In the Star Tribune, Mara Klecker and Kim Hyatt write: “A Brooklyn Center police officer fatally shot a man during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon, inflaming already raw tensions between police and community members in the midst of the Derek Chauvin trial. Relatives of Daunte Wright, 20, who is Black, told a tense crowd gathered at the scene in the northern Minneapolis suburb Sunday afternoon that Wright drove for a short distance after he was shot, crashed his car, and died at the scene. Protesters later walked to the Brooklyn Center police headquarters near N. 67th Avenue and N. Humboldt Avenue and were locked in a standoff with police in riot gear late Sunday night.”
KSTP-TV’s Kyle Brown writes: “The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal apprehension is investigating after a Brooklyn Center police officer fatally shot a driver during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon. According to the Brooklyn Center Police Department, officers pulled a car over for a traffic violation just before 2 p.m. near 63rd Avenue North and Orchard Avenue in Brooklyn Center. Police say the officers determined the driver had an outstanding warrant, and the driver tried to get back in the vehicle while they were trying to make an arrest. … In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota denounced the shooting and called for a thorough and transparent investigation by an agency other than Brooklyn Center police or the BCA and for the release of all body-worn camera and dash-camera footage.”
MPR’s Matt Sepic, Jon Collins, Riham Feshir and Brandt Williams write: “Derek Chauvin’s defense is expected to start making its case to jurors this week as testimony resumes in Chauvin’s murder and manslaughter trial in the killing of George Floyd. … Jurors heard extensive medical testimony last week, including from expert prosecution witnesses, who pushed back on the defense assertion that Floyd died as a result of poor health and drug use.”
An AP story says, “A group of street racing vehicles has shut down traffic in the Lowry Hill Tunnel on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis early Sunday. Reports say semi-trucks and other cars became ensnared in the tunnel as a group blocked westbound traffic lanes with their vehicles. Drivers from the street racing group performed burnouts and doughnuts, leaving circular tire marks. The Minnesota State Patrol responded to the incident. Officers found one vehicle involved but decided not to pursue it when the suspects fled.”
Also in the Star Tribune, Erin Adler and Emma Nelson write: “A group of south metro residents is trying to get the word out about the benefits of electric school buses in hopes that the vehicles will eventually serve students across Minnesota. MN350 South Metro, a local arm of a larger environmental advocacy group, is holding an online forum Tuesday to share information about battery-powered buses in Minnesota with anyone who’s interested, from parents to school board members. … The south metro is home to the state’s first electric school bus, which hit the road in late 2017.”
From the AP: “Senators from Maine and Minnesota are working together on a proposal to expand training and support services for families and caregivers of people who have dementia. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Act would authorize the use of grants for public and nonprofit organizations to “expand training and support services that improve caregiver health and delay long-term care facility admissions by keeping loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in their homes longer.”
For KARE-TV, Hannah Conway writes, “By the end of the month, every state will open up COVID vaccinations to anyone 16 and older. With the vaccine age requirements widened, and close living corridors, some colleges are requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for students wanting to return to campus this fall. Duke University is the latest school to require proof of vaccination. The North Carolina school joins 11 other colleges and universities around the country with the same requirement. In Minnesota, both St. Catherine University in St. Paul and Minnesota State University-Mankato say at this time, they are not planning on requiring COVID vaccinations this fall, though things could change. Dr. Amy Kelly is the medical director at St. Catherine and says they are having conversations almost every day regarding COVID vaccinations.”
For Inc., Jason Aten reports, “Starting April 1, Delta says it will give travelers up to 75 percent more of what it calls Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs). Those are the miles — separate from those you redeem for travel — that you earn towards the various status levels in Delta’s frequent flyer program, SkyMiles. That’s remarkable on its own, but the company didn’t stop there. It’s also awarding those MQMs even on flights you fly on award tickets. That means when you cash in frequent flyer miles for a ticket, you’ll still earn credit towards elite status. Delta claims it’s a ‘first-ever for the industry.’”
