A Roseau pilot gets his plane back from Red Lake Nation, a Minneapolis City Council committee rejects a developer for the Peoples’ Way site at George Floyd Square, and children — and kids at heart — fish for free this weekend.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
--SWIFT COUNTY K-9 CUSTODY DISPUTE--
A POLICE DOG CUSTODY DISPUTE IN WEST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA TURNED INTO A LESSON IN CAPITAL-ASSET MANAGEMENT... AND A FACEBOOK FIGHT OVER WHETHER A K-9 IS PROPERTY OR A PARTNER.
A SWIFT COUNTY DEPUTY ANNOUNCED HIS RESIGNATION... AND ASKED TO BUY HIS K-9 PARTNER... RED... FOR ONE DOLLAR
.
[THE COUNTY SAID: NOT SO FAST… THE DOG IS AN ASSET… LIKE A SQUAD CAR.]
THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE POSTED A LONG EXPLANATION THIS WEEK… SAYING RED WAS TAXPAYER-FUNDED PROPERTY... WITH MONEY INVESTED IN TRAINING... EQUIPMENT... AND HEALTH CARE.
RED’S FUTURE TURNED INTO A TOWN DEBATE OVER LOVE... LOYALTY... AND COUNTY ASSET MANAGEMENT.
COMMENTERS PUSHED BACK HARD... SAYING RED SHOULD NOT BE TREATED LIKE A SQUAD CAR... AND SHOULD STAY WITH HIS HANDLER.
THE COUNTY HAD RED APPRAISED AT FIVE-THOUSAND-BUCKS BY HIS ORIGINAL K-9 TRAINERS... WHO ALSO OFFERED TO BUY HIM BACK...
BUT.. FORMER DEPUTY STEVE HENRIKSEN GOT THE FIRST CHANCE TO BUY RED.
THIS WEEK... THE BOARD VOTED FIVE-TO-NOTHING APPROVE RED’S SALE… KEEPING THE BEST FRIENDS TOGETHER
--ROSEAU PILOT PLANE --
THE DRAMA AROUND A SEIZED PLANE IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA APPEARS TO BE OVER.
THE RED LAKE NATION HAS RETURNED A ROSEAU PILOT’S SINGLE-ENGINE PLANE... SEVEN MONTHS AFTER SEIZING IT FOLLOWING AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON THE RESERVATION.
DARRIN SMEDSMO... SAYS HIS ENGINE FAILED IN OCTOBER... FORCING HIM TO LAND HIS 1946 STINSON ON RED LAKE LAND.
RED LAKE SAID THE PLANE LANDED WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION... AND CITED A 1978 TRIBAL RESOLUTION BARRING AIRCRAFT FROM FLYING BELOW 20-THOUSAND FEET OVER THE RESERVATION …
THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION ASKED FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO INTERVENE... F-A-A THREATENED CIVIL ACTION IF RED LAKE DID NOT GIVE THE PLANE BACK AND STOP ITS LEGAL PROCEEDINGS... SAYING FEDERAL AVIATION LAW CONTROLS U-S AIRSPACE AND GIVES PILOTS BROAD AUTHORITY IN EMERGENCIES..
RED LAKE HAS NOW RETURNED THE PLANE … AND SAYS IT WILL NOT PURSUE TRESPASSING OR RELATED CHARGES..
--AGAPE DENIED BY CC--
THE FUTURE OF ‘THE PEOPLES’ WAY’ … A FORMER SPEEDWAY GAS STATION AT THE HEART OF GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE … IS BACK IN LIMBO.
MINNEAPOLIS CITY STAFF CHOSE VIOLENCE INTERRUPTER GROUP ‘MINNESOTA AGAPE MOVEMENT’ OUT OF A NUMBER OF PROPOSALS TO REDEVELOP THE SITE … BUT A CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE VOTED IT DOWN … SAYING IT OVERLOOKED A MORE POPULAR OPTION.
[COUNCIL MEMBER SOREN STEVENSON: IF WE’RE GOING TO TAKE TIME TO GET COMMUNITY INPUT, WE NEED TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY AND CENTER THEIR VISION.]
THIRTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF RESPONSES TO A COMMUNITY SURVEY SUPPORTED AGAPE’S PROPOSAL … BUT 58 PERCENT SUPPORTED ONE FROM ‘RISE AND REMEMBER’ … THE GROUP WHO TENDS TO THE SITE … WHICH BECAME A GATHERING PLACE AND PROTEST HUB AFTER GEORGE FLOYD WAS MURDERED THERE IN 2020.
THE FULL CITY COUNCIL IS EXPECTED TO VOTE ON THE ISSUE JUNE 11TH.
--SYNAGOGUE TO AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCH--
A NORTH MINNEAPOLIS BUILDING NOW ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES IS MARKING 100 YEARS OF WORSHIP... MIGRATION... AND NEIGHBORHOOD CHANGE.
THE BUILDING AT 810 ELWOOD AVENUE NORTH IS NOW HOME TO FIRST CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST — GRAHAM TEMPLE.
BUT IT WAS BUILT AS A SYNAGOGUE DURING A PERIOD WHEN NORTH MINNEAPOLIS WAS HOME TO A LARGE JEWISH COMMUNITY... WITH SYNAGOGUES LOCATED CLOSE TO WHERE JEWISH FAMILIES LIVED... WORKED... AND BUILT NEIGHBORHOOD LIFE.
AS THE NORTHSIDE CHANGED... THE BUILDING BECAME PART OF THE AREA’S BLACK RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL HISTORY... AND IS NOW CELEBRATING 100-YEARS OF COMMUNITY HERITAGE.
LEADERS OF GRAHAM TEMPLE ARE RAISING 100-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HELP RESTORE THE NATIONALLY REGISTERED HISTORIC BUILDING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
--BIRCH BAY FIRE UPDATE--
FIREFIGHTERS ARE MAKING PROGRESS ON THE BIRCH BAY WILDFIRE.
THE FIRE STARTED MONDAY IN THE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST … ABOUT EIGHT MILES NORTHWEST OF ELY … NEAR BURNTSIDE LAKE.
OFFICIALS SAY FIREFIGHTING EFFORTS ARE MAKING PROGRESS ON CONTAINMENT.
FIRE RESTRICTIONS ARE ALSO IN PLACE FOR THE BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA THIS MONTH …
STARTING TOMORROW … THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES IS BANNING CHARCOAL AND WOOD FIRES … THROUGH THE END OF JUNE.
IF YOU HEAD UP … MAKE SURE TO PACK A STOVE AND ENOUGH PROPANE TO COOK.
--FREE FISHING / DNR READER--
AND FINALLY …
IT’S A FREE FISHING WEEKEND FOR MINNESOTANS... BUT THE RULES STILL APPLY.
THE TIMING ALSO LINES UP WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES… “TAKE A KID FISHING WEEKEND”... SO... YOU ONLY HAVE TO BE A KID AT HEART TO FISH FREE ON ANY MINNESOTA LAKE OR WATERWAY...
NO FISHING LICENSE IS REQUIRED THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT... BUT ALL SEASONS… SIZE LIMITS… BAG LIMITS… AND OTHER FISHING REGULATIONS REMAIN IN EFFECT.
THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SAYS IT NEEDS THE TIME TO TRANSFER ALL ITS REGISTRATION DATA INTO ITS NEW ELECTRONIC LICENSING SYSTEM.. WHICH LAUNCHES TUESDAY.
THEN.. YOU CAN BUY AND CARRY LICENSES BY APP... ONLINE... OR THROUGH A LOCAL LICENSE AGENT.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.