The Washington Post’s Holly Bailey writes: “On Monday, a White former police officer will go on trial here for the killing of a Black man in a case that many view as a barometer of racial change in the United States as much as about Derek Chauvin’s guilt or innocence.… While potential jurors being interviewed for the case were told by Chauvin’s defense attorney that it was ‘not about race’ or ‘broader social issues,’ few observers believe race won’t shape the trial, the most high-profile police brutality case since the 1991 beating of Rodney King by four White Los Angeles police officers. Many Black Americans will be watching to see what justice means after seeing so many cases in which police officers have largely been acquitted or gone uncharged in the killing of Black men and women.”
In the Star Tribune, Stephen Montemoyer writes: “The fight over Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency powers is still permeating the 2021 Minnesota legislative session, yet more than a dozen state and federal judges have broadly backed his actions. In refusing to reverse statewide mask mandates, eviction moratoriums and business restrictions, judges are carving out new precedents for executive power amid the pandemic that has killed nearly 7,000 Minnesotans over the last year.”
FOX 9’s Sarah Danik reports: “Black churches in the Twin Cities are playing a big role in ensuring people of color get access to COVID-19 vaccines in Minnesota. Saturday, a vaccine clinic was underway in Minneapolis at Kingdom Life Church. The church was contacted earlier this month by Hennepin County to host a vaccine clinic. While spots didn’t fill up at first, by the time the clinic got underway, they were pretty much booked.”
The AP and MPR report: “Luke Mylymok scored at 2:13 of the fifth overtime to send Minnesota Duluth into the Frozen Four with a 3-2 victory over North Dakota early Sunday — in the longest game in NCAA Tournament history. Minnesota Duluth, which has won the last two national championships, became the first team to reach four straight Frozen Fours since North Dakota accomplished the feat from 2005-08.”
Also from FOX 9, Babs Santos says: “The strain of the pandemic on food pantries and kitchens is still being felt, even as a return to normal appears to be in reach. Twin Cities Salvation Army says tens of thousands of people are now showing up at food shelves each month, and for 4 out of 10, it’s their first time.… The Salvation Army says one out of seven people in the Twin Cities is now experiencing food insecurity.”
The Forum News Service’s Bria Barton says: “Swedish fishing equipment company ABU Garcia recently published a list of the top 100 fishing spots in the U.S., and nine Minnesota locations were featured. The company asked fans to submit their favorite angling locales across the country, which were then judged and ranked by “leading voices” in the fishing world, the ABU Garcia website said. At the top of the list for best fishing spots — coming in at No. 4 — was the Red River of the North, which forms the border between Minnesota and North Dakota.”
