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GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS-CHAUVIN

Judge overseeing Chauvin civil rights case accepts plea deal

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The judge overseeing the federal civil rights cases of four former Minneapolis police officers in the killing of George Floyd has accepted the terms of Derek Chauvin’s plea agreement and will sentence him to 20 to 25 years in prison. Chauvin pleaded guilty Dec. 15 to violating Floyd’s civil rights. The white former officer admitted he kept his knee on Floyd’s neck, resulting in the Black man’s death in May 2020. Judge Paul Magnuson deferred accepting the agreement pending a presentence investigation. He said in an order Wednesday that the report is complete, but did not set a sentencing date.

ABORTION-MINNESOTA

Suit challenging Minnesota’s abortion restrictions delayed

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A lawsuit challenging Minnesota’s restrictions on abortions that was set to go to trial next month has been delayed indefinitely. The Minnesota Court of Appeals issued the order late Tuesday. It says the lawsuit, filed by abortion rights supporters, can’t proceed while an appeal over which parties have legal standing remains pending. The trial was due to begin June 27. Whatever the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, abortion will remain legal in Minnesota under a 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling. But the lawsuit challenges several restrictions that have been imposed over the years.

POLICE CHIEF

St. Paul mayor names interim police chief

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The mayor of St. Paul has picked a new interim police chief. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Mayor Melvin Carter announced Wednesday that Deputy Chief Jeremy Ellison will take over as interim chief after Todd Axtell steps down on June 1. Former Mayor Chris Coleman appointed Axtell, who has clashed with Carter over department funding and officer salaries. Axtell announced in October he wouldn’t seek reappointment to another six-year term. Carter said he hopes to name a new chief by late summer or early fall. Ellison has worked for the police department since 2000.

BC-US-SUPREME-COURT-ABORTION-STATES-WHAT’S-NEXT

Abortion battles in states fire up after Supreme Court leak

The Supreme Court’s apparent intention to abolish a nationwide right to abortion, spelled out in a draft opinion leaked this week, will not be the final chapter in the nation’s most pitched culture battle. Democrats in states where the right to abortion is enshrined in law are bracing for a wave of legal attacks and other maneuvers seeking to undermine access, including from other states. California and Colorado are pushing to protect access to abortion in their state constitutions. Connecticut and Washington state are shielding providers from possible lawsuits as they anticipate that women seeking abortions will need to cross state lines.

PLANE CRASH-MANKATO

Plane crash in Mankato injures pilot, investigation underway

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration are expected in Mankato Wednesday to try to determine why a small plane crashed, injuring the pilot. KEYC-TV reports the crash happened about 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Mankato Regional Airport. Mankato Public Safety officials say the pilot was the only one on board when the plane crashed during a landing attempt. Authorities say the 78-year-old man has non-life threatening injuries. While the Mankato airport was closed, planes landed at surrounding airports including New Ulm and Waseca.

SUPREME COURT-ABORTION-MINNESOTA

Hundreds in Minneapolis protest possible overturn of Roe

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — About 500 people gathered outside the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis Tuesday evening to protest the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Some carried signs, one which read “My body, my choice.” If the court’s draft opinion becomes its final decision, abortions in Minnesota would remain legal for now under a 1995 state Supreme Court ruling which effectively established a right to an abortion under the state constitution. That has some concerned that Minnesota would become a destination for abortion services for women from other states.

CANCELED GAS PIPELINE

ND company scrubs plans for trans-state natural gas pipeline

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A subsidiary of North Dakota’s only Fortune 500 company says it won’t pursue plans to build a natural gas pipeline from western North Dakota’s oil patch to the eastern part of the state. WBI Energy is a unit of Bismarck-based MDU Resources Group. The company says the project is not viable due to regulatory uncertainty, limited in-state demand and rising construction, labor and land-acquisition costs. The North Dakota Legislature in November set aside $150 million in federal coronavirus aid to help construct a trans-state pipeline, hoping to spur industrial development. The head of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority says only Viking Gas Transmission applied for the grants.

POLYMET MINE

EPA recommends against reissuing permit for PolyMet mine

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Federal regulators are recommending that the Army Corps of Engineers decline to reissue a key permit for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine. The Environmental Protection Agency says the project could raise levels of mercury and other pollutants downstream from the site in northeastern Minnesota. It’s just a recommendation, but Minnesota Public Radio reports it could deal a severe blow to the $1 billion mine if the Army Corps accepts the advice. The EPA announced its position at the start of a three-day hearing in Carlton. PolyMet says it’s confident the Corps will affirm the permit after it considers all the evidence.