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STABBING TRIAL

Trial date set for man accused of stabbing wife to death

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Woodbury man accused of stabbing his wife while six children were upstairs watching TV will stand trial this spring. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Washington County District Judge Juanita Freemen scheduled 40-year-old McKinley Phillips’ trial to start April 11. She anticipates the proceedings will last about a week. Phillips faces one count of second-degree murder in connection with the June 25 death of his wife, Shevon. According to court documents, Phillips allegedly stabbed her in the basement while the children, ages 5 to 15, were watching TV upstairs, then fled the state on a Greyhound bus. He was captured on the bus near Tomah, Wisconsin, on June 26.

CAR-TO-CAR HOMICIDE

Car-to-car shooting leads to Minneapolis’ 62nd homicide

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A car-to-car shooting has led to Minneapolis’ 62nd homicide of the year. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports police received multiple calls of shots fired near the Lyndale neighborhood in south-central Minneapolis early Sunday morning. First responders found a 20-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. He died at the scene. Investigators believe occupants of two vehicles were shooting at each other. The victim was inside one of the vehicles when he was hit. His name has not been released. The other vehicle fled the scene.

STOLEN CAR-CRASH

Teen crashes stolen vehicle in St. Cloud train yard

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — A 14-year-old boy is in custody after he allegedly crashed a stolen vehicle in a St. Cloud train yard. The St. Cloud Times reports that police responded to a robbery report early Friday morning. A man told officers three males had assaulted him and stolen his vehicle. Officers on the scene received a report of a vehicle matching the stolen vehicle’s description swerving all over the road.Police chased the vehicle, breaking off once due to high speeds, before pursuing it into a train yard. The vehicle crashed and caught fire. Police doused the flames and removed the boy from the vehicle. He was taken to a hospital and could face charges that include driving under the influence.

GOP CHAIR-ARRESTED

St. Thomas GOP chairwoman arrested in trafficking case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The chairwoman of the University of St. Thomas College Republicans has been arrested on suspicion of recruiting minors for a sex trafficking ring. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports 19-year-old Gisela Castro Medina was arrested Thursday in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office’s website said she was a fugitive from the FBI in Minnesota and wanted on conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. The Minnesota College Republicans said in a news release that she was arrested along with Minnesota Republican activist Anton “Tony” Lazzaro. He’s been indicted on multiple federal counts, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and obstruction of justice.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

UMinn students, staff face vaccination or regular testing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The University of Minnesota System will join hundreds of colleges nationwide in requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for students and staff at its five campuses. The mandate approved by the Board of Regents on Friday will take effect once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives final approval to a coronavirus vaccine and not just emergency use status. Full approval is expected in the coming weeks. Faculty and staff at the Twin Cities, Duluth, Rochester, Crookston and Morris campuses must either get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing. The University of Minnesota campuses educate about 67,000 students and employ 26,000 people.

AP-US-GEORGE-FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS-POLICE

Judge: Reword part of Minneapolis police ballot question

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge has ruled that part of a ballot question that will soon be before Minneapolis voters on the future of the city’s police department must be rewritten. The proposal has become a key issue in the November elections and has drawn national attention and money as citizens decide the future of public safety in the city following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. The Star Tribune reports that Hennepin County District Judge Jamie Anderson on Friday instructed the city to remove an explanatory note outlining details of the proposal before voters, calling its wording “problematic.”

TODDLER FATALLY SHOT

Cass County Sheriff: 5-year-old fatally shoots 3-year-old

BENA, Minn. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials say an accidental shooting at a residence in Cass County has taken the life of a 3-year-old girl. Sheriff Tom Burch reports deputies responded to the home in Bena about 4 a.m. Friday and learned that the toddler had been shot by a 5-year-old boy in the residence. Burch says family members began rushing the girl to Essentia Health hospital in Deer River and were intercepted by Deer River ambulance. The child was pronounced dead at the hospital, despite live-saving efforts. An autopsy will be done by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office as the investigation continues.

CENSUS-MINNESOTA-REDISTRICTING

Census data forces Minnesota lawmakers to grapple with remap

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — New census data has given legislators tasked with redrawing Minnesota’s political map a lot to think about, and they only have a few months to agree or to punt the high-stakes job to the courts. So lawmakers from both parties have been studying the granular data ever since the Census Bureau released it Thursday. The numbers show how Minnesota’s population has shifted toward the Minneapolis-St. Paul area from rural counties, Minnesota’s political maps must be redrawn by Feb. 15 so candidates can file for the 2022 elections. The changes are bound to impact control of the Legislature and the state’s congressional delegation.