from the state’s trade office. He will also be joined by over 40 executives from Minnesota businesses and organizations at various points of the trip.

UNIDENTIFIED BODY-HENNEPIN COUNTY

Hennepin medical examiner seeking to identify woman's body

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office wants help to identify the body of a woman found last week. Officials say they found the body on the city’s south side. She was pregnant at the time of her death and likely in her third trimester. The medical examiner’s office says the woman was about 5 feet tall. She had piercings on her right ear and belly button. Her cause of death was still under investigation.

MISSING WOMAN-SEARCH

Minnesota officials ask hunters for signs of missing woman

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities in Minnesota and Wisconsin are requesting help from hunters in a search for a missing woman. Local officials have been searching for the woman, Ashley Miller-Carlson, since late September when her car was found partially submerged in a lake in Minnesota’s Pine County. Investigators are requesting hunters to be on the lookout for any sign of the woman, KFGO-AM reported.

WINTRY WEATHER

Snow and ice cited in NE Minnesota crash that killed 2

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Wintry weather carrying strong winds, snow and icy conditions may have contributed to a highway crash in northeastern Minnesota that killed a woman and an 11-year-old boy. The Minnesota State Patrol cited snow and icy roads in a fatal crash Thursday afternoon on Highway 135 in St. Louis County. A Toyota Corolla carrying four people was westbound when it lost control and crossed the center line, struck a Toyota Yaris and was then struck by a Chevy Malibu. Another vehicle then rear-ended the Chevy. Two people in the Corolla, 11-year-old Dakota Smith and 32-year-old Betty Smith, died in the crash. Two other children in the car were injured as well as the driver of the Malibu.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021