Questions around the Red Lake Nation’s Chairman’s tenure, Minnesota’s measle count goes up, and space garbage lands in Stevens County.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP...
DISAGREEMENT OVER WHETHER RED LAKE’S CHAIRMAN WILL STEP DOWN...
BUT FIRST...
MINNESOTA’S MEASLES COUNT REACHES FORTY-TWO.
[JAYNE GRIFFITH, MDH EPIDEMIOLOGIST: WE ARE SEEING LARGE OUTBREAKS. THE RISK TO ANYONE WHO IS UNVACCINATED IS HIGHER THAN IT WAS, YOU KNOW, EVEN THREE YEARS AGO]
--MEASLES UPDATE--
CENTRAL MINNESOTA’S TODD COUNTY NOW HAS NINETEEN CONFIRMED MEASLES CASES... UP FROM ONE CASE ON JUST TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AGO..
STATE HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGISTS HAVE BEEN SOUNDING THE WARNING FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS ABOUT POTENTIAL MEASLES SPREAD.
FILLMORE COUNTY... IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA... HAS SIX.
ALL OF THE RECENT TWENTY-FIVE CASES – IN BOTH COUNTIES - ARE IN *UNVACCINATED PATIENTS.
OFFICIALS URGE EVERYONE TO GET VACCINATED ... AND TO CALL AHEAD TO A HEALTHCARE CENTER ... BEFORE SEEKING CARE FOR POSSIBLE MEASLES.
--RED LAKES BAND LEADER RESIGNATION CHILD SERVICES INVESTIGATION - INTRO – KAXE PACKAGE--
THERE ARE CONFLICTING REPORTS ABOUT WHETHER THE CHAIRMAN OF THE RED LAKE NATION IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA WILL BE STEPPING DOWN AS A RESULT A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
DARRELL SEKI SENIOR HAS SERVED AS CHAIR FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS.
THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS TOOK OVER RED LAKE NATION’S CHILD WELFARE PROGRAM LAST MONTH … SAYING CHILDREN FACED IMMEDIATE DANGER FROM ABUSE AND NEGLECT.
AS AMPERS MEMBER STATION K-A-X-E'S CHELSEY PERKINS EXPLAINS ...NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE DEATHS OF EIGHT CHILDREN MAY BE FORCING SEKI OUT.
--KAXE PACKAGE – RED LAKE CHAIRMAN DARELL SEKI SR.--
RED LAKE CHAIRMAN DARELL SEKI SR. SAYS HE HAS NOT STEPPED DOWN AFTER A TRIBAL COUNCIL MEMBER ANNOUNCED THE CHAIRMAN WOULD BE RESIGNING.
THIS COMES AFTER SHOCKING ALLEGATIONS CAME TO LIGHT THIS WEEK IN RED LAKE NATION'S CHILD WELFARE PROGRAM OF YEARS-LONG FAILURES TO PROTECT KIDS FROM HARM. THIS INCLUDES AT LEAST EIGHT DEATHS, WITH TWO HAPPENING THIS JULY.
LITTLE ROCK DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS BARRETT SAYS IN A SOCIAL MEDIA POST FRIDAY THAT SEKI WAS ASKED TO STEP DOWN AND AGREED TO DO SO, ALTHOUGH HE DOES NOT SAY WHO MADE THE REQUEST.
BARRETT SAYS HE WAS NOT AWARE OF THE EXTENT OF THE ISSUES IN THE NATION'S PROGRAMS, BUT HE SAYS TRIBAL COUNCIL MEMBERS MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASKING HOW THESE THINGS WERE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN.
HOWEVER, IN A FACEBOOK POST OF HIS OWN, SEKI SAYS, "AS OF RIGHT NOW, I HAVE NOT SUBMITTED MY RETIREMENT OR STEPPED DOWN AS CHAIRMAN.”
HE ADDED THAT THE MEMBERS OF RED LAKE WOULD BE THE FIRST TO KNOW IF HE HAD INFORMATION TO SHARE.
THE ALLEGATIONS PROMPTED AN FBI RAID LAST MONTH AND ALSO LED THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS TO TAKE OVER THE OBA MINDUA BUILDING IN AN EMERGENCY LEGAL MOVE.
THE RED LAKE TRIBAL COUNCIL TOLD THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE THAT IT IS COOPERATING WITH THE BIA AND APPEALING THE DECISION.
KAXE REACHED OUT TO BARRETT LATE FRIDAY BUT DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE IN TIME FOR BROADCAST.
SEKI WAS REELECTED IN A RUNOFF ELECTION IN JULY. HE SERVED AS THE RED LAKE CHAIRMAN SINCE 2014.
--TRIBAL I-D DENIALS--
STATE INVESTIGATORS SAY WINGS CREDIT UNION IN COON RAPIDS... AND THE OFFICE PUB AND GRILL IN MINNEAPOLIS... DISCRIMINATED AGAINST NATIVE CUSTOMERS BY REFUSING TRIBAL I-D CARDS.
TRIBAL I-Ds ISSUED BY FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES ARE VALID IDENTIFICATION … AND REJECTING ONE CAN VIOLATE STATE LAW.
WINGS SAYS IT’S UPDATING ITS POLICY … THE BAR’S ATTORNEY SAYS IT’S APPEALING.
MINNESOTA CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICIALS SAY NATIVE AMERICANS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PAPERWORK WHEN USING A VALID TRIBAL I-D.
--DETROIT LAKES / BRAINERD SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS--
TWO MINNESOTA SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE REWORKING RULES FOR PUBLIC DISPLAYS AT SCHOOLS ... AND PUBLIC COMMENT AT BOARD MEETINGS... AFTER RECENT ISSUES WITH THE STATE’S PUBLIC MEETING LAWS.
IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA … DETROIT LAKES SCHOOL BOARD’S SO-CALLED “RAINBOW BAN” IS NOW ON HOLD.
THIS COMES AFTER THE A-C-L-U OF MINNESOTA SUED THE DISTRICT OVER THE NEW POLICY THAT BANNED L-G-B-T-Q SYMBOLS INCLUDING RAINBOWS IN CLASSROOMS AND SCHOOL BUILDINGS …
AND THE BRAINERD SCHOOL BOARD IS CHANGING ITS MEETINGS RULES... TO LIMIT PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODS TO SEVEN PEOPLE PER MEETING … FOR THREE MINUTES EACH.
THE BOARD SAYS COMMENT PERIODS RUN TOO LONG … AND GO OFF-TOPIC.
ONE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER WHO VOTED AGAINST THE NEW RULE SAID IT LIMITS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
[BOARD MEMBER JOHN WARD: I JUST THINK THAT'S ELIMINATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE AN ISSUE.]
BUT … THE BRAINERD BOARD ALSO VOTED TO HOLD HOUR-LONG PUBLIC FORUMS BEFORE BOARD MEETINGS TO ALLOW FOR PUBLIC DISCUSSION.
--KICKER – STEVENS COUNTY SPACE DEBRIS--
AND FINALLY...
--SPACESHIP SOUNDS]--
A CLOSE ENCOUNTER... OF THE CORNFIELD KIND.
AN ELEVEN-FOOT-WIDE METAL OBJECT WAS FOUND WEDNESDAY IN A STEVENS COUNTY CORNFIELD... IN WEST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS IT MAY BE SPACE DEBRIS... AND POSES NO DANGER.... BUT.. NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING ‘FOR SURE’ YET...
LOCAL...STATE... AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS ARE INVESTIGATING.
AS FOR WHO OWNS IT... THAT’S STILL... UP IN THE AIR.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.