The Pioneer Press reports: “The Twin Cities braced for a late-season severe weather system with thunderstorms and possible tornadoes Wednesday evening as an unprecedented line of turbulent storms unfurled across the Great Plains, spawning tornadoes and damaging winds along its path. … At least one tornado was reported, in Plainview in Wabasha County. If confirmed by the weather service, it would be the first tornado ever recorded in Minnesota in December. …There were also widespread reports of extreme wind gusts, some exceeding 80 mph, in southeastern Minnesota as well as power outages, toppled trees and building damage.”
In the Star Tribune, Rochelle Olson and Paul Walsh write, “A use-of-force expert testified Wednesday that it was unreasonable for former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter to use a Taser — let alone a handgun — when attempting to arrest a resisting Daunte Wright during an April traffic stop before she shot and killed him. University of South Carolina School of Law Associate Professor Seth Stoughton said that, rather than use a Taser, police could have let Wright, who slid back into the driver’s seat as an officer was attempting to handcuff him, drive off because he was ‘unlikely to avoid future apprehension’ because his identity was known.”
Says WCCO-TV, “Minnesota has been ranked in the top five states for COVID-19 response in a national scorecard released by POLITICO Wednesday. According to a release by Gov. Tim Walz, POLITICO’s State Pandemic Scorecard ranks how states have fared during the pandemic using data and policy outcomes in four categories: health, economy, social well-being and education.”
For KSTP-TV, Kyle Brown reports, “Minnesotans who need to renew their vehicle registration in January might be delayed in getting their stickers, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said Wednesday. 3M, the company that produces license plate stickers and cab cards for Minnesota, told DPS it was dealing with lingering supply chain complications and an explosion at one of its supplier’s plants. Those registration stickers and cab cards are ‘not yet available’ and the first shipment is not expected until Dec. 24, with more deliveries being made in early and mid-January.”
Dana Ferguson of the Forum News Service writes: “A group of 38 Minnesota Republican lawmakers this week highlighted a letter they sent to the head of the Mayo Clinic, urging the health system to drop its vaccination mandate for employees in the wake of other groups around the country dropping their requirements. The lawmakers on Monday issued a news release pointing to the correspondence and said Mayo should drop its employee vaccination requirement after federal courts placed a pause on a federal mandate. The federal rule that was set to take effect this month said facilities could lose Medicare and Medicaid dollars if their workers weren’t immunized against the disease.”
WCCO-TV reports: “A former track inspector with BNSF Railway Company was awarded $9.4 million in damages following an eight-day trial Wednesday. According to a release, a jury found that Don Sanders was retaliated against in violation of the Federal Railway Safety Act after he reported hazardous safety conditions on the railroad and reported the harassment to BNSF’s human resources.”
Another MPR story says, “Local authorities in Roseville and Anoka County on Wednesday separately asked for the public’s help finding teenagers. Roseville police are searching for Izaich Mardis, 14. He’s described as 5 feet, 2 inches tall, about 110 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Police say he left for school on Tuesday morning but did not arrive and has had no contact with family. … Separately, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office said it’s looking for Halle Marie Kelly Kennedy, age 15. The sheriff’s office said she was last seen Wednesday around 9:10 a.m. leaving her Andover home on a black mountain bike and wearing a black coat, gray sweatpants, blue winter hat with a puffy ball on top, and black boots.”
Jana Hollingsworth for the Star Tribune, “A Duluth police officer who dragged a handcuffed man through the city’s skywalk in 2017 is back on patrol duty. The police department posted a picture of Adam Huot on social media this week, as he shoveled the steps of a resident following a medical call. It ignited dozens of comments between its various online platforms, both critical and supportive. Twitter user Daniel Morrison wrote, ‘Yes, officer Huot is such a stand up guy! Oh wait, he dragged someone through the skywalk banging their head on the door. How about you celebrate a real hero rather than this abuser.’”
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