GEORGE FLOYD-PROTESTS-SETTLEMENT

$2.4M to be paid to man shot in eye during Floyd protests

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis man who lost an eye when he was hit by a projectile fired by police during protests that followed George Floyd’s killing will get a $2.4 million settlement. Soren Stevenson was in a large group of people standing in a grassy area near an interstate on-ramp when he was hit by a 40 mm projectile on May 31, 2020. Stevenson told reporters Wednesday in an interview at his attorneys’ offices that he believed a SWAT officer fired directly at his face. He said he was not rioting or disobeying police at the time.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-MINNESOTA

Minnesota parents: Son taken by Russian military in Ukraine

WINONA, Minn. (AP) — Some Minnesota parents fear for the safety of their adult son in Ukraine who they say was taken by the Russian military. Tina Hauser, of Winona, tells KAAL-TV the last time she spoke with her son, Tyler Jacob, was Saturday when he told her he was being forced by the Russian military to board a bus out of Kherson and leave his Ukrainian wife and daughter behind. Hauser says she has called the U.S. Embassy but has not heard back. She has also reached out to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office for help. Klobuchar’s press secretary Jane Meyer said Wednesday that there is no update on the case.

WOMAN SET ON FIRE

Ex-boyfriend of woman set on fire arrested in her death

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Police say they have arrested the former boyfriend of a woman who died after she was set on fire at a St. Paul shipping warehouse. Authorities say 44-year-old Kelli Ranning Goodermont was killed at her workplace Tuesday. Her former boyfriend was arrested near his Bloomington home that had been set on fire. In a protection petition filed last June by Goodermont, she stated the 47-year-old man had held a loaded gun to her head. Court records also show the man was civilly committed and hospitalized for psychosis. Family members say Goodermont worked as a dispatcher at the warehouse business where the suspect was a truck driver and that they had known each other for years.

FATAL STABBING-DULULTH

Boy held in fatal stabbing of relative in Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A 15-year-old relative is accused of fatally stabbing a 19-year-old woman in Duluth. Karimah Phuly was found unresponsive at a residence Friday just minutes after police had left the home following a previous call. Officers originally responded to a disturbance call at the house about 6:40 p.m. where here was an allegation that a different family member had been assaulted. Police left after speaking with the family member and determining there had been no assault. About 10 minutes later, officers were called back to the house where they found Phuly unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy is being held in the Arrowhead Juvenile Center on a charge of second-degree homicide.

DAUNTE WRIGHT-MEMORIAL

Daunte Wright memorial to stay put in Brooklyn Center

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — The mayor of the Minneapolis suburb where Daunte Wright was killed by an officer who said she mistook her handgun for her Taser said Tuesday that a memorial to the Black motorist will stay in place. Brooklyn Center Mayor Michael Elliot told WCCO-AM that the memorial would stay at the intersection where Wright was killed by former officer Kim Potter. Elliot called the intersection a sacred spot. The 20-year-old Wright was killed April 11. Potter, the white former police officer convicted of manslaughter, was sentenced last month to two years in prison. Lawyers for Wright’s family say they will work with the city to create a permanent memorial.

AP-US-BIRD-FLU

Chicken, turkey farmers struggle to keep birds safe from flu

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Nearly 7 million chickens and turkeys in 13 states have been killed this year due to avian influenza, prompting officials and farmers to acknowledge that, despite their best efforts, preventing infections is incredibly difficult. State and federal officials hope the disease won’t spread as extensively as during an outbreak in 2015 that led to the deaths of about 50 millions chickens and turkeys, causing egg and meat prices to soar. Scientists are confident that wild birds are spreading the disease, but they are unsure how the virus infects commercial flocks in highly secure barns. Research since 2015 suggests the virus can be tracked inside on equipment, workers, mice, small birds, and even dust particles.

DRIVERLESS TRACTORS

Tired of waiting for driverless vehicles? Head to a farm

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For years Americans have been told autonomous technology was improving and that driverless vehicles were just around the corner. Finally they’re here, but to catch a glimpse of them, you’ll need to go to a farm. Beginning this fall, tractors that can plow day or night with no one sitting in the cab will come off the John Deere factory assembly line in Waterloo, Iowa. The development follows more than a decade-long effort by the world’s largest farm equipment manufacturer, and marks a milestone for automation advocates, who for years have been explaining why driverless cars aren’t quite ready for prime time. Deere isn’t release to cost of the tractor. It plans to operate the tractors on 10 to 50 farms by this fall.

SPORTS BETTING-MINNESOTA

Critics take aim at legalized sports betting in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Critics of a bill to legalize sports betting in Minnesota are warning legislators it would worsen problem gambling and favor tribes over other gaming interests. Anne Krisnik of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition told a House committee Tuesday that Minnesotans need to be educated on the risks. The bill would allow in-person sports wagering at casinos and authorizes tribes to issue licenses to mobile gaming operators. Bill sponsor Rep. Zack Stephenson says the tax rate on sports betting revenue would be as low as possible to encourage bettors to abandon illicit gambling. At least 30 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized sports gambling.