GEORGE FLOYD-OTHER OFFICERS

Plea deal rejected by 3 ex-officers in George Floyd's death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota judge is considering whether he has the authority to allow live video coverage of the upcoming trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd. Judge Peter Cahill took the rare step of allowing live audiovisual coverage of ex-Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial last year. He cited the extenuating circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. But he questioned at a pretrial hearing Monday whether he still has the same authority to make an exception. Meanwhile, prosecutors revealed that the three former officers rejected a plea deal in March. Details of the offer were not released.

SPRING STORM

Spring storm packing blizzard conditions for northern Plains

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A significant spring storm headed for the northern Plains is packing blizzard conditions with significant snow accumulation and drifting, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologists posted a blizzard warning for a large section of western North Dakota and smaller areas of western South Dakota and eastern Montana beginning Tuesday through Thursday evening. The weather service predicts travel may become difficult to impossible in some places. A winter storm watch was issued for eastern North Dakota, northern South Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Forecasters were expecting a foot to 2 feet of snow in some of the affected areas with lesser amounts elsewhere.

MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOLS-STRIKE

MPS students begin to make up for time lost during strike

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Students are returning to the classroom in Minneapolis Public Schools following spring break and will now begin making up for instruction time lost because of the teachers strike. Starting Monday, students will be in school 42 minutes longer. That will make up five days of the 15 days of learning lost when teachers and support professional went on strike March 8 idling some 29,000 students and about 4,500 educators and staff in one of Minnesota’s largest school districts. The additional 10 days will be added to the end of the school year, extending it until June 24.

PELICAN RAPIDS SHOOTING

Man accused in Pelican Rapids shooting remains at large

PELICAN RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) — Police say a man suspected in a shooting over the weekend in northwestern Minnesota remains at large. The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office says the shooting happened Sunday afternoon in Pelican Rapids. The suspect, 36-year-old Phoutthasa Prathane, was seen leaving the area in a 2011 Toyota Tundra pickup. He is considered armed and dangerous. The victim is listed in stable condition,

PRINCE-MURAL

Minneapolis mural of pop icon Prince to be finished in June

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A downtown Minneapolis mural honoring pop superstar Prince will be unveiled in June. Officials with the Crown Our Prince project say the painting is scheduled to begin on May 16 on a parking ramp near near First Avenue and 8th Street. The artwork will be carried out by 33-year-old Hiero Veiga, a Black Florida street painter known for the rendering on the exterior wall of Miami’s Museum of Graffiti. Organizers say the $500,000 Minneapolis project has been in the works for seven years. A block party is scheduled for June 2 to celebrate its completion. This month marks six years since Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park home in Chanhassen.

OFFICER SHOT-MINNESOTA

Roseville officer injured in shootout released from hospital

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A suburban Minneapolis officer who was seriously injured when a gunman fired more than 100 rounds in a shootout with police has been released from the hospital. Officer Ryan Duxbury was greeted by a line of squad cars and applauding officers from Roseville and other local departments as he emerged from Regions Hospital Friday in a wheelchair. The Star Tribune reports that Duxbury required surgery to remove a bullet from his neck after he was shot by 53-year-old Jesse Werling in a residential Roseville neighborhood on Tuesday. Werling, who moved around the wooded area and continued to shoot at officers and houses after Duxbury was injured, was eventually shot by police and later died. Werling was known to police because of previous mental health-related calls.

ARMED ROBBERY-SENTENCE

Minneapolis man sentenced to 12 years for armed robbery

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for an armed robbery that injured one person. Abdiweli Mohamed Jama pleaded guilty in November to robbery and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. The robbery took place in November 2020. Authorities say the 32-year-old Jama was armed with a pistol when he attempted to rob Market Barbecue in Minneapolis. An employee was shot once in the shoulder and once in the knee during a struggle to get the gun from Jama. Jama was ordered to serve five years of supervised release at the end of his prison term.

RACIAL JUSTICE-ACTIVIST CONVICTED

Well-known Milwaukee activist convicted in Kentucky robbery

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A prominent Milwaukee activist known for his protests against police brutality has been found guilty of first-degree robbery in Kentucky. Khalil Coleman was a leader of marches in Milwaukee during the summer of 2020, after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. He was arrested in Elsmere, Kentucky in February 2021 after authorities said he was part of a group that tried to rob a drug house. The 36-year-old Coleman has denied committing a crime. In addition to the conviction, he was found not guilty Friday on a separate charge of unlawful transaction with a minor. Coleman faces up to 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022