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CENSUS-MINNESOTA-REDISTRICTING

Census data forces Minnesota lawmakers to grapple with remap

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — New census data has given legislators tasked with redrawing Minnesota’s political map a lot to think about, and they only have a few months to agree or to punt the high-stakes job to the courts. So lawmakers from both parties have been studying the granular data ever since the Census Bureau released it Thursday. The numbers show how Minnesota’s population has shifted toward the Minneapolis-St. Paul area from rural counties, Minnesota’s political maps must be redrawn by Feb. 15 so candidates can file for the 2022 elections. The changes are bound to impact control of the Legislature and the state’s congressional delegation.

MINNEAPOLIS POLICE-TRAFFIC STOPS

Minneapolis police to curb stops for minor traffic violators

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis police will no longer stop motorists for minor traffic violations, such as expired tabs or an air freshener hanging from the mirror. Police Chief Medaria Arrandondo in an internal memo says the change comes after examining how officers can better utilize time and resources. Critics have long said low-level traffic stops contribute to racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Mayor Jacob Frey says police will continue to stop motorists for offenses that are a threat to public safety, such as reckless driving or speeding. His 2022 budget proposes adding 150 officers to a force that has fallen far below its authorized strength.

GOP OPERATIVE INDICTED

GOP operative indicted on child sex trafficking charges

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Republican political operative has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Minnesota on child sex trafficking charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges Anton Lazzaro conspired with others to recruit and solicit six people under the age of 18 to engage in commercial sex between May and December of 2020. The 30-year-old Lazzaro is being held in the Sherburne County Jail. Lazzaro’s attorney Zachary Newland said Lazzaro is being falsely accused and did not commit the crimes he’s charged with.

POLICE USE OF FORCE

New police use-of-force training focuses on ‘moral courage’

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A new use-of-force training program will be required for all police officers in Connecticut. It will emphasize “moral courage,” empathy and de-escalation in an effort to reduce fatal shootings and other violent acts by officers. Officials believe it is one of the first use-of-force training programs in the country to be mandated across an entire state. The state Police Officer Standards and Training Council unanimously approved the new training program Thursday in response to new state laws limiting when officers can use force. All of the more than 8,000 law enforcement officers in the state must take the four-hour training by Dec. 31, 2022, but can ask for a four-month extension.

CENSUS-MINNESOTA

Minnesota grows a bit older, less white, more metropolitan

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — New census figures show that Minnesota has grown a bit older, a bit less white and bit more metropolitan. Minnesota’s white population dipped from 83.1% in 2010 to 76.3% in 2020, while the Black population grew from 5.1% to 6.9%. Minnesotans age 18 and older make up 76.9% of the state’s population. The 18-plus population rose 9.2% from 2010 to 2020 while the growth in the under-18 population lagged at 2.6%. Figures released earlier show Minnesota’s population grew from 5.3 million in 2010 to 5.7 million in 2020, just barely enough to let the state keep its eight congressional districts.

GRAND PORTAGE-HOMICIDE

2nd person charged in connection with Lake Superior body

GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a second person in connection with the death of a St. Paul man whose dismembered remains were found in Lake Superior. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports 31-year-old Tommi Lynn Hintz of Duluth was booked into the St. Louis County jail on a charge of being an accomplice to felony murder and concealing Richard Balsimo’s body. Robert West of Duluth was charged in July with aiding an offender and interfering with a dead body. According to court documents, Hintz said she overheard West tell a fisherman in June he had some of his grandmother’s valuables he wanted to dump in Lake Superior. The next day she heard West say that a man had shot Balsimo and his body had been chopped up.

RACIAL TIRADE

Man pleads guilty to going on racial tirade

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Burnsville man has pleaded guilty to embarking on a racially-fueled tirade. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports 40-year-old Jason Gerardy entered his plea Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court to first-degree property damage. Prosecutors agreed to drop a felony threat of violence count in return. According to the charges, Gerardy told officers he smashed windows on two of his father’s cars after an argument and broke the window of a Muslim man’s car in November 2019 because “he’s a (racial slur) and doesn’t pay taxes.” He’s set to be sentenced Oct. 5.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Minnesota hits 70% mark for 1st vaccinations for 16 and up

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota has reached the milestone of vaccinating 70% of its population age 16 and older with at least one dose against GOVID-19. Gov. Tim Walz credits a recent rise in vaccination rates amid concerns over the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, and the state’s $100 rewards for people who get their first shot before Aug. 15. The number of first doses administered per week is up 129% after bottoming out a month ago. New vaccinations peaked in April in Minnesota. Minnesota leads the Midwest in the percentage of the overall population who have completed their vaccination series at 54.4%.