St. Paul community supports an effort to revoke a foundry’s air permit, Somali leaders look for common ground with law enforcement, and Vance Boelter is due for federal sentencing for the murders of the Hortmans.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
A YEARS-LONG STANDOFF OVER SOOT AND A SAINT PAUL FOUNDRY IS COMING TO A HEAD.
[DAVE SATRE: YOU KNOW, IT'S ON THE WINDOWSILL … IT’S IN THEIR HOUSE.]
--NORTHERN IRON FOUNDRY--
COMMUNITY MEMBERS PACKED A COURTROOM TUESDAY TO SUPPORT THE STATE’S EFFORT TO REVOKE ‘NORTHERN IRON’S’ AIR PERMIT.
THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY MOVED TO CANCEL THE PERMIT LAST FALL … SAYING THE FOUNDRY HASN’T FIXED LONG-RUNNING EMISSIONS PROBLEMS … AND HAS GIVEN REGULATORS INCOMPLETE AND MISLEADING INFORMATION.
NORTHERN IRON SAYS IT’S BEEN WORKING TO IMPROVE ITS POLLUTION CONTROLS AND MEET THE STATE’S DEMANDS … AND HAS FILED A MOTION TO STOP THE AGENCY FROM TAKING ITS PERMIT.
DAVE SATRE (SATER) OF THE SAINT PAUL FEDERATION OF EDUCATORS SAYS PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARE GLAD THE CASE IS MOVING FORWARD … BUT STILL HAVE CONCERNS.
[DAVE SATRE: IT'S ALSO EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING THAT THEIR NORTHERN IRON IS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE OPERATING WHILE THERE'S THIS ONGOING LITIGATION WHICH COULD BE DRAWN OUT FOR HOWEVER LONG.]
THE JUDGE IS EXPECTED TO DECIDE IN THE COMING WEEKS WHETHER TO DISMISS THE M-P-C-A’S EFFORT TO REVOKE NORTHERN IRON’S PERMIT … OR ALLOW THE CASE TO CONTINUE.
--RAMSEY COUNTY SOMALI COMMUNITY MEETING--
ON THE NORTHSIDE OF SAINT PAUL IN RAMSEY COUNTY... A PUBLIC FIGHT OVER HOW TO TALK ABOUT YOUTH VIOLENCE PROMTED A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION LAST NIGHT ABOUT HOW TO STOP IT.
RAMSEY COUNTY SHERIFF BOB FLETCHER SAYS INVESTIGATORS LINK TWELVE-GROUPS INVOLVING ABOUT 300-SOMALI YOUTHS TO 14-HOMICIDES AND MORE THAN A HUNDRED SHOOTINGS OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.
HIS USE OF THE TERM “SOMALI GANGS” ANGERED SOME COMMUNITY LEADERS... WHO SAY IT DEEPENS STIGMA AMID INTENSE NATIONAL SCRUTINY.
BUT... OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAY THE BACKLASH RISKS DISTRACTING FROM THE REAL ISSUE OF VIOLENCE.
SAHAN JOURNAL PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTER MOHAMED IBRAHIM SAYS FEW CONCRETE SOLUTIONS HAVE EMERGED.
[MOHAMED IBRAHIM: IT SEEMS BOTH SIDES DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. SO THIS MEETING APPEARS TO BE A VENUE TO BRAINSTORM HOW TO FIX THIS ISSUE TOGETHER.]
--WILDFIRE UPDATE--
THE U-S FOREST SERVICE SAYS RAINS MONDAY NIGHT HELPED WILDFIRE EFFORTS TUESDAY … BUT WARNS STRONG WINDS COULD CREATE SETBACKS.
THE FOREST SERVICE ALSO SAYS ITS EVALUATING REOPENING PORTIONS OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS … BUT DID NOT GIVE A TIMELINE.
AND LATER THIS WEEK … STATE SENATOR GRANT HAUSCHILD AND REPRESENTATIVE ROGER SKRABA WILL JOIN THE ELY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND FOR A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE WILDFIRES..
THAT HAPPENS FRIDAY AT VERMILLION COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN ELY.
--WILDFIRE DELIVERY SERVICES--
THE DANGEROUS AIR QUALITY... AND MANDATORY EVACUATIONS ARE ALSO INTERRUPTING SOME MAIL AND PACKAGE DELIVERIES ... WITH ALL MAJOR DELIVERY SERVICES ... AND THE US POSTAL SERVICE SAYING THEIR WORKERS SAFETY COMES FIRST.
U-S-MAIL IS PAUSED JUST EAST OF ELY ... IN WINTON ... AND MAY BE DELAYED IN OTHER AREAS AS EVACUATION ORDERS CHANGE. THE WINTON POST OFFICE IS NOT OFFICIALLY CLOSED… BUT MAIL MAY BE TEMPORARILY DISRUPTED.
U-P-S ALSO TELLS NORTH STAR STORIES IT IS NOT DELIVERING IN MANDATORY EVACUATION ZONES UNTIL IT’S SAFE FOR DELIVERY WORKERS...
CUSTOMERS SHOULD HOLD … REDIRECT ... OR TRACK THE STATUS OF THEIR PACKAGES AT UPS.COM
AMAZON AND FEDEX SAY CUSTOMERS SHOULD TRACK PACKAGES ON THEIR WEBSITES.
--BOELTER SENTENCING THURSDAY--
THE MAN WHO MURDERED FORMER MINNESOTA HOUSE SPEAKER EMIRITA MELISSA HORTMAN AND HER HUSBAND AND ATTEMPTED TO KILL STATE SENATOR JOHN HOFFMAN AND HIS WIFE WILL BE SENTENCED IN FEDERAL COURT TOMORROW.
VANCE BOELTER PLEADED GUILTY TO MULTIPLE FEDERAL CHARGES IN A DEAL THAT SPARED HIM THE DEATH PENALTY.
HE STILL FACES STATE CHARGES … AND IS DUE IN HENNEPIN COUNTY COURT AUGUST THIRD.
--FEDERAL AGENT SENTENCED--
A FORMER FEDERAL AGENT FROM EAGAN WILL SPEND SEVEN YEARS IN PRISON FOR PRODUCING CHILD SEXUAL-ABUSE MATERIAL.
FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SAY TIMOTHY GREGG RECORDED SEXUALLY EXPLICIT ACTS WITH A MINOR WHILE WORKING AS A HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS AGENT AND F-B-I TASK-FORCE OFFICER.
THE JUDGE ALSO SENTENCED HIM TO 15 YEARS OF FEDERAL SUPERVISED PROBATION.
--JOHN DEERE SETTLEMENT--
MINNESOTA FARMERS MAY SOON GET THE SOFTWARE AND TOOLS TO FIX THEIR OWN JOHN DEERE TRACTORS... OR HIRE ANY MECHANIC THEY CHOOSE.
MINNESOTA AND THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION HAVE REACHED A PROPOSED RIGHT-TO-REPAIR SETTLEMENT WITH DEERE AND ITS DEALERS.
THEY SUED ON BEHALF OF FARMERS IN JANUARY 2025... ACCUSING THE COMPANY OF WITHHOLDING DIAGNOSTIC SOFTWARE AND FORCING FARMERS TO USE AUTHORIZED DEALERS.
IF A JUDGE APPROVES THE DEAL... FARMERS AND INDEPENDENT SHOPS WOULD GET ACCESS TO THE TECHNOLOGY FOR TEN YEARS.
--BENTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY ELEPHANT--
AND FINALLY …
A CENTRAL MINNESOTA TRANSLATOR … A GERMAN P-O-W … AND A HAND-CARVED WOODEN ELEPHANT … TELL PART OF THE STORY OF THOUSANDS OF GERMAN PRISONERS HELD IN THE UNITED STATES DURING WORLD WAR TWO … INCLUDING AT CAMPS IN MINNESOTA.
BENTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY DIRECTOR LACEY FONTAINE TELLS SAINT CLOUD’S W-J-O-N RADIO … SAUK RAPIDS NATIVE JOHN WILL WORKED AS A TRANSLATOR AT A PRISON CAMP IN KANSAS … WHERE A GERMAN PRISONER CARVED HIM AN ELEPHANT IN EXCHANGE FOR A HARMONICA.
THE ELEPHANT SAT ON WILL'S T-V FOR 50 YEARS … NOW IT AND ITS STORY ARE PART OF THE BENTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S COLLECTION.
FONTAINE SAYS WILL LATER WROTE … “FRIENDS CAN BE MADE, EVEN IN WAR.”
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.