After 30 years, the 165-mile Mesabi Trail is complete, Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Natalie Hudson hears her last oral arguments before she retires, and two new clinics come to Minneapolis’ Indian Cultural Corridor.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP …
[DAN, A BIKER ON THE MESABI TRAIL: I PLAN ON HOPEFULLY BEING ABLE TO BIKE IT ALL AT SOME POINT. I’VE DONE MAYBE, I DON’T KNOW, A THIRD OF IT.]
AFTER 30 YEARS... A TRAIL LINKING IRON RANGE COMMUNITIES IS FINALLY COMPLETE. AND READY TO RIDE.
BUT FIRST …
--MN SUPREME COURT ORAL ARGUMENT ON PAPER BALLOTS FOR OAK GROVE --
WITH THE NATION’S MIDTERM ELECTIONS JUST WEEKS AWAY... A FIGHT OVER WHO CONTROLS MINNESOTA’S LOCAL ELECTION PROCEDURES IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF THE STATE’S SUPREME COURT JUSTICES.
THE FIGHT IS NOT ABOUT THE BALLOTS... IT’S ABOUT WHO CONTROLS THE VOTER CHECK-IN LIST.
MINNESOTA’S SUPREME COURT JUSTICES HEARD ARGUMENTS YESTERDAY ABOUT WHETHER THE NORTH-METRO CITY OF OAK GROVE … OR ANOKA COUNTY … DECIDES WHICH VOTER ROSTERS THE CITY’S FOUR PRECINCTS CAN USE IN NOVEMBER.
ANOKA COUNTY CHOSE ELECTRONIC ROSTERS …
OAK GROVE SAYS IT WANTS PAPER.
[NICHOLAS NELSON OF THE UPPER MIDWEST LAW CENTER FOR PETITIONER, THE CITY OF OAK GROVE: THE QUESTION HERE IS WHICH LOCAL OFFICIALS DO THE WEIGHING AND CHOOSE THE ROSTER FORMAT. HAPPILY, THE STATUTE UNAMBIGUOUSLY ANSWERS THAT QUESTION.]
BUT… THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAYS *THE COUNTY AUDITOR * DECIDES IN STATEWIDE ELECTIONS.
MINNESOTA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE SAYS THE ELECTION RULES ALLOW CITIES TO CONTROL STAND-ALONE ELECTIONS... BUT NOT NOVEMBER’S BROADER BALLOT….
[ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL ALAN QUICKBAR/ MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATE STEVE SIMON.: THE COURT SHOULD DISMISS THE PETITION BECAUSE MINNESOTA'S ROSTER STATUTE VESTS COUNTY AUDITORS WITH THE AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE ROSTER TYPES FOR ALL PRECINCTS IN THEIR COUNTIES FOR FEDERAL, STATE, AND COUNTY ELECTIONS.]
WITH NOVEMBER APPROACHING... MINNESOTA’S CHIEF JUSTICE NATALIE HUDSON SAYS THEY WILL MAKE A RULING VERY SOON.
--FINAL ORAL ARGUMENTS FOR CHIEF JUSTICE --
THIS WAS THE FINAL ORAL ARGUMENT FOR CHIEF JUSTICE HUDSON BEFORE RETIREMENT....HUDSON WAS MINNESOTA’S FIRST BLACK CHIEF-- --JUSTICE...
--ABSENTEE BALLOTS GO OUT SEPT 18--
COUNTIES WILL START MAILING ABSENTEE BALLOTS NEXT WEEK....
THE NEW 18-DAY EARLY-VOTING PERIOD BEGINS OCTOBER 16TH...
WITH THE ‘DIRECT-TO-COUNTER' BALLOTS.
THESE ARE PAPER BALLOTS THAT EARLY, IN-PERSON VOTERS FEED DIRECTLY INTO AN ELECTRONIC TABULATOR, OR ‘COUNTER’... JUST LIKE PAPER BALLOTS GO INTO THE COUNTING MACHINE/TABULATOR ON ELECTION DAY...ON NOVEMBER 3RD
--APPELLATE COURT BREACH --
THE STATE’S APPELLATE COURTS ARE DEALING WITH A DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM.
THE JUDICIAL BRANCH SAYS A CYBER-ATTACK LAST WEEK BREACHED THE COURT’S DATA-MANAGEMENT CONTRACTOR ...‘THOMSON REUTERS’...
PRIVATE OR PERSONAL INFORMATION FROM APPELLATE COURT CASES MAY BE INCLUDED.
OFFICIALS ARE STILL WORKING TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE.
--XAI RULING LETS NEW LAW CONTINUE (15)--
MINNESOTA’S FIRST-IN-THE-NATION LEGAL LIMITS ON ARTIFICIAL TECHNOLOGY TOOLS THAT GENERATE NUDE IMAGES WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT... AT LEAST FOR NOW.
A FEDERAL JUDGE REFUSED TO PAUSE THE STATE’S NEW BAN ON *A-I “NUDIFICATION” SERVICES…
ELON MUSK’S COMPANY X-A-I SAYS IT WILL, APPEAL AGAIN ... ARGUING THE BAN VIOLATES FREE SPEECH.
--TRUTH COUNCIL MEETING #2--
THE MINNESOTA TRUTH COUNCIL IS BUILDING A PUBLIC, HISTORIC RECORD OF HOW FEDERAL IMMIGRATION EFFORTS LIKE OPERATION METRO SURGE AFFECTED FAMILIES, BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITIES... AND HEARS MORE TESTIMONY TONIGHT AT THE CAPITOL.
THE PUBLIC CAN ATTEND FROM FIVE TO EIGHT OR WATCH ON THE COUNCIL’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
THERE ARE TWO MORE MEETINGS AFTER TONIGHT...
A PRELIMINARY REPORT IS DUE OCTOBER 31...
--NEW NATIVE CLINICS --
TWO MAJOR EXPANSIONS ARE BRINGING MORE HEALTH CARE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO MINNEAPOLIS’ NATIVE COMMUNITY.
THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY CLINIC WILL OPEN ITS NEW SIX-STORY BUILDING NEXT WEEK... WITH EXPANDED MEDICAL … DENTAL … AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES.
THE FOLLOWING WEEK … THE INDIAN HEALTH BOARD WILL OPEN ITS UPDATED FRANKLIN AVENUE CLINIC … WHICH WILL INCORPORATE TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS MEDICINE ALONGSIDE WESTERN PRACTICES.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--MESABI TRAIL – INTRO --
AFTER 30 YEARS OF WORK … THE MESABI TRAIL IS FINALLY COMPLETE.
NOW HIKERS AND BIKERS HAVE A NEW ROUTE ACROSS THE IRON RANGE.
AMPERS MEMBER STATION K-A-X-E'S STELLA MAYERHOFF HAS MORE.
--MESABI TRAIL – KAXE PKG --
[THE TRAIL NOW STRETCHES 165 CONTINUOUS MILES FROM GRAND RAPIDS TO ELY. THE RAIL-TO-TRAIL PROJECT COMES FROM THE ST. LOUIS AND LAKE COUNTIES’ REGIONAL RAILROAD AUTHORITY, WHICH WILL HOST A WEEK-LONG CELEBRATION.
EVENTS INCLUDE A 30-MILE BIKE RIDE FOR THE TRAIL’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY SATURDAY.
ADULTS WHO TRAVEL THE PATH BY WHEELS, SUCH AS ON SKATES OR BIKE, ARE REQUIRED TO BUY A “WHEEL PASS.”
EVENTS TO MARK THE COMPLETION OF THE TRAIL INCLUDE A RIBBON CUTTING ON TUESDAY AND AN OPEN HOUSE ON WEDNESDAY.
DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT KAXE DOT ORG.
FROM THE KAXE NEWS DESK I’M REPORT FOR AMERICA CORPS MEMBER STELL MAYERHOFF.]
--NEW KAMP DEL EXPANSION--
AND FINALLY....
OUTDOOR RECREATION’S NEXT BIG EXPANSION COULD MAKE A BIGGER SPLASH IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA.
KAMP DELS... BETWEEN MANKATO AND FAIRBAULT... WANTS TO ADD 200-CAMPSITES TO ITS OUTDOOR RESORT AND WATERPARK... PLUS THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND ROADS TO SUPPORT THEM.
LESUEUR COUNTY IS ACCEPTING PUBLIC COMMENTS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 17TH FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW...
EXPANSION OR NOT... THIS WEEKEND IS THE WATERPARK’S LAST SPLASH OF THE SEASON.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.