KARE-TV’s Dana Thiede says, “The city of Minneapolis will settle two cases involving former police officer Derek Chauvin by paying out nearly $8.9 million in damages. City Council members voted Thursday to settle the civil cases filed by John Pope, Jr. and Zoya Code, who both alleged that they were victims of misconduct carried out by Chauvin, actions that were similar to the ones he used in the murder of George Floyd. Documents spell out the monetary damages that will be paid out by the city, saying Pope and his attorneys will receive $7.5 million and Code will be awarded $1.375 million. Those awards will be split with the Minneapolis-based law firm Robins and Kaplan.”
For Billboard Glen Rowley says, “ Candace Owens took aim at Lizzo‘s appearance this week, and the pop star’s fans stepped in to defend her from the firebrand’s body-shaming commentary. The drama started when the conservative author blasted Lizzo for posting a nearly nude photo of herself on social media.”
The Washington Post’s Jeremy Barr says, “Delaware residents who are fans of Mike Lindell — the MyPillow founder and an underwriter of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election — are highly unlikely to land a seat on the jury for a blockbuster defamation case against Fox News. The same goes for those with positive feelings about Rudy Giuliani or Sidney Powell, the attorneys who promoted Trump’s false claims of election fraud on the network. The judge overseeing the case, which opened Thursday morning with jury selection, agreed this week that prospective jurors can be asked their opinions on some of the more provocative figures in Trumpworld, whose exotic and unfounded fraud claims in fall 2020 inspired an election-technology company to sue the conservative cable-news network.”
Stribber Tony Kennedy says, “Minnesota’s long, snowy winter has delayed the onset of spring, but this week’s blowtorch of warmth has eased some anxiety felt by anglers and resort owners who count on northern lakes to be open in time for the state fishing opener. Assistant state climatologist Pete Boulay said ice-outs were running behind by a week to 10 days before the heat wave. Lake Pepin, for instance, became free of ice April 8, eight days past its historical median ice-out date of March 30. With a whole month to go before walleye and northern pike season opens May 13, conditions can change but progress is being made.”
At Mother Jones, Eamon Whalen has a take on state leaders’ takeover of a Hennepin County murder case, “In Minnesota, a disagreement on how to prosecute two teenagers suspected of killing a 23-year-old has put two of the state’s leading criminal justice reformers into a high-profile political dispute, testing how much change even progressive politicians are willing to embrace.”
This from BringMeTheNews, “Take-out and delivery cookie franchise Crumbl Cookies will add three new Minnesota stores in 2023. A new location in Minnetonka is slated to open this summer and stores in Plymouth and Mankato are projected to open in the fall, a company spokesperson confirmed.”
For The Minnesota Reformer Max Nesterak says, “By and large, Minnesota Housing did a good job getting the right amount of emergency rental assistance to the right people, but that attention to accuracy led to significant delays that frustrated renters and landlords, according to a report released by the state’s watchdog legislative auditor on Thursday. In late 2020, Congress voted to send tens of billions of dollars to states and local governments to keep out-of-work Americans in their homes through the pandemic. Minnesota received about $598 million beginning in early 2021, which the state’s housing authority distributed through a new program called RentHelpMN. Months after the federal funds arrived, however, the state had yet to distribute a single dollar.”
A WCCO-TV story by Allen Henry says, “If your eyes are watering or your nose is stuffed up, you’re not alone. Allergy levels are high in much of Minnesota right now. As the temperatures go up, so does the number of allergens in the air. ‘We just started hearing from my parents as of this morning,’ Dr. Pramod Kelkar, an allergist at Allina Health, said. … Pollen spreads most easily when it’s hot, dry and windy outside, which means if Minnesota has another year of drought, it could also be another year of suffering for those with allergies.”
At KMSP-TV Maury Glover says, “Just as we’re experiencing record-breaking heat for this time of year, a new movie is shining a spotlight on Minnesota’s extreme cold. A documentary filmed in the state will have its world premiere at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival this weekend. … ‘40 Below: The Toughest Race In The World’ follows extreme endurance athletes competing in the Arrowhead 135. It’s an ultra marathon, usually held in late January, where participants run, ski, or bike along a 135-mile stretch of a remote snowmobile trail from International Falls to Tower, Minnesota, which can take two days to finish.”
In the Strib, Paul Walsh says, “A former Brooklyn Center student has told school officials that he had sex with a female teacher ‘over a lengthy period of time’ in 2015-16 when he was in seventh grade, according to court records. The teacher, now 38 years old, has been put on administrative leave as the police investigation continues, school district spokeswoman Olivia Doeden said Thursday. The former student, now 21 years old, went to the school on April 6 with his allegations … .”
