AP-US-TEACHER-STRIKES

Sacramento teachers strike as Minneapolis walkout continues

Thousands of teachers and other school workers have walked out in Sacramento. The California capital is the second major U.S. school district this month to see a work stoppage over pay and staffing shortages. In Minneapolis, teachers are in their third week of a strike. The walkouts come as schools across the country deal with fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and limited resources for granting the demands of educators and support staff. Across the country, union workers are seizing the opportunity posed by tight labor markets to recover some of the power they feel they lost in recent decades as unions shrank in size and influence. And experts expect to see more labor strife as the country emerges from the pandemic.

FELONY MURDER-MINNESOTA

Minnesota lawmakers propose changes to felony murder laws

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers are considering changes to the state’s “felony murder” laws. The legislation would limit the charge of murder to the person who committed the killing and those who directly aided them, as well as those who act with reckless disregard for human life. Rep. Dave Pinto, of St. Paul, says his bill would limit liability to those who commit the crime — and shield those who may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. A task force commissioned by lawmakers last year concluded that the current laws are unfair and recommended they should be changed.

UKRAINE FLAG-CLASSROOMS

Teacher in Minnesota asked to take down Ukrainian flag

BYRON, Minn. (AP) — Ateacher in southeastern Minnesota has been asked by high school administrators to remove a Ukrainian flag from her classroom, a flag her students asked her to display as a show of solidarity for the war-torn country. Byron Public Schools Superintendent Mike Neubeck says district lawyers are reviewing the school system’s policy covering what can be displayed in classrooms. He said he’s concerned that allowing the Ukrainian flag could lead to unwanted displays. The co-president of the local teacher’s union, Justin Blom, says displaying the flag is one way for kids to identify and talk about bullying.

ENBRIDGE-LINE 3 PIPELINE

DNR: More groundwater released by pipeline aquifer ruptures

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota environmental regulators say damage to the state’s public groundwater resources from missteps during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline is more severe than previously known. The state Department of Natural Resources says Enbridge Energy crews ruptured three groundwater aquifers while building the 340-mile pipeline across northern Minnesota last year. The DNR says the company faces expanded sanctions. Together the punctures led to nearly 300 million gallons of groundwater flowing to the surface, with the most serious breach occurring near the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation in St. Louis County. That rupture alone discharged more than 200 million gallons of groundwater, and it continues to flow out.

CHILD KILLED-SENTENCE

Moorhead man sentenced in gun death of 6-year-old boy

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Moorhead man must serve nearly five years in prison for leaving a loaded gun in his residence that was used in the accidental death of a 6-year-old boy. Phillip Neal Jones Jr., a convicted felon, pleaded guilty last year to illegally possessing a firearm. The 34-year-old Jones has multiple prior felony convictions in Hennepin and Anoka Counties and is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. Court documents show that when the children were left unsupervised at the residence, a visiting child found the .40 caliber pistol under a large snack chip box in the kitchen. The gun went off, hitting and killing a second child.

FAMILY LEAVE

Minnesota Republicans offer alternate plan for family leave

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature have offered a voluntary proposal for paid family and medical leave. It would rely on tax credits for employers who choose to participate, in contrast with Democratic proposals that would require paid time off. Republicans depicted their plan Monday as an innovative way to support employees who need time off after childbirth, or to care for sick children, or for parents nearing the end of their lives. Democrats have been pushing for years for family and medical leave. They say they’re glad Republicans have finally joined the discussion, but that their plan doesn’t go far enough.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER-TOWBOAT

Mississippi River tow kicks off start of navigation season

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The first Mississippi River towboat has marked the unofficial start of the 2022 navigation season. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials say the Motor Vessel W. Red Harris was due to pass through Lock and Dam 3 near Welch on Monday afternoon. The tow originated from St. Louis and was pushing nine barges to St. Paul. It had earlier passed through Lake Pepin, which borders Minnesota and Wisconsin. The lake is the last major barrier to spring navigation because its ice is the last part of the river to break up. The Corps’ St. Paul District maintains a 9-foot-deep navigation channel and operates 12 locks and dams to support navigation from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa.

FLOOD OUTLOOK-RED RIVER

Dirty snow and warm temps aid Red River Valley snowmelt

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The National Weather Services says any fears of an extended spring flooding season in the Red River Valley have been virtually eliminated thanks in large part to the area’s soil-stained snow. The weather service said Monday that the area’s good flooding forecast was a strange benefit of two unwelcome weather woes — a summer drought followed by a winter season of numerous blizzards. The lack of precipitation made the topsoil receptive to the spring thaw and the gales of winter picked up loose dirt to color the snow and make it absorb more heat than usual. Meteorologist Amanda Lee says the dirty snow and the last week’s sun and warm temperatures are thought to have helped the snowpack disappear quickly.