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SQUAD CAR-FATAL

Deputy strikes, kills woman with squad car in Morristown

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Rice County Sheriff’s Office deputy struck and killed a Faribault woman in Morristown early Saturday morning. Authorities say the on-duty deputy, was driving a squad car near the around 2 a.m. and was not responding to an emergency at the time. The 52-year-old woman is thought to have been in the roadway. Deputies attempted lifesaving efforts, and local fire and rescue responded, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The State Patrol is handling the investigation. No further information has been made available.

ORGANIZED THEFTS-CHARGES

6 charged in organized thefts from Twin Cities stores

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Six people have been charged with being among nearly 20 who plotted and ambushed several retail outlets in the Twin Cities on Black Friday over the Thanksgiving weekend. Best Buy stores in Burnsville, Blaine and Maplewood were targeted, as well as a Dick’s Sporting Goods outlet in Richfield. Televisions, computer tablets, a hoverboard and other electronics totaling more than $26,000 were taken by the armloads from the Best Buy stores. Mob thefts also occurred elsewhere in major cities around the country in November.

GEORGE-FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS

Defense: 3 officers at Floyd killing not trained adequately

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An attorney for one of the three former Minneapolis police officers on trial for allegedly violating George Floyd’s civil rights says the police department didn’t adequately train new officers on certain policies and taught them to obey their superiors. Federal prosecutors say officers J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane had a duty to intervene when Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes, but they did nothing and failed to start CPR after Floyd stopped breathing. The former head of the police department’s training division says the officers didn’t follow the department’s use-of-force policy when Floyd was killed. But Kueng’s attorney says training is lacking and new officers are taught to obey senior officers.

URBAN CHURCHES-NEW USES

Historic city churches find new life as neighborhood centers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Across the U.S., historic urban churches built decades ago to accommodate hundreds or thousands of worshippers and bulging Sunday school classes have struggled with shrinking flocks and rising preservation costs. So, many are finding new ways to use their buildings that let them both keep those sacred places viable and serve the neighborhoods they’ve anchored for decades. In Minneapolis alone, landmark churches have hosted everything from food pantries and Finnish language classes to tai-chi practices and group discussions on reparations. Elsewhere in the country, they’ve rented out space for events or programs like preschools, bringing in much needed revenue, and also made their buildings available free to community groups.

SHOOTING SENTENCE

North Dakota man gets 5 years for shooting man in the face

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A North Dakota man accused of shooting a St. Paul man in the face has been sentenced to five years in custody. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Ramsey County Judge Reynaldo Aligada Jr. sentenced 46-year-old Eddie Lee Washington of Fargo on Friday to a littleover three years in prison and 20 months on supervised release. Washington was charged with shooting Delance Montgomery in the jaw on Sept. 20. Montgomery told the court through a victim impact statement that he was driving home from work when he saw Washington walking on the sidewalk when Washington opened fire on him. He complained that the sentence doesn’t fit the crime.

ETHICS COMPLAINT-CHIEF

Board tosses complaint against Minneapolis police chief

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Officials in Minneapolis have dismissed an ethics complaint against the city’s police chief. Then-City Council President Lisa Bender filed an ethics complaint against Medaria Arradondo last year. She accused him of improperly appearing at a news conference to urge voters to reject a November ballot question asked voters to replace the police department with a new Department of Public Safety. She alleged he appeared in full uniform and used a photo backdrop featuring the police department logo, a violation of prohibitions on city officials using city resources for political activity. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Friday that the city’s Ethical Practices Board dismissed the complaint on Tuesday, saying a mayoral reprimand Arradondo received in December resolved the matter.

TWO DEAD-CRYSTAL

2 found dead in Crystal home, police are investigating

CRYSTAL, Minn. (AP) — Police are investigating the deaths of two people whose bodies were found in a home in a Minneapolis suburb. According to police, officers were called to a home in Crystal about 11:40 p.m. Thursday. When they arrived, they found the bodies of a 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old woman. The investigation is continuing, but officials say it could be a murder-suicide case. Police say they don’t believe there is any danger to the public, and they aren’t currently looking for anyone associated with the incident.

CANADA-US BORDER DEATHS

Migrants in human smuggling case facing deportation hearings

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Seven Indian nationals accused of illegally entering the United States in an alleged human smuggling case that left four dead have been released pending deportation hearings in front of an immigration judge. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials said Thursday that six of the migrants were placed under supervision and one was released for humanitarian purposes. All of them have been ordered to report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, at a later date. The seven migrants were part of a group of 11 people attempting to cross into the U.S. near the Minnesota-North Dakota border last week during a blizzard. The frozen bodies of four family members who became separated from the group were found just inside the Canadian border.