Judge dismisses Delmonico defamation lawsuit against Hodges

by MinnPost staff 04/05/201804/05/2018

Seems kind of obvious. The Star Tribune’s Adam Belz reports: “A judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Minneapolis police Lt. John Delmonico against former Mayor Betsy Hodges over text messages she sent to former police Chief Janeé Harteau in April. … Hodges blocked Harteau’s decision to appoint Delmonico, a former police union leader, as inspector of the Fourth Precinct, and the dispute between the chief and mayor over the appointment was carried out mostly by text message. … Hennepin District Judge Jacqueline Regis wrote in a decision filed Tuesday that Hodges had good reason to discuss the appointment candidly with Harteau, the messages were ‘integral to the performance of her job,’ and therefore her text messages are immune from defamation claims.”

Inhumanity is more the thing these days. The Minnesota Daily’s Helen Sabrowsky reports: “In line with national trends, the University of Minnesota’s arts and humanities majors have seen falling enrollment rates, leading the school to explore possible solutions. … Nationally, schools are discontinuing programs and struggling to find ways to maintain funding in response to the trend, and some say this reflects a change in attitudes toward the value of these majors. … At the University, declining enrollment and state funding have dealt dual blows to the College of Liberal Arts.”

And now, the Glean presents A Tale of Two Nimbys …

St. Paul edition. The Pioneer Press’ Frederick Melo reports: “As one of nine siblings who grew up together in St. Paul’s Merriam Park neighborhood, Mike Tierney has a special connection to 1911 and 1905 Iglehart Ave., stately homes that have been in his family for 79 years and 52 years, respectively. … Prospective buyers have expressed interest in purchasing the two houses together to tear them down and replace them with as many as three or four new properties, but a proposal presented by city council member Samantha Henningson has complicated the sale plans. … Her proposed moratorium, or real estate ban, would prevent demolitions and lot splits on more than 40 century-old properties in Merriam Park for at least nine months. During that time, the city will review the possibility of creating a historic district that could prevent demolition entirely.”

Minneapolis edition. The Star Tribune’s Pat Pheifer reports: “Neighbors expressed their anger Wednesday night as Minnehaha Academy presented its plan to rebuild its high school campus, which was heavily damaged in a deadly gas explosion last August. … School officials, along with representatives of the architectural firm and construction company that will build the slick, Scandinavian-inspired “learning community,” held a community meeting and open house at the school’s elementary and middle-school campus. … Neighbor Elizabeth Hinz said the design is ‘way out of scale with the neighborhood’ and other school buildings. Many complained that neighbors were not consulted about the plans.”