BC-US-DAUNTE-WRIGHT-OFFICER-TRIAL

Jury in Kim Potter trial ends another day without verdict

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota jury has ended its second day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in the manslaughter trial of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Black motorist Daunte Wright. The jury weighing Kim Potter’s fate broke at about 6 p.m. Tuesday. They deliberated for about half a day Monday. Jurors asked Judge Regina Chu two questions late Tuesday afternoon, including what they should do if they can’t agree on verdicts. Chu instructed them that they should continue deliberating. Potter, who is white, is charged with two counts of manslaughter after shooting Wright on April 11 during a traffic stop. Potter has said she meant to use her Taser on Wright.

DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL-FIELD TRAINING

Policing experts: Series of errors preceded Wright shooting

The suburban Minneapolis police officer on trial for fatally shooting Daunte Wright has said she mistakenly used her gun when she was trying to grab a Taser during a chaotic attempt to arrest the Black motorist. Policing experts say that regardless of former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter’s intent, the fatal shooting was preceded by smaller mistakes or questionable decisions that added up to a dangerous situation as she was training a new officer. And they say the tragic outcome shows how important it is for veterans to have not just the savvy to train rookies, but to be willing to correct them instantly, even if it means the trainee might lose face.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA GOVERNOR

Minnesota Gov. Walz, family test positive for COVID-19

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has tested positive for COVID-19, along with his wife and teenage son. The governor’s office announced Tuesday that Walz and his family tested positive on Monday after his son experienced mild symptoms over the weekend. The governor and first lady Gwen Walz remain asymptomatic. All three have been vaccinated, including Walz who received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine in March and the Moderna booster in October. Minnesota hospital capacity remains strained amid fears of an omicron-fueled spike in cases. Nearly 1,500 peoplewere hospitalized with complications due to COVID-19 as of Monday, including 355 in intensive care.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA-STICKERS

Supply chain problems delay Minnesota registration stickers

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans who renew their annual vehicle registrations online or by mail might not get their 2022 stickers in time thanks to global supply chain disruptions. Manufacturing company 3M typically produces the stickers but the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday that the company can’t get the paper it needs. State Department of Public Safety’s Driver and Vehicle Services Division Director Pong Xiong says some 52,000 registration renewals have already been submitted and he anticipates receiving another 320,000 additional renewals before the end of January. The division says drivers who renew in person at a license center can get pre-printed stickers on the spot.

AP-MN-STOLEN GOOSE

Stolen goose statute reappears at recycling center

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A bronze goose statue stolen from a St. Paul park has reappeared — at a recycling center. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports the statue was reported stolen from its pedestal in a fountain in Cochran Park on Sunday. It’s unclear when it was actually removed. The 28-inch high statue turned up at a St. Paul recycling center on Monday and turned up over to city staff. The base sustained minor damage but the statue itself was unharmed. An investigation continues.

SQUIRRELS VS. LIGHTS

Squirrels force St. Paul park to scale back holiday lights

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hungry squirrels are forcing a downtown St. Paul park to scale back its Christmas lights display. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports the Friends of Mears Park had to reduce and reconfigure its display this year because a troop of squirrels chewed through the wires last year and the vendor refused to go through the ordeal again this year. The wires are coated with polylactic acid, a derivative of corn sugar, making them appealing appetizers for squirrels. In lieu of the lights, the group is using a projector to show a kaleidoscope of snowflakes and using base lights to bathe trees in green and blue hues.

SHERIFF-DRUNKEN DRIVING

Hennepin County sheriff sentenced to probation in DUI crash

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson has been sentenced to two years’ probation in connection with a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. Hutchinson crashed his county-owned SUV near Alexandria on Dec. 8. He pleaded guilty Thursday to fourth-degree driving under the influence in a deal with prosecutors. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports he was sentenced on Monday. He was fined $610 in addition to the probation term. A 90-day jail sentence was stayed. He can’t drink alcohol or use drugs and must submit to random testing as conditions of probation. Hutchinson has called the crash “a wake-up call” and has entered an outpatient treatment program to address his alcohol issues.

AP-US-GEORGE-FLOYD-TEXAS-GOVERNOR

Texas governor’s decision: Whether to pardon George Floyd

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott isn’t saying whether he will posthumously pardon George Floyd for a 2004 drug arrest. Floyd spent much of his life in Houston before his death last year in Minneapolis led to a reckoning in the U.S. over race and policing. In October, Texas’ parole board sent Abbott a unanimous recommendation to pardon Floyd whose arrest by a former officer whose policework is no longer trusted by prosecutors. The Republican governor typically hands out pardons around Christmas but he has remained silent over what would be only the second posthumous pardon by a Texas governor.