A county attorney race with no candidates, the wild rice harvest is looking good, and Mankato’s newest legal residents shuffle and cluck.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON. (15)
[HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY MARY MORIARTY: THE WOMEN THAT WERE INVOLVED HERE — THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT THIS THAT WAS VOLUNTARY.]
HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY MARY MORIARTY ANNOUNCES CHARGES AGAINST FOUR PEOPLE FOR RUNNING A SEX-TRAFFICKING RING … INCLUDING A FORMER ANOKA COUNTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY.
THOSE DETAILS ARE COMING UP ... BUT FIRST
--HOPKINS DAY CARE VIGIL--
GRIEF BROUGHT THE METRO-AREA COMMUNITIES OF HOPKINS AND BURNSVILLE TOGETHER LAST NIGHT... AS NEIGHBORS GATHERED TO REMEMBER THREE FAMILY MEMBERS KILLED IN ATTACKS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LAST WEEK.
AT DOWNTOWN PARK IN HOPKINS... THE COMMUNITIES HONORED KRISTEN BROWN... HER SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER EVIE... AND ALICE BROWN.
POLICE SAY NATHAN BROWN KILLED HIS MOTHER ALICE IN HER BURNSVILLE HOME…...
THEN.. DROVE TO HOPKINS AND KILLED HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER AT HER HOME-LICENSED BROWN BEAR DAYCARE LAST WEDNESDAY AT A HOME DAYCARE WITH SIX OTHER CHILDREN IN THE HOME AT THE TIME.
OFFICERS SAY HE THEN KILLED HIMSELF.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--SEX TRAFFICKING PROSECUTION--
HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY MARY MORIARTY SAYS A YEARS-LONG INVESTIGATION HAS SHUT DOWN A TWIN CITIES SEX-TRAFFICKING RING...
MORIARTY SAYS ANOKA COUNTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY ANDREA SAMPSON CREATED SHELL COMPANIES TO HIDE MONEY AND PROVIDED LOCATIONS FOR THE SEX-TRAFFICKING OPERATION … ALL WHILE SHE WAS WORKING FOR THE ANOKA COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE.
SAMPSON IS CHARGED WITH 26 FELONIES FOR PROMOTING PROSTITUTION AND COLLECTING THE MONEY … ALONG WITH FRANK REEVES … VIKTORIYA KOMONASH … AND CATHERINE THOMES.
PROSECUTORS SAY REEVES LED THE OPERATION …
KOMONASH RECRUITED WOMEN AND ARRANGED MEETUPS …
AND TOMES RAN A WEBSITE USED TO ADVERTISE THEM …
MORIARTY SAYS INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THERE ARE “MANY MORE” VICTIMS THAN THE 13 NAMED IN THE CHARGES … AND STRESSES THAT THE WOMEN WERE EXPLOITED.
[HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY MARY MORIARTY: NO ONE WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN A SEX TRAFFICKING RING. IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU. THE 13 VICTIMS AND OTHERS ARE VICTIMS AND SUFFERED GREAT HARM FROM BEING FORCED TO BE IN THE SEX TRAFFICKING RING.]
FORMER ATTORNEY SAMPSON … REEVES … AND KOMONASH WERE ALL IN COURT YESTERDAY… THOMES IS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR TODAY.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--RED LAKE NEEDS A COUNTY ATTORNEY--
IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA … NO ONE HAS FILED TO RUN FOR RED LAKE COUNTY ATTORNEY … BECAUSE IT APPEARS THERE ARE NO LAWYERS LIVING IN THE COUNTY WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO RUN.
STATE LAW GENERALLY REQUIRES COUNTY ATTORNEYS TO LIVE WHERE THEY SERVE...
A SEARCH OF THE STATE ATTORNEY DATABASE SHOWS ONLY ONE RETIRED ATTORNEY LIVING IN RED LAKE COUNTY.. WITHOUT AN ACTIVE LEGAL LICENSE …
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH AMPERS MEMBER STATION K-A-X-E'S ERIN BOWMAN... FORMER RED LAKE COUNTY PROSECUTOR … TANNER HOLTON … SAYS THE PROBLEM REFLECTS A GROWING SHORTAGE OF LAWYERS ACROSS NORTHERN MINNESOTA.
[FORMER RED LAKE COUNTY ATTORNEY TANNER HOLTON: THE ATTORNEYS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS AREA ARE AGING OUT. HIGHLY RESPECTED LAW FIRMS ARE CLOSING BECAUSE THERE ARE NO ATTORNEYS TO TAKE OVER FOR THE AGING ATTORNEYS THAT ARE RETIRING.]
IF NO ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES APPLY … THE RED LAKE COUNTY BOARD WILL APPOINT A COUNTY ATTORNEY.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--MINNEAPOLIS SCOOTER TAKEOVER / FLOCK PROTEST--
THE THIRD SCOOTER TAKEOVER IN A WEEK… ORGANIZED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA… DOUBLED AS A ROLLING PROTEST AGAINST FLOCK LICENSE-PLATE CAMERAS IN MINNEAPOLIS.
HUNDREDS GATHERED FRIDAY NIGHT AT U-S BANK STADIUM.
LIME...THE COMPANY THAT OWNS THE RENTAL SCOOTERS, EXPANDED ITS DIGITAL NO-RIDE ZONES… SHUTTING OFF ITS RENTAL SCOOTERS IN THE AREA… AND THE COMPANY SAYS IT IS BANNING RIDERS WHO TOOK THEM ONTO INTERSTATE 94 IN THE PREVIOUS TAKEOVERS LAST WEEK.
ORGANIZER JOHAN VARGAS SAYS WHEN THE LIME MOTORS QUIT… PARTICIPANTS KEPT MOVING ON BIKES… SKATEBOARDS… SHOPPING CARTS AND EVEN A PUSH MOWER.
HE SAYS THIS WILL BE THE LAST TAKEOVER FOR A WHILE.
THE SCOOTER TAKEOVER IS JUST ONE OF THE LATEST FORMS OF PROTEST AGAINST INCREASED SURVEILLANCE … IN SOME CASES, VANDALS HAVE EVEN CUT DOWN SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS.
FLOCK...ONE OF THE COMPANIES THAT MAKES THE CAMERAS, HAS SINCE ANNOUNCED SOME NEW RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DATA COLLECTION... INCLUDING... REDUCING DEFAULT STORAGE FOR LICENSE PLATE SCANS TO JUST SEVEN DAYS.
--WILD RICE SEASON BEGINS --
THE PUBLIC WILD RICE SEASON KICKED OFF OVER THE WEEKEND … AND THIS YEAR’S CROP LOOKS SET TO SHAKE OUT WELL.
IN ITS ANNUAL WILD RICE OUTLOOK REVIEW … THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SAYS WILD RICE BED QUALITY RANGES FROM FAIR TO EXCELLENT ACROSS MUCH OF THE STATE.
THE D-N-R SAYS LOW WATER LEVELS FROM THIS SUMMER’S DROUGHT ACTUALLY CREATED FAVORABLE GROWING CONDITIONS … BUT … THEY COULD ALSO MAKE IT HARDER TO REACH THE BEDS BY CANOE.
THE AGENCY ALSO REMINDS HARVESTERS THAT PICKING GREEN, UNRIPE RICE IS ILLEGAL.
--MANKATO CHICKENS --
AND FINALLY …
[CHICKENS CLUCKING]
THOSE ARE THE SOUNDS OF MANKATO’S NEWEST LEGAL RESIDENTS.
STARTING THIS WEEK … SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS MAY KEEP UP TO FOUR BACKYARD HENS.
THE CITY SAYS A PERMIT… COOP AND RUN ARE REQUIRED…
THE COOP MUST SIT AT LEAST TEN FEET FROM PROPERTY LINES… AND STAY CLEAN.
BUT WHILE NEW BACKYARD ARRIVALS MAY CLUCK… SCRATCH… AND LAY…
THEY CANNOT CROW IF THEY LIVE IN MANKATO. SORRY ROOSTERS.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.