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BC-US-POLICE-SHOOTING-MINNEAPOLIS-NOOR

Ex-Minneapolis officer who killed 911 caller to be released

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman who called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home in 2017 is scheduled to be released from prison next week. Mohamed Noor is scheduled to be released from custody Monday. He received a new sentence in October of nearly five years in prison after the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned a third-degree murder conviction against him for killing Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual U.S.-Australian citizen. The decision vacated a prison term of 12?1/2 years that Noor had been serving. Damond’s father, John Ruszczyk, said in an email to The Associated Press that his release after a “trivial sentence” shows disrespect to the wishes of the jury that convicted him.

DAIRY QUEEN-LAWSUIT

Dairy Queen loses lawsuit against bottled water company

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — American Dairy Queen Corp. has lost a federal lawsuit accusing a Massachusetts company of trademark infringement for attaching the name “Blizzard” to its bottled water. The Star Tribune reports that U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson in St. Paul, Minnesota, issued a written decision earlier this month. She said Bloomington-based Dairy Queen failed to show prove W.B. Mason Co. committed any infringement. W.B. Mason Co.’s attorneys argued that the company attached “Blizzard” to its bottled water in 2010 and Dairy Queen failed to show even one instance of confusion after 188 million sales.

MINNESOTA FLOODING

Heavy rain closes roads in parts of central Minnesota

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — A deluge of rain in parts of central Minnesota has flooded streets and closed roads. Weather observers say more than 4 inches of rain fell overnight Thursday into Friday in St. Cloud where storm drains were unable to keep up with the downpour. The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office reported U.S. Highway 10 near Randall was completely flooded across both the northbound and southbound lanes. The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota State Patrol said Friday that Highway 10 between Highway 115 in Randall and Morrison County Road 117 in Cushing are closed due to flooding.

BC-CLIMATE-CHANGE-HEAT-WAVE

Summer swelter: Persistent heat wave breaks records, spirits

A heat wave that’s already lasted more than a week keeps on baking the US, Asia and even the Arctic. At least nine US states Thursday hit 100 degrees, that’s after 12 did that on Wednesday. Records keep falling. A city in the Russian Arctic hit nearly 90 degrees. This early summer heat wave looks and feels more like August. Scientists say it has all the hallmarks of climate change. In Macon, Georgia, the temperature ramped from 64 to 105 degrees on Wednesday and then hit 104, a further record, on Thursday.

WOLVES-MINNESOTA

Minnesota releases updated draft gray wolf management plan

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Wildlife managers say Minnesota’s gray wolf population is resilient and robust, and they’ve released a draft updated plan to keep it that way. The Department of Natural Resources on Thursday laid out a blueprint for the next 10 years to strengthen conservation and minimize conflicts between people and predators. It calls for maintaining a statewide population of 2,200 to 3,000 wolves. That’s in line with recent estimates of about 2,700 and around where it’s been since the late 1990s. The plan does not take a position on whether Minnesota should resume wolf hunting if they’re removed from federal protection.

TWIN METALS MINE

Feds issue draft assessment that could doom Minnesota mine

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service has issued a draft environmental assessment to lay the foundation for a proposed 20-year moratorium on copper-nickel mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Formally, the proposal would “withdraw” about 352 square miles within the Rainy River watershed in the Superior National Forest around Ely from new mineral leasing for 20 years. The plan threatens to doom the proposed Twin Metals mine near Birch Lake, which drains into a river that flows into the Boundary Waters. But it would not affect a separate project, the proposed PolyMet mine, which lies in a different watershed.

ELECTION 2022-MINNESOTA-GOVERNOR

Jensen seeks tax cuts to help Minnesota cope with inflation

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen is calling for tax cuts and a clampdown on government spending and regulations to help Minnesotans cope with inflation. Though his plan was short on specifics on how he’d get there, Jensen told reporters Thursday his goal is to return around $4,000 to $5,000 for every family of four. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz a day earlier renewed his call for one-time tax rebate checks of $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for couples to help them cope with high gas and other prices. Jensen and Republican legislative leaders are calling for permanent tax cuts instead.

GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS-CHAUVIN

Feds want 25 years for Chauvin for violating Floyd’s rights

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to give former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin a 25-year sentence for violating the rights of George Floyd, as well as the rights of a 14-year-old Black boy who was restrained in an unrelated case. Chauvin pleaded guilty in December to violating Floyd’s rights when he knelt on the Black man’s neck during a May 2020 arrest. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson has already accepted a plea agreement, which calls for a sentence ranging from 20 to 25 years. Prosecutors say Chauvin should face the high end because of the serious nature of the crime and other reasons. Chauvin was convicted on state charges of murder and manslaughter and is serving a 22 1/2-year sentence.