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KIDS HANDCUFFED-MINNESOTA

Activists seek change after 4 kids handcuffed in Maplewood

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (AP) — Activists in Minnesota are demanding an apology and calling for changes in the way officers deal with children after police in the St. Paul suburb of Maplewood handcuffed four juveniles as they investigated an incident for which the kids were later cleared. Maplewood Police Lt. Joe Steiner said Tuesday that two 12-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old were handcuffed for about 20 minutes Monday as police investigated a report of shots fired. The children were not involved. Attorney Jeff Storms said the case is an example of implicit bias. Three of the kids are Black and one is Hispanic.

SPRING STORMS

Blizzard in North Dakota, tornado in SE Minnesota

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Spring storms moving through the Upper Midwest, including a blizzard and a tornado, have forced the closure of the North Dakota Capitol, schools and roads, and tore up a small town in Minnesota. The National Weather Service says a tornado with winds of more than 110 mph took the roofs off houses, destroyed grain bins, snapped power lines and lifted a house off its foundation in Taopi, Minnesota, late Tuesday. Two people were taken to the hospital with noncritical injuries. The North Dakota state Capitol in Bismarck, along with scores of schools, government offices and roads, remained closed Wednesday due to the blizzard. Two feet of snow was expected to fall by Thursday.

BC-US-SCI-CARBON-CAPTURE-ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Battle over carbon capture as tool to fight climate change

Last year, Congress pledged $3.5 billion to carbon capture and sequestration projects around the United States, which has been called the largest federal investment ever by advocates for the technology. Advocates say that the technology is much needed if the world hopes to transition away from fossil fuels, and the United Nations’ top scientists say it could be part of the solution. But environmental justice advocates and residents of legacy pollution communities are wary of the technology, with many calling it a “false solution.”

FRAUD SCHEME

Wisconsin woman accused in scheme to defraud Hmong investors

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin woman is accused of leading a scheme to bilk Hmong-American investors mostly from Minnesota and Wisconsin of at least $16.5 million. A civil complaint filed Wednesday by the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Kay Yang, 40, of Mequon, of defrauding about 70 investors between April 2017 and April 2021. Her husband, Chao Yang, 47, is charged as a secondary defendant for improperly receiving proceeds of the fraud. Investigators say the scheme operated in six other states. Authorities said Kay Yang spent about $1.5 million on real estate, $790,000 on living expenses, $585,000 on travel and $313,000 on luxury vehicles for her and her husband, including a Lexus, Tesla and two BMWs. She had homes in Mequon, Sheboygan, Saukville, as well as Zimmerman, Minnesota.

MINNESOTA MOSQUE BOMBING

2 Illinois men get 14, 16 years in Minnesota mosque bombing

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Two Illinois men who helped bomb a Minnesota mosque in 2017 have received prison sentences far below the 35-year mandatory minimum they faced, after victims and prosecutors asked for leniency. Thirty-three-year-old Michael McWhorter was sentenced Tuesday to just under 16 years in prison and 26-year-old Joe Morris got about 14 years. Both testified in the 2020 trial against Emily Claire Hari, the leader of a small Illinois militia group and the mastermind of the mosque bombing. Hari was convicted in late 2020 and sentenced last year to 53 years in prison for the attack on Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington.

ATTORNEY GENERAL-FOOD FRAUD

Minnesota AG asks court to oversee nonprofit after fraud

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota court will supervise the dissolution of a nonprofit meals program that’s under federal investigation for allegedly defrauding the government of millions of dollars. Attorney General Keith Ellison asked the court to oversee the finances and operations of Feeding Our Future, which allegedly stole millions of dollars in federal funds. The offices of Feeding Our Future and some of its contractors were raided by the FBI in January. The group allegedly defrauded at least $197 million meant for purchasing and providing free meals to needy children from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2021 alone.

POLICE SHOOTING-MACHETE

Austin police officer won’t be charged in fatal shooting

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — An Austin police officer who shot a man after a 24-hour standoff with law enforcement in December will not face charges. Officer Zachary Gast shot 38-year-old Kokou Christopher Fiafonou on Christmas Eve following an incident that started the day before when Fiafonou was reported to be walking in traffic while wielding a machete. Fiafonou retreated to his apartment where he held police at bay for 24 hours. Fiafonou eventually left the residence and confronted officers with a knife. Gast fired seven rounds after Fiafonou ignored commands to drop the knife, stop or get on the ground. Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem, whose office reviewed the case, said Tuesday the evidence collected doesn’t support criminal charges against Gast or any of the other officers involved in the shooting.

GEORGE FLOYD-OTHER OFFICERS

Plea deal rejected by 3 ex-officers in George Floyd’s death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors have revealed that they offered plea deals to three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd, but say the defendants rejected them. Judge Peter Cahill held a Monday evening hearing mostly to consider whether he has the authority to allow live video coverage of the upcoming trial set for former Officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. Lead prosecutor Matthew Frank did not disclose details of the plea offers in open court. But he says they were identical and were made in March after a jury convicted the three in a separate trial in February on federal civil rights charges stemming from Floyd’s death.