More on measles, metro law enforcement responds to overnight shootings, and Stillwater smashes pumpkins.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
--COLD OPEN--
COMING UP...
MORE GANG SHOOTOUTS HIT MULTIPLE METRO SUBURBS… AS PARENTS AND NEIGHBORS DEMAND ANSWERS...
[JENNA MARTIN, EDINA PARENT: WHAT IS THE MAIN TAKEAWAY YOU WANT US TO LEAVE HERE WITH TONIGHT SO THAT WHEN WE GO HOME TO OUR FAMILIES, WE FEEL SAFER?]
PLUS... LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES JOIN TOGETHER AND SEND WARNINGS...
[BLOOMINGTON POLICE CHIEF: WE HEARD SOME PEOPLE GETTING READY TO START THIS IN BLOOMINGTON. DON'T, DON'T. WE'LL BE ON Y'ALL LIKE WHITE ON RICE.]
BUT FIRST...
--MEASLES – FILLMORE COUNTY – STATE UPDATE--
HEALTH OFFICIALS COMPLETED CONTACT TRACING IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA FOR THREE NEW MEASLES CASES IN FILLMORE COUNTY ... WARNING MORE CASES COULD FOLLOW THAT OUTBREAK ... AS THEY ISSUE A SEPARATE EXPOSURE WARNING.
ALL THREE CASES IN FILLMORE COUNTY WERE UNVACCINATED PEOPLE.
THE FIRST CASE... LINKED TO TRAVEL... IS THE CURRENT, PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE DISEASE SPREAD.
NOW.. THE SEPARATE EXPOSURE WARNING INVOLVES AN INFECTED PASSENGER ON AMTRAK’S EMPIRE BUILDER FROM CHICAGO TO MINOT SOUTH DAKOTA SEPTEMBER TWENTY-THIRD ... A ROUTE WITH SIX MINNESOTA STOPS.
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE THAN 32-HUNDRED CASES SPREADING IN THE U-S ... AND MINNESOTA IS NOT IMMUNE.
[JAYNE GRIFFITH/MINNESOTA DEPT. OF HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGIST: IF WE JUST LOOK AT DIFFERENT OUTBREAKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THEY ARE HAPPENING LIKE EVERY DAY — THERE'S A NEW OUTBREAK STARTING ACROSS THE COUNTRY — SO WE HOPE THAT MINNESOTA WILL BE SPARED, BUT WE'RE ON HIGH ALERT FOR NEW CASES EVERY DAY.]
INITIAL MEASLES SYMPTOMS ARE SIMILAR TO A BAD COLD OR FLU ... AND BEING VACCINATED IS THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT THE DISEASE.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--GANG VIOLENCE AND POLICE PRESS CONFERENCES--
MORE THAN A HUNDRED SHOTS FIRED IN A BLOOMINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD EARLY YESTERDAY MORNING ADD TO A STRING OF WHAT MULTIPLE METRO LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES SAY ARE SOMALI-GANG-RELATED SHOOTINGS... AT PARKS... A CHURCH BASKETBALL COURT... AND A HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME.
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND CITIZENS ARE NOW CALLING FOR COLLABORATION ..
[MIKE ROLFSON, EDINA PARENT: I DON’T GO SHOPPING AT LUNDS TO GET SHOT AT, AND I DON’T GO TO WORK OUT TO GET SHOT AT.]
EDINA PARENT MIKE ROLFSON IS ONE OF HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS OF THE METRO SUBURB OF EDINA WHO SHOWED UP MONDAY NIGHT TO A COMMUNITY MEETING DEMANDING ACTION. .THE EDINA CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSED THE ISSUE LAST NIGHT AS WELL.
NOW... THE HENNEPIN COUNTY SHERIFF AND EDINA’S POLICE CHIEF SAY MULTIPLE METRO AREA LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ARE POOLING RESOURCES AND CREATING A LARGER TASK FORCE.
[DAWANNA WITT: IF PEOPLE DON’T SEE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE, YOUTH, YOUNG PEOPLE BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE, IT’S GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW.]
[CHIEF TODD MILBURN: BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, IN THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS, THIS HAS BEEN INTENSIFYING AND INCREASING.]
RAMSEY COUNTY SHERIFF BOB FLETCHER SAYS SOCIAL-MEDIA FEUDS TURN VIOLENT.. TO WIN BRAGGING RIGHTS ...AND THAT’S DIFFERENT FROM GANGS BUILT AROUND DRUGS.. MONEY.. OR TERRITORY. AND HE SAYS A SMALL GROUP OF TROUBLEMAKERS IS GIVING THE ENTIRE SOMALI COMMUNITY A BAD REPUTATION.
[RAMSEY COUNTY SHERIFF BOB FLETCHER: WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A SMALL NUMBER OF 300 CHILDREN. THERE ARE OVER 100,000 SOMALIS LIVING IN MINNESOTA.]
HE SAYS SMALLER POLICE DEPARTMENTS NEED REGIONAL HELP... BECAUSE THE GROUPS MOVE BETWEEN COMMUNITIES.
[RAMSEY COUNTY SHERIFF BOB FLETCHER: WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIX IT. WE HAVE THE RESOURCES TO FIX IT.]
HE SAYS AS MANY AS FORTY AGENCIES ARE WORKING TOGETHER ON A REGIONAL RESPONSE,.
--STATE PUBLIC DEFENDERS--
MINNESOTA’S PUBLIC DEFENDERS REMAIN SHORT-STAFFED... PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE SYSTEM THAT REPRESENTS PEOPLE WHO CAN’T AFFORD A LAWYER.
A STATE REVIEW OF THE SYSTEM RELEASED YESTERDAY FINDS CASELOAD STANDARDS ARE MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS OLD... AND DON’T REFLECT ATTORNEYS’ ACTUAL WORKLOADS.
ANALYSTS ALSO FOUND WEAK LEADERSHIP... AND RECOMMEND UPDATED STANDARDS AND OVERSIGHT.
--ROCHESTER DAM--
[ROCHESTER RESIDENT: LISTEN TO THE PUBLIC. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT THE OVER BUDGET BIDS LATER TONIGHT.]
DESPITE RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS ABOUT COST … ROCHESTER’S CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO REPLACE THE SILVER LAKE DAM.
ROCHESTER WILL BEGIN WORK NEXT WEEK ON A 19-MILLION-DOLLAR MAKE-OVER OF THE DAM … NEARLY FOUR-MILLION DOLLARS MORE THAN LAST YEAR’S ESTIMATES.
THE REDESIGN WILL REPLACE THE AGING DAM WITH ROCK RAPIDS AND CASCADING POOLS … RESHAPE THE SHORELINE … AND INSTALL SUPPORTS FOR A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE.
--A BEAR-DOG FIGHT IN CLOQUET--
A MAN BROKE UP A FIGHT BETWEEN HIS DOG AND A BLACK BEAR ... AND THEY ALL HAVE LIVED TO TELL THE TALE!
THE MAN LIVES IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA NEAR CLOQUET... HE SAYS HE LET HIS DOG OUT FOR A MORNING BATHROOM BREAK BEFORE SUNRISE.. AND THEN HEARD A RUCKUS..
HE RAN OUTSIDE AND FOUND THE DOG AND BEAR SCUFFLING. WITHOUT THINKING... HE SAYS HE KICKED THE BEAR TO SAVE HIS BEST FRIEND.
THE D-N-R SAYS THE MAN.. AND DOG... WERE LUCKY... BOTH WERE SCRATCHED.. AND THE BEAR RAN OFF.
THE DOG WENT TO THE VET WITH MINOR INJURIES.. THE MAN WENT TO WORK..
--STILLWATER HARVEST FEST--
AND FINALLY …
IT’S TONS OF FUN … LITERALLY.
[CROWD COUNTING DOWN]
JUST EAST OF THE TWIN CITIES … STILLWATER’S HARVEST FESTIVAL RETURNS ..
WITH GIANT PUMPKINS SPLASHING IN THE RIVER
[SMASHING SOUND]
… AND GIANT PUMPKINS SMASHING AGAINST THE EARTH.
SUNDAY’S ‘PUMPKIN REGATTAS’ SEND PADDLERS RACING DOWN THE SAINT CROIX RIVER IN HOLLOWED OUT PUMPKINS …
AND BOTH DAYS … ORGANIZERS ARE DROPPING GIANT GOURDS FROM A 100-FOOT CRANE.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.