TRAFFIC STOP-SHOT FIRED
Man apprehended after allegedly shooting at Willmar police
WILLMAR, Minn. (AP) — A 36-year-old man was apprehended after allegedly firing a handgun at Willmar police during a traffic stop and fleeing into a nearby neighborhood. Police say one round was fired at an officer, who was not hit or injured but immediately called for backup about 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The suspect ran into a neighborhood, where police used drones and aircraft to search for him. After a robotic camera confirmed that the alleged shooter was inside a garage, SWAT teams used tear gas and a battering ram attached to a vehicle to take him into custody. KARE-TV reports that the man was found with self-inflicted injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was released Sunday and taken to the Kandiyohi County Jail.
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE-CHIEF
Last day: Minneapolis’ 1st Black police chief leaves quietly
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis’ first Black police chief served his last day in office on Saturday. Medaria Arradondo, who announced he was stepping down last month, had a variety of positions with the department for 30 years. He started as a patrol officer in north Minneapolis in 1989 before becoming an inspector of the first precinct in 2013. He was promoted to chief in 2017. In proclaiming Saturday as Medaria Arradondo Day, Mayor Jacob Frey said the chief has “embodied decency, community, and courage in his historic tenure” and “has been unabashed in his commitment to truth, justice and transparency.” The 54-year-old Arradondo was unavailable for comment on his last day in office. An official for the department said he wanted to go out quietly.
AIRPORT SNOW PLOW CONTRACT
Airport snow plow drivers reached tentative deal on contract
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Workers who clear snow from runways, streets and sidewalks at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport have reached agreement with the Metropolitan Airports Commission on a tentative contract. Teamsters 320 union representatives will present the contract to its members for a vote next week. It affects about 85 employees including those who work at Holman Field, Crystal, Airlake, Flying Cloud, Anoka County-Blaine and Lake Elmo airports. Terms of the agreement were not released. The commission says the pay varies by season. In 2019, the median gross pay was $103,280 with 48 employees earning more than $100,000. In 2020, the median gross pay was $89,601 with 18 employees making more than $100,000.
SCIENCE MUSEUM-DONATION
Proposed Fargo-Moorhead science museum gets $1 million gift
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A proposed science museum in the Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota area has received a $1 million donation from a local business leader. Officials with the Fargo-Moorhead Science Museum say the gift from John Ballantyne will help with facility planning and feasibility studies for facility in the community of about 250,000 people. Ballantyne is co-founder of the Fargo biological sciences company Aldevron and serves as its chief scientific officer. The museum focus on the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, collectively known as STEM. The plans includes a mobile STEM classroom. Aldevron’s operations began in a laboratory at North Dakota State University in 1998 and have grown to include sites in Madison, Wisconsin, and Freiburg, Germany.
AP-US-PRINCE-ESTATE
Final valuation of Prince’s estate pegged at $156.4 million
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The six-year legal battle over Prince’s estate has ended. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that parties to the pop superstar’s estate have pegged the value at $156.4 million. That dwarfs the $82.3 million appraisal by the estate’s administrator, Comerica Bank & Trust. The Internal Revenue Service in 2020 had valued the estate at $163.2 million. The process of distributing the star musician’s wealth could begin in February. Prince died of a fentanyl overdose in 2016. He did not leave a will. The estate will be almost evenly divided between a New York music company and the three oldest of the music icon’s six heirs or their families.
OMAR-CAMPAIGN COMPLAINT
FEC rejects campaign finance complaint against Rep. Omar
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Federal Election Commission has tossed out a 2019 complaint against Rep. Ilhan Omar from a conservative group alleging the Minnesota Democrat illegally spent campaign funds on her now-husband’s political consulting firm. The complaint from the Virginia-based National Legal and Policy Center questioned whether Omar’s campaign paid Tim Mynett’s E Street Group for personal travel expenses. In a unanimous decision, the commission found there was no reason to believe Omar’s campaign “knowingly and willfully violated” federal law or regulations by either “converting campaign funds to personal use” or “improperly reporting payee information.”
CAMERAS IN COURTS
Panel weighs expanding use of cameras in Minnesota courts
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure has met to discuss state court rules governing cameras in courts and whether to expand their use. The committee consists of 20 judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys. Some members of the panel expressed hesitation Friday toward expanding the use of cameras in courts. Chief Justice Lorie Gildea in June directed the panel to study the issue and report back with recommendations by July 1 of this year. Prosecutors on the panel expressed concerns that cameras would prevent victims and witnesses from coming forward if they will be publicly associated with a case.
ARSON SENTENCE
Rochester man gets 10 years in fatal pawn shop arson
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced a Rochester man to 10 years in prison in connection with a fatal pawn shop arson during unrest over George Floyd’s death. According to court documents, 26-year-old Montez Terriel Lee and several others broke into the Max It Pawn Shop in Minneapolis on May 28, 2020. Surveillance footage shows him pouring an accelerant around the pawn shop and lighting the accelerant on fire. The pawn shop was destroyed. Authorities found the body of a 30-year-old man in the rubble. U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright handed down the sentence Friday.
The Associated Press
