Voter ID opponents unhappy with DFL
Today on the Update: Voter ID opponents wonder why they aren't getting more help from the DFL. Iowans reflect on their experience with same-sex marriage. Minnesotans are coping with receding river water levels. Labor talks at the SPCO are stalled. And Bill Nye, "The Science Guy," wants creationists out of school classrooms.
Voter ID opponents unhappy with DFL
Activists are working to get voters to reject the a proposed requirement that Minnesotans show photo identification to vote, which is seen as a setback for civil rights. Some are disappointed that the Minnesota DFL Party hasn't done more to help the anti-voter ID campaign.
As Minnesota debates marriage, Iowans reflect
The state of Iowa is Exhibit A for proponents of a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. The measure on the November ballot in Minnesota would prevent the courts or the Legislature from legalizing same-sex marriage, which is already against state law.
Pinched by low water
The drought has pushed river levels in some parts of Minnesota to near record lows, forcing the state Department of Natural Resources to suspend water pumping permits for dozens of businesses and other users, and making the waterways unrecognizable to people who work and play on the waterways.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Grenade exposed
How low is the water? A regional bomb squad was summoned to Moorhead to detonate an old grenade found by a citizen. Police say the man was walking along the Red River north of the Hjemkomst Center about 7:30 p.m. Sunday when he came across the corroded grenade.
Orchestra talks stall
Contract talks between musicians and management at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra broke up for the day on Saturday, apparently without an agreement. The musicians' contract expires on Sept. 30. Management said it would release a statement about the negotiations on Monday.
189 new cases of pertussis
One hundred eighty-nine new cases of pertussis were confirmed in Minnesota in the past week. More than 3,500 cases of the bacterial infection have been reported so far this year, the Minnesota Department of Health said. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, causes a persistent, severe cough that sometimes lasts for months.
St. Paul priest charged with sexual misconduct
Authorities in Ramsey County have charged a priest in St. Paul with molesting a young boy in his parish, and exposing himself to another. Curtis Wehmeyer, 47, is accused of sexual contact two years ago with a 12-year-old boy and the boy's older brother, who was 14 at the time of alleged sexual misconduct. The boys attended the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul.
Minnesota-al-Shabab link unconfirmed
The Minneapolis FBI office won't confirm an Associated Press report that a man from Minnesota has joined the terrorist group al-Shabab. Abdirizak Bihi, a member of the Minneapolis Somali community, who says he's talked to the man's aunt and friends. Bihi wouldn't identify them.
Minneapolis police reform civilian police review
The Minneapolis City Council voted 8-5 Friday to reform the 20-year-old Civilian Review Authority and Board into what will now be called the Office of Police Conduct Review. More than just a name change, the most controversial part of the new system involves the investigation process.
No charges in drug-training program
Prosecutors have decided not to file any charges against officers involved in a now-suspended drug training program run by the Minnesota State Patrol. Activists with the Occupy MN movement alleged that officers in the class gave them marijuana.
'Science Guy' decries creatonists
Bill Nye, a mechanical engineer and star of the popular 1990s TV show "Bill Nye The Science Guy," has waded into the evolution debate with an online video that urges parents not to pass their religious-based doubts about evolution on to their children. "The Earth is not 6,000 or 10,000 years old," Nye said in an interview. "It's not."
