A temporary win for a Bemidji school, a new public comment period on Google’s Hermantown data center, and two bounty hunters from Oklahoma face felonies.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
[OUR VOTE IS THREE–THREE. THE QUESTION FAILS, THE SCHOOL STAYS OPEN. CHEERS...]
WHY A WIN FOR A BEMIDJI AREA SCHOOL IS ONLY TEMPORARY...
BUT FIRST....
--HCAO CHARGES BOUNTY HUNTERS--
TWO BOUNTY HUNTERS FROM OKLAHOMA NOW FACE MULTIPLE FELONIES ... HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY MARY MORIARTY SAYS BOTH MEN POINTED WHAT- LOOKED-LIKE-REAL-GUNS AT PROTESTORS.
THE CONFRONTATION WAS CAUGHT ON VIDEO BY BYSTANDERS AT THE SCENE. IT HAPPENED IN EARLY MARCH IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS.
[MARY MORIARTY: THIS WAS DISTURBING, UNLAWFUL BEHAVIOR THAT TERRIFIED THE CIVILIANS INVOLVED AND SHOCKED A COMMUNITY THAT WAS STILL REELING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S OCCUPATION.]
JAMES WILLIS AND GARRETT WILLIS OF OKLAHOMA ARE NOW UNDER ORDERS TO APPEAR IN MINNESOTA COURT LATER THIS MONTH.
EACH MAN FACES TWO FELONIES FOR THREATS OF VIOLENCE … AND DISPLAYING REPLICA FIREARMS … NEITHER MAN WAS ARRESTED AT THE TIME.
COUNTY ATTORNEY MORIARTY SAYS HER OFFICE HAS CAREFULLY REVIEWED THE CASE AND DECIDED TO FILE CHARGES.
SHE SAYS THE VIDEO SHOWS A CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE TWO BOUNTY HUNTERS AND A SMALL GROUP OF PROTESTORS ... THEN, ONE OF THE MEN THEN PULLS OUT WHAT LOOKS LIKE A REAL RIFLE... AND FIRES PEPPERBALLS THE PROTESTOR’S FEET …
WHILE THE OTHER POINTS WHAT LOOKS LIKE A HANDGUN AT ANOTHER PROTESTOR ... AND APPEARS TO PULL THE TRIGGER TWICE … BUT NOTHING SHOOTS OUT.
SHE ALSO SAYS THE MEN POINTED THE SAME ‘REPLICA-STYLE GUNS’ EARLIER IN THE DAY AT A PERSON WHO WAS RECORDING VIDEO OF THEM MAKING AN ARREST.
THE OKLAHOMANS ARE SCHEDULED TO APPEAR APRIL 21ST.
--SAINT CLOUD FIRE--
IN SAINT CLOUD … A FIRE AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS BEING INVESTIGATED AS ARSON.
SAINT CLOUD FIRE INVESTIGATORS SAY SOMEONE INTENTIONALLY SET THE FIRE AROUND NINE TUESDAY MORNING.
EVERYONE EVACUATED SAFELY. OFFICIALS ARE ASSESSING AIR QUALITY AND CLEAN-UP TIME BEFORE RESUMING CLASSES.
--JW SMITH – BEMIDJI SCHOOL BOARD VOTE--
A BEMIDJI SCHOOL WILL KEEP ITS DOORS OPEN FOR STUDENTS A LITTLE LONGER.
AS AMPERS’ MEMBER STATION K-A-X-E REPORTER LARISSA DONAVON EXPLAINS, THE SCHOOL BOARD VOTE TEMPORARILY PRESERVES A HOME CAMPUS FOR MANY NATIVE STUDENTS AND HIGH-NEEDS CHILDREN.
--KAXE PACKAGE--
[NAT: CHEERING]
[LARISSA DONOVAN: JW SMITH ELEMENTARY WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR AT LEAST ONE MORE YEAR, AS MOTION TO CLOSE AS A COST-SAVING MEASURE FAILED ON A SPLIT VOTE.]
SUPERINTENDENT JEREMY OLSEN TOLD KAXE IT WAS TOO EARLY TO START DISCUSSING A POSSIBLE REFERENDUM.
OLSON SAYS AHEAD OF A THREE-AND-A-HALF-MILLION-DOLLAR PROJECTED DEFICIT IN 2027, OTHER CUTS MAY BE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, SUCH AS WITH SPECIALIST SERVICES OR THOSE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE SCHOOL LIBRARIES.
JW PRINCIPAL BRUCE GOODWIN SAYS HE IS READY TO START THE WORK TO KEEP HIS NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL OPEN.
[BRUCE GOODWIN: WE GOT TO FIGURE THIS OUT, AND WE CAN DO IT. OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS US TO DO THAT.]
LARISSA DONOVAN, KAXE NEWS.]
--DEED GRANTS--
A BIG BOOST FOR ORGANIZATIONS HELPING YOUTH ESCAPE POVERTY.
21-ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA RECEIVED A TOTAL OF ONE-POINT-SIX MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
A BIG CHUNK OF THE MONEY GOES TO GROUPS IN MORE RURAL AREAS … FOR PROGRAMS LIKE JOB TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION AND FINANCIAL LITERACY.
--FEDS THREATEN TO WITHHOLD MONEY FROM DULUTH-CHANGED RUNDOWN--
DULUTH AREA UNION LABOR GROUPS ARE CALLING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S LATEST THREATS 'UNION BUSTING'...
NEARLY SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL MONEY DESIGNATED FOR ROAD WORK IN NORTHERN SAINT LOUIS COUNTY IS AT RISK.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT WILL WITHOLD THE FUNDS UNLESS THE COUNTY DROPS ITS REQUIREMENT THAT FEDERALLY FUNDED PROJECTS USE UNION LABOR.
SOME COUNTY LEADERS ARE PROPOSING TEMPORARY RULE CHANGES TO GET THE MONEY … SAYING THERE'S NO TIME TO FIGHT THE FEDS DURING THE SHORT CONSTRUCTION SEASON.
--HERMANTOWN DATA CENTER--
THERE IS A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN FOR THE CONTROVERSIAL GOOGLE DATA CENTER IN HERMANTOWN ... AND PUBLIC OPINION IS ENCOURAGED.
OPTIONS INCLUDE THINGS, LIKE ... PUTTING MORE BUILDINGS ON SMALLER FOOTPRINT … AND INCLUDES MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE PROJECT’S SCOPE.
CITY OFFICIALS LOOKED AT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS FROM MULTIPLE PLANS … PUBLIC COMMENT IS OPEN THROUGH APRIL 30.
--WILLMAR TURBINES--
THE CITY OF WILLMAR BLEW UP ITS TWO WIND TURBINES ... NEARLY TWO YEARS AFTER THEY STOPPED SPINNING …
THE TURBINES CONVERTED WIND TO ENERGY FOR THE CITY UTILITIES SINCE 2009 ...
BUT... REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR NECESSARY REPAIRS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE ... SO UTILITIES OFFICIALS TOPPLED THE TURBINES ... BUT SAY THEY WERE STILL A GOOD INVESTMENT.
--KICKER – SOUDAN MINE REOPENS FOR TOURS--
MINNESOTA’S DEEPEST MINE IS READY TO TAKE VISITORS BACK DOWN … A HALF-MILE UNDERGROUND.
NEARLY TWO YEARS AFTER FLASH FLOODING SHUT DOWN ACCESS AT THE LAKE VERMILION-SOUDAN UNDERGROUND MINE STATE PARK ... PUBLIC TOURS WILL RESUME MAY TWENTY-THIRD.
ONCE THE DEEPEST MINE IN MINNESOTA, THE OLD SOUDAN IRON COMPLEX IS LESS ABOUT DIGGING FOR ORE ... AND MORE ABOUT DIGGING INTO STATE HISTORY.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.