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GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS-CHAUVIN

Chauvin expected to plead guilty in Floyd civil rights case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin appears to be on the verge of pleading guilty to violating George Floyd’s civil rights. A federal docket entry on Monday shows that a hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday for Chauvin to change his not guilty plea. The move would remove Chauvin from a federal trial but could significantly increase the likely length of his sentence. Chauvin has already been convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges for pinning his knee against Floyd’s neck as the Black man said he couldn’t breathe in May 2020. Chauvin and three other former officers were scheduled to go to trial in late January on the civil rights charges.

DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL

Jurors at Potter trial see differences between gun, Taser

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors in the manslaughter trial of a Minnesota police officer charged in the shooting death of Daunte Wright walked jurors through the differences between her handgun and her Taser on Monday. They’re trying to raise questions about how an experienced officer could confuse the two. The 20-year-old Black motorist was killed April 11 after police pulled him over in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center for having expired license plate tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. The officer who shot him, Kim Potter, resigned two days after the shooting and is charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors need to show she acted recklessly or with culpable negligence.

DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL-EXPLAINER-GUN AND TASER

EXPLAINER: How does an officer use a gun instead of a Taser?

At former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter’s manslaughter trial for fatally shooting Daunte Wright, a Black motorist, the core of her defense is clear: She says she meant to use her Taser but grabbed her handgun instead. Experts say such cases are rare, but they do happen. Similar cases have been reported in recent years in California, Oklahoma and Missouri. Bill Lewinski studies police psychology and has used the phrase “slip and capture” errors to describe the phenomenon. Lewinski says officers sometimes perform the direct opposite of their intended actions under stress. Other experts say a major factor in why officers mistakenly draw their firearms is that stun guns typically look and feel like a firearm.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Person affiliated with university has COVID omicron variant

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A person affiliated with Minnesota State University, Mankato has the state’s second confirmed coronavirus case involving the omicron variant. University President Edward Inch has sent a letter to faculty, staff and students telling them that the Minnesota Department of Health had notified school officials that the omicron variant was confirmed in a vaccinated person at the university and that individual had recently tested positive. Inch says the infected person is doing fine and is isolating. Inch encouraged everyone to get vaccinated and receive a booster. In addition, the university will make COVID-19 testing available on campus Tuesday.

MINNEAPOLIS-BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Minneapolis starts mental health responders pilot program

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis has started a pilot program that would send unarmed mental health professionals to residents who call 911 about behavioral or mental-health related crises. The behavioral crisis response teams aim to provide counseling, crisis intervention and connection to support services. The teams are funded by money diverted from the Minneapolis Police Department by the City Council’s 2020 Safety for All plan to fund alternative public safety programs. The program started Monday with two mobile units of two mental health professionals each that will operate Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to midnight. The city is continuing to hire responders to eventually make the service available 24 hours a day.

TUITION RECIPROCITY

Bill allows UW System to negotiate tuition reciprocity

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A bipartisan bill introduced in the state Assembly would give the University of Wisconsin System authority over tuition reciprocity with Minnesota. The legislation would also let UW campuses keep additional revenue from students paying Minnesota tuition rates, revenue that is currently deposited into Wisconsin’s state budget. The reciprocity agreements between Wisconsin and Minnesota have been in place since the 1970s and have allowed students to attend colleges in their neighboring states while paying in-state tuition. The agreements are currently negotiated by Wisconsin’s Higher Educational Aids Board. The Assembly bill introduced by Republican Rep. Shannon Zimmerman would give UW System officials authority to renegotiate reciprocity agreements with Minnesota.

SEVERE WEATHER-CRASHES

Minnesota State Patrol counts nearly 300 crashes in storm

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota State Patrol has tallied 286 car crashes across the state during a wintery storm that brought as much as 20 inches of snow in some places. The highway patrol reported that 21 of the crashes resulted in injuries, including one that was fatal. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that a car driving on Highway 61 in Maplewood jumped the curb late Friday and struck a pickup truck traveling in the opposite direction.A 52-year-old passenger died, while another passenger and the driver of the car were taken to a hospital.

SHERIFF-DRUNKEN DRIVING

Sheriff charged with 4 misdemeanors for drunkenness in crash

ALEXANDRIA, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors in Douglas County have charged Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson with four misdemeanors for drunkenness after he crashed his vehicle this week. Hutchinson rolled his county SUV on Interstate 94 near Alexandria during the early morning hours Wednesday. He had been attending the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association winter conference in the city, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. An analysis of his urine determined that his blood alcohol content was 0.13%, while the state legal limit is 0.08%. Three of the charges were for driving while impaired. The fourth is for carrying a pistol while under the influence of alcohol.

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