In the Pioneer Press, Mara H. Gottfried and Krist Belcamino write: “St. Paul police responding to a report of multiple shots fired encountered a man with a handgun and fatally shot him early Sunday, according to the police department. Officers arrived at a multi-unit rental property in the Summit-University area about 2:30 a.m. after receiving a 911 call from a male who described ‘multiple shots being fired on the second floor of the residence’ in the 900 block of St. Anthony Avenue, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman. … When officers arrived at the residence, they encountered a man with a gun, according to police. ‘At some point, two officers discharged their service weapons, striking the man,’” Ernster said.
In the Star Tribune, Chris Serres reports, “Thousands of immigrant families across Minnesota would be pressured to drop out of government-funded health and social service programs if the Trump administration enacts a proposed change to federal immigration policy, state and local health officials warned. Under the proposal, a legal immigrant could be denied a temporary visa or permanent residency through a green card if they use Medicaid, food stamps, low-income tax credits and a broad array of other state and federal social service programs. Even the use of such benefits by a child or a citizen spouse could jeopardize an immigrant’s chances at permanent residency in the United States.”
A KSTP-TV story says, “One man is dead after he hit a moose while riding his motorcycle in Koochiching County Saturday afternoon. According to the State Patrol report, Gary Allan Vansickle, 66, was traveling northbound on Highway 6 when he struck a moose that was crossing around 1:38 p.m.”
Lost and found. The Mankato Free Press’ Brian Arola writes: “Gold medal winning curler and Mapleton native John Landsteiner lost his commemorative Olympic ring at a California beach in July, but the ordeal took a happy turn this week. Leon Jones, of California, found the ring with his metal detector along the shores of Huntington Beach. He’s since been in touch with Landsteiner about returning it.”
The Duluth News Tribune’s Lisa Kaszke writes: “A Duluth priest suing a man who has accused him of sexual abuse has been added to the Diocese of Duluth’s list of priests it has determined to be ‘credibly accused.’ The Diocese announced on Sunday that the Rev. William C. Graham, who is arguing in his lawsuit that he has been falsely accused, and the Rev. Roland Antus were found to be credibly accused of sexual abuse following the Diocese’s investigation into the allegations.”
Had to be one mellow family reunion. A Forum News Service story tells us, “Two Wednesday, Aug. 1, traffic stops in Cottonwood County resulted in the confiscation of nearly 60 pounds of marijuana, more than $13,000 and six arrests. According to criminal complaints, two vehicles bearing California license plates were stopped after 1 a.m. … Occupants of both vehicles claimed to have been traveling from California to Minneapolis for a family reunion.”
A story from Kirsti Marohn at MPR reports, “A St. Cloud State University professor has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that her First Amendment rights are being violated because she’s represented by a union with whom she disagrees. Kathleen Uradnik, a political science professor, sued St. Cloud State, the Inter Faculty Organization and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system’s board of trustees. The lawsuit, filed last month, follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision, which bars public sector unions from forcing non-union members to pay ‘fair share’ fees. Uradnik is a tenured professor who is not a union member, said Robert Alt, president and CEO of the Buckeye Institute, an Ohio-based conservative think tank representing Uradnik.”
Speaking of the First Amendment. Also in the Strib, Jeff Meitrodt writes, “Newspaper publisher Larry Dobson crawled through brush last month to get three photos of Dodge County officials investigating the drowning death of a 7-year-old boy, but his newspaper never published the photos. Instead, Dobson, 75, has been thrust into a First Amendment controversy after the Sheriff’s Office confiscated the memory card from his camera and held onto it for more than a week while Dobson’s actions were scrutinized for possible criminal violations. The resulting brouhaha has become big news in farm communities west of Rochester, where the publisher of three weeklies and the sheriff have been trading barbs over whose rights may have been trampled in the wake of a small-town tragedy.”
