Alex Derosier writes for the Forum News Service: “The American Civil Liberties Union has won protections and an $825,000 settlement for journalists alleging mistreatment by Minnesota State Patrol troopers while covering unrest and protests in the Twin Cities. Under a permanent injunction granted by a federal judge Tuesday, the State Patrol is banned from arresting or using force against known journalists unless they are suspected of a crime. Journalists are exempt from police orders to disperse and officers cannot seize cameras, recording equipment or press passes. The settlement stems from a lawsuit the ACLU and several journalists filed against the State Patrol following racial justice protests in Minneapolis in 2020 and 2021.”
Randy Furst writes for the Star Tribune: “Chad Helton, who has been under fire for running the Hennepin County Library system from his condo in Los Angeles, has taken a voluntary leave of absence. Helton’s leave took effect Feb. 2, county spokeswoman Carolyn Marinan said Tuesday. He is one of two finalists for chief librarian of the Seattle Public Library and will undergo a public interview for the job Thursday.”
In the Pioneer Press, Josh Verges writes: “St. Paul Public Schools is exploring options for closing a projected $42.8 million budget deficit next school year as enrollment is expected to keep falling. Administrators told the school board Tuesday evening they expect revenue to fall by $8.5 million next year as 1,880 more students exit the district, dropping enrollment to 31,900. At current staffing levels, spending next year would grow by $23 million, to $594.6 million. The district also plans to take on $11.3 million in spending that’s now being covered by federal coronavirus relief grants.”
The AP reports: “A Minneapolis police officer who oversaw medical training for two of the three former officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights testified that the officers failed to follow their training to do everything they could to prevent his death. Officer Nicole Mackenzie, the department’s medical support coordinator, took the stand Tuesday for a second day in the federal trial of J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. She testified Monday that Kueng and Lane were in a police academy ’emergency medical responder’ class that she taught, which covered first aid, ethics in care and how to hand people off to paramedics.”
The Forum News Service reports: “A worker at a 3M Co. plant died early Tuesday at the facility in Alexandria. According to the Alexandria Police Department, a report came in at 3:44 a.m. of a man who was caught in a machine at the plant. The name of the worker has not been released.”
Rochester’s KAAL-TV reports: “The pandemic has highlighted significant supply chain disruptions across the world. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) has introduced a new bipartisan bill to help ease export shipping backlogs and boost U.S. exports. Klobuchar said this is important for Minnesota because the state is one of the top exporters for agriculture. The dairy industry has also experienced a lot of losses because of shipping costs. … Klobuchar is hopeful this could pass in the next two months.”
This also from WCCO-TV, “Kristin Doughty is used to having high heating bills in the wintertime. ‘I opened it, and I literally think I gasped,’ Doughy, from Mendota Heights, said. She was stunned to find her January bill was almost $350 for their 2,000-square-foot home. ‘I looked back to January, and it was double what it was last year,’ she said. She’s not alone. The entire country is facing high energy costs. University of St Thomas finance professor David Vang says the cold January temperatures along with another pandemic-related shortage, particularly natural gas, are partly to blame.”
The Star Tribune’s La Velle E. Neal III writes: “Her second run was not as strong as her first run, but it was enough for a smile to cross Paula Moltzan’s face. Moltzan, with a combined time of 1 minute, 48.18 seconds, finished eighth in the women’s slalom at the National Alpine Skiing Center. That was good enough for the highest finish by a USA skier in the event. ‘This is a really big stage in a big event for me and I’ve never been in any sort of competition like this,’ said Moltzan, who was born in Prior Lake, learned skiing at Buck Hill and attended Lakeville South High School for two years.”
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