Conclusion to a very strange story. The Pioneer Press has the latest on the St. Croix river stabbing trial: “Jurors acquitted Levi Acre-Kendall on all counts in his trial for fatally stabbing Peter Kelly along the St. Croix River in April. … Acre-Kendall, 20, of Cambridge, Minnesota, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide, second-degree intentional homicide and second-degree reckless homicide. Acre-Kendall testified he stabbed 34-year-old Peter Kelly, of St. Croix Falls, last April because he feared for his life when Kelly pursued him during a confrontation.”
You might learn something new from the Washington Post’s in-depth profile of Minneapolis’ Rep. Keith Ellison. Explaining her article’s timing, Elise Viebeck writes, “Never mind that the Republican front-runner in the presidential contest — Donald Trump — had proposed to temporarily bar all people of the congressman’s faith from entering the United States, roughly a quarter of the world’s population. Never mind that his House colleague — Indiana Democratic Rep. Andre Carson, the only other Muslim in Congress — received another death threat. And never mind that a Republican colleague — Iowa Rep. Steve King — was, at that very moment, questioning his patriotism in the press, saying the Detroit-born progressive Democrat has not sufficiently denounced Sharia law. Ellison had greeted King with a smile several times that day, even shaking his hand. … Ellison fiercely clung to the upside in the explosive hate speech around him, insisting — despite Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and other harsh anti-Muslim diatribes — that everything was just fine. ‘I gotta be honest, I don’t really absorb the negativity too much … If you’re too sensitive here, it’s just hard to go on. You know what I mean?’ Ellison said in an interview.”
In the wake of last week’s two light-rail-collision fatalities, another pedestrian was struck by a Blue Line train Monday morning — thankfully apparently not fatally. MPR’s Tim Nelson reports, “Yet another person has been hit by a Metro Transit light rail train. … The latest accident happened Monday morning near 46th Street in Minneapolis, the same area where a bicyclist was struck and killed Friday. … Metro Transit spokesperson Howie Padilla said the latest incident does not initially appear to be fatal. Officials said Blue Line trains are back on the move.”
WCCO reports another train-pedestrian collision, at the Blue Line’s 50th Street station.
You know how they say the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun? Somehow, we don’t see this genius saving the day. WCCO reports: “Authorities are looking for a man after a gun discharged at a Fridley Target store on Sunday while he was at the checkout counter. … Police say the gun began to fall to the floor and the man tried to grab it, causing it to discharge. The bullet hit the floor and ricocheted to the ceiling. Nobody was hit or injured in the incident. The man recovered the gun and he headed to the parking lot with a female.”
In other news…
Car2Go to St. Paul: it’s not you, it’s us. [Pioneer Press]
Because, where else? “Adele to kick off North American tour with two shows in St. Paul” [Local Current Blog]
In addition to Republicans, the new Senate Office Building will also lack cellphone service. [Pioneer Press]
Senate building phone service
One of the commenters in the article said, “Unacceptable.” I agree. this should have been taken care of months ago, though the real culprit is apparently not a government bureaucrat, but competitive private entities that don’t want to share information. Figures. Someone will blame it on Dayton anyway.
Good Guy with a Gun?
This story doesn’t have one.
St Croix trial
It is hard to understand why the prosecutor filed all those charges in a case that was obviously self defense. Fortunately the jurors had more sense than the prosecutor.