Randy Furst of the Star Tribune reports: “A former Minneapolis police officer convicted of making traffic stops in order to steal drugs was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in federal prison. Ty Jindra, 29, was convicted in November of three counts of confiscating drugs for his personal use and two counts of seizing drugs in violation of individuals’ constitutional rights. Judge Donovan Frank handed down the 38-month sentence in U.S. District Court in St. Paul. Jindra, who remains free, was ordered to report to prison or surrender to U.S. marshals on July 28.”
At KSTP-TV Tom Hauser says, “The Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Ethics met Wednesday to hear complaints filed against DFL Sen. Omar Fateh. One involves a conflict-of-interest allegation that Fateh authored a bill to provide a $500,000 state grant to Somali TV of Minnesota in exchange for their endorsement of his 2020 campaign by running TV ads on his behalf. The second complaint involves allegations Fateh’s campaign was involved in an absentee ballot scheme also involving his brother-in-law. Only the conflict-of-interest complaint was heard on Wednesday. Fateh and his attorney denied any conflict of interest in the Somali TV case.”
KARE-TV reports: “On Thursday morning the Minnesota Supreme Court is taking on a big case. Starting at 9 a.m., justices will review a ruling about Minneapolis police staffing. … Back in 2020, eight north Minneapolis residents complained about violence in their community caused by an inadequately funded and understaffed police force. Residents filed a petition, saying Mayor Jacob Fry and the Minneapolis City Council failed to fund and employ an adequate number of police officers as required by the Minneapolis City Charter. The minimum threshold would be at least 731 officers. In 2021, a district court sided with residents, saying the number of sworn officers fell below the required number. … But a court of appeals reversed that ruling last month.”
A FOX 9 story says, “Federal authorities have busted two young men in a series of carjackings in which investigators say they repeatedly targeted Uber and Lyft drivers in Minneapolis. Eighteen-year-old Shevirio Childs-Young and 20-year-old William Saffold are charged in a 20-count indictment including conspiracy, brandishing firearms during and in relation to a crime of violence, aiding and abetting carjacking, and aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act. Prosecutors say the carjackings spanned from September to October 2021.”
And this from Richard Reeves at KSTP-TV, “Tiny homes: for the homeless advocacy group ‘Settled,’ they are more than a shelter. They’re a new way of living. … There are now six completed homes — each about 100 square feet — to be placed in what’s called a sacred settlement. … If the St. Paul City Council approves a plan proposed by Settled, organizers say they’ll be able to move the homes-for-one to a new address on Wheelock Parkway. Jeff O’Rourke, the pastor at Mosaic Christian Community, where the tiny homes will be located, said the church and Settled worked hard to ease neighborhood concerns.”
Also at KSTP-TV, this from Andrea Lyon, “You could soon find familiar grocery store items on the shelves infused with hemp-derived THC. The law, which was signed last week, goes into effect on Aug. 1 and allows THC elements like Delta 8, 9 and 10. Delta-9 is the psychoactive ingredient experts say is responsible for the ‘high’ users may feel when using hemp. Many companies invested in the cannabinoid industry call the new law, stemming from bill no. 3595, a big win for both business owners and consumers.”
Kirsti Marohn at MPR says, “A scientist who documented a decline in Wisconsin’s common loon population has expanded his research to Crow Wing County in north-central Minnesota. Walter Piper, a biology professor at Chapman University in southern California, hopes to get a better idea if what’s plaguing Wisconsin’s loons — possibly biting black flies that drive them off the nest — also could be affecting Minnesota’s beloved state bird. Piper’s research has found that Wisconsin’s adult loon population has fallen an estimated 22 percent in the last 25 years.”
Frederick Melo writes in the Pioneer Press: “Northern Spark, the annual interactive arts festival, returns to its programmatic roots this weekend as a one-night, dusk-to-dawn celebration, with scheduled indoor and outdoor events throughout the Rondo, Frogtown, Little Mekong and downtown neighborhoods. The late-night happenings will be followed by a Native-themed closing water ceremony — the first closing ceremony since 2017 — that will run from 2 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. Sunday on Raspberry Island in the Mississippi River, just south of downtown St. Paul.”
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