GEORGE-FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS

Teen bystander: Knew instantly Floyd was `in distress’

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A woman who was 17 when she came upon the sight of Minneapolis police pinning George Floyd to the street testified she knew instantly that the Black man was “in distress.” Alyssa Funari took the stand Friday in the federal trial of three former officers who are charged with violating Floyd’s civil rights. J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are all accused of failing to provide Floyd with medical care while he was handcuffed, facedown with Chauvin’s knee pressed onto his neck. Prosecutors have argued that Floyd’s situation was so serious that even bystanders with no medical training knew he needed help, and that the officers had a duty to provide care.

NAMING POLICY

New policy allows renaming U of M buildings after 75 years

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota regents have adopted a new policy that allows them to rename buildings after 75 years or sooner if their namesakes are contentious. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the regents adopted the policy on Friday, saying it will allow more people to be honored over time. The policy has been in the works since 2019, when students and faculty pushed to rename four buildings whose namesakes were accused of supporting segregation. The regents ultimately rejected any changes, citing their historical contributions and concerns about the quality of the evidence against them.

STANDOUT STUDENT KILLED

Standout student athlete shot and killed in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — School officials in Minneapolis say a gifted student athlete has died of injuries suffered in a shooting. Fifteen-year-old Deshaun Hill Jr. was an honor roll student and quarterback for the football team at North High School. Police found Hill with a life-threatening gunshot wound Wednesday afternoon. His family believes he was walking from school when someone shot him. He died on Thursday. According to authorities, Hill was standing by or walking up to a bus stop across the street from Wally’s Foods, a popular local corner store, when the shooting happened. A 911 caller reported seeing a group of young people who’d been hanging out nearby scatter after the shot rang out. No arrests have been made.

WINTER WEATHER-MIDWEST

Near zero visibility closing interstates, highways

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Strong winds are whipping up blizzard-like conditions and closing sections of interstates and highways in North Dakota and Minnesota. The North Dakota Department of Transportation closed Interstate 29 from Canada to the South Dakota border because of near-zero visibility and icy conditions, but later reopened a section from Fargo to Grand Fork. Travel is also prohibited on Highway 13 from Interstate 29 to Wahpeton. In Minnesota, the State Patrol advised no travel in northwestern Minnesota due to near whiteout conditions. Interstate 94 between Moorhead and Fergus Falls was closed along with sections of seven highways. The National Weather Service posted a blizzard warning Friday for eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota.

POLICE SHOOTING-MINNEAPOLIS

Cop safety cited in no-knock warrant ahead of Locke’s death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Documents show authorities searching the Minneapolis apartment where Amir Locke was killed by a SWAT team member said they believed a no-knock search warrant was necessary to protect the public and officers investigating a violent homicide. The applications for the search warrants carried out at the apartment complex on Feb. 2 were made public in redacted form Thursday. In them, police said it was necessary to conduct the searches unannounced because the suspects had a history of violence. Locke was not named in the warrants. The police killing of Locke, a 22-year-old Black man, has sparked a reexamination of the use of no-knock warrants and calls for a statewide ban.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA-MANDATES

Twin Cities lift restaurant, bar vaccine-or-test mandates

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul have rescinded vaccine-or-test mandates for restaurants, bars and entertainment venues as COVID-19 cases decline rapidly. The Star Tribune reported Thursday that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter have lifted the mandates effective immediately. The regulations required anyone entering a restaurant, bar or other venue that serves food or drinks to show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last three days. Mask mandates for public areas in Minneapolis and St. Paul’s city-licensed businesses will remain in place for now.

TRACKING DEVICE-STOLEN CARS

Minnesota bill would soften tracking device rules for police

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota House committee is considering legislation that would expand the use of mobile tracking devices by a law enforcement officers trying to track down stolen vehicles and avoid high-speed chases amid a surge in violent carjackings. The bill would let police officers use GPS tracking devices without a court order for a 24-hour period to recover stolen vehicles. Current state law requires officers to have a warrant or consent from the owner of the vehicle before they can use a mobile tracking device. The bill passed in the House public safety committee Thursday on a 18-1 vote.

AP-US-LOUISIANA-NEWSPAPER-NEW-EDITOR

Minnesota editor returning to Louisiana’s largest newspaper

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The editor of Louisiana’s largest newspaper is retiring, and the new editor is a returning New Orleans native who comes to the job after heading the biggest newspaper in Minnesota. The Times-Picayune of New Orleans and The Advocate of Baton Rouge announced Thursday that Rene Sanchez of the Star Tribune of Minneapolis will replace Peter Kovacs. Kovacs led The Advocate to its first Pulitzer Prizes two weeks before its owners announced they had bought The Times-Picayune and its website, NOLA.com. Sanchez has been editor of the Star Tribune of Minneapolis for eight years and led it to two Pulitzers.