A sexual harassment lawsuit at the top of St. Paul’s political world, Minneapolis wants “drivers” in driverless taxis, and the last drag racing of the season in Brainerd.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
[DRAG RACING SOUND]
IN BRAINERD THIS WEEKEND... THE FASTEST RACER ON THE DRAG STRIP MAY NOT WIN.
ALSO COMING UP...
RENEE GOOD’S MOTHER HAS A MESSAGE FOR CONGRESS … EIGHT MONTHS AFTER A FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OFFICER KILLED HER DAUGHTER:
[DONNA GANGER: SHE SHOULD STILL BE ALIVE. I'LL SAY THAT AGAIN: MY DAUGHTER SHOULD STILL BE ALIVE.]
BUT FIRST …
--CHIEF HENRY LAWSUIT--
A SEXUAL-HARASSMENT DISPUTE AT THE TOP OF SAINT PAUL CITY GOVERNMENT... IS NOW IN THE COURTS..…
POLICE CHIEF AXEL HENRY FILED A 73-PAGE CIVIL LAWSUIT AGAINST MAYOR KAOHLY HER *AND THE CITY LATE YESTERDAY.
IN THE SUIT... CHIEF HENRY ALLEGES MAYOR KAOHLY HER REPEATEDLY MADE SEXUAL COMMENTS TO HIM.. ALLEGES UNWANTED PHYSICAL CONTACT... AND SAYS HE WAS RETALIATED AGAINST AFTER REFUSING HER UNWANTED ADVANCES.
SPECIFIC ALLEGATIONS INCLUDE THAT SHE TOUCHED HIS THIGH TWICE UNDER A CONFERENCE TABLE DURING A CITY MEETING … AND NAMES THE ASSISTANT CHIEF AS A WITNESS.
EVIDENCE IN THE COURT FILING INCLUDES ALTERED PHOTOS OF OFFICERS THAT HE SAYS THE MAYOR PUT ON THE WALL IN HIS OFFICE.
THE CITY SAYS IT WILL NOT COMMENT ON PENDING LITIGATION.. BUT POINTS TO THE ‘INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION’ SUMMARY RELEASED LAST WEEK THAT DID NOT SUBSTANTIATE ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT.
CHIEF HENRY DISPUTES THAT SUMMARY OF THE INVESTIGATION’S FINDINGS.
WE’LL BRING YOU MORE AS THIS DEVELOPS.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--GOOD & PRETTI--
THE FAMILY OF RENEE GOOD AND A WITNESS TO ALEX PRETTI’S KILLING IN MINNEAPOLIS SPOKE TO LAWMAKERS IN WASHINGTON D-C AS PART OF A PUBLIC OVERSIGHT FORUM THIS WEEK...
ALONG WITH THE FAMILIES OF THREE OTHER PEOPLE KILLED BY IMMIGRATION AGENTS IN OTHER STATES … THEY’RE CHALLENGING FEDERAL OFFICIALS' ACCOUNTS OF THE SHOOTINGS … AND DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY.
STELLA CARLSON … WHO FILMED THE FATAL SHOOTING OF PRETTI … SAYS SHE CAME FORWARD BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT’S DESCRIPTION OF HIM CONFLICTS WITH THE PERSON SHE SAW.
[STELLA CARLSON: I FEEL LIKE I WITNESSED TWO ASSASSINATIONS. THE FIRST WAS THE LITERAL ASSASSINATION OF ALEX. THE SECOND WAS THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF HIS CHARACTER.]
GOOD’S BROTHER … BRENT GANGER … QUESTIONS WHY NO ONE HAS BEEN HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR GOOD’S KILLING … AND SAYS FEDERAL AGENTS SHOULD FACE THE SAME SCRUTINY AS OTHER POLICE WHEN THEY KILL SOMEONE.
[BRENT GANGER: THERE SHOULD NOT BE A DIFFERENT SET OF RULES AND A DIFFERENT PROCESS TO HOLD A FEDERAL OFFICER ACCOUNTABLE VERSUS A STATE OR LOCAL OFFICER.]
DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS WHO HOSTED THE FORUM SAY THEY’RE PUSHING FOR A FULL ACCOUNTING OF THE SHOOTINGS.
--EICHORN SENTENCING--
AFTER EIGHT YEARS IN THE MINNESOTA SENATE... GRAND RAPIDS’ JUSTIN EICHORN WAS SENTENCED TO 16 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON... FOLLOWED BY FIVE YEARS OF SUPERVISED RELEASE.
IN SAINT PAUL YESTERDAY... HE SPOKE FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES... APOLOGIZING.
EICHORN PLEADED GUILTY IN MAY TO ATTEMPTED POSSESSION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL.
HE WAS ARRESTED LAST YEAR AS PART OF A BLOOMINGTON SEX STING... AFTER ASKING AN OFFICER HE THOUGHT WAS 17 FOR EXPLICIT PHOTOS... AND ARRANGING TO PAY FOR SEX.
--HOUSTON COUNTY FLOODING DISASTER/STATE OF EMERGENCY--
HOUSTON COUNTY... IN FAR SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...IS NOW THE SECOND COUNTY TO DECLARE A LOCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY AFTER WEEKEND FLOODING.
OFFICIALS REPORT UP TO NINE INCHES OF RAIN FELL... WASHING OUT ROADS AND FLOODING BASEMENTS AND FARMFIELDS.
WASECA COUNTY... IN SOUTH-CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE... DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY MONDAY AFTER 400 OF 500 HOMES WERE UNDERWATER IN NEW RICHLAND.
THE DECLARATION ALLOWS THE COUNTIES TO SEEK STATE AND FEDERAL AID FOR REPAIRS.
--WAYMO HEARING--
SELF-DRIVING TAXI COMPANY WAYMO IS LOOKING TO EXPAND ITS DRIVERLESS SERVICE TO MINNEAPOLIS … BUT THE CITY IS CONSIDERING A RULE THAT WOULD KEEP A HUMAN IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT.
THE CITY COUNCIL PROPOSED AN ORDINANCE TO REQUIRE A SAFETY MONITOR IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT… WHO WOULD BE PAID AT LEAST MINIMUM WAGE.
WAYMO SAYS THE ORDINANCE WOULD EFFECTIVELY BAN ITS SERVICE …
RIDESHARE DRIVERS TELL THE COUNCIL IT WOULD SAVE THEIR JOBS:
[FARHAN BEDEL: IF GIANT CORPORATIONS OR BIG TECH COMPANIES CANNOT AFFORD TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY AND PAY A HUMAN WORKER THE CITY’S MINIMUM WAGE, THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS OPERATING IN MINNEAPOLIS.]
THE COUNCIL IS HOLDING A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING NEXT TUESDAY/WEEK … A FINAL VOTE COULD FOLLOW OCTOBER FIRST.
--BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY FINAL WEEKEND--
AND FINALLY …
[DRAG-RACE ENGINE]
EVERY DRAG STRIP HAS ITS ROAR.
IN BRAINERD... LAST NIGHT WAS THE LAST STREET-LEGAL DRAG RACING NIGHT OF THE SEASON.
BUT … BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY FIRES UP AGAIN TOMORROW FOR “TEST AND TUNE”... PRACTICE RUNS THAT LET DRIVERS MAKE ADJUSTMENTS BEFORE THE WEEKEND RACES.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ARE THE SEASON’S FINAL TWO BRACKET RACES.
DRIVERS PREDICT HOW LONG THEIR RUNS WILL TAKE... AND SLOWER “VEHICLES” GET A HEAD START.
WINNING TAKES TIMING... NOT JUST SPEED.
MORE THAN 250 RACERS COMPETE IN TEN CLASSES... INCLUDING CARS, BIKES AND, EVEN, SNOWMOBILES. NO SNOW REQUIRED.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.