Today, why it’s going to cost more to buy cannabis. Then, anxiety grows for the state’s Jewish community. And, a fatal reminder about the dangers of cliff diving.
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: Today, why it's going to cost more to buy cannabis. Then, anxiety grows for the state's Jewish community. And, a fatal reminder about the dangers of cliff diving.
I'm Gracie J.
Minnesota is raising the price on marijuana before legal sales have even started. Lawmakers recently approved a 50% increase to the state's cannabis tax, bumping it from 10 to 15 percent. This now moves Minnesota from one of the lowest marijuana tax rates in the country to one of the highest. Lawmakers are also scrapping a plan to share that tax money with local governments. Altogether, the move is expected to bring in more than $200 million over four years, with $76.5 million going straight to the state's general fund. Some worry the higher tax could send buyers back to the black market.
In today's main story, as the conflict in the Middle East grows, antisemitism is at a record high in our country. And as Katharine DeCelle reports, that is having a significant impact on Minnesota's Jewish community.
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Katharine DeCelle: A gunman chants as he's arrested, accused of murdering a young Jewish couple in Washington, DC about a month ago. A few weeks later, in Boulder, Colorado, at a rally calling for the release of Israeli hostages, a suspect sets people on fire. He too yells free Palestine as police arrest him.
Jessica: Places where I used to feel totally at home are no longer safe for me.
Katharine DeCelle: Jessica recounts a terrifying incident at her Minneapolis synagogue last fall,
Jessica: My family were at Temple Israel in Rosh Hashanah when a gunman showed up there. He was chased off by security and caught a couple days later.
Katharine DeCelle: Police arrested that suspect without incident, but according to the ADL, which tracks antisemitic assaults, harassment and vandalism, antisemitism is at a record high. As a result, Jessica says she experiences the world differently now. She describes a recent concert she attended.
Jessica: And I started looking around at the crowd, and all of a sudden I started getting really nervous. I just felt if they knew they were in a presence of a Jew, would my safety be guaranteed? And I didn't feel that it would.
Katharine DeCelle: Communities across Minnesota have held multiple protests supporting Palestine. For some members of the Jewish community, including Jessica, seeing these displays can cause anxiety and fear.
Jessica: The messaging that you're putting out there—Free Palestine, resistance by all means necessary—that means real violence. That means real danger.
Katharine DeCelle: Jessica says many of the pro-Palestinian protesters don't understand the full meaning of the messages they're repeating. Some Jews interpret the chant "From the River to the Sea" as calling for the elimination of Israel and all Jews worldwide. Ian, another Jewish community member, believes that repeating these messages do not help either side.
Ian: What tends to happen among groups is that they tend to hunker down and start sharing their own opinions. They will exclude anyone from their groups who doesn't quite share their opinions. Everybody's basically repeating over and over the same messages. As a result, the groups here in America just hate each other, but there's not been any positive impact on ending this war or returning the hostages.
Katharine DeCelle: Ian says that he is more aware now than ever for the potential of violence when he attends Jewish events. He hopes that speaking up about injustices will stop the violence.
Ian: It would be great if Jewish groups were vocal on anti-Islamic statements, and that Islamic groups were more clear that antisemitism is a bad thing.
Katharine DeCelle: As the war in Gaza continues, the Minnesota Jewish community highlight the urgent need to listen, support and work towards peace. For North Star Stories, I'm Katharine DeCelle.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
A tragic accident has officials warning Minnesotans about the dangers of cliff diving. A 27-year-old man recently died after diving into a flooded mine pit on Minnesota's Iron Range. Officials say he jumped from a cliff into the Genoa Mine Pit near Gilbert but never resurfaced. A witness saw him come up briefly before disappearing. Rescue crews searched the water and recovered his body later that evening. The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the accident. Officials say cliff diving into abandoned mines continues to be a problem.
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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.