White Earth Nation gets federal health accreditation, cursive makes a comeback, and a new effort to investigate and prosecute misconduct by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
WHITE EARTH GETS FEDERAL HEALTH ACCREDITATION … AND CURSIVE MAKES A COMEBACK …
BUT FIRST … A NEW EFFORT TO INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE MISCONDUCT BY FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS.
--HCAO TAP--
THE HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE CREATED WHAT ITS CALLING THE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT … AN ONLINE PORTAL WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN SUBMIT PHOTOS, VIDEOS AND OTHER DOCUMENTATION RELATED TO INCIDENTS DURING OPERATION METRO SURGE.
INVESTIGATORS WILL REVIEW ALL SUBMISSIONS TO EVALUATE POSSBILE UNLAWFUL ACTIONS BY FEDERAL AGENTS.
[MARY: AS PART OF THIS PROJECT WE ARE ACTIVELY INVESTIGATING SEVENTEEN INSTANCES THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION BY THE COMMUNITY.]
THIS INCLUDES ALLEGATIONS OF FORMER CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL COMMANDER DAN BOVINO THROWING GAS AT PROTESTERS AT A MINNEAPOLIS PARK … AND AGENTS TACKLING AND ARRESTING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AT A MINNEAPOLIS HIGH SCHOOL.
THE OFFICE SAYS THAT CHARGING DECISIONS WILL TAKE TIME, GIVEN THE LEGAL COMPLEXITIES OF PROSECUTING FEDERAL AGENTS … BUT THAT WON’T BE A DETERRENT.
[MARY: WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF THE LEGAL FIGHT … AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO DOING THIS CORRECTLY.]
--NATL GUARD DEPLOYED--
THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS URGING ALL U-S CITIZENS TO LEAVE ALL COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST, SAYING THE CONFLICT MAY ESCALATE IN COMING DAYS.
MORE THAN TWO-HUNDRED-FIFTY MEMBERS OF THE MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD … INCLUDING AIRMEN FROM DULUTH’S ONE-HUNDRED-FOURTY-EIGTH FIGHTER WING … ARE CURRENTLY DEPLOYED IN OR NEAR THE MIDDLE EAST.
NATIONAL GUARD OFFICIALS SAY THE MISSIONS ARE ROUTINE … AND SO FAR, NO MINNESOTA SERVICE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN INJURED.
--GAS PRICES--
MILITARY ACTIONS THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST ARE ALREADY AFFECTING GAS PRICES IN MINNESOTA.
A TRIPLE A GAS TRACKERS SHOWS AVERAGE MINNESOTA GAS PRICES ARE ALREADY UP NEARLY FOURTEEN CENTS FROM LAST WEEK.
LAKE COUNTY HAS THE HIGHEST PRICES IN THE STATE … COMING IN AT JUST OVER THREE DOLLARS A GALLON … WITH METRO AREA COUNTIES JUST BEHIND.
THE LOWEST AVERAGES RUN THE STRIP OF NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES FROM WILKIN UP TO KITTSON … WHILE BIG STONE IS THE BIG WINNER WITH THE LOWEST AVERAGE OF JUST TWO DOLLARS FIFTY-FOUR CENTS A GALLON.
--HORTMAN HIGHWAY--
REPRESENTATIVE ERIN KOEGEL IS SPONSORING A BILL TO HONOR THE LATE HOUSE SPEAKER MELISSA HORTMAN.
THE BILL WOULD MAKE TRUNK HIGHWAY SIX-TEN THE HORTMAN MEMORIAL HIGHWAY … A ROUGHLY ELEVEN MILE STRETCH FROM I-NINETY-FOUR TO HIGHWAY 10 … A PROJECT HORTMAN HAD LONG WORKED ON
[KOEGEL: THIS WAS A REALLY BIG DEAL TO HER. IT WAS A THOROUGHFARE IN HER COMMUNITY, AND IT STILL IS ONE OF THE RIVER CROSSINGS THAT WE USE DAILY … IT’S A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY IN THE NORTH METRO.]
THE BILL NOW MOVES TO THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE.
**SPEED LIMIT BUMP
**
THREE COUNTIES THINK THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SHOULD RAISE THEIR SPEED LIMITS … ON THE ROAD FROM GULLY TO GRYGLA.
COMMISSIONERS IN MARSHALL, PENNINGTON AND POLK COUNTIES ALL PASSED RESOLUTION THAT WOULD PUSH THE SPEED LIMIT TO 60 MILES-PER-HOUR ON COUNTY STATE AID HIGHWAYS TWENTY-SEVEN AND TWENTY-EIGHT … THAT’S A FULL FIVE-MILES-PER-HOUR FASTER THAN THE CURRENT LIMIT.
--WHITE EARTH--
WHITE EARTH NATION IS THE FIRST MINNESOTA TRIBE TO REVIEVE FEDERAL HEALTH ACCREDITATION.
[CYNDY RASTEDT: IT’S A PROMISE TO CONTINUE IMPROVING. IT’S A PROMISE TO REMAIN ACCOUNTABLE. IT’S A PROMISE TO HONOR THE TRUST THE THE COMMUNITY PLACES IN US.]
WHITE EARTH NATION’S PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR CYNDY RASTEDT SAYS THEY’RE JUST THE NINTH TRIBE NATIONWIDE TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE … AFTER PASSING THROUGH YEARS OF RIGOROUS VETTING.
TRIBAL MEMBER GINA BOUDREAU HAS WORKED AT THE DEPARTMENT FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS … SHE SAYS ACCREDITATION WILL HELP STRENGTHEN THEIR PROGRAMS WHILE KEEPING SERVICES GROUNDED IN ANISHINAABE CULTURE AND COMMUNITY PRIORITIES.
[GINA BOUDREAU: BECAUSE OUR PEOPLE DESERVE IT. THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH HISTORICAL TRAUMA, AND THEY DESERVE THE BEST WE CAN GIVE THEM. (35:18. 6S)]
--INDIGENOUS FOOD LEADERS--
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR A SUMMER PROGRAM FOCUSED ON INDIGENOUS FOOD SYSTEMS AND PUBLIC HEALTH.
THE INDIGENOUS FOOD SOVEREIGNTY EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM RUNS THREE WEEKS IN JUNE IN FARGO … WITH TRAVEL, HOUSING, AND A THREE-THOUSAND DOLLAR STIPEND COVERED FOR PARTICIPANTS AGES EIGHTEEN TO TWENTY-FOUR.
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN THROUGH MARCH TWENTY-SECOND … DETAILS AT N-D-S-U DOT E-D-U.
--CURSIVE KICKER--
AND FINALLY … A QUESTION:
[REST: WHY ISN’T CURSIVE TAUGHT IN MINNESOTA?]
THE SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL IS NEARLY UPON US … THAT’S THE TWO-HUNDRED-FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE … AND LEGISLATORS WANT YOUR KIDS TO BE ABLE TO READ IT IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM … CURSIVE.
A NEW BILL INTRODUCED BY SENATOR ANN REST WOULD MANDATE TEACHING STUDENTS TO READ AND WRITE IN LOOP-DI-LOOP LETTERS BY THE TIME THEY’RE IN FIFTH GRADE. THERE’S JUST ONE PROBLEM …
[REST: WE MIGHT FIRST HAVE TO TEACH THE TEACHERS … I’M SERIOUS!]
THE BILL WILL BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF AN OMNIBUS LATER THIS SESSION.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.