Andy Mannix writes in the Star Tribune: “Jury selection begins Thursday in St. Paul’s federal courthouse for three former Minneapolis police officers indicted on civil rights charges in connection to George Floyd’s killing, 20 months after the Black man’s death in their custody started a global reckoning with brutality in American law enforcement. It may feel like part two of the 2021 trial in Hennepin County District Court, which culminated with millions watching as a jury found a fourth former officer, Derek Chauvin, guilty of murder and manslaughter. But the coming trial of Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane will look very different.”
In the Pioneer Press, Christopher Magan writes: “Minnesota will pay registered nurses $275 per hour, or more, through a temporary staffing agency, to work in hospitals struggling to care for COVID-19 patients during the omicron surge. Those are terms of a $40 million contract with Texas-based SLS Health Services that state officials agreed to last week. … Under the terms of the agreement, SLS Health Services will provide 199 licensed and certified practical nurses and 20 respiratory therapists.”
KSTP-TV’s Rebecca Ostamiak says, “Minnesota Attorney General Keith announced his office has filed a lawsuit against two companies for ‘deceptive COVID-19 practices.’ Ellison announced the two companies are the Center for COVID Control and Doctors Clinical Laboratory. … Ellison reported his office received numerous complaints from Minnesotans who submitted COVID-19 tests at Center for COVID Control pop-up sites around the state and said they never received their test results from the company’s associated lab, Doctors Clinical Laboratory … .”
Also in the Pioneer Press, Frederick Melo writes: “Eager to make a dent in thefts of catalytic converters and calling upon state lawmakers to follow their lead, the St. Paul City Council approved an ordinance amendment on Wednesday that makes it a misdemeanor to transport a converter without proof of ownership. … St. Paul police said that without such a law on the books, they’ve been at a loss to charge suspects with thievery, even when they stop a driver in possession of multiple converters and sawing equipment.”
WCCO-TV’s Adam Duxter reports: “After a week’s preparation, restaurants and diners in Minneapolis and St. Paul ushered in a new era of COVID-19 protections Wednesday — mandatory COVID vaccination or negative tests for customers over the age of five.”
Kim Hyatt reports for the Star Tribune: “Sixteen Minnesota cities that span from the North Shore through the metro to southeastern bluff country are declaring a climate emergency, sending a message to lawmakers ahead of this legislative session that the time for action is now. … City leaders say the signs of a changing climate in Minnesota are impossible to ignore … . With the state failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions, there is a growing sense of urgency within this coalition. Many are reaching sustainability goals at the local level, but want more state and federal funding to slow the effects of climate change.”
Nick Woltman writes in the Pioneer Press: “Longtime Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter said Wednesday that she will not seek reelection in the fall. Carter, whose District 4 encompasses several St. Paul neighborhoods, was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2005 and served as its chair for the past two years. The first African American to win a county board seat in Minnesota, she is also the mother of St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter III and husband of former St. Paul police Sgt. Melvin Carter Jr.”
FOX 9’s Theo Keith reports: “The idea of another costly renovation of Minnesota lawmakers’ office space will soon spark a new political fight. State officials are about to pick a design firm to craft a plan and estimate the cost of remodeling the 90-year-old State Office Building, which is home to the House of Representatives and its staff. One previous cost estimate, which is in dispute, put the price tag at $288 million — almost as much as the $310 million to renovate the state Capitol last decade. The State Office Building, which stands across from the Capitol, is in disrepair.”
A WCCO-TV story says, “The NHL announced Wednesday the rescheduled dates for Minnesota Wild games postponed due to COVID-19. All of the rescheduled games will be played next month. Among the rescheduled games, three will be played at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Those games will be subject to the city’s new vaccination requirement. Those games include: Feb. 12 against Carolina, Feb. 14 against Detroit, and Feb. 18 against Florida.”
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