Stories from July 21, 2022

Jury convicts Chicago man in road rage slaying of baseball coach, dad, and former Minneapolis cop gets 30 months in federal prison in connection with George Floyd’s death. This is an evening update from MPR news, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.
Planned Parenthood workers in Minnesota, nearby states vote to join SEIU union
A majority of workers at Planned Parenthood North Central States, which includes Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota and Nebraska, voted to form a union with SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa on Thursday.
“I think we all need to ask ourselves whether we want to end up in an America with red banks and blue banks, red mattress companies and blue mattress companies, where business becomes as polarized as the general population,” business ethicist Alison Taylor tells MPR News host Tom Crann.
Walz: Legislature needs to spend more to fight crime
Gov. Tim Walz used a visit to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Thursday to call for lawmakers to agree to a special legislative session to pass more funding for public safety efforts.
Man found guilty of murder in Twin Cities road rage killing
Jamal Smith was convicted Thursday of first-degree intentional murder and second-degree murder during a drive-by shooting last year on U.S. Highway 169 west of Minneapolis that killed Jay Boughton, a youth baseball team coach returning from a game with his son.
Minnesota Now for July 21,2022
Details on former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane sentencing and what's next for him; the furor that led to the cancellation of controversial comedian Dave Chapelle's show at First Avenue in Minneapolis; a UMN researcher talks about how to have end of life conversations with people with developmental disabilities; a fight on one of St. Paul's most historic streets over a potential bike lane expansion and this week's sports news with Wally and Eric.
Great books for summer reading 
MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Minnesota booksellers and readers about what books they’re enjoying this summer and how books help us understand the world and our place in it. 
The sports news you need to know for July 21, 2022
Sports commentators Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson talk with host Cathy Wurzer about the sports news you need to know this week.
St. Paul residents raise concerns about a possible bike path along Summit Avenue
There is a city plan in the works that may include a new bike path along historic Summit Avenue in St. Paul. It’s raising alarm bells among residents who worry it will uproot many of the street’s majestic trees and change the feel of the neighborhood. St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Fred Melo talks with Cathy Wurzer about the controversy.
After widespread negative reaction, First Ave decides not to host Dave Chappelle
Controversial comedian Dave Chapelle has another show Thursday night at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. About 50 protestors met fans, waiting to get into Chapelle’s performance last night at the Varsity.
Minnesota celebrates, confronts ‘bafflingly low’ unemployment rate
Minnesota notched another new unemployment record in June, with its seasonally adjusted rate falling to 1.8 percent. But job growth has tapered as employers struggle to fill openings.
Ep. 11 What it means to be Black in Minnesota
Co-hosts Brandt Williams and Jonathan Rabb, who both grew up in Minneapolis, talk about how the city they call home became the center of worldwide attention in 2020.  The killing of George Floyd by a police officer touched off protests around the globe.   Rabb, who was living in California at the time, said the protests and unrest made him move back to the city. But he asks, “Why do I care so much about this place that often does not care about me?”
Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane sentenced for violating George Floyd's civil rights
Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane was sentenced for violating George Floyd’s civil rights. MPR News reporter Jon Collins was at the courthouse today for the sentencing and has been following Lane’s case. He joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk more about what happened.
Jan. 6 panel probes Trump's 187 minutes as Capitol attacked
The House Jan. 6 committee aims to make the case in its final hearing Thursday night that Donald Trump’s lies about a stolen election fueled the grisly Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. The panel will delve into 187 minutes in which it says Trump did nothing to stop the violence but instead “gleefully” watched on television.
Biden tests positive for COVID-19, has 'mild symptoms'
President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus as new variants challenge the nation's efforts to resume normalcy after two and a half years of pandemic disruptions.
It is Disability Pride Month, which celebrates all disabled people and commemorates the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in July 1990. University of Minnesota Professor Roger Stancliffe’s research focuses on making lives better for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities especially when it comes to the end of life. He joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk more about his work.
PolyMet Mining and Teck Resources announced Wednesday they are entering into a joint venture agreement to develop their copper-nickel mining projects in northeastern Minnesota.  This is a morning update from MPR News, hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Music by Gary Meister
Lots of sun Thursday; hotter Friday; storms Saturday
Thursday will be comfortable but very warm still. Dew points increase Friday and Saturday along with temperatures heating up. There’ll be a few showers overnight Thursday night with a better chance of scattered storms Saturday.
Twin Cities Carifest brings Caribbean culture to Minnesota
This summer on Minnesota Now we are putting a spotlight on community festivals across the state. This week we’re featuring Twin Cities Carifest. James Byron is executive director of the festival. He spoke with Minnesota Now producer Simone Cazares about what Carifest means to Minnesota’s Caribbean community.
Beloved monarch butterflies now listed as endangered
Monarch butterflies are now listed as endangered because of fast dwindling populations in North America. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature announced the designation on Thursday.
Sen. Tina Smith tests positive for COVID
Minnesota U.S. Senator Tina Smith says she's tested positive for COVID-19.
Sunny Thursday; hotter Friday
We’ll have plenty of sunshine Thursday. Temperatures will be hotter again Friday with the best chance of some thunderstorms Saturday into Saturday night. Next week brings more seasonable, comfortable temperatures.
A majority thinks Trump is to blame for Jan. 6 but won't face charges, poll finds
As the Jan. 6 hearings have played out, there has been only some, if any, movement in people's views of what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, but independents' views have changed since a December poll.
Analysis: Trump's infamous obsession with TV helped define Jan. 6 too
Donald Trump's TV fixation led him to the White House. The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will show that obsession also defined his actions on that day.
The election denial movement is now going door to door
In Colorado, canvassers have been knocking on doors in some communities to determine whether people actually voted. The effort is raising concerns about voter intimidation.
Ex-cop Lane gets 2 1/2 years for violating George Floyd's civil rights
Thomas Lane had been found guilty along with two other former Minneapolis police officers at a federal trial in February of failing to provide George Floyd with needed medical care.
Preservation group hopes to reignite conversations with DNR about fate of Manfred House
The fate of the Frederick Manfred House in Blue Mounds State Park is still undecided. It’s been closed to the public for years after suffering extensive water damage. A preservation group wants it repaired and reopened, but its current owner, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is proposing another plan which will only save the famed novelist’s writing room.
‘Where do I belong?’ Native roots, hard realities surface in woman’s search for her past
In her quest to find the birth mother she'd never known, Peggy Mandel confronted stories of government boarding schools, generational trauma and the loss of Indigenous culture and identity. She couldn’t change the past, but could she alter the future?
Federal regulators Wednesday canceled a policy adopted under former President Donald Trump that weakened their authority to identify lands and waters where declining animals and plants could receive government protection.
First Ave cancels Dave Chappelle show after outcry from staff, patrons, performers
The controversial comedian with a reputation of mocking transgender people was scheduled at the Minneapolis venue for Wednesday night. LGBTQ First Avenue staff say they remain angry and hurt by the club booking Chappelle in the first place.