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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

UMinn students, staff face vaccination or regular testing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota System will join hundreds of colleges nationwide in requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for students and staff at its five campuses. The mandate approved by the Board of Regents on Friday will take effect once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to a coronavirus vaccine and not just emergency use status. Full approval is expected in the coming weeks. Faculty and staff at the Twin Cities, Duluth, Rochester, Crookston and Morris campuses must either get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing. The University of Minnesota campuses educate about 67,000 students and employ 26,000 people.

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Judge: Reword part of Minneapolis police ballot question

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge has ruled that part of a ballot question that will soon be before Minneapolis voters on the future of the city’s police department must be rewritten. The proposal has become a key issue in the November elections and has drawn national attention and money as citizens decide the future of public safety in the city following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. The Star Tribune reports that Hennepin County District Judge Jamie Anderson on Friday instructed the city to remove an explanatory note outlining details of the proposal before voters, calling its wording “problematic.”

TODDLER FATALLY SHOT

Cass County Sheriff: 5-year-old fatally shoots 3-year-old

BENA, Minn. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials say an accidental shooting at a residence in Cass County has taken the life of a 3-year-old girl. Sheriff Tom Burch reports deputies responded to the home in Bena about 4 a.m. Friday and learned that the toddler had been shot by a 5-year-old boy in the residence. Burch says family members began rushing the girl to Essentia Health hospital in Deer River and were intercepted by Deer River ambulance. The child was pronounced dead at the hospital, despite live-saving efforts. An autopsy will be done by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office as the investigation continues.

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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.

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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.