Another Chance for Clemency

Transcript

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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.

ANCHOR: A community organizer and other Minnesotans waiting to hear about their cases get another chance for clemency. Then, residents of a small town in Southern Minnesota are trying to officially wipe the city off the map. And, how you can keep your eye out for eagles from the comfort of your own home.

I'm Chantel SinGs.

If some residents of Twin Lakes in Southern Minnesota get their way, the city will soon cease to exist. Thirty-four voters signed a petition to dissolve the city, which has about 130 residents. Those looking to dissolve the city say its leaders have been violating open meetings laws, refuse to answer public data requests, and say three of the city council members are related. A judge has set a hearing for the case on January 7th. Interested parties can attend the hearing in person or online. If approved, the next step would be a special election for voters to decide if the city should dissolve.

In today's main story, the Board of Pardons will convene tomorrow to hear cases from Minnesotans who applied for clemency. As Emily Krumberger tells us, community organizer and Hamline University adjunct professor Jason Sole is hoping he will be pardoned after being denied a hearing in September.

Jason Sole: I got lawyers watching it. I got people who care about me watching it. But it's a lot of people that slip through the cracks.

Emily Krumberger: Community organizer and Hamline University adjunct professor Jason Sole has been closely following his email and mail since August 1, when the state's Clemency Review Commission voted unanimously, in front of a packed room of supporters and 138 people on Zoom, to recommend him for a pardon. But the Board of Pardons, made up of the Governor, Attorney General and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice, has the final say.

Jason Sole: Since the August 1 hearing, I received a letter follow-up from the Clemency Review Commission, pretty much saying that our work is done and that I'm moving on to the next phase.

Emily Krumberger: Jason was convicted three times between 1997 and 2005. One for possession of a firearm and two for possession of a controlled substance. Since then, he's completed his prison sentence and probation. He hoped that his case would be on the docket for September's Board of Pardons meeting. It was not.

Jason Sole: This stuff is so ambiguous. I'm just trying to share along the way.

Carli Stark: We don't notify if they won't be heard at a particular meeting.

Emily Krumberger: Carli Stark is the executive director of the Clemency Review Commission, the nine-member group that reviews Minnesotans' applications for either a pardon of a past criminal conviction or a commutation, a lessening of some part of someone's current sentence. Their recommendations are sent to the Board of Pardons.

Carli Stark: When we receive an application, we immediately send an acknowledgement letter to applicants in the mail. Initially, we were scheduling about six months out. Now from the time someone submits an application to when they receive a hearing, it's about 12 to 18 months because of the large increase in applications. We've gotten that feedback that it would be helpful, even if it's not a certain date, to get an estimate.

Emily Krumberger: Just two weeks before the December 17 Board of Pardons meeting, Jason got an email from Stark saying that the Board of Pardons was no longer requesting a second hearing on his case, and that his testimony and attendance wouldn't be needed at their December meeting.

Carli Stark: The board will let us know which applications they want to hear again. We don't know the reasons why the board does or does not request a hearing.

Jason Sole: The structure of some of this needs to be totally changed.

Emily Krumberger: For one, Jason says he'd like to see more support for clemency applicants and any victims of their past crimes.

Jason Sole: If you go reach out to somebody and say, the person who caused your family harm is possibly coming home, you need to do your work on the front end to prepare them.

Carli Stark: So this CRC provides victim services through a contract with the Minnesota Alliance on Crime.

Emily Krumberger: These victim services for all of Minnesota's cases are provided by one staff person. In 2024, the Board of Pardons received 279 applications, heard under a third of those and granted clemency to 64 people.

Jason Sole: I'm preparing for the worst, but at the same time, I'm optimistic that the pardon will happen.

Emily Krumberger: For North Star Stories, I'm Emily Krumberger.

ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.

The incredibly popular eagle cam is back online. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, turned the eagle cam back on earlier this month. The camera allows viewers to watch the breeding behaviors of bald eagles. The agency has been providing the service since 2013. The DNR made some improvements this year, which should provide better images. Viewers who check out the eagle cam this month will see a pair courting and upgrading the nest. You can watch the eagles on the DNR website and the DNR YouTube channel.

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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.