The Minneapolis sound comes to The Great Minnesota Get-Together, the fight over a google data center tax deal in Hermantown isn’t over, and renovations at Little Earth — the heart of Minneapolis’ Native American community.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP...
THE MINNEAPOLIS SOUND IS COMIN’ HOME WITH JIMMY JAM AND TERRY LEWIS AT THE GREAT MINNESOTA GET-TOGETHER.
AND... THE FIGHT OVER A GOOGLE DATA CENTER TAX DEAL IN HERMANTOWN.. ISN’T OVER...
[JONATHAN THORNTON: THERE'S A SLIVER OF HOPE.]
BUT FIRST...
--LITTLE EARTH RENOVATIONS--
THE HEART OF MINNEAPOLIS’ NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY IS SET FOR A MASSIVE OVERHAUL.
THE LITTLE EARTH HOUSING COMPLEX … THE NATION’S ONLY NATIVE-PREFERENCE SECTION 8 HOUSING PROJECT … IS STARTING A 50-MILLION-DOLLAR RENOVATION …
IT’S THE FIRST MAJOR UPDATE SINCE THE HOUSING WAS BUILT IN THE 1970S … AFTER THE INDIAN RELOCATION ACT OF 1956 ENCOURAGED NATIVE POPULATIONS TO MOVE TO CITIES.
THE TWO-YEAR PROJECT WILL UPDATE ALL 212 UNITS … WITH NEW ROOFS, INSULATION, APPLIANCES, AND IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS IS INVESTING ABOUT 23-MILLION DOLLARS… GOVERNMENT GRANTS AND PRIVATE INVESTMENT FUND THE REST.
--POLICE SHOOTING IN VIRGINIA, MINNESOTA--
THE B-C-A IS INVESTIGATING AFTER A POLICE OFFICER SHOT AND KILLED A MAN FRIDAY MORNING IN A VIRGINIA, MINNESOTA NEIGHBORHOOD.
POLICE SAY OFFICERS RESPONDED TO REPORTS OF A MAN IN A SKI MASK WAVING WHAT APPEARED TO BE A HANDGUN ... AND SAY HE POINTED IT AT OFFICERS.
BUT LOCAL NEWS STATION ... W-D-I-O-TV REPORTS THAT NEIGHBORS SAID THE MAN THE MAN LIVED IN THE AREA AND WAS KNOWN TO WALK AROUND LISTENING TO MUSIC … AND THAT MAY HAVE BEEN CARRYING A TORCH LIGHTER AT THE TIME.
AUTHORITIES HAVE NOT RELEASED HIS NAME
--LAO REFUGEE PARDONED--
WITH A DEPORTATION LOOMING THIS WEEK … MINNESOTA’S BOARD OF PARDONS UNANIMOUSLY PARDONED ... LAOS REFUGEE, AT “RICKY” CHANDEE, WHO HAS LIVED IN THE U-S FOR DECADES.
CHANDEE HAS WORKED NEARLY 30 YEARS FOR THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS … AND HAS HAD NO NEW CONVICTIONS SINCE A SINGLE CASE WHEN HE WAS 18.
ICE DETAINED HIM SHORTLY AFTER HE APPLIED FOR A PARDON IN JANUARY HE REMAINS IN FEDERAL CUSTODY.
THE PARDON COULD REMOVE THE LEGAL BASIS FOR HIS DEPORTATION.
--VETERANS PACKAGE OF BILLS --
LEGISLATION TO RECOGNIZE VETERANS OF THE SECRET WAR IN LAOS IS MOVING FORWARD... ALONG WITH A BROAD GROUP OF VETERANS’ AND MILITARY BILLS.
[REP. ETHAN CHA: TODAY WE STAND TOGETHER TO RECOGNIZE COMMUNITIES IN A WAR THAT HAS BEEN LONG FORGOTTEN.]
THE BILL CREATES AN APPLICATION PROCESS FOR HMONG AND LAO VETERANS WHO SERVED WITH SPECIAL UNITS OR FORCES SUPPORTING THE U-S DURING THE WAR IN LAOS.
THE HOUSE ALSO PASSED BILLS DEALING WITH NATIONAL GUARD PAY RATES ... VETERANS HOMES ... VETERANS AFFAIRS GRANTS.
ANOTHER BILL EXPANDS STATE VETERANS’ CEMETERY ELIGIBILITY TO MORE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE MEMBERS … PLUS SPOUSES AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN.
REPRESENTATIVE BJORN OLSON SPOKE BEFORE THE VOTE.
[REP. BJORN OLSON : YOU HAVE COMMAND SERGEANT MAJORS — E-9S — SPENT 30 YEARS IN THE MILITARY AND ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO BE RECOGNIZED BY OUR STATE TO BE BURIED IN A STATE VETERAN CEMETERY.]
THE HOUSE PASSED THE BILLS UNIMOUSLY.
--HIRE A VETERAN MONTH--
GOVERNOR WALZ IS ALSO WORKING TO HELP THE STATE’S SERVICEMEMBERS... NAMING MAY “HIRE A VETERAN MONTH”.
MORE THAN 275-THOUSAND VETERANS LIVE IN MINNESOTA… INCLUDING NEARLY 140 THOUSAND OF WORKING AGE.
A VETERANS’ CAREER FAIR IS SET FOR MAY 20TH IN BROOKLYN CENTER.
--HERMANTOWN DATA CENTER TAX ABATEMENT--
A TAX DEAL BEHIND GOOGLE’S PROPOSED HERMANTOWN DATA CENTER IS ON HOLD...
AFTER HOURS OF PUBLIC TESTIMONY MONDAY NIGHT … THE CITY COUNCIL DELAYED A VOTE ON TAX REVENUE NEGOTIATED WITH GOOGLE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
GOOGLE WOULD STILL PAY ITS FULL PROPERTY TAX BILL … BUT MUCH OF THE ‘NEW’ CITY TAX REVENUE FROM THE PROJECT WOULD BE RETURNED TO GOOGLE OVER SEVERAL? YEARS.
SUPPORTERS SAY THE DEAL WOULD HELP HERMANTOWN GROW.
[SPEAKER AT MEETING: WHICH COULD OPEN THE GATEWAY TO MORE HOUSING, MORE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. IN MY SPACE, YOU JUST DON’T SEE A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT PAY THEMSELVES LIKE THAT.]
JONATHAN THORNTON … WITH “STOP THE HERMANTOWN DATA CENTER” … SAYS THE CITY IS MOVING TOO FAST ON A MAJOR TAX BREAK FOR ONE OF THE WORLD’S RICHEST COMPANIES … WITH TOO LITTLE PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY.
[JONATHAN THORNTON: UNFORTUNATELY, IT DOES FEEL LIKE THEY'VE ALL MADE UP THEIR MIND. AND I WISH I COULD SAY THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE … BUT WE’RE CERTAINLY GOING TO DO OUR BEST TO LOBBY THEM.]
COUNCIL MEMBERS SAY THEY WILL REVIEW THE PUBLIC’S CONCERNS BEFORE TAKING UP THE TAX DEAL AGAIN.
--WAITE PARK MORATORIUM--
-- --
MEANWHILE … THE CENTRAL MINNESOTA CITY OF WAITE PARK IS THE LATEST TO PAUSE ANY NEW DATA CENTER PROJECTS UNTIL IT DOES MORE RESEARCH.
--JIMMY JAM AND TERRY LEWIS AT STATE FAIR--
AND... FINALLY...
THE MINNEAPOLIS SOUND IS COMING HOME TO THE STATE FAIR GRANDSTAND!
JIMMY JAM AND TERRY LEWIS... THE SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS PRODUCER-SONGWRITER DUO WHO CAME UP IN PRINCE’S ORBIT ... AND HELPED LAUNCH THE TIME... WILL LEAD A HOMECOMING CONCERT AUGUST 29TH.
TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY MORNING...
AND.. IF YOU HEAD OUT TO ENJOY THE GREAT MINNESOTA GET TOGETHER...BE SURE TO STOP BY OUR AMPERS RADIO BOOTH IN THE EDUCATION BUILDING...
AMPERS PRODUCES NORTHSTAR STORIES.. AND REPRESENTS AND SUPPORTS 17 INDEPENDENT NON-COMMERCIAL COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA..
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.