TASK FORCE SHOOTING-MINNEAPOLIS

No charges for task force members in Winston Smith death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A central Minnesota prosecutor has decided not to charge two members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force who fatally shot Winston Smith Jr., a Black man, in Minneapolis. Crow Wing County Attorney Don Ryan said in a letter dated last week that the task force members were justified in using deadly force. Smith was killed on June 3 as he sat in an SUV at a Minneapolis parking ramp. Authorities have said he was shot after he fired at task force members who were trying to arrest him on a weapons violation. A woman in the SUV with Smith has said she never saw him with a gun.

AP-US-CLINIC-SHOOTING-MINNESOTA

Minnesota clinic shooting brings premeditated murder charge

BUFFALO, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota man accused of killing a staff member at a medical clinic and wounding four others during a February shooting is now facing an upgraded murder charge. A grand jury indicted Gregory Ulrich with one count of first-degree premeditated murder. He's also charged with four counts of first-degree attempted murder in the shooting at the Allina Health Clinic in Buffalo. Ulrich appeared in a Wright County District Court on Monday and remains detained. His attorney has not commented on the upgraded charge. Prosecutors say Ulrich walked into the clinic on Feb. 9 and opened fire, killing 37-year-old medical assistant Lindsay Overbay. He is also accused of setting off several pipe bombs.

BAR SHOOTING-ST. PAUL

2 men charged in St. Paul bar shootout that left 1 dead

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Two men have been charged in connection with a weekend shootout at a busy St. Paul bar that left one woman dead and 14 people injured. Police say 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley was killed early Sunday when gunfire broke out at the Seventh Street Truck Park bar. She was shot in the back. On Monday, 29-year-old Devondre Trevon Phillips was charged with 12 counts of second-degree attempted murder. Thirty-three-year-old Terry Lorenzo Brown, was charged with one count of second-degree intentional murder and 11 counts of second-degree attempted murder. The two men were among the injured. They were in custody but still hospitalized and it was not clear if they had attorneys to comment on their behalf.

CRASH-TWO KILLED

Attorney suggests mechanical failure in crash that killed 2

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The attorney for a man accused in connection with a car crash that killed the son of the University of Minnesota men’s hockey coach and another young man says mechanical failure might have been a factor. James Blue, of Orono, is charged with with third-degree murder, drunken driving and negligence in the July deaths of 20-year-old Mack Motzko, son of Gophers coach Bob Motzko, and 24-year-old Sam Schuneman. The victims were passengers in the Bentley that the 51-year-old Blue is alleged to have driven at up to 99 miles per hour before crashing into a wooded area. The Star Tribune reports that in addition to possible mechanical issues, defense attorney Frank Bruno says that “speed discrepancy” will be a key issue in the case.

WASTING DISEASE

Minnesota halts deer importation, movement within state

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota officials have blocked the importation and movement of deer into and within the state to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease. The state Department of Natural Resources announced the decision Monday. A Wisconsin farm where the disease was detected shipped nearly 400 deer to farms in seven states and Minnesota farms received five deer from the infected farm. Two of the deer went to a farm that is no longer in business and were shipped back to Wisconsin farms. The other three deer went to an active Minnesota farm. Two were killed and tested negative for CWD. The DNR says the owner of the third is awaiting payment before killing and testing the animal.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA-LIGHTHOUSE

Lighthouse to allow visitors again for Fitzgerald memorial

BEAVER BAY, Minn. (AP) — A Lake Superior lighthouse plans to welcome visitors back for an annual memorial honoring the sailors who died when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank. Minnesota Public Radio reports the Split Rock Lighthouse holds a beacon lighting and announces the names of all 29 Edmund Fitzgerald sailors every Nov. 10, the day the ship sank in a storm in 1975. The lighthouse didn't allow visitors last year due to COVID-19. People had to listen in on the ceremony through their computers or their phones. Lighthouse officials say this year's ceremony will be a hybrid, with the lighthouse grounds open to the public and a livestream for those who can't attend.

TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS

Weather service: 2 tornadoes touched down during storms

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The National Weather Service reports that two tornadoes touched down in Minnesota and North Dakota during storms on Saturday. KFGO reports that the weather service has confirmed a tornado with estimated peak winds of 100 mph touched down in Park Rapids, Minnesota, about 10:30 p.m. It tore roof panels from a church and a car dealership. A tornado with estimated peak winds of 70 mph touched down briefly in a field southeaster of Lidgerwood, North Dakota. No one was hurt in either instance.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Minnesota long-term care facilities have 23,000 job openings

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — While much has been made about the stress that COVID-19 has placed on Minnesota hospitals, the state’s long-term care industry says it is facing its worst-ever workforce shortage. Leaders from senior living organizations throughout the state say they have about 23,000 job openings. That is about 20 percent of the workforce at full strength. Leaders say resignations continue to outpace new hires at a time when there are more seniors in Minnesota than ever before. Minnesota Public Radio News reports that staffing shortages are leading to tighter admissions policies. A survey shows that nearly 70 percent of nursing homes are restricting admissions in some way because they are short-staffed.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021