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AP-US-MINNESOTA-SCHOOLS-STRIKE

Teachers hit picket lines in Minneapolis as parents worry

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Teachers have hit the picket lines at public schools across Minneapolis, calling their strike a fight to ensure “safe and stable schools” for students and for better wages for the lowest-paid support staff. But many families of the 29,000 students in one of Minnesota’s largest school districts are worried. They fear an extended walkout by the nearly 3,300 teachers could mean a return to the struggles of balancing work and child care they have faced throughout the coronavirus pandemic. No talks are scheduled. And union leaders and school officials made it clear the sides are far apart.

STADIUM INJURY SETTLEMENT

Minneapolis stadium owners settle with injured concert goer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — U.S. Bank Stadium officials have agreed to pay their share of a $1.2 million settlement to a Wisconsin man whose foot was injured at a Garth Brooks concert in 2019. Tom and Diana Ugoretz, of Marshfield, sued the owner of the Minneapolis stadium, its operators, guilders and security personnel after a large steel hydraulic barrier was lowered onto Tom Ugoretz’s foot outside a gate. He sued for his permanent disability and past and future medical expenses. Diana Ugoretz sought compensation for loss of companionship. The couple’s attorney, Michael Brose, says the settlement includes a confidentiality clause that prohibits the parties from discussing his client’s injuries, the incident or the settlement.

HIGH SCHOOL-WEAPON

Lockdown lifted, no weapon found at Burnsville High School

BURNSVILLE, Minn. (AP) — Police responding to a report of a weapon at a suburban Minneapolis high school gave the all-clear after a three-hour search found nothing suspicious. A lockdown was put in place at Burnsville High School about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday when the search began. Authorities said no weapon was discovered and there were no injuries. School principal Dave Helke said in mid-afternoon note to parents that students would be released immediately and buses would run their normal routes. All after-school activities were canceled. Burnsville is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Minneapolis.

SPORTS BETTING-MINNESOTA

New sports betting bill puts Minnesota tribes in control

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The lead sponsor of a House bill to legalize sports betting in Minnesota says he’s confident the state’s tribes will drop their longstanding opposition and let it become law because it would put them in control. Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, says he’s met in recent months with leaders of all 11 of Minnesota’s Ojibwe and Dakota bands, and that he would not be pressing forward now unless he was comfortable that they’ll support it in the end. The bill gets its first hearing Tuesday. The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association is withholding approval until the details are nailed down.

CAPITOL RALLY-UKRAINE

Hundreds rally at state Capitol in support of Ukraine

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of Minnesotans rallied at the state Capitol to show support for Ukraine where more than 1.7 million people have been forced from their country because of Russia’s invasion nearly two weeks ago. The chairman of the Minnesota Ukrainian American Advocacy Committee, Luda Anastazievsky, called on the state Legislature Sunday to divest of any funds benefiting Russia, similar to Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order requiring state agencies to suspend contracts with Russian entities. Walz, who attended Sunday’s rally, urged other U.S. leaders to do the same. Some 17,000 Ukrainians reside in Minnesota, according to the Ukrainian American Community Center.

PEDESTRIAN KILLED

Man struck and killed in Minnesota moments after dog was hit

GRASSTON, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say a pedestrian in east-central Minnesota was struck and killed by a vehicle moments after this dog was hit by a different car. The Pine County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened Thursday evening on Pokegama Lake Road near Grasston, about 60 miles north of Minneapolis and 95 miles south of Duluth. WDIO-TV reports that the victim was trying to remove the dog from the roadway when he was struck by the second vehicle. The driver of the vehicle that hit the man stopped to help and bystanders attempted live-saving measures. The man was later pronounced dead. Authorities say the driver is cooperating with law enforcement and that alcohol and controlled substances do not appear to have been a factor.

SLAIN STUDENT-APPEAL

Feds to appeal reversal in North Dakota death penalty case

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Federal prosecutors plan to appeal a ruling that overturned the death sentence for a Minnesota man convicted of kidnapping and killing a University of North Dakota student. A jury in 2006 convicted Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., of Crookston, Minnesota, in the killing of 22-year-old Dru Sjodin, of Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. The same jury sentenced Rodriguez to death in the first and only federal capital punishment case in North Dakota. Prosecutors filed a one-page notice Thursday with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that they were challenging the ruling by Judge Ralph Erickson, who oversaw Rodriguez’s trial and is now a member of the 8th Circuit. Last year Erickson ordered a new sentencing phase for Rodriguez after ruling that Rodriguez’s constitutional rights were violated.

MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING

1 dead, 3 wounded in early-morning shooting in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis police say one person was killed and three people were injured in an early-morning shooting after an argument escalated to gunfire. Officers responded about 2:30 a.m. Sunday to reports of shots fired at a residence. Police provided medical aid to all the wounded and additional officers were sent to the scene to assist with crowd control. One man was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman with potential life-threatening wounds and two men with non-life threatening injuries were taken to a hospital. Police say a “verbal altercation” led to the shooting, but no further information was available. No arrests have been made.