MINNESOTA-SCHOOL SHOOTING

Police: 2 students shot, 1 fatally, outside Minnesota school

RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) — Police in Minnesota say two students were shot, one fatally, outside a suburban Minneapolis school. Richfield Police Chief Jay Henthorne said the students were shot outside South Education Center. The surviving student was in critical condition Tuesday afternoon at a local hospital. Richfield police arrested two suspects and recovered a handgun after executing simultaneous search warrants at two Minneapolis addresses. South Education Center has about 200 students, according to its website, which describes it as a school that offers special education programs and an alternative high school. District 287 Superintendent Sandra Lewandowski said the students were shot near the school’s front entrance.

GEORGE-FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS

Medical examiner: No pressure on Floyd autopsy report

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Defense attorneys at the trial of three former Minneapolis police officer charged with violating George Floyd's rights questioned the chief medical examiner who ruled George Floyd's death a homicide. Dr. Andrew Baker testified Tuesday that he told prosecutors after Floyd's autopsy that there was no physical evidence that he died from insufficient oxygen. But Baker acknowledged that he included “neck compression” in his final report after speaking to a former Washington, D.C., medical examiner. Prosecutors say Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao deprived Floyd of his rights when they failed to give him medical aid as Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck. Kueng and Thao are also accused of failing to intervene.

ELECTION 2022-MINNESOTA GOVERNOR

Former sheriff, cop, legislator Stanek joins GOP gov field

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Former Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek has joined the Republican field for governor. In a campaign video posted Tuesday, Stanek touted his experience in law enforcement and attacked Democrats for “letting lawlessness run rampant.” Stanek is a former Minneapolis police officer, Republican state legislator and public safety commissioner. He lost a close race for re-election as sheriff in 2018. State Sens. Michelle Benson and Paul Gazelka, former state Sen. Scott Jensen and former health care executive Kendall Qualls are among Republicans seeking to be their party’s choice to stop Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s bid for a second term.

HOUSE-OMAR

Omar seeks third term representing Minnesota's 5th District

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar has announced her intention to seek a third term representing Minnesota’s Fifth District. Omar was first elected to the House in 2019 and was the first Somali American in Congress. She said in a news release Monday that she chose to run to help build a better world by addressing a host of issues including economic and income inequality and climate change. Her first term generated widespread attention when she launched her 2020 re-election campaign with the slogan “Send her back to Congress!” — a riff on comments made by then-president Donald Trump that Omar and three other congresswomen of color should “go back” to their countries.

DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL

State seeks long sentence for cop convicted in Wright death

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors say the former suburban Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of manslaughter in the killing of Daunte Wright should face a sentence above the state's guidelines. But defense attorneys for Kim Potter say she should get a lower sentence — or even probation. Potter is the former white Brooklyn Center officer who said she confused her handgun for her Taser when she killed Wright, who was Black, last April. Guidelines call for a sentence ranging from just more than six years to about 8 1/2 years. But prosecutors say she should get more than that because she endangered others and abused her authority as an officer. Her attorneys say Wright's actions set the incident in motion and she should not be penalized for that. Her sentencing is Feb. 18.

MIDWEST ECONOMY

Report: Loss of manufacturing jobs leads to index drop

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly report shows that a loss of manufacturing jobs combined with other factors to slow growth in the regional economy of nine Midwest and Plains states. The overall index in January for Creighton University's Mid-America Business Conditions survey released Tuesday fell to 56.2 from December’s 64.6. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth. Creighton economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the monthly survey of business leaders, pointed to a loss of manufacturing jobs. The survey’s business confidence index, which looks ahead six months, plummeted to 36.2 — the lowest reading since the beginning of the pandemic. The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

LEGISLATURE-MINNESOTA

Minnesota lawmakers reconvene with giant surplus for 2022

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers returned to the Capitol for the 2022 legislative session on Monday with a $7.7 billion surplus to wrestle over as they take up policy issues including frontline worker bonuses and which party has a better vision to rein in crime. Priorities like rising crime rates, boosts to education funding and reducing taxes were among the agendas of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and the divided Legislature as lawmakers reconvened. GOP Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, of Winona, said his caucus is also going to push for ongoing tax relief.

GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS-ACCESS

Media asks court to ensure access to trial over Floyd death

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A coalition of media organizations has asked a federal appeals court to intervene to ensure public access to the trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights. The news organizations, including The Associated Press, petitioned the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday to quash two orders from Judge Paul Magnuson that they say violated the First Amendment by closing a Jan. 21 proceeding and sealing the corresponding transcript. Leita Walker an attorney for the media coalition, told the appeals court that ensuring the trial is fully open to the press and public is imperative.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022