GEORGE-FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS

Firefighter says she urged officers to let her help Floyd

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minneapolis firefighter testifying at the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers says they ignored her pleas to help administer medical aid to George Floyd as the unresponsive Black man was pinned to the ground. Genevieve Hansen was off duty on May 25, 2020 but said she identified herself as a city firefighter. Earlier, a paramedic testified that he wasn't told that Floyd wasn't breathing when police upgraded the urgency of an ambulance call. Officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao were at the scene as former Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd’s neck to the ground for 9 1/2 minutes. Prosecutors say the officers did nothing to stop Chauvin or to help Floyd, despite having basic medical training.

GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS-EXPLAINER-EXCITED DELIRIUM

EXPLAINER: 'Excited delirium' and George Floyd

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The issue of whether George Floyd was suffering from the disputed condition of “excited delirium” the day he was killed has resurfaced at the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with depriving him of his civil rights. Floyd struggled with police during his 2020 arrest as police tried to shove him into a squad car. Paramedic Derek Smith testified that based on what police told him after he arrived, he believed Floyd might have been in excited delirium. But Smith said he did not observe that condition in Floyd, who was in cardiac arrest. One defense attorney had urged jurors in his opening statement to take into account the events that preceded the restraint of Floyd.

AP-US-TWIN-METALS-MINE

Biden cancels lease renewals for proposed Minnesota mine

The Biden administration has canceled a move by former President Donald Trump to renew mineral rights leases for a proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. Trump had signed an order a month before the 2020 election declaring a national emergency over the country’s reliance on imported metals used to manufacture computers, smart phones, batteries for electric cars and other items. The reversal ordered Wednesday follows an October decision to move forward with a study that could lead to a 20-year ban on mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Twin Metals said it plans to fight the decision. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said her department must be consistent in how it applies lease terms.

MINNESOTA DFL-CAUCUS CHANGE

Minnesota DFL to allow felons, non-US citizens to caucus

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota DFL Party will allow people without the right to vote to participate in precinct caucuses, party officials said. State Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin said the move means that felons whose voting rights haven’t been fully restored and immigrants who aren’t U.S. citizens can attend the party meetings and become convention delegates. Martin said the change was long overdue. The change follows a state Court of Appeals opinion that said parties themselves can decide who participates in caucuses and conventions, even if those same people can’t vote in elections. Minnesota Republican Party Chairman David Hann said voter eligibility is clearly defined in state law and the idea raises questions and concerns.

COUNCILOR-DWI CHASE

Robbinsdale council member charged with DWI, fleeing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Robbinsdale City Council member has been charged with driving drunk the wrong way on a Hennepin County highway, causing a crash and then fleeing from police. A criminal complaint says 38-year-old Tyler Kline was going the wrong way on Highway 100 in Brooklyn Center about 12:30 a.m. Monday when he caused a crash and fled. Crystal police saw Kline re-enter Highway 100 and an officer tried to block his vehicle, but Kline drove around and fled. Officers eventually stopped Kline by driving a squad car into his vehicle. The complaint says Kline refused to obey several orders to step out of his vehicle and was forcibly removed.

SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET-MINNESOTA

Gov. Walz reveals $5B spending plan for children, families

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has unveiled a wide-ranging spending plan that would fund several programs intended to help schools, children and their families. The spending plan announced Tuesday is the third of his four-part supplemental budget plan rollout and would cost $5.1 billion over three years. It includes an expansion of access to child care and pre-K and free meals for students. Paid family and medical leave, sick and safe time off for workers and a 2% increase in per-pupil funding for schools were also part of the proposal. Senate Republicans called Walz’s proposed package a “spending spree.”

POLYMET MINE

Wildlife groups sue agencies over assessment on PolyMet mine

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A proposed copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota is facing more legal action. A lawsuit filed Tuesday by several environmental organizations alleges that the PolyMet Mining Corp. project threatens critical habitat for gray wolves, Canada lynx and the northern long-eared bats. They say a wildlife assessment on impacts of the mine is highly flawed and decisions based on the study violate the Endangered Species Act. The 42-page complaint names Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as defendants. Among other things, the environmental groups are seeking to void the June 2018 land exchange between the Forest Service and PolyMet. The suit is the latest of several challenges to the project.

GIRLFRIEND KILLED

Parole possible in 30 years for man who killed girlfriend

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Brooklyn Park man has been sentenced to life in prison with a chance for parole in 30 years for fatally shooting his girlfriend who was struck by gunfire intended for the man’s rival. Twenty-nine-year-old Devon Manley earlier pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and premeditated attempted first-degree murder in the July 2020 drive-by shooting that killed Shanette Marable on her 31st birthday. In his plea, Manley admitted to pulling up alongside the vehicle of his intended target, and stated he was trying to shoot him, but acknowledged that he missed and shot Marable instead. Marable’s 2-year-old child was in the car and was struck by broken glass.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022