New Ulm lays a fallen WW2 hero to his final rest back home, the senate gets ready to debate gun legislation, and spring kicks off in Minneapolis on Sunday with the May Day Parade.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
--BIANCHI FUNERAL – NEW ULM – JIM BARTELS INTERVIEW--
AFTER MORE THAN 80-YEARS... A FALLEN WORLD WAR TWO MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT AND HOMETOWN HERO WILL HAVE A PROPER BURIAL WITH FULL MILITARY HONORS... IN HIS HOMETOWN OF NEW ULM.
ON SATURDAY.. THE COMMUNITY WILL GIVE CAPTAIN WILLIBALD ‘BILL’ BIANCHI A FINAL FAREWELL.
LOCAL BROADCASTER – JIM BARTELS – OF NEW ULM’S K-N-U-J RADIO... WAS AT THE AIRPORT WHEN HIS FLAG DRAPED COFFIN ARRIVED LAST WEEKEND.. AND SAYS CAPTAIN BIANCHI’S MOTORCADE HOMECOMING IS ONE OF THE MOST MOVING STORIES OF HIS CAREER.
[JIM BARTELS:
IF I WAS GOING TO SAY IS THERE A TOP FIVE THINGS THAT I WILL REMEMBER IN MY BROADCAST CAREER THIS WOULD BE ONE OF THEM. ESPECIALLY THAT DRIVE HOME WAS REALLY SOMETHING ELSE FOR WHAT WE SAW.
THERE WERE PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY, ALL THE WAY THAT 70-MILE TRIP ALONGSIDE THE ROAD, ON TOP OF BRIDGES — YOU NAME IT. IN UNIFORM, SALUTING, FLAGS ,HANDS OVER HEARTS. IT WAS, IT WAS VERY MEMORABLE, NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
5:49 WITH THE BURIAL, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE A HELICOPTER SQUADRON FLY OVER, OR AN AERIAL SALUTE. WE, OF COURSE, WILL HAVE THE HONORS TEAM THERE. WE'LL HAVE A FINAL FAREWELL CANNON SALUTE, WHICH IS PRETTY SPECIAL. SO ALL THOSE THINGS COMBINED WILL MAKE FOR A VERY MOVING APPROPRIATE CEMETERY PROGRAM FOR CAPTAIN BIANCHI.]
THAT’S JIM BARTELS OF K-N-U-J RADIO IN NEW ULM.
CAPTAIN BIANCHI’S FUNERAL AND BURIAL ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC... WITH VISITATION BEGINNING AT TEN A-M SATURDAY MORNING AT THE NEW ULM NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY ‘READINESS CENTER’...
THE PROGRAM WITH TOP MILITARY AND VETERANS OFFICIALS WILL FOLLOW. WITH THE BURIAL AT THE SOLDIERS SECTION OF THE NEW ULM CEMETERY.
--HCMC FUNDING--
THE FINAL STRETCH OF THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE INCLUDES A FINAL BATTLE OVER THE OF THE STATE’S BUSIEST LEVEL ONE TRAUMA CENTER.
H-C-M-C, OR HENNEPIN COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER, IS IN FINANCIAL CRISIS.. AND NEEDS THE STATE TO KEEP DOORS OPEN.
THE SENATE PASSED A 700-MILLION DOLLAR HEALTH PACKAGE THAT INCLUDES 150-MILLION DOLLARS FOR HCMC .
HCMC IS THE STATE’S BUSIEST TRAUMA HOSPITAL... AND A SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL FOR PATIENTS ACROSS MINNESOTA AND THE UPPER MIDWEST …
HOSPITAL LEADERS WARN OF A 50-MILLION DOLLAR OPERATING LOSS … AND THE HOSPITAL COULD CLOSE BY JUNE WITHOUT HELP.
THE FUNDING AWAITS HOUSE APPROVAL... WHERE LAWMAKERS ARE CONSIDERING CHANGES TO THE HENNEPIN COUNTY SALES TAX FOR TARGET FIELD.
--GUN LEGISLATION--
THE STATE SENATE IS ALSO DEBATING A DIVISIVE PACKAGE OF GUN BILLS …TARGETING EVERYTHING FROM A-R STYLE RIFLES AND HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINES… TO “GHOST GUNS” — UNTRACEABLE FIREARMS WITHOUT SERIAL NUMBERS THAT CAN BE MANUFACTURED AT HOME.
THE PACKAGE WOULD ALSO BAN BINARY TRIGGERS … DEVICES THAT ALLOW A GUN TO FIRE ONE SHOT WHEN THE TRIGGER IS PULLED … AND ANOTHER WHEN IT’S RELEASED.
JOHN BARR RUNS ‘HUNTS POINT GUN CLUB’ IN NORTHERN PEQUOT LAKES … A SHOTGUN-ONLY BUSINESS FOCUSED ON SHOOTING SPORTING CLAYS AND HUNTING PHEASANT.
HE WORRIES LAWS BANNING DIFFERENT TYPES OF GUNS OPENS THE DOOR TO MORE RESTRICTIONS LATER.
[JOHN BARR: WE MIGHT NOT HAVE SHOTGUN LEGISLATION RIGHT NOW TODAY, BUT WHO’S TO SAY WE’RE NOT GETTING IT IN FIVE YEARS, IN 10 YEARS, AS THIS STUFF GETS PASSED?]
BARR UNDERSTANDS LAWMAKERS CONCERNS ABOUT STOPPING VIOLENCE … BUT DOESN’T THINK THE ANSWER IS WRITING MORE RULES AROUND FIREARMS THEMSELVES.
[JOHN BARR: NOT WITH THE TOOL, WITH THE DECISIONS THAT PEOPLE MAKE, AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT WE HOLD THOSE PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THOSE DECISIONS.]
SUPPORTERS OF LEGISLATION TO BAN SAY THE PACKAGE WOULD HELP LIMIT ACCESS TO SOME OF THE WEAPONS AND DEVICES COMMONLY USED IN MASS SHOOTINGS.
THE BILL IS EXPECTED ON THE SENATE FLOOR SOON.
--CLOQUET SPORTS AGREEMENT--
IT’S GAME OVER FOR THE SPORTS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN TWO NORTHERN SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
CLOQUET’S SCHOOL BOARD VOTED MONDAY TO END ITS LONG-STANDING PARTNERSHIP WITH CARLTON SCHOOLS THAT ALLOWED STUDENTS TO PLAY SPORTS TOGETHER AS PART OF CLOQUET TEAMS …
CARLTON SCHOOLS ARE CONSIDERING MERGING WITH NEIGHBORING WRENSHALL … AND CLOQUET’S BOARD SAYS IT IS AT CAPACITY.
CLOQUET SCHOOLS FACE A ONE MILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT ..
CARLTON AND WRENSHALL WILL HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS IN MAY ABOUT THE POSSIBLE MERGER.
--MAY DAY PARADE--
AND FINALLY …
[BRASS BAND PLAYING MUSIC]
THIS SUNDAY IS THE MAY DAY PARADE IN SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS … AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF SPRING … WORKERS’ RIGHTS … AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT MAKE SOUTHSIDE THE SOUTHSIDE.
THE PARADE HAS BEEN A POWDERHORN NEIGHBORHOOD TRADITION SINCE 1975 … IT BRINGS TOGETHER COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL GROUPS … LIVE MUSIC … GIANT PUPPETS … AND THE SOUTHSIDE BATTLE TRAIN …
[BATTLETRAIN HORN BLARE]
A HULKING, FIRE-SHOOTING SERIES OF HAND-WELDED METAL FLOATS FEATURING A SKATEBOARDING RAMP … FERRIS WHEEL … AND BARBEQUE PIT.
THE PARADE STARTS AT NOON … AND MAKES ITS WAY DOWN BLOOMINGTON AVENUE AND ENDS IN POWDERHORN PARK.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.