A legal battle over rainbows in schools, concerns about a quarry near Rochester’s airport, and Minnesota honors its fallen firefighters.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP … A LEGAL BATTLE OVER RAINBOWS IN SCHOOLS …
[CATHERINE AHLIN-HALVERSON, ACLU: STUDENTS DO HAVE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES.]
AND CONCERNS ABOUT A QUARRY NEAR ROCHESTER’S AIRPORT …
[ROCHESTERS CC: THERE’S JUST A LOT OF THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT POTENTIAL RISKS TO AIR NAVIGATION.]
BUT FIRST …
--EDINA POLICE PUBLIC MESSAGE AND REQUEST FOR INFORMATION--
THE BASKETBALL HOOPS ARE DOWN... AND SECURITY CAMERAS ARE UP... AT OUR LADY OF GRACE CHURCH AND SCHOOL PLAYGROUND IN EDINA... AFTER POLICE SAY A GROUP OF TEENAGERS WERE TARGETED IN A DRIVE-BY SHOOTING AS THEY PLAYED...
[EDINA POLICE CHIEF MILBURN: I KNOW MANY PEOPLE IN EDINA ARE FEELING FRUSTRATED, ANGRY, AND FRANKLY AFRAID.]
THE EDINA POLICE CHIEF POSTED A STRONG MESSAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA OVER THE WEEKEND ... ASKING FOR THE PUBLIC’S HELP TO IDENTIFY THE SHOOTERS AND STOP WHAT HE CALLS GANG-RELATED SHOOTINGS.
WITNESSES SAY A CAR DROVE UP TO A GROUP OF SIXTEEN- TO EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLDS PLAYING BASKETBALL LAST TUESDAY EVENING... AND SEVERAL PEOPLE FIRED HANDGUNS OUT OF THE CAR... AND THEY SPED AWAY...
[EDINA POLICE CHIEF TODD MILBURN: WE CANNOT DISMISS AN INCIDENT LIKE THIS SIMPLY BECAUSE NO ONE WAS HURT. BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS BIGGER THAN EDINA.]
THE CHIEF SAYS THE SHOOTING IS PART OF A REGIONAL, AND GROWING, PATTERN... SIMILAR TO A SHOOTING IN JULY AT YANCEY PARK .. AND SEVERAL OTHER RECENT SHOOTINGS IN NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES..
[MILBURN: WE WANT ANSWERS. WE WANT TO IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE, AND WE WANT TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.]
POLICE SAY THE PLAYERS HAD NO AFFILIATION WITH THE CHURCH OR SCHOOL
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--BATTLE LAKE POLICE STANDOFF AND SHOOTING--
A CHECK ON A RELATIVE IN WEST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA’S RURAL OTTER TAIL COUNTY.. ENDED IN A DEADLY POLICE STAND-OFF AND SHOOTING...
THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS THEY RESPONDED TO A 9-1-1 CALL OF A MAN BARRICADING HIMSELF INSIDE A HOME FRIDAY... THEY SAY HE THEN FIRED AT AN ARMORED SWAT VEHICLE... AND POINTED A GUN AT OFFICERS WHEN HE CAME OUTSIDE.
POLICE THEN SHOT AND KILLED HIM... NO ONE ELSE WAS INJURED.
--DOJ SUES OVER GUN WAITING PERIOD LAWS--
THE WAITING PERIOD TO BUY A GUN IN MINNESOTA AND THE TWIN CITIES IS THE FOCUS OF A NEW FEDERAL COURT CASE.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUED THE STATE.. MINNEAPOLIS AND SAINT PAUL LATE LAST WEEK... SAYING RULES FOR FIREARM PERMITS AND TRANSFER WAITS VIOLATE THE SECOND AMENDMENT... WITH SOME BUYERS FORCED TO WAIT THIRTY TO SIXTY DAYS FOR A PERMIT.
--SUPREME COURT ORDERS NEW MURDER TRIAL--
THE MINNESOTA SUPREME COURT ORDERED A NEW MURDER TRIAL FOR A CROW WING COUNTY MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING HIS DAUGHTER’S BOYFRIEND.
MICHAEL LAFLEX ADMITTED TO THE SHOOTING IN 20-22. A JURY CONVICTED HIM TWO YEARS AGO..
THE JUSTICES ORDERED A NEW TRIAL.. SAYING THE JUDGE WRONGLY INSTRUCTED JURORS TO SKIP A POSSIBLE HEAT-OF-PASSION MANSLAUGHTER VERDICT IN FAVOR OF PREMEDITATED MURDER.
--DETROIT LAKES ACLU SUIT--
TWO DETROIT LAKES FAMILIES ARE NOW WORKING WITH THE A-C-L-U OF MINNESOTA TO OVERTURN A SCHOOL BOARD RULE THEY SAY ILLEGALLY BANS RAINBOWS AND OTHER GAY PRIDE SYMBOLS IN SCHOOL.
THE NORTHWEST MINNESOTA SCHOOL BOARD VOTED FOUR-TO-TWO IN JULY TO REMOVE SIGNAGE AND SYMBOLS THE DISTRICT HAS NOT APPROVED … SPECIFICALLY NAMING RAINBOW STICKERS, FLAGS, AND BUTTONS.
THE FAMILIES AND THE A-C-L-U SAY THE RULE VIOLATES FREE SPEECH … EQUAL PROTECTION … AND CIVIL RIGHTS LAW … BECAUSE IT *ONLY TARGETS L-G-B-T-Q SYMBOLS.
[CATHERINE AHLIN-HALVERSON, ACLU: WHEN ASKED IF IT WOULD APPLY TO CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS, HE SAID, “NO BECAUSE I’M CHRISTIAN, SO THOSE DON’T BOTHER ME.]
IT ALSO ACCUSES THE FOUR MEMBERS WHO VOTED FOR THE BAN OF VIOLATING OPEN MEETING RULES BY COORDINATING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
BOARD MEMBERS WHO SUPPORTED THE BAN SAY THEY WANT CLASSROOMS FREE OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STATEMENTS.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--RETURN OF BIRD FLU--
BIRD FLU IS BACK IN MINNESOTA WEEKS BEFORE CASES TYPICALLY BEGIN IN THE FALL ON POULTRY FARMS..
MORE THAN 260-THOUSAND BIRDS IN TEN FLOCKS HAVE TESTED POSITIVE SINCE SEPTEMBER FIRST...
STATE ANIMAL-HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY CASES USUALLY BEGIN IN OCTOBER AS WILD BIRDS MIGRATE...AND URGE FLOCK OWNERS TO REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS HEALTH ISSUES.
--ROCHESTER QUARRY--
THE FATE OF A PROPOSED ROCK QUARRY NEAR ROCHESTER’S AIRPORT IS STILL UP IN THE AIR … AFTER CITY STAFF WARNED COUNCIL MEMBERS AGAINST QUARRY EXPANSION ... COULD CREATE HAZARDS FOR AIRPLANES.
[EDENS: BLASTING COULD THROW ROCK INTO THE AIRSPACE WHEN PLANES FLY LOW. DUST FROM BLASTING COULD BLOCK PILOTS’ VISIBILITY OF THE RUNWAY AND SAFETY LIGHTS.]
QUARRY REPRESENTATIVES TOLD THE CITY COUNCIL BLASTING OCCURS ONLY ABOUT SIX TIMES A YEAR … AND WOULD BE COORDINATED WITH THE AIRPORT AND WEATHER CONDITIONS.
BUT.. THE COUNCIL VOTED TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSAL AGAIN NEXT MONTH.
--FIREFIGHTER MEMORIAL--
AND FINALLY …
MINNESOTA HONORED ITS FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS YESTERDAY …
EVEN AS THE SEARCH FOR SOME OF THEIR FAMILIES CONTINUES.
FIREFIGHTERS … FAMILIES … AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS GATHERED AT THE FALLEN FIREFIGHTER MEMORIAL AT THE CAPITOL … WHICH BEARS THE NAMES OF THE 228 NAMES OF FIREFIGHTERS WHO’VE DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY … DATING BACK TO 1881.
ORGANIZERS SAY THEY’RE LOOKING FOR THE FAMILIES OF 93 FIREFIGHTERS … WHO THEY HOPE TO RECOGNIZE AND PRESENT WITH FLAGS.
GOVERNOR WALZ ORDERED FLAGS AT STATE BUILDINGS LOWERED TO HALF-STAFF FOR THE ANNUAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.