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Stories from July 21, 2022

Jury convicts Chicago man in road rage slaying of baseball coach, dad

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.

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Planned Parenthood workers in Minnesota, nearby states vote to join SEIU union

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.
by Michelle Wiley

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Businesses struggle to navigate values in a politically polarized world

“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.
by Tom Crann, Sam Stroozas and Megan Burks

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Walz: Legislature needs to spend more to fight crime

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.
by Tim Pugmire

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Man found guilty of murder in Twin Cities road rage killing

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.
by Matt Sepic

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Minnesota Now for July 21,2022

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.

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Great books for summer reading 

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. 
by Angela Davis and Maja Beckstrom

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The sports news you need to know for July 21, 2022

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.
by Melissa Townsend and Cathy Wurzer

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St. Paul residents raise concerns about a possible bike path along Summit Avenue

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.
by Cathy Wurzer, Simone Cazares and Sam Stroozas

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After widespread negative reaction, First Ave decides not to host Dave Chappelle

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.
by Cathy Wurzer, Grace Birnstengel and Gretchen Brown

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Minnesota celebrates, confronts ‘bafflingly low’ unemployment rate

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.
by Brian Bakst

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Ep. 11 What it means to be Black in Minnesota

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?”
by Brandt Williams

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Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane sentenced for violating George Floyd's civil rights

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.
by Cathy Wurzer, Jon Collins and Simone Cazares

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Jan. 6 panel probes Trump's 187 minutes as Capitol attacked

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.
by The Associated Press

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Biden tests positive for COVID-19, has 'mild symptoms'

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.
by The Associated Press

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Roger Stancliffe on end of life research for people with disabilities

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.
by Cathy Wurzer and Gretchen Brown

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PolyMet partners with fellow mining company Teck to develop Minnesota copper mines

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

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Lots of sun Thursday; hotter Friday; storms Saturday

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.
by Sven Sundgaard

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Twin Cities Carifest brings Caribbean culture to Minnesota

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.
by Cathy Wurzer and Simone Cazares

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Beloved monarch butterflies now listed as endangered

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.
by The Associated Press

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Sen. Tina Smith tests positive for COVID

Sen. Tina Smith tests positive for COVID

Minnesota U.S. Senator Tina Smith says she's tested positive for COVID-19.
by Tim Nelson

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Sunny Thursday; hotter Friday

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.
by Sven Sundgaard

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A majority thinks Trump is to blame for Jan. 6 but won't face charges, poll finds

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.
by Domenico Montanaro

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Analysis: Trump's infamous obsession with TV helped define Jan. 6 too

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.
by David Folkenflik

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The election denial movement is now going door to door

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.
by Miles Parks and Bente Birkeland

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Ex-cop Lane gets 2 1/2 years for violating George Floyd's civil rights

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.
by Jon Collins

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Preservation group hopes to reignite conversations with DNR about fate of Manfred House

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.
by Hannah Yang

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‘Where do I belong?’ Native roots, hard realities surface in woman’s search for her past

‘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?
by Dan Gunderson

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Biden administration reverses Trump endangered species rule

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.
by The Associated Press

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First Ave cancels Dave Chappelle show after outcry from staff, patrons, performers

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.
by Grace Birnstengel

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