Another northern wildfire, St. Cloud votes against housing for homeless, and Dakota cultural center Wakan Tipi opens
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP … A DISCUSSION OVER LOW-INCOME HOUSING TURNS INTO A FIGHT AGAINST A CHURCH’S SOCIAL SERVICE MISSION IN SAINT CLOUD …
[ST. CLOUD RESIDENT: NOW IT IS NOTHING BUT A MAGNET FOR THE POOR, THE LAME, CRIPPLED, AND CRAZY.]
BUT FIRST …
--SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST FIRE UPDATE--
WILDLIFE CREWS UP NORTH ARE TRYING TO MAKE PROGRESS IN THEIR FIGHT AGAINST A WILDFIRE IN THE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST.
OFFICIALS SAY THE BIRCH BAY FIRE WAS DETECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON WEST OF THE NORTH ARM OF BURNRTSIDE … ABOUT EIGHT MILES NORTHWEST OF ELY.
SAINT LOUIS COUNTY MADE INITIAL EVACUATIONS MONDAY AS A PRECAUTION … AND SAYS SURROUNDING AREAS REMAINED ON STANDY.
EVERYONE IN THE AREA IS ASKED TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON COUNTY EVACUATION INFORMATION AS CONDITIONS CHANGE.
--ST CLOUD SUPPORTIVE HOUSING --
A PLAN TO BUILD APARTMENTS FOR SOME OF SAINT CLOUD’S MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS FAILED.
AFTER A PACKED CITY COUNCIL MEETING … AND PUBLIC TESTIMONY OVERWHELMINGLY AGAINST THE PROJECT … THE COUNCIL VOTED DOWN A THREE-STORY, 40-UNIT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING COMPLEX ON LAND OWNED BY SAINT ANTHONY CATHOLIC CHURCH.
‘CITY CENTER HOUSING’ WAS BEHIND THE PROJECT … DIRECTOR NANCY CASHMAN SAYS IT WAS DESIGNED TO GET … AND KEEP … PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS.
[NANCY CASHMAN, DIRECTOR OF CENTER CITY HOUSING: OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE LONG-TERM HOUSING STABILITY … EVERYTHING IS FOCUSED ON THAT.]
THE COMPLEX PROPOSAL OFFERED SOCIAL SERVICES ALONG WITH HOUSING.. INCLUDING, SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES.. MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS OR CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY.
BUT COMMUNITY MEMBERS TURNED OUT ALMOST UNIFORMLY AGAINST IT … ARGUING LOW-INCOME HOUSING AND RELATED SOCIAL SERVICES WOULD JUST DRAW MORE HOMELESSNESS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
[ST CLOUD RESIDENT: WHAT IS IT, IN “THE FIELD OF DREAMS” … IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME? WELL, THEY’RE HERE AND THERE’S MORE AND MORE.]
SAINT ANTHONY PASTOR … FATHER DEREK WIECHMANN … SAYS THE CHURCH WANTED TO RESPOND TO AN EXISTING NEED.
[FATHER WIECHMANN: THEY’RE ALREADY IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, SO WHY WOULDN’T WE TRY TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP THEM.]
THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED FOUR-TO-THREE TO BLOCK THE PROJECT.
--MOORHEAD CASINO--
COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE ORGANIZING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE DEBATE OVER A PROPOSED NEW WHITE EARTH NATION CASINO IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE STATE.
A NEW PETITION TO SUPPORT WHITE EARTH NATION’S PROPOSED CASINO AND EVENT COMPLEX IN MOORHEAD... AT I-94 AND HIGHWAY 336 IN CLAY COUNTY IS MAKING ROUNDS ONLINE AT CHANGE.ORG...
AND.... A WELL-ORGANIZED COMMUNITY GROUP OPPOSING THE CASINO, CALLS ITSELF... “SAY NO TO THE CASINO-AT-MOORHEAD-DOT-COM.”
WHITE EARTH NATION SAYS THE NEARLY 200-MILLION-DOLLAR CASINO-EVENT VENUE-AND-RESORT WOULD BRING HUNDREDS OF JOBS AND BE AN ECONOMIC AND TOURISM BENEFIT.
SAY NO TO THE CASINO AT MOORHEAD DOT COM IS TRYING TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ABOUT CONSEQUENCES, LIKE GAMBLING ADDICTION, PUBLIC-SAFETY COSTS... TRAFFIC... AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND WATER IMPACTS..
AND RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH LOSING LOCAL CONTROL IF THE LAND IS PLACED INTO FEDERAL TRUST.
THE CASINO STILL NEEDS MULTIPLE LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL APPROVALS.
--MOORHEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL UPDATE--
MOORHEAD POLICE SAY THC EDIBLES THAT LOOKED LIKE CANDY SENT TWO HORIZON MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO THE HOSPITAL LAST MONTH.
SEVERAL STUDENTS GOT SICK AFTER EATING THEM AT SCHOOL … AND POLICE SAY THE EDIBLES WERE FAR STRONGER THAN STATE LIMITS.
POLICE CHIEF CHRIS HELMICK SAYS SOME PIECES HAD 300 MILIGRAMS OF T-H-C … THAT’S SIXTY TIMES THE STATE CAP PER PIECE .
[MOORHEAD POLICE CHIEF CHRIS HELMICK: I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT THIS WAS MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE WEED, AND THAT CHILDREN WERE DIRECTLY EXPOSED TO THC PRODUCTS THAT WERE VERY EVIDENTLY PACKAGED TO LOOK LIKE CANDY.]
THE STATE ALSO BANS CANNABIS PRODUCTS FROM BRANDING THAT’S APPEALING TO MINORS.
POLICE SAY A SEARCH OF THE HOME OF THE STUDENT WHO BROUGHT THE PRODUCTS TO SCHOOL FOUND THC CARTRIDGES … EDIBLES … MUSHROOMS … AND MORE THAN 73-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CASH.
THE STUDENT’S PARENTS … MARTIN AND AMANDA HULST … ARE ACCUSED OF SUPPLYING THE DRUGS.. AND FACING FELONY CHARGES FOR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE CRIMES.
--OCM LISTENING TOUR--
IF YOU’VE GOT QUESTIONS ABOUT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA … THE OFFICE OF CANNABIS MANAGEMENT … OR O-C-M … WANTS TO HEAR THEM..
THE AGENCY’S “CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY” LISTENING TOUR STOPS UP NORTH THIS WEEK... IN BEMIDJI THURSDAY NIGHT … AND DULUTH FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
O-C-M SAYS THE LISTENING TOUR GIVES PEOPLE AN OVERVIEW OF HOW THE OFFICE REGULATES MINNESOTA’S CANNABIS INDUSTRY … AND GIVES COMMUNITIES A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND OFFER FEEDBACK.
FUTURE SESSIONS ARE PLANNED FOR MANKATO, SAINT CLOUD, AND THE TWIN CITIES..
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED … CHECK THE O-C-M WEBISTE FOR MORE INFO.
--WAKAN TIPI OFFICIALLY OPENS--
AND FINALLY …
THE LONG-AWAITED DAKOTA CULTURAL CENTER ON SAINT PAUL’S EAST SIDE IS OFFICIALLY OPEN.
WAKAN TIPI OPENED FRIDAY … AFTER YEARS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND A MULTI-YEAR CAMPAIGN.
THE CENTER IS AT WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY THE LOWER PHALEN CREEK PROJECT … AND IS NAMED TO HONOR WAKAN TIPI CAVE … A SACRED DAKOTA SITE NEAR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
THE SPACE FEATURES EXHIBITS, CLASSROOMS, CEREMONY SPACE … A TEACHING KITCHEN AND GARDENS.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MAGGIE LORENZ … SAYS EVERY ASPECT OF THE CENTER WAS DREW ON COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE.
[MAGGIE LORENZ: SO I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN JUST A CULTURAL CENTER. IT'S REALLY, I DON'T KNOW, A LABOR OF LOVE. AND YOU CAN REALLY FEEL THAT WHEN YOU WHEN YOU COME HERE TOO.]
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON