The U.S. Forest Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources lift their burn bans, schools prepare for the new year facing budget and service cuts, and hundreds of taxidermy animals go to northern University of Minnesota campuses.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
[MICHELLE GROSS / PRESIDENT, COMMUNITIES UNITED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY: THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE BASICALLY GAVE THE APPEARANCE OF SIDING WITH A RACIST WHO CAME TO HARM OUR COMMUNITY.]
--JAKE LANG FOLLOW UP--
A MINNEAPOLIS POLICE-ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP IS FORMALLY ASKING FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO HOW OFFICERS HANDLED SATURDAY’S CONFRONTATION INVOLVING FAR-RIGHT ACTIVIST JAKE LANG AND COUNTER-PROTESTORS…
COMMUNITIES UNITED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY… WANTS THE COMMUNITY COMMISSION ON POLICE OVERSIGHT TO LOOK INTO THE DEPARTMENT’S RESPONSE TO THE CHAOS THAT HAPPENED OUTSIDE MINNEAPOLIS CITY HALL ON SATURDAY.
THE GROUP IS ALLEGING OFFICERS PROTECTED JAKE LANG’S CONVOY ... WHICH THEY SAY CAME TO HARASS THE COMMUNITY, …
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE GIVE A DIFFERENT ACCOUNT …
THEY SAY OFFICERS ESCORTED LANG’S CARAVAN OFF THE SIDEWALK AND SAFELY ARRESTED THEM AT ANOTHER LOCATION.
AND THEY SAY THEY ARE STILL DOING THEIR OWN INTERNAL REVIEW OF THE INCIDENT.
BUT THE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITIES UNITED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY SAYS SATURDAY’S RESPONSE IS NOTHING NEW.
[MICHELLE GROSS / PRESIDENT, COMMUNITIES UNITED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY: WELL, I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE … TO PUT THIS IN CONTEXT HISTORICALLY. THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF ENGAGING IN RACIST POLICING. THIS IS SOMETHING THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTIGATION DOCUMENTED AND SHOWED.]
THE COMMUNITY COMMISSION ON POLICE OVERSIGHT CAN REQUEST RESEARCH THROUGH THE CITY’S POLICE-CONDUCT OFFICE … AND RECOMMEND ACTION.
GROSS SAYS HER GROUP WILL REQUEST AN INVESTIGATION BY THE CITY-COUNCIL AND AUDITOR’S OFFICE IF THE COMMISSION DOES NOT ACT BEFORE ITS NEXT PUBLIC MEETING SEPTEMBER 17TH.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--BACK TO SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION AND FUNDING ISSUES --
SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA ARE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY.
WHILE SOME DISTRICTS ANNOUNCED LAYOFFS EARLIER THIS SUMMER...OTHERS, LIKE ELY, ARE GOING TO A FOUR- DAY WEEK WITH LONGER SCHOOLS DAYS.
EARLIER THIS SUMMER.. THE ROCK RIDGE SCHOOL BOARD IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA REJECTED A FOUR-DAY A WEEK SCHOOL WEEK THAT WOULD HAVE SAVED ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS IN TRANSPORTATION COSTS..
[BRANDI LAUTIGAR / ROCK RIDGE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: AND THEN WE END UP RE-DISCUSSING POSITIONS AND PROGRAMS... AND WE END UP BACK IN THE SAME HOLE... WHERE WE’VE GOT A DEFICIT.]
INSTEAD ROCK RIDGE OPENED TO CUT PROGRAMS AND DIP INTO RESERVES.
MEANWHILE...IN THE EAST METRO... STILLWATER SCHOOL DISTRICT IS AMONG THE FIRST IN THE STATE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL... CLASSES THERE STARTED YESTERDAY.
STILLWATER IS ALSO REDESIGNING AND CENTRALIZING BUS ROUTES TO SAVE MORE THAN 650-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN TRANSPORTATION COSTS...
THE DISTRICT IS ALSO SAVING MONEY WITH ONLINE LEARNING.
STILLWATER SAYS MORE THAN 700 STUDENTS EACH SEMESTER REGISTERED FOR ONLINE COURSES...
--DULUTH BUSING --
-- --
BACK UP NORTH...DULUTH IS BRIDGING THE TRANSPORTATION GAP FOR STUDENTS.
THE CITY IS NOW PROVIDING FREE PUBLIC TRANSIT TO MIDDLE SCHOOLERS.
A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE DULUTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE DULUTH TRANSIT AUTHORITY ALREADY ALLOWS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND STAFF TO RIDE FREE.
DULUTH PUBLIC MIDDLE SCHOOLS STUDENTS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO UNLIMITED FREE RIDES … ANYWHERE AND ANY TIME … BY SHOWING THEIR SCHOOL I-Ds.
--CARDIAC RESPONSE PLANS --
A NEW STATE LAW IS REQUIRING EVERY DISTRICT AND CHARTER SCHOOL TO HAVE A CARDIAC-EMERGENCY PLAN IN PLACE BY THE TIME CLASSES BEGIN THIS FALL.
THE LAW REQUIRES SCHOOLS TO CREATE RESPONSE TEAMS … RUN PRACTICE DRILLS … AND ENSURE AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBILATORS. … OR A-E-Ds … CAN BE REACHED QUICKLY IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES.
PARENT KELLY YOULAND BECAME AN ADVOCATE AFTER HER YOUNG DAUGHTER SURVIVED CARDIAC ARREST. SHE TELLS THE PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE THE RISK ISN’T LIMITED TO STUDENTS.
[KELLY YOULAND: IT CAN HAPPEN TO A TEACHER IN HER CLASSROOM PREPARING FOR THE NEXT DAY. IT CAN HAPPEN TO SOMEBODY WORKING IN THE CAFETERIA. THESE ARE ALL SITUATIONS THAT WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR.]
YOULAND IS STILL PUSHING FOR THE STATE TO REQUIRE TEACHERS AND COACHES TO HAVE C-P-R AND A-E-D TRAINING.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--APPLE VALLEY WORKSITE DEATH--
A BRAINERD TREE-TRIMMING WORKER NOW FACES FORMAL CHARGES OF SECOND-DEGREE MANSLAUGHTER ... AFTER ALLEGEDLY KILLING HIS COWORKER AT AN APPLE VALLEY JOB SITE.
PROSECUTORS SAY THE EQUIPMENT OPERATOR WAS MAKING SHADOW SHAPES WHILE OPERATING A LARGE CLAW USED TO GRAB AND MOVE MATERIAL.
THEY SAY HE WAS TRYING TO MAKE THE CLAW’S SHADOW APPEAR TO GRAB HIS COWORKER’S SHADOW... WHEN THE ACTUAL MACHINE MOVED ... AND CRUSHED HIS HEAD.
A COURT DATE IS SET FOR NEXT MONTH.
--SNF CAMPFIRE BAN LIFTED--
SIX WEEKS AFTER BANNING CAMPFIRES THROUGH MUCH OF NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA … THE U-S FOREST SERVICE HAS LIFTED ALL CAMPFIRE RESTRICTIONS ACROSS THE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST … INCLUDING THE BOUNDARY WATERS.
THE AGENCY PUT A FOREST-WIDE BAN IN PLACE IN EARLY JULY … AS WILDFIRES AND DRY CONDITIONS DROVE UP FIRE DANGER IN THE REGION.
THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ALSO DROPPED ITS LAST ELEVATED BURN RESTRICTIONS IN COOK, LAKE, AND NORTHERN SAINT LOUIS COUNTIES.
--TAXIDERMY DONATION--
AND FINALLY …
THEY WERE STUFFED … THEN STUFFED IN A MUSEUM THAT WAS THEN CLOSED FOR A LONG TIME...
NOW... AFTER THREE DECADES GATHERING DUST … HUNDREDS OF TAXIDERMY ANIMALS ARE GETTING NEW LIFE.
THE LONG-SHUTTERED BAGLEY WILDLIFE MUSEUM HAS DONATED MORE THAN 300 MOUNTED BIRDS, MAMMALS, FISH … AND ONE REPTILE …TO FOUR UNIVERSITIES IN MINNESOTA AND NORTH DAKOTA...
ACCORDING TO THE ALEXANDRIA ECHO PRESS... MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE ARE GOING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CROOKSTON … WHERE STUDENTS WILL STUDY THE STUFFED ANIMALS THIS FALL.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.